Does Hailee Steinfeld (29) Know How to Cook — or Is She Just Really Good at Watching?
She can nail an Oscar-nominated performance, carry a pop career, and step into a Marvel suit without breaking a sweat. But what happens when Hailee Steinfeld steps into the kitchen? Whether she’s running the whole show or playing a very willing assistant, the answer turns out to be surprisingly wholesome.
The Sous Chef Confession
Let’s start with the honest part. Steinfeld has made it pretty clear that the kitchen crown in her household belongs to her husband, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Speaking to People, she described herself as “a real good sous chef,” adding that she can assist very well. Her words about Allen were even more telling: “There really isn’t anything he’s not great at. So, he can cook, and I love to just sit back and watch the magic happen.”
That said, she’s no stranger to the stove. Cooking together has become one of their favorite things to do as a couple, and the dynamic in their kitchen seems to shift depending on the night.
She Didn’t Always Love It
Steinfeld didn’t exactly grow up as a passionate home cook. She told People that as she got older, she realized how much joy there is in creating something from scratch, especially for the people you love. “For me, the kitchen has become a space of creativity and connection,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to feel good.”
That shift in mindset clearly made a difference. She went from someone with a limited palate to a person who shares original recipes in her own newsletter, Beau Society.
The Signature Dish She’s Perfected
Ask Steinfeld what she actually cooks, and there’s one dish that comes up immediately. Speaking to Architectural Digest, she revealed her go-to is a one-pot chicken, artichoke, and orzo recipe that has taken on a life of its own. She now makes it so often that she no longer follows a strict recipe, throwing in different vegetables depending on what’s on hand.
“I feel free in it where I’m not following a recipe, per se, or feeling confined to certain measurements,” she explained. The dish has clearly won over her husband too, and neither of them has gotten tired of it.
The Knife Exchange That Says It All
Perhaps the most charming food-related detail from Steinfeld’s life is a holiday gift story. In her Beau Society newsletter, she revealed she got Josh a Miyabi Kaizen chef’s knife for Christmas because cooking is something they love to do together. His gift back to her? The exact same knife, just in a different colorway.
She also mentioned an old wives’ tale she’d heard: gifting a knife to your partner supposedly signals the severing of a relationship. So they exchanged quarters to cancel out the bad omen. It’s sweet, a little superstitious, and very on-brand for a couple whose idea of a perfect Valentine’s Day is pulling out a new recipe and cooking it together.
When a Professional Chef Handed Her the Wheel
Back in 2019, Steinfeld put her kitchen instincts to the test by visiting the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen for the Back-to-Back Chef challenge, where she attempted to make pomme soufflé following only verbal instructions with no peeking. It was, by all accounts, a genuine test of kitchen intuition rather than a smooth showcase of culinary prowess.
Between her perfected orzo dish, her newsletter recipes, and a fiancé who can cook up a storm, Hailee Steinfeld has built a food life that’s warm, unpretentious, and deeply homegrown. She may not be running the stove every night, but when she does, she’s clearly doing something right.
