Serious Eats Is Remote. Here’s How We’re Handling It.

Today, the Serious Eats team switched to a remote working environment. Though nobody on our team has a confirmed case of novel coronavirus, we’re following public policy recommendations to reduce community spread. Given that we’re based in New York City, that means subtracting our staff’s commutes from the public transportation system and allowing those who do need to travel to and from their places of work more space in which to do so. We're aware and appreciative of our privilege to make this shift, and we'll continue to follow best practices issued by the medical community.

As you might guess, self-quarantine does introduce some limitations to the type and tenor of the content we produce. You may see some changes to our content including but not limited to the following:

• More experimentation: This challenge presents us with the opportunity to think outside the box and find new ways to bring you fresh content on a daily basis. You can expect to see new types of articles on the site as we figure out how to navigate these changes.
• Fewer and/or less professional-looking photographs: The vast majority of our content is written in-house by our editors and photographed by our visual director. Though we have many upcoming articles already photographed, there’s a chance that we will run out. In that case, our culinary team will be shooting their own recipes, which will necessitate fewer process shots (it’s hard to take pictures and stir at the same time!). Though our recipe developers are incredibly talented, professional photographers they are not, so these images might not look quite as lovely as those you’re accustomed to seeing on the site. You may also begin to see more archive images and stock photographs on the site to accompany Culture posts, such as ingredient guides, staff picks, and personal essays. Our goal is to replace these images with ones that meet our general standards down the line.
• Fewer and/or different videos: Similarly to photographs, we only have so much video footage stockpiled. The frequency of videos may decrease, or you may begin to see us experiment with other formats and forms of video.
• More storytelling: We want to continue to provide a home for diverse voices with compelling food-focused stories. Stay tuned for more essays and reported features from around the world.
• Suspension of taste tests and large-equipment reviews: Certain types of content, such as taste tests and certain equipment reviews, are reliant on the team being present in the office or in close proximity to one another. We’re sad to say they’ll be placed on hold for the time being.
• General content limitations: We’re devoted to remaining sensitive to what’s happening in the world and producing content that reflects the lived realities of home cooks around the globe. That said, we have a great deal of content (including those aforementioned photographs and videos) already in the pipeline. This means there’s a possibility that our tone might, at times, seem out of place within this rapidly changing context. For instance, we may publish recipes that call for ingredients that are limited or price-gouged at your local supermarket. Please bear with us as events continue to unfold.

Above all, the Serious Eats team wishes the very best for you and your loved ones, and we’ll continue to play whatever small part we can in bringing positivity and a passion for food to your day-to-day lives. If there’s content you’d love to see from us over the coming weeks, let us know in the comments!