ABC launches new cooking show, A Bite to Eat With Alice

TV cook Alice Zaslavsky is sharing her best budget friendly dinner hacks that’ll have you praising frozen veg, Sloppy Joes and that old tin of curry powder in the pantry.

TV cook Alice Zaslavsky on the set of her new TV show A Bite to Eat with Alice. Picture: ABC

As ‘cozzie livs’ forces us back into our homecooking and cheap eats era, TV cook Alice Zaslavsky is sharing her kitchen hacks.

“Think about meal prep and batch cooking,” she said.

“If you’re going to cook a big bolognese, think of ways to reinvent it. Make a tomato-based mince or tofu sauce, use it through tacos, spaghetti, Sloppy Joes — there are many applications of a single base.”

The former MasterChef star and awarded cookbook author has just wrapped filming the first season of her new nightly cooking show, A Bite to Eat With Alice, which airs weeknights on the ABC.

The 50-episode season serves up a series of no-fuss, veg-packed and delicious meals prepared by Zaslavsky and special guests; from MasterChef Australia judge Poh Ling Yeow, Aussie actor Pia Miranda and Aussie cooking icons Stephanie Alexander and Kylie Kwong.

“The mission (of this show) and really, the reason why this show is important, is it gets us thinking about what was on our own tellies growing up,” she said.

Alice is giving us a “permission slip to use what you’ve got” in the pantry to save money.

“Cooking shows have always been a constant. The Cook and the Chef, Consuming Passions with Ian Parmenter, and Gabrielle Gate — they were always keeping us company and showing us how to cook.”

Not only is Zaslavsky, a former primary school teacher, teaching us new ways around a recipe she’s also encouraging us to break the rules.

“Cooking is about making the most of what you have. Remember, it’s always going to be cheaper to cook at home and use frozen veggies,” she said.

“Take advantage of that discounted fruit and veg box from the local grocery on a Sunday afternoon...don’t use mint in the recipe if you don’t have any, use parsley instead. Take this as your permission slip to use what you’ve already got, even that old tin of curry powder in the back of the cupboard.”

“In this day and age, we are eating more like our grandparents, but the difference is we have the internet and social media and amazing access to recipes.”

A Bite to Eat With Alice, weekdays 6pm on ABC iview and ABC TV, recipes via: iview.abc.net.au

Originally published as ABC launches new cooking show, A Bite to Eat With Alice