About A Duck’s Oven

You’ll find recipes here for all skill levels, with a focus on the techniques and building blocks that make home cooking feel less like guesswork. Throughout the site:

• Protein-forward recipes that actually work, cooked with the right method for the job (although my soft spot is sous vide!).
• Sauce, marinade, and rub recipes that serve as building blocks for creating impressive meals with minimal effort.
• Sous vide recipes and tips that demystify cooking with an immersion circulator to show you it’s not just for “food nerds,” but home cooks, too.
• Real-life meal planning recipes. They’re the kind I actually rotate through in my kitchen every month.

I personally develop, photograph, and write all of the recipes. In addition to my work on A Duck’s Oven, I’m a cookbook author and the creator of The Cookbook Lab. 

Learn more about me >

Learn more about my cookbooks >

A Duck’s Oven has been featured in Tasting Table, Food52, Eating Well, Buzzfeed, Cherry Bombe magazine, and more. See more press >

Why Sous Vide?

I first fell in love with sous vide in 2017. I’d seen immersion circulators and been curious but hesitant to learn a new gadget. My mom took the decision out of my hands and bought me my first circulator for my birthday. I immediately became obsessed. How could I not when I could use it to cook any kind of meat perfectly, every single time, with almost no effort?

However, I noticed online sous vide communities were dominated by men who insisted on using the machines in very specific ways. Couldn’t be me. I’d used sous vide to simplify my cooking routines, not complicate them, and I wanted to share my methods with the world. So I started sharing them here and eventually, in my cookbooks.

For the uninitiated: Think of sous vide cooking like a little hot tub for your food. Vacuum seal your food or put it in a jar, then into a temperature controlled water bath (using an immersion circulator). This water bath will stay at the EXACT temperature you want to bring your food to, meaning you nail it every time.

You know how the recommended internal temperature for chicken is 165°F, yet you cook it in a 350°F (or hotter) oven? This is why it’s so easy to dry it out. The cooking environment is significantly hotter than the temperature you want to bring your food to. With sous vide, the cooking environment is the exact temperature you want to bring your food to. Sure, it takes longer, but the results are worth it. 

If you’re new to sous vide, check out my Sous Vide School and Beginner’s Guide to Sous Vide, or explore some of these great starter recipes:

• Sous Vide Egg Bites
• Sous Vide Tri-Tip Steak
• The Juiciest Sous Vide Chicken Breasts
• Sous Vide Pork Chops
• 30-Minute Sous Vide Salmon

Beyond the recipes here on A Duck’s Oven, you can find even more sous vide recipes in my cookbooks Everyday Sous Vide: It’s All French to Me and Sous Vide Meal Prep.

How It Started

I started A Duck’s Oven in 2010 during my junior year at the University of Oregon. Yes, that’s where the name comes from; the U of O mascot is the Ducks. The mission was to help college students branch out from boxed mac and cheese and frozen pizza. More than fifteen years later, the spirit of that mission hasn’t changed. I still want to help home cooks feel confident and capable, just with a lot more technique under the belt.

Stay in Touch

• Follow me on Instagram, where I share pieces of my everyday life, meal planning, what I’m cooking, and more.
• Contact me directly at chelsea@aducksoven.com.
• Sign up for emails! Get new recipes and more sent right to your inbox when you subscribe here.
• Comment on posts and rate the recipes! I love to hear from readers about what you’re making, and your feedback helps make the site better for everyone.