N UM B E R S E VE N T Y-S E VE N

NOVE M B E R 0 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
` 11 1
Her bed Roast Turkey
New 4-Step Method
Tangy Buttermilk
Mashed Potatoes
Supermarket Coffee
Taste Test
Starbucks vs. Dunkin' Donuts
Chocolate Butter
Cookies
Cocoa Powder Delivers Big Flavor
Rustic Beef Stew
Rating Mixers
$350 Model Beats
$1,500 Competitor
Roasted Green Beans

Hunter-Style Chicken
How to Buy and Use Chocolate
Perfect Linzertorte
Sweet Potato Casserole
www. cooksi I I ustrated. com
$5.95 U.S./$6.95 CANADA
1 2 >
'`i!:
November c December Zll
2 Notes from Readers
Readers ask questions and sugest sol utions.
4 Quick Tips
Quick and easy ways to perform everday tasks, from
cracking nuts and slicing bread to mufl ing l oud cofee
grinders.
6 Beef Stew, Proven<al Style
This beef stew from the south of France is countr
cooking at its best: bol d, brsh, and ful l-favored. Could
we trnslate the fiavors of Provence to an American home
kitchen? BY SARAH WILS ON
8 Redefining Sweet Potato
Casserole
More dessert than side dish. the tpical recipe swamps
this casserole in sugar. fat, and spices. We wanted to clear
the way for the sweet potatoes. BY MATTHEW CARD
I 0 Roasting Green Beans
Is it possible to breathe new life into over-the-hill
supermarket green beans? BY REBECCA HAYS
I I Herbed Roast Turkey
How do you give a turkey herb favor that's more than
superficial? We rubbed, soaked, injected, poked, and
operated on more than two dozen birds to find out.
BY SANDRA WU
14 Pasta with Hearty Greens
and Beans
Tis classic recipe from the Italian countryside deserves
a pl ace on the American tabl e. Could we streamline it
without forfeiting fiavor? BY REBECCA HAYS
16 Chocolate 1l1
From shopping to chopping, our no-nonsense guide puts
an end to chocolate confusion. BY SEAN LAWLER
18 The Taming of Hunter-Style
Chicken
The original chasseur was a preparation fit for even the
sorriest spoils of the hunt. Coul d we adapt this dish to the
tamer, mi l der birds baged at the local market?
BY SARAH WILSON AND JOLYON HELTE RMAN
20 The Ultimate Linzertorte
What's the secret to making a perfect version of this Old
World tart? BY THE COOK'S ILLUSTRATED TEST KITCHEN
22 The Best Chocolate Butter
Cookies
Chocolate butter cookies usual l y taste bland or surrender
their crisp. del icate appeal to a chewy, brownie- l ike
texture. How about great fiavor and great texture?
BY E RIKA BRUCE
24 Rescuing Buttermilk Mashed
Potatoes
Replacing the butter and cream with buttermilk doesn' t
work. (Unless you l i ke curdl ed, parched spuds. ) So what' s
the secret to tang, creamy mashed potatoes?
BY REBECCA HAYS
25 Mix Masters
KitchenAid has dominated the standing- mixer market for
decades, but can it cream a new batch of competitors
with I ,000-watt motors, cavernous bowl s, and loft price
tags? BY JOLYON HELTE RMAN
28 Is Coffeehouse Coffee Best?
We secretly replaced our tasters' favorite gourmet cofee
with supermarket beans. Coul d they tell the diference?
Our taste tests yielded surprising resul ts.
BY JOLYON HELTE RMAN
30 Kitchen Notes
Test results, buying tips, and advice related to stories past
and present, directly from the test kitchen.
BY SANDRA WU
32 Equiprent Corner
Reviews of new items, updates on past tests, and sources
for products used in this issue.
BY GARTH CLINGINGSMITH
RUSC BRED SHAPES Of all the rustic, freeform bread shapes that hail from Europe. the
long, baton-l ike French baguette is the most familiar. The epi, or ear of wheat. is a decorative
variation on this long, thin shape, achieved by cutting a series of diagonal slits partway through
the loaf: alternating sections of dough are pulled out to create the classic wheat-stalk shape.
The wreath is made either by joining a simil arl y thin log of dough at the ends or by punching a
hole in the center of a dough round and gently widening it. The fcelle (French for "twine") is
half the width of a regul ar baguette but just as long and can be used to make uniform rou nds
for hors d' oeuvres. Torpedo-shaped batards and rounded botles sere as the basis for a host
of common breads, incl uding sourdough and re. Ciabatta is a traditional Italian freeform loaf,
charcterized by its squat shape and chew. lare-holed crumb. French fougasse-a cousin of
Italian focaccia-is a fiat bread scored with several holes to create the lattice shape.
COVER (Apples): Elizabeth Brandon, BCK COVER (Rus/J Bread Shapes): John Burgoyne
Fr list rental information, contact: Clientlogic, 1200 Harbor Blvd., 9th Floor, Weehawken, Nj 07087: 201-865-5800: fax 201-867-2450.
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Postmaster: Send all new order, subscription inquiries, and change-of-address notices to Cook's Illustrated. P.O. Box 7446, Red Oak, lA 51591-0446.
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PRINTED IN THE US
A
fiend of mine owns a pair of Shire
horses--each of which weighs in at a
massive 2,400 pounds-that are used
to pull mowers and other farm equip
ment. His wife, Annick, is an experienced eques
trian and has taken to riding them, a notion that
I have decried on many occasions as a uniquely
hairbrained idea. Afer all, they haven't been
schooled in pleasure riding, and arguing with
more than a ton of stubborn horsefesh could be
fatal. Well, you can guess the rest of the story. My
wfe, Adrienne, and I went down for a visit and
Annick suggested we go for a ride. The other
horses were ill-disposed, so she saddled up one
of the Shires. One thing Jed to another and I
soon found myself at a fll lope, at which point
the Shire, having had enough of this particular
passenger, took a sharp lef into a small stand of
trees. I went fom 20 miles per hour to zero in
less than a second, having been swept out of the
saddle by a set of thick branches. When I came
to, my face was fl of dirt, my ribs were bruised,
my lef leg was useless, and my neck was, well,
stif. It took about a month to mostly recover,
and I still don't quite remember exactly what
happened: It was a close call.
Many of our neighbors have had their own
near-death experiences. A month ago, Nate was
working next to an excavator, bent over as he
was spraying a line on the grass. The operator
swiveled the machine around just as Nate was
standing up and caught him on the head with
the back of the cab. It laid him out flat on the
ground, his eyes were bloodshot for a week, and
he still has a crease in his skull. Charlie Bentley
had his own close call a few years ago when his
head was caught between two disks in a harrow
and was pulled 100 yards through a feld face
down by a runaway tractor. Tom, who works
in construction, fell of of scaffolding above a
concrete apron dotted with spikes of rebar. He
landed on his feet in between the metal spikes
and walked away without a scratch.
Nancy Tschorn runs the local country store
L1111.1
'I'S 'AIIS
managed to get safely down the
hill he said quietly, "Best not to
shif a heavy load going down
hill." I realized later that this had
been a serious, potentially fatal
mistake-a close call of the high
est order. But Charlie knew that
there was more at stake than his
tractor. Instead of overreacting
and shaking my confdence, he
handled the situation quietly.
with her husband, Doug, and
she just wrote a book of stories,
including her "close calls" with
wily vendors. D-Wayne is one
such salesman, and he phones
her every few months to make
her a special ofer: 300 pounds
of bubble wrap, a case of ham
mer heads (the handles got
burned in a fre), Swedish (not
Swiss) army knives for 99 cents
apiece, and, on this one occa
sion, 1 0 pairs of socks for a dol
Chrstopher Kimball One summer night years ago,
Jar each. Socks sell well since the store is near
the famous Battenkill River, which does a good
job producing loads of wet socks. Knowing that
acrylic socks are no bargain, she asked D-Wayne
what material the socks were made fom. Afer
a long pause, he said in a southwestern drawl,
"Well, let me see. They are 70 percent wool and
30 percent nylon." Nancy placed the order, as
a combination of warm wool and strong nylon
sounded like a good mix. A week later the ship
ment of 1 0 pairs arrived: Seven pairs were wool
and three were nylon.
In the kitchen, of course, we have all had
plenty of close calls as well as outright disas
ters. I recently put a baking sheet of individual
chocolate bread puddings under the broiler with
the timer set for a minute and lef the kitchen.
My 7-year-old, Emily, shouted out, "Daddy, the
oven is on fre!" True enough. The chocolate
had burned and the bread was indeed ablaze.
Although I could not conceal my blunder, I did
manage a bit of culinary surgery and topped each
ramekin with plenty of whipped cream. Dessert
was a close call.
Our closest calls, however, are ofen those
times when we wisely opt to take a quiet path in
the face of disaster. A a young farmhand, I was
driving a tractor and baler down a steep hill when
I pushed in the clutch and tried to downshif.
Charlie Bentley (the farmer) was standing on the
back of the tractor and said nothing. When we
my oldest daughter, Whitney,
decided to leave home on her bike, a green and
white special with colored streamers on the hand
grips. It was just the two of us home that evening,
but I said nothing, leaving her to her prepara
tions. She lef (I peeked out of the living room
window), bicycling down the long drive to the
dirt road that runs through our small valley. I
walked to the kitchen and set the timer for 30
minutes. When it went of, I went to the old Ford
pickup and drove down the road toward New
York State. I found her turned around, heading
back home, just short of Harley Smith's farm.
I turned the truck around and came up next to
her, asking her if she might want a lif since it was
mostly an uphill ride. She said, "Sure." I put the
bike in the back of the truck, and we drove home
without another word between us. We never
spoke of it again, nor did I ever tell her mother.
(That is, until now.)
Sometimes kids need their independence,
need the freedom to head down the road on
a hot July night. I guess I have learned some
thing fom the Vermont farmers I grew up with
(although they might say otherwise). You stand
by the stove, watching the timer count down
slowly, dreaming of a little girl cycling purpose
flly toward the broad fatlands of New York
State with a sandwich and marshmallows in her
white vinyl saddlebag. You step back and take a
chance, letting life fl in the fture on its own,
wondering just how close a call it wl really be.
!LIIl[LIIILb, LILLIb, LILHL Il!LI1ILl.
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NOVEMBER b DECEMBER 2005
l1c I1! 11/i1i`
Reading Tea Leaves
Do white, green, oolong, and black teas come
fom the same plant? We have heard conflicting
statements. Your expertise would be welcome.
RICHARD FLATOW
OAK CREEK. WIS.
.White, green, oolong, and black teas come
fom the same source: an evergreen plant in the
Camelia family. The degree to which the leaves
are processed determines the resulting forms of
tea. Many historical experts and botanists believe
green tea was the earliest te of tea produced
in China, with black tea developed during the
Ming dynasty ( 1 368-1 644) as a way to extend
the leaves' keeping qualities as trade
abroad increased.
All four varieties of tea
require the same frst
step in processing: the
withering stage, in which
the water content of the
leaves is reduced fom 75-80
percent to 60-70 percent
through exposure to sun
light or warm air. What hap
pens next radically changes
the nature of the leaves
and the resulting cup
of tea.
White tea is produced
fom new tea-leaf buds that
are plucked before they
open, allowed to wither,
and dried. Because white
tea is not rolled (a step
that most teas undergo
to release their aromatic
juices) and is only slightly
oxidized, its light gray leaves
brew up a pale yellow liquid
with a mild, slightly sweet
favor. For green tea, the
leaves are withered, heat
treated, rolled, and heated
once more until dry and
dull green in color. The
resulting tea is bright and
grassy in favor. The leaves
destned to become black tea
undergo the most processing.
OOLONG
Moderately woody
and fl oral
BLACK
Deep and smok
flavor notes
One Pant, Many Teas Al l four of these teas come from
the sme pl ant-an evergreen in the Camthiafami ly. The
diference i s i n the processing.
C O MPI LE D BY S ANDR A W U <
Like green tea leaves, black tea leaves are with
ered and rolled. Unlike green tea leaves, they are
next fermented and dried, or "fred." This last
step is necessary to stop the decomposition of the
leaves, causing them to turn black and develop
that familiar "tea" smell.
Oolong tea, which originated in the Fukien
province of China, falls in between green and
black teas in terms of both taste and process
ing method. Generally referred to as semi
fermented, it is withered and fermented, much
like black tea, but for a shorter period of time,
and its leaves are never broken by rolling.
Egs, Sunny Side Down?
We noticed that cartons of eggs seem to come
with the eggs placed pointed side down. When
we transfer the eggs fom the carton to the
refigerator egg holder, we turn them pointed
side up. Does it matter which end is up?
CONAN AND TERESA COCALLAS
OAKHURST. CALIF.
Some experts recommend storing eggs the
way they are packaged, with the pointed side
down. Why? The theory is that keeping eggs in
their original confguration helps the yolks
stay centered rather than shifing to one side
when hard-cooked. We tested this theory
by storing eggs both pointed side down
and pointed side up for various lengths of
time and then hard-cooking them. Guess what?
No difference.
Our test kitchen has determined that eggs
are best stored in their original cardboard (or
Styrofoam) cartons on the top shelf of the
refrigerator (not the door) to keep them
from absorbing favors from other foods and
to maintain an ideal humidit level of 70 to
80 percent. Egg trays are typically located on
refrigerator doors, where the tempera
ture is ofen warmer than the recom
mended 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cocoa Update
In the test kitchen, we prefer
Dutch-processed cocoa powder
cocoa that's been treated with
alkaline chemicals to temper its
bitterness (see our January /February
bought a box to give it a taste. Upon opening
the lid, we immediately suspected the worst.
Why? The more cocoa is "cutched" (or treated),
the darker it gets-and this stuff was dramati
cally darker than the original. While moderate
Dutching helps alleviate harsh notes, overzeal
ously Dutched cocoa tends to take on a taste and
consistency reminiscent of talcum powder .
Sure enough, in a blind tasting of Chocolate
Butter Cookies (page 23) made with the original
Hershey's European Style and the new Hershey's
Special Dark, comments focused on the latter's
dry, "hollow" texture, off-putting "black mud"
color, and "chalky Oreo" favor. Tasters much
preferred the versions made with the moderately
alkalized Callebaut cocoa (our mail-order favor
ite) and Droste, a widely available brand that is
now our top-rated supermarket cocoa.
Hybrid Brown Sugar
What do you know about Splenda's Brown Sugar
Blend? Can I use it the same way I would use
regular brown sugar?
TESSA CARREON
HONOLULU. HAWAII
Splenda is the trademarked name for a arti
fcial sweetener made fom sucralose, a chemi
cally altered form of sugar that tastes sweet
but isn't digested as calories or carbohydrates.
Unfortunately, Splenda lacks the volume of real
sugar-an important consideration in some
baking recipes. So Splenda has come out with
reduced-calorie spinoffs that split the difference,
blending sucralose with the real stuff Brown
Sugar Blend is a mixture of sucralose and brown
sugar that is twice as sweet as regular brown
sugar, so you use half as much. (One teaspoon of
brown sugar has 1 5 calories and 4 grams of carbs;
the equivalent half-teaspoon of Brown Sugar
Blend has 1 0 calories
and 2 grams of carbs.)
2005 issue). When we found out that
Hershey's European Style cocoa, our
top-rated supermarket brand, had been
discontinued to make room for a new
version, Hershey's Special Dark, we
B ROWN S UGAR BLE ND
We tested Brown
Sugar Blend in three
applications-choco
late chip cookies, blon
dies, and a streusel
topping (sprinkled over
a yellow cake )-tasting
them side by side with
versions prepared with
regular brown sugar.
Tasters detected a "bit
ter" and "soapy" afer
taste in the cookies and Doesn't come out on top
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
Z
WHAT |5 |
I found what seems to be a large wooden fondue fork at a fea market.
What is it really used for?
HUNTER THOMAS
GLENDIVE, MONT.
The item you've found is a tool from Hol l and cal l ed a pof
fertjes fork. Poffertjes are smal l , puf yeasted pancakes about
the si ze of si lver dol l ar that are sered topped wi th butter
and confecti oner' sugar. They are cooked on the stovetop in
a special cast- i ron or nonstick pan featuring shal l ow rounded
cavities. Once the batter i s pl aced i n the buttered cavities and
the pofertjes have cooked on one si de, the two- pronged
wooden fork (about IOI2 i nches long, with 2- i nch ti nes) i s
used to fl i p them so they can brown on the other si de. Anyone
keen on making this Dutch specialt woul d be wel l advised to
purchase the fork (as wel l as a pofertjes pan; both fork and
pan can be ordered from the source l i sted on page 3 2) . The
fork's long, thi n, sl ightly cured ti nes crdle the bottom of
the pofertjes in a way that a skewer or regul ar fork cannot,
maki ng the turi ng process a breeze.
Thi s wooden forK is used to fli p puff
l.ttle Dttc' p.mcakes, or p . t; g i n
a pee l ly des1gred pan so they c.m
brown on both Sides
blondies made with Brown Sugar Blend and also
found them somewhat dry. The cause of the tex
ture problem was clear. Real sugar has moisture
retaining ( or hygroscopic) properties; because the
Splenda blend contains less real sugar, it retains
less moisture. Where Brown Sugar Blend really
failed as a substitute, though, was in the streusel
topping, which simply sank into the batter instead
of crunching up into a recognizable streusel . Not
much of a replacement in our book-even if you
do save a few calories.
The Scoop on Synthetic Spoons
Do Exoglass cooking spoons have any advantages
over traditional wooden spoons? What are they
made fom?
AMY RAO
NASHVILLE, TENN.
Although they may look like they are made
of meltable plastic, Exoglass cooking spoons, a
product of France, are actually a blend of resin
and fberglass that makes them heat resistant
up to 430 degrees . Unlike wooden spoons,
which must be washed by hand, have a
tendency to absorb odors and colors,
and can split over time afer repeated
soaks in water, Exoglass spoons
are quite durable and offer sev
eral advantages . First, they
can be thrown into the
dishwasher without
melting or splin-
EXOG LASS
S POON
tering. Second,
being nonpo
rous ( unl i ke
wood) , they
Is this synthetic spoon
superior to wood?
don' t stain or retain food parti cl es, odors, or
bacteria, which makes them a good choice when
mel ting or caramelizing sugar ( food particles
can cause the heating sugar to crystallize rather
than liquef) or when stirring slow-simmering,
stain- prone foods such as chili, curry, and tomato
sauce.
Such merits notwithstanding, the Exoglass
spoon cannot enti rel y repl ace the wooden
spoon, which we sti ll fnd usefl when trying to
gauge the consistency of sauces vi a the "coating
the back of the spoon" test ( the slick surface of
the Exoglass makes this more diffcult) and to
scrape up fond ( browned bits ) from the bot
tom of a pan ( fat- bottomed spoons are the best
choi ce here ) .
So we're holding on to our wooden spoons,
but we wouldn't mind adding an Exoglass spoon
or two to our utensil drawer-especially given that
we fow1d one for a modest $5. 66. See Sources on
page 32 to order.
Battle of the (Turkey) Sexes
Is there any way to fgure out whether a
supermarket turkey is a "tom" or a "hen, "
and is there a signifcant difference in favor or
texture?
PAMELA LOPEZ
BIRMINGHAM, ALA.
When it comes to commercial turkeys, weight
is the best indicator of whether a turkey is a tom
( male) or a hen ( female) , as there are no obvi
ous visual cues for distinguishing the two once
they reach the market. Representatives from
Butterball , Plainville Farms, and Empire Kosher
Poultry all said that their smaller turkeys ( l 0 to
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

A Better Stick of Butter?

When I moved to Cal i fori a, I noticed that the but
ter sticks are shorter and stubbi er than the ones I
grew up with back East. What' s the hi story behi nd
this diference? Is one stl e better than the other?
J ILL OHLIN E. REDWOOD CITY, CALIF.
The El gi n, or Eastern- pack. stle of packaging
butter creates the l ong. ski nny sti cks avai l abl e in
most regi ons of the United States. They are 4%
i nches long by I 'I i nches wide and are stacked two
by two i n thei r box contai ner. The Western- pack
stle makes for the short. stubby sti cks you noticed
when you moved to Cal iforni a. They measure 31/a
i nches l ong by 1 1 1 i nches wi de and are packed side
by si de i n thei r fl at, rectangul ar boxes. No matter
what the stl e, one stick contai ns 8 tabl espoons.
El gi n- stl e sticks (named for a once-promi nent
dai r i n El gi n. Il l . ) are the standard choi ce east of
the Rocki es. At some poi nt, dai r farms in the West
began usi ng diferent butter pri nter (the machi n
er used to cut and package butter sticks) that
produced shorter, wi der sti cks. We fi nd both stles
easy to use in the kitchen. The bigest diference
may come down to your butter di sh-most di shes
are shaped to fit El gi n- stl e sticks.
WESTE RN B UTTE R
Short and wide


toIT(
li
M\Nf
E LG I N BUTTE R
Long and thin
1 6 pounds) tend to be hens, while their larger
birds ( 1 8 pounds and above) are typically toms.
When in the 1 6- to 1 8-pound range, a turkey
might be either a large hen or a small tom.
All of the turkey producers we spoke to agreed
that there is no discernible difference in taste
between toms and hens and that the age of the
bird is what's most important when it comes to
tenderness. Because the maj ority of supermarket
turkeys are slaughtered when young ( under 28
weeks of age) , they are pretty tender-even the
tom turkeys.
SEND US YOUR QUESONS We will provide a compl i
mentar one-year subscri pti on for each l etter we pri nt. Send your
i nqui r, name. address. and daytime tel ephone number to Notes
from Reader, Cook's I l l ustrted, P.O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne,
MA 02447, or to notesfromreader@bcpress. com.
Quick Tips
Make-Ahead Bread Crumbs
Cooks who l i ke to pl an ahead
make more bread crumbs than
cal l ed for in a si ngl e reci pe and
freeze them in a zi pper-l ock bag.
But transferri ng the crumbs from
food processor to bag-especi al ly
a smal l bag-can be trick. Ptri ck
Burgon of Ottawa, Ontari o,
removes the bl ade from the
workbowl , l i fts the workbowl from
its base, and l ocks the lid in pl ace.
Next, he i nverts the whol e uni t
to funnel the crumbs through the
feed tube i nto the bag.
Maximizing Oven Space
A lare Dutch oven often leaves l i ttle
room i n the oven for anythi ng else. Zg
Hewel l of Seattl e, Wash. , maxi mi zes
space by i nverting the l i d, covering i t
wi th foi l , and roasting a si de di sh of
potatoes or vegetabl es ri ght on top.
3CO MPI L E D BY E R I KA B R U CE E
A Beter Way to Crack an Eg
Crcking an eg on the si d
e
of a mi xi ng bowl i s common ki tchen prcti ce. But
Loretta Fi sher of Anacortes. Wash. , swear by another method, whi ch i s just as
si mpl e and more rel i abl e.
I. Tap the eg on a fat surface, such as the counterop, rther than the edge of a
mixi ng bowl .
2. Thi s results in a cl eaner break through the shel l and the i nner membrne, whi ch
trnslates to fewer pi eces of shattered shel l i n your bowl .
Press, Don't Pound, Chicken Breasts
After watchi ng her torti l l a press gather dust on the ki tchen shelf, Patri ci a
jassi r of Tampa, Fl a. , fi nal ly di scovered another functi on for thi s sporadi cal ly
used pi ece of equi pment-fl atteni ng chi cken breasts i nto cutl ets.
I.
2.
I. Start with smal l chi cken breasts ( 311 ounces or less) or cut a larger breast
in hal f crosswi se.
2. Wrap the breast i n pl astic (to keep the press pl ates cl ean), pl ace i t
between the pl ates, and press.
Send Us Your Tip We wi l l provi de a compl i mentary one-year subscription for each ti p we pri nt. Send your tip, name, and address to
Quick T1ps. Cook' s I l l ustrated, P. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or to qui ckti ps@bcpress.com.
COOK'S ILLUSTRATED
4
Pckaging Pies for Transpor
Transporti ng freshl y baked pi es
from home to a hol i day part can
be hazardous, as the pi es sl i de every
whi ch way in the car. Vi rgi ni a Rice
of Phi ladel phi a, P. , solved the
probl em by getti ng a cl ean box from
her l ocal pizzeria. A smal l I 0-i nch
square pizza box i s j ust the right size
for keepi ng flat-topped pi es, such as
pecan and pumpki n, safe. (Thi s ti p
won' t work wi th domed pi es, l i ke
l emon meri ngue. )
Tough Nut to Crck
Fw nutcrcker are strong enough
to crck the hard shel l s of many nuts,
especi al l y wl nuts. Rndy Czapl i cki of
Ls Vegs, Nev. , rcommends usi ng a
hardwre-store tool cal l ed a vise-gri p,
al so known as cured-jaw l ocking
pl i er.
I. The adjustbl e rounded jaws can
accommodate nuts of al most any
shape or size.
2. Te grip i s strong enough to break
through the hardest shel l , leavi ng the
tender fesh i ntact.
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Protecting Recipe
Ingredients
Ater making repeated trips to the
grocer store to replace reci pe ingre
di ents, Dani el l e L. Schul t of Evanston,
Il l . , fi nal l y got wise to her fami ly' s
rids on the pantr. Now she places
brightly colored sticker on any items
resered for use i n a recipe as soon as
she unpacks the groceries. Anythi ng
without a sticker is fai r game.
Stufed Mushroom Cups
For easier transport of her stuffed
mushroom caps, Henny Hal l of
Edisto I sland, S. C. , uses mi ni muf
fin tins. Each mushroom perches
neatly in a mufin cup, and not a
singl e bread crumb is lost on the
way to the part.
'Grilling' Buns Indoors
Hot dogs tste good any ti me of year
and are even better when eaten on
a wr, toasted bun. Throwing the
buns on the gri l l i s eas, but when
cold weather keeps Sarvuth Neou
of Cambridge, Mass. , from going
outdoor, he uses a toaster, letti ng
the buns lie on top of the slots, then
fi ppi ng them over.
Rubber Bands as Lbels
Broccol i and some other vegetabl es
come neatly contai ned in thick rub
ber bands. Katja Ptchowsk of Kew
Gardens, N.Y. , recycl es the bands by
using them to l abel items destined
for the freezer. She stretches a band
around the top and bottom of a
container (which al so hel ps keep
a l oose lid in pl ace) and writes the
container' s contents on the band
with a permanent marker. She even
flips the band over to get one more
use out of it.
Easier Bread Slicing
Sl i ci ng a loaf of rustic bread freshl y heated in the oven can be a hot and mess propo
si ti on: It's hard to get a hol d on the bread, and the crumbs tend to spry everywhere.
Hel ene Jasper of Portl and, Ore. , came up with a prctical way to solve the probl em.
I. Cut sl i ces of bread about% of the way down to the bottom crust before cri spi ng
the loaf i n the oven.
2. Because the loaf i s sti l l i ntact, it i s eas to trnsfer to a seri ng basket, and the
sl i ces can be tom apart at the tabl e with mi ni mal mess.
I .
Yogur Containers for
Cookie Decorating
After washing and drying
them wel l , Meg van Meter
of Ambl er, P. , uses yogurt
contai ners with pl astic
snap-on lids to store
cookie-decorating suppl ies
such as col ored sugars and
spri nkl es. She takes their
use one step further by
turning them into shakers.
I. Punch hol es in the l ids
with a paper hol e- punch.
2. Repl ace the l ids and
invert the containers to
spri nkl e decorations onto
frosted cookies.
NO V E M B E R 6 D E C E MBE R 2 0 0 5
'
Grav Carafe
To keep grv warm at the tabl e, as
wel l as eas to pour, Gl oria Aderon
of Yorktown . Va. , uses an i nsulated
cofee carfe. I t cuts down on spi l l s and
keeps grv hot throughout the meal .
Pie-Dough Spriter
Anyone who makes pie dough has
faced the probl em of dough that
is too dry and crumbly when it' s
time to rol l i t out. Knowing that
mixing in more water with a spoon
or spatul a can overork the dough
and make the crust tough, Ken
Sincl air of Newton, Mass . , relies on
a spry- bottle ful l of ice water to
distribute j ust the right amount of
water needed.
Soundproof Cofee Grinder
Nothi ng i s better than waking up to
the smel l of fresh-brewed cofee, but
no one l i kes to be jol ted from sl eep by
the l oud whi rri ng of the cofee grinder.
To mufle the noi se, Marhal l Ki ng of
Goshen, Ind .. places an oven mi tt over
the gri nder before tumi ng i t on.
Beef Stew, Provenal Style
Thi s beef stew from the south of France i s cou ntry cooki ng at i ts best bol d , brash, and
fu l l - fl avored. Cou l d we transl ate the fl avors of Provence to an Ameri can h ome ki tchen ?
D
aube Proven<al, also known as
daube Ni<oise, has all the ele
ments of the best French fare:
tender pieces of beef, luxurious
sauce, and complex favors. Those favors
come from l ocal i ngredients, incl uding
olives, olive oil , garlic, wine, herbs, oranges,
tomatoes, mushrooms, and anchovies .
But few of these ingredients made it
into the large stack of "authentic" recipes
I uncovered in my research. When tested,
many of these recipes were one- note won
ders-beef stew with olives or beef stew
with oranges. One exception to this early
testing was a recipe fom Julia Child, which
included most of the favors I wanted.
Although not without problems, her ver
sion inspired me to follow suit and led to
my main challenge with this recipe: I would
have to fnd a way to turn these strong,
independent favors of Provence into a
robust but cohesive stew.
Food Fi ght
Over the years, the test kitchen has devel
: B Y S ARA H WI L S O N
protested the extra fat on principle, but a
side- by-side comparison made it clear that
salt pork, like anchovies, added a richness
of favor that was unmistakably absent when
not included. In any case, the salt pork was
added in a single piece that I removed and
discarded just before serving, once the pork
had given up its favor to the stew.
I n the Thi ck of I t
oped countless beef stews as well as a reli
able set of techniques to turn tough beef
into tender stew: Brown the beef ( to ensure
Th i s rusti c stew has especi al l y l arge pi eces of beef that can wi thstand
the l ong cooki ng needed to mel d the flavors i n the brai si ng l i qui d.
I had been following the French technique
of adding a small amount of four in the
form of a roux, a butter and four thickener,
but up to this point I wasn't satisfed with
the consistency of the sauce. The butter
sometimes ended up foating to the top
of the stew, making it look greasy, and the
sauce was still too thin. I returned to our
established technique and omitted the step
of making a roux. Instead, I sprinked four
into the pot to cook out with the vegeta
bles and tomato paste. I also increased the
amount of four to l3 cup, which is a little
more than most recipes contai n. The result
was immediately noticeable. The extra four
created a braising liquid that thickened to
the consistency of a l uxurious sauce.
What started as a key ingredient in daube
the richest, meatiest favor) ; add the aro
matic vegetables; sprinkle some four in the pan
( to thicken the braising liquid) ; deglaze with the
predominant cooking liquid; add the meat back
to the pot; and, fnally, cover and cook in a low
to medium oven until tender. Our choice of meat
for stew is cut from the chuck, or shoulder, which
is notoriously tough ( the meat sofens nicely dur
ing long, slow cooking) but also favorfl . While
various chuck cuts are appropriate for this recipe,
I found that the chuck-eye roast offered the best
favor and texture.
Most beef stews have a personality-defning
ingredient, like the wine in beef Burgundy or the
beer in carbonnade. In contrast, daube Proven<al
relies on a complex blend of ingredients, which
I methodically began to test. Tasters loved the
earthiness of dried ccpes ( the mushroom known
more commonly by its Italian name, porcini).
Nisoise olives lent a briny and authentic local
favor, and tomatoes brought brightness and tex
ture. Orange peel contributed a subtle foral ele
ment, while herbs, particularly thyme and bay, are
a natural addition in anything from Provence.
My tasters weren' t enthusiastic about every
authentic ingredient I tri ed. When I added
anchovies, some tasters claimed that these pun
gent fsh have no place in beef stew. Funny that
no one noticed tle two fillets that were already
part of my working recipe. When I omitted the
anchovies entirely, tasters claimed the stew lacked
depth of favor. Over the next couple of days, I
quietly added the anchovies back in one at a time
and stopped at three fi llets, at which point tasters
praised the rich, earthy favors of the dish and
noticed a complexity that had been missing with
out them. ( They never knew the secret!)
Pig's trotters, a standard ingredient in many
older recipes, contribute body to the sauce in the
form of gelatin and favor fom the pork meat and
fat. But the protests against a foot in the stew were
too much, and this time I caved in. As a compro
mise, I substituted salt pork, a salt-cured cut from
tl1e pig's belly, and adjusted the amount of salt in
the stew to accommodate it. Several tasters still
C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D

Provensal , the red wine, had now been rel

egated t o a mere aferthought, barely discernible
amid the other ingredients. My recipe contained
a half bottle. Could I add mord Conservatively, I
began adding more wine, carefl not to sacrifce
the integrity of the other favors. In the end, I dis
covered that this stew was bold enough to accom
modate an entire bottle-at least i n theory. The
wine tasted a bit raw. So I put the stew back into
the oven for additional 1 5- minute increments
until the total cooking time approached three
hours. The resulting sauce was gorgeous, with
rich round favors and a velvety texture.
What was good for the sauce wasn't so good
for the meat. I had been cutting the chuck roast
into l -inch cubes, a standard size for beef stew.
But with the longer cooking time, tle meat was
drying out and losing its distinct character. By
cutting the chuck roast into 2-inch pieces, I was
able to keep my longer braising time and create
a truly complex sauce. The beef was now tender
and flavorfl, and the larger pieces added to the
rustic quality of this dish.
DAU BE PROVENcAL
S E RVES 4 TO 6
Serve this French beef stew with egg noodles or
boiled potatoes. If nioise olives are not available,
kalamata olives, though not authentic, can be
substituted. Cabernet Sauvignon is our favorite
wine for this recipe, but Cotes du Rhone and
Zinfandel also work. Our favorite cut of beef
for this recipe is chuck- eye roast, but any bone
less roast fom the chuck will work. Because the
tomatoes are added j ust before serving, it is pref
erable to use canned whole tomatoes and dice
them yourself-uncooked, they are more tender
than canned diced tomatoes. Once the salt pork,
thyme, and bay leaves are removed in step 4,
the daube can be cooled and refrigerated in an
airtight container for up to 4 days . Before reheat
ing, skim the hardened fat from the surface, then
continue with the recipe.
3/ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed well
boneless beef chuck-eye roast {about
311 pounds),tri mmed of excess fat and cut into
2-inch chunks
111 teaspoons table salt
teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
ounces salt pork, rind removed
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into l-inch rounds
(about 2 cups)
2 medium onions, halved and cut into 1/a-inch-
thick slices (about 4 cups)
4 medi um garlic cloves, sliced thi n
2 tablespoons tomato paste
11 cup all-purpose flour
bottle bold red wine (see note)
cup low-sodi um chicken broth
cup water
4 strips zest from I orange, removed with vegetable
peeler, each strip about 3 inches long, cleaned of
white pith, and cut lengthwise into thin strips
cup pitted nioise olives, drained well
3 anchovy fillets, mi nced {about I teaspoon)
sprigs thyme, tied together with kitchen
tine
s H o P p 1 N G: Key I ngredi ents
s ci E NcE : Why 'Simmer' in the Oven?
Uke many of the beef stews tested in our kitchen, our Daube Proven<al
i s cooked i n the oven. Why do we prefer this method to a stovetop
si mmer? To test thi s myself. I cooked one daube in a 350-degree oven
and si mmered the other one on the stove. Both stews produced moi st,
tender meat in 21/2 hour, but the textures of the bri si ng l i qui ds difered 0 N THE STOVE
drmati cal ly. The stovetop stew produced a thi n sauce more l i ke soup.
Concentrated heat from below
whi l e the oven- bri sed daube yi el ded a si l k and l uxuri ous sauce.
thwarts flour's thickening properties.
Why so di ferent? At moderate temperatures, the fl our in a bri si ng
l i qui d gradual ly absorbs water, thus thi ckeni ng the sauce. I f the l i qui d
gets too hot, however, the starch breaks down and l oses i ts thi cken
i ng properti es, resul ti ng i n a thi nner sauce. Because stovetop cooki ng
heats from the bottom only. the fl our cl osest to the heat source l oses
its thi ckeni ng abi l it.
Daubes were tradi ti onal ly cooked in a covered urn- shaped pot
(cal l ed a daubiirt).The pot was pl aced in the fi repl ace-away from
di rect fame-on a bed of hot embers with more embers pi l ed i nto the
i ndentati ons in the l i d. The resul t? Even heat from above and bel ow IN THE OVEN
that gently si mmered the stew. So oven brai si ng is not only more efec- Evenly distributed heat allows
tive than stovetop si mmeri ng, i t' s also more authenti c. -S.W. starches to work their magic.
2 bay leaves
can ( 1411 ounces) whole tomatoes, drained
and cut i nto 11-inch dice
2 tablespoons mi nced fresh parsley leaves
l . Cover mushrooms with l cup hot tap water
in small microwave- safe bowl ; cover with plas
tic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic with
paring knife, and microwave on high power for
30 seconds. Let stand until mushrooms sofen,
about 5 minutes. Li f mushrooms from liquid
with fork and chop into I-inch pieces ( you should
have about 4 tablespoons) . Strain liquid through
fne- mesh strainer lined witl1 l paper towel into
medium bowl . Set mushrooms and liquid aside.
2. Adj ust oven rack to lower- middle position;
heat oven t o 325 degrees. Dry beef tl1oroughly
with paper towel s, then season with salt and
pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in l arge heavy
bottomed Dutch oven over medium- high heat
until shimmering but not smoking; add half of
beef. Cook without moving pieces until well
browned, about 2 minutes on each side, for total
of 8 to 10 minutes, reducing heat if fat begins
to smoke. Transfer meat to medium bowl . Repeat
with remaining oil and remaining meat.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add salt pork,
carrots, onions, garlic, and tomato paste to now
empty pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until light
brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stir
ring constantly, about l minute. Slowly add wine,
gently scraping pan bottom to loosen browned
bits . Add broth, water, beef, and any j uices in
bowl . Increase heat to medium- high and bring
to fll simmer. Add mushrooms and their liquid,
orange zest, l cup olives, anchovies, thyme, and
bay, distributing evenly and arranging beef so it is
completely covered by liquid; cover partially and
place in oven. Cook until fork inserted in beef
meets little resistance ( meat should not be falling
apart) , 2l to 3 hours.
4. Discard salt pork, tl1yme, and bay leaves. Add
tomatoes and remaining 12 cup olives; warm over
medium-high heat until heated through,
about l minute. Cover pot and allow stew
to settle, about 5 minutes. Using spoon,
skim excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in
parsley and serve.
Here are some notes on buyi ng the key i ngredi ents in our daube.
SALT PORK
Cured (but not smoked) pork
belly gives the stew richness and
flavor. Buy a piece that's at least
7 5 percent meat, with a
minimum of fat.
OLIVES
Use tiny, briny nioise olives.
Cook some of the olives with the
stew, then add more just before
sering to maximize
their impact.
ANCHOVIES
No one will be able to detect
their flavor, but anchovies add
earthiness to this dish. Meat
Ortiz anchovies (in olive oil)
won a test kitchen tasting.
RED WINE
Choose something bold, such
as Cabernet, and simmer for at
least 2112 hours to cook of the
raw flavors that an entire bottle
contributes to the pot.
N OV EM B ER [ D E C EMBER 2 0 0 5
/
TOMATOES
Progresso whole tomatoes were
the winner of a test kitchen
tasting. To presere their lively
flavor, add the drained tomatoes
just before sering.
Redefining Sweet Potato Casserole
More dessert than si de di sh , the typi cal reci pe swamps th i s casserol e i n sugar,
fat, and spi ces. We wanted to cl ear the way for the sweet potatoes.
E
very Thanksgiving, without fail,
millions of households across the .
country prepare the butter-laden,
overspiced, marshmallow-topped
side dish we all know and love as Sweet
Potato Casserole. It's as much a side of nos
talgia as it is a side dish, but with all of that
fat, sugar, and spice, the favor of the sweet
potatoes gets lost. Very lost. Thinking that
the supporting ingredients ought to play
second fi ddle to the potatoes, I set out to
update this home-style classic.
3 BY M AT T H E W C A R D E
smooth, so I tried a mix of potato chunks and
smooth puree, reserving half of the roasted pota
toes and folding them into the puree j ust before
baking. Bites of dense potato were thus suspended
throughout the puree. This amalgamated texture
paired perfectly with the crunchy topping.
Sugar and Spi ce
Roasting had so intensifi ed the favor of the sweet
potatoes that the excessive amounts of sugar
traditionally added to the fll i ng had become
superfuous. Any more than a few tablespoons
of white granulated sugar ( brown sugar mud
died the favors ) made the flling candy-sweet.
Any cook knows that fat generally equals favor,
but in this case I found the opposite to be true.
Heavy cream-usually added to the casserole's
flling-muted the intensity of the potatoes. I
thought I could simply reduce the volume, but
this made the flling stiff and gummy. Switching
to whole milk made the flling too lean, so I
split the difference and chose half- and- half It
contributed richness without being cloying. Five
tablespoons of butter ( most recipes included a
fll stick or more) frther smoothed things out.
Most of the recipes I researched for this
story added a great deal of sugar, cream,
butter, and eggs to mahed sweet potato.
Toppings, I was pleased to fnd, ranged far
beyond marshmallows to include every
thing from a simple scattering of nuts to
such glorifcations as canned pineapple
rings, maraschino cherries, corn fakes,
Rice Krispies, bread crumbs, and streu
sel . Some test recipes were prepared and
tasted, and the streusel -topped casserole
stole the show. The streusel's crisp texture
and bittersweet flavor-dark brown sugar
balanced by slightly bitter pecans-held
the fi lling's richness at bay.
A streusel toppi ng with pecans i s a more i nteresti ng opti on than
the cl assi c mi ni - marshmal l ows.
Recipes typically add whole eggs to the fll
ing, but I thought they made my casserole too
stiff Without any eggs, however, the flling was
too loose and lacked depth of flavor. Yolks alone
proved to be the solution. I tried as few yolks as
one and as many as a half-dozen; four proved
ideal, giving the casserole just enough body to
scoop neatly with a serving spoon.
Hot Potato
Most of the recipes I found called for canned
sweet potatoes. These have all the spunk of wet
cardboard, so I ruled them out from the start.
In terms of precooking the potatoes, the choices
were boiling, microwaving, and roasting. The frst
two methods produced bland potatoes. Roasting
was a differot story. Although roasting took 1 to
1 11 hours at 400 degrees, depending on the pota
toes' girth, it produced a rich, earthy, intensely
sweet flavor that was worth every minute. Once
the potatoes cooled briefy, it was quick work to
scrape the sof flesh free of the papery skins.
Like peanut butter, sweet potato casserole typ
ically comes in two styles: chunky and smooth. A
smooth-textured flling better complemented the
crunchy streusel topping, but I couldn' t get the
potatoes smooth enough when mashing by hand.
Both a handheld and a standing mixer were ef
cient, but I wanted to try one more option: the
food processor. Expecting the worst ( food proc
essors turn regular potatoes into wallpaper paste
in seconds) , I tossed the roasted potatoes into the
processor workbowl and let it rip. Instead of dis
solving into a starchy mass, however, they quickly
became silky smooth. ( See "Sweet Potatoes and
Starch, " below, for details. )
But now the creamy flling proved a bit too
s c 1 e N c e : Sweet Potatoes and Starch
Ater a di sastrous experience maki ng mashed pottoes i n a food proces
sor one Tanksgiving as a teenager and sti l l sufering gibes from my fami ly
about my "wal l paper paste" ) , I was rel uctant to tke the same tck with
sweet potatoes. But the prcessor-pureed sweet pottoes-creamy and
smooth-were everthi ng the whi te potatoes hadn' t been. Why? There
sem to be to reasons.
Fi rst, sweet potatoes and whi te potatoes, whi ch are from compl etely
di ferent pl ant fami l i es, have starches that are also ver diferent. Sweet
potato starch i s si mi l ar to cornstarch. The starch grnul es are about hal f
the size of those i n whi te potatoes, and they are more stabl e duri ng
cooki ng. Second, sweet potatoes contai n an enzme that when heated
converts some of the starches to sugars. With less starch that i s more
resistant to breakdown, cooked sweet potatoes are thus rendered
creamy, not gl uey. by the prcessor' s whi rl i ng bl ade. -M. C
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T ED
d
GL UE FACTORY
When regul ar potatoes are pureed in a
food processor, they form a gl uey mess
(above) . In contrst, pureed sweet
potatoes are creamy and l ight.
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T E C H N | Q U E BYE-BYE MOI STURE

I. I nstead of boi l i ng sweet pottoes (as most reci pes
di rect) , roast them for a l ighter, fl ufi er casserol e.
Warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves
made the casserole taste like pie. Nutmeg, how
ever, in conjunction with a grind of black pep
per, offset the rich sweetness of the potatoes.
Vanilla-a stif shot ofit--ontributed dimension
by picking up foral undertones. Many recipes
add orange juice or zest, but tasters found the fa
vors distracting. A splash oflemon j uice delivered
brightness without citrusy favor.
Toppi ng It Of
The winning streusel fom my frst round of tests
was a simple blend of fl our, brown sugar, pecans,
and sofened butter ( melted butter made the
streusel too hard) . Although well liked, it was too
sweet. I thought I could simply reduce the sugar,
but this yielded a bland-tasting, sandy streusel .
More butter failed t o improve things, and more
nuts did little good. Streusel may be a simple
blend of ingredients, but, as I was finding out,
they must be in perfect balance. Afer making
a dozen batches in which I vared each ingredi
ent by miniscule amounts, I fnally arrived at an
ideal ratio of 2 parts nuts to l part each of four
and brown sugar-very nutty and only lightly
sweetened.
Between the roasted potatoes, a prudent use
of sugar and seasonings, and a less sticky-sweet
topping, the intense favor of sweet potatoes was
now the focus of this classic. Would I miss the
marshmallows? Only until the frst bite.
SWE ET POTATO CAS S EROLE
S E RVES I O TO 1 2
Because natural sugar levels in sweet potatoes
vary greatly depending on variety, size, and sea
son, it's important to taste the flling before add
ing sugar. If the flling is bland, add up to 4
tablespoons sugar; if the potatoes are naturally
sweet, you may opt to omit the sugar altogether.
When sweetening te fling, keep in mind that
the streusel topping is quite sweet. If you can fnd
them, Beauregard, Garnet, or Jewel sweet pota
toes have the best texture for this recipe.
For even cooking, buy potatoes that are uni
form in size. Avoid potatoes larger than 1 11
2. A soon as sweet potatoes are fi ni shed cooki ng, cut
them i n hal f l engthwise so steam can escape.
pounds; they require a longer roasting time and
tend to cook unevenly. The potatoes can be baked
up to 2 days ahead. Scrape the fesh fom the skins
and refrigerate in an airtight container. To serve
4 to 6, halve all the ingredients and bake the cas
serole in an 8- inch-square baking dish for 35 to
40 minutes.
Sweet Potatoes
7 pounds (6-8medi um) sweet potatoes
Streusel
5 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, cut i nto 5 pi eces
and sofened, pl us addi ti onal for greasing pan
Il cup (2 11 ounces) al l - purpose fl our
I l cup ( 3 11 ounces) packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon tabl e salt
cup ( 4 ounces) pecans
Filling
5 tabl espoons unsalted butter, mel ted
2 teaspoons tabl e salt
Il teaspoon ground nutmeg
Il teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
tabl espoon vani l l a extrct
4 teaspoons j ui ce from I l emon
Granul ated sugar
4 large egg yol ks
1 11 cups hal f-and-hal f
l . FOR THE SWEET POTATOES: Adjust oven
rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to
400 degrees. Poke sweet potatoes several times
with paring knife and space evenly on rimmed
baking sheet lined with aluminum foi l . Bake
potatoes, turning them once, until they are very
tender and can be squeezed easily with tongs,
l to 1 11 hours ( or 45 minutes for small sweet
potatoes) . Remove potatoes fom oven and cut
in half lengthwise to let steam escape; cool at
least 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to
375 degrees.
2. FOR THE STREUSEL: While potatoes are
baking, butter 1 3 by 9-inch baking dish. Pulse
four, brown sugar, and salt in food processor until
blended, about four 1 -second pulses . Sprinkle
butter pieces over four mixture and pulse until
N O V E M B E R { D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
9
crumbly mass forms, six to eight 1 -second pulses.
Sprinkle nuts over mixture and pulse until com
bined but some large nut pieces remain, four to
six 1 -second pulses. Transfer streusel to medium
bowl and return empty workbowl to processor.
3. Once potatoes have cooled slghtly, use spoon
to scoop fl esh into large bowl; you should have
about 8 cups. Transfer half of potato fesh to food
processor. Using rubber spatula, break remaining
potato fesh in bowl into coarse l -inch chunks.
4. FOR THE FILLING: Add melted butter, salt,
nutmeg, pepper, vanilla, and lemon j uice to pota
toes in food processor and process until smooth,
about 20 seconds. Taste for sweetness, then add
up to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, if neces
sary; add yolks. With processor running, pour
half-and-half through feed tube and process until
blended, about 20 seconds; transfer to bowl with
potato pieces and stir gently until combined.
5. TO ASSEMLE A BA CASSEROLE:
Pour flling into prepared baking dish and spread
into even layer with spatula. Sprinkle with streu
sel, breaking up any large pieces with fngers.
Bake until topping is well browned and flling is
slightly puff around edges, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
Are They Done Yet?
Sweet pottoes take l onger to roast than you might
thi nk-up to 1 1 1 hour in a 400-degree oven. Here are
to wy to determi ne whether they are properly cooked.
S QU E EZE : Although the outsi de might be tender,
the center can sti l l be firm. Before removing sweet
potatoes from the oven, squeeze them with a pair
of tongs-they shoul d give al l the way to the center,
wi thout resistance.
PE E K: If you have doubts, cut sweet potatoes in half
l engthwise. I f you see whi ti sh marbling (uncooked
starches that are fi rm to the touch) , press the halves
back together, wrap the potatoes indivi dual ly in foil ,
and continue roasting until the marbl ing di sappears.
Roasting Green Beans
I s i t possi bl e to breathe n ew l i fe i n to over- the- h i l l su permarket green beans ?
D
el i cate and sl ender, garden- fresh
haricots verts need onl y a few min
utes of steaming, a pat of butter,
and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to
be ready for the tabl e. In fact, they are so sweet,
crisp, and tender that i t' s not uncommon to
eat them raw. Take the same route with mature
supermarket green beans, however, and you'll
regret it. Unlike their lithe cousins, overgrown
store- bought beans are often tough and dull,
demanding special treatment.
Italians solve the problem with braising; gen
tle, moist cooking has a tenderizing effect. But
the stovetop can get awflly crowded as dinner
time approaches-especially during the holidays.
Roasting is commonplace for root vegetables like
potatoes and carrots, and the technique is becom
ing popular for other vegetables, too. Would a
stint in the oven have a positive effect on out-of
season green beans?
I had my answer when an embarrassingly sim
ple test produced outstanding results. Roasted
in a hot oven with only oil , salt, and pepper, an
entire baking sheet of beans disappeared faster
than fench fies. Repeated tests confrmed that
roasting consistently transforms geriatric speci
mens into deeply caramelized, fll-flavored beau
ties. Here' s why: A green beans mature, tl1eir
fbers toughen and their sugars are converted
to starch. The hot, dry heat of the oven helps to
reverse the aging process. Fibers break down and
an enzymatic reaction causes the starch to turn
back into sugar, restoring sweetness. Roasting
also encourages the Maillard reaction-a chemi
cal response that creates flavor through brown
ing-a beneft lost with moist cooking methods.
The techni que needed a few refinements .
Those rare roasted- green- bean recipes that I
found called for at least 2 tablespoons of oil per
Shrivel Acti on
Wri nkl es aren' t always a si gn of overeal ous cook
i ng. For roasted green beans, shrivel ed exteri ors
i ndicate a successful transformati on from bl and and
stri ng to tender and fl avorul .
: B Y R E B E C C A I I AYS E
pound of beans, but I favored a more restrained
approach. A single tablespoon of oil encouraged
browning without making the beans slick and
greasy. And afer testing multiple time and tem
perature combinations, 20 minutes (with a quick
stir at the halfay point) in a 450- degree oven
proved optimal . Finally, when I tested the recipe
using a dark nonstick baking sheet and encoun
tered scorching, I began lining the sheet with
aluminum foil . The foil warded off burning and
made cleanup so easy that I made it part of the
recipe, regardless of the pan.
I now had beans that tasted great straight up,
and it was time to experiment with recipe varia
tions. But tl1eir development was not without mis
steps: Aromatics ( garlic and ginger) added at the
outset scorched. The solution wasn't to lower the
heat ( the beans didn't brown well enough) but
rather to add tlese ingredients halfay through
cooking. And when liquid seasonings like vinegar
and sesame oil slid right off the beans onto the
baking sheet, I included a spoonfl of sticky sweet
ener ( honey or maple syrup) to create an appeal
ing glaze, a move that incidentally incited even
more caramelization. Last, a smattering of raw
ingredients ( toasted nuts or seeds, fesh herbs, or
crumbled cheese) when the beans fi nished cook
ing provided complexity and textural interest.
ROASTED GRE E N BEANS
S ERVES 4
A aluminum foil liner prevents burning on dark
nonstick baking sheets. When using baking sheets
with a light fnish, foil is not required, but we
recommend it for easy cleanup.
pound green beans, stem ends snapped of
tabl espoon ol ive oi l
Tabl e sal t and ground black pepper
1 . Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat
oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet
with aluminum foil; spread beans on baking sheet.
Drizzle with oil; using hands, toss to coat evenly.
Sprinkle with 12 teaspoon salt, toss to coat, and
distribute in even layer. Roast 10 minutes.
2. Remove baking sheet from oven. Using
tongs, redistri bute beans. Continue roasting until
beans are dark golden brown in spots and have
started to shrivel, 1 0 to 12 minutes longer.
3. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, trans
fer to serving bowl , and serve.
C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A TED
l
ROASTED GRE E N B EANS WI TH RE D ONI ON
AND WALNUTS
Combine 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tea
spoon honey, 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
leaves, and 2 medium thin-sliced garlic cloves in
small bowl; set aside. Follow recipe for Roasted
Green Beans through step l , roastng 12 medium
red onion, cut into l2 -inch-thick wedges, along
with beans . Remove baking sheet from oven.
Using tongs, coat beans and onion evenly with
vinegar/honey mixture; redistri bute in even
layer. Continue roasting until onions and beans
are dark golden brown in spots and beans have
started to shrivel, 1 0 to 1 2 minutes longer. Adjust
seasoning with salt and pepper and toss well to
combine. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with
l3 cup toasted and chopped walnuts, and serve.
ROASTED SESAME GRE E N B EANS
Combine 1 tablespoon minced garlic ( about 3
medium cloves), 1 teaspoon minced fesh ginger,
2 teaspoons honey, Lf teaspoon toasted sesame
oil, and l4 teaspoon hot red pepper fakes in
small bowl ; set aside. Follow recipe for Roasted
Green Beans through step 1 . Remove baking
sheet fom oven. Using tongs, coat beans evenly
with garlic/ginger mixture; redistribute in even
layer. Continue roasting until dark golden brown
in spots and starting to shrivel , 1 0 to 1 2 minutes
longer. Adjust seasoning with salt and toss well to
combine. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with 4
teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, and serve.
ROASTED GRE E N BEANS WI TH S UN- DRI ED
TOMATOE S , GOAT CH E E S E , AND OLI VES
Follow recipe for Roasted Green Beans through
step 2. While beans roast, combine 1 teaspoon
extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice,
l cup drained oil -packed sun- dried tomatoes
( ri nsed, patted dry, and coarsely chopped) ,
l cup pitted kalamata olives ( quartered length
wise) , and 2 teaspoons minced fesh oregano leaves
in medium bowl. Add beans; toss well to combine,
and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer
to serving dish, top with l cup crumbled goat
cheese ( about 2 ounces) , and serve.
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code I I OS I for Roasted Mapl e
Mustrd Green Beans.
Reci pe avai l abl e unti l December 3 1 . 2005.
Her bed Roast Turkey
How do you gi ve a tu rkey herb fl avor that' s more than su perfi ci al ? We ru bbed , soaked ,
i nj ected , poked , and operated on more than two dozen bi rds to fi n d out.
T
his Thanksgiving, I decided to
forgo the safe and reliable (aka
boring) plain roasted bird for
something riskier but poten
tially more favorfl and exotmg: an
herbed roast turkey. Now, let it be said
that in prior years I have tried merely
throwng a bunch of herbs into the cav
ity or rubbing the outside of the bird
with a savory paste. These recipes were,
at best, no better than the usual roasted
bird and, at worst, just downright weird
or blotched in appearance. I didn't want
merely to firt with the idea of great herb
flavor, I wanted it in each and every bite.
3 B Y S A N D R A W U E
whelmingly strong, raw-tasting herbs.
What's more, the deeper layers were still
lacking in noticeable herb flavor.
Thus began my attempts at ful l
frontal bird surgery. To get a thin, even
layer of herb paste within the meat, I
butterfied each breast, applied the paste
to both faps, then sutured the sides
back up using skewers. Finally, I was
on the right track! Like a coffee cake
with a nice swirl of streusel in the center,
this turkey's meat boasted an attractive
layer of herbs in every slice yet still had
enough "unherbed" portions to provide
welcome contrast. On the downside, the
procedure was labor-intensive, and the
bird was diffcult to fl ip ( the skewers got
caught in the roasting rack) . Was there a
less invasive ( and less tacky-looking) way
to achieve similar results?
At the outset, I knew I would stick to
several of our established turkey-roasting
procedures: brining the turkey, roasting
it starting breast side down, and flipping
it over to fnish breast side up. (Ths tech
nique, our testing has shown, is the one
sure way to keep the white meat fom
overcooking before the rest of the bird
is done. ) Also, I wasn't exactly starting
my quest for intense herb favor at square
one. Recently, the test kitchen developed
a recipe that calls for applying a spice
rub onto the skin, directly onto the fesh
(under the skin), and onto the walls of
Most herbed roast turkeys l ack noti ceabl e herb flavor-a probl em we sol ved by
creati ng an i nteri or pocket of fresh herbs wel l beneath the surface.
Racking my brain for ideas, I bor
rowed a technique the test kitchen had
developed for stuffng a duck-cut pork
chop. Using a paring knife, I made a l l
inch vertical slit in the breast meat and
created an expansive pocket by sweeping
the blade back and forth, being carefl
not to increase the size of the original slit
on the surface. Ths newly created void
the cavity. I knew that this three-pronged approach
could provide worlds more herb flavor than simply
garnishing the cavity with a sprig or two of un
processed herbage, and it was a fine starting point.
But to get the herbal intensity I was afer-power
fl, aromatic favor that permeated well beyond
the meat's surface-more hard-core measures were
called for: I would have to go in deep.
Deep I mpact
A I gathered an arsenal of excavation tools that
might come in handy during my journey to the
center of the bird, an idea hit. Was tl1ere a way to
reach the turkey's depths without actually piercing
the fesh? Afer all, brining had proved an effec
rive method for infsing sat and moisture. Could
I use this less invasive procedure to, well, kill two
birds with one stone? Temporarily pushing aside
my collection of knives, shears, and syringes, I
. set about creating an herb-infsed brine. I boiled
0
_ some fresh herbs in water, strained out the solids,
i stirred in the salt, then "herb- brined" the turkey
for six hours. But the experiment was a bust; tl1e
fresh hers contributed hardly any additional fa
vor. Interestingly, I did get powerfl results when
I repeated the experiment using dried herbs-too
powerfl . This time, the meat had an overwhelm
i ng, perfumed favor that tasters found more
"pickled" than herb- infsed. Brining good, pick
ling bad: I had to come up witl1 a powerfl herb
infsion method, but one that I could control .
Taking a step back, I experimented witl a poke
and-fll approach. I careflly made multiple inci
sions throughout tl1e breast and thigh meat and
spooned the herb paste into the slots. Instead of a
beautfl Thanksgiving dinner centerpiece, how
ever, I got a turkey with puncture wounds oozing
green stuf. (Too bad Halloween had already come
and gone. ) But what iftl1e points of insertion were
not as large and ghastly? Reaching for a solid food
injector, I pumped the paste into several key spots
tl1roughout the meat. While more attractive tlun
my previous, slasher-flm-ready turkey, this version
lef me with the same condensed blobs of over-
N O V E M il E R [ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
I I
covered an interior surface area nearly as large as the
butterfied breasts. In this space, I rubbed a small
amount of herb paste ( too much and the herbs
began to taste raw and strangely medicinal ) . This
method yielded favor tl1at was j ust as good as the
butterilied version. Who would have thought that
treating a turkey like a pork chop was the secret to
true herb favor?
Now that I ' d upped the three- pronged
method I' d started with to a four-pronged affair,
I realized that rearranging the order of my herbal
assaults made sense. I began by applying the paste
underneath the skin ( directly onto the fesh) ,
then inside the newly created pockets ( reversing
these two steps caused the skin at the incision site
to widen and tear) , inside the cavity, and, fnally,
over the ski n.

Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Te dnppmgs from th1 s turkey can be used
to make our Best Turkey Grav Key 1n
code 1 1 052 to get the reCi pe
ReCi pe avai l abl e unti l December 3 1 , 2005
Steps to Seri ous Herb Flavor
LOOSEN RUB SAB AND SWEEP SUFF MASSAGE
I . Careful ly separte ski n from
meat on breast, thigh, and drum
stick areas.
2. Rub herb paste under skin and
di rectly onto fl esh, di stri buti ng
it evenly.
3 . Make I '12 i nch sl i t in each
breast. Swi ng kni fe ti p through
breast to create lare pocket.
4. Place thi n layer of paste i nsi de
each pocket.
5. Rub remai ni ng paste i nsi de
turkey cavi t and on ski n.
Prsl ey, Sage, Rosemar, Tyme, and More
Until now, my herb paste had been a combina
tion of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. It
was time to focus on its details. When used alone
in large quantities, strong herbs such as piney
rosemary and minty sage were overpowering and
needed to be balanced with the softer favors
of lemony thyme and fesh, grassy parsley. A a
general rule, the more pungent the herb, the less
I used in the blend ( less sage than thyme, and
even less rosemary than sage) . Alliums-minced
shallot and garlic-boosted the savory, aromatic
qualities of the mixture, while a minimal amount
of lemon zest contributed a fesh, bright note.
(Too much, however, lef tasters complaining of
artifcial, "Pledge-like" off-notes. )
In terms of paste construction, some fat was
necessary, but too much thwarted the crisping of
the skin. Although melted butter tasted great, it
also tended to congeal on the cold surface of the
turkey. Olive oil and a small amount ofDijon mus
tard, on the other hand, smoothed the mixture out
into a fairly emulsifed, easily spreadable paste.
Once my herb- swathed turkey was roasted
to perfection, allowed to rest, and carved up,
I watched as tasters marveled over its fancy
appearance and deep, fragrant aroma. Plain Jane
R E c 1 p E T E s T 1 N G : Stabs in the Dark
no more, this tasty bird would liven up any holi
day table.
HE RB E D ROAST TURKEY
S E RVES I 0 TO 1 2
If roasting an 1 8- to 22-pound bird, double all
of the ingredients for the herb paste except the
black pepper; apply 2 tablespoons paste under the
skin on each side of the turkey, 1 11 tablespoons
paste in each breast pocket, 2 tablespoons inside
the cavity, and the remaining paste on the turkey
skin. Roast breast side down at 425 degrees for 1
hour, then reduce the oven temperature to 325
degrees, rotate the turkey breast side up, and
continue to roast for about 2 hours. Let rest 35
t o 40 minutes before carving.
If roasting a 14- to 1 8-pound bird, increase alof
the ingredients for the herb paste (except the black
pepper) by 50 percent; follow the instructons below
for applying the paste under the skin, in the breast
pockets, and in the cavity; use the remag paste
on the sk. Increase the second half of the roasting
tme ( breast side up) to 1 hour, 1 5 minutes.
If you have the time and the refigerator space,
air-drying produces extremely crisp skin and is
worth the effort. Afer brining, rinsing, and pat-
We stopped at (al most) nothi ng to pack our roast turkey wi th herb flavor. Here are to of our more unorthodox, and l ess
successful . attempts.
MORE OOZE THAN AAHS
Mul ti pl e i nci si ons stufed with herb paste
looked l i ke puncture wounds
oozi ng green stuf.
POST- OP COMPLI CATI ONS
I ntricate surgery gave u s the flavor we wanted,
but certai nly not the right l ook. And the
procedure was trul y unwiel dy.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
l Z
ting the turkey dry, place the turkey breast side
up on a fat wire rack set over a rimmed baking
sheet and refigerate, uncovered, 8 to 24 hours.
Proceed with the recipe.
Turkey and Brine
2 cups tabl e sal t
turkey (1 2 to 1 4 pounds gross weight) , ri nsed
thoroughly, gi bl ets and neck resered for grav
(if making) . tai l pi ece removed
Herb Paste
1 1/4 cups roughl y chopped fresh parsl ey leaves
4 teaspoons mi nced fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh sage leaves
I 11 teaspoons mi nced fresh rosemary l eaves
medi um shal l ot, mi nced (about 3 tabl espoons)
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
3/4 teaspoon grated zest from I l emon
lf4 teaspoon tabl e sal t
teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
teaspoon Di jon mustard
1/4 cup ol ive oi l
1 . FOR THE TUREY AD BRE: Dissolve
salt in 2 gallons cold water in large stockpot or clean
bucket. Add turkey and refigerate 4 to 6 hours.
2. Remove turkey fom brine and rinse under
cool running water. Pat dry inside and out with
paper towels. Place turkey breast side up on fat
wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet or roast
ing pan and refigerate, uncovered, 30 minutes.
Alternatively, air-dry turkey ( see note above) .
3. FOR THE HERB PASTE: Process parsley,
thyme, sage, rosemary, shallot, garlic, lemon zest,
salt, and pepper in food processor until consistency
of coarse paste, ten 2-second pulses. Add mustard
and olive oil; continue to process until mixture
forms smooth paste, ten to twelve 2-second pulses;
scrape sides of processor bowl with rubber spatula
afer 5 pulses. Transfer mixture to small bowl .
4. TO PREPARE THE TUREY: Adjust oven
rack to lowest position; heat oven to 400 degrees.
Line large V-rack with heavy-duty foil and use
paring knife or skewer to poke 20 to 30 holes
L
5
t
,
a
z
;
E o u 1 P M E N T T E s T 1 N G : Turkey Tool s in foil; set V-rack in large roasting pan. Remove
turkey from refrigerator and wipe away any water
collected in baking sheet; set turkey breast side up
on baking sheet.
We woul dn' t roast a turkey without five basi c tool s, al l of whi ch have mul ti pl e ki tchen uses. 0e' ve l i sted the
wi nners of previ ous tests bel ow. ) But what about al l those turkey-only gadgets that show up i n stores every fal l ?
We tested 20 i tems and found a few worth consi deri ng. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
5. Using hands, carefully loosen skin from
meat of breasts, thighs, and drumsticks. Using
fngers or spoon, slip 1 1 tablespoons paste under
breast skin on each side of turkey. Using fngers,
distribute paste under skin over breast, thigh, and
drumstick meat.
6. Using sharp paring knife, cut 1 lz -inch ver
tical slit into thickest part of each breast. Starting
from top of incision, swing knife tip down to
create 4- to 5-inch pocket within flesh. Place 1
tablespoon paste in pocket of each breast; using
fngers, rub in t, even layer.
7. Rub 1 tablespoon paste inside turkey cav
ity. Rotate turkey breast side down; apply half
remaining herb paste to turkey skin; fip turkey
breast side up and apply remaining herb paste to
skin, pressing and patting to make paste adhere;
reapply herb paste that falls onto baking sheet.
Tuck wings behind back and tuck tips of drum
sticks into skin at tail to secure.
8. TO ROAST THE TURY: Place turkey
breast side down on prepared V-rack in roasting
pan. Roast 45 minutes.
9. Remove roasting pan with turkey fom oven
(close oven door to retain oven heat) . Using clean
potholders (or wad of paper towels), rotate turkey
breast side up. Continue to roast until thickest part
of breast registers 1 65 degrees and thickest part of
thigh regsters 1 70 to 1 75 degrees on instant-read
thermometer, 50 to 60 minutes longer. ( Confrm
temperature by inserting thermometer in both
sides ofbird. ) Transfer turkey to carving board; let
rest 30 minutes. Carve turkey and serve.
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated.com
Key i n code 1 1 053 for the resul ts of our
turkey tasting.
These resul ts wi l l be avai l abl e unti l
December 3 1 , 2005.
TH E BAS I CS
LARG E COOL E R
I f you l ack refrigerator space for bri ni ng,
add si x to eight ice packs to a cool er.
ROOMY ROASTI NG PAN
Preferably Cal phal on Contemporary
Roasting Pn ( $ 1 00) .
NONADJ USTABLE V- RACK
Preferably Norpro Nonsti ck Roasti ng Rck
(model #270, $9. 75) .
I N STANT- READ
TH E RMOMETE R
Preferably Thermapen
(model #2 1 1 -006, $75 ) .
FAT S E PARATOR
Trudeau Grvy Separator
with I ntegrated Stri ner
(model #099- 1 1 05 ,
$ 9. 99) .
STE P- BY - ST E P CARVI NG T HE B REAS T
WORTH
CONSI DERI NG
STU F F I NG BAG
There' s no easi er way to get stufing i nto and out of
the bi rd. We l i ke the Regency Turkey Stufing Bag
($ 2. 50 for to) .
LAC I NG KI T
Stright poul try l acers fasten t he cavit shut.
We l i ke the No-Sew Turkey Lcer
( $ 1 . 95 for 6 pi ns and I l aci ng cord) .
H EAT
COND U CTOR
Odd as i t may l ook, a
hol low metal tube
i nserted i n a stufed bi rd
conducts heat and speeds
cooki ng. Try the Roasti ng
Wand ( $ 1 4. 99) .
"
\

Most of our test cooks

make do with big wads of
paper towel s, but a few
prefer the leverage
provided by Poul tr
Ufters ( $9. 95) .
The wings and legs on our Herbed Roast Turkey can be carved j ust as they woul d be on any other turkey, but t he breast, whi ch i s stufed with herb paste, needs some special
attenti on. Here' s how to ensure that ever slice has a ni ce swirl of herbs.
I. Wi th wi ngs faci ng toward you , cut 2. Gently pul l each breast hal f away 3 . Usi ng knife ti p, cut al ong ri bcage to 4. Place enti re breast hal f on cutti ng
board and cut on bi as i nto thi n sl i ces.
Repeat step 3 along other si de.
al ong both si des of breastbone, sl i ci ng to expose wi shbone. Pul l and remove remove breast compl etely.
from ti p of breastbone to cutti ng board. wi shbone.
N O V E M B E R b D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
l
Pasta with Hearty Greens and Beans
Thi s cl assi c reci pe from the I ta l i an cou n trysi de deserves a pl ace on t he Ameri can tabl e.
Cou l d we streaml i n e i t wi thout forfei ti ng fl avor?
I
talians have a knack for trans
formi ng humble i ngredi ents
i nto remarkable meal s, and
the rustic trio of pasta, hearty
greens, and beans is no exception:
When careflly prepared, the combi
nation is sublime. But making some
thing out of almost nothing takes
time. In this case, dried cannellini
(white kidney) beans are gently sim
mered until tender, then garden-fresh
greens are cleaned, cooked, and sea
soned. Tossed together with al dente
pasta and a sprinkling of Parmesan,
the result is rich and satisfing. If I
could fnd a few shortcuts yet retain
the complex favors of the Italian
original, this dinner could become a
regular in my midweek repertoire.
A Bi ter Begi nni ng
3 B Y R E B E C C A H A Y S E
The hearty greens that Italians usu
ally mix with pasta and beans include
turnip, dandelion, chicory, mustard,
broccoli rabe, collards , and kal e.
And there's a fve-step approach for
reducing the bitterness most of them
possess: Blanch, shock ( dunk in ice
water), squeeze dry, chop, and saute.
The upside? When handled this way,
Kal e (seen here) and col l ard greens have a mi l d, sweet fl avor that
works wel l wi th pasta. Bi tter greens ( mustard, dandel i on , turni p, and
chi cor) are best saved for other reci pes.
the bitterness is tamed and the resulting greens
are robust but not overpowering. The downside
is that the whole process demands precious time
and multiple pieces of kitchen equipment.
Two of the choices, kale and collard greens,
were absolute standouts : Tasters noted their
appealing vegetal and mineral qualities but made
not one mention of bitterness, giving me new
hope for a straightforward cooking method. Sure
enough, a simple saute tasted great, but tl1e quan
tity of raw greens necessary for this recipe meant
that I would have to cook them in three or four
batches. The solution was a saute/braise combi
nation. I quickly wilted half of the greens in a hot
pan with olive oil , aromatic onions and garlic, and
spicy red pepper fakes and then squeezed in the
Go to ww. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code I I 054 for the results of our
tasting of canned white beans.
Thi s i nformation wi l l be avai l abl e unti l
December 3 1 , 2005.
remainder of the raw greens . I poured in chicken
broth to serve as the braising liquid, and, 1 5 min
utes later, tender, favorfl greens were mine.
Fi ni shi ng Touches
As for tl1e pasta, I 'd run across a few references
to whole wheat spaghetti and decided to try it
despite some skepticism among a few health- food
fearing colleagues. I prepared a batch, served it
up, and braced myself for the reactions. Surprise:
Tasters unanimously preferred the nutty flavor of
whole wheat pasta to traditional semolina pasta
for this dish. In fact, the more potent dimension
of flavor provided by the whole wheat pasta was
the missing link, adding complexity that brought
the beans and greens into a pleasing harmony.
To fnish up, I worked in some heavy-hitting
ingredients to compensate for the favor def
ciency of the canned beans ( the obvi ous shortcut
to cooking tl1em myself: hearty pancetta, acidic
tomatoes, briny ol ives, and earthy fontina and
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
1 4
Parmesan cheese. Still more garlic, i n the form of
bread crumbs or chips, contributed headiness and
welcome crunch.
One last note: I knew from experience that
draining the pasta and fnishing it in ie sauce
helps to integrate ie components of a dish, and
this one was no exception. Just a few minutes of
simmering went a long way toward joi ning the
gutsy favors. Now I can have classic Italian com
fort food, even when time isn't on my side.
WHOLE WH EAT PASTA WI TH G RE E NS , BEANS ,
PANCETTA, AND GARLI C BREAD CRUMBS
S E RVES 4 TO 6
Prosciutto e Parma can be substituted for pancetta.
If you can't find a 1 3. 25-ounce package ofRonzoni,
the winner of our tasting (page 1 5 ), use % pound of
a whole wheat spaghetti of your choice.
2 l arge sl i ces white sandwi ch bread (about
6 ounces) , torn i nto quarters
3 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
6 garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press ( 2 tabl espoons)
Tabl e sal t
3 ounces pancetta, cut i nto 11- i nch pi eces
(about 1 1 cup)
medi um oni on, di ced smal l (about I cup)
'
I teaspoon hot red pepper fl akes
| 4 cups l oosel y packed kal e or col l ard greens
( I to 1 11 pounds) , thi ck stems tri mmed,
l eaves chopped i nto l - i nch pi eces and ri nsed,
water sti l l cl i ngi ng to l eaves (see page 30)
1 11 cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
can (| ounces) cannel l i ni beans, drai ned and
ri nsed
I 3 'I ounces whol e wheat spaghetti
4 ounces fonti na cheese, coarsely grated
( about I cup)
Ground bl ack pepper
l . Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely
ground. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 1 2- i nch
straight-sided saute pan over medium- high heat.
Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently,
until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir
in 1 tablespoon garlic; cook, stirring constantly,
until garlic is fragrant and bread crumbs are dark
golden brown, about 1 minute. Season bread
crumbs with salt, transfer to small serving bowl,
The Secret to Ful l - Fl edged Fl avor
Dri n the pasta before i t reaches al dente texture, then
cook unti l tender i n the brothy sauce. This techni que al l ows
the pasta to absorb the favor of the sauce and to release its
resi dual starch, which helps to thi cken the sauce sl ightly.
and set aside. Wipe out pan with paper towels.
2. Heat remaining tablespoon oil i n now
empty pan over medium- high heat, add pancetta,
and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer
with slotted spoon to small bowl.
3. Add onion to pan; cook until starting to
brown, about 5 minutes. Add remaining table
spoon garlic and red pepper fakes; cook, stir
ring constantly, until garlic is fragrant, about 30
seconds.
4. Add half of greens to pan; using tongs, toss
occasionally, until starting to wilt, about 2 min
utes. Add remaining greens, broth, and :4 tea
spoon salt; cover ( pan will be very fll ) ; increase
heat to high and bring to strong simmer. Reduce
heat to medium and cook, covered, tossing occa
sionally, until greens are tender, about 1 5 minutes
(mixture will be somewhat soupy) . Stir in beans
and pancetta.
5. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in
Dutch oven over high heat. Add spaghetti and 1
tablespoon salt; cook until pasta is just shy of a!
dente. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add greens
mixture to pasta, set over medium-high heat, and
toss to combine. Cook until pasta absorbs most
of liquid, about 2 minutes. Add fontina; adj ust
seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immedi
ately, passing garlic bread crumbs separately.
Psta wi th Not-So- Hear
Greens?
Because of thei r substnti al texture and more asser
tive favor profi l e, we prefer kl e or col l ard greens
i n these reci pes, but spi nach makes a satisfactory
substi tute. Fol l ow ei ther reci pe, repl aci ng kle or
col lards with two I 0-ounce bags cri nkly- l eaf spi n
ach, tri mmed. chopped i nto l - i nch pi eces. and
ri nsed, water sti l l cl i ngi ng to leaves (about 1 6 cups) ,
and reduci ng chi cken broth to % cup. After addi ng
second hal f of spi nach to pan , cook for 2 mi nutes.
unti l spi nach i s compl etel y wi l ted. Conti nue wi th
reci pe as di rected.
WHOLE WH EAT PASTA WI TH GRE E NS , B EANS ,
TOMATOE S , AND GARLI C C HI PS
S E RVES 4 TO 6
If you can' t fnd a 1 3 . 2 5 - ounce package of
Ronzoni, the wi nner of our tasti ng ( see photo
at right) , use :4 pound of a whole wheat pasta of
your choice. If you l ike, pass extra-virgin olive
oil for dri zzling over the fnished pasta. For a
vegetarian dish, substitute vegetable broth for
chicken broth.
3 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
8 garl i c cl oves, cl oves sl i ced thi n l engthwi se,
3 cl oves mi nced or pressed through garl i c press
( I tabl espoon)
Tabl e sal t
medi um oni on, di ced smal l (about I cup)
11 teaspoon hot red pepper fl akes
1 4 cups l oosel y packed kal e or col l ard greens
( I to 1 11 pounds) , thi ck stems tri mmed,
l eaves chopped i nto l - i nch pi eces and ri nsed,
water sti l l cl i ngi ng to l eaves (see page 30)
1 11 cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
can ( 1 411 ounces) di ced tomatoes, drai ned
can [ I S ounces) cannel l i ni beans, drai ned and
ri nsed
3/4 cup pi tted kal amata ol i ves, roughly chopped
1 3 1/4 ounces whol e wheat spaghetti
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, fi nely grated
(about I cup) , pl us addi ti onal for seri ng
Ground bl ack pepper
1 . Heat oil and sliced garlic in 1 2-inch straight
sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook,
stirring and turning frequently, until light golden
brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon,
transfer garlic to plate lined witl1 paper towels.
Sprinkle lightly witl salt.
2. Add onion to pan; cook until starting to
brown, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and
red pepper fakes; cook, stirring constantly, until
garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add half of greens to pan; using tongs, toss
occasionally, until starting to wilt, about 2 min
utes . Add remaining greens, broth, tomatoes,
and
3
/4 teaspoon salt; cover ( pan will be very fll ) ;
increase heat t o high and bring t o strong simmer.
Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, toss
ing occasionally, until greens are tender, about 1 5
minutes ( mixture wil l be somewhat soupy) . Stir
in beans and olives.
4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boi l in
Dutch oven over high heat. Add spaghetti and 1
tablespoon salt; cook until pasta is just shy of a!
dente. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add greens
mixture to pasta, set over medi um- high heat,
and toss to combine. Cook until pasta absorbs
most of liquid, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup
Parmesan; adj ust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, passing garlic chips, extra-vir
gin olive oil, and Parmesan separately.
N O V E M B E R 6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
l '
r A s r 1 N G : Whol e Wheat Psta
A coare, gummy texture and out-of- place "oat
meal " favor pl agued too many of the whol e wheat
pastas we've tried in year past. Recently. however,
the opti ons avai l abl e have mul ti pl i ed drmatical ly.
We deci ded to take another l ook.
Ei ght of the I 0 contenders were made from
whol e durum wheat, the notabl y hard, dense
wheat from whi ch semol i na, the pri mar i ngre
di ent in tradi ti onal pasta, i s processed. Though
texture has i mproved overl l si nce our previ ous
tasti ngs, severl of the pastas were al most as gritt
and gl uey as we remembered. Our top fni sher,
Ronzoni Heal thy Harvest Whol e Wheat Bl end
Psta and Eden Orani c, bl ended regul ar semo
l i na wi th wheat bran and wheat fi ber or whol e
durum wheat, respectivel y-so they' re not I 00
percent "whol e" wheat. But the combi nati on of
a pl easantl y chewy texture and deep, wheat fa
vor was worth the mi nor nutri ti onal trde-of.
-Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
RECOMMENDED
EDEN Organi c,
$ 2. 1 5 for 1 4 ounces
Ni ce texture, wi th a mi l d flavor-though
found it too mi l d. "Where' s the wheat? "
BI ONATURE,
$ 2. 29 for 1 6 ounces
The texture of thi s mi l d-
WESBRE Naturl ,
$2. 49 for 1 6 ounces
The flavor merel y " hi nts at wheat. " Several tasters
noti ced traces of " gummi ness. "
NOT RECOMMENDED
ANNI E' S Homegrown, S I . 99 for 1 6 ounces
Ful l -flavored to some. " i ntense" to other. Severl
tasters swore they detected ci nnamon.
DE CECCO, $2. 29 for 1 7. 5 ounces
The most di etar fi ber, but the "gri tt, grainy"
texture "feel s heal thy. " The flavor was mi l d.
EDEN Bi odynami c, $ 2. 06 for 1 4 ounces
Tasters decri ed the "sandy" texture.
DEBOLS, S I. 99 for 8ounces
Thi n noodl es were "sti ck" and "gl uey. "
NATURL VALUE, $ 2. 5 4 for 1 6 ounces
"Toothl ess" pasta remi nded tasters of ri ce.
HODGSON MI LL, $ 2 . 3 9 for 1 6 ounces
" Doughy, " "meal y, " "sour, " and "dust" sum i t up.
'lCCCJLC |
'o o,, g lo o,, g, o. o o _. J.l
cJlooo l o. o BY s EAN LAWL E R
Chocol ate Basi cs
Cbotolat:liquor,a dark, past l i qui d made by gri ndi ng the ni bs extrcted
from dried, fermented, roasted cacao beans, i s pure, unsweetened
chocolate, the base i ngredi ent for al l other processed chocolates.
About 55 percent of chocolate l i quor i s totoa|utt:r,a
naturl fat responsi bl e for chocol ate' s uni que texture. Its
mel ti ng poi nt i s cl ose to body temperture, whi ch expl ai ns why
chocolate mel ts so smoothl y i n your mouth but stays sol id and
shelf-stable at room temperture. Suspended i n the cocoa butter are
particles of ground totoasolids,whi ch carry the chocolate favor.
Chocol ate Buyer' s Gui de
Given the many tpes of chocolates avai labl e i n stores
today, peopl e often wnt to know how they difer and
whether one can be readi ly substituted for another.
The firt questi on i s fai rly strightorard (and
answerd i n these pages) , the second one i s anythi ng
but. Diferent tpes of chocol ate var tremendously i n
favor, and thei r behavior i n reci pes can be fuss and
unpredi ctbl e. For thi s reason, Coo/'sreci pes often
empl oy more than one tpe of chocolate to achi eve
compl ex, mul tifaceted favor. Tat sai d, we've provided
some of the standard substi tuti on formulas below.
What It Is: Pure chocolate l i quor that has been
cooled and formed i nto bar.
Cooking Ti p: Because most unsweetened chocol ates
are strchy and unrefned (see " Conchi ng, " bel ow
right) , unsweetened chocolate is the trdi ti onal
choice for reci pes i n whi ch a bol d hi t of chocolate
flavor i s more i mpornt than a smooth or del i cate
texture (thi nk brownies) .
Substitution: Repl ace I ounce unsweetened choco
late wi th 3 tabl espoons cocoa powder + I tabl espoon
butter or oi l .
What I t I s: Chocol ate l i quor fed through a press to
remove al l but I 0 to 24 percent of the cocoa butter.
To counter the harh. aci di c favor of naturl cocoa, the
powder i s someti mes treated with an al kal i ne sol uti on,
or " Dutched. " Cookbook often cl ai m that Dutchi ng
"mel l ows" chocolate favor, but our taster di sagreed.
Without the di strction of naturl cocoa' s harsh aci d
i t, the more subtl e, compl ex chocolate flavors came
to the fore. We thi nk Dutched cocoa tastes best,
al though i t is i nterchangeabl e with naturl cocoa.
Cooki ng Ti p: Cocoa powder contri butes a l ot of
chocol ate flavor with l i ttl e addi ti onal fat, maki ng
i t perfect for hot beverages or reci pes that al ready
contai n pl ent of butter, such as cakes and cookies. I n
the test kitchen, we often " bl oom" cocoa
powder in a hot l i qui d such as
water or cofee. Thi s di ssolves
the remai ni ng cocoa butter
and di sperses water-sol ubl e
flavor compounds. The
resul t? A deeper, stronger
chocol ate flavor.
Substitution: None.
Chocol ates have too much fat
to take the pl ace of cocoa.
TEST KI TCHE N WI N NE R:
* CALLEBAUT, $20 for 2. 2 pounds (mai l order)
Best Supermarket Brand: DROSTE Cocoa. $ 5 . 49
for 8. 8 ounces
What It Is: Techni cal ly not chocol ate because it con
tai ns no cocoa sol i ds. To meet goverment stndards for
"white chocolate, " thi s product must contai n at least 20
percent cocoa butter, whi ch is usual l y de
odorized to rmove any naturl ly occur-
ring flavor that mi ght overhel m

whi te chocolate' s mi l d favor of
mi l k, sugar, and vani l la.
TEST KITCHE N WI N NE R:
* CALLEBAUT, $8 for I pound
What It Is: Many "whi te chi ps" contai n pal m oi l i n
addi ti on to (or i nstead of) cocoa butter and do not
qual it as "whi te chocol ate. " We prefer the brnds
wi th the most fat, be i t cocoa
butter or palm oi l ,
for thei r softer
texture, especi al ly i n
cooki es or browni es
eaten stright from
the oven.
TEST KITCHE N WI N NE R:
* GUITIARD Choc-Au- Li t Whi te Chi ps, $2. 79 for
1 2 ounces
What It Is: Candy bar chocol ate. Mi l k chocolate
must contai n at l east I 0 percent chocol ate l i quor and
1 2 percent mi l k sol i ds.
Cooki ng Ti p: Because of i ts relatively weak chocolate
flavor ( mi l k chocol ate i s usual ly more than SO percent
sugar) , we don ' t use i t in ver many reci pes.
Good for ni bbl i ng.
TEST KITCHE N
WI NN E R:
* PERUGI NA Mi l k
Chocol ate, $2. 59 for
4 ounces
mi l k. Al so cal l ed sweet dark chocol ate. i t i s just
that-extremely sweet. Whi l e i t must contai n at l east
I 5 percent chocolate l i quor, i t i s often more than 60
percent sugar. Sweet chocol ate i s sol d by the Baker' s
company as German' s Sweet Chocol ate Bar.
Cooking Ti p: We have l i ttl e use for the stuf, even i n
our German Chocol ate Cake reci pe.
CAUTI 0 N: Tis substitu
tion ignores the many i mpor
tnt diferences beteen
butter, oil, and cocoa butter.
A pan of fudg brownies made
with cocoa powder and but
ter wi l l usually tum out cake
l i ke and dr. ( Best for smal l
quantit substituti ons. )
TEST KITCHEN
WI NNER:
* SCHARFFEN BERGER
Unsweetened Chocol ate,
$ 1 1 . 00 for 9. 7 ounces
Conchi ng The trnsformation of bitter, unsweetened chocol ate l i quor i nto the sweetened mi l k and dark
chocol ates on store shelves takes pl ace through a refi nement process cal l ed concbin_.Sugar, vani l l a, soy
l ecithi n (an emul sifier) , and other ingredi ents (i ncl udi ng a suppl ement of pure cocoa butter) are added to
the chocolate l i quor, and the mixture is rubbed and smeared agai nst rol l ers until homogenous and smooth.
The process al so aertes and heats the chocol ate, dri vi ng of some of the vol ati l e compounds responsi bl e
for chocol ate' s naturl bi tterness. The resul t i s a smooth- mel ti ng chocolate wi th a mel lower, more pal atabl e
favor. The U. S. Food and Drug Admi ni strti on has divi ded sweetened chocol ates i nto severl broadly defi ned
categories: mi l k chocol ate, sweet chocolate, and bi tterweetsemi sweet chocol ate.
C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D
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B I TIE RSWE ET/ S E MI SWE ET
What It I s: A catch- al l category. The government makes
no di sti ncti on between " bi ttersweet" and "semi sweet"
chocol ates. To be cal l ed by ei ther name. the chocol ate
must contai n at l east 3 5 percent chocol ate l i quor.
though most contai n cl oser to 50 percent and many
" high- percentage" chocolates have 70 percent chocol ate
l i quor or more. I f compari ng chocol ates made by the
same company, i t i s fai rl y safe to assume that the bi tter
sweet variet contai ns more chocol ate l i quor than the
semi sweet; otheri se. the terms are of l i ttl e val ue.
Cooking Tips: With relatively strong chocol ate favor
and a smooth texture when mel ted, these are the
chocol ates to use for sauces, frosti ngs. custards, and
i ci ngs. Whi l e many tasters enjoyed the compl ex favors
of the expensi ve, hi gh- percentage chocolates eaten raw.
for cooki ng we preferred the chocolates that were pro
porti onal ly higher i n sugar. Ghi rardel l i Bittersweet, our
test kitchen favorite, i s 44 percent sugar, whi l e most of
the high- percentage entrnts in our tasti ng were 30 to
3 5 percent sugar.
Substitution: Repl ace I ounce bi ttersweet or semi
sweet chocol ate wi th
2
/3 ounce unsweetened chocolate
+ 2 teaspoons granul ated sugar.
CAUTI ON: Because i t has not been conched,
unsweetened chocolate wi l l not provi de the same
smooth, creamy texture as bi ttersweet or semi sweet
chocolate.
TEST KITCHE N WI NNE R:
* GHI ARDELLI Bittersweet Chocolate,
$2. 29 for 4 ounces
What It Is: Real semi sweet or bi ttersweet chocol ate.
only with a sl ightl y l ower fat content (about 27 per
cent) . whi ch i mproves the chi ps' stabi l i t. Some manu
facturers repl ace a porti on of the cocoa butter wi th
pal m or other vegetabl e oi l s at the expense of texture.
Cooking Ti p: Whi l e we don ' t recommend usi ng chi ps
in chocolate sauces or puddi ngs. they do produce
acceptabl e resul ts when substi tuted for bi ttersweet or
semi sweet chocol ate i n a si mpl e browni e reci pe.
Substitution: Chop up bar chocol ate for cooki es when
chocol ate chi ps are not on hand.
TEST KITCHE N WI NN E RS :
* GUITTARD Semi sweet Chocol ate Chi ps. $ 2. 79 for
1 2 ounces. and NESTL
E
Semi sweet Chocolate Chunks.
$2. 50 for 1 1 . 5 ounces
Worki ng with Chocol ate
Choppi ng Chocol ate
A. To chop a large
bl ock of chocol ate, hol d a large
knife at a 45- degree angl e to one of
the corners and bear down evenly.
After cutti ng about an i nch from
the corner, repeat with the
other corners.
B. Al ternatively, use a sharp
two- ti ned meat fork to
break the chocol ate
i nto smal l er pi eces ..
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mel ti ng Chocol ate
A. Doubl e Boi l er: The tradi ti onal method for mel t
i ng chocol ate i s in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of
barel y si mmeri ng water. Sti r occasi onal ly.
B. Mi crowave: Mi crowave chopped chocol ate at 50
percent power for 2 mi nutes. Sti r chocol ate and con
ti nue heati ng unti l mel ted. sti rri ng once ever addi ti onal
mi nute. I f mel ti ng butter wi th chocol ate, add the butter
at the 2- mi nute mark when sti rri ng the chocol ate.
N O V E M B E R b D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
l
Stori ng Chocol ate
Never store chocolate in the refrigertor or freezer,
as cocoa butter can easi ly pi ck up of favors from
other foods. I f chocol ate i s exposed to rapi d changes
in humi di t or temperature, sugar or fat may di ssolve
and migrte, di scol ori ng the surface. Thi s cosmeti c
condi ti on, known as bloom,i s not harmful -bl oomed
chocol ate i s safe to
eat and cook wi th.
To extend the l i fe of chocolate, wrap it ti ghtly in pl as
ti c and store i t i n a cool , dr pl ace. Mi l k and whi te
chocol ates shoul d last for six months to a year; dark
chocol ates wi l l l ast for several years.
Decorati ng with Chocol ate
To create chocol ate curl s for cake decorati ng. scrape
a bl ock of chocol ate with a sharp pari ng kni fe,
anchori ng the bl ock careful l y wi th your other hand.
Pi ck up the shavi ngs wi th a toothpi ck or tweezers.
To write wi th chocol ate, put
chopped semi sweet or bi tter
sweet chocolate in a zi pper
l ock bag and mel t, ei ther i n a
mi crowave or by submergi ng
i n hot water. Sni p of a ti ny
pi ece from one corner.
Hol di ng the bag in one hand.
gently squeeze out the choco
l ate as you write.
The Taming of Hunter-Style Chicken
The ori gi nal chasseu r was a preparati on fi t for even the sorri est spoi l s of th e h u nt.
Cou l d we adapt th i s d i sh to the tamer, mi l der bi rds bagged at th e l ocal market?
B Y S A R A H W I L S O N A N D J O L Y O N H E L T E R M A N E
L
ike most "hunter-styl e" dishes,
chasseur ( French for "hunter" )
began as something of a culinary
makeover-a dose of creative
Renaissance cookery meant to assuage
the downsides of dining on fresh-killed
game bird. Smallish pieces disguised the
intricate surgery necessary for extracting
wayward bullets, while white wine, wild
mushrooms, and aromatic herbs helped
mask musky, gamy favors. Hours of gen
tle stewing transformed the tough fesh
into fall-off- the- bone morsels, just as the
stewing liquid eventually thickened into a
hearty, flavorfl sauce.
time was problematic-either the chicken
wasn't cooked through or the sauce was
watery and thin. For this recipe t o work,
it was clear that chicken and sauce would
have to spend some time apart. Perhaps if
we took the braised chicken breasts out of
the pot before they were done and threw
them under the broiler to fnish cook
ing, we might get crisp skin and have the
opportunity to thicken the sauce. Brilliant
theory, so-so results.
The best way to ensure crisp skin and
j uicy meat was now obvious: Sear the
pieces in the pan, then roast them in the
oven. While the chicken roasted, we could
fnish the sauce in the skillet. In other
words, we would cook the meat and sauce
separately-from start to fnish. Totally
unconventional ( this was supposed to be
a braise) , but we had run out of options.
Centuries later, farm- raised chicken
has eclipsed partridge as typical dinner
fare. But most "chicken chasseur" reci
pes remain trapped in the past, blithely
hackng up the tamer ( and more depend
ably bullet-free) birds into unappetizing
chunks or dousing the milder meat with
enough potent herbs to temper a caul
dron's worth of gamy grouse. Even the
versions that get the favors right strug
gle with adapting the cooking method.
Game birds ( then and now) have fairly
dark meat throughout, making cooking
For chi cken wi th crisp ski n, hol d the sauce unti l servi ng ti me.
So what di d we sacrifce by forgoing
the half- hour braise? Not much, it turned
out. Presented with two versions of the
recipe-one with braised chicken, the
other cooked with our hybrid method
tasters unanimously preferred the lat-
times roughly equivalent fom section to section;
by contrast, a chicken' s white and dark meat cook
at different speeds. Add to that the modern preju
dice against fabby, uncrisped skin and we had a
long way to go to update this classic dish.
Pi ece Tal k
Most current chasseur recipes opt for breaking
down a whole chicken, searing the pieces, then
braising them in wine and stock. True to the orig
inal? Perhaps-but by forgoing such "authentic
ity" in favor of either white meat or dark meat
only, we could eliminate one of our timing prob
lems right off the bat.
Which path to choose? Thighs are the closest
a farm-raised chicken gets to game- bird con
sistency, and that's the route we usually choose
when braising chicken. The rich, fatty dark meat
becomes meltingly tender when braised. But the
reality is that most Americans ( and many of our
test cooks ) prefer white meat. We decided to
see if we could develop a chasseur recipe with
lean breasts. Given the tendency of white meat
chicken to dry out and become stringy when
braised, we knew this would be a challenge.
Searing four breast halves in a 1 2- inch skillet
crisped the skin, but just half an hour of simmer
ing later, the skin returned to mushy fab and
the meat was very dry. Reducing the braising
ter. Not only was the skin crisp-and
evenly browned-but the sauce had time
to thicken. What about the transfer of favors
between chicken and sauce that braising would
allow for? While the connective tissue in dark
meat chicken melts during braising and fortifes
the sauce, chicken breasts evidently have little to
offer the sauce other than the fond ( browned bits)
How We Di d I t: Great Pan Sauce and Perectly Cooked Breasts
Bri si ng, which i s the trdi ti onal choice for thi s reci pe, works wel l with dark meat chi cken but not breasts, which tum out
parched and string. Here' s how we retool ed thi s classic dish to make sure we got perectly cooked chi cken breasts.
S EAR
Sear chi cken breasts i n a hot ski l l et
unti l browned on both si des.
ROAST
Roast chi cken breasts on a ri mmed
baki ng sheet to cook them through.
C O O K ' S I L L U S T R A T E D
l d
BU I LD A SAU CE
Meanwhi l e, bui l d the sauce i n the
ski l l et usi ng leftover dri ppi ngs.
in the pan. As for the chicken, it was pl enty tasty
when served with the sauce.
Fi er Fi ni sh
With the timing and texture problems ironed
out, all that was l ef to do was to marry the fl avors
of the sauce to our nicely roasted chicken breasts .
The original chasseur would have used whatever
wild mushrooms were growing nearby. But in a
blind taste test, plain button mushrooms were
surprisingly good.
De glazing the pan with white wine and chicken
stock was fne, but deglazing it with a touch of
brandy and fambeing it first was better. Enough
of an improvement to call for this daunting
yet actually easy-cooking technique? Yes . In a
repeat test, even the test kitchen' s most hardened
skeptics had to concur that the fambeed brandy
added a welcome hit of sweet complexity that the
sauce was otherwise lacking.
Unlike cacciatore, where tomatoes defne the
sauce, the modern version of chasseur uses them
as no more than an accent. A mere l3 cup of
drained canned diced tomatoes was suffcient . In
typical pan-sauce fashion, we fnished the sauce
by whisking i n cold butter and fresh herbs-in
this case, the victorious tarragon and parsley.
At last, we had a chasseur ft for the modern
day bird with its l ean white meat-and ready
for dinner in j ust an hour. Woul d 1 5th-century
game- bird hunters have preferred this elegant,
streamlined version? Hard to say. But for 2 1 st
century grocery shoppers, it' s a sure shot.
C HI CKE N CHASS E UR
S E RVES 4
If fresh tarragon is unavailable, double the amount
of fresh parsley; do not use dried tarragon. Egg
noodles or mashed potatoes make a good accom
paniment to Chicken Chasseur.
4 bone- i n, ski n-on chi cken breast hal ves ( I 0 to 1 2
ounces each) ,tri mmed of excess fat and ski n
Tabl e salt and ground bl ack pepper
2 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
8 ounces white button mushrooms, cl eaned and
sl i ced lfe i nch thi ck (about 3 11 cups)
I medi um shal l ot, mi nced (about 2 tabl espoons)
3 tabl espoons brandy or cognac
11 cup dry white wi ne
3 11 cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
11 cup drai ned canned di ced tomatoes
3 tabl espoons cold unsal ted butter, cut i nto
4 pi eces
tabl espoon mi nced fresh parsl ey l eaves
tabl espoon mi nced fresh tarragon l eaves
l . Adj ust oven rack to middle position; heat
oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle chicken evenly with
salt and pepper. Heat oil in 1 2-inch skillet over
medi um- high heat until almost smoki ng. Add
T A s T 1 N G : Whi te Wi nes for Cooki ng
When a reci pe cal l s for "dr whi te wi ne, " i t' s tempti ng to grab
whatever open bottle is in the fridge, regardl ess of grpe varietal .
Are we doi ng our di shes a di sseri ce? Sure. Chardonnay and Pi not
Grigio may taste di ferent stright from the gl ass. but how much do
those di sti nctive flavor profi l es really come through once the wi nes
get cooked down wi th other i ngredi ents?
To fi nd out. we tri ed four di fferent vari etal s and a supermarket
"cooki ng wi ne" in five reci pes: brai sed fennel , risotto. a basic pan
sauce. a beurre bl anc, and chi cken chasseur. In our tests, only
Sauvi gnon Bl anc consi stentl y boi l ed down to a "cl ean" yet suf
fi ci ently aci di c flavor-one that pl ayed ni cel y wi th the rest of the
i ngredi ents. Di ferences between the wi nes were most dramati c
i n gentl y flavored di shes, such as the risotto and beurre bl anc. I n
contrast, al l five wi nes produced si mi l ar (and fi ne) resul ts when
used i n chi cken chasseur, no doubt because of al l the other
strong flavors i n thi s di sh .
But what' s a cook wi thout leftover Sauvi gnon Bl anc to do? I s
there a more conveni ent opti on than openi ng a fresh bottl e? To
fi nd out, we ran the same cooki ng tests wi th sherr and vermouth,
wi nes fortified wi th al cohol to i ncrease thei r shel f l i fe. Sherry was
too di sti nct and di dn' t fare wel l in these tests, but vermouth
was surpri si ngl y good. I n fact, i ts cl ean, bri ght flavor bested al l
but one of the dri nki ng wi nes. And at $5 a bottl e (for Gal l o. our
t
top- rated brand of vermouth ) , you can' t argue
. wi th the pri ce. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
HIGHL RECOMMENDED
OUR FAVORITE
Sauvignon Bl anc
Cri sp. cl ean . and bri ght, thi s wi ne was strong
enough to share the spotl i ght wi th other
i ngredi ents but refused to steal the show.
MORE THAN MARTI NI S
Dr Vermouth
A pl easi ng sweettart bal ance made thi s for
tifi ed wine a cl ose second. And, after bei ng
opened, i t can si t on the shel f for months.
RECOMME ND E D WI TH
RESERONS
I NTO THE WOODS
Chardonnay
Most i nexpensive

Chardonnays are si mply too
oak from barrel agi ng for
most reci pes. When cooked,
"oak" became bi tter, not
woody.
TOO SWEE
Riesl i ng
Thi s wi ne' s frui t sweetness
pai red wel l with a few reci pes
but was out of pl ace in other
di shes.
TOO SHY
Pi not Gri gi o
Whi l e thi s sl i ghtly aci di c, mi l d
wi ne won ' t rui n a reci pe,
i t won ' t i mprove i t much
ei ther, addi ng only a "generi c
wi ne- i ness" that fades qui ckly
i nto the backround.
NO RECOMMENDED
SLT DOG
Cooking Wine
The sal t used to preserve
i nexpensive cooki ng wi ne
. makes it unpotabl e.
NOT A TEM PLYER
Sherry
Compl ex sherry worked
wel l with the robust flavors
in chasseur, but its "earthy"
notes domi nated the si mpl e
beurre bl anc and risotto.
chicken breasts ski n side down and cook without
moving them until skin i s crisp and well browned,
5 to 8 minutes. Usi ng tongs, tur chicken pi eces
and brown on second si de, about 5 mi nutes
longer. Place browned chicken skin si de up on
rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
4. Add broth and tomatoes and si mmer over
medi um-hi gh heat; si mmer bri skl y unti l liquid,
mushrooms , and tomatoes measure 1 11 cups,
about 25 minutes.
2. Pour off al l but 2 tabl espoons fat from pan.
Add mushrooms and cook over medi um- high
heat until mushrooms start to brown, 6 to 8 mi n
utes. Reduce heat to medium and add shallots;
cook until sofened, about 1 minute longer.
3. Remove pan from heat and add brandy;
let stand until brandy warms slightly, about 1 0
seconds. Wave lit chimney match over skil let until
brandy ignites. Return pan to medi um- high heat
and shake skil l et until flames subside. Add wine;
using wooden spoon, scrape browned bits from
pan bottom. Si mmer briskly unti l reduced to
glaze, about 3 minutes.
N 0 V F , ll E [ I) E C lc M ll 1 2 0 0 5
l 9
5 . While sauce si mmers, place chi cken in oven;
roast unt i l i nt e ral temperatu re reaches 1 60
degrees on instant- read thermometer, 1 5 to 20
minutes. Transfer chi cken pi eces t o serving plat
ter and tent l oosel y wi th foil .
6. When sauce i s properly reduced, whisk in
butter, one pi ece at a ti me , until melted and
incorporated. Add parsley and tarragon and adj ust
seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over
chi cken and serve i mmediately.
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code 1 1 055 for the results of our
tasti ng of ei ght brands of vermouth.
This information wil l be avail abl e until
December 3 1 , 2005.
The Ultimate Linzertorte
What' s the secret to maki ng a perfect versi on of th i s Ol d Wor l d tart?
3 B Y T H E C O O K
' S I L L U S T R AT E D T E S T K I T C H E N E
An unusual techni que turns a ri ch nut crust and si mpl e j am
fi l l i ng i nto an el egant tart.
T
he ingredients for linzertorte couldn't
be easier to prepare. A food processor
produces the buttery nut crust, and the
raspberry jam flling is something you
buy. It's the process of transforming these two
components into a fished tart that can drive per
fectionists ( like us) over the edge. You can make
a homely but still delicious linzertorte with only
modest effort, but for the holidays, we think it
should look its best.
EasGoi ng
A linzertorte is more crust than flling, so we
started there . Walnuts made for a bitter, sof
crust. Our tasters preferred a mix of about 2 parts
hazelnuts and l part almonds. Toasting the nuts
was worth the extra step, but skinning the hazel
nuts-a messy and irksome process-was not.
As bizarre as it may sound, a hard-cooked
egg yolk is standard i n many classic recipes .
Several sources credited this unlikely ingredi
ent with creating a supremely tender dough
but tender to a fault was more like it. Dough
made with a cooked yolk was frail and crum
bly. Instead, a single raw egg moistened and
bound the dough nicely. Of the traditional
spice choices, tasters endorsed cinnamon
and allspice but rejected cloves. So far, this
was smooth sailing.
Roped l n
Rolling the dough ( and getting i t into the
pan) is where this recipe hit rough waters.
The standard method of rolling out the
dough and gingerly fi tting it into a tart pan
was ftile, as the delicate dough cracked and
split. Patting the dough in place by hand
yielded an uneven and unattractive crust.
Aer much consideration ( and failure) ,
we hit upon an unconventional but reliable
method. We took a portion of the dough
and rolled it out directly on the surface of
the removable bottom disk of the tart pan,
stopping j ust shy of the edges. We then
dropped the tart pan bottom into the futed
ring and pressed the dough by hand j ust to
the edges. To form the sidewalls, we took
pieces of the remaining dough, rolled them
into ropes, and gently pressed them partway
up the walls of the tart pan. Success !
A for the lattice, our attempt to sidestep
rolling out dough and cutting strips was
a failure; we tried crosshatching ropes of
dough, but they looked odd, and their wide girth
made them unpleasant to eat. The best that could
be done was to roll out the rather sticky dough
between sheets of parchment or plastic wrap, cut
the strips, and tl1en chill them thoroughly. Ad
forget about weaving the strips as you would if
making a pie. Linzertorte dough lacks the for
titude necessary for tl1at kind of manipulation.
Instead, by placing the strips one by one in precise
order over tl1e j am-flled tart, we found we could
mimic the effect of a basket-weave design.
Half- Baked I dea
Yet our linzertorte still fell short of perfection.
Beneath the l ayer of j am, the bottom crust
was sof and slightly foury, as if underbaked.
Adj ustments i n oven temperature were of no
avail . We were forced to take more drastic meas
ures : First, we prebaked the unflled pastry.
Though this worked, it was yet another step,
one tl1at required pi e weights and foil. ( Without
weights, the sidewalls slipped in the oven. )
We reconsidered for a moment. The bottom
crust posed the problem, not the sides. So we
threw together another dough, lined only tl1e
C O O K ' S I L L U S T R A T E D
Z
bottom of the tart pan-stopping short of creat
ing the walls-and prebaked sans pie weights.
The crust was now flly baked and crisp. Once
cooled, it was easy enough to use the remaining
dough to form tl1e sides of the tart shell . Afer a
quick slick with j am and the arrangement of the
lattice strips, we were ready to bake the tart.
To add some glitter and glow, we brushed the
dough with cream and sprinked it with coarse
turbinado sugar before baki ng. Served with a
fnal fourish of whipped cream, this tart fnally
delivered on the promise of its rich heritage.
LI NZERTORTE
MAKES ONE I I I NCH TART, S E RVI NG I O TO 1 2
Study the instructions before laying down the frst
lattice strip; once the dough sofens, it becomes
diffcult to work with. In addition, the strips can
not be repositioned once they have been put in
place because of the stickiness of the raspberry
fl ing. If, while you are trying to form the lattice,
the strips become too sof to work with, rechill
them until frm. If strips tear or crack, simply
piece them together as you form the lattice-any
breaks will become almost unnoticeable once
the tart is baked. Lightly sweetened whipped
cream favored with kirsch or framboise instead
of vanilla is the traditional accompaniment. The
tart keeps well for a day or so.
Pastry
I cup {about 5 ounces) unbl anched hazel nuts
11 cup {about 2 ounces) bl anched al monds
11 cup pl us 2 tabl espoons grnulated sugar
11 teaspoon tabl e salt
teaspoon grated zest from I l emon
1 11 cups {7 11 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
11 teaspoon ground ci nnamon
1/s teaspoon ground al l spi ce
1 2 tabl espoons ( I 1 1 sticks) unsal ted butter,
cut i nto 11- i nch cubes and chi l l ed
large egg
teaspoon van i l i a extract
Filling
1 1/4 cups ( 1 3 11 ounces) raspberry preserves
tabl espoon j ui ce from I l emon
Glaz
tabl espoon heav cream
1 11 teaspoons turbi nado or Demerara sugar
(opti onal )
5
"
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a
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I

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0
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0
I

l . FOR THE PASTRY: Adj ust oven rack to

lower-middle position and heat oven to 35 0
degrees. Toast nuts on rimmed baki ng sheet,
stirring once, until lighdy browned and fragrant,
about 8 minutes. Cool nuts to room tempera
ture. Do not turn off oven.
2. In food processor, pulse nuts, sugar, and salt
until very fi nely ground, about eighteen 1 -second
pulses. Add lemon zest; pulse to combine. Add
fl our, cinnamon, and allspice; pulse to combine.
Scatter butter pieces over four mixture and pulse
until butter lumps are no larger than peppercorns
and mixture resembles coarse meal, twelve to
fi feen 1 -second pulses. In small bowl, use fork to
combine egg and vanilla. With machine running,
pour in egg mixture through feed tube; process
until dough forms large ball, about 10 seconds.
3. Turn dough out onto work surface; press
together to form cohesive mound. Divide dough
into 2 pieces, one piece slighdy larger than other
( larger piece should weigh about 1 5 ounces,
smaller piece about 1 3 ounces) . Flatten each piece
into 5-inch disk; if not using immediately, wrap
each piece tighdy in plastic wrap and refrigerate
up to 48 hours . ( If refrigerated until frm, let
dough stand at room temperature until sof and
malleable, about 1 hour, before proceedi ng. )
4. Cut parchment round t o fit l l -inch tart
pan with removable bottom. Spray bottom and
sides of tart pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Separate bottom fom sides of tart pan; line bot
tom with parchment round and spray parchment
with cooking spray. Place smaller dough disk on
center of parchment-lined tart pan bottom, place
sheet of plastic wrap over disk, and roll out disk
until just shy of pan edges. Drop pan bottom into
fl uted ring and remove plastic wrap. Using hands,
press dough into even layer until fush with sides
of tart pan. Using dinner fork, poke holes uni
formly in dough; set tart pan on baking sheet and
bake until beginning to brown around edges, 1 5
to 1 8 minutes. Set baking sheet on wire rack and
let crust cool to room temperature.
5. Pinch piece of dough about size of Ping
Pong ball fom larger dough disk; roll with hands
against work surface to form 3/s - inch-diameter
rope. Place rope against side of cool pre baked tart
bottom. Repeat with additional dough (you will
have some lef over for lattice) , connecting ends
of ropes. When entire inside wall of tart pan has
been lined, use fnger to gendy press rope into
fl utes of pan, creating walls about 5/s inch high
(walls should not be as high as rim of tart pan) .
Set tart pan aside on baking sheet.
6. Reshape remaining dough into disk and
roll between two large sheets parchment sprayed
lighdy with cooking spray into 1 2-inch round
about 1/s inch thick ( if dough becomes too sticky
and sof, refigerate or freeze until firm and work
able) . Peel off top layer of parchment. Using
ruler sprayed lighdy with nonstick cooking spray
and pizza cutter or chef's knife, neaten edge of
ST E P - BY - ST E P RETHI NKI NG TH E C RUST
So del i cate i s l i nzertorte dough that we found i t best to prebake j ust the bottom crust and add the sides later.
I . Rol l out dough on parchment- 2. Drop pan bottom i nto futed ri ng 3 . Set tart pan on baking sheet and
l i ned tart pan bottom. and press dough to edges. sl i de i nto oven.
4. Rol l bal l s of dough i nto 3- i nch- 5. Once bottom has cool ed. l i ne 6. Press ropes agai nst pan to fonn
thi ck ropes. edges with ropes of dough. neat si des.
dough round, then cut round into 3/4-inch-wide
strips ( you will need 10 strips) . Slide parchment
with dough onto baking sheet; cover loosely with
parchment. Freeze 20 minutes or refigerate 40
minutes until fi rm but not flly stiff.
7. FOR THE FILLING: Meanwhile, in small
bowl , stir raspberry preserves and lemon j uice
together. Spread preserves evenly in tart shell .
8 . TO ASSEMLE, GLAE, A BA: Invert
dough strips sandwched between parchment; peel
off top layer. Using icing spatula as needed, lif
one oflongest strips fom center of round and lay
across center of tart at 1 o'clock/7 o'clock posi
ton. Lif second long strip and lay across center
of tart at 3 o'clock/9 o'clock position. Lif short
strip and lay across tart parallel to frst strip, near
edge of tart. Working clockwise, repeat positioning
of outer strips parallel to central strips; you should
now have 6 strips in place. Lif one of remaining
strips and lay across tart parallel to and equidistant
fom central and edge strips. Working clockwise,
repeat until lattice is complete with 1 0 strips. Press
excess dough against rim of tart pan to trim.
9. Gendy brush lattice strips with heavy cream
and, if using, sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake
tart ( still on baking sheet) until deep golden brown,
about 50 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on wire
rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.
1 0. TO SERVE: Remove outer tart pan ring.
Slide thin metal spatula between parchment paper
and bottom crust to loosen. Slide tart onto serv
ing platter. Cut into wedges and serve.
ST E P - BY - ST E P WEAVE- F RE E LATTI C E
Unzertorte dough i s too sof to weave, but you can sti l l create the i l l usion of a woven crust with thi s method.
I. Crisscross 2 l ong strips to fon 2. Place I stri p between each edge 3. Press excess dough agai nst ri m of
an "X". Place 4 short strips around stri p and central stri p. pan t o tri m.
edges, parl l el to centrl strips.
N O V E M B E R b D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
Z l
The Best Chocolate Butter Cookies
Chocol ate bu tter cooki es us ual l y taste bl and or su rrender thei r cri sp , del i cate appeal to
a chewy, browni e- l i ke textu re . How about great fl avor and great textu re ?
N
o holiday is complete without
a heaping platefl of decorated
butter cookies, a colorfl dis
play of shapes, sizes, and fa
vors. I' m always tempted to reach for the
darkest and most alluring i n the bunch-the
chocolate butter cookienly to discover a
tasteless imposter. Sadly, a cookie that look
like it's made of chocolate is no guarantee
that it will taste like it's made of chocolate.
Wanting to put an end to this cookie cha
rade, I started by sampling eight chocolate
butter cookie recipes. Most produced a bland
and disappointing chocolate cookie-no sur
prise gven the paltry amounts of chocolate
they called for. These were no more than
plain butter cookies shaded with a couple
tablespoons of cocoa powder. The few reci
pes that did deliver on chocolate favor, by
adding heavy doses of melted bittersweet
or unsweetened chocolate, were texturally
defcient--ither hard and wafer-thi or sof
and chewy, like a brownie. Apparently, cram
ming big chocolate favor into a tender, crisp
cookie was going to be a serious challenge.
? B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
adding an egg as a binder, but the dough
became wet, sticky, and difcult to roll out.
What if l used just the yolk and dumped ie
white, the part of the egg that contributes
ie most moisture ( and ie most stickiness)?
These cookies were winners. I settled on two
yolks and had dough iat could be rolled
out and baked successflly.
Fl avor Boost
Taste versus Texture
I started out with the test kitchen' s classic
Appl yi ng a bi ttersweet chocol ate gl aze to cocoa- packed cooki es hel ps
spotl i ght chocol ate' s starri ng rol e.
I found that increasing me vanilla extract
brought out the aromatics in the chocolate,
and adding a teaspoon of instant espresso
powder boosted the deep roasted notes. A
I dissolved the espresso powder in a small
amount of boiling water, I wondered if
"blooming" tl1e cocoa powder in the hot
water might boost the chocolate favor.
( The theory is mat hot water melts away
ie remaining cocoa butter, freeing up vola
tile favor compounds. ) Unfortunately, ie
3 tablespoons of water needed to bloom
the cocoa powder returned the dough to
a sof and sticky mess. I turned to the large
amount of butter at my disposal and melted
4 tablespoons of it, j ust enough to make a
warm paste out of the cocoa and espresso
powders. Blooming the powders in melted
butter really helped to boost the underlying crispy butter cookie recipe, which calls for
sugar, butter, four, and salt ( 1 part butter to
H 2 parts four, by weight) . For the chocolate,
I added 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Not
enough chocolate favor. Next I tried adding
melted unsweetened chocolate, but tl1ese cook
ies turned out hard and crunchy, and they also
spread too much in the oven.
Back at the drawing board, I decided I needed
a quick review of chocolate basics ( see "Chocolate
1 01 " on page 1 6) . One notable di fference
between types of chocolate is the percentage of
cocoa solids and fat . Even the darkest of the
sweetened chocolates-bittersweet-has only 35
percent favor-contributing cocoa solids, the bal
ance taken up by sugar and cocoa butter. Cocoa
powder, however, has a much higher percentage
of cocoa solids ( up to 90 percent) . For chocolate
favor in its purest form, without the extra fat,
cocoa powder was clearly the best candidate. ( I n
addition, melted chocolate had adversely affected
texture in all of my tests. )
I steadily increased the cocoa powder i n my
recipe until it reached l2 cup ( double the original
amount) . But this was as far as I could go; while
the chocolate favor had noticeably improved,
tl1e texture was again compromised-this time
because of starch-and the result was a dry, pasty
cooki e. I cut back on starchiness by reducing the
four, but tl1is now butter-heavy dough produced
a cookie that was too tender and crumbly. I tried
chocolate favor of the cooki e.
The rich aroma coming out of the oven proved
that heat also aided in the release of chocolate fa
vor compounds. But, as we have discovered wii
oier baked chocolate desserts, iose compounds
are better lef in the cookie than lost to the atmo
sphere. To avoid losing too much flavor, I had to
take ie cookies out of the oven at just the right
Key Steps to Maxi mum Chocol ate Fl avor
ADD COCOA S OLI DS
Start with cocoa powder. I t has more
cocoa sol i ds than other forms of
chocol ate and the most i ntense flavor.
U P TH E COM PLEXI TY
The bitter, roasted notes of espresso
powder accentuate si mi l ar qual ities in
the cocoa powder.
C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D
Z Z
" B LOOM " I N H OT BUTER
Mixi ng both powders with hot, mel ted
butter makes more favor mol ecul es
avai l abl e to taste buds.
moment-trickier than it sounds, as visual clues
are hard to detect in this dark dough. The secret
is to use a fork or fnger to gently press the center
of a cookie; slight resistance tells you the cook
ies are done. ( If the cookies are baked until they
darken around the edges, they will turn slightly
bitter and lose much of their complexity. ) When
cooled properly, the cookies will have a strong
chocolate flavor and a perfectly crisp texture.
Many home cooks avoid recipes that call for
rolling out dough. Although this dough can be
rolled out easily and then cut into decorative
shapes, it can also be rolled into a cylinder, sliced
into coins, and then baked. But, no matter how
you slice it, these chocolate butter cookies will
truly taste as good as they look.
CHOCOLATE BUTER COOKI E S
MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN 2 '
2
- I NCH COOKI ES
Natural cocoa powder will work in this recipe,
but we found that Dutch-processed yields the
best chocolate flavor. Espresso powder provides
complexity, but instant coffee can be substituted
in a pinch. The dough can be wrapped tightly
in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for
up to three days or in the feezer for up to two
weeks. Defost fozen dough in the refigerator
overnight, then let stand at room temperature
until frm yet malleable, about 30 minutes. The
cookies are refned enough to serve plain, but a
dusting of sifed confectioners' sugar or chocolate
glaze is a nice touch. Baked cookies can be stored
in an airtight container at room temperature for
up to three days but should be dusted with sugar
or glazed the day they are served.
20 tabl espoons ( 211 sticks) unsal ted butter,
sofened to cool room temperature
(about 6 S degrees)
11 cup ( about 2 ounces) cocoa powder
teaspoon espresso powder
cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 l arge egg yolks
tabl espoon vani l l a extract
cups ( I 1 1/4 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose
fl our
l . Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat
oven to 375 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons butter
in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add
cocoa powder and espresso powder; stir until
mixture forms smootl1 paste. Set aside to cool,
1 5 to 20 minutes.
2. In standing mixer ftted with paddle attach
ment, mix remaining 16 tablespoons butter,
sugar, salt, and cooled cocoa mixture on high
speed until well combined and fuff, about 1
minute, scraping sides of mixing bowl once or
twice with rubber spatula. Add yolks and vanilla
and mix on medium speed until thoroughly
combined, about 30 seconds . Scrape sides of
bowl . With mixer running on low, add fl our in
three additions, waiting until each addition is
incorporated before adding next and scraping
bowl afer each addition. Continue to mix until
dough forms cohesive ball, about 5 seconds .
Turn dough onto counter; divide into three 4-
inch disks. Wrap each disk i n plastic wrap and
refrigerate until dough is frm yet malleable, 45
to 60 minutes. ( Alternatively, shape dough log,
2 inches in diameter and about 12 inches long;
use parchment paper or plastic wrap to roll into
neat cylinder. Chill until very frm and cold, at
least 1 hour. )
3. Roll out 1 dough disk between 2 large sheets
parchment paper to even thickness of 6 inch.
( If dough becomes sof and sticky, slide rolled
dough on parchment onto baking sheet and
rechill until fi rm, about 1 0
TE C H N | Q U E S I MPLE TRI MMI NGS
minutes . ) Peel parchment
from one side of dough and
cut into desired shapes using
cookie cutter( s) ; using thin
metal spatula, place shapes
on parchment-lined baking
sheet, spacing them about
l inch apart. Gather dough
scraps and chill . ( For cylin
der-shaped dough, simply
slice cookies l/4 inch thick
and place on parchment
lined bakng sheets . )
DRI ZLE WI TH CHOCOLTE ROLL I N SUGAR OR NUTS
Melt chocolate chi ps i n the microwave Rol l the chi l l ed cyl i nder of dough
on l ow power or i n a bowl set over a i n 1 1 cup sandi ng (coare) sugar or
sucepan of si mmering water. Trnsfer chopped nuts. such as pi stachi os,
to a plastic sndwich bag. Sni p of one al monds. or pecans. j ust before sl i c-
comer of the bag, then drizl e. i ng i nto rounds and baki ng.
4. Bake unti l cooki es
show sl i ght resistance to
touch ( see photo above) , 1 0
to 1 2 minutes, rotating bak
ing sheet halfay through
baking time; if cookies begin
to darken on edges, they
have overbaked. Cool for 5
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
Z
Determi ni ng Doneness
When the cooki es are ready to come out of the oven,
they wi l l show sl i ght resi stance when gently pressed. If
they yi el d easi ly, they are underdone and need more
ti me to cri sp; if they begi n to darken at the edges, they
have baked too l ong and wi l l taste burnt and bitter.
minutes, then, using spatula, transfer cookies to
wire rack; cool completely. Repeat steps 3 and 4
with remaining dough disks and scraps, rerolling
scraps just once. Decorate as desired.
BI TTERSWE ET CHOCOLATE G LAZE
Melt 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate with 4 table
spoons unsalted butter and whisk until smooi.
Add 2 tablespoons corn syrup and 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract and mix until smooth and shiny.
Use back of spoon to spread scant 1 teaspoon
glaze almost to edge of each cooki e. ( If necessary,
reheat to prolong fl uidity of glaze. ) Allow glazed
cookies to dry at least 20 minutes.
G LAZE D CHOCOLATE - MI NT COOKI ES
Follow recipe for Chocolate Butter Cookies,
replacing vanilla extract with 2 teaspoons mint
extract. Glaze cookies with Bittersweet Chocolate
Glaze and dry as directed. Melt 1 cup white choc
olate chips and drizzle over glazed cookies. Let
dry at least 20 minutes before serving.
MEXI CAN CHOCOLATE BUTER COOKI ES
In medium skillet set over medium heat, toast
lz cup sliced almonds, 1 teaspoon ground cin
namon, and ls teaspoon cayenne until fagrant,
about 3 minutes; set aside to cool . In food pro
cessor ftted with metal blade, process cooled
mixture until very fne, about 1 5 seconds. Follow
recipe for Chocolate Butter Cookies, whisking
nut/spice mixture into flour before adding flour
to dough in step 2. Proceed with recipe, rolling
dough into log. Roll chilled log in lfz cup raw or
sanding sugar before slicing.
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code I I 056 for Chocol ate-Ornge
Butter Cookies with Chocol ate Brnd
Glaze.
Reci pe avai l abl e unti l December 3 1 , 2005.
Rescuing Buttermil Mashed Potatoes
Repl aci ng the bu tter and cream wi th buttermi l k doesn' t work. ( Un l ess you l i ke c u rd l ed ,
parched s puds . ) So what' s the secret to tangy, creamy mashed potatoes?
R
ecipe writers like to tout buttermilk as
a miracle ingredient, claiming that this
naturally lean product ( made by adding
bacteria to skim or low-fat milk) creates
the illusion of butter and cream. But do any of
these butterless recipes deliver?
In a word, no. The recipes I tried produced
potatoes that were curdled, crumbly, chalky, and
dry. In fact, other than a low calorie count, the
grainy, thirsty potatoes had only one thing going
for them: the distinctive tang of buttermilk. But
this trademark tart favor was in fact so alluring
that I decided to continue my investigation.
I sketched out a plan: First and foremost, I
was going to add some butter! Because of the
favorfl, creamy buttermilk, I wouldn't need to
add a truckoad, but I decided that fat-fee pota
toes just aren't worth choking down. Second, I
wanted an everyday recipe, streamlined enough
for fequent dinner-table appearances. I also had
to develop a curdle-proof technique. While most
recipes instruct the cook to heat the buttermilk,
what resulted was an unappealing mix of watery,
coagulated liquid and grainy curds.
Curdl e Hurdl e
Tackling the curdling problem frst, I tried to
skip the heating step, but that wasn't the answer:
Buttermilk curdles at 1 60 degrees, a temperature
reached almost instantly when the cold liquid hits
steaming-hot potatoes. I pulled out an instant
read thermometer and started adding buttermilk
to the potatoes when they dropped below the
1 60-degree mark. This worked, but talk about
fssy! I kept searching for a viable solution and
B Y R E B E C C A Il A Y S E
came across sources suggesting pinches of bak
ing soda ( to neutralize acidity) or cornstarch ( for
stability) . Neither trick worked. I knew that high
fat dairy products like half-and-half aren't prone
to curdling. What if I fattened up the buttermilk
with some melted butter? Bingo. When mixed
with room-temperature buttermilk, the melted
butter acted as an insulating agent, with the fat
coating the proteins in the buttermilk and pro
tecting them fom heat shock.
No Jacket Requi red
The test kitchen has found that simmering whole
russet potatoes in their j ackets yields true potato
favor and a rich, silky texture; peeled and cut rus
sets cook up with a thin taste and texture. Could
I simplif the cooking method by switching my
choice of potatoes? Peeled-and-cut red potatoes
were dense and pasty when mashed, but peeled
and-cut Yukon Golds made creamy, smooth
mashed potatoes. Why do Yukon Gold potatoes
respond better to this technique than russets?
Russet potatoes have more starch and therefore
absorb a lot more water than lower-starch Yukon
Golds. So while mashed russets become soggy if
peeled and cut before cooking, the less absorbent
Yukon Golds turn out just right.
Settling on amounts of butter and buttermilk
was a delicate balancing act. Too much butter
obscured the buttermilk favor; too little tasted too
lean. Afer many trials, I settled on 6 tablespoons
butter and
2
1 cup buttermilk. These amounts
allowed plenty of tartness to shine through-and
while this wasn't diet food, I didn't have to think
twice about going back for seconds. So when it
The Secret to Buttermi l k Mashed Potatoes
NOT QU I TE D ONE
Potatoes that remai n i ntact when
pierced with a paring knife need
more cooking.
J UST RI G HT
Potatoes that break apart when
pi erced with a paring kni fe are ready
to be mashed.
OVE RDON E
Potatoes that have begun to
di si ntegrate wi l l resul t i n soupy
mashed potatoes.
When mashed potatoes tum out dr. it's parly because the starch grnul es haven' t ruptured and broken down.
Thorough cooking makes the grnul es di ssolve. yiel di ng mashed potatoes that are smooth rther than gri ny.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
Z 4
comes to buttermilk mashed potatoes, all you
need is the right potato and the right technique.
And a little butter.
BUTERMI LK MAS HE D POTATOE S
S E RVES 4
To achieve the proper texture, it is important to
cook the potatoes thoroughly; they are done if
they break apart when a knife is inserted and gen
tly wiggled ( see photo) . Buttermilk substitutes
such as clabbered m do not produce sufciently
tangy potatoes. To reduce the chance of curdling,
the buttermilk must be at room temperature
when mixed with cooled melted butter.
2 pounds Yukon Gol d potatoes, peeled and cut
i nto I - i nch chunks
Tabl e sal t
6 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, mel ted and cool ed
2/ cup buttermi l k, at room temperture
Ground bl ack pepper
1 . Place potatoes in large saucepan; add cold
water to cover by 1 inch and 1 tablespoon salt.
Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to
medium and simmer until potatoes break apart
when paring knife is inserted, about 1 8 minutes.
Drain potatoes and return to saucepan set on
still-hot burner.
2. Using potato masher, mash potatoes until a
few small lumps remai n. Gently mix melted but
ter and buttermilk in small bowl until combined.
Add butter/buttermilk mixture to potatoes;
using rubber spatula, fold gently until j ust incor
porated. Adjust seasoning wt salt and pepper;
serve immediately.
BUTERMI LK RANCH MAS HE D POTATOES
Follow recipe for Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes,
adding 1 medium garlic clove, minced; 3 scal
lions, white and green parts sliced very thin; 2
tablespoons minced fesh parsley leaves; and l3
cup sour cream along with butter/buttermilk
mixture in step 2.
Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated.com
Key i n code 1 1 057for Butteri l k Mashed
Ptatoes with Leks and Chives.
Ti s recipe wi l l be avilable until December
3 1 , 2005.
Mix Masters
Ki tchenAi d has domi nated the standi ng- mi xer market for decades, but can i t cream a new
batch of competi tors wi th 1 , 000-watt motors , cavern ous bowl s , and l ofty p ri ce tags?
F
or dedicated home bakers, choosing a
standing mixer used to be a piece of cake.
You strolled down the KitchenAid aisle;
you selected a size. The competition?
Mostly glorifed eggbeaters mounted on stands
fne for whipping cream and stirring cake batter
but pretty much useless for heavier tasks involving
cookie dough or bread.
Recently, though, numerous high-end models
have whirred onto the scene to gve KitchenAid a
run for its money. Most have raised the stakes with
huge bowl sizes and seriously ramped-up wattage.
While KitchenAid's largest mixer is 6 quarts ( most
are 5) , now 7 quarts and larger aren't uncom
mon. KitchenAid's basic model runs on a 250-watt
motor; the new models tout ratings of 700, 800,
even 1 ,000 watts! Naturally, prices have soared.
Hobart-a maker of industrial-grade mixers-has
rolled out a new 5-quart consumer model priced at
a cool $1 ,500 and change.
How much mixer does a home cook need? To
test the feld thoroughly, we bought 1 8 differ
ent mixers of every shape, size, and price-fom a
budget $1 00 model up to the $ 1 ,500 Hobart. Our
lineup included Bosch ( two models) , DeLonghi
(two), Electrolux, Farberware, Hamilton Beach
( two) , Hobart, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid ( four) ,
Sunbeam ( two), and Viking ( two) .
A Baker' s Dozen
Standing mixers should be able to beat egg whites,
whip cream, incororate butter and sugar ( "cream
ing"), mix stif cookie dough, and knead basic bread
dough. I started with a test that would quickly thin
the ranks: 1 5 minutes of medium-duty kneading
on a rustic bread dough. ( If all you need a mixer
to do is beat egg whites and stir cake mix, you're
better of spending $70 on a good hand-held mixer
instead. ) Any mixer that couldn't fnish the job was
out of the running. Hacking, screeching, shudder
ing, even pausing-all fine, so long as the resulting
dough was acceptable and the mixer survived.
First up was the Jenn-Air Attrezzi, a smart, styl
ish number that hufed and pufed its way through
the frst few minutes ofkneading, then hacked fl our
out of its sleekly contoured etched-glass bowl. A
smoke wafed fom the motor, I reconfirmed the
fi re extinguisher's proximity but resisted pulling
the plug. Afer 3: 50, the motor stalled and never
started again. Next, the diminutive KitchenAid
Classic wheezed and trembled through the exer-
3 B Y J O L Y O N H E L T E R M A N E
cise, but 1 5 minutes later both mixer and dough
were fne. The $1 , 500 Hobart whirred calmly fom
start to fnish. And so it went-for 1 8 rounds.
Alin all, these mixers were truly a noisy, convul
sive lot. But only six failed outright, either stalling
out irreversibly or leaving portions of dough unin
corporated: Bosch Solitaire ( $899. 99; the cheaper
Universal model survived), Farberware ( $99.99) ,
Hamilton Beach 5- Quart ( $349. 95; the 7-quart
survived), Jenn-Air ( $349. 00), and both Sunbeams
( $98. 95, $1 29. 99) . Just 12 mixers, then, would
advance to the remaining rounds.
Desi gn Matters
For the next several weeks, the triumphant dozen
tried their luck in a variety of mixer challenges:
kneading pizza dough, mixing cookie dough,
whipping cream, and beating egg whites. In the
end, we developed clear mixer-design criteria.
First, there's mixing motion. The two most com
mon are stationary beaters (with rotating bowl) and
"planetary action," when a single beater rotates on
its axis willie spinning arOtmd a stationary bowl
( similar to the way a planet moves around the sun) .
Planetary action proved far superior-the agitator
simply makes it to more areas of the bowl . Three
stationary models ( Farberware, both Sunbean1s)
choked on dough in the elimination round: Either
the bowl stopped moving or the beaters got too
clogged to rotate. Another stationary-style mixer,
albeit a more wmsual design, the Electrolux DLX-
2000 ( $469. 95 ) has a rotating bowl and all its
inherent problems (i ngredients get clogged on
the agitator while the bowl spins ineffectually) .
One mixer opted for another approach entirely.
Shaped like a food processor, the Bosch Universal
( $369.99) has an agitator that rotates
without dirtying a shirt sleeve, and small amounts
(think two egg whites) get lost i the depths.
We also prefer slightly squat bowls, which com
pensate for the lost height with a more spacious
bottom surface and by flarng out to a wider mouth.
By distributing ingredients lower and wider, these
models had less opportunity to fing the contents
up the sides beyond the beater's efective range of
motion. The net result? Less need to scrape. The
other advantage of shallower distribution-coupled
with a wider paddle ( more leverage)-is less work
by the motor. The 5- quart mixers by DeLonghi
and Viking have squatter, fared bowls, while the
6-quart KitchenAid Professional 600 made up for
straight sides with the most spacious bottom sur
face of any planetary-action mixer in the lineup.
Most mixers come with three attachments: a
dough hook ( for kneading), a paddle-shaped flat
beater ( creaming dry and wet ingredients), and
a wire whisk (whipping) . The minor differences
fom model to model aren't worth reporting, with
a few exceptions. First, most fat paddles are, in
fact, fat. The exceptions were the DeLonghi and
Viking paddles ( 5-quart models only), which fea
ture slightly bent-out edges, a three-dimensional
touch that proved remarkably efective for cream
ing. If only the Viking could keep its slick-shaped
beaters locked securely in the socket: With both
Viking models we tested, the dough-caked attach
ments constantly plunged into the bowl during
scraping sessions, thanks to a poorly designed lock
ing mechanism and the disproportionate weight of
the attachments themselves.
Finally, the DeLonghi, Hamilton Beach, and
Viking mixers earned extra credit for an ingenious
method of adjusting beater clearance. Each attach-
on a spindle. The Bosch wasn' t bad
Bowl Shape Speaks Vol umes
at kneading, but when creaming and
whipping, its tendency to fl ing ingre
dients to the sides rather than integrate
them in the middle proved detrimental
to the final consistency.
Second, forget cavernous bowl s.
Unless you regularly make multiple
loaves of bread, 5 to 6 quarts is plenty.
To accommodate the extra volume,
DeLonghi , Hamilton Beach, and
Viking built the bowls of their 7 -quart
models up, nor-out: The rsulting urns
are nearly impossible to scr,e don
Tester devel oped a knack for di agnosi ng some mixer tendencies j ust by
noti ng the proporti ons of the bowl . Our favorite? Squat and fared.
STRAI G HT AN D NARROW

i ni mal fl our spray, but stacked

contents mean constant scrapi ng
and harder work for motor.
S QUAT AN D FLARED
Some fl our spray. but slightly wider
bottom and flared si des mean easy
access and mi ni mal scraping.
N O V E M B E R ( D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
Z '
ment can be lengtened or shortened by turning
a washer near the top. With the KtchenAids, only
the mixer arm can be adjusted, making it a pain
for cooks who prefer closer bowl contact with one
attachment than with the others.
Power Games
If I hadn't included the Hobart in the lineup,
I might never have discovered the sneaky truth
behind wattage ratings. Most mixers list their power
in watts; Hobart is the only one to use horsepower.
When I learned that 16 HP equals a mere 1 24
watts, I scratched my head in puzzlement. How
could this quiet, powerfl workhorse have the low
est wattage rating in such a hacking, shuddering
group (fom 250 watts to 1 ,000 watts) ? Turns out
Hobart is the only mixer to list output power rather
than input power. What's the diference? Output
wattage is the amount of power the motor actually
produces-which fows out of the motor, moves
through the mixer arm, and, ultimately, smacks the
ingredients around. Every other mixer lists input
wattage, which is simply the power that fows fom
the electrical outlet into the mixer's motor.
What does input wattage tell you about the
power of a mixer? Absolutely nothing-it's purely
a marketing gimmick. To wit, the six models that
failed the bread dough test (our initial round) had
power ratings ranging fom low to high, mostly
high (275, 350, 400, 450, 700, 700) . In addition,
every other test showed absolutely no correlation
between mixer performance and wattage. ( If man
ufacturers were willing to provide output wattage
fgures, comparison would be easy, but tllis key bit
of data is never ofered. )
The Dye I s Cast
Beyond output power, it was clear that design was
crucial to successfl mixing. For a better measure
of a mixer's effciency, then, I devised a fnal test.
Mixing 4 cups of pizza dough in each bowl , I
added 1 0 drops of yellow food coloring to one
side of the dough and 10 drops of blue to the
other. How long would each mixer take to knead
the dough completely to a uniform green color
with no individual specks of yellow or blue?
Incorporation times varied signifcantly. The
slowest mixer had gone from speckled blue and
yellow to a uniform green in just over l l min
utes. The quickest? A speedy 3: 45. From fastest
to slowest: KitchenAid Professional 600 ( 3: 45 ),
Bosch Universal ( 4: 45 ) , DeLonghi 7 ( 5 : 03) ,
Hobart ( 5 : 30) , Viking 5 ( 5 : 30) , DeLonghi 5
( 5 : 33) , Hamilton Beach ( 5: 39) , Viking 7 ( 6: 30) ,
KitchenAid Artisan ( 7: 20) , KitchenAid Accolade
( 7: 42 ), KitchenAid Classic ( 8: 52) , and Electro lux
( 1 1 : 1 5 ) . And wattage? Clearly unrelated.
So is KitchenAid still the mixer to beat? Yes.
Three mixers survived tl1e gauntlet of tests without
showing fatal faws: the KitchenAid Professional
600 ( $369. 99) , the 5-quart DeLonghi ( $349. 95) ,
and tl1e Hobart ( $ 1 , 503. 08 ) . Given that $ 1 , 500
is far beyond most test cooks' budgets, the
kitchen was split down the middle between the
KitchenAid and the DeLonghi, but our test
results give a slight edge to the KitchenAi d.
The Standi ng Mixers We Tested
How We Rted the Mixer
We tested 1 8 standi ng mixers i n a variet of core
tasks; si x model s fai l ed the kneadi ng test and were
el i mi nated from consi derati on . Mi xers are l i sted i n
order of preference. based on overal l scores.
CAPACITY: Vol ume of bowl .
PRI CE: Prices pai d at Boston-area retai l , nati onal
mai l -order, or onl i ne outlets.
WATAGE: Motor power rting, in wt, as prvided
by manufacturer. A measure of i nput rther than out
put power, it had no correlation with performance.
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: Ti me el apsed before
yel l ow and bl ue food dyes '0 drops each) were
uniformly i ncorported i nto 4 cups of piza dough.
KNEADI NG: Mixer were rted good, fai r, or poor
based on how wel l they kneaded rustic bread dough
and pi za dough and i ncorported dye i nto a second
piza dough. Fctor i ncl uded i ncorporti on efci ency
and speed as wel l as consi stency of fi nal dough.
CREAMI NG: Mixer were rted good, fair, or poor
based on how wel l they creamed butter and sugar and
i ncorported egs and dr ingredi ents i n butter cook
i es and oatmeal cookies. Fctor i ncl uded creami ng
speed, creami ng flufi ness, i ncorporti on efi ci ency,
even di stri buti on, and consi stenc of fnal dough.
WHI PPI NG: Mixers were rted good, fair, or poor
based on how wel l they beat 2 ounces eg whites (the
equival ent of two eg whi tes) until stif and whi pped
'12 cups col d heav cream. Fctors i ncl uded efcienc,
speed, and consistency of fi nal product.
DESI GN: Mixer were rted good, fair, or poor based
on how the design contri buted to or detrcted from
user-fri endl i ness and dependabl e performance.
FEATURES : Attachments i ncl uded wi th purchase
and relevant design el ements.
RECOMME NDE D RECOMME N DE D WI TH RESE RVATI ONS
KitchenAid Professi onal 600
Mixer to Beat
Delnghi 5- Quar
Expert Creamer
Hobart
Quiet Workhorse
Viking 5- Quar
Attachment Di sorder
RECOMME NDE D WI TH RESE RVATI ONS ( c ont i n u e d)
KitchenAid Acol ade
Awkward Puses
Vi ki ng 7 -Quar
Bugg Whi p
Hami lton Beach 7 - Quart
Bad Vibrati ons
Bosch Universal
Side I ssues
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T F D
Z
Delnghi ?- Quart
Gapi ng Bowl
Ki tchenAid Cl assic
Shak Situation
Ki tchenAid Ai sn
Weak Knead
El ectrol ux Asistent
Lost i n Space
RTI NGS
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
RATI NG STANDI NG MIXERS
RECOMME NDE D
Ki tchenAid Professi onal 600

CAPACI TY: 6 quar

PRI CE : $ 3 69. 99
WATTAG E : 575
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 3: 45
Delonghi DSMS
CAPACI TY: 5 quar
PRI CE : $ 349. 95
WATTAG E : 780
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 5 : 3 3
Hobart NSO
CAPACI TY: 5 quar
PRI CE : $ 1 , 503 . 08
WATTAG E : 3 20
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 5 : 30
RECOMME NDE D WI TH RESE RVATI ONS
Vi ki ng VMSOO
CAPACITY: 5 quar
PRI CE: $440. 00
WATTAGE : 800
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 5 : 30
Delonghi DSM7
CAPACI TY: 7 quar
PRI CE : $449. 95
WATTAGE : 980
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 5: 03
KitchenAi d Aisan
CAPACI TY: 5 quar
PRI CE: $ 249. 99
WATTAG E : 3 25
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 7: 20
Ki tchenAid Acol ade 400
CAPACI TY: 5 quar
PRI CE: $299. 99
WATTAG E : 400
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 7: 42
Vi ki ng VSM700
CAPACI TY: 7 quar
PRI CE: $499. 95
WATTAGE : 1 , 000
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 6: 30
Hami lton Beach CPM700
CAPACI TY: 7 quar
PRI CE: $469. 00
WATAGE : 800
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 5 : 3 9
Bosch Universal Ki tchen Machi ne
CAPACI TY: 6 quar
PRI CE: $ 3 69. 99
WATAG E : 700
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 4: 45
NOT RECOMME NDE D
KitchenAid Cl assi c Series
CAPACI TY: 411 quar
PRI CE : $ 249. 95
WATTAGE : 25 0
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: 8 : 5 2
El ectrol ux DL-2000 Assistent
CAPACI TY: 8 quar
PRI CE: $469. 95
WATTAGE : 450
DYE I NCORPORATI ON: I I : I S
TEST CRI TERI A
KNEADI NG : ***
CREAM I NG : ***
WHI PPI NG : ***
DE S I G N: ***
KNEADI NG : ***
CREAM I NG : ***
WHI P PI NG : ***
DE S I G N: ***
K NEADI NG : * * *
CREAMI NG : ***
WHI P PI NG : ***
DE S I G N : **
KNEADI NG : ***
CREAMI NG : ***
WHI P PI NG : ***
DE S I G N: **
K NEADI NG : ***
CREAMI NG : ***
WHI PPI NG : **
DE S I GN: **
KNEAD I NG : **
CREAM I NG: ***
WHI PPI NG : ***
DE S I G N: **
K NEADI NG : **
CREAMI NG : ***
WHI P PI NG : ***
DE S I GN: **
K NEADI NG : ***
CREAMI NG : ***
WHI P P I NG: *
DE S I GN: *
K NEADI NG : **
CREAMI NG : **
WHI P PI NG : **
DE S I GN: **
KNEAD I NG : ***
CREAMI NG : **
WHI P PI NG : *
DE S I G N: *
KNEADI NG : *
CREAMI NG : **
WHI PPI NG : **
DE S I GN: **
KNEADI NG : **
CREAM I NG: *
WHI P PI NG : **
DE S I G N: *
FEATURE S : "Spirl" dough hook.
flat beater, wire whip, pouring
shield, bowl lif
F EATU RES: Nonstick dough
hook. "crimped" nonstick fat
beater. stainless whisk. splash
guard, tilt head
F EATU RES : Dough hook, flat
beater, wire whip. bowl lift
FEATU RES : Dough hook,
"crimped" fat beater. wire whip.
trnsport wheels
FEATURE S : Nonstick dough
hook, nonstick flat beater.
stainless whisk. splash guard,
tilt head
FEATU RES : Dough hook. fat
beater. wire whip. splash guard,
tilt head
F EATURE S : Dough hook, fat
beater. wire whip. splash guard.
tilt head. delayed start
FEATU RES: Dough hook. fat
beater. stainless whip. tilt head,
trnsport wheels
F EATU RES: Dough hook. fat
beater, wire whisk
FEATURE S : Dough blade, eg
whip. plastic lid, 6-cup blender
FEATURE S : Dough hook. fat
beater. wire whip. tilt head
FEATURE S : Plasticwhisking
bowl. dough hook. beater,
roller ;scraper
TESTERS' COMME NTS
With 1 8 models tested. a KitchenAd still came out on top-though just barely
edging out the De Lnghi. With 575 watts (the median for the group) . it plowed
through 4 cups of dough almost two minutes faster than most "super-wattage"
models. Ideal 6-quart capacit distributed wide (rther than tall) made for easy
scrping and additions. if a bit more four spry.
Wtching this compact mixer expertly cream butter and sugar into a uniform
consistency was a thing of beaut. Flared bowl and well-sized attachments kept
ingredients "low in the bowl" and minimized scrping. A bit more composure
during heav workloads might have broken the near-tie for firt in its favor.
" Punr like a kitten. " said tester about this industrial-strength lion, as it calmly
processed rustic dough. oatmeal cookies, and anything else we threw its way.
Narrow bowl mouth (the narrowest) made it awkard to add ingredients, and
turing of power to change speeds was a pain-but not as much as trnsport
ing the 5 5-pound beast.
If Viking ever fgures out the "locking" concept. this 5-quart model might
be the mixer to beat. Shaft-arm lock required ridiculous force to slam shut.
but the real trgedy was how often attachments plummeted from the poorly
designed socket during scrping breaks.
The DSM7 sufered the plight of tall. cavernous bowls-dificult whipping small
amounts and awkard scrping of sides. ("The hardest part is keeping yourelf
clean," noted one tester. ) Despite huge-sounding wattage. more shaking and
screeching with heav loads than many other models.
Kneading caused audible strin on the motor, as did adding heavy dr ingredi-
ents (oats) to cookie dough. Creamed and whipped like a pro-an economical
choice for infrequent bread maker. Narrow bowl mouth hindered tidy addi-
tion of dr ingredients.
More wattge (more money) than the Artisan. but consistently performed at a
lower level. This "deluxe" motor sounded weaker. and attchments seemed ill
designed for the slightly teaked bowl shape. Some hated the "delayed star"
feature, prefenring the Arisan's immediate response.
Same problems as the VSMSOO (plummeting attachments. "slam lock" shaft
design) . and the to eg whites we'd hidden at the bottom of the caverous
bowl remained safe from agitation, no matter how far down we adjusted the
whip attachment. This 1 , 000-watt" machine did seem powerful, but not more
so than more modestly labeled motor.
The CPM700's 5-quar sibling stlled permanently during the elimination round.
and this one stalled tice before finishing the tsk. Separte on/of sitch is
awkar, and mixer ar lurched violently. Lre bowl presented usual prblems
for small amounts.
Shaped like a food processor with mixer attachments. the Bosch did a com-
mendable job when kneading bread dough. But the decentrlized mixing space
(a "doughnut" around a centrl spindle) kept less cohesive contents from meet-
ing in the middle. Condensation from the lid afected dough moisture.
Amid heft contender. KitchenAd' s smallest model seemed more like a toy.
The Classic did a fair job of creaming and whipping. but it wasn't cut outfor
kneading dough and had a chronic case of the shakes. You' re better of opting
for the more powerful Artisan. which costs the sme.
Wide bowl allowed easy access and capacit for nine bread loaves, but cookies.
cakes. and even single loaves got lost in the abyss. Te roller tool's grooves are
a haven for butter, and the least intuitive user interface in the lineup had us
constantly re-deciphering the manual before ever task.
Tese mixer, also " Not Recommended, " were eliminated after failing to knead dough acceptably: Bosch Solitaire MUM7400 (700 watts. $899. 99) . Farberare ( 350 watts, $99. 99) , Hamilton Beach
CPM500 Commercial (700 watts. $ 349. 95 ) . Jenn-Air Attrezzi JSM900 (400 watts. $349. 00) , Sunbeam Heritage (450 watts. $ 1 29. 99) . Sunbeam Mixmaster 2366 ( 275 watts. $98. 95 ) .
N O V E M B E R b D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
Z /
I s Coffeehouse Coffee Best?
We secretl y repl aced ou r tasters ' favori te gou rmet coffee wi t h super mar ket beans .
Cou l d they tel l the d i fference? Ou r taste tests yi el ded su r pri si ng resu l ts .
M
y daily coffee ritual begi ns
promptly at 6: 30 a . m, when I
plunk down $3 and change for a
customized, 1 5-syllable concoc
tion laced with enough caffeine to get me through
half the morning. Hours later, I retrace the two
and-a-half- minute trek fom the test kitchen to
the local Starbucks coffeehouse, where my dealer
(aka barista) starts portioning out my usual fx
before I even make it up to the counter.
Trembling with product satisfaction, I stock
Starbucks beans at home as well; given my daily
routi ne, i t' s quite convenient. Ironically, i t' s
when the company took the convenience factor
up another notch-offering its whole beans at
the grocery store-that my eyes began to wan
der. Amid the instant-coffee "crystals" and the
tin cans of preground coffee sat several shelves'
worth of whole- bean coffee brands. Some hailed
from other coffeehouses, vying ( like Starbucks )
for a piece of the lucrative coffee- aisle action;
others were straight- ahead supermarket brands,
priced per pound at less than what I normally pay
for a single iced-venti-no-foam-latte.
Could any of them compete in taste with my
old standby? To fnd out, I bought eight whole
bean coffees at the supermarket. For each brand,
I chose the "house blend," or whatever medium
roast was widely available.
Tasters' Choi ce(s)
Test kitchen staffers first tried the coffees brewed
regular strength. The differences were striking.
Some coffees were strong and smoky, others
tasted light and "chocolaty," still others boasted
hints of caramel or molasses. For a few of the
brands, the tasting sheets overfowed with invec
tive decrying bitter, rancid, or harsh qualities .
Most surprising, Starbucks came in not frst but
1]
bout of the eight samples. "Burnt, with a bit
ter afertaste," said one taster. "Like gnawing on
charcoal," said another. Top honors went instead
to Green Mountain Roasters and Eight O' Clock,
which tasters found complex and well balanced.
By no stretch am I a trained coffee expert, but
I also wasn't convinced that I 've been blithely
suckng down "burnt coffee" twice a day. So I
devised one more test-a tasting of coffee with
milk. Why? A informal poll revealed that more
than two-thirds of the CooHstaff ( including me)
add milk to their coffee, and it seemed only fair to
try the brands that way, too. So I brewed up eight
: B Y J O L Y O N H E L T E R M A N
more pots, added
3
/4 cup warmed whole milk to
each, and summoned 25 soon-to-be-jittery tast
ers into the test kitchen for another tour.
Sure enough, preferences changed. Thi s
time, Green Mountain and Eight O' Clock, the
plai n- coffee champs, ended up i n the lower
ranks-bland and insipid, according to tasters .
In contrast, Starbucks landed near the top, along
with Millstone and Seattle's Best, two other fairly
assertive coffees. The bitter, burnt notes that
had menaced tasters in the frst round were sud
denly "robust" and "complex" when tempered
by the mil k. Simply watered down? Not quite.
Additional research revealed that the proteins in
milk ( and cream) bind some of the bitter-tasting
phenolic compounds, reducing the bitterness and
intensity of the coffee favor.
Dark Matter
So far I had based my analysis on tasters' subj ec
tive descriptions . But there was a better way.
In general , the longer a coffee bean roasts, the
darker and more strongly favored it becomes.
Although it's possible to make a rough compari
son of roast darkness by eyeballing alone, experts
use an instrument called an Agtron to measure
exactly how much light the beans refect. The
higher the Agtron reading ( that is, the more
light the beans reflect) , the Lighter tl1e roast: A
Agtron reading of 85 would indicate an ultra
light, almost tealike coffee; the darkest French
roast out tlere would be closer to 1 5 .
To fnd out how roast darkness lined up with
taster preference, I sent the
the remaining four ( Green Mountain through
Dunkin' Donuts) are "medium. " Second, roast
darkness correlated with our tasting-room experi
ence: Green Mountain and Eight O' Clock, both
lighter roasts, triumphed in the plain tasting yet
proved too mild in the milk round. By contrast,
the three darkest roasts ( Starbucks, Millstone,
and Seattle's Best) were the milk-round champs.
Still troubling was how to explain Chock Full
o' Nuts, Folgers, and Dunki n' Donuts-three
brands that stubbornly refsed to play by the
light-roast/dark-roast rules.
Grounds for Di smi ssal
Luckily, some of the best discoveries happen by
accident. The lab I hired to measure roast dark
ness had included several other tests for the same
fee. Most of the data seemed better suited for
a coffee dissertation than a magazine article
"package integrity" scores, moisture levels, and
so forth. When I reached the last line, however, I
noticed an odd- sounding measurement: "6 quak
ers, " read one report; " 1 quaker, " read another. I
had no idea what a quaker was, but given that my
three problem coffees-Chock Full o' Nuts ( 7) ,
Folgers ( 8) , and Dunkin' Donuts ( 9)-had the
most, I was determined to fnd out. Turns out,
a quaker is coffee-industry j argon for an under
developed coffee bean that fails to get sorted
out before the roasting stage. Less dense than a
regular, mature bean, quakers can wreak havoc
on the coffee' s favor profle, imparting a spoiled
taste to the brew. So desirable is quaker-free cof-
samples to a lab that special-
Watch Out for Quakers
i zes in coffee analysis . The

Agtron readings differed mark
edly. From darkest to lightest:
Starbucks ( 34. 9) , Millstone
( 36. 5 ) , Seattl e' s Best ( 40. 0) ,
Chock Full o' Nuts ( 40. 3 ) ,
Gr een Mount ai n ( 48 . 0 ) ,
Folgers ( 48. 9) , Eight O' Clock
( 5 1 . 4) , and Dunkin' Donuts
( 59. 9) .
From this data, I made two
important discoveri es. First,
according to coffee- industry
standards, the four darkest cof
fees in our lineup ( Starbucks
through Chock Full o' Nuts) are
considered "dark" roasts, while
GOOD BENS QUAKER
The beans on the l eft may come from the dark si de, but i t' s the pale ones
on the ri ght that vi si t evi l upon a good brew. Quakers-l i ght-col ored,
underdevel oped beans found in most commerci al coffees-i mpart a
ranci d, "spoi l ed peanut" taste to the enti re pot. I n the tasti ng room, we
had better l uck wi th l ow-quaker-count brands.
C O O K ' S I L L U S T R A T E D
Z d
Cofee Shelf Ufe: Te Age- Ol d
Question
Whi l e testing supermarket cofees, we were care
ful not to brew up beans that had passed the
" Guarnteed Fresh Unti l " date printed on the pack
age. A cofee beans age, they lose moisture and oi l s
that are i mportnt for aroma and flavor, and ol der
beans are mor l i kely to have been contmi nated
with oxen (even in "airtight" packagi ng) .
When we noticed that some of our cofees had
expirtion dates that were months away. we cal l ed
manufacturer to fnd out what these designati ons
mean. To our surprise, ther's no stndard for cofee
shelf life: Gren Mounti n and Dunki n' Donuts si d
they roast beans si x months before the date on the
package. Most of the rst rast beans one year before
that date. But Chock Ful l o' Nuts, whi ch lost poi nt
for stale tste, gets rasted a whoppi ng to year
befor te packge date-i n our case, a year and a
half befor we tsted it. It al l goes to show that cofee,
unl i ke wi ne, doesn' t i mprove with age. -J . H.
fee that beans are graded based on quaker count,
and buyers are willing to pay a premium for beans
that come up clean in spot tests.
The lab had found quaker counts in our cof
fees ranging fom 0 to 9-based on a 1 00- gram
sample (just over a cup) . Do those numbers really
matter to the casual coffee drinker? In a word,
yes. In a 1 -pound ( 455- gram) bag of Millstone
coffee, you would expect to fnd just 4lz quakers
total, while in a 1 -pound bag of Dunkin' Donuts
coffee there might be 40.
How much training would I need to identif
quakers? None at all, said Mane Alves, the lab's
director. "Open up any bag of [ one of the high
quaker-count brands) . You wil l see them-beans
that are lighter colored than the rest. " So I dumped
several bags of coffee onto the countertop and,
sure enough, the coffee was crawling with them!
I began sorting and an hour later had a cupfl of
quakers. How awfl could these pale beans really
be? I had my answer minutes later, when I brewed
a fresh pot of coffee made entirely from quakers.
The smell was putrid enough, but the frst taste
dispelled any suspicions that quaker count was
merely some academic exercise. The experiment
isolated a taste I 've always associated with bad
gas-station coffee but confated ( incorrectly) with
the burnt taste that comes from leaving the pot
on the burner too long. Suffce it to say a quaker
is indeed something best avoided.
Beyond roast darkness and quaker count, the
experts also acknowledged that the brands in our
lineup draw from raw ( or "green") beans of vary
ing quality. But spending a mint on prime beans
doesn't guarantee a tasty brew. For example, says
Alves, Starbucks and Seattl e' s Best "consistently
buy better green beans" than the other brands,
but the dark roasting they undergo obscures
many of the nuances.
TASTI NG SUPERMARKET
WHOLE BEAN COFFEE
Twent Coo/'sIhustrattdstaf member tsted eight whol e- bean cofees from the supermaret (i n al l cases. the
medi um roast or "house" bl end) at regul ar brw strength pl ai n and with ' cup whol e mi l k (per 1 2-cup pot) . Te
cofees were analyzed by Cofee Lb I nterational ofVterbur. Vt. . for roast darness and "quaker, " underdevel
oped beans that negatively afect the favor profl e of a batch. Te Aron i ndex is a measure of roast darness. as
determi ned by a spectrphotometer of the same name; the lower the i ndex. the darker the roast. Te cofees are
l i sted below in to groups-l ighter roast and darker roast-i n order of test kitchen preference.
LI G HTER- ROAST COF F E E S
GREEN MOUNTAIN COFFEE
ROAERS Our Blend
$ 7. 49 for I 2 ounces
Agtron: 48. 0 Quakers: 6
Soft. bal anced, and pl easantly aci di c.
thi s was a l ighter roast even the
dark- roast camp coul d get on board
with. Hi nts of caramel and frui t.
EI GHT O' CLOCK COFFEE
Original
$4. 99 for I 3 ounces
Agtron: 5 1 . 4 Quakers: 6
We l i ked thi s i nexpensive brand' s
smooth body. its nutt. al most
chocol at flavor, and its "toast
aroma. " especi al l y i n the pl ai n
tasti ng.
FOLGERS Classic Supreme
$ 3 . 99 for 1 2 ounces
Agtron: 48. 9 Quakers: 8
"Yuck-from my dad' s ol d
thermos. " recal l ed one taster.
Remi nds me of bad trucktop
cofee, " sai d another. The strong
astri ngency was fi ne wi th mi l k but
bothered tasters i n the pl ai n round.
DUNKI N' DONUT
Original Blend
$ 8. 49 for 1 6 ounces
Agtron: 59. 9 Quaker: 9
The l i ghtest roast of the group
fai l ed to i mpress our tasters.
( " Chocol at but thi n-i s there cof
fee in here? " ) Unpl easant "mol as
ses" of- notes. a bi tter aftertaste.
and the highest quaker count i n
our l i neup.
So where did we come out? Turns out it i s possi
ble to get good whole-bean cofee at the supermar
ket, but you may have to spend close to Starbucks
prices. Millstone ( $7. 99 for l l ounces) and
Starbucks ( $9. 39 for 12 ow1ees) were our favor
ite darker roasts, while Green Mountain Roasters
( $7.49 for 12 ounces) and Eight O'Clock (a cheap
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
Z '
DARKE R- ROAST COF F E E S
MI UONE Col ombian Supremo
$ 7. 99 for I I ounces
Agtron: 3 6. 5 Quakers: I
Thi s brand was neck-and- neck with
Starbucks for wi nni ng over our dark roast
enthusiasts. The deep, smok. "choco
laty" favor profi l e with a bi tter fi ni sh
proved a good foi l for mi l k. but some of
our l ight- roast camp found i t " harsh. "
SARBUCKS COFFEE House Blend
$ 9. 3 9 for 1 2 ounces
Agtron: 34. 9 Quakers: I
Thi s sel f- procl ai med " l ight roast" from
Starbucks was darker than any other cof
fee in our l i neup. Fans prai sed the ri ch,
"al most chocol at" flavors and deep.
smok aroma. but other found i t burnt.
SET' S BES COFFEE
Seattle' s Best Blend
$ 7. 69 for I 2 ounces
Agtron: 40. 0 Quakers: 0
Not a quaker to mar the flavor profi l e.
but tasters sti l l weren' t that i mpressed.
Dark and smok. yet thi s brnd lacked
the compl exi t to round out such strong
favors. "Smel l s l i ke tar. "
CHOCK FULL O' NUT
SoHo Morning Roast
$ 5 . 79 for 1 2 ounces
Agtron: 40. 3 Quaker: 7
The three bags we sent to the lab had
three diferent roast darknesses.
(The company says it was ai mi ng for
about 40 ) Ever versi on our panel
tasted was pl agued by metal l i c of-notes,
" braci ng aci di t. " and a "cardboard"
aftertaste.
$4.99 for 1 3 ounces) were the best for light-roast
fans and tl1se that d their cofee black.
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code I I 058 for our testing of cof
fee gri nder.
Thi s i nformati on wi l l be avai l abl e unti l
December 3 1 , 2005.
ll 1 ' l1^ `1`
3 B Y S A N D R A W U ,
WCI I KouhdCd
LookCLuttCf$
Shape isn't the only factor to con
sider when choosing a set of cookie
cutters. Over many years ( and many
batches ) , we've devel oped fairly
specifc criteria, from sharp cutting
edges and sturdiness to adequate
height and ease of use. Keeping these
traits in mind, we tested cookie cut
ters made from traditional stainless
steel, enamel-coated metal, plastic,
copper, and rubber- topped stai n
less steel on our Chocolate Butter
Cookies ( page 23) .
I t was no surprise that the metal
cutters-with thei r thi n, sharp
edges-did the best job cutting out
well-defned shapes, while the plastic
cutters-with thicker, duller edges
tended to turn out slightly imperfect
S HARP ON ONE S I D E ,
S OFT ON TH E OTH E R
cookies. I n terms of height, cookie
cutters with less depth than tle stan
dard l inch were diffcult to remove
from the dough, requiring carefl
maneuvering to avoid marring the
fnal shape ( one 1/z- inch-tall model
stuck at the edges) . Cookie cutters
with rounded tops-or, if you can
fnd one, a rubber- grip top-were
also preferred. One cookie cutter
with sharp edges on botl1 top and
bottom cut into our hands as well as
the cookies.
We recommend easy- t o- fnd
traditional stainless steel for most
cookie-cutting tasks . Copper cookie
cutters ( equally good performers )
require maintenance and cost more
than twice as much.
13$t hgHCf t3gC1ufkC$
Heri tage turkeys-rare breeds
touted for their complex and dis
tinctive favor-get lots of hype
around this time of year. Given
the countless hours we've spent
"
in the test kitchen coming up
with tricks for giving woeflly
mi l d- tasti ng tradi ti onal turkeys
any semblance of favor, we were
s H o p P 1 N G w 1 T H T H E T E s T K 1 T c H E N : Hot Sauces
A often as we use hot pepper sauce i n the test kitchen, we' ve never given much
thought to brand. Consi deri ng that most are made from a basi c combi nati on of
red peppers, vi negar, and salt, does brand even matter? We rou nded up ei ght
supermarket sampl es to fi nd out.
Fi rst, we spri nkl ed each sampl e atop a porti on of steamed whi te rice. Across the
board, tasters deemed one sauce a knockout: Frank' s won poi nts for i ts " bri ght"
and "tang" notes and potent heat. Tasters al so l i ked L Preferi da Loui si ana Hot
Sauce, whi ch was a tad hotter. Surpri si ngly, Tabasco, the brand most often found
i n restaurants and on pantry shelves (i ncl udi ng our own ) , came
i n dead l ast. Why? The seari ng heat masked any other flavor i n
the sauce, and most found the thi n, water body t o be unap
peal i ng. " Bi tter, l i ke pepper ski n, " sai d one taster.
To see how our wi nner and l oser woul d fare in a cooked
appl icati on-with other flavors i n the mix-we pi tted Frank' s
Red Hot agai nst Tabasco i n a breakfast strata made wi th bread,
cheese, eggs, oni on, and hot sauce. The resul ts were spl i t. Some
tasters enjoyed Tabasco' s spi ci er edge, whi l e others preferred
the ful l er, more tomatoey compl exi t of Frank' s. For spri nkl i ng
on top of the cooked strata, however, nearly al l tasters once
agai n pi cked Frank' s Red Hot as thei r favorite for its ful l er flavor
and more " l uxuri ous" body. One taster put it succi nctly:
"Tabasco i s an i ngredi ent, whi l e Frank' s i s a condi ment. "
Save Tabasco for addi ng heat to reci pes.
TH I S SAU CE
S CORCHE D TH E
COM PETI TI ON
intrigued enough t o inves
tigate. Is one of these birds
worth as much as $ 1 25 ( even
if that includes shipping) ?
TE C H N | Q U E STE MMI NG
HEARTY GR E E NS
Turkeys used to have a lot
more in common with wild
game birds. They were rela
tively smal l , witl1 a fairly even
distribution of muscle ( meat)
between breast and legs, and
they had a varied diet ( mostly
grass and insects) , one of sev
eral factors that contribute
to compl ex- tasti ng meat .
Afer World War I I , demand
increased dramatical l y for
inexpensive poultry and for
mild-tasting white meat.
Col l ard greens and kale have tough. thick
stems that must be tri mmed before they can
be used in reci pes, i ncl udi ng the pasta di shes
on pages 1 4- 1 5. Here' s how we accompl ish
thi s task i n the test kitchen.
Turkey producers respond
ed by selectively breeding
more birds for larger breasts.
The birds also matured more
quickly, giving the meat less
time to develop flavor, and
they were fed bl and- tast
i ng but economi cal grai n.
Producers also confned tle
Hol d each leaf at the base of the stem over
a l are bowl fi l l ed with water. With a chefs
kni fe, sl ash the leaf porti on from each si de
of the stem. Di scard the stem.
birds to smaller pens, reducing their
opportunity for exercise ( another
contributor to meat flavor) . Called
Broad- Breasted Whites, these are
the birds found in every supermar
ket today. In recent years, groups
like tle Societ for tl1e Preservation
of Poultry Antiquities have begun a
crusade to bring the old-stle breeds
( nearly extinct by the late 1 960s)
back to the dinner tabl e.
But how do they taste? To fnd
out, we conducted a blind tasting
of three heritage- turkey breeds : a
Narragansett, a Bourbon Red, and
an An1erican Bronze . Suspecting
that the turkeys might vary from
farm to farm, we included a sec
ond Bourbon Red and a second
An1erican Bronze from different
sources. We also threw in our favor
ite supermarket turkey ( Plainvil l e
Farms) for comparison.
Did the heritage turkeys live up
to their reputation for complex,
distinctive favor? That' s an under
statement. Most tasters, raised on
milder specimens, were rattled by
the strong favor of tlese turkeys,
not to mention the surprising range
of textures-from chewy, dry, and
leathery to greasy and tender. The
dark meat was the most controver
sial, with its assertively gamy favor
and dark mahogany hue.
The regular turkey from Plainville
Farms fni shed second overal l ,
bested by j ust one heirloom, the
American Bronze ( $38 for a 1 4-
pound bird, plus $40 packing and
shipping) , which we ordered from
a Tennessee farm cal l ed Peaceful
Pastures . This bird boasted dark
meat that was rich tasting but not
livery ( and not off- puttingly dark
in color) . The white meat was more
ful l favored than conventional
turkey yet without the strange sour
or mineral off-favors that plagued
the other heirloom turkeys in the
tasting. Our tasting also revealed
that buying a particular breed by
no means guarantees a particular
favor profle. Our other An1erican
Bronze, purchased from a farm
in California, came in last, thanks
to a much gamier favor than its
Tennessee counterpart.
C O O K
"
s I L L U S T R A T E D

K 1 r c H E N s c 1 E N c E : Rescui ng Rock- Hard Frui t

Can anythi ng be done to ri pen frui t at home? I t depends on the frui t. I n some
fruits, known as cl i macteri c, ripeni ng conti nues after harvest. I n others, known as
noncl i macteri c, ri peni ng occurs only on the pl ant; i t stops once the frui t i s pi cked.
Bland, rock-hard cl i macteric fruits (appl es, apricots, avocados, bananas, bl ueber
ries, cantal oupes, figs, kiwi s, mangoes, nectari nes, papayas, peaches, pears, pl ums,
and tomatoes, for i nstance) al l have a shot at becomi ng sweet and j uicy (that i s,
ripe) someday. I n contrast, noncl i macteric fruits (i ncl udi ng cherri es, honeydew
mel ons, pi neappl e, ci trus, grapes, raspberri es, and strawberri es) may get softer
over ti me, but they wi l l not ripen further at home.
The ri peni ng process i n many fruits is control l ed by ethyl ene, a col orl ess,
odorless gas produced i n mi nute quanti ti es by the pl ant and its frui t. For cl i
macteric tpes, once the amount of ethyl ene reaches a certai n threshol d, the
fruit bursts i nto ri peness; natural ly, thi s process takes some ti me. But what if we
NOT READY RI PE AND READY
A special si n applied to an unrpe pear turs bluish
black i n the presence of starch. Afer severl days
in a paper bag with bananas, another pear from
the same batch has ver little sti ni ng, indicating
that most of the strch has been convered to
sugar and the fruit is now ripe.
hastened the process by expos
i ng unri pe cl i macteric frui t to ri pe
frui t al ready produci ng copi ous
amounts of ethyl ene? To test thi s
i dea, we purchased a basketful of
hard, unri pe supermarket pears
al ong with a few ri pe bananas.
The experi ment was si mpl e: We
woul d pl ace three unri pe pears
and two very ri pe bananas in a
tightly rol l ed- up brown paper bag
(to concentrate the ethyl ene) and
a si mi l ar group i n a tightl y rol l ed
up paper bag wi thout bananas.
(Don' t try to ri pen frui t i n pl astic
bags; i t wi l l spoi l fi rst. Moderatel y
porous paper bags al l ow a smal l amount of oxgen to enter, hel pi ng the pears pro
duce enzmes that prevent them from spoi l i ng as they ri pen. )
Three days l ater, we checked the progress. The pears stored by themsel ves
(no bananas) were sl ightly softened but sti l l tasted tart and astri ngent. The pears
stored with the ri pe bananas? Soft and del i ci ousl y sweet. When we gave the
banana-l ess pears another ful l day, however, they reached ful l ri peness. So a si mpl e
paper bag works-i ncl udi ng ethyl ene- bl oated bananas merel y speeds the process
al ong. -Guy Crosby, Ph. D. , Food Sci entist
U|| CdMu$hfoom$
While developing our recipe for
Daube Provenal ( page 7) , we
noticed disturbing differences in
quality from one package of dried
cepes to another. More commonly
known by their Italian name, por
cini, dried cepes should be large and
thick ( lef photo) and either tan or
brown-not black. Avoid packages
wt lots of dust and crumbled bits
(middle photo) and keep an eye out
for small pinholes, telltale signs that
worms got to the mushrooms ( right
photo) . Eyebal l i ng i s good, but
smelling the mushrooms ( especially
if sold loose) is also helpfl to judge
quality. Purchase dried cepes with an
earthy ( not musty or stale) aroma;
mushrooms with no aroma at all are
likely to have little or no favor.
Packages of "wi ld mushroom
mix, " found in some stores, should
not be substi tuted for cepe s .
Although these mi xes sometimes
include cepes, they also ofen include
lesser-quality mushrooms whose fa
vor profles may not suit the cish.
LARGE AN D TH I CK CRU M BLY WORM H OLES
Avoid cepes with worm hol es (right) or broken, crumbly bi ts (center) . The best
cepes are l arge, thick, and tan or brown, with a fragrant, earthy aroma (l eft) .
KL L | | L O | LPL
Al l -Season Peach Cobbl er
Severl reader wondered i f frozen peaches woul d make a passabl e substitute i n
our Fresh Pach Cobbl er Uuly /August 2004) . A stright substitution of fro
zen peaches for fresh proved a di saster. Even after the peaches were defrosted,
then macerted in sugar and dri ned (the method we used in the origi nal recipe
to remove excess l i qui d) , they sti l l exuded too much moi sture when baked. The
resul ti ng bi scui t toppi ng was depl orbl y sog, and the peaches were swi mmi ng
in runny l i qui d.
The sol uti on i nvol ved maki ng three al terti ons to our reci pe. Fi rt, we reduced
the peaches from 2 112 pounds fresh frui t to 2 pounds frozen to compensate for
the di scarded pi ts and ski n. To remove even more l i qui d, we al so halved the
amount of peach macerti ng j ui ce added back to the dish before baking ( 1/s cup
i nstead of 1/4 cup) and baked the peaches l onger ( I 5 to 20 mi nutes i nstead of
1 0 mi nutes) before applyi ng the bi scui t toppi ng. A good as cobbl er made with
fresh- pi cked speci mens from the peak of peach season? Maybe not. But it's a
worthy apprxi mati on the other I I months of the year.
Prefab Hol i day Cookies
Reader who found themselves over
whel med by hol i day cooki e- baki ng mar
thons asked if there was any way to ease
the last-mi nute frenz by making and
freezi ng cookies ahead of ti me. To fnd
out, we baked up our Sprit Cookies
(November/December 2004) and tried
freezi ng them in zi pper-l ock bags.
A week later, we pl aced the cook
ies on a baki ng sheet and "refreshed"
them in the oven for 4 to 5 mi nutes (a
method that works with other cookies) .
Whi l e the taste and texture were on par
with a fresh- baked batch, appearnce
was another story (top photo) .
We had more success when we
formed the cooki es, froze them right on
the baki ng sheet (bottom photo) , and
trnsferred them to zi pper- l ock bags
for storge unti l ready to bake. Then we
PRE BAKE D COOKI ES
LOOK S LOPPY
PRES HAPED COOKI ES
LOOK N EAT
When l ooks matter, frozen
prebaked cooki es j ust don' t cut
it. Preshapi ng and freezi ng, then
baki ng, saves ti me wi thout
sacrifi ci ng appearance.
si mpl y pl aced them back on the baki ng sheet and proceeded wi th the reci pe.
(The frozen cookies needed 2 to 4 mi nutes extra baki ng ti me. )
Gri l l ed Steak I nside
Severl reader asked i f we coul d fi nd a way to bri ng our Gri l led Marinated
Flank Steak ( May/J une 2005) i ndoors duri ng the col der months. Broi l i ng
yi el ded spott browni ng and pan-searing caused the exterior to bum, so we
turned to a combi nati on method used i n restaurnts: pan- roasti ng. Thi s method
i nvolves devel opi ng the exterior crust on the stovetop and fi ni shi ng the steak in
the oven to get the i nteri or up to temperture. -Compi l ed by Ni na West
I F YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a recently publ i shed reci pe, l et us know.
Send your i nqui r, name, address, and dayti me tel ephone number to Recipe
Update, Cook' s I l l ustrted, P. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or write
to reci peupdate@bcpress. com.
Go to ww. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code I I 059 for Sprit Cookies.
Key in code 1 1 05 1 0 for Cobbler with Frozen Paches.
Key i n code I I 05 1 I for Pn- Roasted Marinated Fl ank Steak.
Reci pes avai l abl e unti l December 3 1 , 2005.
N O V E M B E R b D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
l
1!I ^1^ ''K K
E QU I PME NT TEST
Wi ne Keepers
Our March/ April 2005 rec
ommendation of the Vacu Vin
Vacuum Wi ne Saver
( $9. 99) begat a slew of
MAKES HI FT
WI NE SAVE R
Can this 99-cent
water bottle outdo
a S I 09 gadget?
reader letters suggest
ing other methods of
saving lefover wine.
A few recommended
we do without pricey
"wine preservation
systems" and use a
much simpler ( and
cheaper) tool : an
ol d water bottle. We
went to the kitchen
to test the water bottle, the Vacu Vin,
and three additional gadgets.
We removed equal amounts of
wine from bottles from the same
case and "preserved" the lefovers
for 10 days. The PEK Preservation
System' s Wine Steward Preservo
( $1 09, plus argon cartridge refls)
houses the bottle in a chamber
of argon gas, while Winekeeper's
The Keeper ( $99. 95, plus nitrogen
canister reflls) uses a keg-like tap sys
tem to dispense the wine and, a it is
used, replace it with nitrogen. Wine
for Later's small decanters ( $49. 95)
accommodate a half- or quarter-bot
tle of wine; i our tests, though, the
icluded glass stoppers leaked. In the
end, not one of these contraptions
kept the wne quafable.
A small plastic water bottle with
an airtight, screw- top lid proved
much more efective. Tasters found
wine kept in sealed plastic bottles to
be just as drinkable as that preserved
with the VacuVin Vacuum Wine
Saver. One caveat: The VacuVin al
lows you to store any amount of
wine in the original bottl e. You must
fl the plastic bottle completely to
eliminate a.
E QUI PME NT U PDATE
I nstant- Read Thermometer
Our test cooks use our top-rated
instant- read thermometer, the
ThermoWorks Thermapen, many
times a day. So when we noticed new
versions of it, we had to check them
? B Y G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M I T H E
out. The probe tips containing the
thermocouple sensors in the Super
Fast Thermapen ( THS- 2 1 1 - 076,
$85 ) and the High Accuracy Fast
Thermapen ( THS-2 1 1 - 072, $98 )
have been reduced to almost half the
diameter of the original . We found
that the thinner probe tips shave
about four seconds from the stan
dard model's already-fast 1 0-second
response time, but that speed comes
at a cost. During testing, we ac
cidentally bent, then broke, the
thin tip. In addition, the High
Accuracy Fast model sacri
fces broad range for more
precise readings ( the maxi
mum temperature read-
damp kitchen towel around the base
of a regular bowl works almost as
well . Still, if you make a lot of may
onnaise or whip cream by hand, the
Norpro might come in handy.
DO YOU REALLY NE E D TH I S ?
Fi nger Guards
Nicks and cuts are always a danger
,. " when working with
knives. We wondered
if fnger guards-small
metal or plastic plates
that come between
your fngers and the
knife blade-might help.
F I NGE R
PROTECTI ON?
ing dropped from 572
to 199. 9 degrees, malg
We' d just as soon chop
it impossible to check the
more carefully.
We bought three fnger
guards and enlisted several
kitchen novices to try
them alongside our sea
soned test cooks.
temperature of frying
oil, for instance) . We'll stick with the
more durable, plenty-fast-enough
standard Thermapen ( model THS-
2 1 1 -006, $75) .
E QU I PM ENT TEST
No-Skid Mixi ng Bowls
Chasing a wobbly mi xi ng bowl
across the counter as you whisk,
fold, or stir is no f. That's why no
skid bowls struck us as a good idea.
We gathered six and put them to the
ultimate test: making mayonnaise.
Both Oxo models had narrow
bases that made them wobble a bit.
The KitchenAid, Rosti, and Amco
bowls were steadier, but we pre
ferred the Norpro Beating Bowl Set
( $29. 95 ), which had a separate "Grip
Rng" that let us tilt the bowl ( usefl
when whisking small amounts) . Is
the no-skid bowl a must-have item?
No, the old kitchen trick of coiling a
BOWLED OVER
A no-skid base hel ps steady thi s bowl .
Nei ther group was
impressed. The guards do prevent
cuts, but they are very awkward. The
plastic DigiGuard Finger Protector
( $3. 29) was the most comfortable
of the three tested. If you're prone
to knife wounds, you might consider
trading speed and efciency for safety,
but none of our novice tester wanted
to take the DigGuard home.
E Q U I PME NT U PDATE
Salad Spi nners
In 1999, we spun gallons of greens
dry in eight different spinners and
found two that excelled. Six years
later, both the Zyliss and the Oxo
are still spinning along in the test
kitchen, but our test cooks have
come to favor the Oxo, with its
one-handed pump action, over the
Zyliss, with its pull cord, which has
sometimes failed to retract. Zyliss
has updated its pull cord with the
Easy Spin Salad Spinner with "glide
wheel motion" ( $24. 99) , so we gave
it another spin.
The cord on the redesigned Zyliss
does retract more reliably than its
predecessor. Ad, as in the origi
nal tests, it dried greens just a little
more efectively than the Oxo. But
the Oxo is nearly as effcient and
still easier to use. Both are recom
mended optons.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
Z
Sources
Te fol l owi ng are sources for i tems
recommended i n thi s i ssue. Pri ces were
cunrent at press ti me and do not i ncl ude
shi ppi ng. To confirm pri ces and avi l
abi l i t, contct compani es di rectly; check
w . cooksi l l ustrted. com for updates.
Pge 3: EXOGLS SPOON
Matfer Boureat Exoglass Spoon
( I I ' ). $ 5. 66, item #B00070M78Q,
Amazon. com (w . amazon. com) .
Pge 3 : WHAT I S m
Pferjes Fork: $ 2. 99, item # 1 1 422,
Fante' s Kitchen Wares Shop (800-443-
2683 , w .fantes.com) .
Pge 1 3 : TURKEY TOOL
Calphalon Contemporr Roasting Pn:
$ 1 00.00 (w .calphalon.com).
No-SewTurkey lcer: $ 1 . 95, item
#3940, Sur L Tabl e (800- 243 -0852,
w . surlatabl e. com) .
Norr Nonstck Rng Rck ( I 3" b
1 0" ): $9. 75, itm# 1 03249, Cooking. com
(800- 663-88 1 0, w .cooking.com).
PultrUfer: $ 9. 95, item #2 1 79 1 6,
Cooki ng. com.
RegencTurkey Stufing Bag: $2. 50 {for
to) , item # 1 3 506 1 , Sur L Tabl e.
Roasting Wnd: $ 1 4. 99, item
# 1 201 08, Fante' s.
Trudeau Grv Separtor: $9. 99, item
#87 1 1 , Fante' s.
Pge 27: SANDI NG MIXERS
KitchenAid Professional 600 Series:
$ 369. 99, item #KP26MlXNP,
Amazon. com.
Delnghi DSM5 5-Quar: $ 349. 95,
item #B0002XGSN8, Amazon. com.
Pge 30: HEI RLOOM TURKEY
American Bronze Turkey: $ 38 for
1 4-pund tre, Paceful Pstures (6 1 5-
683-429 1 , w .peacefulpastures.com) .
Pge 32: I NSAN-RED TERMOMER
Standard Penetrtion Terapen:
$75. 00, i tem #TS- 2 1 1 -006,
ThermoWork (800- 3 93 -6434,
ww othermowork. com) .
Pge 3 2: NO-SKI D MIXI NG BOWL
Norpro Beating Bowl Set (model
1 0367): $29. 95, item #BOOOHDI EU,
Amazon. com.
Pge 32: SD SPI NNERS
Oxo Salad Spinner: $ 24. 99, item
#62833 I , Taret Stores (800- 59 1 -
3869, w .target. com) .
Zliss Eas Spin Salad Spinner: $24. 99,
item # 5 59669, Taret.
RE C I PE S
November c December Z||
Mai n Di shes
Chi cken Chasseur 1 9
Daube Provencal 7
Herbed Roast Turkey 1 2
Psta and Greens
Pasta wi th Not-So- Heart
Greens (Spi nach) I S
Whol e Wheat Pasta wi th Greens,
Beans, Pancetta, and Garl i c
Bread Crumbs 1 4
Whol e Wheat Pasta wi th Greens,
Beans, Tomatoes, and Garl i c
Chi ps I S
Si de Di shes
Buttermi l k Mashed Potatoes 24
Buttermi l k Ranch Mashed
Potatoes 24
Roasted Green Beans I 0
Roasted Green Beans wi th Red
Oni on and Wal nuts I 0
Roasted Green Beans wi th
Sun- Dri ed Tomatoes, Goat
Cheese, and Ol ives I 0
Roasted Sesame Green Beans I 0
Sweet Potato Casserol e 9
Desserts
Chocol ate Butter Cooki es 2 3
Bi ttersweet Chocol ate Gl aze 23
Gl azed Chocol ate- Mi nt
Cooki es 23
Mexi can Chocol ate Butter
Cooki es 23
Unzertorte 20
COOK' S EXTRA: New Reci pes
Avai l abl e on the Web Thi s Month
To access the fol l owi ng free reci pes,
go to www. cooks i l l ustrated. c om and
enter the code l i sted after each reci pe.
Best Turkey Gravy I I OS 2
Buttermi l k Mashed Potatoes wi th
Leeks and Chives I I OS 7
Chocol ate- Orange Butter Cooki es
wi th Chocol ate- Brandy Gl aze
I I OS6
Cobbl er wi th Frozen Peaches I I OS I 0
Pan - Roasted Mari nated Fl ank Steak
I l OS I I
Roasted Mapl e- Mustard Green Beans
I I OS I
Spri t Cooki es I I 0 S 9
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Daube Provena l , 7
Roasted Green Beans wi th Red Oni on
and Wal nuts, I 0
Pasta wi th Greens . Beans, Pancetta, and
Garl i c Bread Crumbs , 1 4
Buttermi l k Mashed Potatoes, 24
Li nzertorte , 20
/
.
.
PHOTOGRAPHY: CARL TRE MBLAY. STYLI N G : MARI E P I RANO