NU MBE R S E VE N T Y-ONE NOVE MBE R b D E C E MBE R 2 0 0 4

1 1 1 1 ` 1 1 1 1
Perfect Turkey
We Test Everthing
Rating Food
Processors
Should You Spend $35 or $280?
"New" Butter Tasting
A Good as Lnd 0' Lkes?
Balsamic Chicken
Grav Illustrated
No Grease, No Lumps
Chocolate
Walnut Tart
Spritz Butter Cookies
Testing Cookie Presses
Smashed Potatoes
Belgian Beef Stew
Blue Cheese Salads
Pn-Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Marinated Mushrooms
www. c o o ks i l l u s t r at ed . c om
$5.95 U.S./$6.95 CANADA
1 2 >
CONTENTS
November 6 December 2004
2 Notes from Readers
Reader ask questions and sugest sol utions.
4 Quick Tips
Quick and eas ways to perorm everday tasks, from
chopping chocolate and separting egs to cooking bacon
and rolling out pie dough.
6 Improving Carbonnade
Ihy is this simple Belgian beef stew so hard to make well?
BY THE COOK
'
S ILLUSTRATED TEST KITCHEN
8 Rethinking Marinated
Mushrooms
Do marinated mushrooms have to be slimy, water, and,
well, prett much inedible? BY BRIDGET LANCASTER
9 The Last Word on Roast
Turkey
Since we introduced the brined turkey in 1993, we
have tested dozens of techniques for producing the
perect Tanksgiving bird. Here's what really work.
BY REBECCA HAYS WITH JOHN OLSON AND
GARTH CLINGINGSMITH
12 Smashed Potatoes
Vhen there's no grv and the potatoes have to stand
on their own, lots of home cooks "smash" them. But good
smashed potatoes are hard to fnd. BY ERIKA BRUCE
14 Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin
How could we add favor and juiciness to this lean, dr,
often overcooked cut of meat? BY BRIDGET LANCASTER
16 Mastering Turkey Gravy
Here's how to take the guesswork (and the lumps) out of
America's favorite pan suce. BY SEAN LAWLER
18 Balsamic Braised Chicken
Italians have long pai red balsamic vinegar and chicken.
But given the poor qualit of most supermarket vinegar,
we wondered if this was indeed a match made in heaven.
BY JOHN OLSON
20 Holiday Spritz Cookies
Tat golden-swirled kiss of a holiday cookie ofen ends up
bland, gummy, and tasteless. Ihy can't sprit cookies
taste as good as they look? BY ERIKA BRUCE
22 Chocolate Caramel
Walnut Tart
Tis holiday tar is a winner, as long as the star ingredients
sing in harmony, not discord. BY SEAN LAWLER
24 Holiday Salads with
Blue Cheese
Blue cheese makes an interesting dinner guest. inviting
a wide rnge of other ingredients-sweet. tart, bitter,
and crunchy-to the table. BY REBECCA HAYS
25 The AU-Purpose Food
Processor
Some models cost almost $300, while others are sold
for relatively small change. Do the big bucks guarntee a
better machine? And what about all those attachments?
BY GALEN MOORE AND GARTH CLINGINGSMITH
28 The Fat Wars
Te American food industr is not content with simply
selling a naturl, high-qualit food product-butter. It
wants us to buy "healthier" and "premium" alternatives.
too. BY JACK BISHOP AND GARTH CLINGINGSMITH
30 Kitchen Notes
Test results, buying tips, and advice related to stories past
and present, directly from the test kitchen.
BY DAWN YANAGIHARA
32 Equipment Corner
Reviews of new items. updates on past tests, and sources
for products used in this issue.
BY GARTH CLINGINGSMITH
j\-


^
O rJ
DRIED FRU r Fm te evray apple to te seasonal peach and tpical pineapple, most frsh frit
can be dred and enjod when te ar out of season. Dring changes a frit's favor and concentrtes it
seetes. Fr instnce, prnes (stishl referd totesedayasdred plums) tste mor like molasses
infused risins tan fresh plums. Tompson sedles gpes ar dred in difernt wy to become bot
golden (also ko 3Sultnas) and black risins, bot of which tste ver difernt frm te fresh grpe.
In a tist of logic. dred curnt ar descended frm tiny Znte grpes rter tan fresh curnt beries.
Dred frit arn't simply dehydrted and packgd: some undero an additonal prcessing Vprvent
oxidaton and bring. Arcot ar ofen sulfurd and easily disnguished b teir bright yellow-ornge
color. (Unsulfurd apricot have a deep, dar brn color.) Tar crnberies, lik some vreties of sour
cheres, ar ofen setned befor being packged. Dates, on te oter hand, contin so much con
centted sugr tat te cn seem cndied rter tan dred. Aong te difernt vrieties of fg suit
able for dring ar te dar-purple, Califoria-grwn Black Mission and te pale, plump Turksh Smyma.
CCV|K |tar>): Kte Mueller. bCK CCV|K |UrtJ rut): John Buroyne
f|iSt rentl information, contct: Clientlogic, 1200 Harbor Blvd .. 9th Floor. Weehawken, NJ 07087: 201-865-5800
Editorial Ofce: 17 Sttion St .. Brookline, |02445; 617-2321000; fax 617-232-1572. Subscription inquiries. call 800-526-8442.
Pstmaster: Send all new order, subscription inquiries. and change of address notices to Cook's Illustrted, P.O. Box 7446, Red Oak, J51591-0446.
OOk_
A II
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|IL ll|Ub
EDITORIAL
)\I/ 'lIL 1912-2004
L
oss is upredictable. At
the tme we lose some
one-a family mem
ber, a fiend, a natonal
fgure-we never know exacdy
what we are going to mss the
most. The wit? The comfort
able familiarity? The moral
compass? The ability to lead?
We certainly miss Kennedy's
unshakeable optimism, King's
righteous oratory, and Audrey Hepburn's play
f dignity. Wat, then, wl we miss most about
Julia Child?
For many, the frst and last thing wl be the
voice. She ascended into the pantheon of beloved
natonal fgures as a bit of an eccentric, an impos
ing tower of willfl culinary domination. The
juxtaposition ofJulia's unstoppable can-do enthu
siasm, her physical statre, the subject at hand-an
ugly, massive "loup de mer" or a row of chickens
to be roasted-was not comedic but it was star
ding. It reminded one of other rather odd but
endearing American fgures: Eleanor Roosevelt,
Abraham Lincoln, and perhaps Ross Perot.
Yet I suspect that Julia's wng charm, her
physical presence, even her beloved French
cooking, may not survive through the ages. I
have always thought of Julia's entrance onto the
national scene as unfortunate timing. Women
were leaving their homes for careers by the mil
lions. America was just getting serious about
becoming a fst-food nation. Agribusiness was in
high gear. And, most of all, French cooking was on
its last legs. For more than a century, fancy French
cooking had made an uneasy partnership with our
own pioneer culinary arts. Fannie Farmer, among
others, defly presented us with this marriage of
the continental gourmet to the country bumpkin.
And by the 1960s, the fture of classic French
cooking was certainly in doubt. By the 1980s,
Alice Waters, Larry Forgione, Jeremiah Tower,
and many others would be leading an American
culinary revolution that goes on today.
So, in the midst of a culinary Three Mile Island,
Julia arrived to save us fom ourselves. Her popu-
larity belied her topic. Yet she
prevailed with a strong sense
of tradition, of culinary his
tory, and of the complexities
of great cooking. The rest of
Aerica was busy throwing
off the shackles of the past
and, with them, the notion
that there was something
to learn fom it. We wanted
bright lights and Julia ofered
us hard work and anonymity. We wanted instant
gratifcation and Julia told us d1at a good stock
took time. We celebrated the young and the beau
tifl and Julia presented us with an image that
defed de times. This, in efect, was a recipe for
disaster, and yet she turned it into a great success.
Over the years, Julia defed us at every turn.
Diets were anathema to Julia because d1ey implied
iat food was harmfl. She had no truck with the
organic and natural food movements-hadn't
American agriculture fed the world? Yes, butter
and cream could be reduced, but then the dish
would not be worth eating.
And, yes, Julia was a real character. At one
particularly poorly lit Italian restaurant where we
dined shordy before her move to California, she
constandy demanded more light so that she could
see her food properly. When it was not foricom
ing, she simply dipped into her large purse, took
out a fashlight, and proceeded to inspect the
rather insipid ofering as if it were a corpse.
But to focus on d1ese minor eccentricities is to
miss the point. Julia Child provided what Aerica
really wants fom its celebrities: She endured. She
never took up ie banner of "meals in minutes."
She never ofered a recipe for "lite" cheesecake.
She never allowed her name to be used in the pro
motion of any commercial enterprise. She never
wavered in her convictions. And she stood ie test
of time. She told America to look to the past and
not to dscard the wisdom of the ages. And she
then proceeded to lead her life based on those
simple, enduring principles.
Despite our infatuation wid1 the moment, I
t we knew that Julia was right. Yes, America
FOR INQUIRIES. ORDERS, OR MORE I NFORMATION:
loves those who struggle against the odds. But,
in the end, the greatest among us also have to
walk a righteous path. And Julia's instncts always
pointed her in the proper direction. She was in a
battle with the strongest and most dangerous of
our cultural currents. Yet she held her head high,
had no regrets, and dined thoughtflly of centu
ries past whie the rest of us were grabbing a bite
fom the takeout window.
For all of these reasons and more, we wl miss
Julia terribly. But for many of us, iose who fol
lowed in her footsteps in later years, there is the Julia
of kindness, the lady who would get to know each
and every star-struck buyer at a book signing-ven
i it took hours. When interrupted during a restau
rant meal, she would be gracious and unhurried
in her attentions. When she was with Paul, her
beloved husband, she deflected attenton fom her
self to h-to his paintngs, to his life story. Here
was a woman who launched a thousand culinary
ships, who gave so many of us the condence and
inspiraton to do good work in the kitchen.
It feels as if we have lost the best of us in recent
years-as if these great men and women were
descended fom a race of people who walked the
earth in strides too long for our tme. Wo now wl
demand the best of us, demand that we speak to our
better instncts? Who wl save us fom ourselves?
Yes, I can look back wistlly and say, "I knew Julia
Child. I cooked with her. I knew her as a fend."
But that's not good enough for Julia. She would
politely suggest, with a te in her eye, that we
turn on the stove, grab a knife, and start prepang
a proper dner, the type of food that would satsf
our souls, not just our physical needs.
She did the cooking all those years. Now it is
our turn. A i faced with the loss of a parent, we
no longer have someone to encourage us, to tell us
how we are doing. I t iat Julia would ask, as
any good mother would, that we pull up our socks,
roll up our sleeves, and shrug of childish appettes
in pursuit of excellence. It would be a great trbute
to Juia to do this well, not i memory of her but for
ourselves, for history, and for the brght promise of
hard work and devoton to principle that has built
ie American dream. - Christopher Kmball
ww. cooksi l l ustrted. com COOK'S ILLUSTED Magazi ne
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N O V EMB ER b DEC EMB ER 2 0 0 4
NOTES FROM READERS

Good Old Lard

When you wrote about faky pie crust and health
ier alternatives to Crisco (May/June 2004), why
didn't you test the very best shortening, which is
good old lard?
PAT OWSLEY
HORSES HOE BEND, IDAHO
Like most other bakers, we had long ago
dismissed lard as not being very good for you
because of its saturated fat content. But as several
readers pointed out to us, lard is now considered
to have a healthier profle than partially hydro
genated vegetable shortenings like Crisco, which
contain trans fats, considered the most damaging
dietary fats of all. According to Walter Willett,
professor at the Harvard University School of
Public Health's Department of Nutrition, lard is
about as good (or bad) for you as butter.
That's good to know, but we still had a prob
lem with lard from a culinary point of view.
Several of our test cooks have complained about
the poor quality of the lard sold in supermarkets.
To confrm the validity of their concerns, we
made a pie crust with supermarket lard. While
the crust was faky, the taste was off Out of the
box, the lard had a slightly sour smell that tasters
could also detect in the baked pie crust. But tlis
was not the end of the road for lard.
In our research, we came across the term leaf
lard, and wherever we encountered it, high praise
followed. Leaf lard, ofen called kidney fat, is ren
dered fom the fat that lines the abdominal cavity
of the pig. According to Dr. David Meisinger of
the National Pork Board, leaf lard is considered
to be of higher quality than the fat fom any other
part of the pig. We contacted the maker of the
supermarket lard we had purchased and learned
that it was indeed not leaf lard but could have been
rendered fom any type of pork fat-the back, the
belly, and so on. A search for leaf lard led us to
Dietrich's Meats (see Sources on page 32).
Afer baking with this product, we fnally
understood why so many readers had written to
us in pretty passionate defense of lard. The pie
crust made with Dietrich's leaf lard was extremely
tender and faky, but what most distinguished it
from pie crusts made with supermarket lard (or
Crisco) was its rich, almost savory favor. Straight
COOK'S EXTRA For our Basic Pie Dough recipe, go to
ww.cooksillustrated.com and key in code 6048. Tis rec
ipe will be available until December 15. 2004. For the
complete results of our tests of nutmeg mills and graters,
go to ww.cooksillustrated.com and key in code 6049.
3 C O MPI L E D B Y I N DI A K O OP M A N E
from the container the Dietrich's lard smelled
sweet and pleasant, almost nutty, and it contrib
uted these qualities to the pie crust. Dietrich's is a
small, fanliy-owned enterprise that raises its own
pigs on a diet of grain-mostly corn-tl1at the
family grows itself While we can't vouch for all
leaf lard, tl ls product is far superior to what you
might buy in the supermarket.
For a real holiday treat, you can simply sub
stitute an equal amount of lard for the vegetable
shortening called for in most any pie crust recipe,
including ours. (For our pie dough recipe, see
Cook's Extra, below.)
Imitation Cider Vinegar
I have been choosing Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar
over otl1er brands because I thought it was better
quality and had a better favor. I was quite sur
prised to note tlat my last purchase was labeled
"Apple Cider Flavored Distilled Vinegar." Is this
plain white vinegar with flavoring?
J E AN MEAD
WI NFI ELD. W.V.
We, too, were surprised to learn about this
product, which is an alternative to Heinz's regu
lar cider vinegar. We learned from Heinz that
the Apple Cider Flavored Distilled Vinegar was
developed for food service customers, but this
product is also available at many supermarkets.
Sold only by tl1e gallon, the favored distilled vin
egar costs $3.89. Heinz's regular cider vinegar,
wllich is not sold by the gallon, costs $2.12 per
quart, which would work out to about $8.50 per
gallon. So the real thing costs more than twice as
much as its imitator, but is the savings worth it?
We tasted both vinegars straight from their
bottles and in one of tl1e salad dressings in this
issue. The flavored product is made from
distilled white vinegar to which apple
juice is added. And that's exactly what it
tastes like-ratl1er flat, a little medici
nal, and sweet. This
product has none of
tl1e mouth-pucker
ig tartness that
you get with real
cider vinegar,
READING THE
FINE PRINT
Check l abel s
cl osely to make
sure you get real
ci der vi negar.
C OOK
'
s I L L U S T R A T ED
2
wllich is made solely fom apple cider. So te next
time you shop, check the labels careflly, and
remember that the real tlllng doesn't come in
gallon-size containers.
What a Muddle
In the July/ August 2004 issue, we ran an illustra
tion of a "muddler" -a tool that looks like a small
baseball bat and is used to crush herbs and fuit in
a cocktail glass. Seems like we may have enjoyed
one too many of tl1ese cocktails ourselves. The
muddler is pictured upside down; the working
end is the fat-edged end, not tl1e rounded end,
as depicted.
Where's the Chile Heat?
In your recipes for Chicken Biryani (March/ April
2004) and Fresh Tomato Salsa (July/ August
2004), you direct readers to reserve or add the
seeds fom chiles to control the "heat" or add
"fre" to tl1e dish. It is my understanding that the
seeds themselves don't contain any heat but that
it is in tle pith of tl1e chile.
MI CHAEL FITZHENRY
CAMB RIDGE. MASS.
Chiles get their "heat"-or "pungency," as
the experts like to say-fom a group of chemical
compounds called capsaicinoids, the best known
of which is capsaicin. To fg
ure out where most of these
compounds reside, we
donned rubber gloves
Where does the
chi l e store most of
its heat-in the dark
flesh, the white pith,
and separated the outer
green-colored fesh, the
inner whitish pith (also
called membranes or ribs),
and the seeds from 40
jalapenos. We then sent
the lot to our food lab.
As it turned out, there
were just 5 milligrans of
or the seeds?
capsaicin per kilogram
of green jalapeno fesh (not enough to really
make much inlpact on tl1e human tongue),
73 mg per kg of seeds, and an inpressive 512
mg per kg of pith.
The reason why the seeds registered more
heat than the flesh is simply because they are
embedded in the pith; they are essentially
guilty-or hot-by reason of association.
From now on, then, when we want to
careflly mete out the fre in our salsa or
biryani, we'll do it by means of the pith.
The seeds wl just be along for the ride.
Safe Nutmeg Grating
A a follow-up to your review of spice grinders
(May/June 2004): What's the best/safest/
easiest way to grind nutmeg? I've found that
most nutmeg graters invite ground fngers and
don't work that well. Any other ideas?
LUISA BALDI NGE R
SANT E F E. N.M.
Before testng nutmeg graters, we ran a couple
of tests to see i gratng fesh nutmeg is worth the
efort. We found that in something like a bechan1el
sauce or egg nog, where there are no other spices to
compete with it, fesh-ground numeg contributes
a distnctvely heady favor that we really like. In
baked goods that call for lots of spices, however,
such as spice cookies, we found that the signature
favor of fesh-ground nutmeg was lost; ground
nutmeg fom a jar works just fie in such recipes.
With the holiday season and egg nog in mind,
then, we purchased the following: three num1eg
mills, which work just like pepper mills and so
keep your fngers completely safe; a new-style
grater from Zyliss designed especially to keep
your fngers out of harm's way; an old-style nut
meg grater; and a Microplane grater for spices.
Only one of the mills-the Cole & Mason
acrylic mill-produced a neat and even grind in
good time. It is pricey, though, at $21.54. The
new Zyliss Nutmeg Grater, which costs $14.99,
does protect your fngers, but it produced pain
flly little grated nutmeg. To use it, you put a
whole nutmeg in a plastic hopper, secure the
spring-loaded cap on top, then slide the cap back
and forth to grate the nutmeg. The oldest-style
nutmeg grater comes in the form of a metal c
der; the curves are intended to keep your fngertips
away fom the teeth as you grate. We tested one
fom Norpro that cost just $2, but it brought our
fingers perilously close to the grating teeth.
Microplane takes the idea of a cylinder even
frther. In addition to a comfortable handle, this
$7.95 grater has a slender, tghtly curled, 5-inch
long gratg surface that provides a good margn of
safety for your fngertips. It also produced mounds
of nutmeg in no time fat and can also be used for
gratng nuts and chocolate. Perhaps not
as elegant as the Cole & Mason for
garnishing an egg nog, it is
MI CROPLANE
COLE & MAS ON
Expensive, but perectfor
garnishing eggnog.
ZYLISS
Interesting idea,
but not much
output.
WHAT I S I T?

Do you know where can I get one of these thi ngs? A fri end of mi ne uses i t for dusti ng
fl our when maki ng pi e dough and such. Ki nd of cool . She i nherited i t from her grnd
mother but has no i dea how (or when) her grndmother came
to own i t.
JILL FLANAGAN
NORT H RE ADI NG, MASS.
< You can buy thi s item-known variously as a flour wand,
duster, lmi ni sifer-from severl onl ine sources, the cheapest
being Cooki ng. com (see Sources on page 32 fr details). A yu
seem to know, the wand is often used to dust a work surface
evenl y with fl our when rol l i ng out pi e or cookie dough.
Can this flour
wand work some
To use the metal 9- i nch wand, you hol d the "arms" beteen
your thumb and forefnger, press them together to open the
rounded, spi ral -wi red cage, di p the open cage i nto a bowl of
four, then rel ease pressure on the "arms" to let the cage cl ose,
thereby capturi ng a tabl espoon or so of fl our. You're then ready
to dust the work surace by agai n squeezi ng the "arms" to open
the cage and shaki ng the wand enough to l et the fl our pass
through. Whi l e wel l - practiced baker can scatter fl our by hand
j ust as easi ly, we found that novices appreciated the hel p i n creat
i ng a smooth and even coating of fl our. The wand can also be used
to decorate the top of a cake with confecti oners' sugar or to coat
a pi zza peel with cornmeal .
nonetl1eless our top choice based on price, ease of
use, and output. (See Cook's Extra, page 2, to
access the complete testing results.)
What's a Saute Pan to Do?
In tle January/february 2001 issue of the maga
zine, the pans you rated as "saute" pans all had
straight sides. Then, in the May /June 2004 issue, in
"Masterng the Art of Saute," you say that straight
sided pans are il-suited for sauteing. Sloped sides, it
seems, are "perfect." So what do I buy?
I R E NE R. SMIT H
MCLE AN, VA.
< Unfortuately, different cookware manufactur
ers use different terms for the same sort of pan;
one manufacturer may call a slope-sided pan a
saute pan, whereas anotl1er will call a slope-sided
pan a fy pan (or omelet pan or skillet). At Cook\
we use the term saute pan when writing about a
pan wim straight sides and a lid and tl1e term skil
let when writing about a pan witl1 sloped sides.
That said, our advice is to choose one pan or the
other based on the recipes you plan to cook with
it, not its nan1e.
A pan with sloped sides is best for sauteing. The
sloped sides make it easier for the cook to maneu
ver tle food. The sloped sides also facilitate evapo
ration, which in mrn speeds browning. Examples
of foods well stted to tl1e slope-sided pan are
t fsh fllets, chicken or veal cutlets, pan-seared
steaks, hamburgers, and shrimp scampi. A pan
with straight sides is well suited for pan-fying (in
N O V EMB ER b D E C EMB ER 2 0 0 4
3
which the food actually sits in a shallow pool of oil)
and for braising, in which the food cooks in liquid
and is covered for at least part of the time. Foods
that do well in straight-sided pans include poached
fsh, pan-fied chicken, and braised chcken.
Note mat a sloped-side pan has no substitutes.
In many recipes, however, you can use a Dutch
oven in place of a straight-sided pan, so the latter
is nice to own but not essential.
Film Canisters and Food Stora e
Several readers wrote in to express thei concern
over the safety of using 35 mm f canisters to
store mayonnaise and other condiments when
going on a picnic, as suggested in a quick tp in
our July/August 2004 issue. According to Mary
Keith, food and nutriton agent at the University
of Florda Extension in Tampa, Fla., f contain
ers are not made of food-gade plastc, so it's not
advisable to use them to store any type of food.
Furtl1ermore, washing the canisters wl not make
them safe for food. Safer storage optons for picnics
ae the smallest-size plastc yogurt contaners or the
g-pack-size glass jars with a screw-top lid used for
some jams and jellies. Just make sure to pack the jars
between layers of napkins or inside paper cups to
make sure they don't break during transport.
SEND US YOUR QUESONS We will provide a com
plimentar one-year subscription for each leter we prnt. Send
your inquiry. name, address, and daytime telephone number
to Notes from Readers, Cook's Illustrated, PO. Box 470589,
Brookline, MA 02447, or to notesfromreader@bcpress.com.
3 C O MPI L E D B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
Keeping Prchment in Place
Spooni ng sof cookie dough
onto a baki ng sheet layered with
parchment can be a frustrting
matter indeed, as the parchment
has a propensit to curl up and
become unruly. Mi chel l e Bruno of
Snohomi sh, Wash. , found a clever
sol ution to thi s probl em: Grb four
refrigertor magnets and pl ace one
over each comer of the parchment.
Make sure to return the magnets
to the fridge before baking the
cookies.
Separating Eggs
Some cooks fi nd i t awkard to crck
an eg perfectly down the mi ddl e and
then jugl e the yol k between the shel l
halves to release al l of the whi te. Unda
P. Lee of Mari l l e. Wash . . came up
wi th a cl ever way to avoi d thi s step:
Wrp a rubber band around the
handle of a l are slotted spoon. Set
the spoon over a small bowl by resting
the ti p of the spoon and the rubber
band on opposi te edges of the bowl .
Crck each eg over the spoon. and
watch the whites sl i p through the
hol es i nto the bowl whi l e the yol k
stays i n the spoon.
No More Greas Hands
When Fl or Barrett of Chesapeake Beach. Md . . needs shorteni ng or butter to grease
a pan, she keeps her hands cl ean i nsi de a pl astic sandwich bag.
2.
I. Wearing the bag l i ke a glove, grease the pan.
2. When fi ni shed, remove the bag by turni ng i t i nsi de out and neatly di scardi ng it. No
more messy paper towels!
Quick Filtered-Water Chi ll
To avoi d wai ti ng for fi l tered
water to chi l l in the refrigerator,
Jennifer Martin of Burke, Va. ,
adds i ce to the fi l tration pi tcher
reseroi r before refi l l ing with tap
water.
Hol ding Mashed Potatoes
Fi ni shing the mashed potatoes at
the same time as the roast, the
grav, and the green beans can
become quite a juggl i ng act. Gay!
Beck of Al l endal e, Mi ch. , frees up
some of those preci ous few last
mi nutes (and some val uabl e
stovetop space) by making her
mashed potatoes a coupl e of hours
ahead of ti me and keeping them
warm i n a sl ow cooker on the l ow
setti ng. Al l they need i s a qui ck sti r
before sering.
Send Us Your Tip We will provide a complimentar one-year subscription for each tip we print. Send your tip, name, and address to
Quick Tips, Cook's Illustrated, P. O. Box 470589, Brookline, MA 02447, or to quicktips@bcpress.com.
C O O K
'
s ILLU S T R A T ED
4
Quick Dough Wrappi ng
Whi l e prepari ng batches of pi e
dough for the hol i days, Peg Syverson
of Austin, Texas, hi t on a ti me-saving
tri ck that keeps her hands and the
counter cl ean.
Once the dough is mixed, transfer
it di rectly from the bowl to a large
zi pper-l ock bag. Shape the dough
i nto a di sk through the outside of
the bag, and chi l l unti l ready to use.
I nstant Homemade Cocoa
Brenda Lockl ear of Wi l mi ngton, N. C. ,
gave us the i dea for maki ng qui ck
i ndivi dual seri ngs of homemade hot
cocoa. We adapted our reci pe (from
Januar/Februar 1 997) . omi tti ng
the dai ry component, to make a
cocoa " base. "
To make four seri ngs, whi sk together
6 tabl espoons Dutch- processed
cocoa, 5 tabl espoons sugar, a pinch
of salt, I teaspoon vani l l a extrct.
and I cup water in a smal l saucepan.
Heat mixture over l ow heat for to
mi nutes, sti rri ng frequently. Cool to
room temperture. then store in the
refrigertor in an ai rtight contai ner for
up to three weeks. Mul ti ply the reci pe
as needed.
When the mood stri kes for a ni ce
hot cup of cocoa, si mply add 3 to 4
tabl espoons of the cocoa base to
8 ounces of hot mi l k and sti r.
Measuring Ahead of Ti me
Duri ng the hol i days, many bakers
fi nd themselves maki ng mul ti pl e
batches of cooki es, cakes, and
quick breads. Eri ka Deru of Arada,
Col . , found smart ways to save
some ti me duri ng thi s process. She
measures out and l abels all of the
recipes ahead of ti me, storing the
dr i ngredi ents i n zi pper- l ock bags
on the counter and wet i ngredi ents
i n pl astic contai ners i n the refrig
erator. When i t' s time to bake,
everythi ng i s ready to be mixed.
Sauce-Ti ckening Tip
Pul Mornd of Essexi l l e, Mi ch. , found
that chi l dren's "si ppy cups" -the pl astic
cups that have lids compl ete with
dri nki ng spouts-come i n handy when
making sauces.
I. Pl ace equal parts col d water and
cornstarch (or starch of choi ce) i nto
the cup, and replace the l i d.
2. Shake vigorously, then pour the
mixture through the spout i nto the
sauce, l i ttl e by l i ttl e, unti l the sauce has
reached the desi red thi ckness.
Flater Counterops
Ti l ed countertops may
l ook atctive, but they
are not especial ly prctical
when i t comes
to baki ng. To
avoi d rumpl ed
rol l ed cooki e or
pi e dough (not to
menti on a fl our mess
beteen the crcks of
the ti l e) , Suzi e Barhart of
Aron, Ohi o, pl aces a fex
ible cutti ng board over her
bumpy ti l e counterop to
create a smoother surface.
Tips for Oven-Fried Bacon
A couple of readers had some great ti ps on how to i mprove on our Oven-Fried
Bacon reci pe (January/February 1 998) .
A. Carolyn Hopke, of Granite
Ci t, I l l . , mi ni mizes cl eanup.
She li nes her baki ng sheet with
wide foil ( 1 8 i nches) , covering
the enti re surace, i ncl udi ng
the si des. She then cooks and
drai ns the bacon, as per reci pe
i nstructi ons, and all ows the
baki ng sheet and any remai n
i ng grease to cool completely.
Cl eanup is easy: just rol l up the
soi l ed foi l and di scard.
B. For another flavor di men
si on, Cathy Friedman of Natick,
Mass., makes maple-glazed
bacon. When the bacon has
reached a ni ce gol den brown
shade and i s al most done, she
pours of most of the grease
and drizzl es mapl e syrup
over each stri p. She then
returns the tray to the oven
and conti nues cooki ng for 2 to
3 mi nutes, or until the mapl e
syrup begi ns to bubble.
Makeshif Splater Screen
A.
Many cooks are tured of from sauteing because of the greas mess that can spread
around the stovetop, especi al ly when browni ng meat. Fr those who don't own a
splater screen, Jennifer Wi l l i amson of Charlestown, Mass. , came up with an eas
al terative: Si mply i nvert a l are-mesh stri ner over the
skil l et during the splattering phase of cooking,
and the mess wi l l be cut down signifcantly.
N O V EMBER DEC EMBER 2 0 0 4
5
Easier Chocol ate Chopping
Most home cooks don' t own a fancy
chocol ate fork, used to break up
large blocks of chocolate i nto more
manageabl e pi eces. Erika Schuster
of Portl and, Ore. , found a way to
i mprovise one. Usi ng the sharp
to-ti ned fork from her
meat-sli ci ng set and a
secured cutti ng board,
s he presses straight
down i nto the choco
efor is
requi red.
Neater Dusting with
Pered Sugar
When a smal l item l i ke a cookie or a
pi ece of cake cal l s for a dusti ng with
powdered sugar, Jeanni e Eddy of
Sartoga Spri ngs, N.. fi nds that her
mesh tea-bal l stri ner works wonder.
Fi l l ed by a qui ck scoop i nto the sugar, i t
i s much neater and easi er to use than a
Magazi ne Reci pe Stand
Judith Kl i sh, of Brighton, Mass. ,
found a cl ever way to keep her
magazi ne reci pes i n pl ain view (and
out of harm's way) whil e cooking
by pl aci ng the open magazi ne i n an
empt napki n holder.
Improving Carbonnade
Why is this simple Belgian beef stew so hard to make well?
3 B Y T H E C O O K' S I L L U S T R AT E D T E S T K I T C H E N E
A
basic beef stew can
be altered in dozens
of ways, usually by
adding more ingre
dients to the pot. But can you go
the other way and strip beef stew
down to its bare bones ( or, to be
more precise, to its beef? If you
trade the carrots and potatoes
for a mess of onions and add a
good dose of beer ( instead of
red wine) as part of the braising
liquid, you've created a simple
Belgian beef stew called carbon
nade a la famande. Beef, beer,
and onions have a natural afn
ity-think burger, onion rings,
and a beer. In a carbonnade, the
heartiness of beef melds wit the
sof sweetness of sliced onions in
a lightly thickened broth that is
rich, deep, and satisfing, with
the malty favor of beer.
Thorough browni ng of the meat is the fi rst step in maki ng any beef stew,
i ncl udi ng carbonnade.
We made several versions of carbonnade and dis
covered that making a poor one is easy. Some stews
were so gussied up tat it was hard to notice al but
the most serious faws. But stews stripped down
to the three main ingredients were primed for
failure-any mstake really stood out. Aer several
trials, we wound up with batches of tasteless beef
and onons ma pale, one-dimensional broth.
We decided on a basic method that would
serve as a springboard for arriving at an improved
recipe. Beef is browned and set aside, onions are
sauteed in the empty pot, four is sprinkled over
the onions, liquid is added, the beef is returned
to the pot, and the pot simmers in the oven.
Now we had to fgure out the best cut of beef,
the best way to cook the onions, and the right
type of beer.
The Beef
Nearly every recipe we consulted recommended
cubed chuck roast. To check this recommenda
tion, we tested a dozen cuts of beef and hit upon
an unusual \nner. Blade steaks ( also called top
blade or fatiron steaks) are small, long, narrow,
steaks cut from the shoulder ( or chuck) area of the
cow. Most blade steaks have a decent amount of
fat marbling, which gives them good flavor as well
as a tender texture. A perfect choice, we thought,
for carbonnade. One taster described the blade
steak in carbonnade as "buttery," a quality that is
well suited to tl is stew. If you cannot fnd a blade
steak, however, any chuck roast will do. Just be
sure to avoid the round, the portion of the rear
leg from tl1e knee to the hip. It has less fat than
the chuck ( the forequarter of tl1e animal ) , and
our tasters weren't wild about the favor.
The Oni ons and Beer
Onions-and lots of them-go into a traditional
carbonnade. Two pounds was the right amount
for a generous pot of stew ( made wit 312 pounds
of beef. We tried wllite and red onions, but both
were cloyingly sweet. Thinly sliced yellow onions
tasted the best. The onions are lightly browned
before being incorporated into te stew-if they
are over-caramelized, they disintegrate afer two
hours of stewing.
To deepen their gentle sweetness, we thought
to add a spoonfl of tomato paste while sauteing
the onions, a trick we had used in other recipes.
This simple ( if untraditional) ingredient dramati
cally improved the favor. (We also tried brown
sugar but fmmd it too sweet.) A sprg of salt
helped te 01 ions release their moisture, which
kept the flavorfl fond ( brown bits) fom burning
and helped to loosen the bits fom te pot during
deglazing. Garlic is not an ingredient in all carbon
nade recipes, but we liked it, adding to ninced
cloves to the onions only afer the onions had
cooked to make sure the garlic didn't burn.
C O OK
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s I L L U S T R A T ED
6
Key to the cmsme of Belgium is beer, its
national drink. Belgians routinely pour beer
into dishes at times when other cooks might
uncork a bottle of wine. Cooking with wine is
fairly straightforward; most reasonable choices
work just fne in a stew. Cooking \ith beer is a
different story. Beers of the light, lager persua
sion, popular in America but not traditional in
carbonnade, lack potency and result in pale,
watery- tasting stews. We tried a number of dark
beers and found that reasonably dark ales, very
dark ales, and stouts made the richest and best
tasting carbonnades ( for individual favor pro
fles of a variety of beers, see the tasting "Beer
for Carbonnade" on page 7).
While the braising liquid for carbonnade is
typically beer, beef stock is sometimes added. We
made carbonnades wit beer as te only liquid,
but they lacked backbone and were sometimes
overwhelnngly bitter, depending on the type of
beer used. Canned beef broth made for a tinny
taste, whereas chicken broth didn' t provide
enough depth. Equal parts chicken and beef
broth plus beer, however, created a stew with
solid, complex favor. Fresh thyme and bay leaves
were natural additions, and cider vinegar perked
things up with sweet-and-sour tones.
With a blade steak, plent of yellow onions,
and a rich, dark beer, we made the simplest of all
stews, carbonnade, fnally come to life. It's even
better than a burger wit onion rings.
Beef Stew I 0 I
Keep these key poi nts in mi nd when maki ng carbon
nade or any beef stew.
I, Select meat from the chuck. We parti cul arly
l i ke bl ade steak and chuck eye roast, whi ch have
the best texture and favor for stewi ng.
2. Cut your own stew meat from a whole roast
or steaks. Pckges of stew meat conti n mul tipl e
cut (some not desi rbl e) and pieces of vri ng size.
3. Brown the meat thoroughly. Dri ng the beef
on paper towel s and cooki ng i t in batches wi l l hel p
to sear i t properly and create a flavorful fond.
4. Ticken the stew with four, sprinkled over
sauteed aromatics. Cooki ng the four for a few
mi nutes el i mi nates a rw fl our taste.
5, Simmer the stew in the oven. Te oven heats
more gently and evenl y than the stovetop does.
6. Cook the stew for a long time, At l east 2
hour of sl ow moi st cooki ng ensures tender meat.
CARBONNADE A LA F LAMANDE
( Be l g i a n Beef , Be e r , a n d On i o n St ew)
S E RVES 6
Top blade steaks ( also called blade or fatiron steaks)
are our frst choice, but any boneless roast fom the
chuck wlwork. If you end up using a chuck roast,
look for the chuck eye roast, an especially favorf
cut that can easily be trimmed and cut into l -inch
pieces. Buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes
make excellent accompaniments to carbonnade.
3 11 pounds top bl ade steaks, I i nch thick, tri mmed of
gristle and fat and cut i nto l -i nch pi eces
(see i l l ustrati ons I through 3 )
Tabl e salt and ground bl ack pepper
3 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
2 pounds yel l ow oni ons (about 3 medi um) , halved
and sl i ced about 1/ inch thi ck (about 8 cups)
tabl espoon tomato paste
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
3 tabl espoons al l - purpose fl our
' cup low-sodi um chi cken broth
'I cup low-sodi um beef broth
1 11 cups ( 1 2 -ounce bottle or can) beer
4 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twi ne
2 bay l eaves
tabl espoon ci der vi negar
l . Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position;
heat oven to 300 degrees. Dry beef thoroughly
with paper towels, then season generously with salt
and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large heavy
bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat
until beginning to smoke; add about one-third
of beef to pot. Cook without moving pieces until
well browned, 2 to 3 minutes; using tongs, turn
each piece and continue cooking until second side
is well browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer
browned beef to medium bowl. Repeat with addi
tional 2 teaspoons oil and half of remaining beef ( If
drippings in bottom of pot are very dark, add about
l cup of above-listed chicken or beef broth and
scrape pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen
browned bits; pour liquid into bowl with browned
beef, then proceed. ) Repeat once more with 2 tea
spoons oil and remaining beef
2. Add remaining l tablespoon oil to now
empty Dutch oven; reduce heat to medium-low.
Add onions, l/2 teaspoon salt, and tomato paste;
cook, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon
to loosen browned bits, until onions have released
some moisture, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to
medium and continue to cook, stirring occasion
ally, until onions are lightly browned, 12 to 1 4
minutes. Stir i n garlic and cook until fragrant,
about 30 seconds. Add four and stir until onions
are evenly coated and four is lightly browned,
about 2 minutes. Stir in broths, scraping pan bot
tom to loosen browned bits; stir in beer, thyme,
bay, vinegar, browned beef with any accumulated
juices, and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat
STE P- BY- STE P TRI MMI NG B LADE S TEAKS
I. Halve each steak l engthwi se,
l eavi ng gristle on one half.
2. Cut away gri stl e from half to
whi ch i t is sti l l attached.
r A s r 1 N L . Beer for Carbonnade
When making carbonnade, purists wi l l settle for nothi ng less than a trditional
copper-col ored Belgian al e with fruit, spic aromas and a pl easant hoppy bit
teress. But is it the only choi ce?
To fnd out. we pul l ed together ni ne diferent stles of beer, rnging from
a dark. ful l - bodi ed stout to a nonal cohol i c brew. We even i ncl uded Bud Ught
(afer al l , it was al ready i n the fridge) .
Afer a few hours in the oven, the flavors you taste straight from the
bottle are concentrated and easi ly recognized i n this stew. Our tasters pre
ferred beers that possessed pl ent of sweetness matched wi th moderte
bi tterness. Ught- bodi ed beer, l i ke Bud Ught, were noted for a mi l d sweet
ness but l acked the contrsti ng bitterness to make a bal anced. ful l -flavored
stew. On the other hand. brews with a high degree of bi tterness often di d
not have enough sweetness. Thi s was the case wi th Si err Nevada' s Pl e
Al e. whi ch came across as si ngul arly bi tter. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmith
TH E OTH E RS ( I N ORDE R OF P RE F E RE NCE )
3 . Cu t tri mmed meat crosswise
i nto l - i nch pi eces.
BE ST C HOI C E
Chi may Peres Trappi stes
Al e- Premi ere
$ 9. 49 for 2 5 . 4-ounce
bottle
The Bel gi ans have
had thi s right the whol e
ti me. Thi s tradi ti onal
Trppist al e was "ri ch and
robust" and brought out
a "ver deep flavor" wi th
a "dark chocolate fi ni sh. "
Newcastle Brown Al e, $7. 49 for si x-pack Thi s Engl i sh a l e was noted for i ts l ow sweetness a n d bi tterness,
whi ch al l owed for " l ots of malt" flavor.
O' Doul ' s Amber (Nonal cohol i c) , $4. 99 for si x-pack Thi s nonal cohol i c beer was the dark horse favorite.
A frui t sweetness brought out "ri ch beefi ness . "
Anchor Steam, $8. 69 for si x-pack " Grssy. barl ey" notes made a very " heart" stew, but t hi s beer pushed
the bi tter l i mi ts.
Samuel Adams Boston Lger, $7. 2 9 for six-pack " Bl ack pepper" and "sweet spi ces" domi nate thi s pre
mi um lager, al ternately descri bed as " burnt" or "mol asses-sweet. "
Gui nness Extra Stout, $7. 2 9 for si x-pack The archetpal stout bordered on bi tter and burnt, " but a high
degree of sweetness countered for a vi gorousl y flavored carbonnade.
Si erra Nevada Porter, $7. 99 for si x-pack Thi s beer l acked enough contrasti ng sweetness. Several tasters
l i kened thi s stew to "espresso. "
Bud Ught, $ 5 . 29 for si x-pack " Bori ng, " not bi tter. not sweet, and not ver flavorful . Stew was "fl at. "
Si err Nevada Pl e Al e, $7. 99 for si x-pack Thi s beer i s good straight from the bottl e but made a stew
that was bi tter" and "sour. "
t o medium-high and bring t o fl simmer, stir
ring occasionally; cover partially, then place pot
in oven. Cook until fork inserted into beef meets
little resistance, about 2 hours .
N O V EMB ER b DEC EMB ER 2 0 0 4
7
3. Discard thyme and bay. Adj ust seasonings
with salt and pepper to taste and serve. ( Can be
cooled and refrigerated in airtight container for
up to 4 days; reheat over medium-low heat. )
Rethinking Marinated Mushrooms
Do marinated mushrooms have to be sli my, watery, and , well , pretty much i ned i ble?
An unorthodox reci pe, whi ch starts on the stovetop,
yi el ds the best resul ts.
M
arinated mushrooms should taste
good. As a classic Italian anti
pasto, foraged wild mushrooms
are potent with earthy favor.
Blended with the right combination of bright
acidit, heady herbs, and the nap of a fne olive oil,
each bite packs a ptmch. But today most marinated
mushrooms have morphed into little more tl1an
white button mushrooms soaked in bottled Italian
dressing for days on end. The result is slimy, rub
bery, brown orbs-hardly the life of the party.
Be that as it may, marinated mushrooms are
still inexplicably popular (j ust try to fnd an hors
d'oeuvres tray without them) , and so it was time
to get to work. My goals were clear: I wanted to
get rid of that slippery, rubbery texture; I wanted
a balance of favor from oil and vinegar; and,
above all, I wanted to make the mushrooms taste
like mushrooms again.
Wild mushrooms aren't a produce-case regular,
so I tested what was readily available-nan1ely, por
tobellos, cremini ( baby portobellos ), and the ubiq
uitous white button. When al was said and done,
I had eliminated tl1e portobellos because of ieir
spongy texture. Cremini got tl1e thumbs up for
favor, but if I was going to be practical, ie recipe
could not ignore the white button mushroom.
Simply marinating raw mushrooms for any
length of time was a no- go-they ended up
slippery and slimy with no mushroom favor.
Boiling the mushrooms in a vinegar bath only
B Y B R I D G E T L A N C A S T E R E
compounded the probl em; these mushrooms
were not only slimy but tough, too. Poaching
the mushrooms in oil worked a bit better, but the
whole dish was watery and bland.
It was clear that I would have to t outside
the box, so I tried a few dry heat methods instead,
hoping the excess moisture would have a chance
to evaporate . Spread out on a sheet pan and
roasted in a hot oven, tl1e mushrooms expelled
their liquid and began to intensif in favor. But I
still felt tl1at the favor could be bigger.
And so I turned to my good old 12- inch skil
let. The mushrooms were crowded in the pan and
exuded a lot of liquid-so much so that I worred
tat this food wouldn't reduce sufciently, but I
was wrong. Wil the heat cranked up, ie liquid
reduced down tmtil it formed a potent glaze with
concentrated mushroom favor. And if that wasn' t
good enough, ie seven or so minutes that it took
to reduce the liquid produced a tender yet "al
dente" mushroom, with no slime in sight. How
easy could it get?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. These were sup
posed to be marinated mushrooms, not sauteed
mushrooms. I chose my base ingredients. Olive
oil was in for its favor, and it paid to use the good
stuff-the fruitier the better. Typically, recipes
call for white or red wine vinegar, but these
vinegars were too harsh, making the mushrooms
taste more pickled than marinated. Champagne,
balsamic, and rice vinegars fell to a similar fate,
but the fesh favor oflemon juice ft perfectly.
Simply soaking the sauteed mushrooms in the
vinaigrette wasn' t cutting it; days passed before
the mushrooms flly absorbed its favors . I went
back to my sauteing step and added a little lemon
j uice, which reduced nicely into the mushroom
glaze. What a difference! Now the mushrooms
started to take on a marinated favor in only min
utes instead of days . But if lemon juice was good,
how about additional ingredients like garlic or
onions or shallots? Yes and no. Yes, tasters liked
the shallots and garlic ( onions were deemed too
strong), along with the sweet favor fom a red
bell pepper, but sauteing the vegetables gave the
whole dish a dull , stewed favor.
I decided to add the vegetables to the cooled
mushrooms. I tossed tle whole lot together and
came back to taste an hour later. Not bad, but
two hours was better, three hours even better,
and four hours . . . well, you get the point; the
magic number turned out to be six. Thanks to the
lemon j uice, the bite from the raw shallots and
C O O K
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s ILLU S T R A T ED
8
garlic had mellowed and the favors permeated
the mushrooms. Al that was lef to do was to
add a fal shot of fesh lemon juice and olive oil
as well as a chopped herb to brighten the mush
rooms. I now had tender, balanced marinated
mushrooms with no slip and no slime, and they
actually ( gasp) tasted like mushrooms.
MARI NATED M USH ROOMS
MAKES ABOUT l '
/
1 CUPS
Skillet size limits the yield of this recipe; if you
would like to double it, cook the mushrooms in
two separate batches but marinate them together.
Thyme, parsley, or basil makes a good last-minute
addition-use only one, however, not all three.
3 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l , pl us
I tabl espoon for fi ni shi ng
1/s teaspoon red pepper fl akes
Tabl e sal t
pound cremi ni or whi te button mushrooms,
cl eaned, left whol e if smal l , halved if medi um,
quartered i f l arge
2 tabl espoons j uice from I l emon, pl us I tabl espoon
for fi ni shi ng
medi um garl i c cl ove, sl i ced very thi n
l arge shal l ot, chopped fi ne (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 smal l red bel l pepper, chopped fi ne
(about 1/4 cup)
teaspoon mi nced fresh thyme l eaves or
I tabl espoon chopped fresh parsl ey or basil leaves
Ground bl ack pepper
1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil, red pepper faes,
and lf teaspoon salt in 1 2-inch skillet over
medium- high heat until shimmering but not
smoking. Add mushrooms and 2 tablespoons
lemon j uice; cook, stirring fequenty, until mush
rooms release moisture, moisture evaporates, and
mushrooms have browned around edges, about
10 minutes. Spread mushrooms in single layer on
large plate or rimmed bakg sheet; cool to room
temperature, about 20 minutes. When cooled,
transfer mushrooms to medium bowl , leaving
behind any j uices . Stir garlic, shallot, and bell
pepper into mushrooms, cover wth plastic wap,
and refrigerate at least 6 or up to 24 hours.
2. Before serving, allow mushrooms to stand at
room temperature about 1 hour. Stir in remain
ing 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon
juice, and thyme and adjust seasonings with sat
and pepper just before serving.
The Last Word on Roast Turkey
Since we introduced the brined turkey in 1 993 , we have tested dozens of techniq ues
for producing the perfect Thanksgiving bird . Here' s what real ly work.
3 B Y R E B E C C A H AY S W I T H J O H N O L S O N A N D G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M ! T H E
I
n the test kitchen, we've been in pursuit
of perfect turkey recipes for more than a
decade. Countless birds have been oven
roasted, grill-roasted, and high-roasted, with
carefl evaluations of brining, a drying, basting,
and trussing along the way. This year, we revisited
our existing recipes to answer your questions and
summarize l l years of kitchen research.
What's the basic formul a for bri ni ng? Does it
change dependi ng on the size of the turkey?
A four-hour soak in a solution of l cup of table
salt per gallon of water does the job for moder
ately sized 1 5-pound turkeys, but we were curi
ous to see if the salt levels should be adjusted for
smaller and larger birds. We soaked lightweight,
middleweight, and heavyweight birds in brines
wth salt levels ranging fom l/2 cup to 4 cups and
then refigerated each bird for four hours. Afer
roasting the birds, we asked tasters to give us
their impressions of white and dark meat carved
fom each one. Apart fom a distaste for the meat
brined in the weakest and strongest solutions,
tasters found most permutations to be accept
able. In fact, afer several attempts, we found that
consensus was nearly impossible to come by; tast
ers just weren't very sensitive to minor variations
in salt levels. Even for a rather large or small bird,
then, our standard formula-! cup of table salt
per gallon of water-is j ust fne.
My schedul e woul d work better with an overnight
bri ne rather than a four-hour bri ne. What adjust
ments shoul d I make?
For an overnight brine, halve the salt-use l2
cup table salt per gallon of water.
I f a bi rd spends more or less ti me in the bri ne than
recommended, what wi l l happen?
We didn't fnd signifcant differences in birds
brined for an hour or two longer than our stan
dard four-hour or overnight brine; but if you go
much beyond that, the bird wl be too salty. And
if you brine a turkey for only two or three hours,
you won't get all the benefts of brining ( mois
ture retention, thoroughly seasoned meat, and a
COOK'S EXTRA gives you free recipes onli ne.
To get our recipe for Stuffed Roast Turkey, go to
ww.cooksillustrated. com and key in code 6042.
This reci pe will be available until December I S , 2004.
The perfect hol i day bi rd-with cri sp ski n and tender, j ui cy meat-i s possi bl e, if you fol l ow our fool proof game pl an.
better ability to wthstand hot oven temperatures,
which is essential for crisp skin) .
I prefer t o use kosher sal t, not tabl e sal t, when
bri ni ng. How do I adjust the reci pe?
Because kosher salt is l ess dense than table salt
and one brand of kosher salt is even less dense
than the other, our standard formula must be
adj usted. Substitute 2 cups of Diamond Crystal
Kosher Salt or l l/2 cups of Morton Kosher Salt
for 1 cup of table salt.
How does kosheri ng difer from bri ni ng?
Though their purposes are quite different,
koshering and brining have similar effects on tur
key meat. We brining consists of a single soak
in salt water, the koshering process involves sev
eral steps . The turkey is frst soaked in water for
one-halfhour. Then it is heavily salted and placed
on an incline for about an hour to encourage the
removal of blood. Finally, tl1e bird is showered
with fnal rinses of cold water. Because both
koshering and brining encourage the absorption
of water and salt, we do not recommend brining
a bird that has been koshered.
N O V EMB ER 6 DEC EMB ER 2 0 0 4
9
Why do I someti mes see a "fresh" turkey bei ng sold
in a freezer case at the market?
According to the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, poultry that has never been stored
below 26 degrees Fahrenheit can be labeled
"fresh. " While this temperature i s below the
freezing point of water ( 32 degrees ) , it is not
cold enough to feeze enough of the water in
the bird for it to qualif for the USDA's defni
tion of "fozen. " The USDA considers poultry
that is "still pliable and yields to the thumb
when pressed [ to be] consistent with consumer
expectations of 'fesh' poultry. Any turkey that
has fallen below 26 degrees should be stored at
or below 0 degrees and must be labeled "fozen"
or "previously frozen. "
How much sal t i s i n kosher and naturl bi rds? What
woul d happen if I bri ned a self- basti ng bi rd?
We get a l ot of questions about salt concen
trations in treated birds. We sent a skinless breast
from each of fve turkeys ( see the list on page
1 0) to our lab for sodium analysis. Note that 1
percent sodium by weight translates to about 1 . 9
teaspoons table salt in every pound of turkey.
P b M L . What' s i n a Name?
What i s the diference beteen basted, kosher, and
naturl turkeys, and whi ch tastes best?
Self-basting, kosher, and naturl turkeys are the tpes
most often avai l abl e to consumer. Trditional ly processed
frozen turkey i s l abel ed " basted" or "self- basti ng. " Thi s
means that it has been i njected wi th a sol ution i ntended to
make i t more favorful and tender. The components of thi s
sol uti on. whi ch var from company to company. are listed
on the labels of these turkeys. Expect to see ingredi ents
as i nnocent as turkey broth and as dubi ous as emulsifier
and artifcial flavor. Whi l e taster l i ked the texture and
extreme jui ci ness of these bi rds. they al so noted many of
and unnaturl favor.
Kosher turkeys are processed mostly by hand and
accordi ng to kosher law. (See the question on kosheri ng
verus bri ni ng on page 9. ) Tasters generl ly preferred the
j ui ci ness of a bri ned, natural bi rd to the dri er texture of a
kosher turkey.
" Naturl " turkeys are untreated fresh turkeys. Thi s broad
categor i ncl udes free- rnge bi rds rised on smal l orani c
fars as wel l as bi rds ri sed for lare commerci al enter
prises that are neither orani c nor free- rnge. We tasted
to "naturl " bi rds: a Butterball Frsh Young Turkey and a
Plainvi l l e Frms Young Turkey, a regionally avai l abl e "vegie
grown" bi rd. We bri ned these turkeys to level the play
i ng field with the koshered and injected bi rds. Whi l e the
Butterbal l had a j uicy texture, its favor paled next to that
of the Plai nvi l l e Frms turkey. (A Plai nvi l l e Frms turkey that
ws not brined, however, was
ver bl and. Lcal ly grown, "al l
naturl " turkey al most always
need the moi sture that bri ni ng
provi des. )
Local , ' Natural , '
and Fresh
Pl a i n vi l l e Fa r ms
For perfectly seasoned meat
with " honest and real " flavor,
choose a fresh turkey from a
small regional producer and
brine it yourself.
Nati onwi de, ' Natural , '
and Fresh
But t er b a l l F re s h
These mass-produced turkeys
are nati onal ly avai l abl e, but they
lack flavor-be sure to bri ne
them.
Kosher
E mp i re Kos h e r
Hand-processing often leaves
these salt-treated bi rds with a
good number of feathers sti l l
attached. They taste great with
out bri ni ng.
' Basted' and Frozen
Bu tte r ba l l Froze n
Never brine this "mi l d and bor
ing" bi rd, whi ch has already been
injected wi th salt.
Readyi the Bi rd: Ai r Dri
You someti mes recommend ai r dri ng. I s
i t necessary?

I f you have the ti me and refrigertor space,
air dryi ng produces extremely crisp ski n and is
worth the efor. Ater bri ni ng, ri nsi ng, and pat
ti ng the turkey dr, place the turkey breast-si de
up on a fat wi re rck set over a ri mmed baking
sheet and refrigerte, uncovered, 8 to 24 hour.
Proceed wi th the reci pe.
Do I have to truss the bi rd?

Trussing with kitchen ti ne i s done to keep
the l egs of the turkey from spl ayi ng duri ng
cooki ng. We recommend an easi er approach,
pi ctured at right.
TO AI R D RY: Place the bri ned and ri nsed bi rd on a rck set
over a ri mmed baki ng sheet and refrigerte for at l east 8 hour.
N O- F USS TRUS S : Don' t bother wi th compl i cated trussi ng.
I nstead, secure the legs by tucki ng the ankl es of the bi rd i nto the
pocket of skin at the tai l end. Tuck the wi ngs behi nd the bi rd.
Fresh turkey bri ned for 4 hours ( I cup of tabl e sal t per
gal l on of water): 0. 22 percent sodi um by weight
Fresh turkey bri ned for 1 2 hours ( '1 cup of tabl e salt
per gal l on of water) : 0. 2 1 percent sodi um by weight
Unbrned self-basting frzen turey: 0.27 perent sodi um
by weight
Bri ned self-basting frzen turkey: 0. 34 perent sodi um
by weight
Frozen kosher turkey: 0. 1 6 percent sodi um by weight
The short answer to your question? Don't brine a
self- basting turkey; it will be unpalatably salty.
On Thanksgivi ng, my refrigerator i s packed. I s
there a way to bri ne outsi de the refrigerator?

A large, foodsafe container ( such as a cooler)

can be used to hold the turkey if the refrigerator is
not an option. It is important to thoroughly clean
and sanitize the container before and afer use.
Because the container is not going to be stored in
the refrigerator, you must add a suffcient num
ber of ice packs or bags of ice to maintain a tem
perature below 40 degrees . Choose a container
that' s large enough to keep the bird completely
submerged.
What' s your stance on stuffi ng?

Most of the time, we roast w1stuffed birds.
Cooking the stuffng in a stuffed bird to a safe
internal temperature takes quite a while and usu
ally results in overcooked meat. If it wouldn't be
Thanksgiving without a stuffed turkey on your
table, you can reduce the roasting tie ( and the
risk of dry turkey) by heating the stuffng before
spooning it into the cavity of the turkey. Heat the
stuffng in the microwave on high power untl
very hot ( 1 20 to 1 30 degrees), or 6 to 8 minutes.
See Cook's Extra on page 9 for our stuffed roast
turkey recipe.
I don' t have a roasti ng rack. What shoul d I do?
A V-rack is important for two reasons. First,
the rack holds the turkey in position during
roasting and keeps it from rolling to one side or
C OOK
'
S I L L U S T R A T ED
1 0
the other. Second, it elevates the meat above the
roasting pan, allowing air to circulate and pro
moting even cooking and browning. If you don't
own a V-rack, cooking grates from a gas stove
can be used to create a makeshif roasting rack.
Wrap two stove grates with aluminum foil and
then use a paring knife or skewer to poke holes in
the foil so that j uices can drip down into the pan
as the bird roasts. Place the grates in the roasting
pan, leaning them against the sides of the pan so
that the bottoms of the grates meet to create a V
shape. Roast the turkey as usual .
Do I real ly have to tum the bi rd duri ng roasti ng?

Repeatedly rotating a hot turkey during the
frenzied preparation of a holiday meal is trouble
some at best and ultimately not worth it, we
decided, for the minimal extra browning pro
vided. Still, one fip protects the delicate breast
meat during the frst half of the cooking time and
results in meat that is more moist-and that is
worth the bother.
T E C H N I Q U E
FLI PPI NG THE TURKEY
With a towel o r pothol der i n each hand, grsp the
turkey and fip i t over, pl aci ng i t breast-si de up on
the rck. Take care to protect your hands from hot
j ui ces that wi l l run out of the turkey.
T E C H N I Q U E
TAKI NG THE TE MPE RATURE
To take the temperture of the thigh: Use an
instant-read thermometer, i nserted i nto the thi ck
est part of the thigh away from the bone, to deter
mi ne when the l eg meat i s done.
To take the temperature of the breast: I nsert
the thermometer at the neck end, hol di ng i t parl
l el to the bi rd. Confirm the temperture by i nsert
i ng the thermometer i n both sides of the bi rd.
Do I have to baste the bi rd?
Yes, but only at the outset. Brushing the
turkey with butter before roasting is very little
extra work, contributes to browning, and adds
a mild buttery favor. Conversely, basting during
roasting is an unnecessary extra step. As a matter
of fact, basting in the last hour of roasting can
actually turn crisp turkey skin sof.
How do I know when the turkey i s done?
Getting an accurate temperature reading on
a turkey can be a challenge. In several instances,
we recorded temperatures that varied by as much
as 20 degrees when taken in the same spot on
the same bird at 1 0-second intervals. To reduce
the margin of error as much as possible, follow
the procedures illustrated above when taking the
temperature of the bird. Roast the turkey until
the legs move feely and the thickest part of the
breast registers 1 65 degrees and the thickest part
of the thigh registers 1 70 to 1 75 degrees on an
instant-read thermometer.
Thi r mi nutes seems l i ke a l ong ti me to rest the
turkey afer roasti ng. I s i t real ly necessary?
Yes. Resting allows for the redistribution and
reabsorption of the j uices in the meat. This makes
for ultramoist, favorfl meat while also giving the
bird a chance to cool for easier carving. Skp this
step and you'll botl1 burn yourself and end up
with a food of juices on your carving board, not
to mention dry turkey. To get an idea of how
much j uice is lost by slicing the meat too soon,
we roasted six skin-on turkey breasts and weighed
them. We sliced three straight from the oven and
waited 30 minutes to slice tle otl1ers. On average,
we found that the rested turkeys weighed 2 to 3
percent more than tl1e unrested turkeys, which
translates to a great deal of j uice saved. Plan on a
30- minute rest for most birds and up to 40 min
utes for very large birds.
tips of drumsticks into skin at tail to secure (see
photo on page 1 0) ; tuck wing tips behind back.
Brush turkey breast with 2 tablespoons butter. Set
turkey breast-side down on prepared V-rack; brush
back with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Roast
45 minutes for 12- to 1 8-pound bird or l hour for
18- to 22-pow1d bird.
4. Remove roasting pan with turkey fom oven
( close oven door to retain oven heat) ; reduce oven
temperature to 325 degrees if roasting 1 8- to 22-
pound bird. Using clean potholders or kitchen
towels, rotate turkey breast- side up; continue to
roast until thickest part of breast registers 165
degrees and thickest part of thigh registers 170
to 1 75 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 50
to 60 minutes longer for 12- to 1 5-pound bird,
about l hours for 1 5 - to 1 8-pound bird, or
about 2 hours longer for 1 8- to 22-pound bird.
Transfer turkey to carving board; let rest 30 min
utes (or up to 40 minutes for 1 8- to 22-pound
bird) . Carve and serve.
ROASTE D BRI NE D TU RKEY
S E RVES | UTO 2 2 , DE P E NDI NG ON TU RKEY SI ZE
We offer two brine formul as : one for a 4- to
6- hour brine and another for a 1 2- to 14- hour
brine. The amount of salt used in each brine does
not change with turkey size. If you're roasting
a kosher or self- basting turkey, do not brine it;
it already contains a good amount of
sodium.
Rotating the bird fom a breast- side
down position to a breast-side up posi
tion midway through cooking helps
to produce evenly cooked dark and
white meat. If you' re roasting a large
( 1 8- to 22-pow1d) bird and are reluc
tant to rotate it, skip the step of lining
the V-rack with foil and roast the bird
breast-side up for the fll time. If mak
ing gravy, scatter l cup each of coarsely
chopped onion, celery, and carrot as well
as several fresh thyme sprigs in the roast
ing pan at the outset; add l cup water to
keep the vegetables from burning.
Tabl e sal t
turkey ( 1 2-22 pounds gross wei ght) ,
ri nsed thoroughly, gi bl ets and neck
reserved for gravy, if maki ng
(see page 1 6)
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, mel ted
l . Dissolve l cup salt per gallon cold
water for 4- to 6-hour brine or cup salt
per gallon cold water for 12- to 14-hour
brine ( see chart at right) in large stockpot
or clean bucket. Add turkey and refiger
ate for predetermined an1otmt of time.
2. Before removing turkey fom brine,
adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat
oven to 400 degrees for 1 2- to I S
pound bird or 425 degrees for 1 8- to
22-pound bird. Line large V-rack witl1
heavy-duty foil and use paring knife or
skewer to poke 20 to 30 holes in foil; set
V-rack in large roasting pan.
3. Remove turkey fom brine and rinse
well under cool running water. Pat dry
inside and out wtl paper towels. Tuck
N O V EMB ER [ DEC EMB ER 2 0 0 4
I I
Al l - Purpose Gui de to Roasti ng Turkey
Bri ni ng
Use the bri ni ng formul as bel ow no matter the size of your turkey.
Two gal l ons of water wi l l be sufci ent for most bi rds; larer bi rds
may requi re three gal l ons. See page 9 for i nformati on on substitut
i ng kosher sal t for tabl e sal t.
QUICK Bri ne OVERNIGHT Brine
TABLE SALT I cup '12 cup
per gal l on water
REFRI GERATI ON 4 t o 6 hours 1 2 hours or overnight,
TI ME
not to exceed 1 4 hour
Servi ng Sizes, Roasti ng Temperatures. and Roasti ng Ti mes
Use the ti mes bel ow as gui del i nes; gauge doneness according to
i nternal tempertures. Roast the turkey unti l the legs move freely
and the thi ckest par of the breast register 1 65 degrees and the
thi ckest part of the thigh register 1 70 to 1 7 5 degrees on an instnt
read thermometer.
I f cooki ng an 1 8- to 22-pound bi rd. you may choose not to
rotate the bi rd; in that case. roast i t breast-si de up for the enti re
cooki ng ti me.
1 2- 1 5 1 b 1 5- 1 8 1 b 1 8-22 1 b
NUMBER OF
1 0- 1 2 1 4- 1 6 20-22
SERVI NGS
OVEN
425" , reduce
400" 400" to 325" after
TEMPERATURE
I hr
BREAST- SI DE DOWN
45 mi n 45 mi n I hr
ROASTI NG TI ME
BREAST- S I DE UP
50-60 mi n I hr. 1 5 mi n 2 hr
ROASTI NG TI ME
RESTI NG
30 mi n 30 mi n 3 5-40 mi n
TI ME
Smashed Potatoes
When there' s no gravy an d the potatoes have to stand on their own , lots of
home cooks 'smash ' them. But good smashed potatoes are hard to fi n d .
S
ilky smooth mashed potatoes are
at their best when topped with a
rich holiday gravy or when napped
with a highly seasoned pan sauce.
Either way, it's a partnership, a question of
the whole being greater than the sum of
its parts. But there are times when there
is no gravy to be had, and that' s when
smashed potatoes are j ust the thing. Their
bold favors and rustic, chunk texrure give
them the brawn to stand on their own,
whether served with a grilled steak or a
roast chicken.
Unfortunately, most recipes for this dish
are plagued by a multitude of variations and
refnements. Rng the gamut from lean
and mean to dangerously close to mashed
( no skin, no texture, no oomph) , smashed
potatoes suffer from an identity crisis . I
wanted chunks of potato textured with
skins and bound by rich, creamy puree.
Sturdy and robust, these were going to be
potatoes worth fghting for.
3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
name, grabbed a plain old wooden spoon,
and began smashing each potato with the
back of it. If they were cooked j ust right,
they burst apart, splitting the skins when
they broke. This was even easier once te
potatoes had dried for a few minutes so that
their skins were no longer slippery. Then,
making the spoon serve double duty, I used
it to stir in the remaining ingredients . In
fact, this technique was so simple that it
even worked with a stiff rubber spatula, a
better tool for folding in ingredients.
Unl i kel y Secrets of Success
Choosing, Cooki ng, Smashi ng
The only thing I was absolutely sure of was
that I wanted the skins on. Aer all, these
are supposed to be gutsy spuds, not white
tablecloth social climbers.
An unusual i ngredi ent gives smashed red potatoes j ust the ri ght tang
and texture.
With my key ingredient and basic technique
settled, I turned to the other component
that would make these potatoes really
stand out: the dairy. Using only butter
and half- and-half with the mildly favored
Red Bliss resulted in fat-tasting smashed
potatoes. To boost the favor I tried sour
cream, trusted partner of the baked potato.
Sour cream alone didn't give the potatoes
enough body, so I tried supplementing it
with both half- and-half and heavy cream.
Both of these additions served only to
Using the test kitchen' s standard add-ins
melted butter and half-and-half-I smashed my
way through fve different varieties of potato:
russet, all -purpose, Yukon Gold, medium-size
Rd Bliss, and tiny new potatoes (with red skins) .
The russets and all-purpose potatoes had strong
potato favor, but their dry texture caused them
to crumble quickly when smashed, and their skins
were too thick and tough against the sof, mealy
fesh. The texture of the butter-colored Yukon
Golds was slightly frmer, but these potatoes were
still fuff enough to break down. The two red
varieties fared much better; their compact struc
ture held up well under pressure, maintaining its
integrit. The t skins were pleasantly tender
and paired nicely with the chunky potatoes .
Clearly, this dish was meant for moist, low-starch
potatoes. But because the tiny new potatoes had
too high a ratio of skin to fesh, the medium-size
Red Bliss won out.
I cooked the Red Bliss both whole and cut
into l -inch chunks ( each time starting them in
cold water for best texture) . Even though cut
ting the potatoes reduced the cooking te, the
end result was leaden, sogg smashed potatoes
with diluted potato favor. Cooked whole, the
potatoes retained their naturally creamy texture,
as less potato surface was exposed to the water. I
cooked the unpeeled potatoes in plain water, in
salted water, in milk, and in stock. The latter two
seemed wastefl, as neither did much to improve
tl1e favor, and the salted water outdid the plain
water, penetrating the skins and heightening the
potato favor. Next I added garlic and herbs ( fesh
rosemary and thyme, dried bay leaves ) to the
cooking water. Even though I wanted an asser
tive dish, the garlic favor was just too strong; it
was reserved for a recipe variation. Of the herbs,
the bay leaf imparted the most complementary
favor, adding depth.
Wile a potato masher and fork are good tools
for making chunky mashed potatoes, they took
the smashed potatoes a little too far, smoothing
out the rough, uneven chunks of potato that
defne this dish. I took a cue from the recipe
C O OK
'
S ILLU S T R A T ED
1 2
dull the acidit of the sour cream-which
I liked. I turned to tangier products such
as yogurt and buttermilk. Aer making batches
of sour, watery potatoes, I realized this was the
wrong approach. I needed somethng tangy yet
creamy that would bind the potatoes in terms of
both favor and texture. A fellow test cook sug
gested the rather unconventional cream cheese.
Surprisingly, 11 cup of cream cheese-and no
sour cream-gave these savory potatoes just
the right touch of tang and creaminess. Al they
needed now was some butter to add richness,
and 4 tablespoons was just the right amount for a
deeper favor without greasiness.
Then, as happens ofen in recipe development,
I was confronted with a last- minute surprise.
Aer my sensational smashed potatoes sat in the
pot for a few minutes, their luscious texture went
from creamy and smooth to dry and unpalat
able. The potatoes had quickly absorbed what
little moisture the butter and cream cheese had
to offer. Not wanting to make the potatoes any
richer, I tried a little milk and then chicken broth
to moisten the potatoes . Both improved the
texture, but they also diluted the potato favor.
TE C H N I Q U E MAKI NG S MAS HE D P OTATOE S
I . For the best favor and texture. 2. Whi l e the potatoes are dri ng. whi sk
together the cream cheese and butter.
3 . When smashi ng the potatoes, use 4. Fol d the cream cheese mixture
boil whol e, ski n-on potatoes. Leave a
measuring cup nearby as a remi nder to
resere some cooking l i qui d.
a spatul a or l are wooden spoon ; both
work better than a potato masher or fork.
Smash j ust unti l the ski ns are broken.
i nto the potatoes gently, addi ng more
resered cooki ng l i qui d i f the potatoes
l ook dr.
Then I thought of a technique the test kitchen
favors when making thick pasta sauces: Some of
the water used to cook the pasta is reserved, and,
if the sauce becomes too thick, the pasta water is
added until the desired consistency is achieved.
I applied this concept to my thick smashed
potatoes, using the potato cooking water ( nicely
seasoned with salt and bay leaf and thickened with
potato starch) . I started with l4 cup and added
more as needed until I had a unifed and creamy
consistency. Just thick enough to be scooped up
with a fork, these potatoes were thinner in terms
of texture but not favor.
In our standard mashed potato recipe, we found
it important to add the melted butter before the
half-and-half ( the butter coats the potatoes' starch
molecules with fat, which keeps them fom soak
ing up too much liquid fom the half-and-half and
turning leaden). I wondered if the order in which
I added the cream cheese, butter, and cooking
water to the smashed potatoes would make a
df erence. In fact, I found that in adding each
ingredient separately I overworked the potatoes,
making them gluey and dense. It was better to
m them together frst and then gently fold them
into the smashed potatoes all at once.
To fnish seasoning the potatoes, I added
a little more salt and a dash of freshly ground
black pepper. Tasters thought something green
and fesh would be nice, so I tried parsley, scal
dinner. In fact, they're so tasty, I might even serve
them as the main course.
SMAS HE D POTATOE S
S E RVES 4 T O 6
Wite potatoes can be used instead of Red Bliss,
but their skins lack the rosy color of Red Bliss
skins . Try to get potatoes of equal size; if that' s
not possible, test the larger potatoes for done
ness. If only larger potatoes are available, increase
the cooking rime by about 10 minutes. Check for
doneness with a paring knfe.
2 pounds Red Bl i ss potatoes (about 2 i nches i n
di ameter) , unpeel ed and scrubbed
Tabl e sal t
bay leaf
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, mel ted and warm
11 cup cream cheese ( 4 ounces) , room temperature
Ground bl ack pepper
3 tabl espoons chopped fresh chives (opti onal )
1. Place potatoes in large saucepan and cover
with 1 inch cold water; add 1 teaspoon salt and
bay leaf. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce
heat to medium-low and simmer gently until par
ing knife can be inserted into potatoes with no
resistance, 35 to 45 minutes. Rserve l cup cook
ing water, then drain potatoes. Return potatoes to
lions, and chives. The parsley was
a bit dull and the scallions were Two Styl es of Potatoes

too oniony, but the sprg of
chopped fresh chives brightened
the favor just enough.
Finally, I had rediscovered the
self-suffcient alternative to those
needy mashed potatoes . Cream
cheese and a lttle added cooking
water, paired with the right kind of
potato, were the secrets to smashed
potatoes wth big favor and creamy
texture. This quick, no-fss side
dish would complement any casual
MAS HE D POTATOES S MAS HE D POTATOES
The extra effort of a food mi l l or ri cer i s needed t o achi eve t he soft,
creamy texture that i s characteri sti c of mashed potatoes. More rus
ti c i n appearance but qui ck and easy to prepare, smashed potatoes
are perect for a weekni ght supper.
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
1 3
pot, dscard bay, and allow potatoes to stand in pot,
uncovered, untl surfaces are dry about 5 minutes.
2. Wile potatoes dry, whisk melted butter
and sofened cream cheese in medium bowl untl
smooth and flly incorporated. Add V4 cup of
reserved cooking water, l teaspoon pepper, chives
( if using), and teaspoon salt. Using rubber spat
ula or back of wooden spoon, smash potatoes just
enough to break skins. Fold in butter/cream cheese
mixture until most of liquid has been absorbed and
chunks of potatoes remain. Add more cooking
water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, untl pota
toes are slightly looser than desired (potatoes wl
thicken slightly with standing). Adjust seasonings
with salt and pepper; serve immediately.
SMAS HED POTATOES WI TH BACON AND PARSLEY
Halve 6 slices bacon lengthwise, then cut cross
wise into V4-inch pieces. Fry bacon in medium
skillet over medium heat until crisp and browned,
about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer
bacon to paper towel-lined plate; reserve 1
tablespoon bacon fat. Follow recipe for Smashed
Potatoes, substituting 1 tablespoon bacon fat for
equal amount butter, substituting 2 tablespoons
chopped fresh parsley for chives, and reducing
salt added to cream cheese mixture to V4 tea
spoon. Sprinkle individual servings with portion
of fried bacon.
GARLI C - ROS E MARY SMAS HE D POTATOES
Heat 4 tablespoons butter i n small skillet over
medium heat; when foaming subsides, add
V2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary and 1
medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through
garlic press. Cook until j ust fagrant, about 30 sec
onds; set skillet aside. Follow recipe for Smashed
Potatoes, adding 2 medium peeled garlic cloves to
potatoes in saucepan along with salt and bay; sub
stitute butter/garlic mixture for melted butter,
add whole cooked garlic cloves to cream cheese
along with butter mixture, and omit chives.
Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin
How could we ad d flavor an d j uici ness to thi s l ean , dry, often overcooked cut of meat?
G
ive me slices of moist, rich
pork roast any day. But pork
tenderloin, well, I can take it
or leave it. Partly because this
incredibly lean cut dries out so quickly,
but mostly because it's so darn favor
less, I' m not inclined to give this piece
of pork a second chance. But even I
have to admit that the tenderloin has its
advantages. This boneless roast is easy to
prepare, and it cooks very quickly.
Over the years, the test kitchen has
found that pork tenderloin is especially
suited to the grill: A hot charcoal fre
adds favor. Unfortunately, grilled pork
tenderloin doesn't translate well to the
kitchen oven. Not willing to suffer
through a supper of mediocre pork ( or
to grill in a parka) , I set out to discover
an indoor cooking method that would
equal the grill.
Cooking Chal l enge
: B Y B R I D G E T L A N C A S T E R E
are soaked in a salt and water solution
( sometimes forted with a little sugar),
yielded similarly disappointng results.
I decided to try dry rubs with
various combinatons of salt and spices.
Sometimes the best soluton is the sim
plest; in the end, a healthy dose of salt
and pepper did the trick. When I had
time, I found that letting the salt and
pepper sit on the pork for just 1 5 to 30
minutes allowed the seasonings to per
meate the meat.
Figurig that oven temperature was the
key to success, I started out with a mod
erate oven ( 375 degrees) and worked my
way up (475 degrees) and down ( 250
Searing on the stovetop guarantees browni ng. and removi ng the si l ver ski n
keeps the roasts from bowi ng.
Gazing into the bottom of my dirtied
skillet, I realized that a pan sauce was a
natural . While the seared and roasted
tenderloins were resting before being
carved, I began to build the sauce. Aer
twce burning my hand on the hot-fom
the-oven skilet hande, I opted for a safer
technique, transferring the seared tender
loins to a sheet pan to fnish in the oven.
This technique also came with a great
beneft. In the 1 0 or so minutes that tle
tenderloins spent in the oven, I had tme
to reduce vinegar or wine down to a glaze
or to celize onions and galic in the
empty pan. Wle the tenderloins rested,
degrees) the temperature scale. Unfortunately,
none of these temperatures was a winner. Cooler
ovens produced evenly cooked tenderloins, but
they had a pallid, spongy appearance. Confdent
that a blast of intense heat would give me the
seared, crusted exterior I was looking for, I placed
the tenderloins inside the oven, closed the door,
and waited expectantly. I got color, but it was
spotty at best. Even worse, these boneless tender
loins had become as dry as a bone.
Having been let down by the oven, I thought
I would try the stovetop. I seared whole tender
loins and was heartened by the brilliant crust tl1at
formed on the exterior of the pork. But when I
cut into the meat, it was nearly raw.
Wanting to retain the crust and cook the meat
through to the center, I tried another approach.
This time I started the tenderloins over a high
fame, turning them until evenly browned, then
placed the lid on the pan, lowered the fame to
almost nil , and hoped that the ambient heat
would cook the pork through. A few minutes
later, I pulled the tenderloins out of the pan. The
tenderloins had steamed in the covered pan. The
crust was gone, and the meat was spongy.
A marriage of searing and roasting has worked
well for me i the past (it's the best way to cook up
a thick pork chop), and it was clearly tme to revisit
this method. I heated up a little oil in my skillet,
cooked tle tenderloins to golden perfection, then
sld the pan into a 475-degree oven to fish cook
ing. Not bad. This time the tenderloins came out
of the oven deeply colored and evenly cooked, but
the meat was on the dry side. I tried lowering the
oven in a seres oftests ut it hit 400 degrees. The
meat was still deeply colored but less dry. Tests sub
sequently revealed that it was best to take the pork
out of the oven when the internal temperature was
between 135 and 140 degrees. Aer a 10- minute
rest, the temperature climbed to between 145 and
1 50, and the meat retained lots of juices. (Note that
the U. S. Department of Agriculture suggests a fal
temperature of 160 degrees. The choice is yours,
but we fnd 1 60-degree pork to be unpalatable. )
Fl avor Boosti ng
Although tl1e golden crust now contributed favor,
I wanted more. My frst thought was marinating.
Marinated tenderloins turned wet and spongy, and
afer a few minutes in a hot skillet tley were swm
ming in a pool of juice, which prevented brown
ing. Brining, a metl1od in which lean cuts of meat
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 4
I fnished the sauce wit fesh herbs or mustard and
swirled i butter as well. Now I had a richly favored
sauce ft to accompany my golden-crusted, juicy
pork tenderloins, and all in less than 30 minutes.
PAN- S EARED OVE N - ROASTED
PORK TE NDE RLOI NS
S E RVES 4
"Enhanced" pork-pork that has been injected
with water, salt, and sodium phosphate-does
not brown well owing to the extra moisture.
We prefer natural pork tenderloins that have not
been injected. Because two are cooked at once,
tenderloins larger than 1 pound apiece will not ft
comfortably in a 1 2-inch skillet. Time permitting,
season the tenderloins up to 30 minutes before
cooking; the seasonings wll better penetrate the
meat. The recipe wll work in a nonstick or a tra
ditional ( not nonstick) skillet. A pan sauce can be
made wilie the tenderloins rest ( recipes follow) ;
COOK' S EXTRA gives y ou free reci pes onl ine . For to
pork tenderloin variations. go to ww .cooksill ustrted.com
and key in code 6043 . These reci pes will be availabl e
unti l December 1 5. 2004.
if you intend to make a sauce, make sure to pre
pare al of the sauce ingredients before cooking
the pork.
2 por tenderoins ( 1 2 to 1 6 ounces each} , trimmed
of fat and si lver skin
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher sal t
% teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
1 . Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat
oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle tenderloins evenly
with salt and pepper; rub seasoning into meat.
Heat oil in 1 2-inch skillet over medium- high heat
until smoking. Place both tenderloins in skillet;
cook until well browned, 1 to 1 l2 minutes. Using
tongs, rotate tenderloins l4 turn; cook until well
browned, 45 to 60 seconds . Repeat until all sides
are browned. Transfer tenderloins to rimmed
baking sheet and place in oven ( reserve skillet if
making pan sauce) ; roast until internal tempera
ture registers 1 35 to 140 degrees on instant-read
thermometer, 1 0 to 1 6 minutes. ( Begin pan
sauce, if making, while meat roasts . )
2. Transfer tenderloins to cutting board and
tent loosely with foil ( continue with pan sauce, if
making) ; let rest until internal temperature reg
isters 145 to 1 50 degrees, 8 to 10 minutes. Cut
tenderloins crosswise into 11-inch-thick slices,
arrange on platter or individual plates, and spoon
sauce ( if using) over; serve immediately.
DRI E D CHE RRY-PORT SAUCE WI TH
ONI ONS AND MARMALADE
MAKES E NOUGH TO SAUCE 2 TENDERlOI NS
teaspoon vegetabl e oi l
large oni on, halved and sl i ced 1 1 i nch thi ck
(about 1 11 cups)
3/4 cup port
3/4 cup dri ed cherries
2 tabl espoons orange marmal ade
3 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, cut i nto 3 pi eces
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
1 . Immediately afer placing pork in oven, add
oil to still-hot skillet, swrl to coat, and set skillet
over medium- high heat; add onion and cook,
stirring frequently, until sofened and browned
about the edges, 5 to 7 minutes ( if drippings are
browning too quickly, add 2 tablespoons water
and scrape up browned bits with wooden spoon) .
Set skillet aside off heat.
2. While pork is resting, set skillet over
medium- high heat and add port and cherries;
simmer, scraping up browned bits wth wooden
spoon, until mixture is slightly thickened, 4 to 6
minutes. Add any accumulated pork juices and
continue to simmer until thickened and reduced
to about 1 cup, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Off heat,
whsk in orange marmalade and butter, one piece
at a time. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
r E s r 1 N L E Q u 1 P M E N r : Cel ebri t Ski l l ets
Chefs are putti ng thei r names on much more than restaurants. We purchased six
l are ski l l ets. each embl azoned with the name of a tel evi si on cooki ng personal it.
Al l of these pans are relatively afordabl e, but woul d thei r performance be worthy
of the famous names on the handl e?
We prepared our pan-seared pori tenderl oi ns (to j udge browni ng and fond
devel opment) . cooked oni ons (to check saute speed) . and made crepes (to gauge
uniformit of heat trnsfer) in each ski l l et. A a basis of comparison, we rn the
same tests in our favorite trdi ti onal and nonsti ck ski l l ets, both made by Al l -Cl ad.
T- Fl ' s Jami e Ol iver l i ne and Wolfgang Puck's own Bistro l i ne frm the Home
Shoppi ng Netork ar good choi ces whose results approached Al -Clad' s i n ever
test, but even these wi nni ng pans possess design faws that keep them out of Al -Clad' s
league. Meanwhi l e, both Emeri lwar pans del iverd only adequate rsults, and Marha
Stewr's Everday Ski l l et del ivered unacceptble results. -Garh Cl i ngingsmith
RE COMME N D E D
Jami e Ol iverT-Fl Prfessional Series 1 2 'h'' Stai nless Steel Saute Pn, $ 59. 99
Exceptional heat retenti on and brwni ng can be attributed to this nonstick
pan' s excessive weight. At 4 pounds and 6 ounces, i t' s more than a pound heavier
than our favorite Al l - Clad ski l l et and provides an unwel come kitchen workout.
Wolfgang Puck Bi stro 1 2 " Open Omel et Pn, $ 26. 5 0
Excel l ent browni ng and superi or fond a t a barai n pri ce. However, when
heati ng up and cool i ng down , thi s pan mysteri ousl y snaps and pops. On gas
burners, the handl e heats up enough to requi re pothol ders.
Wolfgang Puck Bi stro 1 2" Nonsti ck Omel et Pn, $2 9. 90
Moderate saute speed was comfortabl e and perfectly even. Ni ce pri ce, but
thi s pan has the same probl ems as i ts trdi ti onal ( not nonsti ck) counterpart.
RE CO MME NDE D WI TH RES E RVATI ONS
Emeri lware I 2 " Frypan, $ 6 9 . 9 9
Thi s nonsti ck, hard-anodized al umi num pan was a mi ddl e- of-the- pack
performer that del ivered l ackl uster browni ng.
Emeri lware Stai nl ess 1 2" Frypan , $ 5 9. 95
Thi s pan requi red a good deal of babysi tti ng a s the saute speed rn very fast.
Slow heat recover lef a l ight fond.
N OT RECOMM E NDE D
Marha Stewart Everyday Stai nl ess Steel 1 2" Nonsti ck Ski l l et, $ 3 1 . 49
Thi s pan ran too hot on hi gh heat and too sl ow on l ow heat. keepi ng the
cook on a short l eash. I t al so retai ned heat poorly and burned the oni ons. MARTHA
GARLI CKY LI ME SAUCE WI TH C I LANTRO
MAKES E NOUGH TO SAUCE 2 TE ND E RlOI NS
1/4 c u p chopped fresh ci l antro l eaves
I tabl espoon chopped fresh chives
This assertive sauce is based on a Mexican sauce
called H0j0 de Hj0. A rasp-style grater is the best
way to break down the garlic to a fne paste.
Anotl1er option is to put the garlic through a
press and then fish mincing it to a paste with a
knife . If your garlic cloves contain green sprouts
or shoots, remove tle sprouts before grating
their favor is bitter and hot. The initial cooking
of tl1e garlic off heat will prevent scorching.
I 0 garl i c cl oves, peel ed and grated to fi ne paste
on rasp- style grater (about 2 tabl espoons)
2 tabl espoons water
I tabl espoon vegetabl e oi l
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons l ight brown sugar
3 tabl espoons j ui ce from 2 l i mes
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
1 5
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, cut i nto 4 pi eces
Tabl e sal t and ground black pepper
1. Immediately afer placing pork i oven, m
garlic paste with water in small bowl. Add oil to stll
hot skillet and swrl to coat; add garlic paste and cook
with skillet's residual heat, scraping up browned bits
wth wooden spoon, ut sizzling subsides, about
2 minutes. Set skillet over low heat and continue
cooking, stiring fequently, ut garlic is stcky, 8
to 1 0 minutes; set skillet aside of heat.
2. While pork is resting, set skillet over medium
heat; add pepper flakes and sugar to skillet ad
cook until sticky and sugar is dissolved, about
1 minute. Add lime juice, cilantro, and chives;
simmer to blend favors, 1 to 2 minutes. Add any
accumulated pork juices and simmer 1 minute lon
ger. Off heat, whisk in butter, one piece at a time.
Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Mastering Turkey Gravy
Here's how to take the guesswork (and the lumps) out of Ameri ca' s favori te pan
sauce-and produce perfect gravy every time. BY s EAN LAWLE R
The turkey is cared, the potatoes are mashed, the fami ly is starvi ng-now is not
the ti me to be hoveri ng over the stove, fussi ng l i ke a mad sci enti st wi th bul b basters
and ti ny bottl es of suspi ci ous brown l i qui d. But wi th so many i tems on the menu for
hol i day di nners, busy cooks often negl ect the gravy unti l the last mi nute. Is i t any
wonder that i t turns out l umpy, past, and pal e? But gravy need not cause so much
stress. I n fact, much of the work can (and shoul d) be done ahead of ti me.
E QU I PME NT
Sauce Whi sks
Asking a bal l oon whi sk to reach
i nto the "corners" of a pan i s usu
al ly a stretch. To fi nd out what sort
of whisk woul d be better sui ted to
making sauces, such as gravy ( page
1 7) , we rounded up 1 2 model s i n
vari ous shapes and si zes. We pre
pared grvy, bechamel , and a steak
pan sauce with each whi sk.
A WI N N I N G WH I S K
Thi s whi sk i s our favorite for
maki ng everthi ng from turkey
grav to bechamel .
Many of the more unusual whi sks di d a good j ob-but they coul d do only one
j ob. Square- headed whi sks reached i nto the right angl es of pots, but they were
awkard when used for anythi ng el se. Coi l - tpe whi sks deglazed pans with apl omb,
but they coul dn' t handl e much vol ume and were easi ly cl oged by thi cker sauces.
We settl ed on a "ski nny" bal l oon whi sk as the best choi ce for sauces. Shape i s key
here. The tight rdi us of the ti nes can dig a roux out of the corner of a pan. The
l ong, relatively strai ght wi res can even scrape a sauce from the si des of a pan. When
ti l ted on i ts si de, thi s whi sk covers a wi de swath of pan for efi ci ent degl azi ng. We
recommend a whi sk measuri ng beteen I 0 and 1 2 i nches-too l ong to be l ost to
the bottom of a Dutch oven but too short to ti l t out of most smal l pans. Some fex
i bi l i t i s necessary, so avoi d a whi sk wi th ver sti f wi res.
We found five whi sks that met these cri teri a. Our favori te was the Best
Manufacturers 1 2- l nch Standard French Whi p ( $9. 9 5) . Thi s l ong whisk boasts an
agi l e set of ti nes and a comfortable handl e that i s l ight enough to keep thi s whi sk
from ti ppi ng out of shorter saucepans. - Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
Roasti ng Pns
BEST ROASTI NG PAN
A roasting pan wi th a heavy bot
tom i s a must when degl azi ng,
whi ch i s done over stovetop
burners. We' ve tested nearl y
a dozen, and our two favorites
are made by Al l - Cl ad. The Peti t
Roti i s fi ne for a smal l turkey,
whereas the l arger Roti is nec
essary for a turkey that wei ghs
more than 1 2 pounds.
DI SPOSABLE ROASTI NG PAN
B E ST ROAST I NG PAN
The Al l -Clad roasti ng pan i s our top
choice for turkey and more.
A di sposabl e foi l roasti ng pan i s fi ne for catchi ng favorful turkey dri ppi ngs, but i t
can ' t be put on the stovetop to degl aze. I f usi ng a di sposabl e foi l roasti ng pan , j ust
strai n and defat the pan dri ppi ngs and add them to the gravy to taste.
I N G RE DI E NTS
What' s i n That Bag?
No need to fear that mysterious l itle bag that comes inside the turey cavit-it
contai ns the maki ngs for a favorful grv. Te turkey neck and the "gi bl et, " or inter
nal orans, are mechani cal ly separted, washed, and then repackged duri ng turey
processing preci sely for the purpose of making grv. Here' s what' s i n the bag:
H EART
Broth: Watch Out for Salt
NECK
The neck i s the l are, el ongated muscl e wi th a
bone through the center. It contai ns some ver
flavorful meat. Cut i t i nto severl pi eces for eas
browni ng, then si mmer i t i n the broth. Di scard
after strai ni ng the broth.
GI BLETS ( HEART, GIZRD, AND LIVER)
The heart i s the smal l , obl ong, dar-col ored
oran. Brown i t al ong wi th the neck and gizard,
then si mmer i t in the broth. Resere after stri n
i ng the broth, then di ce and return to the grv
before seri ng.
The gizzard i s the reddi sh, spheri cal oran.
I t i s a gri ndi ng oran from the bi rd' s digestive
trct, recogni zabl e by a buttery-shaped stri p of
connective ti ssue. Cut the gizard i n hal f, brown
i t al ong with the heart and neck, then resere it
after stri ni ng the broth. Di ce the gizard and
return i t to the grvy al ong wi th the heart.
The liver i s the soft, browni sh, fat oran.
Because the l iver tends to i mpar a charcteristi
cal l y strong flavor, we don ' t recommend usi ng i t
to make grvy.
Because maki ng grav i nvolves si mmeri ng, whi ch
concentrates fl avors, i t' s i mportant to tread
l i ghtly with sal t. That i ncl udes usi ng a l ow-sodi um
chi cken broth . I n fact, we recommend cutti ng
the commerci al broth wi th water to reduce
the overl l sal t l evel of the gravy. (A 2: I rti o
of broth to water works best. ) After sampl i ng
a dozen l eadi ng brands of chi cken broth, tast
ers found broths from Swanson to be the best.
Broth sol d in aseptic packages underoes l ess
heati ng than broth sol d i n cans, and we found BE ST CHI CKE N B ROTH
that the former tastes better. Swanson Natural Goodness
Thi ckener: Fl our, Not Cornstarch, Means No More lumps
Cornstarch i s notori ous for cl umpi ng when added to a hot l i qui d. And once i t
does cl ump, al l the whi ski ng i n the worl d won' t smooth thi ngs out. Thi s i s why we
recommend thi ckeni ng gravy wi th a roux ( made wi th four and butter) . A l ong as
you add l i qui d to the roux in smal l i ncrements, l umps wi l l not be a probl em.
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
1 6
W
Z
>
C
O

Z
m
Z
Z
C
Z
C

t;
3
m
BEST TU RKEY G RAVY
MAKES ABOUT 6 CUPS
Thi s reci pe makes enough gravy to
accompany a 1 2- to 1 4- pound turkey,
with leftovers. If you are roasti ng a ver
lare bi rd and want to doubl e the
reci pe, prepare the gravy i n a Dutch
oven. White wi ne adds a wel come note
of aci di t to gravy, but in a pi nch you
can use more chi cken broth in its pl ace.
tabl espoon vegetabl e oi l
Resered turkey gi bl ets and
neck
oni on, unpeel ed and chopped
4 cups low-sodi um chi cken
broth
2 cups water
2 sprigs fresh thyme
8 parsl ey stems
3 tabl espoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup al l - purpose flour
cup dry white wi ne
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack
pepper
STE P 0 N E: Make the broth.
1l ML1PbLL. I to 2 days in advance.
STE P TWO: Make the roux and
thi cken the broth.
1l ML1PbLL. I day in advance or whi l e
turkey roasts.
STE P TH RE E : Deglaze the roasti ng
pan and add the dri ppi ngs to the gravy.
1l ML1PbLL. Whi l e the turkey rests on
the cari ng board.
MAKI N G TH E G RAVY
STE P ONE Make the broth
Good gravy starts wi th turkey stock, but few home cooks have the ti me to make homemade. Wi th turkey tri mmi ngs and an
oni on, you can qui ckly doctor store- bought chi cken broth i nto a favorful base for gravy.
I . Saute and sweat. Heat oi l i n
large saucepan over medi um- high
heat. Brown turkey gi bl ets and neck
for 5 mi nutes. Cook oni on for 3 mi n
utes. Cover and cook over l ow heat
for 20 mi nutes.
2. Si mmer and ski m. Add chi cken
broth and water, scrape pan bottom,
and bri ng to boi l . Add herbs and si m
mer, ski mmi ng foam from surface, for
30 mi nutes.
STE P TWO Make the roux and thi cken the broth
3. Strai n and cool . Pour broth
through fi ne- mesh strai ner.
Resere and di ce heart and gizzard.
Refrigerate broth and di ced gi bl ets
unti l ready to use.
A nutt brown roux ( made wi th butter and fl our) thi ckens and flavors the turkey broth . The roux al so adds deep brown col or,
so you won' t need arti fi ci al gravy hel pers, such as Grvy Master or Ki tchen Bouquet.
4. Cook roux. Mel t butter i n
l arge saucepan over medi um- l ow
heat. Whi sk in fl our. Cook, sti rri ng
constantly, unti l nutt brown and
fragrant, I 0 to I S mi nutes. Bri ng
resered turkey broth to si mmer.
5 . Add broth. Gradual ly add hot
turkey broth to roux. Vigorous and
constant whi ski ng at thi s poi nt i s key
to avoi di ng l umps. Reserve I cup of
broth for degl azi ng roasti ng pan
(see #9) .
6. Si mmer grav. Si mmer gravy, stir
ring occasi onal ly and ski mmi ng scum
from surface wi th spoon, unti l thi ck
ened, about 30 mi nutes. Set asi de,
covered, unti l turkey i s done.
STE P TH RE E Degl aze the pan and add the dri ppi ngs to the grav
Browned vegetabl es and dri ppi ngs i n the roasti ng pan used to cook the turkey are the fi nal flavor enhancers for gravy. Add I cup each of chopped oni ons, carrots,
and cel er al ong with fresh thyme sprigs and I cup of water to the roasti ng pan before the turkey goes i nto the oven.
7. Strai n dri ppi ngs. Pour dri p
pi ngs through mesh strai ner set over
measuri ng cup. Let l i qui d settle unti l
fat rises to top. Return vegetabl es i n
strai ner to roasti ng pan .
8. Defat dri ppi ngs. Ti l t measuri ng
cup and use wi de, shal l ow soup spoon
to ski m fat of surface. Reserve defat
ted dri ppi ngs. Return gravy in sauce
pan to si mmer.
9. De gl aze pan. Pl ace roasti ng pan
over two burners at medi um- high heat.
Add wi ne and resered I cup broth
and scrpe up browned bi ts in pan. Boi l
unti l l i qui d reduces by hal f, 5 mi nutes.
N O V E M B E R b D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
1 7
I 0. Fi ni sh grav. Strai n roasti ng pan
l i qui d i nto gravy, pressi ng on sol i ds to
extract al l l i qui d. Add defatted dri p
pi ngs to taste. Sti r i n gi bl ets and serve.
Balsamic Braised Chicken
Italians have long paired balsamic vinegar and chicken . But given the poor quality of most
su permarket vinegar, we won dered if this was in deed a match made in heaven .
B
alsamic vinegar runs the gamut
from single-malt scotch ( old and
sophisticated) to moonshine
(young and harsh) , depending
on how it is made. Used in cooking, it has
the same range. It can deepen the favor of
a dish, add a quick splash of welcome con
trast, or it can overpower, say, simple greens
with an unwelcome double-barreled hello,
a syrupy sweet-and-sour handshake that the
Italians refer to as agrodolce. The good news
is that the paiing of chicken and balsamic
vinegar has plenty of precedent in Italian
cooking and that for the most part this part
nership has been a success.
3 B Y J O H N O L S O N E
aged in barrels. Some of its favors are a to
those of a hearty wine. ) Desperate for more and
better favor, I tested the reci
p
e wt three differ
ent wnes: a medium white wine, a dry red wine,
and Italian Marsala. The verdict was unaninlous:
Red wine offered the fllest favor without being
too sweet, and me dish was inarguably better
tlan it had been without me wine.
At this point, I felt mat me braising liquid was
substantial enough but could nonetlleless use
a few choice herbs and spices. I tested hot red
pepper fakes, clove, fennel, myme, and bay leaf.
Fennel and clove born tasted out of place, but
most everyone in me kitchen liked me addition of
thyme, bay, and red pepper. I also experimented
with fresh oregano, marj oram, and rosemary.
Rosemary was too resinous ( except if added very
late in the process) , and neither tl1e marjoram nor
the oregano made much of a mark on the strong
tasting braising liquid. Now me recipe was quite
good, but there was a problem wim me balsamic
vinegar. It was supposed to be me main event but
had become merely a casual bystander.
Less Is More
Recipe research quickly uncovered the
simple truth: There is no standard method
for putting these two ingredients together.
Some recipes marinate chicken in balsamic,
others add it during cooking, and a few just
drizzle in a little at tl1e end. Nor is there
any uniformity in the quantity of balsamic
called for; using a few teaspoons for season
ing appears to be just as acceptable as using
a half cup to make a base for a sauce. The
one notable constant among these recipes
is their call for a strong taste element in
addition to sweet and sour-salty bacon
or capers, for example-that will make tl1e
match complete.
Basi c ch i cken stew gets a big boost in flavor from bal sami c
vi negar that' s been reduced to a syrupy gl aze.
From the start, I had been adding V4 cup of
vinegar at the beginning of braising, simply
accepting me mild balsamic note in me fnished
dish. One remedy might be to drizzle a little
balsamic into me sauce j ust before serving. This
certainly made me dish more tart, but it did not
enhance me overall standing of me vinegar. Well,
I mought, why not just add more to start? When
Bui l di ng a Reci pe
For starters, the chicken was going to be braised,
a slow, low- heat method that involves a covered
pan and a small amount of liquid. I quickly real
ized that chicken thighs would be me best choice
for braising. For a fightless bird, the breast
muscles are little more tl1an fller; me hard-work
ing muscles are in me legs, especially me thighs .
These tough muscles, laced with fat and connec
tive tissue, both provide a robust flavor ( good
for pairing with balsamic vinegar) and resist
overcooking, something to which breast meat is
particularly susceptible.
I began my testing using a standard braising
recipe: Brown the thighs and remove them fom
COOK'S EXTRA gives you free recipes online. For our
polenta recipe , go to www.cooksillustrated. com and key
in code 6044. This recipe will be available until
December 1 5 , 2004.
tl1e pot; saute onion and garlic; add balsamic vin
egar, tomatoes, and brom; return me chicken (witll
t skin removed) to me pot; and bake in a 350-
degree oven with me lid on for about an hour. The
results were mediocre at best, but I
had learned that tomatoes are a
Reducti on Deducti on
key ingredient ( tlley help balance

me favor of tle vinegar) . Eager

to remove my dish from tle
mediocre category, I wondered
if bacon or pancetta might add
interest. Neitller parmed out, but
anchovies did perk up the flavor a
bit. Even so, I was still well short
of a great recipe.
There is nothing new about
using wine in a braise, but I had
STRAI G HT F RO M TH E BOTTLE
been reluctant because I wanted
RE D UCE D BY HALF
the balsamic vinegar to be tl1e
star. ( Balsamic vinegar is tradi
tionally produced from white
Trebbiano grapes and is then
A qui ck si mmer concentrates and i mproves the flavor and consistency of
i nexpensive bal sami c vi negar from the supermarket. Strai ght from the
bottl e, the vi negar runs right of the pan (lef) . Once reduced by half, it
l ightly coats the pan (right) .
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 8

Z
D
3
x
D
o
Z
I
`
Z
`

Cheap or Fancy?
Woul d expensive vi negar
make our chi cken bri se
taste beter? We tried
to brnds we l i ke a
lot-one cheap and one
not so cheap. I n the
end, we preferred the
inexpensive 3 6 5 Organi c
Ever Day Val ue ($4. 99
for 500 mi l l i l iter) to
the Caval l i ( $24. 99 for
500 mi l l i l iter) , whi ch
lost i ts compl exi t i n our
reci pe.
! doub|cd thc amount in thc braising |iquid to
l cup, thc ba|samic avor bccamc pronounccd,
butthcchickcnbccamcdu||co|orcdandthrcady,
il chccts hom thc ncv|y incrcascd acidity o| thc
braisingliquid.Motvantingtocndvthachickcn
saucrbratcn,!hadtohndancvmcthod.
!nthcpast,ourcookshavc|oundthatrcducing
supcrmarkctba|samicvincgar thatis,simmcring
on thc stovctop |or scvcra| minutcs to drivc o||
cxccssmoisturc) gocsa|ongvaytovardimprov
ing its navor. For my ncxt tcst, ! rcduccd cup
o|vincgar by ha|l Simp|y drizz|ing thc rcduccd
vincgar ovcr thc chickcn bc|orc scrving vas
haphazard and inc||cctivc. Adding thc rcduccd
vincgar dircct|y to thc hnishcd braising |iquid,
hovcvcr,didthctrick.!crcvastlcba|samic a
vor!hadbccn|ooking|ora||a|ong.si|ky,smooth,
andsoothing.
Fina||y, ! vas curious to scc i|highcr qua|ity
ba|samic vincgar vou|d bc cvcn bcttcr vhcn
rcduccd. Jhc supcrmarkct product is a |ar cry
|rom thc $1 50 bott|cs that contain thc good
stu||, " ba|samic vincgar that has bccn agcd |or
manyycars. My hrst tcst vas to purchasc a bct
tcrqua|ity $25 bott|c o|ba|samic and substitutc
it |or thc cconomica| supcrmarkctvincgar ! had
bccn using. Mov thc braising |iquid vas thick
andsvcct-toosvcct,accordingtomosttastcrs.
Jhc rcason |or this rcsu|t is that vhcn a good
ba|samic vincgar is agcd, vatcr is a||ovcd to
cvaporatc, conccntrating thc navor. !n a scnsc,
o|dcr ba|samic is a|rcady partia||y rcduccd. !
cou|dhavc tricda |css conccntratcdrcductiono|
thc good vincgar, but adapting a rccipc |or usc
vth highqua|ity vincgarvou|d bc di|hcu|t, as
thc svcctncssandthickncsscanvaryhombrand
to brand. Supcrmarkct ba|samics arc tlin, |ikc
rcgu|arrcdvincvincgar. )
Atthispoint,!stoppcdmytcstsviththchigh
cndvincgar.Simmcringsuchavincgarmightvc||
bcconsidcrcdhighcrimcin!ta|y.A||tlctimcand
c|lortcxpcndcdtocrcatcitssubt|ct|avorba|ancc
wou|d bc vastcd, as boiling dcstroys it. Jlis is
notaprob|cmvththcchcapstu|l )
My |ast piccc o|busincss vas to injcct somc
|rcshncss and co|or into thc dish. ! had gottcn
manycommcntsonthcovcra||du||andstcvcd"
naturco|thctomatocsandonions. !thoughtthat
|rcshgrccns such aska|c,spinach,orSvisschard
might |ivcn thingsup. Spinachviltcd avay to a
uavor|cssmass,vhi|c ka|cncvcrrca||yjoincdthc
party, bchaving morc |ikc a garnish. Chard vas
a happy mcdian bctwccn thc tvo, it stood up
to thc hcarty navors o|thc braisc and addcd a
toucho|itsovncarthybittcrncss.With thc addi
tiono|grccns,! |c|tthatthc strongnavoro|thc
ba|samic hadhna||ycomc into ba|anccviththat
o|thc chickcn, tomato, anchovy, gar|ic, andrcd
vinc. Hcrc vas svcct, sour, bittcr, hot, hcrba|,
andmcaty-a||inoncdish.
B RAI S E D CHI CKE N WI TH SWI S S CHARD,
TOMATOE S , AND BALSAMI C VI NE GAR
SERVES 4
Wcn brovning mcchickcn,avoidovcrcrovding
thc pot-brovn thc thighs in tvo batchcs i|a||
cightdonothtcom|ortab|y. !|you|ikcthc navor
o|roscmary, a sprig can bc addcdwith thc Svss
chardinstcp4, thcndiscardcdbc|orcscrving. You
don`tnccd an cxpcnsivc ba|samicvincgar|or this
rccipc. Jhc$4. 99 vncro|our2001 tasting,365
thchouscbrandatWho|cIoodsMarkcts) , vorks
pcr|cct|y. Po|cnta is an cxcc||cnt accompcnt
to this hcarty braisc. Scc Cook's Exa on pagc
8|orourrccipc.
8 bone- i n, ski n- on chi cken thi ghs {about
3 pounds) , tri mmed of excess fat and ski n
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
tabl espoon ol ive oi l
l arge oni on, hal ved and sl i ced 114 i nch thi ck
(about 2 cups)
I tabl espoon tomato paste
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I tabl espoon)
anchovy fi l l et, mi nced {about I teaspoon)
can ( 1 411 ounces) di ced tomatoes, drai ned
2 cups low-sodi um chi cken broth
114 cup dry red wi ne
114 teaspoon red pepper flakes
I 11 tabl espoons chopped fresh thyme l eaves
bay l eaf
1 2 ounces Swiss chard, washed and dri ed
11 cup bal sami c vi negar
l . Adjustovcn rackto |ovcrmidd|cposition,
hcatovcnto 350 dcgrccs. Sprink|c bothsidcso|
chickcnthighs vith sa|tandpcppcr. !cat oi| in
nonrcactivc utchovcnovcrmcdiumhighhcat
unti| shimmcring butnot smoking, add chickcn
thighsskinsidcdovnandcookvithoutmoving
thcmunti|skiniscrispcdandvc||brovncd,10 to
12 minutcs. \sing tongs,turnchickcnpicccsand
brovn on sccond sidc, about 5 minutcs |ongcr,
trans|crthighsto|argcp|atc.
2. Pouroha||butl tcaspoon|at hom pot. Add
N O V E M B E R b D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
1 9
onion and tomato pastc and cook ovcr mcdium
hcat, stirring occasionahyand scraping bottom o|
pot vithvoodcnspoon,unti|tomatopastcbcgs
to darkcn, about 4 minutcs i |bottom o|pot
bccomcsvcrydark andsticky,stirin 1 to 2 tab|c
spoonsvatcr) . Add gar|ic and anchovy andcook,
stirringconstantly, unti|hagrant, about 1 minutc.
Surin tomatocs, chickcn broth, andvinc, scrap
ingupbrovncdbitsvthvoodcn spoon.Addrcd
pcppcrt|akcs,thymc,andbay.Rcmovcanddiscard
skin hom chickcn thighs, thcn submcrgc chickcn
boncsidc up in hquid, adding any chickcn juiccs
accumu|atcdonp|atc. !ncrcaschcattohigh,bring
to simmcr, covcr, thcn p|acc pot in ovcn. Cook
unti| chickcnohcrsnorcsistanccvhcnpokcdvth
tipo|paringk|c butmcat sti|| c|ings to bonc,40
to 55 minutcs.
3. Wi|c chickcn cooks, t stcms hom Sviss
chard scc Prcparing Chard," bc|ov) . Cut stcms
crossvisc into inch picccs, ha|vc |cavcs |cngth
vsc,thcncutcrossvscinto'+inchthickstrips.Sct
stcmsand|cavcsasidcscparatc|y.^|sovhi|cchickcn
cooks, simmcr ba|samicvcgarin8inchnomcac
uvc ski|lct ovcrmcdiumhigh hcat unu| thick, ;r
upy, and rcduccdto cup, 3 to 5 minutcs bcgn
mcasuringvo|umcvhcnvcgarbcgnsto c|ingto
sidcso|sauccpan) . Sctvincgarrcducuonasidc.
4. \sings|ottcdspoon,trans|crchickcntop|atc
andtcntvitl|oi|,discardbay|ca|. Bring|iquidin
utch ovcn to simmcr ovcr mcdiumhigh hcat,
add chard stcms and cook, stirring occasiona||y,
unti| almosttcndcr, about 8 minutcs. Add chard
grccns and cook unti| vi|tcd, about 2 minutcs.
Stir about 's cup saucc into ba|samic rcduction
to|ooscn,thcnstirmixturcintosaucc,adjustsca
soning vith sa|t and pcppcr. Rcturn chickcnand
accumu|atcd j uiccs to saucc, cook unti| hcatcd
through, about 2 minutcs, turning chickcn oncc
or tvicc. \sc s|ottcd spoon to trans|cr chard to
scrving dish or individua| bov|s, p|acc chickcn
thighs on chard, thcn spoon saucc ovcr. Scrvc
immcdiatc|y.
T E C H NI Q U E
P RE PARI NG C HARD
Hol d each l eaf at the base of the stem over a bowl
fi l l ed with water and use a sharp knife to slash the
l eaf porti on from ei ther si de of the thi ck stem.
Holday Spritz Cookies
That golden - swirled kiss of a holiday cookie often ends up bland , gu mmy, and tasteless.
Why can' t spritz cookies taste as good as they look?
I
t`sthcpcako|thc|cstivcholidayscason,and
younndyourscl|atyct anothcrparp,stand
ingncxtto onc morc longbu||cttablc. You
spy a tovcring platc o|cookics and instinc
tivcly rcach |or thc goldcnsvirlcd kiss-only to
discovcr a bland, gummy, stickto thcroo|o|
yourmouth impostor. But this is not thc vay
spritz cookicsvcrc mcant to bc. Scandinavian in
origin,thcyarcthc mostsimplco|buttcrcookics,
thcir disunct dcsign crcatcd by thc prcssing, or
spriting, o|a vcry soh dough through a piping
bagora cookic prcss. Whichcvcrthc vchiclc, thc
shapingtcchniqucallovs|orancxtrcmclybuttcry
dough mcy don`t havc to bc rollcd out) , vhich
translatcsintolight,crispcookics.
Avictimo|vanitytobcsurc,thcspritzcookic
has bccnsubjccttoall manncro|insultbyrccipc
vritcrs intcnt on hnding shortcuts to a morc
shapcly cooki c. And thc vorst o||cndcrs havc
produccd thc most attractivc cookics . 1hcir
crimc` \sing vcgctablc shortcning in placc o|
buttcr, vhich makcs thc cookics navorlcss and
vaxy. Rccipcvritcrsvhodouscbuttcrohcnadd
so manycggs to kccp thccookicshom sprcad
inginthcovcn)thatthccookicsbakcupsohand
chcvy rathcr than light and crisp. Yct anothcr
tacticuscdtoguarantccashapclycookicistoadd
an cxccss o|con|cctioncrs` sugar to thc dough.
1hc con|cctioncrs` sugar, vhich is laccd vith
cornstarch, makcs thccookicspasty.
The I ngredi ent List
1hc|oundation|orthcspritzcookicisadoughthat
is soncnough toprcss orpipcyct sturdycnough
toholditsshapcinthcovcn. Anditmustbcmadc
withbuttcr,andlotso|it.Startingvmanicccvcn
twostickso|buttcr and % cup granulatcdsugar,
! |ound that! could add no morc man 2 cupso|
Uourbc|orcthcdoughgottoostih. Fromhcrc,!
tcstcdthcusco|cggs,asmanyrccipcsvaricdinthis
rcgd.Withnocggs,thc cookicsvcrclikcshort
brcad-buttcry, buttootcndcrandcrumbly, vith
d iIIdch ncd shapc. nc vholc cgg rcsultcd in
chcw, tough cookics. Byaddingonlyyolks, ! got
morctcndcrcookicsthatalsorctaincdthcirshapc.
Butcvcn tvoyolksvcrc onc too many, rcsulting
ingrcasy,cggytastingcookics,justoncyolkmadc
thcmtcndcr,crisp,andsturdy.
Butamcrcyolkdidnotcontributccnoughliq
uidto makc a smooth, vorkablc dough. Adding
morc buttcrdidn`t solvcthcproblcm,so!turncd
B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
A pastry bag can produce cooki es in countl ess shapes and
sizes, but we had decent l uck wi th a cooki e press. too.
to dairy, trying milk, hal| and hal|, and hcavy
crcam. Lach improvcd thc tcxturc o|thc dough,
butthc m andhal|andha||causcdthc cookics
tosprcadinthcovcn. 1hccookicsmadcvithhcavy
crcam-andjustl tablcspoono|it-notonlyhcld
thcirshapcbutvcrcalsothcmostnavorml .
Fcaring that ! might bc missing out on somc
hclph| rathcr than harmhl ) innovation hap
pcncd upon by anothcr bakcr, ! tcstcd somc
additional ingrcdicnts . ! addcd baking povdcr,
prcsumably |or a lightcr,airicrtcxturc, instcad,
thcdramaticriscandpu||inthcovcnoblitcratcd
thcprcciscspritz"shapc!vasahcr.As|ornour,
thc sohcr, morchnclymillcdcakcnourrcsultcd
inacookicthatvastcndcrtothcpointo|bcing
pasty. A similar rcsult cnsucd vhcn ! addcd a
small amounto|cornstarch to allpurposcnour,
a common tcchniquc |or tcndcrizing bakcd
goods .Supcrhncsugar,ahncrvcrsiono|granu-
|atcd sugar, gavc thc cookics a tightcr crumb,
somcthing sought a|tcr in cookics that arc
rollcdnatandcutoutbutnotinaspritzcooki c.
Granulatcd vas still thc sugar o|choicc, buta
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 0
|cvtastcrscomplaincdthatthccookicsvcrctoo
svcct. Rcducing thc sugar to s cup tamcd thc
svcctncss and brought thc buttcr navor to thc
|orcground. I va5 satsfed that thcsccook
ics nccdcd nosccrct ingrcdicnt, all thcy nccdcd
vcrc a |cv simplc ingrcdicnts gathcrcd in thc
propcrproportions.
The Method
Jhc standard tcchniquc |or mixingthis dough
involvcs crcaming, or vhipping thc buttcr and
sugartogcthcruntil lightandnu|p, bc|orc add
ingthcothcringrcdicnts. Jhclargc,sharpcdgcd
crystals o|granulatcd sugara|lovpockcts olair
tobcvhippcdintothc buttcr,andthcscpockcts
cxpandinthchcato|thcovcn,producingalight,
crisp tcxturc. Bccausc thcsc cookics contain no
lcavcncr andonlyonccggyo|k,thcyrclyonthis
action |or thcir cthcrcal tcxturc. Crcaming vas
alsocsscntial|orproducingadoughlightcnough
tocasilyprcssintocookics.
Mosthomcbcrsturntoacookicprcsstoshapc
spritzcookics.!avingtraincdasapasuychc|,!d
morc com|ortablc vth a pasuy bag. Atcsung o|
cookc prcsscs did uncovcr a vinncr-thc Wdton
ComtortGnp Cookic Prcss sccpagc 2 )-butan
allpurposc pastry bag docs havc its advantagcs. !t
allovs |or |ancicr shapcs stars, roscucs, and S"
shapcs arc gcncrally bcyond thc rcachotaprcss),
and thc bag also providcs morc control and hcc
dom o|mouon. ! prclcr to usc apastrybag, but
it`s hard to argucvth thc convcnicncco|agood
cookicprcss.
vcn tcmpcraturc had a dircct impact on thc
Shi ni ng Stars
PE RF E CT: PU NY:
From a Pastry Bag From a Press
A tradi ti onal pi pi ng bag gives the baker more control
over the size and shape of the cooki es, provi di ng for
a more attractive resul t. A cooki e press ofers less
control and makes smal l , squat cooki es.
STE P - BY- STE P F I L L I NG A PASTRY BAG
add yo|k/crcam mixturc and bcat unti| incor
poratcd, about 30 scconds. Scrapc dovn bov|.
Withmixcrrunningat|ovspccd,gradua||ybcat
in uour unti| combincd. Scrapc dovn bov|and
givc hna| stir vith rubbcrspatu|a to cnsurc that
nouourpockctsrcmai n.
I. Make C-shape with one hand and 2. When bag i s about hal f ful l , pul l
hol d pi pi ng bag. Fol d bag over that up si des, push down dough. and
hand about hal fay down. i nsert twist tightl y whi l e agai n pushi ng
ti p, and scrpe dough i nto bag. down on dough to squeeze out ai r.
3. Grb bag at base of tist. Using
other hand as gui de, hol d tip at 90
degre angl e about ' h i nch above bak
ing sheet and squeeze to for shape.
3. !|usingcookicprcssto|ormcookics,|o||ov
manu|acturcr`s instructions to h|| prcss, i|using
pastrybag, |o||ovi||ustrations through 3to fl
bag. Prcssorpipc cookicsontoungrcascdbaking
shccts,spacingthcm about inchcsapart.Bakc
onc shcctata timc unti|cookicsarc |ight go|dcn
brovn, 0to 2 minutcs, rotating baking shcct
ha|hay tlrough baking timc. Coo| cookics on
baking shcct unti| j ustvarm, 0to 5 minutcs,
usingmcta|spatu|a,trans|crtovircrackandcoo|
toroomtcmpcraturc.
tcxturco|thccookics.!|itvastoo|ov,thccook
ics bccamc dry and crisp a|| thc vay through.
Joohighandthc outsidc crispcdvhi|c thcinsidc
rcmaincdsoh. Jastcrs prc|crrcd a s|ightvariation
in tcxturc, vhich vas pcr|cct|y achicvcd at thc
modcratc|yhightcmpcraturco|375 dcgrccs.
! conc|udcd that grcat spritz cookics vcrcn`t
socomp|icatcd ahcr a|| . Mo shortcuts, no gim
micks-justsimp|cingrcdicntsandthcrighttcch
niquc-madc myho|idayvishcomctruc.
S PRI TZ COOKI E S
MAKES ABOUT 6 DOZEN 1 ' /> I NCH COOKI E S
!|using a pastry bag, usc a star tip tocrcatc thc
variousshapcs. Forstars,a l- toinchtipvorks
bcst, but |or roscttcs and S" shapcs, usc a
inch tip mcasurc thc diamctcr o|thc tip atthc
sma||cst point) . Jo crcatc stars, ho|d thc bag at a
0dcgrcc ang|c to thc baking shcct andpipc thc
dough straight dovn, as shovn in i||ustration 3,
abovc, stars shou|d bcabout inch in diamctcr.
Jo crcatc roscttcs, pipc thc dough vhi|c moving
thcbagina circu|armotion,cndingatthc ccntcr
o|thc roscttc,roscttcsshou|dbcabout inchcs
indiamctcr.JocrcatcS"shapcs,pipcthcdough
intocompactS`s",thcyshou|dbcabout2 inchcs
|ongand inchvidc. !|youmakc ancrrorvhi|c
piping, thc dough can bc scrapcd ohthc baking
shcctandrcpipcd.
Wc had thc bcst rcsu|ts baking thcsc cookics
oncshcctatatimc. Whcnrcusingacookicshcct,
makc surc that it has comp|ctc|y coo|cd bc|orc
|ormingmorccookicsonit. \nbakcddoughcan
bcrc|rigcratcdinanairtightcontaincr|orupto4
days,tousc,|ctitstandatroomtcmpcraturcunti|
sohcncd, about 45 minutcs. Bakcd cookics wl
kccp|or morc than avccki|storcdinanairtight
containcrorzippcr|ockbag.
large egg yol k
tabl espoon heavy cream
teaspoon vani l l a extract
cup (2 sti cks) unsal ted butter, softened
(about 70 degrees)
21
cup (about 4
3
/4 ounces) sugar
1/4 teaspoon tabl e sal t
2 cups ( I 0 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose flour
. Adjust ovcn rack t omidd|c position, hcat
ovcn to 375 dcgrccs. !n sma|| bov| , bcat yo|k,
crcam, and vani||avith |ork w1t combincd, sct
asidc.
2. !nstandingmixcr,crcambuttcr,sugar,and
sa|t at mcdium high spccd unti| |ight and uu|[,
3 to 4 minutcs. Scrapc dovn bov| vith rubbcr
spatu|a. With mixcr running at mcdium spccd,
S PRI TZ COOKI ES WI TH LE MON ES S ENCE
Fo||ov rccipc |or Spritz Cookcs, adding tca
spoon|cmonj uicctoyo|k/ crcammixturcinstcp
andadding tcaspoonhnc|ygratcd|cmonzcst
tobuttcra|ongvithsugarandsa|tinstcp2.
ALMOND S PRI TZ COOKI ES
Grindl cups|iccda|mondsand2 tab|cspoonso|
||our ca||cd|or in Spritz Cookicsin|oodproccs
sorunti|povdcryandcvcn|yhnc,about0scc
onds, combinc a|mond mixturc vith rcmaining
uour. Fo||ovrccipc|orSpritzCookics,substitut
ing:4 tcaspoon a|mond cxtract|orvani||a.
T E s T 1 N G E o u 1 p M E N T : Cooki e Presses
For those of us lacki ng a steady hand or experi ence with a pastr bag. a cookie press woul d seem i ndispensabl e for
maki ng attrctive sprit cookies. These i nexpensive tool s promise to produce consi stently shaped cookies in record
ti me. We tested six model s to see if they l ived up to thei r word.
Ol d-fashi oned cookie presses rely on a screwdriven pl unger to press the dough through cut di es. resul ti ng in
dozens of possi bl e shapes. In our tests, these presses were awkard to use, especi al ly with butter hands. The
one el ectric press we tested was even worse. The producti on of uniform cooki es depended on spl i tsecond ti m
i ng; hol d down that power button too l ong or rel ease i t too soon-by what seemed l i ke a mi l l i second-and you
ended up with a cookie swol l en to unrecognizabl e proporti ons or a cooki e so puny i t was desti ned to bum.
A thi rd stle of cookie prss rel i es on a trigered. rtcheti ng mechanism. One cl i ck of the rtchet yi el ds a perfect
cooki e ever ti me. Our favorite prss of thi s ki nd, the Wi lton Comfort Gri p Cooki e Press, was nearly goofproof and
al lowed us to make dozens of cookies i n j ust mi nutes. Ti s sor of press does have its l i mitations, however. Its one
S LI P AN D S LI D E
cooki e-at-a-ti me design restricts i t to "drop" cooki es. I t is extremely difi cul t to produce
an el ongated cooki e, for exampl e. with thi s sort of press. Even for a novice baker, a pastr
bag is better sui ted for maki ng fanci er shapes. But i t' s hard to arue with the conveni ence
of a good cookie press. especi al l y if vol ume and uniformit are your mai n concers.
-Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th

E LE C-TRI CKY TRI G G E R HAPPY

A screw-driven pl unger was nearly
i mpossi bl e to use with buttery hands.
Thi s huge el ectri c contrapti on was di f
fi cul t to operate and a pai n to cl ean.
A trigger mechani sm yi el ds perfectly
uniform cookies in record ti me.
N O V EMB ER 6 DEC EMB ER 2 0 0 4
2 1
Chocolate Caramel Walnut Tart
This holi day tart is a wi nner, as l ong as the star i ngredients sing i n harmony, not di scord .
D
ark and complicated, the
chocolate caramel walnut
tart wants nothing to do
with its good-natured
neighbors on the holiday dessert
tray. While the pies and cookies all
sing sugar and spice, this decadent
tart answers on the black keys: deep,
dark chocolate, the sharp tang of
caramel, and the bitter, earthy crunch
of walnuts.
3 B Y S E A N L AW L E R E
Considering the natural affinity of
its main ingredients, a chocolate cara
mel walnut tart would seem a hard
recipe to botch. Forced to share space
in a slin1 tart shell, however, this tight
trio doesn't always live in harmony.
Some of the tart recipes I tested
relegated the walnuts to a mere gar
nish and sprinkled them over chilled
chocolate flings with textures that
ran the gamut fom sof pudding to
cold butter. Other recipes placed the
nuts at the fore, but these were simply
uptown knockoffs of pecan pie; any
Lyers of caramel and chocol ate custard are baked in a nut-flavored
crust and topped with candi ed wal nut halves.
real walnut favor was buried beneath a gooey
flow of corn syrup-based flg, and the chocolate
seemed an aferthought.
To make certain each element received the
proper emphasis, I decided to take a layered
approach to tart building. Starting with a pre baked
shell, I wanted a layer of walnuts draped with sof
caramel topped with a smooth layer of rich, dark
chocolate-frm enough to slice neatly but neither
dense nor overpowering. In short, I wanted a
Snickers bar dressed up for the holidays.
A Tough Nut to Crck
The test kitchen had already developed a reliable
recipe for pate sucree (sweet tart pastry), so my first
test was to replace some of the four in tlus recipe
with ground nuts to boost favor. Unfortunately,
the nuts made the dough extremely fragile and
nearly impossible to transfer to the tart pan. By
reducing the amount of butter (to account for the
lesser quantity of four and the extra fat fom the
ground walnuts), I was able to produce a frmer,
less crumbly crust, but this did nothing to improve
the tart's scruff appearance once baked. Part of
the solution was to simply form-ft the dough into
the tart pan by hand, reforg and reshaping tl1e
scraps as needed. So much for professional pastry
techniques. But the fnished baked tart still lacked
tl1e shar, elegant lines I was afer. My frst tl1ought
was to adjust tl1e liquid ingredients-l egg yolk
and l tablespoon of crean1-hoping that less fat
might produce a more clearly defned baked crust.
I used half an egg white (or l tablespoon) in place
of tl1e crean1. Problem solved. Now I had a crisp
crust with sharp, sturdy edges.
But I wondered what to do with the other half
of the egg white. Then I thought of an old cook
book tip. When the next tart shell came out of the
oven, I brushed it witl tl1e remaining egg white,
wluch is supposed to act as a moisture barrier
between flg and crust, keeping the crust crisp,
especially if served the next day. It worked.
Bui l d a Better Tart
My starting point for the caramel walnut flg
was a caramel sauce developed for a previous issue
of Cook1s. I made minor adjustments in the quan
tity of heavy cream to produce a flg that was
sliceable but still sof and slightly gooey.
The layer of chocolate ganache was not so
sinple. I tested various ratios of chocolate, cream,
and butter, but tasters repeatedly noted that the
dUlled ganache was too dense and don1inated the
favor of the walnuts and caramel. Eforts to lighten
it by increasing the quantities of cream and butter
resulted in a ganache that was too sof to slce. The
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 2
answer was to lighten the chocolate mixture wth
eggs and then bake it on top of the layer of cel
walnut fl g (instead of simply pourng ganache
over the tart and chl g to frm its texture).
As far as baking ie tart, d 300-degree oven
was ie winner, wii a bakg time of about 25
minutes. The key visual clue was to wait until
ie surface of ie chocolate was set even if ie
contents below were a bit wobbly. The tart wl
continue to cook out of ie oven. A long wee
hour chill was necessary to frm up ie caramel
layer and prevent oozing during slicing.
The smooi chocolate surface of ie baked tart
needed a decorative garnish of walnuts. A spre
of plain toasted walnuts, whole or chopped,
appeared lackluster. A better soluton was to coat
a handfl of whole walnut halves wi ie cara
mel sauce, fshing iem out wi a slotted spoon
before adding in ie chopped nuts for ie fl g.
Arranged neatly around ie pereter of ie tart,
they made for an easy and elegant fnal touch.
CHOCOLATE CARAM E L WALNUT TART
MAKES ONE 9 - I NCH TART, S E RVI NG | 2 TO |
The nuts used in ie crust, in ie caramel flg,
and as a garnish must al be toasted; the entire
amount can be toasted together on a baking sheet
in a 375-degree oven until fagrant and golden
brown, 8 to 10 minutes. For cutting clean slices,
dip ie blade of the knife in warm water and wpe
wii a kitchen towel before making each cut.
Walnut Crust
I lare egg, separated
114 teaspoon vani l l a extract
11 cup toasted wal nuts ( 2 11 ounces) , see note
11 cup (2 ounces) confecti oners' sugar
cup (S ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
11s teaspoon tabl e sal t
S tabl espoons col d unsal ted butter, cut i nto
11- i nch cubes
Caramel- Walnut Filling and Garnish
114 cup water
cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
11 cup heavy cream
3 tabl espoons unsalted butter, cut i nto 3 pi eces
11 teaspoon vani l l a extract
11 teaspoon j ui ce from I l emon
'Ia teaspoon tabl e sal t
1 6- 1 8 toasted wal nut halves, pl us I cup ( S ounces)
toasted wal nuts, coarsely chopped (see note)
Chocolate Filling
2 large egg yol ks
tabl espoon pl us 'h cup heavy cream
11 cup whol e mi l k
5 ounces semi sweet chocol ate, chopped fi ne
2 tabl espoons unsalted butter, cut i nto 4 pi eces
1. FOR THE CRUST: Beat egg white in bowl
with fork until fothy; remove 1 tablespoon egg
white to second bowl and whisk in yolk and
vanilla. Process nuts and sugar in food processor
until fnely ground, 8 to 10 seconds. Add flour
and salt and pulse to combine. Scatter butter
pieces over four mixture; pulse to cut butter into
four until mixture resembles coarse meal , about
ffeen 1 -second pulses. With machine running,
add egg yolk mixture and process until dough
forms ball, about 20 seconds. Transfer dough to
large sheet plastic wrap and press into 6-inch disk;
wrap dough in plastic and refigerate until frm but
malleable, about 30 minutes.
2. Roll out dough between 2 large sheets lightly
foured plastic wrap to 1 3-inch round, about 1
inch thick ( if at any point dough becomes too sof
and sticky to work with, slip dough onto baking
sheet and freeze or refigerate until workable) .
Place dough round on baking sheet and freeze
until stif and cold, about 15 minutes (or refiger
ate about 30 minutes) . Meanwhile, evenly spray
9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with non
stick cooking spray.
3. Remove dough from freezer; discard top
sheet plastic wrap but keep dough on baking
sheet. Following illustrations above, line tart pan
with dough. Freeze dough-lined tart pan until
fm, about 30 minutes. ( Can be wrapped tightly
in plastic wrap and fozen up to l month. )
4. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack t o middle posi
tion; heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined
tart pan on baking sheet. Spray 1 2-inch square foil
with nonstick cooking spray and press foil inside
chilled tart shell; fl with pie weights. Bake until
light golden brown, about 30 minutes, rotating
halfay through baking time. Carefly remove
foil and weights and continue to bake until golden
brown, about 5 minutes longer. Cool on baking
sheet on wire rack about 5 minutes, then brush
hot crust with reserved egg white. Reduce oven
temperature to 300 degrees.
R E L E T E > M . Common Mi shaps
STE P- BY- STE P A NE W WAY TO HANDL E TART D OUGH
Thi s novel method works with any tart, al though i t i s especi al ly hel pful when worki ng wi th a del i cate dough .
I. I nvert tart pan (with bottom) on
top of dough round. ( Removabl e
bottom wi l l drop onto dough . )
Press on tart pan to cut dough.
2. Pi ck up baki ng sheet, careful ly
i nvert it. and set tart pan down on
counter right-si de up. Remove bak
i ng sheet and peel of pl astic wrap.
3. Roll over dough edges with rolling
pin to cut. In a few mi nutes, the dough
wi l l sl i p i nto bottom of pan. Gently
ease and press dough into pan.
4. Rol l dough scraps i nto %- i nch
rope (vari ous l engths are OK) . Une
fl uted edge of tart pan with rope(s)
and gently press i nto fl uted si des.
5. Une tart pan wi th resered pl as
ti c wrap. Usi ng measuri ng cup, gen
tly press dough to even thi ckness.
Si des shoul d be 'I i nch thi ck.
6. With pari ng knife, trim excess
dough above ri m of tart pan; di s
card scraps.
5. FOR CARAEL-WALNUT FILLING AD
GARISH: Wile crust is cooling, pour water into
medium heavy-bottomed saucepan; add sugar to
center of pot to keep granules fom adhering to
sides of pot. Bring to boil over mediun-high heat,
covered, swirling pan once or twice to dissolve
sugar. Uncover pot and continue to boil , without
stirring, Lmtil sugar is deep amber, begins to smoke,
and registers about 375 degrees on instant-read or
candy thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove pan
fom heat. Careflly add about half of cream; mix
ture wl sputter and stean. Add remaining cream
and let bubbling subside. Return pan to low heat
and stir with heatproof rubber spatula Lmtil cara
mel is smootl1. Add butter and stir until melted.
Remove pan fom heat; stir in vanilla, lemon juice,
and salt.
6. Add walnut halves to caramel and stir to coat;
let stand until caramel is slightly thickened, about 8
minutes. Using slotted spoon and allowing excess
caramel to drain back into saucepan, transfer wal
nuts to wire rack set over baking sheet; set aside.
Stir chopped walnuts into caranel , then pour mix
ture evenly into tart shell . Refigerate, uncovered,
on baking sheet until caramel is frm and does not
slip when pan is tilted, about 20 minutes.
7. FOR CHOCOLATE FILLING: Whisk yolks
and 1 tablespoon cream i small bowl. Bring m
and remaining l cup cream to simmer in small
saucepan; ofbeat, add chocolate and butter. Cover
pan and let stand until chocolate is mostly melted,
about 2 minutes. Using spatula, stir mixture until
smootl1; stir in yolk mxture. ( Chocolate should be
thin and pourabl e; if too thick to pour evenly, set
saucepan over low heat to warm mixture. ) Pour fl
ing into caramel-fill ed tart shell, tilting tart pan as
necessary to evenly cistribute chocolate to edges of
tart. Bake on baking sheet in 300-degree oven until
tiny bubbles are visible on surface and chocolate
layer is j ust set (if pan is gently shaken, flling
will appear very wobbly because caramel layer is
warm) , about 25 minutes. Set baking sheet with
TORN DOU G H
Do not atempt to trnsfer the dough
to the WMpan all in one piece. Te frg
ile pastr tear easily.
M I S S HAPE N CRUST
Unless the WMshell is weighted down
with pie weights as it bakes, the sides
will slope inward and col lapse.
LI Q U I D C E NTE R
If the fi ni shed Mis not chi l led for at
least three hour, the carmel fil l i ng wi l l
not set up propery.
tart on wire rack; arrange cdel-coated walnut
halves on surface of tart, arow1d perineter. Cool
tart w1til just warm, about 30 minutes, then refig
erate, uncovered, until chocolate is frm, at least 3
homs or up to 24 hours.
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E M i E R 2 0 0 4
2 3
Hobday Salads with Blue Cheese
Blue cheese makes an interesting dinner guest, inviting a wide range of
other ingredients-sweet, tart, bitter, and cru nchy-to the table.
L
ike a well- spoken dinner guest, blue
cheese is intense, complex, and sophisti
cated. But pair the life of the party with
a dull companion ( tender lettuce leaves)
and the dinner magic all but disappears.
The trick to including blue cheese in a salad,
I found, is to have a fee hand when introducing
other favors and textures; strong cheese really
shines when tasted with sweet, tart, bitter, and
crunchy ingredients. A good shot of vinegar gave
necessary tartness to the dressing, and a spoonfl
of honey performed double duty, both temper
ing the acidit of the vinegar and highlighting the
saltiness of the cheese. A for the greens, tasters
particularly liked bitter radicchio and peppery
arugula mixed with milder lettuces. Sweetness
and holiday crimson tones come from dried fruit
( cherries ) , fresh fruit ( apple) , or beets . Good
tooth-sinking texture comes by way of crunchy
chopped toasted nuts, fresh celery slices, or a
furry of fied shallots. With balanced, flavorfl
salad recipes at the ready, guess who' s coming
to dinner?
SALAD WI TH F EN NEL, DRI E D CHE RRI E S ,
WALNUTS , AND ROQUE FORT
SERVES AS A F I RST COURSE
We tried a half- dozen varieties of blue cheese
and all were acceptable, but tasters favored rich,
creamy Roquefort. If you prefer to use a very
mild and mellow blue cheese, we recommend
Danish blue; if you prefer a sharp and piquant
one, try Stilton.
2 teaspoons honey
3 tabl espoons red wi ne vi negar
11 cup dri ed sweetened cherries or cranberries
3 tabl espoons extra-virgi n ol ive oil
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
smal l fennel bul b, tri mmed of stal ks and sl i ced
very thi n (about I 'l cups) , fronds chopped
coarse (about 114 cup)
smal l head red or green l eaf l ettuce, washed,
dri ed, and torn i nto bi te-size pi eces (7 cups)
smal l head radi cchi o, quartered, cored, and cut
crosswise i nto 'Is- i nch-wi de stri ps (about 3 cups)
11 cup chopped wal nuts, toasted i n medi um
ski l l et over medi um heat unti l fragrant,
about 4 mi nutes
6 ounces Roquefort, crumbl ed (about 1 11 cups)
B Y R E B E C C A H AY S E
l . Whisk honey and vinegar in medium
microwave-safe bowl; stir in cherries. Cover with
plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic,
and microwave on high until cherries are plump,
about l minute. Whisk in oil , l/4 teaspoon salt,
and lg teaspoon pepper; while mixture is still
warm, add sliced fennel bulb and toss to com
bine. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Toss lettuce, radicchio, fennel fronds, and
dried cherry/fennel mixture in large bowl; adjust
seasonings with salt and pepper. Divide salad
among individual plates; top each with portion
of nuts and Roquefort. Serve immediately.
SALAD WI TH APPLE , CE LE RY, HAZELNUTS ,
AND ROQUE FORT
S E RVES AS A F I RST COURSE
Use a dishtowel to rub the skins fom the hazel
nuts while still hot. Blanched slivered almonds
can be substituted for hazelnuts.
tabl espoon honey
3 tabl espoons ci der vi negar
3 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
114 teaspoon tabl e salt
11s teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
sweet red appl e, such as Braeburn or Fuj i , cored
and sl i ced very thi n (about 2 cups)
2 cel ery ri bs, sliced very thi n on bias
(about 1 114 cups)
medi um head red or green l eaf l ettuce, washed,
dri ed, and torn i nto bi te-size pi eces
(about 9 cups)
114 cup l oosel y packed torn fresh parsl ey l eaves
11 cup hazel nuts, toasted i n medi um ski l l et over
medi um heat unti l fragrant, about 4 mi nutes,
then ski nned and chopped fi ne
6 ounces Roquefort, crumbl ed (about I 'l cups)
l . Whisk honey, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in
small bowl until combined. In medium bowl, toss
apple and celery with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette;
let stand 5 minutes.
2. Toss lettuce, parsley, and remaining vinai
grette in large bowl; adjust seasonings with salt
COOK'S EXTRA g ives you free rec ipes onl ine. For
Salad with Roquefort, Avocado, Tomatoes, and Bacon,
go to www.cooks illustrated. com and key in code 604 1 .
This reci pe will b e ava ilable unti l December 1 5 , 2004.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 4
and pepper. Divide greens among individual
plates; top each with portion of apple/celery mix
ture, nuts, and Roquefort. Serve immediately.
SALAD WI TH ROASTED B E ETS , FRI E D
S HALLOTS , AND ROQU E F ORT
S E RVES AS A F I RST COURS E
Us e paper towels t o rub t he skins from the
cooked and cooled beets.
3 smal l or 2 medi um beets (about 1 2 ounces) ,
washed and tri mmed of root ti ps and stems
3 medi um shal l ots, sl i ced thi n and separated i nto
rings (about I cup)
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
2 tabl espoons al l - purpose fl our
6 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
2 tabl espoons sherr vi negar
2 teaspoons honey
I l arge bunch arugul a, washed, dri ed, tri mmed of
stems, and tom i nto bite-size pi eces (about 6 cups)
medi um head butter l ettuce, washed, dri ed, and
torn i nto bi te-size pi eces (about 7 cups)
6 ounces Roquefort, crumbl ed (about I 'l cups)
l . Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position;
heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap each beet in foil
and bake until paring knife can be inserted and
removed with little resistance, 50 to 60 minutes.
Unwrap beets; when cool enough to handle, peel
and cut beets into 1/-inch-thick wedges and place
in medium bowl .
2 . Wile beets are roasting, toss shallots with
l/4 teaspoon salt, ls teaspoon pepper, and four
in medium bowl . Heat 3 tablespoons oil in 2
i nch nonstick skillet over medium- high heat
until smoking; add shallots and cook, stirring
frequently, until golden and crisped, about 5
minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shallots to
plate lined with triple layer of paper towels.
3. Wisk remaining 3 tablespoons oil, vinegar,
honey, l4 teaspoon salt, and lfg teaspoon pepper
in small bowl until combined. Add l tablespoon
vinaigrette to beets, season beets to taste wth salt
and pepper, and toss to combine.
4. Toss arugula, lettuce, and remaining vinai
grette in large bowl; adjust seasonings with salt
and pepper. Divide greens among individual
plates; top each with portion of beets, fied shal
lots, and Roquefort. Serve immediately.
The AU-Purpose Food Processor
Some model s cost al most $300, while others are sold for rel ativel y smal l change.
Do the big bucks guarantee a better machi ne? And what about all those attachments?
B Y G A L E N M O O R E A N D G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M I T H E
I
thas bccnscvcnycarssinccvclast putlood
proccssors through thcir paccs. ^lthough
thc basic conccpt hasn` t changcd much
plastic bov| vith vhirring bladc) , almost
a||o|thc modc|svc tcstcd back in 7havc .
ur ncv |incup includcd hvc mid to high
priccd modc|s $ 40 up to $280) , plus thrcc
modcls at $70 or lcss . Jhc highpriccd modcls
comc vith various attachmcnts that arc sup
poscd toturn thc machincinto cvcrythinglrom
ajuiccrto a blcndcr. othcattachmcntsj usti[
thccxtracost` Couldthc backtobasicsmodcls
handlcmostkitchcntasksvithcasc`Shouldany
loodproccssorcostalmost$300` Wcvcntinto
thctcstkitchcntohndout.
Cheaper Model s Get a Workout
What should a lood proccssor-at mni
mum-bc ab|c to do` For startcrs, it ought
to chop, gratc, and slicc vcgctablcs, grinddry
ingrcdicnts,andcut|at intouour|or picpastry.
!lit can`t vhiz through thcsc tasks, it`s vasting
countcrspacc.Jhcchcapcrmodclslailcdmostol
thcscbasictcsts .
\sing thc Black & cckcr Povcr Pro l l
$48) , our tcstcrs had to lorccmlly ram carrots
through a gratcr attachmcnt so dull that thc
back olthc sliccr bladc, on thc rcvcrsc sidc ol
thcdisk,vasas likc|y to catchthccarrot asthc
gratcr. At lcast onc third olour carrots vcrc
torninto manglcd sliccs by thc dull backo|thc
bladc . Jcst cooks agrccd. Wc couldn`t usc this
machinc |orcarrotcakcorgratcdcarrotsa|ad.
Anothcr bargai n bascmcnt |ood proccssor,
thctvo spccd!ami|tonBcachPrcpS tar $35 ),
runsquictcrandis bcttcrdcsigncdthanitsprc
dcccssor, thc 7050. !t pcr|ormcdvc|l on thc
grating tcst, producing clcan shrcds olcarrot
and chcddarthatvcrc almost indistinguishablc
lromthoscproduccdbymachincscostingthrcc
tolourtimcsasmuch.Sliccso|potato,hovcvcr,
camc out likc vcdgcs-papcr thin on onc sidc,
up to ls inch thick on thc othcr. Jhc coarsc
actionolthc!ami|tonBcachslicingb|adctorc
pulp and sccds out o|tomatocs, |cavingjust a
thinringo|manglcducsh and skin.
Jhc stcr!nspirc $70) vas a tad bcttcrthan
thc tvo othcr incxpcnsivc modcls tcstcd, but it
stillnubbcdsomcbasicloodproccssorchorcs. For
instancc,tlismachincvasunablctochoponions,
carrots,orcc|cryvithout bruta|izingtlcm.
Considcring that thcsc chcapcr |ood proccs
sorshadahardtimcvithbasictasks,vchadlittlc
hopc that thcycould managc morc chal|cnging
jobs,suchaskncadingbrcaddoughorpurccing
soup. Surc cnough, thc chcapcr modc|s livcd
dovnto thcirrcputationvhcnitcamcto mak
ing pizza dough. Wc turncd ollthc !amilton
Bcach proccssor altcr 5 scconds, vhcn uour
and vatcr vcrc barc|y incorporatcd, as othcr
r E s r 1 N G N o r E s Prsl ey and Pi e Dough
cooks inthctcst kitchcn lookcd upvith alarm
atthc smc|lolacrid smokc and tlc horrcndous
sound o|thc straining motor. Jhc stcr and
thc B|ack& cckcrgot thc j obdonc, butthcir
motors, too, bcganto grind dovn asthcdough
camc togcthcr, smclling olsmoking grcasc and
vhat vc cou|d on|y gucss vas mclting plasti c.
^tcr 0 to 00 scconds i n thcsc proccssors,
thc doughs that cmcrgcd vcrc adcquatc, but
vcvondcrcdhovmanycrustypizzasvccould
cnj oy bc|orc vc` dhavc to buy a ncv machinc.
Aslorpurccingsoup,allthrccbargainmachincs
|cakcdsouplromthc bottomolthc bovl . , 1hc
purccitsc|lturncdout0 K. )
!n thc cnd,thcn,vc cannotrccommcndany
olthc thrcc chcapcrloodproccssorsvc tcstcd.
!tvastimctoopcnourva|lctandchcckoutthc
morc cxpcnsivc machincs.
Spendi ng More Money
Jhc tvo stars o|thc |ood proccssor world havc
a|vays bccn thc KtchcnAid , vc tcstcd thc
Prolcssional 70, $280) and thc Cuisinart wc
tcstcd thc rc|ativcly ncv Prcp l l Plus, $200, as
vcll as thc original Pro Custom l l , $ 0) . Wc
a|sochcckcdoutthcBosch5000, $ 3) andthc
Bosch 5200, $200) .
Jhc tvo Bosch machincs madc an intcrcst
ing pair in thc tcsting, as thc lcss cxpcnsivc
machinc somctimcs stood up to its brawnicr
cousin. Whcnitcamcto chop
ping vcgctabl cs, thc chcapcr
Bosch 5000 did a bcttcr job.
PE RF E CT PARSLEY U NU SABLE MUS H P E RF E CT P I E DOUG H DE CE NT P I E DOUG H
Both modcl s havc thc samc
bov| sizc and bladc dcsign,
but thc 4 spccd motor in thc
5200 didn` t sccm to cut thc
vcgctablcs at all, it j ust kind
ol uoggcd thcm around thc
bovl . Jhc 5000` s simplcr 2
spccd motor vas morc cllcc
tivc.!ovcvcr,vhcnitcamcto
purccing soups, both modcls
vcrc standouts . Jhc roundcd
bovl and conc shapcd bl adc
attachmcntcnablcdbothmod
cls to purcc 5 cups olmock
souppcrlcctly,vithoutlcakng
a drop. Cup mcasurcmcntson
thc sidc olthc vorkbovl pcr
With its mi ni - bowl fi l l ed to the bri m, the Ki tchenAi d pro
duced chopped parsley that was dry and l argely unbrui sed
( l eft) . I n contrast, wi th more room to bat around the
same 2 cups of parsl ey, the regul ar bowl on the KitchenAi d
turned out usel ess green mush (right) . Parsl ey received
much the same rough treatment in the regul ar-size bowls
of the other food processors tested.
Both Cui si nart model s produced dough wi th an even
consi stency of coarse sand and pea-sized l umps of butter,
wi thout cl umps ( l eft) . I n contrast, the Bosch 5 000 yi el ded
a dough that cl umped i n pl aces and smeared on the bl ade
( right) . Because the bl ade on thi s machi ne (and the rest
of the model s tested) di d not stop on a di me, i t was easy
to overprocess the fat and fl our.
N O V E M B E R 6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
2 5
plcxcdus, hovcvcr.According
K/Tl l l''l lK''L>>'K>
TOP CHOI CE BEST VALUE
KI TCHE NAI D CUI S I NART PRO
CUI S I NART PREP BOS CH 5 000 OSTER BOSCH 5 200 BLACK & DE CKE R HAMI LTON BEACH
Each of ei ght food processors
was put through a total of I I
tests to eval uate i ts perfor
mance at vari ous food proces
sor tasks. Special attachments
were eval uated separately
(see page 2 7 for detai l s) . The
H Mb
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
food processors are l i sted in order of preference based
on their overl l scores i n the fol l owing tests.
PRI CE: Pri ces paid in Boston-area stores, nati onal
mai l -order catalogs, and on Web sites.
BOWL CAPACI TY/ BAS E WEI G HT: We chose
model s with a capacit of I I cups. or as close as pos
sible. If a manufacturer did not make an 1 1 -cup model ,
we tested i ts larest food processor. Base weights (as
measured in the test kitchen) rnged from j ust under 5
pounds to more than 1 2 pounds. We found a correla
tion beteen heavier bases and superior perormance.
GRATI NG/SLI CI NG: We grted cheddar cheese
and carrots and sliced pl um tomatoes and pottoes. We
looked for dr. consi stent shrds and clean. even sl i ces.
CHOPPI NG: We chopped parsley as wel l as a mix
ture of celer. carrots. and oni ons. We l ooked for a dr,
even mixture of same-sized pi eces. With the excep
ti on of the KitchenAid (whi ch comes wi th a mi ni - bowl
i nsert) . all model s fared poorly on the parsley test.
GRI NDI NG: We processed whol e wal nuts to the
texture of coarse com meal and a loaf of stale bread to
bread crumbs. Mi ni mal processi ng shoul d produce dr
ground nuts and even bread crumbs.
PASTRY DOUGH: We pul sed together vegetabl e
shorteni ng. butter. and dr i ngredi ents, l ooki ng for
coarse, yel l ow crumbs and pea-sized chunk of butter
after about ten 1 -second pul ses.
BREAD DOUGH: We doubl ed our reci pe for pi ssal
adi ere dough (see March/ April 2004 i ssue) for a l oad
with 4 cups of fl our. We l ooked for a smooth, satiny
dough i n less than 90 seconds.
S OUP PUREE: We tested how much l i qui d the
workbowl coul d handl e, then pureed a mock-soup
mixture of water and steamed broccol i . We checked
for l eaks and passed the resul ti ng puree through a
coarse si eve, l ooki ng for unprocessed chunks. Any
leaks or l are chunk resul ted in a poor rti ng.
TESERS' COMMENT: Obserati ons about desi gn
or performance i n specific tests.
RECOMME NDE D
KitchenAid Professi onal 670.
KFP670WH
PRI CE : $279. 99
BOWL CAPACI TY: I I cups
BAS E WE I GHT: 2 1 b I OZ
Cui si nart Pro Custom I I .
DLC8S
PRI CE: $ 1 59. 99
BOWL CAPACI TY: I I cups
BAS E WE I GHT: l b 9 OZ
Cui si nar Prep I I Pl us.
DLC20 1 1
PRI CE : $ 1 99. 99
BOWL CAPACI TY: I I cups
BAS E WE I GHT: I I lb 3 OZ
GRATI NG/S LI C I NG: ***
CHOP PI NG: ***
GR I NDI NG: ***
PASTRY DOUGH: ***
BREAD DOUGH: **
S OUP P URE E : **
G RATI NG/S LI C I NG: ***
CHOP PI NG: **
GRI NDI NG : ***
PASTRY DOUGH: ***
BREAD DOUGH: ***
S OUP P URE E : **
GRATI NG/S LI CI NG: **
CHOPPI NG: **
GR I NDI NG: ***
PASTRY DOUGH: ***
BREAD DOUGH: ***
S OUP P URE E : **
RECOMME NDE D WI TH RESE RVATI ONS
Bosch 5000. MCM 5000 UC
GRATI NG/S LI CI NG : **
**
**
**
**
***
PRI CE : $ 1 39
BOWL CAPACI TY: 1 2 cups
BAS E WE I GHT: 6 l b 2 oz
NOT RECOMME NDE D
Oster I nspi re 3200
PRI CE: $69. 99
BOWL CAPACI TY: I 0 cups
BAS E WE I GHT: 1 0 l b 5 OZ
Bosch 5200. MCM 5200 UC
PRI CE : $ 1 99. 99
BOWL CAPACI TY: 2 cups
BAS E WE I G HT: 6 1 b 5 OZ
Bl ack & Decker Power Pro
FP 1 500
PRI CE : $47. 99
BOWL CAPACI TY: cups
BAS E WE I GHT: 4 1 b 1 5 OZ
Hami l ton Beach PrepStar.
70550R
PRI CE : $ 3 5
BOWL CAPACI TY: d cups
BAS E WE I GHT: 5 l b 2 OZ
I I .
CHOP P I NG:
GRI NDI NG :
PASTRY DOUG H:
BREAD DOUG H:
S OUP P URE E :
GRATI NG/S LI C I NG:
CHOPP I NG:
GRI NDI NG :
PASTRY DOUG H:
BREAD DOUG H:
S OUP P URE E :
G RATI NG/S LI CI NG:
CHOP PI NG:
GR I NDI NG:
PASTRY DOUGH:
BREAD DOUGH:
S OUP P URE E :
G RATI NG/S LI C I NG:
CHOPPI NG:
GRI NDI NG :
PASTRY DOUG H:
BREAD DOUG H:
S OUP P URE E :
**
*
***
**
**
**
*
*
***
**
**
***
*
*
***
**
*
*
G RATI NG/S LI CI NG: *
CHOPPI NG: **
GRI NDI NG : ***
PASTRY DOUGH: **
BREAD DOUGH: *
S OUP P URE E : *
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 6
TESTE RS ' COMME NTS
The prep whiz: chopped and sli ced as cleanly and evenly as a
carefully wielded kni fe-and a lot faster. Comes wi th a mi ni
bowl attachment that makes qui ck work of parsley; bigger
bowls in other models beat parsley into a sorr. bruised state.
Leaked slightly during the puree test.
The original Cui si nart has changed little si nce its | JJdebut,
but it handled ever test (except bread dough) just as well as
the newer, more expensive Cui si nart. In fact, i t was better
than the newer Cui si nart at grating and sli ci ng and making pie
dough. The feed tube design i s a pain."
This redesigned Cui si nart has some ni ce new features. The
ultimate machine for bread: Under 8 heavy load of dough. it
purred l i ke a Mercedes. Fruit and vegetable processing was
less than perfect. however. Testers weren' t wi ld about the
feed tube design on ei ther this or the Pro Custom model,
although they are the widest on the market.
Didn' t perform any task exceptionally well, but di dn' t fai l mis
erably at any task, ei ther. If you can live wi th less-than-perfect
but still passable potato slices and pastry doughs, you might
buy this model and save a few dollars. Inexplicably, this model
struggled on the easiest test-grinding bread crumbs.
This unit almost got a passi ng grde-unti l i t brutalized the
carrots, celery. and onions i n the chopping test. If you want
a food processor and absolutely can' t aford anything more
expensi ve, thi s one is the best of the really cheap choices. Just
use a knife to chop veggies.
Surpri si ngly bad performance during choppi ng, sli ci ng, and
grating tests, but several of its extra attachments-blender,
whi p. and jui cer-proved useful. Nice extrs. but designers
seem to have forotten about core functi ons.
Although i t mi mi cs the look and feel of a hi gh-end food pro
cessor, even si mple tasks proved too much for the Black
Decker, and forget about more dificult tasks such as making
bread dough or pureeing soup.
Fi ne i f you use a food processor once a year, at Thanksgi vi ng.
to gri nd bread crumbs for stufing. Otheri se. mediocre-to
poor performance on every other test. You don't get what
you don' t pay for.
to thcsc marki ngs, a 5 cup mcasurc o||iquid
vou|d bc cquiva|cnt to 2 pints . !n tcrms o|
othcrtasks,ncithcrBoschmachincvasgrcatat
makingpizzadoughorpicpastry.
nc sc||ing point o|thc 5200 is thc attach
mcnts it comcs vith, scvcra| o|vhich rcccivcd
high marks scc Attachmcnt i sordcr, " at
right) . Wc conc|udcd that thc 5200` s |ai|urc
vithvcgctab|cscou|dnotbcovcr|ookcd,dcspitc
itstopnotchpurccingpcr|ormanccanditsarray
o|uscm| acccssori cs. As onc tcstcrputit, !|thc
machinc can` t s|icc potatocs, vho carcs i|thc
juiccrvorks` "Jhc5000rcccivcdahighcrscorc
bccausc i t is chcapcr and bccausc it`s ab|c to
hand|cvcgctab|cs-acorcactivity-handi|y.
The Big Guns
!t vas nov timc to movc on to thc big guns .
KitchcnAid and Cuisinart. Ancr cvcn a cursory
cxamination,itvasc|carthatmorc moncydocs
buy a bcttcr, morc hcavyduty proccssor. Jhc
KitchcnAidandCuisinartb|adcsarc amongthc
sturdicst and appcar to bc thc sharpcst. Jhcir
motors had morc vcight, ran quictcr, and did
not s|ov dovn undcr a hcavy |oad o|brcad
dough.
Spcaking o|dough, thc dough mixing |ca
turcs inc|udcd vith thc ncvcr Cuisinart Ircp
-a spccia| b|adc and a scparatc spccd |or
dough-provcd vc|| conccivcd. At thc dough
mixing spccd, thc motor purrcd, it vas quict
cnough to a||ov |or norma| convcrsati on. Jhc
origina| Cuisinart modc|, thc Iro Custom ,
produccdarcsu|to|cqua|qua|itybuttooka|it
t|c|ongcrtogctthcrc. Asviththc KitchcnAid
and Bosch proccssors, this task put an audib|c
strainonthc motor. )
Jhc Iro Custom , hovcvcr, did thc bcst
jobvithpic pastry, as thc b|adc stopsspinning
a|most immcdiatc|y oncc thc pu|sc button i s
rc|cascd. thcr b|adcs took a sccond or tvo
to spin dovn. Bccausc it usua||y takcs about
0pu|scsto cut|at intonour,a 2 sccondspi n-
dovnahcrcachpu|sccanmakcasignihcantdil
|crcnccinthchnishcdtcxturco|thcdough scc
tcstingnotcsboxonpagc25) . thcrmachincs,
cspccia||ythcCuisinartIrcp andKtchcnAi d,
di dagoodjobvithpastry,butthcIroCustom
yic|dcdpcr|cctpicdough.
Whcn it camc to purccing soups, ncithcr tlc
KitchcnAid nor thc tvo Cuisinart modc|s cou|d
comparc vithtlc Bosch |ood proccssors, vhich
hand|cd tvicc as muchliquid anddidnot|cak.
1hc KitchcnAid |cakcd s|ight|y undcr thc bladc
andhasasma||bov|capacity. JhctvoCuisinarts
didn`t |cak, but thcy produccd impcr|cctpurccs
andtlcirbov|capaciticsarccvcnsma||cr.
What,thcn,shou|dyou buy` !|youarcpartia|
to Cuisinart, it turns out that thc c|assic and
somcvhatchcapcr)modc| , thc IroCustom ,
isabcttcrva|uc,c|car|youtpcr|ormingthcncvcr
Ircp l l I|us in thc vcgctab|c tcsts and s|ight|y
outpcr|orming its succcssor i n thc pic pastry
tcst. Brcad bakcrs, hovcvcr, might vant to go
vith thc ncvcr, morc cxpcnsivc modc|, vhich
mixcs brcad dough supcrb|y. And vhat about
thc KitchcnAid, priccd an cycpopping $280,
a m|| 40pcrccntmorc than thc topo|tlc|i nc
Cuisinart` Fi rst o||, it is thc hands-dovn vin
ncrvith vcgctab|c prcparation, thc Cuisinarts
rca||y don`t mcasurc up in this rcgard. But thc
Ki tchcnAid vas on|y sccond bcst comparcd
Attachment Di sorder
viththctvo Cuisinartsvhcnmakingdough.
Andvhat,thcn,havcvc|carncdsinccour|ast
ratingo||oodproccssors`Scvcnycarsandabout
athousanddo||ars|atcr,vchavcconc|udcdthat
Kitchcn^id and Cuisinartarc sti|| tlc machincs
to bcat. !|vcgctab|c prcp i s important to you,
buy thc Itchcn^id. !|you don` tcarc toomuch
about vcgctab|c prcp, thc Cuisinarts pcr|orm
a|| othcr tasks as vc|| as or bcttcr than) thcir
pricicrcompctition.
Many food processor come with attachments. A you might expect, some are compl etely usel ess, whi l e other are
surprisi ngly wel l designed. The Bosch 5200 garered top honor for attachments that we woul d really want to own.
(I t wasn' t ver good at some basic tsks, though. ) Here' s a rundown on the attachments we tested. Al l attachments
were i ncl uded with the food processor.
J UI CER & J UI CE
EXRACTOR
WHI P
BLE NDE R
DOUGH
HOOK
MI NI - BOWL &
CHEF ' S BOWL
F OOD PROCE S S OR: Bosch 5200
PURPOS E : Juice all kinds of fnuits
and vegetbles.
TESTERS' COMME NTS: Juiced
carrots with ease, but apple peels
caused some hesitation. Te citnus
juicer was thorough and worked
with both lare and small fnuits.
F OOD PROCE S S OR: Bosch 5200
PURPOS E: Beat cream, eg whites,
or batter.
TESTE RS' COMME NTS : Whipped
cream to stif peaks just as fast as a
good hand mixer.
F OOD PROCE S S OR: Bosch 5200
PURPOS E : Make smoothies and
pureed soups.
TESTERS' COMME NTS: Handled
smoothies and soup capably.
F OOD PROCE S S OR: Bosch (both
models)
PURPOS E: Special blade attch
ment with rised ends designed for
kneading dough.
TESTERS' COMME NTS : Fine per
forance but no better than the
regular blade that comes with these
machines.
F OOD PROCE S S OR: KitchenAid
PURPOS E: Te mini-bowl (seen
here) is designed to handle small
jobs; the chefs bowl fits inside the
regular workbowl.
TESTE RS' COMME NTS : Te mini
bowl proved essential when chop
ping herbs; the chefs bowl lets the
cook handle two jobs without any
dishwashing in beteen.
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
2 7
CITRUS
J UI CER
COMPACT COVER
BREAD DOUGH BLDE
& BREAD SPEED
SETI NG
FOOD
F I NGERS
F OOD PROCESSOR: KitchenAid
PU RPOS E : J uice ornges and
grpefruits.
TESTERS' COMME NTS : Produced
pulpy "home-stle" ornge juice
but was too wide to handle lemons
or limes.
F OOD PROCESSOR: Cuisinart Pro
Custom I I
PURPOS E : This separte lid with
out a standard feed tube or pusher
is designed for use when kneading.
chopping. mixing. or pureeing.
TESTERS' COMME NTS : Much
easier to clean than wide feed tube.
F OOD PROCE S S OR: Cuisinart
Prep I I Plus
PU RPOS E : Modulates speed
according to the dough consistency
when kneading.
TK' COMMENT: Produced st
iny dough. perectly free of lumps,
in less than 60 seconds without any
audible strin on motor.
FOOD PROCESSOR: Bl ack Decker
PU RPOS E: Metal clawthat clips
into feed tube is designed to hold
a single vegetable, such as a carrot,
for slicing or grting.
TESTERS' COMMENTS: Bizarre and
usel ess.
CONTI NUOUS FEED F OOD PROCE S S OR: Hamilton
CHUTE Beach
PU RPOS E : Supposed to propel
sliced or shredded ingredients
out of the workbowl. Tink Salad
Shooter.
TESTE RS' COMME NTS : Useless.
r" Chute mutilated potato slices and
got jammed full of grted cheese.
The Fat Wars
The American food ind ustry is not content with simply selli ng a natural , high- q uali ty food
produ ct-butter. I t wants us to buy ' healthier' and 'premi um' alternati ves, too .
. B Y J A C K B I S H O P A N D G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M I T H E
T
he American food industry loves to
replace delicious, natural products ( take
butter, for example) with substitutes
made fom cheap ingredients that require
processing ( margarine) in an effort to increase
proft margins and market share. These new
products are ofen sold under the dubious guise of
claims that they are "healthy"-low fat, low sugar,
low carb-and the strategy has proven enormously
successfl. In 1 909, butter outsold margarine by a
factor ofl S to 1 ; by 199 3,margarine was outselling
butter by nearly 3to 1 . Here in the test kitchen, we
are usualy immune to the charms of "new" and
"improved" products, but two recent develop
ments have gven us pause to reconsider. First, pre
ruum butters (wth higher percentages of milk fat)
are now widely available in supermarkets. Second,
the margarine industry has lately introduced
"healthier" spreads that do not contain trans fats,
ostensibly making them a more attactive alterna
tive to butter. We purchased 1 1 premiun1 butters
and six new butter substitutes and headed to the
test kitchen. Here is what we learned.
Margari ne Gets a Makeover
Margarine has long been touted as a healthier
alternative to butter, which has two to three
times as much saturated fat. Until recently, that
pitch has been working. But margarine has had a
rough time of late. During tl1e 1 990s, more and
more healtl1 experts started to sow1d tl1e alarm
about margarine, especially the solid versions sold
in sticks. Margarine is vegetable oil that has been
turned into a solid by means of a process called
partial hydrogenation, tl1e sane process used to
make vegetable shortenings such as Crisco. Wle
margarine contains less artery-clogging saturated
fat than butter, it also contains much more trans
fat, which is a product of partial hydrogenation.
Researchers have warned tl1at trans fats may be
more dangerous than saturated fat. (Saturated
fat is thought to raise total cholesterol, botl1 the
"good" kind, known as HDL, and the "bad"
kind, known as LDL, but trans fats are thought to
raise bad cholesterol wilie lowering good choles
terol-a nutritional double whammy. ) In general,
the more solid the margarine, tl1e more trans fats
it contains.
During the past decade, per capita consun1ption
of margarine has declined by about 25 percent. In
contrast, butter conswnption has climbed more
than 1 0 percent since 1 997. A might be expected,
tl1e margarine industry is fghting back. It has
responded with a new generation of spreads-sold
in tubs ratl1er tl1an sticks-that don't contain trans
fats. A product qualifes as "margarine" if it is
80 percent fat, like most butters; it's considered
a "spread" if it's less than 80 percent fat. ) Some
spreads even contain additives that are supposed
to reduce cholesterol. Because these butter substi
tutes contain little or no hydrogenated oil, how
ever, gwns, emulsifi ers, and/or tropical oils (which
are naturally solid at room temperature) must be
used to make them solid. These products ( we
tested five of them) are designed for more than j ust
spreading on toast; most manufacturers claim that
they can also be used in baking and cooking.
In our tasting, we also included Land 0' Lakes
Sof Baking Butter with Canola Oil . Athough
not really a butter substimte, tlus product doesn't
qua as a true butter, eitl1er. The pitch is pretty
simple. Any avid baker knows tl1at successfl cakes
and cookies ofen start witl1 butter brought to
room temperature. Sof Baking Butter is designed
for cooks who would rather not wait an hour. We
Rati ng Butter Al ternatives
also wanted to see how these new products stacked
up against real butter, so we threw two of them
into the test: Land 0' Lakes reglar unsalted but
ter and Land 0' Lakes Ultra Creamy, the compa
ny's entry into the boutique butter business.
The frst taste test was simple enough: We spread
each product on toast. The butter substitutes were
clear losers. Several spreads tasted like fake movie
theater popcorn butter, and one reminded us
of fsh. When choosing a spread for toast, we'll
stick with the real thing. Next, we melted the
products over green beans and used them to saute
chicken cutlets. To our surrise, Land 0' Lakes
Sof Baking Butter actually bested the to real
butters in both applications. We surmise that the
small percentage of canota oil in the baking butter
makes it melt better and protects against burning
when used for cooking on the stovetop. Two of
the butter substitutes, Olivio and Smart Balance,
also received decent scores in these tests.
In the shortbread test, our panel had no trouble
picking out the two real butters. Tasters thought
that the Sof Baking Butter made mediocre short
bread, and the other butter substtutes fared much,
Sixteen taster sampl ed si x butter substitutes in four tests: stright from the package. mel ted over green beans. sauteed
with chi cken cutl ets. and baked i nto shortbread. We i ncl uded regul ar unsal ted Lnd 0' Lkes and unsal ted Lnd 0' Lkes
Ultra Creamy (our favorite hi gh-fat butter) in all four tests. The real butters were the overal l wi nners. The butter substi
tutes are l i sted in order of preference based on thei r overl l scores.
RECO M M E N D E D
LAND 0' LAKES Soft Baking Buter with Canola Oi l , $ 4. 69 for 1 6 ounces Stright from the
package, thi s "presoftened" butter was "salt," "greas," and " bl and. " Despite its l abel i ng as a " baking butter,"
it showed more promi se i n savor di shes, besti ng regul ar butters in the green bean and chi cken tests.
RECO M M E N D E D WI TH RE S E RVATI ONS
LEE I ACOCCA' S OLI VI O, $ 1 . 69 for 1 5 ounces Ti s spread contai ns olive oil and is endorsed
by Lee l acocca of Chrsl er fame. I t rival ed butter in the green bean and chi cken tests but el i ci ted com
ments such as "fishy. " "oi ly, " and "ranci d " when tasted pl ai n .
S MART BALANC E Buttery Spread, $ 2. 29 for 1 6 ounces Thi s spread performed wel l in the
chi cken saute, where it promoted decent browni ng. But in the pl ai n tasti ng. panel ists compl ai ned l oudly
about its "fake" frui t and vegetabl e notes and "sl i pper texture. "
NOT RECO M M E NDE D
BE N ECOL Spread, $4. 99 for 8 ounces Accordi ng to the l abel , thi s spread wi th pl ant stanol ester
i s "proven to si gnifi cantly reduce chol esterol ." But. as one taster sai d , i t tastes " l i ke sol i di fi ed frer oi l . "
SOY GARDE N Spread, $ 2 . 1 9 for 1 6 ounces Thi s spread remi nded tasters of "ranci d mayon
nai se. " Terri bl e pl ai n and i n shortbread, but l ess ofensive i n the green bean and chi cken tests.
S PECTRU M Naturals Spread, $ 2 . 1 9 for 1 0 ounces Thi s canol a oi l spread refused to mel t over
beans and made awful shortbread. Tastes l i ke "jel / - 0 marri ed with fake movi e popcorn butter. "
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
2 8
TASTI NG PREMI UM BUTTERS
Twent tasters sampl ed six salted butters and seven unsal ted butters in separate tasti ngs. The butters were al l owed to come to room temperature, and tasters were encour
aged to sampl e the butters pl ai n in order to experi ence thei r mel ti ng properties di rectly on the tongue. Tasters al so spread the butters on baguette sl i ces. One brand was
ofered twice in each tasti ng, as a control to confi rm the val i di t of the tests. Te butters are l i sted in order of preference, but al l brnds are recommended.
SALTE D BUTTERS
RECOMME NDE D
lND 0' lKES Ultra Creamy Salted Butter
$2. B9 for B ounces
Thi s hi gh-fat butter was l ighter tasti ng than some of the other
sampl es but ver pl easantly creamy and smooth . A few tasters
pi cked up a " hi nt of frui ti ness. " and i t had a good sal t punch.
lND O' lKES Regular Salted Butter
$ 3 . 69 for 1 6 ounces
This "regul ar" butter was l i ked for its cl ean . ri ch fl avor and
creamy mouthfeel . Most tasters consi dered i t "a l i ttl e l i ght on
favor" but smooth and pl easant. The sal t was pronounced.
LURPK Sl ightly Salted Danish Buter
$ 3 . 99 for B ounces
Ti s Dani sh butter carried a "subtl e. del i cate nut favor" and
"slight tang. " A one taster noted, the "favor i s sweet and com
plex. but it doesn ' t have the stayi ng power of some others. "
L GALL BEURRE DE BRT DE BREAGNE Butter
with Fleur de Sel
$6. 99 for B. B2 ounces
Dense i n texture. with unexpected nugets of sea sal t, thi s
French butter had "prett bi g flavor" and noti ceabl e tang. but
it was " i ntensel y salt."
VERMONT BUTER & CHEESE COMPNY Salted
Cultured Butter
$ 3 . 29 for B ounces
Most tasters wel comed the "ni ce tang fi ni sh" of thi s cul tured
butter. " I ' d spend money on thi s, " wrote one fan. Another
consi dered i t "so butter it al most tastes artifi ci al . "
KERRYGOLD Pure I rish Butter
$ 2. 5 9 for B ounces
Thi s vi vi d yel l ow I ri sh butter was descri bed as "very ri ch" and
"savor. " More than one taster pi cked up a "grassy" essence.
whi l e a coupl e thought i t tasted somewhat must.
much worse. In this test, real butter was a slam
dunk. Our results were decisive: The margarine
industry just can' t compete with natural, unpro
cessed, no-additives butter in terms of flavor. It's
not nice to fool Mother Nature.
A Premi um for Buter?
Al right, but what about the "premium" butters?
The principal diferences between "regular" butter
and "premium" butter are fat content and prce.
According to U. S. Department of Agriculture
standards, all butter must consist of at least 80per
cent m fat. (The rest is mostly water, witl1 some
m solids, too. ) Because fat costs money, regu
lar butters rarely contain more than 80 percent.
Premium butters have a m fat content of 82to
U NSALTE D B UTTE RS
RECO M M E ND E D
lND 0' lKES Ul tra Creamy Butter
$ 2. B9 for B ounces
Th i s butter was " ri ch , " " l us h." and " tangy. " wi th a creamy
mouthfeel . More than one taster pi cked up on subtl e l emony
notes. It has a ful l er flavor than i ts salted counterpart.
PRESI DENT Unsalted Butter
$ 2. 99 for 7 ounces
Thi s French butter was "very ri ch but not terri bl y compl ex. " Or.
as one taster noted, " I t' s not l i ke 'wow' in the mouth. " Sti l l i t
recei ved reputabl e scores. bei ng wel l l i ked for i ts cl ean favor.
CELLES SUR BELLE Premi um Chum Unsalted Butter
$ 5 . 29 for B. B2 ounces
Thi s French butter was extremely neutral i n flavor. wi th l i ttl e
ri chness but an overal l pl easant. cl ean taste.
lND 0' lKES Unsalted Sweet Butter
$ 3 . 69 for 1 6 ounces
Thi s supermarket standard was " bl and upfront, wi th a sl i ght,
creamy fi ni sh ." I t mel ted too qui ckly for some tasters.
ORGANI C VALLEY European Stle Cul tured Butter
$2. 99 for B ounces
A one taster noted, the tangy favor of thi s cul tured Ameri can
butter "takes getti ng used to . . . good, j ust di ferent. " Thi s but
ter had a sl i ghtl y grass favor and was one of the creami est.
PLUGR European Style Unsalted Butter
$4. 99 for B ounces
An Ameri can brand popul ar wi th chefs. Pl ugra was consi dered
" best in show" by a few tasters but l ess creamy by others.
JANA VALLEY I mpored Sweet Cream Butter
$ 1 . 99 for B. B25 ounces
Th i s reasonabl y pri ced Czech butter was more mi l k than
creamy. whi ch made i t seem a l i ttl e l ean .
88 percent, which is typical of European butters.
They are ofen called "European-style. "
once you started to bake or cook with them. A a
result, we only tasted premium butters straight fom
tl1e package. Traditionaly, butter was made fom cream that
had been allowed to sit for a few days and sour
slightly before it was churned, giving the butter
a subtly tangy and slightly acidic character. Some
present-day butter makers attempt to reproduce
this flavor by adding a bacterial culture to the cream
before agitating it into butter. We included two of
these "cultured" butters in our lineup, in addition
to nine high-fat butters tl1at were not cultured. A
a benchmark, we included regular Land 0' Lakes
butter. We divided tl1ese butters into two catego
ries: salted and unsalted. In a prelary tasting,
we discovered tl1at the difrences between various
premium butters were subtle and nearly disappeared
N O V E M B E R b D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
2 9
Among the salted butters, Land 0' Lakes Ultra
Creamy was the winner, followed by regular Land
0' Lakes butter, which easily held its own against
butters costing twice as much. A for the unsalted
butters, Land 0' Lakes Ultra Creamy was again
the winner, aliough two French butters were
close runners-up. This time me regular Land 0'
Lakes butter fnished in the midcle of tl1e pack.
So, yes, the Land 0' Lakes Ultra Creamy but
ter is a winner ( especially for spreading on toast,
where its rich favor can be appreciated) , but you
can save money and be quite happy with the
company's regular, cheaper product as well .
KI TC HEN NOTES
3 B Y D A W N Y A N A G I H A R A ;:
How to Sl i ce I t: Oni ons
Acouple of years back, in reference
to our Caramelized Onions recipe
( January/February 2002) , we said
it made no difference whether the
onions were sliced against or with
the grain. We still agree with that
assertion; caramelized onions form
a sticky, cohesive mass, so appear
ance and texture aren't issues. But
the question of how to slice onions
for a braise, such as our Carbonnade
(page 7) , in which the onions are in
liquid, generated some debate in
the test kitchen. While some argued
that it doesn' t matter how they're
sliced, others insisted that slicing
with the grain ( pole to pole, that is)
is preferable.
Acouple of carbonnades later, we
can tell you that the way in which
the onions are sliced makes no dif
ference in favor, but it does affect
appearance. Sliced against the grain,
the onions were mousy and lifeless
and seemed to have disintegrated
a fair amount with cooking. They
also looked, according to one critic,
"wormy," meaning that the slices
looked as if they consisted of small
connected segments. Sliced with the
grain, the onions had more pres
ence and became a more signifcant
component of the braise. They also
seemed to retain some shape and
texture ( however soft) and were
more pleasing to the eye.
To slice an onion with the grain,
trim off both ends, then halve the
onion pole to pole. Remove and dis
card the skins, set one half on its fl at
side, and slice it pole to pole.
. . .
. . .
: ..: ..: -: ..:
: 1 : : I : :
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
3 .
I. Trim of both ends of oni on. 2. Tum oni on onto cut end and sl i ce i n half, pol e to pol e.
3. Peel each half, pl ace cut-si de down, and sl ice wi th the grai n (pol e to pol e) .
K 1 r c H E N s c 1 E N c E : Di shwasher Di l emma
Hard- Headed
The heads of garlic now available
in grocery stores are a far cry fom
the plump, lusty knobs that were
available in te summer. Indeed, by
this tie of year, the domestic garlic
season has passed, and we fnd that
when shopping, some attention is
required to avoid purchasing garlic
that is spoiled or desiccated. The test
kitchen's advice: Go for the loose
garlic, not me heads sold packaged
in little cellophane-wrapped boxes
that don' t allow for close inspec
tion. Look for heads with no spots
of mold or signs of sprouting. Take
a whiff It should not smell unusu
ally fragrant or fermented-signs
of spoilage, to be sure. Finally,
squeeze tle head in your hand. If
you feel hollow skins where cloves
used to reside or if tl1e head feels at
ali spongy or rubbery, pass it up-it
should feel frm and solid.
Refresher Course
If your bunch of parsley or cilantro
is looking a little weary, there's an
easy way to refesh it ( and, in the
process, wash it) . Lop of the stems,
submerge the leaves in a bowl of ice
water, then swish them around to
In our September/October 2004 i ssue, we l ooked at the
efectiveness of a soap and hot water scrub i n removing bac
teria from a cutting board. Because a large number of house
hol ds rely on the di shwasher to cl ean and sanitize kitchen
equi pment and tabl eware, we thought an i nvestigati on of thi s
appl iance was i n order.
There are several standards for assessi ng di shwasher
perormance. We used the gui del i ne (American Nati onal
Standard 1 84) for resi denti al di shwashers publ i shed by NSF
item. The resul ts were surpri si ng. We had two di shwashers
that di d not reach 1 40 degrees and cl early fai l ed thi s safet
test. Five di shwashers were al most-certai n passes (the tem
perature exceeded 1 60 degrees, and we assume that they
mai ntai ned thi s temperature for at l east 3 9 seconds) . We
al so had five possi bl e passes (the highest temperature was
between 1 40 and 1 60 degrees, but we were unabl e to gauge
the ti me spent at 1 43 degrees or higher) .
I nternati onal , a standards devel opment organizati on. The
gui del i ne uses a sl i di ng standard i n which the surface tem
perature of items i n the di shwasher must be hel d l onger i f the
temperature i s lower. For exampl e, a surface temperature of
1 60 degrees must be hel d for 39 seconds, whi l e a tempera
ture of 1 43 degrees needs to be hel d for an hour to ensure
efective sani tati on.
Te Tape Test With these criteria i n mi nd, I sent 1 2 co-work
ers home with to tpes of thermal tape, one that coul d
register 1 40 degrees and the other 1 60 degrees. (The tapes
change col or if they reach the specified temperature. ) I asked
everone to afix the thermal tape to a pl ate and an addi ti onal
Conclusions We di d fi nd a trend i n our study. Ol der di sh
washers di d not perform as wel l as newer washers. The two
di shwashers that fai l ed the test were eight and 1 2 years
ol d, whi l e the top perormers were less than three years
old (there was one excepti on, but it was a high-end brand) .
Fortunately, every di shwasher has several advantages over a
si mpl e soap and hot water scrub in the si nk, and heat is only
one of them. Most di shwasher detergents contai n sani ti zi ng
agents, and the acti on of water jets does a l ot to remove
unwanted materi al . That sai d, our tests suggest that a newer
di shwasher i s more l i kel y than an ol der model to reach a
higher temperature and to provi de a greater margi n of safety.
-John Ol son, Sci ence Editor
L | | | 5 I L L U S T R A T E D
30
loosen any dirt and grit. Let them
stand for 5 to 1 0 minutes, until
they perk up and regain their lost
vitality. To drai n, instead of pour
ing the whole lot into a colander
or salad spinner basket, which wl
upset the grit settled in the bottom
of the bowl, l the greens out of the
water using your hands, leaving the
dirt behind. Note: If your parsley or
cilantro is utterly limp and lifeless, it
is probably beyond resurrection.
Carbonnade Alternative
For our Carbonnade recipe, we like
the favor and particularly the tex
ture of top blade steaks; with brais
ing they become meltingly tender.
These steaks are cut fom a larger
piece of meat called the boneless
top blade roast. If you procure this
roast-instead of the steaks-don't
begin cutting it into l -inch pieces
in a haphazard marer. We found
that the simplest way to prepare
it for this stew is to frst trim it of
exterior fat. Next, because a sheet of
gristle spans the entire lengtl1 of the
roast and is diffcult to remove as a
single unit, cut the roast crosswse
into l -inch-thick steaks, then t
the steaks of gristle, as shown in the
illustrations on page 7.
TOP B LAD E ROAST
Another good opti on for stews.
Baggi ng It
To make our Spritz Cookies (page
2 1 ) , you can use a cookie press
made expressly for cookie making,
or you can use a pastry bag that
costs a faction of the price and has
numerous uses in the kitchen. If you
go the way of the bag, alow us to
make a couple of recommendations
before you make a purchase.
Some pastry bags are very thick
and heavy; we prefer thin, supple
> M L 1 M . Creme de Ia Creme
When a CooFs reci pe cal l s for cream, it's almost always for heav cream. But when
shopping for heav cream, the temptation always exists to pi ck up a caron of whi p
pi ng cream i nstead. A pi nt of it costs about 30 cents less than a pi nt of heav cream,
and they're prett much the same thi ng-or are they?
A it turs out, the to creams difer in fat content. Heav cream must contai n
at least 36 percent mi l k fat, whi ppi ng cream at least 30 percent. To fi nd out what
efect this diference i n fat has on a reci pe, we made to carmel sauces. Te one
made with whi ppi ng cream had a noticeably thi nner textur and leaner flavor than
the one made with heav cram. Te results were the sme for chocolate sauces.
Te Fat Maters Pst tests suppor these fi ndi ngs. In Creme BrQhe (November/
December 200 I ) , custards made with whi pping cream lacked the velvet, l ush
texture of those made with heav cream. Even when it was whi pped i nto whi pped
cream, we preferred the flavor, texture, and staying power of heav cream (see
Notes from Reader, May/june 2002) .
All tol d, then, substituting whi ppi ng cream for heav cream wi l l probably not
yield calamitous results (this is especi al ly true i n reci pes l i ke the one for our Sprit
Cookies, where only a tablespoon is requi red) , but the best results wi l l be had by
using heav cream whenever it' s cal l ed for.
oncs that havc |css bu|k vhcn
gathcrcd and tvistcd as thcy arc
vhcn you usc thcm) . Wc |ound a
disvashcr sa|c bag that vc |ikcd
hom Wi|ton .vi|ton. com,itcm
#404 5 8) . Jhc inch Fcathcr
vcight ccorating Bag is avai|ab|c
|or$7. 5.
isposab|cpastrybagsarca|soan
option. Bccausc thcy`rc so|d scvcra|
to a packagc, thcy arc particu|ar|y
uscm| i|you vant to pipc numcr
ous shapcs or dcsigns vithout hrst
having to cmpty thc bag in ordcr
to changc tips. Jhcsc arc avai|ab|c
|rom Cookng. com. A 0pack o|
2 inch bags madc by Atcco costs
$2. 5 itcm #4837 ) . Iriccs do
notinc|udcshipping.
With a Grai n of Salt
Koshcr sa|t, vith itscoarsc grain, is
supcrb |or scasoning |oods bccausc
it`s casy to sprink|c it cvcn|y vith
your hngcrs . ur cxpcricncc has
shovn that in baki ng, hovcvcr,
that coarscncss can bc prob|cm
ati c. Brcads and cakcs-itcms
that invo|vc thc addition o|
a good amount o| |iquid or
moisturc-can usua||y bc madc
succcssm||y vith koshcr salt.
Butinbakcdgoodsthatcontain
nomina|amountso||iquid such
asSpritz Cookics,pagc 2 ) , vc
hndmc graincd tab|c sa|t to bc
prc|crab|cbccauscitsdiminutivc
grain is morc casi|y distributcd
anddisso|vcd.
!n thc Spritz Cookics and in pic
pastry madc vith koshcr sa|t, thc
sa|inity vas noticcab|y harsh and
uncvcn. Withcach bitc, sma||bursts
o|sa|t cou|d bc tastcd vhcrcvcrtHc
undisso|vcd sa|t grains happcncd to
|and on thc tonguc. Jhat`s not to
say,hovcvcr,thatkoshcrsa|t-i|itis
thc on|ytypco|sa|ton hand-can
not bc uscd in baking. !|you usc
iamond Crystal Koshcr salt, usc
tviccthcamounto|tab|csa|tca||cd
|or by vo|umc, koshcr sa|t is lcss
dcnsc than tab|c sa|t) and bc surc
to rub thc granulcs bctvccn your
hngcrsbc|orc addi ngthcsalttothc
othcringrcdicnts .Jhisbrcaksdovn
thc granu|cs |or cvcn dissolution
anddispcrsa| .
As |or Mortoo Coarsc Koshcr,
vc advisc against usingthissa|t in
baking. Jhcsc sa|t granulcs arc so
dcnscandhardthatthcyrcsistbcing
crumb|cd bctvccn thc hngcrs . !|
Morton Koshcr is thc on|ysa|t on
hand, usc ': timcs thc amount
o|tab|c sa|t ca||cd |or and, bc|orc
using it, brcak dovn thc granu|cs
by crushing thcm in a sma|l bovl
or sauccr vith thc

backo|aspoon.
KOS H E R F OR BAK I N G ?
We've figured out how to use these
salts i n cookies and pi e crusts.
RE C I P E U P DATE : READERS RESPOND
Creami ng Equi pment
Severl readers asked i f they coul d prepare our Chocol ate Bundt Cake Uanuar/
Februar 2004) in a food processor. We were skeptical because thi s reci pe empl oys
the creami ng method of mixi ng to i ncorporte ai r and produce a l ight. fuf batter.
We returned to the test kitchen to compare cakes made with a standi ng mixer (as
per the reci pe) , a hand mixer. and a food processor.
We had no probl em creami ng the butter and sugar efi ci ently in the standi ng
mi xer. With a hand mixer, we had to al most doubl e the creami ng ti me (from
three to about six mi nutes) to achi eve a l ight and fuf mi xture. With a food pro
cessor. i t was al most i mpossi bl e to achi eve thi s texture. though the i ngredi ents
di d i ncorporate i nto a homogenous batter quite qui ckly.
The standi ng mixer cake had the best hei ght. whi l e the cake made with the
hand mixer was shorter and the one made in the food processor shorter sti l l . This
proved that the standi ng mixer was the most efi ci ent at i ncorporti ng air i nto
the batter. A far as texture and favor went. we were hard pressed to choose a
favorite between the two cakes made with the mixer. The food processor cake.
however. was di sti ngui shed by its greasy. spott. and supertough exterior.
Low- Fat Fry?
The al l ure of our Oven Fries Uanuar/
Februar 2004) i s that they requi re far
l ess oi l than thei r deep-fri ed cousi ns.
But a few reader wrote to ask whether
al l 5 tabl espoons of the oil i n our reci pe
were necessar; as they noted (and as we
acknowledged in the arti cl e) . thi s amount
of oi l puts the oven fries out of the run
ni ng for low-fat status. After cooking a
few batches. we found i t was possi bl e to
get away with a bi t less oi l . We had the
best results when we generousl y coated
the pan with cooking spry and tossed
the fries with 2 tabl espoons of vegetabl e
Our orgi nal oven fries (top) are
deep golden brown. Cutting the fat
in half yields good fries that are not
quite as deepl brwned (bottom) .
oi l . Al though these fries were not quite as wel l browned as those made with 5 tabl e
spoons of oi l . thei r exterior was acceptably cri sp and the i nteri or creamy. Te cook
ing spry also made it a breeze to fi p the fries and remove them from the pan.
Make-Ahead Wi ne Reducti on
Reduci ng a l i qui d to concentrate favors i s a worthwhi l e but ti me-consumi ng
efort. And so readers wanted to know if they coul d prepare our slow red wi ne
reducti on ( " Pn Sauces 1 0 1 . " May/J une 2003) ahead of ti me and freeze i t.
A written. the reci pe cal l s for reduci ng I cup of wi ne. Thi nki ng bi g. we tri pl ed
the reci pe so i t coul d be made with a whol e bottl e of wi ne to yi el d 6 tabl espoons
of concentrated wi ne reducti on, enough for three or four pan sauces. Di d our
experi ment work? Yes. i t di d. And here' s how you can repeat i t: Al ong with the
bottle of wi ne. you wil l need '/, cup each mi nced carrot. shal l ot. and whi te mush
rooms; 3 sprigs of parsley; and I smal l bay l eaf. Combi ne al l of the i ngredi ents
in a 1 2- i nch ski l l et and cook, wi thout si mmeri ng (the mixture shoul d steam but
not bubbl e) . unti l reduced to 3 cups (30 to 3 5 mi nutes) . Strai n and return the
l i qui d to a cl ean ski l l et. Conti nue to cook over l ow heat. wi thout si mmeri ng. unti l
reduced to 6 tabl espoons, I 11 to 2 hours.
Pl ace the wi ne reducti on i n a smal l pl astic storage contai ner and freeze unti l
needed. The wi ne reducti on wi l l freeze i n a sl ushy consi stency. so you' l l easi ly be
abl e to scoop out by tabl espoon the amount you need for a sauce reci pe.
- Compi l ed by Ni na West
I F YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a recently publ i shed reci pe. l et us know.
Send your i nqui ry. name. address. and dayti me tel ephone number to Reci pe
Update. Cook' s I l l ustrated, P. O. Box 470589. Brookl i ne. MA 02447. or to
reci peupdate@cooksi l l ustrated. com.
N O V E M B E R c D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
3 1
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Mcar|y aycar ago, vc tcstcd stain
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$4. |or 5 ) ,vcgavcitathumbs
dovn.
ULTRAS ONI C STAI N RE MOVE R
Can you real ly wave away stai ns?
3 B Y G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M J T H E
N EW PRO D U CT
Plastic Di sposabl e Baki ng Pans
Rcccnt|y, vc noticcd disposab|c
p|astic baking pans in supcrmarkct
ais|cs. Curiosityovcrcamcourinitia|
skcpticism, so vc dccidcd to givc
thcscncvitcms atcst.
Wc chosc to p|astic options
G|advcnvarc tvopans|or$3. )
and Rcyno|ds Pot Iux Cookvarc
onc |or $2. 7)-and tcstcd thcm
a|ongsidc a disposab|c a|uminum
pan, !c|ty` s LZ Foi| tvo |or
$4. ) . Jhc pans mcasurcd at |cast
2 by inchcs . A abcnchmark,vc
a|so inc|udcd our |avoritc standard
baking pan, madc by Pyrcx scc
March/Apri| 2004) . Wc bakcd
raspbcrry squarcs, cornbrcad, and
|asagnaincachpan.
H OT PAN
Can plastic baki ng pans withstand
the heat?
Al thrcc disposab|c pans vcrc sur
prising|yso|idpcr|ormcrs,a|though
thc Pyrcx pan, vhich costs just $
and vi|| |ast |or ycars, is c|car|y thc
bcstopton. Jhcp|astc pansarcba
sica||ynonstick,sothcyvcrcjustthc
thing |or sticky raspbcrry squarcs
andgoocy|asagna. Jhcp|asticpans
vcrc a|so sturdy cnough to a||ov
us to cut thc |oodrightin thc pan
vithakni|c. Bycomparison,thc|oi|
pan vas incrcdib|y imsy vhcn
h||cd, anditvasmuchcasicrtos|icc
right through it. !n thc cornbrcad
tcst, hovcvcr, thc disposab|c a|u
minumpancamcouton top |orits
bcttcrbrovning.
Jhcp|asticpanscannotvithstand
tcmpcraturcs abovc 400 dcgrccs,so
makc surc your ovcn is propcr|y
sct and ca|ibratcd. Wc |ound that
p|acing thc p|astic pans on a mcta|
baking shcct not on|y cnsurcd sa|c
passagc into and out o| thc ovcn
but a|so promotcd bcttcr, morc
cvcnbrovning.
vcra||,vcprc|crrcdthcsturdicr
p|astic pans to thc uimsy |oi| pan,
and G|ad vcnvarc is thc bcttcr
bargain.
DO YO U REALLY N E E D TH I S ?
Cofee Toddy
Co|d brcving vith thc Joddy
Co||cc Makcr $33 . ) promiscs a
mi|dcr cup o|j ava vith |css acidity
and ca||cinc. Stccp a fl pound o|
co||cc in cups o| co|d vatcr |or
0 to I 2 hours and you cnd up
vith a cara|c o|co||cc conccntratc
that can bc di|utcd vith hotvatcr
|or a cup o|co||cc or icc |or iccd
co||cc .Wc|oundthcCo||ccJoddy
vcry casy to usc, but vhat about
thc co||cc? Cou|d it compctc vith
traditiona| brcvs?
Mcar|y a|| tastcrs notcd thc
cvcn,ba|anccduavoro|thcco|d
brcvcdcohcc. Jhatmildncssvas
cithcrrcccivcdasap|casantbrcak
hom co||cc` s usua| bittcrncss or
hovncd upon as kiddy cohcc"
or cohcc on training vhcc|s. "A
|cv tastcrs |c|t thcy comd drink this
mi|dcr brcv vthout thc mi|k and
sugarthcyusctotamcrcgu|arcohcc.
Bccausc thc CohccJoddyproduccs
cnough conccntratc to makc sixty
|our4ouncc cupso|hotcohcc,vc
tcstcditsstayingpovcr. Sca|cdinits
airtight cara|c, thc conccntratc vas
sti|l producing c|cantasting co||cc
ahcrcightvccks.
Whi|c most tastcrs said thcy
vou|d sti|| prc|cr to makc a |rcsh
potcvcrymom
ing, iccd cohcc

l

cnthusiasts or
cohcc drinkcrs
|ooking |or an
cxccpti ona| | y
mc||ovbrcv
vi||hndthc
Co||cc Joddy
prcttyappca|ing.
COL D BREW
The Cofee Toddy
promi ses a ki nder,
gentl er brew.
C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D
3 2
Sources
Te fol l owi ng are mai l - order sources for
parti cul ar i tems recommended in thi s
i ssue. Pri ces were current at press ti me
and do not i ncl ude shi ppi ng and handl i ng.
Contct compan i es di rectly to confrm
up-to-date pri ces and avai l abi l it.
page 2: lRD
Laf lrd: S 1 . 50 per pound, Di etrich' s
Country Store ( 660 Ol d 22, lenharts
vi l l e, PA 1 9 5 34; 6 1 0- 756- 6344) .
page 3 : FLOUR WAND
Best Fl our Duster: $7. 95 , item
# 1 47986, Cooki ng. com (800- 663-
88 1 0; www. cooki ng. com) .
page 3 : NUTMEG GRTER AND MI L
Mi cropl ane Spi ce Grter: $7. 95,
item #400 1 6, Cutl ery and More
( 645 Lunt Avenue, El k Grove
Vi l l age, l l 60007; 800- 6 50- 9866;
www. cutl eryandmore. com) .
page I 5 : CELEBRIT CHEF SKI L
Jami e Ol iver Professional Non-Stick
Saute Pn ( 1 2 11 inches) : $4 1 . 99, item
#3 505 27, Unens- N-Thi ngs ( 866- 568-
73 78: www. l nt. com) .
Wolfgang Puck Bi stro "Tr Me" ( 1 2-
l nch) Nonstick Omelet Pn: $ 29. 90, item
#634-707, Home Shoppi ng Netork
(800- 284- 3 900; www. hsn. com) .
Wolfgang Puck Bistro ( 1 2- l nch) Open
Omel et Pn: $26. 50, item #742- 2 1 3 ,
Home Shoppi ng Network.
page 1 6: SAUCE WHI SK
Best Manufacturer ( 1 2-i nch) Standard
French Whi p: $9. 95, item #3 638, Sur L
Tabl e ( Catal og Di vi si on, P. O. Box 34707,
Seattl e, WA08 1 24- 1 707; 800- 243 -
0852; ww. surl atabl e. com) .
page 2 1 : COOKI E PRESS
Comfor Gri p Cookie Press: S 1 2. 99,
item #2 1 04-40 1 1 , Wilton I ndustries
(800- 794- 5866; ww. wi l ton. com) .
page 2 5 : FOOD PROCESSORS
Kitcheni d Professional 670 (model
KFP670) : $23 9. 95 , item #522 1 7, Sur
L Tabl e.
Cui si nar Pro Custom I I :
S 1 59. 99, item #DLC-8S,
Everythi ngHome. com (877- 3 67-
5 1 89; ww. everythi nghome. com) .
Cui si nar Prep I I Pl us: S 1 99. 00, item
#DLC-201 1 N, Everythi ngHome. com.
page 3 2: COL BREW COFFEE MAKER
Toddy Cofee Maker: $ 3 3. 99, item
# 1 2725, Fante' s ( 1 006 South Ni nth
Street, Phi l adel phi a, PA 1 9 1 47- 4798;
800-443 - 2683 ; www.fantes. com) .
RE CI PE S
November b December 2 004
Apetizer
Mari nated Mushrooms 8
Salads
Sal ad
with Appl e, Cel er. Hazel nuts,
and Roquefort 24
with Fennel , Dri ed Cherri es,
Wal nuts, and Roquefort 24
wi th Roasted Beets, Fri ed
Shal l ots, and Roquefort 24
Mai n Di shes
Bri sed Chi cken wi th Swi ss Chard,
Tomatoes, and Bal sami c
Vi negar 1 9
Carbonnade a I a Fl amande
( Bel gian Beef. Beer. and
Onion Stew) 7
Pn-Seared Oven- Roasted
PorkTenderl oi ns 1 4
Roasted Bri ned Turkey I I
Sauces and Grv
F OR PORK T E N D E RLOI NS :
Dri ed CherrPort Sauce wi th
Oni ons and Marmal ade I S
Garl i ck Ume Sauce wi th Ci l antro I S
F OR T U RKEY :
Best Turkey Grv 1 7
Si de Di shes
Smashed Potatoes I 3
Garl i c- Rosemary 1 3
wi th Bacon and Prl ey I 3
Dessers
Chocol ate Carmel Wal nut Tart 22
Spri t Cooki es 2 1
Al mond 2 1
wi th Lemon Essence 2 1
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Carbonnade 8 Ia Fl amande, 7 Roasted Brined Turkey, I I
PHOTOGRAPHY: CARL TRE M BLAY, STYLI NG: MARY J ANE SAWYE R