NUMBE R S E VE NTY- E IGHT JANUARY c FEBRUARY 2006

S T R AT E D
Ultimate Chicken
Pot Pie
"CwLnCSklllC!"C!hOC
Flaky Biscuits l 0 l
Perfecting AU-Beef
Meat Loaf
Oven-Smoked Ribs
Best Chocolate
Mousse
LrCamy, Sllky, anC ark
Rating Grill Pans
SlZZlCOrJ us!SmOkC`
Bistro-Style Potatoes

Breakfast Sausage Taste Test
Our Guide to Rice and Grains
Mushroom Side Dishes
Hot and Sour Soup
Better Huevos Rancheros
Lemon Bundt Cake
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CONTENTS
January c February Z\lC
2 Notes from Readers
Readers ask questions and sugest solutions.
4 Quick Tips
Quick and easy ways to perform everday tasks. from
chopping nuts and seeding chiles to fixing cheesecake
crck.
6 Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
Many pot pie recipes treat the chicken and vegetables as
mere hitchhikers in the rich. creamy sauce. We thought
it was time to end the free ride. BY N 1 NA WEST
8 Translating Huevos Rancheros
Getting this humble Mexican breakast just right is eas
when you have homemade tortillas and ripe tomatoes
lying around. All we had were mediocre supermarket
staples. BY ERI KA BRUCE
I 0 Oven-Barbecued Ribs
Worth Making
Most oven rib recipes slather on smoke-fiavored sauce for
an ersat barbecue experience. Could we get the smok
fiavor and fork-tender texture of true barbecue indoors?
BY MATTHE W CARD
12 Hot and Sour Soup at Home
Spicy, bracing, rich, and complex. this classic Chinese soup
has all the trappings of a full day in the kitchen. Not bad
for a 20-minute dish. BY REBECCA HAYS
14 Simplifing Potatoes
Lyonnaise
Butter, earthy, and sweet. this French bistro take on
skillet potatoes and onions usually requires tons of time
and butter. Could we get away with using less of each?
BY SAN DRA WU
I 5 Improving Sauteed
Mushrooms
Bland supermarket button mushrooms shrink and shrivel
when sauteed. We wanted more fiavor and more
mushrooms. BY S EAN LAWLER
I 6 How to Cook Rice and Grains
Start by ignoring the directions on the box. Then consult
our guide to match the right grain with the right cooking
method. BY S EAN LAWLER
18 The Mystery of Meat Loaf
An all-beef meat loaf may be convenient, but it's also
tough. dr. and dense. We cooked 260 pounds of beef to
find the best way to lighten the loaf. BY DAVI D PAZMI NO
20 The Secrets of Flaky Biscuits
How do you get tender, fiak biscuits with truly distinctive
layers7 It's a pressing issue. BY S EAN LAWLER
22 Chocolate Mousse Perfected
Rich. frosting-like mousse is utterly delicious-for about
two spoonfuls. Yet light and silk versions ofen lack
decent chocolate fiavor. Could we have the best of both
worlds? BY SAN DRA WU
24 The Best Lemon Bundt Cake
Lemons are tart, brash. and aromatic. Why, then, is it so
hard to capture these assertive favors in a straightforard
Bundt cake? BY ERI KA BRUCE
26 Is Fresh Breakfast Sausage
Best?
Precooked breakfast "brown-and-sere" links couldn't be
better than fresh sausage, right7 Severl hundred sausages
later, we made a few surprising discoveries. BY ADAM RI E D
28 Do Grill Pans Really Grill?
Grilling outside means bold fiavors and attractive char
marks-and waiting for decent weather. Can a grill pan
transport the hot grate from the backard to the stovetop?
BY ADAM RI E D
30 Kitchen Notes
Test results. buying tips, and advice related to stories past
and present, directly from the test kitchen.
BY ERI KA BRUCE
3 2 Equipment Corner
Reviews of new items. updates on past tests, and sources
for products used in this issue. BY GARTH CLI NGI NGSMI TH
!1J1 C1T
ITAUAN CHEESES The best known of Italy's hard cheeses are Prmigiano-Regiano (the original
Prmesan). a nutt, crumbly cow's-milk cheese, and Pecorino Romano. a salt, sharp sheep's
milk cheese-both ideal for grating. Grana Padano is a younger cow's-milk cheese, with a delicate
favor. Even less pungent is ricotta salata, which tastes nutt and milk. Asiago, a mild cow's-milk
cheese. is marketed fresh, medium-ripe, or ripe. becoming crumblier as it ages. Provolone, from
cow's milk, is eaten young or aged, after hanging to dry in gourd-shaped balls. Fresh mozzarella,
once made with water-bufalo milk, is now generally made from cow's milk; soft and sweet,
it should not be confused with supermarket "melting" mozzarella. A rw-cow's-milk cheese,
Fontina Val d'Aosta is grass, nutt, and excellent for melting. Talegio, creamier and saltier, is
distinguished by its runny interior. Gorgonzola, Italy's most famous blue cheese, is made from
cow's milk; it's soft, creamy, and sweet when young and quite assertive when aged. Sweet, but
ter mascarpone, from cow's milk, is closer to clotted cream than cheese.
LLvLh uI itL2dDCl b|dUO, bL!LLvLh|IltuIui ltjObuIgOyC
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(OO|_
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|H|I1LL |I1|LOS
D
uring a rcccnt church scrvicc in our
smalltowninVcrmont,thcministcr
askcd thc congrcgation ilthcrc was
anyonc wc ought to pray lor. Jhc
mothcr ola tccnagc boy callcd out, Ict`s all
praylortccnagcrs' " nanothcroccasion,Mikc,a
locallarmcr,washclpingmchookupabrushhog
to ourtractor.Whcnitslidrightontothcpowcr
takcollwithoutahitch,hccxclaimcd,Jhatwas
asslickasamittcn' " Ycars ago,IjoggcdbyJom
andNancy`splaccinthc carlymorning,lollowcd
byanamorousormaybcj usthungry)goat.Jom
cricd out, Jhatyour ncw girllricnd? "Spcaking
olJ om,hconccsawhisbcaglcchasingarabbitin
circlcs-orsohcthought,actually,thccottontail
wassitting comlortably on a stump right in thc
middlcolabriarpatch,watchingthcdogrun.
Ilyou call Don Icwis`snumbcrinthc lall, his
answcringmachincislikclytosay,Wcll,thclrost
isonthcpumpkin. . . . "nthcwallolAxcl`ssap
housc, thcrc is a largc mousctrap anda sign that
says,IorComplaints,IushHcrc. "JhcWaysidc
CountryStorc has a photograph on thc wall ol
lour donkcys that rcads Board olDircctors. "
Andnothingwillcvcrbcat)ohnK`sdclrostcr,thc
onc hcjuryriggcdinhis rustybrownRabbit. It
wasavotivccandlcstuckintothcdashboard.
{ohn`swilc, Iucillc,toldmcthatoncmorning
hcgotupcarlyasusualto gothcouthousc. Hc
uscdto phonc in thc localwcathcrrcportwhilc
sittingin thc twoholcr. ) Hccamcbackinalcw
minutcs looking bcwildcrcd. )ohn," shc askcd,
What`s wrong? " )ohn lookcd likc hc` d sccn a
ghostand said, I can`tnndit' " Iucillc,stillcon
mscd, askcd,Can`thndwhat? ")ohn shot back,
Can`t h nd thc outhousc ' " A strong wind had
pickcditupandblownitintothcncxth cld.
ldtimcrs, olcoursc, cnjoy thc littlc things,
undcrstanding thc powcr ola simplc word or
phrasc orgcsturc. Whcn thc last balc olhaywas
nnally thrown up into thc barn, I rcmcmbcr
Charlic Bcntlcy always calling out, Jhat`s thc
onc wc`vc bccn looking lor' " Back in thc `oOs,
EDIT ORIAL
LI11LL 1IICS
whcnsomconclromthc statc agri
cultural dcpartmcnt askcd Bcrnic
Squi rcs i l hc kncw whcrc thc
Kimballslivcd,Bcrnicgotoutlrom
undcrhistruck,walkcdovcrtothc
lcncc,andsaid,Yup, "thcnturncd
hisbackandwalkcdaway. Iraishcr
Mcars uscd an applc branch lor
diviningwatcr, andhcwas known
to start up a convcrsation witl it,
saying, Jcll mc, Mr. Stick, how
lar isit? " RusscllBainhadasaying
Christopher Kimball
Jhat wcckcnd, all lourkids
wcrc at homc, including our
two oldcst gir|s,who arc now
ollat boarding school. Itwas
suppcrtimc, and wc wcrc sit
ting around thc tablc in hont
ola hrc that lclt particularly
good, asthcrainhadn`tlctup
lor! Odays.Itwasasimplcsup-
pcr. our own stcak and pota
tocs, a salad lrom thc gardcn,
about womcn and tractors, Iowdcr and paint
makcitwhatitain` t. "Jhcrcwcrctwosistcrs,Big
Hclcn and Iittlc Hclcn: Iittlc Hclcn was ovcr
six lccttall . JhcWoodcocksnailcdaT antcnna
to thc top olthcir doghousc. Sonny Skidmorc
uscd to pick up a bathroom scalc bctwccn his
ham sizcdhandsand squcczc it until thc nccdlc
j umpcdollthcchart. CalvinCoolidgc,stuckncxt
toadinncrgucstwhohadwagcrcdshccouldgct
morc thantwowordsolconvcrsation outolthc
tight lippcdVcrmontcr,said,Youlosc. "
Inthccountry,lilci s madcolthclittlcthings,
stullthat nobody clsc has timc to noticc. nc
Saturday morningIwasupcarlyandwalkingby
thc lowcrpasturc just bclorc daybrcak. ur six
horscs, normally slow moving and gcntlc, wcrc
galloping and skidding on thc wct sod, rising
up andpawingthcair,kickinglikcbroncos,and
gcncrallybchavinglikca buncholkids. A hour
latcr, whcn thcy camc backto thc barn lor hay,
thcy wcrc as tamc asusual .
Jhat ancrnoon, I wcnt out grousc hunting,
andmy7ycarold,Emily,askcdtocomcalong. I
said K, but shc wouldhavc to walk bchindmc
si ncc I would bc carrying a loadcd scmi auto
matic2O gaugc. Ihadtokccprcmindinghcrthat
it was dangcrous to walk ahcad until shc nnally
said,Momwouldbcrcallymadilyoushotmc. "
Iallowcda s howshcwouldindccdbc prcttymad.
Acral l , "shc statcdnrmly, shcwcnttoalot ol
troublctohavc mc. "
andadccpdishapplcpicmadc
lrom thcj ustpickcd stock inthc rootccllar.
Jhis rcmindcd mc olanothcrtabl c, thc onc
atthcYcllowIarmhousc. Back in thc I oOs, I
was sitting among larmcrs, Charlic and Iloyd,
thc larmhands, ni c and Hcrbic, and thc two
dogs, DixicandBonnic, as thc hcatcamc lrom
a grccn Kal amazoo wood cookstovc . Most
Vcrmontcrsdon` tcarclornrcplaccs-thcysuck
uptoo much hcat . ) Jhc onc dctailI rcmcmbcr
most about thosc days was thc cooki cs. Maric
Briggs,thc cookand bakcr, gavc us onlythosc
cookics that wcrcn` t good cnough to scll, so
mostolthcmhadslightlyburntbottoms. Irctty
soon, wc all acquircd a tastc lor darkcolorcd
cooki cs, andto this dayI likc mypastry onthc
blacksidcolbrown.
Wc shouldn` t bc surpriscd that dctails dchnc
ourpcrsonal history. Jhc smcllolycastandwct
dog. Jhchcatlromawoodcookstovc. Jhcway
Iloyd uscdto tcll a story, clbows on his thighs,
a cigarcttc dangling lrom his lip. r, on this
rainy cvcning, thc tastc olapplc pic andwith it
thcplcasurcsolawarmnrcandthclamilytablc.
Iittlc things arc cconomical , tclling us who wc
wcrc with a mcrc lick or glancc. Evcn today,
whcn I tastc somcthing dark and smoky, it` s
an invitation to noon dinncr, to a placc at thc
tablcwhcrcIlcarncdto apprcciatcthccommon
placc-hard work, parsimony, scllrcliancc, and
cvcn thc cookics that Maric couldn` t scll down
atthc countrystorc.
ILKl|OlKlLb, LKLLKb, LKLKLl|ILK/1lL|: COOK'S IUUSRTED Magazi ne
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J A N U A R Y c F E B R UA R Y 2 006
NOTES FROM READERS i
Presizzled Bacon
I'vc noticcd that mlly cookcd bacon is availablc
atthcsupcrmarkct. !tsccmstohavcaprolongcd
shclllilc, butit'salsoquitccxpcnsivc. !sitworth
thcpricc?
RITA WEI NBERG
EAST B RUNSWICK, N. J .
Ancr a quick shopping trip, wc managcd to
comcupwiththrccbrandsolshcllstablcbacon.
scarMcycr,Hormcl,andagcncrichouscbrand
lromaBostonarcasupcrmarkct. Wcconductcda
blind tastingolthcscbaconsintwo applications.
BLJ , bacon, lcttucc, and tomato) sandwichcs
andspinachsaladwithbacondrcssing. A apoint
olcomparison,wcincludcdi nthcmixoncolour
rccommcndcd brands olsupcrmarkct bacon-
Boar'sHcadaturallySmokcdSliccdBacon-to
sccilourpancloltastcrswouldbcloolcd.
Straight out olthc packagc, thc prccookcd
baconrangcdlromthinandpalcwithasubstan
tial amountolwhitc lattodarkand crispy look
ing with spotty black scctions and salt crystal s.
Althoughal l thrccbrandshadbccnmllycookcd,
thcy still nccdcdsomcmanncrolrchcatingand
hadtobcrclrigcratcdonccopcncd.
Jastcrs ovcrwhclmingly prclcrrcd thc crisp
chcwy tcxturc andrich,mcaty,saltysmokyUavor
olthc , lrcsh) Boar's Hcad bacon ovcr any ol
thc prccookcd varictics .
Ilacing a distant sccond,
thc scar Maycr prc
cookcd bacon was mild
i n avor, salty but not
smoky, and accid" i n
thc BLJsandwich.Whcn
diccd and addcd to thc
salad, i t was altcrnatcly
dcscribcd as mcaty and
smoky," avorlcss," and
having a strong bacon
Havor, buttastcs lrozcn. "
Not horri bl c-but not
quitc a glowing rccom
mcndation. Jhc Hormcl
and thc gcncric brand
bothcamcupshortacross
thc board,thanksto thcir
chcwytcxturcandstalc, "
oncdimcnsional"Uavor.
ur vcrdi ct ? Asi dc
lrom thc advantagcs ol
bcing rcady to catinha|l
thc timc olraw" bacon
andbcing convcnicnt lor
STRI P TEST
Is precooked bacon
a rw deal?
COMPILED BY S AN D RA W U E
camping,orstockpilinginthcpantry) , wcdon't
sccmuchjustihcationlorbuyingthcsccxpcnsivc
strips.
Freezing Eg Whites
Can I lrcczc lcnovcr cgg whitcs and usc thcm
latcr? Ilso, what'sthc bcstway?
COLLEEN MONACO
SAN F RANCISCO, CALI F.
Egg whitcs can bc lrozcn and kcpt lor latcr
usc , up to I2 months, according to thc L. S.
Ocpartmcnt olAgriculturc) . Whilc thcy can bc
lrozcntogcthcrinasolidmassinanairtightcon
taincr,thc tcst kitchcn has lound that it's much
morcconvcnicnttolrcczccggwhitcsindividually
i nanicccubctraybclorctranslcrringthcsc cgg
cubcs" to a zippcrlock storagc bag. Whatcvcr
amount you nccd can thcn bc placcd i n an air
tight containcr i n thc rclri gcrator ovcrnight to
thaw out. ,Attcmpts to microwavc thc lrozcn
whitcsat5Opcrccntpowcrmctwithlimitcdsuc
ccss,wc had to bc so carcmlnotto accidcntally
cookscctions olthcwhitcs thatthc timc savings
j ustwasn'tworthi t. )
Storagcissucsasidc,wcwondcrcdhowlrozcn
cggwhitcswouldcomparcwiththcirlrcshcoun
tcrparts in cooking applicati ons. Jo hnd out,
wc madc twovcrsions olangcl lood cakc and
mcringuc, oncusinghcshandthcothcr
usi ng lrozcn and thawcd cgg whi tcs.
Wc lound that thc lrozcn whitcs took
longcrtowhipuptothcirsonpcakand
stillpcakstagcsandthatthcyhadatcn
dcncyto dcatc alittlcwhcnadditional
ingrcdicntswcrcincorporatcd.
In tcrms olbaking, thc lrcsh cgg
whitccakcrosc'+ to': inchhighcrthan
thc lrozcn cggwhitc cakc, but thc tla
vorsolthccakcswcrcviru|allytlcsamc.
Jcxturally, thc lrozcn vcrsion camc up
short. lcss bouncy," wcttcr, gummicr,
and too dclicatc on tlc tonguc. As lor
thc mcringuc di sks, thc onc madc
with lrozcn whitcs had a wrinkly,
dcatcd, and crackcd appcarancc
and a slightly gummicr, chcwicr
tcxturc than its smoothandshiny
lrcsh whitc countcrpart. What's morc,
thc lrozcn whitc disk sprcad duri ng
cooking and thcrclorc cndcd up too
largcandtooat.
Rcscarching tlc topic mrthcr, wc lound out
that vcry cold tcmpcraturcs , anywhcrc bc|ow
thc optimal lrcczing tcmpcraturc olO dcgrccs
COOK
'
S ILLUSTR A TE D
Z
Iahrcnhcit) can hindcr thc mnctionality olthc
protcinsnccdcdtowhipvolumcinto cggwhitcs,
as can contamination by icc crystals-a dangcr
cvcnwith supposcd|y airtight" containcrs. Jhc
mrthcrthctcmpcraturclalls,thcworscthc dam
agc. Althoughwc kccp ourtcst kitchcn hcczcrs
as closc to O dcgrccs as possiblc,ourcggwhitcs
apparcntlysullcrcdatlcast minordamagc.
Sowhatdowcrccommcnd?Byamcans,hcczc
anduscyourlcnovcrcggwhitcs,butsavcthcmlor
applicationsthat calllorsmallamounts, cggwash)
orthatdon' tdcpcndonvolumc, omclcts) .
Sharpening Granton Blades
Can grantoncdgc knivcs bc honcd likc rcgular
knivcs, ordocs maintaining thcir cdgc rcquirc a
spccialtool ortcchniquc?
ADRIENNE ANCHETA
ANN AR B OR, MICH.
Knivcs with granton bladcs , hollow ground
withovalrcccsscsrocrcatcairpockctsthatrcducc
thc lriction bctwccn thc bladc and thc lood)
can bc sharpcncd and honcd in thc samc way
as any standard knilc bladc. According to lour
knilc cxpcrts wc contactcd, no spccial product
ortcchniquc isrcquircd. Ancrsharpcninga lcw
olthcm oursclvcs , wc agrcc. Evcn whcn you
cvcntuallysharpcnyourwaydowntothcrcccsscd
arcas, don'tswcar it. Jhc lilc ola grantoncdgc
knilc cxtcnds wcll bcyond that olthc crcsccnt
shapcd hollows olits bladc.Wcuscda granton
cdgc knilc that had bccn worn down midway
tlrough thc hcight olits groovcs and a brand
ncw modcl to cut through a potato and an
onion. Both knivcs sliccd thc vcgctablcs casily,
althoughloppingollthc hnal bottom cdgc with
thcoldcrknilcsomctimcsrcquircdancxtradraw
ortwo olthc bladc thankstothclaintly
scallopcdcdgc.
I NTO TH E G ROOVE?
No need to worr.
Spotting Trans Fat
! thought hydrogcnatcd oil was thc primary
sourcc oltranslat. Butwhcn I rcccntly bought
a bag olpotato chips, thc packaging advcrtiscd
O grams trans lat" whilc thc ingrcdicnt list
includcd partially hydrogcnatcd soybcan oil . Il
Iwanttoavoidtranslat,whatshouldI looklor?
K IM HUYNH
OAK LAND. CALIF.
Jo nnd outwhcthcraproductcontainstrans
lat-lormcd by adding hydrogcn to vcgctablc
oil to makc it stay solid , rathcr than liquid) at
room tcmpcraturc-just look at thc ingrcdicnt
listonthclabcl .AccordingtothcI. S. Ioodand
DrugAdministration, ilshortcning," partially
hydrogcnatcd vcgctablc oil," or hydrogcnatcd
vcgctablc oil" is listcd, thc lood contains trans
lat. Althoughtrans lat is grcat lor kccping lood
itcmscrispyandshcllstablc,it'salsobccnlinkcd
toraiscdlcvclsolIDIcholcstcrol, thcbadkind) ,
rcduccd lcvcls olHDI cholcstcrol , thc good
kind) , and incrcascd risk olcardiovascular di s
casc.InaccordanccwithIDAguidclincs,al l con
vcntional lood products must dcclarc trans lat
contcnt on thcir loodlabclsby)anuary2OOo.
Butaproduct'sclaimolOgramstranslat"i s
notaguarantccthati t' shccol thcsccontrovcrsial
lattyacids.Jranslat contcntiscxprcsscdasgrams
pcrscrvingtothcncarcstO.5grambclow
5gramsandtothcncarcstgramabovc5
grams. Soilascrvingcontainslcss than
O.5 gram,it'scxprcsscdasOgrams.
Cooking with Soy Milk
Cansoymilk bcsubstitutcdlorrcgular
milkinrccipcs?
JOANNE ARTMAN
MIDDLETOWN. PA.
Soymilkismorcwatcry than wholc
milk, which comcs asnosurprisc givcn
that most brands contain about hall
thclat.
atoo-pronounccdsoyUavorandacloyingswcct
ncss. Althoughthcscollavorscouldbcmaskcd
bythcothcringrcdicntsin, say, a hcartylasagna,
wcwouldn'trccommcndusingsoymilkinthisor
anyothcrsavoryapplication.
urrccommcndation? Ilyou'd likc tosubsti
tutc soy milk lorwholc milk inbakcdgoodsand
dcsscrts, it's hnc to do so, thc addcd inhcrcnt
swcctncss works i n thcsc rccipcs. ur ovcrall
lavoritc wasSilk rganic Ilain Soy Milk, lound
inthcrclrigcratcdscctionolmajorsupcrmarkcts.
)ustkccp thcstullout olsavorydishcs.
Trickle-Down Theor
Is thcrcanytruthtothcoldmyth thatwhcnyou
braisc or roast a largc piccc olmcat with a shcct
ollat onthc surlacc,thc shcctollat shouldlacc
up? Docsithclpthcmcatscll bastc?
KALI MA R MAl A
ARLINGTON, VA.
Inbarbccuccirclcs,thclatcapisalmostalways
lclt lacc up, and many rccipcs rcpcat thc samc
admonition whcn thc mcat is dcstincd lor thc
Jo nnd out whcthcr this crcatcs
problcms in baking or cooking, wc
bought lour widcly availablc brands
ol plain" soy milk and pittcd thcm
FAUX M I LK
ovcn. But docs it mattcr? Wc dccidcd
to tcst roasting a atcut briskct on a
wirc rack sct ovcr a baking shcct , so
thc bottom woul dn' t sit in its own
lat) , uncovcrcd,ina275 dcgrccovcn.
Whi l c wc woul d ncvcr rccommcnd
cooking a briskct this way , i t should
always bcbraiscdorwrappcdinloilto
rctain thc most moisturc) , wc hopcd
thiscxtrcmc mcthod couldollcr somc
i nsi ght. Jo mi ni mi zc any vari ation
lrompiccctopicccintcrmsollatdis
tri bution, toughncss, and navor, wc
cutoncbriskctinhall lcngthwisc. nc
hallroastcd lat sidc up, thc othcr lat
sidc down.
For more than j ust
cereal and cofee?
Altcr lour hours, both bri skcts
wcrc lairly dry , no surprisc) , but thc
againstwholcmilkinthrccapplications. acrcam
pic nlling, a ycllow laycr cakc, and a bcchamcl
saucc. ur lincup includcd Edcnsoy, Silk, 3o5
Organic,andWcstSoy.
Inthcvanilla crcam pic nlling, cookcdonthc
stovctop lor I O minutcs ) , all brands but onc,
Edcnsoy, provcd to bc acccptablc. Jastcrs lound
thcEdcnsoypicnllingtobcslightlygclatinous"
and pasty, " with a cookcd ricc" avor, and
dislikcd itsdarktaupccolor. By contrast, tastcrs
praiscdSilkand 3o5 rganic lor producing nll
ingsthattastcdthcmostlikcthcrcaldcal .Rcsults
wcrc cvcn morc lavorablc i n thc ycllow cakc.
Exccpt lor yiclding a marginally dricr tcxturc
ovcrallthanwholcmilkandalaintsoyancrtastc,
soymilkwasapcrlcctlygoodsubstitutclorwholc
milkhcrc.
With thc bcchamcl , it was a dittcrcnt story
cntircly.Allthcsoymilkbrandstankcdtorhaving
dillcrcnccs wcrc tclling. Jhc briskct
cookcdlat sidc upwasslightlymorc tcndcrand
yicldcd lcss rcsistancc whcn pokcd with a lork.
Jhc mcltcd lat bastcd thc outcr surlaccs , thc
sidcs and bottom) olthc briskct, making lor a
noticcablymoistcrcxtcrior, andthc lat itscllwas
morc dccply browncd, crispicr, and morc mlly
rcndcrcd. Bycontrast,thcbriskctcookcdlatsidc
down bccamc dark, tough, and lcathcry, and its
tat caprcmaincdpalcandnrm.
Morcintcrcsting,inthctat sidcuproast,tast
crsnoticcdlittlccllcctonmoisturcinthcintcrior
dircctly bcncath thc lat cap. Ancr rcpcat tcsts
yicldcd idcntical rcsults, it was clcar that thc lat
lrom thc cap docsn't actually soak into thc intc
rior laycrs olmcat ,a mytl pcrpctuatcd bysomc
barbccuc cxpcrts") . Asthc rcndcrcdtat batlcs
thc cxtcrior, howcvcr, it docs act as a natural
protcctivc barricr,rcducingthcamountolmois
turctlatcscapcstrom thc surlacc. , By contrast,
J A NUA R Y c F E B R UA R Y 2 006
3
WHA1 |5 |!
I found this tool in a box of ol d
family kitchen items in the atic.
What is it used for?
TED WELTON
WINCHESTER, MASS.
.The item you've discov
erd is a "hot beverge cooler"
frm the 1940s. Tis simpl e tool (a 21-inch-tl l
al uminum cl inder attched to a wooden handl e
of about the same height) is stored in the freezer
and works sort of like a reusabl e ice cube on a stick.
quickly bringing hot beverges down to a comfort
ably drinkabl e temperture when submered in the
liquid for just a few minutes.
When we fl l ed a tea- bag- lined mug with 8 ounces
of 200-degree (Fhrenheit) water pourd stright
from a teakettle. it took about to minutes to cool
down to ISO degrees and four minutes to reach a
more drinkbl e 14 5 degrees using the hot bever
age cooler. Alowing the tea to cool down naturl l
took a ful l 10 minutes. So if you're a tea, cofee, or
hot chocolate lover who l ikes to drink your bever
age soon after pouring (and you just can't wait I 0
minutes), this might be the anser. Just be careful
when removing the cooler from your cup, as the
metal core becomes quite hot.
Temperture-sensi tive tea dri nkers from
the '40s might have used a gadget l i ke
thi s one to cool down hot dri nks qui ckly.
only marblcdtatandcollagcnthat hasbccncon
vcrtcd into gclatin can allcct thc tcxturc olthc
intcrior. ) Sothcncxttimcyoubarbccucorbraisc
a briskct or anothcr piccc olmcat with a largc
l aycrollat,rcmcmbcrto positionitwith thc lat
cap ontop.
SEND US YOUR QUESONS We will provide a compli
mentar oneyear subscription for each letter we print. Send your
inquir, name, address, and daytime telephone number to Notes
from Readers, Cook's Illustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookline,
MA 02447, or to notesfromreaders@bcpress.com.
Quick Tps
?COMPILED BY DAVID PAZMINOE
Degreasing Pepperoni
Straight from the package, pep
peroni often leave unsightly puddles
of grease when baked atop a piza.
Kathryn Ryan of Annandale, Va.,
has fi gured out how to prevent this
probl em.
I. Une a microwave-safe pl ate with
a double layer of paper towels,
place the pepperoni on top, then
cover with two more paper towels
and another plate to keep the
meat di sks flat.
2. Cook for 30 seconds in a micro
wave on high, careful ly remove the
hot plate from the microwave, and
uncover.
3. Pl ace the degreased pepperoni
on the piza and bake according to
the recipe.
Knife Savers
I nstead of usi ng a knife to break apart chocol ate or frozen l i qui ds. Stephen Hawk
of Wheaton, I l l . . keeps a cheap chi sel from the local hardware store on hand. The
chi sel ' s sturdy edge does a better j ob-and keeps hi s knives' sharp, del i cate edges
out of harm' s way.
Place the chi sel on chocol ate or i ce, angl ed away from you. Usi ng shor, qui ck strokes,
chi p i nto pi eces of desi red size.
A Crate Idea
I nstead of di scardi ng empt cl em
enti ne ornge contai ners, Mami e
Col eman of Auburn, Mai ne, keeps the
stackabl e crates i n her pantr for stor
ing oni ons. potatoes, and other i tems
that benefit from exposure to ai r.
Puddle-Free Coffee Making
The poorly desi gned spouts of
most modern cofee carafes make
it difficul t to pour water into the
cofee-maker reseroir without
splashi ng the countertop. Tired
of the puddles, Karen Dail ey of
Hampton Bays, N.Y., fil l s the reser
voir directly from the sink using the
spray hose, avoiding the wet mess
whil e also saving a step.
Send Us Your Tip We wi l l provide a compl i mentar one-year subscri pti on for each tip we print. Send your ti p, name, and address to
QUick Ti ps. Cook's I l l ustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or to qui cktips@bcpress. com.
COOK
'
S ILL U STR JTE D
4
Uncracking Cracked
Cheesecake
Even when every precaution is
taken, the occasional cheesecake
wil l devel op unsightly cracks.
Susan Secrest of Drexel , N.C., has
discovered a si mple method for
repairing them.
I. Remove the sidewall from the
spri ngform pan while the cheese
cake is warm. Wrap a cl oth ribbon
snugly around the cake, preferably
OOU that covers the sides com
pletel y (about 3 inches wide for
most pans).
2. Secure the ribbon with a binder
clip, and leave the ribbon in pl ace
until the cake has cool ed com
pl etely.
Unsticking Stick
Pie Dough
Few thi ngs are more frustrting in the
ki tchen than havi ng a rol l ed dough
sti ck to the work surface. Rther than
di rting a bench scraper, Sterl i ng Smi th
of San Rmon, Cal if. , makes do with
the metal rul er he' s used to measure
the dough. It thi n edges pr the stub
bor dough of j ust as wel l .
U
Z
o
O

Z
1
C
No-Creep Pie Dough
Ater watchi ng too many pie doughs
i nch thei r way across the counter whi l e
rol l i ng them out beteen sheets of
parchment paper, Ci ndy Ehl enfel dt of
Charlestown, N. H . . fnal ly put a stop
to i t. She now places a nonsti ck si l i cone
mat underneath the parchment paper,
whi ch makes for smooth, stabl e rol l i ng.
'Grounded' Nuts
Chopping nuts on a cutting board
can send projectil es flying across
the kitchen. Ginny Kl uger of West
Hartford, Conn., solves this prob
lem by using a sharp-edged pastry
bl ender to chop soft nuts like wal
nuts and pecans in a mixing bowl.
Wine-Glass Bufer Zone
Washi ng frgile glassware by hand is the
best way to stave of breakge-unl ess
i t sl i ps your grsp and crshes down
i nto the sink. A a precauti onar meas
ure, Esther Cohen of Ai ngton, Mass ..
places rubber shelf l i ner i n the sink for
a breakage-free cl eani ng sessi on.
Smarer Olive Retrieval
Dorothy Lorenc of Arl ington, Texas, found an easy way to extract capers and
ol ives from their narrow jars. She uses the smal l scoop of a mel on bai l er to
retrieve capers and the larger scoop for olives. A a bonus, the excess brine
drains through the scoops' perorations.
Drier Dinner Guests
Refl l i ng guests' glasses with col d beverges usual ly means contendi ng with dri bbl es
from the pi tcher. Hei di Berr of Port Townsend, Wash. , has a uni que sol uti on.
I.
3.
I .Smear a smal l dab of butter on the i nsi de and outsi de edges of the pi tcher's spout.
2.Pour the i ce-col d beverge.
3.The butter stops drops of l i qui ds j ust as they're about to take the pl unge.
Seeding Hot Peppers
No More Spouting Of
To prevent boi l i ng water from sput
teri ng from the spout of her metal
teakettl e, Therese Grundl of Shenan
Oaks, Cal i f .. runs the hot metal spout
under col d water j ust before pouri ng
out the contents.
Onions in the Mist
When browning smal l amounts
of oni on, there' s a tendency for
drying and scorching, even when
using a high-qualit pan. Brad
Hutchinson of Bayi l l e, N. Y . , keeps
smal l batches of oni ons moist
with a pl ant mister, spriti ng them
lightly if they start to l ook dry. The
water not only hel ps them car
melize evenl y but also deglazes any
flavorul brown bits (}:nd)stuck
to the bottom of the pan.
Using a knife to remove the seeds and ribs from a hot chile pepper takes a ver steady hand. Evelyn Cantrell of Evansvil l e,
Wis., has come up with a safer and equal ly effective al ternative.
I. 2. 3.
I. Cut the pepper in hal f with a knife.
2. Starting opposite the stem end, run the edge of a smal l mel on bai l er scoop down the i nside of the pepper, scrping up
seeds and ribs.
3. Cut off the core with the scoop.
J A N UA R Y c FEB R UA R Y 2 006
s
Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
Many pot pie recipes treat the chicken and vegetables as mere hitchhikers in the rich,
creamy sauce. We thought it was time to end the free ride.
T
hc di sh that cpi tomi zcs my
notion ol comlort lood is my
Mana'schickcnpotpic.YctIwas
hardprcsscdtonndcvcnonctcst
kitchcncollcagucwhosharcdmylondncss
lorthiscombinationolpicpastry,chickcn,
vcgctablcs, and crcamyvcloutc. Jhc rca-
son bccamc abundantlyclcar ancr tcsting
adozcnrccipcs. Evcnthclcwthatavoidcd
doughytoppingsandpastysauccslcllshort
in thc avor dcpartmcnt. Jhc problcm
wasn'tskimpingonbuttcrorcrcam,itwas
thcabscnccoldcccntchickcnorvcgctablc
Uavor.What'smorc,chickcnpotpicisnot
aquickandcasydish.Youhavctomakcpic
pastry, prcparc thc nlling ingrcdicnts, and
makcasaucc. Iorallthatwork,itbcttcrbc
good-rcallygood.
Getti ng More Chi cken Fl avor
JhcrccipcsI tricdlollowcdthcsamcbasic
proccdurc. cooka roux , ourandbuttcr),
add brothandhcaycrcam,addpoachcd
brcast mcat and bl anchcd vcgctabl cs,
:B Y N I N A W E STE
Vegetabl es, Sauce, and Crust
Iwantcdto avoidthc blandncssolblanchcdvcg
ctablcs,anditoccurrcdto mcthattraditionalpot
pic vcggics , carrots, cclcry, onions, pcas) wcrc
almostidcntical tothc mircpoixI had bccn cook-
ing. Whynotusc thc samcvcgctablcslorthc nll
ing?Chillingthccookcdvcgctablcs, and chickcn)
bclorc asscmbling thc pic kcpt thcm hom ovcr
cookingduringthc nnal strctch.
A lor thc saucc, I nrst dcglazcd thc pan vth
canncdbroth tocapturccvcrybitolavor. Ithcn
cmpticd thc pan and madc a traditional roux to
thickcn thc saucc. Acr whisking my panjuicc-
spikcd brotl back into thc roux, I addcd o4 cup
hcavycrcam to givc thc saucc richncss and body
, milkwas too thin, whilc a saucc madc withhall
andhallbrokc,sccKtchcnMotcs,pagc 30, loran
cxplanauon) . Jhc bright notcs olparslcy, thymc,
andlcmon roundcdoutthcavorpronl c.
Our one-ski l l et method produces a ri ch. flavorful chi cken pot
pi e-and the ski l l et seres doubl e dut as a pi e pl ate.
thcn bakcthc mixturcbcncathatopping.
Iroblcmonc. Ior intcnsc chickcn avor,
poachingj ustwasn'tgoingtocutit. Itricd
roasting, broiling,andpanscaring. I tricdwhitc
mcat, dark mcat, and both. In thc cnd, tastcrs
likcdthcdccpavorimpartcdbyovcnroastinga
wholcchickcn,thcdry,constanthcathclpcdcon
ccntratc avors. Jhc downsidc? Jhc ncarly !:-
hour ovcn scssion. But by cutting thc chickcn
into picccs, I could gct thc bcncnts olroasting
whilcrcducingthccookingtimcbyhall.
SolarIhaddoncallmycookinginoncpan.Why
changcnow?Idccidcdtotop, andbakc)thcmg
in thc samc skillct-a makcshin pic platc. Somc
rccipcs call lorsimply cuttingout a lcwroundsol
lrozcnpullpastryorro||ingoutbiscuitdough.
Mot mc. I was going lor thc ultimatc chickcn
pot pic, so anything othcr than our homcmadc
all buttcrpicdough, Scptcmbcr/Cctobcr2O05)
sccmcd tobc missingthcpoint. , Jhat said, our
winning storc bought crust makcs an acccptablc
optionilyoucan'tbringyoursclltorollouthomc
madcpicdough,sccKitchcnMotcs,pagc3 I . )
Lsing thc usual Cook)s roasting tcchniquc ol
panscaring,thcnnnishinginthcovcn, Ircalizcd
Iwascrcatingthcpcrlcctconduitlordccpchickcn
Uavor. thcpanj uiccsandfond , thcbrowncdbits
stucktothcpan) , whichIcouldsavclorbuilding
thcsaucc. I tookacuclromgraymakingbasics
andplaccd a classic mirepoix , onion, cclcry, and
carrot)inthcbottomolthcsamcskillct. Motonly
didthcvcgctablcsgivcthcdrippingsmorcavor,
butthcyalso scrvcd as a makcshin roastingrack
that kcpt thc chickcn lrom stcwing in its own
juiccsinthcovcn.
Kcsting thc chickcn tor30 minutcs cnsurcd
thatcnoughjuiccswcrc rcabsorbcdto kccp thc
mcatmoist.ncday,Iaccidcntallylctthcchickcn
sitloranhour,andtastcrspcrccivcddramatically
incrcascdtcndcrncss.Aukc?Acrrcpcatcdtcsts
yicldcdthcsamcrcsults,Iinvcstigatcdmrthcr. It
turnsoutthatwhilcamodcratcpcriodolrcsting
hclpsrctain moisturc, additionaltimctcndcrizcs
thc mcat. How? Mildrcsidual hcatcontinucs to
brcak down thc conncctivc tissuc, and thc mcat
bccomcs morc tcndcr , think slowcooking pot
roastatavcrylowtcmpcraturc) .
One Ski l l et, Many Lyers of Fl avor
Jo makc thc dough work with thc skillct's
dimcnsions,I nccdcdtochillthccrustancrroll
ing, lrcshly rollcd dough was too unvicldy to
wranglc onto thc skillct. \nlortunatcly, chilling
By cooki ng the chi cken and vegetabl es. bui l di ng the creamy sauce, and even baki ng the crust-topped pi e al l i n the sme
1 2- i nch ski l l et. we ensure that every drop of favor makes i t i nto the fnal di sh.
S EAR
Searing t he chi cken i n the ski l l et
develops the first layer of favor:
the deep brown fond.
ROAST
Roasting the chi cken and vegetabl es
i n the same ski l l et rel eases flavorful
j uices that wi l l be used in the sauce.
COOK
'
S ILLUSTR ATE D

D E G LAZE
Deglazing the ski l l et i nfuses the broth
with flavors from the fond, chi cken,
and vegetabl es.
thc dough also cxtcndcd thc baking
timclrom I 5 minutcsto almost 5O-
by which timc thc undcrsidc ol thc
crustwas soggy. Jurning up thc tcm-
pcraturclorthcnrstI 5 minutcshclpcd
thccrustsctquickly,lollowcdbylowcr
hcattolctthccrustbakcthroughmorc
gcntly.
STEP-BY-STEP I PREPARING PIE CRUST FOR A SKILLET
Our usual pi e- crust procedures work fi ne with a cool 9- i nch pi e pl ate. But for a hot 1 2- i nch ski l l et, we had to make some
adjustments-for i nstance, el i mi nati ng the bottom crust and futi ng the dough before sl i di ng i t over the fi l l i ng.
Whatdid I cnd up with? A dish that
transccnds most pcoplc' s mcmorics ol
lacklustcrpotpic.Surc,ittakcstimcand
chort,butitisassupcriortorunolthc
millpotpi casboeuf a la boutuinonne
istoDintyMoorcbcclstcw.
I. Rol l out dough to rough 14- 2. Tri m dough to preci se 14- 3. Cri mp fol ded dough 4. Cut fou r oval - shaped
i nch round on parchment. i nch ci rcl e, connecti ng marks
Mark center of top, bottom. from step I. Fol d dough to
between knuckl e and fore
fi ngers to form 1 2- i nch
round wi th futed edge.
vents, 3 i nches l ong and
about 1/2 i nch wi de. Decorate
dough wi th cutouts.
CHICKEN POT PIE
and si de arcs wi th kni fe. form 1/2i nch peri meter ri m.
S E RVES 6 TO 8
Substitutc 3 to 3v: pounds olboncin, skinon
chickcn parts lor thcwholc chickcn, ildcsircd.
Wc rccommcnd chilling thc rollcd and shapcd
doughinthchcczcr.Jhcdoughcanbcprcparcd
thcdaybclorcandrclrigcratcd. Jhcchickcnand
vcgctablcscanalsobcprcparcdthcdaybclorc.
Deub
111 cups (8'1 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose
four, pl us addi ti onal for work surface
3/ teaspoon tabl e salt
I 0 tabl espoons ( 1 1/ sti cks) cold, unsalted butter,
cut i nto 1 1- inch pi eces and frozen for I 0 mi nutes
2 tabl espoons sour cream
4-6 tabl espoons i ce water
Cbickcad Vccrah/cs
I teaspoon vegetabl e oi l
whol e chi cken (about 411 pounds) , cut i nto
4 pi eces (2 breast pi eces, 21eg quarters, wi ngs
di scarded) and tri mmed of excess fat
24 frozen pearl oni ons, thawed, drai ned, and
patted dry (about I cup, or !ounces)
medi um oni on, cut i nto '!-i nch pi eces
(about I cup)
4 medi um carrots, cut i nto 11-i nch pi eces
(about 1 11 cups)
3 medi um ribs cel ery, cut i nto 1 1-i nch pi eces
(about I cup)
Tabl e salt and ground black pepper
Saucc
41/ cups low-sodi um chi cken broth
4 tabl espoons unsalted butter
11 cup unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
lf cup heavy cream
3/ cup frozen peas ( unthawed, about 311 ounces)
2 teaspoons j ui ce from I l emon
I tabl espoon mi nced fresh parsl ey l eaves
teaspoon mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
Tabl e salt and ground bl ack pepper
I . TO M THE DOUGH: Iroccssourand
salt togcthcr in lood proccssor until combincd,
about3 scconds. Addbuttcrandpulscuntilsizc
ollargcpcas,aboutsixtocight I sccondpulscs .
2. Mix sourcrcamand4tablcspoonsiccwatcr
in small bowl until combincd. Add hallolsour
crcammixturctoourmixturc,pulsclorthrcc I
sccondpulscs.Rcpcatwithrcmainingsourcrcam
mixturc. Iinch dough with nngcrs, ildough is
oury,dry, and docs not hold togcthcr, add I
to 2 additional tablcspoons watcr and proccss
untildoughlormslargcclumpsandnodrytlour
rcmains, thrcctonvc I sccondpulscs.
3. Jurndoughontoworksurlacc. Shapcinto
ballandattcnto5 inchdisk,wrapi nplasticand
rclrigcratcuntilnrm butnothard, I to2 hours.
, Doughcan bcrchigcratcdovcrnight. )
4. TO ROAST CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES:
Adj ust ovcn racks to lowcr middlc and uppcr
middlcpositions,hcatovcnto45Odcgrccs. Hcat
oilin hcavybottomcd I 2 inch ovcnproolskillct
ovcr mcdiumhigh hcat until oil just bcgins to
smokc,swirlskillcttocoatcvcnlywithoil . Brown
chickcnpicccsskin sidc down until dccp goldcn,
3 to4 minutcs, turn chickcn picccs andbrown
until goldcn on sccond sidc, 3 to 4 minutcs
longcr. Jranslcr chickcn to largc platc, drain all
but I tablcspoon lat.
5. Sctskillctovcrmcdiumhcat.Addpcarlonions
and cook, stirring occasionally, until browncd,
about 3 minutcs. Incrcaschcattomcdiumhigh
andadd onion, carrots,cclcry, and saltandpcp
pcrtotastc,cook,stirringoccasionally,untilvcg
ctablcs bcgin to brown, 2 to 3 minutcs. Rcturn
chickcnpicccstoskillctskin sidc up and placcin
ovcn on lowcr middlc rack. Roast until thickcst
part olbrcast rcgistcrs about I oO dcgrccs on
instant rcad thcrmomctcr and thickcst part ol
thighanddrumstickrcgistcrsaboutI 75 dcgrccs,
I8to25minutcs. Isingpotholdcrorovcnmitt,
rcmovc skillct lrom ovcn. Jranslcr chickcn to
plattcr and lct rcst I hour. Sct skillct with vcg-
ctablcsasidc.
o. TO ROLL OUT THE DOUGH: Ildough
has bccn chillcd longcr than 2 hours, lct stand
atroomtcmpcraturc lor I 5 minutcs bclorcroll
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 006
/
ing. ) Dust I o by I 2inch shcct olparchmcnt
papcrlibcrallywithour,rol l , tlutc,andcutvcnt
holcs according to illustrations abovc. Jranslcr
parchmcnt and dough to baking shcct, chill in
hcczcruntilrcadyto usc, atlcast3Ominutcs,or
rclrigcratclor I hour) .
7. TO M SAUCE AND ASSEMBLE PIE:
Whilc chickcnrcsts,rcturnskillctwithvcgctablcs
tomcdium highhcat.Addchickcnbrothandany
j uiccslromchickcnplattcr and bringto simmcr,
scrapingsidcsandbottomolskillctwithwoodcn
spoontolooscnanybrowncdbits. Iourcontcnts
olskillct through mcdiummcshstraincrsctovcr
largc bowl , translcr vcgctablcs lrom straincr to
scparatc bowl and rclrigcratc. Ahcr lat riscs to
surlacc olbroth, I 5 to 2O minutcs, skim with
ladlc or largc spoon and discard. ,You should
havc about 3cupsbroth. )
8 . Whcn chickcn has rcstcd, rcmovc and dis-
cardski n. Isingnngcrsorlork, pull chickcnoll
boncs into 2 i nch shrcds and I inch chunks,
rclrigcratc until rcady to usc ,you should havc
about4: cups chickcn) . Wipc skillctclcan,mclt
buttcr ovcr mcdium high hcat until loaming.
Stir in our and cook, stirring constantly, until
mixturc darkcns slightly and bccomcs hagrant,
aboutI minutc. Slowlywhiskinbrothandcrcam
and bring to boil, rcducc hcat to mcdium and
simmcr, stirring constantly, until saucc is thick
cncd and coats backolspoon, 8 to I Ominutcs.
llhcat,addchickcn, rcscrvcdvcgctablcs,pcas,
lcmon juicc,parslcy, thymc, and saltandpcppcr
to tastc, gcntly stir to combinc. Rcmovcdough
lrom lrcczcr,linollparchmcnt papcr, andplacc
dough on top olnlling. Bakc on uppcrmiddlc
rackat45O dcgrccs until crust bcgins to brown
aroundcdgcs,about I 5 minutcs,rcducc hcat to
375 dcgrccs and continuc to bakc until crustis
goldcnbrownandnllingbubblcs, I 5 to2Omin-
utcsmorc. Ictcool I 5 minutcs bclorcscrving.
Go to ww .cooksillustrated. com
Key in code I 061 for our Chi cken Broth
Tasting.
Translating Huevos Rancheros
Getting this humble Mexican breakfast j ust right is easy when you have homemade
tortillas and ripe tomatoes lying around. All we had were mediocre supermarket staples.
H
uevos rancheros, or
ranchcrstylccggs,"i s
adi shbornolcascand
convcnicncc. a quick,
satis|ing mcal that makcs usc ol
lcnovcr salsa and corn tortillas to
scrvc as a simplc Mcxican brcak
lastalongsidchcartyrclricdbcans.
Wilcthcrcarc manyvariationson
thisthcmc,mostoncnthccggsarc
quicky lricd, slippcd onto a corn
tortilla basc, thcn nappcd with a
ncry,roastcdtomatochilcsalsa.
Morth olthc bordcr, it's a dil
lcrcntstory.Jhchucvosranchcros
loundonAmcricanbrunchmcnus
morc closcly rcscmbl c hcapi ng
platcsolnachos.Jhccggsarclost
undcranynumbcroluntraditional
ingrcdicnts-mcat,gobsolmcltcd
chccsc,shrcddcdlcttucc,andsliccs
olavocado-thc tortillas bccomc
soggy, thcavorsarcmuddicd.
3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
But cvcn with an authcnticrcc
ipc,makingthisdishathomcisno
lcssproblcmatic whcnthc cookis
laccd with mcdiocrc supcrmarkct
By cri spi ng packaged torti l l as. roasti ng tomatoes and chi l es. and l i ghtl y
poachi ng the eggs, we captu red the spi ri t of the Mexi can ori gi nal .
ingrcdicntssuchaspalc,mcalytomatocsandrub
bcry packagcd tortillas. I wantcd todo right by
thisdishandproduccavcrsionasclosctoauthcn
ticas Icouldwiththcmatcrialsathand.
The Sal sa Dance
Salsa is thc starin most authcntic vcrsions, so
improving it was my n rst movc. Jraditional ly,
a cookcd salsa is uscd , oncn lricd in a littlc hot
oil ) , andI thoughtcanncdtomatocsmight givc
mcbcttcravorthanlrcsh. Armcdonlywitl tlc
basics-tomatocs,j alapcnos, and onions-I sau
tccd mywaythrough atcw simplc salsas,substi
tutingpurccd,diccd,andwholccanncdtomatocs
lor lrcsh. Iurccd tomatocs wcrc too thin and
smooth,diccdtomatocswcrc on tlcovcrlyn rm
andchunky sidc, andwholc tomatocstastcd too
cookcd. Jastcrswcrc | ookinglorthc bright, tart
tavorthatonlylrcshtomatocscanottcr.
Back in thc producc aislc, I rccxamincd my
options. I tricd diminutivc chcrry and oblong
plum tomatocs as wcll asthc usual roundorbs.
Jhcchcrrytomatocshc| dthcmostpromiscwith
thcirpuckcring|ytartHavor, but tastcrs couldn't
gctpastthcamoumols|inandsccdsinthcsalsa.
Jhcp| umtomatocshads| ight|ymorccomplcxity
than thc round tomatocs and a morc compact,
lcsswatcrytcxturc. lnan cltort to incrcasc thcir
uavor,l tumcdtotHcbroilcr,dcspitcblackcning
and blistcring tHcirs|ins,tHchigh hcatdidlittlc
to improvc thc H avorontlcinsidc olthc toma
tocs. I dccidcd to rcducc thc ovcn tcmpcraturc
When Bad Thi ngs Happen to Good Food
Beans, beef, cheese, guacamol e, lettuce. ol ives, sour cream: To
compensate for so-so i ngredi ents, many reci pes opt for overki l l ,
tumi ng tis simple Mexican breakast i nto an eg-adomed pl ate
of " Extreme Nachos. " Our version takes a si mpl er approach.
fi ne-tuni ng favor and texture for a few key i ngredi ents. Huevos
rncheros shoul d be appetizi ng-not an appetizer.
C | | |

5 | L L l ' 1 M ^ I | l
8
and givc thc tomatocs morc ovcn timc. At 375
dcgrccs, thc tomatocs staycd intact, thcir csh
smooth andvclvcty.
Bccausc I was nowroasting thc tomatocsand
thus cllcctivclycnhancingthciravor , and thcn
pulsing thcm in thc lood proccssor) , I won
dcrcdilthc chilcs and onionswould also bcncnt
lromroasting. I halvcdthcj alapcosandcutthc
onions into thick wcdgcs and tosscd thcm with
a littlc vcgctablc oil along with thc tomatocs.
Indccd, roasting improvcd thci r avor, adding
a dccpcr, swcctcr intcnsity. Hcady garlic was a
wclcomcadditionto this mix,as wcrc cuminlor
its nuttyavorandcaycnncpcppcrlorcxtrazing.
Iormorc color and dcpt|olavor, I coatcdall
thcingrcdicntswithatablcspoonoltomatopastc
bclorc putting thcm in thc ovcn. All I nccdcd
nowwassomcbrightncsstoroundoutthcsalsa.
ncc I had givcn thc roastcdvcgctablcs a quick
turni nthcloodproccssor,Iaddcdlimcjuiccand
lrcsh cilantro. As a hnal touch, I rcscrvcd onc
j alapcoand addcdit, nnclychoppcd,atthccnd
lorazcsty, clcanchilcavor.
Not So Over- Eas
Ancrthcrigmarolc olroastingthc salsaingrcdi
cnts , thoughitwasccrtainlyworththc cllort) , I
was chagrincd to hnd that thc simplc lricd cgg
prcparation I was cxpccting turncd out to bc a
sloppy mcss on tlc platc. Iourgcntlylricd cggs
lookcdbcautimlinthcskillctbut,onccscparatcd,
appcarcd haphazard and irrcgular on top ola
round tortilla-ilI didn' t brcak thc yolks gct
tingthcm thcrc. Whilc poaching thc cggs isnot
traditional,Ihadsccnthistcchniqucinalcwrcci
pcs, indccd, thcsc cggs wcrc casily , and ncatly)
scoopcdout olthcirpoachingliquid.
As I monitorcd my two adj accntcookingvcs
scls mll olbubbling liquid-poaching cggs and
simmcring salsaI rcalizcd I might bc ablc to
makc things cvcn casicr. Addingalltlc hot salsa
to a skillct, I scoopcd out lour small wclls and
crackcd an cgg into cach, thcn nt a lid ovcr thc
top lor cvcn cooking. Although thc cdgcs olthc
whitcs wcrc disruptcd lrom t|c bubbling salsa,
thccggswcrcj ustascasilytranslcrrcdtotlcplatc
as bclorc. Iowcringt|c hcatwhilcthccggswcrc
poaching solvcd thc lraycdcdgc mattcr, and I
nnally achicvcdthclookI was ancr. Evcn bcttcr,
tlccggsbcncntcdhomthc|lavorboost,andIhad
onlyoncpottowatch andonclcsstowash) .
slightly chunky, about I O scconds morc. Add 2
tablcspoons cilantro, rcscrvcd minccd j alapco,
salt,pcppcr,andlimcj uicctotastc.
2. FOR THE TORTILLAS: Brush both sidcs
olcach tortillalightlywithrcmainingtablcspoon
oil, sprinklc both sidcs with salt, and placc on
clcan bakingshcct. Bakc until tops j ust bcgin to
color,5to7minutcs,iptortillasandcontinucto
bakc untilgoldcnbrown,2 to3 minutcsmorc.
ROAST TOAST POACH
3 . FOR THE EGGS: Mcanwhil c, bring salsa
togcntlc simmcrin I 2inchnonstickskillctovcr
mcdiumhcat. Rcmovc hom hcat andmakc lour
shallow wclls i n salsa with back ollargc spoon.
BrcakI cggintocup,thcncarcmllypourcgginto
wcll insalsa,rcpcatwithrcmainingcggs. Scason
cachcggwithsaltandpcppcrtotastc,thcncovcr
skillct and placc ovcr mcdiumlow hcat. Cook
until dcsircddoncncss. 4 to 5 minutcslorrunny
yolks, oto7minutcslorsctyolks.
Slow-roasting i mproved the flavor of
supermarket tomatoes whi l e i ntensi f
ing the other sal sa i ngredi ents.
Cri spi ng store- bought torti l l as i n the
oven yi el ded the best texture-l ight
and crispy, not tough or greasy.
Poachi ng the eggs i n smal l wel l s made
i n the sal sa i mproved thei r flavor and
left us wi th j ust one pot to watch.
Torti l l a Reform
Most authcntic rccipcs call lor lrcsh, handmadc
corntortillas. Iwasstuckwithall but stalcsupcr
markctvcrsions.Somcrccipcsattcmpttosoncn"
thc tortillas with a nvc sccond shallowlry, but
thisproduccdsoddcn, grcasyrcsults.Iongcrlry
ing climinatcd thc soggincssbut not thc grcasi
ncss.Joastingthctortillasinathincoatingoloil
in askillctmadcthcm tough. Iinally, I rcturncd
to thc ovcn. Brushcd lightly with oil, sprinklcd
withalittlcsalt,andtoastcduntil goldcnbrown
at 45O dcgrccs, thcsc tortillas wcrc crisp and
dry-a pcrlcct loil lor thc son, crcamypoachcd
cggs and thc dccp, roastcd avors olthc ncry
salsa. Mytranslationwascomplctc.
HUEVOS RANCHEROS
S E RVES 2 TO 4
Josavc timc inthc morning, makc thc salsa thc
day bclorc and storc it ovcrnight in thc rchig-
crator. Ior cxtraspicy salsa, add somc ol thc
rcscrvcdj alapco ribs and sccds to tastc. Ilyou
nccd to holdtlctortillas lor a shorttimc, covcr
thc bakingshcctwithloi l . Ilyoulikc, scrvcwith
rclricd bcans , scc Cook's Extra, at right, lorour
rccipc) .
3 jal apeno chi l es, hal ved, seeds and ri bs removed
(see note above)
1 11 pounds ri pe pl um tomatoes (about 8 medi um) ,
cored and halved
1h medi um yel l ow oni on, cut i nto 1 1-i nch wedges
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, peel ed
tabl espoon tomato paste
Tabl e salt
3 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
1 h teaspoon ground cumi n
1/s teaspoon cayenne
3 tabl espoons mi nced fresh ci l antro l eaves
Ground black pepper
1 -2 tabl espoons j ui ce from I or 2 1 i mes,
pl us addi ti onal l i me cut i nto wedges for servi ng
4 corn torti l l as
4 l arge eggs
!.FOR THE SALSA: Adjust ovcnracktomid
dlcposition,hcatovcnto375dcgrccs. Mincconc
j alapco and sct asidc. In mcdium bowl , com
binc tomatocs, rcmainingj alapcos, onion, gar
lic, tomato pastc, I tcaspoon salt, 2 tablcspoons
oil, cumin, andcaycnnc, tossto mixthoroughly.
Ilaccvcgctablcscutsidcdownonrimmcdbaking
shcct. Roastuntil tomatocs arc tcndcr and skins
bcgin to shrivcl and brown, 35 to 45 minutcs,
cool on baking shcct lor I O minutcs. Incrcasc
ovcn hcatto 45O dcgrccs. Isingtongs, translcr
roastcdonions, garlic,andj alapcos to bowlol
lood proccssor. Iroccss until almost complctcly
brokcn down, about I O scconds, pausing hall
waythroughtoscrapcsidcsolbowl with rubbcr
spatula. Add tomatocs and proccss until salsais
4.TO SERV: Ilacctortillasonscrvingplatcs,
gcntly scoop onc cgg onto cach tortilla. Spoon
salsa around cach cgg, covcring tortillas, but
lcaving portion ol cggs cxposcd. Sprinklc with
rcmainingcilantro and scrvc with limc wcdgcs.
Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated.com
Key in code 106 2for Refried Beans.
r A s r 1 N G . Supermarket Refri ed Beans
Trdi ti onal frijoles refritos str with dri ed pi nto beans that are cooked, "fried wel l " i n l ard, then mashed. I t' s not
rocket sci ence, but it's ti me-consumi ng, so many cooks opt for a store- bought veri on i nstead. We smpled six
brnds of refri ed beans to determi ne i f any were worth a spot besi de our huevos rancheros. Only to brnds, Old El
Pso Trdi ti onal and Ortega, use lard (the rest use vegetabl e oi l ) , but to our taster, lard ofered no advantge i n fa
vor or texture. Texture, however, turned out to be key-Spackl e i s sti l l Spackl e, even i f i t contai ns garl i c and oni ons.
But even the best brnds mustered only enough poi nts to ear our " Recommended with Reserations" rting. Ad
whatever you do, steer clear of dehydrted, i nstant refri ed beans. These were consi stently stale and unappeal i ng.
RE CO MME N D E D WITH
TACO BELl Home Origi nal s
Refried Beans, $0. 99 for 1 6 ounces
Descri bed as "wel l seasoned " and
"super-smooth" by some tasters;
others found them sal t and runny.
Good or bad, they were "j ust l i ke the
ones at Taco Bel l . "
GOYATradi ti onal Refried Pinto
Beans, $0. 89 for 1 6 ounces
Earhy and " honest" favor and a
heart "sti ck-to-your- ri bs" tex-
ture earned these a cl ose second.
Naysayers cal l ed them past.
OLD EL PO Trditi onal Refri ed
Beans, $ 1 . 29 for 1 6 ounces
One of two sampl es prepared wi th
l ard, these beans were on the thi ck
si de wi thout bei ng past or "gl uey. "
J A N UA R Y [ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6
'
OREGA Refri ed Beans
$0. 99 for 1 6 ounces
-Garth Cl i ngi ngsmith
Thi ck and moi st (pemaps because made wi th
l ard) , these beans nonethel ess l ost l ots of poi nt
for of-favors rngi ng from bi tter to " must. "
MEXIC ROSE Homestl e Mexi can
Refried Beans, $ 3 . 50 for 7 ounces
(cooked yi el d i s 26 ounces)
The best i nstant beans we coul d fi nd were
u niversal ly di sl i ked for thei r "tough ski ns, " thei r
stal e favor, and a texture remi ni scent of "sog
sal ti nes. "
EDEN ORGANI C Refri ed Pi nto Beans
$ I . 79 for 1 6 ounces
Three i ngredi ents (orani c pi nto beans, water,
sea sal t) needed more hel p than they got. These
beans had a pal e, mottl ed appearance, a gl uey
texture, and a flavor l i ke "oatmeal gone bad. "
Oven-Barbecued Ribs Worth Making
Most oven ri b reci pes sl ather on smoke-f l avored sauce for an ersatz barbecue experi ence.
Coul d we get the smoky f l avor and fork- tender texture of true barbecue i n doors?
T
hc barbccuc scason lor much
olthccountryiscruclly short.
Wcn thc tcmpcraturcplungcs
aslalldrinsintowintcr,it'svir
tuallyimpossiblctomaintainthcmodcst
grilltcmpcraturcsrcquircdtoturntough
cuts ol mcat tcndcr. Whcn thc craving
strikcslorcrispcrustcd,smokysparcribs
in midwintcr, many olus havc j ust two
options. Hcadtothc localBBQshackor
attcmpt thcm in thc ovcn. Butisitrcally
possiblctorcplicatcoutdoorribsinsidc?
Barbccucisasmuchcookingmcthod
as avoringagcnt. Jhclowtcmpcraturc
and stcadyblankct olhardwoodsmokc
workalmostlikc braising,rcndcringthc
collagcn-a protcin in mcat' s tough
conncctivc tissuc-to richtasting, silky
gclatin. Jhclowtcmpcraturcsandmoist
cnvironmcnt arc casyto rcplicatci nthc
ovcn,thcsmokc, bycontrast,i snot.
- B Y MATTH E W C AR D E
Jhc indoor barbccucdri b rccipcs I
loundwcrc a dubiouslot. ost smoth
crcd racks in smokcavorcd saucc and
bakcdthcm slowly. Surc, thc ribs tastcd
OK-slathcr anoldshocinsmokysaucc
and it will tastc good-but nonc pos
Some reci pes muster only the cri sp-charred exteri or and fal l - apart
tenderness of outdoor ri bs. Ours repl i cates the smoke flavor, too.
scsscd thc dccp, rich avor ol truc barbccuc.
Othcrs slickcd thcribs withliquidsmokc, smcar
ing on a dryrub j ust bclorc baking-not much
bcttcr.Jhcrc'samndancntaldihcrcncc bctwccn
ribsthattaste olsmokcandribsthatare smokcd.
Smoke Gets in My Eyes
Jhcrcwasathirdoption. indoorsmoking. Indoor
smokcrsarccsscntiallyroastingpansnttcdwitha
vrc rackand a tightnttinglid. Shrcddcdwood
chipsarcdustcdacrossthcpanbottom,thclood
issctonthcrack, andthcpanisscalcd. Jhcpan
ishcatcdonthcstovctoptoignitcthcchips,ancr
s H o p p 1 N G : Pork Ri bs
whichitcntcrsthcovcntonnishcooking. Somc
indoorsmokcrswctcstcdworkcdlairlywcll , scc
pagc3O) , butthcdcsignsarcsobasicthatIoptcd
torigoncuplromcquipmcntI hadonhand.
Bclorc I gotahcadolmyscll, I hadtochoosc
thcribs. Ioroutdoorbarbccuc,IlavorSt. Iouis
stylc sparcribs-pork sparcribs , locatcd ncar thc
bclly) trimmcd olskirt mcat and cxccss carti
lagc-andsawnorcasontochangc.
Squcczing thc ribs onto a wirc rack in thc
kitchcn' sbiggcstroastingpan,Itosscdinahand
ml olhickorychips and scalcditwithloi l . I slid
thc pan ovcr a burncr sct on high and waitcd.
S PARE RI BS
Ribs from near the pi g' s fatt belly.
A acceptable choi ce, but needs a fair
amount of home tri mming.
ST. LOU I S STYLE
Spareribs that have been tri mmed
of skirt meat and excess carilage.
BABY BACK
Smaller, l eaner ribs from the (adul t)
pi g' s back. Tender, but the meat dries
out too qui ckly for our reci pe. Mi ni mal fuss-our top choi ce.
COOK
'
S ILLUSTR ATE D
I O
And waitcd. Smokc hnally bcgan sccping out
lromthctoillongancrIwasalraidthcpanwould
mcltlromsuch hcat. ncc thc alarmsoundcd,I
gucsscd thc ribs wcrc smoky cnough and trans
lcrrcdthcpantoa25O dcgrccovcntonnish.
Jhc ribs tastcdsmokyalright,but this mcthod
ccrtainlyhadaws.Itwashardnndingapanlargc
cnough to nt thc ribs, it took mc thrcc trips to
md wood chips , during ollscason, most hard
warc storcs switch out grilling paraphcrnalia lor
snowshovcls) , andthcbillowingsmokcmadcthc
tcstkitchcnrcckolhickorylordays.
Could I movc thc cntirc proccss to thc ovcn,
thcrcby containing thc smokc? With no dircct
highhcat,I couldalsoswitchto arimmcdbaking
shcct,whichhad cnough room lor thc ribs to lic
at.Icrankcdthcovcnto4OOdcgrccs,slidthcribs
insidc,and,onccagain,waitcdlorsmokc.Anhour
passcdwithoutthclaintcstwhillAcr!'hours,I
pullcdthcpanoutandloundgray, grcasy, gristly
lookingribswithouta hint olsmokc avor.
Highcrhcat?Acrturningup thctcmpcraturc
i n25 dcgrcclncrcmcnts,I nnallysmcllcdsmokc
at 5OO dcgrccs. Whcrc thcrc' s smokc, thcrc
shouldbcavor,butnosuchluck. Jhcovcnstill
wasn' thotcnough toi gnitcthcwood.
Teati me
Dcspcratc, I hada bottlcolthatwrctchcdliquid
smokc in hand whcn a col l caguc suggcstcd
anothcr opti on. tca smoki ng. Chi ncsc cooks
smokc a varicty olloodstulls ovcr smoldcring
blacktca. SoIrcplaccdthcwoodchipswithloosc
tca, closcd thc ovcn door, and-whilc thc lcavcs
didn' tburn-thc distinct aromaoltcathatnllcd
thc kitchcn surpriscd mc. Jhc ribs tastcd laintly
olit, too. Icrhaps outright combustion wasn't
ncccssary-roasting"wascnoughtounlockthc
tca' s avor. Smoky tasting Iapsang Souchong
tcalcavcs,curcdovcrsmoldcringpincorcyprcss
boughs,sccmcdlikc thcpcrlcctcandidatc.
Withthcovcnscttohighhcat , thclcavcs scat
tcrcd across thc bottom olthc baking shcct) , I
couldsmcll smokc inminutcs. Acr 3O minutcs,
thc ribs tastcd dccidcdly smoky. Grinding thc
lcavcs to a hncpowdcr, thcrcby maximizingthc
tcato bakingsurlaccratio) imbucd thcribswith
ancvcndccpcrUavor.Mcithcrasswcctashickory
norassharpasmcsquitc,thctcapcrmmcdthcribs
witharichsmokincsslar dccpcrthanthatlcntby
barbccucsauccorliquidsmokc.
Homemade I ndoor Smoker
You can crwd ribs into a n indoor smoker, but we
prfer our romier makeshif verion. Sprad tea
leaves on a rimmed baking sheet, place a wir cool i ng
rck on top, fol l owed by the ribs and heav-dut foil .
A piza stone get the tea smoking quicklya
Ful l Steam Ahead
Jhcribswcrcsmoky, butthchighhcatrcquircd
to roast" thc tca had also madc thcm incdibly
tough. Jhc solution lay in thc lrcczcr. Chilling
thcribracks as thcovcnprchcatcdcoolcdthcm
cnough that thcy could withstand a vcry high
hcatandquicklyabsorbsmokc"withouttough
cning. Acr just hall an hour at 5OO dcgrccs,
myprcchillcd ribs hadabsorbcdas much olthc
smokUavoraspossiblc,andIcoulddccrcascthc
ovcntcmpcraturcdramatically.
Jocookthcribs,Icxpcrimcntcdwithtcmpcra
turcsrangingbctwccn2OOand3OOdcgrccs,25O
dcgrccs provcd thc bcst compromisc bctwccn
tcxturc andtimc. Within two hours-including
thcsmoking"timc-thc ribswcrc lorktcndcr,
thoughmoistandgummy.Apassundcrthchigh
hcatolthcbroilcrquicklyturncdthcwctcxtcrior
intoachcwy,crispycrust.
Iollowing thc lcad ol scvcral rccipcs, I tricd
addingliquidtothcpan andrcscalingthcloilto
containthcstcam) tosccilancvcnmoistcrcnvi
ronmcnt could improvc things. Jhc ribs wcrc
rcady in hallthc timc. Jhc moistcr thc hcat,
thc lastcr thc hcat translcr-right in linc with
thc mcchanics olbraisi ng. Watcr workcd hnc
butaddcd noUavor,bccrandapplcjuicc-both
common mops" uscd to kccp thc mcat moist
inoutdoorbarbccuc-wcrc bcttcroptions. Bccr
brought a slightly boozy tastc to thcmcat, but
thcjuiccaddcdwclcomcswcctdcpth.
Where There' s Smoke
Cured over smol deri ng pi ne or
cypress, Lpsang Souchong tea
brews up so smok that, as a
beverage, i t' s an acqui red taste.
But as a flavori ng agent, i t pro
vides the smoki ness mi ssi ng i n
most i ndoor ri b reci pes. Loose
tea l eaves and tea bags work
equal ly wel l . (Twi ni ng' s lpsang
Souchong tea bags are wi dely
avai l abl e at supermarkets. )
J USDON'T
ADD WATER
Wet or Dr?
Smoky and tcndcr but slightly bl and, thc ribs
wcrcrcadylorsomcspicc. Barbccucdribscanbc
cookcd dry"-coatcdwith spiccs and scrvcd as
is-or wct, " brushcd with saucc shortly bclorc
scrving. I'vcalwayshadawcakncsslorthclattcr,
but tastcrs argucd that thc big Uavorcd saucc
maskcdthctca'ssmokincss.
I kncw I wantcd to kccp thc rub simplc to
makc way lor thc ri bs' smoky, porky Uavor so I
startcdwith thc basics. salt,pcppcr,paprika,and
brown sugar. I addcd a littlc caycnnc lor hcat.
Still too bland. Mcxt I tricd cumin, coriandcr,
orcgano, and chili powdcr and only rcally likcd
thc dcpth lcnt by thc chili powdcr. Ii nally, a
thinslathcringolmustard broughtjusttlcright
tangy, sharp kick to tlc pork and, as an addcd
bonus, hclpcd tlc spiccs stick last. Ior an cxtra
lcvcl olUavor, I addcd a lcw clovcs olminccd
garlicandaspoonmlolkctchup.
All thcsc ri bs l ackcd now was thc rosy,
smokc colorcd cvidcncc ollivc hrc barbccuc .
Smoky tastingtothcbonc,tcndcrtoalault,and
j udiciouslyspicy,thcywcrcsogoodImightcvcn
makcthcminmidsummcr.
OVEN- BARBECUED S PARERI BS
S E RVES 4
Jomakc thisrccipc,youwillnccdabakingstonc,
a sturdy baking shcct with a I inch ri m, and a
wirc coolingrack that hts insidc it. It' shnc ilthc
ribsovcrlap slightlyonthcrack. Rcmovcsurlacc
lat to kccp thc ribs lrom bcing too grcasy. Bc
carcmlwhcnopcningthccrimpcdloiltoaddthc
juicc,ashotstcamandsmokcwillbillowout.
Buh
6 tabl espoons yel l ow mustard
2 tabl espoons ketchup
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I tabl espoon)
2 teaspoons ground bl ack pepper
tabl espoon sweet papri ka
tabl espoon chi l i powder
11 teaspoon cayenne
I 11 tabl espoons kosher sal t
3 tabl espoons brown sugar
Bihs
2 racks St. Loui s-stle spareri bs, 2 11 to 3 pounds
each, tri mmed ofsurface fat, membrane removed
(see i l l ustrati ons above) , each rack cut in hal f
11 cup Lpsang Sou chong tea l eaves (l oose or from
about 1 0 tea bags) , ground to powder i n spi ce
gri nder (about 1/4 cup powder)
11 cup appl e j ui ce
I . Combinc mustard, kctchup, and garlic in
small bowl ,combincpcppcr, paprika,chilipow
dcr, caycnnc, salt, and sugar in scparatc small
bowl . Sprcadmustardmixturcinthin,cvcnlaycr
J A N UA R Y c FE B R UA R Y 2 006
I l
TE C HNI Q U E I REMOVI NG
THE ME MBRANE
Fr thi s reci pe, we recommend removi ng the thi n
membrne that l i nes the concave si de of the ri b rck.
The ribs are easi er to mani pulate (and eat) , and the
smoke penetrtes both sides of the rck di rectly.
I. I nsert spoon handl e between membrne and
ri bs to l oosen sl i ghtly.
2. Usi ng paper towel , grasp l oosened membrane
and pul l away gentl y to remove.
ovcr both sidcsolribs, coatboth sidcswitlspicc
mixturc, thcnwrap ribsinplastic andrclrigcratc
loratlcast8 hours andupto24hours.
2. Jranslcrribslromrclrigcratortohcczcrlor
45 minutcs. Adjustonc ovcnracktolowcst posi
tionandsccondracktouppcrmiddlcposition, at
lcast 5 inchcsbclowbroilcr) . Ilacc baking stonc
onlowcrrack,hcatovcnto5OOdcgrccs. Sprinklc
ground tca cvcnly ovcr bottom olrimmcd bak
ing shcct,sctwirc rackonshcct. !laccribsmcat
sidc up on rack and covcrwith hcavyduty loil,
crimpingcdgcstightlytoscal . Roastribsdircctly
onstonc lor 3O minutcs, thcn rcduccovcntcm
pcraturcto25Odcgrccs,lcavingovcndooropcn
lor I minutc to cool . Whilc ovcn is opcn, carc
mllyopcnonccorncrolloilandpourapplcj uicc
intobottomolbakingshcct,rcscalloi l . Continuc
to roast until mcat is vcry tcndcr and bcgins to
pullawayhomboncs,about!':hours. , Bcginto
chcckribsancr I hour,lcavcloosclycovcrcdwitl
loillorrcmainingcookingtimc. )
3 . Rcmovc loil and carcmlly Uip racks bonc
sidc up, placc baking shcct on uppcr middlc
ovcn rack. Jurnon broilcr, cook ribs untilwcll
browncdandcrispyinspots,5toIOminutcs.Ilip
ribs mcat sidc up and cook until wcll browncd
andcrispy, 5 to7minutcsmorc. Cool loratlcast
I O minutcs bclorc cutting into individual ribs.
Scrvcwithbarbccucsaucc,ildcsircd.
Hot and Sour Soup at Home
Spi cy, braci ng, ri ch, and compl ex, thi s cl assi c Chi nese sou

has al the trappi ngs
of a ful l day i n the ki tchen. Not bad for a 20- m mute d1 sh.
T
hchotandsoursoupwccatin
ChincscAmcrican rcstaurants
todayisn`tmuchdillcrcnthom
thcSichuancscoriginal.Mamcd
lor its potcnt pcppcry and vincgary a
vors, thc lightlythickcncdsoup contains
strips olpork, cubcs oltom, and wisps
olcgg. Accordingtothc cookbooksand
CmncsccookingcxpcrtsI consultcd,hot
and sour soup cncapsulatcs thc Jaoist
principlc ccntral to Chincsc culturc. yin
and yang, thc notion olbalancing thc
univcrsc` s opposing yct complcmcntary
lorccs . In thc kitchcn, that mcans crc
ating balanccd dishcs by stratcgica|ly
combiningavors,tcxturcs, colors, and
tcmpcraturcs-somcyin, somcyang.
B Y R E B E C C A H A Y S E
Balancing univcrsal lorccs I ` d havc
to lcavc to thc phi|osophcrs . A I was
ancr was a good soup. ) But balancing
uavors,tcxturcs, andtcmpcraturcs?Jhat
waslamiliartcrritory.Atthcvcrylcast,I
ngurcd, thc yin/yang principlc lcn mc
somc lccway to cxplorc standi ns lor
hardtonndingrcdicntsthatshowupin
somc authcntic vcrsions-lor instancc,
mustard picklc, pig`sloot tcndon, and
Hot and sour soup gets i ts compl ex fl avors from strategi cal ly chosen
i ngredi ents-no l ong si mmeri ng requi red.
dricdscacucumbcr-withoutsacrincingthcspirit
olauthcnticity. So armcdwith thoughts olyin,
yang,andthcinvcntoryolmylocalsupcrmarkct,
Ihcadcdtothctcstkitchcntoworkonabalanccd
and ,philosophical|y) authcntic takc on hot and
soursoup.
Hot/Sour
Jhchcatinhotandsoursouptraditionallycomcs
not lrom lrcsh chilcs but lrom ground whitc
,orsomctimcsblack)pcppcrcorns.\nlikcchi|cs,
pcppcrdclivcrsdircctspicincssbutdocsn`tlcavc
alingcring burninitswakc. A all blackpcppcr
soupwassharpbutoncdimcnsional,ahall black,
hallwhitc combination was an improvcmcnt.
Bcttcr still was a vcrsion madcwith a mll tca
spoon oldistinctivc, pcnctrating whitc pcppcr.
Micc, but I suspcctcd that a sccond hcat sourcc
might dc|ivcr yct anothcr laycr olcomplcxity.
Surc cnough, chilioil-a bit unconvcntional lor
thisrccipc-supportcdthcwhitchothcat olthc
pcppcr, laying thc groundworklor thc opposing
avorol vincgar.Jhisyin/yangbalancingactwas
turningoutcasicrthan I`d anticipatcd.
Intil thc vcry ncxtcxpcrimcnt, thati s. Madc
lrom toastcd ricc, Chincsc black vincgar , thc
traditionalsourcomponcnt)hasanclusivcavor
that almost dcncs dcscription. Bccausc itcan bc
dilnculttonnd,!nccdcdtoidcnti[asubstitutc.
Emboldcncd by thc succcss olmy nrst impro-
visati on, I raidcd thc tcst kitchcn pantry and
asscmblcd I4 bottlcs olvincgar. Drop by drop,
I conndcntlysnillcd andtastcdmywaythrough
thc lincup, ultimatcly dcciding that balsami c,
cidcr,malt,ricc, andrcdwincvincgarmostcloscly
rcscmblcd black vincgar. Mcxt, I supplcmcntcd
thc vincgars, alonc and i n combination, with
cvcrythinglrom angosturabittcrstomolasscsto
vcrmouth toWorccstcrshircsaucc. Asmidgcnol
tlis, adrizz|colthat,andsoitwcnt. Sadly,cvcry
concoctionwas cxcccdinglyharsh. Joadhcrc to
thcyin/yangprincip|c,Inccdcdasubstitutcthat
wouldsupport,notoutshinc,thcpcppcr.
Rcsting my wcary palatc, I rccxamincd thc
blackvincgarlabclandnoticcdanaciditylcvclol
I . I 8 pcrccnt. MostAmcricanvincgarsmcasurcin
thc5 to7pcrccntrangc,soIwouldhavctousca
lotlcssolmysubstitutcvincgars.Ancrscvcralmorc
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
I Z
rounds, I nna|ly sctt|cd ona tablcspoon
cacholdark, huity balsamic and robust
rcdwincvincgarasavorkablcsubstitutc
lor5 tablcspoons olblackvincgar. , Jhat
said,blackvincgarissouniqucthat!rcc
ommcndscckingitout . )
Texturl Diversi t
MowthatI had carcm|ly balanccd thc
avors olthc soup, ! turncd my locus
to tcxturc. Cornstarch i s thc standard
thickcncr, but a hcavy hand rcsultcd in
a goopygravy instcad ola siIky broth.
I lound that just 3 tablcspoons yicldcd
an agrccabl c, nottoothick consistcncy
thatwouldgcnt|ysupportthcothcrtcx
turcsi ntHcsoup.Joactivatcitsthickcn
ing powcr, cornstarch is bcst addcd to
thc soup i n thc lorm ola cool slurry,
thcsoupisthcnbroughttoa boilwhilc
bcingstirrcdconstantly.
!n addition to its ro|c as thickcncr,
cornstarch is bclicvcd by manyChincsc
cooks top|aythcpart oImcat , orpro
tci n) tcndcrizcr. Jo tcst what sccmcd
to mc a dubious thcory, I prcparcdno
batchcs olsoup, adding cornstarch to a
simplcsoysauccmarinadcloroncju|icnncdpork
chop andomittingitinthcmarinadcloranothcr.
Jhc cornstarchmarinatcd pork was noticcably
morctcndcr. Jhccornstarch crcatcd aprotcctivc
shcath that bought mc thc lcw cxtra minutcs I
nccdcd to nnish thc soup vithout ovcrcooking
thcpork.
Ancr thc pork is cookcd and thc soup thick
cncd, bcatcn cgg i s dri zzl cd i n to crcatc yct
anothcrcomplcmcntarytcxturc. nnc, lcath
I t' s Al l about Bal ance
Warm and cool , crunchy and soft, sweet and
pungent-i n Chi nese cui si ne, stri ki ng a del i cate
bal ance between contrsti ng
el ements i s often more crci al
than ingredi ent speci fcs. Te
sources of thi s soup' s name
ske el ements, hot and sour.
vr from reci pe to authenti c
reci pe, but we achi eved the
most stisfing bal ance when
we combi ned whi te pepper
cors with bl ack vi negar.
HOT S OUR
Z
O
O
"

O
O

Z
T

cryshrcds.Jhcproblcmisthatilthccggdocsn` t
sct immcdiatcly, i tcanblcnd into thc soup and
muddy thc appcarancc olthc broth. Wanting
to makc thisstcp loolprool, I tricd mixing thc
cgg with vincgar and cornstarch. Jhc vincgar
instantly coagulatcd thc cgg, whcrcas thc corn
starch, oncc again,was thc miraclc workcr. Jhc
cornstarch molcculcs stabilizcd thc liquid pro
tcins, prcvcnting thcm lrom contracting cxccs
sivclywhcnthcy hit thchotliquid. Jhc rcsult?
Iightcr, soncrcggs. , SccMystcriousIowcrsol
Cornstarch,"bclow. )
Bal anci ng Acts
Spicy,bracing,pungcnt,tcndcr,ul[-mysoup
wasalrcadyrcplctcwithplcasingbalanccsola
vor and tcxturc. But I wasn` t quitc donc yct.
AImost all authcntic hotand sour soup rccipcs
startwith rcconstitutcd dricd wood car mush
roomsandlilybuds. Woodcarmushrooms,also
knownastrcc carorcloudcar,ollcrsnappytcx
turcbutlittlcclsc. I swappcdincommonlyavail
ablc dricdporcini andshiitakc mushrooms, but
thcirwoodsy notcs had a ncgativc inucncc on
thc avor cquilibrium

` d workcd so hard to
achicvc. Ircsh, mild shiitakc mushrooms wcrc
a bcttcr choicc. Iily buds, or goldcn nccdlcs,
arcthcdricdbudsolthctigcrlilyowcr. Jangy,
mildly crunchy canncd bamboo shoots closcly
approximatcd thc musky, souravorollilybuds
and addcd tcxtural varicty ,a crisp loil lor thc
ul[wispsolcgg) .
As lor thc tolu, I had onc basic qucstion.
Mustitbcprcsscd?Jhc answcrwasasimplcycs.
Spongclikc tom is mll olwatcr, and wcighting
it bcncath a hcavy platc yicldcd nrmcr, clcancr
tastingcubcs. Marinatingwasamistakc,anocca
sionaIbitcolplain,mild,yin)tomwasancccssary
rcspitcinthcmostlyyangsoup.
Many rccipcs call lor passing potcnt toastcd
scsamc oil at thc tablc, but a gcncrous pour
ovcrwhclmcdthcothcravors. I tookalowrisk
approach and addcd a mcasurcd amount to thc
marinadc lor thc pork. A sprinklc olraw, crisp,
grccnscallions, rawvcrsuscookcd)symbolizcda
nnal cmbraccolthc yin/yangphilosophy.Atlast
I couldcatmysoup-inpcacc.
HOT AND SOU R SOU P
S E RVES 6 TO 8 AS A N APPETI ZE R
Jomakcslicingthcporkchopcasicr,lrcczcitlorI 5
minutcs. WcprclcrthcdistinctivcavorolChincsc
blackvincgar,lookloritinAsiansupcrmarkcts.Il
you can`t nndit,acombinationolrcdwincvin
cgarandbalsamicvincgarapproximatcsitsavor.
Jhissoupisvcryspicy.Ioralcssspicysoup,omit
thc chili oilaltogcthcroraddonlyI tcaspoon.
7 ounces extra-fi rm tofu, drai ned
4 tabl espoons soy sauce
I teaspoon toasted sesame oi l
3 tabl espoons pl us I 11 teaspoons cornstarch
bonel ess center-cut pork chop ( 'h i nch thi ck,
about 6 ounces) , tri mmed of fat and cut i nto
I i nch by 1/a- i nch matchsti cks
3 tabl espoons pl us I teaspoon cool water
I l arge egg
6 cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
cup bamboo shoots (from one !- ounce can) ,
sl i ced l engthwise i nto 1/a - i nch-thi ck stri ps
4 ounces fresh shi i take mushrooms, stems
removed, caps sl i ced 1/4 i nch thi ck (about I cup)
! tabl espoons Chi nese bl ack vi negar or
I tabl espoon red wi ne vi negar pl us I tabl espoon
bal sami c vi negar (see note above)
2 teaspoons chi l i oi l (see note above)
teaspoon ground whi te pepper
3 medi um scal l i ons, sl i ced thi n
I . Ilacctominpi cplatcandscthcavyplatcon
top. Wcightwth2 hcavycans,l ctstand atlcast
I 5 minutcs , tom should rclcasc about 7: cup
liquid) . WhiskI tablcspoonsoysaucc, scsamcoil,
and I tcaspooncornstarchinmcdiumbowl ,toss
porkwithmarinadc and sctasidclor at lcast I O
minutcs, butnomorcthan3 O minutcs) .
2. Combinc 3 tablcspoons cornstarch with 3
s c 1 E N c E : Mysteri ous Powers of Cornstarch
Most cooks keep a box of cornstarch on h a n d for a si ngl e purpose:
thi ckeni ng. So di d we-u nti l we noti ced that cornstarch was worki ng
i ts magi c i n other ways as wel l . Predi ctably, addi ng cornstarch ( 3 tabl e
spoons) to our soup thi ckened i t. What was s urpri si ng, however, were
the two other uses we found for cornstarch. Add i ng j ust I teaspoon of
cornstarch to the pork mari nade of soy sauce and sesame oi l caused
the mari nade to cl i ng to and coat the meat duri ng cooki ng, creati ng a
protecti ve sheath that sl owed the i nevi tabl e ri se i n temperature that
separates moi st, tender pork from dry, chal ky pork j erky. And addi ng
j ust 11 teaspoon of cornstarch to the egg that' s d ri zzl ed i nto the soup
at the end of cooki ng seemed to have a tenderi zi ng effect. Cornstarch
stabi l i zes l i qui d protei ns when they' re heated, stavi ng off excessi ve
shri nkage and contracti on. So thi s l ast bi t of cornstarch hel ped the eggs
cook up l ighter and softer. -R. H.
COOKE D E GG P ROTE I N
COOKE D E G G PROTE I N
WI TH CORNSTARCH
Starch mol ecul es keep protei ns relaxed,
yi el di ng l ighter and softer eggs.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6
I
T E C H N I Q U E ! GETTI NG THE
WI SPED EGG J UST RI GHT
Beating a n eg with corstrch before drizl i ng i t
i nto the thi ckened soup hel ps the eg to set up on
the soup' s surface-keepi ng i t l ight. wispy, and cohe
si ve rther than tough or curdl ed.
I. Turn of heat so surface of soup i s cal m, then use
spoon to dri zzl e egg onto surface in thi n streams.
2. Let sit for I mi nute. Turn heat back on and sti r
gently to fi ni sh cooki ng eg and break i nto ri bbons.
tablcspoons watcrin small bowl and mix thor
oughly, sct asidc, lcavi ng spoon in bowl . Mix
rcmaining l/: tcaspoon cornstarch with rcmain
ing I tcaspoonwatcrinsmallbowl, addcggand
bcatwithlorkuntil combincd. Sct asidc.
3. Bringbrothtoboilinlargcsauccpansctovcr
mcdiumhi ghhcat. Rcducc hcattomcdiumlow,
addbambooshootsandmushroomsandsimmcr
until mushrooms arc j ust tcndcr, about 5 min
utcs.Whilcbrothsimmcrs,dicctominto inch
cubcs.Addtomandpork,includingmarinadc,to
soup,stirringto scparatc anypicccsolporkthat
stick togcthcr. Continuc to simmcruntilporkis
nolongcrpink,about2 minutcs.
4. Stircornstarch mixturc to rccombinc. Add
tosoupandincrcaschcattomcdiumhigh,cook,
stirringoccasionally,untilsoupthickcnsandturns
transluccnt,about I minutc. Stirinvincgar,chili
oi l, pcppcr, and rcmaining 3 tablcspoons soy
saucc,turnollhcat.
5. Without stirring soup, usc soupspoon to
slowly drizzlc vcry thin strcams olcgg mixturc
intopotincircularmotion. IctsoupsitI minutc,
thcnrcturnsauccpantomcdium highhcat.Bring
soup to gcntlc boil , thcn immcdiatcly rcmovc
lromhcat. GcntlystirsouponcctocvcnIydismb
utccgg, ladlcintobowlsandtopwithscallions.
Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key l Bcode I 063 for our Soy Sauce Tasting.
Simplifying Potatoes L yonnaise
Butter y, earthy, and sweet, t hi s French bistro take on skil l et potatoes and oni ons usual l y
requires tons of time-and butter. Could we get away wi th using l ess of each ?
0 ncolthc hallmarkdishcsolIrancc`s
prcmicr gastronomic city, pommes
de terre Lyonnaise , aka potatocs
Iyonnaisc) is a study in simplc clc
gancc. Although originallyconccivcd as a dish ol
cconomy , an casy way to usc up lcnovcr boilcd
potatocs) , itcamc to rcprcscntthc bcstolclassic
Ircnch bistro cuisinc. buttcry, browncd potato
sliccsintcrwovcnwith strands olswcct, caramcl
izcdonionandlrcsh, grassyparslcy-asimplcyct
complcxlouringrcdicntskihctpotatodish.
Jhc rcality, howcvcr,istoo oncn lar rcmovcd
hom that buttcry, carthy idcal . Most vcrsions I
tcstcdwcrcgrcasy andhcavyrathcrthan rich and
complcx.Alcwwcrc sobad-withsoddcnspuds
and watcrloggcd onions-that I was rcmindcd
howoncnthcsimplcstdishcsarcthc mostdiln
cultto cxccutcpropcrly. Each componcntwould
havctobchandlcdwiththcutmostcarc.
Less Ti me, Less Butter
Having no lcltovcr cookcd potatocs on hand
,thccascwithmosthomccooks) , I wondcrcdil
Icouldprocccdwithrawspudswithoutprccook
ing.Startingwithalargcskillct, Isautccdthcraw
sliccs onlairly high hcat and got dismal rcsults.
Jhc cxtcriors had cookcd to a ncar blackcncd
crisp bclorc thcintcriors gotcvcnrcmotclytcn
dcr. n modcratc hcat, howcvcr, thc potatocs
took lorcvcr to dcvclop a nicc, browncd crust.
Cooking thc potatocs covcrcd got mc closcr to
whatIwantcd.Still,thcywcrctoodry.Somcsort
olparcookingwouldhavcto bcanrststcp.
Borrowingatcchniqucuscdinthc tcstkitchcn
loranAmcrican shortordcrclassic , homchics) ,
I bcgan by microwaving thc '/+inchthick sliccs
olpotato in atablcspoonolmcltcdbuttcruntil
The Pth of Sl i ght Resi stance
3 B Y S A N D R A W U E
barclytcndcr. Jhis gavc thcm thc hcad start thcy
nccdcd. Jhc timc ittookthcpotatocsto brown
was now also sulncicnt to cook thcm through.
Isingjust onc morc tablcspoon olbuttcr , most
classicrccipcscalllor4tootablcspoons) , asimplc
brown andUipapproach, andmcdiumhighhcat,
I cookcdthcpotatocsinlcssthan I 5 minutcs.
Grcatcolorandcookingmcthod,butthcrussct
potatocs I`d bccnusingoncncamcoutmcaly. !n
aspudto spudtastctcst,crcamy,goldcncshcd,
mcdium starch Yukon Gold potatocs bcat out
thc highstarch russcts andthc rubbcry, " low-
starchRcdBlissbyacomlortablcmargin.
Perect Oni ons
Iotatocs Iyonnaisc wouldj ust bcsautccd pota
tocsilnotlorthcadditionolonions,thc dcnni-
tivcingrcdicntoldishcsprcparcda la Lyonnaise.
Iorswcct,conccntratcdUavor,thconionswould
havc to bccookcd scparatclylrom thc potatocs.
Cookingthcmallthcwaythroughovcrmcdium-
highhcatdricdthcmout.Covcringthcskillctand
cookingonmcdiumonccthcyhadrclcascdsomc
moisturccrcatcdancnvironmcntolgcntlc, moist
hcat. Dcglazingthc panwitha small amount ol
watcrgavcthcmthcchancctocookinthcirovn
avormlj uiccs.
Joputthcstcpstogcthcrinanclh cicntmanncr
wascasy.Wilctlconions cookcd, thcpotatocs
bcganthcirwarm upinthcmicrowavc. nccthc
onions nnishcd cooking and wcrc rcmovcd to a
ncarbybowl , thc potatocshadaturn in thc pan.
Jomcldthcavors,Iaddcdthconionsbackinto
thc pan and bricy sautccd thc two togcthcr.
MowI had anupdatcdvcrsionolaIrcnchclassic
that was good cnough , and quick cnough) to
makccvcnwithoutlcnovcrpotatocs.
A few crucial seconds i n the mi crowave separte perfectly parcooked potatoes from overdone and underdone mi sfi res.
Because microwave ovens vr in terms of power, it's i mportant to check the look and texture duri ng cooki ng.
U N DE RCOOKE D
Potatoes l ook transl ucent and
feel rubbery when bent.
J U ST RI G HT
Mostly opaque potatoes resist
sl ightly when bent.
OVERCOOKE D
Potatoes yi el d easily when bent.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
I 4
POTATOES LYONNAISE
S E RVES 3 TO 4 AS A S I DE DI S H
Jossthcpotatocshalnaythroughthcmicrowavc
scssion to prcvcnt uncvcn cooki ng. Il using a
lightwcightskillct,youwill nccdto stirthcpota
tocsmorclrcqucntlytoprcvcntburning.
3 tabl espoons unsal ted butter
large oni on (about 1 4 ounces) , halved pol e to pole
and sl i ced 114 inch thi ck (about 3 cups)
3 teaspoon kosher sal t (or 11 teaspoon tabl e salt)
2 tabl espoons water
I 11 pounds medi um Yukon Gol d potatoes, peel ed
and sl i ced crosswi se i nto 114- i nch rounds
114 teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
tabl espoon mi nced fresh parsl ey l eaves
!. Hcat I tablcspoon buttcrin I 2inch hcavy
nonstick skillct ovcr mcdium high hcat. Whcn
loamingsubsidcs,addonionand l+ tcaspoonsalt
and stir to coat,cook,stirringoccasionally, until
onions bcgintosoncn, about 3 minutcs. Rcducc
hcattomcdiumandcook, covcrcd,stirringocca
sionally, until onions arc light brown and son,
about I 2 minutcs longcr, dcglazing with watcr
whcn pan gctsdry,abouthalnaythroughcook
ing timc. Jranslcr to bowl and covcr. Do not
washskillct.
2. Whilconionscook,microwavc I tablcspoon
buttcr on high powcr i n largc microwavc salc
bowl untilmcltcd,about45scconds. Add pota
tocstobowlandtosstocoatwith mcltcdbuttcr.
Mi crowavc on high powcr until potatocs j ust
start to turn tcndcr , scc photos, lcn) , about o
minutcs, tossing halnay through cooking timc.
Josspotatocsagain and sct asidc.
3 . Mclt rcmaining tablcspoon buttcr in now
cmpty skillct ovcr mcdi um high hcat. Whcn
loamingsubsidcs, addpotatocsandshakcskillct
todistributccvcnly. Cook,withoutstirring,until
browncd on bottom, about 3 minutcs. Ising
spatula, stir potatocs carcmlly and continuc to
cook, stirring cvcry 2 to 3 minutcs, until pota
tocs arc wcll browncdand tcndcrvhcn picrccd
with tip olparingknilc, 8 to I O minutcs morc.
Sprinklcwith rcmainingsalt andpcppcr.
4. Add onions backtoskillctandstirtocom-
binc, cook until onions arc hcatcd through and
avors havc mcldcd, I to 2 minutcs. Jranslcrto
largcplatc,sprinklcwith parslcy, and scrvc.
Improving Sauteed Mushrooms
Bl and supermarket button mushrooms shri nk and shri vel when sauteed.
We wanted more f l avor and more mushrooms.
W
hcn I havc thc mnds or good
lortunc to gct my hands on a
batch ollrcshly loragcd chan-
tcrcllcs, I`vc lcarncd it`s bcstto
kccp thcirprcparationvcrysimpl c. Ittakcs littlc
bcyond a hotpan andsomc buttcrand garlic to
makc thc most olthcir intcnsc avor. In most
markcts,howcvcr,thciravailabilityisspotty,thcir
quality qucstionablc, and thcirpricc cxorbitant.
Bcsidcsthcovcrsizcdportobcllo,which I gcncr
allyrcscrvclorgrilling,thconlyallordablcmush
rooms I can always locatc lor a quick stovctop
sautc arc common whitc buttons. Givcn thcir
mild avor and rubbcrytcxturc, I`vc ncvcrcon
sidcrcd thcmgoodlor much bcyond salads and
takcoutpizza. ButwasIbcinglair?Withthcright
tcchniquc,pcrhapsabundantandallordablcbut
tonmushroomscouldalsobcdclicious.
Ancrawcckolsautcingbuttonsbythcbushcl,
itwas clcartomc thatthcproblcmwasnot thc
mushroomsbutthcrccipcs. Mostarcwrittcnlor
mushrooms olno particular typc-wild, culti-
vatcd,orwhatcvcrisathand-andsoignorcccr-
taincharactcristicsolthccommonwhitcbutton.
Jhcsc arc, chicy, an absorbcnt, spongy tcxturc
,whichcauscsthcmushroomstosoakupanyand
alllatinmcpan)andahighwatcrcontcnt, which
thcn oods mc skillct and hindcrs browning) .
Whilcahandmlolsliccdshiitakcsmightbc niccly
browncd ancr about 8 minutcs in a hot skillct,
whitc buttonsarcswimminginalakcolcxudcd
mushroomliquid.
Soundsautcingmcorytoldmctocrankupmc
hcat, cxtcnd mc cooking timc, and lcavc somc
brcathingroominmcskillct. Jhcscchangcskcpt
thcmushroomslrom stcwing, but thc yicldwas
paltry.HowcouldIcookjustoncbatcholmush
roomsinj ustoncskillctandproducccnoughto
lccdatlcastlour?
Inlikc stcaks or cutlcts, which bcgin to scar
immcdiatcly upon hitting a hot pan, button
mushrooms don` t bcgin to brown until thcir
watcrhasbccndrivcnolI Jhisgavc mc anidca.
WhatilI ovcrloadcdthcskillctto start,ucthc
orybcingmatonccmcwatcrcvaporatcdanduc
mushroomsshrank,mcpanwouldnolongcrbc
crowdcd. I was at nrstalarmcd by mc ood ol
liquidthatrcsultcd,butpaticncc, andhighhcat)
prcvailcd. Ahcrabout I 3 minutcs , what most
rccipcs givc as a total cooking timc lor sautccd
mushrooms) , thcskillctwasdry,thcmushrooms
3 B Y S E A N L A W L E R E
had shrunkto nt thc skillctin a singlc laycr, and
browninghadbcgun.
It sccmcda short dash lrom hcrc to tlc nnish
linc. Kccpthchcathigh,shakcthcpanoccasion
ally, and cook thc contcnts until wcll browncd.
But now thc skillct was too dry. Evcn ovcr a
morc modcratc hcat, thc pan would bcgin to
burn, which madc mc mushrooms tastc bittcr.
Jhcsolutionwassimplccnough. nccthcmush
rooms had givcn up mcirwatcr, I lowcrcd uc
hcatandaddcdalittlclattoprcvcntburning. )ust
a lcw avorml additions , garlic, hcrbs, winc, soy
saucc, orbrcadcrumbs)andthctranslormationol
mcbasicwhitcbuttonmushroomwascomplctc.
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS WI TH
SHALLOTS AND THYME
S E RVES 4
tabl espoon vegetabl e oi l
I 'l pounds whi te button mushrooms, cl eaned,
stems tri mmed, quartered i f medi um or
halved if smal l
tabl espoon unsal ted butter
medi um shal l ot, mi nced (about 3 tabl espoons)
tabl espoon mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
1/4 cup dry Marsal a
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
I . Hcat oil in I 2inch skillct ovcr mcdium
high hcat until shimmcring. Add mushrooms
andcook,stirringoccasionally,untilmushrooms
rclcascliquid,about5 minutcs. Incrcaschcatto
highand cook, stirringoccasionally, until liquid
has compl ctcly cvaporatcd, about 8 minutcs
longcr. Addbuttcr,rcducchcattomcdium,and
continuc to cook, stirring oncc cvcry minutc,
untilmushrooms arc dark brown, about8 min
utcslongcr.
2. Addshallotandthymcandcookuntilson
cncd, about 3 minutcs. Add Marsala and cook
until liquid has cvaporatcd, about 2 minutcs .
Scasonwith salt andpcppcrtotastc, scrvc.
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS WITH GARLIC,
PARMESAN, AND BREAD CRU MBS
Iul sc 2 sl i ccs whitc sandwich brcad , torn
into quartcrs ) in lood proccssor until coarscly
ground. Hcat 2 tablcspoons buttcr in I 2inch
skillct ovcr mcdium high hcat until loaming.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6
I S
Whcn loaming subsidcs, add brcadcrumbs and
cook,stirringlrcqucntly,untildarkbrown,about
3minutcs. Jranslcrcrumbstosmallbowlandsct
asidc. Isingnowcmptyskillct,lollowrccipclor
Sautccd Mushrooms with Shallots and Jhymc
through stcp I . Add 2 tcaspoons minccd garlic
, instcad olshallot, thymc, and Marsal a) , and
cook,stirringconstantly,untillragrant,about 3O
scconds. Scasonwithsalt andpcppcrtotastcand
translcr to mcdium bowl . Joss hot mushrooms
with ': cup shrcddcd Iarmcsan until chccsc
mclts.Josswimbrcadcrumbsand2tablcspoons
minccd lrcshparslcy, scrvc.
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS WITH
SESAME AND GINGER
2 tabl espoons peanut oi l
I 'l pounds whi te button mushrooms, cl eaned,
stems tri mmed, quartered i f medi um or
halved if smal l
tabl espoon sesame seeds, toasted
I tabl espoon mi nced or grated fresh gi nger
2 tabl espoons mi ri n (J apanese ri ce wi ne)
2 tabl espoons soy sauce
I teaspoon toasted sesame oi l
2 scal l i ons, sl i ced very thi n on bi as
I . Hcat I tablcspoon pcanut oil in I 2inch
skillctovcrmcdium highhcatuntilshimmcring.
Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasion
ally, until mushrooms rclcasc liquid, about 5
minutcs . Incrcaschcattohighand cook,stirring
occasionally, until liquid has complctcly cvapo
ratcd, about 8 minutcs longcr. Add rcmaining
tablcspoon pcanut oil, rcducc hcat to mcdium,
and continuc to cook, stirring oncc cvcry min
utc, until mushrooms arc dark brown, about 8
minutcslongcr.
2 . Add scsamc sccds and gingcr and cook,
stirringconstantly, untilgingcrislragrant,about
3O scconds. Add mirin and soy saucc and cook,
stirring constantly, until liquid has cvaporatcd,
about 3O scconds. Rcmovchomhcat andstirin
scsamcoil . Jranslcrto scrvingdish,sprinklcwith
scallions,andscrvc.
Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key l Bcode I 064 for Sauteed Mushrooms
with Bacon and Pearl Oni ons.
'
How to Cook Rice and Grains
Start by i gnori ng the di recti ons on t he box. Then consu l t ou r
gu i de to match the ri ght grai n wi th the ri ght cooki ng met hod .
BY S EAN LAWL E R
About Ri ce
Color: Al l ri ce starts out as brown ri ce. For whi te ri ce. the fi brous bran layer and underlyi ng germ are mi l l ed
of-al ong wi th nutri ents and natural oi l s. Less nutri ti ous? Yes, but i t' s al so more shelf-stabl e than the brown stuf.
Size: It matters. Long grai n, medi um grai n, and short grai n are three l oosel y defi ned categori es based partly on
l ength-to-wi dth rati os, partly on texture and starch content, al l of whi ch determi ne how the ri ce cooks up.
Texure: Fl uff, sti ck. or i n between . The texture of cooked ri ce depends on t he rati o of two starch mol ecul es:
am,/:stand am,/:tctin.High-amyl ose rices cook up fi rm, fl uff, and di sti nct; hi gh- amyl opecti n ri ces come out
tender and sti ck. The former usual ly requi re more water (and cooki ng ti me) than the latter.
LONG G RAI N ME DI U M G RAI N S H O RT G RAI N B ROWN RI CE
I ncl udes most generi c supermarket ri ce. as wel l as Basmati (an aged extra- l ong-grai n ri ce from I ndi a) , Texmati
(a domestic al ternati ve) . and fragrant Thai jasmi ne
How It Looks: Sl ender, el ongated, four to five ti mes l onger than wi de
How It Cooks: High amylose means a l ight, fl uf texture wi th fi nm, di sti nct grai ns, maki ng i t especi al ly good
for pi l afs and sal ads. Some cooks use the "absorbti on method" (see page /) . but to our mi nds, j ust addi ng water i s a
mi ssed favor opportunit. We prefer the "pi laf method, " a saute- based method that bri ngs out toasted, nutt favor.
I ncl udes generi c medi um-gri n ri ce and speci al t ri ces for d i shes l i ke risotto (Arbori o) and pael l a (Val enci a)
How It Loks: Fat, chal k grai n. to to three ti mes l onger than wi de
How It Cooks: Higher i n amyl opecti n . medi um-grai n ri ce i s tender and a bi t sti ck, and resists turni ng hard and
crunchy as i t cool s ( unl i ke l ong grai n) . I t' s versati l e stuff. When si mmered. the grai ns cl ump together, maki ng i t a
good choi ce to accompany a sti r-fry. But it al so takes wel l to the pi l af method, especi al ly in ri sottos and pael l as.
0 RI NS E OR NOT TO RI NS E
: r the flufiest l ong-grai n ri ce, ri nse grai ns to remove some of
1e surace starches. Medi um- and short-grai n ri ces, by con
ost, are supposed to be a bit sti ck, so don ' t bother. Ri nsi ng
rown rice i s poi ntl ess-wi th the bran l ayer i ntact, there' s no
xterior starch to wash away. Always rinse qui noa to remove
t: nin-+natural but bi tter coati ng that protects each grai n.
RI NSE
i nse rice under col d water i n
nesh strai ner, sti rri ng gentl y,
unti l water runs cl ear.
TI LT
Ti l t the strai ner to d rai n ri ce
thoroughly.
I ncl udes sushi ri ce
How It Looks: Opaque, al most round gri ns
How It Cooks: The softest, stickiest grai n of the
bunch (cooked) , thanks to l ow amyl ose and hi gh
amyl opecti n . These qual i ti es make i t i deal for tossi ng
wi th a l i ght vi negar dressi ng and wrappi ng u p i n sushi
rol l s. Often steamed, but the basi c "absorpti on
method" works so l ong as the si mmer i s gentl e.
How It Looks: Ught brown bran layer i ntact (a few
greeni sh grai ns are normal )
How It Cooks: The bran layer. val ued for i ts fi ber
content, i s al so somethi ng of a nui sance: I t sl ows
absorpti on (brown rice takes nearly twi ce as l ong to
cook as whi te) and cooks unevenly on the stovetop
(we prefer the oven method) . Whether short,
medi um, or l ong grai n . brown ri ce has a pronounced
chew, nutt fl avor, and di sti nct grai ns.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
I
About Other Grai ns
Di ni ng on barley or bul gu r was once strictly vegn territory.
No longer. Thanks to wi der avi l abi l it. even confim1ed
carivores are giving alterative grins tlei r due as worthy
si de di shes. Here are some of tie test kitchen' s favorites.
Hul l ed whol e grai ns of barl ey
wi th the brn pol i shed of.
Chewy. wi th a mi l dly sweet,
nutt fl avor. A ni ce addi ti on
to heart soups.
husked wheat kernel s wi th brn
l ayer and genm i ntact. Cooked
wheat berri es are fi rm. d i sti nct.
and qui te chewy, maki ng them
great for col d sal ads.
Wheat berri es that have been
precooked , d ri ed, stri pped of
thei r bran. and crushed i nto
pi eces. Commonly used to make
sal ads l i ke tbboul eh . this qui ck
cooki ng grai n i s not the same as
cracked wheat, whi ch has not been
parcooked.
Thi s spi nach rel ative i s someti mes
cal l ed a "supergrai n" because i t
contai ns ei ght essenti al ami no
aci ds. The ti ny seeds expand to
fou r ti mes thei r si ze duri ng
cooki ng and turn out ver l ight
and fl uf.
WI LL KI LL
A difi cul t grai n to categorize.
wi l d ri ce is not qui te the same
as the domesti cated ri ces
descri bed at l eft, al though
recent geneti c research shows
that they have much in common.
" Real " wi l d ri ce i s hand- harested from
l akes and rivers and costs as much as $9 per pound. We
prefer not-so-wi l d wi l d ri ce-cul tivated i n man- made
paddi es-whi ch has a more resi l i ent texture and a much
l ower pri ce. Cook wi l d ri ce at a bare si mmer and check
i t often : I t can go from chewy and underdone to mushy
and " bl own out" in a matter of mi nutes.
Four Methods for Cooki ng Ri ce and Other Grai ns
KEYS TO STOVETOP S UCCESS
I . Pick the right pot. Use a sturdy,
heav- bottomed pot with a tight-fting
l i d, preferbl y nonsti ck. Gri ns cooked
in a fl i msy pot may scorch. To ensure
the pot is big enough for the grains to
cook evenly, dump the raw grai ns i nto
the pot: I f the grai ns are more than I '12
i nches deep, switch to a l arer pot.
See the chart bel ow for matchi ng each grai n
with our preferred cooking method.
Absorpti on Method
Grai ns are si mmered sl owly i n a measured quanti t
of l i qui d unti l tender. Combi ne grai ns, l i qui d, and sal t
( '/2 teaspoon per cup of rw grai ns) i n heavy-bottomed
saucepan. Bri ng to boi l over medi um- hi gh heat. Reduce
heat to l ow and si mmer, covered, unti l grai ns are ten
der (see chart for ti mes) . Let stand off heat, covered,
I 0 to I S mi nutes.
Fl uf wi th fork
and sere.
Pi l af Method
Cooki ng grai ns i n hot butter or oi l bri efly before add
i ng l i qui d to i mpart a toasted, nutt flavor. To make a
true pi laf. saute aromati cs l i ke oni on and
garl i c and spi ces unti l fragrant before
addi ng the grai ns.
I. Heat butter or oi l ( 2 teaspoons per cup of raw
grai ns) in saucepan over medi um heat. Add grai ns and
cook, stirri ng, unti l grai ns become chal k and opaque
and stop sti cki ng to pan , about
3 mi nutes.
2. Add l i qui d and sal t ( '1 teaspoon per cup of raw
grai ns) , i ncrease heat, and bri ng j ust to boi l . Reduce
heat to low, cover, and si mmer unti l l i qui d i s absorbed
and grai ns are tender (see chart) . Let stand off heat,
covered, 1 0 to I S mi nutes. Fl uf with fork and sere.
Oven Method
Best for si tuati ons requi ri ng prol onged ,
even heati ng, such as cooki ng brown ri ce or
l arer q uanti ti es of whi te rice.
I. Heat oven to 3 7 S degrees wi th
rck i n mi ddl e posi ti on. Bri ng
l i qui d to boi l , covered, in sauce
pan over hi gh heat.
2. Combi ne grai ns, boi l i ng l i qui d, and
sal t ( '12 teaspoon per cup of raw grai ns)
i n baki ng di sh and cover ti ghtl y wi th
doubl e layer of foi l . Bake unti l grai ns are
tender (see chart for ti mes) .
Let stand S mi nutes,
uncover, fl uf wi th
Psta Method
Grai ns are cooked l i ke
pasta-i n an abundant
quanti t of sal ted,
boi l i ng water. Best
for very fi rm, chewy
grai ns or for reci pes i n
whi ch a softer texture
i s desi red , such as col d
sal ads.
I . Bri ng 4 quarts water to a rapi d boi l over
high heat. Add gri ns and 2 1/2 teaspoons
sal t, reduce heat, and si mmer unti l grai ns
are tender (see char for ti me) .
Cooki ng Ri ce and Other Grai ns (for I cupraw)
GRIN RINSE? BES MEHOD WATER
| ooggra| or|ce yes pi l af 1 11 cups
med| umgra| or|ce no pi l af. absorpti on 1 1/3 cups
shogra| or|ce no absorpti on I 'I cups
browor|ce no oven 1 11 cups
pear|bar|ey no pasta 4 quarts
wheatberr|es no pasta 4 quarts
bu|gur no absorpti on* l 1/2 cups
qu| ooa yes absorpti on 2 cups
w| | dr|ce no absorbti on * * 2 cups
2. Go low. Bri ng the water to a boi l ,
cover, then turn i t down to a bare
si mmer. If more than a wisp or two of
steam escapes, the fl ame i s too hi gh .
3. Don' t stir. Ri ce wi l l release extra
starch, and other grai ns may break.
4. Keep a lid on it. Don' t start
checki ng for done ness unti l near the
end. Each ti me you remove the l i d,
you rel ease moi sture, and the grai ns
may turn out crunchy.
5 . Give it arest. Especi al ly i mpor
tant wi th ri ce. Letti ng i t stand for
I 0 to I S mi nutes covered , off heat,
al l ows the starch granul es to fi rm up
so they won ' t break.
2. Drai n grai ns i n strai ner set i n si nk. Let
stand in strai ner S mi nutes before usi ng
or spread out on parchment- l i ned baki ng
sheet to cool .
COOKING TI ME YIELD
1 8-20 mi n 3 cups
1 6- 1 8 mi n 3 cups
1 6- 1 8 mi n 2314 cups
I hr 2 1/2-3 cups
2S-30 mi n 3 1/2-4 cups
I h r 2-2 '12 cups
I S mi n 2-2 '12 cups
I S-20 mi n 3 cups
3 S -4S mi n 3 cups
* Modified: Add bulgur to boiling water. then let steep, covered and of f heat, for 1 5 minutes.
* * Drain wild rice of excess liquid before using.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6
l /
The Mystery of Meat Loaf
An al l - beef meat l oaf may be conveni ent, but i t' s al so tough, dry, and dense.
We went through 260 pounds of beef to f i nd the best way to l ighten the l oaf.
A
ll bccl mcatloal isanAmcrican
classicthathasasmanyvariations
asthc Hcinz kctchupthattradi-
tionahyglazcsit.Butthishumblc
approach has takcn a back scat to loavcs
madc hom mcat loalmix. bccl, pork, and
vcal .Jhcrcasonlorusingacombinationol
mcatswasmadcabundantlyclcarassoonas
wctastcdanall bccl vcrsion.Jhctcxturcwas
chcwy,andthcavorwas lcssintcrcsting-
morcolahamburgcrinthcshapcolalog.
Butwhcnyoucan`thndmcatloalmix or
don`thavcitonhandloraquick,lastminutc
dinncr,cananall bcclloalmakcthcgradc?
From the Ground Up
: B Y D A V I D P A Z M I N O E
and natural bcclUavor camc through with
thc ground sirloin , Opcrccntlcan) , butto
thc dctrimcntolthc tcxturc,whichwasdry,
chalky, and chcwy. Jhc solution?Acombo.
Acr scvcral tcsts, tastcrs agrccd that cqual
parts ground chuck d sirloin ,I poundol
cach)providcdj ustthc rightbalanccolj ui
tcndcrmcatandasscrtivc bcc[Uavor.
I nccdcd to choosc a liquid componcnt
that would both add moisturc and tonc
down bccl`s naturally livcry avor. Whilc
mi|kisthctraditionalchoicc,ancrsampling
milk and othcr dairy products , buttcrmilk
and yogurt) , tastcrs agrccd that nonc ol
thcm did much to mitigatc oll notcs.
Bcclbroth was cvcn worsc, contributing
an additional , mctal|i c) oll tastc. Chickcn
brothwasthcsurpriscwinncr,translorming
thcloallromlivcrytosavory.
Bi ndi ng Deci si ons
I thought choosing thc bcclwoul d bc
simplc, but I was dizzy with thc numbcr
ol choiccs at thc supcrmarkct. Mot only
did ground bcclcomc in scvcral |can/lat
pcrccntagc variations, butitwasalso oncn
labclcd accordingtothcpartolthcanimal
it camchomsccKtchcn Motcs, pagc 3O,
lortipsonbuyinggroundbccl) .
Knowing that mcat loal turns dry and
toughwithoutlat,I locuscdnrstonthc 8O
pcrccnt lcan/2O pcrccnt lat ground bccl,
Two ki nds of beef, frozen grated cheese, and a surprise i ngredi ent
transform dense, l oaf- shaped hamburger i nto l uxuri ous comfort food.
Jaking cucs hom othcr mcat|oalrccipcs, I
addcd cccsc tor its wclcomc avor, mois
turc, and binding qualitics . ^cr tcsting
cight kinds, I scttlcd on Montcrcy )ack lor
its modcratc moisturc contcnt and ncutral
our choicc lor hamburgcrs. Jaking samplcs hom
thrccsupcrmarkcts,I procccdcdtobuildasimplc
working rccipc. Dcspitc havngthc samclcan/lat
pcrccntagcs, cach samplc produccd a dillcrcnt
mcatloal.Somcwcrcmoistandtcndcr,whilcoth
crswcrcgristly,withnbrouscurds.WhcnIurncd
togroundbcclhomspccinccuts-chuck,round,
and sirloin-a clcarcr picturc bcgan to cmcrgc.
Jhc chuck,2Opcrccntlat)produccda moistbut
chcwyloal, witl picccsolgristlc. Groundround
, I 5 pcrccnt lat ) yicldcd morc dcsirablc rcsults,
butthcUavornccdcda boost. Morcpronounccd
R e c 1 p e o 1 A G N o 5 1 5 : Troubl eshooti ng Meat Loaf
Here are to probl ems we encounterd when making meat loaf-and the steps we now tke to avoid them.
G RAY
Lm! Si des of meat loaf remai n crustless.
bLU1 M! Laf pans expose only one side of the meat
loaf to browni ng heat. By opting for a free-form loaf, we
achieved an al l -over browned crust.
G REASY
Lm! Meat l oaf si ts i n an unappeal i ng pool of grease.
LU1 M! Baki ng di rectly on a sheet pan provi des no
outl et for exuded grease. A foi l base. poked with holes and
set on a cool i ng rck, l ets j ui ces dri n as the l oaf cooks.
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
I b
chccsc U avor , this was mcat loal, ancr all,
not chccsc loaI. Surprisingly, thc mcthod I uscd
to brcak dovn thc chccsc provcd critical. Dicing
and shrcddinglcnv1siblc hotpockcts" olchccsc
that oozcd unappcaling liquid oncc thc loal
wascut. Gratcdchccscprovcdsupcrior,andhccz
ingthcgratcdchccsckcptitcrumbly.
Many rccipcs lorgo starchy bindcrs, but
a battcry oltcsts madc thcir advantagcs clcar.
lightcning thc tcxturc, rctaining moisturc, and
improving sliccability. I dccidcdhom thc outsct
to pass onricc andpotatocs , too much troublc)
and locuscd instcad on brcad crumbs , dry and
ncsh) , crackcrs, oats,croutons,ccrcaI,andstull
ingmix. Jhclastthrccwcrcquicklydiscardcdlor
thcir toopronounccd avors . Saltincs cmcrgcd
as thc clcar lavoritc, dclivcring a wcllscasoncd,

tcndcrloalwithgoodmoisturc.

I hadnowcookcd I I O loavcs, but thc tcxturc

still sccmcd a bit tough. Jhc solution camc to

mcasI rcvicwcd mytcstingnotcs. In carly tcsts,

I had cxpcrimcntcd with rcduccd vcal stock, a

gclatinousingrcdicntchcls rclyontogivc savory c

rccipcs anunctuoustcxturc. lcoursc, who has

5
vcal stock around cxccpt a rcstaurant? Butwhat 5
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TE C H N I Q U E I CREATI NG A
FRE E- F ORM ' LOAF PAN'
Al lowi ng meat loaf to stew i n its own j ui ces makes
for a greas mess. Here' s our sol uti on: Fol d heav
dut al umi num foi l to form a I 0 by 6- i nch rec
tangl e. Center the foi l on a metal cool i ng rack and
pl ace the rck over a ri mmed baki ng sheet. Poke
hol es in the foi l with a skewer (about hal f an i nch
apart) . Spry the foi l with nonsti ck cooki ng spray.
ilI addcd powdered gclatin to thc loalto rcpli
catc thc gclatinous qualitics olthc vcal stock? I
bcganaddingunavorcdpowdcrcdgclatintothc
chickcnbrothbclorcmixingitintothcmcatloal.
Itricdamllpackct, and, indccd,thctcxturcwas
radically dillcrcnt-bouncy, likc )cll . Morc
tcstsrcvcalcdthatamcrchalltcaspoonwasidcal,
making thc tcxturc luxuriously smooth rathcr
thangclatinouslywcird.
Fi ni shi ng Touches
Ancr sampling raw, sautccd, and caramclizcd
onions, tastcrs agrccd that sautccd onions pro
duccd thc bcst avor pronlc. Cclcry and gar
lic addcd a morc complcx savory avor. Ircsh
thymc,paprika,soysaucc, andprcparcdmustard
dclivcrcd an asscrtivc avor that marricd wcll
withthc bccl I cookcd thcsc scasonings along
withthc onions,cclcry,andgarlicand dcglazcd
thcpan with tomato juicc to crcatc an intcnsc,
aromatic avor.
Jhc almost nni shcd mcat loal nccdcd i ts
crowning glory-a glazc. Acr cxpcrimcnting
with mustard, Worccstcrshirc, stcak saucc, and
lruit, I scttlcd on mcat loal`s trusty and tradi
tional sidckick. kctchup. Applicd at thc bcgin
ningolcooking, thc glazcmixcdunappcalingly
withthcliquidssccpingoutolthcloal.!inishing
withthcglazcproduccdbcttcrrcsults,cspccially
whcnIplaccdthcloalbricyundcrthcbroilcr.
As a nnal tcst, I tricd thc rccipc using thc
groundbccl variationsIhadprcviouslydiscardcd,
buttastcrswcrcn`tloolcd. Jhcyovcrwhclmingly
prclcrrcdthcmixturcol 8O/2OchuckandO/I O
sirloin. , Aloalmadc cntirclywith 85/I 5 round
wasanacccptablcbutdistantsccond. ) Butinany
casc,all bcclmcatloalhadnnallygraduatcdlrom
a compromisc olconvcnicncc to trulyluxuriant
comlorttood.
G LAZED MEAT LOAF
S E RVES 6 TO 8
Ilyou can` tnnd chuckand/or sirloin,substitutc
any 85 pcrccnt lcan ground bccl. Handlc thc
mcat gcntly, it should bc thoroughly combincd
butnotpastclikc.Joavoidusingthcbroilcr,glazc
thc loalin a 5OO dcgrcc ovcn, incrcasc cooking
timclorcachintcrvalby2 to 3 minutcs.
3. Whisk broth andcggsin largc bowl until
combincd. Sprinklc gclatin ovcr liquid and lct
stand 5 minutcs. Stiri nsoy saucc, mustard, sal
tincs, parslcy, salt, pcppcr, and onion mixturc.
Crumblc lrozcn chccsc into coarsc powdcr and
sprinklc ovcr mixturc. Add ground bccl, mix
gcntly with hands until thoroughly combincd,
about I minutc. Jranslcr mcat to loil rcctanglc
andshapc into I O byoinchoval about2 inchcs
high. Smooth top and cdgcs olmcat loalwith
moistcncd spatul a. Bakc until an instant rcad
thcrmomctcr inscrtcd into ccntcr olloalrcads
I 3 5 to I4O dcgrccs, 55 to o5minutcs. Rcmovc
mcatloallromovcn and turnonbroilcr.
Mcar Lca]
3 ounces Monterey jack cheese, grated on smal l
hol es of box grater (about I cup)
tabl espoon unsal ted butter
medi um oni on, chopped fi ne (about I cup)
medi um cel ery ri b, chopped fi ne (about 1 h cup)
medi um garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I teaspoon)
4. Whilcmcatloalcooks,combincingrcdicnts
lorglazci nsma|lsauccpan,bringtosimmcrovcr
mcdium hcat and cook, stirring, until thick and
syrupy, about 5 minutcs. Sprcad hall olglazc
cvcnlyovcrcookcdmcatloalwithrubbcrspatula,
placc undcr broilcr andcookuntil glazc bubblcs
and bcgins to brown atcdgcs, about 5 minutcs .
Rcmovc mcat loallrom ovcn and sprcad cvcnly
with rcmaining glazc, placc back undcr broilcr
andcookuntilglazcisagainbubblingandbcgin
ningtobrown, about5 minutcs morc. Ictmcat
loalcoolabout2O minutcsbclorcslicing.
2 teaspoons mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
teaspoon papri ka
114 cup tomato j ui ce
11 cup l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
2 l arge eggs
11 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelati n
tabl espoon soy sauce
teaspoon Di jon mustard
21
cup crushed sal ti ne crackers
2 tabl espoons mi nced fresh
parsl ey l eaves
314 teaspoon tabl e sal t
11 teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
pound ground si rl oi n
pound ground chuck
C/asc
11 cup ketchup
teaspoon hot pepper sauce
11 teaspoon ground cori ander
114 cup appl e ci der vi negar
3 tabl espoons packed l ight
brown sugar
!. Adj ust ovcn rack to mid
dlc position, hcat ovcn to 375
dcgrccs. Sprcad chccsc onplatc
and placc in lrcczcr until rcady
tousc. Ircparcbakingshcct, scc
illustrationabovc) .
2. Hcatbuttcri n! Oinchskil
lct ovcr mcdium high hcat until
loaming, add onion and cclcry
and cook, stirring occasionally,
until bcginning to brown, o to
8 minutcs . Add garlic, thymc,
andpaprika and cook, stirring,
until lragrant, about I minutc.
Rcducc hcat to low and add
tomato j uicc. Cook, stirring to
scrapcupbrowncdbitshompan,
until thickcncd,about I minutc.
Jranslcr mixturc to small bowl
andsct asidc tocool .
s c 1 E N c E . How Gel ati n Mi mi cs Veal
Many meat l oaf reci pes cal l for three diferent meats ( beef, pork, and
veal ) , and each one has a core functi on. Beef contri butes assertive
beefi ness, whi l e pork adds di mensi on with favor and extr fatti ness.
Wi th veal , i t' s mostly about the gel ati n-a vi scous substance with natural
water- retai ni ng qual i ti es that hel p keep a meat l oaf moi st and unctuous.
Gel ati n i s formed when col lagen, the protei n i n a cow' s connective tis
sue, breaks down duri ng cooking. Col lagen is naturl ly present i n cows
of al l ages, but the col lagen i n calves (the source of veal ) is more loosely
structured-and therefore converts to gel ati n more easi l y-than the col
l agen i n an adul t cow. I n our al l - beef meat l oaf, we successful ly repl i cated
the gel ati nous qual i ti es of veal by addi ng powdered gel ati n.
So how does i t work? Gel ati n i s a pure protei n that suspends water
in a meshl i ke, semi sol i d matrix. By sl owi ng down the movement of l i q
ui ds, gel ati n has a stabi l i zi ng efect, maki ng i t harder for water and other
l i qui ds to be forced out, essenti al ly fenci ng them i n. In meat loaf, then,
gel ati n hel ps by ( I ) decreasi ng the amount of l i qui d l eaki ng from the
meat as the other protei ns coagulate and ( 2) i mprovi ng the texturl feel
by maki ng the l i qui ds more vi scous even when ver hot-sort of a trnsi
ti onal state beteen l i qui d and sol i d. That vi scosi t trnsl ates to a l uxuri
ant texture i n the mouth-much l i ke reduced stock, or demi -gl ace-and
the percepti on of greater ri chness, as i f we had added more fat. -D. P.
WI TH O UT G E LATI N
Moisture l eaks out of meat loaf,
giving i t a coarser, grai ni er texture.
WI TH G E LATI N
Moi sture i s suspended i n a semisol i d
matrix, keepi ng the meat l oaf jui cy.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6
l '
The Secrets of Flaky Biscuits
How do you get tender, flaky biscuits with trul y distinctive l ayers? I t's a pressing issue.
M
ostbiscuitmakingisastudy
in simplicity and spccd. A
halldozcn staplc ingrcdi
cntsmixcdwithalcwbrisk
strokcs takc a quick trip through thc ovcn
tocmcrgchotandtlut(. But,truthbctold,
I`vcalwaysloundthcappcalolsuchbiscuits
tobcU ccting. Gloryladcs,alas,andhotbis
cuitscool .Ancrsavoringthcnrstlcwbitcs,
Istarttowondcr. Isthata thcrcis?
Entcr thc ultraaky biscuit. Closcr to
pastrythandinncrroll,thisrich,clcgantbis
cuitlorgocsullinlavorolagoldcn, crispy
crust surrounding striatcd l aycrs ol tcn
dcr, buttcry dough. Icrhaps bccausc thcy
rcquircmorcwork,trulyakybiscuitshavc
bccomc scarcc, whilc thcir down markct
imitators ,supcrmarkct tubc" biscuits) arc
alarminglycommon.
Hard to Handl e
3 B Y S E A N L A W L E R E
our to kccp thc dough lrom sticking to
thc countcrtop during thc crucial rolling
proccss.Jhcsolutionwasasimplconc.nc
morning,Igavcthccou+tcrtopaquickblast
lrom a can olnonstick cooking spray. , My
hopc was that thc spray coatingwould hclp
thc tlour adhcrc morc cvcnly to thc coun
tcr. ) I rollcd out thc ncxt batch oldough,
and, to my dclight, it rclcascd casily-and
withoutmuchU ourstickingtoit.
To get thi s bi scui t' s di sti nct, tender layers to come out tal l and even,
we took a cue from puff pastry-and from busi ness l etters.
Whatmakcsoncbiscuitu"andanothcr
Uaky"? Myinvcstigationwas initially sidc
trackcd by rcgional squabbling ovcr thc
rcativc mcrlts olbuttcr vcrsus lard, but
tcrmilkvcrsus milk, and brands olour.
Jcstingshowcdthatwhilcthcscchoiccsdo
atlcctUavorandtcxturc,thcyarcnotatthchcart
olthctlut( /akydistinction. Instcad, itis how
thoscingrcdicntsarchandlcd.
Mow that I couldmanipulatcthc dough
through a scrics ollolds , or turns, " as
thcy`rc callcd whcn making pullpastry) , I
wondcrcd how many would bc ncccssary.
ncsctolturnsdidn` tproduccmuchlaycr
ing, but by thc timc I complctcd a sccond
sctthccoldbuttcrinthcdoughhadbcgun
tosoncnandmixwiththcour,rcsultingin
biscuitsthatwcrcshortandcrumblyinstcad
olcrispandtlaky. Ididn`thavcthcluxuryol
rcstingmydoughinthc rclrigcratortonrm
up thc buttcr, howcvcr, bccauscthc baking
powdcr in thc dough bcg

rcacting thc
momcntthcliquidanddryingrcdicntscamc
togcthcr.Chllllngthcmixingbowlandallot
thc wct and dryingrcdicnts, instcadoljust
thc buttcr) bctorc mixing bought mc thc
Fl ak Butter = Fl ak Bi scui ts
Usi ng a food processor to combi ne butter and four may
be eas, but the pebbl e-shaped pi eces i t creates resul t i n
uneven fakiness. Working the butter i nto the four by hand
yi el ds l are. fak chunk of butter. whi ch, when rol l ed i nto
thi n sheets. produce a bi scui t with di sti nct layer.
PEBBLY PI E CE S - REG U LAR B I S CU I TS
F LAKY S HE ETS F LAKY B I S CU I TS
Rathcr than si mpl c kncading, most rcci pcs
tor aky biscuits cal l tor rol lingand tolding thc
dough,atcchniqucuscdlorputlpastry.Rcpcatcd
multiplc timcs, this action-likc lolding, thcn
rcloldinga busincsslcttcr-attcns thc buttcrin
thc dough into thinshcctssandwichcd bctwccn
cquallythi nlaycrsotUour.Inthcovcn, thcbuttcr
mclts and stcam nlls thc thin spaccs lcnbchind,
crcatingabiscuitwithUaky, buttcrylaycrs.
Jhatwasthcthcory,anyway.Icobblcdtogcthcr
a simplcworking rccipc usingcommonratios ol
coldbuttcr,allpurposcuour,bakingpowdcr,and
buttcrmilk,thcnsctouttoputitintopracticc. At
nrst,I didn` tcvcnmakcitaslar asthcovcn. My
dough, likc most biscuitdoughs,was onthcwct
sidc,andanyattcmpttorollitthinncrthan!inch
rcsultcdinsticky, comictragcdy.
Counter I ntel l i gence
Itwasa Catch22. Jhcdoughhadtobcwct-a
dry dough makcs a dry biscuit-but it also had
to bc rollablc . Jhc only way I could succcss
mllyroll it was to scattcr hcaps olour across
thc countcrtop, most olwhich cndcd up in thc
dough, which mcant i t was no longcr wct . I
nccdcd to crcatc a vcry thin, unitorm l aycr ot
C OOK
'
s ILL U S T R A T E D
ZO
timc I nccdcd to complctc a sccondsct olturns
withthccold buttcr stillintact.
Jwo scts otturns yicldcd a biscuit that was
modcratcly crisp and aky, but I wantcd morc.
I` dstartcdwith l: inchcubcsolbuttcrthatIput
inthc loodproccssoralongwith thc dryingrcdi
cnts, turning thc buttcr into small pcbblcs. Jhc
pcbblcshapcisidcallorthcsmall,irrcgularakcs
in a pic crust but nottorthc pronounccdlaycrs
I was attcr. Abandoning thc lood proccssor, I
tricd slicing thc buttcr into vcry thin squarcs
and-instcadolcuttingthcsquarcsintothcour
with a pastry blcndcr-! prcsscdcach piccc into
thcourwithmynngcrs,brcakingthcmintoU at,
akypicccsabout thc sizc otanickcl . As I rollcd
outthisdough,I kncwIwasontosomcthing-I
couldsccthcbuttcrdcvclopintolong,thinshccts
as I complctcd thc turns . Jhcsc biscuits rcally
turncdhcads. As thcyrosc thcylormcddistinct,
tlakylaycrswithcrispybrowncdcdgcs .
Try a Uttle Tenderness
Jhc biscuits now had a crisp and aky crust
but also a distracting chcw. I suspcctcd that
swappingoutsomcolthc buttcrtorshortcning
wouldhavcatcndcrizingctlcct. Atcrsomctcst
ing, !scttlcdon2tablcspoonsolshortcningand
8 tablcspoons olbuttcr lor a tcndcr yct quitc
buttcrybiscuit.
Jhc ncxtproblcmwasavor. Jhccupplusol
buttcrmilkwastootangy.Switchingtoplainmilk
mcllowcdthctlavoratthccxpcnscolthctcndcr
ncss , hom thc buttcrmilk`s acidity) . !nstcad, !
rcplaccdsomcolthc baking powdcrwith baking
soda, which rcactcd with thc acidic buttcrmilk,
takingthccdgcollolitstangyavor.
Bythccndoltcsting,!hadgaincdncwapprc
ciation lor cvcryday dropandbakc biscuits. But
lor a littlc cxtra cllort,thcscultraaky biscuits
dclivcrcd richavorand tcxtural intcrcstworlds
bcyondthcirnomssbrcthrcn.
F LAKY BUTERMI LK
MAKES | 2 BI S CUI
Jhcdoughi s abitstickywhcni t omcstogcthcr
andduringthc nrstsctolturns. S t asidc about
I cupolcxtraourlordustingthcworksurlacc,
dough, androlling pin to prcvcnt sticking. Bc
carcml notto incorporatclargcpockcts olour
intothcdoughwhcnloldingitovcr. Whcncut
tingthcbiscuits,prcssdownwithnrm,cvcnprcs
surc,do nottwistthc cuttcr. Jhcrccipcmaybc
prcparcdthroughstcp2,translcrrcdtoazippcr
lockhcczcr bag, and hozcn lor scvcral wccks .
Ict thc mixturc sit at room tcmpcraturc lor I 5
minutcsbclorcprocccding.
2 11 cups ( 1 2 11 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose
fl our, plus addi ti onal fl our for work surface
tabl espoon baki ng powder
1 1 teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon tabl e sal t
2 tabl espoons vegetabl e shorteni ng, cut i nto
11- i nch chunks
8 tabl espoons ( I sti ck) col d unsal ted butter,
l i ghtly fl oured and cut i nto 1/a- i nch sl i ces
(see i l l ustrati on at right) , pl us
2 tabl espoons butter, mel ted

E o L 1 p M E N r r E s r 1 N G , Bi scui t Cutter
No-fuss bi scui t reci pes often i nstruct cook to cut dough rounds with an
empt ti n can or inverted j ui ce glass. Do you real ly need to buy a speci al
set of cutter for the job? We gathered ei ght sets of round cutter as wel l
as some soup cans and j ui ce glasses and stmped out rounds of bi scui t,
pastr. and cooki e dough.
The cans and glasses di d fi ne with basi c bi scui t dough and cooki es.
al though our choi ce of sizes was l i mi ted. But when we tckl ed more
del i cate doughs-puf pastr and our Fl ak Buttermi l k Bi scui ts-these
makeshi ft cutter produced rounds with pi nched edges that rose
unevenly. Bl unt edges were a probl em, as was ai r trpped i nsi de the
cyl i nder. Among the real cutter. the Endurnce Stai nl ess Steel Bi scui t
Cutter ($7) featured cured handl es that made i t di fcul t to exert even
pressure. Te doubl e-edged Progressive I nternati onal ( $ 1 0) requi red
tester to press down fi rmly on whi chever cutti ng edge was not in use.
Ouch ' Two fashy i mports came with pri ces to match: the super-sharp
Matfer Exoglass Cutter ( $57) . made of fberl ass and pl asti c, bacteria
resistant fi berlass, and ti nned-steel cutterfrmJ B Pri nce ( $ 1 07) . Both
perormed fawlessly in our tests, but so did an I I - pi ece set of stai nl ess
steel cutter from Ateco. whi ch sel l s for just $ 1 5 . -S. L

S OU P CAN
Great for soup- can- si zed tasks
ATE CO
Beat cutters seven ti mes the pri ce
PROG RE S S I VE
Twi ce t h e edge, twi ce the danger
3. Spray24inchsquarc arca olworksurlacc
withnonstickcookingspray,sprcadspraycvcnly
acrosssurlaccwithkitchcntowclorpapcrtowcl .
nklc13 cupolcxtraouracrossspraycdarca,
gcntlysprcadouracrossworksurlaccwithpalm
to lorm thin,cvcn coating. Addall but2 tablc
spoonsolbuttcrmilktotlourmixturc,stirbriskly
with lork until ball lorms and no dry bits ol
our arc visi blc, adding rcmaining buttcrmilk
as nccdcd , doughwill bc sticky and shaggy but
shouldclcarsidcsolbowl ) . Withrubbcrspatula,
translcr dough onto ccntcr olprcparcd work
surlacc,dustsurlacclightlywithour,and,with
tlourcd hands, bring dough togcthcrinto cohc
sivc ball .
into thirds, brushing any cxccss our hom sur
lacc, lih short cnd oldough and lold in thirds
againtolormapproximatcoby4 inchrcctanglc.
Rotatc dough O dcgrccs, dustingwork surlacc
undcrncathwithour,rollandlolddoughagain,
dustingwithourasnccdcd.
4. IatdoughintoapproximatcIO inchsquarc,
roll into I 8 by I4inch rcctanglc about l/+ inch
thick, dustingdough and rollingpinwith our
as nccdcd. Iollowing illustrations bclow, using
bcnchscrapcrorthin mctalspatula, lold dough
5 . Roll dough into I Oinch squarc about |/
inchthick,Hip doughandcutninc3 inchrounds
with ourcd biscuit cuttcr, dipping cuttcr back
into our altcr cach cut. Carcmlly invcrt and
translcrroundstoungrcascdbakingshcct,spaccd
I inch apart. Gathcr dough scraps into ball , roll
andloldoncc ortwicc until scraps lorm smooth
dough. Rolldoughinto /: inch thickround,cut
thrcc morc 3 inchroundsandtranslcrtobaking
shcct. Discard cxccss dough.
o. Brushbiscuittopswithmcltcdbuttcr.Bakc,
withoutopcningovcndoor,untiltopsarcgoldcn
brown andcrisp, I 5 to I 7 minutcs. Ictcoolon
bakingshcct 5 to I O minutcsbclorcscrving.
1 1/ cups col d buttermi l k, preferably
low fat
T E C H N I Q U E ! MAKING THE ' LAYERED LOOK' WORK FOR YOU
!.Adjustovcnracktolowcrmiddlc
position, hcat ovcn to 45O dcgrccs.
Whisk our, baking powdcr, baking
soda,andsaltinlargcbowl .
Getti ng bi scui ts with ul tr-fak layer i s al l in the handl i ng of the dough-a strtegic process of pi nchi ng. fol di ng. and refol di ng
creates strtified layer of ai r, fat, and four.
SLI CE PRESS FOLD REFOLD
2 . Add shortcning to our mi x
turc, brcak up chunks wi th nngcr
tipsuntilonlysmall ,pca si zcdpicccs
rcmai n. Worki ng i n batchcs, drop
buttcr sliccs into our mixturc and
tosstocoat,pickupcachsliccolbut
tcrandprcssbctwccnourcdnngcr
tipsintoat, nickcl si zcdpi cccs, scc
illustrationatright ) . Rcpcatunti l al l
buttcr i s incorporatcd, tossto com
binc. Ircczcmi xturc, i nbowl ) unti l
chillcd,aboutI 5 minutcs .
Cut butter (coated i n four
to prevent sti cki ng) i nto
1/a - i nch- thi ck sl i ces.
Pi nch butter sl i ces between
wel l - foured fi ngerti ps i nto
fat. ni ckel -si zed pi eces.
Wi th scraper or metal spat
ul a, fol d dough i nto thi rds
( l i ke a busi ness l etter) .
Fol d dough i nto thi rds agai n,
rotate 90 degrees, rol l out.
and repeat process.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6
Z l
Chocolate Mousse Perfected
Rich, frosting- l ike mousse is utterly delicious-for about two spoonfuls. Yet light and sil ky
versions often lack decent chocol ate flavor. Coul d we have the best of both worl ds?
C
hocolatc moussc usually lalls
into onc oltwo catcgori cs.
rich, crcamy, and dcnsc, likc
abittcrswcctchocolatc truhc,
orlight and airy, but with all thc a
vor impact olchocolatc milk. Mcithcr
is bad , I ` d still cat thcm) , but i n my
mindchocolatcmousscisadcsscrttobc
savorcdbythcbowlmlrathcrthanrcluc
tantly pushcd away ancr a lick or two.
Substantial chocolatc Uavor and a light,
mcltinglysmoothtcxturcshouldnot bc
mutuallycxclusivc.
Whiskingmywaythroughthcgamut
ol chocolatc moussc rcci pcs, I was
struck by thc widc variations possiblc
with thcsamcbasicingrcdicnts. choco
latc,cggs,sugar,andlat, buttcr,crcam) .
Iroportions and handling, apparcntly,
wcrc all that scparatcd thick ganachc
lromUul(pudding.
Toward the Ught
: B Y S A N D R A W U E
louryolks nowsccmcdlikc toomany.By
scalingdowntotvo,I achicvcdalightcr,
still crcamymousscvithgoodstructurc.
Whippingthccrcamtosonpcaksbclorc
adding itto thc chocolatc madc up lor
somcolthclostvolumcwithoutrcintro
ducingthc marshmallowcllcct. "
I nto the Dark
Mypcrlcctchocolatcmousscwassomc
whcrc in bctwccn thosc two cxtrcmcs,
so myplanwasto startwithan avcragc
working rccipc and adj ust lrom thcrc.
Heavy on chocol ate flavor but l ight on texture, our chocol ate mousse can
be savored by the bowl ful .
At last, thc chocolatc. Ior days, I sub
jcctcdtcstkitchcnstahcrs to awhirlwind
olmousscs madc wth various stylcs and
brands. !n thc cnd, tastcrs lound scmi
swcct chocolatc too swcct and onc
dimcnsional , closcr to milk chocolatc
than dark) . Bi ttcrswcct chocolatc, with
its highcr pcrccntagc olcocoa solids,
providcd thc morc complcx avor pro
hc I was going lor. A cocoasolid pcr
ccntagc vaics by brand, I standardizcd
my rccipc by using our vinning supcr
markctdarkchocolatc,Ghirardclli,vthoO
pcrccn cocoa solids. , Somc prcmium"
chocolatcsboastcvcnhighcrpcrccntagcs,
and ! wondcrcdilsubstitutionwould bc
straighuorward.Itwasn`t-sccIrcmium
Mclt chocolatc in a doublc boilcr, whisk in cgg
yolks, buttcr, and hcavycrcam , lor richncss and
smoothncss) , bcat cgg whitcs with sugar, thcn
loldthcsonpcaksintothcmixturc, lorsilkincss) .
Jhc rcsultingmousscwas a nnc start, buti t was
toodcnsc,andthcmodcst4ounccsolchocolatc
provcdlittlcmorcthanatcasc.
Bclorccmbarkingonthcchocolatcrampagc I
hadplanncd, I dccidcdtotakcacrackatlightcn
ingthctcxturc. Whcrc tobcgin?lthcrccipc` s
si x i ngrcdicnts, buttcr, chocolatc, crcam, and
Getti ng the Texture Right
cggyolkswcrc alllikclyculprits, althoughi twas
clcar I nccdcd morc chocolatc, not lcss. Givcn
thatsomc tastcrs had complaincd about a rcsid
ual waxyslickncss" inthcnrstlcw batchcs, my
choicc sccmcd obvious. Surc cnough, whcn thc
buttcr was incrcmcntally dccrcascd-and, u|ti
matcly, climinatcd-thc tcxturc lightcncd con
sidcrablyandthcwaxincsswasgonc.
Jocorrcctthc billowymarshmallowlikcqual
ity, I rcduccd thc cggwhitcshom lour to two,
which took thc tcxturc lrom airy to silky. But
Tere are as many diferent mousse textures as there are mousse reci pes. Here' s how some of them l ook.
DE NS E
Butter, unwhipped cream, and too
much chocolate are often the cul prits
in heav, ganache-l i ke mousse.
F LU F FY
Too many whi pped eg whi tes produce
an unappeal i ng "marhmal l ow efect."
PE RF E CT
Goi ng easy on the eg whites, omitting
the butter, and adding a smal l amount
of water yi el d j ust the right texture.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
Z Z
ChocolatcMoussc, "pagc23. )
Armcdwithashoppingcart`swortholbittcr
swcctchoco|atc,Isctaboutslowlyincrcasingthc
amount,i nscarcholmymoussc` sbrcakingpoint.
Iirst,I tricdbumpingupthcpaltry4 ounccsI` d
startcdwith to o ounccs. Mmm, nicc-but nicc
wasn`tcnough.Scvcnounccs.Eightounccs. Nine
ounccs. At ounccs, I rcgroupcd. Jhc tcxturc
was sullcring, and thc moussc had bccomc too
swcct. I rcduccd thc sugar , bcatcn with thc cgg
whitcs) lrom 2 tablcspoons down to !. Bcttcr,
but thc dramatic incrcasc i n chocolatc was still
wrcakinghavoconthctcxturc.
I rctrcatcdto8 ounccsbutimmcdiatclymisscd
thc morc powcrml Uavor. What about a sccond
lormolchocolatc? Adding anouncc olunswcct
cncd chocolatc madc thc moussc starchy" and
hcavy.JwotablcspoonsolDutchproccsscdcocoa
powdcr, on thc othcr hand, gavc thc moussc a
mcr,morcvibrantchocolatc avor-butithada
grittytcxturc.
Uqui d Magi c
Inwillingtosacrih ccthisintcnsc,roundcdavor
pronlc, I was dctcrmincd to dcvclop thc inlra
A Bi ttersweet Vi ctory
Te toughest chal l enge in making chocolate mousse i s rmpi ng up the
chocolate without destroying the texture. Most reci pes cal l i t quits at j ust 4
or 5 ounces. We accommodated 8 ounces of bi tterweet chocol ate pl us 2
tablespoons of cocoa-and the texture i s si l ki er than ever.
tablcspoons, thc tcxturc was pcr
lcct. light,cthcrcal , andchockmll
olchocolatc.
Fi nal Notes
S UBTLE H I NT POWE RF UL H I T
All my moussc nccdcd now was
somc nnal nncssing oltlavors. In
othcr chocolatc rccipcs, wc havc
lound that a smal l amount ol
instantcsprcssopowdcrintcnsincs
thcchocolatccxpcricncc.Jhctrick
workcdhcrcaswcll . nctcaspoon
addcdtothcchocolatccocoawatcr
mixturc providcd j ust thc right
boost. A mcrc 1 tcaspoon olsalt
structurc ncccssary to support so much choco
latc. Jhctcxturc problcmwascrccpingup carly
inthcproccss.Jhcmcltcdchocolatcturncdthick
andgranular as soon as I whiskcd in thc yolks,
andscizingwasnotuncommon. Nomattcrhow
slowly, quickly, orvigorouslyI whiskcdthc mix
turc, itrcmaincd grainy. Jhis compromiscdtcx
turc subscqucntly allcctcd thc incorporation ol
thccggwhitcsaswcl l , lcavingthcmousscriddlcd
withwhitcparticlcs .
Somcthingwas giving mymoussc thc tcxturc
ola lacial scrub-but what? I kncw tlat liquid
can causc mcltcd chocolatc to scizc, but I was
alwayscarcmlnottolctanystcamlromthcdou
blcboilcrcontaminatcthcchocolatc. Coulditbc
thc moisturc ladcn cgg yolks? Wcl l , that didn' t
makcscnsc,givcnthatIhadrcduccdthcnumbcr
olyolks lromlourtotwo,and I'd hadnoprob
lcmswith grainincss backwhcn I was using lcss
chocolatc. Bcsidcs, somc rccipcscall lor adding
scvcraltablcspoonsolcollccandothcrliquidsat
thisstagc,withnoincidcnccolscizing.
Acr rcscarching thc subjcct mrthcr, I dis
covcrcd thatI had bccn only hallright. Iiquids
can causc mcltcd chocolatc to scizc, but morc
importantisthc liquidto-solidratio. With small
amounts olliquid, thc solidsabsorbjust cnough
moisturc to lorm a gritty pastc. But with morc
liquid , at lcast I tablcspoon lor cvcry 2 ounccs
olchocolatc) , thcdrycocoasolids bccomcuid.
Suddcnly, it all madc scnsc. Early on, myrccipc
hadjust cnough moisturc hom thc 4 cggyolks
and thc buttcr to prcvcnt 4 ounccs olchoco
latc lrom bccoming grainy. nccthcbuttcrwas
omittcd,thcyolksdccrcascd,andthc amountol
chocolatcincrcascd,howcvcr,thcstorychangcd.
Jhc ratioolliquidtosolidbccamctoohcavyon
thcsolids.
roundcdoutthcmildswcctncss.
thcrcommoncxtrasincludcvanillaandsomc
sort olalcohol . Jastcrs Uatly rcj cctcdvanilla lor
lcnding unwclcomc oral notcs to thc moussc.
Brandywas lavorcdovcr rum and bourbon,and
a mcagcr tablcspoon olthc stull , rcplacing an
cqual amountolwatcr) addcd complcxitywitl
out boozincss. Iinally, ancr making morc than
I OO batchcs, I hadcxactlythcchocolatc moussc
I was lookinglor. Rchbutnotdcnsc, chocolaty
but not cloying, light and silky but not insub
stantial,tlispcrlcctlybalanccdchocolatcmoussc
couldbcdcvourcdbythcbowlmlortwo.
DARK CHOCOLATE MOUS SE
MAKES 3 ' /> CUPS MOUS S E ( 6 TO 8 S E RVI NGS )
Whcn dcvcloping tlis rccipc, wcuscd our win
ni ng supcrmarkct brand ol dark chocol atc,
Ghirardcllibittcrswcct,whichcontainsaboutoO
pcrccntcacao. Il youchoosctomakcthcmoussc
adayi nadvancc,lcavcitoutatroomtcmpcraturc
lor I O minutcs bclorc scrving. Scrvc with vcry
lightly swcctcncdwhippcd crcam and chocolatc
shavings. A handhcld mixcr can do thc job ol
a standing mixcr in this rccipc, though mixing
timcsmayvaryslightly.
8 ounces bi ttersweet chocol ate, chopped fi ne
2 tabl espoons cocoa powder, preferabl y Dutch
processed
teaspoon i nstant espresso powder
S tabl espoons water
tabl espoon brandy
2 l arge eggs, separated
tabl espoon sugar
1
/
s teaspoon table salt
cup pl us 2 tabl espoons chi l l ed heavy cream
I . Mcl t chocolatc, cocoa powdcr, csprcsso
powdcr, watcr, and brandy in mcdium hcat
prool bowlsctovcrsauccpannllcdwith I i nchol
barclysimmcringwatcr, stirring hcqucntlyuntil
smooth.Rcmovclromhcat.
Uke Water
for Chocol ate?
After tring ever tri ck in the book
to accommodate more chocol ate, we
found a surpri si ngly si mpl e "sol uti on. "
I
\' \
/
sli ghtly,about3Oscconds. Iourmcltcdchocolatc
into cgg mixturc andwhisk until combincd. Lct
cool until j ust warmcr than room tcmpcraturc,
3 to 5 minutcs.
3. Inclcan bowlolstandingmixcrnttcdwith
whisk attachmcnt, bcat cgg whitcs at mcdium
low spccd until lrothy, I to 2 minutcs. Add
rcmaining I': tcaspoons sugar, incrcasc mixcr
spccd to mcdi um hi gh, and bcat until solt
pcaks lorm whcn whisk is lincd, about I min
utc . Dctach whisk and bowl lrom mixcr and
whisk last lcw strokcs by hand, making surc to
scrapcanyunbcatcnwhitcslrombottomolbowl.
Lsing whisk, stir about onc quartcr olbcatcn
cgg whitcs into chocolatc mixturc to lightcn it,
gcntlyloldin rcmainingcggwhitcswith rubbcr
spatulauntilalcwwhitcstrcaksrcmai n.
4. In nowcmpty bowl , whip hcavy crcam at
mcdiumspccduntilitbcginstothickcn,about3O
scconds.Incrcascspccdtohighandwhipuntilson
pcaks lormwhcn whiskislincd,aboutI 5 scconds
morc. Lsingrubbcrspatula,loldwhippcd crcam
into mousscuntd nowhitc strcaks rcmain. Spoon
into o to 8 individual scrving dishcs or goblcts.
Covcr with plastic wrap and rclrigcratc until sct
and hrm, at lcast 2 hours. ,Jhc moussc may bc
covcrcdandrclrigcratcdlorupto24hours. )
Premi um Chocol ate Mousse
Whi l e devel opi ng the rcipe for Dar Chocolate
Mousse, I stuck to our wi nni ng brnd of superar
ket chocolate, Ghirrel l i , whi ch conti ns about 60
percent cacao. I wonderd what woul d happen if I
switched to a hi gh-end boutique b|nd,whi ch con
ti n 62 to 70 percent cacao. Afer one it looked
l i ke swpping in a prmi um chocolate woul dn' t wor.
Di rectly substituting these i nherntly sIhi er, less
seet chocolates for the Ghi rrdel l i left me with stif,
griny mousse that ws much mor bi tter than i t ws
seet. Chocolates with higher percentges of cacao
contin mor cocoa sol i ds (hence the mousse' s less
than-cramy teure) and, converely, less sugar. To
addrss these issues, I had to make these few mi nor
adjustment: I ncrease the wter to 7 tbl espoons.
add another eg, and up the sugar to 3 tbl espoons
(addi ng the e 2 tablespoons of sugar to the choc
olate mixure i n step I ). Te end result? Chocolate
mousse for fans of trl dar chocolate. (See Cook's
E below for the recipe.) -S..
Jo augmcnt thc liquid sidc olthings, I was
loath to add crcam or any othcr sourcc ollat.
Jhc solutionwas crystal clcar, litcrally) . watcr. I
madc scvcral morc batchcs,incrcasingthcwatcr
,2,4,o, and8tablcspoons )cachtimc. Jhcmorc
watcr, thc looscr,glossicr,andmorcmanagcablc
thcmousscbccamc. At8tablcspoons,Iwasstart
ingtoundothc dccpavorI had achicvcd,at o
2. Whisk cgg yolks, I '/ tcaspoons
sugar, and salt in mcdium bowl until
mixturc lightcns in color and tlickcns

Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key in code I 066 for Chocol ate- Orange Mousse.
Key in code I 06 7 for Chocol ate- Raspberry Mousse.
Key in code I 068 for Premi um Chocol ate Mousse.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6
Z
The Best Lemon Bundt Cake
Lemons are tart, brash, and aromati c. Why, then, is i t so hard to capture these
assertive f l avors in a straightforward Bundt cake?
B
undt cakcs havc a uniquc dcsign that
allows thcm to stand on thcir own,
cxclusivc ollancy h llings or cmbcllish
mcnts. Jhisunmssyqualitymakcsthcm
pcrlcct vchiclcs lor showcasing simplc tlavors,
whcthcr rich chocolatcorlragrantvanilla.
Icmon Bundt cakcs arc a dillcrcnt story.
Whcrcas othcr avoring agcnts can simply bc
incrcascdtohcightcnthcirintcnsity,lcmonavor
in cakc is U ccting at bcst. Mormally an asscrtivc
U avoringagcnt, lcmonj uicc is drastically mutcd
whcn cxposcd to thc hcat olthc ovcn. And to
complicatcmattcrsmrthcr,thishighlyacidicj uicc
, lcw itcms in thc kitchcn comparc) can wrcak
havoconthcdclicatcnaturcolbakcdgoods.
AsamplingollcmonBundtcakcs rcvcalcdthc
variousploysuscdtocompcnsatclorthcscprob
lcms.Somcrccipcssimplydrapcacloakolswcct,
gloppy lrostingovcrthc cakc. thcrs saturatc it
withasyrupysoakthatmakcsloranovcrlyswcct
andsoddcncakc. Somcmanagctogctapungcnt
avor inside thccakc bymcansollcmoncxtracts
and oils, but thcsc products can lcavc bchind
unplcasant, artih cial ancrtastcs iluscd injudi
ciously. Ilavorissucsasidc,!wasalsodctcrmincd
tocomcupwithacakcthatstaycdtructopropcr
Bundt cakc tcxturc . Inlikc a light and ul|
laycrcakc ,whichissalclyanchorcdbylrosting) ,
a Bundt cakc must bc nrm cnough t ohold its
ownwhcnsliccdandscrvcd. Atthcsamctimc,it
should bclcssrichandcompactthanthctypical
pound cakc. Could ! strikc this tcxtural balancc
yctstillachicvcpurc,vibrantlcmonU avor?
Easy as 1 - 2- 3 -4
Manybakingrccipcsarcbascdonsimplclormu
las, mncmonic tools uscd to pass down rccipcs
thtoughthcgcncri undtcakcscommonly
tallintothc I 2 3 4cakccatcgory. I cupbuttcr,
2 cups sugar, 3 cups our, 4 cggs ,plus ! cup
milk, a liquid componcnt that scts both laycr
andBundtcakcsapartlrompoundcakc) . Almost
twothirds ol thc rccipcs I tricd took advan
tagc olthis convcnicntlyproportioncdlormula,
whichproduccdj ust thc rightvolumc but also
madcloradry,uninspircdtcxturc-toocrumbly
andtoocoarsc.
So bcgan my battcry oltcsts, starting with
dccrcasing thc our and incrcasingthc milk , to
moistcn) and cggs , lor structurc) , all olwhich
produccd dcnsc and gummycakcs. I had morc
3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
Aci d Rei gn
Our Lemon Bundt Cake i s moi st and ri ch enough to eat ungl azed, but
tasters l i ked the extra hi t of l emon flavor.
! was now rcady to givc this cakc
a hclty boost olavor. My gut
still toldmc thatil! uscdcnough
lcmon juicc in thc battcr, at lcast
somc Uavor would survivc thc 45
or 5O minutcs in thc ovcn. But
ancr a gcncrous |/ cup olpotcnt
lcmonj uicctranslormcdthccakc`s
tcxturc into a lragilc and crumbly
mcss, I was rcmindcd that play
ing with acid i s no casual allair.
, Icmon j uicc has a pH olabout
2. 3, cvcn strongcr than vincgar. )
Acidsintcrlcrcvith thc lormation
olglutcn, thcprotcinthat`ssovital
to a cakc` s structurc. Jhc morc
acidicthc battcr, thc lcss structurc
in thc cakc, and thc cakcs ! was
now maki ng wcrc litcrally lal l
aparttcndcr. Iragilcwasnotwhat
! was going lor. But I wondcrcd
if I cou|d harncss acid` s glutcn
wcakcni ng tcndcncy to producc
a slitly morc dclicatc crumb. A
modcst 3 tablcspoons ol lcmon
juiccdidthctrick.
Suchapaltryamounthadabso
luckincrcasingtlcbuttcr,but2': sticks, tastcrs`
lavoritc lor richncss and tcndcrncss) lcn bchind
agrcasyrcsiduc. !scttlcdloranincrcascoljust2
tablcspoons. Iinally,rcplacingthcmilkwitl but
tcrmilkyicldcdalightcr,morctcndcrcrumband
anicc, mildtang.
MostBundtcakcs lollowthcstandard mixing
tcchniquc olcrcaming buttcrand sugar, adding
cggs,thcnaltcrnatingUourandliquiduntilcom
bincd. Could ! strcam
lutclynocllcctonthccakc` slcmon
avor,howcvcr. So ! turncd to myncxtlavoritc
partolthclcmon,thczcst, thcycllowpartolthc
pccl, t|c whitc part, thc pith, is vcry bittcr and
unplcasant) . !noticcdthatmostrccipcs callcdlor
aminisculcamount,usingthczcsthomjustonc
lcmon to Uavor a wholc cakc. Hoping thc zcst
wouldn` tallccttcxturcinthcwaythcj uicchad,
!incrcascditstcadilyuntiltastcrscricdIlcdgc' "!
scttlcdlorthrcclcmons`wortholzcstloraUoral ,
l i nc thcsc stcps? ! tricd
scvcral variations on thc
ultra casy dump and stir
mctlod. Butas soon as !
bitintotlcrubbcry,dcnsc
cakcs, ! kncwtlatcrcam
ing was indccd ncccssary
toachicvcalightandcvcn
crumb. Jhc whi ppi ng
action acratcs thc battcr,
contributing lighncss to
thc nnal cakc.
The Great Yel l ow Cake Breakdown
I ntricate contour aren' t the onydefni ng charcteristic of a Bundt cake. Whi l e al l
yel l ow cakes are bui l t from the sme core ingredi ent-buter, egs, four, sugar
diferent proporti ons of fat and l i qui ds yi el d strikingly diferent resul ts. Here' s
how the basi c cakes break down.
THE CAKE THE FAT THE LIQUI D THE RESULT
Pund Lt Not much Rch and butter, wi th a tight, compact crumb
Bundt Moderte Moderte Moist and ri ch, but l ighter than a pound cake
Lyer Moderte Lt Fluf but rich, with a somewhat crumbly textur
Sponge Not much Lt Ught, with a spring. del i cate texture
L | | b b I L L U S T R A T E D
Z 4
Lemon Anatomy I 0 I
ZEST
What is the best
source of l emon fl a
vor? I t al l depends on
the context. Lemon
j ui ce i s aci di c and tart,
but that brightness i s lost when exposed to heat; i t' s
best used uncooked. (I n baked items, j uice provi des
tenderness only. ) Better for baki ng i s the thi n, yel l ow
zest layer, whi ch contai ns fl oral , l emony oi l s. But avoi d
the bitter white pith, j ust beneath the zest.
pcrmmcdlcmonavorthatwas not rcminisccnt
olmrniturcpolish.
I had onc hnal adjustmcnt to makc. I had
bccn rcmoving thc zcst lrom thclcmonsusing
aMicroplanc rasp gratcr ,whichthctcstkitchcn
prclcrs to a box gratcr or traditional handhcld
zcstcr), but thc hnc strands olzcstwcrc show
ingupinthccakcasycllow,hbrousspccks. Iirst,
I tricd mincing thc strands with a chcl`s knilc
,rcducingthc zcst totinyccks ) . Bcttcr, but not
pcrtcct,thcUcckswcrcsti l l nbrous. Jhcsolution
was a briclsoak in thc lcmon j uicc ancr minc
ing,which soncncd thc tIccks niccly. Ancrall , I
wantcdthctastcolthc zcst,notthctcxturc.
Tri l Gl azi ng
NowthatI' duscd as much lcmonj uicc and zcst
in thc cakc itscllas was palatabl c, I rcgroupcd
and conccntratcd on thc cxtcrior. Many rcci
pcs ovcrdid iton thc glazingor soaking lront, I
thoughtthataminimalistapproachmightdothc
trick. Isingonly basic ingrcdicnts-lcmonj uicc
and conlcctioncrs' sugar-I whiskcd togcthcr a
simplc glazc.)ustthcoppositcolswcctandcloy
ing, this glazc was too sour and ovcrwhclmcd
thc dclicatc avor olthc cakc. I tricd adding
zcst,too tloral hcrc) , buttcr, too muting) , and,
nnally, buttcrmilk, as it was alrcady on hand.
Supplcmcnting somc olthc sour juicc with thc
morc mild yct tangy buttcrmilk smoothcd out
thc avor without dulling thc brightncss . But
thisnowthickandgoocyglazctclthcavyontop
otsuch a tcndcr cakc. Jhinning thc glazc with
morc j uicc and buttcrmilk mcrcly causcd it to
runollthctopandsidcs,poolingundcrncaththc
cakcrathcrthanclingingtoit. Itthccakcwasstill
warm,howcvcr, thc thick glazc mcltcd into thc
cakcandthcn dricdinto a thin, mottlcdshcllac.
Jo improvconthcprcscntation,Ircscrvcdhallol
thcglazc tor usc oncc thc cakc had coolcd, now
a morc modcratc amount olthick, whitc glazc
stoodoutagainstthcgoldcncrustolthccakc.
LEMON BUNDT CAKE
S E RVES 1 2 TO 1 4
Youwillnccdbctwccnnvcandsixtablcspoonsol
lcmonj uicclorthisrccipc.Bccauscthcamountol
j uicc canvarylrom lcmonto lcmon, wc suggcst
youhrstmcasurcthcj uicctromthcthrcclcmons
you havc zcstcd, thcn juicc a tourth lcmon il
ncccssary. Scrvcthiscakcasisordrcssitupwith
lightly swcctcncd bcrrics. Jhc cakc has a light,
ut(tcxturcwhcncatcn thcdayitisbakcd, but
i twcll wrappcd and hcld at room tcmpcraturc
ovcrnight its tcxturc bccomcs morc dcnsc-likc
thatolpoundcakc-thclollowingday.
Cakc
Grated zest pl us 3 tabl espoons j ui ce from
3 l emons (see note above)
3 cups (| ! ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
teaspoon baki ng powder
1 1 teaspoon baki ng soda
teaspoon tabl e sal t
teaspoon vani l l a extract
3 cup buttermi l k, preferably low fat
3 l arge eggs pl us I l arge yol k, at room temperature
| 8 tabl espoons ( 2 1/ sticks) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
2 cups ( 1 4 ounces) sugar
Clasc
2-3 tabl espoons l emon j ui ce (see note above)
I tabl espoon buttermi l k
2 cups (8ounces) confecti oners' sugar
!. FOR THE CA: Adjustovcnracktolowcr
middlcposition,hcatovcnto 35Odcgrccs. Spray
I 2 cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray
with tlour, altcrnativcly, brush pan with mixturc
ol I tablcspoon our and I tablcspoon mcltcd
buttcr) . Mincc lcmon zcst to t nc pastc , you
shouldhavcabout2 tablcspoons) . Combinczcst
andlcmonj uicci nsmallbowl,sctasidctosoncn,
IOto I 5 minutcs.
2. Whisk Hour, baking powdcr, baking soda,
and salt i n largc bowl . Combinc lcmon j uicc
mixturc,vanilla,andbuttcrmilkinmcdiumbowl .
In small bowl , gcntly whisk cggs and yolk to
combinc. InstandingmixcrhttcdwithHatbcatcr,
crcam buttcr and sugar at mcdiumhi gh spccd
until pal c and nul|, about 3 minutcs, scrapc
down sidcs olbowlwith rubbcrspatula. Rcducc
to mcdium spccd and add halt olcggs, mixing
until incorporatcd, about I 5 scconds . Rcpcat
with rcmaining cggs, scrapc down bow| again.
Rcducc to low spccd, add about onc third ot
nourmixturc,lollowcdbyhallotbuttcrmilkmix
turc, mixing until just i ncorporatcd altcr cach
addition , about 5 scconds ) . Rcpcatusinghallol
rcmainingtlourmixturcandallolrcmainingbut
tcrmilkmixturc. Scrapc bowl andaddrcmaining
nour mixturc, mix at mcdium low spccd until
battcr is thoroughly combincd, about I 5 scc
onds . Rcmovc bowl lrom mixcr and lo| d battcr
oncc ortwiccwithrubbcrspatulato incorporatc
anyrcmainingour. Scrapc into prcparcdpan.
3. Bakcuntiltopisgoldcnbrown andwoodcn
skcwcr or toothpick inscrtcd into ccntcr comcs
outwith nocrumbsattachcd,45 to 5O minutcs.
4. FOR THE GLE: Whilc cakc is baking,
whisk2tablcspoonslcmonjuicc, buttcrmilk,and
contcctioncrs' sugar until smooth, adding morc
lcmon juicc gradually as nccdcd until glazc is
tlick butstillpourablc, mixturcshouldlcavclaint
trailacrossbottomotmixingbowlwhcndrizz|cd
lrom whisk) . Cool cakc in pan onwirc rack sct
ovcr baking shcct lor IO minutcs, thcn invcrt
cakc dircctly onto rack. Iour hallolglazc ovcr
warm cakc and lct coollor I hour,pourrcmain
ingglazccvcnlyovcrtopolcakcandcontinucto
cool to room tcmpcraturc, at lcast2 hours. Cut
intosliccsandscrvc.
Go to ww .cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code I 069 for our Rating of
Bundt Pns.
T E s T , N G . Are Nonsti ck Sprys Better Than Butter?
There' s nothi ng worse than turni ng a Bundt pan over and seei ng hal f a Bundt cake
drop out. A coati ng of butter and fl our does the tri ck, but we aren' t wi l d about the
crust whi te "frost" i t someti mes l eaves behi nd on the cake. Coul d nonsti ck sprys do
a better j ob?
We tested two nonsti ck cooki ng sprays (vegetabl e or canol a oi l under aerosol pres
sure) and two baki ng sprays (nonsti ck cooking sprays wi th a four component) i n our
Lemon Bundt Cake and a cl assi c genoi se cake. The cooki ng sprays-Pm and Everbake
worked fairly wel l , but they weren' t perfect. The baki ng sprays were a diferent stor.
Wi th Pm for Baki ng No-Sti ck Cooki ng Spray ( $2. 99) and Baker' s J oy ( $2. 99) , ever
cake came out of the pan wi th nar a bl emi sh. The uni fom1l y bl ended fl our-oi l mi xture
made it eas to achi eve an even coati ng. and the more sol i d texture of the baki ng sprys
kept grease from pool i ng in crevi ces, whi ch can dul l the ridges of a Bundt cake. (Thi s
i s especi al ly i mportant when usi ng an i ntricately shaped pan; see Equi pment Corner,
page 3 2. ) For l ess than $ 3 , the wi nni ng baki ng sprays ofer freedom from greasy
pal ms, di rt fl our sifters, and broken cakes. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
) i\ N U ^ H Y c F |. |\ H |' ` H 1 2 0 0 6
Z '
F LO U R POWER
Baki ng sprays with four
outperform butter and
fl our appl ied by hand.
Is Fresh Breakfast Sausage Best?
Precooked ' brown-and-serve' l i nks coul dn' t taste better than fresh breakfast sausage, ri ght?
Several hundred sausages l ater, we made a few surpri si ng di scoveri es.
A
mcricansknowbrcaklastsausagctobc
a mixturc olground mcat , both lcan
andlat,andusuallypork) , sa|t,pcppcr,
and spiccs that you hy up crisp and
brown toaccompanycggsorpancakcs.Asimplc
listolingrcdicnts,maybc,butsclcctingasausagc
canbcacomplicatcdallair.Shapc, |ink,patty,roll,
orbulk)andUavor, mi|dthroughzcsty")arcjust
twoolthcobviouschoiccs. Butlorourtastingwc
cxplorcd anothcr option that many homc cooks
mightnotcvcnconsidcr.thcchoiccbctwccnm y
cookcdsausagc,whichrcquircson|yabitolhcat
ing,oncnrclcrrcdtoasbrownandscrvc") , and
hcshsausagc,whichrcquircsmllcooking.Brown
andscrvcsausagchastwothingsgoinglorit. It`s
lcsspcrishablcthanhcsh,capablcolwithstanding
months inthc hcczcr, andittakcsprccious littlc
timctoprcparc. ButhowmuchUavordoyouhavc
tosacrincclorsuchconvcnicncc?
In an inlormal poll, almost cvcryonc in thc
tcst kitchcn agrccd that thcy would buy lrcsh
ovcrm ycookcd,hozcnbrcaklastsausagc. Jhat
soundcd likc a challcngc to mc, so I conductcd
a tasting to nnd out illrcshcr rcally is bcttcr.
Jhcscwcrc thc ru|cs. porkonly, nothingidcnti
ncd as bccl, poultry, or mcatlcss) , in link lorm,
andin thc simplcstpossiblcUavorpronl c. Ircsh
andm|lycookcdsausagcswcrcprcparcdbypan
hying according to packagc instructions. Iirst,
wc cvaluatcd thc lrcsh sausagcs alonc, thcn wc
samplcdthcml|ycookcdsausagcsalongwiththc
winninghcshsausagclorrclcrcncc.
Sausage Sl euthi ng
Ircsh and brown and scrvc sausagcs arc labri
catcd in much thc samc way, at lcast up to a
point. !ork trimmings hom scvcral primal cuts
arc ground, blcndcd with icc , to hclp maintain
tcmpcraturc) and watcr , lor workability) , and
scasoncd. Scvcral cxpcrts strcsscd that thc tri m
mings arc notscraps but picccs oll canandlat
rcmovcd lrom largc primal cuts during thc lab
ricationolrctailcuts. Inquiricsto manulacturcrs
about spccinc typcs and gradcs oltrimmings,
lcan to lat ratios, particlc si zcs, quantitics ol
watcr, scasonings, and casings wcrc uncrring|y
mctwiththcword proprictary."
Ilsausagcsarctobcsoldasabrownandscrvc
product, thcy arc scnt through gigantic cook
crsthatohcnuscstcamandconvcction to cook
thcmto I 7O dcgrccs. Jhcsausagcsthcnmayor
B Y A D A M R I E D E
may not bc scnt to a browning chambcr, whcrc
gasnrcdUamcj ctscnhanccbothcolorandUavor.
Somc sourccs suggcstthatalcsscxpcnsivcwayto
colorthcstcamcookcdsausagcsistodipthcmin
caramcl coloring. Jhc sausagcs arc thcn quickly
coolcdandblasthozcnlorpackaging.
Sausage Surprise
With all this inmind, itcamc as a hugc surprisc
that tlc mlly cookcd, brownand scrvc sausagcs
didcxtrcmclywcllinthctasting,sowcllthatthc
bcst sausagc ovcrall was thc brownand scrvc
productlrom Iarmland,whichscorcda mll two
points highcr, outol I O) thanthchighcst rankcd
lrcshsausagc-alsolromIarmland. Ancrconvcr
sationswithmcatproccssingcxpcrts,Iconcludcd
thatthccxplanationlorournndingsiscontro| .
RogcrMandigool thcInivcrsityol Mcbraska
pointcd outthatm ycookcdsausagcintroduccs
many variablcs, among thcm thc cvaporation
olmoisturc, rcndcring ollat, and dcnaturing
, rcconnguration)olprotcins. Butthcscvariablcs
arca|soopportuniticslormanulacturcrstocngi
nccrthcproduct. Withspccincappcarancc,Uavor,
andtcxturcattributcsinmind,manulacturcrscan
manipulatc thc rccipc, cooking tcmpcraturc,s )
andtimc,andhumiditywithgrcatcxactitudc.
Ior instancc, a Iarmland rcprcscntativc mcn
tioncdoncmcthodthatthccompanyuscstohclp
control thc tcxturc olits brown and scrvc sau
sagc. Immcdiatclyancrstcamcooking,cxccsslat
onthc surlaccolthc sausagcis blown ollathigh
prcssurctorcduccthcpcrccptionol grcasincssby
thcconsumcr. Jhiskindolmanipulationcnsurcs
amorcconsistcntproductwhcnthcsausagcsarc
rchcatcdathomc.
Robcrt Dclmorc )r. at Calilornia !olytcchnic
Statc Inivcrsity mcntioncd anothcr possi bl c
advantagc olmanulacturing brownand scrvc
sausagc.xidationollat,hcsaid,dcgradcsavor.
Many companics combat this cllcct by adding
prcscrvativcs such as propyl gallatc, citric acid,
butylatcd hydroxyanisolc , BHA) , and butyl
atcd hydroxytolucnc , BHJ), but thc quickdccp
lrcczc that brownand scrvc sausagcs undcrgo
during proccssing adds an cxtra lcvcl olprotcc
tionagainstoxidation. Surccnough, ourtasting
borc out this thcory, as tastcrswcrc morc likcly
tousctcrmssuchas oll," musty," stal c, "and
notlrcsh"todcscribcthclrcshsausagcthanthc
brownandscrvc.
L | | b

b I L L U S T R A T E D
Z
Why Farml and?
Rcprcscntativcs lrom Iarmland-makcrs olour
lavoritc brown and scrvc and lrcsh sausagcs-
wcrc quick to ollcr a host ol rcasons lor thcir
product` s supcri ority. nc rcason that stood
outandtrackcdwith myrcscarch was that thcir
brown and scrvc sausagcs arc browncd with a
Uamc rathcr than tintcdwith caramclcolori ng.
Incxtturncdtothcissucollat,whichprovidcs
both avor andj uicincssinsausagc. Wc cnlistcd
an indcpcndcnt lood lab to mcasurc lat contcnt
and uncovcrcd largc disparitics. Somc brands
had as littlc as 22pcrccntlat,whilc othcrs wcrc
ncarly 5O pcrccnt lat , thc maximum allowablc
amount, according to thc I. S. Dcpartmcnt ol
Agriculturc) . Comparing thcsc ngurcs with our
tasting rcsults, thc succcss olIarmland makcs a
lot olscnsc.
With its rclativcly high lat contcnt 44 pcr
ccnt) , Iarmland`shcshsausagcwas dcscribcdby
tastcrsasbcingjuicyandtastingstrong|yolpork.
,Jhctwohcsh sausagcswith highcrlatcontcnts,
Hormc| andSwf, m|cd lor unrclatcd rcasons. )
I ncontrast, tastcrs considcrcd wcns, ncar thc
bottomolthclatcontcntscalc at23pcrccnt,too
bland. Iikcwisc,manytastcrslound)immyDcan
hcsh sausagc, with its rc|ativcly low lat contcnt
ol27pcrccnt,tobcdry.Amongthcbrownand
scrvc sausagcs, Iarmland toppcd thc lat ratings
at ncar|y 4I pcrccnt, which hclps cxplain why
tastcrs loundittoposscss big pork Uavor" and
juicincss.
Anothcr point raiscd by thc cxpcrtswas sca
soning. Jastcrsscrutinizcdcvcrysamplclorsalti
ncss, swcctncss, and spicincss and markcd down
samplcsthcypcrccivcdastoosalty,swcct,orspicy.
Jhc lab could not analyzclorspccincspiccs,and
nonc olthc manulacturcrs wc contactcd would
rcvcalthcirscasoningblcnd thcrcwasthatword
proprictary" again) , but balancc bctwccn salt,
swcct, and spicc was important to our tastcrs,
whorcgardcdIarmlandlavorablyin this rcgard.
Sel ecti on ' Process'
What, tlcn, to buy? Ilwhatyoudcsirc mostin
your pork brcaklast sausagc i s convcnicncc,you
maynowapproachmllycookcd,lrozcnproducts
withoutlcarolsacrincingUavorand rcliablc tcx
turc. Jhis is onc olthosc rarc cascs in which a
proccsscd" tood may in lact bc supcriorto thc
rcalthing. "
TASTI NG BREAKFAST SAUSAGE
Twent-three C: : /`sIhustrattdstaf members tasted 1 4 diferent supenmarket pork sau
sages, i ncl udi ng both fresh and frozen , ful ly cooked brown- and- sere sampl es. The sausages
were pan-fri ed to the same degree of done ness ( 1 65 degrees on an i nstant-read thenmom
eter) , per the manufacturers' cooki ng i nstructi ons, and tasted wanm. Fresh and ful ly cooked
sausages were tasted separtely, with one control i n each l i neup to confi nm the val i di t of
the tests. The top- rated fresh sausage was i ncl uded in the tasti ng of ful ly cooked sausages as
a poi nt of reference. Tasters j udged the sausages for meat ( "fresh pork" ) flavor, sweetness,
and j ui ci ness. Sausages are l i sted below, separated by tpe, i n order of preference.
The fat val ues were detenmi ned by i ndependent l ab tests.


1

]:
UNh
P
F RE S H SAU SAG E S
RECOMMENDED
FARMLND Origi nal Pork Sausage Unks
S 1 . 89 for 1 2 ounces Fat: 43 . 99%
Though salti ness was a common compl ai nt, tasters
found much to l i ke in thi s l i nk, whi ch earned kudos
for "stright- up pork flavor" and "spi ci ness that mel
lows with ever bi te. " Pleasantly sweet and j uicy.
RECOMMENDED WITH RESERONS
BOB EVANS Origi nal Unks
$ 3 . 68 for 1 2 ounces Fat: 27. 2 1 %
Some tasters l i kened the favor of thi s "not-too
sweet" l i nk to a hot dog. but most focused on
obvious ("overhel mi ng") dri ed spi ce flavors,
i ncl udi ng cori ander. whi te pepper. and sage.
OWENS Origi nal Premi um Pork Sausage Unks
$ 3 . 75 for 1 2 ounces Fat: 22. 46%
Ni cely balanced pork flavor, though some consi dered
it too mi l d, even bl and. Tasters col lectively hated the
texture: The words "gristly," "rubber," and "spong"
were used repeatedly.
JI MMY DEN Origi nal Fresh Pork Sausage Unks
$ 3 . 69 for I O ounces Fat: 26. 74%
Several tasters pi cked up on a "cured, " " hammy"
flavor that even remi nded one of " Chi nese wontons, "
but many more decl ared thi s l i nk to be bl and and dr.
JONES Al l Natural Pork Uttle Sausages
$4. 49 for 1 2 ounces Fat: 42. 96%
The smooth texture struck tasters alternately as
greasy or j ui cy. Notes on the flavor were positive,
with praise for " bi g" pork flavor. A vocal mi norit
was stunned by sal t: " Get me some OJ , statl "
NOT RECOMMENDED
HORMEL Uttle Sizl ers Pork Sausage, Origi nal
$ 2. 69 for 1 2 ounces Fat: 47. 1 7%
Most tasters sai d "no thanks" to these "super-salt, "
overly spiced l i nks, whi ch were wi del y thought to
resembl e "Tater Tots" or "fish sti cks. "
SWIF PREMI UM Fresh Pork Sausage
$ 3 . 5 9 for 1 2 ounces Fat: 47. 66%
Tasted "gamey" and "processed" to many panel ists.
one of whom even l i kened the sampl e to Sl i m J i m
beef jerk. Sal ti ness was al so a common compl ai nt.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y
Z /
bLSLVLKLL5PU5PLL
FARMLND Pork Sausage Unks, Ful ly Cooked
$ 2. 69 for 1 2 ounces Fat: 40. 82%
Tasters l auded thi s l i nk for " big pork flavor, " good
bal ance of salt and sweet, and "ni ce, l i ngering spi ci
ness. " Accolades di dn' t end there; compl i ments
were al so garnered for tender. "super-j ui cy" meat.
F U LLY COO K E D, F ROZE N SAUSAG E S
2 0 0 6
RECOMMENDED WIH RESERONS
ARMOUR Brown 'N Sere Origi nal Ful ly Cooked
Sausage Unks
S 1 . 99 for 7 ounces Fat: 3 3 . 79%
Anmour' s hal l mark was tenderess, so much so that
one taster thought the texture was "suspi ci ous. " A
few compl ai nts about sal tiness, but most found the
sweetness and salti ness wel l bal anced and the pork
flavor "decent. "
OWENS Express Ful ly Cooked Regul ar
Mi crowaveable Pork Sausage Unks
S 2. 89 for 8 ounces Fat: 3 1 . 05%
The mi ddl e-of-the- road fat content made for a
mi ddl e-of- the-road l i nk, with di scerni bl e flavors of
pork and spi ce that some perceived as mi l d, even
" bori ng. " Texture viewed as fi ne and fi rm.
JONES Gol den Brown Ful ly Cooked & Browned
Sausage, Mi l d Unks
$ 2 . 5 9 for 8 ounces Fat: 38. 86%
Pork flavor was lost on tasters, who cried "stal e, "
"funk, " and " bizarre. " Comments on texture were
spl i t al most evenly beteen "greasy" and "j ui cy. "
BOB EVANS Express Ful ly Cooked Original
Mi crowaveable Pork Sausage Unks
$ 2 . 5 9 for 8 ounces Fat: 28. 70%
Nearly ever taster thought the casi ng was tough,
gi vi ng the l i nk "too much snap . . . l i ke a hot dog. "
Most deemed the flavor fresh and subtl e, though
some compl ai ned of "massive sage overload. "
NOT RECOMMENDED
SWI F PREMI UM Sizle ' N Sere Ful ly Cooked
Sausage
$ 3 . 5 9 for B ounces Fat: 3 5 . 66%
Tasters were overwhel med by sal t. so much so that
several l i kened thi s l i nk to a "salt l i ck. " Tasters who
coul d get beyond the sal t were bothered by a
"cafeteria flavor. "
J I MMY DEN Fresh Taste. Fast! Original Ful ly
Cooked Pork Sausage Unks
$4. 1 9 for 9. 6 ounces Fat: 3 6. 1 5%
I nstead of pork flavor, more tasters noted hi nts of
bacon, beef, and hot dogs. as wel l as a strong smoki
ness that "totally domi nated. "
Do Gril Pans Realy Gril?
Gril l ing outside means bol d f l avors and attractive char marks-and waiting for decent
weather. Can a grill pan transport the hot grate from the backyard to the stovetop?
C
ookingovcrlivctrrcimpartsmorcthan
j ustavor.Dishcsmadconthcgrillhavc
thatsmoldcring,comc hithcrlook,too.
Jhc tclltalc charrcd, dark brown lincs
|romthc hotgratc glori[|oodsj ust as ncatpin
stripcs acccnt thc irrcsistiblc contours o|a scxy
Italiansportscar.
Whcn inclcmcnt wcathcr , or lack o|cquip
mcnt)prohibitsusc o|agrill,manyrccipcwritcrs
rccommcnd thc stovctop grill pan as thc ncxt
bcstoption. Basicallyaskillct, orsautcpan)with
raiscdridgcssplaycdacrossthccookingsur|acc, a
grillpanisdcsigncdto dclivcr grill markssimilar
to thosc madc on an outdoor grill . But whilc
brcathlcss rccommcndations |rom cookbook
authors and othcr |ood writcrs arc allwcll and
good, I couldn` t hclp but wondcr. Was thcrc
morc to cooking in grill pans than mcrc looks
, thoscbcguilingstripcs) ? Couldthcyrcallyrcpli-
catcsomco|thcavorproduccdonarcalgrill ?
Getti ng i nto the Groove(s)
Iirst,I hadtonarrowthcncld.Grillpanscomcin
adizzyingarrayo|matcrials,shapcs,andsizcs-
small andlargc, squarc and round, castiron and
aluminum, with stainlcss stccl , cnamclcd, and
nonstick sur|accs. I purchascd rcprcscntativcs o|
cachandcmbarkcdonaprctcstingmarathonthat
includcdpoundsandpoundso|bcc|,vcgctablcs,
and nsh. Shapc and sizc turncd out to mattcr
much lcss than matcri al , and i t soon bccamc
apparcntthataluminumwasthconlywaytogo.
Why? Jhc aluminum pans wcrc lightcr and so
casicr to handl c, and thcy produccd morc dis
tinctgrillmarksthanthcircastironcountcrparts.
Which makcs scnsc, givcn thataluminum con
ductshcatmorcc|ncicntlythancastiron. ) What` s
morc,ittookjustoncultrastickyroundo|glazcd
salmonto makc mc dccidc that nonstick alumi
numisa bcttcrchoiccthana traditional sur|acc.
Scrubbingthc sticky, burnt glazc and salmonlat
? B Y A D A M R I E D E
|rom bctwccn cach and cvcry ridgc was, to put
itpolitcly, amajorchorcwith bothcastiron and
stainlcss stccl . , 1hat sai d, lor a grcat grill-pan
clcaningaid,scc GrillSpongc.Good|orGctting
thcGunkut? "bclow. )
Jhc mll tcsting, thcn,would locus on alumi
num, nonstick coatcd grill pans. A a|tcrnoon
o|shopping yicldcd cight modcls, with priccs
ranginglrom S4O to ovcrthrcc timcs as much.
Somc had widc ridgcsandothcrsdid not. Surcly
a|cwdaysatthcstovcwouldhclpdctcrminctHc
importancco|dcsigndillcrcnccs,nottomcntion
scttlcmyqucstionsabouttl+cgrillpans`abilityto
impartgrillcdtlavor.
Jo gaugc howwcll thc pans produccd attrac
tivcgrill marks,Inccdcdto cooksomcthingwith
a|airlyuni|ormsur|acc.Bonclcsschickcnbrcasts?
Eggplantplanks? Motquitcthc uni|ormityI was
looking|or. Butatriptothchomcimprovcmcnt
storc produccd cxactlywhat I occdcd. standard
two bylourpincboardscutinto8 i nchlcngths.
Back in tlc tcst kitchcn, I opcncd all thc win
dows, scttlc vcntilation systcm on ovcrdrivc to
dissipatc tlc smokc, and spcnttwo days buming
grill marks into wood, as collcagucs lookcd on
indisbclic|. Itwasanoddnotion, butitworkcd.
I cndcd up with an cquitablc and pcrmancnt
mcmcnto o|cach pan's pcr|ormancc . In gcn-
cral , thcpanswithwidcrridgcsproduccdwidcr,
dccpcrgrillmarksthanpanswithnarrowridgcs.
Illustrativcasthccharrcdlumbcrwas,Ingurcd
I`d bcttcrcooksomcrcal|ood, too. Iulltcsting
o|thc cight pans with hamburgcrs, Uank stcak,
salmon hllcts, swordhsh stca|s, chickcn brcast
cutlcts, panini , Italian stylc grillcd sandwichcs) ,
andsliccdzucchinitaugHtmcalcwthingsabout
cookingwithgrillpans.
Iirst, to dcvclop appcti zing grill marks, thc
pan must bc prchcatcd. Sccond, it`s bcst to usc
a modicum o||at. Inmytcsts, ali ghtcoatingo|
oilrcsultcdinniccrstripcsthandryloodinadry
Gri l l Spo : Good for Getti the Gunk Out?
Te ridges of a gri l l pan-even a nonsti ck model -can be a cl eani ng nightmare,
thanks to the charred, stick gunk that col l ects i n the crevices. So we
were i mpressed when we came across the Geore Foreman Gri l l Sponge
($4. 99 for three) : Half polyester sponge, half scouri ng pad, its uni que
grooved shape i s designed to ft easi l y beteen the ridges on Geore
Foreman-brnd i ndoor gri l l s. Lucki ly, that al so happens to be j ust the right
size for cl eani ng all of our favorite gri l l pans, most of which have si mi l arly
wide spaces between the ridges. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmith
G ROOVY PAD
Thi s special ized sponge for gri l l pans
i s not j ust a gi mmick.
L | l b

l L | L | l ^ 1 l |
2 8
Grate Expectati ons
Ater weeks of testi ng, we devel oped some cl ear prefer
ences as to gri l l pan design.
H OLLOW VI CTORY
In general , ridges constructed by i ndenti ng the underside of
the pan (l eft) produced superi or gri l l marks to pans
with solid di sk bottoms (right) .
G O WI DE
Cooking wood pl anks l et us compare pan performance on a
l evel playi ng fi el d and confirmed our obseration that pans
with wi de ridges (l eft) produced more substantial char
marks than those with sl ender ridges (right) .
pan. , Bcsidcs, |or sa|cty` s sakc you should not
ovcrhcatancmptynonstickpan. ) Jhird,cooking
|oods witl widc, at sur|accs will hclp any grill
pan do its bcst. Iorinstancc, broad, at sword
hsh stcaks dcvclopcd dccpcr, morc consistcnt
grillmarks than salmonhllcts,whichhavc natu
rally uncvcn sur|accs. Iikcwisc, |or hamburgcrs
to dcvclop dark, ruddy grill marks, thc pattics
should bc|ormcdwitlpcr|cctlyatsur|accs.
Al l o| our wi nncrs sharcd onc trai t. It
wasn`t pricc, thc two lcast cxpcnsivc modcls i n
thc lincup-thc S4O Calphalon and thc S5O
A.olon-wcrcrccommcndcd. Itwasn`tmatcrial,
sinccallthcpanswcrcaluminum.Itwastlcdcsign
o|thc ridgcs. ur|avoritc pans had widc ridgcs
/
|
: inch ormorc) , whi ch bcgat widc, substan
tial grill marks ontl+c |ood-rcsultingin largcr
arcaso|caramclizationand, thus,navor. Incon
trast, pans with t hc narrowcst ridgcs Vi : inch
or lcss ) , thc Look and thc Scanpao, produccd
tlinncr,lcssdcvclopcdmarks.What`smorc,both
RTI NGS
GOOD: ***
FR: **
POOR: *
K/1lC 'S1l 'l CKlLL l/S
We tested ei ght nonsti ck al umi
num gri l l pans (square shaped,
whenever possi bl e) and eval uated
them accordi ng to the criteria
l i sted bel ow. When manufacturers
offered more than one gri l l pan
that satisfi ed our rubri c, we chose
thei r best-sel l i ng or recommended
model . Tests were performed over
gas burers on the professi onal -grade
rnges in our test kitchen. lhe pans
are l i sted i n order of preference.
PRI CE: Prices pai d i n Boston- area
stores, nati onal mai l -order catalogs,
or onl i ne stores.
MATERIAL: Materials from whi ch
the pan i s made.
WEI GHT: A measured i n the test
kitchen, rounded to the nearest
ounce.
RI DGE WI DTH: A measured i n the
test kitchen.
PERFORMANCE: We pan-gri l l ed
hamburer; fank steaks: swordfish
steaks; ski nl ess, boneless chi cken
breast cutl ets; glazed sal mon: thi ck
pani ni sandwi ches; and sl i ced fresh
zucchi ni . For each test, the col or,
evenness, and qual i t of the gri l l
marks were most i mportant. Scores
of good, fair, or poor were assigned
for each test, and the agregate score
determi ned the overl l performance
rting.
CLNUP: Ater each test, we
cleaned the pans by hand, with hot
water and l i quid dish deterent. Pns
that washed up wi th l i ttle efort were
rated good.
( RECOMME NDE D
Si mply Cal phalon Nonsti ck
1 3 " Round Gri l l Pn
PR| CE . $ 3 9.95
MATER| A| Anodized aluminum with
nonstick coating, steel handle
Pmpered Chef Professi onal
Cookare I I " Square Gri l l Pn
PR| CE. $95.00
MATEK| AL. Anodized aluminum with
nonstick coating, phenolic handle
Anolon Advanced 1 2" Covered
Deep Round Gri l l Pn
PR| CE. $49.95
MATER| AL. Anodized aluminum with
nonstick coating, silicone rubber-coated
stainless steel handle
Siss Diamond I I " Square
Gri l l Pn
PR| CE. $ 1 29.99
MATER| AL. Cast aluminum with nonstick
coating, phenolic handles
Al l - Clad LT. I I " Square
Gri l l e Pn
PK| CE. $69.99
MATER| AL. Complete aluminum core
with anodized aluminum exterior and
MATER| AL. Cast aluminum with nonstick
coating on interior and exterior,
phenolic handle
Lok Nonstick Square Gri l l Pn,
1 011"
PR| CE . $90.00
MATER| AL. Cast aluminum with nonstick
coating, phenolic handle
Scanpan Classic 1 011" Nonstick
Square Gril l Pn
PR| CE. $ 1 04.9 5
MATER| AL. Cast aluminum with nonstick
coating, phenolic handle
WE | G HT.
R| DGE W| DTH.
PERFORMAMCE .
CLEAMUP .
WE | G HT.
R| DGE W| DTH .
PERFORMAMCE .
CLEAMUP .
WE | G HT.
R| DGE W| DTH .
PERFORMAMCE .
CLEAMUP .
WE | GHT.
R| DGE W| DTH .
PERFORMAMCE .
CLEAMUP .
WE | GHT.
R| DGE W| DTH .
PERFORMAMCE .
CLEAMUP .
WE | GHT.
R| DGE W| DTH .
PERFORMAMCE .
CLEAMUP .
WE | G HT.
R| DGE W| DTH .
PERFORMAMCE .
CLEAMUP .
WE | G HT:
R| DGE W| DTH.
PERFORMAMCE .
CLEAMUP .
2 1 b I I oz TESTE RS' COMM EMTS . The wi de- body of
lfa u the li neup tumed out an impressive flank
*** steak, wi th wi de, ni cely developed grill
*** marks. Best-i n-class pri ci ng and generous
cooking area pushed i t to the top slot.
3 1 b TESTERS' COM M EMTS. Gorgeous sword-
5/t 6 1 1 fish emered from thi s pan, drwing a crowd
*** of admi rers. forks i n hand and poised to
*** pounce. Nar a misstep i n any test. Available
only from Pmpered Chef sles reps.
3 lb 6 oz TESTEKS' COMME MTS . P even-tempered
5/t 6 11 performer that won' t break the bank.
*** Impressive showing on the burer. sword-
*** fish, chicken cutlets, and zucchini .
3 1 b l 4 oz TES TERS ' C OMM E MTS . A heavy-searing
5/t 6 1 1 star that produced beautiful grill marks. Its
*** weight helped i t overcome the cast design
*** (we generlly preferred hollow ridges).
3 1 b 6 oz TESTERS' COMME MTS . Matched the other
l/a
n
recommended pans i n most ways. but stood
** out in none. Unevenly marked zucchini cost
*** i t a crucial perormance point.
3 1 b TE STE RS ' CO M M E MTS . Closely spaced
lfa u ridges are to thank for faint, uninspiring grill
** marks-and utter lack of charred favor-in
*** nearly ever test.
3 1 b 1 2 oz TESTERS' COMME MTS . Grill marks' Pss the
3/t 6 1 1 magnifing glass. please. Choked on both
** heavy and light searing tasks, with grill mars
*** as disappointing on the fish as they were on
the zucchini.
3 1 b TESTE RS ' C OMME MTS . Tall, ti ght ri dges
1
/t 6 1 1 made i t harder to clean than some. and for
** what? Faint grill marks and a si gni ficantly
** lightened wallet.
thc Iook and thc Scanpan pcrtormcd worsc in
thc sinkas wcl| . Jhc vallcys bctwccn thc narrow
ridgcswcrctightandrcquircdanunwantcdcxtra
round olscrubbing and scraping to gct clcan,
cvcnthoughthcsurtaccwasnonstick.
Iina|ly, I noticcd a tairly consistcnt corrcla
tion bctwccn pcrtormancc andthc mcthoduscd
to construct thc ridgcs. Jhcrc arc two basic
approachcs . ithcrthc ridgcs arc punchcd into
thcmctalhom thc bottom, lcavingindcntations
opcnto thc hcat sourcc, orthc pan is cast trom
moltcnmctal ,mcaningthatthcridgcsarctormcd
bythcmold, scctopphotos, pagc28) . Castpans
havc a so|id bottom surtacc, without cxposcd
indcntations . In gcncral , thc pans with opcn
indcntations dclivcrcd bcttcr gri|| marks . Why?
Jhc intcrior otcach ridgc was dircctly cxposcd
tothchcatsourcc,whichtaci|itatcdhcattranstcr.
,Jhccxccptiontothisru|cisthcSwissDiamond,
whichhasaso|idbottomsurtaccbutwasa|sothc
hcavicstpaninthc group. )
|ikcd thc morc robust |lavor ot thc stcaks and
burgcrswc cookcd outsidc, manytastcrsactua||y
prclcrrcd thc morc dclicatc grillcd Uavorotzuc
chinicookcdinthcgri|lpans .
Arc gri|l pans worth buying? Ccrtai n|y, thcy
can`t rcplacc a rca| gril l . But tor wintcrtimc in
thc Snow Bclt , or any timc in thc Apartmcnt
Bclt" ) , mytcsts provcd thata grillpancanmakc
a practical substitutc, cspccially whcn you want
to grill" panini and tairly dclicatc toods such
as nsh or vcgctablcs. And with its modcst S4O
pricctag,widcridgcs, andcasilyclcancdnonstick
surtacc, our topratcd Calphalon grill pan makcs
thc minorindulgcnccolanoncsscntialcookwarc
itcmsccmdownrightrcasonab|c.
Fl avor Face- Of
Jhc rccommcndcd gri|l pans had provcd thcir
ability to drcss a varicty ottoods tor succcss in
dark, cvcn, nicc|y charrcd stripcs. But did thcy
dclivcranyadvantagcintcrmsot|lavor? Happi ly,
ycs-though thc gri|| pans could not caramc|izc
toodasclncicntlyasanoutdoorgril|and,hcncc,
providcd a subtlcr grill Uavor. Whilc our tastcrs
! ^ ' l ^ H Y c | |. l \ H l ^ H Y 2 0 0 6
Z '
K I TC HEN NOTES
3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
tri m" to thc mix. Inlikc Shoppi ng: Ground Beef
Whilc dcvclopingour GlazcdMcat
Loalrccipc ,pagc I ) , wc got thc
bcsttcxnrc bycombiningtwotypcs
olground bccl. lcan sirloinandlat
ticrchuck.Easycnough,cxccptthat
manysupcrmarkctsscllgroundbccl
labclcd not by primal cut chuck,
round, sirloin, and so on) but by
lcan/latpcrccntagc. Wcnwc tricd
substituting thc appropriatc pcr
ccntagcs , 8O/2O lorchuck,O/I O
lorsirloin) , thc rcsultingloavcshad
rcmarkably i nconsistcnt tcxturcs,
somc turncd out moi st and tcn
dcr, whi l c othcrs wcrc gristly and
nbrous.
l argc oll s i tc packi ng
laci l i ti cs , supcrmarkct
butchcrs don` t usual ly
havcthccxpcnsivccquip
mcntrcquircdtomcasurc
lat contcnt accuratcly, so
thcir product is lcss con
sistcnt than bccl that`s
groundollsitc.
T E C H N I Q U E I PREPARING FRESH PEARL ONI ONS
We thi nk frozen pearl oni ons taste j ust as good as fnesh-and they' r much l ess troubl e. I f you can
fi nd on fresh. here are some surival tactics.
How much l css? 1o
nnd out, wc bought 3O
packagcs olground bccl
lrom dillcrcnt groccry
storcs in thc samc chain.
I O labclcd chuck, which
naturally has about 2O
pcrccnt lat, !O l abcl cd
I . Trim the root and stem 2. Boi l for I mi nute, shock
end of each pearl oni on and in ice water. then peel a thi n
3. Remove any remammg
outer ski n-l i ke peel i ng of a
j acket. di scard. stri p from root to stem.
Iuzzl cd, wc contactcd Davcy
Grilnn, a mcat spccialist at 1cxas
A&M Inivcrsi ty, who cxpl ai ncd
that supcrmarkcts havc two choiccs
whcn it comcs to ollcring ground
bcclby lcan/lat pcrccntagc. 1hcy
can buyit ground and individually
packagcd at an oll sitc lacility, or
thcy can buylargcamounts lrom a
wholcsalcr in chub packs, " grind
ingthcm mrthcrin thc storcwhilc
adding somc ol thcir own shop
8O/2O, packcd and proccsscd i n
storc,and IOlabclcd8O/2O, packcd
andproccsscdollsitc. llthcywcnt
tothclablorlat analysis.
A wcck l atcr, wc had surprising
rcsults. Jhcpackagcsolchuckwcrc
within 2 pcrccnt olthc cxpcctcd
lat contcnt. ot too shabby. Jhc
8O/2O bccl packcd oll sitc lcl l
wi thi n thc samc rangc . But thc
8O/2Opackcdinstorc?Way ollthc
mark-by asmuchas7pcrccnt' Mo
wondcrourloavcswcrc allovcrthc
map. Ior a rccipc dcsigncd around
8O/2O ground bccl, 87 /I 3"j ust
didn`tcutit. , Jhat`slikcusingrcgu
larmilki narccipcthatcallslorhall
andhal | )
Solorrccipcsthatcalllorground
bcclwith spcci hc lat pcrccntagcs,
wc rccommcnd buyi ng packagcs
l abcl cd by primal cut or packagcd
T E s T 1 N G E o u 1 p M E N T : j ust Smoke and Mi rrors?
Al though we came up wi th an i ndoor method to produce great smok ri bs (see Oven- Barbecued Spareri bs. page I I ) . we won
dered whether the i ndoor smokers on the market were worth an extra tri p to the store and a hol e burned i n our pockets. We
tested three model s-two for the stovetop. one for the oven. Conceptual ly. the stovetop model s make perect sense: A cl osed
chamber (si mi l ar to a large pot with a l i d. fitted with an i nteri or rack to hold the food) i s pl aced over a burner; wood chi ps pl aced
i n the bottom of the chamber smoke the food . Despi te turni ng out smok. tender ri bs to rival outdoor versi ons. the stovetop
cookers had major faws. One l eaked enough smoke to overhel m the test kitchen ' s i ndustri al -grde venti l ati on hoods. whi l e
the other had a size and shape (smal l and round) that requi red us to cook the ri bs i n mul ti pl e batches.
The one opti on that wowed us was the SAVU Smoker Bag. whi ch ( l i ke our reci pe) kept the smoke i n the oven. Thi s si mpl e
system-a mi xture of ground wood chi ps. hardwood syrup. and natural sugars contai ned wi thi n the wal l s of a large foi l bag
al l owed the smoke to pass through smal l perforti ons in the foi l to get to the food contai ned wi thi n. The ribs emerged j ui cy.
tender. and-after a qui ck run under the broi l er-ni cel y crusted. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
S MOKE S I G NALS
Te CMERON$ Stovetop Smoker
( $37. 95) i s the right shape. but
remove your smoke-al arm batteri es.
TOO WE LL ROU ND E D
Smoke stays where i t bel ongs i n
the VI UAWARE Stovetop Smoker
( $69. 99) , but ri bs aren ' t round.
BE ST I N DOOR S MOKE R
SAVU Smoker Bags ( $ 3 . 49 each) are
vi rtual ly fool proof and produce wel l
bal anced smoki ness.
C O OK
'
S ILLUSTR A TE D
30
by an oll sitc distributor. Look lor
thc dcsignation Iackcd in namc
olcityj "onthclabcl .
Breaki ng i n Hal f (and Half)
Inthctcstkitchcn,wc`vcloundthat
hallandhal lisnotasuitablcsubsti
tutc lor hcavy crcam whcn making
sauccs, soups, or casscrolc hllings,
thanks to i ts tcndcncy to brcak
at hi gh tcmpcraturcs . Wc always
assumcdthiswasamattcrollatcon
tcnt-thcprincipalprotcinsindairy
, callcd casein) coat thc globulcs ol
lat, hclping to stabilizc thc cmul
sion, thc morc lat, thc morc stablc.
Butwhil c tcsting daryproducts i n
our Chickcn Iot Iic scc pagc 7),
wc cxpcricnccd no brcaking prob
lcms whcn wc tricd a combi na
ti on olmi l k and hcavy crcam that
cqualcdthc latcontcntolhalland
hal|Wythcdillcrcncc?
Jurnsout, it` s a mattcrolproc
cssing. Storc bought hallandhall
ishomogcnizcdtoprcvcntthcscpa
rationollatovcralongshcllpcriod.
, Jhc nanral tcndcncyolthc lat i n
hall and hal li s to scparatc i nto a
top l aycr olcrcam ill cnstanding. )
1his highprcssurc trcatmcnt also
disturbsthcintcractionbctwccnlat
andcascin,allcctingthcstabilityol
hallandhallwhcn cxposcdtohigh
hcat. Hcav, crcam is sparcd thc
homogcni zati on proccss bccausc
it advcrscly allccts loam lormation
, andsoinhibitswhipping) .
Reachi ng the Perect Peak
Wc`vc always strcsscd thc impor
tancc otwhipping cgg whitcs j ust
to thc sonpcak stagc , no morc, no
lcss)bctorcgcntlytoldingthcmlnto
cakc battcrs, mousscs, or souhcs.
Whisking causcs thctightly wound
cgg protcins to rclax and unwind,
cvcntually ovcrlappi ng, bonding,
and trapping air i n thc torm ot
loosc bubblcs-and thcrcbycrcat
ing volumc i n thc rcsulting dish.
Ovcrwhipping causcs thc protcin
strands to gotromclasticto brittlc,
andmuchotthcstructurcislost.
Jhat`s all nnc in thcory, but
how much damagc docs undcr or
ovcrwhipping rcally inict? Jo nnd
out,wcmadcscvcralbatchcsotour
GrandMarnicrSouhc, Scptcmbcr/
Octobcr2OOO) andDarkChocolatc
Moussc, pagc23) , varyingthccgg
whitc consistcncy cach timc. Jhc
rcsults wcrc i ntcrcsti ng. In thc
casc otchocolatc moussc, only thc
undcrwhippcd whitcs , thosc that
could not quitc hol d a sott pcak
whcn thc whisk was l i ttcd trom
thc bowl ) produccd a mcdi ocrc
tcxturc-too l oosc and wct. Both
sohpcak and ovcrwhippcd whitcs
yicldcd acccptablc mousscs. But in
thcsouhc,thcovcrwhippcdwhitcs
showcd thcir truc naturc-spongy
anddry,with noticcablylcssvolumc
attcr baki ng. Jhc undcrwhi ppcd
whitcs didn` t quitc nl l thc souhc
dish, but this dccrcasc in volumc
wasbarclypcrccptiblcancrbaking.
ur conclusion? Ior all rccipcs,
bakcd ornot, hitting tlc sonpcak
stagc spot on i s i dcal . Ior bakcd
applications,it`sbcttcrtocrronthc
sidcotslightlyundcrwhipping,lcav
ingthc cggprotcinsclasticcnough
to rcspondwcll to thc ovcn` s hcat.
But whcn thc whippcd whitcs will
notbcbakcd-whcnpurcvolumcis
thcgoal-ovcrwhippingisthclcsscr
ottwocvils.
UNDE RWH I PPED OVE RWH I PPE D J U ST RI G HT
r A s r l N G : Are Al l Store- Bought Pi e Crusts Awul ?
A fak, butter homemade pi e crust i s the ul ti mate crown for our Chi cken Pot Pi e
(page 7) , but i t' s al so a fai r amount of work. How much woul d we sacrifice by usi ng a
store-bought crust i nstead? To fi nd out, we tried severl tpes and brnds-both dr mixes
EASY AS . . .
PI UBURY JUS UNROL! PI E CRUS
$2. 79 for to 9-i nch crusts
Te hard par is over, and the flavor
and texture are fi ne.
WRONG PROBL E M
PI UBURY PI E CRUS MIX
$ 1 . 39 for to 9-i nch crusts
Saves mixing dr i ngredients, but
that's not the hard par.
(just add water) and ready- made crusts, ei ther
frozen or refrigerted-i n reci pes for chi cken pot
pi e and custard pi e.
The dr mi xes, i ncl udi ng Bett Crocker
( $ 1 . 69) , Ji f ( $0. 99) , Krusteaz ( $ 3 . 28) , and
Pi l l sbur ( $ 1 . 39) , al l had probl ems. Some were
too salt, some were too sweet, and al l requi red
both mi xi ng and rol l i ng-not much work saved.
Homemade pastry i sn ' t much more di fi cul t,
and i ts flavor and texture are i nfi ni tel y better.
Frozen crusts, i ncl udi ng Mrs. Smi th ' s (al so sol d
as Oronoque Orchards, $ 2. 69) and Pi l l sbur
Pet- Ri t ( $2. 69) , were the ul ti mate ti mesavers
(zero prep needed) , but tasters found them
past and bl and, and i t was nearly i mpossi bl e
to pr them from the fi msy foi l "pi e pl ate" i n
whi ch they are sol d. The one refrigerated con
tender, Pi l l sbur J ust Unrol l ' Pie Crusts, wasn ' t
bad. Though the flavor was somewhat bl and,
i t wasn ' t ofensive, and t he crust baked up to
an i mpressive fl aki ness. Better yet, thi s ful ly
prepared product comes rol l ed up and i s fex
i bl e enough to top a pi e or l i ne one of your own
(nondi sposabl e) pi e pl ates. -G. C.
Kc L | | c O | L1c
Orange- Fl avored Chi cken . . . wi th Beef
We weren' t surpri sed when readers asked how they coul d modi f our reci pe for
Orange- Fl avored Chi cken (May/J une 2005) to use beef i nstead. After al l ,
the beef versi on i s j ust as common on Chi nese- restaurant menus. We tested
beef tenderl oi n , si rl oi n, round, and bl ade steaks, cutti ng the steaks i nto l - i nch
cubes. Si rl oi n and round were too tough. True to i ts name, tenderl oi n was l uxuri
ously tender, but i t' s an expensive cut to hi de beneath a crunchy fri ed coati ng and
pungent sauce, and most tasters fel t i t l acked beef favor. Bl ade steak was beef
enough to stand up to the sweet-and-spi cy orange sauce, but i t was chewy.
With no sol uti on i n mi nd for addi ng beef favor to the tenderl oi n (or for l ow
ering i ts pri ce) , we focused on tenderi zi ng the i nexpensive, beef blade steak.
Longer cooki ng and/ or smal l er pi eces seemed l i ke the best bets. Because the
coating was comi ng out ni cely gol den at 3 mi nutes, we deci ded to first tr reduc
i ng the si ze and al teri ng the shape, cutti ng l 1/2 by '12 - i nch stri ps. Success-the
bi te-si zed pi eces cooked to a greater degree of doneness and became more
tender in the process. (See Cook' s Extra, bel ow, for the reci pe. )
Gri l l ed Pizza wi thout a Gri l l ?
We know wel l the yearni ng for gri l l ed foods when col d weather makes outdoor
cooki ng i nconveni ent. So when reader asked how to prepare our Gri l led
Tomato and Cheese Pizas Uuly/August 2005) i ndoors, we were happy to
obl ige. Our i ni ti al thought was to use a pizza stone, but we qui ckl y ran i nto size
i ssues: Whi l e pi zza stones are pl ent big for one lare pi e, four i ndivi dual pizzas
are a tight fi t. The sol uti on came to us when we spi ed a col l eague di l i gentl y testing
an arsenal of gri l l pans a few stati ons over (see page 28 for the test resul ts) . Coul d
we modi f our gri l l ed pi zza reci pe for the stovetop wi th mi ni mal changes?
Gi vi ng the pizza appeal i ng char mar was no probl er. But we di d make a few
adj ustments. We needed an extra brush of oi l on the pan surface to avoi d sti cki ng
and overcharri ng, and we cooked the fi rst si de of the dough over medi um- high
heat for 2 to 3 mi nutes, then lowered the heat to medi um for the second. Once
the four pizzas were i ndivi dual ly "gri l l ed, " we topped them wi th garl i c oi l , toma
toes, and cheese and popped them i nto a 400- degree oven (on a rck- l i ned bak
i ng sheet) unti l the cheese mel ted. (See Cook' s Extra, bel ow, for the reci pe. )
Nutl ess Oatmeal - Nut Cooki es
Several readers wrote us aski ng why our Chocolate-Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
with Pecans and Dried Cherries ( May/J une 2005) spread too much when
they omi tted the pecans. Was there a way to get thi ck, chew cooki es wi thout
the nuts? Whi l e we often make nuts opti onal , i n thi s reci pe the nuts are l ess a
garni sh than an i ntegral part of the cooki es' structure. Wi thout them, the cook
i es spread too much. To fi nd a nutl ess sol uti on, we tried adjusti ng the other
i ngredi ents to compensate. Si mpl y repl aci ng the nuts with an equal vol ume of
dri ed cherri es and chocol ate was a fai l ure: The cookies were too sweet, chewy,
and dense. But addi ng another addi ti onal cup of oats (the same amount of nuts
we had removed) produced cooki es that hel d up wel l agai nst the origi nal . (See
Cook' s Extra, bel ow, for the reci pe. )
-Compi l ed by Ni na West
I F YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a reci pe, l et us know. Send your i nqui r, name,
address, and dayti me tel ephone number to Reci pe Update, Cook' s I l l ustrted,
P. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or write to reci peupdate@bcpress. com.
----.. Go to www. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code I 06 1 0 for Orange- Fl avored Beef.
Key in code I 06 1 I for I ndoor Gri l l ed Tomato and Cheese Pizas.
Key in code I 061 2 for Chocol ate- Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with
Dri ed Cherries.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6
l
E QU I P MENT CORNE R
3 B Y G A R T I I C L I N G I N G S M I T I I E
E QU I P M E NT TE STI N G
High- Design Bundt Pns
Inour)anuary/Icbruary2OO4tcst
ing ol Bundt pans, ordi cWarc` s
Ilatinum Scri cs Classic I 2 Cup
BundtIanS32)car
ricdthcday,thanks
to clcan, distinctly
dcnncdcontours.So
Givcnthatnonstickskillcts domorc
cgg scrambling and stirlrying than
highhcatpanroasting,wc tookan
othcr look at thc ncw Iarbcrwarc
Millcnnium. In a rctcst, tl+c sturdy
pan` s stovctop pcr
lormancc matchcd
that olthc rctircd
Mi l l cnni um, and
tcstcrs actually grcw it was with suspicion
thatwc cycd thc com
pany`s claboratc dcsigns
lor Bundt cakcs shapcd
likcstars,cathcdrals,and
Ucursdclis.Jonndout
HARD TO HAN DLE
Bakes great. but good
l uck i nverting cake.
lond ol thc cxtra hcat
protccti on ollcrcd by
thc siliconc handlc. In
lightolthcIarbcrwarc`s
widc distribution and
rcasonablcS3. 5pricc, how thcy mcasurcd up,
wcchosctwo dcsigns, tl+c chrysan
thcmum and thc holiday trcc, and
madcourIcmonBundtCakcrccipc
sccpagc25) .
urmisgivings wcrc lor naught.
Bothpansbrowncdwcll,andrclcasc
wasclcan. Jhcrcwasj ustoncprob
lcm. no handl cs, which madc thc
lancy pans dilncult to invcrt whcn
rcmovingthccakc. Inarcpcattcst,
wc inadvcrtcntly trimmcd" onc
of te holiday trccs by about an
inch. ) Sowc canrccommcndthcsc
highdcsign Bundtpansonlytcnta
tivcly-handlcswouldscalthcdcal .
P RO D U CT U P DATE
Cheap Nonstick Ski l l et
Wc wcrcn` t cxactly thrillcd whcn
Iarbcrwarc updatcd our lavoritc
incxpcnsivc nonsti ck skillct-thc
I 2i nch Iarbcrwarc Mi l l cnni um
I 8/I O Stainlcss onstick-with a
siliconc handlc. vcn salc only to
35O dcgrccs,siliconc handlcs limita
pan`s usc in tl+c ovcn. Sowc tcstcd
ourwayto a worthysubstitutc. thc
Wollgang Puck Bistro mclct Pan.
But, wc`vc lound thc availability ol
thcWollgangIuckpantobcspotty.
G ET A G RI P
Were we too hard o n soft handl es?
wc`vc ovcrcomc our rcscrvati ons .
)ust don` tput itundcrthc broilcr.
E Q U I P M E NT TE STI N G
Pni ni Presses
A panini prcss or grill prcss ) is a
hcavy piccc olmctal uscd to makc
panini, Italian stylc toastcd sand
wichcswcightcd downwhilc thcy
cook to yicld a compact nlling and
crispcrust. Ianini prcsscsarchcatcd
alongwiththcgrill,grillpan,orskil
lcttorcducccookingtimcandmakc
it unncccssary to Uip thc sandwich.
Iorsuchasimplcconccpt,thcrcarc
plcnty oldcsign choiccs-hcavy or
light, round or squarc, cast iron or
cast aluminum, smooth or ridgcd.
Wc bought scvcn modcls and cm
barkcdonapaninimarathon.
Wcightturncdouttobcthcmost
signitcant lactor, with thc hcavy
cast ironprcsscsbcatingoutlightcr
aluminum modcl s. Ridgcdsurlaccs
madcthchandsomcstripcsthatwc
pri zc, and rcctangularprcsscswcrc
morcpracticalthanroundlorkccp
i ng sandwi chcs adcquatcl y cov
crcd. AIl Clad`s Grillc Pan" with
Enamclcd Cast Iron Ianini Ircss
S . 5 ) won top honors . Jhc
gcncrousl y proporti oncd ridgcd
prcss was thc hcavicst wc tcstcd
andcomcswith a paninipan a
smallcrvcrsionol thccompany`s
grill pan, scc pagc 2) . But il
your pani ni habi t docsn` t
warranta S I OO invcstmcnt,
thc squarc , ridgcd, cast
iron prcss lromIcCrcusct
S5. 5) pcrlormcdalmostaswcll
andcanbcuscdwithmostpans .
w . nordicware. com) .
Pge 3 2: NONSICK SKIUET
Farberware Mi l l enni um Soft Touch
Stai nl ess 1 2" Nonstick Ski l l et: $ 3 9. 95,
item #208669, Cooki ng.com.
P RO D U CT U P DATE
Baker' s Secret Loaf Pn
Scvcral rcadcrs askcd what hap
pcncdtothcwinningl oal panlrom
our2OOOtcsti ng, thcEcko Bakcr`s
Sccrcton StickIoalIan. It`sstill
around-j ust witha shortcr namc.
Altcr somc corporatc rcstructur
ing, Ecko and Bakcr`sSccrct
Page 3 2 : PANINI PRESSES
Al l - Cl ad " Gri l l e Pn" with Enamel ed
Cast I ron Pni ni Press: $99. 95 , i tem
#3 9902. Cutler and More
(ww . cutleryandmore. com) .
le Creuset Pni ni Press: $ 59. 95, item
#l205 3 - 26. Cutler and More.
two World Kitchcn brands )
no longcr sharc labcl spacc.
Jhc Bakcr` s Sccrct on
Stick Ioal Ian 8 l: by4l:
inchcs, S3 . o) , ourprclcrrcd
modcl , i s still avai l abl c l
mostsupcrmarkcts .
Sources
The fol l owi ng are sources for
i tems recommended i n thi s i ssue.
Pri ces were current at press ti me
and do not i ncl ude shi ppi ng.
Contact compani es di rectl y to
confi rm pri ces and avai l abi l i t. Go
to ww. cooksi l l ustrated. com for
updates on sources.
Page 2 1 : BISCUIT CUTERS
Ateco Pl ai n Round Cutters I I
Piece Set: S 1 4. 99. i tem #23849,
Fante' s Kitchen Wares Shop
(800-443 - 268 3 , w .fantes.
com) .
Page 28: GRIUSPONGE
George Foreman Gri l l Sponge:
$4. 99 for 3, i tem # 1 3 3 07202,
Bed, Bath and Beyond (800-
462- 3966, w . bedbathand
beyond.com).
Page 29: GRILL PANS
Si mpl y Cal phal on Nonsti ck 1 3 "
Round Gri l l Pn: $ 3 9. 95 , item
#200374. Cooking.com (800-
663- 88 1 0, ww .cooking.com) .
Page 30: SMOKER BAGS
SVU Smoker Bag: $ 3 . 49. Hot
DiggitCaj un (6 1 5-445- 7823 ,
ww .smokerbags.com) .
Pge 32: BUNDT PANS
Nordi cWare Bundt Pns:
Chrysanthemum. $ 3 2. 00.
and Hol i dayTree. $ 3 2. 00,
NordicWare (877-466- 7342;
P&
Swtct0mmb|p,Neoegot,enoC|mu|etko
Cook's Illustrated
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Bi-Monthly
17 Station Street. Brookline, MA 02445
Same as publisher
'
[[ [[ [
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6 issues $35.70
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61 7-232-10
Christopher P. Kimball, Boston Common Press, 1 7 Station Sueet, Brokline, MA02445
PP-
Same as Publisher

Jack Bishop, Boston Common Press, 1 7 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445

m
Boston Common Press Limited Partnership 1 7 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445
(Christopher P. Kimball)
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Z
REC I PES
January c February Z\\C
Bread and Breakfast
Fl ak Buttermi l k Bi scui ts 2 1
Huevos Rancheros 9
Soup
Hot a n d Sour Soup 1 3
Mai n Di shes
Chi cken Pot Pi e 7
Gl azed Meat Loaf 1 9
Oven- Barbecued Spareri bs I I
Si de Di shes
Potatoes Lyonnai se 1 4
Rice and Grai ns
Al l - Purpose Reci pes ( Chart) 1 7
Sauteed Mushrooms
wi th Garl i c, Parmesan, and
Bread Crumbs 1 5
wi th Sesame and Gi nger 1 5
wi th Shal l ots and Thyme I 5
Desserts
Dark Chocol ate Mousse 2 3
Lemon Bundt Cake 2 5
COOK' S ER: New Reci pes
Avai l abl e on the Web
The fol lowi ng reci pes are avai l abl e free
on our Web si te. To access a reci pe, go to
ww. cooksi l l ustrated . com and enter the
code l i sted after the reci pe ti tl e.
Chocol ate- Chunk Oatmeal Cooki es
wi th Dri ed Cherri es I 06 1 2
Chocol ate- Orange Mousse I 066
Chocol ate- Raspberry Mousse I 06 7
I ndoor " Gri l l ed" Pizza I 06 1 I
Orange- Fl avored Beef I 06 1 0
Premi um Chocol ate Mousse I 068
Refri ed Beans I 06 2
Sauteed Mushrooms wi th Bacon and
Pearl Oni ons I 064
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Huevos Rancheros, Oven- Barbecued Spareri bs , | |
Glazed Meat Loaf, 1 9 Flaky Buttermi l k Bi scui ts, 2 1
Hot and Sour Sou p, 1 3 Potatoes Lyonnai se, 1 4
||C1CG HA||Y. CAHL1HL Mb LAY, S1YL| M G . MAHl L || HA| MC
or ovz o l t