10 easy dishes Michelin-star chefs like to cook at home when they're not at work

Ratino, the owner and chef of Bresca in Washington D.C., told Insider that he's always whipping up this easy and quick breakfast dish.

"As often as I can, I like to cook omelettes for the simple reason that I absolutely love eggs," he said. "A true and classic French omelette is incredibly simple, you just need eggs and good butter."

"It's a simple combination that yields a subtle and nice tender texture, and rich comforting flavor."

Ratino also recommends making scrambled eggs and toast with Kerrygold butter, a European-style butter that he loves pairing with eggs.

"It has much more butterfat content than regular butter, which makes dishes have a richer flavor and creamier texture," he said. "Then top the eggs with your favorite sweet jam for a sweet and savory contrast, and bundle it up between two pieces of toast!"

"When I'm stuck at home and have a little time on my hands, I like to cook things I wouldn't normally do," said the New Zealand chef, who often shares instructional videos of his dishes (including this one) on Instagram. "I love gnocchi and — with pumpkin and squash being in season here right now — I have an amazing recipe for butternut squash and sage gnocchi."

Emett said he bakes the potatoes in this dish so that they're "dry and fluffy," and roasts his squash in the oven to get that "great" orange color.

He then recommends scooping out the squash and draining it "to get rid of any excess moisture," before combining it with the potatoes — plus flour, Parmesan, eggs, and nutmeg — to make the gnocchi.

"These gnocchi are great cooked straight away, or you can blanch and then freeze them," Emett said. "But make sure you freeze them on a tray first before bagging them up, or they'll stick together."

"My wife is Japanese and we love sushi and haven't been able to go to the sushi bar," Meehan, the owner and chef of Kali Restaurant in Los Angeles, told Insider. "So what we do is we make little miniature hand rolls. It's fun for the family, it's delicious, and it's economical as well."

To make the sushi rice, Meehan said he sprinkles in rice vinegar, sesame seeds, and salt to his white rice and "gently folds it in."

"Then put it back in a little Tupperware to keep the heat in so the rice stays warm," he added.

Meehan then takes out big squares of nori paper and turns on his stove to toast them over the fire "real fast."

"A quick wave and it crisps up the nori and gives it a nice shine," he said.

Meehan folds the nori sheets in half, turning the big squares into rectangles. He then prepares the filling, often adding salmon, tuna, avocado, and cucumbers. "Slice the raw fish as best as you can and put it on a platter," he said. "Then julienne some cucumbers, some avocado, some radish, some tuna, and mix it up with a little mayonnaise and Sriracha."

If you don't have easy access to sushi-grade raw fish, Meehan recommends using smoked salmon or fake crab meat.

Making the rolls is a simple process. Lay out your nori paper and "smear a little rice on the bottom," Meehan said. Then, just add your mixture of fish and veggies and it's ready to go. "Dip it in your soy sauce and it's a two-bite thing," Meehan said. "It's super good, I can eat my body weight in it. And it's super cheap too — eating homemade sushi is much more affordable."

Gresham, who runs Acquerello in San Francisco, has been whipping up everything from Meyer lemon ricotta gnocchi to a modernized chicken tetrazzini.

When quarantine first began, Gresham began making dishes at home with all the leftover food after she had to temporarily shut down her restaurant.

"It was almost like having 'mystery box' competitions on a nightly basis," she said. "I was determined not to throw anything away."

Gresham said she gave away the expensive proteins to her cooks and tried to get creative with "whatever no one else wanted," including a lot of cream and ricotta cheese.

She turned the cream into homemade butter and also made meringue cookies with a "plethora of egg whites from the restaurant."

She made a delicious assortment of French toast, crepes, and fried apples.

Gresham told Insider that the secret to any easy risotto is to "picture three key flavors."

"Don't be afraid to stay simple and let the flavors sing," she said. "And add minimal amounts of butter and cheese — if even needed — to finish."

Gresham believes that "any and all veggies" work great in risottos, "especially leftovers." Her other favorite flavor combinations include: tomato, basil, and cheese; wine, cheese, and herbs; and seafood with saffron.

Gresham told Insider that she abides by what she calls "the four R's" when it comes to cooking with leftovers.

• REDUCE: Reduce waste by cooking things down. Bring them up to a boil, chill correctly, pack safely, and store intelligently. Don't overproduce without a purpose.
• REUSE: The first dish builds into a second new dish. Leftovers deepen and enrich other dishes.
• RECYCLE: Stock can become soup, soup can become a sauce, and sauce can become a casserole.
• ROTATE: Rotate all things, whether they're in your fridge, freezer, or on a shelf. Let them dictate what you cook.

DeSteno, the corporate executive chef at Altamarea Group (which includes the Michelin-starred NYC restaurant Marea), told Insider that she has loved making escarole and bean soup.

All you need for the recipe are dried beans, homemade chicken stock, "some really delicious sausage," and "a lot of escarole," DeSteno said.

"It's so delicious and doesn't take much active time," she added. "All you have to do is just let it simmer away."

The New York chef always has homemade stock in her freezer and makes "big batches a few times a year," which she adds to everything from soups and stews to chili and gravy.

"My husband and I live in an apartment with minimal outdoor space so, to try and mitigate organic waste, we keep a reusable plastic bag in our freezer," she said. "As we cook throughout the week, we put carrot peels, onion tops and bottoms, onion skins, celery bases, and more into the bag. When the bag gets full, we either make a vegetable or meat stock."

"It's a great way to divert waste while creating something delicious, nutritious, and basically free to use in your cooking."

"Istanbul is an absolutely incredible city and the food is a huge part of that," DeSteno said. "We had so many amazing meals there. I think I was missing that period of freedom, when we could go wherever we wanted, and knew that making some Turkish dishes would bring me back there for a delicious moment."

DeSteno said she met a number of "incredible bakers" during her time in the city.

"They always ignite my desire to learn how to make a great loaf of bread," she said. "The rye and sourdough were my first attempts, not particularly great to look at but very good just the same."

DeSteno made a cheese sandwich on the homemade simit bread inspired by her Istanbul trip, pairing it with mustard.

She's also been cooking gravy with meatballs and pork ribs, plus making "big salads with as many greens and vegetables as possible."

"There's really no particular cuisine that I've been focusing on or excluding," DeSteno said. "It's about having the time to make the things you enjoy while eating out, but in the comfort of your own home."

"There's something very calming to me about that," she added. "Until I turn my gaze to the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. But, we have nothing but time, right?"

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