Pati Jinich Just Told Us Her Favorite Pantry Staple

Mexican chef, cookbook author and television personality Pati Jinich knows a thing or two about tequila. Her favorite brand is Gran Centenario, even before their fitting partnership together.

In this exclusive interview with EatingWell, we talked to the Pati’s Mexican Table host about her favorite pantry staples, vegetables and ways to use and drink tequila. Plus, learn more about the chef’s hosting tips for beginner cooks, her no. 1 recommended dish to make for a crowd and more below.

EatingWell: What’s a dish you would recommend for beginner home cooks to make, especially for guests?

Jinich: Mexican food is perfect for that because as long as you have tortillas handy, whatever happens, you can make anything into a taco. For beginners, having things that can be eaten family style—make a big pot of carnitas or barbacoa or chicken tinga. You can make a pot of rice, reheat some refried beans or make beans in advance so you have that. All you need to do is heat and then add flour or corn tortillas. Tacos are simple, fun and easy, and people will always be happy with tacos no matter what.

EatingWell: Do you have any hosting tips for beginners?

Jinich: You have to have something to eat and something to drink ready, for sure. When your friends come, you don’t want to get stressed by thinking that they’re waiting for you to have things ready, so even if you just have some guacamole and chips, plantain chips or a small cheese board. And with some margarita mix, you can make a delicious, fresh margarita and have a big pitcher ready in the refrigerator. 

Have your guests participate with you. You don’t have to have everything ready and plated with labels, it can be fun to finish cooking as your friends arrive. What I will do is I will have some things finished, but I’ll leave certain things that I think are important, like cutting into the fresh avocado or crumbling the cheese so that they participate with me in getting things together—and then hopefully they’ll help you clean up, too!

EatingWell: What are your top 3 pantry staples?

In my house we cannot live without chipotles in adobo sauce. We go through three or four 28-ounce cans a week, that’s how much chipotles in adobo sauce we eat. We use them for deep-fried beans, we use them for soups, for stews, for Mexican-style pasta, for quesadillas, tacos. So they are always in my pantry. Next is pinto or black beans. Sometimes I’m a pinto bean girl, sometimes I’m a black bean girl. We go through stages but either pinto or black, we’re always eating beans. I love making them from scratch, but when I don’t have a chance to make them from scratch, I always have La Costena in my pantry to reheat. And we eat a lot of rice too. In terms of spices, I increasingly use oregano, dried oregano, Mexican oregano, and I use a ton of coarse black salt.

EatingWell: What made you decide to partner with Gran Centenario?

Jinich: I have built my career around sharing the Mexico that I love and miss. I come from Mexico, my family comes from Mexico and I’ve lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, and I love building bridges between countries and communities. One of the most iconic symbols that Mexicans have is tequila, and the number one tequila in Mexico is, no doubt about it, Gran Centenario. It’s a tequila that comes from the Jaliscan Highlands. There’s so much craft, so much pride, so much love, so much history into what goes in tequila, and I feel that what I do has the same spirit and meaning. I take pride in sharing the food, the traditions, the celebrations that we Mexicans are so proud to share. I just love working with Gran Centenario because they’re as proud of being Mexican as I am.

EatingWell: Your go-to tequila cocktail?

Jinich: It’s hard to choose my favorite, but if I have to go for one right now, I’m grabbing the Gran Centenario Tequila Plata and make a Charro Negro, which is Coca-Cola, tequila and a drop of lime or lemon juice in it.

EatingWell: The most underrated way to use tequila, whether in a drink or recipe?

Jinich: I think people take for granted or don’t appreciate how good tequila is on its own. I think we’re past the time where people needed to do shots with soda. Tequila is so good on the rocks when it’s good quality. I think that’s underrated. Something else that’s underrated is tequila for cooking and baking. So for making crepas de cajeta, one of Mexico’s favorite desserts which is crepes and a type of dulce de leche, you can cook the cajeta with a splash of tequila and it gives it such a beautiful tequila echo. That’s another underrated way of using tequila.

EatingWell: What’s your favorite vegetable and your favorite way to prepare it?

Jinich: I love nopalitos. I love cactus paddles. I just had nopalitos for breakfast and cleaned the bowl. Some people aren’t that familiar with cactus paddles or nopalitos, but Mexicans, we adore them. Nopalitos are the paddles of cactus plants and they’re kind of persnickety cause they have little thorns in Mexico, but you can buy them already cleaned at the supermarket, which is so easy because you just dice them either boil them or just quickly cook them with oil. I love cooking them Mexican style with onion, tomato and jalapenos. They’re ridiculously healthy and nutritious, and you can mix them with eggs for an incredibly delicious egg scramble. 

EatingWell: Favorite way to cook your eggs?

Jinich: I’m obsessed with eggs. Soft boiled is my weakness. I crack the top when it’s steaming hot, and I will take off the top so you can see a little bit of the yolk. I like raw yolk, and I’ll cut a piece of butter and dip it in the hot yolk and add salt and pepper and let it mix. Then I’ll do sticks of toast and dunk it in and eat it just like that. But I also like to eat eggs scrambled in every possible way with red onion, jalapeno and spinach. I’m also obsessed with poblano chiles, and you can roast the peppers, cut them into strips, cook them with onion and you do sunny side up eggs with that on top. There’s just so many ways with eggs. I think it’s the most incredible, versatile, affordable ingredient.

EatingWell: What does “eating well” mean to you?

Jinich: Eating well, for me, means eating balanced. It means not abstaining from things I love and not punishing categories of foods. Eating well is being respectful of the world and what you can grow in it and really taking advantage of it but in a harmonious way. I think it’s really being appreciative of the ingredients you bring into your home, whether they’re proteins or vegetables or fruits, and mostly eating a balanced diet where you are celebrating food and not having food be like something that you’re worried about. 

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.