Caitlin PenzeyMoog

Caitlin PenzeyMoog is a writer and editor. She grew up roaming her grandparent's Milwaukee spice shop, stirring together spice blends, cracking peppercorns between her teeth, and listening to her grandfather read in the back room.

She was the managing editor for the A.V. Club for five years. Her essay "Salt grinders are bullshit, and other lessons growing up in the spice trade," led to her 2019 book On Spice: Advice, Wisdom, and History with a Grain of Saltiness.

What's your desert island food and why?

"Damn, Serious Eats. Without more parameters around the question (Does 'food' mean a single ingredient or a whole meal? Is there a fully equipped kitchen on this desert island?) I'll say a big bowl of cheesy pasta. That'll be my base for whatever additional flavors I can find on the island. Dried seaweed? That'll make my cheesy pasta special. Mushrooms? Put them in the cheesy pasta. Etc. etc. It's a base—a blank slate onto which whatever random items I harvest or are air dropped to me, Hunger Games-style, can be added."

What's your favorite condiment and why?

"This one is easy. Mustard, because it encompasses a range of styles and uses. Grainy mustard is essential on a cheesy sandwich, while Dijon mustard is essential in dressings. "