NEED TO KNOW
- Al Roker is revealing his clever mid-flight concoction that mimics “the crust of a key lime pie”
- The Today show host tells Travel + Leisure he uses one of the free in-flight snacks and an item snatched from the drink cart
- The weatherman also shared how he gets his favorite drinks past TSA checkpoints
Al Roker has a very clever use for a popular airline snack, and now he’s sharing the secret behind his creative concoction.
When the beloved Today show personality isn’t presenting the weather out of Studio 1A in New York City, he’s often traveling across the world on assignment. The work has given the 71-year-old plenty of opportunities to try a variety of airline foods, and of course, a chance to pick his favorites.
“If I’m on Delta, it’s the Biscoff,” the host tells Travel + Leisure of the signature complimentary cookie the airline has served to customers since 1988.
Savannah Guthrie, Roker’s cohost who also attended the interview piped in, “You can buy those in stores now.”
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To which Roker replied, “But I think it tastes better on the plane.”
Known for their signature caramelized taste, the Biscoff’s history dates back to 1932 when Jan Boone Sr. founded Lotus Bakeries in Lembeke, Belgium. Today, the cookies are available all over the world, but Lotus Bakeries is still family owned and operated in its hometown.
But the New York resident likes to add a bit of his own twist to the classic treat, and it requires a little snooping in the beverage cart.
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“Here’s a little tip for you: Take a couple of Biscoff crackers, cut a lime in half and squeeze it onto the Biscoff,” he says. “It’s like you’re having the crust of a key lime pie.”
Roker is a bit of a key lime pie connoisseur. Back in 2003, during season 1 episode 11 of the weather man’s Food Network show Roker On The Road, he said Brooklyn-based Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie makes “one of the last genuine key lime pies in the U.S.”
But Roker’s travel hacks don’t end at the snacks, he’s got one for his favorite beverage too.
“I fill up a jug of coffee and freeze it,” he said of his favorite drink: Blue Bottle Coffee’s iced coffee. “I can take it with me through TSA because it’s a solid.”
He tells the outlet he tried it most recently on a flight home from Los Angeles: “Halfway through the flight, it’s defrosted, and I have ice-cold iced coffee on the plane.”
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The idea came to him four years ago when he tried it with a full water bottle.
“I took it out when we got to baggage check, just to see,” he said. The TSA officer then questioned the bottle, “but the supervisor said this is absolutely allowable,” Roker explained.
“Frozen liquid items are allowed through the checkpoint as long as they are frozen solid when presented for screening,” the TSA wrote on its website. “If frozen liquids are partially melted, slushy or have any liquid at the bottom of the container, they must meet the 3-1-1 liquids requirements.”
Guthrie, amazed by the host’s creativity, offered him up for a major award: “I would like to nominate Al Roker for a Nobel Prize for travel hacks!”
