NUMBER EIGHTY-FIVE MARCH b APRIL 2007

` 11 1
Rating Chef's Knives
We Test Cutting-Edge Designs
Parmesan Chicken
Secrets to a Crispy. Cheesy Crust
Roasted Tomato
Pasta Sauce
Big Flavor from Winter Tomatoes
Garlic-Butter Shrimp
Chinese BBQ Pork
Eas Oven Method
Lemon Layer Cake
Balsamic Vinegar
Taste Test
Spend $2 or $200?
Bread Baking Demystified
Garlic-Potato Soup
Pn-Roasted Aparagus
Olive-Rosemar Bread
Brown Sugar Cookies
www+ c o o ks i l l u s t r a t ed + c om
59 |5/5 9 L.T.!.
U 4>
'`1``
March 6 April 2007
2 Notes fom Readers
Readers ask questions and sugest solutions.
4 Quick Tips
Quick and eas ways to perfon everday tasks, from
seeding cucumbers to removing hot pans from the oven.
6 Introducing Parmesan
Crusted Chicken Cutlets
While chicken Milanese is defined by its thick, bready
coating, this new classic skips the crumbs and puts the
cheese at the forefront. BY SANDRA WU
8 Chinese Barbecued Pork
at Home
These lacquered strips of pork look exotic, but the meat
is actually "barbecued" in the oven, making it an ideal
candidate for home cooking-in theor, at least.
BY DAVID PAZMINO
I 0 Authentic Olive-Rosemary
Bread
Really good olive bread can be made at home-but it
requires a lot more than just adding a handful of olives to
any bread rcipe. BY ERIKA BRUCE
12 Hearty Garlic-Potato Soup
A bowl of garlic-potto soup sounds appealing, but not if
the garlic overhelms the mild-mannered potatoes. What
are the secrets to this simple dish? BY REBECCA HAYS
14 How to Make Potato Roesti
Achieving a crisp crust and creamy-not gummy-interior
is easier sid than done in this simple Swiss potto cake.
BY MATTHEW CARD
16 Bread Baking Demystified
Bread baking is shrouded in myster and plagued by misin
fonation and myths. Ater year of kitchen testing, we're
ready to set the record stright. BY KEITH DRESSER
18 Roasted T orata Sauce
Can a blast of heat trnsfon unremarkable, out-of
season tomatoes into a vibrant sauce for pasta?
BY CHARLES KELSEY
20 Pan-Roasted Asparagus
Side Dishes
A hot pan and complementar vegetables tum asparagus
into a lively side dish. BY DAVID PAZMINO
21 Garlicky Shrirnp with
Bread Crumbs
Saucy shrimp blanketed with toasted crumbs represents
the best of old-fashioned American cooking. but not when
the shrimp are waterloged and tough. BY SNDR WU
22 Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake
We carefully deconstructed this blue-ribbon recipe to
create a light and lemony dessert. BY ERIKA BRUCE
24 Brown Sugar Cookies
A chew cookie with a crisp exterior and a big jolt of
brown sugar favor sounded easy to develop, but first
we needed to understand the not-so-simple science of
cookies. BY CHARLES KELSEY
26 How to Buy a Good
Balsamic Vinegar
Few foods demonstrate such a wide rnge in price-you
can spend $2or $200for one bottle-or qualit. Our
tasters decode the mysteries of balsamico.
BY LISA McMANUS
28 A Better Chefs Knife
In search of an improved mousetrap, we tested seven
knives with innovative designs. BY LISA McMANUS
30 Kitchen Notes
Test results. buying tips, and advice related to stories past
and present. directly from the test kitchen.
BY ERIKA BRUCE
32 Equipment Corner
Reviews of new items, updates on past tests, and sources
for products used in this issue. BY ELIZABETH BOMZE
FRENCH CHEESES Many French cheeses are subject to very strict production regulations. as
govered by the Appellation d'Origine Contr6he (AOC). Both Camembert and Brie de Meaux
are made from cow's milk. Tang and musk, Camembert should be ver creamy when fully ripe:
11J LJ
Brie de Meaux has a richer favor and more compact texture. Epoisses is also made from cow's
milk. Its odor can be quite pungent. but the favor is smooth and nutt. Morbier, another cow's
milk cheese, has a distinctive line of edible vegetable ash. Comte is a semi HI0 cow's milk cheese
with a sweet. nutt favor. Roquefort. a creamy blue cheese made from sheep's milk, is aged in
caves. Valen<ay is a fresh goat cheese in a distinctive pyramid shape: it is tart and bright in favor.
Although not AOC labeled, many other French cheeses are of equal qualit. The diminutive
Crottin de Champcol is a goat cheese eaten fresh or aged. St. Aur, a cow's milk blue. is milder
than Roquefor and ver creamy. Tomme de Savoie is a cow's milk cheese with a thick rind and a
semifin, earthy interior. Brebis, a sheep's milk cheese, is finn and mildly nutt.
COVER 'Otitcti):Elizabeth Brandon, BCK COVER 'l|c:|i t|iccc):John Burgoyne
Fr list rental infonation, contct: Specialists Marketing Serices. Inc.. 1200 Harbor Blvd .. 9th Floor, Weehawken. NJ 07087; 201-865-5800.
Editorial Oice: 17 Station St .. Brookline. |02445: 617-232-1000: fax 617-232-1572. Subscription inquiries. call 800-526-8442.
Pstmaster: Send all new order. subscription inquiries. and change-of-address notices to Cook's Illustrated. P.O. Box 7446. Red Oak, lA 5 I 591-0446.
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'l^! ! A.\\JI\S 1IS1 |!1C!lN
Founder and Editor Christopher Kimball
Editorial Director Jack Bishop
Deput Editor John Stark
Test Kitchen Director Erin McMurrer
Managing Editor Rebecca Hays
Senior Editors Keith Dresser
Us McManus
Associate Editors Erik Bruce
Charles Kelsey
Sandra Wu
Copy Editor Will Gordon
Test Cooks J. Kenji Alt
David Pzmino
Market Research Manager Meliss Baldino
Asistant Test Kitchen Director Matthew Heron
Asistant Editor Elizabeth Bomze
Editorial Asistant Meredith Smith
Senior Kitchen Asistant Nadia Domeq
Kitchen Asistants Maria Elena Delgado
Ena Gudiel
Contributing Editors Matthew Card
Dawn Yanagihar
Consulting Editors Guy Crosby
jasper White
Robert L. Wolke
Proofreader Jean Roger
Web Managing Editor Katherine Bell
Web Editor Undsay McSweeney
Online Media Producer Peter Tannenbaum
Web Designer Ullian Chan
Editorial Manager, Books Elizabeth Carduf
Senior Editors, Books Julia Collin Davison
Lori Galvin
Asociate Editor, Books Rchel Toomey
Sarh Wilson
Test Cooks, Books Suzannah McFerrn
Brn Roof
Megan Wcof
Asistant Editor, Books Elizabeth Wry Emer
Design Director Amy Klee
P Director, Books Carolynn DeCillo
Senior Designer, Magazines Julie Bozzo
Designer Jay Lyman
ChristineVo
Matthew Wrick
Staf Photographer Daniel J. van Ackere
Vice President Marketing David Mack
Circulation Director Billnne
Fulfillment Manager Carrie Horn
Circulation Assistant Elizabeth Dayton
Direct Mail Director Adam Perr
Direct Mail Analyst Jenny Leong
Product Operations Director Steven Browall
Product Promotions Director David Sarlitto
E-Commerce Marketing Manager Hugh Buchan
Marketing Copyriter David Goldber
junior Developer Doug Sisko
Customer Serice Manager Jacqueline Valerio
Customer Serice Representatives julie Gardner
Jillian Nannicelli
Vice President Sales Demee Gambulos
Retail Sales Director Jason Geller
Retail Sales Associate Anthony King
Corporte Mareting Manager Emily Logan
Prtnership Account Manager Allie Brwley
Marketing Asistant Connie Forbes
Production Director Guy Rochford
Trfic &Pject Manager Aice Cummiske
Senior Production Manager jessica L. Quirk
Production Asistant Luren Petta piece
Imaging & Color Specialist Andrew Man none
Technolog &Opertions Director Aron Shuman
Systems Administrtor S. Pddi McHugh
Web Developer Justin Greenough
Chief Financial Oficer Sharyn Chabot
Human Resources Manager Adele Shapiro
Controller Mandy Shito
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Publicit Deborah Broide
PRINTED IN THE US
EDl T ORl AL
SEND IT DOWN, GABRIEL!
H
arlcy Smithvas a tarmcrvho ovncd
vhatisnovthc Iaggcrty placc ovcr
on thcvcstsidcottovn. urtamily
novovns part otthat propcrty, thc
pasturcs across thc road vhcrc his tathcr`s hcrd
otHolstcinsgrazcdduringthcsummcr. Jhcrc is
a good springon thc propcrty, thcvatcrhaving
bccn pipcd dovn thc mountain andundcrthc
roadto thc milkhousc,vhcrcitcoolcdthclargc
mctalcansstorcdtorpickup.
I havc rccountcd in this column morc than
oncstoryotIarlcyandhislaconicvit,including
thc timc hc gavc mc a chain sav lcsson vith
out uttcring a vord , hcjuststood ncxt to mc
and savcd through a log thc rightvay) and his
habit otshoving up cvcryIriday night at Jom
and Nancy` s tarmhousc j ust in timc tor dcsscrt.
Harlcy and his vitc, Dorothy, j ust sat against
thcvall,vatchingvithanticipation as cvcryonc
hnishcdsuppcr.
Justahcrthcn rstsnovot thcycar,JomandI
vcrctalkngaboutsnovploving,and hctoldmc
aboutIarlcy`slovc otbadvcathcr.Assoonasa
good sizc stormshovcd up, Jom` sphoncvould
ring and thcrc vould bc Iarlcy, shouting out
with grcatcnthusiasm, Scndi tdovn, Gabricl!
Jhcnhcvouldgoout,loaduphissprcadcrvith
sand and salt, and hcad out tor thc night. Ior
somc,thcstormvasatrial,buttorIarlcyitvas
purcjoy. Iis cnthusiasmmayhavc bccn hrcdby
thcnotionotcxtrapockctmoncy, butI doubti t.
JhcrcvasmorctoIarlcySmi ththanthat.
Last summcr I stoppcd to talk vith Gcrald, a
carpcntcrvhouscdtovorktorJom.Ic`drcccntly
purchascd a small rcd camp on thc vcst sidc ot
tovn,andatcvot tl+cncighborsvcrccomplaining
aboutthcncvpilcsotU otsamscattcrcdaboutthc
yard. In rcsponsc, and displayinga good hclping
otVcrmontvit,hc crcctcd a tcncc to scrccn thc
yard-a bright rcd snov tcncc
that, i n placcs, vas plastcrcd
vitl+ Jyvck , an industrial vhitc
papcr likc matcrial uscd to sidc
houscs) . Jhc tcncc vas morc ot
cycsorcthanthcjunk.
vas placcd by his bcdsidc tablc
so thatduringthcvcckhc could
smilc and rcmcmbcr that hc vas
stilluscml .
With our trucks parkcd nosc
tocnd,vcchattcdatthctailcnd
otatircdAugustday.Gcraldhas
nothadancasylitc. Ircmcmbcr
i n particular onc hot summcr
vhcuhcimpulsivclyabandoncd
hismcasuringtapcandhammcr
to vork as a barctoot U agman
Christopher Kimball
Duringsummcrs, our kids do
tarmchorcs. graini ngthc bcctcrs,
tccdingthcpigscorn mush, pick
ing stravbcrrics, blucbcrrics,and
raspbcrri cs, vccdi ng thc raiscd
gardcn bcds,takngoutthccom
post,hclpingtogroomthchorscs
and clcan thctack. Justat sunsct,
thcrc i sonc uOO
torthc road crcvstandingonhot,soh macadam.
Lvcnings, during thc ycarsvhcn hc vas not liv
ingathomc,thcrcvcrcrcportsotGcraldparkcd
bythc sidcota dirtroadi nthcvoods, camping
out i n hisj unkyard pickup. r I mightdrivcby
Gcrald riding his clcctric goltcart aroundtovn,
quitchappilycruisingathvcmilcsanhour.
uttl+atsummcrcvcning,hcaskcdi tI rcmcm
bcrcdthc I Opointbuckthatvchadsccninour
lovcr n cl d a hal tdozcnycars ago. I sai d I did.
Hc had snappcd a photo otit and said hc vas
goingto havc ittattoocdonhis backj usttokccp
thc mcmory. lc grinncd bigand rollcd anothcr
ci garcttc, andvhcn I lchhi m, hcvasstillsitting
i n hi s truck bythcsi dc otthc road, cnjoying a
smokc and thinkingotall I O points.
Ior many ycars, Russcl l vas t hc tovn
mctalvorkcr. Ic vould hx hay vagons, balcrs,
plovs-you namc i t. Whcn hc gotoldcrandhis
balanccvasshaky,hchadtogolivcatthcnursing
homc. nSundays, Susy and Juniorvould pick
hi m up and bring hi m back to thcir tarm. Jhcy
strappcd him onto a Cub Cadctvith cxtra scat
bclts, and thcn thcy vould takc a picturc as hc
rodcaround, movingthctrontyard. Jhcphoto
tothchcnhousc hasto bc closcd
and lockcd to kccp our smal l hock satc trom
raccoonsandtoxcs.
Jhcn rsttcvti mcsourson, Charlic,vas askcd
to stcp up and handlc this slight task, tl:crc vas
a lot otcomplaining. I sct tl:c tablc or I tcd
tlc pigs vas thc typical rcsponsc. And thcn, ot
coursc, hc vcntAWLcvcrynightjustatsunsct.
But thcn, as vith his tvo oldcr sistcrs, Adricnnc
andInoticcdtl+cchangc .Atn rst,hcvcntdovnto
thchcnhouscahcrj ustoncortvorcmindcrs,and
thcn, atlast, hcj ustgotthcjob donc onhisovn.
nc ni ght l ast summcr, I vas up by thc
sap housc and happcncd to scc Charlic hcad
i ngdovn thc drivcvay to closc i nthcchickcns.
Ic vas hal t ski ppi ng dovn thc road, talking
to hi mscl t, thcvcstcrnskypalcvithj usta taint
hint otbaby bluc and visps otcirrus . I could
hcarthcbrookrunni ng-ithadbccnavctsum
mcr-andthcnI sav Charlic makchisvayback
uptothc housc throughthcthickcninggrccnot
thc applc orchard. Icouldglimpschistaccdarkly
asthc sun sct, and allI couldthinkotvasIarlcy
Smi thatthc onsctota snovstorm. I vhispcrcd,
Scnd i t dovn, Gabri cl , and turncd back to
hni shmychorcs.
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COOK'S I LLUSRTED Magazine
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ter. or rnew your magazine subscription. join the website and you'll have access to 14year of Coo/'r
recipes, cookare tests, ingredient tastings, and more.
COOKBOOKS
We sell mor than 40cookbooks by the editor of Coo/'rI0umar:d.To order, visit our bookstore
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MA R C i l b A P R I L 2 0 0 7
l'ic I1'! 11/i11c
Storing Ginger
don`tusc trcsh gingcr vcry oncn, so vhcncvcr
buyit, cnduphavingalotlcnovcr.What`s
thcvy tC tC t
J .B. SI EGEL
SOMERVILLE. MASS.
> Wc purchascd scvcral knobs otgingcr,cutonc
cnd ohotcach to rcplicatc thc way thcy vou|d
normallybc uscd in thc kitchcn, andstorcdthcm
usng scvcral dihcrcnt mcthods. unvrappcd in a
cool, darkpantry, onthc countcr cxposcd to sun
light, in uc rchigcrator m+vrappcd, vrappcd in
toil,vrappcdinplasticvrap,andplaccdinazippcr
lockbag);andinthchcczcrvrappcdi ntoi| ) .
cxamincd thc sampl cs,
all oI vhichhad dricd outandscalcd up vhcrc
thcy had bccn cut. Jhc trozcn gingcr tarcd thc
vorst. Iollovinga brictthav, itvasporous and
mushy, rcndcringthcproccssotgratingormi nc
ingncarlyimpossi bl c. othsampl csot roomtcm
pcraturc-storcd gi ngcrvcrc shrivclcd and had
startcdtosprout. P! otthcvrappcd,rctrigcratcd
gingcrrctaincdasmooth,tautcxtcriorbutcxhi b
i tcd spots ot mo| d vhcrc
condcnsati on had gottcn
trappcd i n thc vrappcr.
Jhc unvrappcd, rctri gcr
atcd gingcr, hovcvcr, had
GI NG E R L I KE S I T DRY
a rclativclytrcsh appcar
ancc, vith no mo| d.
So thc ncxt ti mc you
havc a l cttovcr knob
Aunl i kely method keeps
ginger from becomi ng mol dy.
ot gingcr, j ust toss i t
into thc rctri gcrator
unvrappcd.
Wax On, Wax Of
What`s thc bcst vay to rcmovc thc vax trom
truitsandvcgctablcs` I` vcsccnvcgctablcvash at
thcsupcrmarkct,butit`srathcrcxpcnsivc.
MARY MURPHY
MESA. ARIZ.
> urlocalsupcrmarkct carrics a productcallcd
Vcggic Wash, vhich purports to bc signihcantly
morc cttcctivc atrcmovingvax, soil ,and chcmi
calstrom truits and vcgctab|cst| +anri nsingvitl+
watcralonc. Itcontains vatcr, cor andcoconut
dcrivativcs, citrus oil, sodium citratc, glyccri n,
and grapctruit sccd cxtract. Ii rm producc likc
cucumbcrs, applcs, and orangcs is to bc spraycd
vith Vcggic Wash, rubbcd tor 3O scconds, and
thcnrinscdvithvatcr.
Jo n ndoutjusthovcl!cctivc tl+isproductis at
='^111!1 H` .^11. \`
rcmoving surcc rcsiduc,
vc pcclcd tl+c vaxi
THE P E E L TEST
We weighed cucumber peel s
before and after cleani ng to
measure four methods of
cst cucm:+bcrs vc
cou|d hnd. Jhcn
vc vcighcd tl+c
strips ot pccl
individually bctorc
clcaningt|+cmtourdit
tcrcnt vays rcpcatcd
I O timcspcrmcthod) .
removing wax from produce. undcr cold running
vatcr, hot running
vatcr,spraycdandrubbcd\vithdisti|lcdvhitcvinc
gar,tollovcdbyaco|dvatcrrinsc,andspraycdand
rubbcd\vitl+VcggicWash,tollovcdbyacoldvatcr
rnsc.Wcalso \vipcd dovn asctotcucumbcrpccls
\vitl+nailpolishrcmovcr astrongsolvcnt)touscas
acontrol byvhichtogaugctl+cothcrmctl+ods.
Wc vcighcd thc cucumbcr pccl s again aucr
vashing and avcragcd thc vcight | oss rcsults ot
thc I O tcsts.ttl:ctoodsatcmcthods,tl+cVcggic
Washrcmovcdthcmostvax,vi ththcpcclsavcr
aging a vcight |oss ot pcrccnt postvashi ng.
Jhc pcclsvi pcdvi thnai | pol i shrcmovcrrcgis
tcrcda I 2. 8pcrccntdittcrcncc. ) Witha o. 3 pcr
ccnt dittcrcncc, tl+c vincgar rubbcd samplc vas
a vcry closc sccond, tol lovcd by tl:c hotvatcr
rinsc ( 5.4 pcrccnt)
a n d c ol d va t c r
rinsc ,4. 9pcrccnt ) .
Whi | ct hcI oouncc
bottl c ot Vcggi c
Washdi dproducca
noticcablylcsswaxy
surtacc, vc don` t
think i t` s vorth its
S5 . 95 pricc tag. A
spray bottl c hl l cd
vith vincgar vorks
ncarly as vcll at a
liactionotthc cost.
Odoriferous Oil
WAX B E G ONE
Whi ch product removes
more wax from produce?
WIat causcs oil to dcvclop J n shy odor or tastc
vhcndccplying`
DAVE NGUYEN
SAN MATEO, CALIF.
> il is mainly composcd ottriglyccridcs, or tat
molcculcscontainingtrccIattyacids . Whcnoilis
hcatcd,thctattyacidsoxidizctotormsmal| vola
tilc molcculcs mostly pcroxidcs and aldchydcs )
that producc a strong, rancid odor. Jhc highcr
thchcatandthclongcrthcoilisuscd,tl+cgrcatcr
tl+c |ikclihood tl+atthiscttcctvil l occur.
C'1

` I L L U S I R AI' E D
2
It` s also vorth notingt|+at somc oilsarc morc
susccptiblc to oxidation than othcrs. Saturatcd
l atsarc lcss likclytooxidizc than unsaturatcdtats.
Jhcrctorc, oils that arc vcry lov in saturatcd tat
vi | l dctcrioratcmorcquicklythanoils\vitl:signin
cant amounts otmorc stablc saturatcd tats. Jcst
kitchcn tastc tcsts ot tri cd chickcn provcd that
canola oil ( o pcrccnt satuitcd tat ) and sanlovcr
oil ,9 pcrccnt saturatcd tat ) arc morc likcly to
lcnd a spoilcd, hshy |lavor to tricd toods than
rchncd pcanut oil , I pcrccnt saturatcd tat) or
vcgctablc shortcning , 25 pcrccnt saturatcd lat),
vhichgcncrallyproducc ccan tasti ngtricdtoods.
Mollet Egs
Whilc |lipping through Ircnch cookbooks, I
camc across rcIcrcnccs to mollct cggs. What arc
thcy, and vhat`sthc bcst vaytoprcparctl+cm`
MERLENE MOODY
WAUKESHA. WIS.
> Mollct cggs arc a catcgory ot cookcdinshcll
cggsvhoscnan+cisdcrivcdhomthc Ircnchvord
mole, mcaning soh. Jhc tcxturc otmol|ct cggs
issomcvhcrcbctvccnsonboilcdand hardboilcd.
Mollctcggs havc adarkycllov, scmiliquid,gc| likc
yolkandavhitctl+atishrmcnough torthccggto
bc pcclcd and scrvcd tor brcaktast or, morc uadi
tionally, aspartotacomposcdsalad.
Wc tound tl+c bcst vay to producc tl+is tcx
turc vas to startwith thc tcstkitchcn` sstandard
proccdurc tor boiling cggs. Wc placcd o cggs in
a mcdium sauccpan, hllcd tl:c pan vith 2 quarts
otcold vatcr, brought thc vatcr to a boi l , and
shutottthc hcat. Iard boilcd cggs stccp tor I O
minutcsbctorc bcingtranstcrrcdt oa bovl oticc
vatcr, vhilc sonboilcd cggs arc rcmovcd right
vhcntl+cvatcrcomcstoaboil .Whcnvclcttl+csc
cggs stccp in thc hot vatcr tor 4 minutcs, thc
yolksvcrcstill runnyintl+cmiddlcandthcvhitcs
had barcly sct, makingthc cggs ncarlyi mpossib|c
to pccl.Acro minutcs,hovcvcr,tl+cyolksvcrc
justsct and tl+c vhitcs had hrmcd up cnough to
makcshcllingcasy.Voila' Mollctcggs.
Avoiding the Daily Grind
I oncn buyapound otcohcc lrom my local cot
tcc shop and havc it ground tor mc so I don`t
havctodcalvitl+doingitmyscllWhat`sthcbcst
vayto storc it`
ROSECRANS BALDWIN
BROOKLYN. N.Y.
> Whcnitcomcsto cohcc, vc much prctcrbuy
ing vho|c bcans and grinding tl+cm oursclvcs in
small batches, but we realize that most people
don't want to bother with the mess (or noise)
of grinding beans frst thing every day. To deter
mine the best storage method for ground cof
fee, we stored 1-pound batches using the best
methods we have fd for storing whole beas:
on the counter, away fom direct sunlight, in a
zipper-lock bag with the mpressed out; and in the
feezer (preferred over the counter or refigerator
for long-term storage), wrapped the same way.
Aer two weeks, we brewed both samples, as
well as a third in which the frozen grounds were
allowed to come to room temperature before
brewing. Sipped black, the differences among
the samples were fairly hard to detect, but tast
ers found the room temperature-stored cof
fee slightly harsher and more bitter than both
freezer-stored sam
COF F E E STORAG E
Ground cofee fares best i n the freezer.
ples. Additionally,
letting the fro-
zen grounds
come to room
temperature
before brew
ing seemed to
allow more of
the essential oils to come out, resulting in an ever
so-slightly more flavorfl cup.
Mter one month, the differences between
the room temperature and frozen ground cof
fee were much more pronounced. The room
temperature-stored coffee was undeniably
harsher and more bitter than both freezer-stored
samples, which had a smooth, well-rounded fla
vor. So if you buy ground beans, it makes sense
to store them in the freezer, especially if you plan
on having them around for a while. And if you
have an extra 10 minutes, measure the frozen
ground coffee into a flter and let it warm to
room temperature before brewing.
Fat-Free Half-and-Half
I've heard that half-and-half is half milk and half
cream. If this is true, then what is fat-free half
and-half, and how does it compare with regular
half-and-half
KRISTIN CLER
DALLAS, TEXAS
.Accordng to the U.S. Department of Agricul
ture, whole milk contains 3.5 percent fat and heavy
cream contains 36 percent fat. Half-and-half falls
somewhere in between, containing . per
cent to 18 percent fat. Fat-free half-and-half is
made of skim milk, corn syrup, and a long list
of natural and artifcial additives that give it the
color and consistency of the real deal. After an
initial taste test pitting several national brands of
nonfat half-and-half against bona fde half-and
half in cream of broccoli soup, tasters gave Land
O'Lakes Fat Free Half-and-Half good marks.
While not as rich or creamy as true half-and-
WHAT IS IT?
This shallow pan with I -inch-deep cups is made of cast
iron, just like my favorite skillet. What is it used for?
HELEN AVELIS
TERRE HAUTE, IND.
Tis item is a compartmentlized baking pan of the tpe manufctured frm the mid- 19th centur through the 1920s.
This heav, cast-iron pan ws known variously as a rll pan, mufin pan, or gem pan, depending on the shape of te baking
cups and the cookbook recipes popular at the time. In rsearching this bakeware, we came acrss shapes rnging frm
simple-elliptical, rund, square, rctngular, and diamond-to orate designs rminiscent of miniature Bundt pans. Te
pans wer used to bake quick bread batter, such as com bread, biscuits, mufins, and gems (simple mufin-like brads).
This 1 9th-century cast-iron "roll
was used for baking corn bread,
biscuits, muffins, and gems.
half, it was at least edible,
whereas other brands had
a chemical aftertaste and
curdled in the soup.
Next, we compared
Land O'Lakes Fat-Free
Half-and-Half with real
half-and-half in chocolate
cream pie flling, mashed
potatoes, light fettuccine
Alfredo, and coffee. In the
pie flling, the fat-free half
and-half offered smooth,
FAT- F RE E HALF-
AN D_ HALF
creamy, pudding-like tex-
Can corn syrup and
additives real l y take
the pl ace of fat?
ture and decent-although
slightly chalky-chocolate
favor. The problem? It
wasn't frm enough to slice,
making it unsuitable for pie but an acceptable
choice for pudding. In the mashed potatoes,
fat-free half-and-half provided a blander, leaner,
watered-down version of the real thing, with
a slightly sweet aftertaste. Tasters had a harder
time distinguishing between the two samples of
fettuccine Alfredo, which included a fair amount
of Parmesan cheese. In the coffee, some tasters
noticed a slight chemical aftertaste in the fat-free
offering, while others couldn't tell the difference
bet\een the two.
In the end, we're not going to trade in proper
half-and-halffor the fat-fee stuff It just doesn't
have the same body and flavor. But if you're
going to replace half-and-half with a lower-fat
dairy, Land O'Lakes Fat-Free Half-and-Half s a
better choice than skim milk.
MAR C i l [y AP R I L 2 007
`
The oval shape of your baking pan's cups and the
gaps between them closely resemble a pan patented
by Nathaniel Wterman and R&E Manufacturing
Company in the late 1850s. Acording to David
G. Smith, an avid collector of cast-iron cookare,
Wterman patented the pan for "baking bread in
small rolls." Unlike modem mufin tins, which are
filled and baked right away, these pans were usually
heated while empt in a ver hot oven and then
brushed with butter. This ensured that the baked
goods would develop a handsome crust once the pans
were filled with batter and retured to the oven.
Carr-Over Cooking
Why does the phenomenon of carry-over cook
ing occur in large roasts but not in whole poultry
or whole fish?
TONY P OLOMBO
DELMONT, PA.
.When it comes to red meat and pork, allow
ing a brief resting period afer cooking enables
tl1e meat to continue to rise in temperature as
the hotter exterior transfers heat to the cooler
interior in tl1e phenomenon known as carry-over
cooking. The thicker the cut of meat and the
higher the cooking temperature, tl1e more tl1e
temperature of the meat will continue to rise.
Thus, steaks and roasts should be taken off heat
before tl1ey reach the desired temperature.
Both whole poultry and fsh contain a hollow
cavity, which provides a route for heat and steam to
escape. Unlike a large beef roast, which can rise in
temperature by 10 to 15 degrees over tl1e course of
15 to 30 minutes, a whole chicken removed fom
tl1e oven will not increase in temperature. To dem
onstrate this, we removed an undercooked chicken
from tl1e oven when the breast meat registered just
! degrees, and, sure enough, carry-over heat
didn't fuush cooking the bird. In fact, me tempera
ture immediately began to fall, hitting 140 degrees
afer 15 minutes. So always cook whole poultry and
fsh to tl1e desired degree of doneness.
5LML L5TLLH[LL5LM5 We wi l l provide a compl i
mentary one-year subscri pti on for each l etter we pri nt. Send your
i nquir, name, address, and daytime tel ephone number to Notes
from Readers, Cook' s Illustrted, !.O. Box 470589, Brookline.
MA 02447, or to notesfromreaders@americastestkitchen.com.
3COMPILED B Y DAVID PAZMINOE
Toast for a Crowd
Most el ectric toaster only accommo
date zto 4 sl i ces of bread-a probl em
if you're hosti ng a l are group for
breakast or brunch. MarWoospiti
of Cherokee, Okla . . came up with an
ingeni ous way to toast enough bread
for a crowd.
Place an oven rck i n the mi ddl e
position; pl ace a second rck i n the
lower-mi ddl e posi ti on; then pl ace a
baking sheet on the l ower rck. Heat
the oven to 4 50 degrees, then arrnge
bread sl i ces beteen ever other bar
on the upper rck. resting on the bak
ing sheet. Toast the bread unti l the
top si des are l i ghtly browned, about
6 mi nutes. Usi ng tongs, fi p the sl i ces
and continue toasting the second side,
about 6 mi nutes l onger.
El evated Straining
When draining ingredients such
as grated potatoes or yogurt in a
mesh strainer set over a bowl, the
strained liquid can sometimes rise
back into the food, ruining the
efort. Ashley Thibodaux-Jones of
New Orleans, L., solves the
problem this way.
2.
Parchment Bags
for Cooking
Cooking foods en papillote,
or baked in a sealed parch
ment bag that traps steam,
is a classic French technique,
but the parchment bag can
be dificult to fashion. Jana
Volavka of Big Sk, Mont o
devised this easy shortcut.
I . Place vegetables, fish,
meat, or poultry and sea
sonings in the center of an
oiled rectangle of parch
ment measuring 12 by 18
inches.
2. Uft the long edges of
the parchment up toward
the center and fold several
times to create a closed
package.
3. Secure folded edge with
small metal binder-stle
clips.
|. Place an overturned
ramekin or small bowl in a
larger bowl that will catch the
straining liquid.
2. Rest the strainer on the
ramekin to elevate the food,
preventing liquid from seep
ing back into it.
I .
3.
Sni pping Green Beans
Bothered by the amount of ti me
requi red to tri m green beans, Usa
Green of New York, N., came
up wi th the fol l owing ti mesaving
techni que.
Gather 3 or 4 beans with the stem
ends together in one hand. Use
ki tchen shears to tri m the ends from
the beans.
5cndUsYOur1g We will provide a compl i mentary one-year subscription for each ti p we print. Send your tip, name, and address to
Quick Tips, Cook' s I l lustrated, P. O. Box 4705B9, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or to qui ckti ps@ameri castestkitchen. com.
l''1

` I L L U S rR A T E D

Splash- Free Pouring

Tired of the splashes that occur
when transferring tomato sauce,
soup, or stew from a pot to a stor
age container, Adam Fontecchio
of Exton, P., discovered that with
the help of a spoon, the mess could
be averted.
Place the backside of a large
wooden or metal spoon under the
pouring stream to deflect the liquid
into the container.
Unwrapping Pl asti c Wrap
Dan Montgomer of Alexandria, Va. ,
ofers a cl ever way to find the begin
ning of a rol l of pl asti c wrp that has
tom and stuck to itself.
Hol d a cl ean toothbrush or vegetabl e
brush parl l el to the rol l of pl astic
wrp, rotating the rol l and rubbing the
bristl es al ong the surface of the plastic
unti l the hi dden edge l oosens and the
pl asti c can be unwrpped.
Seedi ng Cucumbers
Removing the seeds from cucum
bers is a vital step toward avoiding
soggy salads. Instead of diring a
spoon, Dennis Walker of Menlo
Park, Calif., uses the cured blade
of the swivel-stle peeler that he
just used to peel the cucumber.
After halving the cucumber length
wise, use the tip of the blade to
gently scrape out
the seeds.
L
Z
>
C
O

Z
J
C
No More Beet Stains
Uke many cooks, Adam Hulnick of New York, N.Y., always struggled to remove
red stains from his hands after cutting fresh beets. He now wards off stains
with vegetable oil.
|. 2.
| . Rub the hand that will be holding the beets with about ' /teaspoon veg
etable oil, taking care to keep the knife-holding hand dry.
2. Cut beets as desired, then wash hands with hot, soapy water.
Fresh Herbs, Fast
Fresh herbs are the fni shi ng touch to countl ess reci pes, but careful ly pl ucki ng the
leaves from a bunch of parl ey or ci l antro can be tedi ous. Vi nce Fi l i ppel l i of Ni agara
Fal l s, N.Y., uses an everday kitchen utensi l to streaml i ne the j ob.
|. Holding a bunch of cl ean, dr parsley or ci lantro i n one hand, use the
to comb the tines of a dinner fork through the herbs to pul l off the l eaves.
2. Pi ck through the leaves to remove any remai ni ng stems.
Convenient Banana Sl ices
Qui cker Carrots Jul i enne
Spatul a Hol der
Instead of resting her rubber spatul a
on the counter after scrapi ng down
the si des of her food processor
workbowl, Amanda Mari on of
Wndmoor, P. , keeps her counter
cl ean wi th the fol l owing ti p.
I .
2 .
I . Scrape the workbowl .
2. Rest the used spatul a i n the hol l ow
feed tube of the food processor l i d.
To avoid dirting a cutting board
when slicing bananas for his morn
ing bowl of cereal, Michael Bibeault
of Austin, Texas, came up with this
trick.
Cutting carrots into j ul ienne-1/a- inch-thi ck by 2- inch- l ong stri ps-i s pai nstaking work,
even for cooks with advanced knife ski l l s. Jolene Bucci no of Ahland, Or., saves ti me by
starting with a bag of unifonly cut and peel ed "snacking" carrots from the produce sec
tion of the supenarket.
|. Prtially peel the banana, leaving a
strip of peel running down its length.
2. Place the banana skin side down
on a work surace and cut the
banana into slices.
2.
|. Cut each carrot l engthwise into quarters.
2. Cut each quarter l engthwise into 1/a- i nch thi ck stri ps.
,\,\ R (I I b i\I' R I L 2 007

Handl i ng Hot Pns

Pulling a hot baking sheet out of
the oven while wearing oven mitts
can be trick, sometimes result
ing in cookies with finger indents.
Inspired by the cooks at his local
pizeria who use Channellock pli
ers to retrieve hot pizas from
the oven, John Watlington of
Richmond, Va., put the tool to
work in his own kitchen.
Use the pliers to latch onto m
baking sheets (or other bakeware
without handles), then slide them
out of the oven.
Separating Stuck Gl ass
Gl ass measuring cups and drinking
gl asses someti mes get l ocked togeth
er, with one cup stuck tightly inside
the other. Rather than risk breaking
the gl ass, John Col mers of Baltimore,
Md. , devised a novel way to release
the seal .
I .
2.
I . Fil l the top measuring cup or glass
wi th i ce cubes, then pl ace the bottom
cup i n a bowl of wann tap water.
2. The contrast in temperatures
between the cups wi l l cause the seal
to l oosen, so the cups can be gently
pul l ed apart.
Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Cutlets
Whi l e chi cken Mi l anese i s defi n ed by i ts th i ck, b ready coati ng, th i s new cl assi c s ki ps the
cru mbs and puts ch eese at the forefront. Bu t th e swap i sn't as easy as i t sou n ds .
W
hen it comes to Italian
style chicken cutlets,
most people are famil
iar witl1 two classic reci
pes: chicken Parmesan (breaded chicken
breasts topped wim melted Parmesan and
mozzarella cheeses and tomato sauce) and
chicken Milanese (pan-fried cutlets witl1 a
Parmesan-accented breading) . Although
both offer some degree of Parmesan fla
vor, they're undeniably more focused
on the bread crumbs . So it comes as no
surprise mat cookbook aumors and food
magazines have recently begun devising
Italian-inspired chicken recipes that put
the spotlight on me cheese. In place of
the traditional thick layer of breading,
Parmesan-crusted chicken offers a thin
ner, crispy-yet-chewy, wafer-like sheath
of Parmesan cheese.
= B Y S AND R A WU E
both the flour and bread crumb layers .
Unfortunately, the grated cheese didn't
provide the smooth, dry base necessary
for the beaten egg to cling to, producing
an uneven crust with sof, eggy patches .
Afer reintroducing flour as the base
layer, the egg and cheese adhered more
neatly to the cutlet . But the crust still
had a slightly soufleed texture. Omitting
the yolks greatly improved matters. The
whites clw1g to tl1e flour and acted like
flavorless glue that helped the cheese
stick to tle chicken.
With short ingredient lists includ
ing only chicken breasts and Parmesan
cheese plus one or two adherents such as
eggs or flour, the recipes I found for this
dish seemed straightforward and promis-
Lemon wedges provi de a bri ght counterpoi nt to the ri ch cheese crust on
these thi n cutl ets.
Now coated with flour, egg whites,
and a thin layer of Parmesan, the chicken
tasted only faintly of cheese. Looking for
big cheese flavor, I tried adding a hand
of grated Parmesan to the egg whites .
Altl10ugh cheesier, tle mixture was thick,
sludgy, and difcult to handle. Adding
cheese to the dry base layer of flour was
much more successful . Ultimately, I
found that equal parts flour and grated
cheese kept the binding qualities of me
ing. But variations in cooking technique yielded
samples tl1at were far cries from their beautifl
descriptions . A baled version was pale, wet, and
gummy. And while several pan-fried recipes were
nicely browned, their sof coatings were marred
by bald spots and tasted surprisingly bitter and
burnt . To come up wim a superior dish, I'd have
to conquer tle problems of weal Parmesan flavor
and mushy, patchy crusts . I also had to figure out
what was causing the acrid flavor in so many reci
pes . Afer all, what good is-a picture-perfect cutlet
if it tastes like a charcoal briquette?
Afer some initial tests, I knew a few things for
sure. First, me chicken would have to be pan
fried, not baked. While baking simply melted tle
cheese, pan-frying showed potential to deliver the
crisp crust I was afer. Second, the chicken would
have to be cooked in a nonstick skillet to keep the
crust from fusing to tle bottom of tle pan, and it
would have to be cooked quickly to prevent tl1e
cheese from burning. Boneless, skinless chicken
breasts, therefore, were a given, and they had to
be fairly tl1in. For chicken mat cooked through in
just 3 minutes, I used l4-inch-thick cutlets .
Modi fi ng the Cl assi cs
For tl1e coating, I began witl1 the breading pro
cedure for classic chicken Milanese (coating me
cutlets in flour, followed by beaten egg, followed
by bread crumbs), swapping grated Parmesan for
R e c | P e TesT 1 N G When Prmesan-Crusted Chi cken Goes Bad
Many of the reci pes we tried fel l short i n terms of fl avor and texture. Here are three common probl ems:
G U M MY
Baked chicken has a pal e, damp,
and gummy cheese coating.
PATCHY
A spott, uneven crust i s the resul t
of using the wrong "gl ue.
DARK AN D B I TTE R
A dark brown crust looks appealing
but tastes bitter and burt.
CC C1 S I L L U S T R ,\ T E D
6
flour intact while contributing a power
fl Parmesan boost . Now tl1e coating had two
distinct layers of cheese: a fresh, tangy base and a
toastier exterior. But me crust was still a little min
and spotty for my liking.
To this point, I'd been using the smallest holes
on the box grater to transform the Parmesan into
a fine, powdery consistency, which was perfect for
whisking into the flour but less impressive when
it came to providing a significant outer crust-it
was too delicate and lacy. It struck me tl1at the
thicker, coarser texture of shredded-rather than
fnely grated-cheese would provide the bulkier
layer I was looking for. With cup of shredded
cheese per cutlet, me chicken finally had a sub
stantial crust .
The key to crispness was revealed during a side
tasting of preshredded supermarket Parmesan
cheese. I noticed that while the flavor of the
preshredded cheese was inferior to authentic
Parmigiano-Reggiano, it produced chicken mat
was much crispier and less chewy. Knowing that
many of these packaged tub cheeses include
Uoto w.cookslllustratcd.com
Click on the Cook's Etr link for Ornge and
Rdish Salad with Augula.
Recipe available until August I , 2007.
Two Ways to Cut the Prmesan
/ i deal crust requi res cheeses of two d iferent textures.
A base layer of fi nel y grated Prmesan cut on the smal l est
hol es of a box or Mi cropl ane grater ( l eft) i s pai red wi th an
exteri or layer of coarsel y shredded Prmesan cut on the
l arest hol es of a box grater ( right) .
G RATE D S H RE DDE D
starches to prevent caking, I wondered if adding
flour to my Parmesan would do the same thing.
The answer was yes: Tossing a mere tablespoon of
four with the outermost layer of shredded cheese
flled in any gaps between the cheese and egg
white layers, creating a crispier exterior.
Sour Notes
My recipe was coming along, but I still had a
problem-a major problem. Whenever I cooked
the chicken until it looked gorgeous-a deep,
dark brown-it tasted burnt. When I under
browned the chicken (a counterintuitive move),
it tasted fne. Afer some head scratching, I traced
the problem back to the Maillard reaction. This
chemical effect occurs when amino acids (building
blocks for proteins) and sugars in foods are heated,
causing them to combine and form new favor
compounds. Most cheeses undergo very little of
this reaction when heated, because they don't
contain much sugar. Parmesan cheese, however,
contains fairly high levels of the sugar galactose,
which undergoes the reaction quite readily. : the
galactose reacts with sizable an1oLmts of glutamic
acid (an amino acid), me formation of bitter
tasting substances happens as soon as the cheese
starts to brown. Turing tl1e heat down to medium
once the cutlets were in tl1e pan-thus keeping
browning at bay-allowed the chicken and cheese
to cook through witl1ut tasting burnt.
I was confdent that this Parmesan- crusted
chicken, with a perfectly moist, tender interior
and a crisp, favorfl cheese crust, could fnally live
up to its name. By emptying the serving platter in
a fash, my tasters agreed without saying a word.
PARM E S AN - C R U ST E D C H I C K E N C UTL ETS
S E RVE S 4
The chicken breasts will be easier to slice into
cutlets if you freeze tl1en1 for I 5 minutes until
frm but not flly frozen. To slice in half, place
one hand on top of tl1e breast to secure it, hold a
chePs knife parallel to tl1e cutting board, and slice
through the middle of the breast horizontally.
Note that ounce of Parmesan is grated on tl1e
smallest holes of a box grater (or Microplane rasp
grater); the remaining 6 ounces are shredded on
the largest holes of the box grater (see photos at
lef). We like the favor tl1at authentic Parmigiano
Reggiano lends to this recipe. Less-expensive
DiGioro Parmesan cheese can also be used, but
tl1e resulting cheese crust will be slightly saltier
and chewier. Serve this chicken witl1 a simple salad
(see Cook's Extra, page 6). Altl1ough the portion
size ,I cutlet per person) might seem small, tl1ese
cutlets are ratl1er rich due to the cheese content.
To make 8 cutlets, double the ingredients and
cook tl1e chicken in 4 batches, transferring tl1e
cooked cutlets to a warm oven and wiping out tl1e
skillet afer each batch.
2 bonel ess, ski nl ess chi cken breasts (8 ounces
each) , tenderl oi ns removed, breasts tri mmed
of excess fat and hal ved hori zontal l y (see note
above)
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
'/ cup pl us I tabl espoon al l - purpose fl our
11 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about
'/ cup) (see note above)
3 l arge egg whi tes
2 tabl espoons mi nced fresh chi ves (opti onal )
6 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded (about
2 cups) (see note above)
4 teaspoons ol ive oi l
I l emon, cut i nto wedges
! . Adjust oven rack to middle pos!on and
heat oven to 2OOdegrees. Place chicken between
sheets of plastic wrap and pound to even '1-inch
thickness. Pat dry with paper towels and season
botl1 sides with salt and pepper.
2. Set wire rack on rimmed baking sheet. Whisk
together 11 cup flour and grated Parmesan cheese
in pie plate. In medium bowl, whisk egg whites
and chives (if using) together until slightly foamy.
In second pie plate, combine 2 cups shredded
Parmesan and remaining tablespoon flour.
3 . Using tongs and working with I cutlet at a
time, coat chicken in flour mixture, shaking off
excess. Transfer chicken to egg-white mixture;
coat evenly and let excess run off Coat chicken
with shredded Parmesan mixture, pressing gently
so that cheese adheres. Place on wire rack.
4. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 1 2-inch nonstick
skillet over medium-high heat until shimmer
ing. Place 2 cutlets in skillet and reduce heat to
medium. Cook until cheese is pale golden brown,
about 3 minutes. While chicken is cooking, use
tl1in nonstick spatula to gently separate any cheesy
edges that have melted together. Carefully flip
cutlets and continue to cook until cheese is pale
golden brown on second side and meat is no
longer pink in center, about 3 minutes. Transfer
chicken to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet
and keep warm in oven. Wipe out skillet with
paper towel and retur to medium heat. Add
remaining 2 teaspoons oil and cook remaining
2 cutlets. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
\\ ;\ K C I I b ,\ P R I L 2 0 0 7
7
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
Box Graters
Food processors can swiftly shred pounds of cheese
or vegetabl es, but l uggi ng out the appl i ance for a
chunk of Parmesan or a pai r of russet potatoes i s
i mpracti cal . But do you need to ri sk sl i ci ng your
knuckl es i n order to use a box grter? We tested
ei ght model s to fi nd out.
Wobbl e Wobbl e After grati ng bl ock moz
zarel l a, Parmesan cheese, and raw potatoes on
each of the graters i n our l i neup, we outl i ned
the characteri sti cs of a good box grater. The best
model s combi ne a stabl e base and comfortabl e
handl e wi th sharp bl ades set on a l arge shreddi ng
pl ane. Several model s, i ncl udi ng the wobbly Best
Box Grater ( $ 1 6. 95) and the equal ly unsteady
Progressive ProGri p Lrge Tower Grater ( $ 1 2. 99)
qui ckly l ost poi nts for i nstabi l i t.
Shreds of Evi dence A for grati ng abi l it.
six of the ei ght grters featured cl assi cal ly deep
punctures-fi ne for semi soft cheeses and sofer
vegetabl es, but no match to the shal l ower, rzor
sharp edges on the Mi cropl ane 3 4005 Better Box
Grater ( $24. 95) and the Cui si pro Accutec Box
Grater ( $ 3 5. 99) . Prmesan shreds, whi ch occa
si onal ly chi pped and fl aked on the other model s.
fel l l i thely from these excepti onal ly sharp bl ades.
However. the Mi cropl ane grater' s unusual ly short
( under five i nches) shreddi ng pl ane and poorly
desi gned knuckl e guard di squal ifi ed i t from the
top ranks . Meanwhi l e, the sl ender Accutec offered
three shreddi ng si zes-ul tra-coarse, coarse, and
fi ne-al ong wi th measurement- marked transparent
wal l s, a snap-on base, and a comfortabl e, cured
handl e. Cl early, thi s was the sharpest tool
i n a box. -El i zabeth Bomze
B E ST C H OI C E
CUI SI PRO Accutec Box Grater
( $ J5 . 99) Razor-sharp bl ades made
short work of s hreddi ng potatoes and
cheese.
TOO MANY S I D E S
CUI SI PRO 6- Si ded Box Grater
( $25 .89) Si x bl ades seems excessi ve,
but otherwi se a sol i d choi ce.
COM E S U P S H O RT
MI CROPLNE 34005 Better
Box Grater ( $24. 95 ) Though
razor-sharp. an opti onal knuckl e
savi ng door made shreddi ng food di fi
cul t, as di d the short s hreddi ng pl ane.
S LI P P E RY S L OP E
PROGRESSIVE ProGri p Lrge
Tower Grater ( $ 12. 99) The nonski d
rubber feet tore off wi th shreddi ng
press ure. maki ng thi s tri pod hi ghl y
u nsteady.


'W . .
- . . .
-
*

. . . .

Chinese Barbecued Pork at Home

Th ese l acq u ered stri ps of pork l ook exoti c , bu t th e meat i s actual l y " barbecued " 1 n th e
oven , maki ng i t an i deal cand i date for h ome cooki ng-i n th eory, at l east.
W
i th i ts ruby-red color, deeply
browned and crusty edges, and
sticky glazed exterior, Chinese
barbecued pork (aka char siu) is
eye candy for meat lovers . In Chinatown, these
burnished strips of meat hang in storefront win
dows, enticing hungry passersby alongside Peking
duck. This marketing ploy works . Whenever I'm
in Boston's Chinatown, I buy barbecued pork
and take it home to serve for dinner with steamed
rice and greens . I make sure to buy enough to
guarantee lefovers, which I recycle into wanton
soup, fried rice, egg rolls, and more. But since I
don't get to Chinatown all that often, I wondered
if I could replicate this classic Chinese dish at
home. After all, isn't it just barbecued meat?
Unlike American barbecue, where large cuts
are cooked with smoke on outdoor cookers until
they achieve a fall-apart tenderness, Chinese
barbecued meats are usually cut into strips and
cooked in an oven. Once the exterior is slightly
charred, the meat is brushed with honey and
cooked until a lacquered glaze forms . It's like
having barbecue with almost all crust. Sounds
simple enough.
There was just one hook-actually, more like
eight hooks . Traditional recipes call for cutting
the meat into thin strips and hanging the strips on
metal rods that go inside refrigerator-sized ovens .
The idea is that the heat can attack the meat from
all sides and create a thick crust . I tried fabricat
ing S-shaped hooks out of metal hangers and
suspending the meat from the top rack of a test
kitchen oven, but my forearms were soon covered
with battle scars caused by my failed attempts to
rescue dangling pieces of meat before they fell
onto the floor of the oven. No meat-no matter
how delicious-is worth second-degree burns . I
needed to develop a cooking method suited to a
home oven.
Thi ck and Thi n
Traditional recipes cut pork butt into long strips .
When I cut the meat into tl1icker steaks, it was
much too fatty and tough. I concluded that
cutting the meat into suips is a must, as it helps
render fat dming the relatively short cooking
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated . com
OOK'S.

Cl i ck on t he Cook's Extra l i nk for Fried

Rice with Shri mp, Pork, and Pas.
Recipe avai l abl e unti l August I. 2007.
B Y | ^ \ ' | | ^ Z ` | ` | E
mented red bean curd or red food col
oring (red foods are seen as bringing
good fornme in Chinese cuisine).
Suspending the meat from hooks
was out, but what if i placed the strips
of meat on a rack set over a baking
sheet? Wouldn' t an al l-over crust
form? I ran a series of tests with oven
temperatures ranging from 350 to
500 degrees . T he pork roasted in the
cooler ovens remained moist and was
Jess fatty, but it never achieved the
characteristic browning and intense
fl avor; the meat cooked in the hotter
ovens browned beautifully, but it was
still too tough, with pockets of un
rendered fat . Choosing the middle
road ( rasting at 425 degrees) didn't
work, so I was lef with one option
cooking tl1e meat at a low temperature
to render fat and then cranking up the
heat to develop a burnished crust .
Thi s oven - barbecue reci pe rel i es on a sweet gl aze t o create a
l acquered crust.
For my next tests, I lost the rack
and placed the strips of meat on a
big sheet of aluminum foil, poured
the marinade over the top, and then
tightl y sealed the foil . Af ter two
hours, I opened the foil packet and
browned the pork under the broiler.
All the fat had been rendered, but the
time. Working with a boneless pork butt (much
easier than uying to remove the bone), I cut the
pork in half lengtl1wise and tl1en into eight long
strips-removing some of the hard fat between
the individual muscles . I marinated the meat in
a classic mixture of light and dark soy sauces,
Chinese rice wine, hoisin, spices, and either fer-
AT A G LAN C E I C H I N E S E B B Q
meat reminded my tasters of slightly charred pot
roast-it simply fell apart at the approach of a
fork. Like all good barbecue, char siu needs to
have some chew to it.
I returned to cooking the meat on a rack set
over a baking sheet, but this time I covered the
pan with foi l . Mter an hour at 300 degrees, I
I . PRI CK Usi ng fork, pri ck 2. MARl NATE Pl ace pork 3. ROAS Pl ace pork on 4. GLE Turn oven to
broi l and brush pork with
gl aze.
pork I 0 to 1 2 ti mes on each and mari nade in bag and rack set in foi l - covered
si de. refrigerate for 30 mi nutes. baki ng sheet; add water.
C O O K
'
s I L L L! S r R A T i D
c
removed the foil and turned the oven to broil.
The meat had a better crust, but it was still too
tender. Eventually, I discovered that covering the
meat for only 20 minutes during the initial hour
of cooking was all that I needed to render excess
fat and keep the meat tender. I then removed the
foil and continued to cook the meat until a thick
crust formed. A final blast of heat from the broiler
produced a thick, slightly charred crust, and the
meat was now tender but chewy.
A Fl avorul Begi nni ng and Gl ossy Fi ni sh
tl1e pork needed was a final adjustment of fa
vor in the marinade and glaze. First, I needed to
tinker with the traditional marinade ingredients
light and dark soy sauces, rice wine, red fermented
bean curd, hoisin sauce, and fve-spice powder. In
the end, my tasters were happy witl1 just regular
soy sauce and saw no harm in replacing the rice
wine with dry sherry. The red bean curd was just
too hard to fnd. Instead, I boosted the flavor of
me mainade wim ginger, garlic, toasted sesame
oil, and white pepper.
Marinades are all about flavor penetrati on,
but how long does that take? Afer four hours,
me meat had soaked up the potent favors of the
marinade. Times in excess of four hours caused
the meat to become too salty. But four hours was
a long time to wait. Could I speed up this pro
cess? Pricking the meat with a fork before mari
nating enhanced the penetration of the marinade
so much that just 30 minutes was sufcient.
To achieve a lacquered appearance, char siu
requires the application of a honey glaze during
the last few minutes of cooking. To mi mic the
traditional red color, I supplemented the honey
with ketchup. I simmered honey and ketchup
(along with some reserved marinade) to give it a
syrupy consistency. I had fnally replicated one of
my fworite Chinese dishes at home. The solution
wasn't obvious, but it was painless.
C H I N E S E BARB E C U E D P OR K
S E RVES 6
To facilitate cleanup, spray the rack and pan with
vegetable oil spray. The pork will release liquid
and fat during the cooking process, so be carefl
when removing tl1e pan fom tl1e oven. If you
don't have a wire rack that fi ts in a rimmed bak
ing sheet, substitute a broiler pan, although tl1e
meat may not darken as much. Pay close atten
tion to the meat when broiling-you are looking
for it to darken and caramelize, not blacken. Do
not use a drawer broiler-the heat source will
be too close to me meat. Instead, increase the
oven temperature in step 5 to 500 degrees and
cook for 8 to 12 minutes before glazing and 6
to 8 minutes once me glaze has been applied;
flip meat and repeat on second side. This recipe
can be made with boneless country-style ribs, but
the meat will be slightly drier and less flavorfl.
ST E P- BY- STE P B UTC H E RI NG P ORK B UTT
Pork butts are usual ly about 4 i nches thi ck. I f usi ng a pork butt that i s thi nner than 4 i nches. cut into six pieces
instead of eight. For informati on on removing the bone from a bone- i n pork butt. see page 3 1 .
I . Cut roast i n hal f l engthwi se. Z. Tum each half on cut side and sl i ce 3 . Tri m excess hard, wax ft, leaving
lengthwise into 4 equal pieces. some fat to rnder whi l e cooking.
To use ribs, reduce the uncovered cooking time
in step 4 to 20 minutes and increase the broiling
and glazing times in step 5 by 2 to 3 minutes per
side. This dish is best served with rice and a veg
etable side dish. Lefover pork makes an excellent
addition to fried rice (see Cook's Extra on page
8) or an Asian noodle soup.
( 4- pound) bonel ess pork butt, cut i nto 8 stri ps
and excess fat removed (see i l l ustrati ons above)
11 cup sugar
11 cup soy sauce
6 tabl espoons hoi si n sauce
114 cup dry sherry
114 teaspoon ground white pepper
teaspoon five-spi ce powder
tabl espoon toasted sesame oi l
2 tabl espoons grated fresh gi nger (from 4- to
6- i nch pi ece)
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2teaspoons)
114 cup ketchup
1 / cup honey
I . Using fork, prick pork 10 to 12 times on
each side. Place pork in large plastic zipper-lock
bag. Combine sugar, soy, hoisin, sherry, pepper,
fve-spice powder, sesame oil , ginger, and garlic
r A s r 1 N G . Hoi si n Sauce
in medium bowl. Measure out / cup marinade
and set aside. Pour remaining marinade into bag
with pork. Press out as much air as possible; seal
bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to
4 hours.
2. While meat marinates , combine ketchup
and honey with reserved marinade in small sauce
pan. Cook glaze over medium heat until syrupy
and reduced to 1 cup, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat
oven to 300 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet
witl1 aluminum foil and set wire rack on sheet.
4. Remove pork from marinade, letting any
excess drip off , and place on wire rack. Pour +
cup water into bottom of pan. Cover pan with
heavy-duty aluminum foil , crimping edges tightly
to seal. Cook pork for 20 minutes. Remove foil
and continue to cook until edges of pork begin to
brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
5. Turn on broiler. Broil pork until evenly cara
melized, to 9 minutes. Remove pan from oven
and brush pork with half of glaze; broil until deep
mahogany color, 3 to 5 minutes. Using tongs,
flip meat and broil until other side caramelizes,
to 9 minutes. Brush meat with remaining glaze
and continue to broil until second side is deep
mahogany, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool for at least 10
minutes, then cut into thin strips and serve.
Hoi si n sauce is a thi ck. reddi sh brown mixture of soybeans. sugar, vinegar, garl i c, and
chi l es used i n many cl assi c Chinese di shes, i ncl uding barbecued pork, Peking duck. and
moo shu pork. Spoonful s of six hoi si n sauces and forkul s of our hoi si n- basted barbe
cued pork i ndi cated that no to brands of thi s stapl e condi ment are identical ; i n fact.
they vary dramati cal l y i n favor. consi stency. and even col or-from gl oppy and sweet.
l i ke pl um sauce. to grainy and spi cy, l i ke Asi an chi l i paste.
According to our tasters. the perfect hoi si n sauce bal ances sweet. sal t, pungent,
and spi cy el ements so that no one flavor domi nates. Ki kkoman came cl osest to thi s
ideal , wi th tasters prai sing i ts i ni ti al " burn, " whi ch mel l owed into a harmoni ous bl end of
sweet and aromati c flavors. Two other brands al so fared wel l i n our tasting. Koon Chun
was descri bed as " frui t" ( i f a bi t grainy) , and Lee Kum Kee was deemed " pl ummy"
but sal t. Tasters were not i mpressed by the three remai ning brands. Ka- Me was l ess
interesting than our top choi ces. and no one l i ked House of Tsang' s strange red col or
or Sun Luck' s bi tterness. -El izabeth Bomze
MA R C i l [ A P R I L 2 0 0 7
9
BALAN C I N G ACT
Kikkoman' s Hoi si n
Sauce won praise
for its equi l i bri um of
sweetness and sal i nit.
Authentic Olve-Rosemary Bread
Real l y good ol i ve bread can be made at h ome-b u t i t req u i res a l ot more than
j u st add i ng a handfu l of ol i ves to any b read reci pe.
M
y favorite rustic bread
is favored with olives
and the subtle per
fume of rosemary.
This Italian-inspired bread has a coarse
crumb, chewy interior, and thick, bur
nished crust.
But this hearty loaf is about as elu
sive as it is perfect, unless your neigh
borhood is blessed with a great bread
bakery. And I've been hard-pressed to
find a decent recipe to create this bread
at home. My experience has been lit
tered with homemade loaves that are
more like sandwich bread than rustic
bread, with a sof crumb and thin crust.
And the olives are either forced into the
dough early on and mixed to the point
of disintegration or added at the very
end as a sparse aferthought. To be able
to enjoy this bread when and how I
wanted, I frst needed a recipe for really
great homemade rustic bread, and then
I needed to fgure out a way to get good
olive distribution wthout ruining the
bread or the olives.
Dough Pl ay
? B Y E R I K A B R U C H
Rustic doughs are by nature lean,
devoid of fat. But there are many
Cri sp crust. chew crumb, and bi g ol ive flavor equal one perfect l oaf.
other factors that come into play in the
development of the characteristic holey crumb and
chew; namely, the amount of water in the dough
(the wetter the better), the type of flour, and the
mixing, shaping, and baking technques.
The test ki tchen's Rustic Italian Bread
(January /February 2003) calls for a lot of water:
o8 percent hydration (measured by dividing
the total weight of water by the total weight of
four), whereas most other breads have a hydra
tion level of about 60 percent . But an initial test
of adding moist olives to this recipe revealed a
few problems . The frst was an unmanageable,
sticky mass of dough, which baked into a heavy,
gummy bread. Second, the assertive favor of
the olives made the Rustic Italian Bread (with all
bread flour) seem bland by comparison.
I reduced the hydration level to 64 percent
(the olives would provide additional moisture)
and replaced a portion of the bread flour with
whole wheat flour. Honey added sweetness and
helped bring out the savory favor of the olives .
Our Rustic Italian Bread requires an overnight
sponge (a mixture of instant yeast, fl our, and
water allowed to rest overnight to build favor in
the dough) . With whole wheat flour and honey
in the dough, I hoped to save myself time by
cutting this step. Indeed, once the olives were
added to this same-day bread, the absent sponge
was not noticeable.
The other production steps for making rustic
breads were not as easily dismissed. Speci fcally,
the autolyse (allowing the mixture of fours,
water, and yeast to rest so that the flour has more
time to absorb the water) was instrumental for
more efcient kneading. But this was 20 min
utes I could afford. Turning the dough during
the frst rise also drastically improved its elastic
i ty and strength, which resulted in larger holes
in the bread and a heartier chew (see "Turned,
Not Punched, " on page I I ) .
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
l
The Ol ive Branch
Now that I had the dough, I fgured that gently
working the olives into the risen dough by hand
would keep them intact. I was wrong-the dough
sntbbornly spat out the olives at every rurn. I
began to understand why so many recipe writers
add them earlier in tl1e process.
But pitting the standing mixer against the
olives was not a fair match. The olives and dough
were like oil and water-resisting each other and
leaving the olives to smear against the outside of
tl1e dough and the bottom of the bowl . I tried
whole, halved, and diced olives; patting the olives
dry; tossing them in flour; and even stufng a
pocket in the dough with olives . But every time,
the olives were mashed and their briny liquid
turned the loaf dense and gummy.
Adding the oli ves at the very end, during
the shaping stage, started to look more attrac
tive. I found a recipe that suggested folding the
olives up into the shaped loaves, jellyroll-style.
Unfortunately, tlis resulted in an insufcient dis
tribution of olives-with large pockets in some
places and none in others . But this technique
gave me an idea: What if I rolled the olives up
into the dough before the frst and second rises?
Success . I fnally had a nicely textured loaf with
evenly dispersed olives .
Turning next to the type of olives, I assumed I
would be able to proclaim a test kitchen winner.
But I discovered olive preference is highly subjec
tive: Afer making bread with a dozen varieties, I
realized tl1at just about any brined or oil-cured
olive good enough to eat out of hand will be fine
in this bread. A preliminary quick rinse mediated
excessive brine and controlled saltiness .
I've always perceived rosemary as being brut
ish; if used excessively, it can easily overpower a
dish with its piney harshness . But I soon realized
that tl1is herb behaved differently when baked
into bread-its flavor was as fleeting as the little
specks were invisible. I needed a whopping 2
tablespoons to get a demure background favor
to complement the bright, fruity olives .
In the end, there were no mysteries to this
recipe. Hearty, high-protein flours and the right
techniques helped me create tl1e characteristically
chewy, rough-holed texture. Combined witl1 a
gentle yet thorough method for incorporating
the olives, I was able to produce satisfing olive
bread every time.
O
<
L
>
1

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O
C
C
-
C
I
OLI VE - ROS E MARY B RE AD
MAKES TWO 1 2 B Y 3 - I NCH LOAVES
Almost any varicty otbrincd or oilcurcd olivc
vorks inthis rccipc, although vc prctcrrcd a mix
ot both grccn and black olivcs. Instant ycast is
commonly labclcd rapidrisc ycast. Isc a spray
bottlc hllcd vith vatcr to mist thc loavcs. Jhc
brcadvillkccptorupto2 days,vcllvrappcdand
storcd at room tcmpcraturc. Jorccrisp thc crust,
placcthc brcad ina 45O dcgrccovcnlor5 to I O
minutcs. Jhc brcad W kccp nozcn tor scvcral
monthsvhcnvrappcdintoilandplaccdinalargc
zippcrlockbag.
I 3 cups ( 1 4 ounces) water, room temperature
2 teaspoons i nstant yeast
2 tabl espoons honey
3 11 cups ( 1 9 1/ ounces) bread fl our, pl us extra as
needed for dough and counter
' / cup (2% ounces) whol e wheat fl our
2 teaspoons tabl e sal t
2 tabl espoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 11 cups ( 6 ounces) pi tted ol ives, ri nsed, chopped
rough , and patted dry (see note above)
I . Whiskvatcr, ycast, and honcy i n bovl ot
standingmixcr.Add|loursandmixonlovspccd
vithdoughhookuntilcohcsivcdoughi stormcd,
about 3 minutcs. Covcr bovlvithplastic vrap
andlctsitatroomtcmpcraturctor 2O minutcs.
2. Rcmovc plasticvrap,makcvcllinccntcrot
doughandaddsaltandroscmary.Kncaddoughon
lovspccd, spccd2 onKitchcnAid)tor 5 minutcs
, itdough crccps up attachmcnt, stop mixcr and
scrapcdovn) . Incrcascspccdtomcdiumandcon
tinuctokncaduntildoughissmoothandslightly
tack,about I minutc. Itdoughisvcrysticky, add
I to2tablcspoons|lourandcontinucmixingtor I
minutc.Jranstcrdoughtolightly|lourcdcountcr
and pat into I2 by o inch rcctanglc. Iolloving
illustrationI bclov,prcssolivcscvcnlyintodough.
Starting at long sidc, roll rcctanglc into tightlog
, illustration2) . Withscamsidctacingup, rolllog
intocoil, illustration3).Jranstcrdough,spiralsidc
up,tooilcdcontaincrorbovl,atlcast2 quartsin
volumc, and covcrvithplasticvrap. Lct dough
riscinvarm, drahncclocationuntilitincrcascsin
sizcby5Opcrccnt,about I hour.
3. Ioldpartiallyriscn dough ovcr itsclt, illus
b L | E N L E : Turned, Not Punched
Most bread reci pes cal l for punchi ng down the dough between
the fi rst and second ri ses. Despi te i ts name, punching down i s
best accompl i shed by pressi ng down gently on the dough . Thi s
process exposes the yeast to new food sources, whi ch keeps
i t goi ng strong l onger. Punchi ng al so "degasses" the bread,
resul ting i n a l oaf wi th a fairly fine crumb-perfect for sandwi ch
bread, but not a rusti c l oaf. To create a coarser crumb wi th
better chew, we di scovered that turni ng the dough (gently
fol ding i t over onto itself between the fi rst and second ri ses)
reactivates the yeast wi thout pressi ng out as much ai r. -E. B.
PU NC H E D
Bread bakes up with
a tight, more regular
crumb better sui ted
to sandwich bread.
TU RNE D
Bread bakes u p with a
coare, open crumb and
chew texture better
suited to rustic bread.
tration 4) . Jurn bovl 9O dcgrccs, told agai n.
Jurn bovl agai n, told oncc morc . Covcr vith
plasticvrap , illustration 5 ) and lct risc 3O mi n
utcs. Rcpcattolding,rcplaccplasticvrap,andl ct
ri scuntildoublcdi nvolumc,about3Ominutcs.
4. Jranstcrdoughtolightly|lourcdvorksur
tacc, bcingcarcmlnottodc|latc.Dividcdoughin
halt, illustration o),loosclyshapccachpicccinto
ball, andlct rcst I 5 minutcs . Ilip cach ballovcr
and,startingtromtop,roll i nto tightovalshapc
, illustrationZ) . Isingpalms,rollcachoval , scam
sidc dovn) trom ccntcr outvard until I 2 inch
loati stotmcd, illustration8). Iokcanyolivcsthat
tallott intobottomscam,thcnpinchscamcloscd.
Jranstcrcachloat, scamsidc dovn, to I2 by o
i nch piccc otparchmcnt andcovcr vith plastic
vrap. Lctriscuntildoublcdi nsizc,I toI '/hours
, doughisrcadyvhcnitspringsbackslovlyvhcn
prcsscd l i ghtly vith hngcr) . Mcanvhi l c, adj ust
ovcnracktolovcr middlcposition,pl accbaki ng
stoncon rack, andhcatovcn to45O dcgrccs at
lcast3Ominutcsbctorcbaki ng.
5. Slidc parchmcnt shccts vi th loavcs onto
pccl or back otinvcrtcd baking shcct. Starting
and stopping about I inch trom cach sidc, usc
razor bladc orsharp knitc to cut 3 i nchdccp
slashcs on diagonal along top otcach mlly riscn
loat , illustration9) , sprayloavcslightlyvithvatcr.
Carcmlly slidc parchmcnt vith loavcs into ovcn
usingj crking motion. akc I 5 minutcs, spraying
loavcs vith vatcr tvicc morc in hrst 5 minutcs,
andthcnrcduccovcntcmpcraturcto3Z5dcgrccs.
Continuctobakcuntilbrcadisdccpgoldcnbrovn
andinstantrcadthcrmomctcrinscrtcdintoccntcr
otloatrcgistcrs 2 I O dcgrccs, 25 to 3O minutcs.
Jranstcrtovircrack,discardparchmcnt,andcool
loavcstoroomtcmpcraturc,about2 hours.
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
Bench Scrapers
Bread bakers rely on metal bench scrapers-broad,
sl i ghtl y bl unt bl ades with handl es that span the
l ength of the metal -to cut through pl ump rounds
of yeast bread or bi scui t dough or to scrape sti ck
dough l oose from the counter. We tested si x mod
el s and qui ckl y rej ected three: the Ki tchenAid Al l
Purpose ( $9. 99) was too smal l , whi l e the scrpers
from Sur I a Tabl e ( $ 6. 95 ) and World Cui sine
( $ 1 7. 50) sported uncomfortabl e metal handl es.
Testers preferred the flatter pl astic, rubber, or
nylon gri ps on the Dexter/Russel l Dough Cutter/
Scrper ( $7. 1 8) , Forschner Dough Scrper ( $6. 9 5) ,
and OXO Good Gri ps Stai nl ess Steel Mul ti -Purpose
Scrper & Chopper ( $ 7. 99) . Tough we had a
sl i ght preference for the sl i mmer handgrips on the
Dexter /Russel l and Forschner model s, we sacrificed
a bit of comfort for the added perks of OXO' s rul er
mark-engraved bl ade and i ts considerbly thinner
edge. which was perfectly sui ted to another com
mon bench scraper task-scoopi ng up chopped
herbs and vegetabl es. -El i zabeth Bomze
B E ST S CRAP E R
.The X Scraper ( $ 7. 9 9 ) combines the
sharpest bl ade wi th rul er marks for easy measuring.
RE C I P E S H O RTHAN D S HAPI NG OLI VE- ROS E MARY B READ
I . PRESS ol i ves into dough. 2. ROLL dough into ti ght l og. 3 . COI L l og into spi rl and l et RI SE. 4. FOLD parti al ly ri sen dough . Turn bowl . Repeat twi ce. 5 . COVER wi th pl astic wrp
and let RI SE. Repeat steps 4 and 5 . 6. DIVI DE dough and l et REST. 7. ROLL each bal l into oval shape. 8. ROLL each oval unti l l oaf is formed; l et RI SE. 9. SLSH each ful ly risen loaf.
\ A R C I I { A P R I L 2 0 07

Hearty Garlc-Potato Soup
A bowl of garl i c- potato sou p sou n ds appea l i ng, but not i f th e asserti ve garl i c overwh e l ms
th e mi l d - ma n n ered potatoes . What are th e secrets to th i s si mpl e peasant d i s h ?
I
n thc middlcotthc I 8th ccntury, Irancc` s
vhcat crop tai lcd and bagucttcs coul d no
longcr bc tound at thc local boulangcri c.
n thc vcrgc otcri si s, thc Acadcmy ot
csanon hcl d a compctrtron to hnd a lood
capablc otrcduci ngthc calamitics ottaminc.
ntcr AntoincAugustin Iarmcnticr, a ncntrc
prcncurial youngsoldicr,vho von thc contcst
by championing thc humblc potato. Hc vcnt
on to opcn numcrous potato soup kitchcns in
Iaris,ladlingoutbovlsolIotagcIarmcnticrto
hungryIrcnchmcn. Jhc soup bccamc a classic,
and rustic potato soup i s still thc pinnaclc ot
simpl c, cconomicaltarc. Iair thcpotatocsvith
hcadygarlic andvhatthc duolacksi nglamour
it makcs up lor vith rich Uavor and satis|i ng
tcxturc.
And yct anahcrnoonat thc stovc cstablishcd
thatthcstarsotthis soup can also ruin it. Jakc,
tor cxamplc, a rccipc cullcd trom thc Intcrnct
calling tor boiling 2 pounds otpotatocs and
a singlc clovc otgarlic i n copious amounts ol
vatcr.Withzcro|lavorandathin, graybroth,this
potionvasunhtlorsampling. Jhcnthcrcvasthc
concoctioncontaininghvcvholchcadsotgarlic,
vhich oblitcratcd anyhint otpotato. An idyllic
garlicpotatosouprccipcvouldhavc disccrniblc
garlicandpotato|lavors alongvithanagrccablc
, nottoothick/nottoothin)consistcncy.
Two Spuds Are Better Than One
Our Garl i c-Potato Soup uses both russet and Red Bl i ss
potatoes for ul ti mate potato fl avor and texture. Peel ed
starchy russet potatoes break down during cooki ng to
thi cken the soup, whi l e unpeel ed Red Bl i ss potatoes gi ve
the soup a rusti c, chunk texture and ri ch potato flavor.
RED BLI SS UNCOOKE D RED BLI S S COOKED
RUSSET UNCOOKE D RUS S ET COOKED
= B Y R E B E C C A H A Y S E
morc approachablc garlic Uavor , scc
Scicncc. Jhrcc Ways to Grcat Garlic
Ilavor, pagc 1 3 ) . ^ vholc hcad or
tvoolovcnroastcdgarlic addcdgcn
tlcsvccucsstothcsoup, asdidhcads
olgarlic poachcd i nvatcr or milk. A
morc dircct approach, poaching thc
garlic intlc soup,vorkcdj ustasvcll
vithout rcquiring a sccond cooking
vcsscl . Jhc soup novtastcdokaybut
vasn`trcallyrcdolcntotgarlic. Maybc
I` ddampcncdthcUavortoomuch.
I vasstuck. Sautccdgarlicvas too
harsh, and poachcd vas too mild. I
rcgroupcd and attcmptcd a hybrid
approach, hndingthat,torthisrccipc,
tvo mcthods vcrc bcttcr than onc.
Combi ni ng sautccd mi nccd garlic
vithvholcpoachcdgarlichcadslcnt
tlc complcxityI vas ahcr. Hovcvcr,
novthatIvassatishcdviththclaycrs
otgarlicUavorin thc soup,I rcalizcd
that I ` d throvn ottthc ovcrall bal
ancc, and thc potato prcscncc vas
mcagcr.
A fi nal garni sh of toasted garl i c chi ps fi ni shes off thi s heart soup.
As l uckvouldhavc i t, a collcaguc
rcmindcdmcotthccarlicrtcstvhcrc
vclikcdthccarthy|lavorotRcdliss
potatocsbutrcj cctcdthcmi ntavorot
One Potato, Two Potato
Working vith a strippcddovn rccipc contai n
ing a spoonm olminccd garlic, chickcn broth,
and a splash olcrcam , a common cnrichmcnt) ,
I tcstcd batchcs prcparcd vith cach olthc tlrcc
most common potatovarictics, both pcclcd and
unpcclcd. Iromhighcsttolovcststarchcontcnt,
thcy arc. russct, Yukon Gold, and Rcd liss.
\hilc thc hcarty |lavor ot unpccl cd Rcd liss
potatocs vas appcaling, tastcrs gcncrally lcancd
tovard soups madc vitl pcclcdrusscts,praising
tlc starchy spuds lor thc vay thcy brokc dovn
and thickcncd thc broth.
Witl my potato dccision madc, I movcd on
to thc garlic. Jhc lcv clovcs otminccd sautccd
garlic in myvorking rccipc addcd plcasant back
ground notcs, but I sought morc complcxity. It
vas not surprising tlat incrcasing thc amount ol
garlicsinplytortihcducsoupviuovcrpovcring
|lavor. !oking to tcmpcr thc harshncss,I turncd
to cookingtcchniqucsknovn loryicldingmildcr,
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 2
starchicr russcts . Ahcr morc tcsts, I
loundthatkccping thc russcts but addingsomc
Rcd lissrampcdupthcpotatoUavorniccly.
Souped- Up
Intlc lcxiconotIrcnch cookcry, thcrc arc urcc
classin cationstorsoup. consomme dcscribcsaclcar,
brothysoup,soupe rclcrsto athick,chunky, stcv
likc mixturc, andpotage isa hybrid otconsommc
andsoupc, bcingatonccpartlychunkyandpartly
smoou. Ior my cou1trystylc soup, I lollovcd
tlc lcad ot Iarmcnticr, adopting uc tcxturc ol
a potagc. I purccd a portion otuc soup into a
crcamy, smootl consistcncy and lch uc rcmain
ingchunksuntouchcd.
Jhcnamcvorkotucsoupvasnovcomplctc,
anditvastimctorrchncmcnts.Soupmakingohcn
startsviusautccdaromatics,soI addcducclassic
trio oldiccd carrots, onion, and cclcry, or mire
poix, tomyrccipc. Jhc mircpoix addcd|lavor,but
not tlc right kind. Jastcrs criticizcd uc soup lor
bcing too vcgctal . !aving uc carrots and cclcry
5 c 1 E N c E : Three Ways to
G
reat
G
arl i c Fl avor
Worki ng my way through dozens of heads of garl i c whi l e devel opi ng thi s reci pe, I cl ari fi ed some of the mysteri es
surroundi ng the bul bous pl ant. Fi rt, the extent to whi ch a garl i c cl ove i s cut determi nes the amount of flavor i t
wi l l exude. When the cel l s of a garl i c cl ove are ruptured, an odorl ess chemi cal cal l ed allyl sulfenic acid i s rel eased
and comes i nto contact wi th an enzme cal l ed alliinase. The reacti on of the two produces a new compound
cal l ed allicin, whi ch i s responsi bl e for the characteri sti c fi ery flavor and scent of garl i c. The more a garl i c cl ove i s
broken down , the more enzmes are rel eased and the more al l i ci n-and therefore flavor-i s produced .
Second, cooki ng affects the flavor i ntensi t of garl i c. Garl i c is at i ts sharpest when raw. When heated beyond I 50
degrees, the enzymes i n garl i c are destroyed and no new flavor i s produced; only flavor produced up to the i nacti
vation temperture remai ns. One caveat: When garl i c i s browned at ver high temperatures ( 300 to 3 5 0 degrees,
as when maki ng garl i c chi ps) , some of the flavor compounds are converted i nto sl ightly bi tter mol ecul es.
What does thi s mean for the garl i c i n our reci pe? Whol e heads of garl i c yi el d mi l d, sweet flavor. Fi nel y mi nced
garlic produces pronounced flavor, and gol den brown garl i c chi ps del iver potent, pl easantly bitter notes. -R. H.
S I M M E RE D SAUT
E
E D TOASTE D
Simmered i n the soup, garl ic heads
add sweet, mild notes.
Tree cloves of sauteed mi nced
garl i c contri bute potent favor.
A garnish of garl ic chi ps adds
bol d, toasted flavor.
inthcrcnigcrator,I prcparcdabatchotsoupusing
onions alonc. Jhisvasbcttcr,butnotas good as
thc soup prcparcd vith lccks, a natual parucr
torpotatocs. Iorthcdairycomponcnt,crcamvas
tavorcdovcrmilkandhalt andhalttoritsrichncss.
Iinally,baylcavcsandncshthymc, thclattcraddcd
atthccndotcookingtormaximum|lavor)contrib
utcdabrighthcrbaldimcnsion.
Atthispoint, thcsouptastcdgrcatbutlookcd
abitdrabandpalc. Myhrstinstinctvastoadda
sprinklingotchivcs, and thcnthc idcaskcptroll
ing. Garlicchips, tricdinolivc oil, rcallyhit thc
mark. Jhcir toasty, pl casantly bittcr U avor and
crunchytcxturc pushcdthcsoupovcrtlctop. I
novhadapcasant`ssoup httoraking.
GARL I C - POTATO S O U P
S E RVES 6 AS A MAI N COU RS E
Agarnishi s csscntialt oaddcrunch andUavorto
tlis soup. Wc likc garlic chips, but crisp bacon
bits, tricd lccks, or garlic croutons , scc Cook`s
Lxtraatrighttor rccipcs) arc goodoptions, too.
Apotatomashcrcan bcuscdinstcadotanimmcr
sion blcndcrto mash somc ottlc potatocs right
inthc pot,though thc consistcncyvill not bc as
crcamy. ! lccks arc not availablc, substitutc an
cqual amount otycllov onion. Jhc tcst kitchcn
prctcrs tlc soup madc vitl chickcn brotl, but
vcgctablc brothcan bcsubstitutcd.
3 tabl espoons unsal ted butter
medi um l eek, white and l ight green parts
halved l engthwi se, washed, and chopped smal l
(about I cup)
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I tabl espoon) , pl us 2whol e
heads garl i c, ri nsed, outer papery ski ns removed
and top thi rd of heads cut off and di scarded
6 cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth, pl us I cup to
thi n soup, i f needed
2 bay l eaves
Tabl e sal t
1 11 pounds russet potatoes , peel ed and cut i nto
11- i nch cubes (about 411 cups)
pound Red Bl i ss potatoes ( unpeel ed ) , cut i nto
1 1- i nch cubes (about 3 cups)
'/ cup heavy cream
I 1 1 teaspoons mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
Ground bl ack pepper
1/4 cup mi nced fresh chi ves
Garl i c Chi ps ( reci pe fol l ows)
I . Mclt buttcr in Dutch ovcn ovcr mcdium
hcat. Whcntoamingsubsidcs,addl ccksandcook
unti|son, do notbrovn) , 5 to 8 mi nutcs. Stirin
minccd garl ic and cook unti| tragrant, about I
minutc. Add garlic hcads, broth, bay | cavcs,and
'/+ tcaspoon salt,partiallycovcrpotandbringto
simmcrovcrmcdium highhcat. Rcducchcatand
simmcr until garlic is vcry tcndcr vhcn picrccd
vithtipotknitc, 3Oto4Ominutcs. Addpotatocs
and continuc to simmcr, partia|ly covcrcd, until
potatocsarctcndcr, I 5 to2Ominutcs.
2. Discard bay l cavcs. Rcmovc gar|ic hcads,
usingtongsorpapcrtovc| s, squcczcgarl ichcads
at root cnd until clovcs slip out otthcir ski ns.
Isingtork,mashgarlictosmoothpastcinbovl .
3 . Stircrcam,thymc, and ha| totmashcdgar|ic
into soup, hcat soup until hot, about 2 mi n
utcs. Jastc soup, add rcmaining garlic pastc it
dcsircd. Ising i mmcrsion blcndcr, proccsssoup
unti| crcamy, vith somc potato chunks rcmai n
i ng. Al tcrnativcly, transtcr I '/ cupspotatocs and
I cup broth to blcndcr or tood proccssor and
proccss until smooth. , Iroccss morc potatocs
tordickcrconsistcncy. ) Rcturpurcctopotand
stirto combinc, adj ustingconsistcncyvith morc
M A R C i l [ A P R I L 2 0 07
J 3
E Q U I P M E N T T E 5 T I N G . ldl eS
You might thi nk one l adl e i s prett much the same
as the next. But after I had dunked eight stai nl ess
steel model s ( pl astic stai ns and can mel t on the
stovetop) i nto pots of chi cken noodl e soup and
heart beef stew, scattered puddl es on the test
kitchen countertop made it cl ear that not al l l adl es
are eronomi cal ly equal .
Ldl es wi th handl es shorter than 9 i nches,
such as the Ki tchenAi d Hol l ow Handl e Servi ng
Ladl e ( $ 1 4. 99) and OXO Steel Servi ng Ldl e
( $ 7. 9 5 ) , s i mpl y san k i n deeper pots ; what' s
more, thei r smal l bowl s were better sui ted to
sauces than soups. However, more than I 0 i nches
of gri p on the Next Day Gourmet Stai nl ess Steel
Ladl e ( $ 1 7. 70) and Fantes Stai nl ess Steel Ladl e
( $4. 49) proved cumbersome to maneuver, as di d
thei r l ack of offset handl es-a fl aw shared by the
Am co Stai nl ess Steel Stand- Up Ldl e ( $ 1 2. 99) .
Wi thout some sl i ght bend i n the handl e, cl eanly
transferri ng the l adl e' s contents i nto a bowl is
nearl y i mpossi bl e.
A handl e that bends too dramati cal ly, however
the defect of the Cui si pro Tempo Seri ng Ldl e
( $ 1 4. 9 5) -makes i t difi cul t to di p the l adl e i nto a
tal l , narrow stockpot. That left the Rosi e Ldl e
with Pouri ng Ri m & Hook Handl e ( $23 . 95) ,
whi ch worked ver wel l . A hook handl e
and a dri p- preventi on pouri ng ri m,
whi ch kept even wiggly noodl es i ntact
al l the way to the bowl ,
the Rosi e l adl e our
top rti ng.
-El izabeth Bomze

ANATOMY O F TH E P E RF E CT LADLE
Te Rosie ldl e with Pouring Rim &Hook Handl e
($ 23 . 9 5) i ncl udes an ofset hook handl e, a deep bowl ,
and a spi l l - prevention pouring ri m.
brotl i tncccssary. Scason vith salt and pcppcr
and scrvc, sprinkling cach portion vith chivcs
andgarlicchips.
GARL I C C H I P S
MAKE S ABOUT ' / C U P
3 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
6 medi um garl i c cl oves, sl i ced thi n l engthwise
Tabl e sal t
Hcatoi landgarlici nIO inchskillctovcrmcdium
high hcat. Cook, turning trcqucntly, until |ight
goldcn brovn, about 3 minutcs. Ising slottcd
spoon, transtcr garlic to platc lincd vith papcr
tovcls, discard oil . Sprinklc | ightlyvithsalt.
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com

Cl i ck on the Cook' s Extra l i nk for Fried

leeks or Garl ic Croutons garni shes.

Reci pes avai l abl e unti l August I , 2007.

How to Make Potato Roesti
Ach i evi ng a cri sp crust and creamy-n ot gu mmy-i n teri or i s easi e r sai d
than don e i n th i s si mpl e Swi ss potato cake .
S
omctimcs simplc rcally is bcst . Casc i n
point. Svitzcrland`snationaldish,potato
rocsti,akaroschti orrosti ) .Gratcdpotato-
scasoncd plainly vith salt and pcppcr-
is tricd in loads otbuttcr into a broad, goldcn
brovncakc.Jhccrunchy,crispcxtcriorcncascsa
tcndcr,crcamyintcriortastingotlittlc but carthy
potatoand,otcoursc,richbuttcr. It`ssortotlikc
a giant hash brovn, j ust tlickcr and hcarticr-
morcdinncrsidcdishthanbrcaktaststaplc.
ut as anycookknovs,simplcdocsnotmcan
casy, thinkota|lakypiccrustortcndcromclct) .
Icv ot thc rocsti havc tri cd mcasurc up to
thcir idcal, instcad, most havc suttcrcd trom a
host otproblcmsthat makc mc vondcrvhcthcr,
pcrhaps, likc cratting |lavlcss vatchcs or main
taining political ncutrality i n thcsc tryingtimcs,
prcparingpcrtcctrocstiisaSvissbirthright.So,i t
you`rcnotSviss,hovdoyoumakcrocsti `
If at Fi rst You Don' t Succeed . . .
3 B Y M A T T H E W C A R D E
As tor mctld bascd tricks, a tcw
rccipcs svorc by covcring thc rocsti
as it cookcd , i n part or all thc vay
through) . I thought this vould trap
moi sturc and makc thc cakc cvcn
dcnscr and gummicr than it alrcady
vas, but j ust thc oppositc occurrcd.
Rocsticookcdcovcrcdtorpartottlc
timc vcrc surprisingly light, as itthc
moist hcatcookcdthcpotatothrough
morc n.lly than di d dry hcat alonc.
Jhc gummi ncss vas duc in part to
undcrcookcdpotatocs, and thc covcr
addrcsscd, but di d not compl ctcly
solvc, thatproblcm. Acra tcwmorc
batchcs,Itoundthatcookingtl+ccakc
tor six minutcs covcrcd thcn anothcr
tcvminutcsuncovcrcd, untilthcbot
tom i s a dccp goldcn brovn) bctorc
|lippingyicldcdthc bcst rcsultsyct.
Rocsticanbcprcparcdtromcithcrcookcdorrav
potatocs. Considcringthat cookcd potatocs must
bc coolcdovcrnight to bcgratcdvithoutcrum
bling,I tavorcdravpotatovcrsions. Itounddoz
cnsotrccipcs that, dcspitc dittcrcnccs,produccd
largclysimilarrcsults. anattractivc goldcnbrovn
crust conccaling, to varying dcgrccs, a glucy,
gummy, haltcookcd tanglc ot stringy potato.
Jhc bigissuc,tlcn,vasn` tbrovningthc outsidc,
itvascookingthcinsidc.
Thi s cri sp potato cake i s the perfect si de di sh for roasted meats.
Anothcr rcci pc said thc potato
should bc gcntly shapcd into a cakc,
rathcrthanpackcdtightintothc pan.
uscd a rubbcr spatula and minimal
torcc I pcrsuadc thc potato into a
round cakc. As thc cakc cookcd, you
couldscc thc stcamcscapingtromthc
Jhc most succcssnl rccipcs I tricd-ityou
could cal l thcm that-tollovcd a prctty basic
protocol . Iatthcgratcdpotatocsdryvithpapcr
tovcls, scasonvithsalt andpcppcr,pack into a
vcll buttcrcd nonstick skillct, try ovcr mcdium
hcatuntil brovncd, and llip to cookthc sccond
R E C I P E T E S T I N G : 3 Swi ss Mi sses
sidc. Jhatbcingsaid,manyotthcrccipcsI col
lcctcdhadhooks,ortrickscmbcddcdintl+cbasic
tcchniquc that thc authors promiscd vcrc thc
sccrctstosucccss. Jhcsctipstcl l intotvodistinct
catcgorics . tcmpcraturcandmcthod.
Somcotthcrccipcscrankcdtl+chcatundcrthc
skillctto startthccakc anddroppcditto lov to
hnish, orviccvcrsa. Ncithcr tactic rcallyvorkcd
tor mc, mcdium hcatprovcdbcst.
Here are three common probl ems we encountered when testi ng roesti reci pes:
P ROB LE M : BURNT
With too much butter i n the pan
or too much heat, the roesti burns
in spots.
P ROB LE M : G U M MY
Potatoes with excess moi sture turn
the roesti i nto a gray, stic[mess.
P ROB LE M : CRU M B LY
Ri nsi ng the potatoes washes away
excess starch but can leave the roesti
with no structure.
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
!
tanglcdpotatoandthcrcsultingrocsti
vastarlightcr, andhighcr)and lcss gummy than
a packcd cakc, thoughstill notpcrtcct.
Getti ng Cl oser
vondcrcditthcamountotbuttcr-rtlc typc
ottat,torthatmattcr-ouldhavc anythingtodo
vith succcss . Rccipcs almost univcrsally tavorcd
buttcr, though a hcrctical tcv uscd oil, lard,
or cvcn goosc tat utsidc otthc goosc tat
dclicious but vholly impractical-nothing could
touch thc Uavor or rich brovning contributcd
by buttcr. Ioran cxtcrior that vas crisp but not
grcasy,I cvcntually scttlcd ontourtablcspoonsot
buttcr-tvo tor cach sidc.
Ior thc sakc ottcsting, hadprocccdcd with
thc tvo potato vari cti cs cvcry rcci pc rccom
mcndcd. starchyrussctsand Yukon Golds. Could
adittcrcntvarictybri ngthcrccipcaround`High
moisturc Rcd liss potatocsmadca rocstivitha
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Cl i ck on the Cook' s Extra l i nk for Roesti
Sering Suggesti ons.
I nformati on avai l abl e unti l August I , 2007.
O
2
L
O
-
U
Z
>
C
O

i
Z
1
D
Z

mushy,granulartcxturcthattcl l apartinthc pan.
All purposcpotatocsvcrc K, but thcycouldn` t
comparcvithmorcUavorhnrussctsandYukons.
Jastcd hcad to hcad, Yukons von handily tor
thcirbuttcry|lavorandsunnycomplcxion,vhich
cmphasizcdthccaramcl colorcdcrust.
Watching mc vork onc day, a collcaguc sug
gcstcd I svitchtrompapcrtovclsto adishtovcl
andtryvringingoutthcgratcdpotatocsinstcadot
simplypattingthcm.Withabitotclbovgrcasc, I
vasablctosqucczcoutasurprisinglylargcamount
otmoisturc.Rocsticookcdtromthcscdrypota
tocsvcrc bcttcr,butstillnotpcrtcct.
A Qui ck Ri nse
Jhis bcing thc modcrn agc, I n nally turncd to
Cooglctorncvidcas.Ahcrhoursotsurhng,I hit
onthcbullctinboardotaprotcssionalchct`ssitc.
Jhc rcsponscs to a qucry about rocsti scroll cd
on tor pagcs ot tips that I had tricd tmtil thc
vcrylastpagc, vhcrc onc chctcitcdrccipcstrom
Madclcinc Kamman and Craig Claibornc. Jhc
authors both rinscd thc potatocs i n cold vatcr
bctorc squcczing thcm out and procccdingvith
thcrccipc.
I vas skcptical about thc rinsi ng. Woul dn` t
thc potatocs absorbthcvatcrandbccomc cvcn
vcttcr, cttcctivcly ncgating thc squcczing` Jhc
proot, hovcvcr, vas in thc rocsti . rinscd, dricd
potatocsyicldcd thc bcstcakcyct. lightcr,dricr,
and vithout a hint otgummincss. Rinsi ng, i t
sccms,rcmovcdcxccssstarch, squcczingrcmovcd
thcmoisturc. Itvasthccombinationotmoisturc
andstarchthatvascausingthcgummincss,andI
had nowcl i minatcdboth.
ut somc otthat starch vas impcrativc tor
kccping thc cakc bound togcthcr. Kamman` s
rocsti may havc hadthcbcstintcrior, buti t tcl l
apart oncc sl i ccd. Cl ai bornc` s rcci pc rccom
mcndcdcollcctingthcpotato starch thatpoolcd
atthcbottom otthcbovlahcrrinsingandtoss
ingthcpotatocsvithsomc otthis starch bctorc
cooking. Whilc thcstcp sccmcd incrcdibly mssy,
itmadc good scnsc. Lookingto skip thc tcdious
n ltcring otthc potato starch trom thc rinsing
vatcr, I tosscd thc rinscd, squcczcd dry gratcd
potatovithatcaspoonotcornstarch.
Jhcrcsultsvcrcclcarcarlyon. nccIrcmovcd
Yes, You Can "j ui ce" a Potato
Excess moi sture in the
potatoes wi l l cause
roesti to cook up
gummy i n the mi ddl e.
To remove thi s moi s
ture, squeeze the
shredded potatoes i n a
kitchen towel . Expect
to extract at l east 'I
cup of l i qui d from l 1/2
pounds of potatoes.
I . RI NSE shredded potatoes wi th Z. DRY potatoes i n ki tchen towel , 3. TOSS potatoes wi th sal t, com-
col d water i n l arge bowl ; drai n. squeezi ng to remove excess starch, and pepper.
4. SPRED potatoes to edges of
ski l l et, but don' t pack down . Cover
wi th lid and cook 6 mi nutes.
5. Uncover ski l l et, then PRESS and 6. FUP to second si de (see page
shape i nto uniform, round cake. 3 1 ) and cook unti l browned.
Cook 4 to 6 mi nutes l onger.
thc l i dand gavc thc skillctashakc,thcstrandsot
potato vcrc stuck togcthcr i n an ai ry ncst-I
hadn` t cvcn touchcd thc potato vith a spatul a.
I hnishcdcookingthccakc, andthc rcsultsvcrc
ncar pcrtcct. a caramcl gold crust, crcamy, j ust
cookcdthrough intcrior, and airy, light tcxturc
thatvaspcrtcctlysliccabl c .
POTATO R OE STI
S E RVES 4
Jhc tcst kitchcn prctcrs a rocsti prcparcd vitl+
potatocs that havc bccn cut through tl+c l argc
shrcdding disk ota tood proccssor. It is possiblc
to usc a boxgratcrto cut thc potatocs, but tl+cy
should bc cut lcngthvisc, so you arc lch vith
long shrcds. Itisimpcrativc tosqucczcthcpota
tocs as dryas possibl c. Avcl l scasoncd cast iron
skil l ctcan bcuscdin placcotthcnonstickskill ct.
yaddi ngtricdcggs, ham,bacon, chccsc,cookcd
onions, and/or tomatocs, rocsti can bc turncd
intoa lightmcal, sccCook`sLxtraonpagc I 4) .
1 11 pounds Yukon Gol d potatoes ( 3 to 4 medi um) ,
peel ed and shredded (see note above)
1 1 teaspoon tabl e sal t
teaspoon cornstarch
Ground bl ack pepper
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter
I . Ilacc potatocs in l argc bovl and hl l vith
coldvatcr. Ising hands, svirl to rcmovc cxccss
starch, tl+cndraininstraincr.
2 . Wipc bovl dry. Ilacc hal tot potatocs i n
ccntcr otkitchcn tovcl . Gathcr cnds togcthcr
andtvistastightlyaspossiblctocxpcl maximum
1I A R C I I c A P R I L 2 0 0 7
|
moisturc. Jranstcr potatocs to bovl and rcpcat
proccssvithrcmainingpotatocs.
3. Sprinklcsal t, cornstarch, andpcppcrtotastc
ovcrpotatocs . \singhandsortork,tossingrcdi
cntstogcthcruntilvcll bl cndcd.
4. Mcl t2 tablcspoons buttcri n I Oinch non
stick ski l l ct ovcr mcdi um hcat. Whcn toaming
subsi dcs, add potato mixturc and sprcad into
cvcn l aycr. Covcr and cook o minutcs. Rcmovc
covcr and, using spatul a, gcntly prcss potatocs
dovn to torm round cakc. Cook, occasionally
prcssingonpotatocstoshapcintounitormround
cakc, until bottomi sdccp goldcn brovn,4to o
minutcslongcr.
5 . Shakcskillcttolooscnrocsti and slidc onto
l argc pl atc. Add rcmaining 2 tablcspoons buttcr
toski l l ctandsvirltocoatpan. I nvcrtrocstionto
sccond platc and slidc it, brovncdsidc up, back
into ski l l ct. Cook,occasionallyprcssingdovnon
cakc,until bottom is vcll brovncd, Z to 9 min
utcs . Rcmovc pan trom hcat and allov cakc to
coolin pantor5minutcs. Jranstcrrocstitocutting
board,cutinto4picccs,andscrvc immcdiatcly.
FAM I LY- S I ZE D POTATO R OE STI
S E RVES 6
Iol l ov rccipc tor Iotato Rocsti, incrcasing
amountot potatocsto2'/: pounds.Squcczcpota
tocs in 3 batchcs , i nstcad ot2) and incrcasc salt
to '/+ tcaspoon and cornstarch to I ': tcaspoons.
Cook rocsti in I 2 inch nonstick skillct, adding
additional ': tablcspoon buttcr pcrsidc ,5 tablc
spoons total ) . I ncrcasc uncovcrcd cooking timc
i nstcp4 to 8 to IO minutcs andcookingtimcin
stcp 5 to8 to I O minutcs .
Bread Baking Demystified
Bread baki ng i s sh rou ded i n myster and pl agued by mi si nformati on and myth s .
After years of ki tchen testi ng, we ' re ready to set th e record strai gh t. O1 z ' . 'z ` ` z '
MYTH # 1 : Bread Fl our I s Best

FACT: Al l - Purpose Fl our

Is Fi ne We have found that

unbl eached al l - purpose fl our is the

best choi ce i n most bread reci pes.
Bread fl our (whi ch has more pro
tei n than al l - purpose) i s necessary
onl y for rustic breads with a real ly
sturdy crumb and thi ck crust.
MYTH # 2 : Tap Water Is Fi ne
FACT: Bottl ed Water I s Best
Water from the tap can contai n many
mi neral s and addi tives that adversely
afect the flavor of bread. In our experi
ence, bread made with bottled water has
a sweeter, ful l er flavor than bread made
with tap water. I f your tap water has an
of taste or i s parti cul arly hard or soft, we
recommend usi ng bottl ed water.
MYTH # 3 : Salt Is Opti onal
FACT: Salt I s Essenti al I f sal t
comes i n di rect contact wi th yeast,
i t wi l l ki l l the yeast. Therefore, sal t
shoul d be added to the dough after
the yeast has been mixed with the
fl our. Because sal t control s the acti vi t
of yeast, strengthens gl uten, and ac
cents the bread' s flavor, i t shoul d never be omitted.
MYTH #4: Yeast Must
Be Proofed
FACT: Proofi ng I s
Unnecessary Ol der books tel l
.
y
ou to spri nkl e yeast over wanm wa
"
ter and wait five mi nutes before pro-
ceedi ng. Thi s process, cal l ed proofing
the yeast, is no longer necessar. Our test kitchen rel i es
on i nstant yeast (al so l abel ed rapi d- rise yeast) and adds
the yeast di rectly to the dr i ngredi ents.
MYTH # s : Always Star with a Sponge
FACT: Some Breads Don' t Requi re a
Sponge A sponge i s made by mixi ng a pori on of the
fl our, water, and yeast before the dough i s made. Thi s
sponge (al so cal l ed a biga
or preferment) is then
al l owed to ferment for
several hour or over
night before the dough is
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prepared. Although a sponge does i mpart a great deal of

flavor to rustic breads, i t i sn ' t necessary with hi gher-fat
l oaf breads, for whi ch al l of the i ngredi ents are usual ly
:
j ust combi ned in a bowl .

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MYTH # 6 : Hand- Kneadi ng Is Better
FACT: You Shoul d Use a Standi ng Mixer
:
I n the test kitchen, kneadi ng in a standi ng mixer i s the
; techni que of choi ce. ( Use the paddl e attachment to
combi ne i ngredi ents, then switch to the dough hook
to knead. ) Thi s method ensures that we don' t add
too much fl our to the dough (whi ch can happen with
hand- kneadi ng and l eads to dry, tough l oaves) . A stand
i ng mixer i s especi al l y suited for kneadi ng wet or sti ck
dough . Once dough i s kneaded, i t may requi re a brief
kneadi ng by hand on the counter to form a cohesive bal l .
MYTH # 7 : You Can' t Overknead
FACT: Too Much Kneadi ng Leads
to Fl avor Loss
Many bakers assume that the
l onger you knead bread ,
the better. However,
prol onged kneadi ng
wi l l overoxi di ze the
dough , whi ch l eads
to fl avor l oss. When
properly kneaded,
dough shoul d have I f properly kneaded, pinched
a smooth , al most portion of dough shoul d spring
shi ny appearance.
back i nto shape qui ckly.
If you pul l the dough , it shoul d feel very stretchy and
qui ckly spri ng back i nto pl ace.
MYTH # a : Ri si ng Ti mes Are Fl exi bl e
FACT: Ri si ng Ti mes Shoul d Be Fol l owed
Whi l e there is some fl exi bi l i t in the first ri se (fer
mentati on) , we have found that i t i s i mportant to pay
cl ose attenti on to the dough duri ng the second rise
( proofi ng) . I f underproofed, there i s a chance that the
dough wi l l ri se too much when baked, caus
i ng spl i tti ng and teari ng. __
If overproofed, the
dough may col
l apse when baked. _
f
A rel i abl e way to
test the dough ' s
progress duri ng proof
i ng is to press i t
gentl y wi th a l ightly
moi stened fi nger.
P ROPE RLY PROOF E D
Dough wi l l feel spong rather
than fi rm, and i ndentation
wi l l sl owl y fi l l i n.
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S C I E N C E : AUTOLYS E
u/0lJr ( pronounced AUTO- l ees) is a techni que
i n whi ch bread i ngredi ents are bri efly mi xed and
al l owed to rest before kneadi ng. Thi s gi ves bread
more flavor and better texture.
So how does autolyse work? When water and
fl our are combi ned, gl uten forms i n a random, di s
organi zed matrix that i s ver weak. /the dough
i s kneaded , the di sorgani zed bonds are pul l ed
apart and reattached i nto strai ght, strong, orderl y
sheets. Thi s must occur in order to gi ve bread
proper structure.
But excessi ve kneadi ng can l ead to flavor l oss.
The auto lyse step reduces kneadi ng ti me by
al l owi ng enzymes in the dough to break down
di sorgani zed bonds of gl uten . Autolyse hel ps the
gl uten form a stronger, more organi zed network
with less kneadi ng.
MYTH # 9 : Baked Bread Wi l l Sound Hol l ow
FACT: Thermometers Don' t Ue Many reci pes
i nstruct the baker to tap the bottom of the l oaf to check
the bread ' s doneness-i f i t sounds hol l ow, then i t' s
done. We have found thi s techni que to be i nexact. I n
our experi ence, i t i s much better to use an i nstant-read
thermometer. Rustic breads shoul d be baked to an i n-
ternal temperature of 200 to 2 1 0 degrees, whi l e richer
breads are done at 1 90 to 1 9 5 degrees.
To test free-
loaf pan, i nser
thermometer
from side, just
above edge
of l oaf pan,
di recting i t at
downward angle
toward center of loaf.
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Cl i ck on the Cook' s Extra l i nk for our
I i st of Gadgets and Gear for the Bread
Baker.
I nformati on avai l abl e unti l August I . 2007.
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I . Measure
Careful ly measuri ng i ngredi ents is cruci al
to success. Because the rati o of fl our to
water greatly i mpacts the end resul t, we
recommend wei ghi ng the i ngredi ents before
maki ng bread.
Mi xi ng di stri butes the i ngredi ents, hydrates
the fl our, and starts the devel opment of
gl uten.
J. Autolyse
Once the i ngredi ents are ful ly combi ned, a
20- mi nute rest (cal l ed autol yse; see page 1 6)
al l ows the fl our to compl etel y absorb the moi s
ture and makes kneadi ng qui cker and easi er.
4. Knead
Kneadi ng devel ops the gl uten strands i n the
dough, whi ch i n turn provi de the bread ' s struc
ture. Resi st the temptati on to add excess fl our,
whi ch wi l l make the baked l oaf dry.
Here' s a bri ef overview of the steps you must fol l ow to make most breads .
b. Ferment
Fermentati on i s the
process i n whi ch the
starches i n the fl our
break down to feed
the yeast, whi ch
then rel eases carbon
di oxi de. Thi s gas i s
trapped by the fi bers of
gl uten , gi vi ng the bread l i ft.
We l i ke to ferment dough
i n a cl ear, strai ght-si ded
contai ner, whi ch al l ows us to
easi l y j udge when the dough has properly ri sen . I t
i s al so hel pful to mark the height of the dough by
pl aci ng a rubber band around the contai ner.
0. Punch Down
Punchi ng down hel ps to redi stri b
ute the yeast and al l ows i t to
fi nd new food . Thi s
i ncreases the yeast
acti vi t, ul ti matel y
l eadi ng to bread
wi th a better texture.
Punchi ng down bread
shoul d not be vi ol ent.
The si rpl est way i s to pul l
t he edges of t he dough
toward the center or push
down gentl y on the dough .
J. Shape
Form the dough i nto the desi red shape on an
unfl oured work surface, whi ch al l ows the dough to
gri p the counter, thus faci l i tati ng shapi ng.
. Proof
Proofi ng i s the dough ' s fi nal ri se before baki ng.
When properl y proofed, dough wi l l have enough
energy to provi de the yeast wi th one l ast burst of
acti vi t (cal l ed oven spri ng) in the hot oven .
\ A s t . | c A s | 2 0 0
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V . Sl ash
Sl ashi ng the proofed l oaf wi th a sharp
pari ng knife or razor al l ows the crust
to expand and wi l l prevent the bread
from spl i tti ng i n the oven.
Mi sti ng the l oaf ri ght before i t goes i nto the oven
delays the formati on of a crust, al l owi ng the bread
to ful ly expand wi thout teari ng or spl i tti ng. The
steam al so promotes the formati on of a cri spy,
gl ossy crust.
I I . Bake
A baki ng stone wi l l hel p keep the oven temperature
steady and promote a thi cker, cri spi er crust on free
form l oaves.
1 2. Cool
Cool i ng on a rack al l ows moi sture to escape and
keeps the bottom crust from becomi ng damp and
soggy. Breads that are baked i n a l oaf pan shoul d be
removed from the pan as soon as they have cool ed
enough to be handl ed.
Roasted Tomato Sauce
Can a bl ast of h eat transform u n remarkabl e , ou t- of- sason
tomatoes i n to a vi brant sauce for pasta?
I
`vc bccomc a bit ola tomato snob
cvcr sincc gctting into gardcning.
Jomatocshavctobcdccprcd,ripc,
andi nscason to gct my attcnti on.
Andvhcn it comcs to tomato saucc,
ithadbcttcr bc madcvith thc plump
cst gardcnlrcsh lruit availablc . In my
opinion,lrcshtomatosaucchasahcarty,
almostmcatyqualitythatcan` tbc bcat.
Inthcdcadolvintcr,hovcvcr,I rcly
on canncd tomatocs-pickcd, cookcd,
andpackcd at pcak ripcncss-lor saucc
maki ng. Jhcsc convcni cnt stand i ns
makcagoodsaucc, butIcoulddovith
out thcir slightly tinny, stcvcd tomato
|lavor.A saucc madc vith canncdtoma
tocs also lacks thc mcaty intcnsity ola
saucc madc vithlrcshtomatocs. Isthcrc
avaytomakcagrcatlrcshtomatosaucc
vhcnmygardcniscovcrcdvithsnov
B Y C H A R L E S K E !_ S E Y <
Ri ght Jomato lor thc J ob on pagc
I 9. ) Lcavi ng thc tomatocs wholc pro
hibitcdthc cvaporati onolmoisturc and
thus stymicd any |l avor conccntrati on.
Rccipcs thatcal l cdlor pccl cdtomatocs
had no roastcd |lavorat all . Myconclu
sion. Ivouldbccuttingupvinc ripcncd
tomatocs and l caving thc skins i nplacc
sothcycouldcharandaddsmoky|lavor
tomysaucc.
Although mytcst kitchcncollcagucs
cxprcsscdmorc than a littlc skcpticism,
I vondcrcd ilroastingcould translorm
thosccharactcrlcsstomatocsthathll thc
supcrmarkctproduccscctioninthcdcad
olvintcr. Roasti ng caramcl i zcs natu
ral sugars, intcnsihcs|lavots,andadds a
lighttoucholsmokincss. Justthinkvhat
ahot ovcn docs lor plain Janc potatocs
and oni ons. Coul d roasti ng vork its
magicvithcrummytomatocs
Sccdi ng thc tomatocs rcmovcd a
lot olmoisturc lrom thc outsct, so thc
tomatocsgotsomc good|lavorconccn
ttationanda ni ccbi tolcaramclizati on.
Iovcvcr, sl i ci ngandsccdi ng 3 pounds
ol tomatocs, thcamountnccdcdtosaucc
a pound olpasta) was morc prcp vork
than I hadi nmi nd. ut vhcn I omittcd
thcsccdingstcp, thcsaucchadastcvcd
|lavorthatrcmindcdmcolcanncdtoma
tocs. Somc ovcn vindov obscrvations
rcvcalcdthcculpri t. Jhctomatocsvctc
shcdding thcir liquid carly i n thc roast
ingptoccssandstcvi nginthatliquidlor
about4Ominutcs,ahcrvhichthc liquid
cvaporatcd and thc tomatocs startcd to
dry out andchar. I nccdcdton ndavay
tominimizc thc timc thc tomatocssim
mcrcdi nthcirliquid. Roasti ng the tomatoes unti l the ski ns char ensures a vi brant, smok sauce
wi th maxi mum fl avor.
Mygutrcsponscvastoblastthcovcn
tcmpcraturc as high as i t could go. My
l ogi c. Drivc oll thc l i qui d as qui ckl y
as possi bl cvi thintcnsc hcat. ut thc rcsulting
saucc vasvatcryand bittcr lrom uncvcn cook
i ng , andthc samc thinghappcncdvhcn I tricd
broil i ngthctomatocs ) . Ncxt,I tricdsaltingthcn
prcssing thc moisturc lrom thc tomato sliccs
bclorcroasting. Jhistcchniqucrcquircdacolos
sal amount olprcp vork that vasn` tvorth thc
humdrumrcsults .
R E C I P E T E S T I N G :
Diggi ng Deeper for Tomato Fl avor
We di scovered that a coupl e tabl espoons of tomato paste
deepened the tomato flavor in our sauce and i mproved its
col or. We si mply coated the fresh tomatoes, oni on sl i ces,
and garl i c cl oves wi th tomato paste before they went i nto
the oven. The paste darened as it roasted , and i ts flavor
became more i ntense. We've found that tomato paste
performs a si mi l ar functi on in other reci pes, addi ng depth
to countl ess stews and sauces. We usual ly add the tomato
paste once the aromati c vegetabl es have been cooked
BEST TOMATO
PASTE
and before the l i qui d goes
i nto the pan-exposi ng the
tomato paste di rectly to dry
heat i ntensi fi es its fl avor and
col or. Sol d i n a no-fuss tube,
Amore was the hands-down
wi nner in a recent taste test.
Some Uke It Hot
Rcscarch turncd up tvo basic approachcs lor
making a roastcd tomato saucc . Jhc tomatocs
could bc toastcd i n a hot ovcn , about 45O
dcgrccs) lor a short timc , undcr an hour) or
roastcd slov and lov-try cight hours i n a
2OO dcgrcc ovcn. Right ollthc bat,cvcryonci n
thctcstkitchcn agrccdtl:at slov and lov, albcit
agrcattcchniquc, tookanunrcasonablcamount
oltimcjusttomakca saucc.
Jhc mcthodin mostolthcquickcrrccipcsvas
similar. Jossthctomatocsvithoil, salt,andpcp
pcr, roast thcm on a rimmcd bakingshcct, and
thcn translcrthcm to a lood proccssotto hnish
thc saucc . I prcparcd a dozcnvariations onthis
thcmc-almostallvcrcbland andvatcty, but I
lcarncdalcvthingsalongthc vay.
I hadcxpcctcd to prclcrplum tomatocs, but
juicicr vinc ripcncd tomatocs vcrc actually thc
bcttcrchoicc. , Iormorc inlormation, scc Jhc
C O O K
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S I L L U S T R A T F D
| c
I hnally hit upon thc solution vhcn I addcd
a virc rack to my baking shcct. Ll cvating thc
tomatocs on a rack sct ovcr thc baking shcct
cl i minatcdthcproblcm. Jhcstcvcdtomato |la
vorvas gonc, bccausc anytomato liquidsimply
lcl l throughthcrackandontothctray.Jhcrack
also allovcd lor maxi mum air circulation and
promotcd bcttcr charr

ng, vhich gavc my saucc

a morcconccntratcdtoastcdtomato|lavor.
Jhcrackroastingtcchniquchadcarncdapcr
mancntspoti nmyrccipc, but itwas making thc
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The Right Tomato for the job
I add thc garlic and onion to
Most supermarkets offer three tomato choi ces. We roasted each vari et and
were surprised by the wi nner.
thc rack vith thc tomatocs and
roast thcm, too` Jo kccp thc
gar| i c and onions lrom lal l i ng
through thc rack, I l clt thc
garl i c cl ovcs vholc and sl i ccd
thc oni on thi ck. ut pi cccs
still lcll dovn throughthcrack
andlailcdto gctmuch coloror
U avor dcvclopmcnt. I had bct
tcr luck placing thc garlic and
onionson a shcctolloi l scton
thc ccntcr olthc rack, vhich
kcptthcmi nplacc.
NO THAN KS BE ST B ET
Vine-ripened tomatoes
had the brightest flavor and
best texture. Tese juicy
tomatoes were absolutely
consistent in our testing.
I N CONS I STE NT
Most pl um tomatoes
worked fi ne in our tests,
but a few mealy sampl es
created a sauce that
lrge, out- of-season
beefsteaks produced a
watery, bl and sauce.
Jhismcthodvassimplcrthan
sautcing thc garli c and oni on,
butvasitbcttcr` I na hcadto
hcadtcst, tastcrsgrcatlylavorcd
was too dry.
hnishcd saucc a bit dry and pulpy-too much
moisturcvas bcing draincd avay duri ngroast
ing. Istartcdlookingloravaytocountcrbalancc
tl:cmoisturcloss,vhichl cdmctorcvisitthcvay
Ivascuttingthctomatocs. I vondcrcdilsimply
halving thc tomatocs l cngthvisc thcn sccding
thcm vould vork, thc idca bcing that thc lcss
tomatoU cshvascxposcdtothcovcn` sdryhcat,
thcmorcmoisturcthctomatocsvouldrctai n. I
placcd thc tomato halvcs cut sidc dovn on thc
rackso that thc tomato skins borc thc brunt ol
thcovcn` shcatandgotancvcnbcttcrchar.
I hadsomc succcss vith myhrst couplc tri cs,
but I lound that I nccdcd to ramp thc ovcn
tcmpcraturc up to45 dcgrccs lor vcl l charrcd
ski ns. I thought I vas donc, until a lcllov tcst
cookqucstioncdvhcthcrI rcallynccdcdtosccd
thc tomatocs nov that I vas usi ng thc rack.
Ic rcasoncd that thc cxtra moisturc lrom thc
sccds might hclp my causc. I tricd tvo sauccs
sidcby sidc, oncvith sccdcdtomatocsand onc
vith sccdlcss . Jastcrs prclcrrcd thc saucc that
containcdtomatosccds, hnding that i t had thc
pcrlcctbalanccolroastcdandlrcshU avor.Ising
thcrackmcantthconlyprcpIhadtodovasslicc
thctomatocsinhall
Seei ng Red
Atthispointmysaucchadgoodtomato|lavorbut
an unattractivc, palc color. Jo improvc thc color
and pump up tl:c tomato |lavor, I introduccd
tomato pastc to my rccipc. Jossing thc halvcd
tomatocs vitl: tomato pastc , as vcll as oil, salt,
andpcppcr)vascasy.As I hadhopcd,thctomato
pastcgavcmysauccadccpcrtomato|lavorasvcll
as adccpcrrcdcolor.WhatI hadn`tcxpcctcdvas
morc roastcd |lavor. Jhc pastccoatcd tomatocs
caramclizcd,andthcskinsblackcncdcvcnmorc, a
good thing) than tomatocsthatvcrc notcoatcd.
Acr somc tinkcring, I lound tl:at 2 tablcspoons
olpastcvasthcpcrlcctamount.
Garlic and onion sccmcdlikc a must, but thc
notionolsautcingthcm i n a scparatcpanvhi l c
thc tomatocs roastcd vas unattractivc. Could
thcsauccviththcroastcdgarlicandonion,prais
ing its morc complcx, richcr U avor. Jossing thc
garlic and onion vith thc tomato pastc , as vcll
as thymc and rcd pcppcr Uakcs) addcd anothcr
dimcnsionto mysaucc. Johnish,tastcrslikcda
drizzlcolcxtravirginolivcoil,a toucholsugar,
and a splash olbright rcd vinc vincgar. Ircsh
basil rcinlorccd thc gardcn quality charactcr ol
thcsaucc.
Myrccipchadgoodvalk avayti mcandlrccd
upburncrspacc onthcrangc. utmostolall , i t
hadagrcattcchniquclortranslormingdull ,out
olscasontomatocsintoarichlyintcnscsauccthat
cvcnatomatosnobcouldn` trcsist.
ROAST E D TO MATO S AU C E
MAKE S 3 TO 3 1 /1 CUP S ,
E NOUGH TO SAUCE I POU N D OF PASTA
Jhissauccisbcstvith shortpasta shapcs,suchas
ziti orpcnnc. It can also bc scrvcd ovcr chickcn
Iarmcsanorgrillcdnsh. Ilscrvingthissauccvith
pasta, savc somc olthc pasta cookng vatcr to
adj ustthcsaucc` sconsistcncy. Ilumtomatocscan
bc uscd, but thc saucc may rcquirc cvcn morc
pasta cooki ng vatcr. ccausc lrcsh tomatocs
vary in svcctncss, it` s bcst to add sugar to tastc
bclorc scrving. Jhc saucc can bc rclrigcratcd in
an airtight containcr lor up to 2 days, bring to a
simmcrbclorcusing.
2 tabl espoons tomato paste
2 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
2 teaspoons mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
1/a teaspoon red pepper fl akes
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
3 pounds vi ne- ri pened tomatoes (9 to l 2
medi um) , cored and hal ved pol e to pol e
6 medi um garl i c cl oves, peel ed
smal l oni on, peel ed and cut i nto 1 1- i nch rounds
teaspoon red wi ne vi negar
Granul ated sugar to taste (up to 2teaspoons; see
note above)
2 tabl espoons chopped fresh basi l l eaves
M A R C i l c A P R I L 2 0 0
1 9
. Adj ust ovcn rack to middlc position and
hcat ovcn to 45 dcgrccs . Combi nc tomato
pastc, 1 tablcspoonoi l , thymc, pcppcr Uakcs,Y+
tcaspoon salt, and tcaspoon pcppcr in largc
bovl . Joss tomatocs , garl i c , and onion vith
tomato pastc mixturc until cvcnly coatcd. Ilacc
4 inchsquarcolloi l in ccntcrolvircracksctin
rimmcd baking shcctli ncd vith aluminum loi l.
Ilaccgarlicclovcsandonionroundsonloiland
arrangc tomatocs, cut sidc dovn, around garlic
andonion.
2 . Roastuntilvcgctablcs arc soh and tomato
sknsarcvcllcharrcd, 45 to5 5 minutcs. Rcmovc
baking shcctlrom ovcn and lct cool 5 minutcs.
Jranslcr garlic and oni on to lood proccssor,
pulsc until hncly choppcd, about nvc I sccond
pul scs . Add tomatocs , vi ncgar, and rcmai n
i ng tabl cspoon oi l to lood proccssor. Iul sc
unti l brokcn dovn but sti l l chunky, about hvc
sccond pul scs . \sing rubbcr spatula, scrapc
dovn bovl , scason vith salt, pcppcr, and sugar
to tastc. Continuctoproccss saucc until slightly
chunky, about n vc sccondpulscs. Stirinbasi l .
ROAST E D TO MATO S AU C E WI TH ROS E MARY
A N D G OAT C H E E S E
Iollov rccipc lor Roastcd Jomato Saucc, sub
stituting tcaspoon mi nccd lrcsh roscmary
lor thymc. mit basi l . Acr tossing saucc vim
pasta,sprinklcvith 2 ounccscrumblcdlrcshgoat
chccsc.
ROAST E D TO MATO S AU C E WI TH F E N N E L
Iollovrccipclor RoastcdJomatoSaucc,adding
'/: tcaspoonlcnncl sccd to tomato pastc mixturc
in stcp . Rcplacc onionvith smalllcnnclbulb,
trimmcd,corcd, andcutinto '/: inchsliccs.
T E C H N I Q U E
S ETTI N G U P TH E TRAY
El evati ng the vegetabl es on a rack set in a foi l
l i ned ri mmed baki ng sheet maxi mizes charri ng and
flavor devel opment. Posi ti on the garl i c and oni on
on a smal l square of foi l set i n the center of the
rack. Arrange the hal ved tomatoes. cut si de down,
around the edges of the rack.
Pan-Roasted Asparagus Side Dishes
A hot pan and compl emen tary vegetabl es tu rn asparagu s i n to a l i vel y si d e d i sh .
T
hctcstkitchcnrcccntlydiscovcrcdavay
to cook asparagus that adds roastcd|la
vorvithouthcati ngupcithcrthcgrillor
thcovcn, sccIan RoastcdAsparagus,
March/ April 2OO5) . Jhi s mcthod uscs thc lid
on a largc skillctto trap stcam,vhichcooksthc
asparagus through. Whcn thc l i d i s rcmovcd,
thc asparagus caramclizcs. Jhis cookingmcthod
conccntratcs thc natural svcctncss in this lavor
itc springvcgctablc vhilc adding roastcd U avor.
Although thc pan is quitc crovdcd, I vondcrcd
ilI could add othcrvcgctablcs to makc a morc
robustsidcdish.
I tricd thccasicstoptionn rst. Invarioustcsts,
I addcd chcrry tomatocs, onions, and bcll pcp
pcrsto thc asparagus asitcookcd. utI quickly
discovcrcd that cxccss moisturc rclcascd lrom
thcscvcgctablcs, ycs,cvcnthconi ons)prcvcntcd
thcasparaguslrombrovningandyicldcdabland,
soggymcss.
Jhc bcst rcmcdy lor soggy vcgctablcsvas to
dividc and conqucr. I cookcd thc acccnt vcg
ctablc n rst, rcmovcd i t lrom thc pan, and thcn
vipcdthcpanclcan.Jhcnthcasparaguscouldbc
cookcdonitsovni nthcnovcmptypan,platcd,
and garnishcdviththcsccondvcgctabl c.
PAN - ROAST E D AS PARAG U S
S E RVES 4 TO 6
1his rccipc vorks bcst vith asparagus that is at
lcast '2 inch thick ncar thc basc. Ilusing tl+i n
ncr spcars, rcducc thc covcrcd cooking ti mc to
3 minutcs and thc uncovcrcd cookingtimc to 5
minutcs. Donot uscpcnciltl:inasparagus,itcan
notvitl:standthc hcatandovcrcookstoocasily.
tabl espoon ol ive oi l
tabl espoon unsal ted butter
2 pounds thi ck asparagus spears (see note above) ,
ends tri mmed
Kosher sal t and ground bl ack pepper
l emon, halved (opti onal )
! . Icat oi l and buttcri n I 2 inchskillctovcr
mcdi um hi gh hcat. Whcn buttcr has mcl tcd,
addhal lolasparagustoski l l ctvi thti pspointcd
i noncdircction, addrcmainingspcarsvithtips
pointcdi noppositcdirccti on. Isingtongs,dis
tributc spcars cvcnly , spcars vill not quitc n t
into singlclaycr) , covcrandcookuntilasparagus
isbrightgrccnandsti l l crisp, about5 minutcs.
Z. Lncovcr and i ncrcasc hcat to hi gh, sca
7 B Y D A V I D P A Z M I N O E
son asparagus vith salt and pcppcr. Cook until
spcars arc tcndcr and vcll brovncd along onc
si dc, usi ng tongs to occasi onal l y movc spcars
lromccntcrolpan to cdgc olpan to cnsurc al l
arc brovncd, 5 to mi nutcs. Jranslcr aspara
gus to scrving dish, adj ust scasonings vith salt
andpcppcr, and, i ldcsircd, squcczc lcmon ovcr
spcars . Scrvci mmcdi atcly.
PAN - ROAST E D AS PARAG U S WI TH
C H E R RY TO MATO E S AN D B LACK O L I VE S
S E RVES 4 TO 6
I tabl espoon ol ive oi l
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, sl i ced thi n
pi nt cherry tomatoes, hal ved
1 1 cup pi tted bl ack ol i ves, such as kal amata or other
bri ne- cured vari et, chopped
reci pe Pan- Roasted Asparagus
4 tabl espoons chopped fresh basi l l eaves
ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1 cup)
l . Icatoil and garlic i n I 2i nch skillct ovcr
mcdi um hcat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until
garlic turns goldcn around cdgcs but docs not
darkcn, 2to3 minutcs. Addtomatocsandolivcs,
cook until tomatocs bcgi n to brcak dovn and
rclcasc liquid, I to2 minutcs. Jranslcrmixturc
to bovl and covcrvith loi l . Ri nsc skillct vith
vatcranddryvcllvithpapcrtovcl s.
2 Iol l ovrccipclor Ian RoastcdAsparagus .
3. Altcr translcrri ng asparagus to scrvi ng
dish, top vith tomato mixturc . Adj ust scason
ingsvi thsaltandpcppcr,spri nklcvi thbasiland
Iarmcsan. Scrvcimmcdi atcly.
PAN - ROAST E D AS PARAG U S WI TH
R E D O N I O N AN D BAC ON
S E RVES 4 TO 6
4 stri ps bacon, cut i nto 1 /- i nch-wi de stri ps
I l arge red oni on, hal ved and sl i ced thi n
2 tabl espoons bal sami c vi negar
I tabl espoon mapl e syrup
reci pe Pan- Roasted Asparagus
I . Cookbaconin I 2 i nchskillctovcrmcdi um
hcat until crisp, 8 to I O minutcs. Isi ng sl ot
tcd spoon, translcr bacon to papcr tovcll i ncd
pl atc, sct asidc. Iour olland discard al l but I
tablcspoonlatlrompan.
2. Rcturn ski l l ct to mcdi um high hcat and
add oni on. Cook, stirri ng occasi onal ly, unti l
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 0
cdgcsdarkcnandoni onsbcgint o sohcn, about
3 minutcs . Add vincgar and maplc syrup, cook
until liquids rcducc and cling to oni ons, about
2 minutcs. Jranslcr onions to bovl and covcr
vith loi l . Rinsc skillct vith vatcr and dry vcll
vithpapcrtovcl s.
3. Iol l ovrccipclorIan RoastcdAsparagus.
4. Ahcrtranslcrringasparagustoscrvingdish,
topvithonion. Adj ustscasoningsvithsaltand
pcppcr, sprinklcvithbacon. Scrvc i mmcdiatcly.
PAN - ROAST E D AS PARAG U S WI TH R E D
P E P P E RS AN D G OAT C H E E S E
S E RVES 4 TO 6
tabl espoon ol ive oi l
2 medi um red bel l peppers, seeded and cut i nto
1/- i nch-wi de stri ps
reci pe Pan- Roasted Asparagus
2 tabl espoons chopped fresh mi nt l eaves
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbl ed (about 11 cup)
'I cup pi ne nuts, toasted
l . Icat oil i n I 2i nch skillct ovcr mcdium
high hcat until shi mmcri ng. Add pcppcrs and
cook, stirring occasi onally, until skins bcgin to
blistcr,4to5 minutcs. Jranslcrpcppcrstobovl
and covcrvithloi l . Rinscskillctvithvatcrand
dryvcllvith papcrtovcls .
2 . IollovrccipclorIan RoastcdAsparagus.
3. Ahcrtranslcrringasparagustoscrvingdish,
top vith pcppcrs . Adj ust scasonings vith salt
andpcppcr,sprinklcvithmint,goatchccsc,and
pinc nuts. Scrvci mmcdi atcly.
PAN - ROAST E D AS PARAG U S ( S MAL L BATC H )
S E RVE S 2 TO 3
Jo makc any oltl+csc rccipcs scrvc j ust 2 to 3
pcoplc, cut all ingrcdicnt amounts in hall Cook
asparagus in IOinch skillct ovcr mcdium hcat,
covcrcd, lor 3 minutcs. Rcmovc covcr and cook
ovcrmcdiumhighhcatunti|tcndcrandbrovncd,
3 to4 minutcs. Donotadj usthcatvhcncooking
garnishcs, hovcvcr, cooking timcs lor garnishcs
should bc rcduccdbv I to2 minutcs.
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Cl i ck on the Cook's Extra l i nk for Pn
Roasted Aparagus with Mushrooms
and Tarragon and Pn- Roasted
Aparagus with Red Oni ons, Hard-
Boil ed Egs, Caper, and Tarragon.
Reci pes available unti l August I , 2007.
Garlcky Shrimp with Bread Crumbs
Saucy sh ri mp bl an keted wi th toasted cru mbs rep resen ts th e best of ol d - fash i oned
Ameri can cooki ng, bu t n ot wh en th e sh ri mp are waterl ogged and tough .
G
arl i cky shri mp vi th buttcry brcad
crumbs is classic Amcrican cooki ng.
Looki nanyallpurposccookbookand
you` l l hnda rccipc. I tounddozcnsin
ourlibrary,mostot vhichtol l ovcdthcsamcbasic
tormul a. Ioachthc shrimp, placc thcmi na bak
ing dish, topvith brcad crumbs, shcrry, mcltcd
buttcr, hcrbs, andgarl i c, and bakc ina hotovcn
tor IO to I 5 minutcs. Intortunatcly, thc rcsults
didnotmakcmcnostalgictorthcpast.
Jhcshrimpvcrc ohcnrubbcryand bland, no
surprisc, sincc thcy vcrc poachcd, thcn bakcd) ,
vhilc thc topping-asidc trom its slightlycrusty
surtacc-vasglucyand hcavy onravalcohol|la
vor.Jhccombinationot|lavorsandtcxturcsvas
appcaling ,in thcory) , butthisdish nccdcd somc
scriousmodcrnizing.
Extreme Makeover
Jo avoid poaching and thcn bal:ing thc shrimp, I
tosscd thcm vith a mixntrc otmcltcd buttcr, salt,
pcppcr, garhc, sha|lots, shcrry, and parslcy, tr+s
hrrcd cvcrything to a baking dish, sprinklcd but
tcrcd hcsh brcad crumbs on top, and poppcd thc
dishintothcovcn.Acradozcntailucs, thcshrimp
vcrc alvays too bland andvatcry), I dccidcd ona
morc radical solution. trading thc baking dish i n
thc ovcn tor a skillct onthcstovctop. Jhis vould
allovmcto scarthcshnmp ,at+dthusadda|lavor
m brovncdcxtcrior)andconccntratcthc saucc by
rcducingliquidsinthc samcpan. I plarcd to usc
thc crumbs asalastminutctopping.
Jostart,Ipanscarcdthcshrimpintvobatchcsto
promotcbrovningrathcrthanstcami ng. Cooking
thc shrimp complctcly through causcd thcm to
ovcrcook vhcn addcd to thc saucc. Lvcntually, I
hituponthctollovingstratcgy. Scarthcsl+rimp on
onc sidc andrcmovcthcmtromthc pan, buildthc
sauccinthccmptypan,andthcnrcturnthcshrimp
to lctthcmn nishcookinginthcsaucc. Sprinkling
thcshrimpvithalittlcsugarcncouagcdbrovning
duringthcirshortstayinthcskillct.
Astorthcsaucc, I couldn`trclyonshcrryalonc
tor my | i quid componcnt ,it vas too boozy) .
Cutting thc shcrry vith bottlcd clam juicc and
lctting thc mixturc simmcr tor scvcral minutcs
conccntratcd thc |lavors and cookcd ottcxccss
alcohol . Johnish thc saucc, I vhiskcdinscvcra|
tablcspoons otcold buttcr, but thc saucc vas a
bitthi n. Morc buttcrj ustmadc thc saucc grcasy.
I had bcttcrluck adding a pinch ot|lour.
= B Y S A N D R A W U
Toppi ng It Off
Jhc crumb topping , toastcd in thc cmpty skillct
bctorcthcshrimpvcrccookcd)vascasy.Japai+csc
stylc paro vas too hnclytcxturcd, vhilc crumbs
madc hom vhitc sat+dvich brcad bccamc sat+dy
ontopat+dsoggyundcrncath. Chcvysupcrmarkct
bagucttc vas sturdycnough to rctain a crisp tcx
ntrccvcnahcrsittingontopotthcsaucyshimp.
Ahcr sprinkling tl+c |lavorml toppi ng onto tl+c
buttcry, garlicinh|scdshrimp,I stcppcd backat+d
ottcrcdupthcrcsults.Myskillctcasscrolchada
tl+cpotcnt|lavorsandcontrastingtcxnrcsmytast
crsvamcdbutnoncot tl+cusualproblcms.
GARL I C KY S H R I M P WI T H
B UTTE R E D B RE AD C R U M B S
S E RVES 4
Vcrmoutl can bc substitutcd tor tl+c shcrry. I t
using vcrmoutl:, incrcasc thc an+ount to '/ cup
and rcducc thc amount otclam j uicc to cup.
Jo prcparc this rccipc in a I Oinch skillct, brovn
thc shrimp in 3 batchcstor about 2 minutcscach,
using2 tcaspoons oilpcrbatch. Scrvc thc shrimp
vithriccat+d cithcrbroccoliorasparagus.
I ( 3 - i nch) pi ece baguette, cut i nto smal l pi eces
5 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, cut i nto 5 pi eces
smal l shal l ot, mi nced (about 2 tabl espoons)
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
2 tabl espoons mi nced fresh parsl ey l eaves
2 pounds extra- l arge ( 2 1 -2 5 ) shri mp, peel ed
and devei ned
1/4 teaspoon sugar
4 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
4 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press (about 4 teaspoons)
1/a teaspoon red pepper fl akes
2 teaspoons al l - purpose fl our
'/ cup dry sherry
z_
cup bottl ed cl am j ui ce
2 teaspoons j ui ce from I l emon,
pl us I l emon, cut i nto wedges
I . Iulscbrcadintoodproccssoruntilcoarscly
ground, you should havc about I cup crumbs.
Mcl t I tablcspoon buttcr i n I 2 inch nonstick
ski l l ct ovcr mcdium hcat. Whcn toami ng sub
sidcs,addcrumbs, shallot, tcaspoon salt, and
tcaspoon pcppcr. Cook, stirring occasionally,
unti| goldcn brovn, to I O minutcs. Stir in I
, A R C ! ! c A P R I L 2 0 07
2 1
For best resul ts. keep the toasted crumbs and buttery
shri mp apart unti l the l ast possi bl e moment.
tablcspoon parslcy and transtcr to platc to cool .
Wi pcoutski l l ctvi thpapcrtovcl s.
2. Jhoroughly dryshrimp vith papcr towcls,
tossvith sugar, '+ tcaspoon salt, and '+ tcaspoon
pcppcr in bovl . Rcturn skillct to high hcat, add
2 tcaspoons oil, and hcat until shimmcring. Add
haltotshrimpin singlclaycrand cookuntilspotp
brovn andcdgcs turn pink,about 3 minutcs, do
not ||ip shrimp) . Rcmovc pat+tromhcatat+dtrans
tcr shrimp to l argc platc. Wipc out skillct with
papcr tovcls. Rcpcatvith rcmaining2 tcaspoons
oil at+dshrimp,transtcrshrimptop| atc.
3. Rcturn skillct to mcdium hcat and add I
tablcspoon buttcr. Whcn mcltcd, add garlic and
pcppcrU akcs, cook,stirringtrcqucntly,untilgar
l i c j ust bcgi ns to color, about I minutc . Add
|lourand cook,stirringtrcqucntly, tor I minutc.
Incrcasc hcat to mcdium high and slovlywhisk
i n shcrry and clam j ui cc . ri ng to simmcr and
cookuntilmixturc rcduccstoY+ cup, 3 to4min
utcs. Whisk i n rcmaining 3 tablcspoons buttcr,
I tablcspoon at a timc . Stir i n lcmon j uicc and
rcmainingtablcspoonparslcy.
4. Rcducchcattomcdiuml ov, rcturnshrimp
topan,andtosstocombinc. Cook,covcrcd,until
shrimparcpinkandcookcd through,2 to3 min
utcs. Incovcr and sprinklc vith toastcd brcad
crumbs. Scrvcvithl cmonvcdgcs.
Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake
We carefu l l y deconstru cted th i s b l u e - ri bbon reci pe to create a l i ght and l emony d essert.
S
pcci al occasi ons dcs cr vc a n
cxccptionaldcsscrt, and nothing
hts thc bill bcttcr than a sophis
ticatcd lcmon laycr cakc. Whcn
madcvcl l , itisdclicatcandstylish,vith
an idcal contrast olsvcct and tart. And
yct this cakc sccms tohavc lallcnoutol
lavor,pcrhaps bccausc mostvcrsions arc
poorly cxccutcd concoctions olhcavy
cakc stackcd vi th hl l i ng and lrosti ng
thattastcmorclikcbuttcrthanlcmon. I
vantcd toproducc a rccipc lor this old
lashioncd cakc i n vhich tangy, crcamy
lcmon hl l i ng dividcs laycrs oltcndcr,
dclicatccakcdrapcdi nsvcctlrosting.
Most laycr cakcs arc madc vith sub
stantialbuttcrcakcs, butIsuspcctcdthat
thclight,lrcshllavorollcmonvouldbc
bcttcrscrvcd by somcthing morc cthc
rcal . I tricdthc tcstkitchcn` srccipcslor
allpurposc spongc cakc, classic ycllov
cakc,andvhitcbuttcrcakci nastrippcd
dovnlcmonlaycrcakcrccipc. Jhcycllov
cakcvassomcvhatdcnscandrich-grcat
lorabirthdaycakc,butnotvhatIhadin
mindloral i ghtcrlcmon laycrcakc. And
vhilc thc spongc cakc vas indccd light
: B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
I ci ng on the Cake
Having succcssmlly avoidcd rich buttcr
crcam lor thc hlling, I vas dctcrmincd
to hnd somcthing lightcr lor thc icingas
vcl l . I cvcntually landcd on an oldlash
ioncd classic. scvcnminutc icing. Jhis
purcvhitc icingiscxccptionallylightand
glossy, and tastcrs lotmd it to bc an idcal
topping lormydclicatc cakc. Ircparcd in
thcsan:cmanncrasaSvissmcringuc,itis
madc by vhipping cgg vhitcs and sugar
and a touch olvatcr lor prcciscly scvcn
minutcs ovcrapotolsimmcringvatcr.
ut this oldmodclnccdcdancvpaint
j ob. Iirst,itvasalittlctoosvcct,almost
candylikc. Sccond, i tvas slightly thick
andchcvy. Last, thc cooking tcchniquc
had mc cnduri ng thc arm numbi ng
vibrationolahand hcl dmi xcrlorlongcr
thanvascomlortablc.
andUul[, its crumbvas coarsc and not
A fl uff. sweet frosti ng bal ances the tart l emon fi l l i ng i n thi s el egant cake.
Cuttingbackonthc sugar, by a quar
tcr) andaddinga squcczcol lcmonjuicc
casily solvcd thc hrst tvo problcms, but
thc cooking tcchniquc took somc hna
gling. I kncv I nccdcd to cxposc thc
cggmixturc to a ccrtain an:ountolhcat
, vithout it thc mi xturc vould not bc
stablc, scc ScvcnMinutc Magi c, pagc
23) , butIvantcdtorclyonmystanding rchncd cnough. Jhc vhitc buttcr cakc,
hovcvcr, vas thc pcrlcctcompromisc. nicclylla
vorcd by buttcr yct lightcr than thc ycllov cakc
ductothcuscolcggvhitcsonly, noyolks) , vith
ahnccrumb and tcndcrtcxturc.
I nto the Thi ck
Lcmon laycr cakc is ohcn hllcd vith lcmon
sccntcdbuttcrcrcam,butthismonotonicarrangc
mcntmutcs thc lcmon Uavor andmakcs tl+c cakc
lartoorich. Iprclcrthc brightncss ollcmon curd,
a combination olsugar, lcmon juicc, buttcr, and
cggs cookcd togcthcr until it rcachcs tl:c consis-
tcncyolcustard. Jhc mixnrcissimmcrcdgcntly
so as to not ovcrcook thc cggs, and thc acidic
lcmonj uicc dcnaturcs thc cgg protcins, alloving
thcm to lorm a lluid gcl . Jhc rcsult is a crcamy,
smoothcustardvith livclylcmonUavor.
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Cl i ck on the Cook's Exr l i nk for our
Fluf Vani l l a Icing, Tang Ornge Icing,
Toasted Amond Icing, and Coconut Icing.

Cl ick on the Cook's ml i nk for How to Make Lemon

Curd and How to Frost a Lyer Cake i l l ustrati ons.

Information avai l abl e unti l August I . 2007.

Starting vith I cup oll cmon j ui cc and I l:
cupsolsugarlor thc rightlcvcloll cmonytang,
I tinkcrcd vith dillcrcnt amounts olcggs and
buttcr, ultimatcly scttl i ng on a mi ddl c ol thc-
roadrcci pccontaining4vholccggsplusoyolks
and8 tablcspoons olbuttcr. Jhiscurdvassilky
smooth and tastcd grcat, but vhcn I attcmptcd
to sprcad i tovcr thc cakc, I rcalizcd i tvas too
runny. I nccdcd to crcatc somcthing sturdicr.
Addingmorc cggs thickcncd thc curd so much
thati tbccamcglucy. Morcbuttcrthickcncdthc
curd but mutcd thc l cmon Uavor. Cornstarch
madcthccurdtoopasty.
I vas racking my brain lor morc idcas vhcn
a collcaguc suggcstcd lrui t pccti n or gcl ati n.
Jhcscingrcdicntscanbca bakcr` ssccrctvcap
ons in hclpingto scthnickyn llings . Ahcra lcv
tcsts, I lound that both did a bcautiml j ob ol
hrmi ng up thc curd vithout marring i ts l ush
tcxturc or changi ng i ts i ntcnsc U avor. I n thc
cnd, gclatinvascasi crto add, as i tj ustnccdcd
to bc hydratcd in a l i ttl c l cmon j ui cc, vhcrcas
pcctin nccdcd to bc boilcd vi th thc sugar and
l cmonj ui cc.
t . .

: I L L U S T R A T E D
2 2
mixcr. Ahcrsomc trial and crror, I lcarncdthatil
I hcatcd thc mixturc to at lcast I o0 dcgrccs and
thcn translcrrcdittothc standingmixcrlorvhip
ping,thccndrcsultvasjustasbillovyandshinyas
thcvcrsionvhippcdovcrconstanthcat.
With my adj ustmcnts to thc rccipc, it actu
ally took I O minutcs, not scvcn, lor thc icingto
lormstillpcaks, butthcmixcrdidthcvork-not
mc. , I also dcvclopcd somc llavor variations to
usc vith othcr cakcs, scc Cook`s !xtra at lch. )
Iinally, I addcd a spoonml olcorn syrup to thc
icing,vhichlcntani mprcssivclustcr. With svirl
ingpcaksolvhitcicing,thislight,l cmonycakcis
lashionablc cnoughloranyspccialoccasion.
L E M O N LAY E R CAKE
S E RVES 1 0 T O 1 2
Jhchllingcanbc madcadayahcadandrchigcr
atcd, butitvill bccomc quitc still, lold itvitl: a
rubbcrspanlatolooscnitbclorcsprcadingonto
tl+c cakc. Ior ncatcr sliccs, dip a knilc into hot
vatcr bclorc cutting thc cakc. Lchovcrs can bc
storcd covcrcd in thc rcnigcrator, vith tl+c cut
L
Z
>
C
O
o
2
d
Z
1
C
sidc otthc cakc covcrcdtightlyvithplasticvrap,
torup to 3 days.
Lemon Curd Filling
I cup j ui ce from about 6 l emons
teaspoon powdered gel ati n
1 11 cups ( I 0 11 ounces) granul ated sugar
11e teaspoon tabl e sal t
4 l arge eggs
6 l arge egg yol ks (reserve egg whi tes for cake)
8 tabl espoons ( I sti ck) unsal ted butter, cut i nto
11- i nch cubes and frozen
Cake
2 11 cups (9 ounces) cake fl our, pl us extra for pans
cup whol e mi l k, room temperature
6 l arge egg whi tes, room temperature
2 teaspoons vani l l a extract
I 31 cups ( 1 2 11 ounces) granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baki ng powder
teaspoon tabl e sal t
1 2 tabl espoons ( 1 11 sti cks) unsal ted butter, cut
i nto 1 2 pi eces, softened but sti l l cool
Fluf White Icing
2 l arge egg whites
cup (7 ounces) granul ated sugar
'I cup water
tabl espoon j ui ce from I l emon
tabl espoon corn syrup
I . lV L. Mcasurc I tablcspoon
lcmonjuiccintosmallbovl ,sprinklcgclatinovcr
top.Icatrcmaininglcmonjuicc,sugar,andsalti n
mcdiumnonrcactivcsauccpanovcrmcdium high
hcat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolvcs
and mixturc is hot but not boiling. W isk cggs
and yolks i n l argc nonrcactivc bovl . Whiski ng
constantly,slovlypourhotlcmonsugarmixturc
intocggs,thcnrcturnmixturctosauccpan. Cook
ovcr mcdiumlov hcat, stirring constantly vith
s c , E N c E : Seven- Mi nute Magi c
Al ong with its fl uf texture and glossy sheen, seven
mi nute i ci ng ofer the fringe benefit of retai ni ng its
vol ume for at least three days. What makes the eg
whites in this ol d-fashi oned reci pe more stabl e than
eg whites whi pped for a mousse or a soufl e?
Beati ng raw egg whi tes and sugar temporri l y
relaxes the tightly wound eg protei ns, al l owi ng ai r to
be trpped i nsi de the resul ti ng matrix. The foam thi s
produces i s i mpermanent, however, and wi l l begi n to
deflate soon after bei ng whi pped.
Cooki ng the egg whi tes and sugar to 1 60 degrees
causes the coi l ed egg protei ns to permanently rel ax.
When the warm mixture i s then whi pped , the egg
protei ns remai n unravel ed as they cool , formi ng a
stabl e network that trps sugar and water. So the
i ci ng stays shi ny. ai r. and smooth l ong enough for
you to enjoy the enti re cake. -E. B.
STE P- BY- STE P AS S E MB LI NG A F OUR-LAYE R CAKE
To create an elegant, four-tiered cake, you must spl i t to cake layer i n hal f horizontal ly. I f you cut the layer a bi t unevenly
(whi ch is bound to happen ) , the cake can lean to one si de. Here' s how to compenste for l ess-than- perfect cutting.
I . Place cooled cake layer on top of 2- With long, serted knife, use sw- J.Asembl e cake, al igni ng cuts i n each
each other and make 'Is - i nch-deep cut i ng motion to cut cakes i n hal f horizon- layer. Stcking layer i n their original
i nto si de of each cake layer. tl ly so that each cake forms 2 layer. orienttion conceal s uneven cutting.
hcatprootspatula, until mixturc rcgi stcrs I O
dcgrccsoni nstantrcadthcrmomctcrand isthick
cnough to l cavc trail vhcn spatul a i s scrapcd
alongpan bottom, 4 to o minutcs. Immcdiatcly
rcmovcpantromhcatandstiringclatinmixturc
until dissolvcd. Stir i ntrozcn buttcr until incor
poratcd. Iour hlling through n nc mcsh strai ncr
i ntononrcactivc bovl , youshouldhavc 3 cups ) .
Covcrsurtaccdircctlyvithplasticvrap, rctrigcr
atcuntilhrmcnoughtosprcad,atl cast4 hours .
2. lV LD. Adj ustovcnracktomiddlc
position and hcat ovcn to 35O dcgrccs. Grcasc
andU ourtvo 9i nchvidc by2 inch highround
cakc pans and linc vith parchmcnt papcr. In
2 cup l i quid mcasurc or mcdi um bovl , vhisk
togcthcrmil k, cggvhitcs, and vanill a.
3. Inbovlotstandingmixcrhttcdvithpaddlc
attachmcnt, mix |lour, sugar, baki ng povdcr,
andsaltatlovspccd. Withmixcrrunningatlov
spccd, add buttcronc piccc at a timc, continuc
bcating until mixturc rcscmblcs moist crumbs
vithnovisiblcbuttcrchunks. Addallbut'/ cup
N O H EAT =
WEAK FOAM
After just 30mi nutes, the
foam made by whipping
rw eg whites with sugar
and other ingredients has
lost most of its vol ume.
H EAT =
STABLE FOAM
Aer 24 hours, the foam
made by heating the eg
whites with sugar and other
ingredients and then whi p
ping sti l l hol ds i ts vol ume.
,\ A R C J I [ A P R i l . 2 0 0 7
2 3
milkmixturctocrumbsandbcatatmcdiumspccd
until mixturcispalcandUut[, about Iminutcs.
Withmixcrrunningatlov spccd, addrcmaining
cup milk mi xturc, i ncrcasc spccd to mcdium
andbcat 3O sccondsmorc. Stopmixcrandscrapc
sidcs otbovl . Rcturn mixcr to mcdium spccd
andbcat2O scconds longcr. Dividcbattcrcvcnly
bctvccncakc pans,usingrubbcrspatula, sprcad
battcr topan valls andsmoothtops.
4. Bakc unti l toothpick inscrtcd in ccntcr ot
cakcscomcsoutclcan,23to25minutcs . Looscn
cakcs trom sidcs otpans vith small knitc, coolin
pan I O minutcs, thcn invcrt onto grcascd virc
rack, pccl ottparchmcnt. Invcrtcakcsagain,cool
complctclyonrack, about I hours.
5 . l Dhh. Iollovingillustrationsabovc,
usc scrratcd knitc to cut cach cakc into 2 cvcn
laycrs. Ilacc bottoml aycrotI cakconcardboard
roundorcakcplatc. Isingicingspatula,sprcad I
cup lcmon hllingcvcnlyon cakc, lcaving inch
bordcr around cdgc, using cardboard round,
gcntlyrcplacc top laycr. Sprcad I cup hllingon
top. Isingcardboardround,gcntlyslidcbottom
haltotsccond cakc into placc. Sprcadrcmaining
cup hllingontop. Isingcardboardround,placc
top laycrotsccond cakc . Smooth outanynling
thathaslcakcdtromsidcsotcakc,covcrvithplas
tic vrap and rctrigcratcvhilcmakingicing.
o. lV LL. Combincalli ngrcdicntsin
bovlotstanding mixcrorlargc hcatprootbovl
and sct ovcr mcdiumsauccpanhllcdvith I inch
otbarclysimmcringvatcr, donotlctbovltouch
vatcr) . Cook, stirri ng constantly, until mixturc
rcgistcrs I oO dcgrccs on instantrcad thcrmom
ctcr, 5 to I O minutcs. Rcmovc bovl trom hcat
and transtcr mixturc to standi ng mi xcr n ttcd
vith vhisk attachmcnt. Bcat on mcdium spccd
until sohpcaks torm, about 5 minutcs. Incrcasc
spccdtomcdium highandcontinuctobcatuntil
mi xturc has coolcd to room cmpcrarc and
stittpcaks torm, 5 minutcs longcr. Ising icing
spatula,sprcadtrostingoncakc.Scrvc. Cakccan
bcrctrigcratcdtorupto I daybctorcscrvi ng. )
Brown Sugar Cookies
A chew cooki e wi th a cri sp exteri or and a bi g j ol t of brown sugar fl avor soun ded easy to
devel op , but fi rst we needed to understand the not- so- si mpl e sci ence of cooki es.
I
` mnot onc lor lancy cookics . No
spccial nuts, cxotic |lavor cxtracts,
orintricatcdccoratinglormc. Iprc
lcr simplc cookics donc vcl l . Jakc
sugar cooki cs, lor cxampl c. Madc ol
nothing morc than buttcr, sugar, U our,
cggs, andlcavcncr,thcy`rc rich and but
tcry vith a crisp sugary cxtcrior. i g
rcsultslrompantryingrcdicnts . . . nov
that`svhatI likc.
But a sugar cooki c can sccm too
simplc-cvcn dull-at timcs. I lovc thc
buttcrscotch,vanilla,andcaramclUavors
that brovn sugar givcs collcccakcs and
othcr bakcd goods. Could I rcplacc thc
granulatcd sugar in a sugar cookic vith
brovn sugar and crcatc a simplc cookic
that vas actually cxciting` I had a clcar
vision olthis cookic. Itvould bc ovcr
sizcd,vithacracklingcrispcxtcrioranda
chcvyintcrior.And,likcMickJaggcr,this
cookicvouldscrcambrovnsugar.
B Y C II A R L E S K E L S E Y F
I lound a halldozcn rccipcs and got
tovork.Althoughthcylookcdsimilaron
papcr,thc bakcd cookcs rangcdin stylc
hom bitcsizcd pulls vith a son, cakcy
tcxturctothindisksvithashortcrumb.
Jhisn rst round oltcsting rcmindcdmc
thatcookicsarcdcccptivclydimcul t. Ycs,
mostrccipcscanbccxccutcdbyayoung
child, butcvcnthctinicst altcration vill
makc a signin cant dillcrcncc i n Uavor
Let the cooki es fi rm up on the hot baki ng sheet before transferri ng
them to a cool i ng rack.
and, cspccially, tcxturc. Jo construct my idcal
brovn sugar cooki c, I vould nccd to brush up
onthcscicnccolcookicmaki ng.
Basi c Cooki e Constructi on
Most sugar cookic rcci pcs start by crcaming
soucncd buttcr vith sugar until |lul[, bcating
inancggortvo,andthcnaddingthcdryi ngrc
dicnts, U our,bakingpovdcr, and salt) . Vani l l ai s
ohcnincorporatcdalongthcvay.
uttcrvas thc obviouschoiccloroptimal|la
vor, butcrcamingthc lat andsugarbcattinyair
bubblcsintothcdoughandthcrcsultingcookics
vcrccakcyandtcndcr-notvhatI hadinmind.
I tricdcuttingthcbuttcrintothc|lour likcyou
do vhcn maki ng pic dough) , but this mcthod
produccdcrumblycookicsvithatcxturcakinto
shortbrcad. WhcnI mcl tcdthc buttcr, thccook
icsh nallyhadthcchcvytcxturcIvantcd.
Sovhydocsmc| tcdbuttcrmakcchcvycook
ics` Buttcr is actual | y 2O pcrccntvatcrand 8O
pcrccnt lat . Whcn mcl tcd, thc vatcr a nd lat
scparatc and thc protcins in thc |lour absorb
somc olthc vatcr and bcgi n to lorm gl utcn,
thc protcin that givcs bakcd goods, i ncl udi ng
brcads, thcirstructurcandchcv.
Cooki cs madc vi th mcl tcd buttcr and an
cnti rc I pound boxolbrovn sugar had pl cnty
olU avor, but thcsc tal[tcxturcd conlccti ons
thrcatcncdtopul l outmycxpcnsivcdcntal vork.
Isi ngdarkbrovnsugarrathcrthanl ightbrovn
sugar al l ovcd mc to gct morc U avor lrom l css
sugar. Cooki csmadc vith I Y+ cupsdarkbrovn
sugar had thc bcst tcxturc and dcccnt U avor. I
dcci dcdtonaildovn thc rcstolmyrccipcbclorc
circlingbacktoU avorissucs.
Lggsadd ri chncss and structurc to cooki cs.
A si ng| c cgg didn` tprovidc cnough olthc l at
tcr-thc cookicsvcrc too candy likc . Jhi nki ng
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
2 4
that tvo cggs vould solvc thc problcm, I vas
surpriscdvhcn a tcst batch turncd out dryand
cakcy. Spl i tti ng thc di llcrcncc, I addcd onc
vhol ccggpl usayolkandvaspl cascdvi ththc
rcsults.
Joo much |lour gavc thc cookics a homog
cnous tcxturc, too l i ttl c and that candy l i kc
chcvrccmcrgcd. Jvocups|l our, plusa couplc
cxtratablcspoons,asthcpcrlcctmatchlorthc
amountsolbuttcr,sugar, andcggI ` dchoscn.
Jhcchoicc oll cavcncri sprobabl ythc most
conlusi ng part ol any cooki c rcci pc . Sugar
cooki cs typi cal l y contai n baki ng povdcr
a mi xturc ol baki ng soda and a vcak aci d
, cal ci um aci d phosphatc ) that i s activatcd by
moisturc and hcat . Jhc soda and acid crcatc
gas bubbl cs, vhich cxpand cookics and othcr
bakcdgoods . Iovcvcr,manybakcdgoodsvith
brovnsugarcall lor baking soda. Whi l cgranu
l atcd sugar is ncutral , dark brovn sugar can
bc sl i ghtlyacidic . WhcnI us cdbaking soda by
i tscl l, thc cookics had an opcn, coarsc crumb
and craggy top. Jastcrs l ovcd thc craggy top
but not thc coarsc crumb. Whcn I uscd bak
i ng povdcr by i tscl l, thc cooki cs had a hncr,
tightcr crumb butthc craggy top disappcarcd.
^cr a dozcn rounds oltcsti ng, I lound that
'/+ tcaspoon ol baki ng povdcr mi xcd vi th
72 tcaspoon ol baki ng soda modcratcd thc
coarscncssolthccrumbvithoutcompromising
thccraggytops.
Bui l di ng Bi g Brown Sugar Fl avor
Dark brown sugar was an obvi ous pl ace to begi n our eforts
to create a cookie with a bol d, nutt, butterscotch flavor.
A whol e tabl espoon of vani l l a hel ped, but everone in the
test kitchen was surprised how much i mpact browni ng the
butter had on the flavor of these cooki es.
DARK B ROWN
S UGAR
LOTS O F
VAN I LLA
B ROWN E D
BUTTE R
5

Z
L

-
.

<
C
>
1

O
C
~
C
I
Browni ng Around
I had nov dcvclopcd a good cooki c, but could
I ckcoutcvcn morcbrovnsugar|lavor` Rimng
olla classic sugarcookictcchni quc, I tri cdroll
ing thc dough balls i n brovn sugar bclorc bak
ing thcm. Jhc brovn sugar cl umpcd i n somc
spots, but ovcrall thc crackling sugar cxtcrior
addcd good crunch and |lavor. Cutting thc
brovn sugar vith granulatcd sugar solvcd thc
clumpingproblcm.
Jo mrthcrramp upthcbrovn sugar|lavor, I
tcstcdmaplcsyrup, molasscs,andvanil l acxtract.
Jhcmaplcandmolasscsvcrcovcrpovcringand
maskcd thc cooki cs` buttcrscotch |lavor, but l
tablcspoonolvani l l acxtractpropcrlyrcinlorccd
thc brovn sugar|lavor. A hcalthy dosc oltablc
salt ,'2 tcaspoon) balanccd thc svcctncss and
hclpcd acccntuatc thc morc intcrcsting |lavor
componcnts in brovn sugar. ut my bi ggcst
succcsscamclromanunl ikclyrchncmcnt.
rovncdbuttcrsauccsaddnutty|lavortodcli
catc hsh and pasta dishcs. I vondcrcd ilbrovn
ing thc mcltcd buttcrvould add thc samc nutty
Uavor to mycooki cs. I vas hoping lor a modcst
improvcmcnt, but my tastcrsthought thc com
plcxnuttincssaddcdbythcbrovncdbuttcrmadc
asubstantialdillcrcncc.
I noticcd that cookics madc vith brovncd
buttcrvcrcslightlydricrthancookicsmadcvith
mcltcd buttcr, somc olthc vatcr i n thc buttcr
was cvaporatingvhcn I brovncd it. Adding an
cxtra2tablcspoonsolbuttcrandbrovni ngmost
, but not all ) olthc buttcr rcstorcd thc chcvy
tcxturc tomycooki cs.
TE CH N I Q U E
C HE C KI NG D ONE NE S S
Achi evi ng the proper texture-cri sp at the edges
and chewy i n the mi ddl e-i s cri ti cal to this reci pe.
Because the cooki es are so dark, i t' s hard to j udge
doneness by col or. I nstead, gently press hal fay
between the edge and center of the cooki e. When
i t' s done, i t wi l l form an i ndent wi th sl i ght resi stance.
Check early and err on the si de of underdone.
Fi nal Baki ng Tests
I tricd a rangc ol baking tcmpcra
nircs bctvccn 3OO and 4OO dcgrccs
Iahrcnhcitand loundthatrightdovn
thc middlc , 35Odcgrccs)gavc mc thc
most consistcnt rcsults. I had hopcd
to bakc tvo shccts at thc samc timc,
but cvcn vith rotating and changing
tray positions at dillcrcnt timcs dur
ing baking, I could not gct tvotray
baking to vork. Somc olthc cookics
had thc right tcxurc, butothcrs vcrc
incxplicably dry. aking onc tray at a
timc allovs lor cvcn hcat distribution
and cnsurcs that cvcry cookic has thc
samctcxturc.
G
etti ng the Cooki es You Want
By adj usti ng key i ngredi ents , you c a n change t h e texture of
any cooki e reci pe.
| |TLL
VPM . . .
Chewy
cookies
PLL . . .
Mel ted
butter
L|LMPlLM
Butter i s 20 percent water.
Mel ti ng hel ps water in butter
mix with fl our to form gl uten.
Thin, candy - More Sugar becomes fl ui d in the oven
like cookies sugar and hel ps cookies spread.
Cakey More Yol ks make cooki es ri ch, and
cookies eggs whi tes cause cooki es to puf
and dry out.
My li nal rccipc rcl i cs on pantry
stapl cs and dclivcrs big brovn sugat
|l avor. And al though my tcchni quc
i sn` t di mcul t , thc cookics can bc i n
t hc ovcn altcr j ust I 5 mi nutcs ol
vork) , i t didrcquircmct olcarsomc
chcmi stry and physics. Atcr baki ng
I ,2OO brovn sugar cooki cs, I thi nk
I `vccarcdadvanccd dcgrccsi nboth
subj ccts .
An open, Baki ng Baki ng soda reacts qui ckly
coarse crumb soda wi th aci di c i ngredi ents (such
and craggy top as brown sugar) to create lo ts
of gas bubbl es.
A fine, tight Baking Baki ng powder works sl owl y
crumb and powder and al l ows for an even rise.
smooth top
B ROWN S U GAR C O O K I E S
MAKES 2 DOZEN COOKI E S
Jhcmost cmci cntvay t obakc thcsc cookics i s
t o portion and bakc hal lolthc dough. Whil c
thc hrst batch is in thc ovcn, thc rcmaining
doughcan bcprcparcdlor baking. Avoi d using
a nonstick ski l l ct to brovn thc buttcr. Jhc
darkcol orolthcnonsti ckcoati ngmakcs itdi l
hctHt to gaugc vhcn thc buttcr is sumci cntly
browncd. Isclrcshbrovnsugar,as oldcr, rcad.
hardcr and dri cr) btovn sugar vi l l makc thc
cookicstoodry.
1 4 tabl espoons ( I Vsti cks) unsal ted butter
|
, cup (about I Vounces) granul ated sugar
2 cups ( 1 4 ounces) packed dark brown sugar
2 cups pl us 2 tabl espoons (about I 0 ' 1 ounces)
unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
'1 teaspoon baki ng soda

, teaspoon baki ng powder

11 teaspoon tabl e sal t
l arge egg
l arge egg yol k
tabl espoon vani l l a extract
I . McatI O tablcspoonsbuttcrin IO i nchski l
l ct ovcr mcdi um high hcatuntil mcl tcd, about
2 mi nutcs . Conti nuctocook, svi rl i ngpancon
stantly unti l buttcr is dark gol dcn brovn and
hasnutty aroma, I to 3 mi nutcs. Rcmovcski l l ct
lrom hcat and translcrbrovncd buttcrto largc
hcatproolbovl . Sti r rcmaining 4 tabl cspoons
buttcr i nto hot buttcr to mcl t, sct asidc lor I 5
mi nutcs.
.\\ ^ H | | | t .\ | ' H | | 2 007
2 5
2 . Mcanvhi l c, adj ust ovcn rack to middlc
position and hcat ovcn to 35Odcgrccs. linc Z
l argc , I 8 by I 2 i nch) bakingshcctsvith parch
mcntpapcr. Inshal l ov bakingdishorpicpl atc,
mi x granulatcd sugar and |/+ cuppackcd brown
sugar,rubbi ngbctvccnhngcrs,untilvcll com
bi ncd, sct asidc. Whisk |lour, baking soda, and
baking povdcr togcthcr i n mcdium bowl , sct
asidc.
3 . Add rcmai ni ng I Y+ cups brovn sugar and
salt to bovl vith cool cd buttcr, mix until no
sugar l umps rcmai n, about 3O scconds. Scrapc
dovnsidcsolbovlvithrubbcrspatul a, addcgg,
yolk,andvanillaandmi xuntillul l yincorporatcd,
about 3Oscconds. Scrapcdovn bovl .AddU our
mi xturc and mi x unti l j ust combi ncd, about
l mi nutc . Givc dough hnal sti r vith rubbcr
spatula to cnsurc that no |lour pockcts rcmain
andi ngrcdi cnts arc cvcnlydistri butcd.
4. Dividcdoughinto24 portions,cachabout
2 tablcspoons, rol l i ng bctvccn hands into balls
aboutI '/inchcsindiamctcr. Worki nginbatchcs,
toss balls i n rcscrvcd sugar mi xturc to coatand
sctonprcparcdbakingshcct,spacingthcmabout
2 inchcsapart, I 2 doughballspcrshcct. , Smallcr
baki ng shccts can bc us cd, but i t will takc
3 batchcs . )
5 . akc onc shcctat a ti mc until cookics arc
brovncdandsti l l pu[andcdgcshavc bcgun to
sctbutccntcrsarc stillsolt, cookicsvi lllookraw
bctvccncracks and sccmundcrdonc, scc photo
atl clt ) , I 2 to I 4 mi nutcs, rotati ngbaking shcct
hal lvaythrough baki ng. Do notovcrbakc.
o. Cool cookics on baki ng shcct 5 minutcs,
usi ng vi dc mctal spatul a, translcr cooki cs to
vircrackandcool toroomtcmpcraturc .
How to Buy a Good Balsamic Vinegar
Few foods demon strate s uch a wi de range i n pri ce-you can spend $2 or $ 200 for one
bottl e-or q ual i t y. Ou r tasters decode th e mysteri es of bal sa mi co .
T
raditional agcd balsamic vi ncgar, pro
duccdinthcLmilia Romagnarcgionot
Italy, cancostS2OO pcr bottlc, maki ng
cvcn n nc Ircnch pcrtumc look | ikc a
bargain. You can also valk into anysupcrmarkct
inAmcricaandtorkovcrS2orS3 torabigbottlc
otba|samicvincgar.Whatarcyourcallybuyingin
cachcascAndshouldyoubuycithcrproduct
Jo hndout, I purchascd I 3 balsamicvincgars
ranging in pricc trom SoO pcr ouncc to j ust I 8
ccnts pcr ouncc. ctorc going into thc tasting
room,Ivantcdton gurcoutvhytl:csamcprod
uctcancostsomuchandso| i ttl c. Acrashcoursc
inrcccnthistoryhclpcd.
Jhirtyycarsago,almostnooncinAmcricahad
cvcrhcardot, ncvcrmindtastcd) ba|samicvincgar.
Itvasan obscurcproductmadc in northcn Italy
and so highly val ucd that many tamilics passcd
along barrcl s otagcd vi ncgar as part ota vcd
ding dovry. Iasttorvard a gcncration, and bal
samic is nov tl:c bcstsclling vincgar in Amcrica,
accounting tor 45 pcrccntotallsupcrmarkctvin
cgar salcs. Intoxicatcd by its big, svcct, caramc|
Uavor,Amcricansmixiti nsaladdrcssing,drizzlcit
onmcat,n sh,andvcgctablcs,andaddittosauccs,
soups,anddcsscrts. tcoursc,noncotthispopu
larityvouldhavc bccnpossiblcitbalsamicvincgar
hadrcmaincdaS I OOanouncccxtravagancc.
A Tal e ofTwo Vi negars
It turs out thcrc arc tvo kinds ot balsamic
vincgar, and thcy`rc madc by cntircly dittcrcnt
proccsscs. Jhctraditionaltcchniquctakcsamini
mum otI 2 ycars, tl:c modcrnindustrial mctl:od
> B Y L I S A M c M A N U S E
as littlc as a tcv hours. Jhc ccnturicso| d tradi
tional vay bcgins vith latc harvcst grapcs , usu
allyvhitcJrcbbiano) grovn inLmilia Romagna.
Jhc svcct, raisiny j uicc, skin, and sccds, ca| | cd
grapc must, is boilcd i nopcnvats unti | rcduccd
to about haltits original vol umc. Jhis conccn
tratcd must is addcd to thc | argcst ota battcry
otvoodcn barrcls,vhich arc kcptinuninsulatcd
attics in this rcgion vhcrc thc summcrs arc hot
andtl:cvintcrstrosty.Jhcbattcrycompriscsbar
rcls otdittcrcnt voods-including oak, chcrry,
junipcr, and mulbcrry-and sizcs. Jhc barrcls
arcn` t scalcd, thcy havc clothcovcrcd opcnings
on top to allov cvaporation. Lach ycar, bctorc
tl:cvincgarmakcraddstl+cncvmusttothc|arg
cstbarrcl , hctranstcrssomcotitscvcrmorc con
ccntratcd contcnts to tl:c ncxt|argcst, andso on
dovn thc l inc, bctorc hnal l yrcmoving a l itcror
tvootthcoldcstvincgartromtl:csmal|cstbarrcl .
Jhisi s traditional ba|samicvincgar.
What ` s morc, a| | thi s can on| y happcn i n
tvo provi nccs ot Lmi | i a Romagna. Modcna
and Rcggi o Lmi l i a, an arca dcsi gnatcd as a
govcrmcntprotcctcd dcnomi nation otorigi n,
or DI. Lachprovi ncc hasi tsovn consorti um
otcxpcrtsvhoapprovc tl:c balsamic bctorcsca|
i ng it in its omcial 3 ouncc bottlc , an invcrtcd
tulipshapc tor Rcggio Lmi|ia, a bal|vith a ncck
torModcna) . Ityouvantaguarantcctl:atyou` rc
gcttingtruc ba|samicvincgar, looktor thc vord
tradizionale ald thcscdi stinctivcbottlcsandbc
prcparcdtopaydcarly.
Alltl:oscrulcsarcthrovnouttl:cvindovvhcn
itcomcstocommcrcialbalsamicvincgar.Withno
I n Search of the Ul ti mate Drizzl i ng Vi negar
lavdchningbalsamicvincgari ntl:cInitcdStatcs,
manutacturcrs supplytl+c hugc dcmandanyvay
thcy can, coloring ai+d svcctcning vi nc vincgar
and cal|ing it balsamic vincgar ot Modcna. It
maynot bc tl:c rcal tl+ing, butcoul d I n nd onc
vorthusing until I hitthclottcry
I bcganbychoosing I O topscl l ing,nationa||y
avai | ablcsupcrmarkctbalsamicvincgars . Allvcrc
madcinItaly,andthcirpriccsrai:gcdtromS2 . 3
toS I 4 a bottl c. I tastcdthcmp| ai n, rcduccd to
a glazc tor roastcd asparagus, and whippcd into
a vinaigrcttc . I also tastcd a traditional balsamic
vincgar tor comparison , scc I n Scarch otthc
I| timatc DrizzlingVincgar,bc| ow) .
Novhcrc` sthcbadncvs .Jastcdstraighttrom
thc bottl c, tl:crc vas no contcst bctvccn supcr
markct and traditional balsami cs. Lvcn thc bcst
otthc commcrcial bunch-vhi l csi mi | arlysvcct,
brovn, andviscous-coul dn` t compctc vith thc
compl cx, rich U avor ot truc bal samic vincgar.
With notcs othoncy, n g, rai si n, caramc| , and
vood, a smooth, |ingcri ng tastc, and an aroma
likchncport,traditionalbalsamicisgoodcnough
tosiplikc l iqucur.
uttl+cncvsisnotm bad. Youdon`tnccdto
takc out a loan to kccp balsar:ic vincgar in your
pai+try.Jhctcstkitchcnmadcvinaigrcttcvitl:botl+
a 25ycarold traditional balsamic trom Rcggio
Lmi|ia ai+d t|:c top supcrmaikct brai+d nom our
tastctcsts-andai:kly, in drcssing,thctraditional
stul!did not justi( its pticc tag. In a pan saucc,
mostottl:at n nc aromaddcpth ot
U avorvascookcdavay.Jhclcssonvas
cl car. Don` t vastc
When i t comes to dri zzl i ng vi negar over berries or a pi ece of gri l l ed fi sh, do you have to shel l out hundreds of dol l ars for a tradi
ti onal vi negar aged for at l east 1 2 years? To fi nd out, we conducted another tasti ng that i ncl uded a tradi ti onal bal sami c approved
and bottl ed by the Regio Emi l i a vi negar consorti um; Luci n i Gran Riserva (wi nner of our supermarket tasti ng) ; and two high
priced commerci al bal sami cs-the ki nd sol d i n gourmet stores.
The not-so-surprising news? The 25-year-ol d Caval l i Gol d Seal cVecchi o Aceto Bal samico Trdi zi onal e di Regio Emi l i a, at
$ 1 80 for 3 ounces, topped nearly everone' s l ist, wi th tasters waxing poetic about i ts "pomegrnate, " "carmel . " "smok" flavor that
"coats the tongue" and tastes "amazi ng. " In such rich company, our supemarket wi nner coul dn' t compete. Luci ni fi ni shed last.
But the bi g surpri se was the strong performance of the high-pri ced commerci al vi negar I purchased at gourmet stores. They
were nearly as good as the 25 -year- ol d vi negar and cost j ust $3 to $4 per ounce. Tasters prised the Ol ivi ers & Co. Premi um
Bal sami c Vi negar of Modena ( $27 for 8. 5 ounces) as "frui t, rai si ny, and compl ex, " with notes of "wood, smoke, fl owers. " and
descri bed the Rubi o Aceto Bal sami co di Modena ( $ 3 5 for 8. 5 ounces) as "fl oral " and "aromati c. " Made wi th aged grpe must
and, in the case of the Ol i vi ers &Co. , good wi ne vi negar, these gourmet commerci al bal sami cs are reasonabl y pri ced opti ons if
you want to drizzl e bal sami c vi negar over food and don' t want to pay a fortune. -L. M.
C U O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 6
TH E G OOD STU F F
Te $ 60- per-ounce traditional bal sami c vinegar
(left) was tasters' favorite, but to reasonably
priced gourmet brands (right) were nearly as
good-and they cost j ust $ 3 to $4 per ounce.
your moncy on pri ccy tradi ti onal
balsamic vincgar i tyou` rc goi ng to
toss it on salad or cook vith i t. 1hc
goodstuttvorksbcstuncookcd,asa
drizzlcton nisha dish. In vinaigrcttc
or cookcd saucc, thc sharpncss ota
supcrmarkct balsamic adds a pl cas
ingly brightcontrastto thcvincgar`s
naturalsvcctncss.
The Best Supermarket Opti on
Among thc IO supcrmarkct vincgars
vc tastcd, somc vcrc quitc good,
othcrs quitc avml Why` / indc
pcndcnt labtcstsupplicdpart otthc
ansvcr. ur top choicc containcd
thc most sugar, vincgars vith thc
lovcst sugar contcnt occupicd tour
otthc bottom n vc spots on thc list.
Jhismakcsscnscthcsvcctcrsupcr
markct vincgars tastcd morc likc thc
traditional balsami c. Itturns out that
our tastcrs also vantcd thcir supcr
markct balsamic vincgar to bc vis
cous, likc traditional balsamics. Lab
tcsts conhrmcd that highcr viscosity
trackcdvithhighcrrankings.
ut svcctncss and thickncss alonc
vcrc not cnough to guarantcc a
spot high on our l i st. Jhc sccond
svcctcst vincgarvasalsothc sccond
most viscous, and it brokc thc pat
tcrn by appcaring ncar thc bottom.
Wc vcrc puzzlcd, untilvctcstcdpI
lcvcls. Jhisvincgarvasthclcastacidic
onc tcstcd,andtastcrsthoughtitvas
cxccssivclysvcct. Soagoodsupcrmar
kctbalsamicvincgarmustbcsvcctand
thick, likcthcrcaldcal ) , butitshould
alsoohcralittlcjoltotacidity.
In thc cnd, vc tound onc supcr
markct vi nc gar-Luc i ni Gr an
Rscrva-that appcal cd across thc
board, vorkingvcll bothpl ai n and
inthcdishcsvcprcparcd. Jhcmanu
tacturcr told us thcy usc must that
is agcd i n thc artisanal vay tor I O
ycars, mi xcd vi th thc company` s
ovnvincvincgar. Itmay havc comc
across as honcy svcct, but this
vincgar ottcrcd a nicc compromisc
bctvccn svcct and tangy, vi th a
nuanccd |lavor that camc closcst
to tradi ti onal bal sami c . I ` l l admi t
that it`s no 25ycar old consortium
approvcd marvc l . , Jhat bottl c i s
makingi tsvay homc vi th mc . ) ut
Lucini Gran Riscrva also didn` t cost
S6O pcr ouncc. In tact, at about S2
pcrouncc, I` l l usc thi s supcrmarkct
vincgarathomc-vhcnmybossisn` t
payingthc bill .
TASTI NG BALSAMI C VI NEGARS
Twent members of the Cook's Illustrated staf tasted I 0 supermarket bal sami c vi negars three ways: pl ai n . i n a vi nai grette
with ol i ve oi l and mustard. and cooked i nto a gl aze on aspargus topped with Prmesan cheese and ol ive oi l . We measured
pH in the test ki tchen ; higher n umbers i ndi cate l ower aci di t. An i ndependent l abortor analyzed the vi negars' sugar con
tent ( i n grams per I 00 ml ) and vi scosi t ( i n centi poi se. or c P, a uni t measure of vi scosi t i n whi ch water i s I and ol ive oi l
I 00) . The bal sami c vi negars are l i sted i n order of preference based on thei r ran ki ng across the three tasti ngs.
KLCOMMLNLLD
LUCI NI GRN RI SERVABLAMICO
S 1 4. 00 for 8 . 5 ounces
pH: 3 . 08
Sugar: 27. 04 g I 00 ml
Vi scosi t: 5 . 0 cP
Thi s was the sweetest and thi ckest of the vi negars we
tasted. Pl ai n , it had a "sweet, nuanced flavor" with a
"ni ce bal ance" of tart and sweet. In glaze, i t was "ni ce
. . . smooth , wi th no burn , " oferi ng "great compl ex
i t and fig flavor, " wi th "a l i ttl e zi ng. " I n vi naigrette, i t
was "very good-to the l ast drop. "
MONARI FEDERZONI BLAMI C VI NEGAR OF
MODENA
$ 3 . 3 9 for 1 6. 9 ounces
pH: 3 . 09
Sugar: 1 9. 7 1 g! I OO ml
Vi scosi t: 4. 0 cP
A true standout i n the vi naigrette, where i ts aci di t
l ent bri ghtness. wi nni ng raves as "extremely smooth
and tangy. " I n glaze, i t had "ful l - bodi ed" taste. Tasted
pl ai n, however, i t l ost poi nts for harshness that
" burns the back ofyour throat. "
ORTAWBALAMI C VI NEGAR OF MODENA
$4. 69 for 1 6. 9 ounces
pH: 3 . 1 7
Sugar: 20. 07 g! 1 00 ml
Vi scosi t: 4. 0 cP
Tasters l i ked thi s vi negar' s frui t flavor with "musk, "
"woody," "fermented" tones. I n vi naigrette, i t was a
l i ttl e too mel l ow. with tasters cal l i ng i t "bl and" and
even a bi t " bori ng. " Aa glaze, however, i t was "ver
pal atabl e, " with "j ust the right amount of sweetness. "
SAR BALAMI C VI NEGAR OF MODENA
$ 2 . 5 9 for 8. 5 ounces
pH: 2. 96
Sugar: 22. 36 g! 1 00 ml
Vi scosi t: 4. 6 cP
Plai n, i t was " l ightly fruit," but "too sharp, " even " harh. "
I n glaze, i t came acrss as "candy- l i ke" and "one
di mensional . " Te tables were tured in the vinaigrtte,
where its sharpness and sweetness combi ned to make a
" balanced" dressing that ws "good, ful l , and compl ex. "
COLVITA BALAMI C VI NEGAR OF MODENA
$4. 49 for 1 7 ounces
pH: 3 . 1 3
Sugar: 20. 7 1 gI OO ml
Viscosit: 4. 0 cP
" Fl oral and fruity," sai d a few tasters who favored thi s
vi negar, though most found i t humdrum. Pl ai n, i t
was deemed "not i mpressive one way or another. " I n
vi naigrette, agai n, i t was "tast enough, but bl and" ; i n
the gl aze-you guessed i t: " Nothi ng speci al . "
M A R C i l [ i i' R I L 2 0 0 7
2 7
KLLOMMLNDLD WI1H KL5LION5{)
RI ENZI BALAMI C VI NEGAR OF MODENA
$ 3 . 39 for 1 7 ounces
pH: 3 . 07
Sugar: 1 5 g/ 1 00 ml
Vi scosi t: 3 . 6 cP
Most tasters found thi s vi negar too tart, even
"metal l i c. " In vi naigrette, i t was "cri sp and l ight,
but harsh . " Cooked i n glaze, i t was more success
ful , wi th tasters cal l i ng i t "compl ex and del i ci ous,
l i ke a good red wi ne" and fi ndi ng notes of "dried
frui t" wi th "some heat. "
PROGRESSO BALAMI C VI NEGAR
$ 2. 3 9 for 1 2 ounces
pH: 3 . 06
Sugar: 1 4. 3 8 g/ 1 00 ml
Viscosi t: 3 . 6 cP
Tasters deemed thi s "more tang than sweet, "
wi th a "rough fi ni sh . " Several compl ai ned that i t
was "thi n and astri ngent. " Another wrote, " I f i t
wasn ' t brown , I ' m not sure I ' d know i t was bal
sami c. " I n glaze, i t was praised for "oak flavor. "
ALESSI BLMI C VI NEGAR
$ 3 . 8 5 for 8 . 5 ounces
pH: 3 . 20
Sugar: 26. 27 g 1 00 ml
Vi scosi t: 4. 6 cP
"Too sweet" was the consensus on thi s vi negar,
descri bed as " l i ke vani l l a on a bad day. " In glaze.
i t was " l i ke candy wi th red wi ne vi negar notes. "
Vi nai grette was "one- di mensi onal , " wi th "ver
forard vi negar flavor and not much el se. "
MODENACEI BALAMI C VI NEGAR OF
MODENA
$4. 49 for 1 6. 9 ounces
pH: 3. 06
Sugar: 1 4. 3 3 g! l 00 ml
Vi scosi t: 3 . 6 cP
Tasters noted " hi nts of ri chness wi th some ni ce
frui t. " but poi nted out that i t was "too harsh . "
"Tastes l i ke wi ne vi negar wi th food col ori ng, "
noted one. Gl aze was "too pungent, " but vi nai
grette was deemed "flavorful . "
POMPEIAN BALAMI C VI NEGAR
$ 3 . 69 for 1 6 ounces
pH: 3 . 09
Sugar: 1 5 g 1 00 ml
Viscosit: 3. 0 cP
"Al l harsh hi t; no subtl et or character" was the
maj ori t opi ni on . " Bad flavor. I woul d only col or
Easter eggs wi th thi s, " wrote one. "You know the
dri l l : Si p, squi nt, wi nce, shudder. "
/ Better Chef' s Knife
I n search of an i mproved mousetrap, we tested seven kn i ves wi th i n novati ve desi gns .
W
c ask a lot otour chct`s knivcs
i nthctcstkitchcn. Wcvantonc
that`svcrsati| ccnoughtohandlc
almostanycuttingtask,vhcthcr
s mincing dclicatc hcrbs or cutting through
catandboncs. Wcvantasharpbladcthatsliccs
sily,vithoutrcquiringalotottorcc .Wcwanta
mtortab|c handlc that docsn` thurt our hands
gcts| ippcryvhcnvctorgrcasy.
Wc`vc tcstcd 3O knivcs in rcccnt ycars , scc
:ok`sLxtra,bclov) , andWknovvhatvclikc.
it manutacturcrs havc rcccnt|y bcgun ottcring
vdcsignsthatchallcngc manyotourassump
ns about thc classic chct` s knitc . Wc`vc sccn
: usual handlc ang|cs and bl adcs, crgonomic
signs torrcducinghandlatigucandimproving
ip, ai+d avarictyotothcrtcaturcsthatpromisc
ttcrhand|ingand casicr cutting. Wou| danyot
cscprovc to bca rcalimprovcmcnt`Wcpittcd
The >4I! Chef' s Knife
What do you get when you spend $475 on a chefs
knife? You get handmade custom work by Master
Bladesmith Bob Kramer of Olympi a, Wash . I s thi s
knife markedly better than the competi ti on ' Yes.
The Krmer knife outperformed ever kni fe we've
ever rated. Testers found i t excepti onal ly comfort
abl e, sharp, and agi l e.
Krmer, a former professi onal chef, i s one of only
' Master Bl adesmi ths in Ameri ca, havi ng passed
the American Bl adesmith Soci et' s rigorous series of
tests. Unl i ke most bl adesmi ths, Kramer makes only
kitchen cutl er. He uses carbon steel wi thout chro
mi um; this composi ti on makes for a harder, thi nner,
and sharper bl ade than most kitchen knives. I t wi l l
rust and di scol or if you don ' t keep i t cl ean and dr,
but the bl ade is especi al ly sharp and proved durbl e
i n our tests.
So why do his knives cost so much? Krmer heat
treats the blades, one at a ti me, i n a seven-step
process that takes six hour. He al so makes the han
dl es, pol i shi ng equatorial burl wood. A for the mass
produced knives made by the competiti on, Kramer
sy, " I t' s l i ke compari ng Twi nki es to a
Grnd Mami er soufl e. " We agree,
but that' s one expensive
soufle. -LM.

You get what you pay for.

B Y L I S A M c M A N U S <
scvcninnovativcknivcsagainstthcvinncrsotour
lastcomprchcnsivctcsti ng, thcVictorinoxIibrox
andthcWtisthotGrandIri x. ,JhcGrandIrixhas
bccn rcplaccd bythc Grand Irix I I , vc uscd tl+c
ncvmodcl torthistcst . )
Handl e with Care
A good handlc shou| d virtua| | y disappcar i n
your grip, makingtl+c knitc tlc oncitcd cxtcn
si on otyour hand. Jhc knivcs in our lincup
tcaturcd handlcs shapcd likc mcta| triai+glcs or
vcdgcs, handl csti| tcd upward, handlcs covcrcd
vitl+ spongy p| astic or pcbb|cd polypropy| cnc,
andhandlcswitl+crgonomic bumpsandbu|gcs .
Mcta| hand| cs on thc Chroma Jypc 3OI and
Iuri IX vith Coppcrtai| bccamc slippcry vhcn
vctorgrcasy.Wccontinucdslippingands| iding
vit|+thcWt ist|+otGrandlrixII`spcbbl c tcxturcd
polypropy| cnc handl c. Jhc slickpl astic grip vas
hcavy and uncomtortab| c, maki ng thc knitc tcc|
angu|arandavkvard.
1cstcrs vcrc morc i mprcsscd by Al ton` s
Ang| c , a stri ki ng kni tc dcsi gncd by Iood
NctvorkstarA|ton rovn. Instcadotconti nu
i ngstraight trom thc bl adc, i tshandl cri scsi n a
I Odcgrcc anglc to kccp knucklcs c| car otthc
cutti ng board. Jhis providcd l cvcragc tor hard
cuts,butthcrcvcrc somc complaints aboutthc
cxaggcratcd rocki ng motion during mi nci ng.
Jhc roundcd, D shapcd grip vascomtortabl c,
butthchandlc` sl cngthmadcitbumpabovcthc
vrists otsomc tcstcrs . Jcstcrs a| so had mixcd
tccl i ngsaboutthcbrightgrccncrgonomichan
d| conthc Sanc| | i lrcmana. A| thoughthcy| i kcd
thcsqui shytcclotthchand| c, chi ckcnyhands
hadtroublcgrippingthisknitc.
Jhc onc i nnovativc hand| c that rca| l y von
tcstcrs ovcr vas on thc Kcn ni on kni lc by
Kcrshav Shun. , Kcn nion is a vcl l rcgardcd
kni tc makcr. ) Jhc short voodcn handl c arcs
dovnward, vi th a pronounccd bump on thc
bc| |y.Jhcmctal bolstcriscutavay hclphngcrs
grip thc bladc and mcrcihilly cxtcnds ovcr thc
sharp spi ncto protcctt|1chngcrs . Jhcvooddid
not bccomc slippcry, and tcstcrs rcportcd that
thc knitc tclt natura| and mancuvcrab| c as thcy
vorkcd. P nicctouch. Jhcbottomotthcbo|stcr
stops '2 inchshortottl+cknitc` shcc|, al| ovi ngit
topasscomplctc|ythroughasharpcningdcvicc.
Sti cki ng Poi nt
Jo kccptoodtromstickingasyouslicc,dcsigncrs
cut dimp|cs al| ovcr thc bladc surtacc on thc
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
! |
G| cstain I ndcntcd ladc Gyutou, uscd ripp| cd
stccl onuccnni onandA|ton` sAngl cknivcs,
and madc thc MAC Supcrior b| adc supcrtlin
and light, vith a roughcncd strip running j ust
abovcthc cuttingcdgc. I ncontrasttomostotthc
chat+gcstotraditionalhai+dlcdcsign,vctoundall
otthcscbladci nnovationstobcsucccssntl . Jhcsc
tourknivcsrcccivcdtopscorcs,vi nningpraisclor
thciragility, casc otusc, ai+d prccisioncutti ng.
ut vhat madc thcm vork, asidc trom thc
no stick bl adcs` nc cluc camc vhcn wc rca|
i zcdthcyvcrc al l madc byJapancsccompanics,
vhich arc knovn tor thcir thi npron | c knivcs.
Wc mcasurcdthcdittcrcncci nvidthtromspinc
to bl adc and tound that, indccd, thc Japancsc
knivcsstartcdoutthinncratthcspinc-asmuch
as 4O pcrccnt thinncr-than thc losing knivcs
anda| sonarrovcdl cssasthcyncarcdthccutting
cdgc, vith ourtop Japancscknitc, thc Gl cstain,
varying by l css than I mi | | i mctcr trom spinc to
cdgc .Whyvouldthismattcr`As itcntcrs tood,
yourknitc can cithcrcut oract as a vcdgc that
pushcs thctoodapart. Whi | cavcdgc l i kc bl adc
can bcusctul torjobs l ikc splittingopcn a hcavy
squash, it can rip tood and makc s| i ci ng slovcr
and lcss prccisc.
Jcstcrs prai scd thc G| cstain tor i ts supcr
smooth sl i ci ng. Mi nci ng vas so cthci cnt i t
madc parslcy almost l i kc dust. It madc quick
vork otravchickcn, onions, and squash, at+dit
staycdsharpthroughouttcsti ng. JhcMACknitc,
lightcrandmorcuti|itarianthantlcGl cstai n, vas
cquallysharp and cmcicnt, and tcstcrs had high
praisctorthcbladcsonbotl+Kcrshavknivcs.
So is tl+crc a ncvvor| d ordcr, vitl+ Japancsc
knivcs taki ng thc lcad trom traditional Wcstcrn
sty| cs` Notsotast . urprcvioustcstkitchcnvin
ncr, thc vcry attordablc Sviss madc Victorinox
Iibrox, S22. 95),dctcatcdtlcbcstotthcinnova
tivc ncvcomcrs,thoughjustbarcly.Ac| oscrlook
rcvcalcd that, likc thc Japancsc modcls, its spinc
starts out thi nncr and tapcrs lcss stccply than
othcrWcstcr knivcs. Jhis li ghtwcight knitc is
particular|y agi | c, and tl+c nonslip handlc is vcry
comtortabl c . Wctoundpl cnty to admirc among
thctop ratcdJapancscknivcsi nthistcst,butvc
arc hardprcsscd to pay a prcmium-somctimcs
asmuchas S I 5tortl+cirinnovati ons.
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Cl i ck on the Cook' s Er l i nk to read
reviews of the 30 chefs knives we've
tested i n recent years.

Reviews avai l abl e unti l August I . 2007.

RATI NG I NNOVATI VE CHEF' S KNI VES
RTI NGS
GOOD: ***
FAIR: **
POOR: *
We tested ni ne chef' s knives by
butcheri ng whol e chi ckens, chop
pi ng butternut squash, mi nci ng
parsley, and di ci ng oni ons. We
al so eval uated thei r comfort
and user-fri endl i ness based
on feedback from a variet of
testers: ri ght- and left- handed
cooks; ski l l ed professi onal s and
untrai ned home cooks; cooks
with smal l hands and cooks with
l arge hands. We rated sharpness
and edge retenti on by cutti ng
ordi nar sheets of d 'zby I l - i nch
paper before and after kitchen
tests. Knives are l i sted i n order
of preference. See page 32 for
sources.
HANDLE: Knives that were
comfortabl e, fit securely, and
resisted sl i ppi ng i n wet or greasy
hands were preferred .
BLDE: Sharp, agi l e bl ades with
sufi ci ent curature were preferred.
KITCHEN TES: We cut up
whol e chi ckens, chopped but
ternut squash, mi nced parsl ey,
and di ced oni ons. Knives were
assi gned a score for each task,
which were averaged to get the
overal l rati ng.
EDGE RmNTI ON: Knives that
maintai ned a sharp edge afer test
ing was compl eted were preferred.
TESERS' COMMENT:
General obserati ons, i ncl ud
i ng comfort, bal ance, perceived
sol i di t and constructi on qual i t,
and promoti on of hand fati gue.
RECOMME NDE D
BE ST VALU E
Victori nox Fi brox 8- l nch Chef' s Knife
PRl CE . $22. 95
Gl estain I ndented- Blade 8. 2- l nch
Gyutou (Chef' s Knife)
PRl C E . $ 21 0
l NNOVATl ON . Doubl e row of granton-stle
oval hol l ows on one side of blade to mi ni mize
resistance between bl ade and food.
Kershaw Shun 8. 2 5 - l nch Ken
Oni on Chef' s Knife
PRl CE . $ 1 93. 95
l N N OVATl ON . Damascus-l ook (wavy pattern
on metal) bl ade desi gned to reduce sticking
for faster prep time and less damage to food;
cured bolster for comfortable gri p.
MAC Knives 8- l nch Chef' s Knife,
Superi or
PRl CE . $ 54. 95
| NNOVATl ON Ergonom1 c wooden handl e, thi n
bl ade w1 th rough stnp al ong edge to release food,
rounded ti p, hol e i n bl ade for hangi ng.
Kershaw Shun 8- l nch Alton' s Angle
Chef' s Knife
PRl CE . $ 1 30. 95
| NNOVAT| ON . Bl ade set at 1 0-degree angl e to
reduce contact between knuckl es and cutti ng surface;
ri ppl ed metal bl ade to reduce sticki ng of food:
D-shaped gri p to prevent tisting i n hand.
RECOMME ND E D WI TH RE S E RVATI ONS
Sanel l i 9 . 5 - l nch Premana
Professional Cook' s Knife
P Rl CE . $ 3 3 . 92
lNNOVAT| ON . Soft anti sl i p eronomi c handl e
ofer. suppor when cook must use force;
withstands sudden temperature change and i s
nonabsorbent and dishwasher-safe.
Wisthof Grand Prix II 8- l nch
Cook' s Knife
PRl CE . $94. 95
Furi 8- l nch Cook' s Knife with
Copperai l , fForged
P Rl CE . $94. 95
| NNOVATl ON . Bl ade, handl e, and tang fused i nto one
pi ece for added strength: wedge-shaped to keep hand
from sl i ppi ng forard; handl e surface striated to pre
vent sl i ppage; soft "coppertai l " at end of handl e can
be fl ed down to rebal ance knife after year of use.
Chroma 8- l nch Chef' s Kni fe,
Type 3 01
PRl CE . $8 1 . 95
| NNOVAT| ON . Ergonomi c knife desi gned by Por.che
(yes, the automaker) ; metal "pearl " at end of handl e
for control when cutti ng; seaml ess constructi on.
PE RF ORMANCE TESTE RS ' COMME NTS
HAN DL E . *** "There' s a reason we have 20 or 30 ofthese i n
BLADE . ***
thi s kitchen, " si d a tester; otheragreed, cal l i ng
Kl TCHE NTESTS . *** i t "Ol d Faithfui . ' Theyfound i t notably sharp, with
* * *
"great maneuverbi l it.' In sum: "This is exactly
what a knife is supposed to be. '
***
B LADE . ***
***
***
HAN DL E . ***
B LADE . ***
***
E DGE RETENT| ON . ***
HAN DL E . ***
BLADE . ***
K| TCHE NTESTS . ***
E DGE RETENTl ON . ***
HAN DL E . **
BLADE . ***
K| TCHE NTE STS . ***
***
Tester appreciated the thi n bl ade' s razor
sharpness and an enhanced feel i ng of control.
" Efortless cutti ng-the food j umps away:
remarked one tester. The doubl e row of hol l ows
worked, with squash and potato sl i ces fal l ing
cl eanl y from the bl ade.
Thi s "flashy-l ooki ng" knife won poi nts for its
"extreme sharpness. A pronounced cure
ai ded the rocking moti on. Most tester found
i t "real l y comf, but tester wi th larest hands
compl ai ned about the "eronomi c bump" on the
handl e. Food di dn' t sti ck to the bl ade.
Thi s " l i ghtweight, "sharp, thi n" knife won rves
for its "suri cal " abi l i t to sl i ce easily through
chi cken bones and squash. Tester. l i ked the
"arced" handl e, but there were a few compl ai nts
that the rounded ti p made it harder to pierce
food. "A good al l -around knife" at a reasonabl e
pri ce.
Some tester. di sl i ked the angl ed handl e,
compl ai ni ng that i t forced a more "exager-
ated rocki ng, whi l e other. l i ked the way it
added leverage when cutting squash and bones.
Everone agreed that the bl ade "cuts beauti ful l y"
with "great control , spl itting hard squash " l i ke
butter. '
P E RFORMANCE TESTERS ' COMME NTS
HAN DL E . ***
B LADE . ***
**
E DGE RETENTl O N . **
HAN DL E . **
BLADE . ***
K| TCHE NTESTS . **
E DGE RETENT| O N . ***
HANDL E .
BLADE .
HANDL E .
BLADE .
K| TC HE NTESTS .
E DGE RETENT| O N .
**
***
**
***
**
***
**
**
Tester l i ked the slightl y squi shy handl e, saying
" i t woul d be great if i t were attached to one of
these fancy-pants bl ades. The lightweight bl ade
did wel l with oni ons and parsl ey but on harder
tasks felt "cheap" and "cumbersome" and " had
troubl e getting through bones.
Thi s update performed wore than its wel l
regarded predecessor. The redesigned handl e
became ver sl i pper when hands were wet.
Looks more comfortabl e than i t actual ly i s,
sai d one tester. Tester compl ai ned that " knife i s
heavy" and " handl e i s too l ong. '
Accordi ng to one tester, thi s " heavier" knife
"seems sol i d, " but "I really had to push through
the breast bone. " It made "preci si on cuts" whi l e
di ci ng oni on, but parsley seemed crushed.
Tester. wi th l arer hands l i ked the handl e more
than di d those with smal l er hands, but all com
pl ai ned about sl i pperi ness when hands were wet
or greasy.
Tester were surprised that the "wei rd-l ooking"
triangul ar metal handl e felt " bizarrely comfort
able" in the pal m, but all di sl i ked the metal
" nub, " whi ch "goes exactly where my thumb
wants to go and puts pressure on i t. One sai d
si mply, "I t hurts. The knife was "ver sharp.
\ A s t | | c A s | 2 0 0
2 9
I l ' l l l '1 lc
Pthe Tomato Turns
For our Roastcd Jomato Saucc
,pagc 19) , vc discovcrcdthatvinc
ripcncdtomatocsarcthcbcstchoicc
at thc supcrmarkct. Jhcir bright,
unitormlyrcdskinand]uicyintcrior
makc thcm morc attractivc roasting
candidatcs than pal c, ohcn mushy
globc tomatocs. But dcspitc thcir
good looks, vincripcncd tomatocs
tastc only soso and grcatly bcn
cht trom roasting. Why do thcsc
tomatocslook so good buttastc so
mcdiocrc`
= B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
that thcscrubyrcdspccimcnsdon`t
rcallytastclikci nscason,trulyvinc
ripcncdtomatocs.
Storing Asparagus
Inscason asparagus should bc tcn
dcr,swcct,and|lavorml . Butsomc
timcs tlc supcrmarkct pickings arc
lcss than stcllar-usually bccausc
thcy`vc bccn storcd too long. Wc
vondcrcd itthcrc vas a vay to rcs
cucthosctircdstalks.
asparagussoakcdin sugarvatcrand
itsplai nvatcrcountcrpart.
So i tyou cnd upvith asparagus
tlat nccds somc sprucing up, trim
thccndsandstorcthcstalksi ncool
vatcrovcrnighttl:cyvillvakc up
thc ncxtdayrctrcshcdandrcady to
bccatcn.
Sizi ng Up Oni ons
Many otour rccipcs call tor a spc
cihc sizc otonion,and vhilcvc givc
cup mcasurcmcnts tor thc rcsulting
choppcd oni on, that spcci lication
docsn` t hcl p much vhcn you` rc
shopping. Sovcgrabbcdascalcand
arulcrand sctouttohndashoppcr
tricndlyclassihcation systcm.
tcv wcrc mi l dly svcct and truity,
rcminding us o|vhitcvincvincgar
or cidcr vincgar, vhich you prob
ablyalrcadyhavci nyourpantry.
Greater Gi nger Grater
In many rccipcs, vc prctcr gratcd
gingcr to mi nccd. Gratcd gingcr
i s smooth, whi l c minccd i s ottcn
hbrous. Gratcd gingcr is also about
tviccaspotcntas minccd. Altlough
ourhrstchoicc torgratinggingcrisa
ccramicgingcrgratcr, a shallovbovl
vith a raiscd ccntcr covcrcd vith
small tccth) , vc rcalizc that most
kitchcns do not stock such a tool .
P Microplanc rasp gratcr had bccn
our sccond choicc, but rcccnt tcsts
Itturnsoutthatvinc ripcncdis
abito|amisnomcr. Jhcsc tomatocs
arc actuallypickcdvhcn thcircolor
starts to turn, a proccss knovn as
brcaking. Jhctomatocsarcpickcd
whcn only I O pcrccnt otthc |ruit
has turncd trom grccn to rcd, this
cnsurcsthatthcycanbctransportcd
withoutdamagc. Incontrast,supcr
markct globc tomatocs arc pickcd
whcn still nlly grccn. Jhc longcr
timc on thc vinc docs improvc thc
color andtcxturc o|vincripcncd
tomatocs, buti tis notso surprising
Wctri cdrctrigcratingbunchcsot
asparagusthrccvays, alvays bcgi n
ni ng by tri mmi ng an i nch ott thc
cnds ) . vrappcdi ndamppapcrtov
cls i n an unscalcd zippcr lock bag,
cutsidcdovni nacupo|watcrvith
an unscalcd bag ovcr thc top, and
cutsidcdovni nacupo|sugarvatcr
vith an unscalcd bag ovcr thc top.
Jhc ncxt dayvcstcamcdandtastcd
allthrccsamplcs. Botlvatcr soakcd
batchcs vcrc svcctcr and j ui ci cr
thanthctovcl vrappcdonc, which
hadthctoughcststalksandaslightly
bittcr|lavor.Wc couldn` tdctcct any
signihcant diftcrcncc bctvccn thc
Oni ons, Bi g and Smal l
havc rcvcal cd a
bcttcr substitutc.
thc small holcs ot
a box gratcr. Jhc
box gratcr vorks
mor c l i kc thc
ccrami c gratcr,
l cavi ng bchind a
smoothcr, morc
rchncd purcc ot
gi ngcr, vhcrcas
thc Mi cropl anc
produccsacoarscr
mixturc ot both
DIAMETER WEI GHT
(Inches) (Ounces)
LRGE l
MEDI UM 2 11-3 d
Pi cki ng Your Prmesan
SMALL
2
i
We weren't surprised when tasters found that authentic Prmigiano- Reggiano
really makes a diference in our Prmesan-Crusted Chicken Cutlets (page 7) . But
we noticed that some wedges of Prmesan seemed more flavorful than others,
which left us wondering: How can you tell when you're buying good Prmigiano?
The Other White Vi negar
S HOP WI TH YOUR EYES
A thick. dark ri nd and the presence
of white spot (i n top smpl e) ar signs
of highqualit Prigiano. A thi n, pale
rind and a smooth center (botom
smple) are signs of lower qualit.
Tasting the cheese isn' t a realistic option at
most markets.
Fortunately. when it comes to Prmesan,
you can shop with your eyes. Lok for pieces
that have the rind still attached. To ensure
that you're buying a properly aged (at least
18 months old) cheese, examine the condi
tion of the rind. It should be a few shades
darker than the strw-colored interior and
penetrte about a half-inch deep (younger
or improperly aged cheeses will have a paler,
thinner rind). And closely scrutinize the cen
ter of the cheese. Those small white spots
found on many samples are actually good
things-they signif the presence of calcium
phosphate crstals, which are formed only
afer the cheese has been aged for the proper
amount of time. Also, check for the pin-dot
writing-it should spell out some portion of
the words Prmigiano-Reggiano.
Whilc shopping tor supcrmarkct
balsamic vincgars , pagc 2o), vc
camc across a curious ncvcomcr
to thc markct, vhitc balsan:i c vin
cgar. Rngingincolortromclcarto
goldcn, whitc balsamic is actally a
tormotvhitcvincvincgartovhich
grapc must , trcshly prcsscd juicc,
somctimcs containing sccds, ski n,
orpulp) hasbccn addcd. Alt|ough
this grapc must is somctimcs madc
with thc samc 1rcbbiano grapcs as
rcal balsamic vincgar, it docs not
undcrgo any o|tl:c cooki ng dovn
or caramclizing that is ncccssary to
makc authcntic balsamicvincgar.
Acr sampling scvcral brands ot
vhitc balsamic vincgar, vc vcrcn` t
tcrri bl y i mprcsscd. Most otthcm
camc up short on ll avor, having
nonc otthc tangy caramcl notcs
charactcri sti c ot rcal bal sami c. P
C O O K
'
S I L I. U S I' R A I F D
30
VOLUME
(Cups Chopped)
Z
|
l
f
hbcrsandpurcc. Justbcsurctovork
with a l argc nub ot gingcrand
watchyourknuckl cs.
Why Refrigerated Baked
Goods Go Stal e
ur tcsti ng ot livc Roscmary
rcad , pagc l l ) produccd plcnty
ot lchovcr loavcs and rcmindcd us
oncc again that brcad docs notkccp
wcll in thc rchigcrator. In tact, past
tcsts havc shovn that bakcd goods
such as cookics, cakcs, and mumns
actuallystalclastcrinthcrchigcrator
than at room tcmpcraturc. Yctthcsc
samc itcms can bc storcd pcrtcctly
vcllinthchcczcrtorlongpcriodsot
timc. Why docsn`t thc hcczcr havc
thc samc chcct on brcads and othcr
bakcdgoodsasthcrcnigcrator`
Stal i ngisincvitablcovcrtimc. In
a proccss knovn asrctrogradation,
starchmolcculcsrcorganizctotorm
TE CH N I Q U E RE MOVI NG T HE B ONE
I f you wi nd up purchasi ng a bone-i n pork butt for Chi nese Barbecued Pork ( page 9) ,
here' s how to remove the bone before proceedi ng with the reci pe.
I . Position meat with fat cap facing up
and visi bl e par of bone faci ng you. I nser
boning knife just above bone and, with
shor. sweeping strokes, follow the con
tour of the bone to separte the meat.
crystall i ncstructurcsi nthcprcscncc
ot thc moisturc vithin thc bakcd
goods thcmsclvcs. Jhis cvcntually
|cadstoahard, drytcxturcatroom
tcmpcraturcno mattcr hov vcll
wrappcd thc itcm vas during stor
agc. Jhc coolcr tcmpcraturc otthc
rctrigcrator spccds up this proccss,
butthchcczcractua|lyhaltsit. Jhc
watcrmolcculcsinthccakcorbrcad
hcczc,vhichimmobilizcsthcstarch
molcculcs and prcvcnts thcm trom
torming thc crystal l i nc structurcs
thatuanslatctostalctcxturc.
So ityou arcn` t going to hnish
thatloatotlivc Roscmarv rcad
rightaway,don` tbctcmptcdtopop
it into thc tridgc. Instcad, vrap it
tightly, hrst i n aluminum toi l and
thcn in al argc zippcr lockbag,and
storc it i n thc trcczcr. Jhav thc
brcadby takingitoutotthcplastic
bagandplacingitonthcccntcrrack
ota 45O dcgrcc ovcn tor I O to I 5
minutcs. Jhcncarctullyrcmovcthc
toilvatchingtorstcam)andrccrisp
thccrusti nthcovcntoratcvmorc
minutcs.Jhoscl chovcrsvilltastcas
goodastrcsh bakcdbrcad.
Sugar Bear
Wc rcccntly camc across thc tcrra
cotta rovn Sugar car S3. 25) , a
cutcrandcuddlicraltcrnativctoour
standbymcthod otsohcning hard
cncd brovn sugar vith a slicc ot
trcsh brcad lch in tlc bag otsugar
ovcrnight.utdocscutcrmcanbct
tcr`Jon ndout,vc lchtvobagsot
brovnsugaropcnovcrnighttoturn
2. Once meat has been separated on
top si de, fl i p pork butt over and repeat
on other side unti l bone i s compl etely
detached and can be easi ly removed
wi th your hand .
tlc sugar hard and lumpy. Jhcnvc
put a brcad s|icc into onc and thc
Sugar car vhich hrst gcts a brict
soak i n vatcr) into thc otlcr and
scalcd thcm up in zippcr lock bags.
Jhc ncxt day, both bags ot sugar
vcrc moist and pliabl c. ut thc
Sugar car has onc addcd bonus.
ccauscitisnonpcrishabl c, itcan bc
storcd indchnitcly in tlc sugar tor
ongoinginsurancc againstdrying.
A B EAR I N TH E KI TC H E N
Thi s clay bear keeps brown sugar soft.
Safer Fl i ppi ng
Whilc ccrtain cxpcrt chct or par
ticularly butt individuals) may think
nothing ot Uipping ovcr a piping
hotskillcttotur a hittataorIotato
Rocsti , pagc I 5 ) out onto a platc,
it can bc a scary cndcavor tor mcrc
mortals. A slippcd grip or l|tcring
vristcanscnddinncrcrashingto thc
|loor. Iortunatc|y, tl+crcisasatcrand
lcss intimidating vay to n|rn somc
thingovcr in a largc skct. Working
vitl tvo platcs, slidc vhatcvcr you
wsh to |lip onto onc platc and top
it vitl thc otlcr. Jhcn, holding thc
tvo platcs togctlcr, mp thcm ovcr
and slidcthc invcrtcd tood backi nto
thcpanto hnish cooking.
REC I PE U P DATE
A Wheat Pi zza Margheri ta
Several readers requested a whol e wheat versi on of our Piza Margherita
Uuly/August 2006) . We wanted to add enough whol e wheat fl our to i mpart a
heart wheat fl avor but feared that too much woul d wei gh down the di sti nctively
l i ght, thi n Marherita crust created by a mix of I cup cake fl our and I % cups
al l - purpose fl our. We started by swappi ng porti ons of the al l - purpose/ cake fl our
mi x wi th smal l amounts of whol e wheat fl our and di scovered that mixi ng i n %
cup whol e wheat fl our gave our dough the best bal ance of nutt wheat flavor.
Meanwhi l e, i ncreasi ng the cake fl our to 1 11 cups and l oweri ng the al l - purpose
to 11 cup kept our dough l i ght. But the added hef of the whol e wheat fl our al so
caused our dough to rise more sl owly. No worri es. an extra hal f- hour of ri si ng
does the tri ck. See Cook' s Extra, bel ow, for the reci pe.
Chi cken Chasseur wi th Choi ces
Fans of our Chi cken Chasseur ( November/December 2005) -whi ch cal l s for
bone- i n, ski n- on chi cken breasts-wondered if thi s di sh coul d be made with a
combi nati on of dark and whi te meat. I n our ori gi nal reci pe, we brown the chi cken
pi eces i n a ski l l et on the stovetop and fi ni sh them on a baki ng sheet i n the oven
whi l e we bui l d the sauce in the ski l l et. We thought i t mi ght be as easy as trad
i ng in some of the breast meat for thi ghs, but we ran i nto a ti mi ng i ssue. Whi te
meat i s done cooki ng when the i nternal temperature reaches 1 60 degrees. but
dark meat needs to cook to 1 7 5 degrees. We found that the thi ghs need only I 0
addi ti onal mi nutes. Si mply remove the breasts from the oven and transfer them
to a servi ng pl atter (tented l oosel y wi th foi l ) . where they stay pl ent warm whi l e
the thi ghs fi ni sh cooki ng. See Cook' s Extra, bel ow, for the reci pe.
Mi l k Chocol ate Pots de Creme
A number of chocol ate l overs wrote us aski ng for the best way t o make ou r Pots
de Creme ( November/December 2006) usi ng mi l k chocol ate. It sounded easy
enough , but we found out otherwi se
when we tri ed si mpl y repl aci ng the
bi ttersweet chocol ate i n our ori gi nal
reci pe wi th mi l k chocol ate. The resul t
i ng custards were cl oyi ng. wi th weak
chocol ate fl avor and a run ny texture.
The sol uti on turned out to be i ncreas
i ng the amount of chocol ate, wi th 1 2
ounces of mi l k chocol ate repl aci ng the
ori gi nal I 0 ounces of bi ttersweet. The
extra mi l k chocol ate gave the custards
the proper stiffness and a more asser
tive flavor. Bumpi ng the sugar i n the
custard down from 5 tabl espoons to
2 guarded agai nst excessi ve sweet
ness. See Cook' s Extra, bel ow, for the
reci pe. -Compi l ed by Charl es Kel sey
S OU PY S OL I D
Our ori gi nal reci pe made with mi l k
chocol ate i nstead of bi ttersweet choco
late turned out runny (left) . I ncreasing
the amount of mi l k chocol ate hel ped th
pots de creme to set properly (right) .
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a reci pe, l et us know. Send your i nqui r, name,
address, and dayti me tel ephone number to Reci pe Update, Cook' s I l l ustrated,
P. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or write to reci peupdate@ameri cas
testki tchen . com.
Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Cl i ck on t he Cook' s Extra l i nk for our reci pes for Whol e Wheat
Piza Marherita, Chi cken Chasseur with Whi te and Dark
Meat, and Mi l k Chocolate Pots de Creme.
Reci pes avai l abl e unti l August I , 2007.
,\ A R C I I b A P R I L 2 0 0 7
3 l
il l l ^il1 ' 'K `I K
E Q U I P ME NT U P DATE : Rasp Graters
Jhc Microplanc has long bccn thc tcst kitchcn` s
hrstchoicctorgratingIarmcsanandzcstingcitrus
truit. I ts rasp likc dcsign vas uniquc-until rc
ccntly.Wcputthrccncvraspstylcgratcrstlrough
thcirpaccstoscchovtlcycomparc.
Jhc rcsults` Jhc Kuhn Rikon rcquircd mas
sivc brutcstrcngth to producccvcn a tcv visps
otgratcd Iarmcsan. Jhc Zylisshadtlc oppositc
problcm-itgrippcd sovcll thatitduginto thc
pitl ottlc lcmon. Jhc Cuisipro tcl t |limsy and
|ackcd a handl c, vhich madc it dimcult to usc .
JhcMicroplanc8. 5inchGratcr/Zcstcr, S I 2 . 95)
brcczcd through a| l tour tasks, producing pi| cs
ot chccsc, chocol atc, zcst, and gingcr vith
minima| cttort.
ANY WAY
YOU G RATE I T
Mi cropl ane' s razor sharp
rasp grater sti l l shreds the
competiti on.
F OR MU S CL E
ME N O N LY
The Kuhn Rikon requi red
massive brute force for
paltr results.
E Q U I P M E NT U P DATE : Potato Mashers
Acr mashing uousands otpounds otpotatocs
ovcr tl+c ycars, vc`vc concludcd dat disktaccd
potato mashcrsvorkbcttcrthantl+oscvitl vavy
vircloops.Jhat`svhyvcvcrc inuigucdvhcnvc
S MAS H I N G
FAI LU RE
This new potato
masher was a dud.
ran across a ncv mashcr vit|+
tvo disks. Cou|d tvo disks bc
bcttcruanonc` Intortunatcly,
dc doublc disks on uc spring
loadcd MII Irancc Doub| c
Di sc Stai nl css Stccl Iotato
Mashcr , S I 4. 99) hurt rathcr
than hclpcd, producing pota
tocs uatlookcdlikcucyvcrc
poundcd crratically vith thc
palmotahand. Wc` l | stickvith
uc singlc disk on our prcvious
tcsi kitchcn vinncr, tl:c WMI
Iroh Ilus Stain|css Stccl Iotato
Mashcr, SI . 99) .
DO YO U REALLY N E E D TH I S ?
Mi crowave Popcorn Poppers
ags otmicrovavc popcorn arc convcnicnt, but
mcqualityismcdiocrc. Icrc`shovtospcndtcvcr
dol|arsandbarclya minutclongcrtogcta bcttcr
tastingrcsult. Iourpl ainkcrnclsintoamicrovavc
popcornpoppcr and prcss start onyourmicro
wavc. Wc tcstcd tour all plastic glass can shattcr
' B Y E U Z A B E T I I B O M Z E E
and mctalcanspark)popcornpoppcrs.
Ancr scvcral batchcs,vc rcalizcd thc simplcst
poppcr stylc vas bcst. Ashy tumcs and grcasc
spcvcd trom thc Milcs Ki mba| l , S. 99) sc| t
buttcri ng bovl , vhi| c thc comp|icatcd Ircsto
IovcrIop, S I 8 . I O ) dcmandcddisposab| c, rcad.
nccdto buymorc ) cardboard disks . Jhc ack
to asics and NordicWarc poppcrs , both about
S I O) yicldcd |lut( popcorn, vith tcv sagg| crs
atthc bottom, and vcrc simplctoclcan.
E Q U I P M E NT U P DATE :
Gol dtouch Cookie Sheet
I nourtcsti ngotcooki cshcctstvoycarsago,vc
toundthatdarknonsticksurtaccs ovcrbrovncd
cooki cs . Wc rccommcndcd a l i ght col orcd
cookic s hcct madc by Vol | rath , S24. 95 ) . Ior
nonsti ck protccti on, vc suggcstcd l i ni ng thi s
pan vith parchmcnt papcr. ut vhcn vc sav
WilliamsSonoma` s ncv l ightcol orcd nonstick
Goldtouch pan , S2o. 95) , vc vondcrcd i tvc
coul d put our parchmcnt avay. Jo our sur
pri sc, batch attcr batch ot | acc cooki cs, but
tcr cooki cs, and crcam biscuits ovcrbakcd on
thcGo| dtouch cookic shcct, cvcn atthcshort
cst rccommcndcd cooking ti mc. And vhcn vc
pul l cd thc bakcd goods out carly , bctorc thcy
lookcd too brovncd) , thcy tastcd dry. It turns
out that a nonstick surtacc , vhcthcr | i ght or
dark)ishigh|yvatcr rcpcl | cntandspccdscvapo
rationbydrivi ngmoisturcavay,vhichcanmakc
cookicsandbiscuitstoodry. Wcsti l | rccommcnd
thc | i ght col orcd Vol | rath pan-and a ro| | ot
parchmcntpapcr.
N EW P RO D U CT: Nonskid Cutti ng Board
Wc` vc uscd nonski d s hcl t
| i ncrs t o anchor our
cutti ng boards
torycarsi nthc
tcstkitchcn. Jhc
advcntotthc non
ski d cutti ng board
sccmcd l ong ovcrduc .
Withdozcnsotcountcr
gri ppi ng r ub
bcr tcct , t hc
ArchitccGrippcr
Non Sl ip Cutti ng
B oa r d , S I 4 . 9 5 )
combi ncs thc convc
nicncc ota ski dproot
bascvitlaknitcbladc
tricndly polypropy| cnc
surlccmatrcadilyclcans
upinucdishvashcr.
G ET A G R I P
The Architec Non- Sl i p
Cutting Board ( $ 1 4. 95 )
stays anchored t o the
counter for every task.
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
3 2
Sources
The fol l owi ng 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. Contact compani es to confim1
i nfotati on or vi si t w . cooksi l l ustrated. com for updates.
Page 7: BOX GRTER
Cui si pro Accutec Box Grater: $ 3 5 . 99, i tem #500 1 70,
Cooki ng.com (800- 663- 88 1 0, w .cooking. com) .
Page : BENCH SCRPER
OXO Good Gri ps Stai nless Steel Mul ti - Purpose Scraper &
Chopper: $ 7. 99, item #7328 1 , OXO (800- 5 45 -44 1 1 ,
w . oxo. com) .
Page 1 3 : LDLE
Rosi e Ldl e: $ 23 . 95 , item # 1 0008, Chef's Resource
(866- 76 5- 243 3 , w . chefsresource. com) .
Page 26: PREMI UM BALAMI C VI NEGARS
Caval l i Gol d Seal Extra Vecchi o Aceto Balsami co
Tradi zi onal e di Reggio Emi l i a: $ 1 80 for 3. 3 f. oz. ,
Sal umeria ltal i ana ( 800-400- 5 9 1 6, w .
sal umeriaital i ana. com) .
Rubi o Aceto Balsami co di Modena: $ 3 5 for 8 . 5 fl . oz. ,
Sal umeria l tal i ana.
Ol iviers &Co. Premi um Balsami c Vi negar of Modena: $ 27
for 8. 5 f. oz. , item #7426, 01 ivi ers &Co. ( 877- 828-
6620, w . ol ivi ersandco. com) .
Page 27: BALAMI C VI NEGAR
Luci ni Gran Riserva Bal sami c Vinegar: $ 14 for 8 . 5 f. oz. ,
SpecialtFood America! I nc. (888- 88 1 - 1 63 3 ,
w .specialtfoodamerica. com) .
Page 29: CHEF' S KNIVES
Victori nox Fi brox Chef' s Kni fe: 8 i nches:
$ 22. 95 , item #405 20, Cutl er and More (800- 650-
9866, w. cutleryandmore. com) .
Chef' s Knife, European Une, 8 i nches: $475 , Kramer
Knives ( 3 60-45 5 -43 5 7, w. kramerknives. com) .
Page 3 : BROWN SUGAR BEAR
Brown Sugar Bear: $ 3 . 2 5 , item #BSB, Sugar Bears I nc.
( 403 - 278- 9947, w . sugarbeari nc. com) .
Page 3 2 : RASP GRATER
Mi cropl ane 8 . 5 - l nch GraterjZester: $ 1 2. 9 5 , item
# 1 48 1 89, Cooking. com.
Page 32: POTATO MASHER
WMF Profi Pl us I 1 1/4 l nch Stai nless Steel Potato
Masher: S 1 7. 99, item # 1 87 1 386030, Amazon. com.
Page 3 2 : POPCORN POPPERS
Back to Basics Mi crowave Popcorn Popper: $9. 99,
item #PCMP, The Mendi ng Shed (800- 3 3 9- 9297,
w . mendi ngshed . com) .
Nordi cWare Corn Popper: $ 1 0. 50, item #60 1 20,
NordicWre (877-466- 7342, ww .nordicare. com).
Pge 3 2: COOKIE SHEE
Vol l rath Cookie Sheet: $ 24. 9 5, i tem #6808 5 , Chef's
Resource.
Page 3 2 : NONSKI D CUTI NG BOARD
Ahitc Grpper Non-Si i p CuttngBar: $ 1 4. 95, itm
#392076, Cooking. com.
KI | l lI
March 6 April 2 00 7
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