Group words by physical shape, focusing on straight, narrow, stick-like objects. It reinforces the theme with a clever phrase that ties in with daily clues. Strands is a captivating blend of Spelling Bee, Connections, and classic Crossword. Welcome back to our daily NYT Strands puzzle review. Today’s theme centers around ‘cooking’. The Spangram starts close to the left side of the grid. Hints and clues have been listed below, or you can head straight to the answer key. Spangrams never run straight.