N U M B E R N I N E T Y J A N U A R Y b F E B R U A R Y 2008
STR AT E D
No-Knead Bread 2.0 Dutch-Oven Method, Better Loaf
Cutting Boards Wood, Plastic, Bamboo,
or Composite?
Chicken in a Pot French Method, Juiciest Bird
Dark Chocolate Taste Test
Pay Less, Get Better Chocolate!
Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
Sunday Roast Beef Slow Cooking Transforms Cheap Cuts
Best French Onion Soup
...... y::»
Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
Mastering the Art of Stew
Sizzling Garlic Shrimp
Roasted Broccoli
www.c o o k s i l l u s t r a t e d.c om
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CONTENTS January f.Y February 2008
2 Notes from Readers BY SANDRA WU AND DAVID PAZMINO
4 Quick Tips COMPILED BY DAVID PAZMINO
6 Improving Cheap Roast Beef Roasting inexpensive beef usually yields tough meat best
suited for sandwiches. How do you transform a bargain
cut into a tender. juicy roast that can stand on its own at
dinner? BY DAVID PAZMINO
8 Introducing French Chicken in a Pot Taking cues from a French technique for cooking chicken
in a covered pot, we forgo crispy skin for succulent meat
and unforgettable flavor. BY CHARLES KELSEY
I 0 Ultracrunchy Baked Pork Chops Pork chops with a thick coating that won't fall off
require more than just a shake in a bag. We get rid of
crumbly crusts and soggy bottoms to create chops with
real crunch. BY SANDRA WU
12 Best French Onion Soup Most versions of this age-old recipe hide a mediocre
broth under a crust of bread and a blanket of Gruyere.
What is the secret to coaxing impressive flavor out of
humble onions? BY REBECCA HAYS
14 Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp Shrimp in garlicky olive oil is a tapas bar classic. But
make this appetizer at home and suddenly the shrimp
are rubbery and the garlic goes missing in a sea of olive
oil. BY J. KENJI ALT
I 6 Mastering the Art of Stew A little know-how goes a long way toward avoiding
common mistakes when making stews. Here's how to
get it right every time. BY KEITH DRESSER
COOK'S ONLINE
18 No-Knead Bread 2.0 A no-fuss recipe is revolutionizing home baking but
trades flavor and reliability for ease. Could we improve
the bread's bland taste and make it rise high every time1
BY J. KENJI ALT
21 How to Roast Broccoli Roasting can concentrate flavor to turn dull vegetables
into something great. Could it transform broccoli I BY MATTHEW CARD
22 Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies You may think an oatmeal cookie should be moist
and chewy. T hin and crispy oatmeal cookies can be
irresistible-if, that is, you can get the texture just right.
BY SANDRA WU
24 Perfecting Spice Cake Spice cakes can be bland and leaden. Could we create a
tender, airy cake with convincing spice flavor that stands
up to a rich cream cheese frosting?
BY KEITH DRESSER
26 The Truth About Dark Chocolate Does spending more for "gourmet" chocolate buy
richer. more complex flavor and better baking results?
BY LISA McMANUS
28 Cutting Boards Cutting boards made from bamboo and wood com
posite are flooding the market. Is there any reason to
choose these new-fangled materials over traditional
wood and plastic! BY LISA McMANUS
30 Kitchen Notes BY J. KENJI ALT
32 Equipment Corner BY ELIZABETH BOMZE
Go to www.cooksillustrated.com to access all recipes from Cook's Illustrated since 1993 as well as updated tastings
and testings. Watch videos of all the recipes in this issue being prepared and a special report on the cutting board testing.
EXOTIC MUSHROOMS Violet-stemmed blewit mushrooms. often called bluefoot, have
a pronounced hominy or barley flavor and a firm, meaty texture. Fairy ring mushrooms have
stems that are too tough to eat, but their dainty, bell-shaped caps yield a full-bodied, heady
nuttiness. Mushrooms of the oyster variety include the hearty king oyster, silver-capped
blue oyster, and abalone, which derives its name from its resemblance to the shellfish and
rivals the blewit in meatiness. Oyster mushrooms are characterized by a clean, mild sweet
ness. Popular Japanese shimeiji mushrooms include the musky beech and the nutty pioppini.
Namekos, also favored in Japanese cooking and similar in shape to the clustered shimeiji,
are distinguished by their spongy, mucilaginous texture. Another textural oddity, the nearly
translucent wood ear is rubbery and gelatinous when reconstituted from its more common
dried form or when used fresh. Bear's head mushrooms have a flavor similar to asparagus
and artichoke.
COVER: Gmpefruil by Robert Papp: BACK COVER: Exotic ,\ luslmm1115 by John Burgoyne
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The World's Food Fair. Boston. October
1896. Admission: 25 cents. Huge crowds
throng the Mechanics Hall convention
center. Women queue up for free samples from 200 different vendors: cereals, gelatins,
extracts, candy, and custards. Table displays include
"Edible Flowers" and "A Mermaid's Dinner." Luncheons are offered-a Dietetic Luncheon,
a Hygienic Lunch-and teas as well, including Tennis Tea and Japanese Ceremonial Tea. Booths are constructed in the shape of buildings: a log cabin to sell pancake flour, a castle to sell all
purpose flour, and a Dutch cottage to promote
Dutched cocoa. Other exhibits include a miniature
margarine factory, a cereal machine that produces
shredded wheat, an electrically operated dairy that churns out 3,000 pounds of butter each day, and a life-sized wax woman that promotes Pearline soap. Just like today, food and cooking were at the con
vergence of popular entertai1m1ent and capitalism.
Newspapers were raucous, loudmouthed, com
mercial, and utterly working class, and Boston's
private clubs were much the same. Yes, in 1906
H. G. Wells accused the members of the Club of
Odd Volumes of too much preoccupation with the past, but another private club of the period pre
sented an evening entitled tl1e Dime Museum, one of the features of which was the Bearded Lady, who was described by a reporter as an "exquisite picture
of ravishing loveliness, whose heaving and sensitive
bosom is concealed from view by her depending
beard." Yet another bizarre dining establishment
of the period featured a member who ate only with
his toes and housed a live bear as a mascot. The world was getting rapidly smaller. Three
innovations-steamships, refrigeration, and railroads-meant that perishable goods could be transported across the country or across the Atlantic, both in and out of Boston. The S. S. Pierce supermarket offered more than 4,000 items for sale, including
mushrooms grown in old quarries near Paris, tl1e
highest-quality Spanish olives, and isinglass, a pre
cursor to modern gelatin (originally made from tl1e
bladders of Russian sturgeon, but a cheaper sub
stitute was later made from cod). Quincy Market
EDITORIAL
LOST RECIPES was a hotbed of local vendors, tl1e original farmers' market, if
you will, and Boston was also fi.tll
of smaller establishments, many of which specialized in poultry (chicken, partridge, quail, wood
cock, snipe, etc.), fruit, confectionary products (cream cakes,
Washington pie, vanilla jumbles, charlotte russe, etc.), seafood (scallops, smelt, clams, whitefish, salt cod, shad roe, mackerel,
etc.), or household dry goods. Christopher Kimball
ing cups, start with dry, then liquid, and finally fat/shortening; to make coffee, steep 2 tablespoons
grmmds in 1 cup cold water overnight and then bring tl1e mixture to a boil the next morning to serve; birds should be dredged in flour before roasting to create a bet
ter crust; and when baking bread, reduce the oven temperarure for the last 15 minutes to cook the interior after the crust has been
set. Not bad for 1896---or 2008, The Boston Globe contained
two food colun1ns: one entitled "The Housekeeper's Department" and the otl1er penned by tl1e Boston Cooking School. Recipes included Dewey's Fried
Shortcakes (a recipe that was rediscovered in Pennsylvania almost 100 years later by Marion
Cunningham, tl1e author of tl1e revised Fannie
Farmer Cookbook), Sniffed Baked Tomatoes, Welsh
Rarebit, Oatmeal Drink, Eggs Nest on Toast,
Corn Bread, Salmon Croquettes, Chicken Pate,
both Puff and Plain Paste, Brown Bread, Leap
Year Cake, Pressed Cake, New Brides Cake, Pear and Rice Pudding, and Cinnamon Tea, to name a few. Staid? Repressed? Hardly. It was a mongrel mix of classic French (puff pastry and pate), Soutl1en1 (corn bread), English (pudding), health
food (oatmeal drink), pioneer (brown bread), and classic American (layer cakes). And what about
taking a Victorian cooking class? Look no further
than Fannie Farmer to learn about five types of
acids (acetic, tartaric, malic, citric, and oxalic), four
types of starch (cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca, and sago), and tl1ree types of fermentation (alcoholic, acetic, and lactic). Readers of this publication will find those lists familiar. In addition, you would learn how to cook a live terrapin, including drawing out the head and removing the skin, and how to boil a calf's head for mock rurtle soup.
You might ask about cooking technique. Sure,
they were cooking on coal stoves, but tl1ey were thoroughly modern in their approach. Farmer
suggested tl1at when using only one set of measur-
for that matter. Many of you have, like me, a long reach back
through history. I grew up on a small mountain farm, learned to simmer and bake over a wood stove, and extracted water from the well under
the side porch using a loosely bolted green metal pump handle located in the pantry sink. I remember poor milk the color of an early morning sky
faint, powdery, and tinged with blue-hot baked
potatoes opened with the swat of a fist, and baking
powder biscuits stored in mistletoed Christmas
tins separated by ragged, hoary rounds of waxed paper. A recently uneartl1ed snapshot of my father
standing arms stretched back, hat high, on an airfield in Egypt during the Second World War looks historical, but hoecakes, wine jelly, Irish moss, and chocolate cream do not. Good food lives on. If it
pleases the palate, it's as timeless as an open-eyed
kiss taken in the back of a school bus.
The history of food has sailed oceans to ship
wreck on America's shores. Where this halfremembered flotsam has fetched up is sometimes hard to say, but the recipes are still there, buried perhaps, but not so far beneath our footsteps. We claim cooking as sometlling new, yet another form of modern art, while the feasts of the ancients still echo through flickers of candlelight.
That is why so many of us stand at the stove to
remember-to recall the wood smoke, the perfume
of warm molasses, the fecund aroma of yeast. One lost recipe remembered is like love rediscovered, as
fresh and unexpected as that first kiss.
FOR INQUIRIES, ORDERS, OR MORE INFORMATION: COOK'S ILLUSTRATED Magaz ine
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letter, or renew your magazine subscription. Join the website and gain access to 15 years of Cook's Illustrated recipes. equipment tests, and ingredient tastings, as well as Cook's Live companion videos
for every recipe in this issue.
COOKBOOKS We sell more than 50 cookbooks by the editors of Cook's Illustrated. To order, visit our bookstore
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J A N U A R Y [y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
NOTES FROM READERS 3 BY S A N D R A WU A N D D AVID P AZ M IN O E
When to Oil a Grill Grate Your recipes call for oiling the grill grate after it's
heated, but my husband insists on oiling prior to
heating. His premise is that the grilling surface is bet
ter able to hold the oil when it's still cool. Is one way
better than the other? SUZANNE EYERMAN
LONGMONT, COLO.
�To prevent food from sticking, oiling your grill
grate is essential. The reason we call for oiling the
grate after it has been heated is because the grate
always needs to be scraped down before it can be
used. Debris is more readily removed from a hot
grate than a cool one, and once these stuck-on bits are
gone, the grate can be more effectively slicked down
with an oil-dipped wad of paper towels.
Oiling the grill grate once it's hot also helps the
oil to bond quickly to the metal and prevent proteins
from sticking to the grill grate. When oil is added to
a cold grill grate, the oil slowly vaporizes as the grill
reaches the desired cooking temperature. The more
the oil vaporizes, the less oil will be left on the grill
grate, making sticking more likely. One more point:
Never try to take a shortcut by spraying a hot cook
ing grate with nonstick cooking spray. You might
save about 10 seconds, but risk having a flare-up on
your hands.
Seasoning Cold Food Is it ttue that cold food needs more salt to taste fully
seasoned than the same food when eaten hot?
B IL L S IEVER
NORTHAM PTON, MASS.
�We often find that food that tastes great piping hot
seems underseasoned when it is sampled again after
refrigeration. To test this observation, we made some
vichyssoise (cold potato-leek soup) and gazpacho. We
divided the vichyssoise into two batches, then warmed
one and kept the other ice-cold. For the gazpacho,
we served one batch straight from the refrigerator
and the second at room temperature. The results? Even though both versions of each soup contained the same amount of salt, tasters judged the hot and
room-temperature soups saltier and better seasoned.
This perception was particularly pronow1eed in the
milder-tasting vichyssoise.
It turns out that chilling dulls all flavors, including
saltiness, making them more difficult for the taste buds to perceive. But the next time you make a dish to serve cold, don't jump the gtm by oversalting while
the food is still hot. Instead, season as you would
normally. Once the food is chilled, taste and add
more salt as desired.
Keeping Waffles Warm How can I keep waffles warm and crisp w1til I'm
ready to serve them?
CRISWELL CHOI
SAN MATEO, CAL IF.
�We experimented witl1 several metl10ds of keep
ing waffles warm and crisp before finding one tl1at
worked well. First, we set tl1e waffles on a bak
ing sheet in a 200-degree oven, which was just
hot enough to keep them warm without actually
recooking them. But by the time the last batch
was done, the ones that had been waiting in tl1e
oven the longest had lost their crispness. Next,
we placed the waffles on a wire rack set in a bak
ing sheet. Though tl1is metl1od improved matters
dramatically by allowing hot air to circulate under
neath and keep the waffles crisp, it also dried them
out over time. To retain moisture, we covered
the waffles witl1 a clean kitchen towel, removing
it only when tl1e last waffle was in the oven. After
a few more minutes in the oven, the waffles
held for about 30 minutes total-recrisped and
tasted like tl1ey had just come from the waffle iron.
Sweet versus Hot Paprika How can I substin1te sweet paprika in recipes that call
for hot paprika?
MELAN IE F ILES
MART INS BURG , W. VA.
�Botl1 sweet and hot paprika come from tl1e dried
pods of Capsicum annuum L., which includes a
large swath of pepper varieties ranging from sweet
red bell peppers to hot chile peppers. The type of
pepper used will influence tl1e flavor, spiciness, and
intensity of the paprika. Sweet paprika is made from
only tl1e middle layer of tl1e pepper's outer wall (the
mesocarp ), while hot paprika also contains some of
tl1e white veins (the placenta) and seeds, where most
of the heat resides. Most paprika labeled "paprika"
or "mild paprika" is of the sweet variety.
Heat aside, we wanted to find out if tl1ere were any other flavor differences between the two varieties and if one was better suited for a particular type of recipe
than anotl1er. We took our winning brand (Penzeys
Hungary Sweet Paprika) and its spicy counterpart
(Penzeys Half-Sharp Paprika-the retailer's only type
of hot paprika) and used each in three applications:
chicken paprikash, barbecue sauce, and a dry rub for
baked chicken breast. Most tasters fOLmd tl1e sweet paprika, witl1 its "bright," "well-balanced," and
"smoky" flavors, to be a better choice in tl1e chicken
paprikash; the hot paprika was less flavorful, aside
from its pronounced heat. The differences were even
C OOK' S ILL U S T R A TE D
2
more apparent in the spice-rubbed chicken breasts,
where the hot paprika took on an unpleasant bitter
edge. In the barbecue sauce, however, tasters found
both varieties perfectly acceptable, and some pre
ferred the sauce made with the hot paprika. Here, its
spiciness seemed less
aggressive and was
actually a virtue.
If yours is going
to be a one-paprika
household, we rec
ommend stocking
the more versatile
sweet, as a pinch or
two of cayenne pep
per can be added to
replicate the flavor
of the hot stuff.
Paprika Paprika llungat) flalf-Slwp Hungary Sweet
Hot paprika (left) lends spiciness but not much flavor; sweet paprika (right) provides
earthy, smoky notes.
Raw-Milk Cheese Is it possible to buy raw-milk cheese in the United
States? My Lmderstanding is that the federal govern
ment requires all cheeses to be made from pasteurized
milk. Is that ttue? M ILTON GAR BER
JEFFERSON CITY, MO.
�Raw-milk cheeses can be purchased domesti
cally, but they may not be exactly like the raw-milk
cheeses available in Europe. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) requires that cheeses manu
£Knu·ed here and abroad from raw (unpasteurized)
milk must be aged for at least 60 days at 35 degrees or
higher at their point of origin before being imported
or sold. Any cheese whose recipe precludes it from
being aged longer than 60 days is affected by the
regulation, including soft-ripened cheeses (such as
Camembert and Brie), washed-rind cheeses (such as
Epoisses ), natural-rind goat's milk cheeses, and fresh
(unaged) cheeses. The purpose of the FDA-enforced
waiting period is to give tl1e safe-to-ingest bacteria in
the cheese (such as lactobacillus) sufficient time to
multiply and become the dominant bacteria, which
obstructs me potential growth of harmfi.Il bacteria such as E. coli, listeria, and salmonella.
As a result of tl1e FDA nile, heavily pasteurized milk is often used to produce these cheeses in tl1e United
States, but not without a sacrifice in flavor. Cheese
authority Steven Jenkins told us that a cheese will "in1mediately report" whether it was made from raw
milk by the "depth, intensity, nuance, [and) rusticity"
of its flavors. A heavily pasteurized cheese, he said, will be equally revealing, with flavors that are "muted, viti
ated, absent, and blurry." Some cheese makers deal
with the issue by pasteurizing milk slowly and gently
.u z
J , " :> " z I J
n J :::
at a low temperarure. Jenkins said that this procedure,
known as thermization, preserves flavor molecules and
yields excellent cheese virtually indistinguishable from
raw-milk cheeses. The only way to identifY these lightly
pasteurized cheeses is to ask your cheese monger.
Egg Substitutes Is it okay to use egg substitutes instead of whole eggs
for baking? EL LEN McLAUGH L IN
VIA E-MAIL
�In past tests using different brands of egg substi
tutes (yolk-free liquid-egg products composed mainly
of egg whites, yellow coloring, flavotings, salt, and
vegetable gums) to make scrambled eggs, we fow1d Egg Beaters to be the best of the bunch. Despite an unnaturally bright yellow color and slightly spongy texture, Egg Beaters has decent flavor tl1at tasters
found acceptable. To see if this egg substintte would
work in baking applications as well, we used it in place
of real eggs in three recipes: yellow cake, peanut butter
cookies, and custard pie filling.
The verdict? In all cases, tasters found Egg Beaters
to be a reasonable substitute. The yellow cake made witl1 engineered eggs didn't brown or rise quite as well as the one made wim real eggs and had a slightly
gummy top, but it was still acceptable, especially once the cake was frosted. The Egg Beaters and me
real eggs turned out equally
good results in me peanut but-
ter cookies and the custard pie
filling. (In fact, some tasters
actually preferred the custard
made with the egg substitute for
its "less-eggy" flavor.)
While we still prefer real
whole eggs to additive-laden
egg substitutes, me vegetable gums in Egg Beaters do a good
job of rn.imicking the texrure of • ---
real yolks and will work just Good for more than fine in most foods. just breakfast?
Turning Layer Cake into a Sheet Cake Is there a rule of thumb to follow for converting layer
cakes into sheet cakes? I find it much easier to frost
a cake baked in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish than to
frost a layer cake. BET T Y PARKE R
FORT M Y E RS, F LA.
�To answer your question, we followed our recipes for Rich and Tender Yellow Layer Cake (March/
April 1999) and Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake (March/April 2006) witl1out altering a tl1ing in either batter. But instead of pouring each batter into two 9-inch round cake pans, we baked each cake in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper, following me baking times and oven temperarures in tl1e recipes.
Each sheet cake required about five extra minutes
WH AT I S I T?
I enjoy col lecting antique kitchenware and recently bought this wire contraption. It looks l ike it may have been used to hold or l ift things, but I 'm not sure . Do you have any ideas?
KEUI-CHEN HSIEH. SAN D IE GO, CAL IF.
This antique kitchen tool provides a sure grip on canning jars.
We did some research and determined that this funny- looking gadget, made of wood and heavy-gauge wire, is an old-fash ioned jar-l ifter used to remove canning jars from their hot water baths, m inimizing the risk of burns or broken jars. The gadget works l ike a pair of giant tongs. To use it, p lace your middle finger through the top loop and position the handles around the edge of the jar's ring top. Next, pu l l up on the wooden bars with your free fingers. The tension from the pu l l ing action wi l l cause the handles to close secure ly around the top of the l id, a l lowing jars of any size to be l ifted up and out of the water. We found a few of these for sale onl ine for about $6.
of baking w1til a toothpick inserted in its center revealed a few moist crw11bs: petfectly done. So tl1e next time you want to prepare a recipe for two 9-inch
layer cakes in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish, bake tl1e cake as usual and add about five minutes of baking
time to the original recipe (checking for doneness a
few minutes early to prevent overbaking). Let tl1e
cake cool completely before frosting it in the pan or
turning it out to be frosted.
Grilling Safety When grilling, is it OK to use tl1e same pair of metal tongs to handle botl1 raw and cooked chicken?
RE BECCA FO RMAN
STATEN IS LAND. N. Y.
�You should never use tl1e same tongs to handle
both raw and fully cooked chicken (or any other meat)
Lmless you wash tl1em in hot, soapy water first. Using the same w1washed pair for botl1 tasks would be an
invitation for cross-contamination. Sinlilarly, tongs used to pick up and flip raw or Lmdercooked chicken should not be used to handle and serve grilled vegeta
bles. We recommend buying a second pair of tongs.
Pastry Cloth What exactly is pastry clotl1? I've seen some recipes tlut call for it, but I wonder if using a floured work swface is good enough.
LAW RENCE A LD RED
PORT LAND, O RE.
�Pastry cloth is a large, lightweight canvas cloth on which pastry dough can be rolled out. We found tllis item for sale on several cooking websites and tried it out for ourselves to see if it worked any better than a
floured coLmtertop. We soon discovered tl1at one key to using a pastry
J A N U A R Y [y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
3
cloth successfi.illy is making sure a little flour is mbbed into me fibers of the cloth. Otl1erwise, the dough tends to stick to tl1e urilloured areas of the cloth, just
as it will to tl1e urilloured sections of a countertop. The pasuy clom made rolling out and transferring
dough to a pie plate easier man doing the same on a
cow1tertop, but no easier man rolling out dough on a large piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Given
tl1at pastry cloms must be washed in between uses (fat
residue gets stuck between me fibers and will become rancid if not removed, affecting me flavor of fumre
dough), they are more trouble man they are worth.
Pastry cloth is no better than parchment paper for rol l ing out dough.
Erratum �"Thinking Outside tl1e Pantry" on page 17 of
me November/December 2007 issue contained
incomplete information. Here is tl1e complete text.
To replace 1 stick U11salted butter, use 1 stick salted butter - 1/2 teaspoon salt from recipe; to replace 1 cup butternlilk, use 1 cup milk+ 1 tablespoon lemon juice allowed to thicken for 10 minutes; to replace 1 cup whole milk, use % cup skin1 milk+ 3fs cup half-andhalf. We apologize for this error.
SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS We will provide a complimentary one-year su bscription for each letter we print. Send your inqu iry, name, address, and daytime telephone number to Notes from Readers, Cook's I l lustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookline, MA 02447, or to notesfromreaders@americastest kitchen.com.
No-Mess Measuring It can be tricky to measure dry ingredients from small containers, such as cocoa powder or cornstarch boxes, without getting the work surface messy. To keep things tidy, Kate Griffin of Oakland, Calif., relies on a piece of parchment paper.
I. Place a dry measuring cup on a square of parchment or wax paper and measure the ingredient i nto the cup. Use a flat utensi l to sweep excess onto the paper. 2. Holding the edges, pick up the paper and sl ide the excess ingredient back into the original container.
Cutting Marshmallows Mini marshmallows are an important garnish for hot
chocolate, but what if you only have large marshmal
lows on hand? Ari Wolfe of Princeton, N.J., found
himself in such a predicament and reached for his
kitchen shears, lightly spraying them with nonstick
cooking spray to prevent the sticky marshmallows
from adhering to the blades.
Portable Kitchen Robert Romano of San Diego,
Calif., often misses must-have
ingredients or favorite kitchen
tools when cooking at friends'
homes. His solution? He packs a
few sharp knives and other indis
pensable items like a garlic press,
a pepper grinder, his favorite type
of salt, and a bottle of extra-virgin
olive oil into a plastic container to
take along. Multiple containers can
easily be stacked on top of each
other and lowered into a paper
grocery bag.
Stacking Glass Measuring Cups Stacking glass measuring cups can resu l t in chipped and broken edges. Celeste Marien of Medina, N .Y., found that a small square of wax or parchment paper p laced between the cups prevents them from chipping and makes them eas ier to separate when needed.
Send Us Your Tip We will provide a compl imentary one-year subscription for each tip we pri nt. Send your tip, name. and address to Quick Tips, Cook's I l l ustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookl ine, MA 02447, or to [email protected].
C OOK'S I L L U ST R A TE D
4
Removing Refrigerator Odors Mary LeBrun of Raymond, Maine, came up with a techn ique that works better than baking soda to deodorize a refrigerator. She p laces a handful of charcoal briquettes in a disposable p lastic container (with no l id) in the refrigerator or freezer. Once the offending smel l has dissipated, she s imply discards the container.
A Cleaner with Frills Susannah Dickey of High Point,
N.C., came up with an ingenious
tool for removing bits of food from
the nooks and crannies of hard-to
clean kitchen tools such as pastry
tips, garlic presses, and rasp
style graters: the frilly
end of a toothpick.
Unblemished Cauliflower Even the freshest head of caul iflower can have minor blemishes. Sharon Cul l inane of Farmington , N .Y., gently rubs a rasp-style grater over discolored areas u nti l they disappear.
Perfect Pie Pastry Citrus-Flavored Cocktails Susan Abell of Hinesburg, Vt.,
came up with an idea for using up
the zest taken from juiced lem
ons, limes, grapefruit, or oranges.
Rolling pie dough into an even circle requires deft hands and experience. Joy Lillie of San Jose, Calif., uses parchment paper and a
pencil to make the process less daunting.
Combine the grated zest from
I to 2 pieces of fruit with I
cup of vodka in a glass jar
and refrigerate. W hen it's
time to use the vodka in
I . 2.
I. Place a 12-inch skillet lid on a sheet of parchment paper. Using a pencil, trace a circle around the lid.
2. Roll out a disk of lightly floured dough on the parchment, using the tracing as a guide and stopping when the dough reaches
the line.
Makeshift Double Boiler Many recipes call for melting chocolate in a homemade double boiler, which
is created by suspending a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Finding
herself with a bowl too small for her pot, Marika van Eerde of Santa Barbara, Calif.,
came up with a clever solution.
I. Place a heatproof colander in a pot of simmering water (the perforations should
be above the level of the water).
2. Set a heatproof bowl with the chocolate inside the colander. Using an oven mitt
to avoid a steam burn, stir the chocolate with a spatula until it melts.
Scoring Chicken Skin Cutting slashes in chicken skin with a knife to
help render fat during cooking is
a slippery job that often results
in the meat being scored as
well, leading to a loss of juices
and drying out the meat. Tracey
Bissell of West Hartford, Conn.,
found a better way: Pinch the
chicken skin with one hand,
then use kitchen shears in the
other to snip the skin two or
three times.
Chemical-Free Cleaning To avoid cleaning kitchen countertops
with chemicals that might contami
nate food, Carolyn Roberts of
Vienna, Va., uses a spray bottle
filled with equal -._.::·, parts white vinegar
and water.
An Easier Squeeze Pressing all the juice from a lemon or lime with a citrus juicer can be tricky. To
ensure he gets every last drop, Fred Dunayer of Sarasota, Fla., employs the follow
ing technique:
I. Using a paring knife, cut the lemon peel from pole to pole, making four
!/.!-inch-deep slits. Next, cut the lemon in half crosswise.
2. Place the lemon half in the juicer and squeeze to remove all of the juice.
J A N U A R Y [y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
5
Improving Cheap Roast Beef Roasting inexpensive beef usually yields tough meat best suited for sandwiches. How do you
transform a bargain cut into a tender, juicy roast that can stand on its own at dinner?
F or most families, Sunday roast
beef isn't prime rib; it's a lesser
cut that's sometimes good,
sometimes not. The roasts my
parents prepared throughout my child
hood were typically tough and driedout and better suited for sandwiches
the next day. But when my grand
father was at the stove, he could take
the same inexpensive cut and turn it
into something special-tender, rosy,
beefY-tasting meat that had everyone
asking for seconds. I wanted to work
the same kind of wizardry on my own
Sunday roast.
3 B Y DAVID PAZMINOE
First I needed to zero in on the most promising beef. After a week in the
kitchen testing a slew oflow-cost cuts (see
"Low-Cost Lineup," right), I had a clear
winner: the eye-round roast. Though
less flavorful than fattier cuts from the
shoulder (the chuck) and less tender than
other meat from the back leg (the round),
my eye roast had one key attribute the
others lacked: a uniform shape from front
to back. This was a roast that would not only cook evenly but look good on the
plate as well .
Th in ly s l i c ing the eye round is the last step i n transforming it from tough to tender.
The Showdown: High or Low Heat? My next challenge was choosing between the two
classic med1ods for roasting meat-high and fast
or low and slow. I began with the more common
high-heat approach, quickly searing the meat on d1e
stovetop and then transferring it to a 450-degree oven for roasting. The technique works great with
more upscale rib and loin cuts but showed its flaws
with the leaner eye round, yielding meat that was
overcooked and dried-out. But before heading down the low-temperature
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• Slow-Roasted Beef
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• Which cut of meat should I buy? • How do I carve roast beef? • Do I real ly need an i nstant-read thermometer? • Can I check the temperature of my oven without an
oven thermometer/
pad1, which normally involves roasting meat in an
oven set between 250 and 325 degrees, I wanted to
try something more extreme. To extract maximum
tenderness from meat, the popular 1 960s nutritionist
Adelle Davis advocated cooking it at the temperature desired when it was done. For a roast to reach an end
temperature of 1 30 degrees for medium-rare, this
process could involve 20 to 30 hours of cooking.
Davis's advice wasn't new. Benjamin Thompson,
the 18th-century physicist who invented the roasting oven, observed that leaving meat to cook overnight in
an oven heated by a dying fire resulted in exceptional
tenderness.
Tossing aside practical considerations like food
safety and the gas bill, I decided I had to replicate these two experts' findings. I set the one oven in the test kitchen capable of maintaining such a low temperature to 1 3 0 degrees and popped in an eye round. Twenty-four hours later, I pulled out a roast
wid1 juicy, meltingly tender meat that tasters likened to beef tenderloin. What special beef magic was
going on here ?
C OO K"
s ILL U ST R A TE D
6
T h e Lowdown When I thought back to the test kitchen's discoveries
in "The Problem with Thick-Cut Steaks" (May/June
2007), I had my answer: Beef contains enzymes that
break down its connective tissues and act as natural
tenderizers. These enzymes work faster as the tem
perature of the meat rises-but just LU1til it reaffies 122
degrees, at which point all action stops. Roasting the
eye round in an oven set to 130 degrees allowed it to
stay below 122 degrees far longer than when cooked in the typical low-temperature roasting range, transform
ing this lean, unassw11ing cut into something great.
But given that most ovens don't heat below
200 degrees-and that most home cooks don't
want to run their ovens for a full day-how could I
expect others to re-create my results? I would have
s H o P P 1 N G : Low-Cost Lin eup Not al l bargain cuts have the potential to taste l ike a mi l l ion bucks--or look l ike it when carved and served on a plate.
OUR FAVORITE �EYE-ROUND ROAST ($4. 99 per pound)
We singled out this cut not only for its good flavor and relative tender-
TOO FATTY �CHUCK EYE ($3.99 per pound)
While undeniably tender
ODD SHAPE �TOP ROUND ($ 3. 99 per pound)
A del i staple for sandwiches, th is cut
TOUGH TO CARVE �BOTTOM ROUND RUMP ($4.29 per pound)
We ruled out th is roast for being both tough and hard to carve against the grain .
R E C I P E S H O RT H A N D j TH E TRAN S F O RMATI O N FROM TO U G H TO TE N D E R
Along with salting and searing, the key to our eye round 's makeover into a tender, juicy roast i s keeping its i nternal temperature below 1 22 degrees for as long as possible. Below 1 22 degrees. the meat's enzymes act as natural tenderizers, breaking down its tough connective tissues.
CD � �
I . SALT Salt the roast and al low it to rest for 1 8 to 24 hours. Salt breaks down proteins to improve texture. 2. SEAR Sear the meat in a hot pan before roasting. While this won't affect tenderness. it wil l boost flavor. 3. OVE N O N Cook the meat in an oven set to 225 degrees and open the door as i nfrequently as possib le. 4. OVE N OFF When the roast reaches 1 15 degrees. turn off oven and continue to cook the roast as the oven cools.
to go as low as I could and see what happened. To
accommodate the widest possible range of ovens, I
settled on 225 degrees as my lowest starting point.
I also decided I would brown the meat first to give
it nice color and a crusty exterior. (Willie tender,
my 1 30-degree roast had an unappetizing gray
exterior. ) Searing would also help to ensure food
safety, since bacteria on roasts are generally confined
to the outside .
When I took tl1e roast out of the oven, however,
I was disappointed. It was tender, but notlung like
the texture of the eye row1d cooked at 1 30 degrees.
What could I do to keep the meat below 122 degrees
longer? A new idea occurred to me: Why not shut off
the oven just before the roast reached 122 degrees? As the oven cooled, the roast would continue to cook
even more slowly.
Using a meat-probe them1ometer to track tl1e inter
nal temperamre of the roast, I shut off the oven when
the meat reached l l 5 degrees. Sure enough, the meat
stayed below 122 degrees 30 minutes longer, allowing
its enzymes to continue the work of tenderizing, before
creeping to 1 30 degrees for medium-rare. Tasters
were certainly happy with tlUs roast. It was remarkably
tender and juicy for a roast that cost so little.
The Home Stretch With the tenderness problem solved, it was time to tackle taste . So far I 'd simply sprinkled salt and pep
per on tl1e roast just before searing it. Perhaps the
flavor would improve if the meat were salted over
night or even brined. Brining-normally reserved
for less fatty pork and poultry---certainly pumped
more water into the beef and made it very juicy, but it also made it taste bland, watery, and less beefY. Next I tried salting the meat for first four, tl1en 1 2 ,
and finally 2 4 hours. As n1ight b e expected, tl1e roast
benefited most from tl1e longest salting. Because
the process of osmosis causes salt to travel from
areas of higher to lower concentration, tl1e fi.1ll 24
hours gave it tl1e most time to penetrate deep into
the meat. There was another benefit: Salt, like the enzymes in meat, breaks down proteins to furtl1er improve texture .
At last I had tender, flavomll beef for a Sunday
roast tl1at even my grandfatl1er would have been
proud to serve to his fanlliy. The leftovers-if tl1ere
were any-would have no need for may01maise or
mustard to taste good.
S LOW- R OA S T E D B E E F
S E RV E S 6 TO 8
We don't recommend cooking tlUs roast past
meclium. Open tl1e oven door as little as possible
and remove the roast from tl1e oven while taking its
temperanrre . If tl1e roast has not reached the desired
temperature in the time specified in step 3, heat the
oven to 225 degrees for 5 minutes, shut it off, and continue to cook the roast to tl1e desired temperature.
For a smaller (21f2 - to 3 112-pound) roast, reduce the
amount of kosher salt to 3 teaspoons ( 1 112 teaspoons
table salt) and black pepper to 1 1f2 teaspoons. For a
4lf2 - to 6-pow1d roast, cut in half crosswise before
cooking to create 2 smaller roasts. Slice me roast as
minly as possible and serve witl1 Horseraclish Cream
Sauce, if desired (recipe follows) .
boneless eye-round roast (3 V2 t o 4 V2 pounds)
(see note above)
4 teaspoons kosher salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons plus I tablespoon vegetable o i l
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 . Sprinkle all sides of roast evenly witl1 salt. Wrap
with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 8 to 24 hours.
2. Adjust oven rack to nuddle position and heat
oven to 225 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels; mb witl1 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle all sides evenly with pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in 1 2 -
inch skillet over meclium-high heat until starting to
smoke . Sear roast until browned on all sides, 3 to 4
minutes per side . Transfer roast to wire rack set in
rimmed baking sheet. Roast until meat-probe tl1er
mometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into
center of roast registers 1 1 5 degrees for mecliumrare, 1 114 to 1 % hours, or 125 degrees for medium, 1 % to 2 1f4 hours .
J A N U A R Y 6- F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
7
3 . Turn oven off; leave roast in oven, witl1out
opening door, until meat-probe mermometer or
instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast
registers 1 30 degrees for mecliwn-rare or 140 degrees
for mecliun1, 30 to 50 n-llnutes longer. Transfer roast
to carving board and let rest 1 5 n-llnutes. Slice meat
crosswise as tl1inly as possible and serve.
H O R S E R A D I S H C R E A M S A U C E
M A K E S A B O U T I C U P
V2 c u p heavy cream
V2 cup prepared horserad ish
teaspoon table salt
Va teaspoon ground black pepper
Whisk crean1 in meclium bowl until tlUckened but
not yet holcling soft peaks, 1 to 2 n-llnutes. Gently
fold in horseradish, salt, and pepper. Transfer to
serving bowl and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or
up to 1 hour before serving.
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
M e at-Probe Thermometers Repeatedly opening the oven door to monitor the i nternal temperature of a roast can throw cooking times off kilter. One solution? Meat-probe thermometers. These remote devices transmit temperature from a long probe left in the meat and attached to a thin cord that snakes out of the oven to a digital console. But don 't throw out your i nstant-read thermometer just yet. We tested I I models-several by the same manufacturers-and not one was flawless. The ones that accurately measured temperature sported function buttons that were too s low or too hard to figure out. Others that were user-friend ly were also unrel iable .
The best of the bunch-an easy-to-use thermometer from Thermo Works ($ 1 9)-was great when it worked but has probes that even its manufacturer admits are sometimes defective. Unti l a better meat probe comes on the market, we recommend this one--with reservations. Check the probe's accuracy by boi l ing water and taking a reading before trying it with a roast. If the probe doesn't read very close to 2 1 2 degrees. ask for a replacement. For complete testing results, go to www.cooks i l l ustrated.com/february.
U S E R - F R I E N D LY B U T U N R E L I A B L E The ThermoWorks Original/ Cooking Thermometer/ Timer offers a long cord and simple, single-function buttons, but its probe can be inaccurate.
-El izabeth Bomze
Introducing French Chicken in a Pot Taki ng cues from a Fre n c h tech n i q u e fo r coo ki ng ch i cke n i n a cove red pot ,
we fo rgo cr i spy ski n for s u ccu l e nt meat an d u nfo rgettab l e f lavo r.
I first encountered poulet en cocotte in a Par i s ian b i s tro l a s t fal l .
Recommended t o m e b y the waiter
as a specialty of the house, the dish
featured a whole chicken baked with a
smattering of root vegetables in a covered
pot. It was just the kind of homey com
fort food I was craving on that cold, wet
night. The bird arrived at my table in a
cast- iron pot, and my anticipation grew as
the waiter lifted the lid. At first glance, the
chicken was notlung to rave about-it had
pale, soft skin very unlike the crisp exterior
of the roasted poultry I was used to-but
its deep aroma was better than that of
any roast chicken I could remember. My
first bite confirmed that the dish was very
special, indeed-the meat was incred
ibly tender and juicy, with a rich, soul
satisfYing flavor.
3 B Y C I I A R L E S K E L S E Y E
My next go-round, I cooked a chicken
by itself save for a little oil to prevent it
from sticking. When I pulled the pot &om
the oven and removed tl1e lid, a tiny puff
of stean1 emerged-not the great whoosh
tl1at had been escaping &om tl1e tests with
vegetables. This was a bird witl1 great flavor
tl1at won over tasters and ren1inded me of
my meal in Paris. And witl1 no vegetables to
soak them up, tl1e flavorfi.t! juices remained
in the pot. After defatting the liquid, I had
a simple, richly flavored jus to accompany
my chicken-a huge bonus . Still, tl1e bird
was not perfect. Tasters complained that
the breast meat was a tad tough and fibrous,
and I had to agree. I wondered what a lower
oven temperature would do.
T i m i ng Is Everyth ing
As I continued to savor each bite, I began
to think about the American obsession with
crisp chicken skin. We are so bent on getting
this one aspect right that we'll sacrifice what's
really important-the meat. I'd certainly be
willing to give up a crisp exterior if it meant
I could have tender, succulent meat bursting
with concentrated chicken flavor. I had to try making poulet en cocotte at home.
As it bakes in a Dutch oven , the ch icken re leases ju i ces that stay i n the pot, contributing to exceptiona l ly moist meat and a rich-tasti ng jus .
Setting up a half dozen chickens in pots, I
tested a range of oven temperanrres below
400 degrees. To account for pots with
poorly fitting lids, I sealed each witl1 foil
before adding the top, ensuring tlut as
much of the chicken juices as possible wOLtld
stay inside . Temperamres from 300 to 375
degrees produced better results, but even
lower temperanires-between 250 and 300
degrees-yielded chickens with increclibly
Blowi ng Off Steam The basic metl1od for poulet en cocotte is simple :
Place a seasoned chicken in a pot, scatter in a small
handfi.il of chopped vegetables, cover, and bake.
Unlike braising, little to no liquid is added to tl1e
pot, resulting in a drier cooking environment. Many
of tl1e recipes I found called for aLLxiliaty ingredients
such as bacon, mushrooms, or tomatoes. But when
I tried tl1ese extras, I fow1d they served only to cover
up what I was really after: great chicken flavor, pure
and simple, like I'd had in Paris. I would stick witl1 the
chlll1ks of potatoes, onions, and carrots I remembered
&om that meal .
As I continued to experiment with clifferent recipes
in tl1e test kitchen, I realized the bistro had described
their dish as a specialty of the house with good reason:
Notlling I made could compare. Though most recipes
did nothing to the chicken except season it before
placing it in the pot to bake, I decided extra measures
were necessary. I tried basting the bird, but going to
the oven every 20 Illinutes was a hassle that had little
impact on tl1e taste . Next I tiied lightly browning tl1e
top and bottom of tl1e chicken on tl1e stove top before
baking. Now I was getting somewhere-tile flavor was
beginning to deepen. But how cOLtld I get even more
intense chicken flavor? I remembered earlier tests in
which I'd added a splash of wine or brotl1 to tl1e pot
at tl1e start of cooking. These versions resLilted in meat
tl1at was very juicy, but the steamier environment cre
ated a washed-out flavor. What if I actually decreased tl1e humidity inside tl1e pot? Would tl1at give me tl1e
result I was looking for?
Eager for answers, I prepped a new chicken and
a batch of vegetables, drying each tl1oroughly witl1
paper towels before adding them to tl1e pot. This
had little effect. And tl1en it dawned on me tl1at the
vegetables were releasing liquid and making tl1e pot
too steamy. To create something close to a one-pot
meal, I had been using more vegetables and in larger
chunks than I remembered &om my bistro dish. But
I'd gladly sacrifice tl1e veggies if it meant a bird with
better flavor.
C O O K'
S I L L U S r R A 'I E D
8
tender breast meat. And willie these birds
took much longer tl1an average to cook (about an hour
and a half-all walk-away time, mind you) , tasters raved
about tl1e meat's rich, concentrated flavor, which was
all tl1anks to tl1e technique: slow-cooking the chicken
in nothing more tl1a11 its own juices.
The last cooking hurdle to clear was the matter of
tl1e dark meat not cooking quickly enough. By tl1e
time the breast meat was perfectly cooked to 1 60
degrees, tl1e dark meat (which needs to be cooked to
1 75 degrees) still wasn't ready. Placing tl1e oven rack
on tl1e lowest position, so it was closer to the heat
source, combined witl1 browning tl1e dark meat for
an extra minute or two, solved the problem.
With the cooking process under control , it was
time to finesse the flavors . Two teaspoons of kosher
salt was enough to season the chicken witl1out mak
ing tl1e jus too salty. And I discovered tl1at I could
get away with adding a small an10lll1t of potently fla
vored aromatic vegetables--chopped onion, cele1y,
whole garlic cloves-to tl1e pot. Lightly browning
them along with tl1e chicken helped wick away any
z <{ l:
s � z 0
excess moisture, and the caramelization added tich
color and flavor to the jus . Stirring in a litde fresh
lemon j uice to finish the jus brightened and balanced
all of its flavors.
My French Chicken in a Pot will never place first in
a beauty contest, of course, if a browned roast bird is
the standard. But its tender, j uicy, intensely flavored
meat is sure to be a winner every time.
F R E N C H C H I C K E N IN A POT
S E RV ES 4
The cooking times in the recipe are for a 4 1/z - to
5 -pound bird. A 3 Vz - to 4Vz -pound chicken will
take about an hour to cook, and a 5- to 6-pOLmd
bird will take close to 2 hours . We developed this
recipe to work wid1 a 5- to 8-quart Dutch oven with
a tight-fitting lid. !fusing a 5-quart pot, do not cook
a chicken larger than 5 pOLmds . Use the best chicken
available, such as a Bell & Evans. If using a kosher
chicken, reduce d1e kosher salt to 1 teaspoon (or lfz
teaspoon table salt) . If you choose not to serve d1e
skin wid1 d1e chicken, simply remove it before carving.
The amount of j us will vary depending on the size of
the chicken; season it with about 1/4 teaspoon lemon
juice for every lj4 cup.
whole roasting chicken (4 V2 to 5 pounds),
giblets removed and d iscarded, wings tucked
under back (see note above)
2 teaspoons kosher salt or I teaspoon table salt
\4 teaspoon ground b lack pepper
tablespoon ol ive oil
small onion, chopped medium (about V2 cup)
smal l celery stalk, chopped medium
(about \4 cup)
6 medium garl ic cloves, peeled and trimmed
bay leaf
medium sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
V2- l teaspoon ju ice from I lemon
l. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat
oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper
rowels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in
large Dutch oven over medium heat until j ust smok
ing. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion,
Dry Cooking versus Braising
French Chicken in a Pot shares some s imi larities with braised chicken-both are cooked in covered pots in lowtemperature ovens to yield tender, flavorful meat. Un l ike braising, however, where lots of l iqu id is added to the pot, our chicken is placed in a dry pot and left to cook in noth ing more than the essence of its own ju ices.
D RY E N V I RO N M E N T I n a dry pot with no added liquid, juices that come out of
the chicken go right back into it, undiluted by other flavors.
W E T E N V I RO N M E N T The wet environment of a braise creates an ongoing
exchange between the flavors of the chicken as well as other ingredients, such as wine, broth, and vegetables.
celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary ( if using) around
chicken. Cook until breast is lighdy browned, about
5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into
cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook
w1til chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to
8 minutes . Remove Dutch oven from heat; place
large sheet of foil over pot and cover tighdy wid1
lid . Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read
d1ermometer registers 1 60 degrees when inserted in
duckest part of breast and 1 75 degrees in mickest part
of thigh, 80 to llO minutes.
2. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent wid1
foil, and rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken
j uices from pot d1rough fine-mesh strainer into fat
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
I s a C l ay Cooke r Better? Clay pot roasters have garnered fame for coaxing remarkable flavor from few ingredients and minimal work: You simply soak the cooker in water for I S minutes, add the raw ingredients, and place the covered pot in a cold oven. You then crank the heat up to at least 400 degrees. Theoretically, the steam released from the water-soaked clay and the gradual temperature increase should yield tender, ju icy meat.
Can a clay cooker outperform a Dutch oven? To find out, we compared two batches of our French Chicken in a Pot, one cooked in a Dutch oven and the other adapted for a c lay roaster. We preferred the Dutch oven method. Though both chickens cooked up equal ly moist and fal l-apart tender, clay cookers are not stovetop-safe, so we needed to brown the ch icken in a ski l let before transferring it to the c lay pot. We' l l stick with the Dutch oven.
-El izabeth Bomze
O N LY I N A H OT OV E N Clay cookers aren't stovetop-safe, so you' l l need
to brown chicken separately.
separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard
solids (you should have about % cup j uices) . Allow
Liquid to settle 5 minutes, men pour into saucepan
and set over low heat. Carve chicken, adding any
accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into
jus to taste . Serve chicken, passing j us at table .
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H OW TO M A K E
• French Chicken in a Pot
VIDEO TIPS
• Which Dutch oven should I buy? • How can I separate fat without a fat separator?
K E Y S TO S U C C E S S I M O I S T C H I C K E N W I T H C O N C E N T R AT E D F L AV O R
� I . BROWN Sear chicken on both sides 2. SEAL Cover pot with foil before adding 3 . S LOW-COOK Cook chicken at 250 4. REST Transfer chicken to carving board t:; to enhance flavor. l id to trap chicken ju ices inside. degrees for 80 to I I 0 minutes. to rest so juices can redistribute. �
J A N U A R Y [y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
9
Ultracrunchy Baked Pork Chops Pork c h o ps with a th i ck coat i ng that wo n 't fa l l off req u i re m o re than j u st a s h ake i n a bag.
We get r id of c ru m b ly crusts and soggy botto m s to create c h o ps with rea l cru n c h .
W hen done right, baked
breaded pork chops are
the ult imate comfort
food: tender cutlets sur
rounded by a crunchy coating that crack
les apart with each bite . But all too often,
baked chops fall short of that ideal . Opt
for the convenience of a shaky packaged
product from the supermarket for your
breading and you wind up with a bland
tasting chop with a thin, sandy crust. Make
your own breading with fresh crumbs and
the flaws are different-a soggy, patchy
crust that won't stick to the meat. My goal
was clear: to cook a j uicy, flavorful chop
with a crisp, substantial crust that would
stay on the meat from fork to mouth.
Choice Chops
3 B Y S A N D R A W U E
cheated. What if I let air circulation keep
the bottom crumbs crisp? Placing tl1e chops
on a wire rack set inside the baking sheet
defi11itely helped. Upping the oven tem
perature from 350 to 425 degrees helped
even more . The coating nisped up more
readily, and the excess moisture evaporated
by the time the pork reached the requisite
1 5 0-degree serving temperature .
Crisp and Cru nchy I had figured out the right chops to use
and the proper way to cook them. Now I
could concentrate on the breading. Tasters
deemed panko too fine- textured and
bland. Crushed Melba toast was crunchier
but didn't stick together. Ultimately, tast
ers preferred the fresh flavor and slight
sweetness of crumbs made from white
sandwich bread.
I tossed the fresh crumbs with a little
My first task was choosing the best cut of
meat. Though bone-in chops retain mois
ture better, I decided on a boneless cut for
this dish, so I wouldn't have to bread the
bone and there would be no distraction
from the crunchy crust. This gave me two
options: sirloin or center-cut. I settled on
center-cut boneless loin chops, which were
not only easier to find in the supermarket
but also cooked more evenly.
A nove l techn ique gives these chops the ir serious ly crunchy coating.
salt, pepper, and oil ; tl1en I spread them on
a baking sheet and toasted them until they
were golden brown. The resulting crust
was decently crisp but still not as good as
I knew it could be. What if I took a cue
from tl1e supermarket coating and toasted
the crumbs to a deeper brown? Though
boxed crumbs produce a crust tl1at is thin
Next I needed to determine tl1e chop size . The
1!2 -inch-thick chops generally used for pan-frying
were too easily overwhelmed by the kind of crust I
wanted, and the l lfz -inch-thick chops usually reserved
for barbecuing or stuffing proved to be too tllick, giv
ing me too much meat and not enough crust. Pork
chops that fell in between-% to l inch thick-were
my tasters' top choice.
The test kitchen's standard breading metl10d
( dusting witl1 flour, clipping in beaten egg, and
rolling in toasted bread crumbs) was sufficient as I
figured out the best cooking tecrulique . Simply bak
ing tl1e breaded chops on a baking sheet, the most
obvious method and one used in many recipes, made
tl1e bottoms soggy. I tried breading just the top and
sides, and while this quick fix worked, tasters felt
R e c 1 P e T e s T 1 N G : Coatings without the C runch
T H I N This popular boxed mix gives
chops an insubstantial, bland crust.
PATC H Y The crust peels off chops dipped
in a typical thin egg wash.
C RU M B LY Fresh, untoasted crumbs have trouble sticking to the chop.
C OO K ' S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 0
and sandy, the processed coating does have one
thing going for it-a true crispness tint I 'd yet to
achieve . For my next test, I left the crumbs in tl1e
oven until they looked dangerously overtoasted and
was pleasantly surprised that tllis worked-the bread
ing didn't burn when baked again on tl1e chops, and
my crumb coating was now seriously crisp . To add
even more flavor, I stirred in some minced garlic and
shallot with the crumbs before they went into the
oven and tossed in some grated Parmesan cheese and
minced herbs after they cooled. These chops tasted
great. Everything would be perfect if I could just
ensure one thing: that the crumbs swck onto the
pork evenly, rather than peeling off in patches .
Stick to It Witl1 cnunbs as tl1ick and coarse as these, I knew I'd
need sometlling witl1 more holding power than a
typical egg wash to glue them to the pork. I recalled
a cookbook recipe that used mustard instead of eggs
to stick crun1bs on chops. A straight swap made the
taste too intense, but keeping tl1e eggs and adding
5 "' I: w a: f-a: <i u >I 0..
;;; <:J 0 f--0 iE
S T E P - BY- S T E P 1 S E C R E T S T O A C R I S P C O AT I N G
I . D I P A thick batter of flour, 2. COAT Coating the chops with 3. E LE VATE Baking the chops on a rack set in a baking sheet al lows greater air c irculation and prevents the bottoms from turning soggy.
mustard, and egg whites grips the fresh, wel l-toasted bread crumbs bread crumbs l ike glue. results in a crust with flavor and
crunch.
a few tablespoons of Dijon mustard thickened the
mh::mre nicely and brought just enough new flavor to
the mix. But wlUle the crumbs stuck onto the baked
chops better than they had with a simple egg wash, a
few areas still flaked off.
A fellow test cook wondered aloud what would
happen if I got rid of the egg wash altogether and
dipped the floured chops into a thick batter before
breading them. I laughed. After all, batter is for fried
food. Who ever heard of using it for baking? I did it
anyway, using a basic fiitto misto batter of flour, corn
starch, water, oil, and eggs as my base . Fully expecting
this experiment to tank, I was surprised when the pork
chops came out with a crust that was crunchier than
before and stayed on like a protective sheath. This
batter, though, requires resting and seemed too fi1ssy
for a weeknight dish. But what if ! made a quick egg
wash d1at was more like a batter?
I whisked enough flour into d1e egg and mustard
mixmre to give it the thick consistency of may01maise .
This adhering agent was now more of a spackle d1an a
watery glue . After flouring the chops, I coated d1em
evenly in d1e egg wash-batter hybrid, covered d1em
in bread crumbs, and baked them again. Much better,
but d1ere was a soft, puffY layer direcdy benead1 the
crumbs. Replacing the whole eggs with egg whites,
which have less fat but enough protein to lend stick
ing power, provided just the crisp, dry crust I was
looking for. But even more impressive, d1e crumbs
clung firmly onto the meat even during some heavy
knife-and-fork action. This pork final.ly had some
real chops.
C R U N C H Y B A K E D P O R K C H O P S
S E RV E S 4
This recipe was developed using natural pork, but
enhanced pork ( injected with a salt solution ) will
work as well . If using enhanced pork, eliminate the
brining in step l . The bread crumb mixn1re can be
prepared through step 2 up to 3 days in advance .
The breaded chops can b e frozen for u p t o l week.
They don 't need to be d1awed before baking; simply increase the cooking time in step 5 to 35 to 40 minutes.
Table salt
4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces
each, 3,14 to I inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 s l ices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into
l - inch pieces
I smal l shal lot, m inced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 med ium garl ic c loves, m inced or pressed
through garl ic press (about I tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oi l
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
V> teaspoon m inced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh pars ley l eaves
V4 cup p lus 6 tablespoons unbleached
al l -purpose flour
3 large egg whites
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges
l . Adjust oven rack to rniddJe position and heat
oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve lj4 cup salt in l quart
water in mediwn container or gallon-sized zipper-lock
bag. Submerge chops, cover vvid1 plastic wrap, and
refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops Lmder cold water
and dry d1oroughly with paper towels.
2 . Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor
until coarsely ground, about eight 1 -second pulses
(you should have about 3 1Jz cups crumbs ) . Transfer
crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot,
garlic, oil, lj4 teaspoon salt, and lj4 teaspoon pepper.
Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. B ake
untiJ deep golden brown and d1y, about 1 5 minutes,
stirring twice during baking time . ( Do not turn off
oven . ) Cool to room temperature . Toss crumbs
with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.
3. Place 1/4 cup fl our in pie plate . In second
pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until
combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and
whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps
remaining.
4 . Increase oven temperatme to 425 degrees. Spray
wire rack wid1 nonstick cooking spray and place in
rin1med baking sheet. Season chops wid1 pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat wid1 egg mixntre; let excess drip off. Coat
J A N U A R Y [y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
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The 3 0 - M inute B rine You might b e tempted t o skip the brin ing step when prepari ng Crunchy Baked Pork Chops. Don 't. Center-cut chops are quite lean, and left untreated they wi l l be very dry and chewy, even when cooked to medium (an i nternal temperature of I SO degrees). The salt in the brine changes the structure of the muscle proteins and al lows them to hold on to more moisture when exposed to heat. My tasters had no trouble p icking out the chops that I had brined versus chops that I had left untreated .
If you're accustomed to brining a turkey for the hol idays, you m ight think you don't have time to brine pork chops for a weeknight recipe l ike this. But I found that making the brine super-concentrated (with !4 cup of table salt dissolved in I quart of water) gets the job done in just 30 minutes-the time it wi l l take you to prepare the fresh bread crumb coating. And my potent brine fits, along with four chops, in a medium container or gal lon-sized zipper-lock bag. No brining bucket needed.
One exception: If you've purchased enhanced chops injected with a salt solution, don't brine them. The injected solution wi l l make the chops moist, even spongy, and brin ing wi l l make the meat way too salty. We prefer the flavor of natural chops and find that 30 minutes in a strong brine makes them plenty ju icy. -S.W.
all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing
gendy so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop.
Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with
remaining 3 chops.
5 . B ake untiJ instant-read thermometer inserted
into center of chops registers 1 5 0 degrees, 17 to 25
minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving
with lemon wedges.
C R U N C H Y B A K E D P O R K C H O P S W I T H
P R O S C I U T T O A N D A S I A G O C H E E S E
Follow recipe for Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
through step 3, omitting salt added to bread crumb
mixn1re in step 2 . Before breading, place lJs -inch
thick slice Asia go cheese ( about lJ2 ounce ) on
top of each chop . Wrap each chop wid1 thin slice
prosciutto, pressing on prosciutto so that cheese
and meat adhere to one another. Proceed wid1
recipe from step 4, being careful when handling
chops so that cheese and meat do not come apart
during breading.
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H OW TO MAKE
• Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
VIDEO TIPS
• How do I mince a shal lot? • How do I mince parsley?
Best French Onion Soup M ost vers ions of th i s age-o l d rec i pe h i de a med iocre b roth u nd e r a crust of b read and a
b lan ket of G ruyere . What i s the secret to coaxi ng i m p ress ive fl avor out of h u m b le o n i on s?
Legend has it that a hungry King Louis XV ofFrance invented onion soup after return
ing home to an em pry larder late one night
from a hunting excursion. He took the few
ingredients he could find-a sack of onions, left
over beef stock, and a bottle of Champagne-and
created tl1e now-famous recipe .
These days, tl1e ideal French onion soup combines
a satisfYing broth redolent of sweet caramelized onions
with a slice of toasted baguette and melted cheese . But
the reality is mat most of the onion soup you find isn't
very good. Once you manage to dig through the layer
of congealed cheese to unearth a spoonful of broth, it
just doesn't taste like onions. I discovered tl1e source
of these watery, weak brotl1s when I looked up some
recipes. One was particularly appalling, calling for a
mere 7 owKes of onions to make soup for six ! Even
more disturbing were tl1ose recipes that advised saute
ing the onions for only five or six minutes-not nearly
enough time for tl1em to caran1elize .
The French Connection The good news is tl1at I really didn't need these lack
luster recipes. I knew of a terrific one introduced to
the test kitchen by a friend visiting from France. Henri
Pinon patiently cooked 3 pounds of onions in butter
over very low heat until tl1ey were golden brown ( tlus
took about 90 minutes) , then deglazed tl1e pot wim
water. Notlling w1L!sual there-deglazing is common
in onion soup recipes. What followed, however, was
something entirely new. Henri allowed the onions to
recara.melize, and tl1en he deglazed tl1e pan again. And
again. He repeated tllis process several more times over
the course of another hour, finally fuushing the soup
by simmering the onions with water, white wine, and
a sprig of tl1yme. He garnished tl1e soup in the tradi
tional way, witl1 a slice of cmsty toasted baguette and
a very modest amow1t of shredded Gmyere, passing
the crocks under me broiler to melt tl1e cheese . How
did it taste? Beyond compare-me broth was impos
sibly rich, with deep onion flavor that burst through
the ranginess of the Gmyere and bread.
Having watched Henri make his soup, I couldn't
wait to give the recipe a try. But before I started
cooking, I pondered his technique. When onions
caramelize, a complex series of chemical reactions
takes place . Heat causes water molecules to separate
from tl1e onions' sugar molecules . As tl1ey cook, tl1e
dehydrated sugar molecules react witl1 each otl1er to
form new molecules that produce new colors, flavors,
and aromas. (Tlus is tl1e same series of reactions tlut
3 B Y R E B E C C A II A Y S E
borrow Hemi's technique while cutting
down on me active cooking tin1e?
This soup i s best fi n i shed under the bro i l er i n oven-safe crocks. I f using regu lar bowls, bro i l the cheese toasts separate ly.
I cranked the heat from low to high
to hurry the muons along, and my risk
taking was rewarded wim burnt
muons that ended up in me trash . I
needed steady heat that wouldn't cause
scorching-me stovetop was concen
trating too much heat at tl1e bottom
of tl1e pot. Why not use tl1e oven? I
spread oiled sliced onions on a baking
sheet and roasted tl1em at 450 degrees.
Instead of caramelizing, however, mey
simply dried out. Lower temperatures
caused the onions to steam . Next, I
cooked as many sliced onions as I could
squeeze into a Dutch oven ( 4 pounds ) ,
witl1 far more promising results-me
muons cooked slowly and evenly, build
ing flavor all me while. After some trial
and error, I finally settled on a metl1od
in which I cooked me onions covered
in a 400-degree oven for an hour, then
continued cooking witl1 me lid ajar for
occurs when granulated sugar is heated to make cara
mel . ) Each time Henri deglazed the pan and allowed
tl1e muons to recaramelize, he was ratcheting up me
flavor of the soup in a big way.
Back in the test kitchen witl1 Henri's recipe in hand,
I started cooking, and a long while later, tl1e soup was
on. It was as delicious as when Henri had made it, yet
after standing at the stove for more man two hours, I
barely had me energy to enjoy it. Was there a way to
anotl1er hour and a half.
Witl1 my new hands-off method, the onions
emerged from the oven golden, soft, and sweet, and
a nice fond had begwl to collect on me bottom of the
pot. Even better, I 'd only had to tend to them twice
in 2 1J2 hours . Next, I continued the caramelization
process on tl1e stovetop. Because of tl1eir head start in
tl1e oven, deglazing only tl1ree or four times was suf
ficient ( tl1e process still took nearly an hour-but tllis
was far better than the two-plus hours Henri spent
S T E P - BY- S T E P I G O L D E N O N I O N S W I T H O U T T H E F U S S
Forget constant stirring on the stovetop. Cooking onions i n the oven takes time but requ ires l ittle attention.
I . RAW The raw onions nearly fi l l 2. AFTER I HOUR I N OVE N 3 . AFTER 2 V2 HOURS IN OVEN
a large Dutch oven . The on ions are starting to wi l t and The onions are golden, wilted, and re lease moisture. sign ificantly reduced in volume.
C O O K'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 2
� ..J "' :E w a:: >..J a:: <i u ;_: iE � <.:J 0 >-0 I 0..
Most recipes for French onion soup cal l for deglazing-loosening the flavorful dark brown crust, orfond, that forms on the bottom of the pot-only once, if at a l l . The secret to our recipe is to deglaze the pot at least three times.
on his dozens of deglazings ) . Once the onions were
as dark as possible, I poured in a few splashes of dry
sherry, which tasters preferred to sweet sherry, white
wine, Champagne, red wine, and vermouth.
F in ish ing Touches Settling on a type of onion from standard supennarket
va.Jieties was a snap. I quickly dismissed red onions
they bled out to produce a dingy-looking soup. White
onions were too mild, and Vidalia onions made the
broth candy-sweet. Yellow onions, on the other ha.J1d,
oftered just the sweet and savory notes I was after.
Hemi had used only water for his soup, but after
making batches with water, chicken broth, a.J1d beef
broth alone and in combination, I decided the soup
was best with all tlu·ee. The broths added complex
ity, a.J1d my goal was to build as many layers of flavor
as possible .
At last, I could focus on tl1e soup's crowning gl01y:
bread and cheese . So as to not obscure the lovely
brotl1, I dialed back the hefty a.J110LU1ts tl1at have come
to define tl1e topping in this country. Toasting tl1e
bread before floating a slice on tl1e soup warded off
sogginess. As for the cheese, Emmenthaler a.J1d Swiss
were fine, but I Wa.J1ted to stick to tradition. A modest
sprinkling of nutty Gruyere (see "Gruyere Cheese,"
right) was a grand, gooey finish to a great soup .
B E S T F R E N C H O N I O N S O U P
SERVES 6
Sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, will
make tl1is recipe overly sweet. Be patient when cara
melizing tl1e onions in step 2; tl1e entire process takes 45 to 60 minutes. Use broiler-safe crocks md keep
tl1e rim of the bowls 4 to 5 inches fi·om tl1e heating
element to obtain a proper gratinee of melted, bub
bly cheese . If using ordinary soup bowls, sprinkle tl1e
toasted bread slices witl1 Gruyere and return tl1em
to the broiler Lll1til the cheese melts, tl1en float tl1em
on top of the soup . We prefer Swa.J1son Certified
Organic Free Range Chicken Brotl1 a.J1d Pacific Beef
Brotl1. For tl1e best flavor, make the soup a day or
2 in advaJKe. Alternatively, tl1e onions Ca.J1 be prepared
tlcrough step 1 , cooled in tl1e pot, and refrigerated for
up to 3 days before proceeding with tl1e recipe .
Soup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut i nto 3 pieces
6 large yel low onions (about 4 pounds) , halved
and cut pole to pole into V4 - inch-thick s l ices
(see "Sl ic ing On ions," page 30)
Table salt
2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
Y2 cup dry sherry
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note above)
2 cups beef broth (see note above)
6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
bay leaf
Ground black pepper
Cheese Croutons
I small baguette, cut on bias into Y2 - inch s l ices
8 ounces Gruyere, shredded (about 2 Y2 cups)
l . FOR THE SOUP: Adjust oven rack to lower
middle position a.J1d heat oven to 400 degrees.
Generously spray inside of heavy-bottomed large
(at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with nonstick cook
ing spray. Place butter in pot a.J1d add onions and 1
teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, 1 hour ( onions will be
moist and slightly reduced in volume ) . Remove pot
from oven a.J1d stir onions, scraping bottom and sides
of pot. Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar md
continue to cook Lll1til onions are very soft a.J1d golden
brown, 1 V2 to 1 % hours longer, stirring onions and
scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
2. Carefully remove pot from oven a.J1d place over
medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to ha.J1d..le pot,
cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom
and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions
brown, 1 5 to 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium if
onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook,
stirring fi·equently, until pot bottom is coated with
da.J·k crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary.
(Scrape a.J1Y fond that collects on spoon back into
onions . ) Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping pot bottom
to loosen crust, a.J1d cook w1til water evaporates a.J1d
pot bottom has formed a.J10tl1er dark cmst, 6 to 8
minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more
times, until onions are vety dark brown. Stir in sherry
and cook, stirring frequently, until sheny evaporates,
about 5 minutes.
3 . Stir in broths, 2 cups water, tl1yme, bay leaf, a.J1d
V2 teaspoon salt, scraping up a.J1Y final bits of browned
crust on bottom a.J1d sides of pot. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes . Remove and discard herbs,
tl1en season witl1 salt and pepper.
4. FOR THE CROUTONS: Willie soup simmers,
arra.J1ge baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet
a.J1d bake in 400-degree oven until bread is dry, crisp,
and golden at edges, about 1 0 minutes. Set aside . 5 . TO SERVE: Adjust oven rack 6 inches fi:om
broiler element a.J1d heat broiler. Set individual
) t\ N LI A R Y b· F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
1 3
T A s T , N G : G ruyere C heese Though its fame derives mainly from its use in fondue and French onion soup, Gruyere is also a table cheese revered for its creamy texture and savory flavor. Both Switzerland and France make authentic versions that are crafted from raw cow's milk and aged for the better part of a year in governmentdesignated regions (the French cheese is called Gruyere de Comte) . Though labeled "Gruyere," domestic cheeses of this type bear l ittle resemblance to the real thing. Made from pasteurized cow's mi lk, they are aged for fewer months and have a rubbery texture and bland flavor. In fact, in a bl ind taste test of n ine brands, tasters overwhelmingly panned the two domestic versions, l ikening one (from Boar's Head) to "plastic . " Imported Gruyeres, on the other hand, received raves. The top picks in the l ineup were three reserve cheeses, aged I 0 or more months to develop stronger flavor: the Gruyere Reserve carried by Whole Foods Market, Emmi Le Gruyere Reserve, and a Gruyere Sale from a Bostonarea cheese shop. For complete tasting results, go to www.cooks i l lustrated.com/february.
-Elizabeth Bomze
broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with
about 1 % cups soup . Top each bowl with 1 or 2
baguette slices ( do not overlap slices) and sprinkle
evenly with Gruyere. Broil until cheese is melted and
bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes . Let cool 5
minutes before serving.
Q U I C K E R F R E N C H O N I O N S O U P
This variation uses a microwave for the initial cook
ing of tl1e onions, which dramatically reduces tl1e
cooking time . The soup's flavor, however, will not
be quite as deep as witl1 tl1e stovetop method. If you
don't have a microwave-safe bowl large enougl1 to
accommodate all of tl1e onions, cook in a smaller
bowl in 2 batches .
Follow recipe for Best French Onion Soup, com
bining onions a.J1d 1 teaspoon salt in large microwave
safe bowl and covering with large microwave-safe plate
(plate should completely cover bowl a.J1d not rest on
onions) . Microwave on higl1 power for 20 to 25 min
utes Lmtil onions are soft a.J1d wilted, stirring halfWay
ilirough cooking. ( Use oven mitts to remove bowl
fi:om microwave and remove plate away from you to
avoid stea.Jn burn . ) Drain onions ( about V2 cup liquid should drain off) a.J1d proceed witl1 step 2, melting butter in Dutch oven before adding wilted onions.
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HOW TO M AKE
• Best French Onion Soup
VID EO TIPS
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Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp S h r i m p in garl i cky o l ive o i l i s a tapas bar c l ass i c . But make th i s appet izer at h o m e and
sudden ly the sh r i m p are ru bbery and the gar l i c goes m i ss i ng in a sea of o l ive o i l .
I f there is one thing that can catch
attention in a Spanish tapas res
taurant, it's the heady aroma waft
ing up from a dish of gambas al
ajillo-little shrimp sizzling in a pool of
olive oil and garlic . One bite will confirm
that the garlic shares equal billing with
the shrimp; when properly prepared, the
shrimp is wonderfully sweet and tender
and infused with deep garlic flavor. The
key to achieving this flavor is the oil . A
large quantity is heated along with sliced
garl ic , Spanish chi les , and bay leaves
in a cazuela ( an earthenware ramekin)
until lightly sizzling. A handful of small
shrimp are added, heated until just barely
cooked through, and served directly out
of the cooking vessel . The dish is always
accompanied by crusty bread to soak
up all the leftover garlic- and shrimp
flavored oil .
3 B Y J . K E N J I A L T E
As perfect as the dish is, it needs some
adjustments to work as an appetizer served
at home . At a tapas restaurant, where your
table is overflowing with other dishes, it's
easy to be content witl1 a few small shrimp.
Back at home, where most cooks are going
to prepare only a single appetizer, the dish
Shr imp and garl i c share equa l b i l l i ng in th is tapas bar favorite.
needs to be more substantial, meaning eitl1er big
ger shrimp or more small ones . Tasters in me test
kitchen preferred bigger shrimp, and I settled on a
pound of large shrimp as the ideal portion size for six people. But now that I was playing around witl1
tl1e size and quantity of shrimp, what would mat
mean for the rest of the dish?
s H o P P 1 N G : Choosing the Right Chi le
Ensu ring Tender Shr imp Traditional recipes for gainbas a ! ajillo call for com
pletely submerging the sluimp in oil , where tl1ey Cai1
be heated very evenly aild gently at a low temperanrre. Short of accidentally bringing tl1e oil up to deep-fiy
temperantres, the sluimp are almost in1possible to
overcook. But to fi.illy submerge me pOLmd of large
Paprika llungary S"ect
AUTH E N T I C C H O I C E The sl ightly sweet cascabel chi le is the traditional choice for gambas
al aj i l lo.
B E S T S U B S T I T U T E New Mexico chi le (aka California
chi le, chile Colorado, or dried Anaheim chile) is far more widely avai lable and has the same bright
freshness as the cascabel.
LAST R E S O RT You won't have any trouble finding paprika, but its sl ightly stale flavor cannot compare with the complex
taste of whole dried chiles.
C OOK"
s I L L U S T R A T E D
1 4
sluimp I wanted to use, I 'd need nearly
2 cups of oil-far more man six people
could ever finish. I wouldn't have to
serve all mat oil, of course, but why waste
it? I wanted to find a way to reduce tl1e
amow1t (about half a cup was a reasonable
quantity for six people) but still maintain
me juiciness and garlic flavor mat are tl1e
hallmarks of this dish .
Witl1 less oil, I figured using the small
est pan I could fit me sluimp into would
be more effective, since a smaller pan size
meant deeper oil . In an 8-inch saucepan,
the oil came only lJ2 inch up the side,
covering about half of me sluimp. The
results? Overcooked shrimp on tl1e bottom
and raw shrimp on top. Even wiili almost
constant stining and tossing, I couldn't get
tl1e shrimp to cook as evenly as if tl1ey were
completely submerged in oil.
I sat down and went back to clunking
about cooking basics. In order to keep
shrimp juicy and tender, it is important to
not overcook tl1em. My shrin1p were par
tially overcooking because iliey were heat
ing w1evenly. They were heating unevenly
because iliey were arranged in me pan in
layers-some sluimp were closer to tl1e
heat source d1ai1 others. I switched out tl1e 8-inch pot
for a 12-inch skillet. In tl1e wider pail, me oil provided
only a thin coating beneaili tl1e shrimp, but at least I
could fit them in a single layer.
The new single-layer meiliod meai1t tl1at I would
have to turn the shrin1p hal£\,vay through cooking.
Witl1 tllis mailY shrimp in tl1e pan, I was afraid tl1at
turning t11em wiili tongs would take too long; by me
time I had ntrned tl1e last shrin1p, tl1e first ones would
be overcooked. Keeping tl1e heat at mediwn-low gave
me plenty of time to tw·n each shrimp indi,�dually, so I managed to cook tl1em as evenly aild gently as if tl1ey had been completely submerged in oil .
I now had tender shrin1p, but the oilier key charac
teristic of me dish was missing: great garlic flavor.
B u i l d i ng Garl ic F lavor With only a tllin layer of oil in the pan, the shrimp
were not absorbing enough garlic flavor. I increased
tl1e garlic from four thinly sliced cloves to eight, which provided me right proportion of shrimp to garlic, but tl1e slices were still acting more like a gar11ish Wail a fi.illy integrated part of the dish. More sliced garlic
Garlic F lavor Th ree Ways
We imparted garl ic flavor to the shrimp in three different ways for three different effects, resu lting in a d ish with multilayered garl ic complexity.
RAW = P U N G E N T B ROW N E D = S W E E T POA C H E D = M E L LOW
The minced garlic in the marinade gets Gently browning smashed whole Sl iced garl ic cooked gently in lowtemperature ol ive oil loses its harsh flavor. becoming soft and mel low.
cooked briefly with the shrimp. main- garl ic cloves infuses the ol ive oil with raining a hint of raw-garl ic pungency. a sweet roasted-garl ic flavor.
would just give me more garnish: I had to find a dif
ferent way to get more garlic flavor into the shrimp.
I knew that allicin, the chemical responsible for
garlic's flavor, is highly soluble in oil-which meant
I could use the oil as a vehicle to deliver more flavor
to the dish . Allicin is not formed until the garlic's
cells are ruptured, so I smashed four garlic cloves
before heating them in a fresh batch of olive oil . I
allowed them to brown and impart a sweet roasted
flavor to the oil, discarded the smashed cloves,
and then added the shrimp. But to my frustration,
despite the supercharged garlic base with its new
type of garlic character, the shrimp were better but
still not great.
I realized that the only way to get more garlic
flavor into the shrimp was through a matinade. I
minced two garlic cloves at1d combined them with
2 tablespoons of oil . Knowing that salt would draw
flavorful juices out of the garlic through osmosis, I
added a teaspoon to the marinade. After 30 minutes,
I cooked the marinated shrimp and sliced garlic in the
oil in which I had previously browned the smashed
cloves. I waited with bated breath while my tasters bit
into the shrimp. It was a resOLmcl.ing success.
Finally, I had juicy shrimp that were deeply flavored
with garlic in a robust and complex sauce. By adding
the gat·lic to the pa11 in three forms md at three dif
ferent stages (minced raw garlic to provide pungency
in tl1e marinade, crushed and browned garlic to infuse
sweetness into tl1e oil, at1d slow-cooked sliced garlic to
add mild garlic flavor), I was able to coax three distinct
flavors from tl1e versatile bulb. Not only did the olive
oil evenly coat each shrimp with garlic flavor, it also
provided protection for tl1e garlic (see "Marinade
Superheroes: Oil and Salt," below) .
The traditional additions of bay leaf a11d red chile
(see "Choosing the Right Chile," on page 14) were
deemed essential to tl1e recipe . Heating the aromatics
in tl1e pan along witl1 the sliced garlic allowed them
to flavor tl1e oil , giving the finished dish a sweet,
herbal at·oma. Wh.i.le most recipes call for a splash of
dty sheny or brandy, I fow1d that sherry vinegar md
chopped parsley were better suited to rowKiing out
tl1e flavors; tl1ey provided a jolt of brightness tl1at cut
tl1rough tl1e richness of tl1e olive oil .
As a finishing touch, I realized I could recapture
some of the restaurant spirit by transferring tl1e dish
to a small cast-iron skillet that I'd heated on the stove.
s c 1 e N c e : Marinade Superh e roes: Oil a n d Salt We found that omitting eidler the oi l or the salt from our marinade significantly reduced garl ic flavor i n the cooked shrimp. Why? Oi l protects and stabi l izes al l ic in, the compound in garl ic that is responsible for its characteristic flavor. Allicin is produced when garl ic is cut or crushed, and it quickly degrades into less flavorful compounds when exposed to air. Once in oil, however, the al l ic in d issolves and is protected from air. With this protection in place, it can move into the shrimp. There's one more advantage to o i l-it coats the shrimp and del ivers flavor evenly, not just in areas directly in contact with the minced garl ic . Salt contributes to the process by speeding things up. Salt d raws water contain ing al l ic in out of the garl ic at a faster rate than al l ic in wou ld m igrate on its own. -J .K.A.
+ +� O I L + SALT + G A R L I C + S H R I M P = C O M P L E T E F LAVO R D I S T R I B U T I O N
Oil protects garl ic flavor, and salt speeds u p the marinating time.
J A N U A R Y b F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
I S
Placed on a trivet on the table, the sllrin1p and garlic
continued to sizzle w1til my eager tasters downed
the last one.
S PA N I S H - S T Y L E GA R L I C S H R I M P
S E RV E S 6 A S A N A P P ET I Z E R
Serve shrimp witl1 crusty bread for dipping i n tl1e
richly flavored olive oil. The dish cat1 be served directly
from the skillet (make sure to use a trivet) or, for a
sizzling effect, trmsferred to an 8- inch cast-iron skillet
that's been heated for 2 minutes over medium-high
heat. We prefer the slightly sweet flavor of dried chiles
in this recipe, but 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika can be
substituted. If sherry vinegar is Lmavai.lable , use 2 tea
spoons dry sherry md 1 teaspoon white vinegar.
1 4 medium garl ic c loves, peeled
pound large (3 1 - 40) shr imp, peeled, deveined,
and tai ls removed
8 tablespoons ol ive oi l
V2 teaspoon table salt
bay leaf
(2-inch) piece mi ld dried ch i le, such as New
Mexico, roughly broken, seeds inc luded (see
note above and page 1 4)
I V2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (see note above)
I tablespoon chopped fresh pars ley leaves
1 . Mince 2 garlic cloves with chef's knife or garlic
press. Toss minced garlic with shrimp, 2 tablespoons
olive oil, md salt in medium bowl. Let shrimp mari
nate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Memwhile, using flat side of chef's knife, smash
4 garlic cloves. Heat smashed garlic wiili remain
ing 6 tablespoons olive oil in 12- inch skillet over
medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, Lmtil garlic
is light golden brown, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove pan
from heat md allow oil to cool to room temperature.
Using slotted spoon, remove smashed garlic from
sk.i.Uet and discard.
3 . Thinly slice remaining 8 cloves gat·lic. Return
skillet to low heat at1d add sliced garlic, bay leaf,
at1d chile . Cook, stirring occasionally, Lmtil garlic is
tender but not browned, 4 to 7 minutes. (If garlic
has not begun to sizzle afrer 3 minutes, increase heat
to medium-low.) Increase heat to medium-low; add
shrimp wiili marinade to pm in single layer. Cook
shrimp, w1disturbed, until oil starts to gently bubble,
about 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip shrimp md con
tinue to cook until almost cooked through, about
2 minutes longer. Increase heat to higl1 md add sherry vinegar and parsley. Cook, stirring constmtly, until
shrimp are cooked t.l1rough a11d oil is bubbling vigor
ously, 1 5 to 20 seconds. Serve immediately.
!lil4 C O O K'S L I V E Original Test Kitchen Videos
www. c o o k s i l l u s t r ate d . c o m
HOW TO MAKE
• Spanish-Style Garl ic Shrimp
V I DEO T I P
• How do I pee l and s l i ce garl ic?
Masteri the Art of Stew A l itt l e kn ow- h ow goes a l o ng way toward avo i d i ng com mo n m i stakes w h e n maki ng stews . H e re 's how to get it r ight eve ry t i m e . B Y K E I T H D R E s s E R
Stew is kitchen alchemy that turns a marginal cut of meat and some basic vegetables i nto something rich, flavorful , and much more interesting. Even better, stew general ly requires l ittle preparation or effort; time and gentle simmering do all the work. That said, we've all had (or made) stews with tough meat, l istless vegetables, and dul l , watery broth. Over the years, we've learned which steps produce a superior stew.
Choosing the Right Meat Choosing the proper cut of meat is the single most important part of making a great stew. We l ike to use cuts from the shoulder area, because they have the best combination of flavor and texture. Meat from this region is wel l marbled with fat, which means it won't dry out during long, slow cooking. In chicken, the high percentage of intramuscular fat in thigh meat makes this part the preferred choice. For the best results, we l ike to cut our own stew meat (see "Cut Your Own Meat, " page 17).
PORK
We l ike pork butt (also called Boston shoulder or Boston butt) for its great flavor, but the less-expensive and sl ightly fattier picnic shoulder is also a fine choice.
B E E F
We love exceptional tenderness of chuckeye roast. Another good option: the chuck 7 -bone roast.
LAM B
Roasts from the lamb shoulder can be hard to find , so we rel y on shoulder-cut chops such as the round-bone for our stews. This chop has bold taste mel lowed by long cooking, and its bones are a bonus that add extra flavor to the pot. An alternative choice is the blade chop.
C H I C K E N
The extra fat and connective tissue
C H U C K E Y E
RO U N D - B O N E C H O P
i n thigh meat make i t better su ited B O N E - l N
than breast meat for stew; it also c H 1 c K E N T H 1 G H separates more eas i ly from the bone than does d rumstick meat. We use skin-on thighs to protect the meat and keep it from overcooking and drying out during browning. Both the bones and fat lend stronger chicken flavor.
D U TC H OV E N
A Dutch oven is essential for making stew. Look for one that is twice as wide as it i s high, with a m in imum capacity of 6 quarts (7 or 8 i s even better) . The bottom shou ld be thick, so food browns even ly and the pot retains heat during cooking. The pot shou ld also have a tight-fitting l id to prevent excess evaporat ion.
TEST K I TC H E N W IN N E R:
�LE CREUSET -----
7 '/•-Quart
Round French
Oven, $229.95
B E S T B U Y:
�T RAMONTINA 6.5 Quart Cast I ron Dutch
Oven, $39.86
H EAT P RO O F S PAT U LA
Wooden spoons are things of the past. Our favorite spatu la i s rigid enough to stir a thick stew yet flex ib le enough to get into the tight corners of a pot when deglazing. Throw in the fact that i ts surface won't sta in , and what's not to l ike?
T E S T K ITC H E N W IN N E R :
�R U B B E RMAI D 1 3 .5- lnch H igh Heat Scraper,
$ 1 1 .40
TO N G S
After fl ipp ing thousands o f batches of cubed meat, we've come to value a good pair of tongs. Our favorite handi ly picks up the smal lest p ieces of meat without tearing or mashing.
T E S T K ITC H E N W IN N E R :
�XO Good Grips 1 2- lnch Locking Tongs, $ 1 0.39
LA D L E
A lad le i s defin itely t he best tool for d iv id ing portions among indiv idual bowls ; it's a lso usefu l for sk imming fat from the surface of the stew before serving.
T E S T K I TC H E N W I N N E R:
�ROSLE Lad le with
Pouring Rim & Hook
Handle, $26.95
C O O K'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 6
While broth is not as central to the flavor of stew as it is to soup, choosing a high-qual ity brand is sti l l important. And using a low-sodium broth is essential; as the l iqu id in a stew reduces, regular fu l l -sod ium broth can turn the stew too salty and ru in the flavor.
T E S T K I TC H E N
W I N N E RS :
�SWANSON Certified Organic
Free Range Chicken Broth and
PACIFIC Beef Broth
W I N E
When a stew cal ls for wine, many cooks will grab the least-expensive bottle on hand. But even in smal l amounts, there is no h id ing the taste of bad wine. In the test kitchen, we prefer the fu l ler, more complex flavor of wine made with more than one grape variety.
T E S T K ITC H E N W IN N E R :
�COTES DU RHON E or other
fruity wine with l ittle or no oak
B E E R
I n general , we prefer darker ales to l ighter lagers for the rich , fu l l flavor they impart to stew (lager can leave stews tasting watery). As long as they're dark, nonalcoholic ales wi l l work equal ly wel l .
T E S T K ITC H E N W IN N E RS :
�Amber and dark-colored
ales
TO M ATO PASTE
A small amount of tomato paste added to a stew along with the aromatics brings depth and color, and its sl ight acidity enhances the flavor of other ingredients.
TEST KITC H E N W I N N E R:
�AMORE Tomato Paste
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I . C U T YO U R OWN M EAT
Packaged stew meat is often made up of irregularly shaped scraps that cook at varying rates. Cut your own stew meat to guarantee same-sized chunks that share the same flavor and cooking t ime. Use fatty, flavorful cuts from the shou lder, or chuck, that will stay moist with extended cooking.
2. S KIP T H E F LO U R B E FORE B ROW N IN G
Contrary to popular belief, dusting meat with flour before searing it doesn't help it brown better. In fact, we have found just the opposite. The flour itself darkens a little, but the meat remains pale and doesn't develop the intense flavor compounds that are the goal of browning. I nstead of flouring, pat stew meat dry and season it with salt and pepper before browning.
3 . B ROWN M EAT P R O P E R LY
Crowding the pan with too much meat or us ing inadequate heat can cause meat to steam (rather than brown) and ultimately lose flavor. To avoid this problem, add the meat only after the oi l begins to smoke and leave plenty of space (about V2 inch) between pieces (this means no more than I pound of meat per batch). Turn only when the first s ide is well seared.
4 . IF FON D B U R N S , R E M OVE IT
Browning meat in more than two batches can lead to a pan covered by burnt (rather than browned) fond that can impart a bitter flavor to the stew. I f the fond is blackening, add a l ittle water to the empty pot and scrape the fond to loosen it . Discard burnt bits and water and wipe the pot clean. Add fresh oi l and proceed with the next batch of meat.
5. SAUTE AROMAT IC S TO
E N HANC E F LAVO R
Recipes that call for dumping spices and aromatics, such as garl ic and onion, into the pot at the same time as the l iquid fail to maximize their flavor. So hold the l iquid and saute these flavor-enhancing ingredients first.
6. F LO U R AROMAT IC S TO
T H I C K E N STEW
Many recipes ca l l for thickening a stew at the end of cooking by leaving the l id off, but this method risks overcooking. Thicken stew at the beginning of the cooking process by sprinkling flour over the sauteed aromatics. Cook the flour for a minute or two to remove any raw flour taste.
7. STAG G E R A D D I T I O N
OF VEG ETA B L E S
When vegetables are dumped indiscriminately into the pot at the outset of cooking, they not only lose flavor and turn mushy, but also water down the stew. Take into account the cooking time of ind ividual vegetables (see "How Long Does It Take: Vegetables," above) and add them at the appropriate time.
H OW LO N G D O E S IT TA K E : V E G E TA B L E S
Below are some common stew vegetables and general gu ide l ines for how long to cook them. I n many cases, you wil l be add ing the vegetables once the stew has been cooking in the oven for a whi le .
V E G E TA B L E P R E PA RAT I O N C O O K I N G T I M E
Potatoes 1- to I V2 - inch cubes I hour
Carrots s l i ced !4 to V2 inch thick hour
Parsnips s l i ced !4 to V2 inch thick hour
Sweet Potatoes quartered and s l iced !4 inch th ick hour
Turnips V2 - inch d ice 45 minutes
V2 - inch d ice 45 minutes
Canned Beans rinsed 45 minutes
Frozen Vegetables do not thaw I S to 20 minutes
Hearty Greens washed and chopped 20 to 30 minutes
Tender Greens washed and chopped I to 2 minutes
Fresh Herbs chopped Sti r in off heat
H OW LO N G D O E S I T TA K E : M E AT
Because meat varies in moisture and fat content, p inpo inting cooking t imes is not an exact science. The chart below offers general gu ide l ines.
M EAT C U B E S I Z E
Beef, Pork, and Lamb I to I V2 i nches
Beef, Pork, and Lamb I V2 to 2 i nches
Chicken Thighs whole
8. S IM M E R STEW IN OVE N
To ensure a steady, gentle s immer that a l lows the i nternal temperature of the meat to rise s lowly and e l im inates the risk of scorch ing the pot bottom, cook the stew in a covered Dutch oven at 300
degrees. This wi l l keep the temperature of the stewing l i qu id below the bo i l ing point (2 12 degrees) and ensure meat that i s tender, not tough.
9. C O O K M EAT U N T IL
FA LL-APA RT T E N D E R
When meat i s undercooked , its fat and connective t issue have not had
A P P RO X . C O O K I N G T I M E
2 to 2 V2 hours
2 V2 to 3 hours
30 to 60 minutes
the chance to break down sufficiently, and it wil l taste rubbery and , tough. Cook meat to the point where col lagen has melted down
into gelati n . This y ie lds tender meat that separates eas i ly when pu l led apart with two forks. (See "How Long Does It Take: Meat, " above.)
I 0 . D E FAT B E F O R E S E RVING
Pour stew l iquid into a narrow container before defatting. This wi l l create a thicker layer of fat that's easier to remove. Alternatively, refrigerate the stew overnight. When the fat sol idifies, it can be l ifted right off.
J A N U A R Y b F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
1 7
No-Knead Bread 2 .0 A no-fuss recipe is revolutioniz ing home baking but trades f lavor and reliabil ity for ease.
Could we improve the bread's bland taste and make it rise high every time?
I n November 2006 , New York
Times writer Mark Bittman published a recipe deve loped by
Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street
Bakery in Manhattan that promised to
shake up the world of home baking.
The recipe did the seemingly impossi
ble . I t al lowed the average home cook
to bake a loaf of bread that looked
like it had been produced in a pro
fessional bakery. The recipe , which
instantly won legions of followers, was
exceedingly simple : Mix a few cups
of flour, a tiny amount of yeast, and
a little salt together in a bowl; stir in
some water unti l the ingredients just
come together; and leave the dough to
rise . After 1 2 to 1 8 hours, the dough
is turned a couple of times, shaped,
risen , and baked in a D utch oven . An hour later, ou t comes the most
beautifu l - looking loaf most people have ever baked at home-and all with
no kneading.
At first, it seemed mliik.ely that there
was anything to improve upon here .
The no-knead recipe was remarkably
easy and worlds better than oilier no
fuss breads. But ilireads on our bulletin
board and other websites turned out some complaints amid all the praise . I
decided to give the existing recipe to five
3 B Y J . K E N J I A L T E
inexperienced bakers in order to see what J u st a few seconds of knead ing gives our loaf a perfect a iry crumb. (if any) issues arose. I noticed a problem
even before we sliced into me first loaf. While all were
beautifi.illy browned and crisp, the loaves varied wilclly
in size and shape, ranging fi·om rmmded mounds to
flat, irregular blobs. Casting first in1pressions aside,
I cut into each one and tasted a bite . Though the crusts were extraordinary-better man any I'd ever produced-the flavor of me cnrrnb fell flat. It simply did not capture the complex yeasty, tangy flavor of
a true artisanal loaf. I wondered if I could make tlus bread more consistent and better-tasting.
Analyzing Autolysis I decided to tackle tl1e problem of shape first. Thanks to the inge11ious use of a Dutch oven, tl1e bread always acquired a dark, crisp crust (see "Baking in a Dutch Oven," page 19 ) , but tl1e loaves took on a disconcertingly broad range of forms. After observing testers
make the recipe a few times, I realized tl1e problem:
The weUless of the dough was making it too delicate
to hanclle . Though it was well risen before baking,
it was deflating on its way into tl1e pot. In addition,
because of its !ugh moisture content, tl1e dough was spreading out over me bottom of tl1e pot before it could firm up properly. I analyzed the no-knead recipe and fmmd that its dough is 85 percent hydrated
meaning tl1at for every 1 0 ounces of flour, mere are 8 . 5 ounces of water. Most rustic breads, on tl1e oilier hand, max out at arow1d 80 percent hydration, and
standard sandwich breads hover bet\veen 60 percent
and 75 percent hydration. So what would happen if I reduced tl1e water?
To fu1d out, I made a batch of dough in which I cut me hydration to 70 percent. Sure enough, tlus dough was much easier to handle and emerged from
C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D
1 8
the oven well risen and perfectly shaped.
But w1fortunately, the texture was ruined.
Instead of an open, airy crumb structure,
it was dense and chewy, with rubbery
pockets of mlieavened flour. So more
moisture led to an open but squat loaf,
and less moisture led to a high but dense
loaf. Was tl1ere a way to reconcile these
two extremes?
Many bread recipes call for a rest
period after adding water to tl1e flour
but before kneading. This rest is called
"autolysis" (although most bakers use
tl1e French term autolyse) . In most reci
pes, autolysis is just 20 to 30 minutes,
but the no-knead bread calls for some
thing completely out of the ordinary:
a 1 2-hour rest. Was there something
in the mechanics of such a lengthy
autolysis that could help me solve the textural problem? The most common
explanation for tl1e autolysis process is
simply that it allows time for the flour
to hydrate and rest, making the dough
easier to manipulate later on. But the
word "autolysis" technically refers to the
destruction of cells or proteins through
enzymatic action . I decided to have a
closer look at what really happens to the
dough during the process .
The ultimate goal of making bread
dough is to create gluten, a strong net
work of cross-linked proteins tl1at traps air bubbles and stretches as tl1e dough bakes,
creating tl1e bubbly, chewy crumb structure that is
tl1e signanrre of any good loaf. In order to form these
cross links, the proteins in the flour need to be aligned
next to each otl1er. Imagine tl1e proteins as bunclled
up balls of yarn you are trying to tie together into one longer piece, which you'll then sew together into a wider sheet. In their balled-up state, it's not possible to tie them together; first you have to untangle and
straighten iliem out. Tlus straightei1ing out and align
ing is usually accomplished by kneading. B ut untangling and stretclung out short pieces
of yarn is much easier than untangling entire balls .
This is where autolysis comes in . As the dough autolyzes, enzymes naturally present in wheat act like scissors, cutting tl1e balled-up proteins into smaller segments that are easier to straighten during kneading. This is why dough that has undergone
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s c i E N c E : How Beer Boosts Bread's F lavor During a starter's fermentation. yeast produces alcoho l . carbon dioxide. and su lfur compounds. al l of which contribute to good bread 's un ique flavor. These three elements are present together in another location-a bottle of beer. But why choose lager over other types of beer? I t 's all about the fermentation . Most non lager beers undergo a process cal led "top fermentation," whereby yeast floats on top of the wort (grain mashed in hot water). which is exposed to oxygen and kept warm. Oxygen and warmth persuade yeast to produce spicy. astri ngent flavor compounds called phenols and fruity, floral compounds called esters that are desirable in beer but not in bread . Lagers. on the other hand. undergo "bottom fermentation," where the yeast i s kept submerged in the low-oxygen environment at the bottom of
LET T H E R E BE LAG E R
the wort at colder tempera- Mild-flavored beer
tures. which causes the yeast to produce fewer phenols and esters. so that the bread ier yeast and su lfur flavors come forward. -J .K.A.
contains flavor compounds similar to those in a dough starter, which gives our bread a taste
boost.
autolysis requires much less kneading than freshly
made dough . And here's where the hydration level
comes in: The more water there is, the more effi
ciently the cut-and-link process takes place .
So this was the explanation for how the no
knead bread recipe pubUshed in tl1e New York
Times worked. With 85 percent hydration and a
1 2 -hour rest, the dough was so wet and had auto
lyzed for so long that the enzymes had broken tl1e
proteins down into extremely small pieces . These
pieces were so small that, even witl10ut kneading,
they could stretch out and cross-l ink during fer
mentation and tl1e brief turning step. At 70 percent
hydration, there simply was not enough water in
my dough for tl1e enzymes to act as efficiently as
they had in the original recipe . As a result, many
of the proteins in my finished bread were still in a
semi- balled-up state , giving my bread the overly
chewy texture .
What if the secret to making a better no-knead
bread was actually adding in some kneading? I knew
that even at a relatively dry 70 percent hydration, the
proteins in my dough had already been broken down
significantly by tlle long 1 2 - to 1 8 -hour autolysis.
All tlley probably needed was a little kneading to
untangle and create an aity, Ught crumb. I decided
to make tl1e leap .
I took tl1e dough that I had resting from tlle day
before and turned it out onto my board. Trusting
tl1at my w1derstanding of autolysis was correct, I gave
tl1e dough tl1e bare minii11Lll11 of kneads-adding just
1 5 extra seconds to tlle no-knead recipe-and conti.Jl
ued exactly as I had before . The dough emerged from
the oven as beautifully browned and perfectly shaped
as any I 'd made so far. After letti.J1g it cool, I cut ii1to it to reveal an ideal crumb structure : large pockets
of air and stretched sheets of gluten. Not only that,
I found that since such a small an1ount of kneadi.J1g
could develop gluten in a such a forceful maimer, I
could actually reduce tl1e minimum ti.Jne of the rest
period from 1 2 hours to eight. That 1 5 seconds of
kneadi.J1g had reaped huge benefits .
No S u bstitute for F lavor Now tl1at I had bread witll a great shape a.Jld tex
ture , I turned my attention to the loafs lackluster
taste . To get a better sense of what specific flavors I
was missing, I bought a loaf of bread from a bakety
tl1at makes dough tlle old-fashioned way-with a
fermented starter. Because a starter contains a much
more varied assortment of yeasts tl1a.J1 the ones fOLmd
in a packet, it yields more complex flavor. Tasti.J1g tlle
bakery bread side by side with tl1e no-knead bread
confirmed tllis . But creating a starter is a multiday
process. How could I get tl1e flavors that a starter
S T E P - BY- S T E P I A L M O S T N O - K N E A D B R E A D
Baking in a Dutch Oven A major breakthrough in the no-knead bread recipe published i n the New York Times was to bake the bread in a preheated Dutch oven, which creates the dramatic open-crumbed structure and the shatteringly crisp crust that was previously attainable only in a professional bakery. How does this work?
First, as the loaf heats it gives off steam to create a very humid environment ins ide the Dutch oven. Since moist air transfers heat much more efficiently than d ry air. the loaf heats much more rapid ly. This i n turn causes the air bubbles inside to expand much faster, leading to a more open crumb structure. As a test, I baked two loaves of bread , one i n a Dutch oven and the other on a preheated baking stone. After one minute i n the oven , the surface temperature of the Dutch oven-baked loaf had risen past 200 degrees. whi le the other loaf had reached only I 35 degrees.
Steam contributes to a great loaf a second way. As steam condenses onto the surface of the baking bread , it causes the starches to form a thin sheath that eventual ly dries out, giving the fin ished loaf a sh iny crust that stays crisp.
Many recipes suggest add ing water or ice cubes to the oven ; the problem is home ovens cannot retain moisture i n the way a professional steaminjected oven can. With its thick wal ls . smal l i nternal volume. and heavy l id , a Dutch oven is the ideal environment to create and trap steam.
I . M IX Stir the wet ingredients 2. REST Leave the dough to rest 3 . KNEAD Knead the dough 10 4. LET RISE Allow the dough to into the dry ingredients with a for eight to 1 8 hours. to I S times and shape it into a bal l . r ise for two hours in a parchment preheated Dutch oven and bake spatula. paper-l ined ski l let. it unti l it's deep brown.
J A N U A R Y 6- F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
1 9
Transferring dough to a preheated Dutch oven to bake can be tricky. To avoid burnt fingers and help the dough hold its shape, we came up with a novel solution: Let the dough rise in a ski l let (its shal low depth makes it better than a bowl) that's been l ined with greased parchment paper, then use the paper's edges to pick up the dough and lower it into the Dutch oven. The bread remains on the parchment paper as it bakes.
produces without actually having to use one? Could
I introduce a little ranginess another way?
Scanning the labels in our dry storage area, I
saw that d1e majority of our bottled vinegars are
5 percent solutions of acetic acid-the same acid
produced by bacteria during dough fermentation .
Since od1er vinegars would introduce undesirable
flavors to d1e bread, I expetimented with different
amounts of distilled white vinegar before settling on
a single tablespoon.
My bread now had tang, but it lacked complex
ity. What I needed was a concentrated shot of
yeasty flavor. As I racked my brain, I realized that
beyond bread, there is another commonly available
substance that relies on yeast for flavor: beer. Would
its flavors compare to those produced in dough
fermentation ?
For the most part, no. I started my testing wid1
dark ales, dunking d1eir rich taste would lead to better
flavor. The resulting bread had a strange spicy, fi·uity
aftertaste and smelled like beer. Then I tried a light
American-style lager. This time, the loaf came out
wid1 a clistinct "bready" versus "beety" aroma that
could fool anyone who had not seen d1e lager go into
the dough . Why is it that d1e lighter beer produced
the better taste? It turns out that the yeast in lagers is
treated in a way that closely resembles the way yeast
acts in dough, resulting in d1e production of sinlilar
flavor compounds ( see "How Beer Boosts Bread's
Flavor," page 1 9 ) .
Through d1e simplest o f tweaks-less hydration,
the adclition of vinegar and beer, and a few seconds
of kneading-! had a loaf of bread that both looked
and tasted increclible .
A L M O S T N O - K N E A D B R E A D
M A K E S I LARG E RO U N D LOAF
An enameled cast-iron Dutch oven with a tight-fitting
lid yields best results, but the recipe also works in a
regular cast-iron Dutch oven or 'heavy stockpot. Use
a mild-flavored lager, such as Budweiser ( nlild non
alcoholic lager also works) . The bread is best eaten d1e
day it is baked but can be wrapped in alunlinum foil
and stored in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.
3 cups ( I S ounces) unbleached al l -purpose f lour,
p lus additional for dusting work surface
V4 teaspoon instant yeast
I V2 teaspoons table salt
lf.l cup plus 2 tablespoons water (7 ounces),
at room temperature
!4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ounces)
mi ld-flavored lager
tablespoon white vinegar
l . Wllisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl . Add
water, beer, and vinegar. Using tubber spatula, fold
mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl
until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl wid1 plastic wrap
and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 1 8 hours .
2 . Lay 1 2· by 1 8 - inch sheet of parchment paper
inside 1 0-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cook·
ing spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work
surface and knead 1 0 to 1 5 .times . Shape dough into
ball by pulling edges into middle . Transfer dough,
seam-side down, to parchment- lined skillet and
spray surface of dough witl1 nonstick cooking spray.
Cover loosely witl1 plastic wrap and let rise at room
temperature until dough has doubled in size and
does not readily spring back when poked with finger,
about 2 hours .
3 . About 30 nlinutes before baking, adjust oven
rack to lowest position, place 6· to 8-quart heavy
bottomed Dutch oven (witl1 lid ) on rack, and heat
oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough and,
using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch
long, lfz -inch·deep slit along top of dough . Carefully
remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough
by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot ( let
any excess parchment hang over pot edge ) . Cover pot
and place in oven. Reduce oven temperatme to 425
degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove
lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and
instant-read thermometer insetted into center regis
ters 2 1 0 degrees, 20 to 30 nlinutes longer. Carefully
remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool
to room temperature, about 2 hours .
A L M O S T N O - K N E A D B R E A D W I T H
O L I V E S , R O S E M A RY, A N D PA R M E S A N
Follow recipe for Almost No- Knead Bread, adding
4 ounces finely grated Parmesan (about 2 cups) and
1 tablespoon nlinced fi·esh rosemary leaves to flour
mixture in step l . Add 1iz cup pitted, chopped green
olives witl1 water in step 1 .
C O O K'
S I L L U S T R A J' E fl
2 0
E Q U I P M E N T U P D A T E :
I nexpensive Dutch Ovens Shel l ing out hundreds of dol lars for a Dutch oven is less necessary than ever. We put two new low-cost models, one from T ramontina ($39 .86) and another from Lodge ($49.86) , to the test and l iked what we found. Both are crafted from enameled cast iron, and both produced glossy, deeply flavored Belgian beef stew; fluffy white rice; and crispy French fries in the test kitchen. But the Tramontina oven's larger capacity (6.5 quarts to the Lodge's 6 quarts) and even lower price made it our preferred choice. We recommend the Tramontina as an i nexpensive alternative to our favorite 7 !4 -quart Dutch oven by Le Creuset ($229 .95). -El izabeth Bomze
BEST B U Y Boasting both high qual ity and low cost, the
Tramontina 6.5 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven is hard to beat.
A L M O S T N O - K N E A D S E E D E D RY E B R E A D
Follow recipe for Almost No-Knead Bread, replacing
1 % cups (7 ounces ) all-purpose flour witl1 1 lfs cups
(7 oLmces) tye flour. Add 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
to flour nlixture in step 1 .
A L M O S T N O - K N E A D
W H O L E W H E AT B R E A D
Follow recipe for Almost No- Knead Bread, replacing
1 cup ( 5 ow1ees) all-purpose flour witl1 1 cup ( 5
ounces) whole wheat flour. Stir 2 tablespoons honey
into water before adding it to dry ingredients in
step l .
A L M O S T N O - K N E A D
C RA N B E R RY- P E C A N B R E A D
Follow recipe for Almost No-Knead Bread, adding
1iz cup dried cranberries and lfz cup toasted pecan
halves to flour mixture in step 1 .
11114 C O O K'S L I V E Original Test Kitchen Videos
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H OW TO MAKE
• Almost No-Knead Bread
V I DEO T I PS
• How does bread rise? • Behind the Scenes: Developing the recipe
'" z ,_ 0 .., a: => a:
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t;:
How to Roast Broccoli Roast ing can concentrate f lavor to turn dul l vegetab les into something great.
W hile I ' m a fan of the concentrated
flavor and dappled browning that
roasting lends vegetabl e s , I ' d
never considered broccoli a suit
able candidate . Its awkward shape, tough stems,
and shrubby florets seemed ill suited for cooking
via high, dry heat; moist cooking methods better
accommodate its idiosyncrasies . However, there
are plenty of people who do consider broccoli fit
for roasting and wax poetic about the results.
Though skeptical, I roasted a bLmch, following one
of the recipes I had collected for the task. It tasted
good-good enough to eat straight from the sizzling
pan. That said, this recipe and the others I tried still
had their flaws. First of all, none clearly addressed how
best to prepare the broccoli for roasting. How big, for
example, should you cut florets from the crown, and
what should be done wid1 d1e stalk to ensure d1at it
cooked at d1e same rate? Second, except for d1e broc
coli in direct contact wid1 the baking sheet, browning
was spotty. And last, d1e florets tended to char and
taste bitter.
If contact with the baking sheet was d1e key to
browning, I thought I'd try to cut d1e broccoli in
a fashion dut maximized this contact. I tackled
the crown first, lopping it off the stalk, flipping it
on its base, and cutting it crosswise into slabs. The
cross sections fell apart into a jumble of odd-sized
pieces dut cooked unevenly. Perhaps wedges would
work. I sliced anod1er crown in half, d1en cut each
half into wliform wedges d1at lay flat on d1e baking
sheet-much more promising. Turning my attention
to the stalk, I sliced off the tough exterior, then cut
the stalk into rectangular pieces slighdy smaller d1a11
the more delicate wedges to help promote even cook
ing of both parts.
The most successful recipes from my initial survey
dressed the broccoli simply, with salt, pepper, a11d a
splash of extra-virgin olive oil . A 500-degree oven
delivered the best browning, but it also increased the
risk of charred florets. A couple of recipes bla�1ehed or steamed d1e broccoli before roasting, but I fow1d
Tossing the broccol i with a l ittle sugar
more evenly and taste even better.
Could it transform broccol i?
3 B Y M A T T H E W C A R D E
these batches tasted bla11d, as if the flavor had been
washed away. Eventually, I discovered that a pre
heated baking sheet cooked the broccoli in half the
time and crisped d1e florets without any charring.
But despite the blazing heat a11d d1e fact that I had
solved the problem of charred florets, the broccoli still
wasn't as browned as I'd hoped. One of the more
interesting recipes I found coated d1e broccoli in a
lemon j uice-based vinaigrette before roasting, which
resulted in remarkably even browning. I wondered if
it was the fruit sugars in d1e lemon j uice that gener
ated such browning. Skipping the j uice, I tossed a
sca11t lfz teaspoon of sugar over the broccoli along
wid1 the salt md pepper, md the results were the
best yet: blistered, bubbled, md browned stems that
were sweet a11d full, along wid1 crispy-tipped florets
d1at tasted even better, especially when dressed wid1 a
spritz of lemon juice. It turns out a spoonful of sugar
really does help make d1e broccoli go down.
R OA S T E D B R O C C O L I
S E RV E S 4
Trim away d1e outer peel !Tom the broccoli stalk, oth
erwise it will turn tough when cooked. For Roasted
Broccoli ��th Garlic, stir 1 tablespoon minced garlic
into d1e olive oil before dtizzling it over d1e broccoli .
Our fi·ee recipes for Roasted Broccoli for Two a11d
Roasted Broccoli wid1 Garlic md Anchovies are avail
able at www .cooksillustrated .com/february.
large head broccoli (about l lf< pounds)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin o l ive oi l
V2 teaspoon table salt
V2 teaspoon sugar
Ground black pepper
Lemon wedges for serving
l . Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large
rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500
degrees. Cut broccoli at juncture of florets and stems;
remove outer peel !Tom stalk. Cut stalk into 2 - to
3-inch lengths a11d each lengd1 into 1/z -inch-thick
pieces. Cut crowns into 4 wedges if 3-4 inches in
dim1eter or 6 wedges if 4-5 inches in diaJTieter. Place
broccoli in large bowl; drizzle wid1 oil md toss well
until evenly coated. Sprinkle wid1 salt, sugar, and
pepper to taste a11d toss to combine .
2 . Working quickly, remove baking sheet !Tom oven. Carefully tra11sfer broccoli to baking sheet and
spread into even layer, placing flat sides down. Renm1
J A N U A R Y & F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
2 1
baking sheet to oven md roast until stalks are well
browned a11d tender a11d florets are lighdy browned,
9 to 1 1 minutes . Tra11sfer to serving dish a11d serve
immediately wid1 lemon wedges.
R OA S T E D B R O C C O L I W I T H O L I V E S ,
G A R L I C , O R E G A N O, A N D L E M O N
S E RV E S 4
recipe Roasted Broccol i
2 tablespoons extra-virgin o l ive oi l
5 medium garl ic c loves, s l iced thin
V2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fine ly m inced pitted b lack ol ives
I teaspoon m inced fresh oregano leaves
2 teaspoons j u ice from I lemon
Follow recipe for Roasted Broccoli, omitting black
pepper. While broccoli roasts, heat oil, garlic, a11d
pepper flakes in 8 -inch skillet over medium-low
heat. Cook, stirring frequendy, w1til garlic is soft: a11d
beginning to turn light golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove skillet fi·om heat; stir in olives, oregmo, md
lemon j uice. Toss roasted broccoli with olive mixmre
a11d serve in1mediately.
R O A S T E D B RO C C O L I W I T H S H A L LOT,
F E N N E L S E E D S , A N D PA R M E S A N
S E RV E S 4
recipe Roasted Broccoli
tablespoon extra-virgin o l ive oi l
2 large shal lots, halved and sl iced thin lengthwise
(about V2 cup)
teaspoon fennel seeds, roughly chopped
ounce Parmesan, shaved (about V2 cup)
Follow recipe for Roasted Broccoli. While broccoli
roasts, heat oil in 8- inch skillet over medium heat
until j ust shimmering. Add shallots and cook, stir
ring frequendy, until soft: a11d beginning to nu·n light golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes . Add fennel seeds a11d
continue to cook until shallots are golden brown, 1
to 2 minutes longer. Remove skillet from heat. Toss
roasted broccoli wid1 shallots, sprinkle with Parmesm,
md serve immediately.
lil4 C O O K' S L I V E Original Test Kitchen Videos
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H OW TO M AKE
• Roasted Broccol i
Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies You may think an oatmeal coo kie should be moist and chewy. Thin and cr ispy oatmeal cookies
can be irresistible-if , that is , you can get the texture just right.
M ost people's definition
of the perfect oatmeal
cookie is something big,
hearty, and chewy, with
raisins and nuts in every bite . That has
never been my ideal . When I crave an oat
meal cookie, I look for something thin,
crisp, and delicate that allows the simple
flavor of buttery oats to really stand out.
I want the refinement of a lace cookie
combined with the ease of a drop cookie .
The test kitchen has an excellent recipe
for Big Chewy Oatmeal- Raisin Cookies
(January /february 1 997). Could I get the
crisp, delicate cookie I wanted by simply
adjusting the ingredients in this recipe?
The Thick and Th i n of It
? B Y S A N D R A W U E
Thick, chewy oatmeal cookies get their tex
ture from generous amounts of sugar and
butter (usually melted to lend even greater
chewiness ), a high ratio of oats to flour, and
a modest amount of leavener. Most recipes
beat in a couple of eggs and vanilla and fin
ish with raisins and nuts, ingredients I knew
wouldn't work in a thin, crisp cookie.
Buttery oat flavor sh i nes through in th is th i n , de l i cate cookie .
Because I wanted rich, buttery flavor, I rejected
the idea of shortening from the get-go (even though
it typically provides a crisper texture ) and used the
same amount of butter called for in chewy cookie
recipes : two sticks . The sugar would take more
finessing.
Most recipes use a combination of brown and
granulated sugars. Brown sugar lends rich flavor
and moisture, and granulated provides crispness and
encourages exterior browning. Since the greater the
amount of sugar in a cookie, the chewier it is, I began
by scaling the sugar down from 2 cups to l lJz , using
equal amounts of light brown and granulated. But the cookies still had too much chew. When I switched
to all granulated sugar, the cookies became hard and
crunchy, with a one-dimensional, overly sweet flavor.
114 COOK'S L I V E Original Test Kitchen Videos
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HOW TO MAKE
• Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies VIDEO TIPS
• Can I use quick or instant oats? • Why does the test kitchen l ike parchment paper?
• Do I have to bake the cookies one sheet at a time?
Taking the granulated sugar down to l cup and add
ing 1/4 cup of light brown sugar back in aided the
flavor-it now had subtle caramel notes-without
compromising the texture.
To contribute better strucnrre and richer flavor to
the cookies, an egg or two is beaten in next. One egg
held the cookies together nicely, but two gave them
a cakey texture. Along with the one egg, I added a
teaspoon of vanilla to row1d out tl1e flavor. Now that
the wet ingredients were all set, I was ready to tackle
the dry stuff.
Drawing on past experience baking cookies, I
speculated that using less flour would likely yield a
final product tl1at was crisper rather than chewier,
flatter rather than puffier. But without enough flour,
the oatmeal cookies spread too much, becoming
formless, gossamer-thin lace cookies. A fairly stan
dard amount of l lJz cups of flour gave the cookies a thicker, oat cake-like texture. I slowly cut down the
amount until I ended up witl1 l cup of flour. Though
these cookies emerged from the oven with enough structure and were crisper tl1a11 their predecessors, they still weren't on the mark. Because they didn't
spread enough, they lacked the thinness I was look
ing for, and the dry edges and slightly chewy centers
C OOK's I L L U S T R A T E D
2 2
were obviously wrong. Replacing some of the flour
wim grmmd-up oats-a technique I'd seen in some
recipes--didn't work: The cookies became even
chewier. Using quick or instant oats in lieu of old
fashioned oats made them dense and bland. What if
I used less oats instead? It was worth a try.
The Fu l l Spread I tried reducing the amount of oats from 3 cups to
2 1Jz cups to get rid of some of the unwanted bulk. As I watched them bake, I noticed that tl1e balls of dough
spread fairly quickly along the edges, which became
dark a11d crisp, willie the thicker, paler middles took
much longer to catch up. Pressing me dough down
into flat-topped cylinders helped the cookies bake
more evenly, but they still weren't spreading enough.
Could the leavener be the problem?
Baking powder-the leavener used in our Big
Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies-is a mLxture ofbak
ing soda and two kinds of acid salts, one that reacts
at room temperarure and one at high temperantres.
These components react to create gas bubbles that
help baked goods expand. I'd been using 1/z teaspoon
of baking powder, which clearly wasn't working too
well . I tried taking it out completely, but that left me
wim leaden rocks mat barely eased out of meir initial
raw dough form. To get the cookies to at least brown
better, I replaced the lJz teaspoon of baking powder
with baking soda: They spread even less. The only thing left to try was using what seemed
like too much leavener. The basic principles of leav
ener are as follows: Use too little a11d there won't be
enough bubbles to help the dough rise; use too much
a11d you end up with excess carbon dioxide, which
causes the bubbles to get too big. These big bubbles
eventually combine witl1 one a11omer, rise to tl1e top
More Leavener for Thinner Cookies
It may sound counterintuitive, but doubl ing the usual amount of leavener (we used both baking powder and baking soda) in oatmeal cookies is the key to cr i sp i ness . The amp l i f ied dose creates big bubbles that first help the dough rise, then combine and burst. resulting in a flat cookie.
....
Baking Soda ,.......,..�. ,_.._,.
M O R E BA K I N G POW D E R A N D BA K I N G S O DA L E A D S
TO C R I S P I E R C O O K I E S
of the dough, and burst, resulting in a flat product.
But since what I wanted was a thin, flat cookie, per
haps I could make this "mistake" work to my advan
tage. After testing varying amounts and combinations
of baking powder and baking soda, I found that %
teaspoon of baking powder coupled with lJ2 teaspoon
of baking soda gave me exactly what I wanted. This
time, the cookies puffed up in the oven, collapsed,
and spread out, becoming a much thinner version of
their former selves. Even better, tl1ey had no trace of
the soapy aftertaste that is often a byproduct of too
much leavener. I was finally getting somewhere.
Crisping It U p Now tl1e cookies were thin and had a nice buttety,
oaty flavor. To address tl1eir slightly greasy aftertaste, I
reduced tl1e amoLmt of butter by 2 tablespoons. Two
issues remained: They were baking w1evenly-tl1e top
tray was often darker than the bottom one, even after
being rotated half\vay through-and had a tendency
to bend into nearly a U shape before breaking in half
They just weren't snappy enough.
To guard against tl1e tough, dry cookies tl1at can
result from overbaking, most recipes for tl1ick and
chewy cookies say to remove them from the oven
when they sti l l look slightly raw. Suspecting this was
a precaution I didn't need to heed, I tried baking my
cookies all tl1e way through until they were fully set
and evenly browned from center to edge . Since tl1e
cookies were now min, tlley didn't become tough .
Instead, tl1ey were crisp throughout. Baking tl1e
cookies one sheet at a time ensured tl1at tl1ey cooked
evenly. And rather than transferring tl1em warm from
the baking sheet to a cooling rack, I accidentally
discovered tl1at tl1e cookies got crisper when left
to cool completely on tl1e baking sheet. Less work,
witl1 even better results ! I'd finally achieved my goal :
a thin, delicate oatmeal cookie with buttery flavor
and just the right an1ount of crunch. Who knows-a
cookie this good might even convert the fans of
chewiness over to my side .
T H I N A N D C R I S PY OAT M E A L C O O K I E S
M A K E S 2 4 C O O K I E S
To ensure tl1at the cookies bake evenly and are crisp
throughout, bake them 1 tray at a time. Place tl1em
on the baking sheet in 3 rows, with 3 cookies in the
outer rows and 2 cookies in the center row. If you
reuse a baking sheet, allow tl1e cookies on it to cool
at least 1 5 minutes before transferring tl1em to a wire
rack, tl1en reline tl1e sheet with fresh parchment before
baking more cookies. We developed this recipe using
Quaker Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. Other brands of
old-fashioned oats can be substituted but may cause
tl1e cookies to spread more . Do not use instant or
quick-cooking oats.
cup (5 ounces) unbleached al l -purpose f lour
teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon table salt
1 4 tablespoons ( 1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter,
softened but sti l l cool, about 65 degrees
cup (7 ounces) granu lated sugar
cup ( I 314 ounces) packed l ight brown sugar
large egg
teaspoon van i l l a extract
cups o ld-fashioned rol led oats (see note above)
l . Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven
to 350 degrees. Line 3 large ( 1 8- by 1 2 -inch) baking
sheets witl1 parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking pow
der, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
2 . In standing mixer fitted witl1 paddle attach
ment, beat butter and sugars at medium-low speed
until just combined, about 20 seconds. Increase
speed to medium and continue to beat until light
and flu flY, about 1 minute longer. Scrape down bowl
witl1 rubber spatula . Add egg and vanilla and beat
on medium-low until fully incorporated, about 30
seconds . Scrape down bowl again. Witll mixer run
ning at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until
R E c 1 P E r E s r 1 N G : The Right (an d Wro ng) Oats just incorporated and smootl1,
10 seconds . With mixer still nm
ning on low, gradually add oats
and mix Lmtil well incorporated,
20 seconds . Give dough final stir
witl1 rubber spant!a to ensure
tl1at no flour pockets remain
and ingredients are evenly dis
tributed.
TOO B LA N D
Instant oats and quick-cooking oats create dense. mealy cookies
lacking in good oat flavor.
J U S T R I G H T
Old-fashioned oats produce perfectly crisp cookies that retain a nice. round shape.
3. Divide dough into 24
equal portions, each about 2
tablespoons (or use #30 cookie
scoop ) , tl1en roll between palms
into balls . Place cookies on pre
pared baking sheets, spacing
tl1em about 2 1J2 inches apart, 8
dough balls per sheet ( see note
above ) . Using fingertips, gently
press each dough ball to % - inch
tllickness.
4 . Bake l sheet at a time until
J A N U A R Y [y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
2 3
cookies are deep golden brown, edges are crisp, and
centers yield to slight pressure when pressed, 1 3 to
1 6 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfWay through.
Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies
completely on sheet.
T H I N A N D C R I S P Y
C O C O N U T- OAT M E A L C O O K I E S
Follow recipe for Thin and Crispy Oam1eal Cookies,
decreasing oats to 2 cups and adding 1 1/2 cups sweet
ened flaked coconut to batter with oats in step 2 .
T H I N A N D C R I S PY
O RA N G E - A L M O N D O AT M E A L C O O K I E S
Follow recipe for Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies,
creaming 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest with
butter and sugars in step 2 . Decrease oats to 2 cups
and add 1 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds to
batter witl1 oats in step 2 .
Cookies with a Twi st: Sweet and Salty A dusting of salt atop sweets such as chocolate and caramel is nothing new, but we recently came across Kayak Cookies, which gives a different item the salt treatment: their Salty Oats cookies. After sprinkl ing a few grains on our Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies, we were hooked. S imi lar to its effect on caramel , salt's contrasting flavor adds a new dimens ion to the cookies and accentuates their rich, buttery taste.
S A LT Y T H I N A N D C R I S PY
OAT M E A L C O O K I E S
M A K E S 2 4 C O O K I E S
We prefer the texture and flavor of a coarse-grained sea salt, l i ke Maldon or fleur de sel , but kosher salt can be used. If us ing kosher salt, reduce the amount sprinkled over the cookies to !4 teaspoon.
recipe Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
Y2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Follow recipe for Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies, reducing the amount of table salt in dough to Y4 teaspoon. Lightly sprinkle sea salt evenly over flattened dough bal ls before baking.
Perfecting Spice Cake Spice cakes can be bland and leaden. Cou l d we create a tender, airy cake with convincing
spice f lavor that stands up to a rich cream cheese frosting?
The spice cake I remember most vividly is
from my childhood. Though my grand
mother baked it in a rectangular pan , this
cake was light and airy and more akin to
a layer cake than the heavy, dense snack cakes that
all too often define the genre today. While it wasn't
the fanciest dessert my grandmother served, it was
company cake, something too special to serve every
day. It was moist and substantial, with spices that
were warm and bold without being overpowering,
and its layer of rich cream cheese frosting was the
perfect complement. I wanted to return to this
classic, but the recipe for my grandmother's spice
cake was never fixed in writing.
I decided to do a little research in our library, where
I found as many variations on the spice cake theme as
there are cooks to make them. I folll1d BLmdt cakes
with raisins and nuts; squat, square versions that
resembled gingerbread or carrot cake; cakes calling for
everything from apples and stewed figs to chocolate
chips and pumpkin puree. Some had spice overload,
tasting gritty and dusty. Others were so lacking in
spice flavor that it seemed as if a ciru1an1on stick had
only been waved in their general direction . In fact,
other than a mixture of warm spices, there were few
common denominators linking any of these desserts.
And, unfortunately, not one had the old-£1shioned
simplicity of the frosted spice cake from my child
hood. I would have to begin from scratch.
Bui ld ing Cake with the Right H eft The texture of my grandmother's cake resembled the
fim1, moist, melt-in-your-mouth lightness of our Rich
3 B Y K E I T I I D R E S S E R E:
drier cake . Adding more yolks to the bat
ter increased the cake's tenderness; so did
Svvitching from milk to buttermilk, wllich
also enriched the cake's flavor. Doubling
d1e dairy from 112 cup to 1 cup was enough
to fix d1e dtyness issue .
But d1e most important adjustment I
made involved d1e mixing teclulique. We
make our yellow cake by reversing the usual
order of dungs and mixing buuer into d1e
dry ingredients before adding the liquids,
wllich yields a cake wid1 a very fine-grained
texture. I wanted a more open and substan
tial crumb, so I used d1e standard method of
beating d1e softened butter vvid1 d1e sugar,
incorporating the eggs, and adding flour and
liquid alternately in small amounts.
Putting Spice into Sp ice Cake
Lightly sp iced cream cheese frosting tops a mo i st, tender cake.
I knew that simply adding more spice to
something does not lead to increased spici
ness . Most of what we experience when we
conswne a food containing spice is not
actually the spice's taste but its aroma.
These aromas are produced by volatile oils
found within the spice cells . When spices
are grolll1d, these aromatic oils are released,
and Tender Yellow Cake ( March/April l 999 ) . But
simply adding spices to dlis recipe didn't work. The
cake crumbled under d1e heavy frosting, and the spice
flavor was overwhelnling. To add volume and heft,
I replaced d1e cake flour used in that recipe wid1 all
purpose flour. The switch made for a slighdy tougher,
which is why freshly ground whole spices are much
"tastier" ( i .e . , more aromatic ) than packaged ground
spices ( especially those that have been sitting on the
shelf awhile) . But in addition to being too much work,
individually grinding the five spices I'd chosen for the
recipe always imparted a fuint but discemible grittiness
to the cake, no mauer how much time
they spent in the spice grinder. AT A G L A N C E I K E Y S T O S P I C E F L AV O R What about using techniques from
the test kitchen to get the most out
of the spices already in my cupboard?
I knew from preparing curries and chili
that heating spices (either through dry-toasting them or blooming them
in hot oil ) intensifies their aroma. This
is because heat drives moisture out of
d1e spice, carrying d1e aromatic oils
along with it. While both techniques
created a fuller-flavored cake, dry-
I . BROW NE D BUT T E R 2 . BLOOMED SP ICES 3. A H I NT O F MOLASSES 4. G RAT E D G I NG E R
Browning the butter imparts a Blooming the spices in the Molasses adds a bittersweet Finely grated ginger adds a faint nuttiness that deepens the browned butter brings out their note that underscores the fresh, zesty qual ity to the cake cake's spice flavor. volatile oils, boosting their impact warm flavor of the spices. that dried ginger can't provide.
C O O K'
S I L L U S T R A T F D
2 4
toasting d1e spices was not as success
ful as blooming d1em in oil . Toasting
allows more of d1e piquant aromas to
escape into the air, but because d1e aromatic oils are soluble in cooking
a: " <.. >I Q. " a: <.: c fc �
T E C H N I Q U E I R E M O V I N G
T R A P P E D A I R B U B B L E S
I n cakes with a thick batter, such as spice cake or carrot cake, trapped air bubbles can lead to a finished cake with unsightly holes. Here's how we got rid of them:
I . Run the tip of a metal spatu la through the batter in a zigzag motion, pu l l ing it to the edges of the pan.
2. Gently tap the pan against the counter three or four t imes to release any air bubbles that have risen to the surface.
oil, blooming them was a more effective way of
making sure they made it into the cake .
Up to this point, I had been using ground cin
namon, cloves, cardamom, allspice, and nutmeg.
Willie the mLxnue contributed a respectable spiciness
to the cake, I wanted more complexity. A coworker
suggested steeping crushed fresh ginger in the butter
milk to extract maximum flavor. This brought slightly
more deptl1 of flavor to the cake but not enough to
justifY the extra work. A tablespoon of grated fresh
ginger added directly to tl1e batter, on tl1e otl1er hand,
added noticeable zing. For yet another flavor dimen
sion, I replaced the oil I had been using to bloom my
spices with browned butter, which imparted a faint
nuttiness and filled out tl1e overall taste oftl1e cake . As a finishing touch, I incorporated a couple tablespoons
of molasses into the batter-just enough to balance
tl1e spices with a slight bittersweet nuance witl1out
turning the cake into gingerbread.
Topping It Off All that remained was to create just tl1e right fi·osting.
Almost every frosting recipe for spice cake I'd come
across in my initial research consisted of confectioners'
sugar, cream cheese, and butter in varying amounts .
To create a light, creamy frosting that would work
well witl1 the cake's tender crumb, I used a little less
butter tl1an called for in most of tl1ese recipes . When
I fi·osted tl1e cake, however, I was disappointed. The
two elements lacked harmony and needed sometlung
to pull them into balance. Why shouldn't tlut be spice?
I added l!z teaspoon of the spice mixture from the
cake to the frosting, which lent a subtle yet perceptible
flavor tl1at made the two work beautifi.tlly together.
Maybe tl1is cake wil l be one tl1at my daughter will
remember from her childhood. But unlike me, she'll
have a recipe tlut will let her know exactly what to
do to get it tight.
S P I C E C A K E W I T H
C R E A M C H E E S E F R O S T I N G
S E RV E S 1 2 TO 1 4
To save time, let tl1e eggs, butternllik, and butter
come up to temperature willie tl1e browned butter
and spice mixture cools. To prevent w1sightly air holes
in the finished cake, be sure to follow tl1e instructions
for removing air bubbles in tl1e batter ( see illustra
tions at left) . Leftover cake ca.t1 be stored, covered
with plastic wrap, in tl1e refrigerator for up to 2 days.
The cake shOLtld be brought to room temperarure
before serving.
Cake
2 V. cups ( I I V. ounces) unb leached a l l -purpose
f lour, plus extra for dusting pans
tablespoon ground c innamon
3.4 teaspoon ground cardamom
V2 teaspoon ground al lspice
V2 teaspoon ground cloves
V4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
V2 teaspoon baking powder
V2 teaspoon baking soda
V2 teaspoon table salt
2 l arge eggs plus 3 large yolks, at room
temperature
teaspoon van i l la extract
1 3.4 cups ( 1 2 V. ounces) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons l ight or mi ld molasses
tablespoon grated fresh ginger
cup buttermi lk, at room temperature
Frosting
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces,
softened
I V. cups (4 V> ounces) confectioners' sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces,
softened
V2 teaspoon van i l la extract
3.4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
(optional)
1 . FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle
position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a.tld
flour 1 3- by 9-inch baking pan . Combine spices in
small bowl ; reserve 1/2 teaspoon for frosting.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons butter in 8- inch skillet over
J A N � A R Y b F E B R R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
2 5
medium heat until melted, 1 to 2 n1inutes. Continue
to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is light
brown and has faint nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes.
Add spices and continue to cook, stirring constantly,
1 5 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room
temperan1re, about 30 minutes.
3 . Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and
salt in medium bowl. In small bowl, gently whisk
eggs, yolks, and va.t1illa to combine . In standing
nuxer fitted with paddle attachment, crea.tn remain
ing 1 2 tablespoons butter with sugar a.t1d molasses
at medium-high speed w1til pale and fluffY, about 3
n1inutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl
twice witl1 rubber spatula. Reduce to mediwn speed
and add cooled butter a.tld spice 111Lxture, ginger, and
half of egg n1ixture; n1ix until incorporated, about
1 5 seconds. Repeat with remaining egg 111Lxture;
scrape down bowl again. Reduce to low speed; add
about one-third flour n1ixture, followed by half
of butternllik, mixing until just incorporated after
each addition, about 5 seconds . Repeat using half of
remaining flour n1ixture and all of remaining butter
nllik. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mLxture;
mix at medium speed until batter is thoroughly com
bined, about 15 seconds . Remove bowl from mixer
and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to
incorporate any remaining flour.
4 . Tra.t1sfer batter to prepared pa.t1; following illus
trations at left, zigzag tip of metal spatula through
batter, pulling it to pa.tl edges . Lightly tap pan against
counter 3 or 4 times to dislodge any large air bubbles;
smootl1 surface with spatula.
5 . Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake
comes out clean, 32 to 37 minutes. Cool cake to room
temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.
6. FOR THE FROSTING: In bowl of standing
mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter,
sugar, and reserved l!z teaspoon spice mixture at
medium-lugh speed until light and fluff)r, 1 to 2 min
utes. Add crean1 cheese one piece at a time, beating
tl1oroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and beat
until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds.
7. Run paring k.t1ife around edge of cake to loosen
from pan. Using spant.!a, spread frosting evenly over
surface of cake. Sprinkle cake witl1 walnuts, if using.
Cut into squares a.t1d serve .
S P I C E C A K E W I T H
O RA N G E C R E A M C H E E S E F R O S T I N G
Follow recipe for Spice Cake witl1 Cream Cheese
Frosting, adding 1 1/z teaspoons finely grated orange
zest to frosting witl1 the varti.lla in step 6. Substitute
toasted slivered almonds or roughly chopped hazel
nuts for walnuts in step 7.
!lil4 C O O K'S L I V E Original Test Kitchen Videos
w w w. c o o k s i l l u s t ra t e d . c o m
HOW TO MAKE
• Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
V I DEO TIP
• How do I know when the butter is brown enough?
The Truth About Dark Chocolate Does spe nd i ng m o re for "gou rm et" choco l ate buy r i c h e r,
m o re co m p l ex fl avor an d y i e l d bette r bak i ng resu lts?
J ust a few years ago, selecting dark chocolate
for your dessert recipe seemed pretty simple:
You went to the supermarket and bought a
bar of baking chocolate . These days, there are
dozens of choices, and you can spend hours poring
over the cacao percentages and exotic provenances
on the labels . You can pay a lot more, too . But does
any of it really matter? Does spending more get
you better chocolate flavor? And can your choice
of chocolate change your baking results?
Chocolate Bas ics First, we looked into the definition of "dark choco
late" and discovered it's a pretty loose term. The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration doesn't distinguish
between bittersweet and semisweet chocolate-it
simply requires that products by either name con
tain at least 35 percent cacao (the cocoa solids and
cocoa butter from the cacao bean) . Companies use
the nan1es cacao and cocoa interchangeably, but in
general, when there is more cacao in the chocolate,
there is less sugar, and bittersweet chocolate tends to
be less sweet and have more cacao than semisweet.
Even darker chocolates, with higher cacao percent
ages, will be correspondingly less sweet ( l 00 percent
cacao chocolate is completely unsweetened) .
U nderstand i ng Cacao Pe rcentages In a recipe specifying a bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, can you substitute a chocolate with a higher cacao percentage than the 60 percent generally used for cooking, making no other adjustments? Not if you expect identical results. We tasted brownies and pots de creme made with our two top-ranked dark chocolates, by Callebaut and Ghirardel l i , which have 60 percent cacao, alongside ones made with the same brands' 70 percent cacao offerings.
Whi le all four versions were acceptable , tasters strongly preferred the 60 percent cacao chocolates in these recipes, complaining of the 70 percent versions' dryness and lack of sweetness (and in the case of the pots de creme, a thicker, stiffer consistency) , although some tasters noted their "deeper" chocolate flavor. When chocolate manufacturers increase cacao content, they correspondingly decrease the amount of sugar and usual ly add less cocoa butter. With less sugar and fat, it's no wonder the resu lts were d istinctly different. -L.M .
� B Y LIS A M c MA N U S E
Any munber of variables-the type of bean, where
it's grown, and when it's harvested; the length and
conditions of fermentation; the roasting and grinding
methods; and the quality and quantity of any additives
(such as vanilla )--can contribute to difrerences in flavor
and texture. Chocolate makers claim that every detail is
critical-and are loath to share too many specifics.
We'd heard a lot about the type of cacao bean being extremely important. There are only three
types . The most prized (and expensive ) bean, the
criollo, grown mainly in the Caribbean and Central
An1erica, makes up less than 2 percent of the world's
cacao. Most chocolate is made from forastero beans,
generally from Africa. These beans are harvested
from hardier trees, which makes d1em cheaper. The
third, trinitario, is a hybrid ofd1e other two beans and
comprises about 5 percent of d1e total harvest.
The Cook's C h ocolate-60 Percent Cacao To choose chocolate for our testing lineup, we ignored
"bittersweet" or "semisweet" nomenclature and con
cerned ourselves wid1 chocolate containing rougllly
60 percent cacao-the type d1at most recipes calling
for dark chocolate have been developed to use . ( Even
darker chocolates, wid1 70 percent or more cacao,
usually require recipe adjustments to get good results;
see "Understanding Cacao Percentages," left) . Not
confining ourselves to baking chocolate, we included
chocolate from d1e candy aisle in selecting 12 widely
available brands. Prices varied wildly: We spent from 44
cents per ounce to nearly four times as much.
Seeking a chocolate that would perfom1 well in var
ious applications, we held three blind tastings: first eat
ing the bars plain, d1en melting d1em into chocolate
pots de creme, and finally baking them into brownies.
ln each tasting, we rated d1e chocolate on sweetness,
intensity of flavor, texture, and overall appeal . And
since many chocolate makers are secretive about their
proprietary methods and formulas, we sent samples of
each to an independent laboratory to confirm levels
of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar.
Chocolate Myths and Chocolate Truth s So which chocolates won fuvor wid1 our tasters? The
results were smprising. The chocolate with the fanciest pedigree in our lineup, El Rey, made exclusively from
Venezuelan criollo beans, wow1d up in the lower half of the rankings. The other single-origin sample, produced
by Lindt from criollo and trinitario beans grown in
Madagascar, came in last. Our two top-rated choco
lates, Callebaut and Gllirardelli, came from blends
C O O K'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 6
relying primarily on the inexpensive forastero bean.
Both were purchased at the supermarket, and they cost
just 53 cents and 75 cents per ounce, respectively.
Our second discovery also defied expectations. We
assumed d1at if one brand of chocolate is 60 percent
cacao, it would be pretty similar in sweetness, choco
late intensity, and creaminess to anod1er brand's 60
percent cacao chocolate . Not so. When chocolate
makers grind shelled cacao beans, known as nibs,
to create the thick paste called chocolate liquor, this
paste contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
Most manufacturers d1en add even more cocoa but
ter, in varying amounts, to help create the texture of
d1e final chocolate . A few, like our winner, also add
extra cocoa solids to intensifY the chocolate flavor.
Ultimately, however, the cacao percentage on the
label of a chocolate bar is a total that includes both
cocoa solids and cocoa butter-meaning that differ
ent chocolates can have different proportions of each
and still share the 60 percent cacao designation . As our lab tests showed, the cocoa solids in our lineup
ranged from about 17 percent of a bar's total weight
to more than 30 percent, while fat ranged from a
durd of the weight to nearly half of it. Sugar levels
varied by nearly 20 percent as well .
So would the chocolate with the most cocoa butter
make the biggest splash, bringing rimer, extra-creamy,
flavor to your desserts? No. ln fact, our lab results
revealed that d1e chocolate with the lowest fut won
d1e day, while the one with the most fur can1e in dead
last. And would having the most cocoa solids make a
chocolate superior? Again, no. Our tasters preferred
chocolates with only a moderate an1ount. Sweetness
wasn't d1e explanation, either: Chocolates in d1e
middle range of sugar levels were preferred over those
with the most sugar, thougl1 overall the top half of the
rankings had more sugar than the bottom half
In the end, we preferred dark chocolate that
achieved the best balance of all three major com
ponents--cocoa butter, cocoa solids, and sugar.
Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate L-60-40NV
was favored for its rich chocolate flavor, moder
ate sugar and cocoa solids, and comparatively low
fat. Tasters appreciated its "intensely chocolaty,"
"rich," "espresso" flavor and "caramel aftertaste . "
I t excelled i n every application . San Francisco-based
Ghirardelli's Bittersweet Chocolate B aking Bar
can1e in a close second, with praise for its "smoky,"
"fruity" notes . It also demonstrated that balanced
chocolate flavor derived from moderate levels of
sugar, cocoa solids, and cocoa butter.
TASTING DARK CHOCOLATE Twenty-four members of the Cook's Illustrated staff tasted 1 2 dark chocolates, al l contain ing around 60 percent cacao.
We sampled them plain, in chocolate pots de creme, and baked i nto brownies. Res u lts were averaged , and the chocolates
appear in order of preference. We purchased the chocolates at Boston stores or on l ine (see page 32) .
RECO M M ENDED CALLEBAUT Intense Dark Chocolate, L-60-40NV � 60 percent cacao
Country of Origin: Belg ium
� Price: 53 cents per ounce
G H I RARDELLI Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar � 60 percent cacao
Country of Origin: USA
� Price: 75 cents per ounce
DAGOBA Organic Semisweet Dark Chocolate � 59 percent cacao
Country of Origin: USA
� Price: $ 1 . 30 per ounce
M I C H E L C L U I Z E L Noi r de Cacao Dark Chocolate � 60 percent cacao
Country of Origin: France
� Price: $ 1 .43 per ounce
VALRHONA Le Noi r Semisweet Chocolate � 5 6 percent cacao
Country of Origin: France
� Price: $ 1 . 37 per ounce
RECO M M ENDED WITH RES ERVATIONS E . GUITTARD Tsaratana Pure Semisweet Dark Chocolate � 6 1 percent cacao
Country of Origin: USA
� Price: $ 1 .45 per ounce
H ERSH EY'S All-Natural Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate � 60 percent cacao
Country of Origin: USA
� Price: 63 cents per ounce
EL REY M IJAO Dark Chocolate, Venezuelan Si ngle Bean,
Carenero Superior � 6 1 percent cacao
Country of Origin: Venezuela
� Price: 50 cents per ounce
SCHARF F E N BERG E R Fine Artisan Semisweet Dark C hocolate � 62 percent cacao
Country of Origin: USA
� Price: $ 1 .03 per ounce
N ESTLE CHOCOLAT I E R Premium Baking Chocolate
Bittersweet Chocolate Bar � 62 percent cacao
Country of Origin: USA
� Price: 56 cents per ou nce
BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Squares (USA)
� 54 percent cacao
Country of Origin: USA
� Price: 44 cents per ounce
LINDT Excellence Madagascar Extra Fine M ild Dark Chocolate � 65 percent cacao � Price: $ 1 .08 per ou nce
Country of Origin: Switzerland
!?A:�9..I?..� tfark 'l 9 •?;,
Comments: "Complex flavor, creamy and thick, " " dark and earthy, " with a " rich cocoa flavor" and "a
nice balance of sweetness and bitterness." Tasters picked up "caramel , smoke, and espresso" in the plain
tasting. It baked i nto "what a b rownie should be."
Comments: Tasters d iscerned "coffee, smoke, and d ried fru it" i n this "creamy, rich, glossy " chocolate,
with a "s l ight sour aftertaste . " In brownies, it had " q u intessential brownie flavor" that was "assertive,"
" l i ke dark chocolate but not cocoa-y or b itter l i ke some others; a rea l ly good blend of tastes."
Comments: "Fairly sweet" (a few said "cloyingly" so), with "great chocolate flavor," it had "h ints of fru it"
and "apricot and almond." I n pots de creme, it was "very buttery and chocolaty, with a s i lky texture" and a
flavor that was "smooth yet strong." In brownies: "a good one all-around," "malty, sweet, rich, sl ightly floral . "
Com ments: "Creamy, not bitter. N ice for an eating chocolate," "complex and earthy," but tasters were
reminded of "ol ive oi l" or "mayonnaise." In brownies, it was "very smooth and wel l balanced," if a bit "bland";
in pots de creme, it was "supercreamy," " l ike mi lk chocolate."
Comments: "A nondark-chocolate-lover's dark chocolate , " this was "wel l balance d " and "creamy, "
with "a sharp chocolate flavor" and " not much aftertaste . " In pots de creme, it was "supersmooth and
cush iony' ' and "al most too creamy " ; "fudgy" brownies were "very sweet. "
-
Comments: " Fru ity, sp icy, " "sweet and smoky, " th is "very creamy " chocolate had s l ightly "odd " flavors,
i nc lud ing banana, tobacco, beef, and leather, a long with caramel and honey. Whi le it had some fans,
others observed that it made d rier, cakier brownies and s l ightly "chalky " pots de creme.
Comments: A "chalky" texture was decried by many tasters, both when eaten p la in and in brownies, though
the brownies were praised for " rich, roasted chocolate flavor." In pots de creme, it was "dark and glossy," but
"very gloppy" and "too gummy and dense--flavor is good, though."
Com ments: " N ot very complex" and " m i l d , " with a s l ightly "sour" aftertaste, it was "sweet and but
tery " in pots de creme and "k inda fl at" and " d u l l " in brown ies, where it was also deemed "tooth
achingly sweet." "So l id , if unspectacu lar. "
Comments: " Lots o f fru it" here : Tasters n oted cherry (some said "cough syrup") , grape, raspberry,
rais ins , and prunes. "Complex, but I d i d n 't care for it ," said one. " G luey" in pots de creme, it had a
" roasty '' qua l ity in brownies, but " l acked choco-o o m p h . "
Comments: " D ry and chalky, " "grainy, " and "gritty, " agreed tasters when it w a s s a m p l e d p la in a n d in
pots de creme . I n brownies, it was " rich" and "fudgy, " but again "a b it grai ny, " with an "a l most sour mi lk
taste . " Others noted off-flavors that were " m etal l i c , " "tann ic , " "b itter, " or "chemica l . "
Comments: "Very sweet, you can almost taste the sugar granules," with a "b itter coffee flavor." "Very
cocoa-y, but otherwise pretty boring. " "Tastes l ike cheap chocolate." It rated poorly when tasted plain and in
pots de creme due to its granular texture, but shone in brownies as "very moist, chewy," and "fudgy."
Comments: Lab tests showed it had the highest fat content of the l ineup by far, and also the lowest cocoa
sol ids. Tasters noted a "very creamy" but "waxy " texture and a "one-d imensional " flavor with "very
van i l la" notes. In pots de creme, it was "creamy, but strange and acid ic . " In brown ies, it was "funky. "
J A N U A R Y 6- F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
2 7
A Cut Above C u tti ng boards mad e fro m bam boo a n d wood co m pos i te a re fi ood i ng th e ma rket . I s
th e re any reaso n to ch oose th ese n ew-fang led mate ri a l s ove r trad i ti o na l wood a n d p l asti c ?
Buying a cutting board starts with deciding on its material . Until recently, there were
just two good options : wood and plastic .
Wood boards appeal to cooks who love
how tl1ey feel and don't mind tl1at tl1ey need to
be hand-washed. Fans of plastic rate a dishwashersafe, maintenance - free board over everything
else-even if it means a surface that will never feel
as cushiony as wood . Recently, eco-friendly bam
boo boards claiming to match and even surpass the benefits of wood h ave appeared in kitc h enware stores everywhere . Alongside mem are lightweight composite boards, fashioned from laminated wood fiber, which look like wood but
clean up like plastic . Do these newcomers offer
anything better than the old standbys?
To find out, we garnered a lineup made from all
four materials ( plus a glass board; we haven't liked
glass in tl1e past, but we know many people do ) . We whacked at them witl1 a cleaver, subjected tl1en1 to hundreds of cuts wiili a new, factory-sharpened knife, and repeatedly knocked iliem off the cowl
ter. When we were done , we chopped chipotle
chiles in brick-red adobo sauce to see how easily
iliey would clean up . Our ultimate goal was to find
me ideal surface : soft enough to keep your knife
and hands in good shape but sturdy enough to take
on any cutting job witl10ut undue damage .
The Tried and True At the outset, we were impressed by what many
consider ilie king of cutting boards: a l O-pOLmd maple butcher block from John Boos. Heavy and
s c 1 E N c E : Bacteria on Board I n 2004, we asked an independent laboratory to compare wood and p lastic cutting boards to see which harbors more harmful bacteria. The answer? There's no difference--both are equal ly safe as long as you scrub them in hot, soapy water. We repeated the tests on bamboo and composite boards, which are new to the market since we conducted the earl ier tests. J ust as with wood and plastic, if you wash these boards with soap and water, the bacteria wi l l d ie . I nterestingly, even before being washed, the bamboo board 's natural antimicrobial properties helped kill off much of the bacteria. You shouldn't skip washing bamboobut it's nice to have a bui lt- in head start. -L.M .
3 B Y L I S A M c M A N U S E
solid (witl1 a $75 ptice tag to match), tlus board's end-grain wood took cleaver sttikes and repetitive
cuts wiiliout showing any damage to its surface or me klufe . But tl1e board's virtues were also its
w1doing: its heft made it uncomfortable to set up,
wash, and put away. And despite being oiled, it split along a glue line after routine use . We preferred a
ligl1ter yet still substantial maple board from J .K.
Adams, wluch had a conve11ient size-roomy but
not w1wieldy or heavy-that felt great under tl1e knife and took all me abuse we could dish out.
In the plastic category, two didn 't measure up-a folding board mat proved more gimmicky
tl1an usefiu and a plain plastic board tl1at was too slick, making the kJ1ife, food, and board itself skid
around as we worked. This board's soft surface also
became deeply stained and cut up. But tl1e Arcl1itec
Gripper board we 've loved in the past remains
highly recommended for its durable surface and hundreds of rubber feet, thermally bonded to me plastic, wluch make tl1e board a pleasure to cut on by keeping it rock-solid on tl1e counter. Any stains
on iliis board were blasted clean in tl1e dishwasher,
but we weren't influenced by its sanitized appear
ance . Our lab tests have shown tl1at, contrary to
popular belief, bacteria doesn't wash off plastic
boards any more easily than it does off wood ones
(see "Bacteria on Board," left ) .
Composed of Composite We were most skeptical about wood-composite
boards. Despite their purported resemblance to real wood, tl1e two first boards we tested looked like the thin, hard particleboard they were . The
Epicurean model ( a product we see everywhere )
immediately lived down to our low expectations,
making a nasty clack under tl1e knife and giving
off sawdust under repeated cuts .
However, the Snow River composite board took us by surprise, wi nning some of our highest accolades . An innovative twist to its designsofter layers of maple veneer surrounding a hard
inner core-made it almost as comfortable to cut
on as wood . This board held up extremely well under abuse . When we checked wim the manufacturer, we found out why: The board's maple veneer is not simply glued onto the core, but bonded witl1 it from tl1e beginning ilirough the application of resin , high heat, and iliousands of pounds of compression. The fact tl1at the board can go in tl1e dishwasher, like all boards of tlus
C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D
2 8
type, made u s appreciate i t all the more .
The Bamboo Advantage B amboo boards are light\veight and attractive ,
but we wondered about their endurance . This
material is often misunderstood to be a type of hardwood; it's actually a kind of grass . Bamboo does have definite advantages over wood: It
grows in poor soil and in almost any climate,
and it renews itself in years rather than decades . Like our favorite composite board, the butcher
block-style Totally B amboo Congo Board mrned out to be a pleasant surprise . In test after test, it matched me outstanding comfort and ease of cutting on a classic maple butcher block-and it was
so impervious to abuse mat it looked new after
hundreds of cuts. Like wood, mis board can't
go into tl1e dishwasher and would benefit from
occasional oiling, but we were more tl1an will
ing to trade those inconveniences for its superior feel . An unexpected bonus: Lab tests confirmed bamboo has natural antin1icrobial properties tl1at
help kill bacteria even before you wash it.
But not all bamboo boards are created equal .
The other bamboo boards' surfaces were not as
durable or forgiving as the Congo's, due in part
to ilieir construction and possibly also to the age
of tile bamboo at harvest-the younger it is, me
softer me cane and me cheaper tile board .
The Final Cut So are the new materials any better man wood and plastic? If you choose overall design and con su·uction carefully, tl1e answer is yes-but only by
a hair. In me final analysis, our top-rated boards cut across material distinctions, displaying similar
features of comfort, durability, and solid con
struction. If you're willing to wash by hand and
do occasional maintenance to keep your board in peak form, tl1e top-performing Totally Bamboo Congo board and J . K. Adams's Takes Two maple board are good choices . If me dishwasher is the
only way you'll go, you have two fine options :
the composite Snow River Utility board and the plastic Architec Gripper Nonslip board .
M4 C O O K'S L I V E Originai Test Kitchen Videos
www. c o o ks i l l u s t r a t e d . c o m
• Beh ind the Scenes: Cutting Board Testi ng V I D E O T I P
• What's the best way to clean a cutting board?
KEY
GOOD: * * *
FAIR: * *
POOR: *
DISHWASHER- 8 SAFE:
We tested 1 3 cutting boards by evaluating their design, durabi lity, wear on a chef 's knife, and su itabi l ity for a variety of kitchen tasks. Boards appear i n order of preference. Sources for the winning boards are on page 32.
Mai ntai n i ng Yo u r Cutti ng Board
Over the years, we have conducted many lab and kitchen tests to determine the best methods for cleaning and deodorizing cutting boards. Here are our recommendations.
ROUTI N E CLEANI N G
After each use, scrub your board thoroughly in hot, soapy water (or put it through the d i shwasher if it's d ishwasher-safe) . This k i l l s nearly a l l harmful bacteria on any type of cutting board . Rinse wel l and dry thoroughly.
TO REMOVE FOOD ODORS
(SUCH AS GARLIC)
Scrub with a paste of I tablespoon of baking soda and I teaspoon of water, fol lowed by routine washing with hot, soapy water.
TO REMOVE STAINS FROM
PLASTIC BOARDS
An overnight bleach bath leaves stained plastic boards pristine and sanitized . Put I tablespoon of bleach per quart of water in the s ink and immerse the board, fouled-side up. When the board rises to the surface, drape a clean white kitchen towel or two over its surface and splash the towel with about !1.1 cup of additional bleach.
TO MAINTAIN A WOOD OR
BAMBOO BOARD
Apply food-grade m ineral o i l every few weeks when the board is new and a few times a year thereafter. The oil soaks into the fibers, creating a barrier to excess moisture. (Don't use o l ive or vegetable o i l , which can become rancid.) Avoid leaving wood or bamboo boards resting i n water, or they wi l l eventua l ly sp l it.
TESTING CUTTI NG BOARDS
(H I G H LY R E C O M M E N D E D
Totally Bamboo Congo P R I C E : $39.99 M AT E R I A L Butcher-block-style bamboo W E I G H T : 5 pounds
Snow River Util ity P R I C E : $ 1 6.99 M AT E R I A L : Wood-laminate composite with maple surface W E I G H T : 1 .7 pounds
J. K. Adams Takes Two P R I C E : $22 M AT E R I A L : Hard rock sugar maple W E I G HT: 3.7 pounds
Arch itec G ripper Nonsl ip P R I C E : $ 1 4.99 M AT E R I A L : Polypropylene (plastic) W E I G HT: 0.9 pounds
R E C O M M E N D E D
Totally Bamboo Kauai P R I C E : $28 M AT E R I A L : Vertical-grain bamboo W E I G HT: 2.7 pounds
John Boos Chopping Block P R I C E : $74.95 M AT E R I A L : Northern hard rock maple W E I G HT: 1 0 .4 pounds
Tru Bamboo Palm Beach P R I C E : $39.99 M AT E R I A L : Flat-grain bamboo W E I G HT: 5 .2 pounds
(R E C O M M E N D E D W I T H R E S E RVATI O N S
The Cutting Board Company P R I C E : $ 1 1 . 35
8
8
P E R F O R M A N C E
C U TT I N G : * * * D U RA B I LITY: * * *
C L EAN U P : * * * U S E R · F R I E N D LI N E S S : * * *
C U TT I N G : * * * D U RA B I LITY: * * *
C L EA N U P : * * * U S E R - F R I E N D L I N E S S : * * *
C U TT I N G : * * * D U RA B I LITY: * * *
C L E A N U P : * * U S E R - F R I E N D L I N E S S : * * *
C U TT I N G : * * D U RA B I LITY: * * *
C LE A N U P : * * * U S E R · F R I E N D L I N E S S : * * *
P E R F O R M A N C E
C U TTI N G : * * * D U RA B I L ITY: * *
C L EAN U P : * * * U S E R · F R I E N D L I N E S S : * * *
C U TTI N G : * * * D U RA B I LITY: * *
C LE A N U P : * U S E R - F R I E N D LI N E S S : * * *
C U TTI N G : * * *
D U RA B I LITY: * *
C L EAN U P : * * U S E R - F R I E N O L I N E S S : * *
P E R F O R M A N C E
C U TT I N G :
D U RA B I LITY:
M AT E R I AL: Polypropylene (plastic) W E I G HT: 3 .7 pounds
� C L EA N U P : �-- U > < R· F R I E N D L I N E S S :
* * * *
* * * *
Epicurean Cutting Surfaces, Kitchen Series P R I C E : $24.95 M ATE RIAL: Wood-laminate composite W E I G HT: 1 .9 pounds
Architec G ri pper Bamboo P R I C E : $ 1 4.99 M ATE R I A L : Vertical-grain bamboo W E I G HT: 2.4 pounds
N OT R E CO M M E N D E D
OXO Good G rips Folding Util ity P R I C E : $24.99 M AT E R I A L : Polypropylene (plastic) W E I G HT: 3 .8 pounds
C U TT I N G : * *
D U RA B I L I TY: **
C L E A N U P : * *
U S E R · F R I E N D L I N E S S : * *
C U TTI N G : * *
D U RA B I LITY: * *
C L E A N U P : * U S E R · F R I EN D L I N E S S : * *
P E R F O R M A N C E
C U TT I N G : * *
D U RA B I LITY: * C LE A N U P : * * *
U S E R - F R I E N D LI N E S S : *
C UTT I N G : * * D U RA B I LITY: *
T E ST E R S ' CO M M E NTS
Sol id and cushy surface of a wooden butcher block, but l ightweight, with nicely rounded edges that are easy to grasp. Perfect score in every test.
Looks and feels l ike wood but can go in the dishwasher. Cleaver cut deeply. but cuts closed up after washing. Softer veneer mitigated the core's hardness and made it very enjoyable to use.
Classic plank board is solid but l ight enough to be convenient for frequent use. Knife felt cushioned during use; board showed few marks of cuts; blade stayed sharp after 750 cuts. Chipotle stain hung on.
Nonsl ip "gripper" underside keeps board extremely stable but makes it one-sided. P leasant cutt ing surface . but it sl ightly dul led a new knife.
T E STE R S ' C O M M E NTS
T his pretty board was easy to handle. felt sol id and wel l cushioned under the knife, and was tough enough to handle the cleaver. Surface became deeply incised in one area after 750 cuts, but it didn't stain.
This deluxe cutting board is mighty heavy to hoist around the kitchen. Feels great under the knife. keeping blade sharp after 750 cuts; definitely needs oil ing and careful drying to keep its good looks and avoid splitting, as our first sample did.
Board did the job but was unremarkable. Surface showed faint cuts and became increasingly fuzzy, with tiny raised fibers. as we used and cleaned it.
T E STE R S ' C O M M E NTS
Surface was too slick when new--onion skidded as we cut. Cleaver made deep cuts, raised ridges on surface. This board s l ipped around if we didn't use a mat underneath, and it stained deeply.
Hard board clacked loudly under the knife; surface gave off sawdust after repeated cuts. Board smel ls l i ke a wet dog when washed ( it 's the glue).
Four rubber feet trapped wetness and gave board a hollow feel. More difficult to cut across planks than along them. Showed every cut, and stains hung on.
T E ST E R S ' CO M M E NTS
Rubbery surface of board felt pleasant. but center-fold ridge got in the way of cutting. Board ripped in two at fold when swept off counter.
Wood felt l ightweight but cheap; made hollow sound when knife struck. Soft sur-
Pyrex G lass P R I C E : $ 1 7.99 M AT E R I A L : Tempered glass W E I G HT: 3 .2 pounds
-r· U C U TT I N G :
\ � ;)_ D U RA B I LITY:
\ • � C L EA N U P :
� U S E R - F R I E N D LI N E S S :
Clacked with every cut; dulled new knife * * * after I 0 cuts. Didn't break (even when
* * * knocked off counter and whacked with a cleaver), but horrible as a cutting board.
J A N U A R Y b F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
2 9
K I T C H E N N O T E S C lean B reak for Eggs When recipes for baked goods, such as
our Spice Cake (page 25 ), call for yolks
at room temperature, most cooks wait
to separate them until the eggs have
already warmed up. We find the process
is easier if you do it when the eggs are
still cold. Just out of the refrigerator,
the membranes surrounding the white
and the yolk are much firmer and sepa
rate more cleanly and easily.
H ot or Cold Water for Washi ng? We've always believed the conventional
wisdom that cold water works better
than hot when washing flour off bowls
and boards. The theory is that hot
water hydrates the starch, causing it to
become sticky, while cold water simply
dilutes the flour. Washing hundreds of
dirry bowls for our Almost No-Knead
Bread (page 20) recipe gave us the
perfect opportunity to test this. Our
finding: When it comes to removing
flour, water temperature makes no dif
ference at all . Both hot and cold water
work equally well .
Broccoli Resu rrection We recently tried reviving limp broc
coli by soaking florets and whole heads
overnight in three different liquids: plain
water, sugar water, and salt water. The
sugar, we thought, might provide food
that would revive the vegetable, while
the salt might work like a brine, adding
moisture and seasoning. The next day,
we examined the broccoli raw and then
pan-roasted it.
In both the
cooked and
raw states,
the broccoli left standing
P L U M P I T U P
in plain water
was the clear
winner. The
broccoli placed
in sugar water
was nearly as
limp as before,
and the broccoli To revive l imp broccol i , trim the stalk,
from salty water stand it in an inch of was even more water, and refrigerate dehydrated. i t overnight.
3 B Y J K E N J I A L T E
B reathable Bags Spinach used to come m perforated
plastic bags tl1at allowed the greens to
breathe and stay fresh longer. These
days, the bags of greens we buy no
longer have the holes. Why the change?
Plastic bag technology has come a long
way over me years. Though mey appear
solid, the bags in which spinach and
otl1er greens are now sold are made of
a polymer mat allows the ripening gases
mat all produce emits to pass through
freely. Because of this, leftover pack
aged spinach or greens will do much
better stored in their original bags than
in ordinary plastic ones . To ensure
freshness for as long as possible, fold
me bag over and tape it shut .
S P I C E A D V I C E : TOaSt, then G ri nd
S T I L L F R E S H Bagged spinach stored i n its original
breathable plastic bag is sti l l fresh one week later.
S TA RT I N G TO S PO I L This spinach was stored i n a sealed airtight bag, rather than its original
packaging, causing it to spoil prematurely.
Oven Cal ibration A properly calibrated oven i s essential
for ensuring consistent cooking results.
Because many people don't have an
oven thermometer, we developed an
easy method to test for accuracy using
an instant-read thermometer. Here's
how to do it.
Set an oven rack to the middle
position and heat your oven to 350
degrees for at least 30 minutes. Fill an
ovenproof glass 2-cup measure witl1
1 cup of water. Using an instant-read
mermometer, check that tl1e water
is exactly 70 degrees, adjusting tl1e
I t 's best to toast whole spices before g ri nd i ng them. Here's why:
STAY I N G P U T Toasting a spice whole brings its
aromatic oils to the surface, contributing to a stronger, more complex
aroma when ground.
temperature with hot or cold water as
necessary. Place the cup in the center of
tl1e rack and close tl1e oven door. After
1 5 minutes, remove tl1e cup and insert
tl1e instant-read thermometer, making
sure to swirl the thermometer around
in the water to even out any hot spots.
If your oven is properly calibrated, the
water should be at 1 50 degrees (plus
or minus 2 degrees) . If the water is not
at 1 50 degrees, then your oven is run
rung too hot or too cold and needs to
be adjusted accordingly. We tested this
method in multiple ovens, both gas and
electric, and all worked well. (Note : To
avoid shattering the glass cup, allow the
water to cool before pouring it out . )
G arl ic G u i d e Sometimes when we're shopping for a
recipe that calls for a large amount of
T E C H N I Q U E
in cooked onions with a lifeless, stringy texture. Onions that are cut pole to pole maintain their shape during our Best French Onion Soup's (page 1 3) long cook1ng process.
C O O K' S I L L U S T R A TE D
3 0
C A R R I E D AWAY Grinding a spice releases moisture and aromatic oi ls into the air, subsequently
leaving the spice with less to give when toasted.
minced garlic, we wonder how many
heads we'll need to buy to complete
me recipe. We bought heads of garlic
from several different stores. While the
size and number of cloves in a single
head ranged from 1 5 large to 25 small,
the total amount of minced garlic from
each head was very sinlllar across the
board. A medium head of garlic (about
2 lf2 inches across) will yield a little over
2 tablespoons of minced garlic .
Holey Foil We don't recommend covering acidic
foods stored in open metal contain
ers ( like baking pans ) directly with
foil . Recently, rushing to refrigerate
a batch of our Skillet Apple Brown
Betry ( January/February 2004) at
the end of the day, we forgot and
covered me pan wim foil. When we
removed the foil the next morning, it
was riddled with holes, and the top of
the dessert was discolored. What was
going on here?
Aluminum is what's called an
"active metal"-a material that read
ily sheds electrons. Because of this,
when aluminum is in contact with an
acidic medium and a nonaluminum
metal like the skillet in which our
brown betty was stored, it will steadily
lose electrons and change into a form
that's dissolvable by the acid in the
food. We found that even in nonmetal
containers, after several days of storage,
the foil wound up discoloring where it
was in contact with the acidic food, as
d1e aluminum had shed electrons to
d1e electron-hungry acids .
To prevent d1is, we recommend d1at
you store acidic leftovers in nonmetal
containers and make sure the foil doesn't
come in direct contact wid1 d1e food.
C O N TACT B U R N An electrolytic reaction causes holes to appear i n foil placed directly
on acidic food stored in a metal container.
T A s T 1 N G : Dried C h i les Though chi les are avai lable i n a wider variety than ever, most stores sti l l don't carry an exhaustive selection. So what to do when you can't find the specific dried chi le a recipe cal ls for? After holding a bl ind tasting of several of the most commonly avai lable chi les , we found that each fel l into one of four broad flavor categories. Widely avai lable chiles for each flavor category are l isted below. The substitute chi les have subtle flavor variations but can successfu l ly replace any other in the grouping.
CH ILE TYPE DE SCRIPTI ON
SWEET These chi les share fresh, New Mexico (California, sweet flavors reminis-Anaheim, or chi le Colorado) cent of roasted red
peppers and tomatoes.
EARTHY Deep, rich flavors that Ancho (dried poblano) bring to mind choco
HOT Arbol
late, coffee, raisins, and l icorice characterize these chiles.
These chiles have charned wood, tobacco, and bar-becue flavors balanced by subtle sweetness.
The overwhelming heat of these chi le varieties masks their other flavors.
SUB STI TUTE S
Cascabel (chi le bola) Choricero Costefio
Mu lato Pas i l ia (chi le negro)
Guaj i l lo Nora
Cayenne Guind i l la Pequeno Thai (bird 's beak)
R E C I P E U P D AT E Garlicky Scallops with Bread Crumbs For a different spin on our one-ski l let recipe for Garl icky Shrimp with Bread Crumbs (March/ Apri l 2007) , we substituted sea scal lops. We qu ickly d iscovered the swap produced a sauce that was too watery, because scallops shed more l iquid than shrimp. Addressing the issue would mean reducing the clam juice called for in the original recipe. But by how much? The moisture content varies from scal lop to scal lop. Our solut ion: We placed the seared scal lops in a strainer set over a bowl to col lect the ju ice, then poured it into a measuring cup and added enough clam juice (if needed) to equal 2/3 cup. Since scal lops are natural ly sweeter than shrimp, we omitted the sugar in the recipe. Go to www.cooks i l lustrated.com/february for our fnee recipe for Garl icky Scal lops with Bread Cnumbs.
Simple Turkey Chi l i with Kidney Beans Readers wanted to know the best way to use ground turkey in p lace of the ground beef in our S imp le Beef Ch i l i with Kidney Beans (March/ April 2003) . S ince the key to the rec ipe i s its long s immering process, we avoided extralean ground turkey, which we knew wou ld turn mealy and flavorless with pro longed cooking. We used 93 percent lean instead . Nevertheless, after two hours of s immering, the turkey had d i s i ntegrated and the ch i l i resembled Bolognese sauce. We so lved th is problem by d iv id ing the meat i n half and adding one i nstal lment at the begi nn i ng of cooking and the second an hour later, p inch ing off teaspoon-sized lumps of turkey for a chunkier texture . Our final adjustment was to reduce the total cooking t ime by 20 m inutes. Go to www. cooks i l l ustrated .com/february for our free rec ipe for S imp le Turkey Ch i l i with Kidney Beans.
TOO F I N E J U ST R I G H T
Ground turkey broke down too much when simmered for hours in our chili recipe (left). But when we added the delicate meat at different stages during
cooking (and in larger pieces), we achieved the perfect texture (right).
New York-Style Crumb Cake Muffins Transforming our New York-Style Cnumb Cake (May/june 2007) into muffins seemed l i ke a doable task, and it was. The batter from the existing recipe was just enough to apportion !4 cup to each of the 1 2 cups in a standard-sized muffin t in . After experimenting with various baking times, we arrived at 20 m inutes as the right amount to turn out tender, l ight i nteriors. But although the insides of the muffins were baking up perfectly, the exteriors were dry, tough, and overly brown. When lowering the oven temperature d idn 't solve the problem, we tried l i n ing the muffin tin with parchment baking cups. This did the trick. The l iners prohibited browning and kept the outside of the muffins insu lated, tender, and moist. Go to www. cooksi l l u strated.com/febnuary for our free recipe for New York-Style Crumb Cake Muffins.
-Charles Kelsey
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION about a recipe, let us know. Send your inquiry, name, address, and daytime telephone number to Recipe Update, Cook's I l l ustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookl ine, MA 02447, or write to recipeupdate@ americastestkitchen.com.
J A N U A R Y b F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8
3 1
E Q U I P M E NT COR NER N EW P RO D U C T :
Spin'n Stor Produce Bags In smaller kitchens, it
can be hard to find space
for bulky salad spinners .
Argeecorp Spin'n Stor
Produce Spinning Bags
($3 .49 for four reusable
bags) condense the drying
and storing of greens into
one bag. You put washed
produce into the 1 1 - by
6-inch bag and spin it
armmd in the air; the water
pools into a reservoir and
feeds into drainable
BAG T H E S P I N N E R ? Spin'n Stor produce bags
a dried salad greens just as channel along d1e bag's well as our preferred salad
spinner-and stored them to side. Once drained, the boot. They're a great alterna-
bag of greens can be tive if you're short on space.
sealed and stored in the
refrigerator. To test d1e bag's effectiveness against our
preferred OXO Salad Spinner, we divided a head of
romaine, washed d1e leaves, and put half in d1e bag
and the od1er half in the spinner. Both methods dried
the leaves equally well .
E Q UIPM E N T T ES TI N G :
Universal Knife Blocks Do "universal" knife blocks hold knives of every
shape, size, and make? We tested d1ree models.
The Viva Terra Bamboo Box Knife Holder ( $ 8 9 )
is a simple wooden b o x o f tightly packed bamboo
skewers meant to cradle tl1e knives. It holds knives
at an awkward 90-degree angle, and
when you pull them out, unattached
skewers pop up, too . It's also flimsily
constructed: Three of d1e four we
ordered arrived broken. A bit
better, the Bisbell Magna-
bloc ( $ 1 4 3 . 5 0 ) IS a mag-
netized wooden block that
grips up to 10 knives ( but
not ceramic ones) along its
surface . Unfortunately, its � grasp is almost too strong: Knives release only with a U N IVE RSAL vigorous tug that makes PROTECTION
the tall, narrow structure The !go Home Kapoosh
wobble . The best ( and Universal Knife Block
cheapest) of d1e lot, d1e contains thousands of fine
plastic rods that easily oak-framed I go Home accommodate up to I 0 Kapoosh Universal Knife knives and tools.
Block ($29.99), comfort-ably shelters up to 1 0 tools in its dishwasher-safe nest
of spaghetti-like plastic rods, and the sturdy box's
opening is at an accessible angle. Though we wish it
� B Y E L I Z A B E T ! ! B O M Z E E
were deeper-handles of blades over 8 inches stuck
out-it makes a practical home for most knives.
EQ UIPME N T U P DATE:
Toaster Oven/Toaster Combo Our favorite toaster oven, the Krups 6-Slice Digital
Convection Toaster Oven FBC4- 1 2 ( $ 1 99 .99 ) , is
handy for small-scale cooking and makes decent toast,
but it takes a toll on both your counter space and your
wallet. That's why we were hopeful when we found
the Hamilton Beach Toastation Toaster & Oven
22708H ( $49.99 ), which combines a regular toaster
and toaster oven. A wide toaster slot runs across its top,
and a mini-oven opens fi·om d1e front. Unfommately,
d1e two can't operate simultaneously, and d1e appli-
ance is too sm all d to accommo ate an average-sized
spud or slice of pizza.
E Q U IP ME N T T ES TIN G :
Dry Storage Containers When it comes to storing flour and sugar, we like
an airtight container d1at can easily accommodate
an entire five -pound bag, wid1 an opening wide
enough to dip in a measuring cup and level off the
excess right back into the container. After testing six
models, we found d1at all fit d1e bill . Each container
locked tighdy enough to keep a slice of white sand-
wich bread soft and mold-free for over two weeks .
That said, a few exa·a features caught our attention :
clear plastic for easy visibility, measurement markers
along the sides, and sturdy handles . Our favorite,
tl1e Rubbermaid 4 Qt. Carb-X Commercial Food
Storage ( $8 .99) , includes d1ese; plus it also comes
in an 8 -quart size .
Sou rces The fol lowing are sources for items recommended in th is i ssue . Prices were current at press time and do not inc lude sh ipping. Contact companies to confirm informa-tion or visit www.cooksi l lustrated .com for updates.
Page 7: MEAT-PROBE THERMOMET E R
. Thermo Works Original Cooking T hermometer/T imer: $ 1 9,
item #TW362A, Thermo Works (800-393-6434,
www.thermoworks.com).
Page 20: DUTC H OVEN
. Tramontina 6.5 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven: $39.86,
item #80 1 3 1 /504, Wai-Mart (800-966-6546,
www.walmart.com).
Page 27: DARK C HOCOLATE
. Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate L-60-40NV: $ 1 7.95
for 2.2 pounds of callets (chocolate bits), World Wide
Chocolate (800-664-94 1 0, www.worldwidechocolate.
com). Also available at Whole Foods Market in smaller portions.
. Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar:
$2.99 for 4 ounces, World Wide Chocolate.
C OOK s I L L U S I" R A T E D
3 2
Page 29: CUTTING BOARDS
• Totally Bamboo Congo Parquet End Grain Cutting Board:
$39.99, item # BOOOA389GE, www.amazon.com.
• Snow River Utility Board: $ 1 6.99, item # B0006FRAGQ
www. amazon.com.
Page 32: PRODUCE BAGS
• Spin'n Stor Produce Spinning Bags: $ 3.49 for four bags,
item # 1 7764, Camping World (888-626-7576,
www.campingworld.com).
Page 32: U NIVERSAL KNIFE BLOCK
• lgo Home Kapoosh Universal Knife Block: $29.99,
Bed Bath & Beyond (800-462-3966,
www.bedbathandbeyond.com).
Page 3 2: D RY STORAGE CONTAINERS
• Rubbermaid 4-Qt. Carb-X Commercial Food Storage: $8.99,
item #576440, The Container Store (888-266-8246,
www.containerstore.com).
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I N D E X January 6- February 2 008
R E
M AI N D IS HES
Crunchy Baked Pork Chops I I with Prosciutto and Asiago Cheese I I
French Chicken in a Pot 9
Slow-Roasted Beef 7
SIDE DIS HES
Roasted Brocco l i 2 1
with Garl ic 2 1
with Ol ives. Garl i c , Oregano, and Lemon 2 1
with Sha l lot, Fennel Seeds. and Parmesan 2 1
B R EA D
Almost No-Knead Bread 20
Cranberry-Pecan 20
with Ol ives. Rosemary. and Parmesan 20
Seeded Rye 20
Whole Wheat 20
SO U P A N D A P P ETIZER
Best French Onion Soup 1 3 Quicker 1 3
Spanish-Style Garl i c Shrimp I S
S A U C E A N D GA R N IS H
F O R S LO W - R OA S T E D B E E F :
Horserad i sh Cream Sauce 7 F O R F R E N C H O N I O N S O U P :
Cheese Croutons 1 3
D ESSERTS
Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 25
with Orange Cream Cheese Frosti ng 25
Th in and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies 23 Coconut 23
Orange-Almond 23
Salty 23
O N LI N E EX T R A S
(AVA I L A B L E F R E E F O R 6 M O N T H S )
Garl icky Scal lops with Bread Crumbs New York-Style Crumb Cake Muffi n s Roasted Brocco l i with Garl i c and
Anchovies Roasted Brocco l i for T wo S imp le Turkey Ch i l i with K idney Beans
llil4 C O O K 'S LI V E nal Test Kitchen Videos www.cooks i l lustrated.com
M AI N D IS HES
• How to Make Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
• How do I mince a sha l lot? • How do I m ince pars leyl
• How to Make French Chicken in a Pot
• Which Dutch oven should I buy? • How can I separate fat without a fat
separator?
• How to Make S low-Roasted Beef • Which cut of meat should I buy? • How do I carve roast beef? • Do I real ly need an i nstant-read
thermometer? • Can I check the temperature of my
oven without an oven thermometer?
SIDE DIS H
• How to Make Roasted Broccoli
B R EA D
• How to Make Almost No-Knead Bread
• Behind the Scenes: Develop ing the recipe
• How does bread r ise?
S O U P A N D A P P ETIZ E R
• How to Make Best French Onion Soup
• How do I peel and s l ice an onion? • What s ize on ions shou ld I buy?
• How to Make Span ish-Style Garl ic Shrimp
• How do I peel and s l ice garl ic?
D ES S E RTS
• How to Make Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
• Can I use qu ick or instant oats? • Why does the test kitchen l i ke
parchment paper? • Do I have to bake the cookies one
sheet at a t ime?
• How to Make Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• How do I know when the butter i s brown enough?
TES TI N G
• Buying Gu ide t o Cutting Boards • Beh ind the Scenes : Cutt ing Board
Testing • What's the best way to c lean a
cutti ng board ?
AMERI CA'S TEST KITC H E N Publ ic televis ion's most popular cooking show
Jo in the mi l l ions of home cooks who watch our show. America's Test Kitchen, on publ ic televis ion every week. For more information, inc lud ing recipes and program times. visit www.americastestkitchen.com.
Slo w - Roaste d Be ef, 7 Frenc h Chic ken in a Pot , 9
Best Frenc h Onion So u p , 1 3
Almost No - Knea d Bre a d , 20
Roaste d Broccoli , 2 1
Spice Ca ke wi t h Cream Cheese Frosting, 2 5 Thin an d Cri s p y Oatmeal Coo kies, 2 3
P H OTOG R A P H Y : C A R L T R E M B L AY. STY L I N G : M A R I E P I RA I N O
E X O T li C M U § H JR O O M S
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