NU M B ER S I XT Y-NI NE J U L Y o A U G U S T 2004

1 1 1 1 ` J 1 1 J 1
Texas Beef Ribs
Real BBQ Flavor at Home
Rating
Japanese Knives
Tall, Fluff Biscuits
Drop Them, Bake Them
Tasting Bottled
Waters
Save Money and Drink Tap?
Easy Fruit Tart
Better Than Pie
Grilling Illustrated
Essential Tips and Techniques
Glazed Salmon
No Sticking. Big Flavor
Peach Cobbler
Spice Rubs for Steak
American Potato Salad
Thai Grilled Chicken
Best Tomato Salsa
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CONTENTS
July b August 2004
2 Notes from Readers
Readers ask questi ons and sugest sol uti ons.
4 Quick Tips
Qui ck and easy ways to perform everyday tasks,
from frosting a cake to freezing fresh herbs and
peel i ng tomatoes.
6 Mile-High Biscuits
Tal l, fl uf, and tang, drop bi scui ts are the holy grail of
bi scui t maki ng, but they requi re just the right mix of
ingredi ents and techni que. BY ELI ZBETH GERMAI N
8 Introducing Thai-Style
Grilled Chicken
Gai yan
g
is popul ar Thai street food. Coul d we capture
its compl ex flavor and adapt this dish for the Ameri can
ki tchen? BY KERI FI SHER
I 0 American Potato Salad
Is there anything new to say about maki ng this summer
ti me classic? To fi nd out, we tri ed an unl i kely potato and
an ol d-fashi oned i ngredi ent. BY REBECCA HAYS
12 Spice Rubs for Grilled Steak
Do you need a dozen pan- toasted ingredients for a
top-notch spice rub? BY GARTH CLI NGI NGSMITH
13 Discovering Texas Beef Ribs
A tour ofTexs barbecue joint reveal ed that ribs
are about i ntense meat flavor-not just smoke and
spice. But how can a backrd cook replicate thi s Lone
Star classic? BY JULI A COLLI N DAVI SON
16 Grilling 101
A l i ttle know-how and some practice are all that's
requi red to meet the chal l enges of gri l l i ng.
BY REBECCA HAYS
18 Grilled Glazed Salmon
A bumt. stuck-to-the-gri l l crust and favorless i nteri or
are the real i t of gri l l ed gl azed sal mon. Wi th 50 pounds
of sal mon and gal l ons of briquettes, we set out to solve
both probl ems. BY BRI DGET LNCASTER
20 All-Season Fresh
Tomato Salsa
Coul d we devel op a reci pe that woul d work with any
tomato-even a bl and supermarket speci men?
BY NI NA WEST
21 Freeform Fruit Tart
Few things in life are better than a summer frui t pi e,
but that takes ti me and ski l l . We wanted an easy
reci pe with a short l i st of i ngredi ents that woul d
produce an extra-fak crust. BY ERI KA BRUCE
24 Improving Peach Cobbler
Bad peaches, sog bi scui ts, and syrupy fi l l i ng were
just three of the probl ems we had to solve i n
resurrecting this simpl e summer dessert.
BY KEITH DRESSER
26 The Bottled Water Wars
Are we out of our mi nds to pay 35 cents per glass for
bottled water? BY DAWN YANAGI HAR
28 Do You Really Need a
Santoku Knife 7
Is there something better than the cl assic chef's
knife? We tested I 0 of these trendy Japanese knives to
fi nd out. BY MARYELLEN DRI SCOLL
30 Kitchen Notes
Test resul ts, buying ti ps, and advice related to stories
past and present, di rectly from the test kitchen.
BY DAWN YANAGI HAR
32 Equipment Corner
Reviews of new i tems, updates on past tests,
and sources for products used i n this issue.
BY GARTH CLI NGI NGSMITH
GRAPES
TABL GRPES Ter are dozens of varieties of table grpes, rnging i n color from pale gren to
bl ue-black and coming i n many di ferent shapes and sizes. Prlette grpes, named for their pearl
l i ke shape, arrive early, duri ng spring. Italian Muscat grpes, used primarily for making dessert wi nes,
have a honey-seet favor that also suits them perfectly for eati ng out of hand. Wi dely avai l abl e
Tompson Seedless grpes are recognized for thei r oblong shape and l i ght green col or. Si mi larly
crisp and seet, Rame Seedless grpes are a cross beteen Tompson Seedless and severl other
vrieties. Another red-hued grpe, the Crimson Seedless, has a more elongated shape and seet
trt favor. Impressive in size, seeded Red Gl obes can grow as lare as small pl ums. At the other end
of the size spectrm ar the di mi nutive champagne, or Bl ack Corinth, grpes, better known when
dried as curnts. Dark purl e Black Maro are seedless, fir, and jui c. Autumn Royals, which
share the Maroos' oval shape, have a bl ue-black skin enclosing pale green fesh. More rounded
Ri bier grpes are seeded and have a mi l d favor. Concord grpes are known for their seet fesh
and tr skins. COVER (Bts): Elizabeth Brandon. BCK COVER (Tabk Crap<>): John Burgoyne
COOK'S
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J U L Y b A U G U S T 2004
NOTES FROM READERS
Cerifed Angs Beef
Wen buying steak I gravitate toward Certifed
Angus Beef It just seems to look better than the
generic steaks. Is it really better? And what does
"Certifed Angus Beef' mean anyway?
MARK DEJON
MOULTONBOROUGH. N.H.
Angus is a breed of beef cattle. Certifed Angus
Beef (CAB) is the oldest and largest of a growing
number of so-called branding programs approved
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
and intended to signal "quality" to the consumer
in much the same way that a brand of laundry
detergent or toothpaste does. CAB is drawn from
what the USDA identifes as the top two grades
of beef, prime and choice, and the CAB pro
gram accepts only the top third of choice-grade
beef A key component of the USDA's grading
The logo for Cerifi ed
Angus Beef i s i ntended to
telegraph "qual i t"
to the consumer when
shoppi ng for meat. Can
it be trusted?
system and the CAB
program's selection
criteria is the degree of
marbling in the meat.
Good marbling means
that a fne network of
fat (as opposed to big
chunks) runs through
the entire cut; the
more and the finer the
marbling, the more
favorfl, tender, and
juicy the meat once
cooked.
To see if we could
diferentate CAB fom
other supermarket choices, we purchased 16 rb
eye steaks, including four CAB steaks ($11.99 per
pound), eight "store label" steaks (four each fom
Stop & Shop, $10.99 per pound, and Shaw's,
$9.49 per pound), and four steaks fom another
certifed brand now appearing in many supermar
kets, Swif Premium Classic ($11.49 per pound).
The latter brand guarantees beef selected fom
the upper two thirds of the choice grade.
WELL MARBL E D POORLY MARBL E D
Te steak at lef has pl ent of marbl i ng (an abundance
of thi n white l i nes of fat) . I t wi l l be far tastier than the
steak on the right, whi ch has l i ttle marbl i ng.
3 C O MPI L E D B Y I N D I A KO OPM A N E
Tasters did detect differences in the steaks, but
they were subtle, especially an1ong tl1e top three
contestants. More tlan half of tle tasters pre
ferred the CAB steaks for their beefer favor and
relative juiciness; the next most popular choice
was tle Swif steak, followed by Stop & Shop.
The Shaw's steaks were far less palatable.
Based on our sample, tl1en, tle CAB and Swif
brands are an easy way to keep not-so-good steaks
out of your shopping cart. But a smart shopper
would also rely on carefl visual inspection. The
low-rated Shaw's steaks showed little marbling
and were also the dullest in color. Al three of the
otl1er steak types demonstrated good and very
similar degrees of marbling, and all were a vivid
shade of red. Our advice is simple-buy well
marbled steaks, which may be branded or not.
One more suggestion: If you merely see the
word "Angus" on a label-as we did on the
steak fom Shaw's-don't assume that it tells you
anything about the quality of the meat. Only the
phrase "Certifed Angus Beef " indicates that the
meat has met that brand's quality standards.
Keeping Greens Fresh
How does Dole keep its prebagged greens fom
turning brown? Can I use a similar method to
keep loose heads of lettuce fom turning brown?
SCOT HAMILTON
ANKENY, IOWA
Producers of bagged lettuces and greens may
employ one or more techniques to prevent brown
ing. The most common is to pun1p nitrogen into
te bags, the idea being to displace oxygen, which,
when coupled with bruising of the produce, causes
browning. Pumping the bags with nitrogen also
creates a cushion of a around the contents that
helps to prevent bruising during transport. As
claimed on the packaging, most producers triple
wash the greens. Some add citric acid to the water
to retard browning and chlorine to stave off decay.
(It's not evident on the label which producers
use these additives.) Finally, some producers use
perforated bags that allow gases (such as oxygen)
released by the greens to escape.
None of the above techniques is practical for
the home cook. There are, however, two prod
ucts now in the produce aisles of some super
markets tlat claim to slow the aging process
of greens as well as fuits and other vegetables.
One is Evert-Fresh Green Bags, green plastic
bags used to store produce; the otler is ExtraLife,
green plastic disks that are tossed in the crisper
drawer. Born products make use of a mineral
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2
called zeolite iat neutralizes eiylene, the ripen
ing gas emitted fom most fruits and vegetables.
In ie crisper drawer, ethylene builds up such that
it speeds ie demise of produce.
To test the efectveness of these products, we
refigerated red leaf lettuce, geen beans, cucum
bers, and cantaloupes accordg to the products'
instructions. A td set
of produce was stored
without any life-extending
product.
Do these products real ly extend the refrigertor l ife
of fruits and vegetabl es?
The ExtraLife disks ($3.98 for one, which is
to last for three months) were a complete waste
of money, doing nothing to extend the life of
the fruit or the vegetables. The Evert-Fresh
bags ($3.98 for 10) seemed to have no effect
on the melon or the cucumber but did buy the
lettuce and the beans a ouple of exta days. To
our minds, though, this isn't much. In kitchen
tests on storing greens, we've found that a loose
head of lettuce is best thoroughly patted dry with
paper towels (to remove excess moisture) and
then transferred to a zipper-lock bag. It should
stay fesh for several days.
Clouds in My ... Tea?
What can be done about cloudy iced tea?
J ENNI FER HI GGINS
WINCHESTER. MASS.
According to Joe Simrany, president of the
Tea Association of te U.S.A., certain kinds of tea
are more likely to cloud (or "cream"-the term
used by experts) than others. Assam teas fom
India are particularly susceptible. These teas are
abundant in compounds called theofavins and
theorubigins, which combine with the calcium
and/or magnesium in tap water to form salts that
won't dissolve in cold water. As hot tea cools, the
minerals in the water and the compounds in the
tea clump, giving te tea a murky appearance.
We bought some Assam tea and made iced tea
with it. Sure enough, upon adding ice to the hot
WHAT I S I T?
Do you know what thi s i s cal l ed? It l ooks l i ke a smal l
basebal l bat.
GARY PORTER
CHELMSFORD. MASS.
muddler.
Tis handy bartender' s tool is cal l ed a muddl er and is
used to "muddle" -or make a mash of-fruits, herbs,
and/ or spices i n the bottom of a glass to release
thei r favor when mixing cocki l s. Most muddl er,
l i ke your, are made of a round l ength of wood with
a fat edge on one end for more efi ci ent muddl i ng.
A shown above, you grsp the top wi th one hand
and bear down on the contents of the glass-i n thi s
case, a wedge of l i me, a pi nch of sugar, and some
mi nt leaves, i ntended for a mojito. I n testing mud
dl er, we found that a length of about I 0 i nches was
ideal, provi di ng good leverge, even in a long, nar
row highbal l or Col l i ns glass. Unfortunately, the only
I 0-i nch muddl er we were abl e to trck down had a
coating of vari sh that came of when we mashed
our l imes. I f you can' t fnd a 1 0- i nch, vari sh-free
wood model (l ook for them at fea markets), we
sugest a new model, with a sti nless steel handl e
and a l i me green polycarbonate head, made by
Rosie. Just shy of 7 i nches in l ength, i t doesn' t
provide as much leverge as we' d l i ke, but it does a
great job of mashi ng l imes and is eas to keep cl ean.
(See the bottom of page 3 2 to order. )
brewed tea, it "creamed," turning the color of
tofee or dark butterscotch. Simrany told us that
in general, fll-bodied teas, such as Assams, that
are found in specialty stores are more susceptible
to creaming than supermarket varieties, which are
now blended so that they can be used to make
either hot or (clear) iced tea. Water with a high
mineral content can also be the cause of murky
tea, as we found when making tea with Evian
water (see Ktchen Notes, page 30).
Stabilizing Whipped Cream
How far ahead can I whip cream, and what is the
best stabilizer to use?
KAREN CRUSCO
CAMBRI DGE, MASS.
In test results published in the September/
October 1997 issue, we found that whipped
cream could be kept for up to two days when
refigerated in a fe-mesh strainer over a bowl
or when powdered milk was added (1 tablespoon
per cup) before beating. Since then readers have
come up with a few more suggestions: beating
the cream to stiff peaks rather than sof peaks,
beating in a melted marshmallow, and beating in
a powdered product called Oetker's Whip It.
We found that cream beaten to stiff peaks
did keep better than cream beaten to sof peaks,
and better still if you held the whipped cream
a strainer. Much as we were rooting for the
marshmallow, it turned out to be a bust. As soon
as we quickly scraped a marshmallow melted in
the microwave into the cold cream, it turned
into a hard little rock. The Whip It performed
as advertised, holding the whipped cream in the
refrigerator for two days with little weeping. This
whipped cream did, however, have a slightly
tinny taste. Its texture was not as billow, and it
looked almost shiny-like a semigloss paint.
Considering the results of these and past tests,
we fnd that the best and easiest method of stor
ing whipped cream is to whip it to stiff peaks and
then hold it in a strainer over a bowl or measuring
cup. If you have powdered m on hand, you can
instead beat a tablespoon of it into a cup of heavy
cream and just keep the whipped cream in a bowl.
Either way, it's a good idea to cover the whipped
cream with plastic wrap to keep it fom absorbing
odors in the refigerator.
To Reserve Pasta Water or Not
My wife and I use a lot of your pasta recipes, but
we are ofen unsure of whether we should reserve
pasta water or not. Is there an easy way to know
when we should reserve it?
DOUGLAS GREEN
PORTLAND. ORE.
Oil-based sauces don't have the beneft of
liquidy ingredients and can be dry. Rather than
adding more oil, which could make the dish
greasy, it's better to add moisture with the pasta
cooking water, which, because it has been sea
soned with salt and contains some starch from
the pasta, will give the dish more favor and body
than plain water. Thck sauces, pestos i particular,
ofen beneft fom being thinned with pasta cook
ing water. So, too, can slow-simmered, heavily
reduced tomato sauces.
When don't you need to reserve pasta cooking
water? Quick sauces made fom canned or fesh
tomatoes ofen have the problem of being too
watery, not too dry. Cream sauces also generally
don't require additional moisture.
If a recipe does not direct you to save pasta
water but you think it might be needed, it's a
good idea to reserve about 1/2 cup. In the test
kitchen, we put a liquid measuring cup in the
J U L Y [ A U G U S T 2004
3
colander that will be used to drain the pasta. The
measuring cup reminds us to reserve some cook
ing water before draining the pasta.
Resting Cooked Meat
Everyone knows that you are supposed to let
meat "rest, covered," afer removing it from
the heat. But when do you remove it (when it's
reached the desired temperature or earlier) and
how long should it rest? Does it change by type
of meat?
HELENA SAGARO
RALEI GH, N.C.
"Resting" cooked meat is a good practice, as
it allows the juices within, which are driven to the
center during cooking, to redistribute themselves.
In an effect called carryover cooking, the cut of
meat in question will continue to rise in tem
perature as it rests, usually fom 5 to 15 degrees,
depending on its size and the temperature at
which it was cooked. (The larger or thcker the
cut and the higher the cookng temperature, the
more the temperature of the meat w rise during
resting.) This means that meat should be taken of
the heat before it reaches the desired internal tem
perature. Steaks and thin chops can be expected to
rise about 5 degrees fom carryover cooking and
should rest for about 5 minutes; thick chops and
small roasts w rise 5 to 10 degrees and should
rest for 10 to 15 minutes; large roasts wl rise
fom 10 to 15 degrees and should rest fom 15
to 30 minutes. These numbers assume a relatively
high cooking temperature, either on the grill or in
the oven. If roasting or barbecuing meat at a low
temperature (300 degrees or below), expect less
carryover cooking.
More Information on Splenda
In researching the sugar substitute Splenda for
this section of the January /February 2004 issue
of the magazine, we were surrised to learn that
a product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Astration as "no calorie" really did contain
calories (about 4 per teaspoon-still fewer than
sugar at 16 calories per teaspoon). Since then,
we have learned that not only Splenda but all
so-called no-calorie sugar substitutes have some
calories, added by bulking agents that are used to
make these products measure more like sugar.
Baking Ilustrated Correction
In our latest cookbook there is an error in
the recipe for Basic Pie Dough on page 181.
The amount of shortening should be 11 cup, not
1 cup, as is printed. We apologize for this error.
SEND US YOUR QUEsONS We will provide a com
plimentar one-year subscription for each letter we print. Send
your inquir, name, address, and daytime telephone number
to Notes from Reader, Cook's I l l ustrted, P.O. Box 4705 89,
Brookline, M 02447, or to notesfromreader@bcpress.com.
3 C O MPI LE D B Y R E B E C C A H AY S A N D N I N A WE S T E
Trnsporing Frozen
Groceries
Duri ng grocer shoppi ng tri ps,
Stewar Kume of Bel mont, Cal if. ,
i nevitably thi nks of addi ti onal
errnds to run or ends up getti ng
stuck i n trafic. To el i mi nate the
need to rush home from the mar
ket, he stores a Strofoam cool er
i n the trunk of hi s car for hol di ng
peri shabl e groceries. The cool er
keeps i ce cream and other frozen
foods from mel ti ng and prevents
fragi l e items l i ke eggs from rol l i ng
around and breaki ng.
No-Fuss Ice Wter
Wen making pi e pastr or any recipe
requiring ice water. Vivi enne Shen of
Southington. Conn. , puts ice cubes
and water i nto a fat separtor. She
can then measure out the water she
needs thrugh the spout, leaving the
ice behi nd.
Freezi ng Fresh Herbs
When Adrea Ki l l iard of Wndham. Mai ne. buy a bunch of parl ey, she often ends up
using just a smal l frction, only to watch the rest go bad. Ten s he fgured out a good
way to keep leftover parley fresh-i ndefi nitely. Her method also wor with sge.
rosemar. and thyme.
I. Chop leftover fresh herbs by hand or i n the food processor, trnsfer by the
spoonful i nto ice cube trys, and top with water to cover. For a standard ice cube
try, place 2 tabl espoons chopped herbs and approximately I tabl espoon water in
each cube.
2. Once the cubes are frozen . trnsfer them to a zi pper-l ock plastic bag and seal .
Store unti l you want to add them to sauces, soups, or stews.
Soak-Ahead Wood Chunks
Barbecue afi ci onado Kal l e Wi l l oughby
of Zi l l ah, Wash. , l i kes to smoke ri bs
over wood chunks, but she doesn' t
l i ke havi ng to pl an to soak the chunks
an hour ahead of ti me. Here' s what
she recommends to make sure soaked
wood chunks are always at the ready
when starti ng up the gri l l :
I.
I. Soak as many chunks as you l i ke at the same ti me. Dri n the chunks, seal
them in a zi pper-l ock bag, and store them i n the freezer.
2. When ready to gri l l , place the frozen chunks on the gri l l . They defrost
qui ckly and i mpar as much flavor as freshly soaked chunks.
Send Us Your Tip We will provide a complimentar oneyear subscriptton for each tip we print. Send your ttp, name. and address to
Quick Ttps, Cooks Illustrted, P O Box 470589, Brookline, MA 02447, or to quicktips(bcpress com. Or visit ww.cooksillustrated.com.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
4
Adding Sugar to Iced Tea
Not one to enjoy undi ssol ved
grnul es of sugar in his iced tea,
Matthew Beder of Andover, Mass .
solves the probl em by keepi ng a
jar of sugar srup, known as si mpl e
syrup, i n the refrigertor.
To make the srup, combi ne I cup
water and I cup grnulated sugar i n
a smal l saucepan. Set the pan over
medi um heat and whi sk frequently,
until the sugar dissolves completely.
Si mmer for4 mi nutes, rmove frm
the heat, and cool . Fr more flavor,
si mmer one of the fol l owi ng i ngredi
ent wi th the wter and sugar:
1/
2
scrped fresh vani l l a bean and
seeds for Vani l l a Si mpl e Syrup.
3 tabl espoons packed mi nt leaves
for Mi nt Si mpl e Syrup.
3 ounces fresh berries ( rspber
ri es, blackberri es, or bl ueberries)
for Berr Si mpl e Syrup.
2- i nch pi ece of gi nger cut i nto 4
coi ns for Gi nger Si mpl e Syrup.
2 teaspoons grted ci trus zest
(l emon, l i me, or ornge) for Citrus
Si mpl e Syrup.
Stri n the flavori ngs out of the
srp once i t cool s.
Flavorng Summer Drnk
lurie Prl engas of Grnby, Mass .
creates inventive summer drink by
stinring scoops of frozen j uice concen
trte i nto pi tcher of i ced tea to tste.
lmonade, l i meade, and ornge j uice
concentrtes ar the best choi ces.
Easier Way to Frost a Cake
Frosting a cake is made much easier
when i t can be el evated on a cake
stand. Fr those infrequent baker
who may not own a cake stand. Deb
Leno of Peabody, Mass .. has come up
with a workable substitute.
Place the cake on a cardboard round.
then on an overurned 1 2- i nch pi za
pan or si mi larly sized baking sheet.
Set the piza pan on an upsi de- down,
flat-bottomed metal bowl . The bowl
provides height, and the pi za pan can
be rotated as needed to ice the cake.
Folproof Grill Ughting
A chi mney starer is practically
foolproof, but just to make abso
l utely sure that i t wi l l get the job
done on a cold or windy day, jon
Puckett of Cypress, Texas, recom
mends the fol l owing trick.
Place four or five briquettes of
self-stari ng charcoal at the bottom
of the chi mney, then fi l l the
balance with hardwood charcoal.
By using just a handful of self
starti ng briquettes, you're guarn
teed both a quick star and food
without the acrid taste that comes
from usi ng self-stari ng charcoal
exclusively.
Makeshi f Gri ll Basket for Fish
Roxanne Wueste of Frt Worth, Texas, knows that a gri l l basket can cut down on the
hassles of cooki ng del i cate fish fi l l ets outdoors. Here's how she assembl es a basket
with equi pment most cooks al ready have on hand:
2.
I. Oi l and season the fsh and pl ace it on a smal l oi l ed cool i ng rck. Pl ace another
oil ed cool i ng rck on top of the fish and fasten the rck securely together on each
si de with bendabl e wi re or wire twist-ti es.
2. To fi p the basket, use a spatul a i n one hand to l i ft the basket and use your other,
oven mitt-clad hand to tum i t over.
Cheap Grill Brush Alternative
George Dei ndorer of Vi rgi nia Beach,
Va., discovered a frugal alternative
to a gri l l brush at a hardware store. A
welder brush, which can be purchased
for a mere $2, has a long wooden
handle attached to a wire brush, just
l i ke those gri l l brushes that cost I 0
ti mes as much. Its long wires and nar
row design al low for deep scrubbi ng
beteen the bars on a gri l l grate.
Homemade Cherr Piters
Hal f the battle of maki ng a fresh
sour cherr pie is pi tti ng the
cherries efci ently, with mi ni mal
brui si ng of thei r del i cate fl esh.
lA. Bi l l i e Gol d of New York, N.,
recommends usi ng a paper cl i p to pi t
cherries. Unfold one bend of a cl ean,
lare metal paper cl i p to create an
el ongated S-shape.
I B. Hol di ng the cherry i n one hand,
sti ck one end of the S i nto the stem
end of the cherr, hook it around the
pi t, and fl ick the pit out. Bi l l i e fi nds thi s
method i s faster and more efective
than the commercial cherr and ol ive
pi tter she has tri ed.
2A. Charl i e Riser of Kirkood.
Mo . . takes a diferent approach.
Drive three cl ean stai nl ess steel
nai l s cl ose together through a pi ece
of cl ean, thi n scrp wood to form a
" basket."
28. Gently push the cherr down onto
the sharp tips of the nai l s to extrct
the pi t. Entr and exit "wounds" are
mi ni mal .
J UL Y [ AUGUS T 2004
5
Picnic Contai ners
Frances Rahai m of Montague,
Mass., always has an abundance of
empt pl astic 3 5 mm fi l m cani ster.
After gi vi ng them a quick cl eanup,
she uses them as receptcles
for pi cni c condi ments
sal t and pepper, salad
dressings, mustard,
and so on.
Peling Tomatoes
Once you bl anch and shock tomatoes
or stone frui ts, a kife can sti l l some
ti mes fai l to remove the ski n efectively.
When her pari ng knife fail s her, Jen
Pntal okos of Barrngton, N. H. , places
stubbor frui ts i n a ki tchen towel and
rubs l ightly.
Sandwiches for Picnics
M.A. and Mal King of Stoughton,
Mass., ofen head to the beach
or the park for pi cni cs. I nstead of
wrpping sandwiches individual ly,
they stack prepared, unwrpped
sandwiches in the bread bag they've
emptied to make the sandwiches.
Tey even recycl e the original tab to
seal the bag shut.
Mile-Hi
g
h Biscuits
Tal l , fl uffy, and tangy, drop bi scui ts are the hol y grai l of bi scui t maki ng, but
they requi re j ust the ri ght mi x of i ngredi ents and techni qu e.
I
tasted heaven at age 9 at a pit stop
in Georgia when I sank my teeth
into a piping hot, unusual-looking
biscuit. Each rustic roll had a crisp,
golden brown top that sat high above
an extra-fuff, moist, and tender crumb.
The biscuits varied in height, but even the
shortest towered above any I had seen up
North. The biscuits had a rich and tangy
flavor, and I slathered them with butter just
because I could. Fast-forward almost four
decades and I was still in search of a recipe
that would equal the memory of those truly
extraordinary biscuits.
3 B Y E L IZA B E T H G E R M AINE
I started my search with a thick folder
of recipes and then prepared a half-dozen
traditional "roll and cut" recipes-trying
diferent fours, fats, mixing methods, and
oven temperatures-and concluded that
this common approach to biscuit making
results in faky, but not particularly fuf,
biscuits. I made another half-dozen recipes,
tis time exploring unusual approaches and
different methods of shaping, and began
tng a drop biscuit might be the answer.
My hunch was confrmed when I prepared
Shirley Corriher's Touch-of-Grace Biscuits
fom her book Cookwise (Morrow, 1997).
Finally, I tasted a biscuit that reminded me
An unusual reci pe yiel ds the fl ufi est-ever bi scui ts, with a mi l e- hi gh
rise, a tender crumb, and a cri sp top.
of that summer day i n Georgia.
What sets Corriher's recipe apart fom all of
the others is the amount of buttermilk used: tce
as much for the same volume of four. The wet
dough is then hand-shaped into round balls that
are coated wth four and dropped into a cake pan.
Once all of the biscuits have been ftted snugly in
the pan, the tops are brushed with butter. A very
wet and stick dough, baked in a very hot oven,
was this biscuit's secret to a fuff high rise.
Flour, Fat, and Buttermi l k
With this basic approach in mind, I began a
new round of tests by comparing cake four,
all-purpose four, and a 50-50 m of cake and
all-purpose. Cake four, which is lower in protein
than all-purpose, is known for yielding a more
tender crumb. Tasters were surprised to discover
that they preferred the batch made entirely with
all-purpose four. These biscuits had more favor,
the crust was crispier, and the crumb was moist
and light without being cakey or gummy.
I tried lard, vegetable shortening, and butter
both separately and in combination. The biscuits
made with lard or shortening were bland com
pared with the rich favor of the all-butter bis
cuits. A few more tests showed that the best way
to add the butter to the dough was to combine
it-chilled straight from the refigerator-with
the dry ingredients in a food processor.
A for the liquid, I stuck with buttermi, which
was key to Corriher's recipe. Lw-fat buttermilk
produced biscuits richer in favor and texture
than nonft, but tasters raved about both batches.
Substtutg either powdered butterm or clab
bered milk (made with whole milk and white vine
gar or lemon juice) proved disappointing, however.
The dough lacked structure, and the exceptonal
rse was lost. Wen I tested various ways of adding
the buttermilk to the dough, the food proces
sor fed; its powerfl stirring turned the dough
into an elastic ball that baked up into rubbery
biscuits. Instead, I dumped the four/ft mixture
into a bowl and quickly (and gently) strred in the
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
6
butterm. Now the dough was airy looking,
with a texture akn to that of whipped cottage
cheese. The resultng biscuits were fuf and
moist, but they were stll not quite as high as
I wanted.
Rise and Shi ne
Knowing that steam was an important
contributor to the high rise of the biscuits
(moisture in the dough converts to steam
in the oven, causing the biscuits to swell), I
experimented with oven temperature. I had
been baking them in an oven heated to 475
degrees; now I tried 500 degrees. The rise
improved, but the tops browned too quickly.
I then prepared a few more batches, starting
the oven at 500 degrees and then lowering it
for the remainder of the cooking time. Five
minutes at 500 degrees followed by 15 min
utes at 450 degrees maximized the rise fom
the steam. At this point, I had already made
60 batches of biscuits, but I couldn't help
wondering if I could gain even more height
by adjusting the chemical leaveners.
My starting point (a ratio common to
other recipes) was 1 teaspoon baking soda
to 1l teaspoons bakg powder. Time afer
time, I methodically increased the amount
of one of the leaveners, always holding the
other steady. The rise contnued to improve, but
I encountered a series of problems-yellow, dry,
and metallic-tasting biscuits among them. Finaly,
wth the help of Cook)s science editor, I ended up
wth hef amounts of both bakg soda (l tea
spoon) and bakg powder (1 tablespoon). A very
hot, two-temperature oven and plent of leavener
produced biscuits that rose over the top of the cake
pan, some measurng more than 2 inches high!
Drop, Dust, Shape, Brush
Up until now I had been shaping the incredibly
wet and sticky dough into biscuits according
to Corriher's recommended technique. With
foured hands, I'd scoop up a biscuit-size lump
of wet dough, dust it wth four, shape it into
a round, and place it in a 9-inch nonstick cake
pan. Once all of the biscuits were packed into
the pan, I brushed the tops with melted butter.
Could I omit any of these steps to simplif and
speed up the process? More than a dozen tests
later, I decided that each step was essential but
that an assembly-line approach-in which I used
a greased measuring cup to scoop the dough and
a baking sheet to hold the four and the shaped
biscuits-saved time and reduced the mess.
Most biscuits are best hot fom the oven, but
mine were a bit gluey and damp in the middle.
I learned that waiting a few minutes-as hard as
that was-solved the problem by allowing some
of the steam to escape fom these high-moisture
biscuits. By the end of testing, I had worked my
way through more than a hundred batches (that's
at least 1, 200 individual biscuits), but now I can
taste heaven anytime I want.
TALL AND FLU F FY BUTERMI LK BI S CU I TS
MAKES 1 2 BI S CUI TS
We prefer to use low-fat buttermilk in these
biscuits, but nonfat buttermilk w work as well
(though the biscuits will be a little lighter in
texture and flavor). For the highest rise, use a
double-acting baking powder, such as Calumet,
Clabber Girl, or Davis (for more information on
baking powders, see Kitchen Notes, page 31).
Store lefover biscuits in an airtight zipper-lock
bag. Reheat by placing them on a baking sheet in
a 475-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes.
Nonstick cooki ng spray
Dough
2 cups ( I 0 ounces) unbl eached al l -purpose fl our
tabl espoon doubl e-acting baking powder
tabl espoon sugar
teaspoon salt
11 teaspoon baking soda
4 tabl espoons cold unsal ted butter, cut i nto
114-i nch cubes
1 11 cups cold buttermi l k, preferably low-fat
To Form and Finish Biscuits
I cup (5 ounces) unbl eached al l -purpose fl our,
di stributed in ri mmed baki ng sheet
2 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, mel ted
l . Adjust oven rack to middle position and
heat oven to 500 degrees. Spray 9-inch round
cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
Generously spray inside and outside of l/4 cup dry
measure with nonstick cooking spray.
2. FOR THE DOUGH: In food processor, pulse
four, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda
to combine, about six 1-second pulses. Scatter
butter cubes evenly over dry ingredients; pulse
until mixture resembles pebbly, coarse cornmeal,
eight to ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to
medium bowl. Add buttermilk to dry ingredients
ad str with rubber spatula until just incorporated
(dough wl be very wet and slightly lumpy).
3. TO FOR AD BAE BISCUITS: Using 14
cup dry measure and working quickly, scoop level
amount of dough; drop dough fom measuring
STE P - BY- STE P S HAPI NG T HE B I S C UI TS
I. Usi ng greased 114- cup measure,
scoop 1 2 level porti ons of dough
onto fl oured baking sheet. Ughtl y
dust top of each bi scuit with fl our.
2. With fl oured hands, gentl y pi ck 3 . Place 9 bi scuits snugly around
up pi ece of dough , coati ng outsi de perimeter of cake pan, then arrange
with four. shapi ng i t i nto bal l , and last 3 i n center.
shaki ng of excess fl our.
s c 1 E N c E : What Makes Bi scui ts Ri se?
Our bi scui t reci pe contai ns both baking soda and baking powder. Both l eaveners, when activated. create carbon
di oxi de that provi des l ift. Baki ng soda, or sodi um bi carbonate, has been used to leaven baked goods for almost
200 years. I ts action i s based on si mpl e chemi str. In the presence of l i qui d aci d, sodi um i s repl aced by a hydrogen
ion to form carboni c aci d. Carboni c acid then breaks down i nto water and carbon di oxi de. The par of the formul a
that i s the hardest to figure out is how much soda and how much acid to add. Our aci d was buttermi l k. and we
coul d not change the amount by much wi thout changi ng the moisture content and flavor of the bi scuits. When
we used j ust 'Is teaspoon soda (as sugested i n many reci pes) . we ended up with a heavy dough. The mi nimum
amount requi red for a l ight, spong dough was '12 teaspoon.
Soda, unfortunately. has a few l i mitati ons. Because i t acts i nstantl y once mixed with aci d, i t l oses power i n the
oven. To give our bi scuits perfect oven rise, we had to tum to baking powder. Baki ng powder works on the same
pri nci pl e as baking soda-i n fact. its active i ngredi ent i s baki ng soda-but baki ng powder al so contai ns an acid,
often two. Doubl e-acting baking powder, the two-aci d variet, i s the perfect tool for bi scui ts because i t contains a
qui ck-acting aci d, usual ly monocal ci um phosphate, al ong with an aci d that requi res heat to di ssolve, ofen sodi um
al umi num sul fate. Thi s means that some of the aci d is unavai l abl e unti l the bi scuits hi t the oven.
Why then, you might ask, di dn' t we si mpl y use baki ng powder al one? We tri ed maki ng the bi scui ts without
baking soda, and thi s attempt fai l ed. Five teaspoons of baki ng powder were requi red to l if the bi scui ts. With so
much baking powder, the dough dried out ( baki ng powder contai ns cornstarch, which absorbed l i qui d i n the bat
ter) and pi cked up unpl easant metal l i c and mi nerl flavors. -john Ol son, Sci ence Edi tor
AL L BAK I NG
S ODA
ALL BAKI N G
POWDE R
J U ST E N OU G H S ODA &
POWD E R
Leavener have a dramati c efect o n the appearance, texture, and flavor of bi scui ts. Bi scuits made with
baki ng soda al one (l eft) did not rise ful ly (especi al ly those in the mi ddl e of the pan) , turned dark brown,
and tasted bi tter. Bi scui ts made wi th baki ng powder al one (mi ddl e) were dr and metal l i c tasti ng.
Bi scuits made with both baki ng soda and powder (ri ght) were tal l and fl uf and tasted the best.
cup into flour on baking sheet (if dough sticks
to cup, use small spoon to pull it free). Repeat
with remaining dough, forming 12 evenly sized
mounds. Dust tops of each piece of dough with
four from baking sheet. With foured hands,
gently pick up piece of dough and coat with
flour; gently shape dough into rough ball, shake
off excess flour, and place in prepared cake pan.
Repeat with remaining dough, arranging 9
J U L Y l A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
7
rounds around perimeter of cake pan and 3 in
center. Brush rounds with hot melted butter,
taking care not to fatten them. Bake 5 minutes,
then reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees;
continue to bake until biscuits are deep golden
brown, about 15 minutes longer. Cool in pan 2
minutes, then invert biscuits fom pan onto clean
kitchen towel; turn biscuits right-side up and
break apart. Cool 5 minutes longer and serve.
Introducin
g
Thai-Style Griled Chicken
Gct}cn
_
i s popul ar Thai street food. Cou l d we captu re its compl ex fl avors
and adapt thi s di sh for th e Ameri can kitchen ?
T
hai grilled chicken, or
gai yang, is classic street
food. This herb- and
spice-rubbed chicken is
served in small pieces and eaten
as fnger food, along wth a sweet
and spicy dipping sauce. Thai
favors are wonderflly aromatic
and complex, a refeshing change
of pace from the typical barbe
cue. But is it possible to bring
the favors of Thailand into the
American kitchen ( or backyard)
without using an ingredient list as
long as your arm and making sev
eral trips to Aian specialty stores?
3 B Y K E R I F I S H E R E
and placed it in a thick layer under
the skin as well as on top of it. Now
it was not only the crisp skin that
was favorfl but the moist fesh
beneath as well.
A initial sampling of recipes
made me wonder if this dish
ought to remain as indigenous
street food. Among the hard
to-fi nd ingredients were cilantro
root and lemon grass, and there
was a profsion of odd mixtures,
including an unlikely marriage of
At the tabl e, spoon an i ntensel y flavored sauce-made in mi nutes with supermarket
i ngredi ents-over the herb- and spi ce-rubbed gri l l ed chi cken.
Most recipes call for grilling the
chicken over a single-level fre, but
this resulted in a charred exterior
and an uncooked interior. I tried a
two-level fre ( one side of the grll
holds all of the coals; te other side
is empty) and, voila, partial success!
I frst browned the chicken directly
over the coals and then moved it to
the cool side of the grill to fnish
cooking. This was a big improve
ment, but the chicken still wasn't
cooking through to the middle.
Covering the grill-to make it
more like an oven-was an obvious
solution, but better yet was using a
disposable foil pan, which creates a
"m" oven. ( Charcoal grl covers
are home to deposits of smoke, ash,
peanut butter and brown sugar. In the end, the
simplest version won out: a rub made only with
cilantro, black pepper, lime juice, and garlic. I
would use this as my working recipe.
Because tasters preferred white meat, I decided
to go with bone-in breasts. Brined chicken was
vastly preferred to unbrined, and tasters liked the
addition of sugar along wth salt, which comple
mented the sweetness of the sauce. I settled on 11
cup of each in 2 quarts of water.
Rubbi ng In Fl avor
Tasters liked my working rub recipe, but they
wanted more complexity of favor. My frst step
was to reduce the amount of ciantro, as it had
been overpowering the other ingredients. Curry
powder made the chicken taste too much like
Indian food, and coconut milk turned the chicken
milky and soggy, with fabby skin. The earthy fa
vor of coriander was welcome, and fresh ginger
COOK'S EXTRA gives you free i nformati on onl i ne.
For the compl ete resul ts of our fish sauce tasti ng (at
ri ght) and our portabl e gas gri l l tests (page 9) , go to
ww.cooksi l l ustrated. com and key in code 404 1 for the
tasting and code 4042 for the equi pment test. Thi s
i nformati on wi l l be avai labl e unti l August I S, 2004.
worked well in balance with the garlic. Tasters
praised tis blend as more complex and favorfl
but still lacking bite, so I added more garlic.
and debris that lend "of" favors to foods. )
I t' s Al l about the Sauce
The skin on the chicken was now crisp and fa
vorfl, but not much rub was getting through to
the meat. Coworkers ofered suggestions ranging
fom slicing pockets in the meat and stfg them
wth the rub to butterfying the breast and plac
ing the rub inside. In tl1e end, the best alternative
proved to be the easiest: I took some of the rub
The true Thai favors of this dish come through
in the sauce, a classic combination of sweet and
spicy. Most recipes suffered fom the extremes. In
my working recipe, I had tried to create a balance
of favors: 2 teaspoons of hot red pepper fales,
V cup of sugar, 1 cup of lime juice, V4 cup of
white vinegar, and 3 tablespoons offsh sauce. But
r A s r 1 N G : Fi sh Sauce
Fish sauce is a potent Aian condi ment based on the l i qui d from salted, fennented fi sh
and smel l s as such. I t has a ver concentrted flavor and, l i ke anchovy paste, when used i n
appropriately small amounts, l ends foods a salt complexit that is impossi bl e to repl icate.
I gathered six brnds from the local supennarket, naturl foods store, and Aian market.
Taster had the option of tsting the fish sauce stright up (whi ch few coul d stomach) or
in a modified veri on of the Tai gri l led chi cken di ppi ng sauce.
Our most i nteresti ng fi ndi ng was that col or correlates with flavor; the l ighter the
sauce, the l ighter the flavor. That sai d, al l six brands are recommended. There was i n
fact only one poi nt (out of I 0) separati ng al l si x sauces. Wi th such a l i mi ted i ngredi ent
l i st-most brnds contai ned some combi nati on of fi sh extract, water, sal t, and sugar-i t
makes sense that the diferences i n the sauces were nomi nal . And because fi sh sauce is
used i n such smal l amounts, mi nute fl avor diferences get l ost among the other flavors
of a di sh. Our advi ce: Purchase whatever i s avai l abl e. -K. F.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
8
Ti s wi dely avai l abl e
sauce i s j ust fi ne.
tasters found even this sauce to be overwhelm
ingly sweet and spicy.
Rducing the hot red pepper fakes was a step i
the rght directon, as it allowed the other favors
to come through. Everyone lied garlic, but not
too much; there was already a lot of garlic on the
chicken. A decrease in the amount offsh sauce was
welcomed, reducing the fshy favor of the sauce
but not its salty complexity. I found it best to mix
the sauce right afer the chicken goes into the
brine, which gves the favor tme to meld.
Traditonally, gai yang is cut into small pieces
and eaten as fnger food. But my version was
just as good ( and a whole lot neater) when
served whole with a knife and fork. Was this an
Americanized dish? Yes. But its favors were true
to its Thai roots, and its ingredients could be
found in most grocery stores.
THAI - STYLE GRI LLED CHI CKEN WI TH
SPI CY SWEET AND SOU R DI PPI NG SAUCE
SERVES 4
For even cooking, the chicken breasts should be
of comparable size. The best way to ensure this is
to buy whole breasts and split them yourself ( for
instructons, see Kitchen Notes, page 30) . If you
prefer to skip this step, try to purchase split bone
in, skin-on breasts that weigh about 12 ounces
each. If using a charcoal grill, you wl need a
disposable aluminum roastng pan to cover the
chicken ( the lid on a charcoal grill can gve the
chicken resinous "of' favors) . Some of the rub
is inevitably lost to the grill, but the chicken wl
stl be favorfl .
Chicken and Brine
11 cup sugar
11 cup table salt
4 split bone-i n, skin-on chi cken breasts, about
1 2 ounces each (see note)
Dipping Sauce
I teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 small garl i c cloves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press ( I 11 teaspoons)
'I cup disti l led white vinegar
'I cup jui ce from 2 to 3 limes
2 tablespoons fish sauce
11 cup sugar
Rub
1 2 medium garl i c cloves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press ( 'I cup)
piece (about 2 i nches) fresh ginger, mi nced
(about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2
1 cup chopped fresh ci lantro leaves
'I cup jui ce from 2 to 3 limes
2 tablespoons vegetable oi l , pl us more
for gri l l grte
1 . TO BRNE THE CllCKN: Dissolve sugar
and salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container
or bowl; submerge chicken in brine and refig
erate at least 30 minutes but not longer than 1
hour. Rnse chicken under cool running water
and pat dry with paper towels.
2. FOR TH DIPIG SAUCE: Wisk ingedi
ent in small bowl untl sugar dissolves. Let stand 1
hour at room temperature to allow favors to meld.
3. TO M AND APPLY THE RUB: Combine
all rub ingredients in small bowl; work mixture
with fngers to thoroughly combine. Slide fngers
between skin and meat to loosen skin, taking
care not to detach skin. Rb about 2 tablespoons
mixture under skin. Thoroughly rub even layer
of mixture onto all exterior surfaces, including
bottom and sides. Rpeat with remag chicken
pieces. Place chicken in medium bowl, cover with
plastc wrap, and refigerate while preparing grill .
4. TO GR THE CllCKN: Using chiney
starter, igite about 6 quarts ( 1 large chimney, or
21 pounds) charcoal briquettes and burn until
covered with t coatng of light gay ash, about
1 5 minutes. Empty coals into grill; build two-level
fre by arrangng all coals in even layer in one half
of grill. Positon grill grate over coals, cover grill,
and heat unt grate is hot, about 5 minutes (grill
should be medium-hot; you can hold your hand 5
inches above grill grate for 4 seconds) ; scrape grill
grate clean with gll brush. Using long-handled
grill tongs, dip wad of paper towels in vegetable
oil and wpe grill grate. Place chicken, skin-side
down, on hotter side of gill; cook until browned,
about 3 minutes. Using tongs, fip chcken breasts
and cook untl browned on second side, about 3
minutes longer. Move chicken skin-side up to cool
side of grll and cover wth disposable aluminum
roastng pan; contnue to cook untl instant-read
thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast
(not touching bone) regsters 160 degrees, 1 0 to
1 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to platter; let
rest 1 0 mnutes. Serve, passing sauce separately.
THAI - STYLE GRI LLED CHI CKEN ON A GAS GRI LL
1 . Follow recipe for Thai -Style Grilled Chicken
through step 3.
2. Turn all burners on gas gill to high, close
ld, ad heat untl gri is very hot, about 1 5 min
utes. Scrape grill grate clean wth grill brush; using
long-handled gril tongs, lightly dp wad of paper
towels in vegetable oil and wpe gill gate. Turn
all but 1 burner to low. Place chicken, skin-side
down, on hotter side of gl; cook untl browned,
4 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, fip chicken breasts
and cook untl browned on second side, 4 to 5
minutes longer. Move chicken skin-side up to cool
side of grill and close lid; cook until instant-read
thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast
(not touchng bone) regsters 1 60 degrees, 12 to
1 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to servng platter; let
rest 1 0 minutes. Serve, passing sauce separately.
J U L Y 6 A U G U S T 2004
9
T E S T I N G E Q U I P M E N T :
Porabl e Gas Gri l l s
There are dozens of portble gas gri l l s on the maret,
rnging frm the i nexpensive (about $ 50) to te
truly outrgeous ($ 1 , 000 or mor-for die-har ti l
gater) . We set our cei l i ng at $200 and gthered fve
model s to test. Our selection i ncl uded to models
that ar trly portble and thre that ar not-lare,
heav. and designed to be deposited di rectly frm
the back of the SUV and onto the beach. We quicky
leared that the smal l er model s. though conveniently
portble, oferd little else of vl ue.
Both the Weber Gas Go-Ayhere Gri l l and the
Tool Box Gas Gri l l have l i ttle heat output and fi ms
gri l l grtes. Te steaks from these gri l l s featurd
paltr, anemi c gri l l marks and took more than thre
ti mes as l ong to cook as they woul d have on a trdi
tional sedentry gas gri l l .
Te thre larest model s wored the best. Tey al l
featurd lare. cast-i rn gri l l i ng suraces (which added
to thei r hef and cooking abi l it) . high heat output.
and sturdy design. Even the strongest among us.
however. found i t di fi cul t to carry these gri l l s
more than a few feet. Sti l l , i f you ' re l ooki ng for
a gri l l to bri ng to the beach (that i s. drive to the
beach) . we recommend the reasonabl y pri ced
Thermos Gri i i 2Go. -K. F.
BEST BUY
lERMOS Gri i i 2Go
$ 1 49. 99
Even heating and i ncl udes a
handy flat gri ddl e (perect
for pancakes) .
RECO M M E N D E D
WEBER Q Prabl e
Propane Gas Gri l l
$ 1 79. 99
Te heaviest of the lot, but
also ofers the most even heating.
COLMAN Road
Tri p Spor Gri l l
$ 1 69. 99
Gets ver hot ver fast,
but the cermi c-coated
gri l l grte is del icate-no
gri l l brush al lowed.
NOT RECO M M E N DE D
WEBER Gas Go-Anyhere
Gri l l
$49. 69
Ver eas to carr, but
where' s the heat?
TOOL BOX Gas Gri l l
$49. 99
Cute concept but weak output.
American Potato Salad
I s there anyth i ng n ew to say about maki ng thi s su mmerti me cl assi c? To fi nd out,
we tri ed an u n l i kel y potato and an ol d - fashi oned i ngredi ent.
P
otato salad hardly requires a
recipe. Aer all , the main ele
ments-potatoes, mayonnaise,
and seasonings-are about as
basic as they come. It's tempting to
adopt a devil- may-care attitude, toss
ing boiled potatoes with a dollop of
this and a squirt of that. But I can
always tell when potato salad has been
improvised, because the favor is out of
whack-too sweet or too acidic, under
seasoned or overseasoned.
Yet when I caref y tested fi ve difer
ent recipes here in the test kitchen, not
one escaped serious critique. Some of the
salads were hopelessly bland, others were
too tart fom an excess of vinegar, and
one, with l
3
cup sugar in the dressing,
was practically inedible . These results
inspired me to create my own recipe,
but I didn't want to reinvent the wheel .
My goal was simply to nail down a good,
. solid formula for this summer side dish.
I was looking for flavorfl, tender pota
toes punctuated by crunchy bits of onion
and celery. A ideal dressing would have
both a hint of sweetness and a measure
of acidity.
3 B Y R E B E C C A H AY S E
Next I had to determine how to prep
the potatoes. Those boiled in their skins
were rich and earthy; those peeled and cut
before being boiling exhibited slightly less
favor. But peeling and cutting steaming
hot potatoes (a requirement i f the pota
toes are to be properly seasoned) is a trick
proposition. Thankly, once the pota
toes were dressed, the favor differences
between those boiled with and without
their jackets were barely noticeable.
Now I wanted to see if I could frther
develop that favor by spig the boiling
water. A quartered onion and smashed
garlic clove went nearly undetected, as
did chicken broth. I added a few glugs
of vinegar to a pot of boiling potatoes,
wondering if it would be more efective
than seasoning them postcooking. Aer
nearly an hour of simmering, the potatoes
were stl not tender. A quick consultation
with our science editor reminded me that
acid reinforces the pectin in potatoes, mak
ing them resistant to breaking down on
expoure to heat. I decided to leave well
enough alone and stck with salted water as
the boiling medium.
Te Pottoes
Recipe writers and home cooks are
divided on which potatoes are best for
Russets absorb dressi ng better than other potatoes. and thei r starchy
texture makes for a ri ch, sl ightly crumbly sal ad.
Te Dressi ng
I wanted a classic mayonnaise-based dress
ing but also thought it worthwhile to
investigate variations. Using pure mayon-
potato salad. Most insist on waxy Red Bliss or
boiling potatoes, which hold their shape well
during cooking. Some like golden-feshed, mod
erately starchy Yukon Golds, while a minority
maintain a preference for russets. I boiled up
each of these common supermarket candidates
and made bare-bones potato salads for a panel of
tasters. Obviously, the potatoes difered texturally.
But they had one thing in common: They were all
incredibly bland.
Wile developing other recipes for potato
salad, the test kitchen has found that seasoning
the potatoes while they're hot mazes flavor.
COOK'S EXTRA gives you free reci pes and i nformation
onl i ne. For our reci pe for Garl i ck Potato Salad with Basi l ,
visit w . cooksi l l ustrated. com and key i n code 4043 . For
our hard-cooked egs reci pe, key in code 4044. This
information will be avai l abl e unti l August 1 5, 2004.
For my next round of tests, then, I splashed the
hot potatoes with white vinegar before proceed
ing with my recipe. The russets, being the driest,
sponged up the vinegar and tasted great. In con
trast, the other potatoes were still a little too mild
tasting afer the vinegar soak. Although russets
were called for in but a small minority of recipes,
their capacity to soak up vinegar gave them a lot
of credibility with me, as it allowed their favor to
shine through the inevitable cloak of mayonnaise.
Yes, they do crumble a bit when mixed, but tast
ers found this quality charming, not alarming.
I next experimented with possible stand-ins for
the plain white vinegar. Lemon juice seemed out
of place in potato salad, and pickle j uice wasn't
acidic enough. Cider vinegar, with its distnctvely
fuity favor, was dismissed, as was red wine vin
egar. Two tablespoons of white vinegar got the
most votes for its clean, clear acidity.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 0
naise as the control, I made three other mixtures
in which I substituted buttermilk, sour cream,
and yogurt for half of the mayonnaise. Tasters
opted for the traditional choice of unadulterated
The Dye Tel l s the Story
RUS S ET RE D BL I S S
We soaked cubes of boi l ed russet and Red Bl i ss pota
toes i n vi negar col ored with food dye for 20 mi nutes.
The vi negar penetrated deep i nto the russet but di d
not make i t much past the exterior of the Red Bl i ss.
s c 1 e N c e : Why Russets Rul e
I n our potato slad reci pe, we found that russets
absored vinegar better tan Red Bliss or any other
potto vriet tested. I wnted to fnd out why.
My frt guess w that Red Bliss pottoes must be
mor dense than rsset. tus the vinegr woul d pene
trte mor slowly. Te densit, or specific grvit, of a rw
potto can be measurd in a slt bri ne. If the potto
is mor dense than the slt wter, it wil l sink;
if it is less dense, it wil l foat. My frt test
(see photo, at right) did not yield the
expected result. Athough rsset are
known for being fluf when cooked,
tey ar in fact more dense than
Rd Bliss.
Fl ummoxed, I decided to fnd
Hopi ng to get a l ook at what was happeni ng i nsi de
the potatoes, I added dye to the vi negar for my next
test. What I expected to see was more dye al ong the
edges of the russets, but when I cut open the cubes of
potato, I found a curi ous thi ng. The russets had faul ts
runni ng through the mi ddl e that were fi l l ed with col -
ored l i qui d, whi l e the Red Bl iss di d not (see photo
on page 1 0) .
A rsset potto has weaker cel l wl l s,
making it more apt to fl l apar when
cooked. Ti s strcturl weakness
wors well i n our potto slad, as the
crcks and crices prvide avenues
through which the favorful vinegr
can penetrte deep into the center
of the potato chunks. Evidently,
the way the vinegar is absorbed is
out just how much more vi negar the
russets were absorbi ng. Ater taking
careful measurements, I found that they
were soaking up about I 0 percent
more vi negar than the Red Bl iss. I
wondered if this smal l amount of vi n-
S I N K OR SWI M ?
just as i mportnt as the amount that is
absorbed. Because vinegr can quickly
penetrte deep into a russet, this
potto tstes beter than a Rd Bliss
potto that absorbs al most as much
vinegr. -john Ol son, Science Editor
egar-a frction of a teaspoon-coul d
really make a diference i n flavor.
A dense russet potato si nks
in salt water, whi l e the less
dense Red Bl iss potato bobs
to the surace.
mayonnaise. Just If cup dressed 2 pounds of
potatoes perfectly.
In the crunch department, celery is a must, and
one rb ft the bill. Garlic added a likeable stng
but was determined iappropriate for the master
recipe. Aong scallons, shallots, and red, yellow,
white, and Vidalia onions, red onion was the w
ner for its bright color and taste.
I also considered pickles-in my opinion, a
mandatory ingredient. My colleagues agreed.
Bread and butter, dl, and kosher pikles were in
te running with gherkins and sweet pickle relish.
Each had its devotees, but I decided on pickle rel
ish, which requires no preparation and gives the
potato salad a subtle sweetness.
I was nearing the end of recipe development
when I hit upon an unusua fnding. My intuition
told me to test celery seed, a seasoning that has
fallen out of favor. The seed of a type of wld
celery known as smallage, celery seed didn' t
merely add strong celery favor but also provided
an underlying complexity and depth. Potato
salad made without celery seed tasted hollow
in comparison. Now I won't make potato salad
without it.
Next I pined dry mustard ( ground mustard
seed) against prepared mustard. The dry mustard
added pungency to the salad, while the prepared
mustard fell flat. Paprika's only contributon w
color, so I nied it. Salt, pepper, and minced fesh
parsley played their usual role of sharpening the
other favors. Hard-cooked eggs created some
controversy, considered oblgatory by some and a
mistake by others-I leave the choice to the cook.
One last note. It may seem obvious, but it
makes sense to m the dressing frst, then fold
it into the potatoes. Several recipes I had tested
instructed the cook to add the dressing ingredi
ents one by one; this led to excess mixing, which
turned the potatoes to mush. With careless
potato salads a thing of the past, burgers, ribs,
and fied chicken, beware-this one may grab all
of the attention at the next BBQ.
ALL-AMERI CAN POTATO SALAD
S ERVES 4 TO 6
Note that this recipe calls for celery seed, not
celery salt; if only celery salt is available, use the
same amount but omit the addition of salt in the
dressing. When testing the potatoes for doneness,
simply taste a piece; do not overcook the potatoes
or they wl become meay and wl break apart.
The potatoes must be just warm, or even flly
cooled, when you add the dressing. If you fnd the
potato salad a little dry for your liking, add up to 2
tablespoons more mayonnaise.
2 pounds (3 to 4 medi um) russet potatoes, peeled
and cut i nto 3/4-i nch cubes
Sal t
2 tablespoons disti l led white vinegar
I medi um celer ri b, chopped fine (about 11 cup)
2 tablespoons mi nced red onion
3 tablespoons sweet pi ckle relish
11 cup mayonnaise (see note)
3/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
3f4 teaspoon celer seed
2 tablespoons mi nced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 lare hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut i nto
1/4-i nch cubes (optional)
J U L Y 6 A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
1 1
T A s T 1 N G : Sweet Pi ckl e Rel i sh
Te mai n i ngredi ents of seet pi ckle relish are
revealed upon tsting it: cucumber, sugar. vinegar.
and slt. To fnd out if brnd mater, I tested seven
smpl es in potto slad and straight from the jar.
The potto slad results were far from concl u
sive. as the other ingredi ents made it dificult to
detect the nuances provided by a few tablespoons
of rel i sh. However, tasting rel i sh stright from the
jar produced decisive results-Cascadian Fn and
Hei nz were cl ear favorites. The l osi ng rel ishes had
mushy cucumber bits. strnge spices, and an abun
dance of com srup.
If you are addi ng rel ish to a di sh with many com
peti ng flavor, use whatever is i n your fridge. But if
the rel i sh is to be the star condi ment for a perfectly
gri l l ed hot dog, don' t get yourel f in a pi ckle by
choosing a l ous rel ish.
(For the complete results of
this tasti ng. visit Cook's Er
at w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
and key i n code 4045. ) -R. H.
OU R FAVO RI TE A CL OS E S E COND
CCDIAN FARM This organi c rel i sh has
a drab gray-green hue (it contai ns no yel l ow
dye #5 , an i ngredi ent in every other rel i sh i n
the tasti ng) , but its "pi quant, " "sweet, " "fresh,"
and "natural " flavor was a hit with tasters.
HEI NZ Sparkles with a shocki ng glow-i n
the-dark color, but won taster over with its
"crunchy" texture and "mustardy" flavor.
1 . Place potatoes ir large saucepan and add
water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over
medium-high heat; add 1 tablespoon salt, reduce
heat to medium, and simmer, stirring once or
twice, untl potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes and transfer to large bowl.
Add vinegar and, usirg rubber spatula, toss gen
tly to combire. Let stand until potatoes are just
warm, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together cel
ery, onion, pickle relsh, mayonnaise, powdered
mustard, celery seed, parsley, pepper, and l
teaspoon salt. Usirg rubber spatula, gently fold
dressing and eggs, if using, ilto potatoes. Cover
with plastic wrap and refigerate nntil chilled,
about 1 hour; serve. ( Potato salad can be covered
and refigerated for up to 1 day. )
Spice Rubs for Griled Steak
Do you n eed a dozen pan - toasted i ngredi ents for a top- n otch spi ce rub?
A
grilled steak is simple enough, but
sometmes you want to dress it up a bit
and-aye-there's the rub. You can
look to the supermarket shelf, which
displays rubs fom celebrit chefs containing a
dozen or more ingredents, or you can follow one
of those "empty the spice cabinet" recipes that
usually require a trip to the market. The queston
before me was this: Was there such a thing as a
simple spice rub recipe for steaks that really does
te trick? I set out to fnd it.
My frst step was to round up the usual sus
pects: 24 spices, herbs, seeds, and chiles that show
up most ofen in spice rubs. I wanted to test each
of them to see how heat affected their favor.
Because I wanted to replicate the intense heat of
the grill, I toasted the spices over medum-high
heat in a small skillet until they had darkened a
shade, about two minutes. This seemed fair when
you consider that each side of a steak spends
about three minutes over the hottest coals.
I settled in with a clipboard, a pencil, a spoon,
and a large glass of water. The spices fell into
three categores: the delicious, the decent, and
the dogs (see box) . I learned that savory spices
hold up well over heat, while garlic, whether
powdered or granulated, turns putrid and bit
ter. Aside fom cinnamon, which becomes more
complex, sweeter spices such as nutmeg, cloves,
and cardamom lose any pleasant attributes.
Best Spi ces for Rubs
To si mulate the efects of gri l l i ng. common i ngre
di ents i n spice rubs were toasted separtely and
tasted. We divided the spi ces i nto three catego
ries. Good: I ntense heat makes these ingredi ents
tste more compl ex. Fir: Extreme heat does not
adverely afect these i ngredi ents. Por: High heat
render these spi ces nearly tasteless, extremely bit
ter. or medi ci nal .
GOOD FAI R POOR
Alspice Cocoa Cardamom
Acho chi l e Cofee Celer seed
Black pepper Coriander Cl oves
Chi potle chi l e Di l l seed Gic, p
Ci nnamon Fnnel or grnulated
Cumi n Str anise Nutmeg
Mustrd seed Targon Organo
Tyme Pprik
Rosemar
- B Y G A R T H C L I N G l N G S M l T H E
Peppers and chiles beneft fom high heat, wth
one glaring exception: paprika. It is one of the
most fequently used spices in rubs, yet this fnely
ground red pepper turns very bitter. Because
relatively few spices taste better when heated, I
realized that a fve-ingredient rub ( made with
careflly chosen ingredients) is actually prefer
able to a pantry-empting rub.
Many proponents of spice rubs profess the
benefts of toasting whole versions of all spices
and grinding them fesh. To our great surprise,
the favor of steaks rubbed with feshly toasted
and ground spices was indistinguishable fom
that of steaks rubbed wth preground, untoasted
spices. The intense heat of the grill does the toast
ing for you and obliterates any subtle diferences
between feshly ground and preground spices.
The one exception to this fding was black
pepper, which is best ground to order. The quick
and easy solution is to use an electric coffee
grinder devoted to this purose. Therefore, in
any rub recipe calling for black pepper, you can
also use whole spices (mustard or coriander seeds,
for example) without extra efort. Simply measure
all of the ingredients into the hopper and grind.
While these rubs c be thrown together quicky,
you can get yourself through the entre gg
season by doubling or tplig the recipes. If kept
in an airtght container away fom light and heat,
these rubs wl maintain potency for si months.
Wile a spice rub is meant to be a quick, last
minute addition, most recipes direct you to rub
the steak hours in advance. To test this advice, I
rubbed steaks two, six, 12, and 24 hours prior
to grlg. Rubs that sat on the steaks for more
than to hours actually lost some of their bright
kick. Steaks rubbed more than six hours before
hitting the coals developed an unpleasant tex
ture. I got the best results by lightng the coals
and then rubbing the steaks. Eight- to 12-ounce
steaks easily take 2 teaspoons of rub per side, but
this is a vague rule of thumb. Simply sprinkle on
enough rub to cover the steak, and gently pat it
to adhere.
CHI LE - CUMI N S PI CE RUB
MAKES ABOUT 1 1. CUP
3 dried chi potle chi les, stemmed, seeded, and cut
i nto rough pieces
2 dried ancho chi les, stemmed, seeded, and tom
i nto rough pieces
tablespoon ground cumi n
C O O K
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s I L L U S T R A T E D
1 2
tablespoon table salt
2 teaspoonssugar
Grind chies in dedicated spice grnder untl pow
dery. Wsk together ground chiles and remain
ing ingedients in small bowl untl combined.
COCOA- CUMI N-ALLSPI CE RUB
MAKES ABOUT 1 /, CUP
tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
4 teaspoons ground cumi n
2 teaspoons ground allspice
4 teaspoons black peppercors
2 teaspoons table salt
Grind all ingredients in dedicated spice grinder
untl no whole peppercorns remain.
TARRAGON-MUSTARD S E E D RUB
MAKES ABOUT ' / CUP
3 tablespoons dried tarrgon
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
2 1/4 teaspoons black peppercors
tablespoon table salt
Grnd all ingredients in dedicated spice grinder
until no whole peppercorns remain.
PEPPERY CORI ANDE R AND DI LL S PI CE RUB
MAKES ABOUT 1 /, CUP
2 tablespoons black peppercors
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
tablespoon di l l seed
1 11 teaspoons red pepper fakes
2 11 teaspoons table salt
Grind all ingredients in dedcated spice grnder
until no whole peppercorns remain.
STAR ANI S E AND COFFEE BEAN S PI CE RUB
MAKES ABOUT 1 /, CUP
6 pods star anise
2 tablespoons whole cofee beans
tablespoon black peppercors
2 teaspoons table salt
teaspoon sugar
Grind all ingredients in dedicated spice grinder
until no whole peppercorns remain.
Discoverin
g
Texas Beef Ribs
A tou r of Texas barbecue j oi nts reveal ed that ri bs are about i ntense meat fl avor-not
j ust smoke and spi ce. But can a backyard cook repl i cate thi s Lon e Star cl assi c?
I
n Texas, good beef ribs are the secret
handshake between experienced
grillers. With a price tag of roughly
$2 a pound and availability at nearly
every butcher counter (they are the scrap
bones fom tmg rib-eye steaks) , beef
ribs manage to maintain a cool, cultlike
obscurity only because their more popular
porky brethren hog all the attention. Cost
and anonymity aside, it is their huge meaty
favor-combined with spice, smoke, and
fre-that epitomizes beef barbecue for
many serious Texans. Wanting in on the
beef rib secret, I doubted whether I would
be able to fgure it out myself in the cold,
graftied alley that runs behind the test
kitchen here in Boston.
3 B Y J U L I A C O L L I N D A V I S O N E
means of the easiest route: simply leaving
the membrane in place. The fat not only
bastes the ribs as they cook but also ren
ders to a crisp, baconlike texture, which
one old local told me is called candy-and
a real Texan never trims away the candy.
Reckoning that I'd better get a sense
of what authentic Texas beef ribs taste like
before I fred up the grill, I spent a hot day
driving around Austin and neighboring
towns to check out some of the coun
try's best rib joints and roadside stands.
Sampling plates of beef ribs throughout
the day, I was repeatedly surprised by how
much they weren't le what I thought of
as barbecued ribs. The meat was not fall
of-the-bone tender but actually required a
small toothy tug, and the immense, meaty
favor of the ribs was relatively unadorned
Texas beef ri bs have a di sti nct taste and texture. They are meat ( rather
than spi cy) and chewy ( rather than fal l - off-the- bone tender) .
Moving on to the rub, I remembered
the comments of one Austin cook, who
said, "It's not about what you put on beef
ribs that makes the difference, it's what
you leave of. " Using a simple mixture of
salt, pepper, cayenne, and chili powder, I
found that a mere 2 teaspoons rubbed into
each rack were all that it took to bring out
the favor of the meat. I then tested the
efects of rubbing the slabs and refiger
ating them, both wrapped in plastic and
unwrapped, on wire racks for two days,
one day, and one hour versus the efects of
rubbing a slab and cooking it straight away.
Surprisingly, I found that the diferences
in favor were not the result of the rub's
having inltrated the meat but rather the
result of the aging of the beef Here in the
test kitchen, we have genera y found that
aged beef roasts take on a pleasant hearty
favor. In this case, however, the aged ribs
were a bust. They tasted sour and smelled
tallowy. I did make one usefl discovery
though: Ribs lef at room temperature for
by spice rubs and sticky sauces. In fact, if I hadn't
been looking for evidence of a spice rub, I might
have missed it all together. Served dry wth a vin
egary dipping sauce on the side, the ribs did not
boast a lot of smoke favor, either; instead, it served
as a backdrop for the incredible beef flavor.
How were these surprisingly flavorfl ribs
basically bones lined with juicy steak trimmings
produced? That became my problem. The various
barbecue chefs I talked to at each stop simply set
dials and pushed buttons on gargantuan, electric
smokers outftted with automated temperature
S
controls. I few home having learned nothing of

value in terms of backard cooking in a simple

kettle-style grill, but at least I knew exactly what

I was looking for: potent meat flavor with a bit of
honest Texas chew.
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Shop, Prep, and Rub
Back in Boston, my frst task was to track down
beef ribs at my local supermarket. Known to
butchers as beef back ribs ( not to be confsed
with beef short ribs ) , they were in fact widely
available; I probably had been reaching over them
for years. Because these ribs are ofen considered
scrap bones (especially by Yankee butchers) , the
real challenge is fnding any with a decent amount
of meat ( see "Where's the Beef" on page 14) ,
and I learned the hard way that skimpy ribs are
simply not worth cooking.
There is a membrane with a fair amount of fat
that runs along the backside of the bones, and I
tested the effects of removing it, scoring it, and
leaving it alone. A number of the recipes I had
looked at provided detailed instructions on how
to remove the membrane using a screwdriver (no
joke) , but I found this step to be wholly unneces
sary, as it resulted in drier meat. Scoring the mem
brane with a sharp knife also failed to wow tasters;
now the ribs presented relatively dry meat as well
as a shaggy appearance. The best results-the
j uiciest meat with the most favor-were had by
J U L Y b A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
1 3
an hour cooked through more evenly.
Smoki ng in the Alley
The next question was how to turn my kettle grill
into a backyard smoker. The frst step was choos
ing the correct fel . Hardwood charcoal was out;
briquettes burn cooler and longer, making them
perfect for barbecue. I had already discovered
that cooking the ribs directly over the briquettes
didn't work-the ribs burned long before they
had cooked through and turned tender. I needed
indirect heat, and there were two ways to get it. I
could bank all of the coals on one side of the grill,
or I could create two piles on opposite sides. A
single pile on one side of the grill proved best,
providing a slow, even fre that was easy to stoke
with fesh coals and lef more room for the ribs.
In Texas, barbecue fanatics can be particular
about the kind of wood they use to create smoke,
so I tested the three most popular varietes: hick
ory, mesquite, and green oak. The green oak had
S C I E N C E : Best Fi re for Barbecue
Barbecue experts have pl ent of theories as to exactly what goes on
i nside a covered gri l l , but agreement i s hard to come by. I n search of
wisdom rther than witchcrf, I wnted to see if I coul d scientifically
determine the best way to lay a fire. What, once and for al l , really
i s the best way to arrnge the coals to secure evenly. thoroughly.
deeply barbecued meat?
To anser this question, I outftd a Weber ketle grl l with fie
tempertur prbes, four arund the edges of the grill and one in the
center (at botom of photo) . Trugh holes drl led i n the l i d, l atched
tese prbes-or terocouples-to a computer dat rcorer (at top
of photo) tat would measur the tempertur inside the grill eer
minute for up to to hour. Mer rnning mor than a dozen test over
a six-wek perod, I arved at some anser.
tice the di stance from the fire as the other three. Thi s was al so
good news, as it meant that a l are part of the cooking area was
bei ng hel d at a prett constant temperture. The si ngl e-banked
method al so showed al most no heat spi kes and hel d the temper
ture beteen the i deal (for barbecue) 250 and 300 degrees for
the l ongest period of ti me.
Te results of these tests, then, seemed cl ear: I t' s best to have
a singl e pi l e of coals rther than to pi l es, because one source of
heat produced steady. evenly di stri buted heat, whi l e to sources
produced greater tempertur variati on.
Because barbecue i s by defi nition slow cooking over low heat,
the high tempertures prduced by so-cal l ed di rect heat (cooking
di rectly over a pile of coals) are unacceptabl e. What' s wanted i s
i ndi rect heat. and, i n a kettle gri l l , you can produce i ndi rect heat i n
one of to ways: by banking to pi l es of coals on opposite sides of
the gri l l or by banking one pi l e on one si de.
My computer dat showed that spl i tting the coal s beteen to
si des produced wonrisome temperture spi kes. This was unaccept-
We drilled holes in our kettle grill so
we could snake thermocouples from a
computer data recorder to the fire.
But thi s wasn ' t the only thi ng I l earned. Barbecue experts ofen
recommend pl aci ng the l i d vent (or vents) away from the fre, so
thi s i s what we' d been doi ng duri ng testing. Was it really part of
the reason why the pi l e of banked coals was provi di ng even, steady
heat? Sure enough. when I pl aced the open vent di recty over the
fire, the fire bured hotter and faster. With the vent in thi s posi
tion, a di rect convection current was formed i nsi de the eg-shaped
Weber kettl e. When the vent was pl aced away from the fre. a more
difuse convecti on current ensured a more even di stri bution of
heat. Also i mportant was the degree to which I opened the lid vent.
abl e if the goal was to maintin a near-constant temperture. Moreover, the temper
ture at diferent sites i n the gri l l showed significant variati on.
When the vent was opened up compl etely. the fire bured much
hotter, and the heat was less even throughout the gri l l . The vent is best kept partially
crcked. (Cl ose the vent compl etely. of coure. and you risk snufng out the fi re. )
I f anythi ng. I expected the variation i n heat di stri buti on with the si ngl e-banked
coals to be even worse. With the exception of the probe pl aced di rectly over the fire,
however, the probes in thi s case produced temperature readi ngs that were withi n a
few degrees of each other. This was surprising consi deri ng that one probe was about
Te fnal , and most i mportnt. thi ng I leared ws al so prbably the most obvious:
a clean, gentle smoke that was mild and pleasant,
but this wood was hard to fnd. Dried hickory
chunks offered a similar favor profle and were
easy to locate at a hardware store. Mesquite, on
the other hand, had a fake, pungent favor that
tasters universally hated. I then wondered if chips
( rather than chunks ) wrapped in a foil packet
were as good. No, they reduced the heat of the
charcoal ( the aluminum foil acted as a shield) ,
whereas the chunks extended its burning power,
acting as a fel source.
Not wanting the meat to taste too smoky, I
then tested the diference among using one, two,
and three medium-size ( about 2 ounces each)
chunks ( all soaked in water, as dry chunks burn
rather than smoke) . One chunk was too little,
three was too many, but two was j ust right. I tried
Where' s the Beef?
When you open the lid to check on the prgress of your barbecue, you lose all of the even
heat distribution that you have worked so hard to estbl i sh. Aove al l , rsist the tempt
tion to peek. -john Ol son, Science Editor
adding both chunks to the fre right at the begin
ning versus adding just one and letting it burn
out before adding the second. Tasters favored
the ribs smoked steadily during the entire cook
ing time, which is how an electric smoker works.
These ribs had a more complex favor than those
that were bombarded with lots of smoke at the
beginning.
The Secret Handshake
Inspired by the temperature-controlled smokers
I saw in Texas, I decided to use an indoor oven to
test various cooking temperatures. I would then
apply what I'd learned back outside on the gril l .
I tested more than 15 combinations of time and
temperature until I got it right. The frst thing I
learned was that the cooking temperature should
never exceed 300 degrees. Higher temperatures
render too much fat and turn the meat dry and
stringy. Yet the temperature should not dip below
250 degrees. Then the fat won't render, the meat
stays tough, and the ribs never achieve that signa
ture roasted beef favor. The ideal temperature,
then, was a range of250 to 300 degrees, and the
ideal time was about 212 hours, which causes
some, but not all, of the fat to render and makes
the ribs j uicy, tender, and slightly toothy. When
cooked any longer, as is the case with pork ribs,
the meat disintegrates into messy shreds, tag
on a stick, pot-roasted sort of texture that any
real Texan would immediately reject.
Now I was ready to go back to the grill and
add the fnishing touches. The frst problem was
maintaining a constant temperature. The solution
was to count out exactly 30 briquettes ( and one
wood chunk) to start, which brought the grill
Be careful when shoppi ng for beef ri bs-some ri bs wi l l yi el d poor results when barbecued. We prefer parti al sl abs (with three or four bones) that are very meat.
TOO S KI MPY
The butcher trimmed too much meat
from this slab; you can see the bones.
TOO S MALL
" Shorties" are cut i n half and
don' t ofer much meat.
TOO BI G
A whole slab (with seven ribs) is hard
to maneuver on the grill.
C O O K
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1 4
J U ST RI G HT
Tis partial slab has a thick layer of
meat that covers the bones.
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up to 300 degrees. Over the next hour, the grill
cooled to 250 degrees, and it became necessary
to add another 20 briquettes along with the sec
ond wood chunk. I also found that the top vents
should be open two-thirds of the way and posi
tioned at the side of the grill opposite from the
wood chunk, so that the smoke is drawn across
the grill, not straight up and out.
So, yes, you can make authentic Texas ribs at
home, with big beef flavor, great chew, and just
a hint of smoke and spice. The secret handshake?
Confdence. Let the wood and smoke do their
work without constant peeking and checking.
Don't mess with Texas ribs.
TEXAS- STYLE BARBE CUE D BE E F RI BS
SERVES 4
It is important to use beef ribs with a decent
amount of meat, not bony scraps; otherwise,
the rewards of making this recipe are few. For
more information about what to look for when
buying ribs, see the photos on page 14. Because
the ribs cook slowly and for an extended period
of time, charcoal briquettes, not hardwood char
coal (which burns hot and fast) , make a better
fel. That said, do not use Match Light charcoal,
which contains lighter fuid for easy ignition. For
the wood chunks, use any type of wood but mes
quite, which can have an overpowering smoki
ness. It's a good idea to monitor the grill heat; if
you don' t own a reliable grill thermometer, insert
an instant-read thermometer into the lid vent to
spot-check the temperature. Except when adding
coals, do not lif the grill lid, which wallow both
smoke and heat to escape. Wen barbecuing, we
prefer to use a Weber 22- inch kettle grill .
4 teaspoons chi l i powder
11 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons salt
I 11 teaspoons ground black pepper
3-4 beef ri b slabs (3 to 4 ribs per slab, about
5 pounds total)
reci pe Barbecue Sauce for Texas-Stle Beef Ribs
(reci pe at right)
1 . M chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper
in small bowl; rub ribs evenly with spice mixture.
Let ribs stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, cover 2 large wood chunks
( see note) with water and soak 1 hour. Drain
wood chunks. Open bottom grill vents . Using
chimney starter, ignite 30 briquettes ( about
one-third large chimney, or 2 quarts) and burn
until covered with thin coating of light gray ash,
about 10 minutes. Empt coals into grill, then
bank coals against one side of grill, stacking them
2 to 3 coals high; place 1 soaked wood chunk
on top of coals. Position grill grate over coals,
cover grill, and adjust lid vents two-thirds open.
Heat grate until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grill
grate clean with grill brush. Positon ribs, meat
side down, on cool side of grill ( they may overlap
slightly) ; cover, positioning lid so tl1at vents are
directly above ribs. (Temperature on thermom
eter inserted irough vents should register about
300 degrees. ) Cook until grill temperamre drops
to about 250 degrees, about 1 hour. ( On cold,
windy days, temperature may drop more quickly,
so spot-check temperature. If necessary, add 5
additional briquettes to maintain temperature
above 250 degrees during frst hour of cooking. )
3. Aer 1 hour, add 20 more briquettes and
remaining wood chunk to coals; using tongs, fip
ribs meat-side up and rotate so that edges once
closest to coals are now fartlest away. Cover grill,
positioning lid so that vents are opposite wood
chunk; continue to cook until di1mer fork can be
inserted into and removed fom meat wth little
resistance, meat pulls away from bones when rack
is gently twisted, and meat shrinks 11 to 1 inch
up rib bones, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours longer. Transfer
ribs to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes; using
chef's knife, slice between bones to separate into
individual ribs. Serve, passing sauce separately.
TEXAS - STYLE BARBE CU E D BE E F RI BS
ON A GAS GRI LL
On a gas grill, leaving one burner on and turning
the oier( s) of simulates the indirect heat meiod
on a charcoal grill . Use wood chips instead of
wood chunks and a disposable aluminum pan
to hold tl1em. On a gas grill, it is important to
monitor the temperature closely; use an oven
thermometer set on the grate next to the ribs and
check the temperature every 15 minutes. Try to
maintain a 250- to 300-degree grill temperature
by adjusting the setting of the lit burner.
l . Follow recipe for Texas-Style Barbecued
Beef Ribs irough step 1 .
2. Cover 3 cups wood chips wii water; soak
30 minutes, then drain. Place wood chips in
small disposable aluminum pan; set pan on gas
grill burner iat w remain on. Turn all burn
ers to high, close lid, and heat grill until chips
smoke heavily, about 20 minutes ( if chips ignite,
extinguish flames wii water-flled squirt bottle) .
Scrape grill grate clean with grill brush; mrn off
burner( s ) without wood chips. Position oven
thermometer and ribs, meat-side down, on cool
side of grill. Cover and cook 1 1/4 hours, checking
grill temperature every 1 5 minutes and adjusting
lit burner as needed to maintain temperature of
250 to 300 degrees.
3. Using tongs, fip ribs meat-side up and
rotate so that edges once closest to lit burner are
now farthest away. Cover and continue to cook
and check/adjust grill temperature until dinner
fork can be inserted into and removed from meat
with little resistance, meat pulls away from bones
when rack is gently twisted, and meat shrinks 1/z
J U L Y 6 A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
1 5
Texas Beef Ri b Sauce
Ever plate of beef ri bs I tsted i n Texas was accompa
nied by a si mpl e, vinegar di ppi ng sauce quite unl i ke
the seet. thi ck BBQ sauces found in the super
market. I fgured it woul d be eas to dupl i cate this
suce back i n Boston. Boy, was I wrong. I t took me
more than 30 tries to get this reci pe right.
I tested di ced tomatoes. pureed tomatoes, crshed
tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup, chi l i suce, and
tomato paste before I fgured out that the l ight favor
of tomato j uice was the key. Ci der vi negar tasted
I
much too potent. whereas white vi negar had the
cl ean, fresh taste of the sauces I ' d sampl ed in Texas.
A for flavorings, oni on, garl i c, and chi l i powder were
al l a shoo- i n, whi l e Worcestershi re sauce, dried mus
tard. chi potl e. and molasses al so won taster' votes. I
si mmered the sauce for about hal f an hour to thi cken
the tomato j ui ce sl ightly and mel d the flavor. Ater
cooking the sauce, I added more vi negar for a ni ce
kick. -j . C. D.
BARBECUE SAUCE FOR
TEXAS- STYLE BE E F RI BS
MAKES 1 '/ CUPS
2 tabl espoons unsal ted butter
1/4 cup mi nced oni on
medi um garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press (about I teaspoon)
l '/2 teaspoons chi l i powder
2 cups tomato j uice
' cup di sti l l ed whi te vi negar
2 tabl espoons Worcestershi re sauce
11 teaspoon powdered mustard mixed with
I tabl espoon water
teaspoon mi nced chi potle chi l e in adobo
2 tabl espoons mi l d or dark (not bl ackstrap)
mol asses
I 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Heat butter i n smal l nonreactive saucepan over
medi um heat unti l foami ng; add oni on and cook.
stirring occasi onal ly, unti l sofened. 2 to 3 mi nutes.
Ad garl i c and chi l i powder; cook, stirring constntly.
unti l frgrnt, about 20 seconds. Ad tomato j uice. 11
cup vi negar, Worcesterhi re sauce, mustard, chi potl e.
molasses, and sal t; i ncrease heat to high and bring to
si mmer, then reduce heat to medi um and conti nue
to si mmer, stirring occasi onal ly. unti l suce is slightly
thi ckened and reduced to 1 11 cups, 30 to 40 mi n
utes. Of heat, sti r i n pepper and remai ni ng 1/ cup
vi negar. Cool to room temperture before sering.
(Can be refrigerted i n airtight contai ner for up to 4
day; bring to room temperture before seri ng. )
to 1 inch up rib bones, 1 to 1 11 hours longer.
Transfer ribs to cutting board and let rest 5 min
utes; using chef's knife, slice between bones to
separate into individual ribs. Serve, passing sauce
separately.
Grillin
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1 01
A l i ttl e know- how and some practi ce are al l that' s
req u i red to meet the chal l enges of gri l l i ng. BY RE B E ccA HAYs
The probl em with (and the fun of gri l l i ng i s that i t i s unpredi ctabl e: fare- ups, a gust of wi nd, and a fi re that i s too
cool or too hot are j ust a few of the occurrences that cal l for adjustments from the outdoor cook. To i mprove
your chances of success, keep the fol l owi ng ti ps and techni ques handy the next ti me you fire up the gri l l .
G RI LLI NG E QU I PME NT
Charcoal Gri l l s Gri l l i ng over charcoal provides excepti onal brown
ing and seari ng that a gas gri l l si mpl y can' t repl i cate. That' s because a
charcoal fi re, bui l t with pl ent of charcoal , gets hotter than a gas fi re.
Besi des seari ng. charcoal adds another di sti nct advantage-smoke
favor. The one di sadvantage to gri l l i ng over charcoal is that i t can be
unpredi ctabl e-ri n, wi nd, and snow can lower the temperture of the
gri l l or even cause the fire to di e out compl etely. A for gri l l size. l arer
is better. We gri l l on a 22- i nch Weber kettle gri l l .
Gas Gri l l s I n terms of conveni ence and dependabi l it, a gas gri l l can' t
be beat. A gas gri l l i s consi stent, del ivering the same resul ts day i n and
day out. Gas gri l l s are roughly three ti mes more expensive than char
coal gri l l s, so i t pays to shop carefully. Make sure to buy a gas gri l l with
at least to burners to faci l i tate cooking over i ndi rect heat. In past
Cook)s tests, gas gri l l s made by Weber have come out on top.
GRI LLI NG TECH N I QU ES
Gri l l ing: Qui ckly cooki ng relatively thi n
cuts of food (steaks, chops, fish, and
chicken pars) di rectly over a hot or
medi um-hot fire (around 500 degrees
Fhrenhei t, and i n some cases even hot
ter) . Charcoal gri l l i ng is alwy done with
the lid of. When cooking with gas, the l i d
must be kept down to contai n the heat.
Chi mney Starer Look for a lare
chi mney starter capabl e of hol di ng
6 quarts of charcoal . Fi l l the bot
tom of the starter with crumpl ed
newspaper, set the starter on the
bottom rack of a kettle gri l l , fi l l the
mai n compartment wi th as much
charcoal as di rected i n a given
reci pe, and l ight the newspaper.
When the coal s are wel l l i t and
covered wi th a layer of gry ash,
dump them onto the rck. usi ng
l ong- handl ed tongs to move the
bri quettes i nto pl ace. if necessar.
Gri l l -Roasti ng: A alterative to oven
roasting that involves i ndi rect cook-
Charcoal To test the asserti on that charcoal tpe i nfuences flavor,
ing over moderte heat (300 to 400
degrees) with the l i d on. Whole chi ckens
and turkeys and tender cuts such as beef
tenderl oi n and pork l oi n are gri l l - roasted.
Barecui ng: Slowly smoking tough.
thick cuts (ri bs, brisket, or pork shoul der
rubbed wi th dr spi ces) over a low fire
(250 to 300 degrees) . Thi s method
tenderizes the meat and adds authenti c
smok barbecue flavor.
we gri l l ed steaks and zucchi ni over three fires bui l t with the fol l owi ng:
hardwood charcoal , regul ar charcoal bri quettes, and Match Ught, a
Ki ngsford product i nfused wi th l ighter fui d to guarantee rapi d igni ti on.
Te favor diferences i n the steak were nearly i mpercepti bl e, but the
del icate zucchi ni was a diferent stor, wi th the zucchi ni gri l l ed over
Match Ught tasti ng oddly bi tter. I n separate tests wi th del i cate foods
chi cken. fi sh . and vegetabl es-gri l l ed over fires started wi th l ighter fl ui d,
taster al so detected harsh, acri d favor. Consequently, we l i ke t o steer
cl ear of both Match Ught and l ighter fui d. Hardwood charcoal i s the
best choi ce for gri l l i ng because i t bums hot and fast, whi l e sl ower burn
i ng bri quettes are opti mal for gri l l - roasti ng and barbecui ng.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 6
TH RE E TYPE S O F F I RES
Si ngl e-lvel Fi re
Del ivers di rect, moderte heat. Used wi th fai rly thi n
foods that cook qui ckly.
US E FOR: Fruits, vegetabl es, fi sh and shel l fi sh.
hamburers, and kebabs.
TO BUI LD: Arrnge l i t charcoal evenly i n the gri l l .
GAS - GRI LL E QUI VALENT: Aj ust al l burer to high
for a ver hot fire, or tum the burer to medi um afer
Two- lvel Fi re
Al l ows the cook to sear foods over a very hot secti on
of the gri l l and to fi ni sh the cooki ng over a medi um
hot section so that the exteri or doesn' t char.
usE FOR: Chops (pork. l amb. and veal ), steaks,
turkey burer, bone- i n chi cken l egs and thi ghs, and
thi ck fi sh steaks (mahi - mahi and swordfish) .
TO BUI LD : Arrange some l i t coal s in a si ngl e layer on
hal f of the gri l l . Lave the remai ni ng coals i n a pi l e.
GAS - GRI LL EQUI VALENT: Leave one burer on high
or medi um- high and tum the other(s) to medi um or
medi um-low.
I deal for foods that are suscepti bl e to buri ng but
requi re a l ong cooking ti me. Can al so be used to
create an especi al ly hot fire when gri l l i ng smal l , thi n
cuts of meat.
usE FOR: Bone- i n chi cken breasts. bonel ess chi cken
breasts and thi ghs. sausages. fank steak. pork tender
l oi n, rck of l amb, and butterfl i ed leg of l amb.
TO BUI LD: Pi l e al l of the l i t coal s onto one si de of
the gri l l , l eavi ng the other si de empt. We often
cover foods on the cool part of the gri l l with a di s
posabl e al umi num pan to trp the heat and create
an oven l i ke cooki ng envi ronment.
GAS - GRI LL EQUI VALENT: Leave one burner on
hi gh and turn the other bumer(s) to medi um- low.
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COMMON G RI LLI N G PROB LE MS AN D H OW TO S OLVE TH E M
PROBLEM: Gri l l ed foods are dr.
Charcoal smoke adds great favor, but it
also tends to dehydrte food.
SOLUTI ON: General ly speaki ng, thi cker
foods are easier to gri l l than thi nner
ones, so shop for moderately thi ck
chops, fi sh fi l l ets, and steaks. I t' s ofen
benefi ci al to bri ne foods (especi al ly l ean
poul try, pork, and shri mp) that wi l l be
cooked over charcoal .
How to judge the Temperature of a Fi re
You can get a good i dea
of j ust how hot a fi re i s by
hol di ng your hand 5 i nches
above the gri l l grate and
counting the number of
seconds you can comfortably
leave it there.
I NTENSITY OF FI RE TI ME USE FOR
PROBLE M: Burger and fi sh sti ck to the gri l l .
S OLUTI ON: I t i s essenti al t o heat the gri l l and then scrape
i t cl ean wi th a gri l l brush before each use. Gri l l i ng on a gri l l
grate cl ogged wi th burnt, stuck-on food from l ast ni ght' s
di nner i s aki n to cooki ng i n a di rt pan . I n addi ti on, we
recommend oi l i ng the gri l l grate to keep foods from stick
ing. We've found that the easiest method i s to di p a wad
of paper towel s i n vegetabl e oi l , grasp the oil ed towel s
wi th tongs, and rub the oi l over the hot
cooki ng grate.
Hot 2 seconds Fl ank steak, shri mp, scal l ops
Medium-hot 3-4 seconds Steaks, burers, chops, fi sh,
vegetabl es, frui t
Medium 5-6 seconds Gri l l - roasti ng
Medium-low 7 seconds Barbecui ng
e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROBLEM: I t' s difi cul t to monitor the
temperture when gri l l - roasting and
barbecui ng.
SOLUTI ON: A gri l l thermometer can be i nserted
through the lid vents of a charcoal gri l l . To mea
sure the temperature of the spot where the
food is bei ng cooked, rotate the l i d so that the
thermometer is cl ose to the food and away from

the fire. Do not let the thermometer stem touch 1

the food.
PROBLE M: I t' s di fi cul t to gauge doneness.
SOLUTI ON: Gri l l i ng i s an i nexact cooki ng tech
ni que, and i t i s someti mes necessar to adjust ti m
i ng t o account for cool or wi ndy condi ti ons. Taki ng
the temperature of food wi th an i nstant- read ther
mometer is the best way to tel l if i t' s done. Pi ck u p
a steak or chop wi th a pai r of tongs an d i nsert the
ti p of a thermometer through the si de of the meat
unti l most of the shaf i s embedded i n the meat
and not touchi ng any bone. Because most gri l l s
have hot spots, you can ' t assume that every burger,
steak, or piece of chi cken wi l l be done at the same
ti me-check each one.
J U L Y 6 A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
1 7
PROBLE M: The food chars before it cooks
through.
S OLUTI ON: Bui l d a fire that has hot and cool spots so
that you can sear food over the hotter area and then
cook i t through without scorchi ng on the cool er area.
Fl are- ups are common when gri l l i ng hi gh-fat foods l i ke
sausages and ski n- on chi cken . At the first sign of fl ames,
move foods to a cool er part of the gri l l . Al so, don' t apply
barbecue or other sti ck sauces unti l the last mi nutes of
cooki ng (or pass sauces at the tabl e) .
PROBLE M: Charcoal -gri l l ed food has an
of, stal e smoke flavor.
SOLUTI ON: Don' t use the gri l l cover ever time
you gri l l . I t may have a bui l dup of soot and resinous
compounds that can i mpart unwel come favor.
When gri l l i ng steaks, chops, or chi cken parts, for
i nstance, bui l d a fire that' s big enough to cook the
food through qui ckly, covering food with a di posble
al umi num pan if you need to trap heat to cook food
through. When you want to barbecue or gri l l -roast
for a prolonged period of ti me, the l i d must be used.
(Te smok favor from wood chi ps or chunks gener
al ly masks any of favor that the lid may i mpart. )
When Is It Done?
The temperatures i n thi s chart refl ect our opi ni on with regard
to pal atabi l i t. Meat shoul d come of the gri l l when it is 5 to
I 0 degrees shy of the desi red fi nal i nternal temperture l i sted
bel ow, as the temperature wi l l conti nue to rise for severl
mi nutes (see page 3 for more i nformation) . Note that the
U. S. Department of Agri cul ture recommends cooking ground
meat to 1 60 degrees; roasts, steaks, and chops to 1 4 5 degrees;
and poul tr to 1 80 degrees to el i mi nate potential food-borne
pathogens.
Red Meat
(BEEF, LMB, VEAL)
Pork
Chi cken
(WHITE MEAT)
Chi cken
(DARK MEAT)
RRE MEDI UM- RARE MEDI UM WELL DONE
1 2 5 ' 1 30' 1 40' 1 60'
* *
1 45 ' 1 60'
* * *
1 60'
* * *
1 65 '
Fish (Check for doneness by ni cki ng the flesh with a paring
knife; most fi sh shoul d be opaque at the center. Tuna and
sal mon can be cooked unti l j ust transl ucent at the center. )
*
Not recommended
Grilled Glazed Salon
A bu rnt, stuck- to- the-gri l l crust and fl avorl ess i nteri or are the real i ty of gl azed sal mon .
Wi th .pou nds of sal mon and gal l ons of bri quettes , we set out to sol ve both probl ems .
I
was always confdent in my abilit to
produce great grilled salon. With
its frm, meat texture and rich, but
tery interior, the salmon on my grill
had at least a chance of coming of that
hot grate moist and in one piece. Then
one day I tried my hand at griled glazed
salmon and watched as my dinner ( as well
as my bravado) went up in smoke. Sticky
was the operative word here as the glazed
salmon gripped the grill grate for dear life
and could only be torn of in many tiny
pieces. Not that it was actually worth get
ting of the grill, mind you, because each
of those tiny pieces was charred beyond
recognition. When it comes to grilled
glazed salmon, you can call me chicken.
- B Y B R I D G E T L A N C A S T E R E
So why glaze ( and inevitably ruin)
an otherwse perfect piece of fsh? Well,
because truly great glazed salmon off the
grill is a thing of beaut, both inside and
out. A if working double duty, the sweet
glaze not only forms a glossy, deeply cara
melized crust, but it also permeates the
fesh, making the last bite of fsh every bit
as good as the frst. This was the salmon
A gl aze made with just soy sauce and mapl e syrup adds a thi ck,
flavorful crust to gri l l ed sal mon .
that I wanted to re-create-sweet, crisp, moist,
and oh-so-favorfl-and I was wlg to ruin a
few more fsh to get there.
I knew I needed all the help I could get, and I
went straght to cookbooks in hopes of directon.
The fst choice was easy When confonted with
fllets, steaks, and whole sides, I was going with the
fllets for ease of glg (ever try fipping a whole
side? ) and ease of eatng (who wants to eat around
all those salmon steak bones, anyway? ) . The next
choice was glazing method, and here things were
less clear. I could try using a mariade to favor
the fsh. I could try brushing the fsh with a thick
glaze before throwing it on the grill. Finally, I
could simply grill the fsh plain and apply the glaze
aferward. I fred up the grill and got to work.
Flavor I nsi de, Crust Outsi de
Aer testing, there was no doubt that marnating
gave the salon favor. Soy sauce was chosen for
its abit to season te fsh through and through,
while vnegar (another standard marnade ingredi
ent) was omitted, as it broke down the salmon until
it was too fagle to hold its shape on the grill. In
my perfect world, the marnade would also work as
a glaze of sorts, with the sugars caramelizing once
they hit the hot grll. In fact, tests demonstrated
that the marinated salmon failed to produce any
kind of crust. Increasing the amount of sugar only
served to make the salmon too sweet. Takng a cue
fom some brush-on glaze recipes, I tested more
viscous sweeteners, such as maple syrup, honey,
and molasses. While the molasses was rejected for
its bitter favor, the maple syrup and honey worked
like a dream. With a thicker marinade, the sweet
favors clung to the salmon rather than dripping
through the bars of the grate, and a crust (however
thin) was begng to form.
Using a marinade alone wasn't going to pro
duce the thick crust I wanted, however. The next
step was to brush the marinated salmon wth a
much thicker glaze-a winning combintion of
soy sauce and maple syrup-very similar to the
marinade. Yep, here was a crust-a burnt, stuck
to-the-grill crust-not what I was afer. Instead, I
basted the salmon wth this glaze a few moments
afer it hit the hot grill . Better. Not as charred,
not as stick, but still not acceptable. Not sure
where else to turn at this point, I thought it might
be time to examine the fre.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 8
Catch and Rel ease
Few thi ngs are more frustrting than tri ng to pul l the
dai ly catch of the gri l l i n one pi ece. But there' s no
shortage of equi pment, gadgets, or pl ai n ol d advice
i ntended to hel p you get around this probl em. Aer
testing them al l , using both sturdy sl mon fl l ets and
more frgile founder, we found that the best method
requi res equi pment that you probably own al ready.
Methods are l i sted in order of efectiveness.
TOOL: OI LED WAD OF PPER TOWEL
METHOD: Using l ong- handl ed tongs, dip towels in
vegetabl e oil and brsh over heated gri l l grte.
RESULTS : Most fai l sfe wy to keep fsh from sticking
to gri l l .
TOOL: COOKI NG SPRY
METHOD: Spry col d grte before heating.
RESULTS: Wored wel l , al though part of one fl let
needed some proddi ng.
TOOL: OIL ON THE FISH
METHOD: Oi l fsh before pl aci ng on hot gri l l .
RESULTS: Mixed reviews. Athough fsh released wel l ,
flar-ups were a probl em.
TOOL: LEMON SUCES
METHOD: Pace lemon on gt, ten place fsh on top.
RESULTS: Mixed rview. Atough fsh did not stick
to grl l , l emon slices kept fsh frm developing exterior
color. Wored wel l for frgil e fish, tough, when brwn
ing is not i mportnt.
TOOL: SAI NLESS SEEL SCREEN MATERIAL
METHOD: Place mesh on grte, then place fsh on top.
RESULTS: Not bad. Worked wel l when spryed with
vegetbl e oi l spry. Fish must be rpi dly rmoved from
screen afer bei ng gri l l ed, as it wi l l begi n to stick.
TOOL: FISH BSKE
METHOD: Place fish i n
'
oi l ed fish basket.
RESULTS: Not rcommended. Slmon stck t bt
Desn' t wrwit glazing becus one cn' t gt at cgd
slmon t brsh it.
TOOL: GRI U GRTE
METHOD: Tested enamel ed steel . cast- i ron, and
stai nl ess steel grtes.
RESULTS: When it comes to tpes of gri l l grtes, fish
i s nondiscri mi natory. I t wi l l sti ck to any surface. Best
to use the oi l ed grte method with any of these gri l l
grte materi al s. -B. L

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The Sal mon Three-Step
Up to this point, I had been cooking the salmon in
a prett traditional way. I was searing the fsh skin
side down, then skin-side up over a hot fire; the
superhot grill grate helped to keep the fsh fom
stcking. The problem now was that the hot fre
was causing my sweet glazed salmon to burn.
Aer trying more temperate medium and low
fres ( both of which failed) , I tried a two-level fi re.
Piling the hot briquettes one-high on one side and
two-high on the other, I seared the marinated
salmon over the high heat. I then brushed the
salmon with some of the glaze and pulled it to the
cooler side of the grill to cook through. This was a
big improvement, with a decent crust.
But I was still having a problem. When started
skin-side down, the fllet buckled, causing the
other side to cook unevenly. The solution was to
start the salmon skin-side up, fip it to sear the
skin side, brush on some glaze, and then fip it
again to fi nish cooking on the cool side of the
grill. The downside of this approach was that the
grll had to be well oiled to prevent sticking, a
step that is not optional . The good news was that
I had an incredible crust, built in two layers, that
was both sweet and substantial. Al that was lef
to do was to brush the grilled salmon with more
glaze before serving. Gilding the lily, perhaps, but
wth a high-gloss shine and potent favor within,
this fsh never looked (or tasted) so good.
GRI LLED G LAZED SALMON
S ERVES 4
Scraping the grill grate clean will help prevent
the salmon fom sticking. Also, be sure to oil the
grate just before placing the fllets on the grill.
reci pe gl aze (recipes follow)
'h cup soy sauce
11 cup maple syrup
4 sal mon fi l l ets (about 8 ounces each) , each about
I 'l i nches at thickest part
Ground black pepper
Vegetabl e oi l for gri l l grate
Lemon wedges for seri ng
1. Measure 2 tablespoons glaze into small bowl
and set aside.
2. Whisk soy sauce and maple syrup in 13
by 9-inch baking dish until combined; careflly
place fillets fl esh-side down in single layer in mari
nade (do not coat salmon skin with marinade) .
Refigerate while preparing grill.
3. Using chimney starter, ignite about 6 quarts
( l lare chimney, or 2112 pounds) charcoal bri
quettes and burn until covered with layer of light
gray ash, about 1 5 minutes. Empty coals into
grill; build two-level fre by stacking two-thirds
of coals in one half of grill and arranging remain
ing coals in single layer in other half. Position grill
grate over coals, cover grill, and heat until grate
R E C I P E S H O RTHAN D : GRI LLI NG GLAZ E D SALMON

<

ooe
I. Rub oi l ed paper towels over hot si de of gri l l . 2. Pl ace sal mon fesh-si de down at 45- degree angl e to gri l l grte. 3. With
tongs. careful ly fi p sal mon ski n-si de down. 4. Brush fesh si de of sal mon with glaze. 5 . Rub oi l ed paper towel s over grte
on cool er si de of gri l l . 6. Careful ly fi p sal mon fl esh-si de down onto cool er si de of gri l l .
i s hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grill grate clean
with grill brush.
4. Remove salmon fom marinade and sprinkle
fesh liberally with pepper. Using long-hancled
grill tongs, dip wad of paper towels in vegetable oil
and wipe hot side of grill grate. Place flets fl esh
side down on hot side of grill and cook until grill
marked, about 1 minute. Using tongs, flip fillets
skin-side down, still on hot side of grill; brush fl esh
with glaze and cook until salmon is opaque about
halfay up tlickness of fi llets, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Again using long-hancled grill tongs, dip
wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and wipe
cooler side of grill grate. Brush fl esh again with
glaze, then turn fillets fesh-side down onto cooler
side of grill; cook until deeply browned, crust has
formed, and center of thickest part of fill et is still
translucent when cut into with paring kife, about
11 nlinutes. Transfer fillets to platter, brush with
reserved 2 tablespoons glaze, and serve immedi
ately with lemon wedges.
G RI LLED G LAZED SALMON ON A GAS GRI LL
1. Follow recipe for Grilled Glazed Salmon
through step 2.
2. Turn all burners on gas grill to high; cover
and heat until very hot, about 1 5 minutes. Scrape
grill grate clean with grill brush. Turn all but 1
burner to medium- low. Remove salmon from
marinade and sprinkle fesh liberally with pepper.
Using long-hancled gill tongs, dip wad of paper
towels in vegetable oil and wipe hot side of grill
grate. Place fets fl esh-side down on hot side of
grill and cook until grill-marked, 1 to 2 minutes.
Using tongs, fip fllets skin-side down, still on
hot side of grill; brush fesh with glaze, cover grill,
and cook untl salmon is opaque about halay up
thickness of fllets, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Again using long-hancled gll tongs, dip wad
of paper towels in vegetable oil and wpe cooler side
of glgate. Brush fesh again wth glaze, then turn
fllets flesh-side down onto cooler side of gl; cook
ut deeply browned, crust has formed, ad center
of thickest part of fllet is stll translucent when cut
into wth paring k, about 2 minutes. Transfer
fets to platter, brush with reserved 2 tablespoons
glaze, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
MAPLE - SOY G LAZE
Stir together 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 14 cup
maple syrup in small saucepan; bring to simmer
over medium-high heat and cook until slightly
thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
HONEY- MUSTARD G LAZE
Stir together 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 14
cup honey in small saucepan; bring to simmer
over medium- high heat and cook until slightly
thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Off heat, whisk in 3
tablespoons Dij on mustard.
MAPLE - CHI POTLE G LAZE
Ofer lime wedges instead oflemon when servig.
Stir together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, l/4 cup
maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon minced chipotle
chile in adobo in small saucepan; bring to simmer
over medium-high heat and cook until slightly
thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Off heat, whisk in
2 tablespoons lime juice.
R E c 1 P E T E s T 1 N G : The Sof, the Sti ck, and the Good
Here' s how we solved two common probl ems that came u p duri ng reci pe testi ng.
TOO S OFT
' 1
.. . .. .
'
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TOO STI CKY J U ST RI G HT
Sal mon that was mari nated for When we ski pped the step of oi l - With a short mari nati ng ti me and
more than 30 mi nutes became i ng the gri l l grate, the sal mon stuck a thorough oi l i ng of the gri l l , our
mushy and fel l apart on the gri l l . terri bly. sal mon came of the fire i ntact.
J U L Y [ A U G U S T 2 004
1 9
All-Season Fresh Tomato Salsa
Coul d we devel op a reci pe that wou l d work wi th any tomato-even
a bl and su permarket speci men ?
B
ackyard, farm-stand, and supermarket
summertime tomatoes alike should be
sweet, j uicy, and ready for top billing
in a fesh tomato salsa. But even in the
midst of tomato season, some can be less than
stellar. Complicating matters, salsa's popular
ity has opened the door to versions employing
extravagant ( smoked paprika) and extraneous
( canned tomato j uice) ingredients, relegatng
fesh tomatoes to a minor role. One such recipe
had me fshing around-literally-in water for
miniscule pieces of tomato, while another used
four diferent chiles but only one measly tomato.
I wanted a fesh, chunky Mexican-style salsa, or
sala cruda, that would emphasize the tomatoes;
the other traditional favors-lime, garlc, onion,
che, and cilantro-would have supportng roles. I
also wanted to get the texture j ust right for scoop
ing up and balancing on a tortilla chp.
Simply combining salsa ingredents in one bowl
for mixing and serving turned out to be a bad idea.
The tomatoes exuded so much juice that the other
ingredient were submerged i liquid wt min
utes. The frst step, then, was to solve the problem
of watery salsa. Peeling and seeding tomatoes
are ofen employed to remove excess moisture.
Peeling, however, removed the structure that kept
the diced pieces intact, resultng in a salsa that was
too mushy. Seedng dshed the tomatoes' fa
vor, and tasters did not mind the presence of seeds.
So much for peeling and seeding.
I recalled that here in the test kitchen we ofen
salt tomatoes to concentrate favor and exude
liquid. This technique was promsing, but because
much more surface area was exposed when the
tomatoes were diced, the salt penetrated too
deeply and broke them down too much. I was lef
wt mealy, mushy tomatoes, and the salsa was just
as watery as before. Dicing the tomatoes larger to
- B Y N I N A W E S T E
expose less surface area was out of the question;
the tomato pieces would be too large to balance
on a tortilla chip. Taking round slices of tomatoes,
salting them, and then dicing them afer they had
drained was just too much work.
Frustrated, I diced a few tomatoes whole ( skin,
seeds, and all ), threw them into a colander, and
walked away. Thirty minutes later, to my surrise,
a few tablespoons of liquid had drained out; afer
a few shakes of the colander, the tomatoes were
chunky and relatively dry. I found that in fewer
than 30 minutes, not enough liquid drained out,
whereas more time didn't produce enough addi
tional juice to justif the wait. Overall, I found
that really ripe tomatoes exude more juice than
less ripe supermarket tomatoes. This simple tech
nique, with minimal tomato prep, had accom
plished a major feat: It put all tomatoes, regardless
of origin, ripeness, or juiciness, on a level-and
dry-playing feld.
With the main technique established, I fxed
the spotlight on the supporting ingredients .
Red onions were preferred over white, yellow,
and sweet onions for color and favor. Jalapeno
chiles were chosen over serrano, habanero, and
poblano chiles because of their wide availability,
slight vegetal favor, and moderate heat. Lime
juice tasted more authentic ( and better) than red
wine vinegar, rice vinegar, or lemon juice. Olive
oil, while included at the begng of the recipe
testing process, was rejected later on when tasters
found it dulled the other flavors.
I also investigated the best way to combine
the ingredients and rejected all but the simplest
technque. Marinating the tomatoes, onion, garlc,
and chile in lme juice resulted in dull, washed-out
favors and involved extra bowls and work. I tried
letting the drained tomatoes, onion, chile, garlic,
and cilantro sit for a bit before adding the lime
STE P- BY- ST E P C UTTI NG TOMATOE S F OR SALSA
I. Cut each cored tomato i n hal f 2. Cut each hal f i nto %- i nch-thi ck
through the equator. sl i ces.
3. Stack two sl ices, cut them i nto 3/s
i nch stri ps, then i nto %- i nch di ce.
C O O K
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S I L L U S T R A T E D
20
j uice, sugar, and salt. Now the favors of the chile
and onion stole the show. It was much more ef
cient to chop the chile, onon, garlic, and cilantro
and layer each ingredient on top of the tomatoes
while they drained in the colander. Once the toma
toes were fnished draining, the chile, onion, gar
lic, cilantro, and tomatoes needed just a few stirs
before being innedately fshed with the lime
juice, sugar, and salt, and then served.
FRESH TOMATO SALSA
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
Heat varies fom jalapeno to jalapeno, and because
much of the heat resides in the seeds, we suggest
mincing the seeds separately fom the fesh, then
adding minced seeds to taste. The anount of sugar
and lime juice to use depends on the ripeness of
the tomatoes. The salsa can be made 2 to 3 hours
in advance, but hold off addng the salt, lime juice,
and sugar until just before serving. The salsa is
perfect for tortilla chips, but it's also a nice accom
paniment to grilled steaks, chicken, and fish.
1 11 pounds firm, ripe tomatoes, cut i nto
3- i nch di ce (about 3 cups)
l arge jal apeno chi l e, seeded (seeds resered
and mi nced; see note) , flesh mi nced
(about 2 tabl espoons)
11 cup mi nced red oni on
smal l garl i c cl ove, mi nced (about 11 teaspoon)
1/4 cup chopped fresh ci l antro l eaves
11 teaspoon salt
Pi nch ground bl ack pepper
2-6 teaspoons j uice from I to 2 l i mes
Sugar to taste (up to I teaspoon )
l . Set large colander in large bowl . Place
tomatoes i colander and let drain 30 minutes. A
tomatoes drain, layer jalapeno, onion, garlic, ad
cilantro on top. Shake colander to drain of excess
tomato j uice. Discard j uice; wipe out bowl.
.
2. Transfer contents of colander t now-empt i
bowl. Add salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons lime juice;
toss to combine. Taste and add minced jalapeno
seeds, sugar, and additional lime juice to taste.
z
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COOK'S EXTRA gives you free i nformati on onl i ne.
For the resul ts of our tasti ng of torti l l a chi ps, vi si t
ww. cooksi l l ustrated. com and key i n code 4046. Thi s
i nformati on wi l l be avai l abl e unti l August 1 5 , 2004.
Freeform Fruit Tart
Few th i ngs are better than a su mmer frui t pi e , but that takes ti me and ski l l . We wanted
an easy reci pe wi th a short l i st of i ngredi ents that wou l d produce an extra-fl ak crust.
W
hoever coined the expression
"easy as pie" probably never
made one. Every sum er I fd
myself in a quandary: Should I
put myself through the ordeal of making a double
crust pie, or should I take the easy way out and
whip up a cobbler or crsp instead, thus avoiding
the need to roll out the dough, to transfer it (in
one, untorn piece) fom countertop to pie plate,
and to press and crip it in place? So a cobbler or
crsp it usually is-but nothing can take the place of
a buttery, faky crust paired wth juicy sumer fuit.
What I needed was a lazy recipe, one that produced
both crust and fuit with half the work.
A feeform tart-a single layer of buttery pie
dough folded up around fesh fuit-seemed the
obvious solution. But I quickly discovered that
this method was not troublefree. Without the
support of a pie plate, tender crusts are prone to
leak juice, and this results in soggy bottoms. A
quick glance at a couple of dozen recipes revealed
that many bakers solve this problem by making a
sturdier ( and so tougher) dough. Several recipes
skirted the tough-crust issue by utilizing a dif
ferent sort of dough. Cookielike crusts, short
and sandy in texture, were common. However,
these recipes usually include sour cream, cream
cheese, egg yolk, and/or cornmeal-ingredients
that mask the pure favor of simple pie dough.
Because I was keen on a faky, delicate pie pastry,
I knew I had my work cut out for me.
j ust Flour, Ft, and Water
Rvertng to a standard formula of four, ft, and
water, I made crusts wth both shortening and
butter and wth butter aone. I preferred the latter,
but there was a lit as to just how much butter I
could use. A ratio of2 parts four to l part butter
resulted in a weak, leaky crust, which I attributed
to too much fat and too little four. Doughs made
wth too little butter, however, were crackerlike
and edgng toward tough. I settled on 1 0 table-
spoons of butter to l V2 cups of flour, which pro

vided the most buttery favor and tender texture

without compromising the structure.
I tried mixing the dough with a food proces-
u
; sor, with a standing mixer, and by hand. The
latter two methods mashed the butter into the
flour and produced a less faky crust. Quick pulses
with the food processor "cut" the butter into the
i four so that it remained in distinct pieces. Afer
B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
Thi s rusti c summer frui t tart tastes ever bi t as good as a hard- to- prepare pi e-and the crust i s even flakier.
this step, I added water tablespoon by tablespoon
through the food processor feed tube. I knew I
had added enough when a small bit of dough
held its shape when pinched.
Further testng revealed that doughs with large
lumps of butter needed a lot of water to come
together. Once baked, these crusts were very
fak but weak; as soon as the chunks of butter
melted, the fuit juices found teir escape hatches.
Alternatively, doughs in which the butter was pro
cessed to fne crumbs required very litte water.
They yielded crusts that were more sturdy but
also short and mealy (similar to cookielike crusts) .
Because I was afer the long, fne layering of a fak
crust without a lot of leaking, I mixed the but
ter somewhere in-between-to about the size of
coarse bread crumbs-just big enough to create
the steamed spaces needed for fakiness.
leave I t to the French
The next step i n most recipes involves lightly
working the dough into a cohesive mass and
patting it into a disk before chg ( to frm the
butter) and then rolling it. Obligingly, I followed
their lead, but I was getting disappointing results.
J U L Y b A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
2 1
The tart still had a bad habit of leaking juice that
then burned on the baking sheet. I tried coat
ing the bottom of the dough with a layer of egg
white, sprinkling crumbs ( bread, cookie, and nut)
under the fruit, and adding thickeners to the
fuit ( four and cornstarch) . Each method had its
advantages, but none was a winner.
Then I remembered a French technique in
pastry making called faisa
g
e. It refers to the
process of smearing the dough with the heel of
your hand, thereby spreading the butter pieces
into long thin streaks between skeletal layers of
four and water. Now my crust was more sturdy
( the melted butter lef behind no gaping holes) ,
but i t was also incredbly faky, interspersed with
long layers that I could pull apart with my fngers.
It reminded tasters of classic French pastries such
as palmiers and sacristans, which are made wth
multilayered puff pastry. Now I had the ideal
crust: faky but strong enough to contain the
bubbling fuit juices durng bakng.
As fnal refnements to the recipe, I tried
adding lemon juice, sugar, and salt to favor the
dough. Lemon juice made the crust too tender,
as acid breaks down the protein structure in four.
R E c 1 p E T E s T 1 N G : Why Frai sage Matters
WI TH F RAI SAG E WI TH OUT F RAI SAG E
We found that fraisage-the techni que of smearing dough on the counter-was necessary in thi s reci pe. What
happens if you omi t this key step? Somethi ng l i ke the crust on the right, whi ch has short fl ak layers and is prone
to l eaki ng; the dough had l umps of butter that when melted i n the oven l ef behi nd hol es that weakened the
wal l s of the crust. The crust on the left has l ong flak layers and i s far l ess prone to l eaki ng. Te fraisage creates
long streaks of butter (rather than l umps) that make for a stabl e yet tender crust.
Sugar and salt both improved the favor, but I
was surprised to see that even a small amount of
sugar had detrimental effects on the texture, mak
ing the crust more brittl e. I decided to sprinkle
sugar on top of the dough before baking instead.
Brushing the dough wth water before sprinkling
on the sugar was an easy way to make it adhere.
Shape and Bake
I rolled out my dough to different thickesses
and found that 3/1 6 inch ( about the height of three
quarters) was ideal : thick enough to contain a lot
of fuit but thin enough to bake evenly and thor
oughly. Three cups of fuit were mounded in the
center, leaving a 2l2-inch border. The dough was
then lifed up and back over the fuit ( the center
of the tart remains exposed) and loosely pleated
t alow for shrnkage. The bright summer fruit
needed only the simple addition of sugar; neither
butter nor lemon juice was required. The amount
of sugar varied fom 3 to 5 tablespoons, depend
ing on the type of fuit.
I baked the tart on the center rack of the oven
at 350, 375, 400, and 425 degrees. Baking at the
lower temperatures took too long; it also dried
out the fuit and failed to brown the crust. At too
high a temperature, the crust darkened on the
folds but remained pale and underdone in the
creases, and the fuit became charred. Lowering
the rack and setting the oven to 400 degrees
Maki ng the Dough
I . Cut chi l l ed butter i nto
four and slt unti l mixture
resembl es coare bread
crumbs.
2. Add water and pulse
unti l mixture consists of
curd l i ke pi eces that hol d
together when pi nched.
generated the ideal time and temperature for an
evenly baked, faky tart. The last small but signif
cant step toward a crisp crust was to cool the tart
on a wire rack; this kept the crust fom steaming
itself as it cooled.
Thus, with a satisfing crunch of my knife, I cut
myself a wedge of tart. For the effort expended,
the reward was remarkable: a toothsome, flaky
crust crackling around each bite of sweet summer
fuit. And it was defnitely easier than pie.
F REEF ORM S UMME R FRU I T TART
MAKES ONE B I NCH TART. S E RVI N G 6
The amount of water that the dough w requre
depends on the ambient humidity; in a dry envi
ronment, it may need more water, in a humid
environment, less. The dough can be made ahead
and refigerated overnight or tightly wrapped in
two sheets of plastic wrap and fozen for up to
one week. If at any point the dough becomes sof,
sticky, and diffcult to work with during rolling,
chill it until it becomes workable.
Though we prefer the tart made wth a m of
stone fruits and berries ( our favorite combinations
were plums and raspberries, peaches and blueber
ries, and apricots and blackberries), you can use
only one type of fuit if you prefer. Peeling the
stone fruit ( even the peaches) is not necessary.
Taste the fuit before adding sugar to it; use the
lesser amount if the fuit is very sweet, more if it is
3 . Tum dough onto work
surface and gather i nto
rough 1 2 by 4-i nch mound.
Smear dough bi t by bi t.
4. Usi ng bench scrper,
gather dough agai n i nto 1 2
by 4-i nch mound.
C O O K
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s I L L U S T R A T E D
2 2
tart. However much sugar you use, do not add it
to the fuit until you are ready to fl and form the
tart. Once baked, the tart is best eaten warm, or
witin 3 or 4 hours, although lefovers do reheat
well in a 350-degree oven. Excellent accompani
ments are vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened
whipped cream or creme fakhe.
Dough
1 11 cups (7 11 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose
fl our, pl us additi onal for work surace
11 teaspoon sal t
I 0 tabl espoons ( 1 1/4 sticks) col d unsal ted butter,
cut i nto 11- i nch cubes
3-6 tabl espoons ice water
Fruit Filling
I pound peaches, nectari nes, apri cots, or pl ums
cup berries (about 11 dr pi nt)
3-5 tabl espoons sugar, pl us I tabl espoonforspri nkl i ng
1 . FOR THE DOUGH: In food processor, pulse
flour and salt to combine, about tree 1 -second
pulses. Scatter butter pieces over four, ten pulse
until texture resembles coarse bread crumbs and
butter pieces about the size of small peas remain,
ten to twelve 1 -second pulses. Sprinkle 1 table
spoon water over mixture and process 1 second;
repeat until dough begns to form small curds and
holds together when pinched with fingers. Empty
dough onto work surface; dough wl be crumbly
( if dough has large dry areas, sprinkle additional
2 teaspoons water over dry areas and incorporate
by gently fuffng entire amount of dough \th
fgers ) . Using bench scraper, gather dough into
rough mound about 1 2 inches long and 4 inches
wide ( mound should be perpendicular to edge
of counter). Beginning from farthest end, use
heel of a hand to smear about one sixth of dough
against work surface away fom you. Repeat untl
all dough has been worked. Using bench scraper,
gather dough again and repeat. Dough should
now be cohesive. Form dough into 4-inch disk,
wrap in plastic, and refigerate until cold and frm
but malleable, about 1 hour.
2. FOR THE FILLING: During last 30 minutes
of chilling, prepare fuit. Halve and pit stone fuit
5. Repeat smearing of
dough with heel of hand
unti l i t i s cohesive.
6. Gather and shape dough
i nto 4-i nch di sk.
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STE P - BY- STE P F ORMI NG THE TART
I. Fr an even ci rcl e, rol l i n short motions,
working from center outard and movi ng
dough 'I tum after each rol l .
2. Pi l e frui t i n center of dough. leavi ng
2 11-i nch border around frui t.
3. Worki ng your way around dough. 4. Working qui ckly. brush top and sides
gently pul l up sides and create fol d every of dough with water and spri nkl e with
2 i nches. I tabl espoon sugar.
and cut into 1/-inch-thick wedges. Gently wash
and dry berries. Combine fuit in medium bowl
(you should have about 3 cups) ; set aside. Adjust
oven rack to lower-middle positon and heat oven
to 400 degrees.
3. TO ASSEMLE A BA: (If dough has
chilled longer than 1 hour and is cold and hard,
let stand at room temperature 1 5 to 20 minutes
before proceeding. ) On large sheet of parchment
paper lightly dusted with four, roll dough to 12-
inch round about 3/1 6 inch thick, dusting with
four as needed. ( If dough sticks to parchment,
gently loosen and lif sticky area with bench
scraper and dust parchment with additional
flour. ) Slide parchment and dough onto baking
sheet and refigerate until cool and frm yet pli
ant, 1 5 to 30 minutes (if refigerated longer and
dough is hard and brittle, let stand at room tem
perature until pliant) .
4. Sprinkle fuit with sugar and toss gently to
combine. Remove baking sheet with dough fom
refrigerator. Mound fruit in center of dough,
T E s T 1 N G E o u 1 p M E N T : Pstr Brushes
A good pastr brsh i s har t o mainti n. Most quicky degrde i nto a sti ned, shag mess. Hopi ng t o fnd one that
coul d sb barbecue suce, brush garlic oi l , del i cately paint pastry with eg wsh, and sti l l clean up free of sti ns.
l i ngering odor, or stif greas bristles. we rn ei ght brshes thrugh a series of kitchen tests.
In ters of bristl es. we found that no material can compete with the qual i t and feel of naturl boar' s hai r.
Whi l e ofen not l abel ed as such. most gol d-col ored bristles are made from boar' s hai r. These bristles are also avai l
abl e i n black. a col or that i s easier to spot on food if a bristle fal l s out. Avoi d brushes wi th nyl on bristl es. whi ch are
usually cl ear. We found that these bristles lack absorbenc and tend to cl ump. Si l i cone bristles (whi ch are usual ly
ver thi ck and bl ack) are both nonabsorbent and overly fexi bl e. We even tried a bundl e of goose feather tied
together with butcher's tine. Not bad for applyi ng an eg wash, but defni tely not made to l ast.
We preferd pastr brushes with handl es and col l ar made of pl astic or rubber. These brushes are di shwasher
sfe and make sol l en. crcked wooden handles a thing of the past. Trdi ti onal pai ntbrsh-stle brshes with
wooden handl es and metl collar tend to have pockets of space under the col l ar that trp oil and of favor.
Only one brush. the Oxo Good Gri ps. successful ly combi ned the trdi ti on of boar' s hair bristles with the more
modem design of a di shwasher-safe pl astic handl e and a tight-fitti ng rubber col l ar that made no room for grease.
I t was the clear wi nner of our tests. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmith
BEST BRUS H RU N NE R- UP S I LLY BRUS H COLLARLESS STI N KY BRUS H
The Oxo Good Grips BRUS H The Sili Gourmet brush BRUS H The Ateco brush
combines traditional The Carlisle brush has thick, nonabsorent Without a collar. trapped oils under
boar's hair bristles works well, but its bristles. We had to the bristles in the the collar. After a
with a modem, dish- wooden handle can' t scoop up egg wash and Calphalon brsh fell out few weeks, this brush
washer-safe handle. go in the dishwasher. oil when using it. afer three washings. started to smell.
J U L Y [ A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
2 3
leaving 21z-inch border around edge. Careflly
grasp one edge of dough and fold up outer 2
inches over fuit, leaving 1/z -inch area of dough
just inside of fold fee of fuit. Repeat around
circumference oftart, overlapping dough every 2
to 3 inches; gently pinch pleated dough to secure,
but do not press dough into fruit. Working
quickly, brush dough with water and sprinkle
evenly with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until crust
is deep golden brown and fuit is bubbling, 50
to 55 minutes. Cool tart on baking sheet on
wire rack 1 0 minutes. Using offset or wide metal
spatula, loosen tart fom parchment and caref y
slide tart off parchment onto wire rack; cool untl
warm, about 30 minutes, or to room tempera
ture, about 1 hour. Cut into wedges and serve.
FREEFORM S UMME R FRUI T TARTLETS
Follow recipe for Freeform Summer Fruit Tart,
dividing dough into 4 equal portions before
rolling out in step 3. Roll each portion into 7-
inch round on parchment paper; stack rounds
and refrigerate until cool and frm, yet pliant.
Continue with recipe from step 4, mounding
one quarter of fuit in center of dough, leaving
1 1z. inch border around edge. Careflly grasp
one edge of dough and fold up outer 1 to 1 14
inches of dough over fuit, leaving 14-inch area
of dough just inside of fold fee of fuit. Transfer
parchment with tart to rimmed baking sheet.
Repeat with remaing fuit and dough. Brush
dough with water and sprinkle each tartlet with
portion of remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake
until deep golden brown and fuit is bubbling, 40
to 45 minutes. Cool tartlets on wire rack 10 min
utes. Using ofset or wide metal spatula, loosen
tartlets fom parchment and transfer to wire rack;
cool until warm, about 20 minutes, or to room
temperature, about 45 minutes. Serve.
COOK'S EXTRA gives you free information online.
For the results of our tests of rolling pins. visit
ww .cooksillustrted.com and key in code 4047. This
information will be available until August 1 5 , 2004.
Improving Peach Cobbler
Bad peaches, soggy bi scui ts , and syru py fi l l i ng were j ust th ree of t he probl ems
we had to sol ve i n resu rrecti ng t hi s si mpl e s ummer dessert.
I
f I were to write a T ad for the
perfect peach cobbler, I would sing
the praises of its honeyed taste and
silky texture, al the while showing
sofly fltered shots of the bright days of
swnmer. Aer al, this classic marriage of
cobbler topping and sweet, fesh fuit is
worth advertising; so few modern cooks
serve it, and yet it is easy enough to throw
together at the last minute. What could be
more appealing than warm cobbler dough
atop rich, juicy peaches?
The reason most cooks have not made
peach cobbler recently is the usual one: The
promise is better than the realit. For start
e, peaches are unpredictable. Some turn
mushy if cooked a bit too long, whle others
exude an ocean of overly sweet juices. The
topping is also problematc, rangg fom
tough, dry biscuits to raw, cakey lumps of
dough. In worst-case recipes, it is both hard
and crusty on top and sogg on the bottom.
So what's a home cook to do?
Te Probl em with Peaches
3 B Y K E I T H D R E S S E R E
Sugaring the sl i ced peaches and dri ni ng the excess j ui ce ensures a cri sp
bi scui t toppi ng.
My initial tests told me two things: The
peaches should be peeled to avoid any
unpleasant leathery bits of skin, and they
should be cut in relatively large pieces to avoid
development of a peach mush during baking.
Another way to avoid the mush, I learned, was to
chose ripe yet frm peaches, which better wth
sto the rigors of baking. (Save those sof, super
rpe peaches for eatg out of hand. ) What proved
to be the most perplexig problem was the wide
vaaton in juiciness fom peach to peach, which
sometmes resulted in a baking dsh overfowing
with liquid.
Because tasters greeted overly sweet cob
bler flgs with comments such as "tastes
like it came fom a can," I setled on a scant
l4 cup of sugar, just enough to do the
job without makg the flg syrupy. To
thicken the peach juices, I tried cornstarch,
pulverized tapioca, four, and arrowroot.
Each starch thickened the juices adirably,
but the high price and limited avaiabilit of
arrowroot disqualifed it. Tapioca, too, was
out of the runing because of its prpen
sity to leave behind hardened starch gran
ules (tapioca works better in a double-crust
pie, where the pastry traps juices and helps
to steam the granules untl they dissolve) .
Flour, meanwhile, gave the flg a pasty
quality. Cornstarch it was, then. A mere
teaspoon was the perfect amount, giving
the fl g body without overwhelming the
delicate texture of the peaches. Wonderng
i the fuit would beneft fom the additon
of other favors, I conducted a battery of
tests, using ingredients such as lemon juce,
almond extract, Triple Sec, gnger, and car
damom. Lmon juice was the only keeper,
as it helped to brighten the peach favor;
the other addtons were only distractons.
In my frst attempt to solve this problem, I tried
parcookng the peaches by means of roastng or
sauteig, thus removing excess juices. But this was
a dead end, as I discovered that most of the juices
are not released untl the peaches are alost flly
coked-omething that necessary happens afer
the peaches have been joined with the cobbler top
ping. Next I thought to daw on a technique used
to make another Amercan dessert classic-straw
berry shortcake-in which the fuit is macerated
in sugar to draw out its juices. Sugar dd indeed
draw of some of the moisture fom the peaches,
but I quickly discovered that I needed to replenish
the cobbler with some of the liquid that had been
drained away. Startng with l tablespoon, I added
the dw juice back to the fg. In the end, l
cup of the dw juce had to be added back to
guarantee a jucy cobbler that would have the same
amount of liquid every te.
Getting to the Top
There were many choices for the topping other ta
biscuit dough, but none of them were as appeal
ing (see "Rcipe Testng" blow). The next step
was to select the style of bt topping: rolled or
dropped. Rlled biscuit had a nice light texure,
R E c 1 P E T E s T 1 N G : Searchi ng for the Right Cobbl er Toppi ng
Some recipes for peach cobbl er stry far and away from the trditional bi scui t toppi ng. Here' s a l ook at some
of these alteratives, with comments from taster.
COOKI ELI KE CRUST
Our tster felt thi s "seet, " "sandy"
topping w "not right for a cobbler. "
CAKE LI KE BATER
Taster thought thi s "dumpl i ngl i ke"
topping looked more l i ke clafouti and
cal l ed it "past" and "doughy."
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
24
F LAKY PASTRY TOPPI NG
Making a topping si mi lar to pie dough
w a lot of wor, and te peaches
siting under it wer "gluey. "
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Anatomy of a Peach
A number of cobbl er reci pes cal l for removi ng the dark red fl esh
that surrounds the pi t of the peach. Wonderi ng what i mpact thi s
woul d have on my cobbl er, I made to versi ons-one with the red
par of the peaches removed, the other with it i ntact. Whi l e the
latter had an appeal i ng reddi sh bl ush, I was surprised to fi nd that
it al so had a bi tter taste. The cobbl er made wi th cl eaned peaches
tasted better. So if you see red once the peaches have been pi tted
(not al l peaches wil l have this red flesh) , take a few extra seconds
to scoop i t out and di scard i t. -K.D.
but I wondered if there was an easier way. Drop
biscuits (a wet dough is dropped by spoonls onto
the ft) were certainly easier to prepare than rolled
biscuits, and they had an attractive rustc and craggy
appearance. Tasters found drop biscuits too dense,
however. The compromise was a biscuit recipe in
which the butter is cut into the four ( as it is with
rolled biscuits) but which also contains a little more
dairy, makng the dough more moist. Now I could
avoid the rolling and cutting but stll get the light
texture of a traditonal biscuit.
In testing the "fat" component of the biscuit, I
tried vegetable shortening and cream cheese, but
tasters quickly discarded these in favor of butter,
which not only improved the favor of the biscuits
but also aided in browning. For dairy, I tested the
usual suspects-heavy cream, half-and-half, milk,
and buttermilk-and received mixed results .
Tasters liked the tang of the buttermilk biscuits
but the cakier, more substantial crumb produced
by richer dairy products ( the cream and the half
and-half. The simple solution was to use whole
milk yogurt. These biscuits had plenry of tangy
flavor and a texture that resembled that of the
biscuits made with half- and-half
Moving on to the leavener, I found that a com
bination of baking powder and soda was best. An
egg, tasters decided, made the biscuits too heavy,
but they did like biscuits with a bit of sugar, which
both added favor and helped to crisp the exte
rior. I tried spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and
ginger as well as lemon zest but decided that the
biscuits ought to be a quiet backup for the show
stealing peaches. ( Lemon zest did work nicely
with a cornmeal biscuit variation, however. )
Asembl i ng and Baki ng
Up until this point, I had been placing the firly
moist biscuit dough on top of the raw peaches
and then baking the cobbler at 425 degrees-a
technique that was producing gluey biscuits that
were slightly raw in the center. Investigatng a tech
nique siar to one employed in our Sour Cherry
Cobbler recipe (July/ August 2001 ), I tried partaly
baking the peaches before adding the topping, hop
ing that the hot fuit would jump-start the cookig
process. It did. The biscuits were much better, and
the fut was no longer overcooked. Finally, to f
ther enhance the biscuits' crspness, I sprined tle
tops with sugar before they went into the oven. I
now had a peach cobbler recipe tlat was reliably
good, whetl1er I was using j uicy or not-so-j uicy
fuit. In fact, it was ready for prime time.
F RESH PEACH COBBLER
S E RVES 6
If your peaches are fi rm, you should be able to peel
tl1em with a sharp vegetable peeler. If tley are too
sof and ripe to withstand tl1e pressure of a peeler,
you' ll need to blanch and shock tl1em before peel
ing ( for detailed instructions, see Kitchen Notes,
page 3 1 ). In the biscuit topping, low-fat or nonfat
plain yogurt can be used in place of whole milk
yogurt, but tl1e biscuits will be a little less rich. If
you live in an arid climate, tle biscuit dough may
require up to an additional tablespoon of yogurt
for it to form a cohesive dough. Do not prepare the
biscuit dough any sooner tl1a11 the recipe indicates;
if tl1e unbaked dough is lef to stand too long, tl1e
leavener wl expire a1d the biscuits will not rise
properly in tl1e oven. This recipe ca1 be doubled to
serve a crowd. Use a 1 3 by 9-inch baking dish a1d
increase tl1e baking times in steps 2 a11d 4 by about
5 minutes. Serve tle warm cobbler with vanilla ice
cream or whipped creaJn. Lefovers can be reheated
in a 350- degree oven w1til warmed through.
Filling
2 11 pounds ripe but firm peaches ( 6 to 7 medi um)
1/4 cup ( I ' ounces) sugar
teaspoon cornstarch
tabl espoon juice from I l emon
Pi nch salt
Bisctit Topping
I cup (5 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
3 tabl espoons pl us I teaspoon sugar
' teaspoon baki ng powder
1;4 teaspoon baki ng soda
1/4 teaspoon sal t
5 tabl espoons cold unsalted butter, cut i nto
1/4- i nch cubes
11 cup pl ai n whol e mi l k yogurt
l . Adj ust oven rack to lower- middle position
and heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Peel peaches ( see note) ,
then halve and pit each. Using small spoon,
scoop out and discard dark fl esh from pit area
J U L Y [ A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
2 5
( see "Anatomy of a Peach") . Cut each half into
4 wedges. Gently toss peaches and sugar together
in large bowl ; let stand for 30 minutes, tossing
several times. Drain peaches in cola1der set over
large bowl. Whisk V cup of drained j uice ( discard
extra) , cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt togetler
in small bowl . Toss peach j uice mixture with peach
slices a1d transfer to 8-inch-square glass baking
dish. Bake until peaches begin to bubble around
edges, about 1 0 minutes.
3. FOR THE TOPPING: While peaches are bak
ing, in food processor, pulse flour, 3 tablespoons
sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to
combine. Scatter butter over a1d pulse until mix
ture resembles coarse meal, about ten 1 -second
pulses. Tra1sfer to medium bowl; add yogurt and
toss witl1 rubber spatula until cohesive dough is
formed. ( Don' t overmix dough or biscuits will
be tough. ) Break dough into 6 eveny sized but
roughly shaped mounds and set aside.
4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAK: Aer peaches
have baked 1 0 minutes, remove peaches from
oven and place dough mounds on top, spac
ing them at least l2 inch apart ( they should not
touch) . Sprinkle each mound with portion of
remaining 1 teaspoon sugar. Bake until topping
is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 1 6 to 1 8
minutes . Cool cobbler on wire rack until warm,
about 20 minutes; serve.
BLUE B E RRY- PEACH COBBLER WI TH
LEMON- CORNMEAL BI S CU I T TOPPI NG
Follow recipe for Fresh Peach Cobbler, using 2
pounds peaches and tossing 1 cup fresh blueberries
( about 5 ounces) into peach j uice/cornstarch mix
ture along with peaches in step 2 . In biscuit top
pi ng, substitute 2 tabl espoons stone- ground
cornmeal for equal amount four and add l2
teaspoon grated lemon zest to food processor
along with dry ingredients in step 3.
TE C H N I Q U E
D ROP THOS E C OB B LE S
Place the bi scui ts too cl ose to one another and they
wi l l bake up doughy. To avoid thi s probl em, stagger
the rows of bi scui ts sl ightly.
The Bottled Water Wars
Are we out of our mi nds to pay Jcents per gl ass for bottl ed water?
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C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 6
What about Tap Water?
We were curi ous to see how the top- and lowest-rted
bottled water woul d fare against tp wter. so we oranized
a second tasting in whi ch we smpl ed Volvic (firt place) .
Pol and Spring (last pl ace) . Boston tp water. smpl es of
water from the Metropol i tn Wter District (MWD) of
Souther Cal ifori a in Ls Angeles ( because it has won
awards in its categor at i nterati onal water tstings) . and
tap water from a residence i n Ls Angeles Count.
Volvic and the MWD water were
equal ly wel l l i ked. eari ng i dentical
scores and accolades such as "frsh" and
"dean. " Poland Spring
came in next. besting
Boston tp wter. which
tster described as
metal l i c. must. and
stal e. Resi dential Los
Angel es Count water
was so chl orinated that
i t stopped taster i n
RATI N G TAP WATE R
thei r trcks. Why woul d
Water from a home faucet i n Ls
the MWD wter be so
Angeles (right) tasted terri bl e, but a good and the residential
sampl e sent to us by the local water
wter so bad? The MWD
authorit (l ef) rivaled the best
bottled water.
is a water whol esl er,
and the water it has to
ofer is not necessarily the water that flows from area fau
cets. A phone cal l to the MWD reveal ed that i t was. i n fact.
not the source of the resi dential tap water that we tasted.
What. then. di d we l earn from thi s tasti ng? That tap
water can rival even the best bottled water. but that even
our least-favorite bottled water was superi or to water
cul l ed stright from to not-so-excel l ent taps i n Boston
and Los Angel es. -DY
TASTI NG BOTTLED WATER
Twent-three taster sampl ed ni ne diferent brands of bottled water. Tasters sampl ed
the water i n diferent orders to el i mi nate the efects of pal ate fatigue. The waters
were tasted at room temperture, whi ch al l ows odors and flavors to be more per
cepti bl e than when tasted chi l l ed. Tasters assessed the odor, flavor, and afertaste
of each sampl e, then rted each on a I 0-poi nt scal e. Total di ssolved sol i ds (S)
analysis was conducted by an i ndependent l abortory; amounts l i sted bel ow may not
be i dentical to amounts given by producers. Al l bottled water are recommended;
they are l i sted i n order of preference.
VO LVI C Natural SpringWater
SOURCE: CLAI RVI C SPRI N G ,
VOLVI C, F RANCE
$ 1 . 29/ 1 - l iter botle
TDS: 1 37 ppm
Tasters had a clear preference for thi s
water, cal l i ng i t ver fresh, pure, and
cl ean, wi th sl i ght mi neral flavors. One
taster wrote, "smooth and velvet,"
whi l e another decl ared it a favorite
because i t "tastes l i ke water."
F I J I Natural Aresian Water
SOURCE: VI TI LEVU , RE PUBL I C
OF F I J I I S LANDS
$ 1 . 5 9/ 1 -l iter bottle
TDS: 260 ppm
Tasters appreciated the "ni ce and
cl ean, " " i ncredi bly dri nkabl e, "
"unadulterted" qual i t of thi s water.
One taster hai l ed i t as "perfect. " It
was also descri bed as having a hi nt of
seetness and mi nerl flavor. A few
detrctors cal l ed it "dul l . "
DAN NON Natural SpringWater
SOURCE: S PRI NGS I N
BE LLE FONTE , PA. ; G RAN D
PRAI RI E , TEXAS ; ANAH E I M,
CALI F. ; HI G H SPRI NGS , F LA. ;
MOUNT S HASTA, CALI F. (sampl e
tasted was from Bel l efonte, P. )
$0. 5 3/25 -ounce botle
TDS: 200 ppm
, " "clean, " "fresh, " and "smooth"
the accolades. A couple taster
ments i ncl uded "stale" and "fat. "
taste than source. Toward that end, afer reverse
osmosis processing, Coke adds minerals back to
the pured water to obtain optimal taste. Pepsi
does not add minerals to Aquafna.
By contrast, a spring water's favor profle is
organically derved. A the water journeys fom
its orgin as rainwater or snowmelt to the spring,
a process that can take years, it travels through
layers of rock, clay, gravel, and/ or sand that flter
out impurities. A the impurities are fltered out,
the water also acquires dissolved minerals that
in their specifc combinations give the water its
signature flavor.
RECOM M E NDE D
AQ UAFI NA Purified Dri nki ng
Water
SOURCE: MU LTI PLE M U N I C I PAL
WATE R S U PPLI ES
$0. 99/ 1 - l iter botle
TDS: 30 ppm
Most tasters found thi s water to be
sweet, but there agreement ended.
Comments l i ke "fresh" and " l ively"
were countered with cri ti ci sms l i ke
"metal l i c" and "artifi cial . "
DASAN I Purified Water
SOURCE: MU LTI PLE M U N I C I PAL
WATE R S U PPLI ES
$ 1 . 1 9/ 1 -l iter bottle
TDS: 80 ppm
Nearly hal f of the tasters found thi s
water to have di sti nct mi nerl favors
( " l i ke l i cki ng a geode, " said one) .
Though i t was descri bed as "cl ean, "
some found i t " harsh. "
ARROWHEAD MOU NTAI N
Spring Water
SOURCE: MU LTI PLE S P RI NG S I N
TH E U . S . AN D CANADA
$ 1 . 09/ 1 -l lter botle (avai l abl e
i n Cal iforni a, Arizona, and Nevada)
TDS: 1 20 ppm
Comments ranged from posi tive
(" ni ce taste" and "si l k") to moder
ate (not bad" ) to deci dedly negative
( "yuck, tap water" ) . Some tasters
commented that thi s water had an
aftertaste, and one said that the
favor " l i ngers on and on. "
What I t Boi l s Down To
The only water that tasters unanimously rejected
was the utrapure plasma-grade water, which earned
the lowest possible score because of its fat, vapid
flavor. Though this water is of course unavailable to
consumers a dg water, it did teach us some
thing. Ostensibly, when it comes to water, absolute
purty is a liability, not an asset. Some mineral con
tent makes water likable.
Is spring water better than purifed munici
pal water? The two purifed waters we sampled,
Aquafna and Dasani, earned respectable scores,
coming i fourth and f, and beat out four spring
J U L Y [ A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
2 7
EVI AN Natural Spri ngWater
SOURCE: CACHAT S PRI NG ,
EVI AN . F RANCE
$ 1 . 69/ 1 - liter bottle
TDS: 340 ppm
Thi s was a controversi al water. "Soft
and smooth" and "refreshi ng" were
pri ses. " Heav" and "creamy" were
cri ti ci sms. Most agreed that thi s
water had a notabl e sweetness and
strong mi nerl flavors.
CRYSTAL G EYS E R
SOURCE: S PRI NGS I N BE NTON,
TE N N . ; MOU NT S HASTA,
CALI F. , OLANCHA PEAK, CALI F.
(sampl e tasted was from Benton)
$0. 49/2 5 . 3-ounce bottle
TDS: 1 80 ppm
Tasters mustered l i ttl e excite
ment-posi tive or negative-about
thi s water. " Prett neutrl and cl ean"
and "a bi t dul l , but relatively clean"
tpified comments.
POLAND S PRI NG
SOURCES: S PRI NG S I N HOLLI S ,
F RYE B URG , POLAN D S PRI N G ,
AN D POLAN D , MAI N E (sampl e
tasted was from Hol l i s)
$0. 89/ 1 - l lter botle (avai l abl e
i n the Northeast)
TDS: 50 ppm
This water was criticized for tasting
"unnaturl " and havi ng "of favor. "
temperte tsters commented
i t was " basi c" but uni nteresti ng.
waters. But they were not i the wnners' circle.
Two sprng waters and the one artesian water i the
tastng swept the pack, wth w, place, and show.
Volvic, a spring water fom France, was the clear
wnner, wth Fiji, the artesian water, close behind.
What should you buy? While most of our tast
ers wlnow purchase Volvic or Fiji when gven te
option, our results show that the favor diferences
between bottled waters are not great. Unlike the
d erences between brands of chocolate or barbe
cue sauce, the distinctions between brands of bot
tled water are so modest that you are unlikely to be
disappointed wth any of those that we tasted.
Do You Realy Need a Santoku Knife?
I s there somethi ng better than the cl assi c chefs kni fe?
We tested I . of these trendy J apanese kni ves to fi nd out.
T
he santoku has long been the Japanese
equivalent of a chef's knife. But only
recently has this knife gained America's
attention, when Food Network chef
Rchel Ry talked it up on national television as
her favorite all-purpose knife. Because the clas
sic 8-inch chef is still the workhorse in our test
kitchen, we couldn't help but wonder if this was
a case of media-inspired hype. Or could the san
toku really be as good as promised?
What is a santoku knife? Compared with a clas
sic chef's knfe, the santoku is tyically shorter and
has a thinner blade, a stubbier tip, and a straighter
edge. It is thought to have evolved fom the nar
row, rectangular Japanese vegetable knife and
may be called an Asian or oriental chef's knife.
To fnd out whether the santoku i s i n fact mul
tipurose, we bought 10 models and ran them
through a series of tests, using the Forschner
Victorinox chef's knife ( the winning model from
our July/August 1999 rating) for comparison.
The tests included preparing onions; garlic, car
rots, tomatoes, and boneless chicken breasts. We
assessed each knife in terms of precision, control,
sharpness of blade, effciency, and comfort.
Of the 10 knives tested, prices ranged fom a low
a $27 to a hgh a $140. The blades were made
fom a variety of materials, fom the conventional
hgh-carbon stainless steel to the exotic, including
ceramic and a titanium silver alloy. But the most
evident difference between the knives was the
range in blade size, fom 6 to 7 inches. That single
ich proved sigcant in test performances.
Forget Short
In the onion test, the smaller knives verged on
the ridiculous. The 6-inch blades were so short
that the hands holding those knives ended up
knuckle- deep in chopped onion. Interestingly,
while most of the knives recommended in the
chart (page 29) scored well at this task, only
one, the Kershaw Shun, was preferred over the
Forschner chef's knife.
The santokus really shined i n tasks requiring
more delicate or precise knife work, such as thinly
slicing carrots. Compared with the chef's knife,
COOK'S EXTRA gives you free i nformati on onl i ne.
For our rati ng of i nexpensive chef' s kni ves, vi si t
w . cooksi l l ustrated. com and key i n code 4048. Thi s
i nformati on wi l l be avai l abl e unti l August I 5, 2 004.
? B Y M A R Y E L L E N D R I S C O L L E
Chef' s kni fe
Santoku kni fe
WHAT' S TH E DI F F E RE NCE ?
A santoku has a stubbi er ti p, a straighter cutti ng
edge, and a shorer, thi nner bl ade.
the thinner blade of the santoku was able to cut
through the dense carrot more smoothly. The
narrower the blade, the less food material has
to be moved out of the way as the blade slices.
A thicker blade requires more force, as it acts
more like a wedge. The shorter santoku blade
proved advantageous here as well . The tip of a
chef's knife ofen feels remote and somewhat
out of control, especially for beginning cooks . In
contrast, the closer proximity of the santoku's tip
( as well as its straighter design) gave our testers a
greater sense of control .
Hol l owed- Edge Santokus
The santokus were also well liked for but
terflying boneless chicken breasts. Testers indi
cated that the smaller-but not too small-size
of the santoku and the less tapered tip made the
knife easier to llanage. The narrowness of the
blade also seemed to help reduce fiction.
For mincing, the curve of the blade was the
main factor mentioned by testers . Those san
tokus with straighter edges tended to feel more
j arring, meeting the cutting board abruptly
and interrupting the fow of motion instead of
smoothly rocking back and forth. These knives
were deemed more single purpose, best at slic
ing. Santokus with more curve could rock with
more fluidity. A few testers preferred the curved
santokus to the chef's knife, but most testers gave
the chef high marks for its fuid rocking motion,
which is the essence of mincing and chopping.
The sliced tomato test revealed a lot about the
sharpness of each knife. Testers found that the
knives made of high-carbon stainless steel were
sharpest. While the Kyocera's ceramic blade was
respectably shar, its small size was a deterrent,
as was the fact that if you dropped it at a certain
angle, the tip would break off The Boker, made
of a titanium silver alloy, was disappointingly
Many santokus are avai l abl e with ei ther a standard or a grnton bl ade, the latter bei ng hol low-ground and i ncor
porti ng oval recesses along the bl ade. (his design was origi nal ly i ntended to make sl i ci ng meat easi er. ) Grnton
bl ades are often advertised as "nonstick. "
Unfortunately, we qui ckly l earned that these knives are not exactly nonstick. Mi nced garl i c and cucumber sl i ces
cl i ng vi gi l antly to the si des of a grnton-stl e bl ade. However, as master bl adesmi th Bob Krmer expl ai ned to us,
the hol l ows do hel p break the surace tensi on between the food and the bl ade surface. The hol l ows create ai r
pockets beteen the breadth of the bl ade and the food, thus reduci ng the drg, or fricti on, beteen the to. So
it was no coi nci dence that the two knives with the tal l est hol l ows, the MAC and the Kershaw Shun, seemed to
show the bigest decrease in friction when tested agai nst thei r standard-edge veri ons. Even then, however, the
di ferences di dn' t bowl us over.
A santoku with a granton edge tpi cal l y costs $ I 0 to $20 more than one with a standard edge. Knives with
granton edges can be sharpened, al though i t takes a l i ttl e more care because once sharpened i nto the hol l ows,
the bl ade becomes sl i ghtl y thi nner. Given the l ess-than- eye-opening difernes,
we prefer santokus wi th the cheaper standard edge. -M. D.
A granton-stle bl ade with oval recesses reduces friction ever so
slightly. But this mi nor perk is not worh the hi gher price tag.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 8
RTI NGS
GOOD: ***
FR: **
POOR: *
RATI NG JAPANESE KNIVES
PRI CE : $55. 0 Ideal brdge beteen crmped, smallersntoksand larer
Seven magazi ne stfer and one kitchen
PERFORMANCE : *** chefs knife. Ami rd for bei ng most sharp and rsponsive,
inter evluated each knife for it perfor-
BLADE : *** this knife w especially ni mbl e, eas to contl . and pr-
HANDLE: * cise. A one tester gushed, "great wit evering."
mance i n a vriet of specifc tsks as well
a for its handle and blade design. Te
tester rn the gamut i n ters of knife
$89. 99
skills-frm begi nner to advnced-as
PRI CE : Cadi l l ac of group. thi s knife felt "sturcy" and "sol i d. "
well as hand size and strength. Only one
PERFORMANCE : *** Curtur of blade made i t good at rckng while mi ne-
BLADE MATERI AL/lE NGTH: BLADE : *** ing, and tip w sharp and decisive. Bulge on rght side of
tester w lef- handed. Knives ar listed
High-caron stinless HANDLE: *** handl e w uncomfortble for lef-handed tester.
in orer of prfernce based on tester' steelj6 1h inches
averge overl l scores for each knife.
Wisthof Grnd Prix $69. 99 PRI CE : "Super-accurte" at thi n slicing and fne mi ncing. Stright
PRI CE: Prices pai d in Boston-area
Ori entl Cook's PERFORMANCE : ** blade created abrpt "see-sw" efect when rckng to
BLADE MATE RI Al/ lE NGTH : BLADE : *** mi nce or chop. One camp applauded light feel-"l i ke a
stores. i n nati onal mai l -order catalogs,
High-carbon stainless HANDLE: * smaller, qui cker chefs knife." Other deemed it flims.
and on Web sites. steelf62h inches Sharp. but not exceptionally so.
PERFORMANCE: Knives were used to
Global Ori entl Cook
chop and di ce oni ons. mi nce and sl i ce
PRI CE : $78.0 Coul d have been perect if not for narw, sleek stinless
BLADE MATERI Al/ lENGTH : PERFORMANCE : *** steel handl e that made gri p feel "all over the place. Sharp
garl i c, thi nly sl i ce and j ul i enne carrots,
High-caron stainless BLADE : *** blade with markedly cured edge and tpered tip were
sl ice tomatoes, and buttery bonel ess. steelf7 i nches HANDlE: * more like chefs knife than sntoku.
ski nl ess chi cken breasts. Scores from
i ndivi dual tests were averged to ere-
Zwi l l i ng Henckel s Four PRI CE : $64. 95 Sharp, relatively thi ck blade made thi s knife a strong.
ate an overl l performance rti ng.
Str Santoku PERFORMANCE : *** substantial sl i cer. but blade' s fl at cure made rocking
BLADE MATERI Al/ lE NGTH: BLADE : ** motion shallow and somewhat jarng. Knife generlly had
BLDE: Tester rted bl ades for sharp-
High-carbon stinless HANDLE: * awkar. less maneuverble feel .
ness and curature. Bl ades that were steel/7 inches
sharp and thi n (but not fi ms) were
Oxo Good Gri ps MVSS- $27. 0
preferred. Cured bl ades were abl e to
PRI CE : Decent sharpness and maneuverbilit but best suited to
PRO Santoku PERFORMANCE : ** slici ng. Stubby, cleaver-shaped blade felt somewhat "dead"
handl e a greater variet of tasks and
BLADE : ** at rcking motion needed for mi nci ng and coare chop-
received higher rtings.
HANDLE: ** ping. Ft handle w liked by many for its sof, grippy feel .
HANDLE: Testers rted handl es for
balance and comfort. Snug gri ps that
di dn' t become sl i pper when greasy
or wet were preferred. as were knives
PRI CE : $ 14.0 Notably sharp, short blade perfored del i cate knife work
with handl es that felt bal anced with PERFORMANCE : ** rspectably but, overll, "too small to be of much use. "
the bl ade.
BLADE MATERI Al/lE NGTH: BlADE : ** White cermi c bl ade made i t trick t o see white food
BLDE MATERIALLENGH: Most
Cermic/ 6 inches HANDLE: ** (such as garic) when worng on white plastic board.
I
of the knives had bl ades made from
Firi Pro EastWest
I
$69. 95 Bl ade was dul l , fat, stubby. and " ki nd of cl ums" -more PRI CE :
hi gh-carbon stai nl ess steel . One had a
BLADE MATERI Al/ lENGTH: PERFORMANCE : ** l i ke a cleaver. Decent rocking motion but lacked capac-
cermi c bl ade; another a bl ade made High-carbon stainless BLADE : * it for del icate and prcise wor. Molded stinless steel
from a ti tani um si lver al l oy. Testers
steel/7 inches HANDLE: * handle too lare and cumberome.
generl ly found the high-carbon stai n-
Boker Cer -Ti tn I PRI CE : $ 1 27.50 "Father-light," fms. short, and, i rni cal ly-given steep
less steel bl ades to be the sharpest.
Santoku PERFORMANCE : ** price-cheap i n feel was overl l consensus. Di fcul t to
Bl ade length was measured from
BLADE MATE RI Al/lE NGTH : BLADE : ** control and shallow. abrupt rocking motion wer com-
the ti p to the poi nt where the bl ade Trniumsilrallo/611 HANDLE: * mon complaints.
meets the handl e: l onger bl ades were
Forchner Santoku $35. 36 Most tester found teeny " hobbit" size uncomfortble and
preferred.
PRI CE :
BLADE MATERI AL/ LE NGTH : PERFORMANCE : * difcul t to contrl . Not enough clearnce under handle,
TESER' COMMENT: Obserati ons
High-carbon stainless BLADE : * so even those with smal l hands banged thei r knuckles
about design or performance in
steel/ 6 inches HANDLE: * when blade came in full contct with cutting boar.
specific tests.
dull . The blade was also unnervingly thin and
extremely fexible. There was little trend in terms
of the best handles . Unobtrusive designs that
z allotted a clean, comfortable grip were preferred.
;
For most of the testers, the slick look of stainless
knife in the tests. But given how much we like the
Forschner ( and the fact that many chef's knives are
inferior to this brand) , the santokus certainly held
their ow. But you could argue that our tests were
rigged in favor of the santokus. In preliminary
testing, we tried to halve acorn squashes, and only
a couple of the santokus could manage this basic
task. The blades were simply too thin and too
short. We also avoided cutting up a whole chicken
because manufacturers warned that santoku blades
were too t to cut through bone. A chef's knife
can handle both of these chores easily.
Is the era of the chef's knife at an end? No. The
chef' s knife is more versatile than the santoku.
If you are going to have only one type of knife
in your kitchen, it should be a chef's knife. That
said, our testers felt that the santoku is indeed
better at precision slicing: The blade is shorter,
thinner, and easier to manage. Stick with the
chef's knife for more substantial tasks.
ii handles, featured on the Fi and Global, trans
lated to a slick grip as well.
;
Ad the Wi nner Is . . .
0:
"
0
>
0
i
While testers liked most of the santokus, only
two-the MC and the Kershaw Shun-were
consistently preferred over the Forschner chef's
J U L Y [ A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
2 9
We heartily recommend the MC Superior
Santoku knie-it performed well and was one of
the cheapest models tested. But use this santoku to
complement-not to replace-your chef's knife.
K I TC HEN NOTES
Bottled Water for Cooking?
Drinkg bottled water out of hand
(or glass) is one thing, but cooking
with it seems extravagant. We won
dered i f i t could be worth the extra
expense and so chose three applica
tions-a simple Italian bread, lemon
ice, and hot brewed tea-and tried
them wth Boston tap water, Volvic
( our top-rated bottled water, see
page 27) , and Evian ( in which our
tasters detected a distinct mineral
favor) .
No differences could be detected
in the three loaves of bread, and
while there were slight favor differ
ences in the lemon ices, none was a
clear favorite. Likewise, little differ
ence was detected in the teas, except
that the batch made with Evian lef
behind mineral deposits in the pot
used to boil the water and the tea
itself contained tiny lumps ( for more
information on this phenomenon,
see Notes fom Readers, page 2) .
While we can't say with certainty
that using water that is abjectly awfl
wouldn't make a difference in your
cooking, we can say that just about
any potable water works . Keep in
mind, though, that the quality of
3 B Y D A W N YA N A G I H A R A E
tap water can vary from season to
season; if yours is particularly "fra
grant" or "off, " consider fltering it
before use in recipes or uncapping
some bottled water.
Lighten Up
Hellmann' s Mayonnaise ( or Best
Foods if you're west of the Rockies)
was the winner of our March/ April
2003 mayonnaise tasting, and its
sknier cousin, Hellmann's Light,
was right on its heels. What about
using this light mayo in our All
American Potato Salad (page 1 1 ) ?
In a tasting, we tlught the regular,
fll-fat version tasted richer, more
'tli NG OUT THt UH
TH E LOWDOWN ON MAYO
Ught Hel l mann' s i s nearly as good as
our favorite mayo, regul ar Hel l mann' s.
favorfl, and more balanced. But
we liked Hellmann's Light almost
as well .
And what about in a cooked
application, where mayonnaise
serves as a binder and isn't a fea
tured favor? An excellent excuse to
fry up some crab cakes, we thought
(we also made tartar sauces with
tl1e two mayos ) . Only one astute
taster detected any differences in
the crab cakes . The tartar sauces
were another story. The sauce made
with light mayonnaise was notice
ably sofer in texture and sweeter
and leaner in favor, but it wasn't
objectionable.
Our Concl usi on: Though its
half-the-calorie/half-the-fat handi
cap ( or advantage, depending on
your perspective ) sacri fces some
favor in mayo- centric recipes, light
mayonnaise can do everything that
regular can do.
Separation Anxi et
While some stone fruits, such as
freestone peaches, easily part with
their pits, otlers, such as cling
peaches and nectarines, hold on to
theirs as if for dear life. When faced
nn KI TC HE N TI P : Spl i t Deci si on
We've found store- bought spl i t chi cken breasts to be probl emati c. Some are so sl oppi ly cut that the tenderl oi ns are mi ss
i ng, some retai n only ti ny shreds of tattered ski n, and some packages contai n wi l dly divergent si zes. Consequently, for our
Thai Gri l l ed Chi cken (page 9) and other such reci pes, we advise purchasi ng whol e breasts and spl i tti ng them yoursel f.
The basi c method for spl itti ng a chi cken breast i s to si mpl y push a chef' s knife through the ski n, fl esh, and bone. Whi l e
thi s method i s strai ghtforard, someti mes the spl i t breasts end up l opsi ded, and someti mes both l obes are marred by
unruly bi ts of bone and carti l age around whi ch a knife and fork must eventual ly navigate. Enter a cl assi c techni que for
spl itti ng a chi cken breast. It i nvolves the removal of the keel bone and carti l age that divi de the breast, thereby maki ng the
chi cken easi er to eat. Thi s method takes a few extra mi nutes, but we thi nk i t' s ti me wel l spent.
Begi n by tri mmi ng the ri b secti ons (a chef' s knife wi l l suffi ce, but kitchen shears are parti cul arly wel l sui ted to thi s task) .
Then , with the breast turned ski n-si de down on a cutti ng board, use a chef' s knife to score the membrane down the center
al ong the l ength of the breast. Pi ck up the breast and, usi ng both hands and some force, bend back the breast l obes, forci ng
the keel bone to pop out. Now, grasp the keel bone, and pul l i t free. (On occasi on, the carti l age breaks. I f thi s happens,
j ust di g i n wi th your fi ngers, gri p the remai ni ng pi ece, and pul l i t out. ) Fi nal ly, use a chef' s knife to halve the breast down
the center at the seam, applyi ng force near the top to cut through the wi shbone.
I. Tri m ri b secti ons. 2. Score membrne. 3. Pop out keel bone. 4. Pul l out keel bone. 5. Halve breast.
C O O K
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S I L L U S T R A T E D
30
with a clinger, there are a couple of
strategies that can be employed.
The frst is to use a paring knife to
cut the fesh into wedges, all the way
around the fuit. You then reinsert
the blade of the knife into one of
the cuts and, using your thumb to
steady te wedge against the fat of
the blade, pry the wedge fee of the
pit. The frst slice is always the hard
est to remove; subsequent slices are
usually pried fee with relative ease.
If you fnd that the fuit is abso
lutely i ntractable, then resort to
strateg number two, which incurs
some waste and wl give you imper
fect slices : With the fruit sitting
stem- side down for stability, cut
the fesh fom the pit with vertical
swipes of a chef's knife, leaving the
pit encased in a squared-off column
of fesh.
A Sweeter Nightshade
When developing our recipe for
Fresh Tomato Salsa (page 20) , we
purchased tomatoes by the fat and
stored them at room temperature.
A the week progressed, we noticed
that the salsas were becoming
sweeter and more favorfl.
To confrm mese fndings and
check me impact of refrigeration
on ripening, we purchased flats of
tomatoes on a Monday. As soon
as they arrived, we put some in the
fridge, stored some at room tem
perature, and turned the remainder
into salsa. This salsa was hardly
worth the effort; fresh from the
store, me color of me tomatoes
was peaked and the favor vegetal
and bland.
On Wednesday, things were
beginning to look up, at least for
the room-temperature tomatoes.
The salsa made fom them was more
vivid in both color and favor. The
refrigerated tomatoes, however,
showed no signs of ripening.
On Thursday, the tomatoes kept
at room temperature were at their
peak. They yielded to gentle pres
sure and had deepened in color. The
salsa made with mem was bright
red, sweet, and favorfl . And the
KI TCHE N s c i E Nc E : The Myster of the Yel l ow Bi scuit
You might thi nk that al l baki ng pow
ders are the same. Pst kitchen tests
have pitted vari ous brands agai nst each
other, and we concl uded that they al l
worked j ust fi ne.
We deci ded to see if we woul d get
the same outcome with our Tal l and
Fl uff Buttermi l k Bi scuits (page 7)
and prepared the fi nal reci pe wi th five
brands of baki ng powder. We were
surprised by the resul ts. Although no
we tested our buttermi l k bi scuits
brand emerged as a cl ear favorite, we
noticed si gni fi cant diferences in the
appearance of the bi scui ts. Some were
quite yel l ow, whi l e others were snow
white. What was goi ng on?
We thought we might l earn some
thi ng from the pH of the bi scui ts,
with five brands of baki ng powder.
Al l worked j ust fi ne, but bi scuits made
wi th a doubl e-aci d (or doubl e-acting)
brand, such as Clabber Gi rl , were
yel l ower (and sl ightly tal l er) than
bi scuits made with a si ngl e-aci d
and we di d. Our pH meter i ndi cated
were bright whi te.
a vari ati on of 6. 9 (more aci di c) to
brnd, such as Feathereight, whi ch
8. 2 (more al kal i ne) . Bi scuits made from Cl abber Gi rl , for i nstance, yi el ded very
tal l but deci dedly yel l ow bi scuits with a pH of about 8. Feathereight, on the
other hand, produced very whi te bi scuits that were reduced i n hei ght and had a
fi ni shed pH of about 7. It turns out that doubl e-aci d (al so cal l ed doubl e-acti ng)
powders such as Cl abber Gi rl have a greater tendency to yi el d yel l ow bi scui ts.
Thi s col or change asi de, there' s no reason to avoi d usi ng two-aci d powders.
Moreover, they do provi de better oven rise. -john Ol son, Sci ence Edi tor
chilled tomatoes? Still as hard as
rocks, orange-red, and in no way
improved.
By Friday, though, overripeness
had begun to set in. The tomatoes
stored at room - temperature had
a few squishy spots and a slightly
mealy texture. The refrigerated
ones were a lost cause; we wrote
them off
Te Lsson Here: If you're stuck
buying grocery-store tomatoes, a
little patence pays of. A few days to
ripen at room temperature-not in
the fidge--can mean the diference
between tasteless and toothsome
tomatoes.
Peel Out
Fuzzy skin is no probl em when
eating a fresh peach out of hand.
But when baked into a dessert like
our Fresh Peach Cobbl er ( page
25 ) , fuzzy peach skin becomes
leathery fap, and so it must be
removed. If your peaches
X MARKS TH E S POT
Cut an X i n the bottom of
a peach before bl anchi ng.
Afer shocking i n i ce water,
the peach nearly peel s itself.
are frm enough, a sharp vegetable
peel er can make qui ck work of
peeling, but if they are soft and
can't take the pressure, the easi
est way to remove the skin is to
blanch them in boiling water and
then shock the peaches i n i ce
water. But for how l ong should
the peaches be blanched? Too long
and the fesh becomes mushy, not
long enough and the peel will still
resist removal . And the timing will
vary depending on the ripeness of
the peach.
One way to tell when you should
pull a peach from boiling water is to
score the bottom with an X before
blanching and then watch the skin
around the X for signs of splitting
and tearing during blanching. Mter
30 to 60 seconds, tl1e peach should
be ready. Remove it from the boil
ing water with a slotted spoon and
plunge it into an ice water batl1 to
stop the cooking. Once the
peach has cooled, pull i t
from the ice water and
use a paring knife to
help peel back me slip
pery skin. Start peeling
at the X, and the skin
should come off in
large strips.
RE C I P E U P DATE : READERS RESPOND
Brown Sugar
I nfrequent bakers often fi nd a hard, sugary brick in thei r pantry when they
reach for brown sugar. A new product ai ms to al l eviate this probl em. Domi no
Brownul ated i s a granul ated, pourabl e l i ght brown sugar wi th a l i ght. dr tex
ture. Readers wondered if it coul d be used i nterchangeabl y wi th tradi ti onal l i ght
brown sugar.
To fi nd out. we made two batches of Thi n, Cri spy Chocol ate Chi p Cookies
( March/ Apri l 200 I ) . the fi rst wi th tradi ti onal l ight brown sugar and the second
wi th Brownul ated. The fi rst batch of cooki es was sweeter and cri sper than the
second. whi ch were dri er, caki er, and l ess sweet. We qui ckly fi gured out why the
two batches were so di ferent. We had measured by vol ume, and the l ighter.
ai ri er Brownul ated sugar was taki ng up more room in the measuri ng cup than
the damp tradi ti onal l ight brown sugar, whi ch we packed as we measured i t. It
turns out that I cup of Brownulated sugar weighs j ust 5 ounces, whereas I cup
of packed regul ar brown sugar wei ghs 7 ounces. Once we used equal amounts
of the sugars by weight, the cookies were si mi l ar. Use thi s equival ency to deter
mi ne how much Brownul ated sugar i s needed in any given reci pe.
Pan Preparation
Our reci pes can someti mes seem fussy, espe
ci al ly when i t comes to prepari ng pans. Wi th
our Chocol ate Mousse Cake ( November/
December 2002) . for i nstance, you must
grease the pan , dust i t wi th fl our, and l i ne the
bottom with parchment paper. Once this cake
comes out of the oven. you must run a knife
around the edges of the pan . Skepti cal readers
wondered i f these steps were real ly necessary.
We baked four cakes to fi nd out.
When we decl i ned to grease and four the
spri ngfonm pan. the cake soufeed above the
ri m and hardened there; i t cl ung to the pan as
we removed the si des to reveal an unattrctive
and unevenl y baked speci men. When we omit
BAKE D I N
U N PRE PARE D PAN
ted the parchment l i ni ng, we lost 'Is i nch of cake
BAKE D 1 N G REAS E D &
as we pri ed the pan bottom of the supenmoi st F LOU RE D PAN
cake. When we fai l ed to run a knife around the
edge afer baking (whi ch hel ps ease sti cki ng as the cake contrcts and cool s i n the
pan) , the top and si des remai ned suspended at ri m level whi l e the center fel l far
bel ow, creati ng a chocol ate crter. Cl early, the five mi nutes it takes to prepare a
pan properly i s a wise i nvestment of ti me. For our Chocol ate Mousse Cake reci pe.
vi si t Cook's Extra at ww . cooki l l ustrted. com and key i n code 4049.
Low- Sodium Meat Tenderizer
We have found in several reci pes that tradi ti onal soy sauce can tenderize beef
and chi cken (see Better Beef and Broccol i Sti r- Fry (September/October
2003 ) . I nvestigati ng Steak Ti ps ( May/J une 2003) . and Chi cken Stir- Fries
( May/J une 2004) . Some readers asked if l ow-sodi um soy sauce woul d produce
si mi l ar resul ts. We found that whi l e the flavor of meat mari nated in low-sodi um
soy sauce was good, the meat mari nated i n regul ar soy sauce was better. with a
pronounced soy flavor; the texture of the l atter was al so more tender. To guar
antee tender. fl avorful meat. we' d reach for regul ar soy sauce. But if you use the
l ow-sodi um variet. the meat wi l l sti l l be far better than meat that has not been
mari nated. -Compi l ed by Ni na West
I F YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a recently publ i shed 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 to
reci peupdate@bcpress. com.
J U L Y [ A U G U S T 2 0 0 4
3 1
E QU I P ME NT COR N E R
N EW PRODUCT: Cal phal on One
Calphalon has a new line of cookware, known as
Calphalon One, that's been heavily advertised as
combining "the best qualities of both traditional
metal and nonstick cookware. " Made by infs
ing an anodized aluminum pan with an advanced
release polymer, these hybrid pans are not
cheap-a 12-inch skillet costs $1 25-but if one
pan really can do the work of two, why not give
it a try? We did, running a series of tests that pit
ted the Calphalon One skillet against our favorite
traditional and nonstick skillets, both All- Clad.
The Calphalon One proved strong as a tradi
tional skillet. Seared steak and salmon showed
superior color and crust development. Afer sear
ing the steak, we noted the amount of fond ( the
residue of browned meat that sticks to the pan) ,
which can be deglazed for a rich, favorfl pan
sauce. Although nonstick pans are notoriously
poor at developing fond, the Calphalon One had
no trouble passing this test, easily rivaling our
favorite All- Clad traditional pan.
Calphalon's new pan did not fare s o well in the
3 B Y G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M I T H E
wEAR & TEAR: Adjustabl e Measuri ng Cups
In our March/ April 2004 issue, we heralded the
virtues of the Wonder Cup, which effortlessly
measures-and releases-such hard-to-measure
ingredients as molasses, shortening, and peanut
butter. But as we passed ours through the dish
washer nearly every day in the test kitchen, the
measurement delineations started to fade. We
called the maker of the Wonder Cup and learned
that the numbers are applied with food-grade ink
and a unique cylindrical silk-screening process
that can withstand gentle hand washing but not
the extremes of a dishwasher. Whoops .
ALL WAS H E D OUT
Afer many washi ngs, the
measurement l i nes on
our Wonder Cup (l eft)
faded from thei r origi nal
cl arit. We found that
the Adj ust-A-Cup (right)
works j ust as wel l and i s
di shwasher- safe.
nonstick category. When we sauteed fsh fllets Fortunately, the Wonder Cup' s popularit has
lghtly coated with four in a small amount of oil, prompted many copycats. One that stands out
some scraping was required to flip the fets. But is KitchenArt's Adjust-A- Cup, which is marked
the pan really fell down when it came to several with an epoxy-tpe ink that is safe for the dish
other tasks best suited for a nonstick skillet. Both washer and withstands moderate scrubbing.
hash browns and a stir-fy with chicken that had Available in 1 - and 2-cup capacities and in an
been coated in oil, flour, and cornstarch had to be array of materials, from plastic to stainless steel,
abandoned. This pan's only likeness to a nonstick these cups are ruggedly constructed with a very
pan appeared to be in the sink, where it cleaned up tight seal between plunger and tube. Prices start
as easily as a nonstick if given a brief soa.
.-
at $3. 59 and go up to $1 0.99 for a model
Te new Cal phal on One rivals the best traditional
ski l let but can' t compete wi th a true nonstick pan.
with a flashy chrome fnish.
E QU I PME NT UP DATE : Vegetabl e Peel ers
Since our 1998 rating of vegetable peelers, the
Oxo Good Grips has become a standad in our test
kitchen. Could Oxo outdo itself It dd. A part of
its new lne of products called the I -Series, Oxo has
introduced a peeler wth replaceable blades.
We found the I -Series peeler to be exceptonally
shar and liked its slender handle ( the decidedly
oxo M E S S E RM E I STE R
The Oxo ! - Seri es peel er i s our new favorite. The
Messermei ster peel er works wonders with del icate
fruit, but the handl e i s smal l er than we' d l i ke.
unslender handle of the earlier model was our only
gripe wth that peeler) . The new peeler is heavier
than the original, but the balance of the extra
weight fals to the blade end, so this peeler seems
to require less efort on the part of the cook.
The replaceable blades (much lke razor blades
that click on and pop of would seem to be a great
idea, but in the test kitchen we've found that a
peeler can take years to become dull and that it can
then be easily realigned with a sharpening steel-in
the same fashion as a knife-by essentally "peeling"
the steel. ( Use this method if you've got the Good
Grps peeler and would rather not upgrade. )
Another new peeler that recently made its
way to our kitchen has a serrated blade. Made by
Messermeister, this peeler is exceptonal i its ability
to peel peaches, other ripe stone fuits, and toma
toes, a dfcut tak for even the sharpest of peelers.
We loved it for prepping the Fresh Peach Cobbler
on page 25, but the handle is too small for cooks
with average- or larger-than-average-size hands.
(Visit Cook's Exta at ww . cooksillustrated
. com for the results of our original testing of
vegetable peelers. Key in code 4050. )
PRODUC REDESIGN: Weber Genesis Gas Gri l ls
One of our two top-pick gas grills (rated in July/
August 2003) just got better. The Weber Genesis
Silver A has relocated its thermometer to the cen
ter of the grill, a more telling position. An under
the-ld swinging basket has been added, as has an
additional tool holder, a font condiment tray, and
a swng-up work surface. The two-burner Silver
A's price increases to $379.
Sources
Te following ar mail-order sources for items
rcommended i n this issue. Pces were cur
rnt at prss time and do not incl ude shipping
and handling. Contct companies di rctly to
confn up-to-date prices and avilabilit.
PGE 3 : MUDDLER
PAGE 9: PORABLE GAS GRI L
Termos Gri i i 2Go: S 1 49. 99, item
#6 1 3 1 9 1 , Target (avai l abl e at stores
nationwide and at ww . target. com) .
Weber Q Portabl e Gas Gri l l :
Drive, Exeter, NH 03 83 3 ; 800- 232-
4070; w. ki tchenetc. com) .
Messermeister Pel er: $ 5 . 50, item
# I 54005 ; Sur L Tabl e.
Rosie Muddl er: S I 5 , item #22964 1 ,
Sur L Tabl e ( 1 765 Sixth Avenue South,
Seattle, WA 98 1 34- 1 608; 800- 243-
0852; w . surtatabl e. com) .
S 1 79. 99, item #5 1 465 2, Target.
Coleman Road Trip Spor: S 1 69. 99,
item #504048, Target.
PGE 23 : PASRY BRUSH
OXO Pstr Brush: $4. 49, i tem
#470528, Kitchen Etc. (32 I ndustrial
PAGE 29: SNTOKUS
MAC Superior Santoku Knife, 6 11
i nch: $ 5 5 , item #4368, ACook' s Wares
( 21 1 37th Street, Beaver Fal l s, P 1 50 1 0;
800- 9 1 5- 9788; ww.cookswares. com) .
PGE 3 2: VEGEABLE PEELRS
Oxo 1-SreSl Peler. $9. J9, itm
#995944. Oxo !-Sres Rplacement Blades:
$4. 99, itm #995985. Bt at Kitchen Etc.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
3 2
PAGE 3 2 : CLPHALON SKI L
Cal phalon One I nfused Aodized
Omel ette Pn , 1 2 1 nch: $ 1 24. 99, item
# 1 02595 6; Kitchen Etc.
PGE 3 2: MESURI NG CUPS
Adjust-A-Cups: $4. 99-$ 1 0. 99,
KitchenAr (4420 Hel ton Drive,
Fl orence, Al 3 5 630; 800- 239-8090;
ww . kitchenar. com) .
RE C I PE S
July 6 August 2004
Mai n Di shes
Gri l l ed Gl azed Sal mon 1 9
on a Gas Gri l l 1 9
Texas-Stl e Barbecued Beef Ri bs 1 5
on a Gas Gri l l 1 5
Thai -Stl e Gri l l ed Chi cken
with Spi cy Sweet and Sour
Di ppi ng Sauce 9
on a Gas Gri l l 9
Si de Di sh
Al l -Ameri can Potato Sal ad I I
Salsa
Fresh Tomato Sal sa 20
Spice Rubs for Gri l l ed Steak
Chi l e- Cumi n 1 2
Cocoa- Cumi n-Al l spi ce 1 2
Peppery Cori ander and Di l l 1 2
Star Ani se and Cofee Bean I 2
Tarrgon-Mustard Seed 1 2
Bi scui ts
Tal l and Fl uf Buttermi l k
Bi scui ts 7
BBQ Sauce and Gl azes
F OR TEXAS - STYLE B E E F RI B S :
Barbecue Sauce I 5
F OR G R I LL E D G LAZE D S ALM O N :
Honey- Mustard Gl aze 1 9
Mapl e- Chi potl e Gl aze 1 9
Mapl e- Soy Gl aze 1 9
Desserts
Cobbl er
Bl ueberr- Peach wi th Lemon
Cornmeal Bi scui tToppi ng 25
Fresh Peach 2 5
Freeform Summer Frui t Tart 22
Freeform Summer Frui tTartl ets 23
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Gri l l ed Gl azed Sal mon, 1 9
Spi ce Rubs for Gri l l ed Steak, 1 2
PHOTOGRAPHY: CARL TREMBLAY, STYLI NG: MARI E PI RANO
o c c r


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