AIP cooking methods: every component, and how long it keeps

Chicken

Heat oven to 425°F. Pat 3–4 lb bone-in, skin-on thighs dry; rub with tallow or olive oil and sea salt. Roast on a sheet pan 35–40 min until 175°F internal and the skin crisps. Rest 10 min, then slice or shred.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days · freezer 3 months.

Steak

Pat dry and salt well. Sear in tallow over high heat 3–4 min per side for medium-rare (130°F); rest 5 min. Batch a couple, slice, and reheat gently or eat cold.

Keeps: Fridge 3–4 days.

Ground beef

Brown 2 lb in a hot pan with a spoonful of tallow and sea salt, breaking it up, 8–10 min until no pink remains. Drain excess fat if you like.

Keeps: Fridge 3–4 days · freezer 3 months.

Turkey

Heat oven to 375°F. Rub thighs or breast with olive oil, salt, and herbs; roast to 165°F internal (~20 min per lb). Rest before slicing.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days · freezer 3 months.

Pork

Rub a 3–4 lb shoulder generously with salt; roast at 300°F 4–5 hrs (or pressure-cook 75 min) until it shreds easily.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days · freezer 3 months.

Lamb

Rub shoulder or leg with salt, garlic, and rosemary; roast at 325°F ~25 min per lb until tender. Rest 15 min.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days · freezer 3 months.

Salmon

Heat oven to 400°F. Brush fillets with olive oil and salt; roast 12–15 min until it flakes (145°F). Don't overcook — it keeps cooking off the heat.

Keeps: Fridge 3 days · freezer 2 months.

Cod

Heat oven to 400°F. Season fillets with salt and a squeeze of lemon; bake 12–15 min until opaque and flaking.

Keeps: Fridge 2–3 days · best eaten fresh.

Shrimp

Toss peeled shrimp with olive oil and salt; sauté 2–3 min per side until pink and opaque, or roast at 400°F 6–8 min. Don't overcook.

Keeps: Fridge 2–3 days.

Sardines

Fresh: grill or pan-sear 2–3 min per side with salt and lemon. (Tinned sardines are ready to eat — no cooking.)

Keeps: Fresh: fridge 2 days.

Chicken sausage

Pan-fry over medium, or bake at 375°F ~15 min, turning once, until 165°F internal.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days · freezer 2 months.

Check: Use an AIP-compliant sausage — no added sugar, nitrates, or pepper/paprika.

Bacon

Lay strips on a rack over a sheet pan; bake at 400°F 15–20 min to your crispness. Save the rendered fat — it's a great cooking fat.

Keeps: Fridge 5 days · freezer 1 month.

Check: Use AIP-compliant bacon — no added sugar, nitrates, or pepper/paprika.

Ham

Most ham is precooked — warm slices in a dry pan a minute per side, or eat cold.

Keeps: Fridge 5 days.

Check: Use AIP-compliant ham — no added sugar, nitrates, or spices.

Breakfast sausage

Form into patties or crumble; pan-fry over medium 8–10 min until browned and 160°F internal.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days · freezer 2 months.

Check: Use AIP-compliant sausage — no added sugar, nitrates, or pepper/paprika.

White sweet potato

Heat oven to 425°F. Cube or halve; toss with a spoonful of duck fat or olive oil and sea salt. Roast 25–35 min until tender and caramelised at the edges. Drier and less sweet than orange — mashes well with coconut milk.

Keeps: Fridge 4–5 days · freezer 3 months.

Butternut squash

Heat oven to 400°F. Peel, seed and cube; toss with olive oil, salt and a little cinnamon. Roast 30–35 min, turning once, until edges brown.

Keeps: Fridge 4–5 days · freezer 3 months.

Acorn squash

Heat oven to 400°F. Halve, scoop the seeds, rub the cut face with coconut oil and salt. Roast cut-side down 35–45 min until a knife slides in easily. Scoop or slice into wedges.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days.

Cassava

Peel thoroughly and remove the fibrous core. Cut into batons and BOIL 15–20 min until fork-tender, then drain and dry before roasting in duck fat at 425°F for 20 min to crisp. Cassava must always be cooked through — never eat it raw or undercooked.

Keeps: Fridge 3–4 days · freezer 3 months.

Check: always peel and cook through

Plantain

Green for starchy/savoury, yellow-black for sweet. Peel, slice, and either roast at 400°F for 20–25 min in coconut oil or pan-fry until golden. Always cooked, never raw.

Keeps: Fridge 3–4 days.

Sweet potato

Cube (skin on or off), toss with olive oil and salt; roast at 425°F 25–30 min, flipping once, until the edges caramelize.

Keeps: Fridge 5 days.

Leafy greens

Sauté kale, chard, or spinach in olive oil with a little garlic over medium 3–5 min until wilted. Best cooked fresh in smaller batches.

Keeps: Fridge 3 days.

Broccoli

Cut into florets, toss with olive oil and salt; roast at 425°F ~20 min until tender-crisp and browned at the edges.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days.

Cauliflower

Cut into florets, toss with olive oil and salt; roast at 425°F ~25 min until the edges brown and catch. Leave some pieces large — they hold up better reheated than small ones.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days.

Cauliflower rice

Core a head and pulse the florets in a food processor in SHORT bursts until they look like couscous — a few seconds too long and it's purée. Sauté in a wide pan over medium-high in a spoonful of fat, 5–8 min, stirring only now and then so it dries out instead of steaming; salt at the end. From frozen, skip the thaw and cook it straight from the bag until the water has cooked off. Batch it plain: a splash of coconut aminos with grated ginger and scallion greens turns the same batch into a stir-fry base, or leave it neutral under a shredded protein.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days · freezer 2 months. Reheats best in a hot dry pan — a microwave makes it wet.

Carrots

Cut into coins or sticks, toss with olive oil and salt; roast at 425°F 25–30 min until sweet and tender.

Keeps: Fridge 5 days.

Beets

Wrap whole in foil and roast at 400°F ~50 min until a knife slides in; cool, slip off the skins, and slice. Or cube and roast 35 min.

Keeps: Fridge 5 days.

Zucchini

Slice into half-moons, toss with olive oil and salt; roast at 425°F 15–20 min or sauté 5–7 min. Don't overcrowd the pan or it steams.

Keeps: Fridge 3–4 days.

Asparagus

Snap off the woody ends; toss with olive oil and salt; roast at 425°F 10–12 min until tender.

Keeps: Fridge 3 days.

Onions

Slice and caramelize slowly in olive oil over medium-low 20–30 min until golden and sweet — a big-batch flavor base for everything.

Keeps: Fridge 5 days.

Mushrooms

Slice and sauté in olive oil over medium-high, undisturbed at first, 6–8 min until deeply browned. Don't crowd the pan.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days.

Winter squash

Halve, scoop the seeds, and roast cut-side down at 400°F 40–45 min until soft; scoop the flesh. Or cube and roast ~30 min.

Keeps: Fridge 5 days.

Olive oil

Extra-virgin, for finishing and cold blends — herb slathers, chimichurri, dressings. Its flavor breaks down over high heat, so keep it off the sear.

Keeps: Cool, dark cupboard — not above the stove.

Avocado oil

The high-heat one. Use for searing steak and roasting at 400°F+ where olive oil would smoke and turn bitter. Neutral, so it doesn't compete with your flavors.

Keeps: Cool, dark cupboard.

Coconut oil

Solid at room temperature, melts on contact. Best for warm infusions — melt and whisk in ginger, turmeric and lemon, then brush over fish or squash before roasting.

Keeps: Cupboard; keeps months.

Duck fat

The crisping fat. Toss par-boiled cassava or sweet potato in it before roasting, or rub under chicken skin. Rendered from a bird, so it carries savoury flavor cooking oils don't.

Keeps: Fridge, sealed — several months.

Tallow

Rendered beef fat: very high smoke point, ideal for searing steak and browning ground beef. Whip softened tallow with roasted garlic and thyme for a compound fat to melt over hot food.

Keeps: Fridge several months · freezer a year.

Lard

Rendered pork fat, milder than tallow. Good for roasting root veg and pan-frying plantain.

Keeps: Fridge several months.

Bacon fat

Pour off after cooking bacon and strain through a fine sieve. A spoonful seasons a whole tray of roasted vegetables.

Keeps: Fridge, sealed jar — a month.

Check: only from sugar-free, nitrate-free bacon

Leeks

Split lengthways and rinse well — grit hides between the layers. Slice the white and pale green; sweat slowly in fat 8–10 min until silky. A gentler base than onion.

Keeps: Fridge 1 week raw · 4 days cooked.

Shallots

Milder and sweeter than onion. Slice thin and soften in fat, or roast whole at 400°F for 25 min until jammy.

Keeps: Cool dark cupboard, weeks.

Scallions

Whites cook like a mild onion; greens go on raw at the end for freshness and colour. No cooking needed for the green tops.

Keeps: Fridge 1 week, stems in a little water.

Galangal

Sharper and more citrussy than ginger, and much woodier — slice into coins to infuse broths and glazes, then fish the pieces out rather than eating them.

Keeps: Fridge 2 weeks · freezer 3 months (grate from frozen).

Horseradish

Peel and grate fresh for heat. Grate it into a little vinegar right away — its bite fades within minutes of hitting air. Raw, as a condiment.

Keeps: Fridge 2 weeks whole.

Parsley

Flat-leaf, chopped raw at the end. The backbone of chimichurri with cilantro, garlic, lime and olive oil.

Keeps: Fridge 1 week, stems in water, loosely covered.

Mint

Raw, torn at the last moment — heat kills it. Cuts through fatty lamb and rich roasted squash.

Keeps: Fridge 5–7 days, stems in water.

Sage

Sturdy enough to cook: fry whole leaves in duck fat for 30 seconds until crisp, or mince into a fat rub for chicken and pork.

Keeps: Fridge 1 week · dries well.

Clove

Bark/flower spice, so AIP-safe. Very strong — one or two whole cloves are enough for a braise or a pot of squash. Remove before serving.

Keeps: Airtight jar, a year whole.

Saffron

Steep a pinch of threads in a little warm broth or water for 10 min, then add the liquid and threads to the dish. Never add dry.

Keeps: Airtight, dark — 2 years.

Lemongrass

Bruise the lower stalk with the flat of a knife and simmer whole in broths and glazes, then remove. Too fibrous to eat unless finely minced.

Keeps: Fridge 2 weeks · freezer 6 months.

Lime

Juice at the end — acid brightens fatty meat and balances heavy roasted root veg. Zest before juicing if you want more aroma.

Keeps: Counter 1 week · fridge 3 weeks.

Coconut vinegar

Milder and slightly sweeter than cider vinegar. Use in slathers and glazes, or to loosen a compound fat.

Keeps: Cupboard, indefinitely.

Capers

Flower buds, not seeds — AIP-safe. Rinse brined capers before use. A spoonful, chopped, adds salinity to fish and lamb without a sauce.

Keeps: Fridge once opened, months.

Garlic

Mince and sauté in olive oil 30–60 sec until fragrant (don't let it brown), or roast a whole head at 400°F 40 min and squeeze out the sweet cloves.

Keeps: Roasted: fridge 1 week.

Ginger

Grate fresh and add near the end of cooking, or whisk into coconut aminos for a glaze. A little goes a long way.

Keeps: Root keeps in the fridge ~3 weeks.

Turmeric

Bloom a teaspoon of fresh-grated or ground turmeric in warm fat for 30 sec to deepen its flavor and color before adding protein or veg.

Rosemary

Strip and chop the leaves onto proteins before roasting, or infuse a whole sprig in warm fat. Strong — use sparingly.

Keeps: Fresh: fridge 1 week.

Thyme

Add whole sprigs while roasting, or strip and chop the leaves into sautéed veg.

Keeps: Fresh: fridge 1 week.

Oregano

Fresh chopped over finished dishes, or dried and rubbed onto proteins before cooking.

Basil

Tear fresh leaves over finished plates — add at the very end, since heat dulls it.

Keeps: Fresh: fridge 4 days.

Cilantro

Chop and scatter over plates just before eating for a fresh, bright finish.

Keeps: Fresh: fridge 4 days.

Cinnamon

A pinch on roasted squash, sweet potato, or fruit — warm and lightly sweet without any sugar.

Lemon

Squeeze over finished proteins and veg, or whisk the juice with olive oil for a fast dressing. Brightens almost anything.

Keeps: Whole: fridge 2 weeks.

Coconut aminos

Your soy-sauce swap — splash into stir-fries and glazes, or whisk with ginger and garlic for a quick sauce.

Keeps: Per label; refrigerate after opening.

Apple cider vinegar

A splash in dressings, or deglaze the pan after searing for a fast tangy sauce.

Keeps: Pantry.

Animal fat

Tallow, lard, or duck fat — use for high-heat roasting and searing where olive oil would smoke. Adds rich flavor.

Keeps: Fridge or a cool pantry.

Coconut milk

Simmer into sauces and soups, or spoon over veg for creaminess. Use full-fat and additive-free.

Keeps: Opened: fridge 4 days.

Bone broth

Sip on its own, or braise proteins and veg in it for an easy one-pot meal and soup base.

Keeps: Fridge 4 days · freezer 3 months.