The Scoop: Sometimes, singles and couples need a little inspiration to make positive lifestyle changes. PureWow offers fresh ideas for recipes, grocery shopping, cookware, fashion, and other topics that can make life more manageable — and enjoyable. The company is on a mission to elevate everyday experiences, an especially important message when so many singles and couples are stuck in routines at home. PureWow’s focus on food-related self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially popular with readers.
Many couples enjoy cooking together on date night, but they’d rather spend much of that time connecting, not hours preparing an elaborate meal. That’s why PureWow, a lifestyle website focused on lifestyles, cooking, and self-improvement, offers simple recipes that foster a harmonious life balance.
People can browse PureWow’s extensive recipe collection to make one dish or choose recipes for an entire three-course meal.
The halloumi cheese “fries” with roasted tomato dip are a popular choice as a starter, and the tarragon chicken salad sandwiches are also a crowd favorite.
Those looking for a dessert that will inspire conversation can try the Blood Orange Eton Mess. The British dessert is made with layered meringue cookies, blood orange curd, and whipped cream.
PureWow helps couples shake up their at-home date night routine with new recipes every week.
PureWow also goes well beyond food to help readers make holistic changes and live healthier lives. The site includes advice on beauty, fashion, home decor, and even raising kids.
Many singles, couples, and families visit PureWow for product recommendations from its PureWow 100 list. There, they can find recommendations and reviews of products ranging from popcorn to wine.
PureWow aims to connect with readers on each page of its website, and that commitment is also evident behind the scenes.
“We are genuinely supportive of each other. We build off of each other’s expertise, and there’s a strong culture of empowering editors to run with their ideas. It’s a shame-free environment, and I love that,” said Candace Braun Davison, PureWow’s Executive Editor.
Recipes Fit Into Anyone’s Schedule
During the COVID-19 pandemic, PureWow became a go-to resource for singles and couples searching for recipes to cook at home. The site publishes a new recipe every Monday through Thursday from chefs, cookbook authors, and in-house experts.
The recipes run the gamut from quick weekday options to the occasional big weekend project, like a strawberry pie with a blush pink, strawberry-infused crust. However, most PureWow readers don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen every day, so its recipes typically require few ingredients and are easy to prepare.
“So many are perfect for date nights because they seem fancy but don’t involve a ton of effort,” Candace said.
Candace recommends three of PureWow’s recipes. Two of them — the Cheater’s Slow-Cooker Beef Bourguignon and a White Wine Coq au Vin — are simplified versions of high-end French meals. The other is the Balsamic Brown Butter Tortellini with Spinach and Hazelnuts, which sounds complicated but comes together in about 20 minutes.
PureWow has recipes from around the world for every level of cook.
A defining feature of PureWow’s recipes is that they look and taste impressive, but, as Candace said, they are “impressively easy” to pull off.
“You don’t have to be an accomplished chef to make something incredible together,” she said.
Editor-in-Chief Jillian Quint has also sent a Be Well email newsletter to readers each week since the COVID-19 pandemic started. She launched the newsletter herself and then had different editors take turns as the guest editor for each week, sharing their thoughts on a specific topic, like cooking or homeschooling during the pandemic.
Her emails include Spotify playlists to enjoy while cooking and eating, as well as check-ins to help readers find peace during a stressful, chaotic time.
Kitchen Tips That Improve Shopping and Cooking
Singles and couples visit PureWow for recipes that are tasty but not time-consuming and for tips to improve their skills in the kitchen.
PureWow’s food editor Katherine Gillen designs recipes so readers can learn new ideas and concepts in both cooking and shopping.
“She’ll write headnotes for each recipe that often include a tip or technique, so you learn a new cooking skill with each dish you make,” Candace said. “Or she’ll include an easy substitute, so if you’re hosting an impromptu date night and realize you don’t have all of the ingredients, she’s got your back.”
PureWow Executive Editor Candace Braun Davison spoke with us about the site’s extensive list of features.
In the recipe for Spicy Bucatini Amatriciana, Katherine provides a substitution guide for difficult-to-find ingredients: use bacon or pancetta to replace guanciale, or swap spaghetti noodles for bucatini.
PureWow publishes advice that food lovers may not find elsewhere. For instance, articles break down the 15 types of steak you can find at the grocery store and share the best substitutes for brown sugar while baking.
The explainers have been so useful to readers that people often email the team directly when they have questions about shopping or cooking. Those in-depth questions prompted the PureWow team to create the Ask a Food Editor feature in 2020.
“We answer questions we see again and again, including how to cream butter and sugar, and what, exactly, to look for during that process. We also show readers how to pop Champagne without worrying about sending the cork shooting into someone’s face,” Candace said with a laugh.
PureWow’s recipes and kitchen tips are all designed to help singles and couples have fun in the kitchen.
“Isn’t that what date nights should all be about?” asked Candace.
PureWow: Offering Simple Advice for Happier Living
PureWow focuses on recipes and kitchen tips, but that’s not the only way readers use the platform. The mostly millennial audience, many of whom have kids, also visit for tips on self-growth and inspiration, rather than how to be perfect.
In addition to easy dinner ideas, the fans appreciate PureWow’s articles on real estate, relationship advice, and simple ways to incorporate the latest trends into their wardrobes.
The PureWow 100 also recommends the site’s best-loved products, ranking each on a scale from one to 100.
“Every piece of content is designed to bring a little more joy to your life, make things run smoother, or offer a tip or technique you didn’t know you needed — and now can’t function without,” Candace said.
The PureWow 100 covers products and services in categories that include food, fashion, and beauty.
Next up for PureWow is the introduction of even more food coverage. The team has seen a widespread response to articles that take the mystery out of grocery shopping and photo or illustration-driven breakdowns of cooking and baking techniques.
The team plans to publish more recipes with 10 ingredients or fewer, perfect for singles and couples fatigued by cooking every night.
“Our latest recipes tend to use everyday ingredients in fresh ways — like baked feta with garlicky kale and chickpeas — so you’re not scouring the supermarket to find what you need, but the result still feels fresh and new,” Candace said.
Ultimately, PureWow brings imagination to the home lives of singles and couples while also keeping things simple.
“What drew me to PureWow was the brand’s mission to elevate the everyday, which seems like a marketing slogan, but it truly comes through in every story, social media post, and video,” Candace told us.
