NUMBER SEVENTY-FOUR MAY b JUNE 2005

1 1 1 1 ` J 1 1 J 1 1
Grilling Flank Steak
Skillet-Roasted
Potatoes
Etr Crispy in Just 20 Minutes
Improving Stuffed
Pork Chops
Juicier Meat, Better Stufing
Tasting Chicken
Broths
Can, Carton, or Concentrate?
Ultimate Oatmeal
Cookies
Rating Cookie Sheets
Should You Spend $10 or $90?
How to Substitute
Ingredients

New Salad Dressings
Making Paella at Home
Eas Raspberr Tart
Hearty Frittatas
Asian Orange Chicken
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May 6 June 2005
2 Notes from Readers
Readers ask questi ons and sugest sol uti ons.
4 Quick Tips
Qui ck and eas ways to perform everday tasks, from
gri l l i ng susages and scooping ice cream to handl i ng fresh
chiles safely.
6 Grilled Marinated
Flank Steak
So what's wrong with mari nati ng steak in bottled Ital ian
sal ad dressing? A lot. BY ELIZABETH GERMAIN
8 Thick and Hearty Frittata
More chal l engi ng to cook properly than a regular thi n
frittata, a thick, hear frittata often ends up dr,
overtufed, and overcooked. BY ERIKA BRUCE
I 0 Paring Down P ae Ua
Pel l a can be a big hi t at restaurnts but an unwi el dy
producti on at home. Coul d we re-create thi s Spani sh
classic i n to hour wi thout usi ng any fancy equipment?
BY SANDRA WU
13 Dressing Up Salad Dressings
We threw away the rul ebook on vi naigrettes and used
a host of unexpected ingredients. BY NINA WEST
14 How to Stuf a Pork Chop
Fi l l ing the wrong chop with the wrong ki nd of stufi ng and
then cooking i t usi ng the wrong method prduces fami l iar
but easily improved results. BY SEAN LAWLER
16 How to Substitute
Ingredients
Everbody does i t (even though they shoul dn't). Here
are some ti ps for doi ng i t wel l . BY SEAN LAWLER
18 Crispy Skillet-Roasted
Potatoes
Greas potatoes, burt crusts, and uneven cooking were
just three of the problems we had to solve to resurrect
this classic method of roasting spuds on the stovetop.
BY ELIZABETH GERMAIN
20 Rescuing Orange-Flavored
Chicken
Thi s Chi nese restaurnt standard-battered and fried
chi cken drenched i n a sacchari ne, neon-colored sauce
leaves us cold. Coul d we upgrde thi s di sh from thi rd
class to firt class? BY REBECCA HAYS
22 The Ultimate Oatmeal
Cookie
What coul d be better than an oatmeal cookie crmmed
with dozens of ingredi ents? How about an oatmeal
cookie with just the right ingredi ents. BY ERIKA BRUCE
2 4 Baked Rasp berry Tart
Tart rspberries, rich custard, and a butter crust are a
classic, white-tablecloth combi nati on. We were seeking
a more rusti c, casual approach. BY DAWN YANAGIHARA
26 Preferred Stock
Most commercial chi cken broths are dreadful , 'fowl'
concoctions. So what i s the time-pressed home cook
to do? BY JOLYON HELTERMAN
28 The Problem(s) with
Cookie Sheets
You can pay anyhere from $10 to a whoppi ng $90 for
a si ngl e cookie sheet. Does i t matter? We baked 2,900
cookies to fi nd out. BY JOLYON HELTERMAN AND
GARTH CLINGINGSMITH
3 0 Kitchen Notes
Test results, buying tips, and advice related to stories
past and present, directly from the test kitchen.
BY DAWN YANAG I HARA
32 Equipment Corner
Reviews of new items, updates on past tests, and
sources for products used i n thi s issue.
BY GARTH CLINGINGSMITH
!1ESH HEPl
FRESH HERBS Many del i cate herbs are best used rw or added at the end of cooki ng, i ncl ud
i ng tarrgon, di l l , chives, and basi l . Prolonged exposure to heat may dul l the flavor, col or, and
texture of these herbs. Ital i an fat-leaf parley has a sl i ght pepper favor, and we prefer i t to
curl y parsley. Cheri l i s related to parley and has a mi l d, del i cate favor. Al ong wi th parley, tr
rgon, and chives, cheri l i s a key component i n fnes herbes, a classic mixture used commonly i n
French cooki ng. Mi nt's refreshi ng flavor complements many sweet prepartions as wel l as savor
ones. Heari er herbs, i ncl udi ng thyme, oregano, rosemar, and sage, are more pungent and
stand up wel l to cooking. Sprigs of thyme are used i n bouquet garni (al ong wi th parley stems
and dried bay leaves) to flavor stocks and soups. Oregano is a key ingredi ent i n slow-simmering
tomato sauces. Pi ney rosemar must be used i n modertion because its strong favor can easi ly
overhel m a dish. Te same can be sai d for sage. whose must, earthy flavor can become bitter
when used i n lare quanti ti es.
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|KIL |I1LO5
EDITORIAL
'HANDS ON THE PLOUGH'
T
hose of us of a certain age remember reci
pes that had real names: Marie's Nutmeg
Doughnuts, Renny Powell 's Blueberry
Boy-Bait, Rena Scribner's Maple Fudge,
and Mrs. Pope's Southern Pecan Bars, not to men
tion Clara Mae's Famous Pensacola Fried Chicken,
Sweet Potatoes Georgian, and Dorothy' s New
England Cream Pie.
Looking at a map of our small Vermont town
is a quick history lesson, each place named for a
family or defning characteristi c. Red Mountai n,
Egg Mountai n, Bear Mountai n, and Tate
Mountai n. Walnut Hill, Minister Hill, and then
Swearing Hill right across from it. Our hol
lows: Skinner, Cook, Mears, Corbett, Kent, and
Wilcox. The Green Rver runs through town, but
there are also plenty of smal l brooks with names:
Tidd, Bal dwi n, and Chunks . Plus names that
appeal to a small boy's imagination: Snake Rdge,
Pumpkin Hook, Chestnut Woods, The Notch,
Goose Egg Ridge, and Eldridge Swamp.
People seem to have had better names back
then, too. My favorites were Oni e, Herbi e,
Cliff, Floyd, Harley, Willy, Sonny, and Mickey.
Country stores were still called by their proper
names: Wayside, Cullinan' s, or Sherman' s, for
example. Decades afer the original owners died
or moved away, a house was still referred to as
the Lomberg home and a farmhouse-like The
Yellow Farmhouse-could never escape its color.
Long afer the Woodcocks moved out of their
place up on the West Road ( and their doghouse
with the T antenna on top had been bulldozed) ,
everyone still called it the Woodcock place. That' s
just what i t was.
Wen I walk up into our woods, I know where
the old gravel pit used to be, where Harley Smith
used to pasture his father' s cows in the summer,
where the sheep were kept up above the ledges,
the place where Nate saw the bear coring by his
tree stand during deer season, and the site of the
old sugarhouse. I can see where the sheep fenc
i ng and barbed wire have grown i nto the tree
trunks, becoming part of the historical record.
Father's Day, when his kids asked
him what he wanted to do, he said
he wanted to take a walk with his
dogs to scout for rabbits-even
though rabbit season was long
over. That's constancy for you.
I know where to look to see the
"40 smokes, " where as a kid on
a cold morning, Fl oyd Bentley
might have looked up the moun
tain to see smoke curling up from
40 chimneys. And the one- room
schoolhouse is still across from
the church, where on one cold
morning the kids locked the out
house door and the teacher had
to make do behind a snowbank.
The dance halls have all burned
Christopher Kimball
And life is fll of smaller bits
of constancy that are comfort
ing: the sight of a crisp winter
sky chock-fll of stars as I trudge
back from the barn after din
ner; the announcement by our
6-year- old, Emily, that she j ust to the ground, but we know
where they used to be. Afer all , it happened only
1 00 years ago.
I n those days, a place earned i ts name by
means of either hard work or sheer determina
tion. Today, however, places sell their names, as
in Boston's Fleet Center ( it is still the "Garden"
t o locals) . Fenway Park has yet t o follow suit-an
act of marketing i nfamy that woul d cause a
week of rioting. I grew up, like many of us, with
Moxie, Nehi, and Mallo Cups and was thrilled to
discover packs of Teaberry and Black Jack chew
ing gum on a back shelf at Sherman' s store. The
gum, I am sad to report, had seen better days.
At a recent l ocal gatheri ng, we swapped
stories about other lost traditions. One neighbor
remembers the bleach man, who did in fact sell
bleach door- to- door, along with 1 00-pound bags
of soap. There was the ragman and, of course,
the musical hurdy- gurdy man-the one wi th the
monkey. ( You pai d the monkey, not the musi
cian. ) My father loved to tell stories about the
ice man, who delivered large blocks of ice for the
aptly named ice box.
Today, we seem to have lost our belief in con
stancy, the unwavering good sense to follow
a single path in life . I spent last Sunday rabbit
hunting with Tom, the local president of the Old
Rbbit Hunters' Association, and Teddy, a local
carpenter and stonemason who goes out every
weekend during the season. He has a half dozen
dogs-we hunted that day with Tubby-and on
had another baby ( she has more than two dozen
store- bought "children" at this point) ; the frst
taste of hot biscuits slathered with butter and
homemade plum j am; the radiating warmth of a
wood cookstove on a dark, cold morning; and the
feel of a horse resting his head on your shoulder.
But, of course, constancy has a higher purpose.
Ossie Davi s, the late, great American actor, once
said, "We can't foat through life-we must fx
our gaze on a guiding star [and keep] our hands
on the plough. It i s the consistency of the pursuit
. . . that gives you the constancy, that gives you
the encouragement, that gives you the way to
understand . . . why it is important for you to do
what you can do. "
Finding that star on a cold winter' s night,
knee-deep i n snow, wrapped i n a tattered long
coat, i s not easy. I can hear the horses shifing in
their stalls, and I see our farmhouse on a hill, lit
modestly, as if by candl e, underneath a canopy so
brightly decorated that not one star stands out.
It i s the choice of a lifetime, one that seems oddly
tightfsted against the startling breadth of the
heavens. But before I reach the sudden warmth
of home, I do indeed choose a star. It is not the
brightest perhaps, nor part of a well - sketched
constellation, but it is the one I will follow. With
an eye toward the horizon, I aim to plough a
straight frrow, encouraged by the notion that
hard work and constancy will someday bear the
sweet fruit of a j ob well done.
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M A Y [ ) L | | 2005
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Spoonfl of Sugar
Recently, I went down to our local food co
op, where the onl y options i n bul k sugar are
turbinado sugar and evaporated cane juice. I was
told they stock these sugars instead of what I ' m
more familiar with ( white, granulated sugar i n a
5-pound bag) because they are more nutritious .
I s there really a difference between these sugars,
and does one type work better than others in
recipes?
J O GARDINER
PORT TOWNSEND, WASH.
.. First, a brief primer on these sugars: Granulated,
or white, sugar i s made from highly refned
cane or beet sugar; i ts fne crystals make i t a
great all-purpose sweetening agent. Evaporated
cane j uice-made from fltered sugar cane juice
that i s evaporated into a syrup, then crystal
lized and dried-i s slightly less processed than
granulated sugar, has marginally coarser straw
colored granules, and tastes fai ntly of molasses .
Turbinado sugar, which is actually a light brown
sugar, has even larger dark blond crystals and a
mild molasses favor.
We tasted evaporated cane juice ( using Florida
Crystals Natural Cane Sugar, the most widely
available brand) and granulated sugar in baking
by making two batches each of our sugar cookies
and pound cake, using cup-for-cup substitutions .
In appearance, texture, and favor, tasters found
no differences between the cookies made witl1
granulated sugar and those made with evapo
rated cane juice. A for tl1e pound cake, several
people felt the cake made witl granulated sugar
was slightly sweeter and moister, but most people
strained to fnd any differences at all .
With its large grains, turbinado sugar ( such
as Sugar In The Raw) doesn't dissolve as readily
as granulated. In fact, we found it should not be
used in doughs and batters. It does a fne job of
sweetening tea and coffee, however, and adds
welcome texture when sprinkled on top of muf
fns, scones, and other baked goods.
Are ei ther of these "natural " sugars as
al l - purpose as granul ated?
3 C O MPIL ED B Y S A N DR A W UE
While evaporated cane juice might have trace
amounts of nutri ents not found in granulated
sugar, most nutritionists we spoke to agreed that
any potential benefts are negligi bl e . Sugar is
sugar. So for recipes calling for granulated sugar,
evaporated cane juice is a perfectly fne substitute.
Just don' t expect any health benefts . And save
turbinado sugar for sweetening hot beverages
and topping pastri es.
Boil First, Then Simmer
Why do soup and braise recipes always call for
bringing tl1e liquid to a fll boil before simmer
ing? Why not just bring it up to a simmer slowly
and conti nue?
HELEN MI CARI
HI G HLAND PARK, I LL.
Si mmeri ng-cooki ng foods over moder
ate heat-is an important technique in making
soups, stews, braises, sauces, and stocks. But why
boil frst? It boils down to two major issues: time
( and energy) effciency and food safety. If you
bring a stew or braise up to a simmer over low
heat, tl1e total cooking time will be considerably
longer. In one recent test here in tl1e kitchen, an
osso buco recipe required an extra hour when we
failed to bring tl1e liquid to a boil before turni ng
down the heat. Starting from a boil also ensures
tl1at all of tl1e ingredients ( proteins and starches
as well as tle liqui d) i n tl1e pot get up to a safe
temperature quickly and evenly. If you let foods
come to a simmer very slowly, tl1ey are likely to
spend more time in the so- called danger zone,
between 40 and 1 40 degrees, which i n certain
foods promotes the growth of bacteria.
Cleaning a Cast-Iron Skillet, Revisited
Would you be able to tell me how to recondition
my cast-iron frying pan? Years of use have cre
ated an i mpenetrable l ayer of grit all over my pan.
How do I strip away tl1e residue and get to the
cast iron again?
ESTHER G I LBERT
P HILADELP HIA, PA.
When years of stubborn, sticky residue, rust,
and who knows what else accumulate on a cast
iron pan, getting it all off ( even witl1 vigorous
scrubbing) to restore the pan to its original state
can be difficult. While we have been perfectly
happy witl1 our usual metl10d of cleaning dirtied
cast-iron cookware with a thick paste of warm
vegetable oil and kosher salt, we wanted to fnd
an alternate metl1od for cases where tle grime
C O O K
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isn't limited to tl1e inside of ie pan. We knew
iat throwi ng the pan into a wood fre would
work, but we had also heard of a more con
temporary technique and wanted to investigate.
The technique? Putting ie pan in an oven and
running it through the self- cleaning function.
Afer soliciting the staff for beyond- repair pans,
we were offered tle perfect specimen: a dusty,
rusted skillet witl1 a thick layer of charred detri
tus caked onto the interior cooking surface and
firmly crusted on ie bottom and sides.
Afer scrubbing off as much of the loose dirt
and rusted bits from tl1e dry skillet as we could,
we allowed ie pan to go irough an oven' s self
cleaning fnction. Afer givi ng tl1e pan time to
cool, we retrieved from tl1e oven what appeared
to be an item straight from a Bronze Age exhibit
in a museum of natural history. The pan, which
had turned dark gray, was covered in a layer of
large rust-coated fakes and ash. We scrubbed
the pan witl1 hot water and steel wool to remove
tl1e remaining rust, allowed it to dry, and then
reseasoned it according to tl1e following proce
dure: Heat ie pan on top of ie stove until a
bead of water evaporates on contact witl1 the pan.
Wipe tl1e inside of tl1e pan with a wad of paper
towels dipped i n vegetable oil ( hold ie paper
towels witl1 tongs to protect yourself. Wipe out
ie excess oil and repeat as needed until ie pan
is slick.
Cherr Sources
Do you know of a source for frozen sour cherries
at a reasonable price?
ESTHER HANSEN
NORTH BRANFORD. CONN.
.. We conducted a search for frozen sour cher
ries at our local Boston grocery stores during tl1e
off-season and were unsuccessfl in fnding any.
While most stores carried bagged, frozen sweet
cherries, iey did not stock the tart Morello or
Montmorency varieties.
A quick Web search, however, provided some
good leads . The Cherry Marketing I nstitute,
based in the pri me cherry- growing state of
Michigan, has a Web si te ( w . cherrymkt. org)
witl1 a searchable guide of cherry processors and
wholesalers. Several of ie companies listed sell
individually qui ck frozen ( IQF) tart cherries
( containing no added sugars or preservatives) to
COOK'S E Fr the rsults of our testing of prseasoned
castiron pans, visit w.cookillustrted.com and key in code
5051. Tis infonation will be available unti l june 30, 2005.
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individual consumers, but at a hefy price afer
the cost of overnight shipping is factored in. For
example, one producer sold the cherries at a mere
$1 . 50 per pound, but the cost of shippi ng alone
for 8 pounds of the fruit was $49. 65 . And that
was considered the cheaper end of the scal e.
Another option? Mter fresh tart cherri es, we've
found that j arred Morello cherries from Trader
Joe' s provide the truest cherry flavor and best
texture. If there is a Trader Joe's near you, we
suggest that you try this product.
Classifing Cream Cheese
What is Neufchatel cheese? Does it really have less
fat then regular cream cheese?
JERILYN YOUNG
AIEA. HAWAII
Traditional Neufchatel cheese is a sof, white,
unripened cheese that originated in the French
town of Neufchatel in the region of Normandy.
This creamy, delicate cheese is available in several
shapes and sizes, including square, rectangular,
cylindrical , and heart shaped (a version called
Coeur de Bray) . With a dry and velvety rind
covered i n a fne white mold and a mild, delicate
favor, this cheese pairs well with crusty bread.
Here in America, however, the product pack
aged and sold as Neufchatel cheese i n your local
supermarket dairy case is worlds apart from
the French variety. Neufchatel cheese made i n
the United States is available i n plastic tubs for
spreading on bagels or in square blocks for use
in recipes . Regular cream cheese-sof, unrip
ened cheese made from milk and cream that
often contains stabilizers such as carrageenan,
xanthan, carob bean, or guar gums to increase
frmness and shelf life-must contain at least 33
percent milk fat and no more than 55 percent
moisture, according to the U. S. Food and Drug
Administration. American Neufchatel may have a
moisture content of up to 65 percent and a milk
fat content of 20 to 33 percent. That means that
some brands of Neufchatel do not have less fat
then regular cream cheese, but most do. These
brands are ofen labeled "one-third less fat . "
A Squeeze of Herbs
Have you tried herbs in a tube, sold in the refrig
erated shelves near the produce section of super
markets? The brand is Gourmet Garden, made by
Botanical Foods of Queensland, Austral i a.
JOAN WORLEY
MARYVILLE, TENN.
Prior to receiving your l etter, we had never
seen or heard of this product, as it is not cur
rently available in the Northeast, but afer read
ing about it on the manufacturer' s Web site
(V . gourmetgarden. com) , we were intrigued.
Fresh herb taste out of a refrigerated squeeze tube
without the hassle of washing, drying, and chop-
WHAT IS IT?
I found this tool at a garge sale. Nobody has been able to fig
ure out what it's used for. Have you seen one of these before?
MENGTING SHIEH
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.
This trident-shaped utensil is a mango fork, which is used
to hold, peel, and eat the juicy fruit-all the while preventing a
stick mess. The long middle prong secures the seed while the
short prongs grb onto the inner flesh.
To use a mango fork, insert the sharp middle prong stright
through the stem end of the mango into the pit. Then hold the
handle of the fork with one hand and use your free hand to peel
the outer skin away from the fesh with a paring knife. At this
point, you can either eat the mango directly off the fork, as you
would a Popsicle, or slice the fruit from the pit.
While we still like our standard method of slicing through a
mango on either side of the pit and cutting the fruit into slices
or chunks, we enjoyed not having to worry about the slipper
fruit sliding out of our hands and onto the foor. See Sources on
page 32 for ordering information.
For mess-free preparati on, i nsert thi s
mango fork through the narrow end
of the fruit and use a pari ng kni fe to
remove the ski n.
ping, no waste from lefovers, and a shelf life of
tl1ree months in the refigerator or six months in
tle freezer? Seemed too good to be true. We asked
a fiend on tl1e West Coast to send us a few tubes.
Gourmet Garden Herbs and Spices, frst sold
in the United States i n 2002 in six varieties
basil , chi l i , cilantro, garl i c, ginger, and l emon
grass-are now available in al l but 13 states. All
have salt, sugars, oi l , and stabili zers added to
prevent oxidation and maintain freshness . We
decided to give the basi l , cilantro, and l emon
grass versions a try.
To taste the products, we used tl1em i n com
mon recipe applications, comparing them side by
side with fresh herbs. A per package instructions,
we used teaspoon-for- teaspoon substitutions. For
the basil, the diference was obvious to tasters in
both appearance and in taste in a tomato- basil vin
aigrette. The vinai grette made with the Gourmet
Garden product was noticeably more emulsifed
than the fesh herb version, perhaps because oftle
added oil and stabili zers. Interestingly enough,
most tasters preferred the tubed herb version for
its sweeter, more balanced favors.
The results for the other two herbs were not as
Can herbs in a tube take the pl ace of fresh?
l A Y [ l L | | 2005
3
favorable. We used the lemon grass to infse plain
chicken broth. While the favor was much more
pronounced using the tubed l emon grass, one
taster complained that i t tasted "like candy" and
smelled "like Pledge. " We also blended a small
amount of cilantro with sour cream to make a
si mpl e dip. Comments for the tubed cilantro
version ranged from "so fake, tastes like soap"
to "disgusting and tastes stale. " Used again in a
salsa, the tubed cilantro tasted dull and looked
"ugly as hell . "
A Purple "Rose"
When buying garlic at the supermarket recently,
I noticed that the skn was lavender rather than
the usual white. In addition to the unusual skin
coloring, the cloves seemed slightly sweeter than
regular white garli c. Is this a different variety?
KAY STAUFFER
VIA E-MAIL
When it comes to garlic, there are more vari
eties out there than you could possibly imagine.
But when it comes to supermarket garlic, the
choices can be narrowed down to j ust a few. You
probably picked up Italian or Mexican garlic, two
of the three maj or types of garlic available com
merciaLly i n the United States ( the other being
white-skinned American garlic) . Both Italian and
Mexican garlic are tinged with purple and are
sli ghtly milder i n favor ian white garli c.
SEND US YOUR QUESIONS We wi l l provide a compli
mentary one-year subscri pti on for each l etter we print. Send your
i nquir, name, address, and daytime tel ephone number to Notes
from Readers, Cook's Il l ustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookline,
MA 02447, or to notesfromreaders@bcpress. com.
Quick Tips
Cool Tuna
Tuna fish salad sandwi ches are
qui ck and easy. But Zach Demuth
of Newton, Mass., l i ke most
peopl e, prefers his tuna on the
cool si de, and wai ti ng for i t to
chi l l after openi ng a new can i s
not what he has i n mi nd when
he's hungry. Hi s sol uti on? Store
cans of tuna fish in the fri dge.
(Recommended only for water
packed tuna.)
Easier Citrus Pressing
A ci trus press can be a handy tool ,
but usi ng one to press the jui ce from
severl l emons or oranges can be
a pai n-l i terl ly. Dani el l e Rmos of
Saugus, Mass. , found a way to ease
the pressure on her hands by cutti ng
the frui t i nto quarters rather than
halves. J ui ci ng a quarter i s not only
easi er than jui ci ng a hal f, but it al so
yi el ds more jui ce.
:C OMPI L E D B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
Presering Lftover Herbs
Stuck wi th pl ethora of herbs growi ng in your garden? Mrs. Dorcas Unger of Wayl and,
Mass. , was 1n the same posi ti on, just watchi ng her herbs go to seed, unti l she found a
qui ck, easy way to dr and store them.
I. 2.
I. Afer washi ng and dri ng the herbs, pl ace them on a cl ean paper towel and mi cro
wave on high power for 30 to 40 seconds.
2. Crumbl e the dri ed herbs and store i n an ai rtight contai ner (for up to three
months, for best flavor) .
Thermometer Holder
for the Grill
Nei l Macmi l l an of Nanai mo, British
Col umbi a, i s an avid gri l l er, and he
came up with a conveni ent hol der
for the thermometer he uses to
monitor the temperature-an
ordi nary wooden cl othespi n. It has
the benefit of stayi ng cool to the
touch whi l e al so protecti ng the
head of the thermometer from the
hot metal surace of the gri l l .
Organized Road Trips
A wel l - packed car usual l y means
restricted access to snacks. To get
to the food more easi l y wi thout
forfei ti ng organizati on, Jane Hsu of
Chester, N.J. , recycl es the empt
box from a case of wi ne. The card
board i nser ( used to separate the
bottl es) creates compartments for
hol di ng soda cans, napki ns, uten
si l s, fruit, and the l i ke. Now i t' s so
easy to fi nd the food that her ki ds
can hel p themselves.
Send .-a-v.; We wi l l provide a compli mentar oneyear subscri pti on for each ti p we print. Send your ti p, name, and address to
QUick Trps, Cook s I l l ustrated, P. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or to qui cktips@bcpress. com. .
C O O K
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Orange Bowls for Sherbet
Cathy Caval i ere-Rossi of Brn
Mawr, P., found a cl ever way to use
al l of the spent orange halves l ef
over afer maki ng our Fresh Ornge
Sherbet ( May/June, 2004).
I.
I. After j ui ci ng the ornges, care
ful l y peel out the remai ni ng flesh
by hand. I f necessary, slice a thi n
secti on of the bottom of each hal f
to keep the oranges upri ght.
2. After the sherbet has firmed
up i n the freezer, scoop i t neatly
into each orange hal f. Return to
the freezer to store unti l ready to
sere.
Measuring Guide for Buter
When you want to measure out only
I or 2 tabl espoons of butter from the
butter di sh, it seems si l ly to pul l out a
whol e fresh sti ck just to use the mark
on the wrpper as a measuri ng gui de.
Mar Stefani of Sal i ne, Mi ch. , makes
thi ngs easier for hersel f by stpl i ng a
cl ean wrpper around an i ndex card
and usi ng that to measure smal l por
ti ons of butter.
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Wooden Skewers
at the Ready
Not one for wai ti ng around whi l e
skewers soak i n water before he can
use them on the gri l l , Scott Drake of
Cambri dge, Mass. , soaks them ahead
of ti me and then stores them i n the
freezer so they won' t dr out.
Getting Sausages Straight
Gri l l ed sausages make a great sum
mer sandwi ch, but fitti ng a cured
link i nto a flat bun can be down
right frustrating. After gi vi ng up
on a search for cured buns, Mi ke
Ki ncai d of Tul sa, Okl a. , came up
with another sol uti on.
I.
2.
I. I nsert bamboo skewers (that have
firt been soaked in water) l ength
wise i nto each sausage pri or to gri l l
ing. The skewer keep the sausages
from curl i ng duri ng cooki ng.
2. When the sausages are done, pul l
out the skewers before fitti ng the
stright l i nks perectly i nto thei r
buns.
2.
Novel Way to Sere Melon
Emergency
Meatballs
Need qui ck meatbal l s
for that i mpromptu
spaghetti di nner? Ri ch
Hoxsey of Brooklyn,
N.Y. , shared hi s meat
bal l shortcut, whi ch
uses sausages.
I. Remove al l of the
sausage fi l l i ng from its
casi ng.
2. Rol l smal l secti ons
of the fi l l i ng i nto bal l s
and fr them i n a ski l l et.
Make sure to cook
thoroughly.
I nstead of seri ng pl ai n wedges of cantal oupe or other mel on, Di anne Pnek of Fr
Madi son, I owa, adds a handy touch to faci l i tate eati ng.
I.
I. After cutti ng the mel on i nto wedges and scrapi ng out the seeds, cut the fesh
l engthwise i nto stri ps and then crosswise i nto pi eces.
2.Tm the wedge i nside out and eat the pi eces right of the ri nd.
Taking the Sting Out
of Cutting Chiles
Tomer Gurant of San
Franci sco, Cal i f. , found a
qui ck and cl ever way to
protect hi s fi ngers from
the sting of fresh chi l es.
I. Coat one hand wi th oi l
(not the hand you use to
hol d the kni fe).
2. Cut the chi l es, maki ng
sure to touch them only
wi th your oi l ed hand.
When done, wash your
hands wi th hot soapy
water.
I.
2.
.\1 :\ Y c l | ` | 2 0 0 5
5
Frostbite-Free
Ice Cream Scooping
Spri ng and summer are packed with
parti es, and whether it's a bi rthday
or a hol i day that's bei ng cel ebrated,
i ce cream i s al most always i nvolved.
Ti red of freezing her fingers whi l e
cl utchi ng tubs of i ce cream as
she seres i t up, Ahl ey West of
Fri endswood, Texas, came up with a
way to stave of frostbite.
Wrap a ki tchen towel around the
mi ddl e of the ice cream carton
and twi st the ends together. To
scoop, grasp the twisted secti on
of the towel firml y; thi s wi l l give
you a good gri p-without the
frostbi te.
Extended Pntry Space
Stuck wi th a meager pantr in your
ki tchen? Lura Kait of Contoocook,
N. H. , was. too, unti l she extended her
storage space by hangi ng an i nexpen
si ve pl astic shoe rck over the i nsi de of
her pantry door. Rcks wi th cl ear pl as
ti c pockets work best, provi di ng qui ck
vi sual access to al l of the smal l i tems
that might normal l y tke up room on
a shelf.
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
So what's wron
g
with marinatin
g
steak in bottled Italian salad dressing
? /lot.
A
merica's love affair with fank steak
marinated in a bottle of Italian- style
salad dressi ng is both i ndi sputable
and curious. The favor is ofen com
plex-or at least i nteresti ng-but the texture
suffers terribly, the exterior turning mushy rather
than tender. The culprit? It's the acid i n the vin
egar that ruins the texture and also turns the meat
gray. (Yogurt, wi ne, and fruit j uice can produce
similarly distressi ng results . ) The good news is
that marinades do succeed in favoring meat, even
without the acid. So how could I develop a fresh,
Mediterranean-style marinade that really boosts
fl avor without transforming this rough-and-ready
piece of grilled meat into backyard baby food?
Before tackling the marinade, I frst came up to
speed on the cooking method. Prior work i n the
test kitchen gave me an excellent road map: Use
a two- level fre, which lets you move the thin part
of the steak to the cooler side of the grill once it
is done and gives the thicker part more cooking
time over higher heat. Cook the steak only to
medium- rare to keep i t from getting tough, and
remember that carryover heat will continue to
cook the meat once it comes off the gri l l . Let the
steak rest for fve to 1 0 minutes before slicing.
(This reduces the loss of j uices . )
Bui l di ng a Better Mari nade
Because fat carries favor so well , I knew oil would
be a key ingredient i n my marinade. Witl1ut any
vinegar or other acid, I also fgured tlut my mari
nade would be more paste than liquid. Starting
with those assumptions, I set out to determine
the best method of infsing oil with standard
Mediterranean favors from ingredients such as
garlic and rosemary. My working recipe con
tained 6 tablespoons of olive oil and l tablespoon
each of garli c and rosemary.
I was pretty sure that heat would intensif the
fl avors, so I tested two marinades-one made
witl1 raw garlic and rosemary, ie otler a heat
infusion I made by briefy cooking the garlic
and rosemary in the oil . Aer trying the grilled
steaks, tasters thought that the heat did improve
the flavor, but only slightly. Cooking the garlic
and rosemary i n oil didn' t seem worth the bother.
Increasing the amounts of garlic and rosemary
to 2 tablespoons each-was far more effective. I
tried adding many other ingredients to the mari
nade, but only shallots made ie cut. Among the
losers were parsley ( too subtle) , Worcestershire
sauce and tomato paste ( both toughened the
3 B Y ELI ZA B ET\1 GERMA I N E
For maxi mum tenderness, hol d the kn i fe at a 45 - degree angl e and sl i ce the meat across the grai n.
meat ) , and anchovy paste (just plain fishy ) .
I had been mincing the piles of garlic, rose
mary, and shallots by hand and then stirri ng them
together wi th the oil . To save time, I wondered
i f! could j ust throw everytl1ing into tl1e blender.
Unfortunately, tle blender failed to mince things
fnely enough; tl1e rough bits just didn't contri b
ute as much favor as the fi ne mince. In the end, I
chose to mince tl1e garlic, rosemary, and shallots
witl1 a knife and tl1en combine tl1em witl1 the oil
i n the blender. When rubbed into the meat, tl1is
extremely fne, wel l - blended paste flavored the
steak i n j ust one hour.
Two minor tests and one failure fol l owed.
First, I pricked the fank steak with a fork before
rubbi ng on the paste, and this did boost the
favor. Second, I tried grill i ng the steak witl1 the
paste on (I had been wiping it off before cook
i ng) , and this tured out a blotchy, burnt- tasting
piece of meat. Removi ng the paste j ust prior to
grilling was clearly the way to go.
Deductive Seasoni ng
My recipe was good at this point, but I wanted to
take a detour and explore the effects that salti ng
mi ght have on the meat. Our recipe for steak tips
( May/June 2003) calls for marinating tl1e beef i n
a mixture of oil and soy sauce. The sal t in the soy
C O O K
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6
sauce in effect "brines" tl1e meat, adding mois
ture and seeming to tenderize it. Of course, soy
sauce i sn' t right in a Mediterranean paste. Could
I get the benefts of salt without the soy?
I tried adding salt to tl1e marinade, but the salt
wouldn't dissolve in tl1e oil . What i f I j ust salted
the meat, tl1en rubbed on tl1e paste? Sure enough,
tl1is technique made for a beefer favor and an
improved texture. ( The total time requi red-for
both salting and marinating-remained one hour. )
Kosher salt, with its large crystals, was easier to
apply tl1an table salt and won a place in my recipe.
For a fnal series of tests, I developed two
additional marinade recipes, one with sesame
oil, ginger, scallions, and garlic and tl1e otl1er a
spicier version with chi potl e and
jalapeno chiles and garl i c. Now I
was done-or at least I thought
so. One colleague suggested that I
Marinating No-No
A bottl e of I tal i an dressi ng i s a
qui ck route to flavori ng fl ank
steak, but our tests convi nced
us that one of i ts pri mary
i ngredi ents-the vi negar-turns
the meat mushy and gray.
try marinating the meat the night before. Sliced
and served, this steak was potently favored, but
so was the one- hour version. The good news is
that the marinade can be made and applied to
the steak well before you cook it, if you prefer, so
you don't need to set aside an hour of marinating
time before getting dinner on the table.
GRI LLED MARI NATED F LAN K STEAK
S E RVES 4 TO 6
Flank steaks smaller or larger than 2 pounds can
be used, but adj ust the amount of salt and pepper
accordingly. We prefer fank steak cooked rare or
medium- rare. If the steak is to retain its juices, it
must be allowed to rest before being sliced.
If using a gas grill, cook the steak over high
heat, following the times in step 3, but keep the
cover down. If the meat is signifcantly under
done when tested with a paring knife, turn off
one burner and position the steak so that the
thinner side is over the cool part of the grill and
the thicker side is over the hot part of the grill.
whole flank steak (about 2 pounds) , patted
dry with paper towels
2 teaspoons kosher sal t
reci pe wet paste mari nade (reci pes fol l ow)
'I teaspoon ground black pepper
l. Place steak on rimmed baking sheet or i n
large baking dish. Usi ng dinner fork, prick steak
about 20 times on each side. Rub both sides of
steak evenly with salt and then with paste. Cover
with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least l hour or
up to 24 hours.
2. Using large chimney starter, ignite about 6
quarts ( l large chimney, or 2l2 pounds) charcoal
briquettes and burn until covered with thin coat
ing of light gray ash, about 20 minutes. Empty
coals into grill; build two- level fre by arranging
coals to cover one half of grill. Position grill grate
over coal s, cover grill , and heat grate for 5 min
utes; scrape grate clean witl1 grill brush. Grill is
ready when coals are hot ( you can hold your hand
5 inches above grate for just 2 seconds).
3. Using paper towels, wipe paste off steak;
season both sides with pepper. Grill steak directly
over coals until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes.
Using tongs, fip steak; grill until second side i s
well browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Usi ng paring knife,
make small cut into thickest part of meat; if meat
is slightly less done tl1an desired, transfer steak
to cutting board ( meat will continue to cook
as it rests). If steak is signifcantly underdone,
position s o that winner side is over cool side of
grill and thicker side is over hot side; continue to
COOK'S E Fr the complete rsults of our caring knife
tests, visit w .cooksillustrted.com and key in code 5052. This
inforation will be available until June 30, 2005.
cook until tl1ickest part is slightly less done than
desired, then transfer steak to cutting board.
4. Loosely tent steak with foi l ; let rest 5 to
1 0 minutes. Using sharp chef's knife or carving
knife, slice steak about l4 inch thick against grain
and on bias. Serve i mmediately.
GARLI C- S HALLOT- ROS E MARY
WET PASTE MARI NADE
6 tablespoons ol ive oi l
6 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press ( 2 tablespoons)
medi um shal l ot, mi nced (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons mi nced fresh rosemary leaves
Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth,
scraping down blender j ar as needed.
GARLI C - G I NG E R- S ESAME
WET PASTE MARI NADE
4 tablespoons toasted sesame oi l
2 tablespoons vegetable oi l
piece (about 3 i nches) fresh gi nger, peeled and
mi nced (about 3 tablespoons)
2 medi um scal l i ons, mi nced (about 3 tablespoons)
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press ( I tablespoon)
Puree all ingredients i n blender until smooth,
scraping down blender jar as needed.
GARLI C - C HI LE WET PASTE MARI NADE
6 tablespoons corn or vegetable oi l
6 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press ( 2 tablespoons)
2 medi um scal l i ons, mi nced (about 3 tablespoons)
medi um chi potle chi le in adobo sauce, mi nced
(about I tablespoon)
medi um jalapeno chi le, mi nced
(about I tablespoon)
Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth,
scraping down blender j ar as needed.
Maxi mum Fl avor i n Mi ni mum Ti me
T E S T I N G E Q U I P M E N T :
Carvi ng Knives
Sl i ci ng i s not the most di fi cul t knife ski l l , but it
does requi re a keen eye and steady hand to pro
duce uniform sl i ces. Cari ng, or sl i ci ng, knives are
desi gned speci fi cal ly for thi s task, so we purchased
ei ght model s. Was there a carer worthy of a spot
in our knife col l ecti on? We sl i ced our way through
pounds of beef, ham, and poul try to fi nd out.
Our favorite sl i cers were the knives l east cut
out for detai l ed preci si on work: those wi th round
ti pped bl ades. I n fact, i t was thei r ver l ack of
agi l i t that made them i deal for cari ng. Bul k and
expansi ve-wi th uniform breadth from handl e to
ti p-they easi l y mai ntai ned a strai ght l i ne. The
narrower versi ons ( up to I i nch) were sti l l fexi bl e
enough to sl i p up on occasi on, but the broader
bl ades were vi rtual ly fool proof. We recommend
the Forschner round-ti pped bl ade, whi ch has a
breadth of 1 11 i nches. The 1 2- and 1 4- i nch ver
si ons make for i mpressive di spl ays at the end of
a buffet l i ne, but the more reasonably pri ced I 0-
i nch bl ade ( $40. 5 5 ) provi des as much l ength as
you' l l need .
One last note. An 8- i nch chef' s knife does a
fi ne j ob when it comes to sl i ci ng fl ank steak. When
deal i ng wi th bi g hams and thick roasts, however, a
cari ng kni fe makes the j ob easi er and i s worth the
i nvestment. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
MORE S H RE D D I N G THAN S LI C I NG
Better for pumperni ckel than for poul try, this
serrated Wusthof knife shredded turkey breast.
Our novel " mari nati ng" techni que starts by pri cki ng the steak with a fork to speed flavor absorpti on (l eft) .
Next, kosher salt is rubbed i nto the meat, fol l owed by a garl i c- herb wet paste (center) . After an hour, the paste
and salt are wi ped of so the steak wi l l brown ni cely on the gri l l ( ri ght) .
M A Y b J U N E 2005
7
Thick and Hearty F rittata
More challen
g
in
g
to cook properly than a re
g
ular thin fri ttata, a thick, hearty fri ttata
often ends u p dry, overstuffed, and overcooked.
W
hen I order a fittata in a
restaurant, it comes to the
table as a towering wedge,
with a pleasing balance of
egg to flg. The eggs are cooked perfectly,
frm yet moist, and are framed by a sup
portive browned crust. Back at home, I grab
a handfl of lefovers and whip up a frit
tata that ends up as a lackluster, open-1ced
omelet lacking in height, favor, and visual
appeal. Something, perhaps a great many
things, was getting lost in tl1e translation.
3 B Y ER I K A B R U CE E
Unable to fnd a single cookbook ver
sion that I liked, I cobbled together a starter
recipe. This required a bit of decision making
about the size of the pan and the number of
eggs. Ten eggs, believe it or not, produced
an insubstantial fittata if serving six hungry
people. That meant an even dozen was in
order, and I had to try to ft them all into a
12-inch skillet. It quickly became clear that
3 cups of cooked vegetables and meat would
provide tl1e best balance of flling to eggs,
but I decided to develop a cooking method
before worrying about the exact composi
tion of the fling. A frittata l oaded wi th meat and vegetabl es needs a speci al cooki ng
techni que that rel i es on the stovetop, the broi l er, and resi dual heat.
Choosi ng a Cooki ng Method
Tradi tional thi n frittatas are cooked on the
stovetop over low heat, wi thout stirring, to allow
a bottom crust to develop. When the bottom has
browned and the eggs are almost set, the top is
briefy cooked by fipping tl1e frittata over i n the
pan or running it under the broiler. Would one of
these methods work with my decidedly un- thin
frittata? As for the fip, I never dared to try i t.
Aer a fl l 15 minutes on tl1e stovetop, tl1e eggs
in my frittata were still too runny on top. The
broiler did a fne job on the top, but the bottom
wasn't looking very good. The eggs had spent so
much time on tle stovetop that the bottom had
developed a thick, tough crust. Less time on the
burner and more under the broiler translated to
an undercooked center or, worse, a blackened,
blistery top.
I reasoned that so many eggs might require
more moderate heat to cook evenly. This time
around, afer adding the eggs to the skillet, I
transferred the pan to a moderate 350- degree
oven. Aer 1 5 minutes, the fittata had puffed
and was cooked through. But it was very dry and
had an anemic- looking surface. ( I was serving
this frittata top side up; fipping it onto a serving
platter was awkward. ) Higher oven temperatures
added some color and, in reducing the cooking
time, made for a more moist frittata, but tl1e eggs
were spongy, like an overcooked custard.
Frustrated, I stopped cooking and assessed my
situati on. Of all the methods I had tried, the most
promising was the traditional stovetop-to- broiler
method. To reduce tl1e time on the stovetop ( the
bottom of tl1e frittata had overcooked in my ear
lier test ) , I stirred the eggs over medium heat to
cook them quickly yet evenly. Then, with the eggs
still on tl1e wet side, I slid the skillet under the
broiler. Nicely puffed and brown, tl1is frittata was
light, not spongy. The stirring had botl1 cooked
the eggs evenly and kept them fuff. The broiler
fnished the job witl1out overcooking tl1em.
Repeated tries with this metl10d did turn up
a faw. If I lef the skillet under the broiler for a
minute too long, the eggs crossed the line from
properly cooked to overdone . Because every
broiler i s slightly different, I felt the need to
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8
install a failsafe step in the recipe. I decided
to take the frittata out of the oven when the
top had puffed and browned but the eggs
in the center were still slightly wet . Then I
let the frittata rest for fve minutes in the
skillet, allowing the residual heat to fnish
the cooking. Now I had perfectly cooked
eggs every time.
Fi nessi ng the Fi l l i ng
Most frittata recipes call for cheese. I tested
shredded Parmesan, which tasted fne but
was too dry. Gruyere, a higher- moisture
cheese, was much better. I also had l uck
with cheddar, goat cheese, and fontina.
A fellow test cook suggested cubing the
cheese rather tl1an shredding it. This was a
nice touch; little pockets of melted cheese
throughout the frittata meant a more varied
texture. ( The goat cheese was best crum
bled. ) Although adding dairy other than
cheese to frittatas is not traditional , I tested
small amounts of heavy cream, half-and
half, and whole mi l k. Hal f-and- half was
tl1e winner, adding a touch of creaminess.
( Milk turned the frittata watery, and heavy
cream was too rich. )
Most any vegetable or meat can be added
to a frittata, with two caveats: The food must be
cut into sma!J pieces, and it must be precooked
to drive off excess moisture and fat. The latter
was easy enough to do in the same skillet that
would eventually hold tl1e eggs. While many reci
pes claim that frittatas can be eaten cold, I prefer
mine on the hotter side; this keeps the cheese
pleasantly gooey and the eggs from losing too
much moisture.
AS PARAG US , HAM, AND G RUYIRE FRI TTATA
MAKES ONE 1 2 - I NCH F RI TTATA, S E RVI NG 6 TO 8
A ovensafe nonstick 1 2- inch skillet is a must for
this recipe and tle variations that follow. Because
broilers vary so much i n intensity, watch the fit
tata careflly as it cooks .
1 2 l arge eggs
3 tabl espoons hal f-and- hal f
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
2 teaspoons ol ive oi l
11 pound asparagus, tri mmed of tough ends,

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spears cut on the bi as i nto 1/4- i nch pi eces
medi um shal l ot, mi nced (about 3 tabl espoons)
4 ounces 1/4- i nch-thi ck del i ham, cut i nto 1f- i nch
cubes (about ' cup)
3 ounces Gruyere cheese, cut i nto 1/4- i nch cubes
(about lf4 cup)
1 . Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position,
about 5 inches from heating element; heat broiler.
Whisk eggs, half-and-half, Vz teaspoon salt, and
V4 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl until well
combined, about 30 seconds. Set eggs aside.
2. Heat oil in 12- inch nonstick ovensafe skillet
over medium heat until shimmering; add aspara
gus and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly
browned and almost tender, about 3 minutes.
Add shallot and ham and cook until shallot sofens
slightly, about 2 minutes . Stir Gruyere into eggs;
add egg mixture to skillet and cook, using spatula
to stir and scrape bottom of skillet, until large
curds form and spatula begins to leave wake but
eggs are still very wet, about 2 minutes. Shake ski!
let to distribute eggs evenly; cook without stirring
for 30 seconds to let bottom set.
3. Slide skillet under broiler and broil until fit
tata has risen and surface i s puffed and spotty
brown, 3 to 4 minutes; when cut into witl1 par
ing k, eggs should be slightly wet and runny.
Remove skillet fom oven and let stand 5 minutes
to fnish cooking; using spatula, loosen frittata
fom skillet and slide onto platter or cutting board.
Cut into wedges and serve.
LE E K, PROS CI UTTO, AND
GOAT C HE ES E F RI TTATA
MAKES ONE 1 2 -INCH FRITTATA, SERVING 6 TO d
1 2 large eggs
3 tabl espoons hal f- and-hal f
Tabl e salt and ground bl ack pepper
2 tabl espoons unsal ted butter
2 small l eeks, white and l ight green parts halved
l engthwi se, washed, and sl i ced thi n (about 3 cups)
3 ounces very thi nly sl i ced prosci utto, cut
i nto 1f- i nch-wi de stri ps
1/4 cup chopped fresh basi l l eaves
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbl ed (about 1f cup)
l . Fol l ow reci pe for Asparagus, Ham, and
Gruyere Frittata through step 1 .
2 . Heat butter in 1 2- inch nonstick ovensafe
skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides.
Add leeks and V4 teaspoon salt; reduce heat to
low and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until
sofened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir prosciutto, basil,
and half of goat cheese into eggs; add egg mix
mre to skillet and cook, using spatula to stir and
COOK'S E For a pri mer on eg cooker, go to
w .cooksillustrted. com, and key i n code 5053 . Ti s i nfor
mation will be available until J une 30, 2005.
R E c 1 P E s H o R T H A N o : Three Steps to Cooki ng a Thi ck Fri ttata
0 N TH E STOVETO P U N D E R TH E B RO I LE R ON A COO LI N G RACK
I. Start frittata on stovetop, stirri ng egs as they set. 2. When egs form l are curds but top i s sti l l wet, sl i de ski l let under
broi l er. 3. Once top browns, move ski l l et to cool i ng rck, where resi dual heat gently compl etes cooki ng center of frittata.
scrape bottom of skillet, until large curds form
and spatul a begins to leave wake but eggs are
still very wet, about 2 minutes. Shake skillet to
distribute eggs evenly; cook witlout stirring for
30 seconds to let bottom set.
3. Di stribute remaining goat cheese evenly
over frittata; continue witl1 recipe for Asparagus,
Ham, and Gruyere Frittata from step 3 .
BACON , POTATO , AN D C HE DDAR F RI TTATA
MAKES ONE 1 2 -INCH FRITTATA. SERVING 6 TO d
I 2 l arge eggs
3 tabl espoons hal f- and- hal f
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
8 ounces bacon (about 8 sl i ces) , cut crosswi se
i nto 1/4- i nch pi eces
pound Yukon gol d potatoes, peel ed and cut
i nto 1f- i nch cubes
4 ounces cheddar cheese, cut i nto 1/4- i nch cubes
(about ' cup)
3 scal l i ons, sl i ced thi n on the bi as (about 1/3 cup)
l . Follow reci pe for Asparagus, Ham, and
Gruyere Frittata through step l .
2 . Fry bacon i n 1 2- i nch nonstick ovensafe
ski l let over medi um heat unti l crisp, about 9
R E C I P E T E S T I N G :
Two Fl awed Cooki ng Methods
We tested reci pes that cal l ed for cooki ng frittatas
on the stovetop, in the oven, or under the broi l er
or for combi nati ons of these methods. Here' s how
two common techni ques fared.
STOVETOP O N LY
OVE N O N LY
Souffl eed but overcooked
M A Y 6 ) L | | 2005
9
minutes . Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to
paper towel-lined plate; pour off all but 1 table
spoon of bacon fat . Add potatoes to skillet and
cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown
and tender, 1 5 to 20 minutes. Stir cheddar, scal
lions, and bacon into eggs; add egg mixture to
skillet and cook, using spatula to stir and scrape
bottom of ski l l et, unti l l arge curds form and
spatula begins to l eave wake but eggs are still
very wet, about 2 minutes. Shake skillet to dis
tribute eggs evenly; cook without stirring for 30
seconds to let bottom set.
3. Continue wii recipe for Asparagus, Ham,
and Gruyere Frittata from step 3.
FRI TTATA WI TH BROCCOLI RABE ,
S U N- DRI E D TOMATOE S , AND FONTI NA
MAKES ONE 1 2 -INCH FRITTATA, SERVING 6 TO d
1 2 l arge eggs
3 tabl espoons hal f-and- hal f
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
2 teaspoons ol ive oi l
8 ounces broccol i rabe, washed, tri mmed, and cut
i nto l - i nch pi eces (about 3 c ups)
medi um garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I teaspoon)
1/s teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 ounces fonti na cheese, cut i nto 1/4-i nch cubes
( about l/4 Cup)
3 ounces drai ned oi l - packed sun- dri ed tomatoes,
chopped coarse (about 1/4 cup)
1 . Follow reci pe for Asparagus , Ham, and
Gruyere Frittata irough step 1 .
2 . Heat oil in 1 2- inch nonstick ovensafe skillet
over medium heat until shimmering; add broccoli
rabe and V4 teaspoon salt and cook until begin
ning to brown and sofen, 6 to 8 minutes. Add
garlic and pepper fakes and cook until fagrant,
about 30 seconds . Stir fontina and sun- dried
tomatoes into eggs; add egg mixture to skillet
and cook, using spatula to stir and scrape bot
tom of skillet, until large curds form and spatula
begins to leave wake but eggs are still very wet,
about 2 minutes. Shake skillet to distri bute eggs
evenly; cook without stirring for 30 seconds to
let bottom set.
3. Continue wii recipe for Asparagus, Ham,
and Gruyere Frittata from step 3 .
Paring Down Paela
Pael la can be a bi
g
hi t at restaurants bu t an unwiel dy prod u ction at home. Coul d we
re- create this Spanish classic in two hours wi thout usin
g
any fancy eq ui pment?
D
espite its current reputation
as a col orful Spanish res
taurant staple, pael l a hasn't
always been categorized as
party food. Developed j ust outside the
region ofValencia by agricultural work
ers as a means of cooking large quantities
of rice, old -fashioned paella was anything
but fancy. Cooked in fat- bottomed pans
over an open wood fre and favored
with local, easy-to-fi nd ingredients such
as snails, rabbit, and green beans, this
utilitarian dish was a far cry from what
Americans defne as paella today. A basic
saffon-infsed rice dish no longer, paella
has evolved into a big production piece
with a commanding list of ingredients
and many complicated steps.
Modern reci pes combine a broad
spectrum of ingredients, ranging from
artichokes, green beans, broad beans,
bell peppers, peas, and pork to chorizo,
chicken, lobster, scallops, calamari, fsh,
mussel s, clams, and shrimp. And the
list doesn't end there. I set out to cre
ate a simpler, less daunting recipe for
the home cook that could be made in
a reasonable amount of time, wi th a
manageable number of ingredients, and
without a special paella pan.
B Y S A N D R A W U E
While none of the recipes I nrrned to
for insight were perfect, some did offer
important clues. One was that if the rice
and proteins were to cook uniformly,
Thi s streaml i ned pael l a can be prepared in a pot you probably own
al ready-a Dutch oven.
they had to be arranged i n a not-too-thick, rela
tively even layer. Crowdi ng or mounding the
ingredients i n a pile was a surefre route to disas
ter, as a recipe for eight made in a 1 2-inch ski l
l et quickly proved. So what was the best paella
pan replacement? A Dutch oven held the same
amount of ingredients as a 14- to 1 5-inch paella
pan, fi t perfectly on the stovetop, and offered tl1e
best distri bution and retention of heat.
Looking over the various recipes, tlere seemed
to be five key steps: browning tl1e sturdier pro
teins, sauteing tl1e aromatics, toasting the rice,
adding liquid to steam the rice, and, l ast, cooking
the seafood. As for proteins, I quickly ruled out
lobster ( too much work) , diced pork ( sausage
would be enough) , fsh ( fakes too easily and
gets lost in the rice) , and rabbit and snails ( too
unconventional ) . I was lef with chorizo, chicken,
shrimp ( preferred over scallops or calamari ) , and
mussels ( favored over clams) .
Meat and Sofrito Go Fi rst
I began by browning the chicken and chori zo,
which woul d give tl1e meat a head start and l end
necessary favor to the fat used to saute the onion
and garlic later on. Whil e many recipes call for
bone- i n, ski n-on chicken pieces, to save time I
opted for boneless skinless thighs ( richer in fa
vor and less prone to drying out tl1an breasts ) . I
seared both sides of some halved chicken tl1ighs
in a tablespoon of olive oil, not cooking tl1em
all the way through to make sure they woul d be
tender and j uicy once added back in witl1 the rice
to complete cooki ng.
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A I ' E D
1 0
Next I h!rned my attention to the sau
sage. Tasters preferred the frmer, saltier
dry- cured Spani sh chori zo for having
"more bite" than the larger refrigerated
Mexi can- styl e chori zo, whi ch fai ntly
resembled supermarket smoked sausage.
Slicing tl1e chorizo on tl1e bias was attrac
tive, and tl1e bigger surface area of the
pieces made rendering tl1e fat easier.
Whereas French cooking depends on a
sauteed aromatic base of carrots, onions,
and celery and Caj un cuisine relies on a
trinity of bell peppers, onions, and celery,
Spanish cuisine uses a trio of onions, gar
lic, and tomatoes-called sofito-s the
building block for its rice dishes. I began
by sauteing one fi nely diced onion until
sof and stirring in a large dose (2 table
spoons) of minced garl i c . Traditionally,
the fi nal ingredient, tomato, is added in
seeded, grated form. To avoid the mess
( as well as sknned fngers) , I used a can of
drai ned diced tomatoes instead, mincing
the pieces for a similarly fne consistency
and cooking the resulting pulp until thick
and slightly darkened.
The Ri ce I s Right
With the sofrito complete, I could now
focus on the rice. Long- grain rice seemed
out of place (a paella is not supposed to
be light and fluf) , and medium-grain
rice got a frm thumbs down for its one
dimensional, blown-out texture. Out of
the short-grain varieties, Valencia was preferred
for its creamy but still distinct grains, with Italian
Arborio following closely behind ( see "Shorties
but Goodi es, " page l l ). The more traditional
( but harder to fnd and prici er) Bomba rice of
Calasparra, Spai n, yielded grains tl1at were too
chewy and separate for most tasters . One cup of
rice was nowhere near enough for a small crowd;
2 cups was j ust ri ght. Once the rice was sauteed
in tl1e sofrito j ust long enough to become slightly
toasted and coated with the fl avorfl base it was
time to add the liquid.
Al though most reci pes use a l i qui d-to-rice
ratio of 2 to l, our test kitchen has found tlat Jess
liquid is preferable to avoid sof, mushy grains. In
this case, 3l3 cups of liquid to 2 cups of rice was
i deal . For its cl ean, ful l - bodi ed favor, tasters
R E c 1 P E T E s T I N G : How Much Ti me I s Enough for Good Pael l a?
chicken and chori zo, I sauteed the pepper to give
it a roasted favor and men arranged the pieces
over the rice once the seafood was in place.
Reci pes for thi s Spani sh seafood and rice casserol e run the gamut-from the ul tra-conveni ent to the absurd.
Here are three possi bi l i ti es.
3 0 M I N UTES TWO H OU RS F OU R H O U RS
At this point, I could easily have called it a
day, but several people demanded soccarat, the
crusty brown layer of rice that develops on the
bottom of a perfectly cooked batch of paella ( see
photo, page 1 2 ) . Curious to see if I could get
this to work i n a Dutch oven, I waited until the
dish was completely cooked and then removed
the lid and put the pot back on the stove . Aer
only about five minutes, a spoon inserted into
the depths of the rice revealed nicely caramel
ized grai ns. Before I l et anyone di g i n, I allowed
the pael l a to rest, covered, so the rice could
continue to frm up and absorb excess moi sture.
After adding a garnish of parsley and lemon, I
was done.
Thi s boxed pael la, wi th its own
can of seafood, isn't worth the
mi ni mal bother.
Our reci pe works in a pan you
al ready own and rel i es on a
reasonabl e shoppi ng l i st.
Thi s ul ti mate reci pe requi res a
pael la pan and i ncl udes ni ne ki nds
of meat and seafood.
preferred rice cooked i n straight chicken broth
over clam juice or a combination of the two.
Replacing some of the broth with a bit of white
wine provided an additional layer of favor.
Saffron gives pael l a its bri l l i ant col or and
adds a distinctive earthy favor. Most reci pes
call for steeping the saffron threads in a pot of
simmering liquid, but, to save ti me and keep
this a one-pot dish, I added cold l iquid along
with Ifz teaspoon of saffron and a bay leaf ( as
well as the browned chicken and chori zo) to
the rice and brought everything to a boi l . After
a few quick stirs to make sure sthe saffron was
distributed evenly, I covered the pot and turned
things down to a simmer, l eavi ng the pael l a
untouched unti l the ri ce had soaked up most
of the liquid. Did it work? At first, I thought
so. But this all- stovetop steaming method had
a major faw. While the rice i n the middle of the
pot was cooked perfectly, grains along the edges
were partially undercooked.
We've had similar problems with our j amba
laya and Mexican ri ce reci pes, and our solutio'n
is simpl e: Transfer the pot to the oven to fnish
cooki ng. On my next try, then, afer bringing
the liquid to a boil and covering tle pot to make
sure none of the liquid would evaporate, I placed
it in a 350- degree oven. Fifeen minutes later,
the grains had evenly absorbed nearly all of the
liquid. Once the seafood was added and the rice
given more time to cook, there wasn' t a raw
grain to be seen.
Fi ni sh wi th Seafood
With the rice nearly done, the quick-cooking
seafood was ready to make its appearance. The
mussel s, placed in the pot hinged end down so
mat they could open readily, cooked in about 1 0
minutes. When the shrimp were added raw along
with the mussels, tl1ey were perfectly j uicy but
bland. Briefly searing the shrimp in a hot skillet
improved meir favor but turned mem tough and
rubbery. The solution? I briefy marinated the
raw shrimp in olive oil , salt, pepper, and minced
garlic to boost the flavor.
Now all the paella lacked was vegetabl es. Peas
and bell pepper were the most vibrant, least fssy
choices. Adding the peas while the rice and broth
came to a boil resulted i n shrivel ed, gray, cafete
ri a- style pebbl es, but scattering them over the
rice toward the end of cooking ( with the seafood)
allowed them to retain their bright green hue. In
paella, bel l pepper often gets l ost when mixed
wi th the sofrito or when stirred i no the rice.
Wanting to showcase it, I decided to use strips of
red bell pepper as a garnish. Before browning the
My fnal recipe had all the favor and sparkle
of a restaurant- style paella minus the absurdly
hefy workload. Now that I didn' t have to spend
all day in tle kitchen, I could even afford to hang
out with my di nner guests . Sangria, anybody?
PAE LLA
SERVES 6
Thi s reci pe is for maki ng pael l a in a Dutch
oven ( the Dutch oven should be 1 1 to 12 inches
i n di ameter with at l east a 6- quart capacity) .
With minor modifcations, i t can also be made
i n a paella pan ( see instructions on page 1 2) .
TA s T 1 N G : Shorti es but Goodi es
When i t comes down to i t, a good pael l a i s a l l about the ri ce: I t' s
not j ust fi l l er. Unfortunately, the ri ce you probably have i n your
pantr-the l ong-grai n variet-j ust won' t cut i t. Long-gri n rice i s
great for reci pes i n whi ch l i ght and fl uf grai ns are desi rbl e ( pi lafs,
for i nstance) , but not for pael l a. Only shor-gri n rice retai ns di sti nct,
i ndivi dual gri ns whi l e having the creamy-chewy texture that i s so
i mportant in this di sh. We tested three ki nds of short-grai n rice in our
pael l a. Here' s what we found.
B OM BA RI CE
Grown i n the Cal asparra region of Spai n, Bomba i s the tradi ti onal
choi ce for pael l a. I ts short, round, fairly transl ucent gri ns are prized
for their abi l i t to absorb up to three times thei r vol ume i n l i qui d
whi l e retai ni ng a separte, di sti nct texture. Taster l i ked the "nutt"
favor of this rice but di sl i ked its fi 11ness.
ARBORI O RI CE
Ti s I tl ian rice has larer, longer, and more opaque gri ns than Bomba
and Val enci a. Also creami er, more tender, and a bit sti cki er than ei ther
of the two Spani sh grai ns, i t i s an acceptabl e choi ce for pael l a.
VALE NC I A RI C E
Uke Bomba, thi s Spani sh rice has grai ns that are short and round,
though a bi t l arer than Bomba' s. Tasters l i ked thi s rice best, prai si ng
its bal ance of textures: separte and chew, but with a bi t of creami
ness. Use thi s rice if you can fi nd i t.
I\ A Y [ J U N E 2 0 0 5
1 1
BOMBA RI CE: TRADITI ONAL BUT TOUGH
" Grai ns are too separate" and
"not creamy enough."
ARBORI O RI CE : GOOD BACKUP
"A l i ttl e sti ck" but "tender and chew."
VAL E NCI A RI CE : BE ST CH OI CE
" Prect texture" and "chew but
sti l l creamy."
Dry- cured Spanish chori zo is the sausage of
choice for paella, but fresh chorizo or linguisa is
an acceptable substitute.
Soccarat, a layer of crusty browned rice that
forms on the bottom of the pan, is a traditional
part of paella. In our version, soccarat does not
develop because most of the cooking i s done
in the oven. We have provided instructions to
develop soccarat i n step 5; if you prefer, skip this
step and go directly from step 4 to 6.
pound extra-l arge ( 2 1 /25 ) shri mp, peel ed and
devei ned
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
Ol ive oi l
8-9 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press ( 2 generous tabl espoons)
pound bonel ess ski nl ess chi cken thi ghs, each
thi gh tri mmed of excess fat and halved crosswise
red bell pepper, seeded and cut pole to pole
i nto 11- i nch-wi de stri ps
8 ounces Spani sh chorizo, sl i ced 11 i nch
thi ck on the bias (see note)
medi um oni on, chopped fi ne (about I cup)
can ( 1 41 1 ounces) di ced tomatoes, drai ned,
mi nced, and drai ned agai n
2 cups Val enci a or Arbori o rice
3 cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
11 cup dry white wi ne
1 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbl ed
dri ed bay l eaf
dozen mussel s, scrubbed and de bearded
11 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tabl espoons chopped fresh parsl ey l eaves
l emon, cut i nto wedges, for servi ng
l . Adj ust oven rack to lower- mi ddle posi
tion; heat oven to 35 0 degrees. Toss shri mp,
14 teaspoon sal t , 14 teaspoon bl ack pepper,
1 tabl espoon oi l , and 1 teaspoon garl i c i n
medi um bowl ; cover wi th pl asti c wrap and
refrigerate until needed. Season chicken thighs
with salt and pepper; set aside .
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large Dutch oven
over medium- high heat until shimmering but
I f You' re Usi ng a Pel l a Pn
A pael l a pan makes for an atrctive and i mpressive
presentti on. Use one that is 1 4 t I S i nches in
diameter. A 1 4-i nch ovensafe ski l let will work as well ,
but do not attempt to use anyhing smaller because
the contents wi l l si mply not ft.
To use a pael l a pan or lare ski l l et i nstead of
a Dutch oven . follow the reci pe for Pel l a, i ncreas
ing the chicken broth to 3 ' cups and the wine to
11 cup. Before pl aci ng the pan in the oven. cover it
tightly with foi l . For soccart, cook the pael l a, uncov
erd, over medi um-h igh heat for about 3 mi nutes,
rotting the pan 1 80 degrees after about I 'l mi nutes
for even browni ng.
T E S T I N G E Q U I P M E N T : $ 1 78 for a Pael l a Pan?
We' re sol d o n the practi cal i t of our Dutch- oven pael l a, but we know tradi ti onal i sts may bal k at i t. Accordi ngly,
we put five pael l a pans to the test. Mi nor di ferences asi de, ever pan produced a fi ne versi on of our pael l a reci pe.
Al l provi ded ampl e surface area for the mul ti tude of i ngredi ents and for devel opment of soccarat, the di sti nc
ti vel y crust bottom l ayer of ri ce. I n the end, then . our preferences came down to pri ce and conveni ence.
The Al l - Cl ad Stai nl ess Pel l a Pn was up to the j ob, and, at $ 1 77. 99, i t shoul d have been. Though we thi nk
that' s far too much to spend on a speci al t pan , the Al l - Cl ad' s extra-deep shape makes i t versati l e enough for use
as a brai si ng pan . The cheaper In nova Cl assi cor Pel l a Pan ( $49. 99) i s al so sui ted for this sort of doubl e dut. but
$50 sti l l seems l i ke too much money for a pan that i s l i kel y to see l i ttl e kitchen acti on .
The shal l ower, more tradi ti onal l y shaped-and cheaper-pans in our l i neup cl early warranted a cl oser l ook. The
Fger Brushed Al umi num ( $39. 99) wi l l be a ti ght fit in most ovens, and i ts nonsti ck surface i nhi bi ted browni ng.
The pl ai n steel (not stai nl ess) L I deal Tradi ti onal Pel l a Pn ($29 . 00) i s a handsome choi ce but i s prone to rust
wi thout proper seasoni ng. (Whi l e we don' t mi nd the seasoni ng process for everday pans. such di l i gence seems
excessive for a pan that wi l l spend more ti me i n storage than on the stovetop. ) I ts enamel ed counterpart-l
I deal Enamel ed Pel l a Pn ( $27. 99) -has the same rugged good l ooks wi th no speci al mai ntenance requi red . Thi s
pan-the cheapest one tested-gets our top recommendati on . -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmith
TWO CH EAP CH OI CE S
HARD TO MAl NT AI N
Uke cast-i ron cookware, this steel (not stai nless) pan
from L I deal must be dried after use and seasoned
regul arly to ward of rust.
not smoki ng. Add peppers and cook, stirring
occasionally, until skin begins to blister and turn
spotty black, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer peppers to
small plate and set aside.
3. Add l teaspoon oil to now-empty Dutch
oven; heat oil until shimmering but not smok
ing. Add chicken pi eces in single layer; cook,
without moving pi eces, until browned, about
3 minutes. Turn pieces and brown on second
side, about 3 minutes longer; transfer chicken to
medium bowl . Reduce heat to medium and add
chorizo to pot; cook, stirring frequently, until
deeply browned and fat begins to render, 4 to 5
minutes. Transfer chorizo to bowl with chicken
and set asi de.
4. Add enough oi l to fat in Dutch oven to
equal 2 tablespoons; heat over medium heat until
shi mmering but not smoki ng. Add onion and
cook, stirring frequently, until sofened, about
3 minutes; stir in remaining garlic and cook
until fragrant, about l minute. Stir in tomatoes;
cook until mixture begins to darken and tllicken
slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice and cook
until grajns are well coated witl1 tomato mixture,
1 to 2 minutes. Stir in chicken brotl1, wine, saf
fron, bay, and I teaspoon sal t. Return clicken
and chorizo to pot, increase heat to medium- high
and bring to boil, uncovered, stirring occasion
ally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until
rice absorbs almost all l iquid, about 1 5 minutes.
Remove pot from oven ( close oven door to retain
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 2
BE ST BUY
Tradi ti onal appearance with a n enamel ed surface
means thi s L I deal pan del ivers great resul ts whi l e
requi ri ng l i ttle mai ntenance.
heat ) . U !Kover pot; scatter shrimp over rice, insert
mussels hjnged side down into rice ( so they stand
upright) , arrange bell pepper strips in pinwheel
pattern, and scatter peas over top. Cover and
return to oven; cook until shrimp are opaque and
mussels have opened, 1 0 to 12 minutes .
5 . Optional : If soccarat ( see note) is desired,
set Dutch oven, uncovered, over medi um-ilgh
heat about 5 minutes, rotating pot 1 80 degrees
afer about 2 minutes for even browning.
6. Let paella stand, covered, about 5 minutes.
Discard any mussels that have not opened and bay
leaf, if it can be easily removed. Sprinkle with pars
ley and serve, passing lemon wedges separately.
Search i n for ' Soccarat'
Soccarat i s the toast, browned porti on of rice that
forms al ong the bottom of the pan. I t i s the hal l mark
of authenti c pael l a. To create thi s c rusty bottom l ayer
of ri ce, return the Dutch oven to the stovetop for five
mi nutes once the pael l a has fi ni shed baki ng.
Dressing Up Salad Dressings
We threw away the rul ebook on vi nai
g
rettes and used a host of unexpected i n
g
redients.
I
t's easy to pull some oil and vi negar off the
shelf to adorn a handfl of lettuce leaves.
But i t' s a fi ne l i ne between ease and bore
dom. We decided to think outside the bottle
to give our dressings-and our salads-new life.
We built our recipes around ingredients not
regularly used i n dressings, i ncl udi ng appl es,
raisins, carrot juice, and ruby port. We balanced
these ingredients with fats such as cream, but
termilk, mayonnaise, nut oils, and yogurt and
punctuated the dressings with condiments such
as chi l i paste and orange marmalade. For more
depth and intensity of flavor, we turned to the
stovetop to reduce wi ne and j uices and toast
spices and sesame seeds .
SWE ET S E SAM E - SOY VI NAI G RETTE
MAKES 1 1 11 CUPS
We like this vinaigrette on soft, tender greens
such as Boston or Bi bb l ettuce, mache, or a
mixture of baby greens. Complementary salad
garnishes include thinly sliced radishes or cucum
bers, bean sprouts, slivers of red bel l pepper, and
scallions. Use about 2 tablespoons of thi s dressing
per quart of greens, serving two.
'h cup rice vi negar
2 11 tabl espoons soy sauce
'I cup packed l i ght brown sugar
' h teaspoon grated fresh gi nger
2 teaspoons Asi an chi l i garl i c paste
tabl espoon toasted sesame oi l
'h cup vegetabl e oi l
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and chili
garlic paste i n medium bowl until sugar dissolves.
Gradually whisk in oils; whisk i n sesame seeds .
( Can be refrigerated up to 3 weeks . )
F RES H APPLE AND PARS LEY DRESS I NG
MAKES ABOUT 1 1 11 C UPS
If usi ng a tart appl e, add up to 1 tablespoon
brown sugar. This dressing is nice on spicy greens
like arugula and watercress, with garnishes such
as shaved Parmesan, toasted nuts, and thin slices
of apple or fennel . Use about 2 tablespoons of
this dressing per quart of greens, serving two.
medi um appl e (about 7 ounces) , unpeel ed,
quartered, cored, and cut i nto l - i nch cubes
3 B Y N I N A WES T E
2 tabl espoons appl e ci der vi negar
teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
scal l i on, chopped coarse
'I cup fresh parsl ey l eaves
3 teaspoon tabl e sal t
1
1s teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
2-3 tabl espoons water
1 1 cup vegetabl e oi l
Combine appl e, vi negar, hot sauce, scall i on, pars
ley, salt, and pepper in blender; pulse, scraping
down blender jar and adding water as needed,
until very fi nely chopped. Witl1 machine running,
gradually add oil, scraping down blender jar as
needed. ( Can be refrigerated up to 1 week. )
CREAMY AVOCADO RANCH DRE S S I NG
MAKES 1 1 11 C UPS
Crisp l ettuces like i ceberg and romai ne are a
perfect match for this creamy dressi ng. Shaved
red onion, grape tomatoes, and crumbled bacon
make excellent garishes for greens tossed with
this dressi ng. Use about 2 tablespoons per quart
of greens, serving two.
ri pe Hass avocado, pi tted, fl esh scooped from ski n
1 1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
tabl espoon j ui ce from I l i me
1 1 cup buttermi l k
'I cup mayonnai se
tabl espoon mi nced red oni on
tabl espoon mi nced fresh ci l antro l eaves
medi um garl i c cl ove, mi nced
1 1 teaspoon sugar
11 teaspoon tabl e sal t
'I teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
In food processor, puree avocado, hot sauce,
and l i me j uice until avocado is broken down,
about 30 seconds. Add remai ni ng i ngredi ents
and process until dressing is compl etely smooth.
( Can be refri gerated up to 1 week. )
ORANG E - PORT D RESS I NG WI TH WAL NUT OI L
MAKE S ABOUT | C UP
Use this sweet, smooth dressing on assertive bit
ter greens such as escarol e, radicchi o, and endive.
Appropriate salad garishes include toasted nuts
and crumbled blue cheese. For two servings, start
with 1 tablespoon of this dressing per quart of
greens, adding more as desired.
.\\ . \Y t l l ` I 2 0 0 5
1 3
1 11 cups ruby port
1 1 cup orange j ui ce
2 tabl espoons red wi ne vi negar
2 tabl espoons heavy cream, room temperature
2 tabl espoons orange marmal ade
11 teaspoon mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
'I teaspoon tabl e sal t
'Is teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
2 tabl espoons wal nut oi l
'I cup vegetabl e oi l
1 . Si mmer port and orange J UICe i n small
saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/z
cup, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl;
cool to room temperature.
2. Whisk vinegar, cream, marmal ade, thyme,
sal t, and pepper i nto cool ed port reduction.
Whisk in oils until incorporated. ( Can be refrig
erated up to 3 weeks . )
MOROCCAN - S P I CE D VI NAI G RETTE
MAKES ABOUT | C U P
Mellow greens, such a s leaf lettuces, as well as
spinach, pair nicely witl1 this vinaigrette. Olives,
shredded carrots, and gol den rai sins are good
garnish options. Use about 2 tablespoons of this
dressing per quart of greens, serving two.
2 tabl espoons gol den rai si ns
'I teaspoon ground cori ander
'Is teaspoon ground cumi n
'h cup carrot j ui ce
2 tabl espoons red wi ne vi negar
4 sprigs ci l antro
I tabl espoon pl ai n yogurt
teaspoon honey
'h teaspoon red pepper flakes
'h teaspoon tabl e sal t
'h cup extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
l . Place raisins i n small bowl . Toast coriander
and cumin in small skillet over medium heat until
fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer spices to bowl
with raisi ns. Wipe out skillet; add carrot j uice
to skillet and si mmer over medi um heat until
reduced to I4 cup, about 6 mi nutes . Pour carrot
juice over raisins; cool to room temperature.
2. Process carrot j uice/raisin mixture, vinegar,
cilantro, yogurt, honey, pepper flakes, and salt in
blender until thoroughly combined. Witl1 machine
running, gradually add oil, scraping down jar as
needed. ( Can be refrigerated up to l week. )
How to Stuff O Pork Chop
Filli n
g
the wron
g
chop with the wron
g
ki nd of stuffin
g
and then cookin
g
i t usin
g
the wron
g
method produ ces familiar bu t easily i mproved resul ts.
3 B Y S EA N LA WLER E
A common approach to stufng chops is to but
terfy tl1em completely open, tlen stitch them back
togetl1er witl1 toothpicks or string. Tootl1picks are
easy enough to use, assuming tl1e cook has some
handy in the kitchen, but only marginally effec
tive at holding the seam closed as tl1e meat cooks.
Sewing tl1e chops is effective but also extremely
tecious. I much prefer tl1e less invasive technique
in which a sharp paring knife is used to cut a wide
pocket whose opening is actually quite smal l . Care
must be taken not to poke straight through the
edge of the chop when enlarging tl1e pocket, how
ever. Afer making tl1is mistake half a dozen times,
I learned to guard against it by leavi ng the thin
layer of fat and connective tissue around the edge
oftle chop untrimmed.
Cook ' Em Fast
Forget about tradi ti onal (and bl and) bread stuffi ng. A pork chop does best with moi st and assertive fi l l i ngs. l i ke thi s
one made wi th red oni ons. port, orange j ui ce, and dri ed frui t.
Some recipes suggested braising the chops, usu
ally covered and with some stock or wine in tl1e
pan. I knew it was important to keep the chops
moist, but simply adcing liquid to the recipe was
not the way to go about it. In tl1e test kitchen,
we frequently turn to brining (a simple saltwater
soak) to keep lean, mild- fl avored meat and poultry
fom turtling out bland and dry, and tls tec1que
worked well in this recipe.
T
he mention of sntffed pork chops usually
brings to mind those enormous oddi
ties exhibited at the supermarket meat
counter: dinosaur chops, split open and
barely able to contain their soggy, softbal l - size
portions of bread crumbs, sausage, and fruit, the
sight of which always leaves me wondering how I
would cook such a thing, l et alone consume it.
Stufng a pork chop is not a bad idea-today's
lean pork needs all the help it can get-but it is
rarely well executed, as the supermarket variety
illustrates. Most recipes insist on treating the chops
like a turkey, cramming them fll of bulky bread
stufng. This type of stuffng does little for a chop
besides take up space that is tight to begin with.
What I was afer was my favorite pork chop-thick
and juicy, seared crusty brown on the outside
enhanced by a favorfl sntfng.
Choose Your Chops
Initial tests showed that tasters preferred their
stuffed chops on the bone, both for tle visual
appeal and because the meat stayed j ui ci er.
But sho
pp
i ng for bone-i n pork chops can be
confusing si nce butchers-and supermarket
labels-rarely agree on precisely what is called
what. For exampl e: While cuts of beef may come
from eitl1er tl1e "l oin" or tl1e "rib, " butchers refer
to these two sections of the pi g collectively as the
"loin. " Therefore, tl1e common label "pork l oi n
chop, " whi l e technically accurate, is too broad to
be of much use . The more precise "center-cut
loin chop" should, but does not always, refer to
chops cut right from the center of the loin. They
are easily identifed by the T- shaped bone run
ning through tl1e center, whi ch separates tle loin
muscle from the adj acent tenderloin.
A much better choice for stufing is a chop cut
from the rib cage, which has a wide, unbroken
"eye" of meat and a curved rib bone off to the
side and out of the way. This is tl1e chop to buy.
We cal l i t a rib chop, but
With my chops bri ned, I turned to hi gh,
dry heat to develop tl1e crusty brown exterior I
wanted. Roasting tl1e chops in a hot oven failed to
deliver tl1e goods, and cooking tl1e chops in a ski l
let from start to fni sh took quite a while tl1anks to
tl1e thickness of tl1e chops and tl1e ratl1er crowded
pan. Transferring the seared chops ( still in the
skillet) to tl1e oven worked better, but tl1e best
results came from frst searing the chops in a hot
skillet to develop the crust and then transferring
them to a preheated baking sheet in the hot oven.
markets ofen do not make
S H 0 P P I N G :

that distinction. Another cut

also sold as a "rib cho
p
" ( and
one that you do not want) is
taken from tl1e blade end of
tl1e rib cage ( near tl1e head and
shoulder of the pig) and has a
smaller central eye, broken up
by tl1reads of tough connec
tive tissue and surrounded by
a cluck cap of meat tl1at con
tracts during cooking.
LO I N CH O P
The bone runni ng through
thi s chop makes i t difi cul t
to stuf.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 4
BLAD E - E ND CHOP
This chop contracts duri ng
cooki ng and squeezes out
the stufi ng.
R I B CHOP
The unbroken eye of meat
makes this chop perect
for stufi ng.
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baking sheet or shallow
roasting pan on rack, and
heat oven to 450 degrees.
S U PE RMARKET CHOP OUR C HOP
Remove chops from brine
and rinse under cool runni ng
water; pat dry with paper tow
el s. Place one-quarter of stuff
i ng i n pocket of each chop.
Trim reserved lemon or orange
wedges from stuffng reci pe
to 2- inch l engths; i nsert one
l emon or orange wedge i nto
each pocket to contain stuffng.
Sprinkle chops wi th sal t and
pepper.
3 . Heat oi l i n he avy
bottomed 1 2-i nch skillet over
Stufed pork chops from the supermarket are tpi cal ly overl oaded wi th
a bl and bread stufi ng that spi l l s out before you even start to cook. We
pack our chops with a moi st, flavorul stuffi ng and seal the pocket wi th a
citrus wedge. To do so, tri m excess fl esh from the j ui ced l emon or orange
wedges and cut the wedges i nto 2- i nch l engths that wi l l fit snugl y i n the
cavit. An added benefit: The ci trus perfumes the stufi ng.
medi um- hi gh heat unti l j ust
beginning to smoke. Arrange chops i n skillet and
cook without moving chops until well browned,
about 3 mi nutes . Using tongs, fi p chops and
cook unti l wel l browned on second side, 2 to 3
minutes longer.
Spread out on the hot baking sheet, the chops
browned all over and cooked quickly.
Throughout my testing, I had experimented
with different departures from a traditional bread
based stuffng. My priorities were to i ncorporate
moisture, fat, and assertive favors to enhance
the lean, mild pork and to eliminate any bland,
starchy fllers. Along the way, I discovered that
consistency and texture were also i mportant:
Creamy, even sticky, stuffngs were much easier
to pack into a chop than dry, loose, crumbly ones.
With these guidelines, I settled on a spinach and
cheese stuffng, bound with ricotta and ground
pine nuts, and a red onion and fruit jam stuffng
with orange, pecans, and bl ue cheese.
STU F F E D TH I CK- CUT PORK C HOPS
S E RVES 4
Prepare the stuffng while the chops brine. ( The
stuffng can also be made a day i n advance, but
it must be microwaved j ust to room tempera
ture before being packed into the chops . ) One
stuffed chop makes for a very generous servi ng. If
desired, remove the meat from the bone and cut
it into 1/z - inch slices to serve 6.
4 bone- i n pork rib chops, 1 11 i nches thi ck
( 1 2 to 1 4 ounces each)
3 cup packed l ight brown sugar
Tabl e sal t
reci pe stuffing (reci pes fol l ow)
Ground bl ack pepper
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
l . TO BRE THE CHOPS: Using sharp par
ing knife, cut l -inch opening into side of each
chop, then cut pocket for stuffng ( see illustra
tions at right) . Dissolve sugar and l4 cup salt i n 6
cups water in large bowl or container; submerge
chops, cover wt plastic wrap, and refigerate for
l hour.
2. TO STUF A COOK THE CHOPS: Adj ust
oven rack to lower-middle position, place rimmed
4. Using tongs, transfer chops to preheated
pan i n oven; cook until instant-read thermom
eter inserted into center of stuffng registers 1 35
degrees, 1 5 to 20 minutes, fipping chops halfay
through cooking time. Transfer chops to platter,
tent loosely with foi l , and let rest 1 0 mi nutes
( internal temperature will climb to 145 degrees ) ;
spri nkl e chops with bl ue cheese i f us i ng Red
Onion Jam Stuffng. Serve immediately.
S P I NACH AN D F ONTI NA STU F F I N G
WI TH PI N E N UTS
MAKES ABOUT 1 ' / C U PS , E NOUGH TO STU F F 4 CHOPS
sl i ce white sandwi ch bread, torn i nto quarters
1
/4 cup pi ne nuts, toasted
tabl espoon ol ive oi l
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
6 ounces spinach l eaves, washed and stemmed
(about 1 2 cups)
2 ounces shredded fonti na cheese (about 11 cup)
1
/4 cup ricotta cheese
ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1 cup)
medi um l emon , cut i nto 4 wedges
1/
4 teaspoon tabl e salt
Pinch ground nutmeg
Ground bl ack pepper
1 . In food processor, pulse bread and pine nuts
until evenly ground, about ten 1 - second pulses.
2 . Heat oil in 1 2-inch skillet over medium- high
heat until shimmering; add garlic and cook, stir
ring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add spinach; using tongs, turn spinach to coat
with oil . Cook, stirring with tongs, until spinach
is wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer spinach to
colander i n sink and gently squeeze to release
excess moisture; cool spinach until j ust warm.
M A Y [ J U N E 2005
1 5
3. Mix together fontina, ricotta, and Parmesan
in bowl . Add spinach and bread crumb mixture;
usi ng spatul a, mix well to break up cl umps.
Squeeze j ui ce from l emon wedges i nto small
bowl ; reserve j uiced wedges for sealing stufing
pockets in chops. Stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice,
salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste into stuffng.
RE D ONI ON JAM STU F F I N G WI TH PORT,
PE CANS , AN D DRI E D F RU I T
MAKES ABOUT 1 ' / C UPS , E NOUG H TO STUF F 4 CHOPS
The blue cheese in the ingredient list is sprinkled
over the pork chops j ust before servi ng.
tabl espoon ol ive oi l
large red oni on, halved and sl iced
1
/s i nch thi ck
(about 4 cups)
tabl espoon sugar
'h cup chopped pi tted dates
'h cup dri ed sour cherries
3f4 cup ruby por
I medi um orange, cut i nto 4 wedges
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme l eaves
3 tabl espoons whi te wi ne vi negar
1/4 teaspoon tabl e salt
Ground black pepper
'h cup pecans, toasted
3 ounces bl ue cheese, crumbl ed (about 3 cup)
l . Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium
heat until shi mmeri ng; add oni on and sugar
and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning
to color, 20 to 25 mi nutes. Meanwhile, com
bine dates, cherries, and port in microwave-safe
bowl ; cover witl1 plastic and microwave on high
until simmering, about 1 minute. Set aside until
needed. Squeeze j uice from orange wedges into
small bowl ; reserve j uiced wedges for sealing stuf
ing pockets in chops.
2. When onions are sof, add dried fruit/port
mi xture, l4 cup orange j ui ce, thyme, 2 table
spoons vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste; continue
to cook, stirri ng occasional l y, until mi xture is
j amlike, 1 0 to 1 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1
tablespoon vinegar and pecans; transfer to bowl
and cool until j ust warm, about 1 5 minutes.
R E C I P E S H O RTHAN D
Cuting the Pcket I. I nsert sharp pari ng or boni ng knife
through si de of chop unti l tip touches bone. Carefully cut
openi ng to wi dth of about I i nch. 2. Swing knife tip through
chop to create pocket. bei ng careful not to wi den openi ng.
Tum knife and swi ng bl ade in opposi te di rection . 3 . Fi nished
pocket shoul d be as large as possi bl e.
lCv to Substitute Ingredients
Everybody does i t even thou
g
h they shouldn't, .
Here are some tips for doi n
g
i t well . BY s EAN LAWL E R
" Dear Cook's Illustrted: Your chocol ate chi p cooki es are terri bl e' I fol l owed the reci pe exactl y,
except I made the fol l owi ng s ubsti tuti ons . . . . " We' ve received more than a few l etters l i ke thi s
one over the years. We know that our careful ly tested reci pes are often subjected to abuse by our
readers ( and even by members of our staff) , and we know t he ki nds of di sasters that can resul t. For
the record , we forgive you . No one wants to ru n out to the market for j ust one i ngredi ent. Perhaps
somethi ng you ' ve got on hand wi l l do the tri ck. Wi th that i n mi nd, we tested scores of wi dely pub
l i shed i ngredi ent su bsti tuti ons t o figure out whi ch ones work under what ci rcumstances and whi ch
ones si mpl y don ' t work. I f you are goi ng to substi tute i ngredi ents, you may as wel l do i t better and
smarter. Here' s how.
WHOLE MILK AND HALF
AND- HALF: Use the formul as
bel ow to substi tute one dai r
product for another.
TO REPLACE : I cup whole mi l k
5/s cup ski m mi l k + 3 cup hal f- and- hal f

2
/1 cup I % mi l k + '11 cup hal f- and- hal f
3 cup 2% mi l k + '14 cup hal f- and- hal f
7/s cup ski m mi l k + 1/s cup heavy cream
TO REPLACE : I cup half-and- half
3 cup whol e mi l k + '14 cup heav cream

2
/1 cup ski m or l ow-fat mi l k + '11 cup heavy cream
HEAVCREAM: Evaporated mi l k
can be used i n pl ace of heavy cream
to enri ch soups and sauces.
TO RE PLACE : I cup heav cream
I cup evaporated mi l k
NOT S UI TABLE FOR: Whi ppi ng or
baki ng reci pes.
EGGS: Al l Cook's Illustrted reci pes
are tested wi th l arge eggs. but substi
tuti ons are possi bl e. For hal f of an egg,
whi sk the yol k and whi te together and
use hal f of the l i qui d.
Large
I
J umbo
I
Extra- Lrge
I
Medi um
BUTERMI LK: Regul ar mi l k can be
"cl abbered" wi th an aci di c i ngredi
ent such as l emon j ui ce, vi negar,
or cream of tartar; the acid wi l l
react wi th baki ng soda to produce
l eaveni ng and wi l l approxi mate the
tang of buttermi l k i n most pancake
batters and baked goods.
NOTE : Lemon j ui ce i s our first
choi ce; some sensi tive tasters
detected off flavors from vi negar and cream of tartar.
TO RE PLACE: I cup buttermi l k
I cup mi l k + I tabl espoon l emon j ui ce
I cup mi l k + I tabl espoon whi te vi negar
I cup mi l k + I teaspoon cream of tartar
Let stand to thi cken. about 1 0 mi nutes
NOT S U I TABLE F OR: Raw appl i cati ons, such as a
buttermi l k dressi ng.
SOUR CREAM AND PLIN,
WHOLE MILK YOGURT: These
can be swapped for each other
i n equal measure i n most baki ng
reci pes wi th good resul ts. but
si nce sour cream has more than
four ti mes the fat. expect cakes
and mufi ns baked wi th yogurt
to have a sl i ghtly dri er texture. Fl avored yogurts such
as l emon and vani l l a can be substi tuted for pl ai n i n
reci pes where the flavors won ' t cl ash .
TO RE PLACE : I cup sour cream
I cup pl ai n whol e mi l k yogurt
TO RE PLACE : I cup pl ai n yogur
I cup sour cream
CAUTI oN: Nonfat and l ow-fat yogurts are too l ean
to use i n pl ace of sour cream.
L | L b

b | L L L b 1 K ^ 1 |
1 6
used to prepare them.
ALL- PURPOSE FLOUR: The ki tchen workhorse and
pantry stapl e. al l - purpose fl our has a protei n content
rangi ng between I 0 and 1 2 percent. Thi s stapl e has no
substi tute.
CAKE FLOUR: With just 6 t o 8 percent protei n.
cake four wi l l i mpart a more tender, del i cate, fi ne
crumbed texture to baked goods.
TO RE PLACE : I cup cake fl our
1fa cup al l - purpose fl our +
2 tabl espoons cornstarch
BREAD FLOUR: At the other end of the spectrum
from cake fl our, bread fl our has cl ose to 1 4 percent
protei n. Th i s ensures strong gl uten devel opment and
thereby a sturdy dough.
TO RE PLACE : I cup bread flour
I cup al l - purpose four
CAUTI oN: Breads and pi zza crusts may bake u p wi th
sl i ghtl y l ess chew, but resul ts wi l l be acceptabl e.
i s i nstant yeast (al so
sol d as rapi d ri se yeast
and bread machi ne yeast) because i t i s fast acti ng and
can be sti rred di rectl y i nto the other dry i ngredi ents.
Active dry yeast, on the other hand, must be di ssolved
in warm water (around 1 1 0 degrees) before bei ng
added to the rest of the i ngredi ents. Other than the
method of i ncorporati on, i nstant and
active dry yeast are i nterchangeabl e.
BAKI NG POWDER: Al l chemi cal
l eaveni ng i s based Lthe reacti on of
an acid and a base, or al kal i (al most
al ways baki ng soda) , to produce the
carbon di oxi de gas that makes the baked good rise.
Baki ng powder contai ns an aci d al ong wi th baki ng soda
and a smal l amount of cornstarch to absorb moi sture
and keep the mi xture shel f-stabl e.
TO RE PLACE : I teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baki ng soda + 1/
2
teaspoon cream of
tartar. Use ri ght away.
'I teaspoon baki ng soda + '1
2
cup of yogurt.
buttermi l k. or sour cream
NOTE: 'I teaspoon of baki ng soda i s the l eaveni ng
equival ent of I teaspoon of baki ng powder.
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GRNULTED SUGAR: Thi s stapl e has no substi tute.
BROWN SUGAR: Granul ated sugar and mol asses
make a cl ose approxi mati on.
TO REPLACE : I cup l ight brown sugar
I cup granul ated sugar + I tabl espoon mol asses
TO REPLACE : I cup dark brown sugar
I cup granul ated sugar + 2 tabl espoons mol asses
Pulse the mol asses in a food processor al ong with
the sugar, if desi red, or si mply add i t al ong
wi th the other wet i ngredi ents.
SUPERFINE SUGAR: Thi s i s handy for
cold dri nk, as i t di ssolves more readi ly
than granul ated sugar.
TO REPLACE : I cup superine sugar
I cup granul ated sugar ground i n food
processor for I 5 seconds
POWDERED SUGAR: Because i t contai ns corn
starch, powdered sugar shoul d not be substi tuted
for ei ther brown or granul ated sugar i n most reci pes.
TO REPLACE : I cup powdered sugar
I cup granul ated sugar + I teaspoon cornstarch
ground together in bl ender ( not food processor)
CAUTI ON: Th i s works very wel l for dusti ng over
desserts , l ess so in i ci ngs and gl azes.
LIQUID SWEETENERS: Repl aci ng some of the sugar
i n a reci pe wi th honey, mol asses, or mapl e syrup to
add an extra di mensi on of fl avor i s a si mpl e matter,
provi ded you account for the extra moi sture.
TO REPLACE : sugar with liquid sweetener
Reduce l i qui d i n reci pe by 114 cup for each cup of
l i qui d sweetener added
CAUTI ON: A l i qui d sweeteners var i n moisture
content, aci di t, and even sweetness, it i s usual ly not
a good i dea to repl ace more than hal f of the sugar i n a
reci pe with a l i qui d sweetener.
Supenmarkets are getting better about stocki ng ethni c
ingredi ents, but they can sti l l be hard to fi nd. Here are a
few of the i tems that we stock in our pantr and suges
tions for approxi mati ng thei r flavor if unavai l abl e.
COCONUT MILK: Do not use canned cream of coco
nut, whi ch i s sweetened. I f you have dri ed, shredded
unsweetened coconut on hand, you can make a crude
approximati on of coconut mi l k. Bri ng equal parts whol e
mi l k and shredded coconut to a si mmer and l et steep,
covered, for I 5 mi nutes. Gri nd the mi xture i n a bl ender
or food processor and l et steep for another I 5 mi nutes.
Stri n the mixture, pressi ng down on the coconut i n
the strai ner to extract the most flavor. Thi s wi l l make an
For al l i ntents and purposes,
tabl e sal t i s "sal ti er" than kosher
sal t or coarse sea sal t. (Tabl e sal t
has smal l er i ndi vi dual crstal s, so
more crystal s of tabl e sal t than
kosher or coarse sea sal t wi l l fi t
i nto a measuri ng spoon. )
TO RE PLACE : I tablespoon tabl e salt
I 11 tabl espoons Morton Kosher Sal t or
fl eur de sel
2 tabl espoons Di amond Crystal Kosher Sal t or
Mal don Sea Sal t
CAUTI oN: Kosher sal t and coarse sea sal t do not
di ssolve as readi ly as tabl e sal t; for thi s reason , we
do not recommend usi ng them i n baki ng reci pes.
HERBS
Dri ed herbs are more potent than fresh .
They are best used in l onger-cooki ng reci pes l i ke
soups and stews, whi l e fresh herbs are best added
near the end of cooki ng.
TO RE PLACE : I tabl espoon fresh herbs
I teaspoon dri ed herbs
CAUTI oN: Quite a few herbs shoul d be avoi ded in
dri ed fonm because they are tastel ess; these i ncl ude
basi l , chives, di l l , parl ey, and tarrgon .
Venmouth makes a n acceptabl e substitute
for white wine i n reci pes that don' t cal l
for ver much. Nonal cohol i c substitutes
are more di fcul t to come by. For soups
and pan sauces, the best course of acti on
i s to use extr broth, addi ng wi ne vi negar
(red or whi te, dependi ng on the reci pe)
l eron j ui ce j ust before seri ng.
TO RE PLACE :
1
hcup wi ne
1 1 cup broth + I teaspoon wi ne vi negar
11 cup broth + I teaspoon l emon j ui ce
acceptabl e substitute for curries and sti r-fr sauces, but
i t' s l ess rel i abl e i n baked goods.
FISH SAUCE: One tabl espoon of soy sauce mixed wi th
I fnely mi nced anchov fi l l et wi l l make a crude stnd- i n
for I tabl espoon of thi s salt, pungent Thai sauce.
MIRIN: To repl ace 2 tabl espoons of thi s sweet,
Japanese ri ce wi ne, substi tute an equal amount of
whi te wi ne or sake pl us I teaspoon sugar.
PANKO: To make your own coarse Japanese bread
crumbs, process some chunks of bread through the
shreddi ng di sk of a food processor. Spread the crumbs
out on a baking sheet and bake, shaki ng the sheet once
M A Y c ) L M ! 2005
1 7
UNSWEETENED: Use thi s substi tuti on i n reci pes
that cal l for smal l quanti ti es of chocol ate or to
repl ace the unsweetened chocol ate in a reci pe that
cal l s for both unsweetened and bi ttersweet or semi
sweet chocol ate .
TO RE PLACE : I ounce unsweetened chocolate
3 tabl espoons cocoa powder + I tabl espoon
vegetabl e oi l
l 1/
2
ounces bi ttersweet or semi sweet chocol ate
(remove I tabl espoon sugar from reci pe)
CAUTI ON: I f maki ng chocol ate cake, browni es, or
any other i ntensel y chocol ate
fl avored baked good, do not
repl ace al l of the chocol ate wi th
cocoa powder; i t wi l l have a
drasti c effect on the texture.
BITERSWEE/SEMISWEE: These are pure
chocol ates to whi ch sugar, vani l l a, and emul si fi ers
have been added . The terms themsel ves are not
surefire i ndi cators of rel ative sweetness. They can
be freel y i nterchanged i n most reci pes, but expect
vari ati ons in fl avor.
TO RE PLACE : I ounce bittersweet chocolate or
I ounce semi sweet chocolate

2
/3 ounce unsweetened chocol ate +
2 teaspoons sugar
CAUTI oN: Unsweetened chocol ate i s starchi er than
sweetened chocol ate, so whi l e this substi tuti on wi l l
work wel l wi th fudgy browni es, i t coul d wreak havoc
on a del i cate custard or an ai ry cake.
CHIPS: These morsel s of sweetened chocolate have
added stabi l i zers to hel p them hol d thei r shape when
baked i nto cooki es. A a resul t, we don' t recommend
browni e reci pe.
or twice, i n a 300-degree oven unti l dr but not toasted,
about 6 mi nutes.
TAHI NI : To repl ace this sesame paste, gri nd up an
equal amount of sesame seeds i n a bl ender with
j ust enough peanut or vegetabl e oil to make a fairly
smooth mi xture. Add I teaspoon toasted sesame oi l ,
or to taste, if you have some on hand. Another opti on
i s to bl end 3 parts peanut butter wi th I part sesame
oi l , then use hal f the quanti t of tahi ni cal l ed for i n the
reci pe.
TAMARIND: To repl ace 2 tabl espoons of tamari nd
paste soaked i n 3 cup hot water and strai ned, mix
1!3 cup l i me j ui ce and 1!3 cup water.
Crispy Skilet-Roasted Potatoes
Greasy potatoes, bu rnt crusts, and uneven cookin
g
were j ust three of the probl ems
we had to sol ve to resu rrect this cl assic method of roastin
g
spuds on the stovetop .
B
efore ovens were common i n
home kitchens, potatoes were
roasted in a heavy skillet on the
stovetop. The promise of this
time-honored but old-fashioned method
is extraordinarily crisp texture, something
that is not always easily achieved in an
oven. Thinking that this classic method
deserved to be resurrected, I prepared a
handfl of recipes, most of them found
i n French cookbooks . Some required
peeling and cutting, while others lef the
skin on and/or used whole potatoes.
Olive oil, vegetable oil , butter, and clari
fed butter were all suggested, as were a
variety of methods to facilitate crisping
and cooking. The result? Six batches of
stovetop- roasted potatoes that failed to
impress. Uneven cooking, browned but
sof exteriors, pale exteriors, dry insides,
and greasy outsides were just a few of the
problems. So why bother?
' B Y E L I Z A B I: T I I G E R M A I N E
prone to burning, but too much efort to make) .
Next I pitted vegetable oil against olive oil, and
the latter won for extra favor. A for the amount,
1 tablespoon was serviceable, while 2 tablespoons
produced a much crispier crust; 3 tablespoons were
too much, making for greasy spuds.
My biggest remaining challenge was getting the
interiors to cook through completely within the
time it took for the exteriors to crisp and brown. I
wondered if precooking the potatoes might help. I
scrubbed and cut a batch, placed them in a sauce
pan with cold water, and brought them to a boi l .
Immediately, I drained the potatoes and put them
i n a hot skillet. The insides were cooked but mushy,
and the outsides did not brown well . Much like
precooking, adding some water to the pan fail ed. I
thought maybe the cover could trap moisture and
help solve this problem. I browned both cut sides
of the potatoes uncovered over medium-high heat
and then covered the skillet and fshed cooking
over medium-l ow. This techni que, combined with
the rinsing and drying of the cut potatoes before
cooking ( a common step when frying potatoes
that removes surface starch) , turned out crisp skil
let potatoes that were also cooked through.
Many years ago I was served skillet
roasted potatoes that were truly outstand
ing: extra-crisp on the outside and moist
and creamy on the inside. Hope sprang
eternal. And, I admit, the notion of doing
alof this on the stovetop-freeing up the
Red Bl i ss potatoes become especi al l y cri sp when roasted in a
ski l l et on the stovetop-and in j ust 20 mi nutes.
Reveri ng to Type
oven and saving time-was also appealing. So back
into the test kitchen I went to discover what had
gone wrong with my half- dozen plates of disap
pointing spuds.
Masering Techni que
Initial tests convinced me that if the potatoes
were to brown evenly, they would have to cook
in a single layer without being crowded. I also
note
d
that the best browning occurred when the
potatoes were lef undisturbed before turning.
Without makng any fnal decisions about potato
te, I started with Red Bliss-a low-starch, high
moisture varety that we use for oven-roasting. I
wanted to cook as many potatoes as possible, so
I chose a hef 1 2-inch skillet, the largest in most
households.
Tasters preferred the appearance, texture, and
favor of potatoes cooked with the skin on. Potato
size and cut became an obsessi on. It was obvious
that the pieces had to be uniform for even cooking.
Ten test batches later, I can1e to the conclusion
that quartered medium potatoes ( lemon sized)
were best, as they ofred to cut sides for crisp
ing and one beautiftlly rounded side. Halved small
potatoes were another good option.
Up w1til now, I had been using a traditional
skillet, but occasionally a potato would stick. I
switched to nonstick and was pleased that this
rare problem disappeared completely and that the
roasting results were equally good. In terms of fat
for browning, butter proved problematic given its
tendency to bur. I ruled out clarifed butter ( less
R E c 1 E T E s T 1 N G . Ski l l et Potatoes
Now it was time to revisit potato type. I had been
using the dense, high-moisture Red Bliss, the tye
of "wa>y" potato one might use in a tyical potato
salad. At the other end of the spectrwn are rus
sets. These dry, low-starch potatoes turn out light
and fuff when baked but were a poor choice
for this recipe: Dry interiors and poor browning
were their downfall. Yukon Golds sit in the middle
of the potato scale-neither dense and moist nor
light and dry-but when skillet-roasted, they were
j udged on the dry side as wel l . So Re
d
Bliss it was.
We uncovered several recurri ng probl ems when testi ng other reci pes for ski l l et potatoes.
WRON G CUT
Thi nly sl i ced potatoes cook unevenly.
Some are browned, some are pal e.
TOO M U CH FAT
Potatoes roasted with I 1/2 stick of
butter taste fri ed and fatt.
C O O K
'
S I L L L S r R A r E D
1 8
AD DE D LI QU I D
Addi ng broth to the ski l l et makes the
potatoes sog.
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The Ri ght Cut for the Right Potato
Small or medi um potatoes can be used in our reci pe,
but they must be cut diferently. Lrge potatoes are a
poor choi ce; the cut pi eces wi l l be uneven and won' t
cook at t he same rate.
S MALL
Smal l potatoes ( l 1/2 t o 2 i nches i n diameter)
should be cut in half.
M E D I U M
Medi um potatoes (2 to 3 i nches i n diameter)
shoul d be cut i nto quarers.
A sprinkle of pepper was most welcome, and
table salt lost out to kosher salt and sea salt ( added
just before serving), which provided bigger, more
interesting hits of favor. With a great crust, a
moist interior, and a nicely salted and peppered
outer layer, these were hands down the best oven
roasted potatoes I had ever eaten.
S KI LLET- ROASTE D POTATOE S
S E RVE S J T O 4
For even cooki ng and proper browning, the pota
toes must be cooked in a single layer and should
not be crowded in the pan, so be sure to use a
heavy-duty 1 2-inch skillet. A nonstick skillet sim
plifes cleanup but is not essential .
I 11 pounds smal l or medi um Red Bl i ss potatoes,
scrubbed and unpeel ed
2 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
% teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
l . If using small potatoes ( l lh- to 2- inch diam
eter) , halve each potato. If using medium potatoes
( 2- to 3- inch diameter), quarter each potato to
create 3/4- to l - inch chunks . Ri nse potatoes i n
col d water and drain well; spread on cl ean kitchen
towel and thoroughly pat dry.
2. Heat oil in heavy- bottomed 1 2- inch non
sti ck skillet over medium-high heat until shimmer
i ng. Add potatoes cut side down in single layer;
cook, without stirri ng, until golden brown ( oil
should sizzle but not smoke) , 5 to 7 minutes .
Usi ng tongs, tur potatoes skin si de down i f
usi ng halved small potatoes or second cut side
down if using quartered medium potatoes; cook,
wi thout stirring, until deep golden brown, 5 to 6
minutes longer. Stir potatoes, then redistribute i n
single l ayer. Reduce heat to medi um- low, cover,
and cook until potatoes are tender ( paring knife
can be inserted i nto potatoes wi th no resistance) ,
6 t o 9 minutes.
s c i E N c E : Is Nonsti ck Cookare Dangerous?
We regularly get questi ons from readers about the
safet of nonstick cookare. particularly when used over
high heat. Fumes released from the nonsti ck coatings
appl i ed to cookare have i ndeed been known to cause a
temporr, fu-l ike condi ti on known as polyfume fever i n
human bei ngs and can ki l l bi rds.
Accordi ng to DuPont, manufactorer ofTefl on, nonsti ck
cookare can be used safely unti l the surface temperture
exceeds 500 degrees. At thi s poi nt, the coati ng begi ns
to break down-that i s, parti cl es, but not fumes, are
released; emission of fumes occur at tempertures above
600 degrees. DuPont recommends using the cookare
only over low and medi um heat and arues that 500
degrees is wel l beyond the temperture at whi ch most
"normal cooki ng" takes place. But is thi s real i stic? To
fi nd out, we tracked the temperture of to ski l l ets-a
l ightweight $ I 5 al umi num pan from the hardware store
and our favorite $ 1 40 heav-dut nonstick ski l l et from
Al l -Cl ad-whi l e preparing our Skil let- Roasted Potatoes, a
chi cken stir-fr, and a frittata.
For the potatoes, whi ch cal l for up to 1 3 mi nutes of
cooking over medi um- high heat, the highest tempera
ture reached by the heavy-dut pan was 368 degrees;
the l ight pan, 485 degrees. For the stir-fr, whi ch cal l s for
high heat duri ng the enti re I 0 to I I mi nutes of cooki ng,
the heavi er pan rose to a hi gh of 572 degrees; the other
pan , 546 degrees. Our frittatas on pages 8-9 are fi ni shed
under the broi l er for a few mi nutes-another use not
recommended by DuPont. The highest temperture we
recorded for the pan di rectly after i ts removal from the
broi l er was 250 degrees.
We al so deci ded to abuse the pans by heati ng them
empt over high heat-somethi ng we woul d never rec-
TO 0 H OT? We used an i nfrared gun to measure ski l l et
temperature as we prepared a number of reci pes. I n several
cases, the temperature reached the zone i n whi ch the non
sti ck coating starts to break down.
\ ^ Y t l l ` | 2 0 0 5
1 9
3. When potatoes are tender, sprinkle with salt
and pepper and toss or stir gently to combine;
serve immediately.
S KI LLET- ROASTE D POTATOES
WI TH GARLI C AND ROS E MARY
Combine l Y teaspoons minced or pressed garlic
and 2 teaspoons minced fesh rosemary in small
bowl . Follow recipe for Skillet- Roasted Potatoes;
afer seasoning potatoes with salt and pepper in step
3, clear center of skillet and add garlic and rosemary
mixture. Cook over medium- low heat, mashing
vith heatproof rubber spatua, w1til fagrant, about
45 seconds, then stir mixture into potatoes.
S KI LLET- ROASTE D POTATOES WI TH
L E MON AND CH I VES
Combine 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest and 2
tablespoons minced fresh chives in small bowl .
Follow recipe for Skillet-Roasted Potatoes; afer
seasoning potatoes witl1 salt and pepper in step 3,
stir l emon zest and chives into potatoes.
S P I CY S KI LLET- ROASTED POTATOES
WI TH C H i ll AND C U MI N
Stir together l teaspoon chili powder, l teaspoon
sweet paprika, 12 teaspoon ground cumi n, and
14 teaspoon cayenne i n small bowl . Follow recipe
for Skillet- Roasted Potatoes, substituting chili
mixture for black pepper and cooking seasoned
potatoes over medium- low heat until spices are
fragrant, about 30 seconds .
ommend but whi ch might happen by mi stake. When
l ef to si t over hi gh heat, the hi gh- qual i t pan passed 500
degrees i n three mi nutes and passed 600 degrees i n five
mi nutes. The l ighter pan passed 500 degrees in to mi n
utes and 600 degrees i n three mi nutes.
Wher, then, does this leave you and your nonstick skil
let? Our tests i ndi cate that noral cooking appl ications can
push nonstick ski l let close to-or into-the danger zone.
Cl early, placing an empt nonstick skillet over high heat is a
mistke. We recommend that you alwy place oil in the pan
as i t heat-i t wi l l smoke l ong befor the nonstick surfce
raches a dangerous temperture and shoul d rmi nd you
to add food to the pan. When stir-fring, use a fn and/or
keep the wi ndow open and l i mi t the time the pan spends
over high heat. Fi nal ly, whi l e the heav-dut pan W a bit
slower to heat up than the cheaper pan, it did ulti mately
rach unsfe tempertures, so caution shoul d be tken
even when using a more expensive pan. The best and sfest
substitute fora nonstick pan is a wel l -seasoned cast-i rn pan.
-I ndia Koopman
COOK' S E Fr mor i nsight into nonstick coatings,
visit ww .cooki l l ustrted.com and key i n code 5054. Tis
information wi l l be avi l abl e until June 30, 2005.
Rescuing Orange-Flavored Chicken
Thi s Chi n ese restau rant stan dard -battered and fri ed c hi cken d ren ched i n a sacchari ne,
neon- colored sauce-leaves us cold . Could we u pgrade thi s di sh from thi rd class to fi rst class?
W
hen Americans order Chinese
takeout, a container of orange
fl avored chicken is ofen deliv
ered with the egg rolls, fied
rice, and egg drop soup. We it's far from
authentic Chinese f1re, it's not diffcult to
understand why this dish is so popular: The
chicken is deep-fied, and the sauce is sticky
and sweet. Sounds like a winning, if decadent,
combination. But it's never as good as I hope
it will be. We a quick taste of a candy-coated
chicken nugget might have some appeal , my
culinary satisfaction goes sharply downhill
with successive bites.
3 B Y R E B E C C A H A Y S E
and crisped much more readily than a wet,
gluey one.
So I now had just what I wanted-a coat-
ing that was tender and yielding i n some
spots and delicately crunchy in otl1ers, falling
somewhere between fast-food fied chicken
and tempura. Tasters couldn't get enough
and gobbled it down, unsauced.
Never was this more apparent than during
the afernoon I spent strolling the neighbor
hoods surrounding the test kitchen (where
there are a number of Chinese restaurants) ,
ordering orange chicken at every turn. Faced
with mouthf afer mouthfl of ultra-thick
breading wrapped around scraps of greasy,
gristly, tasteless chicken bathed in "orange"
sauce (perhaps a mixture of corn syrup and
orange food coloring? ) , my appetite waned.
But my sof spot for tl1is dish was not entirely
squelched. Pushing back the last plate of sub-
Forget about takeout. Homemade orange chi cken i s much better.
I made some minor refi nements. A pinch
of cayenne gave the chicken some zip, and
baking soda was ca.led in to help develop a
golden color. ( In baking and frying, baking
soda has been shown to aid i n browning. )
The contest between light and dark meat was
easily won-thigh meat has richer flavor and
is more apt to remain moist when deep-fried
( or cooked just about any otler way) than
drier breast meat. ( Surprisingly, not one of
the published recipes I found suggested dark
meat for this dish, wilie every restaurant ver
sion I tried was made witl1 boneless chicken
thighs. ) I also wondered i f oil choice mat
tered much and ran a quick test, pitting pea
nut oil against vegetable oil . Peanut oil was
unanimously preferred, producing chicken
tl1at was noticeably cleaner and fesher tast
par chicken in favor of a steaming cup of black tea,
I dreamed wistfly about tl1e possibilities.
I wanted chicken tlat I could acna.y swa.ow
and that meant substantial , wel l - seasoned chunks
with a crisp, golden brown crust. Puny scraps
of chicken and heavy globs of breading need
not apply. A perfect coating woul d be moder
ately crunchy and maintain its texture beneath
a blanket of sauce. As for the sauce, I'd have to
modulate the typical Chinese-American sweet/tart
flavor profle, which generally leans much too far
to the sweet side. But above all I wanted the sauce
to offer a clear hit offresh orange favor, with bal
anced sweet, sour, and spicy backgrOLmd notes,
plus a pleasing consistency.
Top Coats
Back in tle test kitchen, I decided to tackle tle
chicken coatig frst, jotting down every coating/
breading possi bility I could think of, then tick
ing them off my list following kitchen tests. A
fried chicken coating ( a buttermilk dip followed
by a fl our/baking powder dip) was somewhat
tough and shatteringly crisp. Panko ( J apanese
bread crumbs ) tasted great but weren' t right
for this recipe, a cake four batter slipped off the
chicken once fri ed, and a beer batter coati ng
turned spongy and doughy beneath tl1e sauce. I
kept going and tried four and a whole egg, four
and egg whites, cornstarch and sherry, and even
four and seltzer water. All fai l ed.
Some of tl1e recipes I tested early on cal l ed for
"velveting" the chicken, a process used in some
stir-fries i n which tle chicken is coated i n a thin
batter of foamy egg whites mixed with some
cornstarch. While thi s approach wasn' t qui te the
ticket when it came to deep- frying ( the coating
was insubstantial and turned soggy) , when I sepa
rated tl1e i ngredients and dunked tl1e chicken frst
i n egg white, then i n cornstarch, i t worked. This
chicken was perfect! I cornered our science edi
tor to fnd out why. He explained that when egg
whites and cornstarch are combined, tl1e starch
absorbs water from the whites and creates a sort
of glue tl1at, not surprisingly, turns soggy afer
fryi ng. My successfl two- step ( egg white and
then cornstarch) coating created a thin sheath
of protein ( the egg white) beneath plenty of dry
cornstarch, which never got tl1e opportunity to
swel l and absorb water. This dry coating browned
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 0
ing than chicken fied i n vegetable oil .
Having selected tl1e oil, I fddled witl fying
temperatures between 325 and 375 degrees and
settled right i n tl1e middl e. At 350 degrees, tl1e
chicken was crisp but not greasy in j ust 5 minutes,
requiring one quick fip halfay tl1rough cooking.
Speci al Sauce
We know from developing stir-fry recipes that a
salty marinade works wonders toward developing
favor and maintaining j uiciness i n chicken. To
marinate chicken for this recipe, soy sauce was
a natural choice-i t would serve as a brine, sea
soning the meat and locking i n moisture . Garlic,
ginger, measures of sugar ( brown, for its gentle
sweetness) and vinegar ( white, for its unobtru
sive acidity) , plus pl enty of orange j uice and some
chicken broth rounded out tl1e recipe.
I also decided to make extra marinade, put
ting some in service as a sauce for the deep-fied
chicken. I added some cornstarch to the extra mar
inade and tl1en tasted it as a sauce. Trutl1 be told, it
had not even a hint of orange favor. Luckily, I had
a few more tricks up my sleeve: orange marmalade,
frozen orange j ui ce concentrate, reduced fresh
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orange juice, fesh orange zest, and dried orange
zest. The marmalade was bitter, orange j uice con
centrate and reduced orange juice tasted "f1ke"
and "exceedingly bright," and bottled dried zest
was gritty and pithy. In the end, a combination of
fesh orange juice and zest lent deep, pronounced
orange favor. The slightly bitter, foral taste of
the zest plus a healthy dose of cayenne helped tl1e
sauce to grow up in a hurry, transforming it from
sweetly one-dimensional and boring to complex,
spicy, and savory.
Finishing the dish was a snap: I just tossed tl1e
fied chicken into the sauce and garnished witl1
strips of orange peel and whole dried red chiles.
Lf whole, tl1e chiles don't lend much flavor, but
tl1ey almost always show up i n tlus dish for visual
appeal. Now I can look forward to savoring an
entire serving ( maybe even two) of orange-fl avored
chicken rather tlun forcing down just one bite.
ORANGE - F LAVORED CHI CKE N
S E RVES 4
We prefer the favor and texture of t!Ugh meat for
t!Us recipe, though an equal amount of boneless
skinless chicken breasts can be used. It is easiest
to grate the orange zest and remove the strips of
orange peel before juicing tl1e oranges; use a sharp
vegetable peeler to remove the strips. For extra
spiciness, increase the cayenne added to tl1e sauce
to l teaspoon. The whole dried chiles are added
for appearance, not for fl avor, and can be onutted.
To fy the chicken, use a Dutch oven or a straight
sided saute pan (with at least 3-quart capacity) ; do
not use a 12-inch skillet witl1 sloped sides, as it will
be too small to contain me oil once the chicken is
added. White rice and steamed broccoli are good
accompaniments.
Marinade and Sauce
1 11 pounds bonel ess, ski nl ess chi cken thi ghs,
tri mmed and cut into 1 11- i nch pi eces
31 cup low-sodi um chi cken broth
ll cup j ui ce, I 11 teaspoons grated zest, and 8 stri ps
orange peel (each about 2 i nches l ong by
11 i nch wi de) from 2 oranges (see note)
Secrets to Great Orange Chi cken
R E L 1 P E o 1 A G N o s 1 s : Curi ng Common Probl ems
We purchased takeout Asian orange chi cken from a hal f-dozen l ocal restaurant.
Taster had to common compl ai nts, whi ch our homemade reci pe addresses.
L P D OU G HY COATI N G Chi cken pi eces are shrouded in a heavy.
thi ck. greasy coati ng.
LU M D OU B LE D I P For a thi n , cri spy coati ng. di p the chi cken first i n
egg whi te. then i n cornstarch.
LP S CARY SAU CE Sauce i s gl oppy and candy-sweet, wi th zero
orange fl avor.
LU M TH I N K F RE S H Add fresh orange j ui ce and zest for bold orange
fl avor. bal ance the vi negar/sugar rati o. and use a generous hand with garl i c.
gi nger. and cayenne. Thi cken the sauce wi th a modest amount of cornstarch.
6 tabl espoons di sti l l ed whi te vi negar
'I cup soy sauce
1h cup (3 11 ounces) packed dark brown sugar
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press ( I tabl espoon)
pi ece (about I i nch) fresh gi nger, grated
( I tabl espoon)
11 teaspoon cayenne
I tabl espoon pl us 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tabl espoons cold water
8 smal l whol e dri ed red chi l es (opti onal )
Coating and Frying Medium
3 l arge egg whites
cup cornstarch
11 teaspoon cayenne
1h teaspoon baki ng soda
3 cups peanut oi l
l . FOR THE MARINADE AD SAUCE: Place
chi cken i n 1 - gallon zipper- l ock bag; set aside.
Combine chicken brotl1, orange juice, grated zest,
vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cay
enne in large saucepan (witl1 at least 3-quart capac
ity) ; whisk until sugar is flly dissolved. Measure
out 3/4 cup mLxture and pour into bag with chicken;
press out as much air as possible and seal bag, mak
ing sure that all pieces are coated with marinade.
Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes, but no longer.
2. Bring remai ni ng mixture i n saucepan to boil
over high heat. In small bowl, stir together corn
starch and cold water; whisk cornstarch mixture
into sauce . Simmer sauce, stirri ng occasionally,
until thick and translucent, about l minute. Off
heat, stir in orange peel and chiles ( sauce should
measure 1 11 cups ) ; set sauce aside.
3. FOR THE COATING: Pl ace egg whites i n
pie pl ate; usi ng fork, beat unti l frothy. In second
pie pl ate, whisk cornstarch, cayenne, and baking
soda until combined. Drain chicken in colander
or l arge mesh strainer; thoroughly pat chicken
dry with paper towel s. Place half of chicken pieces
i n egg whites and turn to coat; transfer pieces to
cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place
dredged chicken pieces on wire rack set over bak
ing sheet; repeat with remaining chicken.
4. TO FY THE CHICKN: Heat oi l in 1 1 - to
1 2-inch Dutch oven or straight-sided saute pan
witl1 at least 3-quart capacity over high heat until
oil registers 350 degrees on instant-read or deep
fy tl1ermometer. Carefly place half of chicken
i n oil one piece at a time; fry until golden brown,
about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs
halfay through cooki ng. Transfer chicken to
large plate lined with paper towels. Return oil to
350 degrees and repeat witl1 remaining chicken.
5. TO SERVE: Reheat sauce over medium heat
until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and
gently toss until evenly coated and heated through.
Serve immediately.
I. Soy-orange mari nade keeps 2. Ptti ng mari nated chi cken dr 3 . Beaten egg whi te acts as "gl ue, " 4. Cornstarch and baki ng soda 5 . Fri ng in peanut oi l produces
chi cken j ui cy. hel ps coating adhere. securi ng coati ng to chi cken. coati ng fries up gol den and cri sp. chi cken wi th fresh, cl ean flavor.
M A Y b J U N E 2005
2 1
The Ultimate Oatmeal Cookie
What cou l d be better than an oatmeal cookie crammed with dozens of in
g
redients?
How about an oatmeal cookie with j ust the ri
g
ht in
g
redients.
0 atmeal cookies-graced with
earthy oat flavor and hearty,
chewy texrure serve as
d1e perfect vehicle for almost
any addition, be it spices, chocolate, nuts,
or dried fuit. But many recipe writers in
pursuit of d1e "ultimate" oatmeal cookies
lapse into a kitchen-sink mentality, over
loading d1e dough with a crazy j umble
of ingredients. Peanut Butter- Chocolate
Coconut-Ci nnamon- Raisi n- Brazil Nut
Oatmeal Cookies are a good exampl e.
Rther than create yet another cookie
monster, my goal was to become a cookie
editor-to delete d1e unnecessary ingre
dients and arrive at a perfect combination
of oats, nuts, chocolate, and fruit.
3 B Y ER I K A B R U CE E
with the chocolate and dried cherries . Cinnamon,
nutmeg, and the l i ke were doing more harm
than good-and the cookies had plenty of fl avor
without them.
One Tough Cooki e
Crammi ng al most 3 cups of fili ng i nto the test
kitchen' s favorite oatn1eal cookie recipe was tak
ing its toll . Tasters complained about the dry,
doorstop-like texture of my supposedly ultimate
oatmeal cookies-the same problem I had run
into with the test recipes. Reducing the oats was
a frst step in bringing back the chew: The batter
was sofer and the cookies less dry.
A taste test of overloaded oatmeal
cookie recipes revealed anod1er problem:
poor texture. To my mind, the ideal oat
meal cookie is crisp around the edges and
chewy in the middle. Initial recipe tests
produced dry, tough cooki es. In addi
tion to tri mmi ng the ingredient list, I
would have to take a close look at the
Great oatmeal cookies have a chew texture and a bal ance of
extra i ngredi ents l i ke chocol ate, nuts, and dri ed frui t.
Still looking to add moisture, I turned to the
sweetener. Because brown sugar is more moist
than white sugar, I thought i t might help ( see
"Why Brown Sugar Makes Chewy Cookies," page
23) . My working recipe called for a mixture of
light brown and granulated sugars. Aer testing
a half-dozen combinations, I found that all dark
brown sugar was best; a light brown was next
best. Cookies made with brown sugar were much
more moist and chewy than cookies made with
granulated, and the brown sugar also gave the
cookies a rich, dark color and deep caramel flavor. formula for the dough itself The ultimate oatmeal
cookie-even with just the right amount of added
ingredients-would require an ultimately forgiv
ing cookie dough.
Oat Cui si ne
I focused frst on ingredient selection, and choco
late was at the top of my list. When I pitted semi
sweet chips against both chopped dark and milk
chocolates, the bitter edge of the hand-chopped
dark chocolate, as well as its irregular distri bution
in the cooki e, gave it the upper hand.
Nuts and oats are natural complements. Aer
sampling pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds,
and peanuts, tasters professed some distinct pref
erences. Pecans were first for their sweetness and
walnuts second for their meatiness, while hazel
nuts were liked for their richness and crunch.
Almonds were consi dered bland when paired
with the oats, while peanuts overpowered them.
Toasting the nuts fi rst deepened their favor and
added more crunch.
Risins are a flar addition to oatmeal cook
ies, but d1ey seemed too sweet in a cookie loaded
with chocolate. Tasters felt d1e same way about
flaked coconut and d1e rest of d1e tropical gang,
including dried pineapple, mango, and papaya. I
had better luck with sour cherries and tart cranber
ries, which offered an assertive tang that stood out
against the other additions.
All of the favor components I wanted were
now i n place: sweet, tangy, nutty, and chocolaty.
But using equal amounts of each ( l cup) did not
translate to equal representation. The strong,
ri ch favor of d1e chocolate dominated the cook
ies. Reducing the amount of chocolate to 4 cup
brought the fl avors into balance. In a fnal adj ust
ment, I opted to omit all ground spices ( common
to most oatmeal cookies) , which paired poorly
Loadi ng Up the Fl avor
Fewer oats and all brown sugar-these changes
had altered the texture in my fwor. But the next
modifi cation sealed the deal . The baking powder
that I had been using i n the recipe was making
the cookies crisp from the inside out-a prob
l em, since I wanted a chewy i nterior and a crisp
exterior. When I switched the baki ng powder for
baking soda, the cookies puffed in the oven and
then collapsed, losing their shape and yielding
not a hint of crispy exterior. Because I wanted a
combination of crisp edges and chewy centers,
I thought that a combination of baking powder
The best oatmeal cookies contai n a mix of chocol ate, nuts, and frui t. Here' s how to make the most of each i ngredi ent and
get the right bal ance of flavor.
CHOCOLATE
Irregul ar, hand- chopped chunks are
better than chi ps. Use bi ttersweet
chocol ate to reduce overal l sweetness.
N UTS
Pecans are our top choi ce, fol l owed by
wal nuts. Toast nuts i n 3 50-degree oven
to maximize thei r flavor.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S I" R A T E D
2 2
D R I E D F RU I T
Choose somethi ng tart, such as cherries
or cranberries, and chop coarse.
s c 1 E N c E . Why Brown Sugar
Makes Chewy Cooki es
When I substituted brown sugar for granul ated
sugar i n my cooki e reci pe, I expected a deeper
flavor and col or, but I was real l y surpri sed by the
dramati c change i n texture. The cooki es went from
dr and crunchy to soft and chewy. Thi s i sn' t the
first ti me we noti ced thi s phenomenon i n the test
kitchen . I wondered why brown sugar i s often the
secret to chewi er cooki es.
Cl early, brown sugar contai ns more moi sture
than grnulated (thi s is obvi ous to the touch) ,
but most of thi s moi sture burns off i n the oven.
I figured that somethi ng i n the brown sugar i tsel f
must be responsi bl e for maki ng chewy cooki es. A
i t turns out, that somethi ng is cal l ed i nvert sugar,
whi ch i s all but absent i n granul ated sugar.
How does i nvert sugar work i ts magi c? I nvert
sugar consi sts of gl ucose and fructose, two si mpl e
sugars. I nvert sugar i s especi al ly hygroscopi c, mean
i ng that i t pul l s water from wher
ever i t can be found, the best
source bei ng the ai r. And i nvert
sugar keeps on drawi ng in moi s
ture even after cooki es have been
baked, thus hel pi ng to keep them
chewy as they cool . So when i t
comes to chew i n cooki es, regu
l ar grnul ated sugar-with i ts l ack
of i nvert sugar-i s si mpl y no com
peti ti on for brown sugar. -E. B.
and soda might work. Sure enough, thi s pairing
produced cookies that were light and crisp on
the outside but chewy, dense, and sof i n the
center. Because of all the additional ingredients,
these cookies require a lot more leavener than
regular oatmeal cookies . In the end, I used 3/4
teaspoon baking powder and l2 teaspoon baking
soda-about twice the leavening power found i n
a typical oatmeal cookie recipe.
A couple of fnishing touches: First, when I
was portioning these cookies, I fow1d out that
size does matter. Tasters preferred a l arger cookie
( more contrast between crisp edges and chewy
centers ) , and a spring-loaded ice cream scoop
( see photo, above) made quick work of this thick
dough. Second, though I am normally loath to
rotate trays of cookies during baking and usually
opt to bake one tray at a time, waiting 40 minutes
to bake two batches of cookies seemed a waste of
time. Baking both trays at once and rotating the
pans made for a small inconvenience, but it also
got me out of the kitchen 20 minutes earlier.
In the end, a moderate hand with ingredients,
fewer oats, brown sugar i nstead of white, and
good amounts of baking powder and soda pro
duced a flly loaded-not overloaded-cookie
with good chew. It's the ultimate oatmeal cooki e,
one that downloads l ots of flavor but delivers on
texture, too.
For our large ul ti mate oatmeal cookies, we use a # 1 6 scoop,
whi ch neatly porti ons out 'I c up of dough.
LI TTLE D I PP E R
For standard-size cookies that cal l for heapi ng tabl espoons
of dough, we reach for a #30 or #40 scoop.
Spri ng-l oaded i ce cream scoops don' t make the j ob of scoopi ng ice cream any easi er, but we found a better use for them:
porti oni ng out cookie dough and mufi n batter. Tese scoops are sized accordi ng to how many scoops wi l l yi el d a quart. Fr
exampl e, a #8 scoop wi l l render ei ght scoops per quart of ice cream (or dough or batter) .
CHOCOLATE - C H U N K OATMEAL COOKI E S
WI TH PE CANS AN D DRI E D C H E RRI E S
MAKES S I XTE E N 4 - I NCH COOK I E S
We like these cookies made with pecans and dried
sour cherries, but walnuts or ski nned hazelnuts
can be substituted for the pecans, and dried cran
berries for the cherries . Quick oats used i n place
of the old-fashioned oats will yield a cookie with
slightly less chewi ness. If you baki ng sheets are
smaller than the ones descri bed i n the reci pe,
bake tl1e cookies i n three batches i nstead of two.
These cookies keep for 4 to 5 days stored in an
airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag, but
they will lose their crisp exterior and become uni
formly chewy afer a day or so.
1 1/ cups ( 6 '/ ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
' teaspoon baki ng powder
11 teaspoon baki ng soda
1 1 teaspoon tabl e salt
1 1/4 cups ( 3 11 ounces) ol d-fashi oned rol l ed oats
cup pecans ( 4 ounces) , toasted and chopped
cup ( 5 ounces) dri ed sour cherri es,
chopped coarse
4 ounces bi ttersweet chocol ate,
chopped i nto chunks about size of
flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed
until no sugar lumps remai n, about 1 minute.
Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula;
add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low
speed until flly incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Scrape down bowl; with mixer running at low
speed, add four mi xture; mi x until j ust com
bined, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running
on low, gradually add oat/nut mixture; mix until
j ust incorporated. Give dough fnal stir with rub
ber spatula to ensure that no fl our pockets remain
and i ngredients are evenly distributed.
4. Divide dough evenly i nto 1 6 portions, each
about l/4 cup, then roll between palms into balls
about 2 inches in diameter; stagger 8 balls on
each baking sheet, spacing them about 2lz inches
apart. Using hands, gently press each dough ball
to 1 inch thickness. Bake both baking sheets 1 2
minutes, rotate tl1em front t o back and top to
bottom, then continue to bake until cookies are
medium brown and edges have begun to set but
centers are still sof ( cookies will seem underdone
and will appear raw, wet, and shiny in cracks) , 8 to
1 0 minutes longer. Do not overbake.
5 . Cool cookies on baki ng sheets on wire rack 5
minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cook
ies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.
chocol ate chi ps (about 'I cup)
1 2 tabl espoons ( 1 1 1 sti cks) unsal ted
butter, softened but sti l l cool
Getti ng the Texture Right
1 11 cups ( 1 0 11 ounces) packed
brown sugar, preferably dark
l arge egg
teaspoon vani l l a extract
l . Adj ust oven racks to upper
and lower- mi ddl e posi ti ons; heat
oven to 350 degrees. Li ne 2 l arge
( 1 8 by 1 2- inch) baking sheets with
parchment paper.
2 . Whisk flour, baking powder,
baking soda, and salt i n medi um
bowl . In second medium bowl , stir
togetl1er oats, pecans, cherries, and
chocolate.
3 . In standing mixer fi tted with
M i Y 0 J U N E 2005
2 3
I f you want cooki es that are chewy i n the mi ddl e, take them out of the
oven before they look done. Trust us-the cooki es wi l l set up as they cool .
P RO PE R LY BAKE D
When the cooki es are set but sti l l
l ook wet between the fissures, take
them out of the oven. Once cool ed,
the cooki es wi l l bend, not snap.
BAKE D TOO LONG
Cookies that look matte (rather
than shi ny) have been overbaked.
Once cool ed, their texture wi l l
be crumbly and dry.
Baked Raspberry Tart
Tart raspberries, ri ch custard, and a bu ttery crust are a classic , white- tabl ecl oth combination.
We were seeking a more rusti c, casual approach.
T
arts composed of plump, ruby-red rasp
berries lolling about on a dreamy layer
of satiny pastry cream are a call to acti on.
The crisp crust, the cool cream, and
the bright berries invite the downward sl i ce of a
fork to cut through all three and unite them. The
components of a baked raspberry tart-in which
the fragrant berries are baked in, not arranged
on, a rich, custardy layer-are united in the oven,
not at the table-but l ess beautifuly so. The heat
of the oven brings together the buttery shell, rich
custard, and tart raspberries into an earthy, rustic
tart that beckons by taste rather than appearance.
When I sought recipes for baked raspberry tarts,
I included tarts with classic custard fllings made
with just egg and dairy ( milk or cream) as well as
tarts with clafouti - like fllings that also contained
butter and flour. Most recipes that I tried yielded
disappointing results : sof, soggy crusts; bleak,
overcooked raspberries; heavy, unctuous, eggy,
and sometimes even curdled custards. A recipe
fom Alice Waters, however, stood out. The tart
shell was baked prior to filng, then loaded with
fesh raspberries. A simple butter, egg, sugar,

f\d
four batter was poured on top. The flling set into
a creamy but sliceable berry-sn1dded custard layer
that was the perfect complement for the . fresh
raspberries. I used this as my working recipe and
systematically tested each component.
Pstry Case
For the pastry, there were two obvious options: a
pate brisee and a pate sucree. The former is a delicate
faky pastry, much like a well -made pie crust. The
latter is a cookielike crust with a distinct sweetness
and crisp, sandy texmre. Of the two, tasters pre
ferred the tart made with the pate sucne, declaring
its flavor and texn1re better suited to the fi lling.
Formnately for me, an excellent pate sucree recipe
already existed in the Cook)s repertoire. I was cer
tain that prebaking the tart shell would be critical
to the formati on of a browned
Secret to Si l Custard
Wondra fl ou r is better known as
a thi ckener for sauces and gravi es
than as a baki ng i ngredi ent, but the
fi l l i ng for our raspberry tart rel i es
upon i ts qui ck- di ssol vi ng proper
ti es for a smooth , si l k texture.
? B Y D A W N Y A N A G I H A R A :
Thi s rusti c raspberry tart mi xes the berri es ri ght i nto the buttery custard fi l l i ng.
and crisped crust for the fni shed tart. Testing
confi rmed this. When instead baked beneath the
fi lling, the tart shell was really only semi baked, and
its texture was doughy and pasty.
Regarding the raspberries, there wasn' t much
to consider. Once the tart shell was baked and
cooled, in went the berries in a single layer. What
did need reviewing was the butter-egg-sugar-four
mixture that I poured over them. I wanted to
eliminate extraneous steps and ingredients and to
fi nesse the flavor and texn1re.
The working recipe enlisted a standing mixer
for the flling, but I found that a bowl and a
whisk worked equally well . The procedure now
was embarrassingly simpl e: Whisk the eggs and
sugar; add butter, lemon j uice, fl our, and a spot of
cream; pour over the raspberries; and bake.
Custard Consi stency
With two whole eggs the custard filling was rather
heavy and eggy, but with onl y one it failed to set
well enough to slice cleanly. A whole egg plus a
yolk was barely an improvement. A whole egg
plus a white, however, did the uick, as the flling
set into a nicely frm but creamy texture. I tried
various amounts of sugar and settled on a sort of
odd measure-l2 cup plus l tablespoon-as the
ideal amount with moderately tart berries .
C O O K
'
s I L L U S J' R A T E D
2 4
At a fl l melted stick ( 8 tablespoons ) , butter
fgured prominently in the flling. I added more
and I added less and decided on 6 tablespoons
for richness without greasiness. A the working
recipe called for browni ng the butter ( cooking
i t gently until the fagrance turns nutty and tl1e
milk solids turn brown) , I made tarts with plain
melted butter and browned butter. The fi lling
made witl1 browned butter did not taste distinctly
of browned butter ( nutty and toasty, that is) , but
the flavor was richer, ful er, and more compl ex. It
was certainly wortl1 tl1e modest extra effort.
Next, the cream. The working recipe called
for j ust 2 tablespoons, which I thought might
be superfuous, but witl1ut cream tl1e flg was
stif and waxy. I also thought the four-also j ust
2 tablespoons-might be unnecessary ( or even
unwanted; several tasters detected a gritty, starchy
taste) . Wrong again. The fi lling clearly needed a
starch to hold it together.
But was fl our the best choi ce? I tried corn
starch and got a flling with a heavy, pasty texture.
On a whi m, I next tried Wondra, a four formu
lated to dissolve quickl y and a common choice for
COOK' S E For two variations of our Baked Raspberr
Tart, visit w.cooksillustrated. com and key in code 5055.
The recipes will be available until J une 30, 2005 .
5
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.

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1

O
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i
thickening sauces and gravies. This effected quite
an improvement: The starchiness and coarseness
were gone, and the flling was now smooth and
velvety. A dose of salt, some lemon juice and lemon
zest, and small measures of vanilla and framboise
(kirsch worked well, too) enhanced the flavor.
Et voila. A simple, humble raspberry tart-the
perfect marriage of fuit, custard, and pastry.
BAKE D RAS PBE RRY TART
MAKES ONE 9 1 NCH TART, S E RVI NG d TO I U
To minimize waste, reserve the egg white lef fom
making the tart pastry for use i n the flling. If your
raspberries are either very tart or very sweet, adjust
the amount of sugar i n the flling by a tablespoon
or so. Wondra flour is sold i n small canisters in
the baking aisle alongside all-purpose four. All
purpose can be used i n place of Wondra, but i t
will give the fl l i ng a slightly starchy, gritty feel .
The tart is best eaten tl1e day i t is made.
Tart Pastry ( Sucree)
I large egg yol k
tabl espoon heavy cream
1h teaspoon vani l l a extract
1 '1 cups ( 6 11 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
21 cup (about 211 ounces) confecti oners' sugar
11 teaspoon salt
8 tabl espoons ( I sti ck) ver col d unsal ted butter,
cut i nto 1 h- i nch cubes
Filling
6 tabl espoons unsal ted butter
large egg pl us I egg whi te
1h cup pl us I tabl espoon sugar
11 teaspoon tabl e salt
teaspoon vani l l a extract
teaspoon framboi se or ki rsch (opti onal )
11 teaspoon grated zest pl us 1 112 teaspoons j ui ce
from I l emon
2 tabl espoons Wondra fl our
2 tabl espoons heavy cream
2 hal f-pi nt contai ners fresh raspberri es
(about I 0 ounces total ) , pi cked over
l . FOR THE TART PASTRY: Whisk together
yolk, cream, and vanilla i n small bowl . Combine
flour, sugar, and salt i n food processor witl four
1 -second pulses. Scatter butter pieces over four
mixture; pulse to cut butter into fl our tmtil mix
ture resembles coarse meal, about twenty 1 -second
pulses. With machine running, add egg mixture
and process until dough comes together, about 1 2
seconds. Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap
and press into 6-inch disk; wrap witl1 plastic wrap
and refigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.
2. Remove dough from refrigerator ( i f refrig
erated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room tem
perature until malleable) . Unwrap and roll out
between large, li ghtly foured sheets of parch
ment paper or plastic wrap to 1 1 -i nch round.
( I f dough becomes soft and sti cky, sl i p onto
baki ng sheet and refri gerate unti l workabl e . )
Transfer dough to tart pan by rol l i ng dough
l oosely over rolling pi n and unrol l i ng over 9-
i nch tart pan wi th removable bottom. Working
around circumference of pan, ease dough into
pan by gently lifing dough with one hand while
pressi ng dough i nto corners and sides of pan
with other hand. Press dough i nto fluted sides
of pan, patching breaks or cracks i f necessary. ( If
some edges are too thi n, reinforce sides by fol d
i ng excess dough back on itself ) Run rol l i ng pi n
over top of tart pan to remove excess dough. Set
dough-l i ned tart pan on baki ng sheet or large
plate and freeze 30 mi nutes. ( Frozen dough
l i ned tart pan can be wrapped tightly i n pl astic
wrap and frozen up to 1 montl1 . )
3. Meanwhile, adj ust oven rack to middle posi
tion and heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough
lined tart pan on baking sheet; lightly spray one
side of 1 8 -inch square heavy-duty extra-wide foi l
wi th nonstick cooking spray. Press foil greased side
down inside frozen tart shell , folding excess foi l
over edge of pan; fll with metal or ceramic pi e
weights. Bake unti l pastry appears dry and pal e
gol d under foi l and edges have j ust begun to color,
20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfay irough bak
ing. Remove fom oven and careflly remove foi l
and weights by gatl1ering edges of foi l and pulling
up and out. Return baking sheet wii tart shell
to oven and bake until sides are medium golden
brown, about 5 minutes; set on wire rack to cool .
4. FOR THE FILLING: While tart shel l i s
cooling, heat butter i n small saucepan witl1 light
colored interior over medium heat; cook, swirling
or stirring occasionally, until butter smells nutty
and milk solids at bottom are golden brown, about
7 minutes. Transfer butter to small heatproofbowl
to stop cooking; cool butter until j ust warm to
touch. Whisk egg and egg white in medium bowl
until combined; add sugar and salt and whisk vigor
ously w1til light colored, about 1 minute. Whisk in
warm browned butter until combined; then whisk
in vanilla, framboise ( if using), and lemon zest and
j uice. Whisk in Wondra four, then whisk in cream
until combined.
5. ADD BERIES AND BAKE: Distri bute rasp
berries in single tightly packed layer in bottom
of cooled tart shell . Pour flling mixture evenly
over raspberries . Place tart on baki ng sheet in
oven. Bake until fragrant and flling is set ( docs
not j i ggle when shaken) , bubbling lightly around
edges, and surface i s puffed and deep golden
brown, about 30 mi nutes, rotating sheet pan
afer about 20 minutes for even browning. Cool
on wire rack to room temperature, at least 1 11
and up to 6 hours. Remove tart pan ring; slide
ii n- bladed spatula between tart pan bottom and
crust to loosen, ien slide tart onto serving plat
ter. Cut into wedges and serve.
T e s T 1 N G e o u 1 P M e N T : Rol l i ng Pi n Gui des
Rol l i ng out dough t o a preci se. uniform thi ckness can be an i nti mi dati ng task.
Ltel y, however, we' ve noti ced some gadgets meant to make uneven crusts a
thi ng of the past. Do they real ly work?
Rubber Rol l i ng Pin Rings ( $7. 99 for a set of four) sl i de onto the end of a
rol l i ng pi n to serve as gui des; you si mpl y rol l out the dough unti l the ri ngs reach
the surface on whi ch you ' re rol l i ng. A ni ce i dea, but not wi thout probl ems.
The ri ngs appear to be one- si ze-fi ts-al l , but many fai l ed to fit a si ngl e rol l er i n
the test ki tchen. I n addi ti on, the ri ngs shorened the usabl e l ength on tapered ,
French-stl e rol l i ng pi ns ( our favori te) by al most hal f.
The Debord LTD Pastr Board ( $ 5 9. 95 ) i s a wooden pastr board
wi th an adj ustabl e frame, al ong whi ch the strai ght rol l i ng pi n i ncl uded
i n the package gl i des. The Debord l ets you focus si mply on rol l i ng the
S I LLY RI NG S
These rubber ri ngs shorten
the usabl e l ength of many
rol l i ng pi ns by half.
dough i nto a round shape; the smooth surface hel ps to prevent stick-
i ng, and the frame keeps the mess contai ned . On the downsi de, the

1 4-square- i nch work area i s cramped for some tasks, and adj usti ng frame hei ght
P RI C EY BOARD
i s somewhat tedi ous. And. i n case you hadn' t noti ced, t hi s board i s expensive.
Perfecti on Stri ps ( $8. 00 for a set of three) consi st of broad l engths of wood
Thi s wooden pastry board
can be tedi ous to use and
of vari ng thi cknesses. They are pl aced al ongsi de the dough . and the pi n i s rol l ed
costs too much.
on top of them. The stri ps do not i mpede the rol l i ng pi n, but you may
want to use them only as you start to approach the desi red thi ckness
(keepi ng them ori ented correctly as you turn the dough early on can
be frustrati ng) . Novi ce rol l ers were surpri sed at the fl awl ess uni formi t
they achi eved wi th the hel p of these gui des. However, we encountered the
same probl em usi ng French-stl e pi ns here as wi th the ri ngs.
I n the end, then, we found that nothi ng repl aces ol d-fashi oned pati ence and
practi ce. But an i nexpensive set of stri ps (when used wi th an untapered pi n)
S U I TABL E STRI PS
These wooden stri ps are
ofers an efective set of trai ni ng wheel s, provi di ng a boost of confi dence for the
i nexpensive i nsurance for
apprehensive rol l er. - Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
perectly even dough.
M A Y [ ) L | | 2 005
2 5
Preferred Stock
Most commercial chi cken broths are dreadful , ' fowl ' concoctions.
So what is the ti me- pressed home cook to do?
I
n a perfect world, of course, there would be
no commercial chicken broth. Home cooks
would always reach into sofly gurgling pots
oflong- simmered homemade stock-heady
with rich chicken and aromatics-j ust to ladle out
the single quarter-cupfl required for Tuesday
night's fricassee.
Here in harsh reality, though, rare is the cook
who has the time for slowly simmered perfection.
The rest of us head to the soup aisle of the local
supermarket to make do with some permutation
of commercially prepared chicken broth. But
truth be told, it could take nearly as l ong j ust
to choose from the confsing array of offerings :
Alongside the standard metal cans of broth and
the dehydrated bouillon powders sit dozens of
broths sporting "aseptic" packaging ( resealable
paper cartons) and glass j ars flled wid1 gloppy
"base" (chicken broth reduced to a concentrated
paste) . Add organic, low-sodium, and gourmet
shop varieties to the mix, and the number of
options quickly becomes overwhelming.
So many choices, but was there a single decent
stand-in among them for homemade stock? I
brought a shopping cart fl l of chicken broth
products into the test kitchen to see what it all
boiled down to.
Homemade versus Prepared
Homemade chi cken stock shoul d beat the pre
pared stuf hands down, ri ght? There was only
one way to fi nd out. We pi tted our four recom
mended brands-Swanson Certi fi ed Organi c,
Better Than Boui l l on , Swanson Natural Goodness,
and I magi ne-agai nst the Cook's chi cken stock
reci pe to see i f tasters woul d choose homemade
i n a bl i nd test of hot broth. Sure enough , the
homemade was the cl ear favorite. Tasters prai sed
i ts forard chi cken flavor compared wi th the
promi nent vegetabl e notes of the supermarket
broths. But tasters were surpri sed by how cl ose
our top store- bought broths came.
So when shoul d you go through the troubl e of
maki ng chi cken stock from scratch? I t' s a worth
whi l e i nvestment i f stock is a featured i ngredi ent
i n the reci pe (as i n chi cken noodl e soup) or i f the
i ngredi ent l i st i s short on strong flavors. For most
di shes, though, we thi nk our top four brands
make convi nci ng substi tuti ons. -j . H.
3 B Y J OLY O N I I ELTER MA N E
A Sal i ne Sol uti on
As I surveyed d1e 40-odd products I' d gathered
during my soup- aisle soj our, one thing was clear:
I had to narrow the feld. A quick comparison of
nutritional information convinced me to zero in
on sodium content, which ranged from 140 mil
ligrams to 1 , 350 milligrams per serving.
How much salt was ideal ? A preliminary tasting
reconfrmed our historical preference for lower
sodium broths ( around 700 milligrams per serv
ing and below) . Although rl1e high-salt varieties
fared well when tasted at regular strength ( simply
warmed up as soup) , reducing them by even one
third-for preparing, say, a pan sauce-rendered
them virtually inedibl e.
Discarding broths with sodium contents above
700 milligrams per serving quickly cut my list in
half. But I still couldn' t ask colleagues to make
in-depth comparisons of 1 8 broth samples in one
sitting. The solution, I decided, was to make the
frst tasting-plain, warmed broth-an elimination
round: Tasters would simply weed out the uuly
bad ones. The nine best would then advance to
the fi nals, which would include tastings of pl ain
broth ( again) and simple gravy reductions. Finally,
in both plain- broth rounds, we would make the
samples' sodium levels roughly equivalent by add
ing appropriate amounts of salt, so tasters could
focus on the favor profles. Saltiness would be
tackled in the gravy round.
Fowl Brews
As tasters pried the lids off 1 8 steaming samples,
nothing prepared them for the wretched sen
sory assault to follow. Suffi ce it to say the quali
ties separating these broths were far from subtle.
Some were actually startling in their rancid, sour
favors; others were tough to smel l , l et alone
taste. Panelists took to tl1e tasting sheets to vent
their disgust. "Did you get tl1is out of a dump
ster? " complained a taster about one boutique
organic brotl1 (which didn' t make the fnal cut ) .
"I t smells like a rotten carcass," said anotl1er. The
most consistently negative remarks were saved for
Herb Ox, a powdered bouillon product several
staffers confessed to keeping on hand in case they
run out of tl1eir favorite brotl1 .
What could possibly account tor such a varied
specuum of dreadful tastes and aromas? To fnd
out, a behind-the-scenes peek at chicken broth
manufacturing was in order.
C C | K ' > | | | l` | ^ | | D
2 6
In the test kitchen, we use 4 pounds of chicken
to produce 2 quarts of stock-a ridiculously
expensive formula for broth makers planning to
charge less than $2 a quart at retail . So factories
use much l ess. That explained why several broths
in the l i neup were described as " bl and" and
"insipid. " But what about the horrible rancidity,
which so vexed the panel of tasters?
According to Brian Sheldon, a poultry science
professor at North Carolina State Universit, ran
cid off-tastes are caused by one thing: oxidation of
fats. Just a few hours of air exposure are enough
to cause minor spoilage that, while not unsafe,
is wildly unpalatabl e. Occasional oxidation is an
inevitable part of the broth production game, and
the only way for manufacturers to combat it is
with vigilant quality control . "Smaller frms would
be expected to have fewer fnancial resources and
therefore smaller quality control staffs and pro
grams, " he said. Although Sheldon warns he' s
only speculating, our tasting data support such a
hypothesis. The worst ofenders in terms of rancid
ity were products made by smaller companies .
lbel Sl euthi ng
To compensate for usi ng l ess chicken, most
manufacturers opt to add favor enhancements,
especially salt, vegetables, and monosodium glu
tamate ( MSG) . A comparison of label ingredient
lists proved telling: Our favorite broths were those
whose list of ingredients included most or all of the
components of the standard mirepoix chefs use to
make sauces-that is, carrots, celery, and onions.
In fact, you can almost predict how good- tasting a
commercial chicken broth will be by counting the
number of mirepoix elements listed.
Why wouldn' t all brod1 makers j ump onto the
mirepoix bandwagon? Because it' s very expen
sive, said Sheldon. "Every additional ingredient
means additional cost. "
Based on past tastings, I expected the most
favorfl brands to include MSG, a traditional but
controversial favor enhancer. So I was puzzled to
fnd that only two of the 1 8 broths in the initial
tasting incl uded "monosodium glutamate" in
the list of ingredients-College Inn and Herb
Ox. Had the controversy surrounding MSG con
vinced most manufacturers to buck tradition? Not
so fast. Additional research uncovered an interest
ing loophole in labeling laws. The U. S. Food and
Drug Administration requires manufacturers to
J.`d `| `\L^.LJ | |Ll I'J`
Twent Cook's Illustrted staf member tasted 1 8 brands of l ower-sodi um chi cken
broth products (between 1 40 mi l l igrams and 690 mi l l i grams per seri ng) as pl ai n soup,
with sodi um adj usted t o the same l evel . Te top ni ne fnal ists were tasted once agai n as
R
SANSON Cerified Organi c Free Range
Chi cken Broth
$ 2. 79 for 3 2-ounce caron SODI UM: 5 70 mg.
We' re not ones to jump on the orani c bandwagon
for i ts own sake; the proof' s i n the taste. Swanson' s
newest broth won tasters over wi th "very chi ckeny,
stri ghtforard, and honest flavors , " a heart aroma,
and restri ned " hi nts of roasti ness. "
BEER THAN BOUI LLON Chicken Base
$4. 99 for 8-ounce jar of concentrate
(makes 3 8 cups ) SODI UM: 690 mg.
Fai rl y sal ty, but tasters were fond of i ts "strai ghtfor
ward " flavor profi l e. Though i t does take about 5
mi nutes to reconsti tute the concentrated paste i n
water, the I S- month refrigerator shel f l i fe means
i t' s a good repl acement for dehydrated boui l l on.
SANSON "Natural Goodness" Chi cken Broth
$ 2 . 1 9 for 3 2-ounce caron SODI UM: 5 70 mg.
Swanson' s standard l ow-sodi um broth tasted al most
as good as the wi nner, though some panel i sts found it
"overly roasted. " Very ful l chi cken flavor, but several
tasters noted an out-of- pl ace tartness remi ni scent of
l emon.
I MAGI NE Organi c Free Range Chi cken Broth
$ 1 . 99 for 3 2-ounce caron SODI UM: 570 mg.
A "decent flavor of chi cken that l i ngers . " Thi s broth
had very promi nent oni on notes, whi ch some tasters
l oved and others di sl i ked . Some panel i sts weren' t fond
of the pal e yel l ow col or.
EVE N LESS RE CO M M E NDE D
pl ai n soup (sodi u m l evel s adj usted) , then cooked i n a si mpl e gravy reducti on (sodi um
l evel s u nadj usted) . Taster rted each sampl e. Brnds are l i sted bel ow i n order of pref
erence. Sodi u m l evel s gi ven are per 1 - cup seri ng, based on package i nfomnati on.
E N D E D WI TH RE S E RVATI ON S
COLLEGE I NN Ught & Fat Free Chicken Broth
$ I . 99 for 3 2-ounce caron SODI UM: 450 mg.
Some tasters were sold on thi s broth' s "ni ce, mi l d chi cken favors, " deemi ng
i ts "understated" profi l e as opti mal for bl endi ng i nto reci pes. Others found i t
" bl ah and bori ng-nothi ng ofensive, though . "
ORRI NGTON FARMS Chi cken Flavored Soup Base and Food Seasoni ng
$ 2. 99 for 1 6-ounce jar of powdered concentrte (makes 9 1 cups)
SODI UM: 680 mg.
The only dehydrated boui l l on product in the top 1 0, we di scovered, got
flavor from a chi cken and a cow. Beef tal l ow hel ped give thi s product "ni ce,
ri ch fl avors. "
N OT RE CO M M E N D E D
TRDER JOE' S Free Range Chi cken Broth
$ 1 . 99 for 3 2 -ounce caron SODI UM: 570 mg.
Tasters coul dn' t make up thei r mi nds whether this broth tastes more l i ke
" bad takeout Chi nese soup" or the "cardboard" contai ner i t comes i n. The
"wretched odor" earned it no extra poi nts.
KITCHEN BASI CS Natural Chicken Stock
S 2. 89 for 3 2- ounce caron SODI UM: 480 mg.
Not one taster bel i eved thi s brand real ly was chi cken broth. " Medi ci nal and
beef-are you sure thi s i s chi cken? " asked one worri ed taster. "Tastes l i ke
Vegemi te tea. " Beads of oi l fl oated on top.
PACI FI C Organi c Free Range Chi cken Broth
$ 2. 49 for 3 2 -ounce caron SODI UM: 5 70 mg.
One taster noti ced an " i nteresti ng mushroom smel l , " but that' s as posi tive a
comment as tasters coul d muster. "Watery," "chemi cal , " "di rt, " and " l i ke an
enti re vegetabl e drawer gone bad" were more- representative obserati ons.
These products-l i sted i n order of preference-were deemed not good enough to make the fi nal cut: TELMA Reduced Sodi um Consomme Stock (cube) , CARMEL Kosher Chi cken Soup
Base (powder) , SHELTON' S 1 00% Orani c Chi cken Broth Origi nal Reci pe (can) , HEALTH VALLEY Fat Free Chi cken Broth (can and carton) , CAMPBELL' S Low Sodi um Chi cken Broth
Soup (can) , NATURE' S PROMI SE Orani c Chi cken Broth (carton) , SHARIANN' S Orani c Chicken Broth (can) , HERB OX Ver Low Sodi um Chi cken Granul ated Boui l l on ( powder) .
list MSG only if it's added in its pure form. But
several food additives that contain the offending
glutamic acid may be included without special
labeling-among them, autolyzed yeast, yeast
extract, dried whey, hydrolyzed soy protein, and
disodium inosinate. A second look at the labels
revealed that fve of the top six broths i n our
lineup contain one or more of these compounds
( the exception is Imagine) . And a few of them
trumpet "No MSG" across their packaging.
were responsible for maintaining fesh favors with
out off-tastes. Only two of our broths, Swa1son
Natural Goodness and College Inn, are available
i n both types of packaging, a11d a head-to- head
test revealed the flavor differences to be negl i
gible. What's more, some of our worst-performing
brands ae packaged only in aseptic cartons.
brands get help from vegetables, a glutamic com
pound, or both. ) Swa11son Certifed Organic was
our clear favorite, but the less expensive, third
place Swanson Natural Goodness was solid as well .
And if you don't mind adding water, Better Thm
Bouillon chicken base came in a very close sec
ond-md was the favorite of several tasters.
Because no camed broths made our top nine,
we wondered if the relatively new aseptic cartons
So what chicken broth product shoul d you
reach for when you haven't got time for home
made? We recommend choosing a mass-produced,
lower-sodium brand-and check the label for evi
dence of mirepoix ingredients. ( The best-tasting
,\\ , \ b | ` | 2005
2 7
COOK'S E Fr our homemade chicken stock rcipe and
a qui ck pressure cooker vriation, visit ww .cooki l l ustrted.
com and key in code 5056. Te reci pes will be avai l abl e until
June 30, 2005.
The Problem( s) with Cookie Sheets
You can pay anywhere from , ` to a whoppin
g
, ` `for a sin
g
l e cooki e sheet.
Does i t matter? We baked z , ``` cookies to find ou t.
3 B Y J O L Y O N H E L TER MA N A N D G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M I T H E
F
or such a simple-looking piece of equip
ment, the cookie sheet is rife with
complex problems . Warping, sticking,
overbrowning, underbrowning-it' s a
miracle that edible, attractive cookies get made at
all on these temperamental squares of metal .
Bakeware manufacturers have heard the call ,
trotting out redesign afer snazzy redesign. But
these "solutions" tend to offer little more tl1an
temporary displacement, solving one problem
only to exacerbate anotl1er. Is it really too much
to ask for one cookie sheet tlut browns evenly,
refses warping, resists sticking, and transfers to
and from the oven with ease?
The ultimate pan had to be out tl1ere some
where, we reasoned. But should we spend just
a few dollars or fork over more than 10 times as
much? We came up with 10 varied cookie sheets
close in size to the test kitchen' s favorite all
purpose baking sheet ( technically, a four- sided
"jellyroll " pan that measures 16 by 12 inches ) ,
which we added t o our list for comparison. Then
the baking marathon began.
Sti cki ng Poi nts
First, we had to tackle tl1e respective merits of
regular and nonstick sheets. In the past, we've
been partial to regular surfaces for their tendency
to brown more uniformly, lining tl1e pans with
parchment paper to compensate for tl1e higher
incidence of sticking. In tl1e seven years since our
last cookie- sheet testing, however, several new
players have entered the bakeware arena. We were
willing to give nonstick another go.
We baked 1 1 batches each of lemon cookies,
walnut lace cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and
spritz cookies, once with parchment paper, once
without. During tl1e unlined round, tl1e cook
ies clung tenaciously to the uncoated surfaces
( breaking into pieces when we pried them off,
while the nonstick sheets released their contents
effortlessly. No surprises there. But one uncoated
sheet, the Chi cago Metal l ic, rel eased cookies
almost as well as tle nonstick models. The differ
ence? This was the only traditional sheet with a
matte rather tl1an a shiny, slick surface, making it
harder for the cookies to form a tight seal .
The cookies baked on the darker nonstick
sheets browned more quickly than we wanted,
but at l east they were intact. When we repeated
the tests usi ng parchment paper, however, the
traditional sheets came out on top, browning
evenly and at a comfortable pace-and without
any release issues. Even with parchment paper,
tl1e nonstick sheets overbrowned the cookies .
Why such a difference? In baki ng, cooking
occurs primarily through convection: heat trans
ferred indirectly to the food vi a ai r currents . Since
food can't fl oat in midair-it has to sit on bake
ware-additional heat is transferred directly from
the pan. Dark-colored surfaces absorb more heat
tl1an light-colored surfaces ( which refect it) , so
more heat gets transferred to the food.
If onl y it were possible to make a cookie sheet
witl a light-colored nonstick coati ng. A call to
the Cookware Manufacturers Association l eft
us scratching our heads . "You can tint nonstick
coatings any color you want, " explained a CMA
spokesperson. "At one point, there were even
white nonstick coatings. " So why do bakeware
companies today insist on making dark coatings?
It turns out tl1e preference for dark coatings is
a relic of 1 960s marketing; that's when DuPont
began tinting its Tefon- brand coating to differ
entiate it from tle competition-inferior-quality
nonstick coatings made with clear silicone. The
misconception that equates a dark fnish with
higher quality persists to this day.
Since overbrowning is unacceptabl e, we prefer
a cookie sheet witl1 a regular rather than a non
stick surface-at least until tl1e nonstick-coating
industry lightens up. Besides, keeping parchment
paper on hand is easy enough.
Not al l regul ar surfaces are created equal ,
however. We dismissed texturized surfaces fairly
qui ckl y. The Emeril ware ' s di amond- shaped
grooves, designed to l et hot air circulate beneatl
the food, did l i ttl e but retard browni ng
unneces s ar y with l i ght- col ored sheets . The
Ai r Bake insul ated pans had similar probl ems: The
two-layer sheets, unsealed to allow air to fll tl1e
interior, slowed browning.
With the nonstick, texturized, and insulated
sheets el i mi nated, only four cooki e sheets
remained i n the game: Chicago Metallic, All
Clad, Kaiser, and the generic j ellyroll pan.
Si de I ssues
Most cookie sheets have at least one perfectly fat
side to allow batches of cookies to be whisked
from sheet to cooling rack unhindered. Afer
breaking one too many cookies in transit, we
L l | b
'
5 | l l L 5 1 K ^ 1 L |
2 8
were convinced that a good cookie sheet can' t
have four raised sides. But what was tl1e optimal
number? Several models had j ust one raised side,
which proved awkward when rotating them mid
way through baking, a necessary step for most
recipes. ( The side with the "handle" always ended
up i n an awkward position: either facing toward
tl1e back of the oven or on tl1e l ef side, if tle
baker was right- handed. ) For that reason, we
recommend cookie sheets with two handles
positioned at the short sides.
Unfortwutely, tlrree of our four fi nal contes
tants fel l short in the handle department, either
having four sides ( the jellyroll pan) or j ust one side
( tl1e Kaiser and the All- Clad) . That lef us with
j ust one contender, tl1e Chicago Metallic, and that
brings us to the subject of waring. The thinner
and lighter the sheet, tle greater the tendency to
warp at higher temperatures. Beyond the disturb
ing sound of struggle emanating fom the oven,
warping is undesirable because of the tendency for
delicate cookies to break or spread w1evenly at the
site of the temporary bend. The Chicago Metallic
sheet was on the light side and evidenced warping
when used at high oven temperatures. It's a good
cookie sheet, but not a perfect one.
You' ve Got Mai l (Order)
Aer weeks of testing, then, where were we? We
hadn' t found tl1e cookie sheet of our dreams
ideally, a heav sheet vith a light-colored matte
fnish and handles on tl1e two short sides. We
headed back to department stores, kitchenware
shops, and bakeware Web sites in search of our
el usive sheet, but to no avai l . Then, during a
visit to a restaurant supply store, we found the
Holy Grail of cookie sheets . Made by Vollrath,
the sheet boasted every one of our choosy prefer
ences. Afer confrming that industry outsiders
can order the sheet by mail ( see Sources, page
32) , we brought it back to the test kitchen to see
how it negotiated our battery of trial s.
Sure enough, the Vollrath handled every task
brilliantly. We repeated the tests with our reigning
favorites-our four fawed-but-solid sheets-j ust
to make sure tl1e Vol l rath was truly the top choice.
But 1 6 more batches of cookies later, the conclu
sion was clear: no warping, no wel l -positioned
handles, and minimal sticking, even unlined. For
the Ultimate Cookie Sheet, then, our money's
on the Vollrath.
RTI NGS
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
RATI NG COOKIE SHEETS
We tested 1 2 cooki e sheets, as cl ose to 1 6 i nches by 1 2
i nches as we coul d fi nd i n each manufacturer' s l i ne, baki ng
several stl es of cooki es on each model . The sheets are
l i sted bel ow i n order of preference, based on our eval ua
ti on of performance, desi gn, and durabi l i ty.
retai l , nati onal mai l - order, or onl i ne outl ets. You may
encounter di ferent pri ces.
a fai r rati ng. Extreme di fferences i n brown i ng. cooki ng
ti mes, or consi stency earned a poor rati ng.
MATERIAL: Materi al the sheet i s made from.
COOKI NG SURFACE: Di mensions ofthe cooki ng surface.
WEI GHT: Rounded to the nearest ounce.
PRI CE: Pri ces l i sted are what we pai d at Boston- area
PERFORMANCE: Factors eval uated i ncl uded cooki ng
speed as wel l as evenness and degree of browni ng. Sheets
that browned cookie bottoms to the appropriate shade
consi stentl y and wi thi n the reci pes' recommended cook
i ng ti mes were rated good. Browni ng that was moderatel y
darker or l ighter, that was i nconsi stent from cooki e to
cooki e, or that proceeded sl i ghtl y too fast or sl ow meant
DESI GN: Factors eval uated i ncl uded whether the sheet' s
di mensi ons, shape, materi al , and handl e design contri b
uted to or detracted from overal l user-fri endl i ness.
DURBI LIT: Sheets were rated good . fair, or poor based
on how wel l they resi sted warpi ng and scratchi ng after
repeated sessi ons of washi ng, stacki ng, utensi l use, and
oven heat.
MATERI AL: Steel
COOK I NG S U RFACE : 1 7" X 1 4"
WE I G HT: 2 1 b. 8 OZ.
PRI CE : $ 1 9. 9S
PERF ORMANCE : ***
DE S I GN: ***
DURABI LI TY: ***
TESTERS' COMME NTS: "Thi s i s the one we' ve been wai ti ng for," remarked one
tester. Roomy and sturdy, wi th handl es on the short si des (where we l i ke them).
Mi ni mal sticking, even when unl i ned.
MATERI AL: Aumi nized steel
COOKI NG S U RFACE : 1 4
1
/o" X 1 3 '/o"
WE I G HT: I l b. I I oz.
PRI CE : $ 2 1 . 9 5
PERF ORMANCE : ***
D ES I G N : ***
DURABI LI TY: **
TESTE RS' COMME NTS : Not unti l near the end of testing di d we real ize thi s pan
wasn' t nonsti ck. Cookies rel eased easi l y even wi thout a l i ner, and the handl es are
ri ght where they shoul d be. Some warpi ng at hi gher temperatures.
WearEver Commerci al Jel lyrol l Pn
MATERI AL: Tinned steel
COOK I NG S U RFACE : 1 6'/"" X 1 1 5/o"
WE I GHT: I l b. 1 4 oz.
P RI CE : $ 1 0. 99
PERF ORMANCE : * * *
DE S I GN: **
D U RABI LI TY: ***
TESTERS' COMME NTS : Our ol d standby handl ed tasks wel l , but some cooki es
broke on one of the four rai sed si des as we whi sked parchment paper from sheet
to cool i ng rack.
Kaiser Bakeware
MATERI AL:
COOKI NG S U RFACE :
WE I GHT:
P RI CE :
PERF ORMANCE :
DE S I G N :
D U RABI LI TY:
Tinned steel
1 5'/, . " x 1 2'/""
l i b. 1 5 oz.
s 1 0. 99
***
**
***
TESTE RS' COMME NTS : I t' s a sol i d pan, but we' d rather have two ri sed si des and
a sl ightly dul l er fi ni sh. The cured shape of i ts one raised si de meant sti cki ng your
hand fairly far i nto the oven to remove the pan.
Al l -Clad MATERI AL: Stainless steel with
al umi num core
1 6'/, " X 1 2 '/o"
WE I G HT: 3 l b. I OZ.
PRI CE : $89. 95
PERF ORMANCE : * * *
DE S I G N : **
DURABI LI TY: **
TESTE RS coMME NTS: Thi s beauti ful sheet turned ruddy after weeks of constant
use. Perect browni ng, but the handl e pl acement made rotating thi s heavy pan
awkward. Wi thout a l i ner, cooki es and sheet became one.
RECOMME NDE D WI TH RE S E RVATI ONS
Cal phalon Commerci al Bakeware
TESTE RS' COMME NTS :
Good handl e pl acement, but the dark
nonsti ck coating browned cooki es too
qui ckly.
WearEver Ai rBake Nonsti ck
TESTE RS' COMME NTS :
We' re not fans of the i nsulated pan stl e-a
two-layer sheet wi th hol l ow i nteri or-but the
i nsul ati on compensated for thi s dark pan' s
tendency t o overbrown . Speci al pai ns must be
taken t o keep t he i nteri or from getti ng wet.
NordicWare Pro- Form Nonsti ck
TESTE RS' COMM E NTS : Unsurpri si ngly, the
darkest pan i n the l i neup produced the most
egregi ous overbrowni ng. Cookies pl aced
near the rai sed si dewal l suffered most.
Anol on SureGri p Bakeware
TESTE RS' COMM E NTS : Thi s behemoth
was unwi el dy, the dark surface browned
too qui ckly, and the four-si ded design was
less than i deal for whi ski ng parchment
sheets to the cool i ng rack.
NOT RECOMME NDE D
Emeri lware
TESTE RS' COMME NTS : The texturized
surface slowed browni ng, the handl e is
on the wrong si de, cookies stuck horri bl y
when unl i ned, and warpi ng was a seri ous
probl em.
WearEver AirBake
TESTE RS' COMME NTS : The i nsul ati on
retarded browni ng drastical ly, and there
was no dark nonsti ck surface to make up
for it. Speci al pai ns must be taken t o keep
the i nteri or from getti ng wet.
KitchenAid
TESTE RS' COMM ENTS: Desi gn faws
wide borders and a gi mmi ck sl anted end
( meant to hel p cooki es sl i de off) -robbed
thi s al ready-smal l sheet of preci ous cook
i ng area. The dark surface made for the
usual browni ng probl ems.
^ ^ Y b ) L | L 2005
2 9
MATERI AL: Al umi num with nonstick
coating
COOKI N G S U RFACE : 1 5 '/" X 1 3 "
WE I G HT: I l b. 1 2 OZ.
PRI CE : $ 1 2. 99
PE RF ORMANCE : **
DE S I GN: **
DURABI LI TY: **
MATERI AL:
COOKI NG S U RFACE :
WE I G HT:
P RI CE :
PE RF ORMANCE :
DE S I G N :
D U RABI LI TY:
MATERI AL:
COOK I NG S U RFACE :
WE I GHT:
P RI CE :
PERF ORMANCE :
DE S I G N :
D U RABI LI TY:
MATERI AL:
COOKI NG S U RFACE :
WE I G HT:
PRI C E :
PE RF ORMANC E :
DE S I G N :
D U RABI LI TY:
MATERI AL:
COOK I NG S U RFACE :
WE I GHT:
PRI CE :
PERF ORMANCE :
DE S I G N :
D U RABI LI TY:
MATERI AL:
COOKI N G S U RFACE :
WE I G HT:
PRI CE :
PERF ORMANCE :
DE S I G N :
D U RABI LI TY:
MATERI AL:
COOK I NG S U RFACE :
WEI G HT:
PRI CE :
PE RF ORMANCE :
DE S I GN:
D U RABI LI TY:
coating
1 45/1 6 " X 1 3 '/1 6"
l i b. 1 2 oz.
s 1 3 . 99
**
**
**
Al umi num
1 6 ' /o" x 1 2 '/o"
I l b. 8 oz.
$ 24. 99
*
**
**
Al umi num
1 5 5/o" X 1 3 '/4'
I l b. 4 oz.
$9. 99
*
**
**
I l b. 8 oz.
s 1 9. 99
**
*
**
l l +' l1 '+1:
: B Y D A W N Y A N A G I I I A RA E
Convecti on Ovens:
Hype or Hel p?
In addition t o the usual bake and
broil, many new ovens now offer con
vection settings. Readers have asked
when and how to use the convec
tion option, so we decided to make
a dozen of our recipes in the test
kitchen' s Wolf and KitchenAid ovens
using both the convection setti ng
and the regular bake setting.
How does a convecti on oven
work? A built-i n fan circulates the
hot air, which hel ps to maintain a
constant temperature and el iminate
hot spots. This should translate to
even browning and faster cooking
because the hot air flly engulfs the
food and conveys the heat more eff
ciently than it does in a standard
oven, where the hot air does not
circul ate.
Most ovens with a convection fea
ture are equipped witl1 at least two
convection settings: convect bake and
convect roast. In the former, a maj or
ity of the heat is generated from the
lower heating element to mi tigate
surface browni ng. In the latter, heat
is generated from both the upper
and lower heating elements to pro
mote the surface browning desired
in most roasted preparati ons. I n
our tests, we used the convection
setting appropriate for the prepara
tion and i n some cases tested both.
Manufacturers recommend reduc
ing the oven temperature by 25 to
s H o p p 1 N G : Choo
50 degrees when using a convection
setting, and we incorporated these
temperature adj ustments into our
tests.
The following is a review of our
fndings. Of course, these tests rep
resent just the tip of the i ceberg;
we intend to make convection oven
tests an ongoing proj ect.
. CAKS We found no advan
tage to baki ng yel l ow layer
cakes on the convect bake setti ng.
In the convection mode, tl1e cakes
required a 25- degree temperature
reduction to prevent the surfaces
from becomi ng dry and leathery.
This temperature adjustment slowed
baking by several minutes, witl1 no
improvement i n tl1e cakes.
COOKI ES With the oven tem
peramre reduced 25 degrees,
cookies baked up nicely on the con
vect bake setti ng, but the baking
sheets still required top-to- bottom
shufi ng. ( When we lowered the
temperamre by 50 degrees and ex
tended tl1e baking time, we found
that the cooki es browned evenly
without swi tchi ng the position of
the baking sheets. We are, however,
hesitant to recommend a universal
50- degree temperature reduction
when baking cookies on a convec
tion setting. Attempt this at yom own
risk. ) We found tl1at cookies that are
better baked one sheet at a time in a
t Fonti na
Fonti na cheese i s one of our favori tes t o us e i n cooki ng because i t has excel l ent
mel ti ng properti es and a mi l d, n utt, earthy flavor. But caveat emptor: There
are di fferent types of fonti na, and, for most cooki ng purposes, we recommend
the mi ddl e ground. Fonti na Val d ' Aosta i s the I tal i an fonti na par excel l ence. I t
has smal l i rregul ar hol es, a rather el astic texture, and a natural brown ri nd. At
about $ 1 5 a pound, it al so has a ni ce pri ce tag. For seri ng wi th crackers, thi s i s
the cheese to buy.
On the other end of the spectrum i s Swedi sh or Dani sh fonti na. Coated i n
red wax, this i nexpensive cheese has a generi c, u nremarkabl e flavor. Between
the two i s an I tal i an- made fonti na that costs about $8 a pound; i t has a waxy
browni sh coati ng and a semi - soft, super- creamy texture. Thi s i s the fonti na that
we recommend usi ng i n our reci pe for Fri ttata wi th Broccol i Rabe, S un- Dri ed
Tomatoes, and Fonti na ( page 9 ) , as wel l as i n the spi nach and fonti na stuffi ng for
our pork chops (page I 5 ) . We purchase it from our l ocal supermarket; it is al so
avai l abl e in most good cheese shops.
standard oven-such as our Molasses
Spice Cookies ( January/February
2002 )-can be baked two sheets at a
time on the convect bake setting.
ROAST CHI CKE N Chi ckens
roasted on tl1e convect roast
setting were done 1 0 to 1 5 minutes
ahead of tl1ose roasted i n a standard
oven, and the skins were darker and
more evenl y browned. Chi ckens
roasted on tl1e convect bake setting
also cooked faster, but tley di d not
brown any better tl1an i n a standard
oven. Stick witl1 convect roast. No
temperature adjustment is neces
sary.
YEASTED BREAD Whe n
we baked free- form rus
tic l oaves on preheated baking
stones, the convect bake setting
yiel ded a loaf with a slightly thicker,
crispier crust. The l oaves browned
and rose on par with each other,
i ndicating that no ti me and tem
perature adj ustments are necessary.

PREBAKED TART S HELL With

tl1e oven temperamre reduced
25 degrees, tart shel l s l i ned with
foi l , fl l ed with pie wei ghts, and
prebaked on the convect bake set
ting browned a bi t more qui ckly
tl1an tart shells baked on the stan
dard bake setti ng. Once tl1e foi l and
weights were removed and the shells
retured to the oven, the bottom
FO NTI NA
VAL D ' AOSTA
I TALI AN
F O NTI NA
L | | b
:
5 | |. L L 5 | K ^ | | |
30
of the convecti on-baked tart shells
browned better and more evenly.
TO SUMMARIZE: Convection settings
do promote even browni ng and
work wel l for preparations in which
browni ng and cri sp surfaces are
desired. Temperature reduction is
necessary for more delicate and sug
ary baked goods such as cookies and
tart shells but not for sturdier, more
savory foods such as roast chicken
and yeasted breads .
B ETTE R B ROWN I N G
I n most tests, food cooked i n convec
tion ovens showed better, more even
browni ng, as di d thi s tart shel l .
Cookie Re- Cri sper
With storage, chewy cookies like our
Chocolate- Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
( page 23) lose some of the textural
contrast that makes tllem so appeal
ing fresh out of the oven. They lose
thei r cri spness around the edges
and become uniformly sof. Faced
with a pl ethora of l efover cookies
from testi ng, we decided to see if
we could restore some of their fresh
baked allure by re- crisping tllem.
Mter testing several possibilities
( including the microwave) , we got
the cookies almost as good as fresh
by putting tlem into a 425 -degree
oven for four to fve minutes. Make
sure to let the cookies cool on the
baking sheet for a couple of minutes
before removi ng them, and con
sume them whi l e tley're warm.
Smar Cooki es
We often hear from readers that
tl1eir cookies don' t bake properly i n
the allotted time. If that' s the case
i n your home, we think we know
T E s T K I T C H E N G U I D E L I N E s : Pan - Fryi ng 1 0 1
Pan-fri ng sti rs fear i n many home
cooks. But for real ly cri sp fri ed
chi cken or breaded pork cutl ets, i t' s
a techni que worth masteri ng. Here
are some gui del i nes:
USE A HEAVPAN Thi nk cast i ron
or enamel ed cast i ron, whi ch wi l l
di stri bute heat evenly.
USE A PAN WITH HI GH SI DES A Dutch oven i s i deal .
USE A FATWITH A HI GH SMOKE POI NT Peanut oi l i s a good exampl e.
USE ENOUGH OI L Fat shoul d come hal fay up the si des of the food.
DO NOT OVERCROWD THE PAN For i nstance, do not al l ow chi cken pi eces
to touch one another or overl ap. Cook food i n smal l batches.
MAI NTAI N THE FRYI NG TEMPERTURE Most fri ng takes pl ace between
325 and 3 75 degrees (see speci fi c reci pes) . Check the temperature wi th
a thermometer.
TURN FOOD J UST ONCE Use tongs, not a fork, to avoi d pi erci ng food.
KEEP FOOD WARM Pl ace fri ed food on a rack set over a baki ng sheet i n a
200-degree oven whi l e cooki ng subsequent batches. - Ni na West
the reason. Assumi ng that your
oven i s properl y cal i brated ( and
that's assuming a lot ) , we bet that
improper portioning is the culpri t.
When it comes to dough mounds,
size does matter. Cookies portioned
out larger or smaller than the recipe
directs bake differently and may not
yield the intended texture.
In tl1e test kitchen, for recipes with
relatively small yields ( two dozen or
fewer), we portion atl1e dough into
the correct number of mow1ds before
baking the first sheet. That's why our
recipes always give an exact number,
not an approximate yield. We then
examine the mounds, stealing bits
from larger ones to bulk up puny
ones. Finally, we shape the evenly
sized mounds, arrange them on
baking sheets, and bake as directed.
Sounds a bi t compulsive, but if you
want cookies with a texture that' s
just so, i t' s worth the extra step.
a deep, rich favor. It is called hazel
nut butter i n French because as the
butter browns, it takes on the fl avor
and aroma of toasted nuts. Browned
butter is used i n both baked goods
and savory preparations; brightened
with lemon j ui ce, it makes a classic,
simple "sauce" for Fi sh Meuniere
( January/February 2004) as well as
for vegetables such as asparagus and
green beans.
When maki ng browned butter,
use a saucepan or skillet with a light
colored interior; the dark color of
nonsti ck or anodi zed al umi num
cookware makes i t diffcult to j udge
the color of the butter as it browns .
Use medium to medium- high heat,
and stir or swirl the butter occasi on
al l y so that the mi l k sol i ds brown
evenly; depending on the heat set
ting and the amount of butter, the
process may take as few as three
minutes i f browni ng j ust a couple of
tablespoons or as l ong as l 0 mi nutes
if browning a fll cup. Finally, if not
using the browned butter immedi
ately, transfer it to a bowl ; if lef i n
the saucepan or skillet, residual heat
can cause it to continue cooking . . .
and then it becomes beurre noir
And what about recipes that yield
several dozen cookies? It's not prac
tical to portion 48 balls of dough at
one time. In this case, pay special
heed to the size of each portion of
dough. Our recipes tell you how
much dough to use (in tablespoons)
and then indicate the diameter
of each shaped dough ball (in
inches ) .
Browned Butter
Browned butter, or beurre noi
sete ( hazelnut butter) , as it is
called in French, gives the flling of
our Baked Raspberry Tart (page 25)
N OT QU I TE
READY
P ROP E RLY
B ROWN E D
RE C I P E U P DATE : READERS RESPOND
Qui cker Stufed Potatoes
When devel opi ng our reci pe for Stuffed Baked Potatoes (September/
October 2004) , it was a gi ven that we woul d bake the potatoes twi ce: once
whol e and agai n once they' d been hol l owed out and stuffed. But a few readers
wondered i f the i ni ti al hour- l ong baki ng ti me coul d be cut short by usi ng the
mi crowave.
Al though the ski n on the mi crowaved potatoes was fl abby, thi s wasn' t much
of an i ssue, as the potato shel l s are broi l ed to cri sp them before stufi ng. The
mi crowave cuts about SO mi nutes off the prep ti me. So here' s how to do i t:
Pl ace four potatoes i n a shal l ow baki ng di sh, puncture the ski n wi th a fork. and
mi crowave the spuds. rotati ng them every three mi nutes, unti l a skewer can
be i nserted and removed with l i ttl e resi stance, ni ne to 1 2 mi nutes. Once the
mi crowaved potatoes have cool ed for I 0 mi nutes, si mpl y conti nue wi th the
now much shorter reci pe by hal vi ng the potatoes, hol l owi ng them out, maki ng
the fi l l i ng, and broi l i ng the shel l s before stufi ng them and broi l i ng agai n.
Berry Good Pancakes?
Readers wanted to know i f other berri es coul d be used i n our reci pe for
Bl ueberr Pancakes ( J uly/ August 2003) . It seemed l i ke a l ogi cal assumpti on,
as the pancakes need to cook only about I mi nute on the si de wi th the berri es.
But i t was not to be. Fresh strawberri es and raspberri es si mpl y broke down too
much, expl odi ng and burni ng onto the pan despi te the short
cooki ng ti me. I f you want to add other fresh berri es
to your pancakes. serve them as a garni sh once
the pancakes make i t out of the hot pan .
Tomato Tart
Wai ti ng for tomato season to hi t before mak
i ng our Tomato and Mozarel l a Tar ( J uly/
August 2003 ) ? So were many other readers, who
wondered if we coul d fi nd a way to make thi s si mpl e,
S OFT B E RRI E S RU I N
savory tart at any ti me of year. Repl aci ng the pl um
PAN CAKES
tomatoes wi th cherry tomatoes (whi ch are prett rel i abl y sweet year-round) and
roasti ng the cherry tomatoes wi th some addi ti onal flavori ngs hel ped concentrate
thei r flavor. But for an even qui cker substituti on. drai n a j ar of sun- dri ed toma
toes. ri nse them to remove the dul l flavor of the oi l and herbs. and then mi nce.
Orange I ce
Our reci pe for Lmon I ce ( J uly/August 2003) i s a test kitchen favorite. but
several readers wondered if i t was possi bl e to make a l ess mouth-puckeri ng
versi on with orange j ui ce. A strai ght substi tuti on of fresh-squeezed orange j uice
for l emon j ui ce produced an i ce that was candy-sweet. Reduci ng the sugar from
I cup to 11 cup got the sweetness ri ght but harmed the texture and made the
orange i ce, wel l , too icy. We sol ved thi s probl em by boosti ng the aci di t of the
orange j ui ce wi th 2 tabl espoons of l emon j ui ce. We real ly l i ked thi s flavor com
bi nati on; i t was fresh . orangey. and aci di c. The l emon j ui ce al so al l owed us to
i ncrease the sugar-back u p to 3/ cup-and thereby give our Orange I ce a satisf
i ngl y smooth texture. - Compi l ed by Ni na West
COOK'S E To get the reci pes menti oned above. go to ww. cooksi l l ustrted. com
and key i n the fol l owi ng codes: Mi crowave- Baked Potatoes for Twi ce- Baked Potatoes
( 5057) , Cherr Tomato and Mozarel l a Tart ( 5058) , Sun- Dried Tomato and Mozarel l a
Tart ( 5059) , Orange I ce (6050) . These reci pes wi l l be avai l abl e unti l j une 30, 2005.
I F YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a recentl y publ i shed reci pe, let us know.
Send your i nqui r, name, address. and dayti me tel ephone number to Reci pe
Update, Cook' s I l l ustrated , P. O. Box 4705 89, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or write
to reci peupdate@bcpress. com.
M A Y 0 1 | ` | 2005
3 1
1L l l ^1+ ' '!11
WEAR AN D TEAR
Colanders
The winner of our 2001 rating of col
anders, the 5- quart Precision Pierced
Endurance Stainless Steel Colander,
remains a reliable test-kitchen work
horse. We still like its "mega-perfo
rated" bowl ( almost more perfora
tion than bowl ) . Just one problem:
Those sol dered- on, l oop- shaped
side handles have started popping
off in the dishwasher.
We shopped around for colanders
of similar design in hope of replac
ing our wi nner. But after testi ng
several likely contenders, we found
that none could take down the
champ. Thi s somewhat misleadingly
named col ander is sti l l the best
performing model out there-even
without the handles . Grudgi ngly,
we vowed to ignore the Endurance' s
"dishwasher- safe" i nstructions and
begin washing our intact colanders
by hand. Afer all, how dirty does a
colander really get?
E NDURANCE COLAN D E R
Time for a new name?
E QU I P M E NT TE ST
Nonstick Baking- Pan Uners
With so many brands of reusable
baking-pan liners available, we won
dered if any could replace the count
less rolls of parchment paper the test
kitchen blows through every week.
We pitted fve liners against plain
old parchment by balng cookies on
our two favorite cookie sheets, made
by Vollrath and Chicago Metal l i c.
Sticking was never an issue, and
browni ng was unaffected as l ong
as the l i ner l ay flat. However, when
used on the Chicago Metallic pan,
the liner edges bowed upward, leav
ing a porti on of the l i ner without
direct pan contact-and us with sev
eral pale, unevenly browned cookie
? B Y G A R T I I C L I N G I N G S M I T I E
bottoms per batch. This probl em
affects about hal f tle cookie sheets
tested on page 29, so it's a big deal .
The l i ghtweight l i ners, KtchAI I ' s
Cook-Eze ( $1 3. 95 ) and ChePs Planet
Half Size Sheet Pan Liner ( $ 14. 95) ,
can be cut to ft cookie sheets of any
size, but tl1ese liners were less durable
in our tests, creasing slightly afer just
a few washes. The heavy-duty, fber
glass-weave liners-Silpat ( $1 9. 99) ,
Exopat ( $1 9. 99), and Tupperware's
Wonder Mat ( $30)-are designed
to ft only standard hal f- sheet
pans ( about 16 by 1 2 inches) , and
cutting to ft isn't an option.
So what to buy? If your baking
sheet is exactly the right size, the
heavy- duty mats we tested work
fne, and they're not that hard to
clean. Frankly, though, we' re not
sold on any of them. In the l ong
run, parchment paper may be the
most expensive option, but its versa
tility and disposability make it worth
the dough.
DO YO U RE AL LY N E E D TH I S ?
Food Injectors
One test cook, perhaps a tad too
well versed in late- ni ght i nfomer
cials, mused aloud on tl1e syringe
type food injectors designed to si m
plif the process of stuffng multiple
pork chops ( see the story on page
1 4) . A round of snickering-and a
few easy payments later-we had a
sampling ofthese gadgets in tl1e test
kitchen.
The wide needl e of the Fl avor
Express Marinator ( $39. 95, below
lef) choked on the spinach srufng
we developed for the pork chops.
The openi ng of the Ronco Solid
Flavor Injector ( $ 1 7. 99 for a set of
two, below right) was ample enough
to deliver items as large as olives.
TH E RI G HT STU F F ?
These sol i d-food i njectors fl unk the test.
Unfortunately, packng the sntffng
i nto the injector was more diffcult
than filling tle chop itself The blunt
expanding tip is not easy to jab into
a slab of meat, and who wants olive
size items injected into a chop, any
way? We recommend simply stuffng
tl1e pork chops by hand.
E Q U I P ME NT U P DATE
Digital Kitchen Scal e
Our tests of di gital kitchen scal es
in March/ Apri l 2000 brought us
to the Soehnl e Cyber El ectroni c
Kitchen Scale ( model 8048) , which
we've found to be well worth the
hefy $ 1 25 price tag. Unfortunately,
tlis product has been diffcult to fnd
over the past few years . A few phone
calls i denti fed the likely cul pri t :
busi ness restructuri ng. Soehnl e' s
kitchen- scale uni t was recently ac
qui red by Lei fei t Housewares ,
which has since renamed the prod
uct tl1e Soehnle Funtra. Happily, the
transition seems to be complete, and
our favorite scale isn't nearly as hard
to get. Or as expensive: The price
has fallen to a much more reason
abl e $79. 99.
E Q U I P M E NT U P DATE
Sauciers
Duri ng testi ng for our January/
February 2005 story on sauciers, we
put togetler an exacting profle of
tle ultimate design for tlus rounded,
fared saucepan. Our recommended
( fourth- pl ace) Cal phal on Infsed
Anodized 3- Quart Chef's Pan came
close. Its downfall was a dark matte
interior that made it tricky to j udge
how much fond had developed. It
was also a bit cramped. So we were i n
trigued when CaJphalon announced
its latest cookware Line, which has a
shiny, stainless steel cooking surface
and a roomy design.
We r an t he new
3 11- quart Cal phal on
Contemporary Stainless
Sa uc e Pa n ( $ 1 3 5 )
through our ori gi nal tests,
put t i ng our wi nni ng Al l - Cl ad
Stai nl ess 3 - Quart sauci er ( $ 1 45 )
and the anodized Calphalon Chef's
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A r E D
3 2
Pan ( $ 1 59. 95 ) through the trials
as wel l . All three turned out per
fect bechamel , risotto, and gravy.
But, as in our original testing, what
separates these pans is design. The
roomi er Calphalon Contemporary
contained splashing from even a vig
orous whisk better than its compe
tition, its extra- long handle stayed
cool , and the surface devel oped
fond as wel l as the All - Cl ad did.
Our verdict? Tlus new Calphalon
pan is defnitely on par with the win
ni ng All - Cl ad, and we enthusiasti
cally recommend it as an alternative.
Sources
Prices were current at press ti me and
do not i ncl ude shi ppi ng and handl i ng.
Contact compani es di rectl y to confi rm
pri ces and avai l abi l it.
page 3: MANGO FORKS
Mango Fr (set of 2) : $ 3 9. 95 , item
# I 07 1 , Mel i ssa Guerra (877- 87 5- 2665,
www. mel issaguerra. com) .
page 7: SLI CI NG KNI FE
Forschner 1 0" x I '12 " Sl i cer, Round
Ti p: $40. 5 5 , item #F40644, The Knife
Merchant ( 800-469- 4834,
w . kni femerchant. com) .
page 1 2: PAELL PAN
L I deal Enamel ed Pel l a Pn,
34 em: $ 27. 99, Amazon
(ww.amazon. com) .
page 25 : ROWNG PI N GUI DES
Perfecti on Stri ps: $8, Country Kitchen
Sweetrt (800-497- 3927,
w . countrkitchensa. com) .
page 29: COOKI E SHEE
Vol l rath Cooki e Sheet ( 1 7" x 1 4" ) :
S 1 9. 95 , item #895 200, Broadway
Pnhandl er (800- 266- 5927,
ww. broadwaypanhandl er. com) .
page 3 2 : COLNDER
Endurance Preci si on Pi erced Stai nl ess
Steel 5-Quar Col ander: $26. 99, item
#706 1 , Fante' s Kitchen Wares Shop
(800-443- 2683. w.fantes. com) .
page 3 2: DI GITAL KITCHEN SCALE
Soehnl e Futura Di gital Food Scal e:
$79. 99, model #66 5 24, Amazon
(ww. amazon. com) .
page 3 2: SAUCI ER
Cal phal on Contemporary Stai nless
3 11-Quart Sauce Pn: S 1 3 5 , Mac's
(800- 289- 6229, ww . macy.com).
K1' l l1:
May 6 June 2005
Mai n Di shes
Frittata
with Asparagus, Ham, and
Gruyere 8
wi th Bacon , Potato, and
Cheddar 9
wi th Broccol i Rbe, Sun- Dri ed
Tomatoes, and Fonti na 9
with Leek, Prosci utto, and
Goat Cheese 9
Gri l l ed Mari nated Fl ank Steak 7
Orange- Fl avored Chi cken 2 1
Pel l a I I
Stuffed Thi ck- Cut Pork Chops 1 5
Stufi ngs
FOR THICK- CUT PORK CHOPS:
Red Oni on Jam Stufi ng wi th Port.
Pecans, and Dried Frui t I 5
Spi nach and Fonti na Stufi ng
wi th Pi ne Nuts I 5
Si de Di shes
Ski l l et- Roasted Potatoes 1 9
wi th Chi l i and Cumi n 1 9
wi th Garl i c and Rosemary 1 9
wi th Lemon and Chives 1 9
Salad Dressi ngs
Creamy Avocado Ranch
Dressi ng 1 3
Fresh Appl e and Parsley
Dressi ng 1 3
Moroccan- Spi ced Vi naigrette 1 3
Orange- Port Dressi ng wi th
Wal nut Oi l 1 3
Sweet Sesame- Soy Vi nai grette 1 3
Mari nades
FOR GRILLED MARINATED FLANK STEAK:
Garl i c- Chi l e Wet Paste
Mari nade 7
Garl i c- Gi nger-Sesame Wet Pste
Mari nade 7
Garl i c- Shal l ot- Rosemar Wet
Paste Mari nade 7
Desserts
Baked Rspberry Tart 25
Chocol ate- Chunk Oatmeal Cooki es
wi th Pecans and Dri ed Cherri es 23
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Fri ttata wi th Asparagus, Ham,
and Gruyere. 8
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