Cook's Illustrated 097

7/22/2019 Cook's Illustrated 097

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STR AT E D

Best Beef Tenderloi lssc ch

Glazed Roast Chicke

Reviving Baked Zitw ucs h Rscu

Rating Blenderss l u h ls

Kepig PantryStapls Fres

Fnc MasedPotatos

Rch hsy lcy

Ra vs. Fa Vanil

aete Cate Cake

Paeaed Pk C

Cke Cte

t P aeCd ake

t Caatta ea

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2/36

March April

2 Notes from ReadersBY DAD PAZO AD FR AC CO J. ROB RT

4Quick TipsQuick and easy ways to peorm everyday tasks, from

rdng the "eyes from a wole pineapple to makingfavored satBY YO RUPRT AD FRACCO ]. ROBRT

6 Te Bes Beef TenderlonTe cassc approac to roasting ts prime cut sacrfces

juciness for crust Wy settle for anything less ta

perfecto? B Y C H A R L L Y

8 Better Gazed Roast ChcenAppyng a gaze to a woe ccken can land you in a

sweet mess To resove tis stck situaton, we brougt a

outdoor metod idoors BY DAD PAZO

0 Rethiking Thick-CutPork CopsTck pork chops may boast a jucy interor or a nicely

caramelized exeror-but rarely bot We wante it all,

in one recipe BY FRAC C O J ROBRT

12 Fish en Papilote?Uness you're a wz at orgam, parcmentbaked fs

ca be long on abor and short on flavor Here's ow we

foe tese problems B Y E I T H D R R

14 Rescuing Bake Zitiransformng ts tired ItaliaAmercan classc into a dswort makng took more tan swapping out te ricotta

BY DAD PAZO

6 Keepig Kitchen StaplesFresher LongerMovng your olve oil, vinegar, and spices off the ktcen

counter s only te frst step Here's ow to proong te

lfe of essential kitcen ngreientsB Y C H A R L L Y

C

8 Mashe Potaoes, French StyleFrench cookery's itensey rc, ceesy take on mased

potatoes fouts the rules To Amercanze it, we gnored a

few more Vive a rsistance B Y C H A R L L Y

20 Esy ce Cutets wihPorcin SauceItalians brase cicken for ours in a rc wne an

musroom sauce e wanted to keep te flavor but cut

te cooking time BY J ] A LT

21 Dressig Up Brow RiceWe've areay sove te cooking probems tat plague

brown rce Now, wat to o about jazzing up ts taste?BY YO RUPRT!

22 Discoverg AutheiciabattaTs Italian loaf boasts a crisp, flavorful crust and a

cewy, open crumb-in te ands of a master eredoes tat leave te rest of us? B Y T H D R R

25 mergecy Cocolate CaeTs easy wartme cake made wt mayonase as a lot

of good tings going for it Cocolate favor sn't one of

tem B Y T H D R R

26 What's he Real ealwith Vaa?Still socked by pas resuts, we a to do anoter

tastng n the batte between pure and imitatio extracts,

coud we declare a winer? BY LA cA U

28 In Search of a Better BlenderAll we ask of a beder s tat t can crush ice and produce a smoot pure So wy can't more models ever?

B Y R D T H B U T C H R

30 itche otesBY J J ALT

32 quipent CornerB Y P G G Y C H U G C O L L I R

Te cultivaton of ew carrot varietes ke Purpe Haze an Cosmc Purple (bot ispay purple

exteriors) demonstrates a renewed interest n s everyday vegetabe Ligtersknned carrots,

suc as Yellowstoe and Wte ain, ten to e sweeter and crsper tan darker vareies

Atomc Reds ave a more assertive flavor tan most carrots ad ntensi color as tey

cook s ter nae mpes, Sugar Snacks are quite sweet, makg tem deal snacking carrotsapered lmperators ave enjoyed commercal success n Nort Amerca as a good storage

root, one durable enoug to e whttled into pseudo baby carrots Young, tender, ad squat

Cantenay carrots are the variety sod as true baby carrots Cigarsape Nantes are preferred

n Europe for ter sweet, md taste Kamara carrots, used prmariy by commercal food

maufacturers, fall between Nantes an lmperators in sape an sweetness Round carrots are

dependable growers; teir stout, bulbous roots make a atractive addto to plates

CVER Robert Papp, BACK CVER Jo Bugoyne

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3/36

TH SKY COMS OVMBR

The president of the Old bbit HuntersAssociation likes to take his time on adark morning in deer season. I pull up at

hs garage at precisely 5:5a.m., a snoutof the unusually warm (for November), ripe airthe thermometer read a balmy 35degrees when Ie the farm) and feeling better for it. On the rstay of the season, ever huter magines a stad ofine in eary light, a large rack emerging above thendergrowth, the crosshairs of the Bushnel scopeghting in, and then an ecoing boom down andut of the valley. So I'm i a hurry to get up the

ountain and into my stand, one that puts melmost 20 feet up a tree, a stripped-down model

ithout arm or gun res ts. You ca feel the standhudder rig a blast of wid, the tree dancing

with you elpl ess in its arms.

But, as I said, Mr. resident is not one to beshed. e is puttering about, making coee, layinge cups neaty and upside down on a sheet of pateed paper towels, looking for hs blue botte ofquid nondair creamer i he small reigerator heeeps his well-stocked garage. The torpedoshapederosene heater is bacwashng like a jet engine; t1eour-wheeler is eady on his pickup bed and strapped

and Mr. resident is about hl-dressed, n oldashioned men's hat squarel alo above his brow, atrip of orange hunting tape festoong its circumfernce. "Now, just sit down and have a cup of coee,e demands. "The deer can wait.

His son Nate shows up and we joke arod a bits I check my watch over a second cup of coee. Wealk about he benes of s socks for keeping one'seet warm, the pros and cons of lined huning jackts, hether open sights are better than a scope, andhen, of course, where each of us is going to spendhe mog. Nate is headed for the top of he gutehind our pond; Mr. resident has a stand set up insmal cleaing where there were a f ew good ookgs

where bucks have bbed the bark o of sapligs),d I am headed for the top of it, a spot Nate has usedor years with a ide view of a hollow.

"We, says President, "I'm going to upmy trck and I'l see you boys i a few mutes. Then

e adds, "Leave the gate open for me. He isn't inuch of a sh as I eagerly head out to my ickup.I ta e monta, 1ock e gate, an

cn spend a lifetme in end never come face to facebuck as e as ts. It is so s

tat you forget what yoyou know, as if the earth norvolved ound t1e s

move slowly though e drkness,negoag a road slick with wetleaves and ck mud. park, puch

the clip my .308, urn on mywalkietakie, and take out a smlasight to nd my way. I'd tappeda few lghtnng bugsized reectors ino ees so I'll kno wherto rn. I move through te damwoods, cross a downed sheep fence,and en the laddered stand loomsead. I'm up ad seated, as if waiting for the star of a rst-run movie. Cristoper Kmall

A poet igt ed t1is stoa stanza to the dive, wlg down of arms, bt pont. I stand, svel, ad te buck zigzagg trou

woods, now 50 yards awayweak, early mong lgtt1ree mes, chambeg neHigh up in a tree on a dark

November mog, I watch the detas come focus. The trees grow bark, the patte of leaves onthe ground takes shape, the woods awaen he

sing of a eld mouse just below e stand, and eaggressive nateng of a small, red sqrl cals out analarm when he scovers te large, ornge-vested trespasser staring down at The big, old es, veters,also start to show emselves, teir sholimbs choppy,te dead braches making sad, ragged proes.

A rc walking sod stats and stops bedhe stand toward e road. I listen. Then sence. Thena regular hoobeat, a quickfooted, light addngtough th woods, and a coyote appears, lopingdirecly across the gray hollow. Thn more rustng,someting bigger than a squirrel, and a small ockof urkeys emerges about 200 yards away. I watchinently, alough e season is now over. They pranceabout, moving forward in stops and stats, a few hensin the lead i tle small ccks close beind.

Then I'm startled by a noise ovr my right shoulder. I turn and there stands, to my great surprise, agrand buck, ckmuscled tlrough the shoulders.He's just 20 feet away and almost directly behindme. I stop breathig. I'm too excited to count thepoints on e de, forward-leaning rack, but I can seehe's bg and doesn't see me lookng down om myperch. Ts buck is ild and powerl, ad for a splitsecond I wonder about s scret life of nding does,suriving e lean winters, knowing where e scruboas ae (he only ones prodcing acors 1is year),

and wch sy souern slope he prefers on a coldaernoon in Januar, where he can nestle down inhe 1ck bh an ta am an en. A hnter

wi a Winchesterstle lever, and en he stobehind a icket of rees, tag me wi e

sible, a white tl ickg casuay. With one

I wat, but he takes o in an explosion of forrmet, and I make a poor, haleated shot throtrees. He ns e encoter hands down

November had come agin wi heay, skies and dawns that develop oughy, reluwith quick snow showers that crstlze the fopet, makng tle woods impressioable, wi ggamy scent from days spen in the woods, pto sset, lookng for t1e objt of ou dsiI kept cog back to e stand at that we hg and looking over my gt shoulder, to rememor. A hter sits in a tree, a bck stndsm, and the world stops to consider.

If we meet again, I won't hesitate to shoaways been a hter (bt not a great one

woods are fof fe and dea, of nighbors wmake it though te itr on a eeer fof or moose meat. Thre is no repreve in natitercession, just necessit. I ca1e out of eat sset that day wi an empt k bed bsomething wd in my heart.

That eveg, sitting ont of the President asked about he shots, and saidI tought it was you. Then he added, "Youto have moved over a bit in the standthat omight have climbed up d joied you for aThen he sat back and closed s eyes, remem

I guess, al e proud-footed bucks at he hasover he years, and a dee contented sme slowhae, ut at e corner of h mo.

FOR INQUIRIE, ORDER, OR MORE INFRMTION COOK'S ILLUSTRATED Magazinewww.cooksillustrated.com ooks ustrtd magazine (ISSN 10682821). number 97 is published bimonthly by BostoAt cooksillustratedcom, you can order books and subscriptions, sign up for our free enewsletter, mon Press Liited Partnership, 17 Station St, Brookline, MA 02445 Copyrght 2009 Boston Co

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1 A 6 A P L 2 0 0 9


4/36

S F AD MD D M b

Wt Achoves?

recety saw a packa of wie anchvies in t

frigerator cti my sprmarkt. Is thre anyrce ben ths ad t1 reguar canedriey?

AYA AT

THACA Y

chvis of ay p cm from tl1 sam varietysall sh reatd t hrring. The ly dirce shw thyr crd. ied achovies ar noray

td ad packed i sat fr up t 10 mnhs befreig cand, sualy i i. Drng le ngty sat-

t wite esh trow. Wht achves

e ly briy saltd

f big packda pickli stio f

egr ad il. T ev-te avor dierences,

tastd ac arieyo ad in asarad ciads pr-rd tl fler mtse avor of canedchvis, wie ts

Whit anchovi tat

ir tn inn

ethsiastic abo ese smal , ly s prfredite acovies for thi milder, ess sy taste. If

u buy th whit vaiety, ake sure to keep tl1emigerated Us t same amout to substittem fr the caed.

tt verss Uptte Olivs tr ay dircs i avr r ttur amottd ad unpitted bricud ives?

A D

DHA C

valuat ay drncs twe pitte andpitted lives, w aered bt re and ackcrd ives dli scts at supemarkets,

el as ivs pack in pasic ad glass caies.

tsi ay sapes, it ecame cea ta the

ed v suerd cuts hey astedte ad esh was mushi. hey as ac cmplex ity avrs f the uptd kind.r's why: fre big packd r sae freshed livs re saked in rie for prids f up

a year t reve bittess d dveop avr.c ited the lives ae eted t t bine frcki, wic ca prate t1e iside of th ive tur it mushy ad pas, as wll a icrea t

srptin of salt. hat saier ast can mask sbtlrvos If you av ime it makes sense t uy

pitted lives ad pt thm yurse

Vnear SdimetI have severa jars f vna in my cait ith

a coudy, sliy sedient at the bottm. huldI throw tem aay?

POW

CITA CAF

Nearly al cmmrciay mad viegar wil ast

denitely i an unped bote. c pnedand expsd t ai, hwevr hass "vigarbactria may start o grw. This acteria causs t1efomatio f a cludy sdien tlat is t1ing mo1a harss ceuse a copex carohdrate tl1at

does ot act tl1 quity f te vingar r its av. cnrd this with a sideysid cpariso

of fresly peed ttls f viea and thse it

dien (straned befre tastig).Te Vingr Intitut carried ut store tud-

es of vinar and detnd tht the shlf lif ofoped vegar sted in a dak cai at omtempratr is "almost idite. T dea witht1 unsigty seim siply strain the vinga

ruh a ce tr set isid a neesh strainerefre using i.

Shita Substtte

resh siitae uhoos cot tr tfo times as much a fesh cremii mushms. I eed to ajust tl1 ckin tie if I make asubstittion?

CCIA BAY TOA

DAA TX

The a of cokng ushoms is to evporae1eir iuid so thy can brw an thir vo canintsi. T ienti any dirc in ate weihtbtwen cremini ad shiitak mushs tl1atoud at cookig tims, w copped 8 ouncesf ach and placed tl1 in sparate pts witl1 no

liquid or il cvrd 1 pots ad coked achatc for miues ve ediumw hea. then rvd th mushms om t1e pans and

weg te a a. he shitaks l st 1 uces

waer au percet i ht, it1 crmii mush os uces o about 60perct f tir weit Te hihr wate teof the creiis was cred whn we sautd batch f ch mushro. The creiis tk nalyv minute ner tha siitakes t lease 1iiquid ad gn t rown. he ed we decidedt1at its e t make a substituti, keepi in mndtat th cremini will hve a sity sor tetu a it es intense avr Just reember t saut

stirfry creminis for a fw exta minutes uti teirecs iuid cpetey vprates.

OK !

2

Swanso ooking Stck I fllw yur rcmmendans and bu ou

brand f chicke brt: Swsn Ceried OFre Rnge Brot. I recen ced tat Shas a n w prduc called Coki toc Wadiec btwe te rl1 nd the stck?

Techicaly speakin, hmmad bt1 is mde m meatbones, an vgables, istck is md strity from

os ad vegtabs. n cm-meial pdcts, how v r, thedisicti is ss clea

Swanson caims its nchicken stock is est suiedfor avies nd pn saucs iwhih t stck is educe;the t is ieed fr sup.Its wsit says t1 stck has "obust, sssasnd, meat

avo whil brt1 has "shed, hiy seasned -

vr. Hatd and tasted pain,

tl1 chickn brot as hemost sasnd (i cnais 550m f diu per cup versusl1e stock's 10 p cupbut we as fund it t have"lder chickn avr 1

tle stck. Howev, hn

usd both brtl1 and stck ake ravy ad pan sauce,

AA H

NWTO

B ORV

O R O

wanon' nwng toc far

rci tht crducing th

For ou-anwth bt

wass caims ran tru Tasters fd tl1seasnd stck had chr chickn av aerrducd duig cokig. If yu ted to use a cprduct maiy to make pa sacs, ravis, r

or othr appicatis in wch te iquid is reit as sse to u t1e stck. If yu ar mrto us a cmrca prduct to mk sup ke

riinal rl i yur cupbard.

Rox RQlacemetsI know at rux s oen made ith btter Ist ustite il r th buttr?

CA DA

NORFO

q dees ru as "a cixtue of qua amouns f ur ad bttet icken suces. Nverteless, se eciporow classic enc tchqu specicf mak x th u, r ap


5/36

nd out if oil can be successlly used in a roux at

alls for butter, we made a classic bcamel, or wite

uce, wit butter and compard i o bcmelmde wit neural-tsng canola oil (we knew te

istince avor of oliv oil would prevent it omeing a viable substute).

Tasters found te texure of te sauces identical.h sauces also tasted rmarkably similar, toug aw astute tasters thoug the sauce mad wt butter

was the ricer of he two.Next, we used hese same sauces as part of a moreomplex ds, lasagna Bolognese. Here e lvorierences fded away, with te meat tomato sauceverpowering te bcamel Our recommendaion:

f te roux w b usd n a dish tat involvs mulple avors, go aead and substitute canola oil forutter. If te roux will be used to ticken a simple

auce, it's best to stck wit butter.

Ot S Stam consed by the variet of international sea

alts available at te supermarket. Tey var in price,olor, and cosnss. Cn you povd gdns on

ow to use tem?

Natura sa saltsimply sodium

loride nd ns pure form iso dierent fromveday table salt.

owever, dependg on were te sat

aested (a ian be as exotic as

awaiian black lava

SE KILION

ROTONDA WEST FLA

A L D O N S E A S A L T rguar tabl at for cooing an choo a fa coar

a at for rining

r Austraian red algae), trace mineral elemnts sucs potassium, magnesum, and cacium can be foundese elements cause vaiaon in te avor and colorf the salt. nd depening on ow te salt crstals arearested, their exur cn rnge om snlke andowder to crstalline and .

But can these caracterisics be detcted wn thealts are usd for cooking? o nd out, we bougtn array of salts: Fleur de Sel de Camargue ($17.27r pound), Esprit du Sel de de R ($3568 peround), La Baleine ($2.15 per pound), Grey Celtic28 per po1d), Morton's Coarse Koser Salt

35 per pound), nd Maldon Sea Salt ($12.24er pound). W used te salts in simple applicaons, ncludng ssonng chckn sock nd slng

ookng wter for pasta. Te results were dtve:Tasters couldn' tel one sat om nother in cooked

ppcaions. Only wen te salts were sprinled overices of beef tenderloin could tsters detect subtleavor nuances. But it was the texture that reallystnguised some salts: Samples wit large, arstals suc as Mldon Sea Sal ad crunc werculrly enjoyed. Our advic? Save your monynd use fncy sea salts only for grnising.

H A I S I ?

s m pl emet as bee my fam ly fo yeas t came fom mygrdmoters ktce, ad ow t gs s deco ratve tem m e use most of my atqu e ktcewae, but 've ever kow watto do wt ts tool Do you ave y deas?

KAREN IEB

EEN PRAIRIE MINN

hi tool i han for rainingiq ui f aucan

e some sleutg we foud tat you atque s a kettledrdevc ed by reda ad rak olmgre of Meapols M masspoduced by a compay clled oey t s us lu o ot le e s sold cotets Placed over tof pot t s p eoted alfmoo pece of metl wt a adle a cole fo dag pottoes or pasta We foud tt ts mplewoked well o saucepasas log s tey weret too bg o (lcg Duc ove oe d as you o ld te kettle-der as l p wt te oter fo eample s a weldy p roposto) Wo v p u mel lade f ou eed to da som e l qu d mall o let pot ts tool maks te job ease

Cloudy Ov I oen stor oils in my reigrator o prevent tmom going bad. y is it tat cerain oils (like olive)become solid and oters (like canola) don't?

ED PELICCOTI

ENDCO, NY

Some oils become tck and viscous at cold temperaturs due to fats and compounds called polypenols suspended i teir midst. Becuse olive oil

is mmaly processed, it contains more polypenolsthan oter oils. ( Canola oil is usuay processed to hepoint were ve few of tes compunds remain.)Polypenols are soluble in oil only at room temperatre. A te temperature decreases, ey begi toseparate out, makig he oi cloudy. (For olive oil, sseparation occurs at 43 degrees.) Returned to roomtempraure, te polypenols dissolve once againand t ol w look norma. Even so, olive o takes afew hours to "melt back into is liquid form once its ben reigerated, so we recommend storing t atroom temperature in a cool, dark place. Once opened,oliv oil as a self fe of about tree monts.

Sluth SoSome recipes call for using only te green or wtepart of a scallion. Color aside, is tere really a dierence between te two sections?

CAROLYN ERRONGALLUP N MEX

o answer your quesion, we strtd by tastngrw scallions. asters described distinctly dierntlavor proles for te wit and green pars. e

wite section as a delicate, sweet taste similar toshallots, wile te green portion as grassy notesnd a pepper bt. Wen w used t raw scallionsin salsa, tasters were still able to iden te samedstngusing chrctrstics; wic worked bettrdepended on individual taste. Finally, we cookd

M A R H b A P R 0 0 9

3

scons n pork sr. Tasters in't noc

avor dirncs, bu texturs vrid: hsoened nicely wle te greens wilted, takilimp texture tat some tasters didn't like.

So, if exture is an ssue, cook only te wand resere te gren porton to use as a gen it comes to using te scallions raw, te wite part for mild avor and add the ga strong, peppr taste.

y Br Cohe re bread for sae n my suprmarket ncluddark, and pumpernckel. ow do tey er?

E

ABR

Al tre tes of bread are made om ouom e grass. Ligt re our s produced byng e coarse our lyr of br

wa berr, ts is te "ut of grain), its rlvely lg teror. Ts kernl s n o a ne powder at is tically blended wi

wet our to produce lgt re bread. Dark rincludes some of he outer layers of te wle pumpernickel our s ground om hre ber and le raher coarse istead of ne

We tastd all tree ps of bread plneuben sandwces. ere was no clear

any preference boiled down to personal tasteliked te mild taste of te lgter re breadors rfrrd h sronr avors dand pumprnckel. If you av roubl cconsidr marbld e, he swrled bred maligt re doug and eter dark re or pumpdoug.

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6/36

Quick Tips C O M P L E Y Y O N E P E b F A N C C O ) O E

Cool DecoratingMay frostigs suc as buttercreamad gaace soe as tey warm upis meas tat we p pi g desigsw a pasty bag wam ads cacause sloppy-lookig ecoratos okeep er rosees a bo res peaty Durso of Dever olowears late gloves wil e pi pig egloves elp to su late er ads adtereby prvet er body eat fromsoeg te frostg

Sle-Sev WhippedCemFesh whied eam is an i dea

toing fo a mug of hot ho oate.

Fo ust one seving, oweve, it's

too muh hass e to dag out a handmixe to whi the eam. Instead,

Fank Baett of Seatte, ash. ,emoys a tiny, hand-ed

mik fthe, th kind used

to wi mik fo au

ino. Just ou 2 taesoons of od heavy

eam into a mug,

add a inh of

suga, and whi

unti t he am

hods so

eas.

Esier Met efrostinFeezing a age otion of gund

meat is emati whn itomes tim e to ook and you ony

need to u se a s ma quantity. Jane

ight of eston, Conn., sovs this

em y tansing the gu nd meat

to a age zie-ok ag. Using he n

ges, she esses thugh the ag to divide

the mass into 4 equa otions, and then aes the ag fat in the feeze. hen it' s time to

ook, she sim y eaks o the amou nt of meatshe needs.

Rice t t he ReadyWeever se makes rice Doa larke of artlett ll prepares a double batca freezes te leoves ater tey ca be reeated e cwave used tomake fred rce or adde to soups ad stews eres ow se do es i

I . prea e ot rice out o a bakg seet to coo reak up ay lare clu mps 2 lace e coole d rc e i a zi pper-lock bag a freeze util eeded

Handy Teperture GuideTid of fuming thugh eie ooks evey tim

she ooked sh, m eat, o ou ty, Ai e Pue of

mons, as., cea an nex cawith a ist of na i tenaooking temeatues.

Enosing the ad in a zieok ag kees it ean, and

stoing the ad with h

digita themomet aowshe to efeene it q ui ky.

end Us ou Ti We wll provide a com pli metary oe-year sub scripti o for eac tp we prt ed your tip ame ad adrsso Quick ips ooks I lustrated O o 4708, rookle M 0247, or to quicktips@americasteskitcecom

K

L L R A

4

Lon Reace makig recpes suc as uus a food proces sor GregorWelc of o J foud tawas im praccal to emove te l

v ry im e e wated o do a tatest Istead e takes out a ogadle icetea spoo wc ispe rfect leg to reac ow efeed tube (e sue to ur o t

pocesso r befoe tastg)

We Mker ouble DKistofe Roet of eahtee

Ga., nds that h wae make

omes in hady at unh as we

at eakfast: She us es it to mak

gi ed heese and anini sand

wihes. A onus is that the de

goves in the wae

make yied exta

is usts.

Asseme the sandw is wtteed ead and then ace thea ehated wae make, heoen fo donen ess.


7/36

Disposae Ice PacksJuli a uitz of Duwoody Ga wated to fd a way to keep sacks destied fo luc boxes cil led as l og as pos sibl e e cam e up wit tis easy solu tio

I old a pape towel i ti ds satuate it wit wate ad te fit it isid e te bottom of a stoage cotaie2. Put te cotaie i te feeze3 We its time to pack luc place te food i a zippe-lock bag set te bag i te foze plastic cotaie ad put o te lid e foo will stay cool util luctime

Easy-Ope WieWheneve she needs to oen aotte of wine, Joan Woey of

ayvie, Tenn., sets the otte on

a foded dish towe aed in the

kithen sink. Having the otte at

a owe eve vides exta eve

age fo unoking, making the task

a sna.

Removi the "Eyesom PieappeAe emoving the i nd

fm a ineae, t he had,

dak its, o "eyes, emai nattahed to the f esh. Using

a aing knife to tim th eeyes is time-onsu ming and an

esu t in a good dea of waste.

. Janet eui of NothRoyaton, Ohi o, tims theind fm the fuit.

2. Then she uses a sma meo nae to quiky and neaty

soo out the "eyes.

No More Fruit Fiesay fuits suc as to matoes adbaaas ae best stoed at oo m

tempeatue Duig te wameots oweve fuit fies fidpeig poduce iesistible KedaGady of ewbu eticeste pests wit tis tick e places cup of oage juice i a small dikigglass ad t e tops it wit a fuelPlaced ext to a fut bowl te juic elues te tiy fies ito te fuelwe tey ae ua ble to escape

I .

Makin Favored SatPete Thomson of Ainton,

ass., foud a geat use fo sma

amounts ffesh hes o ituszest: favoed sat. To make itus

sat, mix 2 teasoon s of feshygated emon, ime, gaefuit, o

oange zest wit h u of koshesat. Fo he sat, mix I tae

soon hed fesh semay,

thyme, o mint eaves with uof koshe sat. Tansfe the s at toan aitight ontaine and stoe at

om temeatue. The itus sats

an e stoed indeitey, and

the he sats an e

fo u to 3 weeks.

2.

[ PL 2 0 9

5

Neater Lemon Wedese tick stad of wite pit ate cete idge of a l emo we

ca cause te juice to squ it oudi ectios duig sq ueezig"

I . Fo juice a las i er e(ad ot i e eye) ois Jacobof Mempis e uses a paikife to emove te toug pit wedges2. e esul tig wedges wil squeatly ito foo ad d iks


8/36

The Best Beef enderloinThe c lass i c approach to rast i ng th is pr i me c ut sacr f ices ju ic i ness for c rust .

Why setl e for anyhi ng ess than pe rfecti on ?

N othing beats the extravaganty buttery texture ofbee tenderoin. It may notb te most intensely aord ct, but tat is easiy overcoey a rc sace or accopaniment. Thealenge is in xpertly cooking t1e meat.e moist, ei cate texture o tenderoinn easiy be compromised by te oven's

ars eat. And considering its steeprice, overcokng tis specia-occasionast s not an ption (my preerred cut

s p at abot 8 per pound) .Yet wn I tred a and ofrecipes and

cnqus, a o wc gave airy vaguesuctions, e tnderoins emerged ome oven wi one o two problems. Soe

ooked eveny but didn't ave e da,ramelzed crst t1at gives meat a deepasted avor. Oers had opma avor and

n aeaing brown cust, but were marrey a tck, gray band o overdone meat neare edg. wantd a tecnique at pro

ced percy cooked and deepy avoredatieay witout too much ss.

etting Even

Y C A L E E L E Y

lower (400 degrees), or t1e reversmeat woud ot brown adequatelbest resuts came om simpy cookintenderloin at 425 derees aand rning it aer 5 minutes. Tetat emerged om e oven ooked ping, wi a someat dark cust. Buopes I had ere dased en I cut1e meat: Te sices were a nic deepat e center but marred by a pes bgray, overcooked meat at e edge.

i1 y wo otions, whoe ad centert, coosing e ste of tendeloin roastas straigorard but crcal to y suc

or perfect tederloi , se r st, ot first, d rub wit flvored b utter

Pan-seaing it woud ave to be.

a ew tabspoons of vegetabe oimediumhigh eat in a arge skieen added my roast, browng it sides beore tansrring it to ovntime, wit browning aready don, I it on a rack set inside a rmmed bseet to promote air ircuation andeven cooking. I prepared sevr roas

way, an exeient wit1 irentteperatres, om 500 degrees on to 350. Naturaly, each of t1ese roasa good-ooking crust, but eac also overdone "ng arL co a. To 1e bunc was e tnderoin roas

350, but tere was sti pen o rooiprovement. Tinering round, I deto t reversing coong ordr, rorst, hen seaing, a tcqu we've

ss. Woe tenderon is ugete tical roast5 or 6 pds, sering up to 6 peope. It oenmes covered in a t1ick ayer of t and sinew tattimeconsumg to and pee. us its ong,pre sape is a calenge to cook evenly. Over ears, we've become fond of e saer centercutast, known in industr agot as te hteaubiad,

edeoi obes

C R U S T B U TO V E R C O O K E D

enderon wth a good fafu crut oen marredb a band of gra oeroed meat near the edge

E V E N L C O O K E DB U T N O C R U S Tenderon that

fm edge to edgetca ac a goo crut

and meat fao

aer the 9t cen French auor and statesanranoisn de hteaubriand (wo i s said to haveparticuarly enjoyed this pized meat) . Som butcerschage signicanty ore for center-cut versus wotendeoin, but it coms aready rimmed (so re's nowaste and its cyindical sape praccally guaanteesat bo ends cook to te sae degree o doneness .at you're getng is e best of e beste centeiece of e most exqusitely tener pat of 1e cow(see "cang e teaubid, page 7).

To acheve a good cust on e meat, I coeier sear it rst in a skillet or simply cran up eoven as high as it woud go, at te begiing orend o cooking. A oven-searing woudn't reqiresplatterng grease on my stovetop or g anextra pan, I stated ere. I ed te meat crosswisei wine at inteals to mae it ore compact andhep form an even c rust, ten paced te meat in aroasting pan at I 'd preheated to ter encouragebrowing. But no matter wat I tiedstaring outhigh (at 500 degrees) and droping down much

' L L R A E

successy oter meat reips. Te switc wwonders here as we . Bcase roast startewarm and d, it coud rac te 3 0 degrees say for browning to occur a ot aster tan swen it was raw, cod, and wet. (Unti t1e moburns o, te suce otl1e meat c't ris abovdegrees, te boilng point o water.) ss searngin tu, miized te overcooke ayer of gra

Coud I get rid of te gray band altogettang ovn temperare down 1r?

past, test kitcen has roasted meat at even teperatures wit great success , ansforming tinexpensive cts into metingl tender meat ("Roasted Bee, JanuFeba 200). iay ougt to sow roasng bcause teo is so so to be . Now I rconsideredtying several ore roasts, I put em in ovebegan ialing back te temperatue om 350 deA t turned out, I didn't have at ar to godegrees proved e magic tmperar or yconsistent ruby coloring om edge to edge.


9/36

Locating the Chteaubiand

C H T E A U B R I A N D

r r r ara sr r a ssa h s h a gs is a a

ag ia r rrr sra sha s a aaag r g

Beeg Up FlavorDespite decent progress, I stil hadn't coaxed deepbee avor om my milmannered tenerloin.The issue was the meat itsef: With so itle fat, itwas acking idea avor, even aer searing to create a crst an carelly calirating the cooking.

knew I could lean on a rich sauce like a barnase orn intense wine reducion-indeed, I was panningo add an accompaniment of some sort-ut I waslso set on intensiing the aor of the meat itsef.

First I was curious to explore some of the oeatechniques I'd come across in my research. The mostppealing invoved roasing the meat wrapped in aouple slices of acon, which then get discared ande eat seared. I had high hopes; aer al, what

doesn't taste better with acon? Tenderloin, as iturned out; the acon caused the meat to stea and

didn't realy ad or detract avor. Shrouding theenerloin in uttersoake cheesecloth proucediarly unspiring results . And soaking the meat in

a soyorcestershire mix-ingredients oen used toacceuate beef avor-was just plan overpowerng,ore teriyaki tan tenerloin.

In the end, a triedandtrue test kitchen methodproved best-sprinkling al sides of the meat withalt, covering it with plastic wrap, and then lettingt sit at roo temperature. er sitting for an our,e roast cooked up with signicantly more aor.

Here's why The salt raws juices out of te meat,hen the reerse happens and the sat and moisture

ow back in, drawing aor deep into the meat.I got the best results of al wen, aer saling the

eat, I rubbed it with a coupe of tablespoons of

soened butter efore cooking, which ade surprsingy satisng ricness In fact, ts technique was soeectie that I decided against a rich, complex saucean instead created some easy compound utters,comining shallot with parsley an cpotle chilewi garlic and cilantro. The wag aroma of theavored utter meling into the crevices o f the meatprove irresistle to tasters. I ha spent $1,200 onmore n 25 tenderloins, ut tha t satisfacton made

it worh ever penny.

RAS EEF EN ER N

SE R E S 4 TO 6

If using tale salt, reduce te amount to 1 teaspoon.Ask your butcher to prepare a rime, centercutChteauriand om te whole tenderloin, as ths cutis not usualy availale without special orering. I fyouare cooking for a crowd, this recipe can e doule tomake two roasts. Sear te roasts one aer the oter,wiping out the pan an ading new oil aer searinge rst roast. Bot pieces of meat can e roasted onthe same rack. For our free recipe for Blue Cheese

and Chive Butter, go to .cooksillusate.com/apr09.

beef tederoi ceter-cu Chteaubria nd

(about 2 pouds ) red of fat and s iver sk in

(see ote)

2 teaspoons kosher sat (see ote)

teaspoo coarsey gund back peper

2 tabespoons unsalted butter soened

tabespoo vegeab oi

reci pe favored bur (recipes fo ow)

l Using 12inch engths of twine, tie roastcrosswise at 1 inch intervals. Sprinkle roast evenlywith salt, cover loosey wit plastic wrap, and letstand at room temperature 1 hour. Meanwhile,adjust oven rack to iddle positon and h eat ovento 300 degrees.

2. Pat roas t dr witl paper towels. Sprile roastevenly with pepper and spread unsalte uttereenly over surface. Transfer roast to wire rack setin rimmed aing sheet. Roast until instantreadtermometer inserted into center of roast registers

T E B T E A B E T T E R WAY T O R O A S T B E E F T E N D E R L O I N

125 egrees for meiumrare, 40 to 5 min135 degrees for meium, 55 to 70 mintes, roast halay through cooking.

3. eat oil in 12 ich heavottomed skeium high heat until just smoking. acesllet and sear unti wel rowned on four sid2 minutes pe r side (tota of 4 to 8 minutes. roast to carving oard an spread 2 taavored utter eveny over top of roast; let

inutes. Remove tine and cut meat crinto inchthick slces. Serve, passing remavored utter separately.

SHA A N PARSLEY UE

AKE S ABOUT 8 T ABLE SPOONS

4 tabespoons usated buter soeed2 ediu shalot inced (about 2 tabes

edi gaic c ove iced or presse

garic press (about teaspoon)

tabespoo fie y chopped fresh pars e

! teaspoo tabe sat! easpoo gud ack pepper

Combine all ingreients in medium bowl.

CHPE AN GARIC UER

W I H E A N CI L A N R

AKE S ABOUT 8 T ABLE SPOONS

tabespoos u satedbutter soeed

ediu chipote chie i adobo sauce s

ad iced with easpoo adoo sau

ediu garlic cove inced or pressed

garic press about teaspoon)

teaspoon hon ey

teaspoon grated est f I ie

tabespoo i ced fresh ci at eaves

2 teaspoo tab e sa

Combine al ingrdients in med ium ow.

! V Original st Kitcwww o o k s I u sae d . om/ 09

H MAKE

Roast Bf nd rloin

I . SALT mat and lt standI our to int nsi flavor

2 RUB roast wit smallamount of sond b uttr tofurtr boost flavor

3 ROAST ON LO tons ur vny cookd mattrouout.

4 SEAR ON STOVETOPar roastng to crat wllcaramlizd crust wit d maty flavo r.

5 TOP WI H HRBB U T T ER bfor mat rsto brin layr o bitflavo

M A i l b A P L 2 0 0 9


10/36

Better Glazed Roast CickenApp lyi ng a gl aze to a whol e ch i cke can la nd you n a swee mess. To resol ve h i s sti ck

situat on , e brought an outdoor method i nd oors

o glazed roa chickenrecie oer ome variaion on hee inrucion: Roa a chicken aou would normally, aining on a weeaze 5 o 30 minue before he birddone. I ound imle, bu followingee recipe acually urn u a ho ofouble, a he roblem inheren in roag chicken (d brea mea, abby kin,g deoi of fa under he kin are comounded by he roblem of a glaze (won

ick o he mea , burn in ache, inrouce moiure o already abby kin.Ye I know ha grea glazed chickenpoible. Barbecued roieie chicken

rn owly a i cook, making i a cinch aply auce o every nook and crannyile alo enuring even cooking. Liewie,hinee chef glaze whole duck ha roaile upended from hook, urning ouerfecly acquered, crikinned bird.

ih hee echnique a my iniraion,e ou o develo a mehod for evenlyazed roa chicken wih crip kn andoi, ender mea.

Y A P A Z M I O

hickn on a RackRoasting i kn on a br an is t p rft way to aivrisp sk in and an vn glaz al l ovr

choe a large roaer ccken (6 o 7ound, enough o feed four o ix eople, andared wih an aroach we develoed for rioa hicken (March/pril 2008. I earaede kin om he mea and ricked hole in he fa

epoi (o allow rendering fa o ecae, reulingcriper kin, hen rbbed i wih al and bakngda (o dehydrae he kin and help i o cri

nd le he chicken re. I hen roaed he chicken

T N Q U

breaide down on a Vrack a 450 degree for30 minue, iped i over, and roaed i anoher30 minue. hen, wih he chicken nearly done, Ibruhed i wih a imple glaze of maple yr, marmalade, vinegar, and Dijon muard, and nihed iwih a bla of 500degree hea.

While he mea wa moi and evenly cooked, eglaze wa diaoining. he op of he bird wa a

lacquered mahogany, wie he boom wa golden brown-a good color or roa chickno he dee, even one I expeced w a glazalhough he recauion Id aken heled render om beneah he k, 5 mine of eunder a moi glaze le he k woelly og

ickn on a anh one ide of e chicken facing down duenre gazing roce, I coud never hoe ohe whole bird evenly. Sho of inang meaor a roerie my oven, wha cod I do?

raer, which cook chicken anding u, wa pbu did I really wan ye anoher gadge he k(See Vercal Roaer," page 9 hen I remema imler aleave, fod gh in my dgecan. Weve had grea ucce lacng a beer canchicken cavi and dng i ug on hwhch alow hea cclae eely o ha hcook evenly om all ide. Why no bring echnque om he barbecue circ ino my o

I reared he chicken and alied a rub a er alowing he chcken o re for an hgrabbed a 16ounce can of beer (he large bid on ang maller, ook a few i o il, and raddled he chicen on o. I heni in a roaing an (e heler hande on make i he be choice for ranporng heand lid i ino he oven. he echnique eema winner-no awward iing, glazing everand cranny wa eay, and a died eely he bird. Bu cuing ino he chicken revealehe brea, now exoed o e high oven hhe enire cooking ime , wa dr and ough. Sback he oven emeraure o a genle r 325 dreolved hi ue, bu even wihou eamnga glaze, he in wa far from cri.

I C U C A N N E L S n t skinaon kn s bak o raoni ns for fat to sap.

2. LOOSEN E SKIN from s an bras to aow rnrn fato trik out

3 . POKE OLES n sk n of bras an s o ra aii onaannls for fa and jui s o sap.

4. A PPL A RUB o sa an bakin owdr ar-ry n rfriratobfor roasin for rispr skin

K L L R A


11/36

E T N I K E S T O P E R F E C T G Z E D R O ST C H C E N

32 32S (soo

. Start in low oven 2. Reduce glaze ostovetop

3 Remove cickenincrease oven eat

4 Retu sted cickento 500-degree oven

5. Brus wit glaze(twice)

A laz of loryTo deveop a crisp skin, the chcken needs to ishroasting at a ver high heat (around 00 degrees) forabout 30 nutes But in the e it takes the oento heat om 32 to 00 degrees, the deicate breastmeat overcooks th regular roast chcken, we'vesolved this proble by lettng it rest at room temperature for about 20 inutes whe the oven heatsu for its nal blast Would hat work ith a ertcallyroasted chcken? Though he rested-beforeblasted

chicken ce out much crisper than before and thebreast meat was perfectly cooked, the glaze was stilrobbig my chicken of optium skin qualit

This was the problem: Most recipes call for aate glaze that slowly reduces and thckens as theird cooksa hindrance when you're tng to crispte skn Wat if reduced te gaze on the stovetopbefore I applied it? That way, I could wait to brushon the glaze only at the ver end, wen it wouldn't the texture of the skn I made another glaze,this time hickening it wit cornstarch I reduced itto a syrpy consistency and applied i t before the n al minutes of roastng Ths chicken emerged frothe oven with a burnished shee n of dee brown, and

its rendered skin crackled as I cut into it, reealingmoist, tender meat For good easure, I brushedmore glaze on the chicken and made extra to passtableside Now when I hanker for perfect glazedchicken, 'll forget about the roisserieall I needis a beer can to get the job done right

GLAZED ROAT CH ICEN

SE R E S 4 TO 6

If usg table salt, reduce aount to 2 teasoons For best results, use a 6- ounce can ofbeer Aager can work, but avoid usig a 2ounce , it not support te weight of the chicken A ercalroaster can be used in place of the beer can, but werecommend only using a ode that can be laced ina asg n aste your amaade efre usng t;f it is overly sweet, reduce the aount of male syr te gaze by 2 tablespoons Trappist Seille Orangeaalade is the test tchen's prefeed brnd

OOK'S VIDOS Original est itcn Vi deoswww .oo . o09

O TO MAKE

Gazed Roast Cicken

h whol hikn (6 to 7 oun) gblt

mov and ia

5 tpoon koh alt ( not)

toon baking owd

tpoon gund black ppp

( 16-on ) can b ( not)

tpoon onth

tblpoon wat2 up mal yp

2 oang mmala ( not)

! d vinga2 tablpoon unaltd tt2 tablpoon Dij on mutad

tapoon gund black ppp

FO TH H Place chcken breastside down on work surface Following iustrations

on page 8 use ip of sharp knife to ake -in chincisions beow each tgh and breast along backof cicken four incisions total) Using ngers orhande of woden spoon, carey separate s kn o

tigs and breast Using etal skewer, pke to20 holes in fat deposits on top of breasts and tghsTuck wingtis underneatl chicken

2 Cobine salt, baking powder, and pepper insall bowl Pat ccken dr with paper towels andsprinkle evenly al over with sat mixture Rub in

ixtre wit hands, coaing entire surface evenlySet ccken, breastside p, on ried bakingsheet and refrigerate, uncovered, 30 to 60 inutesMeanwe, adjust oven rack to owest position andheat oven to 32 degrees

3 Open beer can and pour out or abouthaf of liquid Spray can ightly wit nonstick coking spray and place in middle of roastng pan Slide

chcken over c so drstic reach down to bottoof can, ccken stads uight, and breast is peendcar bttm of an Rast sn stat tturn golden and nstant-read terometer iserted tckest art of breast registers 40 degrees, 7 to 90utes Caey reve ccken and o ovenand increase oen teerature t 00 degrees

4. FO TH Wile chicen cooks, strcornstarch and water tgeter in sal bowl untlno lups remain; set aside Bring reaining glazeingredients to simer in med saucepan over

M A R l { A P R I L 2 0 0 9

Vetical RoastesWe n it comes to cost it's ar to beat a beera tool for vertica roasting But is te rea deal waving on and? ike a beer can vertical roastesupport poultry to crisp te skin all overandon't ave to turn te bird te way you woua Vrack o nd te best brand we prepareGlazed Roast Cicken wit ve models priced$ 1 1 99 to $1 I 0 Some seemed so flimsy we wte cicken migt tip over; we also did't like dtat allowed te cicken to sit in its own renfat Our top peormers excelled in venroasting and sturdi ness For complet testing results go to wwwcooksillustratedcom/ap9 Meredit Butcer

RR Vtl Rot

wih n

: $2795ont: Wit te longestcone in te in eup tis frst-place

winner makes te ci cken sit tal l

1 - B R

ommnt: oug l iing a largebird on and o a large beer caisn' t as easy as from a poi nted conetere's no auing wit its cost

ediu-high heat Cook, sirring occasionareduced to % cup, 6 to 8 minutes Slowcornstarch ixre into glaze Return to sicoo l ute Reove pan fr eat

hen oven is heated to 00 degrees, pcups water in bottom of roastng pan and roven Roast until entire chicken skin is browcris and instant-read teroeter regisdegrees inserted in tickest part of breast degrees in thckest part of thigh, 24 to 30 Check chcken halay through roasting; becoing too dark, place 7-inch square ieover neck and wingtips of chcken and conroast (if pan begins to soke and sizzle, adtional c water to roastng pan)

6 Brush ccen with cup glaze and cto roast untl browned and stic, about (I f glaze has becoe st i, return to low

soen ) Carey reove chicken om ovefer chicken, st on can, to carving board anwit anoter c glaze Let rest 0 mn

7 e chicken rests, strain juices trough e-esh strainer into fat searatoiquid to settle in utes Wsk cu jureaing / cu glaze in saucepan and set oheat Using ktchen towe, carey ccan and onto atter or cuttg board ae adding any accuulated juices to sauce Sering sauce separately


12/36

ethiig Thic-ut Por opsTh i ck pork cho ps may boast a j u cy nter or or a n i cey carame ized exeri or

but rarely both . We wated t a n on e reci pe.

ost recipes oer oe otwo scenarios or cokig thick, boe-in orkchops: searig the i aokig skilet or roasting the i a baz-

g hot ove Both ethods are woeyate Thaks to genetic anipa, toay's pork has abot 30 percet

s a ta i did just a e decades ago,d ess at eas blader, drier eat

he exosure to high heat reqired took thick chops throghrecipes cal

r to 475 degreesca hep for ace crst, bt also turns aready dry eatto ork jerky ork chop perectio, bytrast, eas ot only a ric, brown

st bt aso plp, juicy eat that's o avor dow to te last gaw o

e boe

alt 'Em Up

J

o can general d our dierent cuts ork chops: sirloin, blade, center-ct, ad rib

n I iediatey rued out sirloi Theseops, ct ro the hip ed o the pig, aregh, dry, and bld I aso decided agaist

Ths chops ar cookd in h ovnand hn on h sovop

ade chops (ct o near the shoder) , whic c a portion o the loin usce ad soe shouder

scle as we as a a aot o cective issued at Althoug the at proises a jic, avorl

p, the coectve issue requires a og, ist

oking ethod to becoe tender er coarigter-cut chops ( cut o te cener o he oi ) a

oi chops (ct o the ib section), I decided oe atter, preerring teir eaty textre a sighygher t cotet I opted to leave e boe i, kow

g at t acts an insuator ad helps e chops cook

ny; fa in e nooks and ies o a boe aso

s to baste e eat as it cooks

Many o the test kitche's ork chop recipes car brnga soak in a saltwater sotio beeoking Brinig tederizes e eat ad icreasese scle cels' capacty to hol water, yieldigcier chops hle yo ca buy "ehaced pork

at's bee injected with satater and sodiu psate, e preer the clea avor o natra pork ) It ahead ad brined a cope o bne-i , 1 hick chs or an hour Knowig at a ovestveol echie wlt wrk, I ie

appoach pplar in restarat kitchens: startige chops i a skillet and en shig i a hot

ove A I eecte, e eat was easigy jicBt ere was't c broig, ad a taserscopaied at ese chps acke e roasted qa

iy at gives eat deep avr I susecte a t eisture i te rie ad idered rwi

hat i skied e iqid ar e brie ad

sip salted e c ps? gh sa iiialy rawsisture ut rotei, te reverse appes saerard, as sat a jices w ack i I got ta bo o ksher sat, sprike e chs (abo easpoo per sie) , ad et si or 45 ites

(Ay ess an e sat wu o ave egh tie

to enetrate e ea) er 45 ites, I seare

e chops a ishe e i a 45eree veese cs were ery icye sa ade its jbbt ey ere aso g side,and e crst was sti eager

p-l oppng TaditionFor y ext tes, I seare the cos ad etraserre e a c coer ove a ere275 degrees) t ish ckig rty tes later,e chs ere ced trouh a taby reteer han cps coke i a ve Evide,I as t soehig r scice edir elaie

OOK J

t ezes ca ed cathepsis break don prsuch as cage, hepig to tenderize ea

ese enzes are o active at teperature

22 erees I waed ptiall teder c

wold be i y interest to keep e pork at teeratre or as og as possibe

Bolly, I ecide o r y ed upside I wd egin by cooking e sated chops a 275degree ve util eir interal tepereached 1 20 degrees, and e sear e i a spa, ey reached an idea seving tepe

o 45 to 50 degrees ow did topsy-

ique pa ot, so to speak? Like a char The were spreely tener a beauy carasip becase I ha kept e belo 22 deor abut 20 ites nger an e cove475-degree eo coud do The advatages owere tood: First, e eat cooked sloy, aloale tie r e enzyes to do teir work; see gene roastig dried te exterior o e

creatig a in, arid layer Wen te chop was sis ayer ed ito a grating cisp crustb us, i yo ca't d aying oer than ehprk, e eod wil help to ensure at wateriected eat also ries ot i e ove bsearg ad ca actuall brow in e pa)

Whie e chos rested, I created a quick wine pa sace an alterative, I aso deveoThaiisired sace ade wit cocout ilk, gciatro, ad ie I ct into the perecy coeat, I kew it was tie to sa so og to trad

T E H N Q U E

V O D I N G U C K E D C H O Ma on coms covd in a hin m mbran casilvr skin Ths m mbran conracs fasr han rs of h ma causing buckling and lading unvnly cookd c hopsCin slis in h sivrskin prvns hproblm

Cu slis abou 2 inchs apar no h fa and u ndlyng silvr skin op posi h bon of h c hop


13/36

A-SEAED HICCU O CHOS

R V 4

By hops of simia thikess so that they ookat the same ate. If sing table salt, spinkle eahhop with teaspoon sal. We pefe the avo ofnatal hops ove that of enhane d hops (whihhave been injeted with a salt soltion and soim

phosphate to inease moisess and avo), bt if

poessed pok is a yo an nd, skip he sating

step beow. Seve the hops with one of ou saeso with applesae.

4 bonein rib loin pork chops inches thick(about 1 2 ounce s each) (see note)

Kosher salt an gun black pepper (see note)

12 tablespoons vegetable oi l

recipe sauce (recipes follow)

l Adjst oven ak to middle poston andheat oven to 275 degees. Pat hops withpape towels. Using shap knife, t 2 sits, abot

2 inhes apat, thogh ote aye of fat and silveskin (see "Avoiig Bkled Chops, page 0 )

Spinkle entie sfae of eah hop with 1 teaspoon sal. Pae hops on wie ak set in imedbaking sheet and et stand at oom tempeate

45 mintes.2. Season hops ibealy with peppe; tansfe

baking sheet to oven. Cook ntil instant-ead themomete inseted into entes of hops and away

om bones egistes 120 to 125 degees, 30 to 45mintes

3 Heat 1 tablespoon o in 12-inh heaybottomed skilet ove high heat ntil smoking. lae2 hops in skilet and sea nil well bowned and

sy, to 3 mintes, g one haay hoghto eisribte fat ndeeah eah hop. (Rede

heat if boned bits in pan botom stat to bn.)Using tongs, hops and ook nil wel bownedon seond side, 2 to 3 mntes. Tansfe hops toplate and epeat h emaining 2 hops, ad dng exatablespoon oi if pan is dy

4 Rede heat to meim. Use tongs to stand 2pok hops on thei sides Holding hops ogethewith tongs, etn to skillet and sea sides of hops(with exeption of bone side) ntil bowned andinstant-ead themomete inseted into ente of

hop and awa fom bone egistes 40 to 145degees, abot 1 mintes . Repeat with emaining

2 hops. Let hops est, oosely tented with foi, fo0 mines while pepaing sae.

GALIC AD HYE A SAUCE

M A K y, C U P

large shallot mi nce (about cup)2 meium garlic cloves mince or presse

thugh garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

cup ry white wine cup lowsoium chicken bth

teaspoon mince fresh thyme leaves

V teaspoon white wine vinegar

pok cops drawsout moistu r tat 45 minuts latris pu lld back in producing juicywllsasond mat

2 Rincrass nzymatic activity tatbaks down connctiv tissulading to mor tndr cops

R t cops aroasting tm at a low tmptur ns urs a crisp crust as mat now as a drir surac

tablespoons col unsalte butter cut into piecesTable salt an gun black pepper

Po o a bt teaspoon oil om pan s ed to ookhops and etn pan to meim heat. Add shaot

and gali and ook, sing onstany, nl soened ,abot 1 minte. Add wine and both, saping panbottom to loosen bowned bits. Simme ededto p, 6 to 7 mintes. O heat, si in thme andvinega, then whisk in btte, 1 tablespon at a time .Season with salt and peppe and seve wih hops.

CLAO AD COCOU AN SAUCE

M A K E , C U P

large shallot mince (about cup)2 meium garlic cloves mince or presse

thugh garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

tablespoon grate fresh ginger

cup lowsoium chi cken bth cup coconut milk

teaspoon sugar

cup cho ppe fresh ci lant leaves2 teaspoons juice fm l ime

tablespoon unsalte butter

Table salt an gun black pepper

Po o all bt 1 teaspoon oi fom pan sed t ook

hops and etn pan to meim heat. Add shallot,

gali, and ginge and ook, siing onstanly, tilsoened, abot 1 minte. Add both, oont milk,and sga, saping pan bottom to loosen bowned

bits. Simme til edued to p, 6 to 7 mintes.O heat, sti in iano and ime jie, then whiskin btte. Season with salt and peppe and sevewit hops.

K'S V IDS Original st itcn Vido sw w co o k s s c o r0 9

HOW TO MAKE

an-Sard ick-Cut orkCopsIDEO TIS

ow do I cck t tmpratur of a bon -in cop ? Wy do scor t fat?

M A R i b A P R L 2 0 0 9

r s r N G ApplaFw tings sm mor wolsom tan applSo imagin ou surpris wn w tastd brandsand found tat our runaway favorittains sucralos t vry sam articial sw

found in Splnda A minut amount was to boost t appl sauc's swtnss witoupowring its frs brigt appl lavor An aswtnr wit 600 tims t potncy ofsucralos turnd out to av anotr bndo sn' t contribut to t sli my consist ncy ors noticd in appl sauc swtnd wit cor(t prfrrd swtnr in applsauc) Acto an xpr in applsauc procssing at CUn ivrsity a tick but s omwat muci laginotur can b cratd wn t sugars in cornbond wit t pctin and fructos in appls Sabsnc of addd sugars was not a good t ingon xcption ts unswtnd rnditions

bland and wasd-up wit a watry consistnotr ky ingrdi nt in our top applsauc? Aof lavor-boosting salt For comp lt tasting rgo to wwwcooksil lustratdco m/ap 9

M rdit B

F R

ie ppl ace

rice: $2.35 for 23 ouncsonts: Muc to our surpristastrs ravd about t "frs "brigt vn "xclnt appl lavorof tis sucralosswtnd appl

sauc prfrring it by a wid marginto all t otr brands

R T

Appl ac

oe tyle

rice: $235 for 24 ouncsoents: ough it is on of tbttr options out tr tis cornsyrupswtnd applsauc camin a distant scond


14/36

Fis n Paiot?U n less you 're a wh z at or gam , parchm ent-baked s h can be lo ng on labor

and sh ort on flavor H e re's ow we o le d h es e prob ems.

C ookng papit-where hefood s b ked n g hly seled, f u l y f olde d rc hm e nckge o essenlly sem nown JUces-my seem s ouded

Beef Wengon nd Phesn underss. u ee's eson he ech ue s ed s own hrough counlessy fds nd fsons. I's n esy,ssfee wy o ennce delce vor,

cuy of sh, levng no odorsge n he kchen. The sh cooks

ckly n such mos envronmen, ndcuse ee's no wer dded o d luevos, 's oe vorfu me0d hndny ochng. I equres le ddn f nd, f you ho n vegebl es,s u o gh bu ssng oneuc" e.

Y E E E

o e he source, heled c oncenexuded lqud nd deeen s vo

Veggn' OuW he cookng me nd emenled don, I cold now my on o selecng he vegebles. I quwnnowed m oons. Dense vegelke ooes, even when rcooked, o cook v nly n he fol ckes Vegew n bsoben srucue, le eggsmly cooked no mush n l he mo

Oes, such s broccol, overoeredelce sh vor. eyond ese conons, he mos morn sec wshe vegebles ere reed beforeen no he ckes. I found h cnd leeks could be dded o he ckerovded hey were cu no mchFeel ws noer vegeble h ell w sh, bu needed o be wslghly n he crowve o become he bref coong e . Te zuws much ovend he juces cke less dedf ! sled rs rd o excess mosue.

Wen done coecly, h s. Whoue gh bend of vongs, e sh cne s en nd bnd, you mgh s wellng on de food. No vegeblesr we w s, nd cel consderon

us be gven o he sze nd wheherecookng s necessry, or you cn wnd

w ovecooked sh surrounded bydecooked vegebles. I wned o cren och worhy ofs echnque's

We use foi l not parcment paper, and te r gt bend of flavorngs tocreate a satsfyng one- pouc meal

Whle sers lked ese sh n d veble gs, mny fe he comocked hrmony nd ovell e dsh

lle oo len. dsh of vermouh, hchbsorbed by he sh nd vegebles, boosed

ue os, wh mos, ky sh nd enderrmgebles voed by he rch, romc goodnesshe mngled j uces.

ed Aganhe cssc eces cl for cung rchmen er

o cve shes such s erdros, hers, dees, he cresng he ses no nsknglycse le folds. u jus lookng he usronsde my humbs rob. I ned o ge dnner on

be s quckly s ossble-no cee ogm. In ecly o fol, sndchng e shween 12nc sques, hen crmng he edgescee rg sel would lock n sem.s ws dmedly no s glmorous s n rcelyed cmen cke, bu denely serceble.My ne se ws o gue ou wh ye of shked bes n s s nd ow long woud keco Aer ng vrey of sh lles, I qcyemne ses fvoed ky, mld s lke

doc cod ove moe ssevely vored sho or un. In he mos moshee of e

fol ouch, hese ole s d endency o overower he vors of he vegebles ( for e momen I s smly lng he sh on bed of slced zucchn); beer o sve hem fo sung or serng.

Snce e gol of cookg en loe s o ceeenough sem fom e food's own juces, mosreces recommended crnkng e he wy u,even s g s 500 degrees. Though we mehodlke s one s more forgvng h dy rochke rosng, 500 degees seemed exessve. nd

ws. hen I oened e fo e jus 5 mnuesfor nck nd eek," my nc lles ere chlkywhe nd elldone (nd he zcchn s slghlyunderdone). Cookng s emeure for lessme ddn' work eler-he food s brely n heoven long enough fo sem o form, levng bohsh nd vegeble undecooked. e more exermenon, I rrved 450 degrees fo 5 mnuess e de emeue nd coong me-hoenoug o oduce sem evey qucky bno so ho h le food ovecooked. lcng eckes on le lowermddle ck of he oven, cl ose

O K s L L U S R A E

2

E N Q U E C O O K I N G N E N F I L E T S

f yor fs as a tin talpiece, tuck it under s o tcooks at te same rate as te rest of te let: Calay troug te fles crosswise, 2 to 3 n cefrom te tail end , ten fold te tal end u nder tecut seam to create a fllet of even tickess


15/36

. Arrange vegeables on foil rsso ey will be closes o easource; drile wi vermou odeepen lavor

2. Top vegeables wi s andspread compound buer oropping over i for increasedricness

Top w second piece of foilan d crimp edges ogeer in z ncfold, en fod over ree m oreimes o creae airig packe.

bu no quie enough. Wa if I creaed a oppingo avor e sh as i cooked? omao, garlic, and

olive oil "sa lsa added kick o my zucchini variaon,while compound buers avored wih garlic , herbs,and zes enlivened he ohers. These oppings basde sh as i cooked and mingled ih he ine and

juices given o by he vegeables, leaving behind an

aromac, ll-avored sauce ha perfecy complemened h sh. Each recip e was so lih, fresh, a deasy o prepare, i c ouldn' b more conemporar.

COD BAKED I FOIL

WITH LEEKS A D CARROTS

R V 4

Haddock, rd snapper, halibu, nd sea bass aso orkwell in his recipe and hose a folow as long as e

es are 1 o 1 4 inches ck. The packes may bassembled several hour s ead of me and reigeraed

ready o cook. If he packs have been reigraed for more an 30 minues, increase e cooking

ime by 2 nues. Open each packe prompy arbag o preven overcoog. Zes e lmo n beforcung i no edges. See page 3 for ips on cuing carros and leeks.

4 tablespoons unsated butter, soened

I \ teaspoons finey grated est fm I emo n;

emon cut into wedges (see note)

2 medium gaic coves, minced or pressed

thugh garic press (about 2 teaspoons)

teaspoon minced fres h thyme eaves

ae sat and gund back pepper

2 tablespoons mi nced fesh parsey eaves

2 medium carts, peeed and cut into match

sticks (about I cups) (see note)

2 medium eeks, white and ight green pats

haved engthwise, washe, and cut into match

sticks (about 2 cups) (see note)

4 tablespoons vermouth or dry wite wine

4 skiness cod ets, I to I \ inches thick (about

6 ounces each) (see note and i ustration on

page 2

ombe buer, 4 easpoon zes, 1 easpoongarlic, hyme, 4 easpoon sal, and / easpoon

pepper i sml bo. Combine parsley, remaig ea

spoon zs, ad remaiing easpon garlic in anoersmal bol; se aside. Place cars and leeks meumbowl, season i sal and pepper, and oss oger.

2 . Adjus ven rack o lowermidle posion andhea ove o 450 degres. Cu eigh 1 2inch shees

of foil; arrange four a o couer. Divide carro

and leek mixure amng foi shees, mounding inceer of ach. Pour ablespoon vermou overeach mound of vegeabes . Pa sh dr ih paproels; seaso i sal and pepper and plac one ll on op o each vgabe moud. Spread quarerof buer mixure n p of ac lle . Place secondsquare of foil on op of sh; crimp edges ogeherin !inc ld, ld ovr ree more imes ocreae a pace abu 7 inchs square (se illusraions, abve) . lac pa cs on rimmed bking she

(ovrlappig sligy i cssa) .3 . Bake pacs 5 inues. Carefully open foil,

alloing seam o scap away frm you. Usi ng n

mea spaula, gny slide sh and vegeables ono

plae ih any accumuad uices; sprinle ihparsly nxur. Srv immediaely, passing lemondges separay.

COD BAKED FOL

W T H UCCH I A D T OMA TOES

R V 4

pound ucchini (2 medium), ends tried and

si ced csswise nto 4-i nchthi ck unds

abe sat

2 pound pum toatoes (2 mediu), cored,

seeded, and chopped into -inch pieces

(about I cup)

2 tabespoons extra-virgin oive oi2 edium gar ic coves, minced or pressed

thugh garic press (abut 2 teaspoons)

teaspoon minced fresh oregano eaves

teaspoon red pepper f akes

Gund back pepper

4 tabespoons verouth or ry white wine

4 skiness cod fi ets, I to I \ inches thick (about

6 ounces each)

\ cup inc ed fresh basi eaves

eon, cut into wedges

{ PL 0

1 3

l Toss zucch i easpoon sal bol; rasfer o colader se over bow. il zucchii releases l o 2 alespoonabou 30 miues. Arrage zucc on ipaper oels; cover i anoer riple lay

oels. Firmy press each slice o remove lquid as possible. Meanhle, combne omagaric, oregao, red pepper akes, easpand easpoon pepper in medium bol.

2. Follo rcipe for Cod Baked in Foil iad Carros om sep 2, moLdig saled in cener of foi, dizzling ih vermu , plaon op, en spoog quaer of omao ix

each e. Bake d arrange on plaes as dir

sep 3, sprig basi over sh ad passinedges separaely.

COD BAKED F OIL

WITH F EL A D SHALLOTS

R V 4

Zes he orage before i is peeled and qua

arge fenne bub (about pound), trihaved, cored, and siced into \-inch st

(about 4 cups)

2 edium sha ots, siced thin (about c

4 tabespoons unsated butter, soened

2 ediu m oranges, \ teasoon finey gra

removed f one; both peeed, quarte

cut csswise into \-inch-thick pieces

(see nte)

edi um garic cove, minced o r pressed

garic ress (about I teaspoon)

2 teaspoons inced fresh tarragon eaves

abe sat and gund back pepper

4 tabesoons vermouth or dr y white wi

4 skiness cod fi ets, I to I \ inches thick6 ounces each)

l Combne fenel ad shallos large misafe bol; cover ighy i plasic rap. Mi

on high power nl feel has sared o w4 mes, srrg once halay ough Combine uer, zes, garlc, 1 easpoon arraspoon sa, ad / easpoon pepper in smCombine orane pieces ad remaing easpragon in anoer small bol; se aside.

2. Follow rcipe for Cod Baked in F

eeks and Carros from sep 2, mdinmixure in cener of foil, drizzling ih ve

placing sh on op , e n spreadig quarer mixure over each lle. Bake and arrange oas drec n sep 3, spo0 g or g an mixure over sh before sering.

K'S VDS Original es Kice . c o o k s l l s r . c o / 0 9

O TO AKE

Cod Baked in Fol wi Leeks and CarrosIDEO TI

How do I make a parcmen pouc?


16/36

escng akd ZtiTransform i ng th is t i red Ita ian-Am er can c l ass i c i nto a d i sh

worth mak ng took m ore than swapp i ng ot the r co

M a n y c o o k s , m y s e l fincluded, don't mindlavishing time and enderloving care o lasagna orued manicotti-the otcome speaksr itsel Baked ziti, however, is aother

atter. It's sposed to be simple: juststa ad a robust tomao sace bakedder a covr of bubbling, gooey cheese.

t over time the dish has devolved frommle o merely lazy. Most versions seem

e tey went direcly from the pantr

o the oven, calling for little more tanoked pasta, jarred tomato sauce, a coner of ricotta, and some preshreddedeese. The results-overcooked ziti in all, grainy sauce topped wit a rubber

ass of ozzarella-mor than earn thesh its reputation as mediocre chrchpper fare.Withot urig baked ziti ito a weekd project, I wantd to ge the same

wardg otcome om ziti that I've comeexect from any oter baked pasta.

h Spcal Sauc

Y A V P A Z M O

he rst problem to tacle was te sace. In't want spend l day hoveing over at of steing tomatoes, so I needed a sace

Our baked ziti boasts flavorful saue and heese in every bte

at was big o avor and light o prep. Most "qickmato saces cal for sweag garlic in ove oi beforeding some tpe of tomato prodct. (I'd deal wite airy queso later; for now, I'd ish my sace

g i rcotta ceese.) Whole caed tomatoesd crsed tomatoes both ad good avor bt tookong e to cook do. o seed things , what

if I used a tomato odct tat was aready concentate? Caed sace rovided the scous tetue Iwanted bt lacked brigh tomato avor. Doctoringte sace ith a little tomato aste wasn' the answer;it merely reinforced the cooked avor of e sace.Ulmately, I stck an iea balace by addng a canof icd tomatoes.

R E C I P E D I G N O S I S Bakd Ziti Gn Ba

RE RY H E S reshredded mozzarella melts into anunaetizin rubbery rust

RY RY S

Ziti absorbs l iqui d as i t ooks, leavin the saue dryand the riotta rainy and broken.

S S

Startin the asserole with al dente ast leads to overooked, mushy zit by the time it emees frm the oven

K ' L L U S A E

1 4

Now it was time to layer avors. Frsh basirich, aromatc savor, but more herbs were essIn the test kcen we usuay ot for esh herbaer simmerig my sauce t bot fresh andoregano, asters were divided. Tis is not as oit might sond. Some erbs that grow i oenvironments, icluig oregao, bay leaverosma, cotain excptioaly stable avorponds that surve dig quite well-leavingof avor to release when sered. For convenI chose dried oregano.

Intrduci ng Scrt WaponsJust when my tomato sauce seemed p erfect, I the ricotta, and a familiar roblem reared itsRather than bakg p creamy and rich, te rwas grainy and dulled tl1e sauce. Maybe a dida product as in order? Sraghtu p heavadded lushness but duled he avor jst as mricotta. I needed something creamy yet brigh

A colleague suggested I t her moer's ziti recipe, wich called for two 0todox dients: cottage cheese and jarred Afredo sawas skeptical, bt I tried the cotage cheese. Tsurprise, it was a smashing success . Its pillyhave a textre similar to ricotta, bt it osse

mch creaer consistency and a more ditangy avor. And since cottage curds are bigbakes up wth one of ricotta's graiiess.

Afredo sauce sonded inrigng-wha cowrong tang a rch sauce made of reducedand Parmesa cheese ad oring it over zit, eit was meat for fettccine? But why go \ith jarquick scan of e ar's label reveae tat commAdo sace also contas eggs ad tckener.eavy cream dn't work in my revious testmaybe thckeg it and enriching i t wi eggs whel. For my next batch, I combed cottage cwith eggs, Parmesan, and heavy cream ickwith a bi of cornstarch. Combinin s mil,mre wih e brght tomato sace wo inconverts. I now had a sace hat was brght, rccreamy-all a the sae tme.

Dicd for SuccssTe asta presented its own challenges. Most rcook e ziti in boilin water ntil al dente btossing it wit e sauce and bakig. Bt conines to absorb sace as i bakes, infortnate conseqences: overcooked pastsace that has been robbed of moistre. Cov


17/36

Keys to Bette Flavo and Textue

7

NT RICTTA T W S A U C S D I C Y S L T I NDcd mozzarlla, trrd nto th

auc and rnld on to of thdih lad to mltd ch n

vr bt.

u r rc wa r cotta for cottag

ch, whch mantan t cramtxtur vn whn hot

W combn tradtonal tomato

auc wth nontradtonal Alfrdoauc to achv a rfct balanc of

brghtn and rchn

the casserole with aluminum foil as it baked helpedto retain moisture and keep the top from ding out,but I needed more drasic measures I ran a series oftests, ndng that cooking the pa sta for roughly veminutes and usg more thn 8 cups of sauceabouthalf the cooking time hat most recipes call for andnearly ice the amot of sauceyielded perctlyal dente pasta in the baked dish with plent of saucee to eep t1e whole thing moist

The onl remaining queston was how to deal it1the cheese Grated cheese congeals into a mass thatmakes he dish not only 1appezing but dicult toporon, as some pieces get more than their share ofcheese while others get none Instead of shredg temozzarela, I tried cug it into small cubesreasonng that they would melt into disnct but delectableittle pockets of cheesebut they ended up ongnto each other and, like he shedded cheese, formng a heay crust on top Using only half of the cheese

workedsort of; the cubes stayed separate om eachother, but now the sh lacked ricess What if Iixed ha of the cheese ith the sauce just before addng it to the pasta, and 1en spried the rest over he

top? This strateg yielded a hot, bubbly success Thecubes on top remained perfectly distbuted, and hecasserole below was dotted ith gooey bits of cheese

T H N Q U T H E R G H TD G R E E O F A L D E N T E

o esure erectly al dete asta the shed ds hwe bol zt just ut l t begs to soe but s ot yetcooed through to 7 m uteshaf the tme mosteces cal for The asta cotues to coo theove where t absorbs e flavorul sauce o comesate we add eary twce the amout of sauceas most reces

Wil e second-rate red- sauc e resta urant s coninueto make "lazy-man's baked ziti, my fay w havet1is dish te way it's meant to bewith perfectly aldente pasta, a rich and avorl sauce, and meltedcheese in ever bite

A E Z

R V T O 0

The test kitchen prefers bked zi made it heacream, but whole m can be substuted by increasnghe amt of costarch to 2 teaspoons and increasing te cooking ime in step 3 by l to 2 nutes Ourpreferred brand of mozzarella is Dragone Whole Mozzarella Pat-skim mozzaela can also be used, butavoid preshredded cheese, as it does not elt we Fortips on cooking wit1 cottage cheese, see page 3

poud ole ml or pee coage ceee

(ee oe)

2 large egg, lg l beae

ou ce graed armea (aou I V cup)able al

poud z or oer ort, ubu lar aa

2 ablepo o exravrg olve ol

medum garlc clove, mced or preed

ug garlc pre (abou eapoo)

(28-ouce) ca omao auce

( 14 -ouce) ca d ced omaoe

eapoo dred oregao

V cup pl u 2 ableoo copped fre alleave

eapoo u gar

ud blac peper

eapoo coracup eav cream (ee oe)

8 ouc e lo-moure mozzarell a c eee, cuo c pece (abou V cup) (ee oe)

djust oven rack to middle posiion and heatoven to 350 degrees hisk cottage cheese, eggs,and cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; setaside Bring 4 quarts of water to boil i large Dutchoven over high heat Stir in l tablespoon salt andpasta; cok, stirring occasionally, until pasta beginsto soen but is not yet cooked t1rogh, 5 to 7minutes Drain pasta and leave in colander (do notwash Dutch oven

M A R l b A P R L 0 0

5

T s T N G Cttag ChAmercas have eoyed cottage cheese Coloal tmes oday vtually o refrgerawthout a cotaer extures rage from wet talthough you wou d ever ow t fom the mg go "Ca lfora-s tyle refers to a drer cocheese whle "coutry-style refers to a creawetter mxture Whch tastes best? We tastedatoal brads of small-curd cottage cheese w

ercet fat la ad baed zt ur favorta coutry-style cottage cheese Mos t tasters ts creamy flavo ad texture wh le some holreferred a drer texture ad tagy taste For lete tastg results go to wwwcooslustcom/ar09 eedth Butcher

C R E T E C O E T I TI O

HD Cour Syle

Coage Cheee

re: $266 er oudComme: Ths coutry-sylecheese too to hoo rs wtts " ll owy textur ad a taste

so rch t was almost "bu ttery

C R U B C S

FRI N DSHI Ca l fora

Syle Coage Cheee

re: $289 e oudComme: Some tastersreferred ths cottage cheese whch came seco d for ts drer more crutexture ad slghtly salt taste

2 Meanwhile, heat oil and garic in 2-inet over medium heat until garlic s fragrant rown, about 2 inutes Sir in tomato sauctomatoes, and oregano; simmer unt thiabout l minutes O heat, sir in z cup bsugar, then season with salt and pepper

3. Stir cornstarch into heav cream in smransfer mixture to now-empy Dutch ovenedi heat Bg to ser and cook t3 to 4 minutes Remove pot from heat and age cheese mixture, l cup tomato sauce, anmozzarella, then sir to combine Add pastao coat thoroughly with sauce

4. Transfer pasta mixture to 3 - by 9-incdish and spread remaining tomato sauce eve

pasta Sprinkle remaiing % cup mozzarremaining cup Parmesan ver top Coverdish tightl wth foil and bake for 30 mnu

5 Remove foil and coninue to cook untis bubbling and begining to rown, abminutes longer Cool for 2 0 minutes Sprinremaining 2 tablespoons basil and sere

OO'S V IDOS g al est Ktchewww o o k I u raed om /a 09

HO TO MAKE

Baed t


18/36

Keepgitce Staples FresherLongeMoving you r ol ie oi , v in egar an d s p ces off the k itcen cou nte i s on y te f ist step.He re's ow to po og te l i fe of esset ia k icen i ngredi ents Y L Y

Few things last foreverncl di ng some of the pantry staples yo might thi nk are n e to sqir el away for years. And even if yo d o obse veexpiation and sell -by dates we've fond they cant always be trsted. eres h ow to preserve the freshness of pantry itemsand how to

know whe n it' s time to restock.

SPICE DRE D HRBSSLF LIF :

oe Sies: 2 yearsund Sies and Dried ers: year

DO by spices whole verss grond wheneverpossible and grin d tem jst before s ing Grindi ngreleases the volatil e comp ond s that give a spice itsflavor and aroma. e longer the spice sits aron d (o ris stored) the more componds disappear.

DON'T store spices and herbs on the coterclose to te stove. eat light an d mo stre shortentheir shel l ife.

C E C E S E S SCrmble a smallamont of he d ried

herb between yorngers and take awhi. f it releases al ively aroma its stil lgood to go. If the aroma and color of a spice havefaded it's time to restock.

the i l sres a qick gide to storng open bottles of oil i n yorchen. For optima l flavor repl ace these oils 6 monthser openi ng.

PA

noa

rn

anu

geae

Sesame

Wanu

SLF LIF : Long-lasting

DON'T toss old vinegar. Mostvinegars contain ab ot 5 percent acetic acid w hich (along with pasterization) p revents the growth of harmflbacteia and wi l l last indenitely.

DO ignore any sediment in yorvnegar. he sedimen t is a harmless

cell lose that or testing hasshown doesn't aecttaste; it can beeas ly strained ot(see "VinegarSedimentpage 2).

SLF LIF :

Unoened: I yearOen: 3 months

DO check the ha rvestdate printed on the labelof high-end oils to ensrethe freshest bottle po ssible. ( Some labels cite an

Y' WYlJ,.urw " d,Ul -r v 6 J fZ

2 8

expiration date which prodcers typical ly c alclateas 1 8 months from harvesting. We think n openedolive ol can go rancid I year ae the arvest date.)

DO move olive oi l from thecontetop o windowsi l l to a darkpantry or cpboad. Strong snlightwil l oxidize the chlorophyll in the

oil rodcin sae harh lavor.

DON'T by olive oil in b lk.Once ope ned it has a very shortself life.

C E C R R S E S Seat a l ittle olive oil i n a skil let.f it sme lls rancid throw ot theottle. his test works for allvegetable oils.)

S U S D

6

Beond the PantWhil e not pantry staples per se eggs and bttessenti al to everyday cooking.

p o-flavors and -C TIl5PO ot


19/36

ranuated Sugar, Hone, and

oae: ong-lastingae Sru: 2 yeas nened, I yea oen

O stoe ganl ated sga in an aitigt containeotect it fom e at, moi ste, and cittes.

O keep molasses and oney in te anty (ine fidge, mol asses temoaiy tns in to a tick,oable sldge, and oney cystallizes.

O stoe noened maple sy in te anty,t moe te opened sy to te efigeato. Bese of its ig moiste leel and lack of eseaes, male sy i s ssceti ble to te gowt ofast, mold, and bacteia.

N G Y Z N Y

o emoe teystals, oen aass oney a,t it in a sacen lled witnc of wate,d eat ntil itaces 6 degees.

N N G G en bown sga comes into c ontact wit ai, te

oiste in te sga eaoates, and te sga tnsck-ad. Hee ae two easy metods to soen it.

Quik Fix: lace teadened bow n sgaa bowl wit a slice of

andwic bead. Coeit lastic wa and

micowae fo to 2

econds.

hi l l Out

Ongoing Remed: Stoebown sga in a sealedcontai ne wit a teacotta Bown Sga Bea($3. 25, wic gets abief soak in wate befoe

being added to te sga.

Tese items stay fese in te feeze:

Ba eave

our it eav germ ontent

(sc as wole weat and ornmea Nut and eed

eat

LEAVENERSHLF LI:

Baking oder and

Baking Soda: 6 montsIn tant or Ative Dr eat: 4 monts (in feeze

DON'T kee yeast in te antyt it in tefeeze to slow deteioation. An d beca se yeast is al iing oganism, teexiation date onte ackage soldbe obseved.

W U

Oe time, baking owde (comised of bakingsoda, acid salt, and constac loses its abi l ity toodce cabon dioxde and ge baked goods teliftsoone tan many odces claim. We comaed bisc its made wit a newly oened can of baking owde to biscits made wit cans o ened an dstoed fo mont al l te way to a yea. Te iseof te biscits began to decease wit te 6-montold owde and contined to decline to alf teeigt of fes at te 1 montold mak. Fo besteslts, elace yo baking owde (and soda ee 6 monts.

SHE IF :

Auroe Fo ur: yeaWoe Weat Four and

Cornmea: I yea (i feeze

O tansfe al l-pose loot of its ae bag and into anaitigt contain e to otect itfom m idity.

DON'T leae woleweat flo o conmeal

in te anty; tey containnatal ois tat will goancd in as l ttle as 3monts.

DO enclosewole weat floand conmeal inzelck bagsand stoe temin te feeze.

[ P 2 0 9

1 7

. '1

Dy Stoage ContainersAitigt contain es kee moi ste at ba y and makescoo ing and measi ng easie. O efeed stocoi e fo flo andsga is a containetat easil accommodates an enie5ond bag, wt

an oeni ng wideenog to di i n ameasing c andleel o te excessigt back nto tecontaine. O

U R W I N N I N GC N T A I N R

faoite, te Rbbemaid 4-Qat CabX CommeFood Sto ag containe ($5.7, stands ot beca

I

of te mea sement maks along te sid es, its standles , and its clea plastic fo isibil ty.

tHOCATESHL LIF :Uneetened and Dark

Cooate: 2 yeasi k and Wite

Cooate: 6 monts

O wa oen basof cocolate tigtly in lastic and stoe in a coolanty to ense optimm fesness. If cocolate isexposed to apid canges in mi dityo tem eate, sga o fat maysoen and migate, discoloingte s face. Tis cosmeticcondit ion, ca l led bloom,

doe sn t aect te flao of te cocolate.

DN'T stoecocoate in te efigeato o feeze,as cocoa bteeasil y absobs o-flaos fom ote foods andcanges it s cystal stcte.

D kee in mind tat te mil k solds i n milk andwite cocolate gie tem a sote self life tannsweetened and dak cocolate.

SHF IE: Long-lastng

D kee anil la i n a tgtly sealedcontane away fom ligt and eat.

DN'T get id of old anl la. Vanl lasig alcol content makes it extemely selfstable.In tests, wee fond t at een I -yea-old anil la isd stngsab e fom fes.


20/36

Mashe Potatoes, renc-StyeFrench cookery's i ntense ly r ic h , cheesy take on mashed potatoes f outs te ru l es

To Ame ri can ize th e d is h, we ign ored a few more . Vive a rs i stanc !

eave t to he French to take a concept as simple as throwig cheeseand garlic it mashed potatoesand elevate i into somethingfar more interestig tan, well, mashedpotatoes with cheese ad garlic The dish,called , comes from the Auvergneregion of souhcetral Frace, where it isso revered, an eire festival is devoted eachear to celebrating it

I rst ecoutered aligo at a Bostobistro, where the acitu waiter billed it

merely as "Frech mased potatoes hatdidn't prepare me for the dish hat arrivedat my table Instead of a u mound ofspuds, tis mash pooled on he plate Adwhen I lied my for to take a bite, thepotatoes stretched and puled like taas that a good thig? Oe inteselygarlicy, cheesy bite ad I kew it was asuerb ting

I did a litte research when I got homeand leared tat aigot gets this uiquelyelastic, satiy textre trough prologed,igoous sg Now I was real y intgedHere i e test kitche, we've cormed

time and again hat a ligt touch is thesecret to great mashed potatoes ow couda heavhaded technique create such avelvet puree wthout ay trace of gueynessor siciness?

ong for old

Y C A L E L E Y

eemy of ligt ad u; i aligdensiy was sll aparet urttasters fod he avor of R Blundetectale Russets did far bavor, ledig a ice earthiess, high starch cote produced astickig tackiess at suraced thrcheese e mediustarch Yukowere te clear wier, yiedig a pa mild, bute avor ad a lghtcosistecy

Lft and StretchNow I was ready to cosider cooique I te t est kitchen, we've fohow you ook the otatoes for mash is crtical to teir al texavoid glueness, we've goe so fseam as well as rise te spuds troug cookig to rid them oamylose, e "a stac in poa

turns em tacy But if he potatto be strred so vigorously latehadlig aso bursts te graules tain amylose, releasig 1e starchmx), woud suc treatment even

A it turned out, o e I ca batch of aligot made wit stearised potatoes to oe made \tboiled potatoes the metod advovirtualy evey recipe I came acroscould detect no dierence

In the test kitchen's cookbook library,I learned that most aligot recipes combinepureed boiled potatoes with butter andcrme frahe a matured, thckeed creamwith tangy avor), then ene rgetically beatin handls of cheese until the mixture

Two knds of ceese (bot nontraditional and vigoros stirr ing give ormas te same creamy stretc as te renc original .

Now wat about masig? Thrn to a tool ca

Documents

Cook's Illustrated 097