NUMBER EICHTY-TWO SEPTEMBER b OCTOBER 2006

STR AT E D
Roast Chicken
and Vegetables
Perfect Chicken, Perfect Vegetables
Grilled Prime Rib
Best Dinner Ro Us
Rich, Buttery. and Easy
Pork Tenderloin
Simple Skillet Method
Quick Tomato
Sauces
Applesauce Cake
Big Apple Flavor
Rating Saute Pans
Pricey Models Feel the Heat
Knowing When Food Is Done
Cider Vinegar Taste Test
Better Crepes Suzette
Chicken and Rice, Latino-Style
Perfecting Mushroom Lasagna
www. c o oks i I I ust r at ed . c om
$5.95 U.S./$6.95 CANADA
1 0>
CONTENTS
September 6 October 2006
2 Notes from Readers
Readers ask questions and sugest solutions.
4 Quick Tips
Quick and eas ways to perfonn everday tasks, from
measuring spices to keeping casserole toppings crisp.
6 How to Cook Prime Rib
Outdoors
Getting a deep. favorful crust on this costly cut of meat
can be a mess. smok ordeal in the kitchen. How about
taking it outside? BY SARAH WI LSON
8 The Ultimate Dinner Rolls
Why bother making dinner rolls unless they are really rich,
really soft, and really good? BY DAWN YANAG I HARA
10 Flavor-Packed Fresh
Tomato Sauces
How do you make a sauce that does justice to the robust
favor of seasonal tomatoes? BY MATH EW CARD
I I Better Roast Chicken and
Vegetables
Roasting a few vegetables along with the chicken makes
for an easy side dish. right? Greasy side dish is more like it.
We set out to fine-tune this flawed Sunday-night classic.
BY SARAH WI LSON
14 Improving Sauteed Pork
Tenderloin
Boneless, lean, and tender, pork tenderloin ofers plent
of hope for the time-pressed weeknight cook. If only it
ofered plent of flavor. BY DAVI D PAZM I NO
16 Knowing When Food
Is Done
Few kitchen mishaps are more frustrating than improper
cooking. Here's how to cook food right ever time.
18 Really Good Mushroom
Lasagna
Exotic mushrooms and homemade pasta prctically
guarantee great mushroom lasagna-if you've got money
to spend. But what if you have to rely on supennarket
staples? BY SANDRA WU
20 Chicken and Rice, Latino Style
Could we tum this ali-day one-dish dinner into a fast but
favorul weeknight meal? BY DAVI D PAZMI NO
22 Rethinking Crepes Suzette
Old-school French restaurants have mastered the fier
theatrics of this tableside treat for two. Could we adapt
this classic for the home cook-and a tableful of hungr
guests? BY REBECCA HAYS
24 Putting the Apple into
Applesauce Cake
Applesauce cakes run the gamut from dense, chunk
fruitcakes to gummy 'health' cakes that don't taste like
much. How about an applesauce cake that tastes like
apples? BY E RI KA BRUCE
26 The Cider Vinegar Rules
You can spend six cents an ounce for a jug of generic
apple cider vinegar-or 20 times more for the fancy
stuf. Does it matter? We tasted I 0 brands to find out.
BY LI SA McMAN US
28 Should You Btij a
Bargain Saute Pan?
Pying top dollar for a saucepan or skillet isn't hard to
justif. But how much should you spend on the infrequently
used saute pan? BY TODD DATZ
30 Kitchen Notes
Test results, buying tips. and kitchen advice related to
stories past and present. BY ERI KA BRUCE
32 Equipment Corner
Reviews of new items, updates on past tests, and sources
for products used in this issue. BY GARTH CLI NGI NGSMI TH
PND I N TE US
NEW ENGLAND HEI RLOOM APPLES Early Colonists brought apples to New England, and
at one time hundreds of varieties flourished in the area. Today reduced to just a few, "heirloom"
apples are found mostly at small orchards and fanners markets. The smallish Red, or Winter,
Winesap gets its name from its spicy, wine-like flavor. This crisp, juicy variet is excellent for
cooking and eating, as is its relative. the tart-sweet Stayman Winesap. Once the most widely
planted apple in the United States. the small, tart Baldwin is great for baking. Another oldie
but-goodie. the all-purpose Rhode Island Greening was Benjamin Franklin's preferred apple. Te
Ben Davis has good keeping properties and is well suited for baking. Another good storing apple
is the tender, crisp, and juicy Northern Spy. The deeply flavored Tolman Sweet can grow to be
quite lare and is a favorite for making cider. The Mcintosh still graces supennarket shelves and is
excellent for eating and for making applesauce (it break down readily when cooked). This apple
has several familiar ofspring, including the Cortland, Empire, Macoun, and Spartan varieties.
COVER (Ct!/Jlmy,s): Elizabeth Brandon. BCK COVER{Nnv Englmul Heirloom Apples): John Burgoyne
Fr list rental information, contact: Specialists Marketing Serices, Inc., 1200 Harbor Blvd .. 9th Floor. Weehawken. NJ 07087; 201-865-5800.
Editorial Ofice: 17 Station St .. Brookline, MA 02445; 617-232-1000; fax 617-232-1572. Subscription inquiries, call 800-526-8442.
Pstmaster: Send all new orders, subscription inquiries, and change-of-address notices to Cook's Illustrated, P.O. Box 7446, Red Oak. lA 51591-0446.
{OO|_
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E
arly spring was dry-not much snow
melt-and in April the Battenkill Rver
was at August levels instead of overfow
ing onto the hay felds and Christmas
tree farms along its banks. I was planning a foat
trip down to Rexleigh Bridge soon afer fshing
season opened but decided to hold off until the
water level improved. (My lone outing in wad
ers uncovered no hatch and nary a nibble even
when I tied on my go-to fy, the White Zonker.)
Of course, that all changed when the rain arrived
in May. The seed corn rotted in the ground and
had to be replanted. Hay got soaked and knocked
down in the felds. Farmers who took a chance
and mowed in hopes of baling before a storm
got caught out. Our bees didn't have much of a
chance to get to the apple blossoms or the Wacs.
And our herb garden sprouted an unexpected
crop of mushrooms.
Some years back, one of our neighbors, Jean,
ordered her own headstone and had it set in a
cemetery up in Wallingford, Vt. She then had a
stone carved for her companion, Jack, and had it
set next to hers. The carver, Michael Fannin fom
Tinmouth, transformed the marble slab for Jean's
stone into a poster of sorts, a carved-in-stone
impression of a country life. On the bottom, a
lotus plant sprouts upward, a sign of the spiritual
life. On the top are shooting stars (her frst horse
was named Shooting Star), and in the middle
is a winged angel of death, its round face curi
ously childlike. Because Jean loves bird watching,
she also had two birds cut into the marble. The
inscription, of course, is not finished, but Jean
thinks it ought to read something like this: "Died
in 2040, in the 99th year of her life." Being a
woman of determination, she even has a fnal
date in mind.
EDITORIAL
FUTURE ll^lo
My plans for the future are
more immediate. The frst cup
of coffee in the morning. A few
minutes with a good book. Some
ripe fruit after dinner. Or the
possibility that my 8-year-old,
Emily, might be lying in wait
for me by the front door when I
come home from work, shouting
"Boo!" as I walk in and then ask
ing, hopeflly, if she truly scared
me. It is true that my more long
term plans seem to get up and
walk out the door as soon the
Christopher Ki mbal l
Jack would have from the hill
side, enjoying the sunsets, as she
put it, "for all eternity." She was
particularly pleased that the two
of them would be able to gaze
on the elephant's ear, a nearby
rock outcropping she fondly
remembers from childhood.
As for Jack, he seemed pretty
happy with the plan. I asked him
what was the best thing about
his tombstone. He grinned and
said, "Well, it's right next to
fture starts to take shape, much like an ill-bred
horse that turns up scarce on the day he is to be
traded back to his old riding stable. The fture
knows that I am coming and it doesn't like it
one bit.
Maybe it's simply a fnction of having the
wrong sorts of plans. Charlie Bentley, the dairy
farmer I used to work for back in the 1960s,
decided soon afer being born that he was going
to work hard, he wasn't going to complain, and
he wasn't going to covet anybody else's happi
ness. Those plans seem to have worked out pretty
well for him, at least so far. Maybe the secret
is to just pass on specifcity when it comes to
plans and concentrate on the big picture instead.
Otl1erwise, like one neighbor of ours, you might
end up surprised to fnd yourself divorced and
remarried, with your ex-husband looking down
at you fom his new house on a hill right across
the road.
Then again, Jean does seem to have a good
plan, and it seems to be working out fne. When I
went to see her headstone with her last Memorial
Day, she showed me the beautifl view she and
Jean's."
I can't seem to forget that morning, watching
the two of them in the Green Hill Cemetery,
chatting enthusiastically about their peacefl
fture, side by side, as if they were kids plan
ning a fshing trip. Jack was a bit unsteady on
the uneven side hill, but Jean just stood there
and beamed, as if the certainty of these two
headstones had removed the uncertainty from
everyday life.
It also occurred to me that something as pro
found as true love is as fckle as a 22-inch brown
trout in the Battenkill-catching it is more a mat
ter of chance than good planning. And that's why
I was so taken with Jean's notion of setting such
a feeting notion in stone. So when I got home,
Adrienne was surprised when I suggested that
we call Michael Fannin and get our headstones
carved and planted as soon as possible. Mter
some persuading, she took to the idea, and we
decided on a small plot at the top of our moun
tain, one with a good view across New York State
to tl1e Adirondacks.
I guess it was about time to start planning our
fture together.
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S E P T E M B E R 6 OC T O B E R 2006
NOTES FROM READERS
Powdered versus Fresh Lemon Juice
Have you ever tried a powdered lemon product
called True Lmon? How does it compare with
fesh lemon juice?
E L L E N Bl DOL E
SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.
True Lemon is a powdered "crystallized
lemon substitute" made of citric acid, malta
dextrin, lemon juice, lemon oil, and ascorbic
acid intended for use in cooking and baking and
as a seasoning. It is available in a 2.85-ounce
shaker-top jar (equivalent to the juice fom 20
lemons) and in individual-serving-sized packets.
Following the manufacturer's guidelines, we
Does powdered
lemon juice ofer
"true" lemon flavor?
tested this product against
real lemon juice in lemonade,
glazed lemon cookies, and hot
tea with honey and lemon.
Our tasters unanimously
found that the True Lemon
did not measure up to the real
deal in lemonade. While the
"real lemon" lemonade was
bright, tart, and lemony, the
True Lemon lemonade tasted
(and looked) like "sugar
water," with a hint of "fake"
lemon favor. We got similar
results with the lemon cook
ies: The intensely fresh tang
of real lemon juice that care through especially
well in the icing became muted and slightly "arti
ficial" when True Lemon was used. In the tea,
however, a small amount of the powder proved
to be a decent replacement for a squeezed slice
of lemon.
When it comes to getting true lemon favor,
we prefer reaming fresh lemons, especially when
making recipes that require lots of juice. For
beverages that need only a splash of lemon juice,
however, a sprinkle of the powdered stuff will
work in a pinch.
Egs across the Pond
In Europe, eggs are kept on the counter, while
here in America we are told to keep them refig
erated. Can you explain?
TOTO SMITH
LOV E L AND, COLO.
According to the U.S. Department of Agri
culture, all eggs sold in U.S. supermarkets must
be washed and sanitized before being transported
and stored at temperatures no higher than 45
3C O M P I L E D B Y S A N D RA WU E
degrees Fahrenheit. They must remain refiger
ated (the USDA recommends storing eggs at 40
degrees) for two main reasons: to keep existing
bacteria fom rapidly multiplying and to stop
additional bacteria from entering through the
shell, made porous because washing removes a
protective outer layer called the cuticle. Because
eggs sold in the European Union are never
washed, they can be stored unrefigerated in a
cool, dry place. But here in the States, don't
even think about keeping your eggs out on the
counter.
Recipe-Speak: 'Of Heat'
Sometimes there isn't a convenient or safe place
to put a hot pan. If a recipe says "of heat" or
"remove fom heat," do I really need to take the
pan off the burner, or can I just turn it of
MI K E P ET RUCE L L I
P LYMOUTH, IND.
We went into the test kitchen and brought a
saucepan of water to a boi several tmes, recording
its temperature change over a three-minute period
a it sat on top of the same burner (turned of as
opposed to sitting on a trivet on the countertop.
Lef on the hot grate of the gas burner, the water
in the saucepan remained 10 degrees higher than
when the pan was removed to the countertop.
When the pan was lef on an electric burner, the
temperature difference was even greater: The
water remained 30 degrees hotter.
While these temperature differences probably
won't matter for large pots of stew or pasta sauce,
we wondered if they could adversely affect more
delicate, heat-sensitive recipes. To fnd out, we
made three batches each of a simple pan sauce
and a vanilla custard pie flling, one batch taken
completely off the heat when directed by the
recipe, one lef on the hot grate of a gas burner,
and one lef on the hot coil of an electric burner.
In the 30 seconds that the skillet and saucepan
sat on the gas burner while additional ingredients
To take a pan "of heat," don't just tum of
the burner. Move the pan to another surace.
C O O K
'
s I L LU S T R AT E D
2
were whisked in, no adverse reaction occurred
in either the sauce or the custard. When lef on
the electric burner (which retains heat for a lon
ger period of time), however, the sauce became
darker and clumpier, with a slightly oily rather
than rich and glossy texture, and the custard
became thick and pasty.
So the next time a recipe calls for adding an
ingredient "off heat," don't just turn off the
burner (especially if it's an electric burner). Take
the extra two seconds to move the pan com
pletely off the heat, either onto a trivet or a cool,
unused burner.
A Better Way to Weigh Pasta
I tend to buy pasta in bulk and keep it in big
containers on the counter. When I need a pound
of penne, I just weigh out what I need. But
spaghetti is harder to ft on a scale. Do you have
any tips?
GARY L EUNG
CHICAGO, I L L.
To measure out I pound of spaghetti without a scal e,
gather a bundl e wi th a di ameter of I 3 inches.
Tall, spacious containers-such as a empty
cofee canister-work well for holding t pasta
upright on the scale, and this method is much
less precariou
s
than arranging it on a plate or in
a large bowl. (Place the canister on the scale, tare
it to zero, then place the pasta inside.) Another
option is to gather a bundle of pasta into the
shape of a cylinder and measure its diameter.
We've found that a pound of either regular spa
ghetti or angel hair pasta measures ! /+ inches
across, a pound of spaghettini (t spaghetti)
measur

s ! o inches, and a pound of fettuccine

measures 2 inches.
Improvised Cooling Racks
Once or twice a year, I bake a lot of pies. The
problem is, I own just one cooling rack. Do I need
to buy more racks, or is there an alternative?
B R IDGET MARSHAL L
DE NTON, T EXAS
The reason most recipes for pie (and other
baked goods) call for a cooling rack is to allow for
proper airfow both above and beneath the item
to make sure it cools quickly rather than retain
ing residual heat. We prefer the frmly welded
chrome cooling and icing racks used by commer
cial bakeries. Still, we understand that buying fve
or six racks for the occasional baking spree is not
necessarily practical.
Over the years, we've come across several clever
ideas for makeshif cooling racks using common
kitchenware. When in need of an extra cooling
surface, the following work well in a pinch to
provide adequate air circulation underneath the
pie plate or cookie sheet: overturned mufn tins,
inverted dozen-size empty egg trays set side by
side, empty 28-ounce tin cans opened on both
ends, and canning-jar rings.
Thawing Frozen Beef Patties
I like to buy bulk packages of ground beef and
feeze individual burgers so they are ready for
the grll, but sometimes I forget to defost them.
Should I thaw them in a microwave before grill
ing, or can I just toss them on the fe?
DAVI D YANG
NEW YORK. N.Y.
We used our trusty recipe for charcoal-grilled
hamburgers to compare feshly made patties wth
patties that were fozen and then defosted in the
microwave and patties that went straight fom the
feezer to the grill.
When using the microwave, we found that set
ting the unit to 30 percent power helped the pat
ties thaw evenly, preventing overcooked exteriors
and partially fozen interiors. Individual patties
took one to two minutes to defost, while a large
WHAT I S I T?
plate of four took five to eight minutes (checked
every minute afer hitting the five-minute mark).
These microwave-defosted burgers took about
the same amount of time to cook as the feshly
formed patties, acquired nice grill marks, and
tasted just fne. The frozen patties, however,
took nearly twice as long to cook on the grill,
browned unevenly (the edges and part of the cen
ter browned while the area in between remained
rather pale), and retained their slightly indented
appearance rather than flattening out. They also
exuded more liquid and cooked less evenly than
either the fesh or the defrosted burgers.
So if you form and feeze ground beef into
patties, we recommend thawing them in the
refrigerator the night before or defrosting them
in the microwave and grilling them immediately
aferward.
Wat's Good about Garlic Presses
Your recipes call for mincing or pressing garlic
through a press. Is one method better?
LAURA LOU GI F FOR D
CHI P P EWA FAL LS. WIS.
Here in the test kitchen, we go through large
quantities of minced garlic every day, so we like
the convenience and speed a garlic press ofers. In
terms of favor and quality, a good garlic press can
break down cloves more fi nely and evenly than an
average cook using a knife, which means better
distribution of garlic favor throughout any given
dish. (If you're very profcient with your chef's
knife, you can obtain a similarly fne and even
mince.) All told, we think the garlic press is the
best tool for the job. Our favorite press, the Zyliss
Jumbo Garlic Press (for the results of our testing,
see Equipment Corner, page 32 ), is comfortable
I found this smal l al umi num try at a flea market a few months ago.
Is i t used to poach quai l egs?
DONNA VORHE ES
I PSWICH. MASS.
The article you found i s not an eg poacher, but i t is used for
heating another tpe of shel l ed food: snai l s. Six i nches in di ameter,
the escarot plate, or esca
r
otiere, you found i s made of sti nl ess
steel , though many today are cermi c. Here's how i t i s used: Firt,
the prpard snails (soaked, blanched, and si mmerd i n a cour
boui l l on if frsh, or just stright from the can) ar stufed back i nto
thei r shel l s along with an her-garlic compound buter. A few mi n
utes before sering. each butterd escarot is placed in one of the
rcessed sections of the pl ate before being baked or broi l ed unti l the
buter melts and the escarot ar wred through. Te escarots
can be eaten di rctly frm the plate (set on top of another plate, a
trivet. or a hot pad) wit the hel p of escarot tongs. which mai ntai n
a grip on the shel l whi l e the snai l i s removed wi th an escarot fork.
We found severl stes of escarot plates as wel l as the tongs and
for onl i ne. See Sources on page 32 for ordering inforation.
Thi s escarotiere, or escarot
plate, i s used for heati ng and
seri ng hot, buttered snai ls.
S EPTEM BE R [ OC T O BE R 2006
3
to use while providing evenly processed garlic.
Beyond their main fnction, garlic presses can
also be used to make a smooth paste of individu
ally roasted garlic cloves, oil-packed sun-dried
tomatoes, pitted olives, or capers; to mash ancho
vies; to mince canned chipotle peppers; and to
prepare small amounts of onion or shallot juice.
Substitute for Greek Yogrt
I recently ran across a recipe that caled for Greek
yogurt. I looked everywhere and couldn't find it.
Can regular yogurt be used as a substitute?
DIANE HE NRY
CHESAP EAKE, VA.
Greek yogurt is thicker and creamier and
has more than twice the fat of typical fll-fat
American-style yogurts. Most brands of fll-fat
plain yogurt contain between 7 and 9 grams of
fat per ! cup serving, while FAGE Total Classic
Greek yogurt (the most widely available brand
in the United States) contains 23 grams of fat.
Nearly all the whey (the watery liquid that sepa
rates fom the solids) is strained out of Greek
yogurt, giving it a rich,
smooth texture that is
slightly thicker than
that of sour cream. In
terms of favor, Greek
yogurt is fairly mild,
wth a slight tang. These
qualities make it ideal
for dips and spreads
such as tzatziki sauce (a
garlicky yogurt-cucum
ber sauce that becomes
too watery when made
with regular unstrained
yogurt) or for serving
drizzled with honey
and sprinkled with nuts
(a classic Greek des
sert). Although Greek
yogurt can be made
When strined for at least
24 hour, regular whole
mi l k yogur (top) makes a
good substitute for thicker,
creamier Greek yogur
(botom) .
with sheep's milk or goat's milk, the FAGE Total
brand is made from cow's milk and is also avail
able in skim, 2 percent, and light varieties.
To make our own version of Greek yogurt
(essentially creating yogurt cheese), we strained
fll-fat plain yogurt in a fne-mesh strainer lined
with several layers of cheesecloth (paper towels
or coffee flters also work) and set over a bowl to
catch the whey. Afer 24 hours (in the refigera
tor, covered wth plastic wrap), the yogurt had
reduced in volume by about half and achieved a
thick, rich consistency closely resembling that of
Greek yogurt. Its taste was pretty close as well.
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Quick Tips
:C O M P I L E D B Y D AV I D P A Z M I NOE
Dried Berries in a Flash
I nstead of wai ti ng for strwberries
or other fruits to dr before di ppi ng
them i n melted chocolate, Phyl l i s
Ki ri gi n of Croton-on- Hudson, N. Y.,
lays her just-washed berri es on
paper towels and bl asts them with
a bl ow-drer turned to the
"no heat" setting.
Measuring by the Spoonful
How to Skin an Eggplant
Removi ng the charred ski n from a roasted egpl ant can be frustrati ng and ti me
consumi ng. Christopher Cox ofTal l ahassee, Fl a., uses pl asti c wrp to make qui ck
work of thi s j ob.
I . After roasting the egpl ant over a di rect fl ame or under a broi l er unti l compl etely
soft, cool to room temperture, then wrp i t in to layer of pl astic wrp. Cut of
the top i nch of the egpl ant at the stem end.
2. Hol di ng the plastic wrp as you woul d a tube of toothpaste, squeeze out the eg
pl ant fl esh, l eavi ng the ski n attached to the i nsi de of the pl astic wrp.
Di ppi ng a measuri ng spoon i nto a dr i ngredi ent, then sweepi ng across the top with a knife to l evel i t of, i s the best
way to get an accurate measurement. But it can also be a messy (and someti mes trick) proposi ti on. Two readers
found ways to tidy thi ngs up.
2.
Fi ndi ng i t i mpossi bl e to get a
measuri ng spoon i nto many
jar, Hope Eisman of Brooklyn,
N.Y . , uses a paper cofee fi lter
as an i ntermedi ar.
Rather than di rti ng a counter
when measuri ng baki ng powder
or cocoa from a jar or box, Ol ivia
Wi l l iams of Wal l a Wal l a, Wash. ,
opts for thi s si mpl e soluti on.
I . Hol di ng a cone-shaped cofee filter i n one hand, pour i n a generous amount
of the spi ce.
Run a doubl e stri p of masking tape
across the openi ng of the contai ner.
Scoop up a heapi ng spoonful of the
i ngredi ent and l evel i t of by scrp
i ng i t agai nst the tape.
2. Di p the measuring spoon i nto the spi ce, usi ng a strai ght edge to level it of.
3. Hol di ng the cofee fi lter at an angl e and pi nchi ng one corner, careful ly pour
the excess back i nto the spi ce contai ner.
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C O O K
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S I L L U S T R A TE D
4
Steak Elevator
Most reci pes cal l for resti ng steaks
after cooki ng to al l ow the i nteral
jui ces to redi stribute. I nevitably,
some of these jui ces l eak out,
rui ni ng the ni ce crust. Matt Prger
of New York, N. Y. , uses a bowl to
el evate the meat up and out of its
jui ces.
I . Pl ace a small bowl i n the center of
a pl ate, and prop the steak on top.
2. Pour the col l ected juices i nto a
pan to make a sauce.
Quicker Blanched Spinach
When a reci pe cal l s for bl anchi ng
spi nach, i t means boi l i ng l ots of water
for a mere 30-second pl unge. Deb
Brownstei n of Seattl e. Wsh., speeds
thi ngs up by heati ng the water i n a
teakettle and pouri ng i t over the spi n
ach, pl aced i n a col ander.
Boi l 4 to 6 cups of water in a tea
kettl e. Place I pound of cl eaned and
stemmed spi nach i n a col ander set i n
the si nk. Pour the boi l i ng water over
the spi nach in a steady stream to wi l t.
Shock the spi nach with col d runni ng
water, squeeze out excess moisture,
then use as di rected i n the reci pe.
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Keeping Fod Warm
Tired of burni ng butter for popcorn
and scorchi ng her mashed potatoes
whi l e tri ng to keep them warm over
low heat, Jesse Ki mbal l of Phi l adel phi a,
P., found an eas way to tame the
fl ame. He places a cast- i ron ski l l et
over a l ow flame, then pl aces the
saucepan ri ght i n the ski l l et.
Spot-Free Glassware
For sparll i ng stemware free of
water spots, Mi ndy Gol dsborough
of Gaithersbur, Md. , washes the
glasses by hand and rinses them
with di sti l l ed water, whi ch has
none of the spot-produci ng i mpuri
ties of regul ar tap water.
I.
I. Fi l l a squi rt bottl e with di sti l l ed
water. Ri nse the glasses i nsi de and
out with the water.
2. Air-dry the glasses, first upsi de
down, then ri ght si de up.
A Cut Above
Sl i ci ng a pari cul arly heart-or crust-sandwich in half can force the fi l l i ngs out
the sides of the bread. Joan Hedman of Chandl er, Ariz. , ofer thi s sol uti on.
2.
I . Usi ng a bread knife, cut the top sl i ce of bread in hal f before pl aci ng it onto
the assembl ed sandwi ch.
2. Gently hol d the pi eces together and use the exi sti ng cut to gui de the knife
through the fi l l i ng and the bottom sl i ce of bread.
Crumb-Free Cake Lyers
Crisper Casserole Crusts
To keep a casserole toppi ng crisp whi l e
trvel i ng to a potl uck di nner, Yvonne
Sl edge of Anchorge, Alaska, places a
paper towel or cl ean dish towel over
the top of the di sh before wrppi ng it
in foi l . Steam from the hot casserole is
absorbed by the towel i nstead of con
densi ng on the foi l and dri ppi ng back
onto the casserol e.
Ater cutti ng a cake round i n hal f for a layer cake, i t can be trick to keep the top layer i ntact upon removal . Suzanne Marlow of
Montreal , Quebec, came up with thi s foolproof method to keep the layer neat.
I. 2.
I . Use maski ng tpe to attach a I 0-i nch-wi de pi ece of parchment paper to the nonserrted edge of a l ong serrted knife.
2. Cut the cake layer in half, drgi ng the paper through the cake as you cut.
3. Detach the tape from the knife, l eavi ng the parchment beteen the cake layer. Uft up the cake to move i t before frosti ng.
Spice Organizer
Anyone who lacks the storage space for a tradi ti onal spi ce cabi net or rack
might want to fol l ow the exampl e of Margaret Gammon of Owen Sound,
Ontari o, who devised an efi ci ent organizati onal system that keeps al l of her
spi ces at hand.
I .
2.
I. Fi l l a smal l pl astic zi pper-l ock storage bag with the desi red dri ed herb or
spi ce.
2. Attach a sel f-adhesive fi l e-fol der tab to the top of the bag, and organize the
bags i n a pl astic contai ner or shoe box i n al phabetical order.
S EP TEM BER b O C T O B ER 2006
5
Easier Morning Cofee
Tired of trcki ng down a measuring
cup ever morni ng to make cofee,
Kevi n McCann of Sparks, Nev. , figured
out a better opti on: premeasuri ng the
cofee i nto i ndivi dual cofee fi lter.
He stacks the cofee-fi l l ed fl ter back
i nto an empt cofee can or another
ai rtight contai ner and stores i t in the
freezer. Al l he has to do i s grb one of
the fi l ter from the freezer and pop i t
i nto the cofee maker.
How to Cook Prime Rib Outdoors
Getti ng a dee p , fl avorfu l crust on thi s costl y cut of meat can be a messy,
smoky ordeal i n the ki tchen . How about taki ng it outsi de?
P
rime rib of beef is what I call
special-occasion food: It's pricey,
it's impressive, and it feeds a
crowd. But there's another reason
home cooks rarely splurge on this deluxe
roast. To make the most of prime rib's
superior marbling-the thin lines of intra
muscular fat that flavor and tenderize as
they melt away-most recipes call for long
cooking at a low temperature. (Otherwise,
the outermost sections overcook by the
time the center reaches medium-rare.)
The downside is a gray-brown exterior
that's neither appealing nor favorfl.
3 B Y S A R A H WI L S O N E
cooked gray bands. To minimize fare-ups
while searing the fat-covered perimeter, I
had the butcher trim the fat layer down to
a thin 1 inch.
Many recipes call for cooking a rib roast
on the bone, working from the idea that
deeper flavor is developed this way. Here,
though, tasters noticed little flavor advan
tage. (Given a rib roast's huge meat-to
bone ratio and the intense favor imparted
by a live fire, that's not so surprising.)
However, the bones turned out to be
more important as protection, keeping the
underside fom overbrowning. Unwl g
to give up the convenience of a boneless
roast (easier carving), I had my butcher
remove the bones and then tie them back
onto the meat with twine.
Crust to Glory
In the test kitchen, we solve this prob
lem by searing the roast on all sides quickly
in a hot skillet before tossing it into a 25O
degree oven. It's an effective method for
getting a delicious charred crust without
ruining the interior, but it's one that can
be messy (sputtering grease), cumbersome
(fipping a 7-pound roast with tongs), and
a challenge to anything less than a state
of-the-art ventilation system (billowing
smoke).
Beyond the wel l -charred. i ntensel y smok sal t crust l i es a generous sl ab of
mel ti ngl y tender-and perfectly cooked-premi um beef.
To make this project less daunting, I
decided to take a crack at moving the pro
ceedings outside. Not only would the grill make
the smoke a moot issue, but perhaps I could har
ness that smoke to intensif the contrast between
the crust and the meltingly tender interior.
Now that the interior was right, it was
time to improve the crust. To achieve a
greater contrast in favor and texture, I
experimented with coating the exterior
with a generous layer of salt. When done
right, a salt coating promotes crust devel
opment by drawing out moisture fom
Tami ng the Flames
Given the test kitchen's success using the hybrid
stovetop/oven method for prime rib, my plan
was to translate the approach to the grill. With
a hot fre on one side of the grill and the other
side fee of coals (a modifed two-level fre), I
mimicked the stovetop technique, searing the
roast for 2O minutes on all surfaces, using tongs
to stand it on each end to get the fat sides. Once
the exterior was browned, I moved the roast to
the cooler side of the grill and let it cook, cov
ered, until the center reached medium-rare.
This frst attempt was problematic, to say the
least. I had a terrible time with fare-ups during
Go to w . cooksi llustrated. com
Key i n code 9061 for Horerdish
Cream Sauce.
Key in code 9062 for Grill-Roasted Wole
Pri me Rib for Charcoal or Gas Gri l l .
Recipes available unti l March I. 2007.
the searing process, as the roast's thick layer of fat
rendered and dripped down onto the coals. And
while the center of the roast reached a perfect
medium-rare, the meat had a thick gray band
around the perimeter (especially close to the cut
sides), indicating that the roast had cooked at too
high a temperature.
Had I been wrong about the high-heat sear?
I tried placing the roast opposite the hot coals
(without an initial sear), replacing the lid, and
waiting. A the coals died down, the beef's tem
perature crept up to medium-rare ! 25degrees)
without developing an overcooked gray band.
The downside was the crust. The two cut (flat)
sides were adequately browned, but the fat-laden
perimeter had an unappealing grayish look.
The answer was to combine the best ideas of
each method. I clearly needed to spend some
time searing the roast, but leaving the two cut
sides unseared shaved !O minutes from the pro
cess and avoided the awkward step of standing
the roast up with tongs. What's more, reducing
the time the roast spent directly over hot coals
went a long way toward eliminating the over-
C O O K
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s I L L U S T R A T E D
6
just below the surface, letting it evaporate faster
once the searing process begins.
Salting for just one hour did nothing, but salt
ing for too long was a bigger problem: Aer six
hours, the moisture had dissolved the exterior salt
and started to carry it deep into the roast. While
that's a trick the test kitchen has used in some
recipes as an alternative to brining, with prime rib
it delivered a unwelcome "cured" effect (t
really, really expensive corned beef. Salting the
roast for three hours (one hour in the fidge, two
hours at room temperature) was just right.
What about other favors? I tred a spice rub,
but the spices were too strong for this deluxe cut.
Much better were garlic and herbs, especially piney
rosemary. But the real coup came when I tried add
ing a modest amount of smoke favor with wood
chunks. Athough skeptics objected in principle
("Why treat a premium roast like a pork shoul
der?"), one bite ended the controversy. The smoke
flavor penetrated only about half an inch into this
huge roast-basically, the outer crust-leaving the
majority of the pink interior untainted.
Finally, I had dramatic contrast in favor and
texture: In every slice, there was a crunchy, salty
crust, a thin layer of smokiness, and a generous
expanse of pink, juicy premium beef Not only
was the favor experience more intense using this
grill-roasting method, but I had kept the smoke
and mess out of the kitchen. I may never make
prime rib indoors again.
G R I L L- ROASTE D P RI M E R I B F OR
C HARCOAL G R I LL
SE RVES 6 TO 8
Your butcher can remove the bones and trim
excess fat from the roast; just make sure that
the bones are packed up along with the meat,
as you need them to protect it fom overbrown
ing. If the only roast you can find is boneless,
fashion a protective "bone" fom aluminum foil
(see Kitchen Notes, page 3O, for instructions).
Letting the roast stand at room temperature for
2 hours prior to grilling helps it cook evenly.
Serve the roast as is or wth Horseradish Cream
Sauce (see Cook's Extra, page ) . For instructions
on cooking a whole prime rib, also see Cook's
Extra, page .
first-cut ( 3 - or 4- ri b) beef standi ng r i b roast
(about 7 pounds) , meat removed from bones,
bones resered, exteri or fat tri mmed to 'Ia i nch
tabl espoon vegetabl e oi l
Ground bl ack pepper
'I cup kosher sal t
Twi ne for ti ng roast, cut i nto four or six 2 1 1-foot
lengths (dependi ng on number of bones)
2 ( 3- i nch) wood chunks
Disposabl e al umi num roasting pan
! . Rub roast with oil and season generously
with pepper. Spread salt on rimmed baking sheet;
press roast into salt to coat evenly on all sides. Tie
meat back onto bones exactly fom where it was
cut, passing two lengths of twine between each
set of bones and knotting securely. Refrigerate
s H o P P 1 N G : Locati ng the Pri me Ri b
roast, uncovered, for ! hour, then let stand at
room temperature 2 additional hours.
2. Meanwhile, soak wood chunks in water for
! hour; drain. About 2O minutes before grilling,
open top and bottom grill vents. Using chimney
starter, ignite 4 quarts charcoal briquettes (about
Ocoals) and burn until partially covered in tl1in,
gray ash, about ! 5 minutes. Empty coals into grill;
build modifed two-level fire by arranging coals to
cover one-half of grill. Place disposable roasting
pan on empty side of grill. Position cooking grate
over coals, cover grill, and heat until hot, about
5 minutes; scrape grate clean with grill brush.
3. Place roast on grate over hot side of grill
and sear on fat-covered sides until well browned,
turning as needed, 8 to !Ominutes total. (If fare
ups occur, move roast to cooler side of grill until
flames die down.) Wen thoroughly browned,
transfer roast to cooler side of grill, bone side
down, witl1 tips of bones pointed away fom fre.
Place soaked wood chunks on coals. Cover grill,
positioning top vent over roast to draw smoke
through grill. Grill-roast (do not remove lid for at
least 1 112 hours) until instant-read thermometer
inserted into center of roast reads ! 25 degrees for
medium-rare, 2 to 2l2 hours.
4. Transfer roast to cutting board and let rest 2O
minutes, lightly tented with foil. Remove strings
and bones, cut into l-inch-thick slices, and serve.
G R I LL - ROAST E D P R I M E R I B F O R GAS G RI L L
l . Follow recipe for Grill-Roasted Prime Rib
for Charcoal Grill through step ! .
2. Soak 2 cups wood chips in water for 3O
minutes; drain. Place wood chips i n small dispos
able aluminum pan; set aside. About 2O minutes
before grilling, ignite grill, turn all burners to
high, cover, and heat until very hot, about ! 5
minutes. Scrape grate clean witl grill brush.
3. Continue with recipe from step 3, turning
off all but primary burner (burner that will remain
on during cooking), placing pan with wood chips
Tere are 1 3 beef ri bs, numbered in ascendi ng order from the front of the ani mal to the back. The first five ri bs are the
chuck secti on ( I through 5 ) . the next seven are the ri b secti on ( 6 through 1 2) , and the 1 3th i s part of the l oi n. Ri bs 6
through 1 2 , the ri b secti on . are sol d as pri me ri b. A seven- ri b pri me ri b roast can weigh as much as 20 pounds. enough for
at least 1 6 guests. For smal l er crowds. butcher often divi de the whol e pri me rib i nto to smal l er porti ons.
FI RST CUT: OUR FAVORI TE
Te firt-cut roast consists of ribs
1 0 through 1 2 (sometimes rib 9
is included, too) . Its large center
eye of meat and beef flavor
make this our preferred cut.
SECOND CUT: TOO GRI STLY
Te second-cut roast consists of
ribs 6 through 8 (someti mes rib 9
is included, too) . Lots of flavor,
but the additional fat and
gristle make it less appealing.
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S EP TEM B E R & O C T O BER 2006
7
TAMI NG THE GRI L L' S HEAT
After seari ng the roast' s fat-covered peri meter
di rectly over the coals, trnsfer i t to the cooler si de,
wi th the ti ps of the bones faci ng away from the fre.
on primary burner, and cooking with lid down
once roast has been seared and positioned on
cool side of grill as directed.
G RI L L - ROAST E D P RI M E R I B WI TH
GARL I C - RO S E MARY C R UST
Combine l cup extra-virgin olive oil, '+ cup
minced garlic, and !+ cup minced fresh rosemary
leaves in bowl. Follow recipe for Grill- Roasted
Prime Rib, brushing paste onto roast afer sear
ing in step 3.
T A s T 1 N G : I s ' Pri me' Pri me Ri b
Worh a Premi um?
" Prime" ri b i s somethi ng of a mi snomer. Origi nal ly
used to refer to the most desi rbl e portions of the
ri b secti on, the term became somewhat confusing
once the U. S. Department of Ari cul ture began
usi ng the l abel " Pri me" as one of its beef-grdi ng
classificati ons. Te grdes cl assi f the meat accord
ing to fat marbl i ng and age-as wel l as by price.
Pri me i s the best, followed by Choi ce and Select.
Pri me-grde prime ri b costs about $ 1 7 a pound,
whi l e Choice-grde pri me ri b goes for about $ 1 3 a
pound. Adi ti onal ly, some butcher ofer dr-aged
pri me ri b-Pri me-grde ri b roasts that have been
aged for up to a month to tenderize the meat and
concentrte its flavor. Dr-agi ng adds another $2
to $3 to per pound.
To fi nd out i f Pri me-grde pri me ri b i s worth the
premi um, we cooked about $ 1 , 500 worh of beef,
i ncl udi ng severl Pri me-grde, Choi ce-grde, and
dr-aged ri b roasts. I n the enti re l ot, there were
no outright l osers. but the experi ment was tel l i ng.
Fi rst, we don' t recommend spendi ng the extra cash
on dr-agi ng. Given the i ntense flavors i mparted by
the gri l l , any di sti ngui shi ng n uances were l ost. On
the other hand, i n most cases the Pri me cuts beat
out the Choi ce cuts in terms of superi or marbl i ng
and, thus, superi or flavor and texture. Given that
thi s meal wi l l be a spl ure no matter how you sl ice
i t, spri ngi ng for Pri me beef makes sense. al though a
Choi ce roast wi l l be al most as good. -S.W.
The Ultimate Dinner Rolls
Why bother maki ng d i n ner rol l s u n l ess t hey are real l y ri ch , real l y soft, and real l y good ?
I
n my cxpcricncc, homcmadc din
ncr rolls arc oncn thc di||crcncc
bctwccn thc prcparation o| an
ambitious mcal and an ovcrambi
tious onc. Whcn thcrc isn`t any ovcn
spacc, thc sink is mll o|dirty pots and
pans,and I`m |cclingovcrcxtcndcd,din
ncrrollsarc thc hrstitcm to bcdroppcd
|rom thc mcnu. And I`d sooncr opt |or
no rolls than scrvc mcdiocrc oncs madc
|rom quickic rccipcs that cmploy short
cuts likc lightning|ast riscs. Ycs, thcsc
|ast rccipcs turn out rolls that look thc
part, but thcy don`t allow cnough timc
|orthcdoughtodcvclopmuchUavor. In
truth, thcy`rc not much bcttcr than thc
rolls you can buy at thc supcrmarkct. I|
I`m goingto makc myowndinncrrolls,
thcyhavctobcworththcc||ort.
3 B Y D A W N Y A N A G I H A R A E
nowtastcdswcctandbuttcrybutwcrcn`t
sounctuousthatthcycompctcdwiththc
main coursc.
lc I |ound most publishcd rccipcs
to bc l i ght on cggs and buttcr, thc
anom1ts o|sugar andsalt m thcsc rccipcs
wcrc downright skimpy. I cndcd up
using morc sugar ta0lcspoons) than
any othcr rccipc I could md. Iikcwisc,
Uavorml rolls dcmand a dcccnt anount
o|salt, I scttlcdon 1 11 tcaspoons.
Rol l Pl ayi ng
)ust by gcttingthc ingrcdicntsright,my
rolls wcrc ccrtainly bcttcr tlan most. It
makcs scnsc that |lavorml rolls dcmand
libcral amounts o| cggs, buttcr, sugar,
andsalt. But I hadotlcridcas abouthow
to improvc thcirUavormrtlcr.
Mow, to bc clcar, whcn I say dinncr
rolls,Idon`tmcanthccoarsc,crustyarti
sanalkind. I mcanrich,son,tcndcr,airy,
scmiswcct,pullapartallAmcricandinncr
rolls, thc kind that arc as son and plush
as down pillows . I had onc main goal
in mind. I wantcd todcvclop a |ormula
thatwould producc thc bcst such rolls
without any shortcuts that would dcny
thcm ml l dcvclopmcnt o| Uavor. And,
asa sccondary objcctivc, I wouldtryto
dcvclop a rccipc that could bc prcparcd
I rcalizcd mydoughwassimilartothc
quccn mothcr o|rich brcads . briochc.
Jraditionally,briochc,richwithcggs and
|adcn with buttcr, undcrgocs multiplc
riscs, thc sccondo|whichisa slow, cold
risc i nthc |ridgc that allows thcycast to
work its magic slowly sothc Uavors havc
timctodcvclop.CouldIlcarnsomcthing
|rombriochcrccipcs`
Ri ch, soft. and tender-with mi l d sweetness-these di nner rol l s are best
served warm wi th a pat of butter.
My hrst thought was to takc shapcd
andpartiallyriscnro|lsandlctthcmnnish
risingi nthc|ridgc,thcnthcncxtdaythcy
could simply bc brought to room tcmpcraturc
and bakcd. I soon discovcrcd tlat itwas impos
siblctoprcdicthowmuchthc rollswouldriscin
tlcnidgc. I nccdcdamorcrcliablcmcthod.
largclyin advancc soasto|rccup timc and spacc
|or mcaticr kitchcn pursuits. Jhat way, pcrhaps
dinncr rolls wouldhavc a bcttcrshot at making
ittothctabl c.
Jhcrc`s a multitudc o|rol l rccipcs outthcrc.
I carcmlly sclcctcd a |cw that showcd promisc.
Monc |ailcd, but nonc was idcal cithcr. Jhcrc
wcrc dry and lcan rolls, rolls as U u|[ as cotton
candy,dull,boringrollsthatwcrcsandwichbrcad
indisguisc,androllsthatrcckcdo|ycast.I rollcd
upmyslccvcsandgottowork.
Flavor Bui l di ng
I lcarncd cnough nom my initial tcsts to dcvisc
aworkingrccipc. Itwasvcry basi c. milk, mcltcd
buttcr , muchtasticrthan oil ) , cggs,ycast,sugar,
salt, and Uour kncadcd togcthcr in a standing
mixcr |or a |cw minutcs. Jhc dough riscs, is
shapcd,riscsagain,andishna|lybakcd.
I bcgan bytcstingtlc main ingrcdicnt. Uour.
Onc rccipc cal|cd |or somc cakc our, and I
thought it was wortl trying to scc i|it would
hclpthcrollsdcvclopalight,tcndcrcrumb. Ancr
cxpcrimcnting,though,I|oundtlatcvcnasmall
amount o|cakc Uour madc |or ovcrly son rolls
without adcquatc structurc. Jhc rolls with thc
bcsttcxturc-tcndcrandairyyctalsorcsilicnt-
wcrcmadcwithallpurposcU our.
Manyrollrccipcsuscmilkasthcliquid,and|or
good rcason. With watcr, thcrollswcrc lcan,dry,
and bland. Buttcrmilk madc thcm tastc mnky.
Withmilk, thc rolls wcrc son,tcndcr, and rich. I
hccdcdthc advicc that many bakingcxpcrtsgivc
aboutscalding-orhcating-thc milk and ski m
mi ng o|| tl+c skin" that |orms on thc sur|acc.
Jhisstcpdidindccdrcsultinrollswithabitmorc
hcightandalightcrcrumb.
Most son dinncr rollrccipcscall |or a sing|c
cgg. I |oundthattwocggsproduccdmorcUavor
and bcttcrtcxturc. Buttcrisprimarilyrcsponsiblc
|orthcrichncssinrolls. Mosto|thcrccipcsinmy
rcscarch |oldcruscd4 tablcspoons, butmytast
crsthoughtthcscro|lswcrctoodryandlcan. Six
tablcspoons provcd tlc idcal amount. Jhc rolls
C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D
8
I madc morc dough, allowcd it to risc, and
shapcd morc roll s. Jhis timc I put thcm in thc
|ridgc straightaway,without a1 sccondaryrisc.
Jhc |ollowing day I took out tlc rolls and lct
tlcm risc. Whcn placcd i n a sunny window in
tlc tcst kitchcn , roughly 8O dcgrccs), tlc rolls
rosc uncvcnly andtastcd boozy. "Atcoolroom
tcmpcraturc, alanguidpacc o|sixorscvcnhours
lct thc rolls risc cvcnly, oncc bakcd, thcir Uavor
wassupcrb.
Jomakcsurcthatallthistimc , butnotmuch
handsonc||ort)wasindccdworthwhilc,Imadc
a batch o|samc day rolls |or thc sakc o|com
parison. Both batchcs had thc samc opcn, airy
tcxturc, but thc rolls lcn to risc ovcrnighthad a
roundcr,richcr,morccomplcxUavor-thcrcsult
o|a|lowing thc Uavors in thc dough to dcvclop
slowlyi ntlcrc|rigcratorovcrnight.
If You Can ' t Hel p the Heat,
Get out of the Ki tchen
Tese rol l s rise for severl hour on the counter, s o getting
the temperture right is cruci al . At cool room temperture
( 68 degrees) , the dough rounds shoul d doubl e in size
after six or seven hour, yi el di ng l ight, fl uf rol l s upon bak
ing. If they rise i n a spot that's too warm, the exterior wi l l
rce ahead of the i nterior. the rol l s wi l l rise unevenly, and
a pan ful l of dense, mi sshapen rocks wi l l emere from the
oven. I f the heat i n your ki tchen is unpredi ctabl e, tr a l ess
conventional cool spot-l i ke a basement or a spare bedrom.
COOL PROOF FLU FFY ROLLS
WARM PROOF DE NS E ROLLS
Ycs, myrolls arc two days inthcmaking and
thcyrcquircalittlcplanning,whatkindo|brcad
docsn`t` ) . But thcir supcrior Uavor is wortl tlc
modcst invcstmcnt. And thc un|orcsccn bonus
can`tbc ovcrlookcd. Anightinthc|ridgcmcans
that thc bulk o|thc work can bc complctcd a
day in advancc , two days, cvcn, I latcr |ound
out) . Jhcdayo|scrving,thcrollsdon` tdcmand
anyattcntion, j ust a littlc countcrspacc, thcn a
quick brush with mcltcd buttcr and I 5 minutcs
ina4OOdcgrccovcn. Mowahcctickitchcnisno
cxcusc|orthcabscncco|dinncrroll s.
B E ST AME R I CAN D I N N E R RO LLS
MAKES SI XTE E N 3 - I NCH ROLLS
!or this rccipc, thc dough is madc and thc rolls
arc shapcd and rcnigcratcd a dayor two bc|orc
bcing bakcd and scrvcd. Bc surc to plan accord
ingly, as thc rc|rigcratcd rolls rcquirc about six
hoursto risc bc|orcthcy`rcrcady|or baking. !or
thcbcstUavor,lctthcrollsriscatcoolroomtcm
pcraturc, about 8 dcgrccs. Dcpcnding on thc
brand, instant ycast is markctcd as rapid risc, "
quick risc, " or pcr|cct risc" ycast, or somc
timcs as brcad machinc ycast, i|it`s ncccssary to
usc activc dry ycast in its placc, scc pagc 3O |or
morc in|ormation. I|your cakc pans havc a dark
nonstick hnish, bakc thc rolls in a 375 dcgrcc
ovcn to modcratc thc browning. Jhis dough
should bc moistcr tl:an most, rcsist thc urgc to
addmorc|lourthan is nccdcd tokccpthcdough
|rom sticking to your hands. Madc on a humid
day, thc dough may rcquirc morc |lour than i|
madconadryday.
3 cup whol e mi l k
6 tabl espoons unsalted butter, mel ted, pl us
2 tabl espoons, mel ted, for brushi ng on rol l s
before baki ng
6 tabl espoons sugar
1 11 teaspoons tabl e sal t
2 l arge eggs, room temperature
2 1/4 teaspoons ( I packet) i nstant ( rapi d ri se) yeast
3 cups ( 1 5 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our,
pl us addi ti onal fl our as needed (see note above)
I . TO M THE DOUGH: Bring milk to
boil in small sauccpan ovcr mcdium hcat, l ct
stand o||hcatuntil skn |orms on sur|acc, 3 to
5 minutcs . \singsoupspoon,skimski no||sur
|accanddiscard. Jrans|crmilkto bowlo|stand
ing mixcrand add tablcspoons mcltcd buttcr,
sugar,andsalt,whisktocombincandlctmixturc
cool . Whcn mixturc is j ust warm to thc touch
,OtoI OOdcgrccs ) , whiskincggsandycastuntil
combincd.
2. Add |lour to bowl , usingdoughhook, mix
onlowspccdonstandingmixcruntilcombincd,
I to 2 minutcs. Incrcasc spccd to mcdiumlow
and kncad about 3 minutcs morc, whcn prcsscd
witl hngcr, dough should |ccl tacky and moist
butshouldnotsticktohngcr. , I|doughissticky,
addanothcr I to 3 tablcspoonsUour. ) Continuc
to kncad on mcdium low until cohcsivc, clastic
dough has |ormcd ,it should clcar sidcs o|bowl
butsticktobottom) , 4to5 minutcslongcr.
3. Jrans|crdoughtolightly|lourcdworksur
|acc. Kncad dough by hand I to 2 minutcs to
cnsurc that it is wcll kncadcd. Dough should
STE P- BY- STE P 1 GETTI NG D I NNE R ROL L S S HAPE D J UST R I GHT
bc vcry son and moist but not ovcrly sticky. , I|
dough sticks cxccssivcly to hands and work sur
|acc, kncad in |lour a tablcspoon at a timc until
dough isworkablc. ) Iightly spray mcdium bowl
witl nonstick cooking spray. Jrans|cr dough to
bowl , lightly coat sur|acc o|dough with cook
ing sprayandcovcrwith plasticwrap. Ictdough
risci nwarm, dran |rcclocation until doublcdin
volumc, 2 to 3 hours.
4. TO SHAE THE ROLLS: Coat two inch
round cakc pans with cooking spray, sct asidc.
Jurn dough out onto lightly Uourcd work sur
|acc. Iat dough into rough I 2 by I Oinch rcc
tanglc , sccillustration I , bclow) , gcntlyprcssing
out air, starting |rom cdgc |arthcst |rom you,
roll dough into cylindcr , illustration 2) . \sing
palms, roll dough back and |orth until cylindcr
is about I 8 inchcs long and o|cvcn thickncss.
\singbcnchscrapcrorchc|`skni|c, cutcylindcr
inhal|crosswisc,thcn cutcach hal|into8cvcnly
sizcdpicccs,illustration3) .
5 . Workingwithoncpicccat atimcandkccp
ingrcmainingpicccscovcrcdwithplasticwrapor
kitchcn towcl, |orm dough picccs into smooth,
tautrounds, illustration4) . Sctpiccco|doughon
un|lourcdarcao|worksur|acc. Ioosclycuphand
around dough , not dircctly ovcr i t) , without
applyingprcssurc to dough, movc handinsmall
circular motions. , Jackincss o|dough against
work sur|acc and circular motion should work
dough into smooth, cvcn ball . ) Arrangc shapcd
rolls i n prcparcd cakc pans , onc in ccntcr and
scvcn spaccd cvcnly around cdgcs) ,i llustration
5),covcrcakcpanswithplasticwraplightlycoatcd
withcookingspray, thcncovcrpanssccurclywith
|oi l . Rc|rigcratcatlcast24 orupto48 hours.
. TO BA THE ROLLS: Rcmovc |oil , but
notplasticwrap) nom cakc pans, lctrolls risc in
dran|rcc cool roomtcmpcraturc location until
doublcd in volumc , rolls should prcss against
cach othcr) , to 7 hours . Whcnrollsarcncarly
doublcd in volumc, adj ust ovcn rack to lowcr
middlc position and hcat ovcn to 4OO dcgrccs.
Rcmovc plastic wrap. Brush rolls with 2 tablc
spoons mcl tcd buttcr, bakc until dccp go|dcn
brown, I4 to I 8 minutcs. Cool rolls in pans on
wircrackabout3 minutcs, thcninvcrtontorack,
rc invcrt rolls and cool I Oto I 5 minutcslongcr.
Brcakrollsapartandscrvcwarm.
L Pt dough i nto 1 2 by I 0- i nch 2. Rol l dough to form even cyl i n- 3 . Usi ng bench scraper or chef' s 4. Usi ng ci rcul ar moti on, gently 5 . Arrange rou nds in pan, one i n
rectangl e. der, stretchi ng to 1 8- i nch l ength. knife. cut cyl i nder i nto 1 6 pi eces. form dough pi eces i nto rounds. center, seven around edge.
S E P T E M B E R [ O C T O B E R 2 006
9
Flavor-Packed Fresh Tomato Sauces
How do you make a sauce that does j u sti ce to t he robust fl avor of seasonal tomatoes?
T
he dog days of summer produce the
only fresh tomatoes of the year ft for
pairing with pasta. Packed with bracing
acidity and sweet fruitiness, they taste
the way tomatoes should yet rarely do. Seizing the
opportunity, I splurged on several crates of these
rare specimens and set out to create a few quick
pasta sauces that would capitalize on their fll,
robust flavor.
Previously, the test kitchen has found that one
of the best ways to prepare tomatoes for pasta
sauces is to skin, seed, and chop them into small
pieces before simmering them in a skillet with
garlic and olive oil . With the skillet's ample cook
ing surface, it's only a matter of minutes before
the excess moisture evaporates and the tomatoes
gently slump into a hearty sauce. Any type of
tomato tastes fe cooked this way: Ripeness, not
variety, is key.
I quickly discovered that meek ingredients
weren't going to cut it here; they simply dulled
the liveliness of the tomatoes. So I cast the usual
parsley and ricotta aside in favor of potent herbs
and spices, cured meats, and assertive cheeses .
Piney rosemary, smoky bacon, pungent feta, spicy
pepperoncini, and similar ingredients pointed
up the fresh qualities of these gutsy tomatoes yet
gamely shared the spotlight. A cautious touch,
however, was crucial; a spoonfl too much threw
the sauce out of whack, obscuring the tomato
fl avor. A with most things in life, balance really
paid off
F RE S H TO MATO SAU C E WI TH
ROS E MARY AN D BAC ON
MAKES E NOUGH TO SAUCE I P OUND O F PASTA
Pancetta can be substituted for the bacon. Ay
short tubular pasta is well suited to this sauce. If
your tomatoes are tart, you may need to add up
to 12 teaspoon sugar.
6 ounces bacon ( 6 sl i ces) . cut crosswise i nto
11- i nch stri ps
2 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
1h teaspoon mi nced fresh rosemary
1h-3 teaspoon hot red pepper fl akes
3 pounds ri pe round tomatoes, cored, peel ed,
seeded, and cut i nto 11- i nch pi eces (about
3 3/4 Cups)
tabl espoon chopped fresh parsley l eaves
; B Y M A T T H E W C A R D E
'I teaspoon tabl e sal t
1/s teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
Granul ated sugar
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved thi n wi th
vegetabl e peel er (about 3 cup)
l. Cook bacon in 1 0-inch skillet over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to l 0
minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to
paper- towel-lined plate. Pour off bacon fat from
pan and discard.
2. Return skillet to medium- high heat. Add
oil, swirl to coat pan, and add garlic, rosemary,
and pepper fakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until
garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 30
seconds. Stir i n tomatoes and cook until tomato
pieces lose their shape to form chunky sauce,
about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley, salt, pepper, and
sugar to taste. Toss sauce with pasta and serve,
sprinkling Parmesan and reserved bacon over
individual bowl s.
F R E S H TO MATO SAU C E WI TH SALAM I ,
P E P P E RO N C I N I , AND M OZZARE LLA
MAKES E NOUGH TO SAUCE I P OUND OF PASTA
Use spicy ( not mild) pepperoncini to balance
the richness of the sauce. Farfa!Ie pasta is a good
choice for this sauce. If your tomatoes are tart,
you may need to add up to 12 teaspoon sugar.
3 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
3 pounds ri pe round tomatoes, cored, peel ed,
seeded, and cut i nto 11- i nch pi eces (about
3 3/4 cups)
4 ounces sal ami , cut i nto 1/s - i nch-thi ck sl i ces,
sl i ces cut i nto hal f-moons, and hal f- moons cut
i nto 1/- i nch-wi de stri ps
tabl espoon chopped fresh oregano l eaves
11 cup thi nly sl i ced pepperonci ni . drai ned and
ri nsed
'I teaspoon tabl e sal t
1/s teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
Granul ated sugar
1 2 ounces fresh mozzarel l a. cut i nto 11- i nch pi eces
and bl otted dry
1 . Heat 2tablespoons oil and garlic in 1 0-inch
skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant
but not browned, 1 to 2minutes. Stir in tomatoes;
mcrease heat to medium- high and cook until
C O O K ' S I L L U S T R A r E D
1 0
tomato pieces lose their shape to form chunky
sauce, about 1 0 minutes, stirring in salami afer
8 minutes to heat through.
2. Stir in oregano, pepperoncini, salt, pepper,
and sugar to taste. Toss sauce, mozzarella, and
remaining tablespoon oil with pasta and serve.
F R E S H TO MATO SAU C E WI TH
F E N N E L A N D O RAN G E
MAKES E NOUGH TO SAUC E I P OUND OF PASTA
Ay short tubular or curly pasta works well with
this sauce. If your tomatoes are tart, you may
need to add up to l/2 teaspoon sugar.
4 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
medi um fennel bul b, tri mmed of stal ks, hal ved,
cored, and cut i nto 1/- i nch di ce (about I 1 1 cups)
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 h teaspoon fennel seed, l ightl y crushed
Pi nch safron, crushed (opti onal )
1/s teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 stri ps orange peel (each 3 by I i nch) pl us
3 tabl espoons j ui ce from I orange
3 pounds ri pe round tomatoes, cored, peel ed,
seeded, and cut i nto 11- i nch pi eces (about
3 3/4 cups)
3 tabl espoons chopped fresh basi l l eaves
1/4 teaspoon tabl e salt
1/s teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
Granul ated sugar
l . Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 1 0-inch skillet
over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add
fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until sof
ened and browned around edges, 4to minutes.
Add garlic, fennel seed, saffron ( if using) , pepper
flakes, and orange peel; cook, stirring constantly,
untl fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes
and cook until tomato pieces lose their shape to
form chunky sauce, about 1 0 minutes
2 . Remove and discard orange peel . Stir in
orange j uice, basil , salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.
Toss sauce and remaining 2 tablespoons oil with
pasta and serve.
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated.com
o Key in code 9063 for our recipe for Fresh
Tomato Sauce with Roasted Pepper,
Toasted Garl i c, and Pprika.
o Key i n code 9064 for our recipe for Fresh
Tomato Sauce with Mi nt, Ft, and
Spinach.
o Recipes available until March I . 2007.
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Q
Better Roast Chicken and Vegetables
Roasti ng a few vegetabl es al ong wi th the chi cken makes for an easy si de d i sh , ri ght?
Greasy si de di sh i s more l i ke i t. We set out to fi n e-tu ne th i s fl awed Sunday- n i ght cl assi c.
? B Y S A R A H W I L S O N E
I tackled brining frst. The test kitchen's stan
dard formula for brining poultry is l cup oftable
salt and 1 cup of sugar in a gallon of water. With a
3lz- pound chicken, it takes an hour for the brine
to penetrate the meat flly. With an 1 8-pound
turkey, it takes about six hours. I fgured the brin
ing time for my to 8-pound roaster would fall
somewhere in between. Sure enough, a few tests
told me that the magic number was j ust under
four hours. While that kind of wait may be OK
for a once- a-year holiday feast, it seemed like
overkill for a typical Sunday-night supper. Trying
out various amounts of salt and sugar, I found
that upping the concentration to 1 11 cups of each
( per gallon of water) gave me a flly seasoned
chicken in j ust two hours.
For roasted vegetabl es that are dri ppi ng wi th chi cken flavor-not chi cken grease-make sure the servi ng pl atter i s
the first pl ace the chi cken and vegetabl es meet.
Next, I tried adapting the "small bird" roasting
method for this large chicken: basically, wing up
for 20 minutes, the other wing up for 20 min
utes, then breast up until done ( about 20 minutes
more) . A additional 1 0 minutes or so for each
step yielded evenly cooked white and dark meat.
I experimented with various combinations of
oven temperatures ( starting out high, decreasing
partway wth cooking, and so on) but found that
the best method was also the easiest: 400 degrees
from start to fsh.
L
ike communism or sunless tanning, roast
ing chicken and vegetables together is far
more appealing in theory than in prac
tice. It's a tempting proposition: With
a chicken perched on a roasting rack dripping
flavorfl juices into the expanse below, it seems a
shame not to toss in a few vegetables to soak up
all that yummy, chickeny goodness. A bonus side
dish, no fss or forethought required.
Unfortunately, when it comes to chicken and
vegetables, killing two birds with one stone usu
ally means victimizing the veggies. They may be
chock-fll of chicken flavor, but they're also awash
in greasy schmaltz and overcooked to a mushy
consistency. Clearly, this classic Sunday-dinner
combo required more than spur-of-the- moment
improvisation. My goal was to come up with a
recipe that gave each component the attention
it deserved-not j ust the chicken. I wanted j uicy
meat, crispy-thin skin, and vegetables infused
with chicken favor, not j ust chicken fat.
Chi cken Account
Even though the vegetables were no doubt the
true victims here, the chicken had a few griev
ances of its own. Most Cook)s roast chicken recipes
call for a 3lz- pound bird. That's fne for two or
three people (or four on a diet) , but I wanted
enough chicken to feed a hungry family. So I
opted for the big birds in my supermarket's poul
try case-specifcally, the "oven sntffer roasters. "
Weighing i n at t o 8 pounds, these chickens
would easily serve six.
Now that I was in big- bird territory, how
ever, I had a new set of problems. First, while
I'd planned to follow the test kitchen' s usual
chicken-roasting procedure-brining ( to season
the meat and keep it moist ) and flipping ( so
the dark meat and white meat cook evenly)-!
would have to adj ust the times for this larger
This chicken had j uicy, seasoned meat and
crisp, well-rendered skin, but the bland flavor still
lef something to be desired. ( Salt only enhances
flavors if there are, in fact, any flavors to enhance. )
First, I tried stufng the cavity with aromatics
onions and fresh herbs-but nobody could taste
a difference. Lemon and garlic were better but
still too subtle . Taking a cue from a previous
CooPs recipe, I tried adding a few garlic cloves
and bay leaves to my brine. This really got tasters'
attention. Gradually increasing the amounts of
each, I found that spiking the brine with two fll
bird. Second, because mass-produced
chickens generally taste bland, the
Boosti ng a Bl and Bi rd' s Fl avor
test kitchen tends to spl urge on
chickens from boutique poultry pur
veyors ( such as Empire or Bel l &
Evans ) , which offer superior flavor
in e xchange for sl i ghtly steeper
pri ces. Unfortunately, these "bou
tique birds" mostly come in petite
sizes; tl1e big chickens in my super
market are almost exclusively of the
bland, mass-produced variety.
S E P T E M B E R [ O C T O B E R
1 I
Mass- produced chi ckens are notori ously bl and. and thei r more flavorful
" bouti que" counterpar aren' t widel y avai l abl e in larger sizes. We solved
the probl em by addi ng two ful l heads of garl i c and six bay leaves to the
bri ne. al ong with the usual salt and sugar.
heads of crushed garlic and six bay leaves gave the
chicken great favor once cooked.
Surpri singly, the onl y thing my colleagues
noticed was a huge improvement i n chicken
favor, not garlicky meat perfmed by bay leaf. In
fact, not one taster guessed my secret ingredient.
What was going on? It turns out that the enzyme
( called allinase) responsible for garlic's charac
teristic bite is deactivated in the presence of very
high concentrations of salt. With its "garlicky"
traits masked, the garlic in the brine contributed
only its mellow, savory qualities to the chicken
in this case, j ust what the doctor ordered.
Grease Monkeyi ng
Turning my attention to the vegetables, I stuck
with the usual suspects-carrots, onions, pars
nips, and potatoes. I knew fom experience that
roasting the cut-up vegetables right along with
the chicken was problematic. The sheer volume
of greasy j uices overwhelmed them, if overcook
ing didn't kl them off frst. Clearly, the vegeta
bles needed less roasting time than the chicken,
and I had to get rid of some of the grease. I tried
pouring off a the j uices fom the roasting pan
when the chicken was mostly done, adding the
vegetables to a virtually fat-fee pan. While tlus
was a big improvement, tle chicken continued
to render fat as it fnished cooking, maing tl1e
vegetables too greasy still .
At this point, I was beginning to wonder
whether grease- free, chicken-infsed veggies were
but a pipe dream. Aer all, the test kitchen had
already fgured out the secret to great caramel
ized vegetables-tossing them with some oil and
salt and roasting them in a pan. In a separate pan,
that is. Maybe the secret to great roast chicken
and vegetables was to keep the chicken and veg
etables as far away from each other as possible.
That's when I made my frst real breaktl1rough.
If I roasted the vegetables separately, I fgured
I could control precisely how much fat mingled
with them. My idea was to use the test kitchen's
existing recipe for roasted root vegetables, replac
ing the oil with an equal amount of chicken fat.
Even better, if I timed things so the vegetables
roasted during the chicken' s halfhour rest ( a
step that helps redistribute juices throughout tl1e
meat) , I could serve them piping-hot along with
the chicken.
T E CH N I Q U E 1 C HE C KI NG C HI C KE N DONENE S S
Taking a chi cken' s temperture can be trick. no matter how good your thermometer. Fr the most precise readi ngs.
follow the procedures bel ow. Al so. it's i mporant to test both breasts and both thighs in mul ti pl e spots.
WH I TE M EAT
I nsert the thermometer i nto the thi ckest part of the
breast from the neck end, keepi ng i t parl l el to the
breastbone. The whi te meat i s done when the tem
perture reaches 1 60 degrees.
With new hope, I plopped yet another chicken
into the roasting pan, my cut-up vegetables at
tle ready. As soon as the clucken was fuushed
cooking, I moved it to a cutting board to rest
and tossed the vegetables with 3 tablespoons of
chicken fat salvaged from tle pan, transferring
them to a baking sheet and into the oven. Thirty
minutes later, disappointment loomed: The veg
etables were greasy and poorly browned. Even
worse, they barely tasted like chicken at all .
The browni ng problem I solved easi ly, by
cranking up tl1e heat from 400 degrees to 500
degrees . But the greasiness lingered, as di d the
puzzling lack of clucken flavor. Dejected, I was
packing it i n for tl1e day when I noticed the dark,
sticky fond ( browned bits ) encrusted on the
bottom of the roasting pan. It was at that moment
that I realized the error of my ways. Of course!
It wasn't ie chicken fat that contained all the
favor but the fond-the building block of flavor
for every pan sauce I had ever made.
Fl avor Saver
To take advantage of tl1e fond, I frst needed to
preserve it-afer an hour and a half of cooking,
what had accumulated in the pan was eitl1er too
hardened to use or just plain burned. Water
added to ie pan at tle beginning evaporated
too quickly. But by adding l cup of water at
the one- hour mark (when the chicken is fipped
breast side up) , I was able to save the fond that
DARK M EAT
I nsert the thermometer at an angl e i nto the thi ckest
part of the thi gh-l ocated between the drumstick and
breast-taki ng care not to hi t bone. The dark meat i s
done when the temperture reaches 1 7 5 degrees.
was already developing and ensure that the rest
of the drippings would continue to enrich the
liquid. When I substituted a cup of store- bought
chicken broth for the water, the drippings ended
up even richer.
Once the chicken was flly cooked ( and safely
removed from the pan) , I poured ie pan con
tents into a fat separator. I tossed the fat with
the vegetables, but how was I going to intro
duce the defatted drippings-the sole agent of
chicken favor-to the vegetables? When added
too early, the liquid hindered browning, giving
me ultra- chickeny but utterly soggy vegetables.
Experimenting witl1 times and amounts, I got
the best results when adding 12 cup of the defat
ted drippings to the vegetables afer 25 minutes,
then cranking up the oven to the broil setting
for 1 0 minutes to get the veggies good and
glazed, stirring them once partway through. As
for the grease factor, I found that discarding the
chicken fat completely i n favor of plain vegetable
oil made for less sodden vegetables and a cleaner
taste.
A flawed improvisation no longer, this care
flly composed version of roast chicken and
vegetables had been transformed into a sophisti
cated meal ft for company ( not just my forgiving
family) . Who would have thought that the secret
to ultra- chickeny chicken and vegetables was to
make sure the chicken and vegetables never met
at all-at least not until they hit tl1e plate?
R E c 1 p E s H o R r H A N o : Whi ch Comes Fi rst, the Chi cken or the Vegetabl es?
L Roast chi cken. wi ng si de up. for 30 mi nutes. 2. Roast chi cken, other wi ng si de up. for 30 mi nutes. 3 . Fl i p chi cken breast si de up. pour broth i nto pan, and roast for 40 mi nutes.
4. Trnsfer chi cken to cutti ng board to rest. and pour dri ppi ngs i nto fat separator. 5. Reheat roasti ng pan whi l e oven heats up to 500 degrees. 6. Toss vegetabl es wi th oi l . add to
heated roasti ng pan . and roast for 25 mi nutes. 7. Tum oven setti ng to broi l and pour defatted dri ppi ngs i nto pan . tossi ng wi th vegetabl es. Broi l for I 0 mi nutes.
C O O K ' S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 2
ROAST C H I C K E N WI TH ROOT VE G ETAB L E S
SERVES 4 TO 6
The times given in the recipe are designed to
work with a 6- to 8- pound chicken. It's pos
sible to roast a slightly smaller bird ( around 5
pounds) by reducing the roasting time in step 4
to about 25 minutes, but if all you can fnd are
3- to 4-pound chickens, see the followng recipe
for Two Roast Chickens with Root Vegetables.
Begin carving the chicken as soon as the veg
etables are placed underneath tle broiler. If using
medium potatoes (2 to 3 inches in diameter), cut
in half If using large potatoes ( 3 to 4 inches in
diameter), cut into quarters. We prefer a large,
traditional ( not nonstick) roasting pan for this
recipe; if using a nonstick roasting pan, refain
fom turning up the oven to broil when cooking
the vegetables and stir them every 5 to 7 minutes
to ensure they don't become too dark. If your
broiler does not accommodate a roasting pan,
continue to cook the vegetables at 500 degrees
until done. You can substitute tl1e following
seasonal vegetables for any of those in the recipe:
beets, celery root, fennel, rutabagas, and turnips;
peel these vegetables ( except for the fennel ) and
cut them into 2- to 3-inch pieces.
Chicken and Brine
1 11 cups tabl e sal t
1 11 cups sugar
2 medi um heads garl i c, outer papery ski ns
removed, cloves separted, unpeeled, and crushed
6 bay l eaves, crumbl ed
whol e chi cken ( 6 to 8 pounds) , gi bl ets removed
and di scarded
Ground black pepper
cup low- sodi um chi cken broth, or more as
needed
Vegetables
I pound smal l ( 1 1 1- to 2- i nch di ameter) red
potatoes, scrubbed and unpeel ed
pound medi um carrots, peel ed, cut i nto 2- to
3- i nch pi eces, tapered ends left whol e, l arge
upper porti ons hal ved l engthwise
11 pound parsni ps, peel ed, cut i nto 2- to 3 - i nch
pi eces, tapered ends left whol e, large upper
porti ons hal ved l engthwise
11 pound smal l (2- to 3 - i nch di ameter) yel l ow
oni ons, peel ed, root end left i ntact, and
quartered
3 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
' h teaspoon tabl e sal t
1/e teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
I . FOR THE CHICKEN AND BRINE: Dissolve
salt and sugar in 1 gallon cold water in large con
tainer. Stir in garlic and bay; immerse chicken and
refigerate until flly seasoned, about 2 hours.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and
heat oven to 400 degrees . Set V- rack in large
fl ameproof roasting pan and lightly spray with
nonstick cooking spray. Remove chicken from
brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
6. Scatter vegetables in single layer in roast
ing pan, arranging potatoes and onions cut side
down. Roast, without stirring, for 25 minutes.
3 . Season chicken on all sides with pepper; set
wing side up on prepared V-rack and roast for
30 minutes. Remove roasting pan from oven and,
using 2 wads of paper towels, rotate chicken so
other wing side faces up; continue to roast for
30 minutes.
4. Remove roasting pan from oven and, using
2 large wads paper towels, rotate chicken breast
side up. Add 1 cup broth and continue to roast
until chicken is golden brown and instant-read
thermometer registers 1 60 degrees inserted in
thickest part of breast and 1 75 degrees in thick
est part of thigh, about 40 minutes. ( If necessary,
add more broth to maintain thin layer of broth on
bottom of roasting pan. ) Transfer chicken to cut
ting board and let rest, uncovered, while roasting
vegetables; remove V-rack from roasting pan.
7. While vegetables are roasting, pour off l2
cup liquid from fat separator; discard remaining
liquid and fat. Remove roasting pan fom oven
and heat broiler. Drizzle liquid over vegetables
and broil, 5 minutes. Stir vegetables, coating well
with reducing liquid, and continue to broil until
tender and deep golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Transfer vegetables to serving platter.
8 . While vegetables are broiling, carve chicken.
Transfer to platter with vegetables and serve.
TWO ROAST C H I C K E N S WI TH
R OOT VE G ETAB L E S
I f you can't fd a large chicken at the market,
it's possible to roast two 3- to 4-pound chickens
using a similar method.
5 . FOR THE VEGETABLES: While chicken is
resting, adj ust oven rack to middle position and
increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Using
wooden spoon, scrape browned bits in roasting
pan and pour liquid into fat separator. Return
now-empty roasting pan to oven and heat until
oven reaches 500 degrees, about 5 minutes. Toss
vegetables with oil, salt, and pepper.
Follow recipe for Roast Chicken with Root
Vegetables, substituting two 3- to 4-pound chick
ens for 6- to 8-pound chicken and reducing brin
ing time to 1 hour. In step 3, reduce wing-side-up
roasting time to 20 minutes per side. Continue to
roast chickens as directed, reducing breast- side
up roasting time to 30 to 40 minutes.
r E s r 1 N G E o u 1 P M E N r : Roasti ng Racks
A roasti ng rack is as ungl amorous as it is essenti al . I t rai ses poul tr and
roasts out of the dri ppi ngs. whi l e gi vi ng the oven' s heat easy access to the
whol e surface-a good start toward a wel l - rendered exteri or. I n a 1 997
testi ng. we l i ked the V-shaped Norpro Nonsti ck Roasti ng Rck ( $9. 75 ) .
I t hol ds roasts snugl y i n pl ace. and we prefer its fixed shape. si nce adj ust
abl e rcks have a nast habi t of adjusti ng when you l east expect i t.
Recently. more V- rcks have appeared on the market. Are any preferabl e
to the model we' ve been usi ng i n the test ki tchen?
Ri ght away. we noted that not al l V-racks are actual l y V-shaped. The
sl i ght bend on the Progressive V Shape Non-Sti ck Roasti ng Rck ( $ 3 . 49)
barel y qual ifies as a "V" and leaves no room for roasti ng vegetabl es under
neath . The i nnovative Cui si pro Roast and Serve ( $28. 9 5) i s shaped l i ke a
trough wi th a hi nge at the center. Remove the dowel from the hi nge and
the rck comes apart, droppi ng the roast onto a pl atter or cutti ng board.
Whi l e it worked fi ne, thi s rack was another that di dn' t el evate the roast
enough. and i ts size ( I S i nches by 1 1 11 i nches) makes it a ti ght squeeze
in all but the l arest pan .
I n addi ti on to shape, handl es were a deci sive factor. Tal l . vertical han
dl es make removi ng the rack easy. even wi th bul k oven mi tts. Hori zontl
handl es, or no handl es at al l , make removal nearly i mpossi bl e. I n our tests,
we al so noti ced that handl e posi ti on matters. When l ocated on the short
si des of a rectangul ar rack they can get in the way of the roasti ng pan' s
handl es. We prefer handl es posi ti oned on the l ong s i de of the rack.
The Al l - Cl ad Non- Sti ck Roasti ng Rck ( $24. 95) i s our top choi ce. I t' s
l arge enough to hol d to smal l chi ckens and has the features we l i ke. With
i ts handl es on the short si de, the Norpro i s a di stant runner- up. I f you ' re
in the market for a new roasti ng pan, you shoul d consi der our favorite
roaster, the Cal phal on Contemporar Stai nl ess Al l Season Pn ( $99) ,
whi ch i ncl udes a rack that' s j ust as good as the Al l - Cl ad model .
-Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
S EP TEM B ER b O C T O BE R 2006
] 3
N EW FAVORI TE
The sturdy Al l -Clad rack has good
handl es in a conveni ent locati on.
OLD FAVORI TE
The Norpro rack woul d be better
with handl es on the long sides.
All WRONG
Shal low shape and no handles
render the Progressive rack useless.
ALL I N ON E
Our favorite roasting pan, from
Cal phal on, i ncl udes a great rack.
Improving Sauteed Pork Tenderloin
Bonel ess , l ean , and tender, pork tenderl oi n offers pl enty of hope for the
ti me- pressed weekn i ght cook. I f on l y i t offered pl enty of fl avor.
W
ith no b
o
nes, minimal
fat, and wide availabil
i ty, pork tenderl oi n
has plenty going for it.
When cooked properly, it has a tender
ness rivaling that of beef tenderloin, the
deluxe roast that gives us flet mignon.
On the downside, this ultra-lean cut has
an ultra-mild favor that needs a major
boost. Long marinades and hybrid sear
ing/roasting techniques ( the latter pro
viding favorfl browning) help remedy
such defciencies, but they also take the
home cook a long way from the realm of
the no-fss meal .
I wanted a recipe for a fast weeknight
dinner, so I was lef with only a small
arsenal of tools at my disposal to enhance
favor and ensure juiciness. Skillets and
quick pan sauces were in; brining, marinat
ing, and heating a grill or oven were out.
3 B Y D AV I D P A Z M I NO E
Getti ng the Pork i nto Shape
Taki ng a cue from the more famous fi l et mi gnon, our "pork
mignons" are thi ck-cut to keep them j uicy and moi st.
The frst problem was the tenderloin's
oblong, tapered shape. Vacuum-sealed individu
ally or in sets of two, the loins looked like
neatly packed, identically sized sausages. Once
unpacked, however, it became clear that they var
ied greatly in length ( fom inches to 14 inches)
and shape. And when packed in pairs, the two
loins were almost guaranteed to be substantially
different in weight, making it tricky to portion
them out into equal servings. Tucking the tail
end under the thicker section, then tying it into
an evenly shaped roast, fxed that problem. But
cooking the tenderloin whole ( either pan-roasting
or sauteing) took too much time-more than 30
minutes.
Slicing the tenderloin into thin medallions
made for uniform thickness, but some pieces were
nearly 3 inches wide while others were barely an
inch. Attempts to cheat nature with creative bias
slicing proved unreliable and tedious. Wat about
cutting the smaller parts thicker and pound
ing them to equal width? More consistent, yes,
but-thanks to the expanded surface area-they
required sauteing in several batches .

Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code 906S for our recipe for
Hoi si n-Sesame Sauce.
feqpe ava1 l abl e until March I, 2007.
Overcooking was an even bigger problem with
these sliced medallions. I wanted to get as much
browning on the exterior as possible to provide
textural contrast with the tender interior and to
improve favor. But with such thin slices, I had
only two choices: overcooked medallions with
a pronounced, favorfl sear or wan, gray disks.
Neither was an acceptable compromise.
To get adequate browning without overcook
ing the interior, I next tried increasing the thick
ness of the medallions by increments-frst half
an inch, then 3 inch, 1 inch, and so on-until
they began to resemble miniature versions of
beef tenderloin flets. At 2 inches thick, my "pork
mignons" were developing a dark brown sear
before the interiors had cooked through. At 1 12
inches, the interior was cooked through but still
juicy and the top and bottom surfaces were beau
tiflly browned. These rounds also offered the
advantage of ftting into a 1 2-inch skillet in one
batch. Treating pork tenderloin like beef ten
derloin was really doing the trick! Several tasters
objected to leaving the sides unbrowned, so I
made a point to stand the medallions on their
sides ( using tongs) during the searing process.
Cutting the pork into 1 1-inch pieces lef odd
bits fom both ends of the tenderloin, and even the
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 4
slices from the central section were problematic,
making for oblong pieces that would fop over
and "fatten" awkardly during cooking rather
than maintaining their tidy cylindrical shape. To
limit the number of odd pieces, I scored the sec
tion near the tail, creating a small fap of meat
that folded underneath the larger half to yield
the right-sized medallion ( see the illustrations on
page 1 5 ). To prevent the pork fom fopping over,
I took another cue fom beef tenderloin and tied
the meat with twine, which gave it much better
structure. ( Blanched bacon, wrapped around the
thick medallions and fastened with toothpicks,
was another effective method that also gave the
dish a smoky favor. )
Fi ni shi ng Touches
At this point, my pork tenderloin medalions were
j uicy and nicely browned-and they could all be
cooked in just one batch. But I wanted to boost
the flavor even more. Unlg to revisit the
notion of a marinade, I decided to tae advantage
of the deep fond ( the browned bits) lef in the
skillet by coming up with a few easy pan sauces to
make while the medallions were given a fve-min
ute rest, which allowed the j uices to redistrbute
evenly.
Following the test kitchen's usual method for
pan sauces, I cooked aromatics in the hot skillet
until fragrant, deglazed the skillet with broth,
then reduced the broth along with other favorfl
ingredients. Given how mild pork tenderloin can
be, I gravitated toward bold favors. Rding the
pantry for staple items, I balanced the sweetness
of maple syrup with balsamic vinegar and spicy
whole grain mustard. For a more exotic-but
still easy-spin on this sweet and sour theme, I
Good Pork, Bad Pork
Whi l e devel opi ng our reci pe for pork tenderl oi n medal l i ons,
we strugled to achi eve a deeply seared exterior without
overcooking the i nteri or. Our sol uti on? Cut thi cker medal
l i ons, whi ch can spend more time i n the pan.
GOOD BAD
GI. , m I. Go" d I.
combined orange juice, hoisin sauce, ginger, and
sesame oil, sprinkling chopped scallions over the
medallions at the end for color and contrast ( see
Cook's Extra, page 14, for the recipe) . Both of
these sauces were ready in minutes.
My fal sauce-a more complex mix of diced
apples, apple cider, apple brandy, cinnamon, shal
lots, and thyme-wasn' t thickening as much as
I wanted during the pork's fve- minute resting
period. The solution was to cook most of the
ingredients in a saucepan beforehand, then pour
the reduced liquid into the skillet to fnish.
TH I C K - C UT P OR K T E N D E RLO I N
M E DALLI ONS
SERVES 4 TO 6
Serve with a pan sauce ( recipes follow) . We prefer
natural to enhanced pork (pork that has been
injected with a salt solution to increase moistness
and favor) , though both wlwork in this recipe.
Begin checking the doneness of smaller medal
lions 1 or 2 minutes early; they may need to be
taken out of the pan a little sooner.
2 pork tenderl oi ns ( I to 1 1/4 pounds each) ,
tri mmed of fat and si lver ski n, cut crosswi se i nto
1 1 1-i nch pi eces, and tied (see photo bel ow) ;
thi nner end pi eces removed and ti ed together
accordi ng to i l l ustrations above
Kosher sal t and ground bl ack pepper
2 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in
12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add pork cut side down and cook,
without moving pieces, until well browned, 3 to
5 minutes. Turn pork and brown on second side,
3 to 5 minutes more. Reduce heat to medium.
Using tongs, stand each piece on its side and
cook, turning pieces as necessary, until sides are
well browned and internal temperature registers
145 to 1 50 degrees on instant-read thermometer,
8 to 12 minutes. Transfer pork to platter and tent
lightly with foil; let rest while making pan sauce
(recipes follow) , then serve.
MAP LE - M U STARD SAU C E
MAKES E NOUGH TO SAUCE 2 P ORK TENDERLOI NS
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
medi um oni on, halved and sl i ced thi n
(about I cup)
cup l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
11 cup mapl e syrup
3 tabl espoons bal sami c vi negar
3 tabl espoons whole grai n mustard
Tabl e salt and ground bl ack pepper
Pour of any fat from skillet in which pork was
cooked. Add oil and heat skillet over medium
heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook,
TE CH N I Q U E I TURNI NG THE E ND P I E CE I NTO A ME DALLI ON
Ater cutti ng the tenderl oi ns i nto smmetrical I '12 - i nch medal l i ons, you wi l l i nevi tbly have a few irregul arly shaped
pi eces left over. The tapered end pieces can be scored. fol ded, and tied i nto medal l i ons (as shown here) . Te any
remai ni ng smal l er pi eces together i nto a medal l i on shape, maki ng sure top and bottom surfaces are flat.
I . Score tenderl oi n' s tapered end
pi ece.
2. Fl d i n hal f at i nci si on. 3. Tie medal l i on with ti ne, making
sure top and bottom surfaces are fat.
stirring occasionally, until sofened and begin
ning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Increase heat to
medium- high and add broth; bring to simmer,
scraping bottom of skillet with wooden spoon
to loosen any browned bits. Simmer until liquid
is reduced to l/3 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Add syrup,
vinegar, mustard, and any j uices from resting
meat and cook until thickened and reduced to 1
cup, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Adjust seasonings with
salt and pepper, pour sauce over pork, and serve.
AP P L E C I D E R SAU C E
MAKES E NOUGH TO SAUCE 2 P ORK TE NDE RLOI NS
Complete step 1 of this recipe either before or
during the cooking of the pork, then fish the
sauce while the pork rests.
I 11 cups appl e ci der
I cup l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
2 teaspoons ci der vi negar
ci nnamon stick
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, cut i nto 4 pi eces
2 l arge shal l ots, mi nced (about 11 cup)
tart appl e, such as Granny Smi th, cored, peel ed,
and di ced smal l
1/4 cup Calvados or appl e-flavored brandy
teaspoon mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
Tabl e sal t and ground black pepper
skillet from heat and add Calvados. Return skillet
to heat and cook about 1 minute, scraping bot
tom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits.
Add reduced cider mixture, any j uices from rest
ing meat, and thyme; increase heat to medium
high and simmer until thickened and reduced
to 1 l4 cups, 3 to 4 minutes. Off heat, whisk
in remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and adjust
seasonings with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over
pork and serve immediately.
BAC O N - WRAP P E D P OR K T E N D E RLO I N
M E DAL L I O N S
Place 1 2 to 1 4 slices bacon ( 1 slice for each pork
medallion) , slightly overlapping, in microwave
safe pie plate and cover with plastic wrap. Cook in
microwave on high power until slices shrink and
release about l/2 cup fat but are neither browned
nor crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper
towels until cool, 2 to 3 minutes. Wrap each
piece of pork with 1 slice bacon and secure with
2 toothpicks where ends of bacon strip overlap,
inserting toothpicks on angle and gently pushing
them through to other side (see photo, below) .
Season pork with pepper ( do not salt) and pro
ceed with step 2 of recipe for Thick-Cut Pork
Tenderloin Medallions ( time for searing sides
may be slightly longer) .
1 . Combine cider, broth, vine
gar, and cinnamon stick in medium
saucepan; simmer over medium
high heat until liquid is reduced to
1 cup, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove
cinnamon stick and discard. Set
sauce aside until pork is cooked.
Two Trick for Tidier Medallions
2. Pour off any fat from skillet
in which pork was cooked. Add 1
tablespoon butter and heat over
medi um heat until melted and
foaming subsides. Add shallots and
appl e and cook, stirring occasion
ally, until sofened and beginning
to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove
BUTCHE R ' S TWI N E BACON ' TWI NE '
Ti ck medal l i ons al l ow for more browni ng. but they can fop over i n the
pan. To prevent thi s, tie each piece with ti ne or a strip of parcooked bacon
secured with to toothpi cks.
S E P T E M B E R 6 O C T O B E R 2006
I S
Knowing When Food Is Done
Few ki tchen mi shaps are more frustrati ng than i mproper cooki ng.
Here' s how to cook food ri ght every ti me .
TH RE E M ETH OD S F OR
Five Senses: Seasoned cooks rely on taste. touch,
si ght, smel l , and even sound to know when foods
are done. Novi ce cooks often forget that these five
tool s are always avai l abl e.
Ti me: Many cook get themselves i n troubl e by
slavi shly fol l owi ng ti mes in reci pes. Al l ti mes are
esti mates, and actual ti mes wi l l vary with diferent
ovens, stovetops, and gri l l s. The exact size and
i ni ti al temperature of i ngredi ents wi l l al so dramati
cal ly afect thei r cooki ng ti me. I n the test kitchen .
we use ti mers to remi nd us to check foods early.
I f a reci pe reads, " Bake for 60 mi nutes, " set your
ti mer for 45 or 50 mi nutes.
Temperature: I n the test kitchen, we rel y on
di gi tal i nstant- read thermometers. Di al -face ther
mometers are sl ow to register and can' t read high
tempertures associated with candy maki ng or fry
ing (most model s cut of around 220 degrees) . I n
addi ti on, the sensor on di al - face thermometers i s
located at l east I i nch up from the ti p, so these
thermometers won' t work i n shal l ow l i qui ds or
thi n cuts of meat. On di gital thermometers, the
sensor is located at the ti p.
I NSTANT- READ TH E RMOMETER
What to Buy: Ou r test kitchen wi nner i s fast (i t
registers tempertures from -58 to 572 degrees i n
seconds) , accurte, and perfectly proportioned (the
fol di ng probe i s capabl e of reachi ng the ver center of
the larest roast) . A recent test of ni ne i nexpensive
model s found severl reasonabl y priced thermometer
wi th the features we l i ke, al though al l were slower
than our test ki tchen wi nner.
* TEST KI TCHE N WI NNE R *
THERMOWORKS Super-Fast Thermapen, $ 85
BEST BUY
CON ProAccurate DTQ450, $ 1 7. 95
Thi s chart presents i deal seri ng temperatures. Si nce the temperature of meat wi l l conti nue t o rise a s i ts rests, i t
shoul d be taken of the heat j ust before i t reaches the desi red temperature. (Thi s phenomenon doesn ' t occur
wi th poul tr and fish. ) These temperatures ( i n degrees Fahrenhei t) refl ect our opi ni ons regardi ng opti mal flavor
and j ui ci ness. The U. S. Department of Ari cul ture recommends cooki ng beef, l amb, veal steaks and roasts, and
fi sh to 1 45 degrees, pork and al l ground meat to 1 60 degrees, and poul tr to 1 80 degrees to el i mi nate potenti al
food- borne pathogens.
RRE MEDI UM- RRE MEDI UM WEU- DONE
Fi sh 1 1 0 1 20 1 40
*
Red Meat 1 2 5 1 30 1 40 1 60
* *
Pork
* *
1 45 1 60
* *
Poul t
* * *
1 60 to 1 65
Poul t
* * *
1 75
* Not recommended
* * Recommended only for ground meat di shes, such as meat loaf.
J UDGI NG THE DONENESS OF FI SH
You can use an i nstant- read thermometer to
check doneness in thi ck fi l l ets, but in most cases
you have to resort to a more pri mi tive test-ni ck
ing the fish with a pari ng kni fe and then peeki ng i nto
the i nteri or to j udge col or and flaki ness. Whi te fish
(everythi ng from cod to snapper) shoul d be cooked to
medi um (that is, the fl esh shoul d be opaque but sti l l moi st and
j ust begi nni ng to fl ake) . Sal mon and scal l ops are best cooked to
medi um- rare (the center shoul d sti l l be transl ucent) , whi l e tuna i s best cooked
rare (only the outer l ayer i s opaque whi l e the rest of the fi sh i s transl ucent) .
TAKI NG THE TEMPERATURE OF A SEAK OR CHOP
Use tongs t o hol d the steak or chop
al oft and i nsert the thermometer
through the si de of the meat. Thi s
method al so works with burgers, bone-
l ess chi cken breasts, and other chi cken parts.
TAKI NG THE TEMPERATURE OF A ROAS
For many roasts ( i ncl udi ng beef tenderl oi n. pork tenderl oi n, and pork
l oi n ) , i t' s possi bl e to sl i de the probe ri ght through the meat and i nto
the pan, whi ch wi l l give you a false readi ng. To make sure that the
probe stays i n the meat. i nsert the thermometer at an angl e. Push
the probe deep i nto the roast and then sl owly draw i t out, l ooki ng
for the l owest temperature to fi nd the center of the meat.
TAKI NG THE TEMPERATURE OF A
CHI CKEN OR TURKEY
You need to check the thi ckest part of the thi gh
as wel l as the thi ckest part of the breast (see the
i l l ustrati ons on page 1 2) . I f roasti ng a stufed
bi rd, i nsert the thermometer di rectly i nto center
of the cavi t as wel l to make sure the stufi ng has
reached a safe temperature of 1 65 degrees.
C OO K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 6
CARRYOVER E F FECT
When it comes to red meat and
pork. j udgi ng doneness, even
with a thermometer, involves
some guesswork. That' s because
someti mes you aren' t j udgi ng
whether the food i s ready to eat
but whether i t wi l l be ready to
eat once it has cool ed or rested.
For i nstance, to al l ow for j ui ces
to di stri bute themselves evenly,
steaks, chops, and roasts shoul d
rest fve to 20 mi nutes. (A steak
needs l ess time than a bi g roast.)
A meat rests, its temperture
wi l l cl i mb. The thi cker the cut,
the more the temperture wi l l
rise. Also, food comi ng out of
a ver hot oven wi l l have more
resi dual heat than food comi ng
out of a cool er oven. A thi ck
roast cooked i n a hot oven
might experi ence a I 0- or I S
degree temperture i ncrease as
i t rests; the temperature of a
thi n steak may rise by 5 degrees
or l ess.
w
z
>
0
t
"
:
"
z
I
0
CAKES, MUFFI NS, AND QUICK BREADS
There are to ways to j udge doneness i n cakes. mufi ns.
and qui ck breads.
I. Ful l y baked i tems shoul d feel spri ng and resi l i ent
when the center i s gently pressed. I f your fi nger l eaves
an i mpressi on-or the center j iggl es-the item i s not
done.
2. A skewer or toothpi ck shoul d emerge fai rl y cl ean,
with perhaps j ust a few crumbs attached. I f you see
moist batter, the item needs to bake l onger.
COOKI ES
We thi nk most cookies are best when they are chewy.
This means taki ng them out of the oven when they
are sl ightly underdone-i n fact. the cookies are often
so sof they wi l l droop over the end of a spatul a (as
shown bel ow) . Bake cookies on parchment and cool
on baki ng sheet for a few mi nutes; after they have set
up sl ightly. sl ide the parchment onto a cool i ng rack. I f
the cookies have crevices, the crevices shoul d appear
moist. When baking smooth cookies. l ook at the edges.
which shoul d be l ightly browned; the center shoul d be
set but not ful ly dr.
BROWNI ES
Overbaked browni es are dr and chal k
and the chocol ate flavor i s di mi ni shed.
Use the skewer test to determi ne done
ness, but l ook for moi st, sti ck crumbs.
PUDDI NGS AND CUSARDS
Egg-based puddi ngs and custards can curdl e i f cooked
beyond 1 85 degrees. We take creme angl ai se off the
heat when the mixture registers 1 75 to 1 80, but when
maki ng the base for i ce cream we push the tempera
ture to 1 80 to 1 85 for maxi mum thi ckness. Baked
custards, such as fl an and creme brGi ee, shoul d j i ggl e
(but not sl osh) when gentl y shaken. Thi s wi l l occur
between 1 70 and 1 7 5 degrees.
YEAS BREADS
Lean breads. such as countr whi te and baguettes. are
done when the i nternal temperatures measures 2 1 0
degrees. Ri cher l oaves made wi th eggs and butter. such
as bri oche and chal l ah , are done when the i nternal
temperature measures 1 90 degrees. Breads wi th a
modest amount of fat. such as Ameri can sandwi ch
bread and rye bread, fal l i n between; they are done at
1 9 5 to 200 degrees.
For free-form l oaves. ti p the l oaf up (wi th your hand
shi el ded by an oven mi tt or pothol der) and i nsert the
probe through the bottom crust i nto the center.
For bread baked in a loaf pan. i nsert the thermometer
from the si de, j ust above the pan edge. and di rect i t at
a downward angl e i nto the center of the l oaf.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PI ES AND PASTRI ES
For pi es and pastri es, i t' s al l about col or. A wel l
browned crust i s more flavorful than a bl ond one, and
i t won ' t be doughy i n the mi ddl e. We bake al l pi es i n
gl ass pi e pl ates s o we can exami ne t he bottom of the
crust to determi ne doneness. When worki ng wi th
puff pastry or other fl ak doughs. l ift up the bottom of
i ndi vi dual pi eces and l ook for even browni ng.
CHEESECAKE
A cheesecake i s done when the center j ust barely ji gl es.
Si nce thi s can be di ffi cul t to j udge, try thi s ti p.
Cheesecake is ready to come out of oven when the
i nternal temperture reaches 1 50 degrees. (At higher
tempertures. the texture wi l l sufer.) I f possi bl e. i nsert
the thermometer i nto the side of the cheesecake where
i t rises above the pan (otherise, insert it i nto the center
of the cake) .
S E PTEM B E R b O C T O BE R 2 0 06
1 7
KNOWI N G WH E N OTH E R
The fol l owi ng i tems ofer some chal l enges i n the
ki tchen. Here' s how to know when they are done.
BEANS
For creamy. i ntact beans, turn of the heat before
the beans are ful ly cooked. Cover the pot and l et
resi dual heat conti nue to soften the i nteri or without
any agitati on from boi l i ng water, which can rupture
del i cate ski ns.
EGGS
Most eg di shes provi de vi sual cues when done.
but not hard- cooked eggs. To keep that greeni sh
ring from formi ng around the yol k. bri ng l arge egs
to a boi l in a pot of water. turn of the heat, cover.
and let them sit for exactly I 0 mi nutes before
transferri ng them to a bowl of ice water to stop the
cooki ng process.
NUTS
Forget about tri ng to j udge col or when toasti ng
nuts. When nuts are fragrant. they are done.
PASA
Properly cooked pasta wi l l have a sl i ght bi te (that
is, i t wi l l be al dente) . I f in doubt, cut a pi ece in
hal f. I f you see a whi te core, the pasta needs more
ti me. Many reci pes sugest si mmeri ng the drai ned
pasta i n the sauce to hel p marr the two; i f you
pl an on doi ng thi s (a good i dea for many cream and
broth- based sauces) . undercook the pasta sl i ghtly.
POTATOES
Potatoes and other root vegetabl es are generl ly
done when a skewer sl i des through them and
meets l i ttle resi stance. Wi th peel ed potatoes, the
pi eces shoul d j ust break apart when pi erced with a
skewer or pari ng knife. When boi l i ng whol e pota
toes. try l ifti ng them out of the water with a paring
knife; i f the potato cl i ngs to the knife (even for an
i nstant) , i t' s not done yet.
RI CE
I t' s not hard to make rice tender; fl uf rice i s an
other matter. Rather than conti nui ng to cook the
rice and risk scorched or bl own- out gri ns. pl ace a
fol ded ki tchen towel between the pot and the l i d
and then set the covered pot asi de for I 0 mi nutes.
Resi dual heat wi l l conti nue to steam the rice whi l e
the towel absorbs excess moi sture.
TI PS F OR US I NG A TH E RMOMETER
Regularly check accurcy by leavi ng the probe i n a
bucket of ice water for a mi nute or to. I f the tem
perture doesn' t register 32 degrees Fhrenhei t. use
the cal i brti on button (avai l abl e on the brands rec
ommended on page 1 6) to reset the thermometer.
Sl i de the probe deep i nto the center of foods. maki ng
sure that the ti p does not exit the food.
Avoid bones. cavi ties (say. in a turkey) . and pan sur
faces. al l of whi ch wi l l throw of the readi ng.
Take more than one readi ng. especi al ly i n l are roasts
and turkeys.
Realy Good Mushroom Lasagna
Exoti c mus hrooms and homemade pasta practi cal l y guarantee great mu sh room l asagna
i f you ' ve got money to spen d . But what i f you have to rel y on su permarket stapl es?
A
great mushroom lasagna i s
much more than j ust another
vegetarian lasagna-it might be
the one entree a meat eater will
consider ordering even when steak is on the
menu. My research uncovered two distinct
styles for this recipe. While Aerican-style
mushroom lasagnas are ofen loaded with
red sauce and mozzarella, authentic Italian
versions opt for Parmesan and creamy
bechamel sauce ( basically, milk thickened
wth butter and four)-and no tomatoes.
After making several Ameri can-style
recipes, I quickly dismissed them. The
mushrooms were lost in the sea of tomato
sauce and mozzarella. The Italian recipes
put the emphasis on the mushrooms, but
I had two problems with them. First, many
called for esoteric and/or expensive wild
mushrooms. ( Fresh porcini rarely make it
3 B Y S A N D R A W U E
I was getting close, but my greedy tast
ers wanted a more intense mushroom
experience. I borrowed an idea fom clas
sic French cooking, adding duxelles to my
sauce. Duxeles is a fancy term for a simple
idea. You chop button mushrooms fely
and saute them until the mushrooms form
a concentrated paste. A quick addition of
garlic and vermouth and this fragrant mix
ture was ready to merge with the sauce.
I stirred the duxelles into my bechamel,
and tasters were fally satisfed. To make
things easier, I built my bechamel-now a
mushroom bechamel-right on top of the
duxelles, so I had j ust one pan to clean.
Bal anci ng It Out
Packed wi th heart porto bel l os. earthy porci ni . and tang fonti na, thi s
lasagna raises supermarket i ngredi ents to flavorul heights.
to my market, and I'm not about to put
$39-per-pound mushrooms in a lasagna,
anyway! ) Second, these authentic recipes
required lots of time. Every one I tried
called for homemade pasta. Who wants to
spend two hours mixing, rolling, boiling,
shocking, and drying the dough for several
dozen sheets of pasta, especially when another
hour is needed to make the sauce? I was deter
mined to make Italian-style mushroom lasagna
approachable-and that meant widely available
mushrooms and no- boil noodles.
To balance the earthiness of the mush
rooms, the dish needed additional sweet,
shar, salty, and bright elements. Sauteed
red onions added just the right sweetness.
A for the cheese, the traditional choice of
Parmesan contributed a nice sharp, salty
flavor, but it lacked the creamy, melting
quality tasters clamored for. I tried com-
bining Parmesan with a few varieties of
semifrm cheese. Mozzarella and provolone
Seri ous Mushroom Fl avor
I decided to deconstruct the mushroom layer
frst. Wild mushrooms from my local gourmet
market were great ( see Cook's Extra, at right,
for this recipe) , but, I racked up a $48 mush
room bill-for one lasagna. The cheapest option
in the supermarket, humble white button mush
rooms, simply didn' t have the hef or flavor to
do the job. Widely available cremini mushrooms
offered fller mushroom flavor but still paled
in comparison with the wild mushrooms. The
supermarket produce aisle lef me one option:
portobellos. A unlikely choice, but it made
sense, as portobellos have substantial favor and
texture Sauteing the portobellos took forever
and didn't do them j ustice. Roasting them in
the oven kept them to one batch and better
concentrated their flavors .
Nei ther Too Ri ch nor Too Thi n
I next tried t o f the dry, pasty noodles-the
result when I simply substituted the no- boil noo
dles directly for homemade. Soalng tle pasta in
hot water for fve minutes helped start the rehy
dration process, but the noodles were still suck
ing a the moisture out of my bechamel . Adding
more milk to the bechan1el solved the moisture
problem, but tasters complained that the dairy
favor was overwhelming and called this effort
"lasagna Alfedo. " I hit upon a solution when
I supplemented the milk with chicken broth to
make a very loose bechamel sauce.
The sauce now had the right consistency,
but the lasagna still needed more mushroom
flavor. I was roasting 2 pounds of portobellos
and couldn' t really ft any more in a pan. What
if I pumped up the favor of the bechamel itself
Dried porcini were an obvious place to start; a
packet costs just a few dollars and can add a lot
of flavor. It seemed silly to throw out the hot
water I was using to rehydrate the dried porcini,
so I replaced the chicken broth in my bechamel
sauce with this fltered liquid.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 8
provided creamy texture but not enough favor.
Italian fontina added a complementary buttery
nuttiness that tasters liked, and it also melted
beautifly, helping the layers adhere in a cohesive
mass. Nutmeg, basil, and parsley rounded out
the sauce.
A I waited for my baked lasagna to set up for
slicing, I couldn' t help but think that another
sprinkling of fresh herbs couldn' t hurt. A gre
molata-like topping of minced parsley, basil,
lemon zest, and garlic, added to the lasagna while
it rested, contributed another layer of complex
ity and freshness. My mushroom lasagna might
start out with humble supermarket ingredients,
but there's nothing humble about the big, bold
favors it ends up with.
Go to w .cooksi l l ustrated.com
Key i n code 9066 for our recipe for Wil d
Mushroom lsagna.
Key in code 9067 for our recipe for Mush
room lsagna wi th Pncetta and Sage.
Key i n code 9068 for our recipe for
Mushroom lsgna with Goat Cheese,
Brccol i Rbe. and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
Recipes avai l abl e unti l March I . 2007.
Supercharged Mushroom Lsagna from Supermarket Stapl es
Crating the ultimate mushrom lasgna isn' t hard when you can fi nd lots of exotic mushrooms-and have pl ent of cash.
Wth the right treatment, however, superarket ingrdients really do the trick. Rasting portobel l o mushroms drives of
excess l i qui d and concentrtes thei r flavor. Frtifing the suce with suteed button mushroms and chopped dri ed porci ni
(pl us the l i qui d used to rehydrte them) makes for a tri pl e hi t of mushroom flavor. Opti ng for butter fontina cheese and
Prmesan puts the emphasis on flavor, as does a last- mi nute spri nkl e of rw garl i c, herbs, and l emon zest.
ROAST MUSHROOMS FORTI F SAUCE
M U S H ROOM LASAG NA
S E RVES 1 0 T O 1 2
If Italian fontina is unavailable, use whole
m mozzarella rather than a rubbery Danish,
Swedish, or American fontina. Whole milk is best
in the sauce, but skim or low-fat milk also work.
11 ounce dri ed porci ni mushrooms, ri nsed wel l
I cup water
2 pounds (about 1 0 medi um) portobel l o
mushroom caps, cl eaned and cut i nto
2 by 1/4-i nch sl i ces
4 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
2 large red oni ons, chopped medi um {about4cups)
8 ounces button mushrooms, cl eaned, stems
tri mmed, and broken i nto rough pi eces
4 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I tablespoon pl us I teaspoon)
11 cup dr vermouth
3 tabl espoons unsalted butter, pl us addi ti onal for
greasi ng pan
3 tabl espoons unbl eached al l -purpose fl our
3 11 cups mi l k (see note above)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup mi nced fresh parsl ey leaves
1/4 cup pl us 2 tabl espoons mi nced fresh basi l l eaves
8 ounces I tal i an fonti na cheese, ri nd removed and
shredded {about 2 1/ cups)
1 11 ounces grated Prmesan cheese (about 3/4 Cup)
1 2 no-boi l lasagna noodl es
11 teaspoon grated zest from I l emon
1. Cover porcini wth water in microwave-safe
bowl; cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam
vents in plastic with paring knife, and micro
wave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand
until mushrooms sofen, about 5 minutes . Lif
mushrooms from liquid with fork and roughly
chop ( you should have about 3 tablespoons) .
Strain liquid through fne-mesh strainer lined
wth paper towel into medium bowl. Set mush
rooms and liquid aside.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and
heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread portobellos in
UPGRDE CHEESE ADD BRI GHTNESS
even layer on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle
with 2 tablespoons oil, tossing to coat mushrooms
evenly; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and l tea
spoon pepper and toss agai n. Roast mushrooms
until shriveled and alliquid has evaporated, about
30 minutes, stirring halfay through cooking
time. Set aside to cool . ( Do not turn off oven. )
3 . While portobellos roast, heat 1 tablespoon
oil in 1 2-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat until shimmering. Add onions, l/4 teaspoon
salt, and l/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring
occasionally, until onions are browned around
edges, about 1 0 minutes. Transfer onions to large
bowl and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, process button mushrooms in
food processor until uniformly coarsely chopped,
about six 1 - second pulses, stopping to scrape
bowl as needed. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in
now-empty skillet over medium- high heat until
shimmering. Add chopped button mushrooms
and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned
and moisture has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to medium and stir in porcini
mushrooms, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 teaspoon salt,
and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently,
until garlic is fagrant, about 1 minute. Add ver
mouth and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid
has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Add butter and cook until melted. Add
flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 min
ute. Add milk, scraping pan bottom to loosen
browned bits. Add reserved porcini liquid and
nutmeg. Increase heat to medium-high and bring
mixture to boil . Reduce heat to medium-low and
simmer until sauce reaches consistency of heavy
cream, 1 0 to 1 5 minutes. Remove fom heat and
stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and l/4 cup basil .
7. Combine fontina and Parmesan in medium
bowl . Toss cooled portobello mushrooms with
onions in large bowl. Place noodles in 1 3 by 9-
inch ovensafe baking dish and cover with hot tap
water; let soak 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
to prevent sticking. Remove noodles fom water
and place in single layer on kitchen towel. Wipe
baking dish dry and coat with butter.
8 . Using rubber spatula, evenly distribute 1
S E P T E M B E R b O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6
1 9
T E S T I N G E Q U I P M E N T :
Lsagna Pns
Wen makng lasgna, we reach for an ordi nar 1 3
by 9 by 2-i nch Fx baking di sh. But do specialized
lasgna pans ofer any advntges? Te firt ting
we noticed about the five pans we tested ws thei r
si ze: They're big. The Mario Batl i Extr Deep l
gna Pn ($79. 95) weighed i n at I I pounds-when
empt-and holds l 1/2 batches of our Mushroom
lsgna. Second, a pan hol di ng severl pounds of
past, suce, and cheese needs handl es, which the
Chi cago Metl l i c Prfessional ($23 . 50) and Kiserl
Fre ($40) lacked. These to pans also featurd
dar nonstick surfaces that scorched the lasgna
even at a lower oven tempertur. In the end, w
l i ked j ust one pan. Te Metr 3 Piece lsgna Pn
Set ($ 1 9. 99, i ncl udes spatula and rasting rck) is
l ight colored, doubl e handl ed, and big ( 1 4'4 by I 01/2
by 4 i nches) but not awkard. But since we don' t
mi nd the 2- i nch depth of our trst Fx Bkewr
($9. 79) i t rmai ns the test ktchen stndard.
-Garh Cl i ngingsmith
BI GGE R, NOT BETE R
Tis Metr pan is te best option for
super sized lasgna rcipes.
VE RSATI LE AND CH EAP
A Inexpensie Px bakng dish Is fine for
rgular lasgna rcipes, Including our.
cup mushroom sauce in bottom of baing dish;
position 3 noodles on top of sauce. Spread 3
cup sauce evenly over noodles followed by 2 cups
mushroom- onion mixture and 3/4 cup cheese.
Repeat layering of noodles, sauce, mushroom
onion mixture, and cheese to more times. Place
3 remaining noodles on top oflast layer of cheese.
Spread remaining sauce over noodles and sprinkle
with remaining cheese. Lightly spray large sheet
of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover
lasagna. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.
9. While lasagna is baking, combine remaining
2 tablespoons parsley, 2 tablespoons basil, and 1
teaspoon garlic with zest in small bowl. Increase
oven temperature to 500 degrees, remove foil
fom lasagna, and continue to bake until cheese
on top becomes spott brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove lasagna from oven and immediately
sprinkle evenly with herb mixture. Cool 1 5 min
utes, then cut into pieces and serve.
Chicken and Rice, Latino Style
Cou l d we tu rn th i s al i - day one- d i sh d i n ner i nto a fast but fl avorfu l weekn i ght meal ?
T
hc bol d avorcd cous i n o|
Amcri can stylc chickcn and ricc,
arroz con polo l itcrally, ricc with
chickcn") isLatinocom|ort|oodat
its most basi c. Havinggrown upwith arroz
con pollo on thc dinncr tablc two or thrcc
timcs a month, I `vc hadp|cntyo|grcatvcr
sions. moist, tcndcr chickcn ncstlcd in ricc
rich with pcppcrs, onions, hcrbs, and dccp
chickcnUavor-asatis[ingoncdishmcal .
3 BY D A V I D P A Z M I N O E
watcr I was adding with an cqual amount
o|storc bought chickcn broth,whichmadc
up |or lost chickcn Uavor. Ancr stcwing |or
almostan hour,thcskinwasprcttyUabby, so
I rcmovcditwhilc thcricc hnishcdcooking.
Jo makc thc chickcncvcn morc appcaling,
I took thc additional stcp o|rcmoving thc
mcat|romthcboncs.
Rice and Spi ce
Jhc two traditional ricc choiccs |or arroz
con pollo arc long grain and mcdium grain.
Whilc both wcrc hnc, tastcrs prc|crrcd thc
crcamicr tcxturc o|mcdiumgrain ricc. Scc
pagc 3 I |or thc rcsults o|our tasting. ) But
mcdiumgrainriccwasnotwithoutitsprob
lcms. Jhc grains had a tcndcncy to sp|itand
rclcasc too much starch, makingthc ovcrall
tcxturc o|thc dishpasty. Givingthcriccastir
partway through cooking hclpcd kccp any
onc laycrnomovcrcooking,as did rcmoving
tlc pot|rom thc dircct hcat o|thc stovctop
tothcdi|msc hcat o|thcovcn.
Iikc most staplcs, howcvcr, arroz con
pol|o runsthcgamut |romthcincrcdiblc to
thc mcrcly cdib|c, dcpcndingon howmuch
timcandchortyou`rcwillingtospcnd. Jhc
traditional mcthod i s to stcw marinatcd
chickcnslowlywitharomatichcrbsandvcg
ctablcs, crcating a rich broth in which thc
ricc is cookcd oncc thc chickcn i s |allo||
thcbonctcndcr-tcrrihc,ycs,butalsotimc
consuming. Quickvcrsionsspccdthings up
bycookngthcriccandchickcnoncnbonc
lcss ) scparatc|y, thcn combining thcm just
bc|orc scrvi ng. Jhc tradco|| is ricc that`s
dcvoido|chickcnUavor.Mygoalwastosplit
thcdi||crcncc. to strcamlinc thc morc timc
consuming, traditional rccipcs |or arroz con
pollowithoutsacrihcinggrcattastc.
Qui ck versi ons of arroz con pol i o usual ly sacrifice flavor for speed.
Our versi on offers bol d Lti no flavors and takes about an hour.
Jraditionally, arroz con po|l o has an
orangchuc thatcomcs|rominmsingoilwith
achiote, a tropicalsccdalso uscd |orcoloring
chcddar chccsc. Achiotc ishardtohnd,soI
Chi cken Coup
I|I wantcd chickcninmscdricc, it was clcar thc
chickcn and thc ricc would havc to spcnd somc
timctogcthcr.Buthowlongwaslongcnough?
A|cwo|thc quick" rccipcsI|oundcal|cd|or
simmcring thc chickcn and ricc togcthcr, chop
pingthcchickcninto smallpicccsthatwouldbc
doncinsyncwiththcricc-inabouthal|anhour.
Wasthismystrcamlincdsolution`Jhctimingwas
right, but thc rcsults wcrc not. Jhc whitc mcat
and dark mcat cookcd uncvcnly, thc skin was
Uabby,and,ancr 3Ominutcs,Uavorinmsionwas
minima| . Worsc, thc hackcdup chickcn, rcplctc
withj aggcd boncs,waswhollyunappcaling.
Rcgrouping, I dccidcd to start with a tra
ditional rccipc and adjust things |rom thcrc. I
bcgan bysautcing a mixturc o|choppcd onions
and grccn pcppcrs callcd a sofrito, thc Iatin
Amcrican answcr to thc !rcnch mirepoix o|
carrots,onions,andcclcry) . nccthcvcgctablcs
soncncd, I addcd thc chickcn and a |cw cups
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code 9069 for Ltina-Ste Chicken
and Rice with Ham, Peas, and Ornge.
Recipe avai l abl e until March I. 2007.
o|watcr, turncd thc burncr to low, and lct tlc
chickcnpoach|oranhour.Rcmovingthcchickcn,
Iaddcdthcricctothcpot, and, 3Ominutcslatcr,
thcricchadabsorbcdcvcrydropo|thcrichbroth
thcchickcnhadlcn bchind. I addcdthc chickcn
backtorcwarm|or I Ominutcs,thcnlincdtlclid.
Mowthiswaschickcninmscdricc'
\n|ortunatcly, it was also a twohour proj
cct-andI hadn`tcvcn |actorcdinthctraditional
marinadcyct. What`smorc, whilc tlc dark mcat
was moistandtcndcr, thclcancrwhitcmcatwas
in bad shapc. In a vivid Uashback to my child
hood, I rccallcdhghtingwithmy cousins at thc
dinncrtablcovcrthcthighsandthc drumsticks.
Jhcdry,stringywhitc mcat hadto bcdrcnchcd
inthcwct bcansscrvcdon thc sidc. ) pting|or
all thighs mcant uni|orm cooking timcs, shop
pingconvcnicncc oncbigvaluc"pack) , andthc
bcstchancc|orpcaccatthcdinncrtablc.
A ncw problcm cmcrgcd. Jhighs arc ladcn
with|at,andthismadcthcdishgrcasy.Rcmoving
thc skin hclpcd, but thc mcat ncar tlc sur|acc
dricd out and thc |lavor su||crcd. Jhc answcr
wastotrimawayanyvisiblcpockctso|waxyycl
low|at and most o|thcskin,lcavingjustcnough
to protcct thc mcat. I also rcplaccd most o|thc
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
20
cxpcrimcntcd with substitutions. Jurmcric and
sa|nonlookcdrightbuttastcdwrong-toomuch
likc curryorpaclla. Achiotc has no distinct||a
vor. )Jhcsolutionwasadding8 ounccso|canncd
tomatosauccalongwithtlcbroth.
A common mctlod |or inmsingthis dishwith
Iatino |lavors isto marinatc thc chickcn|or a|cw
hoursorcvcnovcrnight.Aniccidca,butIcouldn`t
sparcthctimc. Instcad,I tricdaquick, I 5minutc
marinadc with garlic, orcgano, and whitc vinc
gar.Jhcrcsultswcrcastcpinthcrightdircction.
Jossing thc chickcn with olivc oil , vincgar, and
cilantro ancrpullingitohthc bonc-apostcook
ing marinadc"-gavc it thc additional boost it
s H o P P 1 N G : The Ri ce Is Right
Fr arroz con pol i o, we prefer the stick-yet-firm con
sistency of medi um-gri n rice. Athough there are wi dely
avai l abl e brnds that hai l from many places, we found that
Hi spani c brnds of rice had the best texture for this di sh.

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nccdcd. Capcrs, rcd pcppcr
uakcs, pimcntos, and briny
olivcsroundcdoutthc|lavors.
Maxi mum Fl avor i n Mi ni mum Ti me
Many reci pes for arroz con pol i o cal l for hour of mari nati ng, followed by hours of cooki ng. Here' s how we shaved ti me wi thout sacrificing taste.
MARI NATE ENRI CH DOUBLE UP MARl NATE A GAl N
All o|my c||orts at strcam
lining this dish had brought
thccookingtimc downto 90
minutcs-anhourtostcwthc
chickcn and hal| an hour to
cook thc ricc-a |ar cry |rom
thc hal| day a||air I ` d |accd
atthc start. But wasthis thc
bcst I could do? Jo shavc o||
still morc timc,I tricd adding
thc ricc to thc pot whcn thc
chickcn still had hal|an hour
to go. Jhc chickcn was hnc,
but thc ricc ncar thc chickcn
Briefly mari nati ng the chi cken in
garl i c, vi negar, and herbs gave us a
qui ck i nfusi on of Lti no flavors.
Stewi ng the chi cken in store
bought chi cken broth i nstead of
water upped the chi cken flavor.
Addi ng the rice to the pot when Tossi ng the chi cken with a second
the chi cken was parti al l y cooked marinade (after cooking) gave it
saved us another hal f an hour. the fl avor boost i t needed.
picccs cookcd uncvcnly. Jhc solution to this
problcmwascasy. Instcado|givingthcricconly
oncstirduringcooking,I gavcitasccondstirto
rcdistributc thc ingrcdicnts. Mow both thc ricc
andthcchickcnwcrcpcr|cctlycookcdinj ustovcr
an hour. I hnally had a rich, U avorml dish that
tastcdauthcntic, andI didn`thavctowait|orthc
wcckcndtocnjoyit.
LATI NO- STYLE C H I C K E N AND R I C E
( ARROZ C ON PO l l O)
SE RVES 4 T O 6
To kccp thc dish nom bccoming grcasy, rt IS
importanttorcmovccxccss|at nom thc chickcn
thighs and trim thc skin. Jo usc long grain ricc
instcad o|mcdiumgrain, incrcasc tlc watcr to
3
/4 cupinstcp2.
6 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 tabl espoons)
Tabl e salt
1h teaspoon dried oregano
tabl espoon plus 2 teaspoons disti l l ed white vi negar
Ground bl ack pepper
8 bone- i n, ski n-on chi cken thighs ( 3 11 to 4 pounds) ,
tri mmed of excess ski n and fat
2 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
medi um oni on, chopped fi ne (about I cup)
smal l green pepper, stemmed, seeded, and
chopped fi ne (about % cup)
114 teaspoon hot red pepper fl akes
114 cup mi nced fresh ci l antro l eaves
( B-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 % cups low-sodi um chi cken broth
114 cup water
3 cups medi um-grai n rice
1h cup green manzani l l a ol ives, pi tted and halved
tabl espoon capers
1h cup jarred pi mentos, cut i nto 2 by 114- i nch stri ps
lemon wedges, for servi ng
1 . Adjustovcnracktomiddlcpositionandhcat
ovcnto 350 dcgrccs. Ilaccgarlicand 1 tcaspoon
saltin largc bowl , using rubbcr spatula, mix to
makc smooth pastc. Add orcgano, 1 tablcspoon
vincgar, and 12 tcaspoon blackpcppcrto garlic
salt mixturc, stir to combinc. Ilacc chickcn i n
bowl with marinadc. Coat chickcnpi cccscvcnly
withmarinadc,sctasidc|or 1 5 minutcs.
2. Hcat 1 tablcspoonoi l in utch ovcn ovcr
mcdi um hcat until shi mmcri ng. Add oni on,
grccn pcppcr, and pcppcr |lakcs, cook, stirring
occasionally, until vcgctablcs bcgin to soucn, 4
to 8 minutcs. Add 2 tablcspoons cilantro, stir
to combinc. Iushvcgctablcs to sidcso|potand
incrcasc hcat to mcdiumhigh. Add chickcn to
clcaringin ccntcro|pot, skinsidcdown, in cvcn
laycr. Cook,withoutmovingchickcn, untiloutcr
laycro|mcatbccomcsopaquc,2 to4 minutcs. I|
chickcnbcginstobrown,rcducchcattomcdium. )
\singtongs,Uipchickcnandcookonsccondsidc
until opaquc,2 to4 minutcs morc. Addtomato
saucc, brotl,andwatcr,stirtocombinc. Bringto
simmcr, covcr, rcducc hcat to mcdiumlow, and
simmcr|or20 minutcs.
3. Addricc, olivcs,capcrs,and' tcaspoonsalt,
stirwcll . Bringtosimmcr,covcr,andplaccpoti n
ovcn. Ancr 10 minutcs, rcmovc pot|rom ovcn
and stir chickcn and ricc oncc |rom bottom up.
Rcturn pot to ovcn. Ancr anothcr 10 minutcs,
stironccmorc,addingl4 cupwatcri|riccappcars
dry and bottom o| pot i s bcginning to burn.
Covcrand rcturnpottoovcn, cook untilricc has
absorbcdallliquidandistcndcrbutstillholdsits
shapc and tcmpcraturc o|chickcn rcgistcrs 1 75
dcgrccs on instant rcad thcrmomctcr, about 1 0
minutcslongcr.
4. \sing tongs, rcmovc chickcn |rom pot,
rcplacc lid and sctpot asidc. Rcmovc and di s
card chickcnski n, using2 spoons,pul l mcato||
boncs into largc chunks. \sing h ngcrs, rcmovc
rcmaining|at ordarkvcins |rom chickcn picccs.
Ilaccchickcninlargcbowlandtosswithrcmain
ing tablcspoonolivc oil, rcmaining 2 tcaspoons
vincgar, rcmaining 2 tablcspoons cilantro, and
pimcntos, scason witl salt and pcppcr to tastc.
Ilaccchickcnon top o|ricc, covcr, and lct stand
until warmcd through, about 5 minutcs. Scrvc,
passinglcmonwcdgcsscparatcly.
S E P T E M B E R ( O C T O B E R 2006
2 1
LATI N O - STYL E C H I C K E N AN D R I C E WI TH
BAC ON A N D ROAST E D R E D P E P P E RS
l . !ollowrccipc|or IatinoStylc Chickcnand
Ricc through stcp 1 , substituting 2 tcaspoons
swcctpaprika|ororcganoandshcrryvincgar|or
whitc vincgar.
2. !ry4 stripsbacon,cutinto inchpicccs,in
utchovcnovcrmcdiumhcatuntilcrisp,6 to8
minutcs. \sing slottcd spoon, trans|cr bacon to
papcrtowcl lincdplatc, pouro||all but 1 tablc
spoonbacon|at. Continucwithstcp2, substitut
ing 1 small rcd pcppcr, hncly choppcd, and 1
mcdiumcarrot,hnclychoppcd,|orgrccnpcppcr
andsautcingvcgctablcsinbacon |at.
3. Continuc with rccipc, substituting 1/4 cup
minccd|rcsh parslcy lcavcs|orcilantro,omitting
olivcsandcapcrs,andsubstituting I/z cuproastcd
rcd pcppcrs, cut into 2 by l+ inch strips, |or
pimcntos . Garnishchickcnand riccwithrcscrvcd
bacon bc|orcscrving.
T E CH N I Q U E
!
TAKI NG THE
ME AT OF F THE B ONE
Removi ng the meat from the bones i sn' t hard when
there' s pl ent of time for i t to cool , but we wanted
i t fast. To spare our fi ngerti ps, we tried usi ng a fork,
but it tended to shred the meat rther than pul l it
apart i ntact. Our sol uti on? Two spoons, whi ch were
much more gentl e-and j ust as efective.
Rethinking Crepes Suzette
Ol d- school French restau rants have mastered the fi ery theatri cs of th i s tabl esi de treat for
two. Cou l d we adapt th i s cl assi c for th e home cook-and a tabl efu l of h u ngry guests?
N
ot long ago, in an old-style
French restaurant in New York
City, I chose crepes suzette for
dessert. The theatrics began as
soon as I placed my order, with the maitre d'
wheeling up a tableside cart and setting
about the business of rubbing sugar cubes
on whole oranges. The scented sugar was
melted in a large, shallow, copper suzette
pan, and then several pats of butter and
the j uice of the oranges were added. The
mixture bubbled into a luscious sauce in
which crepes were bathed and folded into
quarters. Finally, the big fnish: Splashes of
Grand Marmer and cognac were set aflame,
lighting up the dim surroundings.
3 B Y R E B E C C A H AY S E
The experience made me wonder why
this classic dessert has fallen out of favor.
What's not to like about the sophisticated
combination of crepes, oranges, liquor, and
a showy flambe? And so I was inspired to
bring crepes suzette back to life for my
next dinner party. I would develop a recipe
to serve six since tableside preparations for
only one or two diners are impractical for
the home cook.
We si destep soggi ness by broi l i ng our sugar-spri nkl ed crepes, then
spooni ng on the tangy orange sauce j ust before seri ng.
The French Connecti on
My frst stop was the library, where I instinctively
pulled a French cookbook by Julia Child fom
the shelves. ( This dish is usually credited to
the world's most famous French chef, Escofer,
though some suggest that a young chef acci
dently fambeed a skillet fl of pancakes and
named the dish afer Suzette, mistress to the
Prince of Wales. ) I copied her recipe along with
five others and started comparing ingredient lists.
Crepes consist mainly of four, milk, and egg;
the accompanying orange sauce of butter, sugar,
orange juice, cognac, and orange liqueur. ( I
ignored specifcations for suzette pans and used a
sklet; I wasn't about to spend $2OOon a single
purpose piece of cookware. See page 32 for our
testing of electric crepe makers. ) Afer a morning
of fipping crepes and making sauces, I rounded
up a few colleagues to witness the flambe step,
which, as Julia warned, requires practice.
Tasters critiqued the sauces, calling them butter
heavy and overcooked, with a few tasting strongly
of alcohol courtesy of an inferior flambe. Working
with the test kitchen' s favorite crepe recipe, I
scaled back the butter in a basic sauce and con
tinued experimenting. When frozen orange j uice
concentrate, lemon j uice, orange marmalade, and
even grenadine syrup failed to improve things, I
returned to square one. Adding uncooked orange
j uice and zest to the usual reduction of butter,
sugar, and orange j uice was the answer, yielding
lively, multilayered fl avors.
Faul t I gni ti on
Flambe science is simple enough. When alcohol
is ignited, it reaches a temperature of about
5OO degrees. This high heat causes a reaction
in the sugars in the liquor, producing complex
flavors that can't be achieved at the lower heat
I 8O degrees) of simmering. Afer a few shaky
attempts at igniting my simmering dessert, I
reached two important conclusions. First, the
more crepes in tle pan, the more likely the alco
hol will be quickly absorbed and tl1en impossible
to ignite. Second, the intensity of the flan1es is
directly related to the heat in the pan.
Because I was prepari ng six servings and
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
2 2
therefore had a very fll skillet, I fgured
I'd have more success if I lit the sauce frst
and added the crepes second. Yet even with
this approach, the results were spotty at
best. Minor variations in temperature had a
dramatic effect on the results, which ranged
from mere fickers ( low heat) to a fll-out
blaze ( high heat ) . Then it hit me: What if
I simply removed the extraneous variables
and started by flambeing the alcohol alone
in the skillet? Voila! This reversal ( flambe
frst, build the sauce second) delivered great
favor, along with predictable fames.
As for the alcohol , cognac was a given.
Grand Marmer is usually called for, but it's
not the only orange liqueur, so I tried other
options. Surprisingly, inexpensive and less
alcoholic triple sec stole the show ( see the
tasting on page 23) .
Preventi ng Soggi ness
Although I had made good progress, I
was having problems with crepes that were
bloated and soggy, having spent too much
time swimming in sauce. This isn't much
of a problem when the dessert is made
rapidly for two people, but when six serv
igs ( I 2 crepes) are called for, there is too
much absorption tme. The soluton came fom
another well-known french chef, Jacques Pepin,
who sprinkles unsauced crepes wtl sugar and
then broils them. I followed his lead, frst transfer
ring the sauce in the skillet to a serving bowl, then
arrangng folded, sugared crepes in the skillet.
When they emerged fom the oven, I drizzled on a
bit of sauce and passed te remainder at te table.
Though untraditional, this bnlee technique was
a real hit, forming a crunchy, sugary barrier that
provided textural contrast and partially protected
the crepes fom the sauce.
I reviewed my recipe. Like most, it aimed for
ultra-tender crepes and so called for resting the
batter to relax the gluten, a protein that can make
batters and doughs tough. Would skipping this
step prove benefcial , yielding sturdier crepes
more capable of standing up to the sauce ( not
to mention saving two hours of prep time) ? I put
together one last test, and, sure enough, tasters
preferred the unrested crepes, fnding that once
sauced they retained a more substantial texture
than the rested batch.
z
0

:;
j
C R
E
P E S S UZETTE
SERVES 6
It takcs a |cw crcpcs to gct thc hcat o|thc pan
right,yourhrsttwoorthrccwillalmostincvitably
bc unusablc. Jo allow |or practicc, thc rccipc
yicldsabout Icrcpcs,only I2 arcnccdcd|orthc
dish. ) Adrymcasuringcupwitha '+cupcapacity
is uscml |or portioning thc battcr. Jastcrs had
a slight prc|crcncc |or crcpcs madc with wholc
milk, but low|at or skim milk can also bc uscd.
Iortipsonhowto|lambc,sccpagc 3O.
Crepes
3 l arge eggs
1 11 cups whol e mi l k (see note above)
11 cup water
1 11 cups (7 1 1 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
2 tabl espoons cognac
3 tabl espoons sugar
11 teaspoon tabl e sal t
5 tabl espoons unsalted butter, mel ted, pl us extra
for brushi ng pan
Orange Sauce
4 tabl espoons cognac
6 tabl espoons unsalted butter, cut i nto 6 pi eces
4 tabl espoons sugar
1 1/4 cups j ui ce plus I tablespoon fi nely grated zest
from 3 to 4 large oranges
2 tablespoons orange-fl avored l i queur, preferabl y
tri pl e sec
I . FOR THE CRPES: Combinc cggs, milk,
watcr, Uour,cognac,sugar,salt,andmcltcdbut
tcrin blcndcruntilsmooth battcr |orms, about
IOscconds.Jrans|crbattcrtomcdiumbowl .
2. \singpastrybrush, brush bottomandsidcs
o|IOinchnonstickskillctvcrylightlywithmcltcd
buttcr,hcatskillctovcrmcdiumhcat.Whcnbut
tcrstops sizzling, tilt pan slightly to right and
bcginpouringinscantl+ cupbattcr.Continucto
pourbattcri nslow,stcadystrcam, rotatingwrist
and twirling pan slowly countcrclockwisc until
pan bottom is covcrcdwith cvcn laycr o|battcr.
STE P- BY- S TE P I MAKI NG C RE P E S
r A s r 1 N G : Orange Uqueurs
When maki ng crepes suzette. shoul d you shel l out big bucks for a name brnd, such as Grand Mami er or
Coi ntreau . or wi l l a cheaper orange l i queur do? We started by tasti ng tri pl e sec. a sweet. cl ear spi ri t flavored with
the peel s of sweet and bi tter oranges (and someti mes l emons) . Out of eight brands. 30- proof Leroux ( $7. 99 for
7 SO ml ) was the favorite. Another opti on, curaao. i s flavored with the peel of bi tter ornges. specifical l y those
native to the Cari bbean i sl and of the same name. Manufacturers may ti nt thei r curaaos bl ue, but color doesn' t
affect flavor. We tasted two brands and preferred 30- proof Hi ram Wal ker ( $ 1 2. 99 for 7 SO ml ) . I nfused cognac
i s wel l known to most home cooks as Grand Marni er. but there are other, l ess expensi ve brnds. Out of
seven orange- i nfused cognacs, we l i ked 80- proof L Bel l e Orange from France ($ 1 7. 99 for 7 SO ml ) .
After much dri nki ng, we were ready to cook. We sampl ed the three wi nners of our first
tasti ng-Leroux tri pl e sec. Hi ram Wal ker curaao, and L Bel l e Orange-al ongsi de the to premi um
80- proof choi ces-Grand Marni er ( $ 3 7. 99 for 7SO ml ) and Coi ntreau ( $ 34. 99 for 7SO ml ) -i n
crepes suzette. Whi l e the high- pri ced l i queurs may be better for si ppi ng, for cooki ng we found that
the cheaper choices worked j ust fi ne. The unexpected wi nner was Leroux tri pl e sec. L Bel l e Orange
captured second pl ace, wi th tasters noti ng a more i ntense but appeal i ng bi tterness. High- priced
MOVE OVE R, MARN I E R
Grand Marni er fi ni shed thi rd . j ust ahead of
Inexpensive Leroux triple sec is our top choice
for crepes suzete.
Hi ram Wal ker curaao and pri cey Coi ntreau.
-Adam Ried
Cook until crcpc starts to losc opaqucncss and
turnsspottylightgoldcnbrownonbottom, loos
cningcrcpc|romsidco|panwitlrubbcrspatula,
3O scconds to I minutc. Jo Uip crcpc, looscn
cdgcwithrubbcrspatu|aand,withhngcrtipson
top sidc, slidcspatulaundcrcrcpcand|li p. Cook
untildryonsccondsidc, about2O scconds.
3 . Ilacc cookcd crcpc on pl atc and rcpcat
cookingproccsswithrcmainingbattcr, brushing
panvcry lightlywitlbuttcrbc|orc making cach
crcpc. As thcy arc donc, stack crcpcs on platc
youwillnccd I2crcpcs) . Crcpcscanbcdoublc
wrappcdinplastic and rchigcratcd up to 3 days.
I|crcpcs havc bccn rc|rigcratcd, bring tlcm to
room tcmpcraturc bc|orcmakingsaucc. )
4. FOR THE ORGE SAUCE: Adj ust ovcn
rack to lowcr middlc position and hcat broilcr.
Add 3 tablcspoons cognacto broilcrsa|c I 2i nch
skillct, sct ovcr mcdium hcat j ust until vapors
bcgin to risc |rom cognac, about 5 scconds.
Rcmovc pan |rom hcat and wavc lit chi mncy
matchovcrcognacuntilitignitcs, shakcpanuntil
|lamcs subsidc. Cognac should bur lor about
I 5 scconds,rc ignitci ||lamcdicstoosoon. )
5 . Add buttcr, 3 tablcspoonssugar,and I cup
orangcjuicc to cognac,simmcrbrisklyovcrhigh
hcat,whiskingoccasionally,untilmanylargcbub
blcs appcar and mixturc rcduccs to tlick syrup,
6 to8 minutcs. Youshouldha\cj ustovcrIl cup
saucc. ) Jrans|crsaucctosmallbow|, donotwash
skillct. Stir rcmaining v+ cup orangc j uicc, zcst,
liqucur, and rcmaining tab|cspoon cognac into
saucc. Covcrt kccpwarm.
6. TO ASSEMBLE: Io| d cach crcpc in ha||,
thcninhal|againtolormwcdgcshapc.Arrangc9
loldcdcrcpcs aroundcdgc o|nowcmptyskillct,
with roundcd cdgcs |acing invard, ovcrlapping
as ncccssary to ht. Arrangc rcmaining 3 crcpcs
i n ccntcr otpan. Sprinklc crcpcs cvcnly with
rcmainingtab|cspoonsugar. Ilacc skil|ctinovcn
and broil until sugar caramclizcsandcrcpcsturn
spotty brown, about 5 minutcs. ,Watch crcpcs
constantlyt prcvcntscorching,turnpanas ncc
cssary. ) Kcmovc panliom ovcn andpourhallol
saucc ovcr crcpcs, | caving somc arcas unsauccd.
Jrans|cr crcpcs t individual scrving dishcs and
scrvcimmcdi atcly,passingcx|ra saucc scparatcly.
Fl ambeed Cognac for a Crowd
Fr the tenderest crepes. most recipes cal l for resting the batter for to ful l hour to l et the gl uten relax. Given that our
crepes get crisped under a broi l er and are then drenched i n a stick sauce, we wanted j ust the opposi te. No need to rest
the batter for our sturdi er crepes: J ust mi x and go.
I . Tilt buttered and heated nonstick 2. Conti nue ti l ti ng pan slowly. i n
ski l let sl ightly to right and begin pouri ng counterclockise moti on, unti l a thi n
i n scant 1/4 cup batter. even crepe is fonmed.
3. Loosen edge with heatproof rubber
spatul a and, wi th fngerti ps on top si de.
grb edge and fi p.
S E P I E i\ 1\ I. R b O C i l i \ I. R 2 0 0 6
2 3
With j ust a few crepes i n the pan, i t' s not hard
to i gni te the cognac. With 1 2 crepes, the al cohol
gets absorbed too quickly-yi el di ng a dozen booz
sponges. Our sol uti on was to fambe the cognac
separtely, then bui l d the sauce in the ski l l et, spoon
i ng it over the crepes j ust before sering.
Putting the Apple into Applesauce Cake
Appl esauce cakes ru n the gamut from dense , chu n ky fru i tcakes to gu mmy ' heal th' cakes
that don ' t taste l i ke much . How about an a
p
pl esauce cake that tastes l i ke a
p
pl es?
W
ith all o| its i ncarnations
ovcr thcycars, it isno sur
prisc that applcsaucc cakc
su||crs|romanidcntitycri
sis.Wlcitsoriginsharkbacktothcchunk
mcdicval nuitcakc, in thc ycars ancrWorld
WarIapplcsaucccakcbccamcapopularway
to cut back onsuchhard togctingrcdicnts
as cggs, buttcr, and sugar without giving
updcsscrt. Inthchcalthcrazcd `Os,applc
saucc cakc rccmcrgcd as a low|at applc
saucc mimics|atinsomc bakcd goods) and
oncn |lavorlcss option. Morc rcccntly it`s
bccno||crcdupasamoist,rich,spiccladcn
cakc. It`sthislastvcrsionthatspcakso|com
|ortto mc. a simplccakctocnjoyalongsidc
acupo|ancrnoontca.
3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
was aboutas simplc as it gcts. rcducing thc
cggs byonc.
Uppi ng the Appl es
Sinccapplc|lavorwasthcmaingoal ,myhrst
stcp sccmcd thc most obvious. Incrcasc thc
applcsaucc. But as littlc as an cxtra hal|cup
rcintroduccdthcgummincss. Jo combatthc
moisturc, I tricd both draining thc applc
saucc andcookingo||thc moisturc in apan
cachmcthod allcviatcdahal|cupo|liquid) ,
buttonoavai l . Jhc Uavoro|thc applcsaucc
was simply lcss noticcablc and bright than
bc|orc. Apparcntly, tlc Uavor o|applcsaucc
alrcadycookcdoncc) isasubtlcthing-too
subtlc.Wilcthcapplcsauccwasdoingahnc
job o|providing thc cakcwith moisturc and
tcndcrncss, I would havc to ckc out morc
applc|lavornom anothcrsourcc.
But a quick survcy o|rccipcs rcprcscnt
ing this rich and tcndcr stylc rcvcalcd that
thc applcsaucc cakc still hasn`t quitc comc
into its own. Somc rccipcs packcd in dricd
|ruit and nuts a holdovcr |rom thc |ruit
cakc days ? ) , othcrsovcrdoscd on thc dricd
spiccs-aploytodistract|rom agummyor
wct tcxturc, pcrhaps. !or mc, applcsaucc
cakcconjurcs up morc than an cxpcctation
o| moist and tcndcr spicc cakc. I wantcd
somcthingthatactuallytastcdlikcapplcs.
Si mpl e doesn ' t have to mean bori ng. Our Appl esauce Snack Cake
gets its pronounced appl e flavor from three di fferent sources.
!rcsh appl cs , whcthcr shrcddcd or
diccd, addcd a nicc tart applc |lavor, but
thcyalso addcdtoomuch moisturc. Applc
buttcr, madc |rom cooking applcs down
to a smooth, satiny pastc, contributcd a
dccp brown color yct disappointingly lit
tlc |lavor. Applc cidcr was my ncxt bct,
but I waswaryo|addingpurc liquid to a
Easy Is as Eas Does
But bc|orc I couldinjcctthis cakc with a dosc
o| applc |lavor, I nccdcd to gct thc structurc
right. I startcdwithasimplcrccipc omittingany
distractingnuts, raisins,orspiccs)o|1 cupapplc
saucc, 1 1z cups |lour, 1 tcaspoon baking soda,
1 cup sugar, 2 cggs, and 8 tablcspoons buttcr.
Jhcmostcommon mixingmcthod|orthcsc but
tcrrichcakcswasthc crcaming mcthod,inwhich
thc buttcr and sugar arc whippcd togcthcr until
light and U uf[, thc cggs arc addcd, and thc dry
ingrcdicnts altcrnatcd with thc applcsaucc. Jhc
rcsultwasan clcgant cakc with a rch ncd crumb.
Jastcrs likcd it, but it sccmcd likc an awml lot
mss|orsuchasimplccakc.
Could Ij ustmcltthcbuttcr,dump cvcrything
into a bowl, andstiritall by hand? Mot unlcss I
wantcdadcnsc,hcavycakc,apparcntly.Jhcncxt
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated.com
Key i n code 906 1 0 for the compl ete
results of our Appl esauce Tasting.
lsting results avail abl e unti l March I, 2007.
simplcst mcthod I tricd was thc onc oncn uscd
|orquickbrcadsandmumns,inwhicha|cwcxtra
minutcs arc spcnt mixing thc wct ingrcdicnts
scparatcly, bc|orcgcntlyaddingthc dryingrcdi
cnts-butstillbyhand. Whcnthiscakccmcrgcd
|rom thc ovcn, itwas clcarthatthis mcthodwas
a winncr. A |ar cry|rom thc rch ncd crumb pro
duccdbycrcaminginastandingmixcr,thiscakc`s
tcxturchadalooscr,morccasualcrumbthatwas
bcttcr suitcd toarustic snackcakc.
cspitcbcttcrstructurc,thctcxturcrcmaincd
rccipc pronc to bci ng too moist . Rcducing it
to a syrup as a prccautionary mcasurc turncd
out to bc kcy. Jhc syrupcontributcd a plcas
i ngswcctncss and a slight tangwithoutcxccss
moi sturc . Jocompcnsatc |orthcswcctncssthc
cidcraddcd,I adj ustcdthcsugar|rom 1 cupto
just:3 cup.
A |cllow tcst cook suggcstcd adding dricd
applcs to acccnt thc applc U avor cvcn mrthcr,
but I was rcmindcd o|thc unplcasantly chunky
applcsaucc cakcs |rom my initial tcsts . I tricd
somcwhat gummy. I tricd substituting
vcgctablc oil a common quick brcad
ingrcdicnt) |or mcltcd buttcr, but my
c||orts wcrc |or naught. Whilc oil did
kccp thc gummincss undcr control ,
tastcrs wcrc not about tosacrih cc but
tcry |lavor |or a slightly bcttcr tcxturc.
I msscd with thc typc and amount o|
lcavcncr,addingsomc bakingpowdcrin
hopcs o|quclling thc gummincss with
a morc powcr|ul ri sc, but thc mctal
lic ancrtastc wasn`t worth thc modcst
i mprovcmcnt. In thc cnd, thc solution
Past Lives of Appl esauce Cake
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
2 4
Appl esauce cakes have somethi ng of a frctured hi stor. frm the
World Wr !-er fruitcake ( l eft) to the " 60s-stle " heal th" cake (right)
to the moist, butter snack cake we prefer today.
C H U N KY AN D DE NS E LOW FAT AN D B LAN D
"

l
;
]
Q
.
Q
c
c
f
c
]
Q
grinding thcm up into tiny picccs and adding
thcmalongwiththcapplcsaucc.JhcapplcUavor
was signihcantly improvcd, but thc bits o|dricd
applc |loatcd to thc sur|acc o|thc cakc during
baking, crcatingan odd top laycr. Moticing my
pan o| cidcr simmcring away, I tosscd in thc
dricd applcs,notonlydidthcyabsorbtlccidcr,
but thcy bccamc plump and son. A quick run
through thc |ood proccssor mrthcr unih cd thc
dricd applcs, cidcr, and applcsaucc. Jhis triplc
applc applcsaucc cakc hnallyhadthcbright,rcc
ognizablctastco|applcthatIwasancr-without
anycompromiscintcxturc.
And Everhi ng Ni ce
Whilc spiccs can casily bccomc too much o| a
goodthing,thciruscinmodcrationwaswclcomc
thcnutsandraisinswcrc still out) . Somc applc
saucc cakcs comc adorncd with a syrupy glazc
or acrcamynosting, but I didn`twant this cakc
T A S T I N G :
Supermarket Appl esauce
Mushed appl es, seal ed i n a jar. How do you mess
up such a si mpl e concept? The easiest way, a pre
l i mi nar tasting showed, i s to add sugar. Compared
with "naturl " (or unsweetened) appl esauce, sweet
ened brands tasted "disturbi ngly sacchari ne" to our
panel . After pari ng down the opti ons, we sampl ed
ni ne unsweetened brands, fi rst straight up and
then baked i nto our Appl esauce Snack Cake. One
sauce, Luck Leaf Natural Appl esauce, seemed to
have it al l : substanti al texture wi thout bei ng past,
ful l on appl e flavor, and the right bal ance of sweet
and tart.
Rrely are tasters' comments so unani mous, so
we wondered what thi s brand had that the others
lacked. The nutriti on l abel s tol d the enti re stor.
Our top four brands i ncl uded extr water (whi ch
made them l ess "gummy" than the rest) . But what
separted the great from the good? Our wi nner
contai ned sal t, whi ch boosted the appl e flavor and
kept the sweetness and aci di t i n check as wel l .
To confi m1 our concl usi ons, we devised a fol l ow
up test, pi tti ng Luck Leaf agai nst mi ddl e-of-the
pack Mussel man' s. But thi s ti me we spi ked the
Mussel man' s wi th tabl e sal t. Whereas Luck Leaf
had been the unani mous favorite in the ori gi nal
tasti ng, thi s ti me around tasters were spl i t down
the mi ddl e beteen the to brnds. Salt real ly
was the magic i ngredi ent.
How di d the appl esauces
fare when baked? Here, the
diferences proved l ess i mpor
tant: Every unsweetened appl e
sauce made a satisfactor cake.
I n thi s reci pe, the appl esauce
contributes moi sture but not
much flavor.
BE ST
-Garth Cl i ngi ngsmith APPLESAUCE
tobc too swcct or rich. Jo
achicvc at lcast a modicum
o|tcxtural contrast, I tricd
topping thc cakc h rst with
a simplc strcuscl and tlcn
with an cvcn simplcr top
ping o| granulatcd sugar.
AlthoughIlikcdthcsimplc,
crunchy sugar bcst, a |cw
tastcrs prc|crrcd thc strcu
scl vcrsion, so I kcpt that
Appl e Fl avor I - 2- 3
rccipcas avariation.
SAU C E
Whi l e appl esauce added
moisture, its flavor was
too fai nt once baked.
Ancr pccling away thcmany guiscs o|applc
saucc cakc, I had hit on an original that was
simplc in dcsign yct bursting with honcst applc
Uavor and warm spiccs. Idcntity crisis-at long
last-avcrtcd.
AP P L E SAU C E S NACK CAK E
MAKES ONE 8 - I NCH S QUARE CAKE
Jhis rccipc can bc casily doublcd and bakcd i n
a I3 by inch baking dish. I| doubling thc
rccipc, givc thc cidcr and dricd applc mixturc
about 2O minutcs to rcducc and bakc thc cakc
|or about 45 minutcs. Jhc cakc is vcry moist,
so itis bcst to crron thc sidc o|ovcrdoncwhcn
tcsting its doncncss. Jhc tcst kitchcn prc|crs thc
richUavoro|cidcr, butapplcjuicccanbcsubsti
tutcd. Coolcdlcnovcrs canbcwrappcdin plastic
wrap and storcd at room tcmpcraturc |or up to
2 days.
3 cup (2 ounces) dri ed appl es, cut i nto 11- i nch
pi eces
cup appl e ci der
1 11 cups ( 711 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
teaspoon baki ng soda
21
cup ( 43/4 ounces) sugar
11 teaspoon ground ci nnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 /s teaspoon ground cl oves
cup unsweetened appl esauce, room temperature
l arge egg. room temperature, l ightl y beaten
11 teaspoon tabl e salt
8 tablespoons ( I sti ck) unsalted butter. mel ted and
cooled sl ightl y
teaspoon vani l l a extract
I . Adjust ovcn rack to middlc position, hcat
ovcnto 325 dcgrccs. Cut I inchlcngthparch
mcntpapcroraluminum|oiland|oldlcngthwisc
to7 inchwidtl . Spray8inchsquarcbakingdish
with nonstick cooking spray and ht parchmcnt
into dish, pushing it into corncrs and up sidcs,
allowcxccsstoovcrhangcdgcso|dish.
2. Bring dricd applcs and cidcr to simmcr i n
small sauccpan ovcr mcdi um hcat, cook unti l
liquidcvaporatcsandmixturc appcarsdry, about
I 5 minutcs. Cooltoroomtcmpcraturc.
3 . Whisk U our and baki ng soda in mcdium
bowl to combinc, sct asidc. In sccond mcdium
S E P T E M B E R b O C T O B E R 2006
2 5
C I DE R
Reduced i n a saucepan,
ci der added an appl e ki ck
without extra wetness.
DRI E D
Dried apples infused the
cake with flavor without
gumming it up.
bowl, whisk sugar, ci nnamon, nutmcg, and
clovcs. Mcasurc 2 tablcspoons sugarspicc mix
turcintosmallbowlandsctasidc|ortopping.
4. In |ood proccssor, proccss coolcd dricd
applc mixturc and applcsaucc until smooth, 2O
to 3Oscconds,scrapingsidcso|bowlasnccdcd,
sct asidc. Whisk cgg and salt in largc bowl to
combinc. Add sugarspicc mixturc and whisk
conti nuousl y unti l wcll combi ncd and light
colorcd,about2Oscconds . Add buttcrinthrcc
additions, whiski ng ancr cach. Add applcsaucc
mixturc and vanilla andwhisktocombinc. Add
uour mixturc to wct ingrcdicnts, using rubbcr
spatula, |ol d gcntly until j ust combincd and
cvcnlymoistcncd.
5. Jurn battcr into prcparcd pan, smooth
ing top with rubbcr spatula. Sprinklc rcscrvcd
2 tablcspoons sugar spicc mixturc cvcnly ovcr
battcr. Bakc until woodcn skcwcr inscrtcd in
ccntcro|cakccomcsoutclcan,35 to4Ominutcs.
Cool onwirc rack to room tcmpcraturc, about
2 hours . Run kni|c along cakc cdgcs without
parchmcnttorclcasc. Rcmovc cakc|rompanby
lining parchmcnt ovcrhang and trans|cr to cut
tingboard. Cutcakcandscrvc.
G I N G E R- CARDAMO M
AP P L E SAU C E S NACK CAKE
!ollow rccipc |or Applcsaucc Snack Cakc, onit
ting cinnamon, nutmcg, and clovcs. Wsk 12
tcaspoonground gingcrand l/4 tcaspoonground
cardamom into sugar in stcp 3. Mcasurc 2 tablc
spoonssugarspicc mixturcintosmallbowl,addI
tablcspoonhnclychoppcdcrystalLzcdgingcr,and
sct asidc |ortopping.
AP P L E SAU C E S NACK CAK E WI TH
OAT- N UT STRE U S E L
!ollowrccipc|orApplcsauccSnackCakcthrough
stcp 2. In stcp 3, mcasurc 2 tablcspoons sugar
spicc mixturc into mcdium bowl . Add 2 tablc
spoons brown sugar, 13 cup choppcd pccans or
walnuts, and l/3 cup old|ashioncdorquickoats.
Work in 2 tablcspoons soncncd unsaltcd buttcr
by rubbing mixturc bctwccn mgcrs until mlly
incorporatcd. Iinch mixturc into hazclnutsizcd
clups and sprinklc cvcnly ovcr battcr bc|orc
baking.
The Cider Vinegar Rules
You can spend si x cents an ou nce for a j ug of generi c appl e ci der vi negar-or 20 ti mes
more for the fancy stuff. Does i t matter? We tasted I 0 brands to fi nd out.
L
ikc thc latc comcdian Rodncy angcr
hcld,applccidcrvincgargctsnorcspcct.
Whilc its glamorous cousins, balsamic
and winc vincgar, commandccr prc
mium supcrmarkctshcl|spacc-with bottlc ancr
cxquisitclookng bottlc-cidcr vincgar is oncn
rclcgatcdtothc bottom shcl|alongsidcthci n
cxpcnsivcj ugso|gcncricdistillcdwhitcvincgar.
Suchhumblcposturingrc|lcctsapplccidcrvin
cgar`s cqually humblc bcginnings. Applcs wcrc
oncc thc mostcommonly cultivatcd |ruitinthis
country, and, until thc carly2Oth ccntury, cidcr
vincgar was a natural byproduct o|Amcrica` s
|avoritc bcvcragc. hard alcoholi c) cidcr. rom
Colonial timcs until rc|rigcration camc along,
mostAmcricanhomcskcptabarrclo|applccidcr
vincgar|orprcscrving|oods.
Evcn though cidcrvincgar is now uscd morc
|or brightcning sauccs and salad drcssings than
staving ohspoilagc, most cooks including us)
stillopt|or thcmostgcncric brand possiblc. A
supcrmarkcts havc bcgun to o||cr a morc varicd
sclcction-somc in thc vincgar ais| c, somc i n
thc natural |oods" scction-wc wondcrcd i|i t
was timc tochangc our tunc. How much docs
cidcrvincgarbrandmattcr?Johndout,wcpur
chascd IO brands availablc i n supcrmarkcts or
bymail-six produccd domcstically, thrcc nom
!rancc, and onc |rom Canada. Wc tastcd thcm
|our ways . plain, in a Carolina stylc barbccuc
saucc,i napansaucc, andonromainclcttuccina
simplc vinaigrcttc.
Fruitl ess Search
Rght ohthc bat, it was plain that thcsc wcrc
not idcntical products. Somc vincgars wcrc palc
ycllow,othcrs dccp gold, a |cw caramcl colorcd.
Jhcy alsorangcd |rom vcry cloudy to sparkling
clcar, onc containcd distinct rcddish particlcs.
Jhcirtastcswcrcvaricd, too, nom slightly swcct
and mcllow to harsh and not swcct at all . Jhc
aromaandtastco|applcwcrc|orthrightinsomc,
oddlymissinginothcrs.
Anyhopcso|aclcarcutvictoryalongnational
lincs wcrc dashcd as soon as thc rcsults wcrc
tallicd. |thc two |avoritcs, onc was rcnch
Maillc) , thcothcrAmcrican, SpcctrumMatura|s
Unhltcrcd) . Could cloudincss or clarity bc thc
winning|actor? Cloudincssisasigno|unhltcrcd,
unpastcurizcd vincgar, which still contains thc
mothcrolvincgar, " agclatinoussubstancccon
3 B Y L I S A M c M A N U S E
sisting o|ccllulosc , plant h bcrs) and acctic bac
tcria which ultimatcly producc vincgar) . Clcar
vincgars arc hltcrcd. Agai n, tastcrs wcrc split.
nc winncrwasclcar, tlc othcr cloudy. Color?
Wrongagai n. nc was dccp caramcl, thc othcr
palcycllow.
Invcstigations i nto thc manu|acturing pro
ccss provcd similarly |ruitlcss. Minc o|thc I O
vincgars arc mass produccd i n an acctator, a
machinc that can crcatc I OO gallons o|vincgar
anhour. nlythcQucbccvincgar,\crgcrIicrrc
Gingras) was madc in thc traditional way, with
cidcr lcn i n woodcn barrcls |or at lcast a ycar
to |crmcnt hrst into alcohol , thcn into vincgar.
Whilc a small butvocal minority o|tastcrs sang
thc praiscs o|thc distinctivc complcxity lcnt by
barrcl |crmcntation, most wcrc put o|| by this
artisanal vincgar`s astringcnt, musty" qualitics.
Ithnishcdtowardthcbottom o|thcpackalong
with two!rcnchvincgars that had similar|lavor
prohlcs. , |coursc,thismaysaymorc about thc
Amcrican palatc than thc vincgars, in !rancc, a
rchncd mustincss" isn`t a Uaw-it`s a sought
ancrcharactcristic. )
A Spoonful of Sugar
Myhrstimportant cluc camcnotnom thc labcls
but lrom tastcrs` commcnts about what thcy
likcdaboutourwinncrs. Iraisc aboundcd |orthc
swcct honcy and caramcl" notcs o|hrstplacc
Maillc and thc applcy swcctncss" o| sccond
placc Spcctrum aturals \nhltcrcd. !rom thc
top brand to tlc bottom, swcctncss-r lack
thcrco|-was clcarly an ovcrriding conccrn |or
tastcrs. n a hunch, I scnt all I Ovincgars to a
laboratoryto bcanalyzcd|or sugar contcnt.
Jwowcckslatcr,thclabrcportsarrivcd,andthc
rcsultsclcarcdthingsupconsidcrably. High sugar
contcntcorrclatcd dircctlywith tastcrprc|crcncc.
MaillcandSpcctrumMatura|s\nhltcrcd-ourtwo
winningvincgars-wcrcthcswcctcsto|thcgroup,
with I . 3 I and I . 5gramso|sugarpcr I OOmilli
|itcrsamplc) , rcspcctivcly.Jhcncxtthrccvincgars,
in dcsccnding chart ordcr, wcrc Whitc Housc
I . I 3 grams), Edcn, O. 75grans) , andBragg O.
grams) . Jhc lastplacc clouis , O. 53 grams) had
thclowcstsugarlcvclo|thccntircgroup-about
oncthirdthcamounto|thcwinncrs.
Arc somcvincgarmakcrs addingsugarto thc
mix to satis[ thc Amcrican swcct tooth? Mot
quitc. According to Karcn !ahdcn o|Sonoma
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
2 6
\incgar Works, a vincgar makcr i n Calistoga,
Calit, vincgars likc Spcctrum Maturals comc by
thcir sugar naturally. Jhc convcrsion o|applc
cidcr to vincgar i s simply stoppcd bc|orc all thc
naturalsugarsarc|crmcntcd. !orinstancc,avin
cgarmakcrcatcringtothc!rcnchpalatc-which
|avorsa dricr, morc tannic andmusty) prohlc-
mightlctthc|crmcntationcontinucundisturbcd
untilalmostallo|thcsugarshavcbccnconvcrtcd.
Jhcrcsults|romourtastingindicatcthatamanu
|acturcr catcring to thc Amcrican palatc would
bc wisc to lcavc somc o|thc sugars intact. Jhc
risc inpopularityo|balsamicvincgarduring thc
pasttwodccadcsisnodoubtlinkcdtoits swcctcr
prohlc rclativctothato|wincvincgars. )
Jhconccxccptiontothcswcctcrisbcttcr"rulc
was thc sixthplacc Spcctrum Maturals !iltcrcd,
sibling to our runncrup, which had plcnty o|
sugarbutdidnot|arc sowcll. Aca|lto anindus
tryinsidcr, Rogcr!airchild,proprictoro|Goldcn
\allcy\incgarso|!ruitland, Idaho,rcvcalcdonc
tricko|thc tradc. \incgarmakingisas muchan
art as a scicncc," !airchild said. Somc days you
makc grcatvincgar, somc days goodvincgar, and
othcr days it`s not good atal. " Whilc hcthrows
away thc rarc batch o|poor vincgar that docsn`t
makcthcgradc,hcsaysothcrvincgarmakcrsoncn
hltcr mcdiocrc vincgar to makc i t tastc bcttcr.
!iltcring also makcs thc vincgar morc appcaling
to consumcrs who associatc a clcar productwith
a purc onc. But hltcring, which rcmovcs applc
solids and thc mothcr o|vincgar, also strips out
much o|thc applc Uavor. Mowondcr, thcn, that
tastcrs consstcntly dccncd thc abscncc o|applc
Uavor" in thc Spcctrum Maturals iltcrcd samplc
whilcpraisingSpcctrumMaturals\nhltcrcd|orits
promincntnuitincss.
So swcctncss counts whcn it comcs to applc
cidcrvincgar,butcvcngcncroussugarlcvclscan`t
makc up |or a lack ofapplc avor, a byproduct
o|hltcring. !or vincgars that pcrlormcd wcll in
cvcry tcst, thc tasting rcsults point to thc rich,
smoothMaillcandthcswcctandtangySpcctrum
Maturals \nhltcrcd. !or thosc intrigucd by thc
complcxity o|a !rcnchstylc cidcr vincgar, thc
\crgcr Iicrrc Gingras , |rom Qucbcc) had scv
cral cnthusiastic |ans. But bcarin mind that thc
majorityo|tastcrs|oundthisvincgarunplcasantly
mcdicinal " ,landingitinanunrcmarkablcninth
placc) andthatits $I pricc tagmakcs ita lairly
highpriccdgamblc.
TASTI NG APPLE CI DER VI NEGARS
Ten nati onal ly avai l abl e appl e ci der vi negar were sampl ed by 24 member of the
Cook>s Il ustrated staf. The vi negar were tasted four wy: pl ai n; i n a Carol i na
stle vi negar- based barbecue sauce; i n a pan sauce made wi th buter, cream, and
shal l ots; and i n a vi naigrete made wi th ol ive oi l , sal t, and pepper and sered on
romai ne lettuce. Tasters j udged the vi negar on thei r fruit, appl ey flavor, thei r
MAI UApple Cider Vinegar
1 $4. 00 for 1 6. 9 ounces (about 24 cents per ounce)
1 Acidit: 5%
1Grms sugar per I 00 ml : 1 . 3 1
Tasters raved about this French vi negar' s "deep. warm"
flavor profile and complex notes of honey. caramel , and
sweet, "definite apple" taste. I n the cream sauce, tasters
l i ked this vinegar's "mel low. smooth ci der flavor, " whi ch
boasted a good bal ance of richness and tang. "
SPECRUM NATURL Oranic Apple Cider Vinegar,
Unfiltered
1 S 2. 89 for 1 6 ounces ( 1 8 cents per ounce)
1 Acidit: 5%
1Grms sugar per I OO ml : 1 . 56
Tasters l i ked the Cal iforni a- made Spectrum' s sweetness,
and i ndeed this vinegar had the highest sugar content of
the group. But sweetness wasn' t its only sel l i ng poi nt.
A "distinct appl e flavor," a "forl " aroma, and "assertive,
tang" qual i ties also gave i t an edge. Cooked in the cream
sauce, Spectrum' s strong appl e taste came through with a
"nice balance of tart and sweet. "
WHITE HOUSE Apple Cider VInegar
1S 1 . 99 for 32 ounces (6 cents per ounce)
1 Acidit: 5%
1 Grams sugar per I 00 ml: 1 . 1 3
American-made White House performed i n the mi ddl e
of the pack unti l the vinaigrette tasting, where i t suddenly
took top honors with a "good balance of aci di t. " But
i t was al so downgraded for having "not much appl e"
favor. Some found the aci di t too much-"an aftertaste
that bums. "
EDEN Oranic Apple Cider Vinegar
1$2. 06 for 1 6 ounces ( 1 3 cent per ounce)
Acidit: 5%
Grms sugar per 1 00 ml: 0. 75
Whi l e some tasters l i ked Eden' s "pronounced appl e ci der
profile" and l ight, mi l d, "pleasantly frui t flavor, " most
deemed i t "mundane. " "flat. " a l i ttle too subtl e, " and
"almost unidentifiable" i n the pan sauce and vinaigrette.
BRGG Oranic Apple Cider Vinegar
1 $2. 59 for 1 6 ounces ( 1 6 cents per ounce)
Acidit: 5%
1Grms sugar per 1 00 ml : 0. 69
A few tasters responded to this Cal ifornia vi negar's "good
apple flavor" and "ci der" qual ities, enjoying its " bright
and vibrnt" efect on the pan sauce. But uncooked,
those strong notes came across as " harh, medi ci nal , "
sour. bitter. and "unappeal i ng. "
bal ance of sweetness to trness, and thei r compl exit. Scores for the four tstings
were combi ned to obti n overl l rnki ngs. Our tster' preferences tended to trck
with the vi negar' sugar l evel s, repored here in grms per I 00 mi l l i l i ter. Most of the
vi negar are avai l abl e in supermaret and naturl foods stores. Mai l -order sources
for the wi nner are l i sted on page 32.
RECOMMENDED WI RESERONS (CONT)
SPECRUM NTR Oranic Apple Cider Vinegar,
Filtered
$ 3 . 09 for 1 6 ounces ( 1 9 cents per ounce)
Acidit: 5%
1Grms sugar per 1 00 ml: 1 . 41
I n each of the four tastings. the filtered Spectrum fared
di stinctly worse than its unfiltered si bl i ng, with tster
complai ni ng, "Where' s the appl e?" Other cal l ed it one
di mensi onal -"pl ain Jane."
VILUXAple Cider Vinegar
1 $4. 50 for 25. 4 ounces ( 1 8 cent per ounce)
Acidit: 5%
1 Grms sugar per I 00 ml: 0. 98
" l ck, " wrote one succinct panel ist. Thi s French vinegar
really ri l ed up tster, el i ci ti ng comments about its
" Chlorseptic throat spry" qual ities and "sour, mol dy,"
"stal e, must, " of-notes. In the pan sauce, it was "ver
bl and. "
HEI NZ Aple Cider Vinegar
1$2. 1 9 for 32 ounces (7 cents per ounce)
Acidit: 5%
1 Grms sugar per 1 00 ml: 0. 60
The best panel i sts coul d muster for this ubi quitous
Aerican vinegar was to cal l i t si mpl e and mi l d: " No
harm, no foul . " Severl decried i t as "ver aci di c without
much appl e" favor and compl ained about its " harh,
astringent" and " bitter aferaste, " which wound up with
a "shocki ng fi ni sh. "
VERGER PIERRE GI NGR Aple Cider Vinegar
1S 1 9. 00 for 1 6 ounces ($ 1 . 1 9 per ounce)
Acidit: 4. 5%
1Grms sugar per 1 00 ml : 0. 68
Thi s wood-aged arisanal vinegar from Quebec was really
a matter of taste. A few rved that i t was "the best one
yet; favor i s ful l , tast! " But most complained that it
smelled "awful , " was "sti nk, " and impared " bumt, ashy
favor" to the pan sauce. In the vinaigrette, i t came
across as "strnge" and "medi ci nal . "
DELOUI S Oranic Aple Cider Vinegar
$ 3 . 1 5 for 1 6. 9 ounces ( 1 9 cents per ounce)
Acidit: 5%
Grms sugar per I OO ml : 0. 53
Rted as "odd and cl i ni cal tasting" and "quite strong,
maybe too much, " this French vinegar had an "of, sour
favor" that was described as "gross" and "must. I t fared
l i ttle better in the pan sauce, where it sti l l had that slightly
of favor. In the vinaigrette and barbecue sauce, i t was
described as "unpleasant. "
S E P T E M B E R b O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6
2 7
Should You Buy a Bargain Saute Pan?
Payi ng top dol l ar for a saucepan or ski l l et i sn ' t hard to j usti fy. But how much
shou l d you spend on t he i nfrequentl y u sed saute pan ?
B
ackin2OO I , A|l Cladwasthcwinncro|
ourtcsting o|sautcpans, butnowour
topchoicccostsmorcthan$I 8O. Whi|c
a sautc pan-basically, a liddcd skillct
with straightrathcrthanharcdsidcs-iscsscntial
whcnyoupanhycutlctsandbraiscchickcnparts
orvcgctablcs,itsccmslikcanawmlloto|moncy
|orapanthatmightsccactionjustonccortwicc
awcck, cvcn in a busyhomc kitchcn. Givcn thc
dizzyingnumbcro|choiccsinthccookwarcaislc
thcsc days, wc wondcrcd i|wc could gct similar
pcr|ormancc|or lcssmoncy.
Jo hnd out, wc asscmblcd a lincup o|cight
bargain" brands to compctc against thc All
Clad. Cuisinart , $54. 5 ) , Emcrilwarc , $. 5) ,
Iarbcrwarc ,$. ) , Gourmct Standard
, $73. 3) , Hcnckcls , $7. 5) , ncida , $2. ) ,
Scanpan , $. ) , and Sitram , $4. ) . Evcry
pan had a capacity o|3 to 3': quarts , h nc |or
most tasks) and a traditional , rathcr than non
stick)cookingsur|acc,thcbcttcrchoicc|ordcvcl
oping thc sticky browncd bits-}ond-that givc
pan sauccs andbraiscs dccp havor.
Di sparate but Equal
Ior our hrst tcst, wc prcparcd whitc ricc. A
hour latcr, wc had ninc batchcs, cach onc just
as Uu as thc ncxt. Whcnwc sautccdchoppcd
onions ovcr mcdium hcat, a |cw pans browncd
thcm vcry quickly, whilc othcrs lcn thcm palc,
but slightly adjustingthc tcmpcraturc casily cor
rcctcd both tcndcncics. Evcnlypan|ricd chickcn
cutlcts? Chcck. Micc pan saucc hom thc drip
pings? Chcck. A cvcry pan passcd cvcry tcst
wiuoutincidcnt,wc wondcrcd howmuchwc` d
Through Thi ck and Thi n
3 B Y T O D D D AT Z E
ovcrspcnt on cookwarc ovcr tl+c ycars-until wc
had our hrst casualty.
uring thc crcpcmaking scssion-an uncon
vcntionaltcst|or h ndinghot or cool spotsona
pan`scooking surlacc-cvcry pan produccdpcr
lcctcrcpcscxccptonc.JhcSitram`scrcpcsturncd
darkbrownaround mc cdgcs. Jhcproblcmwas
obvious. Jhcthickaluminumdiskstampcdtothc
pan`s bottom did not quitc cxtcnd to its outcr
cdgc, lcavinganunprotcctcd/+ inchring.
I|dark cdgcd crcpcs wcrc thc Sitram` s only
problcm, allwouldbc|orgivcn. ,Whobuta Cooes
cqui pmcnt tcstcr makcs crcpcs in a strai ght
sidcdpan? ) But in a subscqucnt tcst-browning
chickcn thighs-that unprotcctcd ring wrcakcd
havocagain,burningthc|ond.
Fond , Farewel l
Clcarly, an cxpcnsivc sautc pan isn`t crucial |or
basic tasks. Butwhat ilwc pushcd tlcsc pans to
thcir limits` Aucr combing through thc Cook)s
rccipc archivc, wc had j ust uc challcngc. pan
scarcd stcaks, cookcdhvcminutcspcr sidc ovcr
vcryhigh hcat,45Oto 5OOdcgrccs ) . Joscchow
wcll pans ncgotiatcd thc hcry hcat bclowvcrsus
thc coldstcaks abovc,wc |astcncda tcmpcranrc
probctothccookingsurlacc.
urtcst taught us scvcral lcssons, thc hrst o|
which rcvcalcd itscl|bc|orc mc stcaks cvcn hit
mcpan.Wimtlcprobcsinplacc, wclctthcpans
prchcat until thc surlacc rcachcd 5OO dcgrccs.
Jhcvariation inprchcating timcswasshocking.
Irom|astcsttoslowcst. Scan pan, 2. 55) , Gourmct
Standard , 3 . O7) , Al l Clad , 3 . I I ) , Hcnckcl s
,4. 22) , Cuisinart ,4. 45) , ncida ,4. 5O) , Sitram
, 5 . OO) , Iarbcrwarc , 5 . O I ) .
A a group, the di sk- bottomed pans in our l i neup were more than twice as thi ck
on the bottom as the cl ad-stle pans. We found that the thi cker the pan' s bot-
Emcrilwarc` Awhopping7. 3.
owondcrthcEmcrilwarchad
bccn on thc slow sidc in somc
olthcothcrtasks-itwasprob
ablystillprchcating'
tom, the better i t mai ntai ned a constant temperture-but i t took a l ong ti me
to get there. The thi nner the bottom, the more qui ckly the pan responded to
temperture changes, whi ch can be a good or bad thi ng. To i l l ustrte the di fer
ence, we had our local hardware store sl ice through the mi ddl e of our thi nnest
(l eft) and thi ckest ( right) saute pans.
TH I N BOTTOM : THI CK BOTTOM :
SUPERI OR RESPONS I VENESS SU PERI OR HEAT RETENTI ON
Jhc lour las t cs t pans
, Scanpan through Hcnckcl s )
hadoncthingincommon.clad
stylcconstruction,mcaningthat
thc cntircpanismadc o|laycrs
o| stainlcss stccl sandwi chcd
aroundanaluminumcorc. Jhc
slowcsthvc , Cuisinartthrough
Emcrilwarc)allhadthickalumi
numcorc disks attachcd to thc
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 8
bottom. Bccausc thc clad panswcrc much thin
ncronthcbottomthanthcdiskpans,ucyhcatcd
up morc cmcicntly. At O. O5 inchcs thick, thc
Scanpanwastlcrcsponsivcncsschamp,whilcthc
O. 3OinchthickEmcrilwarc-six timcs thickcr-
wasthclcast rcsponsivco|all .
|coursc, rcsponsivcncss is only part o|mc
cquation. A pai+ also nccds to rctain hcat wcll .
Whcntl+ccoldstcakshittl+cpan,mctablcsurncd.
Jhc hcatrctcntion champswcrc mcEmcrilwarc
and thc Iarbcrwarc, two thick, disk bottomcd
pansthatkcptthc cookingsur|acc bctwccn 45O
dcgrccs and 5OO dcgrccs lor almost thc ml l IO
minutcs. Jhccl adpans wcrc much morc vola
tilc-droppi ng prccipitously, thcn rccovcring,
onlytodropo||againwhcnwcUippcdthcstcaks.
cspitc mc drama, thc clad pans produccd hnc
stcaks,withmccxccptiono|tl+chypcrrcsponsivc
Scanpan, which hcatcd uptosuchcxtrcmcs uat
itscorchcdthcstcaksandruincdtlclond.
Jhcstcaktcstconvinccdusthatthcidcalsautc
panwouldbalanccrcsponsivcncssandhcatrctcn
tion-toomucho|oncortlcothcrmcantcimcr
havingtowaitlorcvcrtogcttlcpanhotcnough
orhaving to bc supcrvigilantinmonitoringthc
tcmpcraturc rollcr coastcr. Jhc clad stylc All
Clad, Gourmct Standard,andHcnckclsanduc
disk bottomcdncidastruckthatbalanccwcll .
Design Matters
Altlough pcrlormancc was our kcy conccrn,
dcsign dctails hgurcd in as wcll . Iirst, uc sizc
o|tlc cooking surlacc mattcrs. Jhc pans tcstcd
rangcd in cookingsurlacc diamctcr hom 8 to
I O inchcs, atd that cxtra inch and a hal|is not
insignihcant. Wc casily ht a cutup 37 pound
chickcninmclargcrpans,butthcsmallcrmodcls
wcrctoocratnpcdtocnsurcpropcrbrowning.
Mostpanshadlongmctalhandlcsmatstaycd
cool, but thc stubby Hcnckclshandlc hcatcdup
uncom|ortably. nly onc pan , ncida) had a
plastichandlc,which staycd coolonthc stovctop
but prccludcd usc in an ovcn hottcr man 375
dcgrccs . Iivcpanscamcwith a hclpcr"handlc,
a small,loop- shapcd sccondhandlctlatmadcit
casicr to kccp thc pan lcvclduring transport. A
dcalbrcakcr` Mo. Jhc occasionalticbrcakcr`Ycs.
In thc cnd, it turns out you can gct a grcat
sautcpan|orlcssthan$ I OO. Jhcmodcstlypriccd
Gourmct Standard , $74) matchcd thc pcrlor
mancco| tlcAll Clad, $I 84) task|ortask.
RTI NGS
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
We tested and evaluated eight " bar
gain" ($ 1 00 or less) sute pans along
side our long-ti me (and expensive)
favorite from Al l -Cl ad. We sel ected
pans with a 3- quart capacit (or as
close to i t as we coul d fi nd in each
manufcturr's l i ne) that were avi l
abl e i n open stock accordi ng to the
criteria below. Al l stovetop cooking
tests were performed over 1 5 , 000-
BT gas burer on a Thermador
rnge i n our test kitchen. The pans
are listed i n order of preference.
WEIGHT: Wi thout the l i d.
DIAMfR OF COOKI NG
SURFACE: Distance from i nteri or
wal l to i nterior wal l , as measured i n
the test kitchen.
THICKNESS: Of the pan bottoms,
as measured i n the test kitchen.
TI ME TO HET: Ti me elapsed
before the cooking surface reached
500 degrees when placed, empt,
on a gas bumer set to medi um- hi gh.
SU SPEED: Averge, fast, or
slow, based on tester' obsera
tions of pan speed sautei ng oni ons,
searing chi cken cutlets, browni ng
chi cken thighs, and searing steak. A
fast pan wi l l requi re more attention
from the cook than an averge pan.
If using a slow pan, you may need to
i ncrease the heat level .
PERFORMANCE: We sauteed
chopped oni ons, cooked crepes (to
look for hot or cool spots) , seared
chi cken cutlets, cooked whi te rice,
and browned chicken thighs i n to
batches, making a pan sauce with
the dri ppi ngs. We measured heat
responsiveness and heat retention
by pan-searing to strip steaks and
recordi ng the temperture ever
30 seconds. Scores of good, fair, or
poor were assigned for each test,
and the composite of these scores
constitutes the overl l performance
rting for each pan.
DESI GN: Fctor evaluated
i ncl uded whether the pan ' s weight
and handl e shape contri bute to
a feel i ng of maneuverbi l it, the
capacit to accommodate ei ght
pi eces of chi cken without overl ap,
the handl es' resistance to heat, and
the shape and seal of the l i d.
RATI NG SAUTE PANS
Al l - Clad Stai nless
3
Quart
PRI CE : $ 1 83. 95
MATERI ALS: Stainless steel exterior and
interior with complete aluminum core:
stinless steel handle and lid
BES BUY
Gounet Standard Tri - Ply 1 0- l nch
PRI CE: $73. 36
MATERI ALS: Stainless steel exterior and
Onei da Stai nl ess Steel Cook &
Pour I 0-l nch Deep
PRI CE: $29. 99
MATERI ALS: Stainless steel exterior and
interior with aluminum disk base: Bakelite
handle: glass lid
Cuisi nar Chef' s Cl assi c Stai nl ess
3
1
/
2 Quart
PRI CE : $54. 95
MATERI ALS: Stainless steel exterior and
interior with aluminum disk base: stainless
steel lid and handle
Henckel s I nternational Classic
Clad
3
Quart
PRI CE: $79. 95
MATERI ALS: Stainless steel exterior and
interior with complete aluminum core:
stainless steel handle and lid
Emerilware Stai nl ess Steel
3
Quart
PRI CE : $69. 95
MATERI ALS: Stainless steel exterior and
interior with triple-thick disk base of stainless
steel. aluminum, and copper center: stainless
steel handle: glass lid
Scanpan 1 0'1.- l nch Fusi on 5
PRI CE : $99. 99
MATERI ALS: Stainless steel exterior and
interior with complete aluminum core:
stinless steel handle and lid
Farberare Advantage Stai nless
Steel I 0 I nch
PRI CE : $69. 99
MATERI ALS: Stainless steel interior and
exterior with aluminum disk base: stainless
steel handle and lid
Sitram Profiserie
3
.
3
- Quart
Commerci al Stai nl ess Steel
PRI CE: $49. 99 (without lid) : $ 1 4. 99 for lid
MATERI ALS: Stainless steel exterior and
interior, aluminum disk base: stainless steel lid
(sold separtely)
TH I CKNE S S :
TI ME TO HEAT:
SAUTE S PE E D:
PERFORMANCE :
DE S I G N:
WEI G HT:
DI AMETER:
THI CKNE S S :
TI ME TO HEAT:
SAUTE SPEE D:
PERFORMANCE :
DE SI GN:
WE I GHT:
DI AMETER:
THI CKNES S :
TI ME TO HEAT:
SAUTE S PE E D:
PERFORMANCE :
DES I GN:
WE I GHT:
DI AMETER:
THI CKNE S S :
TI ME TO H EAT:
SAUTE S PE E D:
PERFORMANCE :
DE S I GN :
WEI G HT:
DI AMETER:
THI CKNE S S :
TI ME TO HEAT:
SAUTE S PE E D:
PERFORMANCE :
DE S I GN :
WE I GHT:
DI AMETER:
THI CKNE S S :
TI ME TO HEAT:
SAUTE S PE E D:
PERFORMANCE :
DE S I G N:
WEI GHT:
DI AMETE R:
THI CKNE S S :
TI ME TO HEAT:
SAUTE S PE E D:
PERFORMANCE :
DE S I GN:
WEI GHT:
DI AMETER:
THI CKNE S S :
TI ME TO H EAT:
SAUTE S PE E D:
PERFORMANCE:
DE S I G N:
WEI G HT:
DI AMETER:
THI CKNE S S :
TI ME TO HEAT:
SAUTE S PE E D:
PERFORMANCE :
DE S I GN:
S E P T E M B E R b O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6
2 9
Narrowly eked out another win thanks to as
tiny a detil as its helper handle, a feature many
stafer deemed crucial. Not to diminish its firt-
class performance: goreous suteed onions,
Averge
nicely browned steaks and cuets, and impres-
***
sive responsiveness. Te most spacious cooking
***
surace.
3 1 b. If i t weren' t for the absence of a helper handle,
9
1
1
2
"
the near-tie for firt place might have broken
0. 1 1 "
in this modestly priced pan' s fvor. Aced every
3 : 07
test thrown its way, and a thicker gauge helped it
Averge
maintain composure in the steak test just a hair
***
better than our winner.
***
2 1 b. 9 oz. Te cheapest pan surprised us by stumbling on
9
1
1
" nar a tsk, and tester appreciated the deep
0. 27"
sides. Tanks to a plastic handle, it's ovensfe to
4: 50
only 37 5 degrees, and the constrction had a
Averge
chinty feel." But, hey-it's 30 bucks. No helper
***
handle.
**
3 1 b. 2 oz. Aced the steak test, where it maintined a steady
9"
temperture better than most, and the crepe
0. 2 1 "
cooked evenly. But keep an eye on the heat dur-
4: 45
i ng delicate tasks: Once the thick base heated
Fst
up, the sute pace rced, yielding patches of
**
overbrowned onions.
***
2 1b. 9 oz. Onions cooked evenly, and chicken cutlets
8
1
/
2" browned well. But eight chicken pieces proved
0. 1 3"
a tight ft. and the handle heated up quickly. Te
4: 22
narrow surface also afected the pan's abili1 to
Slow
maintain a consistent temperture during our
**
steak test. No helper handle.
**
4 1b. 8 oz.
Slow and steady w this pan' s motto, but it's
9
'
/
"
not for the weak of ar-that composure comes
0. 30"
from heaviness, more than a pound heavier than
7: 36
the next lightest pan. But the real deal breaker
Slow
was the time it took to preheat: "Who wants to
**
wait seven minutes ever time you sear steaks?"
**
3 1b. 2 oz. A veritable roller coaster, this pan plummeted in
9
3
/
4" temperture when cold steaks were added, then
0. 05"
heated up enough to bum the fond, yielding a
2: 55
bitter-tsting suce. Te thinnest pan bottom.
Fst
**
**
3 1b. 7 oz. Browned the chicken cutlets with gusto. but
8
%
"
overbrowned a good portion of the suteed
0. 23"
onions. Snug fit for the chicken. A with the
5: 01
Henckels and the Sitrm. we would leave out
Fst
a drumstick to ensure proper browni ng.
**
**
2 1b. 8 oz.
This pan' s stamped disk bottom isn' t fush with
8
1
1
"
its sides, leaving an unprotected gap beteen
0. 30"
the disk and the outer edge of the pan. Te
5: 00
result? A dark brown outside ring on our crepes
Slow
and bumt chicken fond. No helper handle. a
**
crmped cooking surface. and slow t o preheat.
*
KI T C H E N NOT E S
3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
Fearless Flambe
lambcing is morc than just tablc
sidc thcatrics. A dramatic as i t
looks, ignitngalcohol actuallyhclps
dcvclopadccpcr,morccomp|cxUa
vorinsauccs,thankstoUavorbosung
chcmicalrcactionsthat occuronlyat
thc high tcmpcraturcs rcachcd n
|lambcing. But accomplishing this
lcat at homc can bc daunting. Hcrc
arc somc tips lor succcssml-and
salc-Uambcingathomc.
Be prpared: Jurnollthccxhaust
lan, tic back l ong hair, and havc
a lid rcady to smothcr dangcrous
Uarcups.
Use the proper equi pment: A
panwth Uarcd sidcs suchas askl
lct) rathcr than straight sidcs will
al|ow morcoxygcn to minglcwith
thc alcohol vapors, incrcasing thc
chancc thatyou`llsparkthc dcsircd
|lamc. Ilpossiblc,usclong,woodcn
chimncy matchcs, and light thc
alcoholwithyourarmcxtcndcd to
fl lcngth.
Ignite wr alcohol : Ilthcalcohol
bccomcstoohot,thcvaporscanrisc
to dangcrous hcights, causinglargc
Uarc ups oncc lit. I nvcrscly, ilthc
alcoholis too cold, thcrc won` tbc
cnough vapors to light at all. Wc
lound that hcating alcohol to 1 00
dcgrccs ahrcnhcit bcst achicvcd
byaddingalcoholtoapanollhcat,
thcnlcttingithcatlorhvcto 10 scc
onds)produccdthcmostmodcratc,
yctlong burningUamcs.
Ught the al cohol of the heat: Il
using agasburncr, bc surc toturn
ohthcUamctoclminatcaccidcntal
ignitions ncar thc sidc olthc pan.
Rcmovi ng thc pan lrom thc hcat
alsogivcsyoumorccontrolovcrthc
alcohol`stcmpcraturc.
If a dangerous fl are- up shoul d
occur: Simply slidc thc l i dovcr thc
topolthcskmct cominginnomthc
sidcol,rathcrthanovcr,thcUamcs)
to put out thchrc quickly. Lctthc
alcoholcooldownandstartagain.
I f the al cohol won' t l ight: Ilthc
pan is mll olothcringrcdicnts,thc
potcncyolthcalcoholcanbcdimin
ishcd as i t bccomcs i ncorporatcd.
ora morc loolproolUamc, i gnitc
thc alcohol i na scparatc small skil
lctor sauccpan, oncc thc Uamc has
burncdoll, addthcrcduccdalcohol
tothcrcmainingingrcdicnts.
Nature of the Yeast
Activc dry ycast and rapid risc
instant) ycast may bc similar i n
'Thi s I sn ' t the Pri me Ri b I Asked For' : Two Sol uti ons
S LE E P E R CE LLS
When substituting active dry yeast (above)
for rapi d rise (bel ow) , it's i mportant to
compensate for the "dead weight"
of the inactive yeast cel l s.
appcarancc and origins both arc
dricd lorms ollivc ycast), but sub
stitutingonclorthcothcrwl ycld
vastly dihcrcnt rcsults. Whcn wc
bakcd ourAmcricanSandwich Loal
May/)unc1996 ),MultigrainBrcad
March/April 2006) , and Bcst
Amcrican inncr Rolls scc pagc
9) using cqual amounts ol cach,
thc activc dry batchcs consistcntly
tooklongcrto risc ahcrmixingand
ahcr shaping-by almost 50 pcr
ccnt-andbakcdupdcnscrthanthc
rapid risc batchcs. Why? Jhcsc two
lormsolycasthavcdihcrcntdcgrccs
olpotcncy owing to dihcrcnccs in
proccssing.Activc dryycastisdricd
at highcr tcmpcraturcs, which kills
morc olthc cxtcriorycast cclls this
ycast rcquircs an initial activation
in warm watcr), whcrcas rapid risc
ycastisdricdatmorcgcntlctcmpcr
aturcs soitcanbcaddcddircctlyto
thc dryngrcdicnts) .
Whatdoyoudoi l youhavcactivc
dry in thc cupboard and a rccipc
calls lor rapid risc? Luckily, thcrc`s
an casy f: Jo compcnsatc lor thc
grcatcr quanti ty ol nactivc ycast
cclls in thc activc dryycast, simply
usc25 pcrccntmorcolit lorcxam
plc, i|thcrccipccallslor 1 tcaspoon
olinstantycast,usc1 1/4 tcaspoonsol
activc dry) . Jhc invcrsc holds truc
as wcll-usc about 25 pcrccnt lcss
rapidriscycasti na rccipc that calls
lor activcdry.Also,don`tlorgctto
dissolvcactivcdryycasti naportion
olthcwatcrnomthcrccipc,hcatcd
to 1 05 dcgrccs. Jhcnlctitstandlor
hvc minutcsbclorc adding itto thc
rcmainingwctingrcdcnts .Skipthis
stcp ilusing instantycast in rccipcs
thatcallloractivcdry.
Substituting Canned Tomatoes
for fresh
Mothing tastcs bcttcr than juicy,
ncsh tomatocs-n thc rarc occa
Whi l e we found i t most conveni ent si mply to ask our butcher to separte the meat from the bones for our Gri l l - Roasted Pri me Ri b (see page 7) , ever so ofen we were faced
with doi ng the task ourelves. And, on a few occasi ons, we coul d fi nd only bonel ess pri me ri b, leavi ng us with an overbrowned rast, thanks to the lack of protective bone.
Shoul d ei ther of these scenarios ever present itself, here are the test kitchen' s sol uti ons.
PROBLM: Te butcher fai l s to cut the meat of the bone.
SOLUTI ON: Do it yourelf.
I . Hol di ng a meat l obe i n one hand
and a sharp boni ng or chefs knife i n the
other, run the knife down the length of
the firt bone, fol l owing the contour as
closely as possi bl e, to separte i t from
the meat.
2. Fl i p the roast (so the uncut portion
faces you) . Hol di ng the bones back with
one hand, cut the meat from the remai n
i ng ri bs. Once the meat i s removed, pro
ceed with seasoni ng and ting as di rected
in step I of the reci pe.
PROBLEM: The pri me rib comes wi th no bone.
SOLUTI ON: Fashi on a makeshift "foi l bone. "
I . Fl d a 1 2- to 1 4foot sheet of al umi - 2. Ti e the foi l " bone" to the roast (where
num foi l i n half l engthwise and then i n half the real bones were removed) and
l engthwise agai n; gently roll and scrnch i t proceed wi th the reci pe.
i nto a narrow tube. Coi l the foi l tube i nto
a tight disk about 6 i nches across. Flatten
to form a rctangl e.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
30
s H o P P 1 N G : Medi um- Gri n Rice
If you' re making white rice as a side di sh, any variet wi l l do. But when a reci pe
cal l s specifical ly for l ong-gri n (four to five ti mes longer than wi de) , medi um-gri n
(to to three times l onger than wide) , or short-grin rice (al most round) , i t' s
wise to use the right one-not only so the reci pe' s cooki ng ti me wi l l work but al so
because each variet contri butes a di stinct texture to the di sh. Te test kitchen
prefer medi um-gri n ri ce for sauc rice di shes such as jambalaya, gumbo, and
arroz con pol i o (see page 2 1 ): Te exterior starches (of medi um-gri n ri ce) hel p
thicken the sauce, yet the gri ns are fi rm and disti nct enough to keep them from
turing to mush.
Te probl em with medi um-grin rice, we found, is unrel i abl e l abel i ng. When we
purchased severl brands of medi um-grin rice for a taste test, we were surprised
by the i mpreci si on. (Fr i nstance, one brnd labeled "medi um grin" was real ly a
sushi rice that matched our defi nition of shor-grin rice in size and consistency. )
Al l in al l , we had the most consistent results with the Ltin American brnds i n
our l i neup (rther than the Italian or Japanese) , al l of whi ch had the starchy yet
firm consistenc we wanted. Our to favorite brnds wer Mi Casa and the widely
available Goya.
sion that thcy`rc in scason, that is.
Jhc palc, mcaly options availablc
during thc rcst o| thc ycar would
ruin dishcs likc our hcsh tomato
sauccs sccpagcI O) . In|act,thctcst
ktchcn|oundthatcanncdtomatocs
makc a bcttcr standin than thosc
Havorlcss, ohscason hcsh options.
!or cvcry pound o| hcsh toma
tocs nccdcd, simply substitutc onc
I4. 5ouncc can o| draincd diccd
tomatocs, plus I tablcspoon o|thc
draincd liquid. And sincc canncd
diccdtomatocsarchrmcrthanhcsh
tomatocs, thcy should bc prcsscd
against thc sidc o|thc pan with a
woodcn spoon to hclp thcm brcak
down morcnaturallyasthcycook.
Mushy Mushrooms?
Convcntional wisdom holds that
youshouldncvcr, cvcr wash mush
rooms undcr running watcr Jhcir
spongy naturc allows thcm to soak
up watcr, which makcs thcm son
and slimy in thc mal dish. But thc
painstaking task o|gingcrly wiping
cvcry onc o|thc mushrooms callcd
|or in our Mushroom Lasagna scc
pagc I) with a damp cloth-thc
mcthod rccommcndcd by most
cxpcrts-had us rcconsidcring just
howcrucialthismaxrcallyis.
Acr tcsting both mcthods a
damp cloth vcrsus a quick rinsc i n
a colandcr undcr running watcr),
wc |ound that thc rinscd mush
rooms turncd out just as good as
thcwipcdoncsinthclasagna,which
madc scnsc, givcn that thcy wcrc
cookcd in a wct saucc. ur rulc
o| thumb? Wash mushrooms right
bc|orc cooking, i| you lct rinscd
mushrooms sit around |or longcr
than I O or I 5 minutcs, thc tcxturc
will bcgintosuhcr.
Beter Chicken Flipping
Jo Uip a chickcn or turkcy during
roasting thctcstkitchcn`sprc|crrcd
tcchniquc|orcnsuringcvcnbrown
ing) , wc`vc always rccommcndcd
grasping bothcndswitha gcncrous
handmlo|waddcduppapcrtowcls.
It`s an chcctivc mcthod, but onc
thatcan bc awkward and that can,
onoccasion,causcthcskintotcar.
uring tcsting |or our Roast
Cmckcn wth Root \cgctablcs scc
pagcI 3) , wccamcupwitha hybrid
tcchniquc that was cvcn morc rcli
abl c. Simplyinscrta sturdymctalor
woodcn spoon with a long handlc
andlargchcadintothccavityo|thc
bird.Whilcguidingthcothcrcndo|
thc chickcn using papcrtowcls, lin
thcspoon, |lipthc bird,thcngcntly
dcposit it back onto thc roasting
rack. )ust don`t |orgct to rcmovc
thc spoon bc|orc putting thc bird
backintothcovcn.
AS TH E B I RD TURNS
A spoon i s a n unl i kely-but highly
efective-tool for fl i ppi ng hot
poultr duri ng roasting.
RE C I P E U PDATE
Shri mp Potsti ckers
We weren' t surprised when reader asked how they coul d modi f our reci pe
for pork-fi l l ed Potstickers (March/Apri l 2006) usi ng shri mp i nstead. After
al l , shri mp is one of the most popul ar potsticker fi l l i ngs in Chi nese restaurnts.
We wondered if a stri ght substi tuti on might work, but the fi l l i ng was a di saster,
oozi ng so much excess l i qui d that we coul dn' t seal the wrppers. Omi tti ng one of
the to eg whi tes i mproved the texture, but tasters compl ai ned that the fi l l i ng
was bl and. We solved the flavor probl em i n two ways. Fi rt, we pul sed the shri mp
i n the food processor unti l al most pureed, a better consi stency for absorbi ng the
flavor of the garl i c and gi nger. Addi ng the fatt yol k al ong with the remai ni ng
eg whi te-to compensate for the l eanness of shri mp compared with ground
pork-gave these potsti cker the flavor boost they needed.
I ndivi dual Bl ueberr Buckl es
Severl reader wondered i f our reci pe for
Bl ueberr Buckle Uuly/August 2005) coul d
be made i nto i ndivi dual porti ons usi ng a mufi n
pan. Turns out the eas answer i s yes-unti l you
tr to tum them out. With so many bl ueberri es,
sti cki ng i s i nevi tabl e. We sol ved that probl em i n
our origi nal reci pe wi th a quadrupl e- prepared
pan (nonsti ck spry, parchment paper, more
nonsti ck spry. and fl our) . That sol uti on may be
fi ne for a si ngl e cake pan . but i t was a nonstarter
when i t came to 1 2 i ndivi dual mufi n cups. We
had better l uck wi th paper mufi n l i ner, whi ch
kept the buckl es from sti cki ng. We al so found i t
necessar to press the batter fi rml y to keep ai r
pockets from formi ng.
Tea- Smoked Duck
PE RF E CT BUCKLE
A abundance of bl ueberries
made sticking inevitable (top) ,
but paper l i ner made perect
buckles for one (botom) .
In our reci pe for Oven-Smoked Barbecued Ribs Uanuar/Februar 2006) ,
we found a great way t o get the smoke flavor of the gri l l usi ng a hot oven, a
pizza stone, and ul tr-smok lpsang Souchong tea. A few fans of the ri bs asked
whether the same method coul d be appl i ed to other meats commonly cooked
in a smoker, i ncl udi ng duck. Fi rt, we had to account for the thi ck layer of fat
underneath a duck' s ski n. Taki ng a cue from our Crisp Roast Duck reci pe
( November/December 1 998) , we started by steami ng the duck i n a covered
roasti ng pan on top of the stove for 30 mi nutes, a techni que we use to render
the fat. (A ful l 1 1 cup of fat mel ted away' ) From there, we figured we coul d sub
stitute the steamed duck for the ri bs. The dark meat was tender, but the del i cate
breast meat turned bone- dr. The sol uti on was si mpl e: After steami ng. we sepa
rted the dark meat from the white. Once the tea smoke died out, we removed
the breasts and roasted the l egs 45 mi nutes l onger. Fi nal ly, the breasts went
under the broi l er (al ong with the now-tender legs) to crisp the ski n. The resul t
was spi cy. cri spy ski n and smok, perfectly cooked meat, both whi te and dark.
-Compi l ed by Sarh Wi lson
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a recentl y publ i shed reci pe, let us know.
Send your i nqui r, name, address. and dayti me tel ephone number to Reci pe
Update, Cook' s I l l ustrted, P. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA02447, or write to
reci peupdate@bcpress. com.
Go to ww _ cooksi l l ustrated_ com
Key i n code 906 1 I for I ndivi dual Bl ueberr Buckl es.
Key i n code 906 1 2 for Shri mp Potsticker.
Key i n code 906 1 3 for Tea-Smoked Duck.
Reci pes avai l abl e unti l March I , 2007.
S E P T E M B E R b O C T O B E R 2006
3 1
E QU I P ME NT C OR NE R
PRODUCT U PDATE Zyliss Garlic Press
Lastycar our |avoritcgarlicprcss,thc ZylissSusi
cluxc,wcntouto|production,itsrcplaccmcnts
arc thc Zyliss |umbo $! . 5) and thc Susi 2
$! 3. 4) . Both havc largcr hoppcrs,
with room |or mul ti pl c
clovcs . Jhc Susi 2
loscs thc original ` s
b|uc pl ungcr, uscd
|orclcaning-kcy|or
prcssi ng unpcc| cd
clovcs. Wc prcsscd
a fl hcad o|pcclcd
garlic through thc
M E ET THE PRESS
Te jumbo handles even
super-sized garlic cloves.
Susi 2 with casc, but a singlc unpcclcd clovc
cloggcdit. Bothmodclsrcprcscntimprovcmcnts,
butthcplungcrmakcsthc)umboourwinncr.
E QU I P ME NT U PDATE Silicone Pstry Brushes
Whcn siliconcpastrybrushcs hrst cmcrgcd,hcat
rcsistancc up to 00 dcgrccs ) and durability
bristlcsthatdon`tbrcako|[wcrc thcir solc sc|l
ing points. Jhcir pcr|ormancc was poor. Morc
cgg wash and mc|tcd buttcr droppcd onto thc
countcrthangotswabbcdontothc|ood,thanks
tothick,sparsclydistributcdbristlcs. Butrcccnt|y
ovcrhau|cddcsignshadus basting chickcns, stir
ring hot sugar syrup, and brushing dough with
buttcr and cgg wash to scc i|thc ncw modcls
could match our lavoritc natural boar` s hair
brush,madcbyxo $5. ) .
Jhc Hcnckc|s $ ! ! . 5) , L Crcusct $. 5) ,
andMI\rancc $7. ) brushcswcrcas chunky
bristlcd and nonabsorbcnt as cvcr. Jhc othcr
modc|s |accd thc absorbcncyproblcm hcad on.
Suction componcnts rcscmbling bulb bastcrs)
providcdimprcssivcabsorptionbutpoordclivcry.
Bastcrstylcbrushcsbyrka$. 5) andCuisipro
$! 0. 5) spcwcd rathcr than gcntly swabbcd.
ccrcasing bristlc diamctcr was morc c||cctivc.
Jhcxo Good Grips $. ) , iSi Basics $7. ) ,
!rogrcssivc Intcrnational $! ! . |or asct) , and
WilliamsSonoma $ ! ) modcls sportcd slcck
! mi||imctcrthick brist|cs-thc loscrs` bristlcs
wcrc twicc as thi ck-givi ng thcm supcrior
lOST BY A HAI R
Oxo' s naturl boar' s-hai r
model is a fi ne pastr brush
except when it sheds.
The perforted flaps of Oxo' s
si l icone brush trap l i qui d
nicely and cl ean up easily.
: B Y G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M I T H E
absorpti on. nly thc ncw xo rivalcd our
natural bristlcdwinncr its sibling) , thankstoan
ingcnious innovation. a row o|pcr|oratcd Uaps
hiddcn among thc bristlcs. Jhc |lapstrap |iquid
until thc brush hits thc |ood,workingin much
thc samcwayas thc plasticwandincludcd
i n a chi l d` s bubbl c blowing kit . xo` s
natural bristlc brushhasthcslightcstcdgc
in absorbcncy, but supcrior hcat rcsistancc,
casicr clcaning, andthc promisc o|ncvcr again
plucking stray boar`s hairs out o|pastry dough
brcaktlcticinthcsiliconc` s|avor.
P RO D U CT U P DATE Thermapen
Iast ycar, wc tcstcd thc ncw vcrsion o| our
|avoritc instantrcad thcrmomctcr, thcStandard
!cnctration Jhcrmapcn $7) , which promiscd
|astcr rcadings-and, thus, lcss timc hovcring
ovcr a hotovcnorgri|l . Jhc thin, twopiccc tip
o|thc Supcrast Jhcrmapcn $85) was |astcr
all right hvc scconds vcrsus I 0) , but also |css
durablc. uringtcstingwc bcnt,thcnbrokc,thc
tip. As soon as wc dismisscd thc ncw modcl , a
more improvcdSupcr- astJhcrmapcn still$85)
camc out. Jhis timc,wc had a winncr. Its onc
piccc tip couldstill rcad in scconds, and itcamc
outo|tcstinginoncpiccc.
E QU I P ME NT TE STI N G Grill Grates
ur |avoritcgasgrill,thcWcbcrGcncsisSilvcrA
$350) , cannowbccquippcdwithvariousgratcs.
stainlcss stccl thc original ) , cnamclcd stccl, and
cnamclcd cast i ron. ocs gratc stylc mattcr?
Ycs-as a stcakscaring tcst thrcc minutcs pcr
sidc on a 500dcgrcc gril l ) quickly provcd. Jhc
di||crcncc camc down to hcat rctcntion. Whcn
cool |ood hits thc grill, thc gratc`s tcmpcraturc
startstodrop, thckcyishowlongitstaysabovc
300 dcgrccs thc minimum tcmpcraturc |or
browning) . Jhc stainlcss and cnamclcd stainlcss
gratcs cach about 2 pounds) staycdabovc 300
dcgrccs|orj usttwominutcs,whichgavcusgrcat
marksononc sidco|thc stcakbut|aintoncson
tl+cothcr.Jhchcavycastirongratc 7pounds)
staycdabovc 300dcgrccs|orhvcminutcs, long
cnough |or grcat marks on both sidcs .
Jhc cast iron took 2 I minutcsto hit 500
dcgrccs thcstainlcssgratcstook ! 5 ) , but
wc`drathcrwaita|cwminutcsthan
loscoutonthcUavorm|char. I|
you` rcinthcmarkct|oragrill,
purchascour|avoritcwiththc
cast-iron gratcoption nocx
tracost ) . I|youalrcadyhavca
Wcbcr-and a sparc $55-it`s
anupgradcwcrccommcnd.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
3 2
DO YOU REALLY N E E D TH I S ? Crepe Makers
Mosthomccooksdon`thavcawcll-scasoncdstccl
crcpcpanlyingaround,socookwarcmakcrshavc
comcto thc rcscuc with abcvyo|homccrcpcric
solutions. !ans vith convcx cooking sur|accs-
likcthcMordicWarcrcnchCrcpcIan $34. ) ,
\illa Warc`sCrcpcMakcr $3. ) , andMaxim`s
ElcctricCrcpcMakcr $34. )-arc hcatcd on
thc stovc orclcctrically) , thcn dippcdinto battcr
to yicld thin, oncn misshapcn crcpcs. A highcr
tcch option, thc Ji bos Icctric Crcpc Makcr,
was cxpcnsivc $ ! 3. ) and dimcu|t to usc,
thanks to an awkward battcr sprcadcr dcvicc. "
Wc prc|crasmall 8 or ! 0inch) nonstickskillct.
Itworkslikcascasoncdclassic, andyouprobably
alrcadyownonc.
Sources
The fol l owing are mai l -order sources for i tems recom
mended i n thi s issue. Pri ces were current at press ti me
and do not i ncl ude shi ppi ng and handl i ng. Contct compa
ni es to confrm i nformati on or vi si t w . cooki l l ustrted
.com for updates.
Pge 3: ESCARGOT PLTE
Stai nless Escarot Plate: $6. 99, item #6807, Fante' s
Kitchen Wrs Shop (80-443- 2683, w .fantes.com) .
Pge 1 3 : ROASI NG RCKS
Al l -Clad Non-Stick Roasting Rck: $ 24. 9 5 , item
#1 85 6 81 , and Cal phal on Contemporr Stai nl ess Al l
Season Pn with Rack ( $ 99. 00) , item #4039 1 3,
Cooki ng.com (800- 663 - 88 1 0, ww . cooki ng.com) .
Pge 27: APPLE CI DER VI NEGAR
Mai l l e Appl e Cider Vi negar: $4. 00 for 1 6. 9 ounces,
item #BOOOE46MA4, Aazon.com (w .amazon. com) .
Spectrum Naturals Orani c Appl e Cider Vinegar,
unfiltered: S 1 3 . 04 for I gal l on, item #BOOOODJFBD,
Aazon. com.
Pge 29: SAUT
E
PANS
Al l - Clad 3- Quart Saute Pn wi th Loop Handl e:
S 1 83 . 95 , item # 1 00 1 83 , Cooking. com.
Gourmet Standard Professional I 0" Saute Pn with Ud:
$73 . 3 6, i tem #A 1 1 1 1 4, Te Knife Merchant
(800-7 1 4- 8226, ww . knifemerchant.com) .
Pge 32: GARUC PRESS
Zliss j umbo Garlic Press: S 1 6. 95 , item #203 1 74,
Cooki ng. com.
Pge 3 2: PASRY BRUSH
Oxo Si l icone Pstr Brush: $6. 99, item # I 07 1 062,
Oxo.com (800- 545-441 1 , ww . oxo. com).
Page 32: GRI LL GRTE
Porcel ai n Enamel Cast I ron Gas Gri l l Grte: $ 5 5 . 00,
i tem #9887, for Weber Genesis Si lver A, Weber
(800-446- 1 07 1 , ww .weber.com) .
Pge 3 2: THERMAPEN
Super-Fstlermapen: $85 .00, item #2 1 1 -076, 1ero
Works (800- 393 -6434, w .thenoworks.com).
RE C I PE S
September b October 2006
Bread
Best Ameri can Di nner Rol l s 9
Mai n Di shes
Fresh Tomato Sauce
Desserts
Appl esauce Snack Cake 25
Gi nger- Cardamom 25
wi th Oat- Nut Streusel 25
Crepes Suzette 23
wi th Fennel and Orange 1 0
with Rosemar and Bacon I 0
with Sal ami , Pepperonci ni , and
New Reci pes Avai l abl e on the Web
Recipes avai l abl e unti l
March I . 2007. Go to
w. cooksi l l ustrated
. com and enter the
code l i sted after the reci pe ti tl e.
Mozzarel l a I 0
Gri l l - Roasted Pri me Ri b
for Charcoal Gri l l 7
for Gas Gri l l 7
with Garl i c- Rosemar Crust 7
Lti no- Stl e Chi cken and Ri ce
(Arroz con Pol i o) 2 1
wi th Bacon and Roasted Red
Peppers 2 1
Mushroom Lsagna 1 9
Roast Chi cken wi th Root
Vegetabl es 1 3
Fresh Tomato Sauce
wi th Mi nt, Feta, and Spi nach 9064
wi th Roasted Peppers, Toasted
Garl i c, and Ppri ka 9063
Gri l l - Roasted Whol e Pri me Ri b 9062
Hoi si n- Sesame Sauce (for Thi ck- Cut
Pork Tenderl oi n Medal l i ons) 9065
Two Roast Chi ckens wi th Root
Vegetabl es 1 3
Horseradi sh Cream Sauce (for Gri l l
Roasted Pri me Ri b) 906 1
I ndi vi dual Bl ueberry Buckl es 906 1 1
Lti no- Stl e Chi cken and Ri ce wi th
Ham, Peas. and Orange 9069
Mushroom Lsagna
Thi ck- Cut Pork Tenderl oi n
Medal l i ons 1 5
Bacon -Wrapped I 5
Sauces
wi th Goat Cheese. Broccol i Rabe,
and Sun- Dri ed Tomatoes 9068
FOR TH I C K - C UT P OR K M E DAL L I O N S :
wi th Pncetta and Sage 9067
Shri mp Potsti ckers 906 1 2
Tea- Smoked Duck 906 1 3
Appl e Ci der Sauce I 5
Mapl e- Mustard Sauce I 5
Wi l d Mushroom Lsagna 9066
ww cooksilustred. com
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AMERI CAS TEST KI TCHEN
Publ i c tel evi si on' s most popul ar cooki ng show
J oi n the mi l l i ons of home cook who watch
our show, America's Test Kitchen, on publ i c
tel evi si on every week. For more i nformati on.
i ncl udi ng reci pes and program ti mes, vi si t
ww. ameri castestkitchen . com.
Mus hroom Lasagna, 1 9
Arroz con Pol i o, 2 1 Crepes Suzette, 2 3
Best Ameri can Di nner Rol l s , 9
Por k Tender l oi n Medal l i ons, 1 5
PH OTOG RAPHY: CARL TRE MBLAY, STYLI NG : MARI E P I RAI N O
Rov 1 5 l cJ
r i V

. . . . i `