Hi guys, I’m Matthew. This actually isn’t my first time with Cook’n—I was the company’s tech support agent while I made my way through college. If we’ve chatted over email in the past, be sure to drop a comment below to say hello; it’ll be great to hear from you! If we never chatted about tech issues, then congratulations, and say hello in a comment anyway!


Mary was a blessing to the Cook’n family for years. It was a treat to see her kids grow in the pictures she shared with all the recipes she discovered. Unfortunately, I can’t simply replace her, and her absence will be felt.

However, I can very excitedly bring my own charm and passion for food. I don’t just love to eat; I love to cook amazing food. To me, cooking is a meditative experience. It gets me to slow down, focus on simple tasks, and appreciate the process, not just the result. I hope you’ll be thrilled with what I bring to the Cook’n table.

A Little About Me

I come from a family gifted in pies (although that isn’t a pie in the picture above). My great-grandmother was an award-winning pie baker, and she passed that legacy down through my grandmother, then my mother, then me. But her legacy extends beyond pies, and time in the kitchen has been the primary way that I bond with my grandmother, who we affectionately call Nana.

I’m “that” neighbor who gets up at 4am on a Saturday in the dead of winter to fire up his charcoal grill and throw on some mesquite wood for his pork butt. My weekends consist of hours in the kitchen to perfect a new sauce or nail a kitchen technique. My wife calls my cast-iron pan my “mistress,” and my friends sometimes wonder when they’ll see me again, but I. Will. Not. Be. Ashamed!


As a Cook’n contributor, you can expect me to write about my three favorite food niches:

1. Food science: I don’t just browse recipes; I hunt for knowledge. I’m talking about reverse-seared meats, precise temperature control, an obsession over exactly which salt you buy, and an entire collection of five-syllable words.
2. American culture and cuisine: Just try and pretend American food isn’t the greatest thing on the planet. The United States has an incredibly rich and multi-ethnic history. One of the things that makes me proudest to be an American is my culinary roots. No matter how crazy my ideas get, I always return to warm apple pie, classic burgers, and my momma’s best casserole. In fact, the recipe I’m sharing in my other article today is a Utah classic!
3. Gourmet cooking on a budget: Believe it or not, most restaurants have an incentive to cut corners and give you a subpar meal. Not in my kitchen. I like to say that I make the best chicken I’ve ever had, and all it takes is a thermometer and some salt. If I learn anything to make my kitchen better than restaurant quality, I’ll pass it straight to you.

Above all, I'm here to create content that resonates with you. If you have a specific cuisine or topic you want me to explore, drop your suggestions in the comments below!

    Matthew Christensen
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2023
    Email the author! matthew@dvo.com