N1^1!1 |!

1l`-111 :1il111 b ''111 `

STRATE D
Perfecting Glazed
Chicken
BBQ Pork Chops
New Indoor Skillet Recipe
Best Ways to Cook
Common Vegetables
Cast Iron vs.
Nonstick
Can Cast Iron Do It All?
Rating Parmesan
Are Italian Cheeses Really Best?
Ultimate Apple Tart
Flak Crust, Caramelized Apples
Beef-Vegetable Soup
Big Flavor, Quick Cooking
Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin
Chicken Tikk Masala
Better Ricotta Gnocchi
Crispy Pear Crisp
www. c o o ks i !!u s t r a t ed . c o m
$5.95 U.S./$6.95 CANADA
1 0?
'TiT`
CICHDCI / \cIODCI ZOO
2 Notes from Readers
Quick Tips
L Skillet-Barbecued Pork Chops
The smok, salt-sweet, charred favor of grilled pork
chops is eas to get on an outdoor grill. We wanted to
bring that favor indoors-keeping the smokiness but
losing the smoke. BY J. KENJI ALT
8 Quicker Beef Vegetable Soup
We found a faster path to a full-favored soup.
BY DAVI D PAZMI ND
|0 Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin
Our moist stufing works from the inside out to combat
drness in lean pork. BY MATTH EW CARD
1 2 Introducing Ricotta Gnocchi
This elegant Florentine dish is the lighter cousin of potato
gnocchi. But achieving the right texture requires more
than a simple ricotta-for-potato swap.
BY SAN D RA WU
1 4 Chicken Tikka Masala at
Home
Chicken tikka masala is the single most popular Indian
restaurant dish in the world. Why is it so rarely made at
home? BY REBECCA HAYS
|L The Best Way to Cook
Vegetables
Vegetable side dishes often don't get much attention and
taste rather dull. How do you build favor with a minimum
of work? BY KEI TH DRESSE R
COOK'S OMLlME
18 Improving Glazed Chicken
Breasts
We wanted to elevate this institutional standard to an
elegant weeknight dinner. This required a glaze that would
stick to the chicken and not taste like candy.
BY CHARLES KELSE Y
20 Secrets to Apple Galette
Getting a flak crust and caramelized apples can make this
simple French tart not so simple. We wanted both-ever
time. BY DAVI D PAZMINO
22 Perfecting Pear Crisp
Simply substituting pears for apples in this classic American
dessert is a recipe for disaster. BY KEI TH DRESSE R
2 New ay with Pan
Sauces for Chicken
We rework classic French pan sauces to reduce the fat and
punch up the favor. BY E RI N McMURRE R
2O Reconsidering Cast Iron
Is cast iron the original nonstick pan? Do recent innova
tions improve on this traditional kitchen workhorse?
BY LI SA McMANUS
28 Is Wisconsin Parmesan a
Player?
Do aging time. raw milk, and salt content really matter?
BY LI SA McMAN US
30 Kitchen Notes
Test results, buying tips, and advice related to stories past
and present, directly from the test kitchen.
BY J. KENJI ALT
3 2 Equipment Corner
Reviews of new items and sources for products used in
this issue. BY ELI ZABETH BOMZE
Go to WWW.cooksi l l u strated. com to access all recipes from Cook's|||ustmtedsince |3as well as updated tastings and test
ings. Wtch videos of all the recipes in this issue being prepared and special repors on the Prmesan taste test and cast-iron skillet testing.
`..: . .
o`
THA! HERS & SP!CES: A host of spicy, earthy, pungent, acidic, and sweet elements
are essential to the dynamic favor of Thai cooking. Where Wester dishes would rely on
lemons or limes to contribute acidit to a dish, Southeast Aian recipes draw frm a more
complex pool for the essence of citrus. Both the woody, bulbous base and lower portion
of reed-like lemon grss stalks add pepper citrus notes to curries, stews, and stir-fries.
The leaves and rind of tropical kafr limes are used to impar an intense forl flavor to
cur pastes. Galangal, a camphorous cousin of ginger, is also essential to curr pastes.
These rhizomes are similar enough in favor for Wester interpretations of trditional Tai
cuisine to use them interchangeably. A unique hint of anise distinguishes Tai basil from its
Western counterparts. Culantro. used mostly in soups, stews, and noodle dishes. ofer
a more concentrted verion of the soapy lemon flavor charcteristic of cilantro. Tiny red
Thai bird chiles impart a fierce heat to countless dishes. A garlick nuance separtes garlic
chives from ordinar chives. Te sweet and sour pulp of tamarind pods is used to lend
tartness to soups and stews.
bCK CCVLH. Tuui Hct| C 5ji:c by John Burgoyne
|HCN1CCVLH N1|N` tuurJ, by interationally renowned still-life artist Elizabeth Brandon, whose works are featured at
ww.elizabethbrndon.com.
For list rental information, contact: Specialists Marleting Serices, Inc., 1200 Harbor Blvd., 9th Floor, Weehawken. M]070B7: 201-865-5800.
Editorial Ofice: 17 Station St., Brookline, MA02445: 617-232-1000: fa 617-232-1572. Subscription inquiries, call 800-526-8442.
Pstmaster: Send all new order. subscription inquiries, and change-of-address notices to Cook's Illustrated, |.!. Box 7446, Red Oak, lA 51591-0446.
OOk_
J ! I l lTH ATr l
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1!L KA! 1AL`
T
hc woods in our Vcrmonttown arc mll
olthcuncxpcctcd. I `vc stumblcdacross
blackbcars,coyotcs,arabidraccoonhid
ingina hollowtrcc trunk,ayoungand
gangly bull moosc, a bobcat so largc I thought
itwasa mountain lion, a glossyblack porcupinc
with alacclikc a monkcy, andoncc,duringdccr
scason, a lawn that walkcd right up, starcd mc
down, and thcn slowlymovcdonancrit had an
cycnl . I`vcsccna largc brown rabbitjumpa I O
tootwidc strcam without gcttingits lcct wct, an
caglc Hoatovcr my hcad whilc I wasstandingon
thctopotBcarMoutain,and a rcdtailcdhawk
launch itsclloutolahigh pcrchandsoardownto
snatchoncolourRhodcIslandRcds.
lcoursc,thcrcarcthchuntingstori cs. atc
tclls about thc timc hc shot two turkcys on thc
nrstdayolthcscasonwithj ustoncshot-acuri
oussccondturkcypcckcdaroundatrccatcxactly
thcwrongmomcnt. And thc ti mchcwas sitting
in atrccstandduri ngdccrscasonandwatchcda
largc coyotc track his tathcr, Jom, through thc
snow.AndthctimctlatJomwasrabbithunting
andwatchcd his bcaglc run in circlcs lollowing
rabbit sccnt whilc, all thc timc, thc rabbit was
sitting plumb in thc middlc ol thc action on a
trcc stump, cnj oyi ng thc show. Somc pcoplc do
somc prctty stupid things in thc woods, such
as shooting a moosc out otscason whilc bcing
shot thcmsclvcs on vidcotapc. , Jhc j udgc had
a good l augl. ) And thc hallwits who likc to
cruiscbackroadsinthccarlymoringorcvcning
andshootlromthcirpickups. Jhcgamcwardcn
catchcs somc ol thcm by using his mcchanical
dccr, Bambi, which hc placcs stratcgically ncar
thc road. nc outol towncr, as hc was bcing
arrcstcd, kcptinsisting that hc had shot a rcal
tourpointcranddcmandcdthccarcass.
natcwoccasions,walksintlcwoodshavclcd
mctocncountcrswithdcatl-likctlcscarchlora
ncighborwhohada hcart attackwhilclookngtor
loosc bcclcrs-and tlcn,whilc attcnding a tliicc
day rockconccrtncarScattlc in l7O, Isawa kid
pullcdsti|fandblcachcdwhitcout
olastrcam.Andalcwycarsback,
tlcrcscucsquadwascallcdinlor
a particularly bad turkcy hunr
i ngaccidcnt-nc huntcrhi d in
thc bushcs and madc turkcycalls
whilc his partncr swtng around
andgavchimbotlbarrcls.
But, |lnally,wcloundthctrail
hcad and a smal l scttlcmcnt ot
houscs, thc roottil cs thc color
ol pi nk pcppcrcorns and thc
lront yards sadly domcsticatcd.
Sal vati on had qui ckl y tu:cd
to routi nc, and now it was j ust
a qucstion ol rcaching our nnal
dcsti nati on. Wc hitchcd a ridc Jhc longcst walk I havc cvcr
takcn was a rcccnt hikc through
thc Pyrcnccs with my wi tc ,
Adri cnnc. Jhc hikc was about
cight milcs, most ol itspcnton
4, OOOloot ridgcl i ncs on thc
Christopher Kimball
with a drunk school bus drivcr
and cndcd up in town, wcarily
cnsconccd in a small calc. Acr
two bracing, slightly bittcr bccrs,
bordcr bctwccn lrancc and Spai n. Around mid
dayandancrascricsolwrongturs,wccndcdup
atthccndotthctrailinadarklorcstandwithlittlc
idcawhcrcwc wcrc onthc map. , Jhctourcom
panyhadsuggcstcd bringinga llashlight,whistlc,
andcompass, al l thrcc wcrc l cnbchind to makc
roomlorbrcad,charcutcric, and thc localwinc. )
Ancr climbinga bouldcrlora vicw, I discovcrcd
thatwcwcrcattlchcadolastccpmountainravinc
lormcdontwo sidcs byhighrockyridgclincsand
h llcd in bctwccnwitl+ strcams, gorgcs, and thick
going. Milcs in thc distancc, could scc a lcw
houscs. Itwasatlcastlourhoursolstrcnuoushik
ingbacktoourstartingpoint,sowc marchcdon.
Jhcnitdarkcncdandstartcdtorai n.
Ancranhourot painmlprogrcsslollowingwhat
musthavc bccn awild boarpatl,Adricnnc h nally
said, Ict`slollowthcrivcrbacktocivilization,"a
rcmark akin to !sc scat cushions lor notation. "
Witlout bcttcr options, wc lmally madc i t down
to tlc rivcr, lound a trail , lost tlc trai l , cndcd up
at an impassablc gorgc, rctraccdour stcps, lound
aparallclrivcr,lollowcdtl:at,rcj oincd tlc original
rivcr,sl oggcdtlroughthatlorhaltamilcorso,and
thcn pickcd up a trail that sccmcd promising. It
wasmidaucroonbutdarkdccpinthcgorgc, thc
lorcstmorcraggcdandprimcvalthanhcrcincw
Fngland,asilitshistorywcrcpilcdontopolitscll,
waitingpaticntlyundcrourtircdlootstcps.
I askcdalocaltopointoutwhcrc
wc wcrc on thc map. Ic lookcd pcrplcxcd lor a
lcwsccondsand thcn,in a momcntolcnlightcn
mcnt, turncd it ovcr and lound tlc spot on thc
otlcr sidc. Wc wcrc a good I. milcs lrom our
intcndcddcstination.
RobcrtFrostkncwa lot aboutbcinglostand
thc dccp longing to cscapc lrom cartl lor cvcn
just a momcnt. In his most lamous pocm, hc
chosc,asAdricnncand I did bychancc,thcpath
with thc . . . bcttcrclaim/Bccauscitwasgrassy
and wantcdwcar. " Frost kncw that litc can bc a
. . . pathlcsswood /Whcrcyourlacc burnsand
tickl cswith thc cobwcbs/ Brokcn across it, and
onc cyciswccpi ng/From atwi g` shavinglashcd
across it opcn. " Ic l ongcd to gct away lrom
thc mundanc, to rcach toward hcavcn lorj ust a
momcntand thcncomcbackagai n, rcncwcd. As
thctwooluscmcrgcdoddlycxhilaratcdlrom thc
woods that day in thc Pyrcnccs, I rcmcmbcrcd
thc closinglincsol Frost`sBirchcs . "
Earth's the riht place for love:
!don't know where it's likely to go better
Pd like togo by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
IClllLlllL5, ClLLl5, ClllLllICll/IlCl:
w.cooksillustrated.com
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I/umar:drecipes, equipment tests, ingredient tastings, as well as Coo/'Iiv:companion videos for
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We sell more than SO cookbooks by the editors of Coo/'I umar:d.To order, visit our bookstore
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SEPTEMBER c OCTOilFR 211
NOTES FROM READERS
Getting Sprinkles to Stick
Whcn I makc buttcr cookics, I havc thc hardcst
timcgcttingdccoratingsugarorsprink|cstostick
tothc tops. Canyouottcrsomctips`
DEBBIE LA ROCCA
ALBANY. N.Y.
Simply dusting dccorating sugar or sprinklcs
on topotcookicsprior to bakingwill notwork.
Most otthc granulcswil | tal l ottby thc timc thc
cookics arc rcmovcd trom thc baking shcct. A
moist surtacc is ncccssaryto hclp bind thc sugar
tothc rclativclydrydough.
Wc applicd scvcral dittcrcnt liquids-watcr,
bcatcn cgg, cooki ng spray, and corn syrupto
thctopsotbuttcrcookicsbctorcsprinklingthcm
with an cvcn laycr otcolorcd sugar to hnd out
whichwasthc bcstadhcsivc.Ancrrcmovingthc
cookicstromthcovcnandallowingthcmtocool,
wc turncd thcm upsidc down and shook thcm
lightly to gaugc how wcll thc sugar stuck. Jhc
watcr, cgg, and cookingsprayall did an cqually
goodjob, a ncgligiblcamountotsugartcl l hom
thcsccooki cs. Jhcsugaralsostucktothccookics
brushcd with corn syrup, but thc topsotthcsc
cookics bccamc unacccptably darkcr, crunchicr,
andswcctcr.
Wc rccommcnd thc casicst mcthod otal l .
Iightlybrushthctopso t unbakcdbuttcrcookics
withwatcrbctorcapplyingdccorations .
STI CKY S I TUATI ON
To prevent spri nkl es from fal l i ng of (left) , brush cookies
with water, then decorate and bake (right) .
Soy Sauce Storage
Whcrc should I storc a bottlc otsoy saucc oncc
it'sopcn. inthcpantryorinthcrctrigcrator`
ESTHER KANG
CHICAGO. I LL.
Soy saucc is a tcrmcntcd liquid madc trom
soybcans androastcdwhcat. Jhclabclstorsomc
brandssuggcstrchigcratingthcbottlcancropcn
ing,andothcrshavcnostoragcintormationatall .
Although soy saucc will not actually spoil i tlcn
outatroom tcmpcraturc-itcontainshighlcvcls
='T1111 1` :N11 W U E
otsalt, sugar, and acid tl:at providc protcction
against bactcrial growtl:-wc wondcrcd itits |la
vorwoulddctcrioratcovcrtimc.
Jo nnd out, wc storcd our rccommcndcd
brands otsoy saucc, Icc Kum Kcc Jabl ctop
Soy Saucc and hsawa ama Shoyu rgani c
\npastcurizcdSoySaucc, twoways:inacool ,dry
cupboard and in thc rctrigcrator. Attcr a month
had passcd, wc hcld a blind tasti ng otthc soy
sauccsscrvcdwithstcamcdwhitcricc. Jhcrcsults`
Jastcrsstraincdtodctcctdittcrcnccs,andallotthc
sampl cs wcrc dccmcd satistactory. Wondcring it
additiona|storagctimcwouldprovcdctrimcntal ,
wc scalcd tl:c bott|cs back up, waitcd tourmorc
months,thcntastcd thc soysauccsagai n. Jastcrs
tound both samplcsottlc pastcurizcd Icc Kum
Kccsoysaucc complctclyacccptabl c, butitwasa
dittcrcntstorytorthc unpastcurizcd hsawasoy
saucc, whichhadtakcnonatcrmcntcd,somcwhat
hshy|lavorancrsitting in a cupboard tor scvcral
months. Jhc rctrigcratcd samplc had a swcctcr,
mcllowcrprohl c.
urconclusion` Itdocsn'thurtto rctrigcratc
pastcuri zcd soy saucc , and most brands arc
pastcurizcd) , butitisn'tncccssary. Lnpastcurizcd
soy sauc c, on thc othcr hand, shoul d bc
rctrigcratcd.
Storing Anchovies
Whcncvcr I opcn a tin otanchovics to usc in a
rccipc, I cnd upwitl alotot lcnovcrs .What'sthc
bcstwaytostorc tlcm`
A. DIMASSI
TORONTO. ONTARIO
\nlcss you plan on making Cacsar salad,
anchovy pizza, and spaghctti puttancsca all on
thc samc day, you'd bc hardprcsscd to usc up
an cntirc tin ot anchovics without having to
storc thcm. Jo h ndtl:c bcstmctl:od torkccping
anchovics, wc storcd l cnovcrs tlircc ways . cov
crcd witl cxtravirgin olivc oil and rctrigcratcd
in an airtight containcr, covcrcd witl koshcr
salt and rctri gcratcd in an airtight containcr,
and coilcd up individually, trozcn on a pl atc,
transtcrrcdtoa zippcrlockbag,andrcturncdto
tlctrcczcr.
Ancr two wccks, wc rcmovcd thc anchovics
trom thc olivc oil, brushcd, rinscd, and pattcd
dry thc anchovics that wcrc covcrcd i n sal t,
and dctrostcd thc anchovics that had bccn tro
zcn. cxt, wc tastcd thcscsampl csplain and in
Cacsarsal addrcssing,wcal soincl udcda trcshly
opcncd can ot anchovics in thc l i ncup. Jhc
only unacccptablc h sh wcrc thosc that had bccn
C OOK
'
S ILLU SrR ATFD
Z
covcrcd in koshcr sal t. Rinsi ng had mcllowcd
thcir |lavor, and thosc arcas that hadn' t bccn
adcquatclyrinscdwcrcunacccptablysalty
Jhc hsh storcd
in ol i vc oi| had
havor that was
ncarly as goodas
thctrcshlyopcncd
can , but di ggi ng
thc nl l cts out ot
thc partially con
gcal cd oi l and
bl otti ng ott thc
cxccsswasa bitot
a hassl c. Jhc tro
zcn and thawcd
G OT ANCHOVI ES?
a nc hovi cs a l s o
Lftovers can b e coi l ed u p and
tastcd ncarl y as frozen i n a zi pper-l ock bag.
good as thc trcsh
hllcts and wcrc much casicr to handl c. So thc
ncxt timc you havc l cnovcr anchovi cs, hcczing
isthcwaytogo.
Freezing Pizza Dough
I'vcsccnpizzadoughtorsalcatthc supcrmarkct,
but I prctcr to makc my own. Can homcmadc
pizzadoughbctrozcn`
DAN PICKARD
SEATILE. WASH.
Jo answcryour qucsti on, wc madc our basic
pizza dough rccipc , May/{unc I 5 )-which
makcs cnough tor two pizza crustsand trozc
it at two stagcs. i mmcdiatcly ancr mixing thc
dough and ancr allowing thc dough to mlly
risc. Atcr wc shapcd thc dough into balls,
wc wrappcd tl:cm i n plastic wrap coatcd with
nonstick cooki ng spray, placcd thcm in zippcr
lock bags, and trozc thcm. A tcw days latcr,wc
thawcd both doughs on thc countcrtop,lctting
thc unriscn dough risc tor thc twohours spcci
hcdinthcrccipc. cxt,wcshapcdbothbatchcs
otdough-in addition to a trcshly madc batch
andrctrigcratcddoughtromthc supcrmarkct-
toppcdthcm with tomato saucc and mozzarclla
chccsc, and bakcd thcm at 5OO dcgrccs tor I O
minutcs.
Jastcdsidcbysidc, oncotthctrozcnvcrsions
was ncarly as good as thc trcshly madc dough.
Jhc dough that had bccnhozcn ancr risingwas
casy to shapc , thcglutcn strands had had amplc
timctorclax) , crisponthcoutsidc,chcwyintlc
middlc, and trcshtasti ng. Jhc dough that had
bccntrozcnbctorcrising,onthcothcrhand,was
|lattcr and slightlytough. Jhc trcczing stcp had
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WHAT I S IT?
I found thi s i tem at a garge sal e and bought i t
without knowing what it's used for. Can you
hel p me figure it out?
JANINE LEW
TEMP LE CITY. CALIF.
The gadget you bought i s a 1 940s-era enamel ed wood and
metal Pi -On Ufter from Wheel i ng. W.a. Thi s 1 3 1/4-i nch
devi ce was used as an ai d for pi cking up hot-from-the-oven
pie pl ates and cake pans, provi di ng a better grip than oven
mi tt-cl ad hands and reduci ng the risk of burns.
Thev
j
ntage F
j
-On L
j
fter
j
sa
cool tool forp
j
cking up hot
p
j
esand cakes.
The i nstructi on bookl et touts the tool as being so si mpl e
that "a chi l d can operte i t. " and i t i s i ndeed a ci nch to use.
To empl oy the Pi - On Ufter. hol d the handl e and ti st i t so
that the free arm opens (one arm remains stati onar) . Hook
the arms underneath the ri m of the cake pan or pi e pl ate and
l ift the pan up. The wei ght of the pi e or cake wi l l keep the
Pi -On Ufter i n pl ace as dessert i s transferred out of the oven
and onto a cool i ng rack. To remove the l ifter, si mply twist the
handl e sl i ghtl y to open the arms back up.
killcdmanyolthcycast cclls, rcsultingi n a par
tiallyarrcstcdriscandlacklustcrcrust.Finally,thc
storc bought pizza dough rcccivcd surprisingly
goodratingslromtastcrs .
Il you havc cxtra dough you` d likc to kccp
aroundlorlatcr, bc surctolctitrisc mllybclorc
lrcczi ng. Jhc bcst way to dclrost dough is to
lctitsitonthccountcrtoplora couplcolhours
or ovcrnight in thc rclrigcrator. , Jhawing pizza
doughin a microwavc orlowovcnisn`t rccom
mcndcd as it wi l l drythc dough out . ) Andlor
last minutcpizzacravings,storc boughtrclrigcr
atcddoughisancntirclyacccptablcopti on.
Soaking Dried Mushrooms
Rccipcs that call lor dricd mushrooms oncn
rcquirc soaking thc mushrooms bclorc usc. For
soups, isn`t it hnc to throwi n thc dricd mush
roomsas is,withoutthccxtrastcpolsoaking`
SUSANNA LAAKSONEN
RICHMOND, CALIF.
Soaking dricd mushrooms bclorc cooking
with thcm scrvcs two purposcs. First, it hclps
rclcasc dirt that can gct stuck bctwccn thc gills
whcn thc mushrooms arc dricd , rinsing thcm
undcrcoldrunningwatcrdocsn` talwaysrcmovc
all ol thc dirt) . Sccond,ilyouwantto uscdricd
mushroomsin minccdlorm, thcy oltcn rcquirc
soaking bclorc thcy can bc propcrly choppcd.
Jhisi s cspccially truc with potcnt dricd porcini
mushrooms, which arc hardly cvcr uscd in thc
largc sliccs in which thcy arc sol d. Jhcrclorc,
wc don`t rccommcnd adding dricd, unsoakcd
mushrooms to any rccipc, including soup. Bc
surc to savc thc |lavorml soaking liquid, oncc
hltcrcd,itcanbcuscdtoaddmushroomcsscncc
tothcrccipc.
Best Way to Boil Potatoes
Is it importanr to start with cold watcr whcn
boilingpotatocs`
NANCY HANN
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
Many cookbook autliors suggcst starting pota
tocsi ncold,rathcrthanboiling,watcr.Jhcthcory.
Bccauscpotatocstakcawhilcto cook, tlcircxtc
riors tcnd to bccomc mushy by tlc timc thcir
intcriors cook through. Starting thc potatocs in
cold watcr allows tlcir tcmpcraturc to gradu
ally incrcasc, prcvcnting cxccss soncning ol tlc
cxtcrior. Wc put tlc thcory to tlc tcst by prcpar
ingplainwholc mpcclcd boilcdpotatocs, mashcd
potatocs, madcwithwholcunpcclcdpotatocsthat
wcrcboilcd) , andpotatosalad, madcwitlpotatocs
thatwcrcpcclcdandcutinto inch cubcs bclorc
boiling) both ways-startcd in boiling watcr and
kcptata simmcrandstartcdincoldwatcrthatwas
broughttoaboilandlowcrcdtoasimmcr-toscc
ilonc mcthodwas indccd bcttcrthantlcothcr.
nccthccubcdpotatopicccswcrccoolcdand
tosscd witl mayonnaisc and scasonings lor thc
potatosaladandtlcwholcpotatocswcrcpcclcd,
prcsscdthrougha riccr, andcombincdwith hall
and hallandmc| tcdbuttcrlorthc mashcdpota
tocs, no dillcrcnccs bctwccn thc two sampl cs
couldbcdctcctcd. Intlccasco|tlcpl ainboilcd
wholc potatocs, wc did noticc tlat tlc samplcs
startcdi n boilingwatcrwcrc soncr on thc cxtc
rior than on thc intcrior. Jhcsc boilcd potatocs
wcrcn` ttcrriblc, butthcywcrcn` tas good as thc
oncsstartcdincoldwatcr.
In addition to slightly bcttcr tcxturc i n onc
tcst,thcpotatocsstartcdincoldwatcrwcrcrcady
a lcw minutcs carlicr. Ycs, thc potatocs addcd
to boilingwatcrspcnt lcss timc i n thc pot, but
SEI'TEMBF [ llCTOilE 2 007
9
wc had to wait lor thc watcr to boil bclorc wc
could cook thc potatocs. Jhc bottomlincisthat
startingthc potatocs in cold watcr yicldsslightly
bcttcr rcsults in somc applications and is always
lastcr.
Refeshing Herbs
I `vchcardtlatit`sbcttcrto rclrcsh wiltcd hcrbsin
tcpidwatcrrathcrthanincoldwatcr. Isthistruc`
TIM PIERSON
ABERDEEN, S.D.
Atcr purposcly lctting scvcral bunchcs ol
parslcy, cil antro, and mi nt sit in thc rcnigcrator
until thcy bccamc limp, sorry l ooking vcrsions
ol thcir lormcr sclvcs, wc tricd bringing thc
hcrbs back to lilc by soaki ng thcm in watcr.
Soaki nghcrbsi nwatcr rcstorcs thc turgorprcs
surc , thcprcssurcolthc ccll contcntsagainstthc
ccl l wal l ) , causing thcm to bccomc hrmcr asthc
dchydratcd cclls plump up. Jhis givcs thc hcrbs
a lrcshcr look and animprovcd tcxturc, at lcast
tcmporarily.
Wc di vi dcd cach ol thc hcrbs i nto thrcc
smal l cr bunchcs, loppcd ollthc stcm cnds,and
soakcd thcm in tcpid and cold watcr. Acr !
mi nutcs, wc rcmovcdthchcrbslromthcwatcr,
spunthcmdryi nasaladspi nncr, andcomparcd
thcm with thc unsoakcdsampl cs.
Al l olthcrclrcshcdsamplcslookcdnoticcably
lrcshcrthan thc original s, but somcwcrc clcarly
bcttcrthan thc othcrs. Jhc hcrbssoakcdinstan
dard cold tap watcr had pcrkcd up signih cantly
and lookcd ncarly as good as lrcsh. Jhc hcrbs
soakcdintcpidwatcrrcmaincdlairlydroopyand
rcsumcdwiltinga lcwminutcs ancr bcing takcn
out ol thc watcr. Jhc tcpid watcr was lcss cllcc
tivcthanthccoldwatcrbccauscthccnzymcsthat
causc thc brcakdown ol thc ccl l walls bccomc
morcactivcasthctcmpcraturcriscs.
Wcwondcrcd il soaki ngthc hcrbs in a solu
tion ol saltwatcrorsugarwatcr mightyi cldan
cvcn bcttcr rcsul t. ci thcr workcd any bcttcr
than thc plain col d watcr soaki ng. Inlact, thcy
lookcdcvcnmorcwiltcd. Sotorcj uvcnatcspcnt
hcrbs, simply trim thc stcms and soak thcmlor
I minutcsin coldwatcr.
QU I C K REJ UVE NATI ON
Old herbs (left) get a new life (right) after being refreshed
in cold water for just I 0 minutes.
SfNDUSYOURQUfSONSWe will provide a compli
mentary one-year subscription for each letter we print. Send your
inquiry, name, address. and daytime telephone number to Notes
from Readers, Cook's Illustrated. P.O. Box 470589, Brookline,
MA 02447, or to notesfromreaders@americastestkitchen.com.
Proofi ng Bread Dough
Lur Uu of Brooklyn, N.. had trou
bl e tel l i ng when her bread dough had
properly risen i nsi de a sl oped bowl ,
so she came up wi th the fol l owi ng
trick. Ughtly spray a slow-cooker i nsert
with nonstick cooki ng spray. Place the
dough in the i nsert and cover unti l it
has risen. The strai ght si des and glass
l i d of the i nsert al l ow the baker to eas
ily gauge the dough's progress.
Securi ng El ectric Cords
Marni e Drager of San Bernardino,
Cal if. , found an inexpensive way to
neatly contain appl iance cords on
her kitchen counter. Bundl e the
cord, then feed i t i nto an empt
cardboard toi l et paper rol l .
Rejuvenating Cel er
Over ti me, even the cri spest cel ery
becomes l i mp. Mar Kri oti s of
Randal l stown, Md. , offers a si mpl e
techni que for refreshing l ifel ess
stal ks.
I. Trim and di scard the bottom
end of each cel ery stal k.
2. Pl ace the stal ks cut-si de
down in a tal l , narrow contai ner
with at l east 2 i nches of water.
Refrigerate unti l the stal ks are
cri sp and sprightly, six to |2
hours.
Savi ng Lfover Wine
Recorki ng a wi ne bottle to presere l eftovers can be a chal l enge i f the cork no
longer fits i nto the neck of the bottl e. Dwight Col l i n of Pittsford, N.Y, uses hi s
Mi cropl ane grater to shave of a portion of the cork so that i t can be easi l y
rei nserted i nto the bottl e.
I. 2.
I . Grate the si de of a cork on a Mi cropl ane grater unti l i t wi l l fit snugl y i nto the wi ne
bottl e.
2. Cork the bottl e.
Send Us YOur1p We wi l l provide a compl i mentary one-year subscri pti on for each t i p we pri nt. Send your t i p, name, and address to
Quick Tips, Cook' s I l l ustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA02447, or to qui ckti ps@americastestkitchen. com.
CO OK
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S ILLUST R AT E D
4
Better Butter Cutti ng
Cutting butter with a chef's knife
can be a sl ipper proposi ti on.
Using butter strai ght from the
refrigerator, Deborah Nel son of
Lwrence, Kan. , empl oys the sharp
edge of a metal bench scraper to
cut butter into uni form pi eces.
No More Sogg Cheesecake
After refrigerti ng a baked and
cool ed cheesecake, Lori Johnson of
Nordl and, Wash. , al ways found that
unwanted moi sture col l ected on the
top of the cake, rui ni ng her creati on.
Her sol uti on i s to arrnge a layer of
paper towel s over the cheesecake
before coveri ng i t wi th pl astic wrp
and refri gerti ng
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Cl eani ng Up Spi l l s
Mi nor spi l l s are a frequent occur
rence in most kitchens. Roman
Lsek of Berkeley, Cal i f . . ofers the
fol l owing tri ck for keepi ng coun
ters tidy. Use the small ri mmed
baking sheet from a toaster oven
as a mini ature dust pan, hol ding
the pan under the edge of the
counter and sweeping spi l l ed food
onto i t for di sposal .
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Safer Chi l e Handl i ng

Mi nci ng fresh chi l es can lead to hand
bums that l ast for hours. Ti red of fi er
fingers, El l en Watson of Sacramento,
Cal if. . found protecti on i n a grater and
a zi pper- l ock bag. Usi ng the bag as a
glove. hol d the chi l e and grate it al ong
the surface of a box or Mi cropl ane
grter. Thi s method doesn' t al low you
to remove the seeds. so you wi l l get
maxi mum heat from chi l es prepared
this way.
Impromptu Pn Ud
Finding hi mself short of l i ds
to fit hi s ski l l ets and saute
pans, Greg Evans of Jeri cho,
N.Y. , created a cl ever stand
in. Cover a splatter screen
with to layers of al uminum
foi l , then place i t on top of
the ski l l et.
Makeshift Sifter
Cl eani ng and Dryi ng
Mushrooms
Some batches of mushrooms are
so di rt that a cl oth won' t ade
quately cl ean them. Washing the
mushrooms i s a must, as i s drying
them. Riga Kri enhoefer of Boi se,
I daho, pul l s out her sal ad spinner
to perorm both tasks.
Usi ng a smal l fi ne-mesh strai ner to sif several cups of four or confecti oners' sugar
often results i n a powdery mess. Hanna Col eman of Potomac, Md. , keeps her work
space clean with the hel p of pl astic wrap and a rubber band.
I.
I. Place a smal l fi ne-mesh stri ner over a smal l bowl to prevent i t from ti ppi ng. Fi l l
the stri ner with fl our or confecti oner' sugar, cover wi th pl asti c wrap, and secure
with a rubber band.
2. Shake the sifter over the bowl or dessert.
2.
I . Pl ace the mushrooms in
a salad spinner basket and
spray with water unti l the
di rt i s removed.
2. Qui ckly pl ace the basket
into the salad spinner and
spi n the mushrooms dry.
Powder-Free Chocol ate
When chopped i nto chunks for cook
ies or bars, chocol ate often shatters,
l eavi ng behi nd shavi ngs and powder.
Todd Nystul of Bal ti more. Md. , uses
his mi crowave to sol ve the probl em.
2.
I. Pl ace the chocol ate bar on a
mi crowave-safe pl ate and mi crowave
on the lowest setti ng for about one
mi nute, turni ng the chocol ate hal fay
through. When the chocol ate softens
and begi ns to mel t at the corners,
remove i t from the mi crowave. (I f the
chocol ate bar i s ver thi ck, i t may take
l onger to soften. )
2. Pl ace t he wanm chocol ate on a cut
ti ng board and chop i t i nto chunks.
S F I ' T F ,\ B F b 0 C I 0 l l F R : 0 0 7

Disposabl e Vegetable
Scrubber
Fi ndi ng hersel f in a ki tchen wi thout a
vegetabl e scrubber, Carol Alexander
of Charl ottesvi l l e, Va. , desi gned a
homemade substi tute.
/
I. Fol d an empt perforated oni on or
ci trus bag to fonm a compact shape.
then secure i t wi th a rubber band.
2. Us e the scrubber t o cl ean vegeta
bl es under cool runni ng water, then
di scard the scrubber.
Pitti ng Ol ives
The most common way to remove
pi ts from ol ives wi thout an ol ive
pi tter is to smash them on a cut
ting board. Marci Abbrecht of
Wel l esl ey, Mass . , came up with
a more el egant-and equal ly
effective-al ternative. Place a
funnel upsi de down on the
work surface. Stand one
end of the ol ive on
the spout and press
down, al l owing
the pit to fal l
through the
funnel .
Skilet-Barbecued Pork Chops
The smok, salt-sweet, charred fiavor of grilled pork chops is eas to get on an outdoor
grill. We wanted to bring that favor indoors-keeping the smokiness but losing the smoke.
T
o enjoy the charred, salty-sweet
favor of grilled pork chops
coated with spicy barbecue
sauce in the off-season, I have
two options: go to a restaurant with an
indoor grill or attempt to make them in
my own kitchen. Getting smoky flavor
into the chops is almost assured when
cooking over a live fre outdoors. Back
inside, it can be more elusive.
Rubbing It In
3 B Y J K E NJI 1 =
The frst order of business was to fnd
a way of giving the pork a nice, evenly
charred surface without overcooking the
interior. I tried searing the chops in a
blazing hot skillet and then turning the
heat way down once they developed
a good crust, a method I've used to
good effect with steak and lamb chops.
Aside from the fact that this technique
filled the test kitchen with billowing
smoke and splattered oil, the pork ended
up stringy by the time a well-charred
crust had developed. The problem? Pork
chops are leaner than steaks and lamb
chops and therefore more prone to dry
Doubl e-seari ng creates a charred, gri l l - l i ke crust on pork chops.
ing out. Brining improved matters a bit, but it
was clear that my technique was going to need an
overhaul. Since I've successflly cooked charred,
juicy pork chops on an outdoor grill, I wondered
what was so different about cooking in a skillet.
For one thing, a piece of meat elevated above
the heat source on a grill doesn't remain in contact
sHoP P, N G : What' s i n the Package?
with the juices released during cooking. In a pan,
pork chops end up simmering in their own juices,
which lowers the temperature of the cooking sur
face, leading to meat that overcooks before it can
brown properly. If I couldn't get the pork itself
to char, why not add another element that would
char instead? I realized that there was already an
Given the number of chops we went through to devel op thi s reci pe, we thought purchasi ng "fami ly size" packs of
pork chops woul d be the l ogical choi ce, but we rn i nto some unpl easant surprises at the bottom of the packge.
LOOKS LI KE A
GOOD VALU E
Te chops on top lookgood, but
beware of what lies beneath.
H I DDE N S U RPRI S E S
The chops they don't want you
to see are gristly and unevenly
butchered.
BEST B ET
Choose a smal ler packge in which
the meat is laid in a single layer so
you can see what you are paying for.
COO K
'
S I L L U S T R A TED

outdoor technique that would accomplish this

exact goal-the dry spice rub.
Though standard fare for a grill, a spice rub is
rarely applied to meat cooked in a skillet-in a
hot skillet, the rub (which darkens more readily
than the pork proteins) doesn't just char, it black
ens. But by starting with medium heat rather
than high, I found I could let the spice rub char
while the pork cooked at a gentler pace, which
resulted in chops that were perfectly cooked both
inside and out. Lowering the heat serendipitously
solved my smoky kitchen problem, as well.
Smoking the Sauce
I turned my attention to the barbecue sauce.
Starting with the requisite ketchup and molas
ses, I ran through a battery of taste tests. Hits
of Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard gave
the sauce complexity and heat, and onions and
cider vinegar added a pungent kick. A spoonfl
of brown sugar helped mellow out and blend the
sharper flavors. I fgured a couple of teaspoons of
my dry spice rub added to my sauce could only
improve its flavor. Tasters confrmed my hunch.
Although my sauce was now balanced, I felt it
needed more outdoor flavor. Without the beneft
of a live fre with smoldering hickory chips, I had
only one place to turn: liquid smoke. In the test
kitchen, we generally shun artifcial or synthetic
ingredients, so I was pleased to learn that liq
uid smoke is a completely natural product (see
"Smoke in the Water," page 3O) . All suspicions
were laid to rest when a batch of sauce to which
I had surreptitiously added a teaspoon of liquid
smoke swept the next blind tasting. The key to
keeping liquid smoke palatable is moderation.
Now I had my charred pork and my smoky
sauce, but I also had a problem. I had been ignor
ing something every good outdoor cook knows:
The sauce is not merely an accompaniment to the
meat-it's an essential part of the cooking process.
I had been treating the chops and the sauce as to
discrete elements rather than parts of the same
entity, applying the sauce only afer the meat had
been flly cooked. On an outdoor grill, the sauce
caramelizes and intensifes, lacquering the chops in
a sticky glaze. Could I re-create this process on my
stovetop without ruining my pans and splatterng
hot barbecue sauce m over the kitchen?
Brushing the sauce directly onto the chops
while they were still in the pan produced a stick,
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AT A G LANC E 1 II I UI |G |I1U ||K lIPV|K || 1H b1|V1|I

I . APPLY RU B 2 . ADD S MOKE 3 . S EAR CHOPS 4 . B RUS H AN D S EAR
burntmcssandastovctopsplattcrcd
withsaucc.Whatitinstcadotbring
ingthc sauccto thc pork,I brought
thcporktothcsaucc`I cookcdup a
ncwbatchotchops,thistimcrcmov
ing thcm hom thc pan a tcw min
utcscarly.Acrtranstcrringthcpork
chops to a baking shcct, I brushcd
thcm with a thin coat otbarbccuc
saucc and wipcd out thc skillct so
I couldmsh cooking with a clcan,
hot surtacc. Wcn thc pork chops
sizzlcdvigorously asthcywcntback
intothchotpantorthcirsccondscar,
myhopcswcrchigh.
After bri ni ng chops. coat both
sides wi th dr spi ce rub, press
ing gently to adhere.
Combi ne sauce i ngredi ents, Pl ace chops i n ski l l et a n d don' t Remove chops from pan. brush
i ncl udi ng I teaspoon of l i qui d move them unti l charred bl ack wi th sauce, and sear agai n to
smoke. spots devel op. l acquer sauce onto the chops.
I |lippcdthc chops andsaw that
thc saucc had rcduccd to a sticky,
smoky, caramclizcd glazc that hrmly adhcrcd to
thc mcat. Scrvcd with thc rcmaining rcduccd
saucc,thcscskillctbarbccucdporkchopswitha
ribstickingsauccmallytastcdlikcthcrcaldcal .
S K I L L ET- BAR B E C U E D P OR K C H O PS
SERVES 4
Wc prctcrnatural tocnhanccdpork,porkthat has
bccninjcctcdwithasaltsolutiontoincrcascmoist
ncssand |lavor) tor this rccipc,thoughcnhanccd
pork can bc uscd. Itusing cnhanccd pork, skip
thc brining in stcp I and add '! tcaspoon salt
to thc spicc rub. Gratc thc onion on thc largc
holcsota boxgratcr.Instcp 5, chcckyouchops
ancr3 minutcs. Ityou don` thcaradchnitcsizzlc
andthc chopshavcnotstartcdto brown on thc
undcrsidc,incrcascthc hcatto mcdiumhighand
continuc cooking as dircctcd , tollow indicatcd
tcmpcraturcstorrcmaindcrotrccipc) .
Pork Cbos
11 cup tabl e sal t
4 bone- i n pork ri b chops, Vto I i nch thi ck
( 8 to I oounces each) , tri mmed of excess fat,
si des slit accordi ng to i l l ustrati on at ri ght
(see note above)
4 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
SitcBub
I tabl espoon papri ka
I tabl espoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cori ander
teaspoon ground cumi n
teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
Sautc
11 cup ketchup
3 tabl espoons l i ght or mi l d mol asses
2 tabl espoons grated oni on (see note above)
2 tabl espoons Worcestershi re sauce
2 tabl espoons Di jon mustard
tabl espoon ci der vi negar
tabl espoon brown sugar
teaspoon l i qui d smoke
I . FOR THE PORK CHOPS: Di ssolvc sal t
i n 2 quarts watcr i n l argc bowl or containcr.
Submcrgcchopsi nbrinc,covcrwithpl asticwrap,
and rctrigcratctor 3O minutcs .
2. FOR THE SPICE RUB: Combincingrcdicnts
i nsmallbowl . Mcasurc2 tcaspoonsmixturcinto
mcdium bowl and sct asidc tor saucc. Jranstcr
rcmaini ngspiccrubtopicpl atcorl argcplatc.
3 . FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk i ngrcdicnts i n
T E C H N I Q U E I b PKI |G |H|Ib
Getti ng pork chops to l i e fl at and cook evenl y
requi res two si mpl e techni ques.
PROBLE M: Pork chops buckl e during cooki ng.
S OLUTI ON: Cut to sl i ts about 2 i nches apar
through fat and connective ti ssue.
PROBLE M: Pork chops don' t fi t i n pan.
S OLUTI ON: Arrange pork chops in pinwheel pat
tem wi th ti ps of ri bs poi nti ng toward edge of pan.
S EP T E M B E R c O C T O B ER 2 007
/
bowl with rcscrvcdspiccmixturc, sct asidc.
4. TO COOK CHOPS: Rcmovc chops trom
brinc and pat drywith papcr towcl s. Coat both
sidcs otchops with spicc rub, prcssing gcntlyso
rub adhcrcs. Pat chops to rcmovc cxccss rub,
discardcxccssrub.
5. Hcat I tablcspoon oil i n I 2i nch hcavy
bottomcdnonstickskillctovcrmcdiumhcatuntil
j ustsmoki ng. Followingillustration bclow, placc
chops inskillct inpinwhccltormati on, cookuntil
charrcdin spots, 5 to 8 minutcs. Flip chops and
continuc to cook until sccond sidc is browncd
and charrcd and ccntcr otchop rcgistcrs I 3O
dcgrccsoninstantrcadthcrmomctcr,4to8min
utcs.Rcmovcskillcttromhcatandtranstcrchops
to clcan platcorbaking shcct. Iightlybrushtop
sidc otcach chopwith2 tcaspoonssaucc.
o. Wipc out pan with papcrtowcls and rcturn
to mcdium hcat. Add rcmai ni ng tcaspoon oil
and hcat until just smoki ng. Add chops to pan,
sauccsidcdown,andcookwitlvutmovinguntil
saucchascaramclizcdandcharrcdi nspots,about
I minutc. Whilc cooki ng, lightly brush top sidc
otcachchopwith2 tcaspoonssaucc. Jurnchops
and cook until sccond sidc is charrcd and cara
mclizcdandccntcrotchopsrcgistcrs I4Odcgrccs
oninstantrcadthcrmomctcr, I to I'! minutcs.
7.Jranstcrchopsbacktoplatcorbakingshcct,
tcnt with toi l , and lct rcst 5 minutcs. Intcrnal
tcmpcraturc should risc to about I45 dcgrccs .
Mcanwhilc,addrcmainingsaucctopanandcook,
scrapingpanbottom,until thickcncdtokctchup
likc consistcncy and rcduccd to - cup, about
3 minutcs. Brush cach chop with I tablcspoon
rcduccd saucc and scrvc i mmcdiatcly, passing
rcmainingsauccattabl c.
@ COOK' S LI VE Ori
g
i nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ooks i l l u s t rate d . c om
RE CI P E I N 6 0 S E CON DS
o Ski l l et-Barbecued Pork Chops
VI D EO TI PS
o What ki nd of pork chops shoul d I buy?
o Shoul d I buy enhanced pork?
o How can I protect my nonsti ck pans?
Quicker Beef Vegetable Soup
We fou nd a faster path to a full-fi avored soup.
G
ivcn cnough mcat, boncs, and timc,
agrcatbcctsoupi sn` tallthathardto
makc. urRchBcctStockandBcct
oodl c Soup , {anuary/Fcbruary
I8) arcpcrtcctcxamplcs. Ityou` rc willingto
buy o pounds otbcctshi nmcatandboncsand
invcst. 'l hours, you can producc a tantastic
stock , and a lot otl cnovcr bcct. Add anothcr
hourorso,andyouhavcthcultimatcbcctsoup.
But I rarcly havc thc timc or cncrgy to makc
thisrccipc.
Whcn I want bcctand vcgctablc soup in a
hurry, I do what cvcryonc clsc docsI opcn a
can otsoup and complain about its lacklustcr
Uavor. But is this all ornothing approach rcally
ncccssary`CouldIcollapscthctwoscparatcstcps
otmaking stock and thcn soup into onc and
dcvclopboldbcctU avori njustoOminutcs`
Jo gct my bcarings, I prcparcd scvcral tra
ditional rccipcs , i ncluding ours ) along with a
handtul otqui ck rccipcs . Whi l c cvcry cl assi c
rccipc yi cldcd i ntcnsc U avor, thc qui ck soups
wcrc unitormly disappointing and lackcd any
rcalbcct|lavor. Mostuscdcithcrcubcsotstcw
mcat"a butchcr` s catchall tor any rclativcly
chunky scraps otbcct-or morc tcndcr cuts
likc strip stcak or ri b cyc. Although stcwmcat
contri butcdapl casantbcc[Uavor,itwasbarcly
chcwablc ancrsimmcri ngtor haltan hour. Jhc
strip and rib cyc, though morc tcndcr, tastcd
livcryandhadachalky, drytcxturc. Myhrstand
mostimportant goal was to hnd a cut otmcat
thatcouldgivca quickbcctandvcgctablcsoup
thcsamctcxturc and |lavor as onc thatcookcd
torhours .
A Tal e ofTwo Meats
We tested nearly a dozen cuts of beef before settl i ng on
si rl oi n ti p steaks as the best choi ce for our qui ck soup.
Texture was a deci di ng factor.
TOO DE NS E
Tender cuts such as stri p
steak and rib eye become
tough. l iver, and chal k
when si mmered i n soup.
LOOS E AND TE ND E R
Cuts with a loose structure,
such as si rl oi n tip steaks,
give the i mpressi on that the
meat has cooked for hours.
B Y D A V I D P A Z M I N O =
A Better Broth
I had tound a cut otbcctthat cookcJ
quicklyandhadthcrighttcxturc, butit
didn` tdomuchtorthcrcstotthcsoup.
I wouldhavc tostartwithstorc bought
brothandcngagcinsomc scrious Uavor
doctoring.
I tricd rcducing thc broth to torti|
its U avor, but whcn simmcrcd by halt,
it turncd ultra salty and madc thc soup
soharshthatmanytastcrs mistook ittor
canncd. I wasgcttingnowhcrctast.
Thi s heart soup makes a meal and i s ready i n j ust 60 mi nutes.
Scvcral otthc quick soup rccipcs I
uncovcrcd took an cvcrythi ng but
thckitchcn sink" approach to thc vcg
ctablcs. Whi l cthcscsoups hadU avor, it
ccrtainlywasn` tbcctUavor. I hadbcttcr
luck sticking to thc basics. onions, car
rots, andcclcrysatc,ycs, cxciting,not
vcry. Jhcn I rcmcmbcrcd that many
rccipcs tor Frcnch onion soup rcly on
mountainsotcaramcl izcdonionstoup
thcmcaty|lavoro|thcbroth.Jhcliquid
andsugarsrclcascdbythconionsl cavca
richbrowncoatingon thc pan, contrib
utinga dcpthotUavorthatonionssim
ply simmcrcdi nthc broth can`t attai n.
Whcn I tcstcdthi sidca, tastcrs praiscd
thc addcd compl cxi ty and swcctncss,
What' s the Beef?
Jastcrspraiscdthc|allaparttcndcrncssotthcshin
mcatinouroriginalBcctoodlcSouprccipc,but
ittookhourstobrcakdownthosctoughcrmusclc
hbcrsintoanythingrcmotclytcndcr.Ancrpulling
outmydiagramstorbcctcuts,Itricdtoh ndacut
otmcatthat had thc samc tcxtural charactcristics
otthc shin mcat butwould cook in a quartcr ot
thc timc. I cookcd through various cuts, chas
ing thcm around thc chart as itit was a carou
scl. I discovcrcd that tlosc with a loosc, opcn
grainincludinghangcrstcak,U ankstcak,sirloin
tip stcak , or Uap mcat) , and bladc stcakhad a
shrcddcdtcxturc tl+attoolcd tastcrs into thinking
I hadcookcdthc mcattorhours.
t thcsc tour cuts, sirloin tip stcaks ottcrcd
tlcbcstbalanccotmcatyUavorandtcndcrncss. I
j ust haJ tobccarcm how I cut thc stcaks . Ittlc
mcat was cut too largc, my soup sccmcd morc
likc a stcw. ItI uscd too many small picccs, it
rcscmblcdawatcrychili . Forsix gcncrous bowls
otsoup,I nccdcd poundotsirlointipstcakscut
into |: inchpicccs.
CO OK
'
S ILLUST R AT E D
d
but I still had al ongwayto go.
Itwas timc todosomcrcscarchintowhatcon
stitutcsbcc[|lavor. I discovcrcdthatbcctUavor
isacccntuatcdbynaturallyoccurringcompounds
callcd glutamatcs, which arc toundi nnumcrous
toods , scc In Scarch otGlutamatcs, " pagc ) .
Iikc salt, glutamatcs stimulatc rcccptors onthc
tonguc, making tood tastc richcr and mcaticr.
Mushrooms, itturnsout,arc highi nglutamatcs
andtorthatrcasonarconcnpaircdwith, orcvcn
substitutcd tor) bccti n many dishcs. Jhinking
this might hcl p, I prcparcd soups with whitc
button, portobcllo, crcmini , and porcini mush
rooms . Portobcllos impartcd an ovcrly murky
Uavor,andcarthyporcinisovcrwhclmcdanybcct
Uavor I had alrcady dcvclopcd. \tilitarian whitc
buttonswcrc Kbutabitbland. Crcminimush
roomswcrcpcrtcct,providingmushroomintcn
sitywithoutbcingobtrusivc.
Iwondcrcdwhatothcringrcdicntshighinglu
tamatcscoulddo.Worccstcrshircsaucc,Parmcsan
chccsc rinds, and misopastc compctcdwith thc
bcchncss otthc dish. Icss intcnsc tomato pastc
and rcd winc boostcd thc soup`s mcaty notcs,
TE CH N I Q U E I
1 H IIPV|K Pb G I |b
Before the beef i s added to the pot, create a flavor
base by browni ng chopped oni ons and cremi ni
mushrooms. Sti r frequently unti l the oni ons are
real ly brown and dark bi ts form on the pan bottom.
Don ' t shortcut thi s process or you wi l l rob your
soup of flavor.
cspcciallywhcn nc thctomatopastcwith
thc mcatand thcn dcglazcdthccaramclizcdpan
drippingswiththcrcdwinc.
1hough soy saucc is cspccially hi gh i n gl u
tamatcs, I |carcd it might ovcrpowcr thc soup.
But,tomysurprisc,itcnhanccdthc bcc||lavor. I
rcmcmbcrcd,too, that soysauccisatcstkitchcn
|avoritc|orquickmarinadcs.Iikcabri nc, thcsalt
insoysaucc di|mscs intothc mcat,allowing thc
individual musclc hbcrs to rctain moisturc whilc
cookng. Whcn I marinatcd thc bcc|cubcs with
soysaucc|orj ust I 5 minutcs,tastcrscommcntcd
on thc improvcd |lavor o|thc mcat and also its
soncrtcxturc.
My Soup Begi ns to Gel
1 had now rcplicatcd thc bcc| |lavor o| long
mm os but not thc mouthcoatingrich
ncss.1hiscanonlybc crcatcdwhcn collagcn, thc
tough protcins in thc mcat and boncs, brcaks
down into gclatin. Could I chcat and j ust add
powdcrcdgcldHu u Atablcspoonotgclatin
sohcncdrncoldwatcrandstirrcdintothchnishcd
soupprovidcd thc viscosity o|traditional broths.
1his was an tmlikcly hnish to a rccipc that can
standuptosoupsthattakc hourstocook.
Bui l di ng Meat Fl avor Qui ckly
These four gl utamate- ri ch i ngredi ents boosted meat flavors
i n our qui ck soup.
MUS HROOMS
Sauteed cremi ni mush
rooms begi n to bui l d flavor.
TO MATO PASTE
Thick tomato paste
caramel i zes in the pot to
create more flavor.
B E E F AN D VE G ETAB L E S O U P
S E RVES 6
Choos whol c sirloin tip stcks ovcr oncs that
havc bccn cut into small picccs |or stir hics. I|
sirloin ti pstcaks arc unavailablc, substitutc bladc
or|lankstcak,rcmovi nganyhardgristlcorcxccss
|at. Buttonmushroomscanbcuscdinplacco|thc
crcminimushrooms,withsomctradco||in|lavor.
ur prc|crrcd brand o| bcc| brotl+ is Pacihc. I|
youlikc,addI cupo|hozcnpcas,|rozcncorn,or
|rozcncutgrccn bcans during tl+c l ast 5 minutcs
o|cooking. For a hcarticr soup, add I O ounccs
o|rcd skinncd potatocs, cut into l: inch picccs
, 2cups) , duringthc last I 5 minutcso|cooking.
pound si rl oi n ti p steaks, tri mmed of excess fat and
cut i nto 11- i nch pi eces (see note above)
. tabl espoons soy sauce
teaspoon vegetabl e oi l
pound cremi ni mushrooms, stems tri mmed, caps
wi ped cl ean and quartered
l arge oni on, chopped medi um (about 1 11 cups)
. tabl espoons tomato paste
medi um garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I teaspoon)
11 cup red wi ne
4 cups beef broth (see note above)
I V cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
4 medi um carrots, peel ed and cut i nto 11- i nch
pi eces (about .cups)
. medi um cel ery ri bs, cut i nto 11- i nch pi eces
(about Vcup)
bay l eaf
tabl espoon unflavored powdered gel ati n
11 cup col d water
. tabl espoons mi nced fresh parsl ey l eaves
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
I . Combinc bcc|and soy saucc i n mcdi um
bowl ,sctasidc|or I5 minutcs .
2. Hcat oil in largc Dutch ovcn ovcr mcdium
highhcatuntilj ustsmoking. Addmushroomsand
onion,cook,stirringtrcqucntly,untilonionpicccs
arcbrownanddarkbits|ormonpanbottom, 8to
I2 minutcs. 1rans|crvcgctablcsto bowl .
3 . Add bcc|and cook, stirring occasionally,
until liquid cvaporatcs and mcat
startsto brown, o to I O minutcs.
S OY SAU CE
Strips of beef are mari nated
i n soy sauce before bei ng
browned.
RE D WI N E
Red wi ne hel ps l oosen
flavorful browned bi ts from
the pan bottom.
S E P r E , B E R c7 O C T O I J F R 2 007
'
S C I E N C E :
I n Search of Gl utamates
I n grade school , we al l l earned that we experi ence
four pri mary taste sensati ons: sal t. sweet, bi tter,
and sour. But what makes savory foods taste
meaty? J apanese physi cs professor Ki dunae
I keda answered thi s questi on i n 1909 when he
extracted a whi te compound from the gi ant sea
kel p used to give J apanese broths a savory and
meaty flavor. even when meat i s absent. Thi s
substance, cal l ed gl utamate, has been found to
sti mul ate the tongue' s taste receptors. j ust l i ke
sal t and sugar. I keda named the resul ti ng sensa
ti on 0mom|, whi ch transl ates as "del i ci ousness"
and "savory. " The Ameri can cook i nterprets thi s
as " fu l l ," " meat, " and "robust. " Natu ral ly occur
ri ng gl utamates are found i n a wi de vari ety of
foods, some of whi ch I used i n my Beef and
Vegetabl e Sou p. -D. P.
G LUTAMATES I N COM M ON F OODS
Thi s scal e shows the mi l l i grms of gl utamates per
I 00 grms (3 'z ounces) .
Potatoes | oz
Corn | 1o
Tomatoes . 4o
Mushrooms | o
Peas zoo
Grape J ui ce ..
Oni ons
..
Wal nuts .
Soy Sauce l | , oo
Prmesan Cheese | . , zoo
Kombu ( Sea Kelp)
| z, zo4
0 50 | ,0 | ,502,0 2,50
Addtomato pastcanU

acc
stantly,untilJ!OnJl!CJOOul o 5CCOnds.Addrcd
winc,scrapingbottomo|potwithwoodcnspoon
to looscn browncd bits,andOO unm
to2 minutcs.
4. Add bcctbroth, chickcn broth, carrots,
cclcry, bay lca|, and browncd mushrooms and
onion, bring to boi l . Rcducc hcatto low,covcr,
and simmcr unt vcgcta\\s and mcat arc tcn
dcr, 25 to 3Ominutcs. Whilcsoupissimmcring,
sprinklcgclatinovcrcoldwatcrandlctstand.
5. Whcnsoupishnishcd,turno||hcat. Rcmovc
bay lca|. Pdd gclatinmixturc and stir untilcom
plctclydissolvcd. Stirinparslcy,adj ustscasonings
vithsaltandpcppcr, andscrvc.
W COOK' S LI VE Origi nai Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. OO I I l l
RE CI PE I N 6 0 S E CONDS
Beef and Vegetabl e Soup
VI DE O TI P
What' s the ri ght cut of beef for a qui ck soup?
Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin
Our moi st stufi ng works from the i nsi de out to combat dryness i n lean pork.
I
`m tond ot thc mcaty tcxturc
and modcratc pricc otpork loi n,
but I` m annoycd byi ts tcndcncy
toward dryncss. Most grillcdpork
loinrccipcstrytocompcnsatcwithsomc
combination ot bri ni ng , soaki ng thc
mcatinasaltandsugarsolutionpriorto
cooking) , rubs, sauccs, or condimcnts,
butIwasintrigucdbysomcthingalittlc
dittcrcnt. a stumng. Inthcory,arichhll
in could kccp thc loin moist and add
actcti appcal to thc othcrwisc plain

Sl i ce and Rol l
I nthctcstkitchcn, wctypicallytavormc
dCCdQOtJS!forgrillingbccausc
otits abundant tat. Howcvcr, this assct
bccamc a liability whcn I tricd to stutt
a bladc roast. P soon as I split it opcn,
thc mcat tcll apartintoa lumpy mcss ot
musclc, sincw, andtat. A ccntcrcutloin
roast provcd mc bcttcr choicc bccausc
tlissolidmusclccutc| canly, butitslcan
ncssworricdmc.
B Y M A T T H E W C A R D E
d approachcs to
mc stumng, including rccipcs bascd on
chccscs,curcdmcats,brcadcrumbs,and
A spi ced appl e fi l l i ng adds fl avor and moi sture to a l ean pork l oi n.
bcrbs.Mostof thchllingsoozcdfrccof thcroast,
\ \u\ chutncy likc
blcnd Oldricd frus, spcs, sua, and vincgar
caught my attcntion. Its |lavor was unbalanccd
M hom dricdspiccs, but
consistcncy and dccp
navorwcrcwcllsuitcdtomcpork,andU stutt
ingstaycdput.
tC tCt various combi nations ot dricd
uts,mytastcrsprocIamcappcsandcranbcr
rics thc pcrtcct pairing. I poachcd thc truit i n a
blcndotapplccidcrand applccidcrvincgaruntil
tcndcr,thcnaddcdcaycnnc, allspicc, and gratcd
trcsh gingcr. Brown sugar trumpcd whitc sugar
and honcy, and sliccdsha|lot and mustard sccds
addcdjusttl:crightzipto boththctrui tandthc
pork. I straincd ott thc cxccss poaching liquid
to prcvcntthc hlling trom bcing too wct, thcn
groundthcmixturctoa coarscpastcinmctood
proccssor.
b M L 1 N G : Not Al l Pork Loi ns Can Be Stuffed
Center- cut roasts come in vari ous shapes. some of whi ch are not sui ted to stuffi ng. Here' s what to l ook for (and what
to avoi d) .
LONG AN D TH I N
Ti s roast i s 1 2 inches long
and just +inches wide . . .
TOO LI TTLE ROOM
. . . so there' s not much sur
face area for the stufing.
S H ORT AN D WI D E
Thi s roast i s j ust i nches
l ong and nearly 5 i nches
wi de . . .
PLE NTY O F ROOM
. . . so there' s more sur
face area once the roast i s
opened up.
COOK
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
' |
Stuck in the Mi ddl e
How, cxactly, do you stutt a pork | oi n` nc
popular mcthod i nvolvcs slicing tl:c mcat into
a broad shcct onto which thc hll i ng is sprcad
bctorc thc pork i s rollcd up tightly, likc a
j cl lyrol l . Butchcrs call uis a roll cut, and it
soundscasycnough,butI toundthc knitcwork
tricky. My carly attcmpts lookcd amatcurish, so
I rcthoughtthc approach. I rcgardcdthc loin as
morc squarc than cylindrical and saw that j ust
thrcc or tour straight, short cuts, likc a triplc
buttcr|ly , scc II O O I I , could
producc thc samc rcsults. Gcntlc pcrsuasion
with a mcat poundcr cvcncd out any nicks and
uncvcnncsstogivcmca long,|latshcctthatwas
casytohllandrollup. Snuglytyingupthcrollcd
roast cnsurcd a compact shapc tl:at cookcd
cvcnlyandsliccdcasily.
Jo tl:ispoint, I ` dyctto trybriningthc roast.
I hopcd thc hlling would makc brining rcdun
dant,andtcstsprovcdthistobcthccasc. Intact,
a stuttcd and brincd roast was, i tpossi blc, too
moist. Jurns out I`d madc anuncxpcctcdscicn
tihcdiscovcry,oncourscicncccditorconhrmcd.
His analysis. Bccausctl:cmcatwas sliccdsothin
,j ust '2 inch uck),Uc
dcnaturi ngthc protcinsin thc mcatmO
thcm holdontomoisturc. Jhccttcctsolacson
mcat arc limitcd to tlc arca ncar tDc 5
thcy don` tuSuJllyOO lord tlickporkl oin.
Howcvcr,i ntl:isrccipc, tl :ccntircroastwassur
tacc, " so I was csscntially marinati ng thc mcat
tromthc\\
Bui l di ng a Burni shed Exteri or
Jo coax cvcn morc |lavor outotthc roast, most
rccipcs scar thc mcat bctorc or ancr cooking it,
but my attcmpts to sar mis l cancr cut otpork
lcn mc wim a tough cxtcrior. I tricd a varicty
otspicc rubs but tound thcm ovcrpowcring. A
libcral coating otsalt and pcppcrwas morc man
sumcicnt.
Final l y, I rcmcmbcrcd our Mapl c Gl azcd
Pork Roast rcci pc , March/ Apri l 2OO3) , i n
whi chthcmcati srollcdi nthcglazcattcrroast
ing. Di dn` tIhavcl cttovcrliquidtromprcparing
thc hl l i ng` I rcduccd thc sticky swcct, spiccd
blcnd otsugar, ci dcr, and vi ncgar down to a
thick,sprcadablcconsistcncyandlacqucrcdthc
loin duringitsl asttcwminutcsonthcgri l l . Jhc
mahogany glazc not only improvcd thc lookot
ucroast,i tsharpcncdthcllavorot thcporkand
hl l i ngalikc.
w
z
>
0
<
"
:
"
z
I
0
G R I L L E D P OR K LO I N WI TH
AP P L E - C RAN B E R RY F I LL I N G
S E RVE S 6
1his rccipc is bcst prcparcd with a loin that is 7
to8 inchcslongand4to5 inchcswidc.Jo makc
cutting thc pork casicr, hcczc ittor 3O minutcs.
It mustard sccds arc unavailablc, stir an cqual
amount otwholcgrain mustard into thc mling
ancr thc applcs havc bccn proccsscd. Jhc pork
loincanbc stuttcd andticd adayal:cad ottimc,
but don`tscasonthccxtcrioruntilyouarcrcady
to gril l . ur rccipc tor Grillcd Pork Ioin with
Applc Chcrry Filling with Caraway is availablc
trccatV . cooksillustratcd. com/ octobcr.
Fillin
I cup appl e ci der
11 cup ci der vi negar
3!4 cup ( 5 1/4 ounces) packed l ight
brown sugar
l arge shal l ot, halved l engthwise and
sl i ced thi n crosswi se (about 1/4 Cup)
1 11 cups (4 ounces) packed dri ed appl es
1 1 cup ( 2 11 ounces) packed dri ed cranberri es
tabl espoon grated fresh gi nger
tabl espoon yel l ow mustard seeds
(see note above)
11 teaspoon ground al l spi ce
1/a- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Pork
2 ( 3 - i nch) wood chunks
bonel ess center- cut pork l oi n roast,
2 11 pounds (see note above)
Kosher sal t and ground bl ack pepper
Vegetabl e oi l for cooki ng grate
I . FOR THE FILLING: Bring all ingrcdicnts
to simmcr i n mcdium sauccpan ovcr mcdium
high hcat. Covcr, rcducc hcattolow, andcook
untilapplcsarcvcryson,about2Ominutcs . Push
mixturc through h nc mcsh straincrtocxtractas
muchliquid as possi blc. Rcturn liquid to saucc
pan and simmcr ovcr mcdium high hcat until
rcduccdtov cup,about5minutcs,rcscrvcglazc.
Mcanwhil c, pulscapplcmixturcintoodproccssor
untilunitormlycoarsclychoppcd,abouthnccnI
sccondpulscs. Jranstcrhllingtobowlandrctrig
cratcwhilcprcparingpork.
2. FOR THE POR: Soak wood chunks i n
watcr tor I hour. Mcanwhil c, tollowing il l ustra
tionsI through3abovc,cutmcattocvcn'/inch
thickncss . Scason insidc l i bcrally with salt and
sprcadapplchllingincvcnlaycr, lcaving'/inch
bordcr , il l ustration 4). Rol l tightly and tic with
twinc at I inch intcrvals , il lustrations 5 and o) .
Scasoncxtcriorl i bcrallywitl:saltandpcppcr.
3. Iight largc chimncy startcr hl l cd with 5
quartsotcharcoal, about85 briqucttcs)andallow
to burn until coals arc mlly ignitcd and covcrcd
witl: thin laycr otash, about 2O minutcs. Build
modihcdtwolcvclhrcbyarrangingcoalstocovcr
I. Posi ti on roast fat-si de up. I nser 2. Cut through thi cker half of roast J . Repeat unti l pork l oi n i s even
knife '/ inch from bottom of roast about 11 i nch from bottom. stop- 11 i nch thi ckness throughout. I f
and cut horizontal ly, stoppi ng ': i nch pi ng about 11 i nch before edge. uneven , cover wi th pl astic wrap and
before edge. Open thi s fap up. Open thi s fl ap up. us e meat pounder to even out.
4. Wi th l ong si de of meat faci ng 5. Starti ng from short si de, rol l pork . Tie roast wi th twi ne at l - i nch
you , season meat and spread fi l l i ng, l oi n tightly. i nterval s.
l eavi ng 11- i nch border on al l si des.
onc haltotgril l . Drainwoodchunksandplaccon
coal s. pcn bottom vcntm y. Position cooking
gratc ovcr coal s, covcr grill , and hcat gratc until
hot,about5 minutcs,scrapcgratcclcanwithgril l
brush.Iightlydi pwadotpapcrtowclsinoil,hold
ingwadwithtongs,wipccookinggratc.
4. Placc roast, tatsidc up, on gratc ovcr cool
sidc otgrill . Covcrgril l andposition vcnt, halt
way opcn, ovcr roast to draw smokc through
grill . Gri l l roast until instant rcad thcrmomctcr
inscrtcd intothickcstpart otroastrcgistcrs I 3O
to I 35 dcgrccs, 55to 7O minutcs, |lippingoncc
hal|ay throughcookingtimc. Brushroastwith
haltotrcscrvcdglazc,Uipandbrushwithrcmain
ingglazc.,Youmaynccdtorchcatglazcbric|lyto
makcsprcadablc. ) Continuctocookuntilglazcis
glossyandsticky, about5 minutcsl ongcr.
5 . Jranstcrroasttocuttingboard,loosclytcnt
with toi l , and l ct rcst tor I 5 minutcs. , Intcrnal
tcmpcraturc should risc to about I 45 dcgrccs . )
Cut into |: i nchthick sliccs, rcmoving twinc as
you cut. Scrvcimmcdiatcly.
G R I L L E D P OR K LO I N WI TH AP P L E
C RAN B E R RY F I L L I N G O N A GAS G R I L L
Follow rccipc tor Grillcd Pork Ioin with Applc
Cranbcrry Fi|ling through stcp 2, substituting 2
cups wood chips tor chunks and soaking thcm
tor 3O minutcs. Drain chips and placc in small
disposablc aluminum pan. About 2O minutcs
bctorc grilling, p| acc pan with chips onprimary
burncr, burncrtl:atwill rcmain on duringcook
i ng), position cookinggratcovcr burncrs. Jurn
all burncrs to high and hcat with lid down tor
I 5 minutcs. Scrapc and oil gratc. Icavc primary
burncr on high and turn ott othcr burncr, s ) .
S E I' T E M il ER 6 OC T Oil E R 2 0 0 7
|
Placcroast,tat sidc up, on sidc oppositc primary
burncrandprocccdwith rccipc tromstcp4.
COOK' S LI VE Origi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c o o ks i l l u s t r at ed . c o m
RE CI PE I N 6 0 S E CONDS
Gri l l ed Pork Loi n wi th Appl e- Crnberr Fi l l i ng
VI DE O TI PS
What' s the di ference between pork l oi n cuts7
What' s the best way to stuf the pork l oi n?
I s pi nk pork safe to eat?
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
Propane Level I ndi cators
You never want to run out of gas mi dway through
gri l l i ng. To that end, we tested three propane level
i ndi cators, whi ch are desi gned to show how much
fuel you have i n your tank. The Propane Geni us
($ 14. 99) sounds an al am1 when you' ve got two
hours of cooki ng ti me left. Unfortunately, it works
only when the gri l l i s igni ted. The
Gri i i Pro ECheck ( $ 5 . 3 5 ) works
l i ke a mood ri ng, with spordi
cal ly i l l umi nati ng col or bar that
we found nearly i ndeci pherbl e.
We much preferred the Origi nal
Gri l l Gauge ( $ 1 3 . 99) , whi ch
l ooks l i ke a car gas gauge.
You hook the i ndicator
to the col l ar of the tnk;
when you l i f the tank
three i nches of the
ground, i t registers the
gas l evel by wei ght.
-El i zabeth Bomze
BE ST GAS GAU G E
The Ori gi nal Gri l l Gauge
checks the gas level i n a
standard 20-gal l on tank.
Introducing Ricotta Gnocchi
This elegant Fl orentine dish is the lighter cousin of potato gnocchi. But achieving
the right texture requi res more than a simple ricotta-for- potato swap.
A
s thc pctitc divas otthc pasta tamily,
potato gnocchi ,which, tcchnically,
arcn` t cvcn pasta) havc a rcputation
tor bcing dimcult to work with and
not always worth thc cttort. Jhc bcst oncs start
withbakcdpotatocsandrcquircatlcastI v! hours
justtomakcthcdough, not to mcntionshapcor
cook thcm. And most otthc |lavor comcs trom
thcsauccrathcrthanthcgnocchiitscll Itwasn`t
untila couplc otycars ago whcn I tricd myhrst
bitcottcndcr,pillowyricotta gnocchi thatI rcal
izcd gnocchidocsn`tnccdtobcginandcndwith
spuds . A poll otthc tcst kitchcn rcvcalcd that
manyotmy collcagucswcrcn` ttoo tamiliarwith
thc ricotta vcrsion. Jhis clcgant, U avortul , and
sccmingly morc strai ghttorward dish was too
goodnot to sharc with othcrs, and I was dctcr
mincd tohgurc out howtomakc itathomc.
Rcvicwing a widc swath otrccipcs rcvcalcd
that,likcmanyItaliandishcs,thisF| orcntincspc
cialtydocsn` trcquircalonglistotingrcdicnts.j ust
ricotta,cggs,U our,Parmcsanchccsc,salt,pcppcr,
and somctimcs hcrbs or spinach. Jhc tcchniquc
isquitcsimplc, too. Jhcdoughisrollcdoutinto
ropcs,cutintosmallpicccs, and boilcd. Fvcn thc
two Italian namcs tor ricotta gnocchi sound tor
giving. malati , badlymadc") , rctcrringtothcir
somctimcs lcssthan modcl pcrtcct appcarancc,
andnudt, nakcd") , bccauscthcyrcscmblcravi
oliwithoutthcirpastaj ackcts.
Worki ng the Cheese
I kncwthcsucccss otthisdishwouldhingconits
most promincnt ingrcdicnt. ricotta chccsc. Most
rccipcsca|l |or an cntirc pound. Jastcrs prctcrrcd
wholcmilkricottatotlc lcancr,lcss|lavormlpart
skim varicty. I bcgan by torming a basic dough,
Two Ki nds of Gnocchi
The more fami l i ar potato gnocchi ( l eft) has a texture
that' s between pasta and dumpl i ng. The ricotta cheese
version (right) i s more del icate, with a texture l i ke ravi ol i
without the pasta jacket.
POTATO G NOCCH I RI COTTA G NOCCH I
H Y S A N D R A W U
E
Gnocchi dough i s rol l ed i nto thi ck ropes on a fl oured counter and then sl i ced i nto smal l . pi l l ow-shaped pi eces.
combining a potmd otricotta with an cgg, a cup
ot|lour, '/ cupotParmcsanchccsc,andsomcsalt
and pcppcr. Instcad ot tlc pillowy bm:dlcs I` d
bccn hoping tor, I got dcnsc, Uomladcn blobs
that lackcd chccsc |lavor. Morc Parmcsan hclpcd
rampup thc Uavor, but I nccdcdto usc |css |lom.
Howcvcr,whcn IcutbackonthcU our,thcdough
wastoostickyandtmworkabl c.
Whcn a tcllow tcstcookcommcntcd on thc
watcri ncssotsupcrmarkctricotta,inItaly, ricotta
is crcamy and dry, but Amcrican supcrmarkct
brandsarc curdyandwct), I sawanopportunity.
In thc tcst kitchcn, wc o|cn thickcn yogurt by
draining it in thc rctri gcrator. What it I draincd
thcricotta` Surccnough,thcrcsultwasaslightly
dricrdoughthathadmorc structurc. I tcltI had
madcrcalprogrcss. owIcouldworkoncutting
backthcUour.
Bi ndi ng Techni ques
Jakingbabystcps, I rcduccdthcamountotU our
to + cup, which madc tl:c gnocchi s|ightly lcss
gummy.At v! cup, mcywcrc cvcn bcttcr,butstill
notpcrtcct. AnylcssU ourandtl:cdough bccamc
an ovcrly sticky battcr. I couldn`t rcmovc any
morc moisnirc hom tl:c ricotta, so I tricd swap
pingpotatostarchandcornstarch torsomcotmc
U our.Jhisjustmadcmc gnocchiglucyandslimy.
thought back to onc ot thc rcci pcs I ` d
tricd and dismisscd tor its usc otan uncxpcctcd
C O O K
'
s ILLUST R A T E D
' ?
ingrcdicnt. trcshbrcadcrumbs. Couldmissimplc
addition-onc that` s oncn couplcd wim milk or
cggtoaddtcndcrncsstomcatloat-absorbmorc
otthc moisturc i n mc dough and allow mc to
add lcss Uour` Jhcsc gnocchiwcrc a littlc bcttcr,
but not cnough to j usti[ thc cxtra cttort. But
I wasn`t rcady to givc up. WhatitI toastcd thc
crumbs` For my ncxt tcst, I madc a doughwith
just o tablcspoons ot|lour and '/ cup othomc
madcdricdbrcadcrumbs. Jhcrcsultinggnocchi
hcldtogcthcrandhadmcpcrtcctcombinationot
tcndcrncssandstructurc., Hopingtobowtocon
vcnicncc, I tricdsubstitutingstorc bought brcad
crumbs,butmcygavcmcgnocchiastalctastc. )
Handl e Gentl y
Jhcrcwasoncclcmcntstillmissingtrommisbal
ancing act-propcr tcchniquc. Bctorc stcpping
out o|thc tcst kitchcn onc ancrnoon to run an
crrand, I put mc gnocchi dough on hold in thc
rctrigcrator. Whcn I rcturncd Ib minutcslatcr, I
tound that tl:c rchigcration had hclpcd mc dcli
catc dough stittcn and bccomc morc workablc.
Rollingit out ancrward by handwasn`tdimcult,
providcd I did it gcntlyandworkcdwim a littlc
bitatatimc.
Jhc gnocchi wcrc rcady to bc simmcrcd. By
thctimcthcyU oatcd tomcsurtacc,thcynccdcd
j usttwomorcminutcsi nmcwatcrbctorcbcing
scoopcd outwitl: a slottcd spoon. nclaststcp

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J UST RI G HT TOO S OFT
Gnocchi dough shoul d be moist and sl ightly tack to the
touch. When the proper consistency i s achieved, a few
crumbs shoul d stick to your finger (l eft) . If the dough is too
wet and a l ot of crumbs sti ck to your finger (right) , sti r in
additional four, I tabl espoon at a ti me.
rcmaincd. tossingthc tcndcrlittlcdumplings i n
a simplc saucc otbrowncd buttcr, minccd shal
lots,andsagc. Whcn I sctthcplattcrotgnocchi
in tront otmytastcrs, ittookall othvcminutcs
bctorc thc last piccc disappcarcd. I gucss thcy
wcrcn`tsobadlymadc"ancrall .
R I COTTA G N OC C H I WI TH B ROWN E D
B UTTE R AN D SAG E SAU C E
S ERVES 4 TO 6 AS F I RST COURS E O R 2 TO 3 AS MAI N DI S H
Wc rccommcndusingCalabrowhol cmilkricotta,
although othcr brands and partskim chccsc will
work in this rccipc. Whcn rolling thc gnocchi,
usc j ust cnough U our to kccp tlc dough trom
sticking to yourhands and work surtacc, using
toomuchUourwillrcsultintoughgnocchi. Jhc
gnocchi can bc rollcd, cut, and rctrigcratcd tor
up to 24 hours. Jo trcczc tlc uncookcd gnoc
chi,placcthcbakingshcctinthctrcczcruntilthc
gnocchi arc hrm , about I hour) , thcn transtcr
thcm to a zippcrlock bag and storc thcm tor
up to I month. Jhaw trozcn gnocchi ovcrnight
intlc rctrigcrator or at room tcmpcraturc tor I
hour bctorc cookingas dircctcd. Jo prcvcnt thc
gnocchitromcoolingtooquickly,warmascrving
plattcrorscrvingbowlsi na 2OOdcgrcc ovcn. It
youprctcr,rcplaccthcbrowncdbuttcrsauccwith
Jomato Crcam Saucc , rccipc tollows) , Porcini
Crcam Saucc, or |: cup Pcsto , rccipcs availablc
trcc atM . cooksillustratcd. com/octobcr) .
Gnottbi
I ( 1 5 - or 1 6- ounce) contai ner whol e- mi l k ri cotta
cheese (see note above)
2 l arge slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
and bread torn i nto quarters
large egg
2 tabl espoons mi nced fresh basi l l eaves
2 tabl espoons mi nced fresh parsley l eaves
Tabl e sal t

'/ teaspoon ground bl ack pepper

6 tabl espoons al l - purpose fl our, pl us addi ti onal for
work surface
ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1 cup)
Sautc
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, cut i nto 4 pi eces
I smal l shal l ot, mi nced (about 2 tabl espoons)
2 teaspoons mi nced fresh sage l eaves
teaspoon j ui ce from I l emon
'/s teaspoon tabl e sal t
I . FOR THE GNOCCHI: linc hnc mcsh
straincrsctovcr dccp containcr or bowl with 3
papcrcottcc h ltcrsortriplclaycrotpapcrtowcl s.
Pl accricottainl i ncdstraincr,covcr,andrctrigcr
atc tor I hour. Adj ustovcn rack to middlc posi
tionandhcatovcnto 3OOdcgrccs.
2. Mcanwhi l c, proccssbrcadintoodproccssor
until hncly ground, about I O scconds . Sprcad
crumbs on ri mmcd bakingshcct and bakc until
dry and j ust bcginning to turn goldcn, about
I O minutcs, stirri ng oncc duri ng baking timc.
lctcoolt oroomtcmpcraturc. , Youshouldhavc
about'/ cupcrumbs. )
3. Jranstcrdraincdricottatotoodproccssorand
pulscuntilcurdsbrcakdownintohnc,grainycon
sistcncy, about cight I sccond pulscs. Lsing rub
bcrspatula,combincricotta,cgg, basil , parslcy,
tcaspoonsalt,andpcppcrinlargc bowl .Addllour,
Parmcsan, and brcad crumbs,stir untilwcllcom
bincd. Rchigcratc dough tor I 5 minutcs. Chcck
tcxturcotdough, sccphotosabovc)andaddmorc
llouritnccdcd.
4. Iightly dustwork surtacc with llour. With
llourcd hands, roll lcmon sizcd piccc otdough
into +i nchthick ropc, rolling trom ccntcr ot
doughoutward.Cutropci nto/+inchlongpicccs
and transtcr to parchmcnt papcr-lincd rimmcd
baki ng shcct. Rcpcat with rcmai ni ng dough,
dustingworksurtaccwithllourasnccdcd.
5. FOR THE SAUCE: Mcl t buttcr in I 2inch
skillctovcrmcdiumhigh hcat, swirling occasion
ally, until buttcr is browncd and rclcascs nutty
aroma, about I |: minutcs. tt hcat, add shallot
and sagc, stirringuntil shallot is|ragrant,about I
minutc. Stir inlcmonj uiccandsalt, covcr tokccp
warm.
o. TO COOK GNOCCID: Bring4 quartswatcr
toboilinlargcpotorDutchovcnovcrhighhcat.
AddI tablcspoonsal t. Rcducchcatsowatcrissim
mcring,tlcngcntlydrophaltotgnocchiintowatcr
andcookuntilall picccslloattosurlac. Continuc
tosimmcruntilgnocchiarccookcdthrough,about
2minutcslongcr,adj ustinghcattomaintaingcntlc
simmcr. Lsingslottcdspoon,scoopgnocchiho
watcr, allowingcxccsswatcrto drain hom spoon,
trans|crgnocchi to skillctwitl+ saucc and covcr to
Si mmer, Don ' t Boi l
Most pasta shoul d b e cooked at a ful l boi l , but i f
gnocchi are cooked at a ful l boi l they can fal l apart
from the vi gorous churni ng. Once the water comes
to a boi l , reduce the heat, add the gnocchi , and
make sure the water j ust si mmers.
S E P T E M B E R 0 O C I" O il F R 211
9
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
Sl otted Spoons
A sl otted spoon i s i ndi spensabl e for fi shi ng food
out of boi l i ng water. But after damagi ng del i
cate gnocchi and droppi ng dozens of green peas
as we tested ni ne model s, we l earned that not
j ust any combi nati on of handl es and hol es woul d
do. Our testers preferred l engthy handl es, deep
bowl s, and enough smal l sl i ts or punctures to
qui ckly drai n water wi thout l osi ng as much as
one peti te pea. A stai nl ess steel spoon from
Cal phal on ( $ 9. 95 ) and nonsti ck nyl on model s
from Messermei ster ( $2. 95) and OXO ( $ 5 . 99)
al l met our demands, though the sl i ghtly fl i msy
Messermei ster was downgraded for i ts smal l er
capaci t. Wi th i ts l ighter wei ght and sl i mmer
pri ce tag, OXO j ust edged out Cal phal on for
top honors. For compl ete testi ng resul ts, go
to W.cooksi l l ustrated. com/ october.
TOP S LOT
Te OXOGood Gri ps Nyl on Sl otted
Spoon did the best job of retrieving
gnocchi (and more) from a pot of
boi l i ng water.
kccpwarm. Rcpcat cooking proccsswith rcmain
ing gnocchi . Lsing rubbcr spatula, gcntly toss
gnocchi witl saucc until unitormlycoatcd. Dividc
amongwarmcd bowls orscrvingplattcrandscrvc
immcdiatcly.
TO MATO - C RE AM SAU C E
MAKES ABOUT /:C UPS . E NOUGH F OR
I RE CI PE OF G NOCCHI
tabl espoon extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
medi um garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I teaspoon)
( 1 4 11- ounce) can di ced tomatoes, pureed i n
food processor unti l smooth
'/ teaspoon tabl e sal t
'/s teaspoon sugar
2 tabl espoons chopped fresh basi l l eaves
2 tabl espoons heavy cream
Hcatoilin I 2i nchnonstickskillctovcrmcdium
hcat until shimmcring. Add garlic and cook
untiltragrant but not brown, about 2O scconds.
Stir i n tomatocs, salt, and sugar, simmcr until
thickcncd sli ghtly, 5 to o minutcs. Rcmovc pan
|rom hcat and stir i n basil and crcam. Covcrto
kccpwarm.
COOK' S LI VE Origi nai Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ooks i l l u s t r at ed . c om
RE CI P E I N 6 0 S E CONDS
Ricotta Gnocchi
VI DEO TI PS
How can I prevent gnocchi from fal l i ng apart?
Can I use store- bought bread crumbs i n this reci pe?
Chicken Tikka Masala at Home
Chicken tikka masala is the single most popular I ndian restaurant dish in the world.
Why is it so rarely made at home?
I
is said that in thc I7Os, a platc
ml o|ovcrcookcd chickcn tikka-
bonclcss, skinlcss chickcn chunks,
skcwcrcd and cookcdina tandoor
ovcn-was scnt backto thc kitchcn o|a
London curry housc by a disappointcd
patron. Jhc Bangl adcshi chc| actcd
quickly, hcati ng canncd tomato soup
with crcam, sprinkling in Indian spiccs,
andpouring it ovcr thc chickcn bc|orc
scndingitbackoutto thc dining room.
His invcntivc crcation o|chickcn tikka
masalasatishcdthcdcmandingcustomcr,
and as thc rccipc was pcr|cctcd, dincrs
worldwidc , including India) |cl l in lovc
with thc tcndcr, moist picccs o|chickcn
nappcd ina lightlyspiccdtomatocrcam
saucc. In|act,chickcntikkamasalais so
adorcd that it wcnt on to ovcrtakc thc
likcs o|Yorkshirc pudding and hsh and
chipsasthctrucnationaldish"o|Grcat
Britain, accordi ng to |ormcr Bri ti sh
ForcignSccrctaryRobinCook.
3 B Y R E B E C C A H A Y S E
Dcspitc its popularity in rcstaurants,
rccipcs|orchickcntikkamasalaarcabscnt
|rom somc o|my |avoritc Indian cook
books,a tcstamcntto its lacko|authcn
ticityin Indian cuisinc.JhcrccipcsI di d
A spi ced tomato- cream sauce flavors broi l ed chunks of chi cken.
hnd had much in common. Jhcy all callcd |or
marinatingchickcnbrcastchunksinyogurt,oncn
|or 24 hours, thcnskcwcring thcm, kcbabstylc,
|orcooking. Jhctandoorovcnwasrcplaccdwith
a broilcr or gri l l . Jhc masala ingrcdicnts varicd,
but thc sauccs wcrc all as casy to prcparc as a
quickItaliantomatosaucc.
s H o P P 1 N G : Key I ngredi ents
Butthcsimilariticsdidn'tcndthcrc. Inallo|thc
rccipcs, thcchickcnwas cithcrmushyordryand
thc sauccs wcrc unbcarably rich and ovcrspiccd.
Jhc good ncws is that thcsc problcms did not
sccmimpossiblctoovcrcomc,andthcpromisco|
ancwwaytocookchickcnwithcxoticUavorshcld
plcntyo|appcal . Ij ustnccdcdadcccntrccipc.
Al l of the i ngredi ents for Chi cken Ti kka Masal a are avai l abl e at the supermarket. Here are notes on what to buy.
CHI CKE N BREASTS
lan white meat pairs wel l
with the rich tomato-cream
sauce. The test kitchen
prefer Bel l &Evans.
GARAM MASALA
Thi s combi nation of warm
spices seasons the masala
sauce. McCormi ck won a
recent test kitchen tasting.
PLAI N YOG U RT
Whol e-mi l k yogur forms
a protective barrier on the
chi cken. Brown Cow is our
favorite brand.
CRUS HE D TOMATOE S
Crushed tomatoes form the
base of the masal a sauce.
Mui r Gl en was highl y rated
in a recent tasting.
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A TED
l 4
Tackl i ng Ti kka
Iwantcda|ourscasondish,soI choscthc broilcr
, notthcgm) . Cookingthcbonclcssbrcastswholc
and cutting thcmintopicccsonlyancrthcywcrc
broilcd was a stcp in thc right dircction. Jhc
l argcrpicccso|chickcndidn'tdryoutas quickly
undcr thc scaring hcat o|thc broilcr. Italso got
rid o|thc mssy stcp o|skcwcring raw, slippcry
chickcn picccs. But tlc chickcn still wasn'tj uicy
cnough.
Jhc yogurt mari nadc is mcant to tcndcrizc
thc mcatand inmsc itwith thc csscncc o|spiccs
and aromati cs. Whilc ovcrnight marinadcs did
adcquatcly|lavorthcchickcn, thcyalsomadcthc
tcxturc too tcndcr, bordcring on mushy. Givcn
cnough timc, thc lactic acid in yogurt brcaks
downthcprotcin strandsi nmcat.
Iwastcmptcdtoabandonthcyogurtmarinadc
altogcthcr. But yogurt is so mndamcntal to this
rccipcthatcxcludingit|cltlikc amistakc. Could
I hnda di||crcntwaytouscit` I considcrcd salt
ing, a tcchniqucwc havc uscd |or stcaks, roasts,
chickcn parts, and wholc turkcys. Salt initially
drawsmoisturc out o|protcin, thcn thc rcvcrsc
happcns and thc salt andmoisturc Uow back in.
Whati |!saltcdthcchickcnmst, thcndippcditin
yogurtrightbc|orccooking`
I rubbcd thc chickcn with a simpl c mixturc
o|salt and cvcryday spiccs common in Indian
cookcry.coriandcr,cumin,andcaycnnc. Iwaitcd
3O minutcs, which gavc mc timc to prcparc thc
masala saucc,thcn dunkcd thcchickcni nyogurt
andbroilcdit. Jhcrcsultwasthcbcsttikkayct-
niccly scasoncd with spiccs and tcndcr but not
son. In j usthal|anhour'stimc, thc salt rub had
doncitsjobo||lavoringthcchickcnandkccping
itmoist, and thc yogurt mixturc actcd as a pro
tcctivc barricr,shicldingthc lcan mcat nom tlc
powcrmlhcato|thcbroilcr.
Jo cncouragc gcntlcclarringonthc chickcn,
I |attcncdupthcyogurtwithtwotablcspoonso|
oil . I also took advantagc o|thc yogurt's thick
tcxturc, mixing itwithminccdgarlic and|rcshly
gratcdgingcr.Jhcaromaticsclungtothcchickcn
as it cookcd, produci ng tikka that was good
cnoughtocatonitsown.
Mastering Masal a
Masala mcans hot spicc, " and thc ingrcdicnts
i n a masala saucc dcpcnd largcly on thc whims
o|thc cook. Whcnthc masala i sto bc scrvcdas

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STE P - BY- STE P I | H I | K | 1I KKP NPbPIP
| . RUB: Coat chi cken i n sal t and 2. MAKE SAUCE: Prepare J . DI P: Dunk chi cken in protec- 4. BROI L : Broi l chi cken, then 5. COMBI NE: Cut chi cken i nto
spice mixture and refrigerate. creamy tomato- masal a sauce. tive coati ng of yogurt and oi l . al l ow to rest. chunks and add to sauce.
parto|chickcntikka masal a, howcvcr, tomatocs
and crcam always |orm thc basc. Worki ngwith
a mixturc o| sautccd aromatics , onions, gin
gcr, garlic, and chilcs)simmcrcdwithtomatocs
, crushcd tomatocs wcrc |avorcd ovcr diccd
canncd or|rcsh bccausc o|thcirsmoothcr con
sistcncy) and crcam, I tcstcdcombination a|cr
combination o|spiccs. With plcnty o|winncrs
and no rcal loscrs, I cvcntually scttlcd on thc
simplcstchoicco|all . commcrcial garammasal a.
Garam masala blcnds warm spiccs such as car
damom, blackpcppcr,cinnamon,andcoriandcr
in onc j ar. Jo bloom thc Uavor o|thc garam
masala,I sautccditinoilalongwiththc aromat
ics instcad o|addi ng it to thc simmcring saucc,
as somc rccipcs suggcst. Jhcrc was j ust onc
problcm. Many commcrcially prcparcd masala
sauccs contain tartrazinc, an artihcial colori ng.
Without it, thc spiccs l cnt my saucc an ugly
gray cast. A tablcspoon o|tomato pastc casily
T A S T I N G :
Basmati Ri ce
Prized for i ts nutt flavor
and sweet aroma, basmati
rice i s eaten worl dwi de
i n pi l afs and bi rani s and
as an accompani ment to
curri es. The best I ndi an
grown ri ce i s sai d to
come from the Hi mal aya
LONG ON F LAVOR
foothi l l s, where the snow-fl ooded soi l and humi d
cl i mate ofer i deal growi ng condi ti ons. Choosi ng
among the mul ti tude of boxes, bags, and burl ap
sacks avai l abl e today on supermarket shel ves can
be confusi ng. To fi nd a trulygreat grai n, we steamed
seven brands, five from I ndi a and two domesti c
opti ons. Matched agai nst I ndi an i mports, domestic
brands Lundberg and Del l a sufered . They were l ess
aromati c, and the gri ns di dn' t el ongate as much.
Thei r overl l texture was mushy, too. Whi l e al l
of the i mported brnds were acceptabl e, tasters
overhel mi ngly chose the l ongest sampl e-Ti l da-
as thei r favorite. For the compl ete resul ts of thi s
tasti ng, go to ww . cooksi l l ustrted. com/october.
-El izabeth Bomze
rcstorcda plcasantshadco|rcd.
Myrccipcwas gcttingravc rcvicws,but I had
thc nagging|cclingtl+t somcthingwas missing.
I scanncdthrough a |lavorchccklistinmymind.
Sal t` o. Acidity` o. Hcat` o. Swcctncss`
Jhatwasit. I stirrcdatcaspoono|sugarintothc
pot,thcnanotl+cr. Myworkwasdonc, thc sugar
havi ngsucccssh|llyroundcdouttlcUavorso|thc
saucc. WhcnI spooncdthc chickcn ovcrbasmati
riccandsprinklcditwith cilantro, I kncwI hada
dishworthstayi nghomc|or.
C H I C K E N TI K KA MAS ALA
S E RVES 4 TO 6
Jhis dish is bcst whcn prcparcd with wholcmilk
yogurt, but low|at yogurt can bc substitutcd.
For a spicicr di sh, do not rcmovc thc ri bs and
sccds |rom tlc chil c. I|youprc|cr, substitutc 2
tcaspoonsgroundcoriandcr, '+ tcaspoonground
cardamom, '+ tcaspoon ground cinnamon, and
'! tcaspoon ground blackpcppcr|or thc garam
masala. Jhc saucc can bc madc al+cad, rc|rigcr
atcd|orupto4daysinanairtightcontaincr,and
gcntly rchcatcd bc|orc adding thc hot chickcn.
Scrvcwith basmatiricc.
CbitkcnTikka
1 1 teaspoon ground cumi n
1 1 teaspoon ground cori ander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
teaspoon tabl e sal t
2 pounds bonel ess, ski nl ess chi cken breasts,
tri mmed of fat
cup pl ai n whol e- mi l k yogurt (see note above)
2 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
tabl espoon grated fresh gi nger
MasalaSautc
3 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
medi um oni on, di ced fi ne (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons grated fresh gi nger
serrano chi l e, ri bs and seeds removed, fl esh
mi nced (see note above)
S E P T E M B E R o OC T OB E R 2 0 0 7

tabl espoon tomato paste
tabl espoon garam masala (see note above)
( 28- ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1 teaspoon tabl e sal t
/ cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh ci l antro l eaves
I . FOR THE CHICKEN: Combi nc cumin,
coriandcr, caycnnc, and salt i n smal l bowl .
Sprinklcbotlsidcso|chickcnwithspiccmixturc,
prcssinggcntlysomixturcadhcrcs. Placcchickcn
on platc, covcr with plastic wrap, and rc|rigcr
atc |or 3O to oO minutcs. In l argc bowl , whisk
togcthcryogurt,oil, garl ic, andgingcr,sct asidc.
2. FOR THE SAUCE: Hcat oil in largc Dutch
ovcn ovcr mcdium hcat until shimmcring. Add
onion and cook, stirring |rcqucntly, until light
goldcn, 8toI O minutcs. Addgarlic,gingcr,chilc,
tomato pastc, and garam masala, cook, stirring
|rcqucntly, until |ragrant, about 3 minutcs. Add
crushcdtomatocs, sugar, and salt, bringto boi l .
Rcducchcatto mcdiuml ow, covcr,andsimmcr
|or I 5 minutcs,stirringoccasionally. Stirincrcam
andrcturntosimmcr.Rcmovcpan|romhcatand
covcrtokccpwarm.
3. Whilc saucc simmcrs, adj ust ovcn rack to
uppcr middlcposition, aboutoinchcs|romhcat
ing clcmcnt) and hcat broilcr. \sing tongs, dip
chickcn into yogurt mixturc , chickcn should bc
coatcdwiththickl aycro|yogurt)andarrangcon
wirc rack sct in |oil lincd rimmcd baking shcct
or broilcr pan. Di scard cxccss yogurt mixturc.
Broil chickcn unti l thickcst parts rcgistcr I oO
dcgrccs on instant rcad thcrmomctcr and cxtc
riorislightlycharrcdi nspots, !O to I 8 minutcs,
|lippingchickcnhal|aytl+roughcooking.
4. Ict chickcn rcst 5 minutcs, thcn cut into
I inch chunks and stir into warm saucc , do not
simmcrchickcni nsaucc) . Stir i ncilantro,adjust
scasoningwith salt, andscrvc.
COOK' S LI VE Origi nal Test Ki tchen Videos
www. c o o ks i I I u s t ra t e d . c o m
RE CI PE I N 6 0 S E CON DS
Chi cken Tikka Masal a
VI DE O TI P
What' s the best way to grate gi nger?
The Best Way to Cook Vegetables
Vegetable side di shes often don ' t get mu ch attention
and taste rather du l l . How do you build favor with a
mi nimum Of WOrk? O1 c ' . 'c ` ` c
One cookbook says to boi l broccol i . another says to
steam i t. Nei ther method actual l y makes broccol i
taste better. Over the years, the test kitchen has
l earned whi ch methods work best with speci fi c
vegetabl es. Here' s what you need to know about the
most common techni ques.
BOI LI NG al l ows you to season vegetabl es as they cook
(use I tabl espoon tabl e sal t per 4 quarts water) . How
ever, it's eas to overcook vegetabl es when boi l i ng, and
this method washes away flavor. Boi l ed vegetabl es need
further embel l i shment, such as a compound butter or
vinaigrette. Tr with nonporous green vegetables,
such as green beans and snap peas.
SEMI NG washes away l ess flavor than boi l i ng and
leaves vegetabl es cri sper. Doesn' t al l ow for seasoni ng
vegetabl es and only works with smal l batches ( I pound
or less) . Try with porous or del icate vegetabl es
such as asparagus, broccol i , and caul iflower.
SAUT
E
I NG al l ows for the addi ti on of everythi ng
from garl i c to herbs but requi res constant attenti on
and a nonsti ck pan. Try wi th peas and zucchi ni .
PAN- ROASI NG caramel i zes natural sugars i n
vegetabl es and promotes browni ng. Doesn' t work i f
the pan i s overl oaded, and most reci pes rely on ti ght- '
fitti ng l i d to capture steam and hel p cook vegetabl es
through . Try with asparagus and broccol i .
ROASI NG concentrates flavors by dri vi ng off ex-
cess moi sture and makes vegetabl es cri sp. Requi res
at l east 30 mi nutes ( i ncl udi ng ti me to heat oven) .
Try with asparagus, carrots, caul iflower, green
beans, and zucchi ni .
BROI LI NG browns vegetabl es qui ckl y and deeply.
Broi l ers requi re constant attenti on; keep food at
l east 4 i nches from the heati ng el ement to prevent
fl are- ups. Try with asparagus and zucchi ni .
So whi ch techni ques do we prefer? Our favorite
i ndoor cooking methods, such as roasti ng, pan
roasti ng, and broi l i ng. actual ly add flavor to vegetabl es.
Favorite recipes are available free at w.
cooksi l l ustrated. comj october, where you will
al so find our "Guide to Gri l l ing Vegetables. "
BROCCOL
Shoppi ng Notes: The stalks are j ust as tast as the
fl orets, so make su re they aren' t dry or cracked.
Preparation: Cut fl orets i nto 1 11- i nch pi eces; peel
stal ks and cut on bi as i nto '! i nch- thi ck pi eces.
Basi c Cooki ng Method: Pn- roasti ng bri ngs out
broccol i ' s sweet rather than sul furous flavors. Saute
peel ed stalks from 1 3 pounds broccol i in 1 2- i nch non
sti ck ski l l et fi l med wi th 2 tabl espoons oi l for 2 mi nutes.
To promote browni ng. cook over medi um- high heat and
do not sti r. Add florets and cook unti l they start to brown
( I to 2 mi nutes) , then add 3 tabl espoons water, cover,
and cook for 2 mi nutes. Remove l i d and cook unti l water
evaporates and broccol i i s tender. another 2 mi nutes.
Favorite Recipe at Cooksl l l ustrated. com
Pn- Roasted Broccol i wi th Lemon Browned Butter
PREPARI NG BROCCOLI I . Hol d bunch of
broccol i upsi de
down on work
surface. Usi ng chef' s
knife, tri m off fl orets
very cl ose to thei r
heads. Cut fl orets
i nto 1 11- i nch pi eces.
2. Pl ace each stal k
on cutti ng board and
square i t of wi th
chef' s knife. Remove
outer 'Ia i nch of stal k,
whi ch is qui te tough .
J . Cut peel ed stal k
on bi as i nto 'I i nch
thi ck sl i ces about
1HKLL COMMON COOKI NG MI STKES (AND HOW TO AOI D THEM)
OVERCOOKI NG: Vegetabl es wi l l conti nue t o sofen as they make thei r way t o the tabl e. To keep vegetabl es
crisp and tender, remove them from the heat when sl i ghtl y underdone.
UNEVEN COOKI NG: Make sure vegetabl es are cut uniformly. Thi s i s parti cul arly i mportant when steami ng
and sautei ng.
SLOW COOKI NG: Overloaded pans wi l l cook ver slowly. When roasting and sautei ng. give vegetabl es room to
brown. Pi l ed on top of each other, they wi l l steam and won' t taste as good.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
l
ASPRAGUS
Shoppi ng Notes: Penci l - thi n aspargus are easi l y
overcooked and thi ck spears are woody; choose
asparagus ': to s i nch thi ck.
Preparation: Trim tough ends.
Basic Cooking Methods: Broi l i ng and pan- roasti ng
concentrate flavors i n del i cate asparagus. Toss 2 pounds
tri mmed asparagus wi th I tabl espoon ol ive oi l on baki ng
sheet and broi l , shaki ng pan once, for 8 to I 0 mi nutes.
Or heat I tabl espoon each vegetabl e oi l and butter
i n 1 2- i nch nonsti ck ski l l et. Add 2 pounds tri mmed
asparagus. wi th hal f of ti ps poi nti ng i n one di recti on and
other hal f poi nti ng i n opposi te di recti on. Cover and
cook over medi um- hi gh heat for 5 mi nutes . Uncover
and cook over hi gh heat unti l tender and browned, 5 to
7 mi nutes.
Favorite Recipes at Cooksl l l ustrated. com
Broi l ed Asparagus wi th Reduced Bal sami c Vi nai grette
and Prmesan
Pn- Roasted Asparagus wi th Cherr Tomatoes and
Bl ack Ol ives
TRI MMI NG ASPARAGUS
With one hand, hol d the aspargus about hal fay down
stal k; with thumb and i ndex fi nger of other hand, hol d
spear about an i nch from bottom. Bend stl k unti l it snaps.
GREEN BEANS
Shoppi ng Notes: Sl ender, crisp green beans ar best
boi l ed. Ol der. tougher gren beans (the ki nd found in super
markets at most times of the year) are best rasted.
Preparati on: Trim ends.
Basi c Cooking Method: Roasti ng promotes the con
versi on of starches to sugars, thus i mprovi ng flavor. Toss
I pound tri mmed beans wi th I tabl espoon ol ive oi l and
roast on foi l - l i ned baki ng sheet i n 450- degree oven for
20 mi nutes. Turn beans once for even browni ng.
Favorite Recipes at Cooksl l l ustrated. com
Roasted Green Beans with Red Oni on and Wal nuts
Roasted Mapl e- Mustard Green Beans
TRI MMI NG ENDS FROM GREEN BEANS
Une up beans on board and trim al l ends with j ust one sl i ce.
PEAS
Shoppi ng Notes: Frozen peas are al most always
better than fresh shel l peas, whi ch tend to be starchy.
Preparation: Frozen peas can be used wi thout
thawi ng.
Basic Cooking Method: Don' t boi l peas-they are
much better sauteed. Add frozen peas di rectly to pan
with sauteed aromatics (garl i c and/ or shal l ots cooked
i n a few tabl espoons of butter until frgrnt) and cover
pan to trp steam and heat peas through (this wi l l take
about 4 mi nutes) . Add 2 teaspoons sugar to I pound
frozen peas to boost flavor.
Favorite Recipe at Cooksl l l ustrated. com
Sauteed Buttery Peas wi th Mi nt and Feta Cheese
ZUCCHI NI
Shoppi ng Notes: Zcchini wighing les tan 8 ounces
ar mor fvorfl and less wter tan larr ones.
Preparation: Shred, di scardi ng seeds and core.
then sal t and squeeze dr.
Basic Cooking Method: Shreddi ng, sal ti ng ( use | ':
teaspoons sal t with 2 11 pounds zucchi ni ) . and squeez
i ng removes moi sture from this water vegetabl e. as
does a dr-heat cooking method, l i ke sautei ng. Toss
dried zucchi ni with 2 teaspoons ol ive oi l and then cook
i n 1 2-i nch nonsti ck ski l l et fi l med with 2 teaspoons
addi ti onal oi l over high heat for 4 mi nutes. Stir i nfre
quently as zucchi ni cooks to promote browni ng.
Favorite Reci pe at Cooksl l l ustrated. com
Zucchi ni wi th Tomatoes and Basi l
SHREDDI NG AND SALTI NG ZUCCHI NI
pi eces. Shred o n lare hol es of
box grter, rotating zucchi ni as needed
to avoi d shreddi ng seeds and core.
2. Toss zucchi ni
with sl t i n col ander
and dri n I 0 mi n
utes. Wrap zucchi ni
i n kitchen towel .
i n batches, and
wri ng out excess
moi sture.
CAULI FOWER
Shoppi ng Notes: Buy heads of caul ifl ower wi th
ti ght. fi rm fl orets wi thout any di scol orti on .
Preparati on: Tri m l eaves and stem. then cut i nto
l arge wedges.
Basic Cooki ng Method: Roasti ng avoi ds the sulfu
rous smel l that someti mes resul ts when caul ifl ower
i s boi l ed or steamed. Toss wedges from I head
caul ifl ower wi th 4 tabl espoons ol ive oi l and roast on
foi l - l i ned baki ng sheet i n 475- degree oven for 2 5 to
3 5 mi nutes. Cover pan with foi l for first I 0 mi nutes
of cooki ng ti me to ensure that caul iflower cooks
through . Al so, pl ace baki ng sheet on bottom oven
rack to maxi mi ze browni ng. Fl i p wedges once bot
tom has browned ni cel y (after about 20 mi nutes) .
Favorite Reci pe at Cooksl l l ustrated. com
Roasted Caul ifl ower wi th Soy- Gi nger Sauce wi th
Scal l i on
CUTI NG UP CAULI FLOWER
I . Pul l of outer leaves and cut stem flush.
2. Cut head i nto 8 equal wedges so that core and
fl orets remai n i ntact.
ESSENTIAL EQU I PMENT
In addition to the usual suspects-knife and peel er-her are
three items we use frequently when prpari ng vegetbles.
TEST KI TCHEN ESSE NTI AL: COLNDER
The mega- perforated bowl of t he Preci si on Pi erced
Endurance Stai nl ess Steel Col ander ( $ 29. 99)
qui ckly and compl etel y drai ns l i qui d from boi l ed veg
etabl es. Thi s 5- quart col ander fits in a l arge Dutch oven,
maki ng i t i deal for steami ng.
TEST KI TCHEN ESSENTI AL:
NONSI CK SKI LLET
We use a l arge nonsti ck ski l l et to promote browni ng of
sauteed or pan- roasted vegetabl es. The Al l - Cl ad Stain
less Nonsti ck 1 2- l nch Frypan ($ 1 60) was the top
performer in our ki tchen tests.
RI MMED BAKI NG SHEET
A sturdy baki ng sheet that won ' t buckl e i s a must when
roasti ng at high temperatures. The Uncol n Foodseri ce
Half-Si ze Heavy- Dut Sheet Pan ($ | 5 . 40)i s l are
enough to hol d a bi g batch of vegetabl es and stays fl at
duri ng roasti ng.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
CARRQT
Shoppi ng Notes: Avoi d extra- l arge carrots. whi ch are often woody and bi tter.
Baby carrots are fi ne for roasti ng but too thi ck for gl azi ng.
Preparation: Peel regul ar carrots and sl i ce on bi as.
Basi c Cooki ng Methods: Roasti ng i ntensi fies sweetness wi thout requi ri ng
other i ngredi ents. Toss I pound baby carrots wi th I tabl espoon ol ive oi l i n
broi l er-pan bottom and roast i n 475- degree oven for 20 mi nutes. shaki ng pan
several ti mes to promote even browni ng. Gl azi ng makes carrots even sweeter
but requi res more prep. Cook I pound sl i ced carrots wi th I tabl espoon sugar
and ': cup chi cken broth in covered 1 2- i nch nonsti ck ski l l et for 5 mi nutes.
Uncover and cook unti l l i qui d reduces to 2 tabl espoons, I to 2 mi nutes. Add
I tabl espoon butter and addi ti onal 2 tabl espoons sugar and cook, sti rri ng
frequently. unti l carrots are tender and evenly gl azed, about 3 mi nutes.
Favorite Reci pes at Cooksl l l ustrated. com
Roasted Baby Carrots wi th Gi nger- Orange Gl aze
Gl azed Carrots wi th Bacon and Pecans
S E P T E M B E R b O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7
l /
SLI CI NG CARROTS ON THE BIAS
Cut carrots on bi as i nto pi eces '/ i nch
thi ck and 2 i nches l ong.
Improving Glazed Chicken Breasts
We wanted to elevate this institutional standard to an elegant weeknight di n ner.
This required a glaze that would stick to the chicken an d not taste l i ke can dy.
0 n arcccnt |light to Paris, I chosc thc
glazcd chickcn mcal option. Jhc
|lightattcndant sct down a pl astic
traydisplayingapalcchickcnbrcast
withUabby skin smothcrcd by a cloyingglazc. I
madcitthroughtwobitcs . JhatcvcningI |ound
myscl|atanupscalcrcstaurantordcringthchousc
spccialty. ducka l' orangc. Asilvcrplattcrarrivcd
bcaringcarvcdduckpicccscladwithdccp ambcr
skincoatcdinashiny,glazysaucc. Jhcmcatwas
pcr|cctlymoist,andcach bitcrcvcalcdthcsatis[
ing combination o|roastcd poultry and a citrus
saucc balanccd byswcctandsour|lavors .
Jhcsccontrastingcxpcricnccsgotmctothink
ingaboutglazcdchickcn'sstatusinthcAmcrican
cul i nary rcpcrtoirc . At bcst i t' s a humdrum
wccknight dinncr. Inspircd bymyFrcnchmcal ,
I dcsircd a glazcd chickcn brcast with pcr|cctly
rcndcrcdskin andmoistmcatsumcicntlycoatcd
with a complcxly |lavorcd glazc, onc worthyo|
h ncchinabutstill somctl:ng I couldmakc ancr
workonaJucsdaynight.
Comi ng Home to Roast
Whcn I got back homc, I scarchcd |or glazcd
chickcn rccipcs on thc Intcrnct, whcrc I mostly
|ound simplc dumpand bakc" vcrsions. Jhc
instructions. Pour a j ar o| nuit prcscrvcs ovcr
rawchickcn brcasts and bakc. I wasn't surpriscd
whcnmyattcmptatonco|thcscrccipcs cmcrgcd
hom thc ovcn looking much likc my airplanc
mcal . Dcspitc thc dumpandbakc rccipc'sdismal
rcsultso|Uabby, palc skin and a candylikc glazc
thatpoolcd atthc bottom o|thc pan, I didhavc
to admirc its simplicity. Browningthc skinwasan
casyh. Icouldbrownthcchickcninanovcnproo|
skillctonthc stovctop bc|orctrans|crringthcskil
lct to thc ovcn to hnish cooking our standard
tcstkitchcn mcthod |or cooking boncin,skinon
brcasts) . I couldadd a glazctothcpanj ust ancr
thcchickcnbrcastswcrc sumcicntlybrowncd.
But hrst I would havc to thc glazc. Evcry
rccipc I dug up inmy rcscarch uscda gooddcal
o|sticky,swcctingrcdicnts|orthcbasc. nuitprc
scrvcs, molasscs, maplc syrup, and brown sugar.
How was it that my duck a l' orangc saucc in
Paris was glazy yct not cloying` My hunch was
thatitwassomc sorto|rcductionsaucc. Flipping
through Frcnch cookbooks, I |oundmyanswcr.
rcduccdorangcj uicc. rangcj uiccissticky, and
its acidityhclps balancc thc sugar-anothcrkcy
` C H A R L E S K E L S E Y E
sugar, maplc syrup, and honcy against
corn syrup, I di scovcrcd othcrwi sc .
utrition labcls on tlc swcctcncrs con
hrmcdmypalatc'saccuracy. Cornsyrup
contains hal| and somctimcs lcss than
halt asmuch sugar asothcrswcctcncrs.
Exci tcd by thc prospcct that corn
syrup might hcl p my causc, I i mmc
diatcly tri mmcd somc chickcn brcasts,
hcatcd a skillct, and whippcd up a ncw
batch o|glazc. ot only did this corn
syrup-cnhanccdglazccookuppcr|cctly,
thc mcat sccmcd j uicicr, almost as i |I
had brincd thc chickcn. Jhis warrantcd
a quick call to our scicncc cditor, who
toldmcthattlcconccntratcdglucoscin
corn syrup has a high amnity |or watcr,
which mcansi thclpsto holdmoisturcin
thc glazc, making thc ovcrall dish sccm
j uicicr. Jhat samc glucosc also thickcns
andaddsa glosstothcglazc.
The chi cken and gl aze are conveni ently cooked i n the same pan .
Howcvcr, asmuchastastcrslikcdthc
glazc's clcan Uavor, thcy now thought
i t wasn't swcct cnough. A littlc honcy
instcad o|sugar gavc thc glazc j ust thc
right lcvcl o|swcctncss . And minccd
ingrcdicntinthcducksaucc. I wasn' tintcrcstcd
i n crcating a rccipc |or chickcn a l 'orangc, but
usingorangcj uicci nmyglazcsccmcdlikcagood
placctostart.
If the Gl aze Sti cks
Jhc rccipcs I |ound |or classic orangc saucc
o||crcd mc cnough guidancc to piccc togcthcr
a working rccipc. Ancr browning somc chickcn
brcasts, I trans|crrcd tlc mcat to a platc whi|c
I rcduccd orangc j uicc and sugar in thc cmpty
skillct. I thcn rcturncd thc chickcn brcasts to
thc skillct, rollcd thcm in thc glazc, and hnishcd
thcm o|| in thc ovcn. Jastcrs complaincd that
thc glazc was too thin, " irrcsponsibly swcct,"
anddidnotadhcrctothcchickcn. "Morcsugar
wouldhavcbccnthcidcalsolutiontothctcxtural
issuc but was inappropriatc |or a glazc that was
alrcadytooswcct.
JhcnI rcmcmbcrcdatcchniqucatcstkitchcn
collcaguc uscd |or hcrcakc |rosting rccipc. Shc
mixcd in a small amount o|light corn syrup to
add lustcr and body-but, curiously, not swcct
ncss. I'd a|ways assumcd corn syrup was supcr
swcct,butwhcnItastcda|incupo|sugar,brown
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
l B
shallot, vincgar, Dijon mustard, and a pinch o|
pcppcr|lakcscrcatcdcomplcxity.
Dcspitc thcsc i mprovcmcnts, thcrc was onc
complaint-|rom mc. I still |cl tthcglazcshould
cling cvcn morc to thc chickcn. Frompasttcsts,
I kncw that adding cornstarch or Uour to thc
glazc only madc itgloppy. Maybc thc problcm
To know when the sauce i s ready afer its second
reducti on i n step 4, pul l a heatproof rubber spatul a
through i t. I t shoul d l eave a wi de trai l .

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RE C I P E S H O RTHAND GIPZ U |HI |K | KPb1b
| . COAT chi cken breasts with fl our. 2. BROWN chi cken i n ski l l et. l . REDUCE glaze i n empt ski l l et. 4. ROLL each breast i n glaze. b . TRNSFER ski l l et to oven and fi ni sh cooki ng.
6. WHI SK reserved ornge j ui ce i nto glaze. 7. SPOON gl aze over chi cken.
wasn'twiththcglazcbutwiththcchickcn. What
itI addcd a thin laycr otUourto thc outsidc ot
thcmcatbctorcbrowningit`Inthctcstkitchcn,
wc don' t typically coat mcat with Uour bctorc
browning it, but it gavc thc chickcn brcasts a
thin, crispy crust that scrvcd as a good grip tor
thc glazc. , Cornstarchalsohcldthcglazc,butit
turncdthcskinabitslimy. )
I addcd a small amount otorangc j uicc j ust
bctorc scrvingtobrightcnthc glazc |lavorscvcn
mrthcr. Jhishnishingtouchmadc all thc dittcr
cncc. ow I had clcvatcd glazcd chickcn to an
clcgantncwhcight-tarbcyond3O,OOOtcct.
O RAN G E - H O N EY G LAZE D
C H I C K E N B REASTS
SERVES 4
Whcn rcducing thc glazc in stcp 4, rcmcmbcr
that thc skillcthandlc W bc hot, usc an ovcn
mitt.Jomakcsurcthc chickcn cookscvcnly, buy
brcasts that arc similar i nsizc-about I 2 ounccs
apiccc. It thc glazc looks dry during baking,
add up to 2 tablcspoons otj uicc to thc pan. It
your skillctisnotovcnproot, brownthcchickcn
brcasts and rcducc thc glazc as instructcd, thcn
transtcrthc chickcn and glazc to a I 3 by inch
baking dish and bakc , don't wash thc skillct) .
Wcn thc chickcn i s mlly cookcd, transtcr i t to
aplatcto rcstandscrapcthc glazc backinto thc
skillctto bcrcduccd.
1 11 cups pl us 2 tabl espoons orange j ui ce
11 cup l ight com syrup
3 tabl espoons honey
tabl espoon Di j on mustard
tabl espoon di sti l l ed whi te vi negar
1/a teaspoon red pepper flakes
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
11 cup al l - purpose fl our
4 bone- i n, ski n- on chi cken breast hal ves
(about 1 2 ounces each) , ribs removed,
tri mmed of excess fat and ski n (see note above)
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
medi um shal l ot, mi nced (about 3 tabl espoons)
I . Adj ust ovcn rack to middlc position and
hcatovcnto375dcgrccs. WhiskI l:cupsorangc
juicc, corn syrup, honcy, mustard, vincgar, pcp
pcr|lakcs, ls tcaspoonsalt,and|/stcaspoonpcp
pcr togcthcr i n mcdi um bowl . Placc |lour in
pi c platc, thcn scason chickcn on both si dcs
wi thsaltandpcppcr. Workingwi thoncchickcn
brcastatatimc, coatchickcnwith|lour,patting
ottcxccss .
2 . Hcat oil in ovcnprootI 2inch skillct ovcr
mcdi um hcat unti l shi mmcri ng. Add chi ckcn
brcastsski nsidc down,cookunti l wcllbrowncd
and most ottat has rcndcrcd trom skin, 8 to
I4 minutcs. , Itancr 3 minutcsyou don't hcar
dchnitc sizzling, incrcasc hcat to mcdiumhigh.
Itancr o minutcs chickcn is darkcr than lightly
browncd,rcducchcatslightly. )Jurnchickcnand
lightlybrownothcrsidc,about5 minutcsl ongcr.
Jranstcrchickcntoplatc.
3 . Pour ott all but I tcaspoon tat trom pan.
Add shallotand cookuntilsoncncd, I to2 mi n
utcs . Incrcaschcattohi ghandaddorangcj uicc
mixturc. Simmcr, stirringoccasionally, until syr
upy and rcduccd to I cup , hcatprootspatul a
should lcavc sl ight trail whcn draggcd through
gl azc) , o to I O mi nutcs . Rcmovc skillct trom
hcatandti l ttooncsi dcsogl azcpoolsi ncorncr
otpan. \singtongs, roll cachchickcn brcast in
poolcd glazc to coat cvcnly and placc ski n sidc
downinskillct.
4. Jranstcr skillct to ovcn and bakc chickcn
untilthickcstpartotbrcastsrcgistcrsI oOdcgrccs
oninstantrcadthcrmomctcr, 25 to 3O minutcs,
turning chickcn ski n sidc up hallay through
cooking.Jranstcrchickcntoplattcrandlctrcst5
minutcs. Rcturnskillcttohighhcat, bccarcml-
handlcwll bcvcryhot) andcook glazc, stirring
constantly,untilthickandsyrupy, hcatprootspat
ulashouldlcavcwidctrailwhcndraggcdthrough
glazc) , about I minutc. Rcmovc pan trom hcat
and whisk in rcmaining 2 tablcspoons orangc
j uicc. Spoon I tcaspoonglazc ovcr cach brcast
andscrvc,passingrcmainingglazcattabl c.
AP P L E - MAP L E G LAZE D C H I C K E N B REASTS
Followrccipctorrangc HoncyGlazcdChickcn
Brcasts, substituting applc cidcr tor orangc j uicc
and2 tablcspoonsmaplcsyruptorhoncy.
P I N E AP P L E - B ROWN S U GAR G LAZE D
C H I C K E N B REASTS
Followrccipctorrangc HoncyGlazcdChickcn
Brcasts, substituting pincapplc juicc tor orangc
j uiccand2 tablcspoons brown sugartorhoncy.
S E P T E M B E R b O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7
l '
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
I nexpensive I nstant- Read
Thermometers
i nstant-read thermometer shoul d have a broad
rnge to cover hi gh and l ow temperatures; a stem
l ong enough to reach the i nteri or of lare cuts
of meat; a way to recal i brte sl i ps in accurcy;
and, above al l , speed, so you don' t have to keep
the oven door open too l ong. The most cov
eted i nstant-read thermometer in the test ki tchen
remai ns the Thermo Works Super- Fast Thermapen,
whi ch meets al l these cri teri a and produces read
i ngs in j ust four seconds. However, the $85 ticket
begs for an afordabl e al ternative.
We rn seven thermometers pri ced under $25
through a gauntl et of boi l i ng water, i ce water, hot
oi l , and thi ck-cut pork chops to compare accu
rcy, speed, and functi onal it. The Thermapen i s
outfitted wi th a thermocoupl e sensor, whereas
the l ess expensive model s regi ster temperatures
with a thermi stor, whi ch i s a cheaper ci rcui t that
comes wi th a sacrifice in speed. However, our
testi ng reveal ed a worthy stand- i n that regi s
tered tempertures i n only fi ve addi ti onal sec
onds. The CDN ProAccurte Qui ck Ti p Di gi tal
Cooki ng Thermometer DTQ450 ( $ 1 7. 95) further
i mpressed us with a temperture range ( -40 to
4 50 degrees) capabl e of handl i ng ever task we set
before it. For the compl ete resul ts of thi s testi ng,
go to w . cooksi l l ustrted . com/ october.
-Meredith Smith
I NSTANT WI N N E R
Te CON ProAccurte
Qui ck Tip Digital Cooking
Termometer works quickly
and i s reasonably priced.
W COOK' S LI VE Origi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ooks i l l u strate d . c om
RE CI P E I N 6 0 S E CONDS
Gl azed Chi cken Breasts
VI DE O TI PS
How much fat and ski n shoul d I remove?
Can I use a fami ly pack of chi cken for this reci pe?
Secrets to Apple Galette
Getti ng a f l ak crust and caramel i zed appl es can make thi s si mpl e
French tart not so si mple. We wanted both-every ti me.
I
was introduccd to applc galcttc on myhrst
visit to a Frcnch patisscri c. nc bitc and
I kncw I had |ound a tart that I lovcd as
muchasapplcpic. Galcttcscomc invarious
shapcsandsizcs-|romoncsinwhichthcdough
is |oldcd ovcr a pilc o|applcs to othcrs that |ca
turc laycrs o|swcct pastry, almond hlling, and
mcticulouslylaycrcdapplcs.Iwantcdtorccrcatc
thc onc I hrst |cl l in lovc with. Jhis galcttc |ca
turcsathin,crispy,||aky,sugarycrusttoppcdwith
a gcncrous laycr o|applcs sliccd a mcrc v inch
thick. Jhcrc' s not much to this galcttc bcsidcs
U our,sugar,buttcr,and|ruit,andyoudon`tcvcn
nccd a |ork to cat it. Whcn bakcd propcrly, thc
picccsarc sturdycnough tocatouto|hand,j ust
likcaslicco|pizza.
WatI thoughtwould bc asimplc taskprovcd
to bc surprisingly tricky. carly all thc rccipcs I
tricdwcrcmadcnomasimplcdough , U our,sugar,
salt,buttcr,andiccwatcr)tlatclaimcdtoproducc
thc tcxturc I was ancr. But in ncarly cvcry casc,
thc dough was tough, crackcrlikc, and bland. I
did lcarn a |cw things. Bccausc o|thcir sizc and
thinncss, round galcttcs wcrc dimcult to roll out
and trans|cr to a baking shcct. I dccidcd to stick
with rcctangular galcttcs. From thc way cvcn my
mcdiocrc attcmptswcrcbcingdcvourcdbytastcrs,
Ikncwthatthisdcsscrthadto|ccdacrowd.
Picking Fl ours
Formy carly tcsts, I uscd a |oodproccssortocut
thc buttcr comp|ctcly into thc dry ingrcdicnts.
Although this isthc tcst kitchcn` sprc|crrcdtcch
niquc|or classicAmcrican pic dough, I thought
that a Frcnch dough might rcquirc a Frcnch
tcchniquc. A|cwycarsago,onco|mycollcagucs
cxpcrimcntcdwith |raisagc , scc Frcc|orm Fruit
Jart," )uly/August 2OO4) . Jhis tcchniquc calls
|or partially cutting thc buttcr into thc dry
ingrcdicnts, lcaving largc pcasizcd picccs o||at
I nstant Success
Mixing regul ar al l - purpose
flour with some instant flour
creates a ver flak, tender
crust. Both Wondra and
Pillsbur Shake &Bl end brnds
work wel l i n our recipe and
can be found near the com
starch i n the baking aisl e of
most supermarkets. I NSTANT FLOUR
l Y D A V I D P A Z M I N O E
Frcnch pastry cal l |or pastry |lour.
It was timc to givc this Uour a try.
Basi cally, thc di ||crcncc bctwccn
thcsc two |lours is protcin contcnt.
Whcnmixcdwithwatcr,thcprotcins
, gliadin and glutcni n) in |lourcrcatc
astrongcr,morcclasticprotcincallcd
glutcn. Jhchighcrthcglutcncontcnt,
thc strongcrand toughcrthc dough.
Pastry Uour has a protcin contcnt o|
pcrccnt, and thc protcin contcnt
o|allpurposc Uour rangcs |rom I O
pcrccnt to I 2 pcrccnt . Jhis di||cr
cncc might not sccm likc much, but
whcn I madc galcttcs|romcachtypc
o||lourthcrcsultswcrcdramati c. Jhc
galcttc madc with al l purposc |lour
was tough, and thc onc with pastry
|lour was Uaky, tcndcr, and sturdy.
Jhc onlyproblcm is thatpastryUour
isnotwidclyavailabl c.
The i deal gal ette has the butter fl aki ness of a croi ssant but i s strong
enough to support a generous l ayer of caramel i zed appl es.
Iooking|oramorcpracticalaltcr
nativc,Itricdcakc|lour,whichissold
i n supcrmarkcts and has a protcin
contcnto|j ust 8 pcrccnt. Butwhcn
I substitutcd I cup, l: cup, andcvcn
l/+ cup o|cakc Uour |or thc cquiva
unmixcd. But what makcs naisagc truly uniquc
is howthc dough is combincd. Sma|l bits o|tlc
barcly mixcd dough arc prcsscd hrmly against
thccountcrwitlthc hcclo|thc handtocrcatc a
uni|ormdough. As a rcsult,thcchunks o|buttcr
arc prcsscd into long, thin shccts that crcatc lots
o||lakylaycrswhcnthcdoughisbakcd.
Fraisagcdi dindccdproducca|lakicrcrustthan
hadmyinitialtcsts,buttastcrssaiditwastoughcr
thanthcywouldhavcthought.Somcthingwasn't
making scnsc. \pon closcr cxamination o|thc
Frcc|ormFruitJartrccipc,itdawncdonmc.Jhat
rccipccallcd|orpilingj uicysummcrnuitontothc
dough and thcn |olding thc cdgcs o|thc dough
ovcr tlc |ruit. My rccipc ca|lcd |or shingling a
singlc laycr o||airlydryapplcson top. Withouta
moundo|nuittokccptl+c dough moist,mycrust
wasdryingoutbc|orcthcapplcscouldbrownand
caramclizc.Addingabitmorcbuttcrtothcdough
incrcascdtcndcrncssslightly, butnotcnough.
I wondcrcd i|using a di||crcnt Uour coul d
bc tlc answcr. \nti l now, I had bccnusi ngall
purposc our, cvcn though many rccipcs |or
C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D
Z \
lcntamounto|a|lpurposc Uour, thc
dough-thoughtcndcr-crumblcd. Itturnsout
thatcakc |lourgocsthrougha blcaching proccss
, with chlorinc gas) that a||ccts how its protcins
combincwithwatcr.Asa rcsu|t,wcakcrglutcnis
|ormcd-pcr|cct|oradclicatccakc butnot|ora
pastrythat mustbctcndcrand sturdy.
Castingawidcr nct, I lookcd through numcr
ous Frcnch cookbooks . Although most rccipcs
wcrc ncarly idcntical i n ingrcdicnts, thcrc wcrc
two that stood out. Jartdoughsin)uliaChild's
From ]ulia)s Kitchen andAndrcSoltncr's Lutece
Cookbook botl toutcd instant llour , a|so callcd
quick mixing|lour)asthccsscntialingrcdicnt|or
|lakyycttcndcrtartcrusts . I kccpinstantUourin
thcbacko|mycabincttomakclump |rccgravics,
butI hadncvcrthoughto|it|orpastrymaking.
Instant|lour i s madc by slightly moistcning all
purposc|lourwithwatcr.Ancrbcingspraydricd,
thc tiny|lour granulcs looklikc small clustcrs o|
grapcs. Sincc thcsc prcclumpcd Uour granulcs
arcl argcrthanthosc o|hncr-groundallpurposc
|lour,thcyabsorblcsswatcr,makingithardcr|or
thc protcinsto|ormglutcn.

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R E C I P E AT A G LANC E K ^KI |G ^I G^I11
| . CUTi n butter. 2. ADDwater to form dough. J . FORM mound. 4. FRI SAGE and chi l l .
3. FORM MOUND: Empty dough onto
worksur|acc and gathcr into rough rcctan
gular mound about I 2 inchcs long and 5
inchcswidc.
4. FRAISAGE AND CHILL: Starting at
|arthcstcnd, usc hccl o|hand tosmcarsmall
amount o| dough against countcr, pushing
hrmlydownandawaynomyou,tocrcatcscp
aratcpilco|dough, |lattcncdpicccso|dough
shouldlookshaggy) . Continuc proccss until
all dough has bccn workcd. Gathcr dough
into rough I 2 by 5inch mound and rcpcat
smcaringproccss. Doughwill nothavcto bc
smcarcdasmuchashrsttimc andshould|orm
cohcsivc ball oncc cntirc portion is workcd.
Formdoughinto4 inchsquarc,wrapinplas
nc,andrcnigcratcuntilcoldandhrmbutstill
mallcabl c, 3O minutcsto I hour.
5 . CUTappl es. . ROLL and tri m dough. 7. FORM border. 8. LYER appl es and bake.
5 . CUT APPLES: About I 5 minutcsbc|orc
baking, adjust ovcn rack to middlc position
andhcatovcnto4OO dcgrccs. Pccl,corc,and
halvcapplcs. Cut applc halvcslcngthwiscinto
|s inch thicksliccs .
I rcplaccd somc o|thc allpurposc U ourwith
various amounts o|i nstant |lour. I |ound that
'/ cup o|instant |lour kcpt thc dough tcndcr
yct sturdy cnough to cut ncat sliccs o|galcttc
that could bc catcn out o|hand. / unlikcly
supcrmarkct i ngrcdicnt, along with a cl assi c
Frcnchmixingtcchniquc,hadhclpcdmccrcatca
rcmarkablccrust.
Fi nal Touches
1hc idcal galcttc should havc both a crust and
applcsthat arc a dccp goldcn brown color. Acr
scvcral tcsts, most tastcrs |clt that 4OO dcgrccs
struckthc right balancc bctwccn intcnscly cara
mclizcd and simply burnt. ow thc galcttc was
pcr|cct-almost. Although not all galcttc rccipcs
callcdtor it, many brush thc hotouto|dcovcn
tart with apricot prcscrvcs. 1his glazc providcd
an attractivc shccn and nuity tartncss that tastcrs
praiscdasthcypickcdup anothcrslicc.
APPL E GAL ETTE
S E RVES d TO I 0
1hc galcttc can bc madc without i nstant |lour,
using 2 cups o| all purposc U our and 2 tabl c
spoons o|cornstarch. Howcvcr,youmight havc
toincrcascthcamounto|iccwatcr.Althoughany
applc V work in this rccipc, wc prc|cr Goldcn
Dclicious, Granny Smith, and Empirc. I| you
don'thavcanapplccorcr,halvcthcpcclcdapplcs
and thcn usc a mclon ballcr or paring kni|c to
rcmovc thc corc nom cach hall Makc surc to
cutthcapplcsasthinlyaspossiblc. I|thcyarccut
thickcrthan inch,thcywillbc hardto shinglc.
I| thcdoughhaschillcdlongcrthan I hour, lct it
stand at room tcmpcraturc |or I 5 to 2O minutcs
to soncn. I|thc dough bccomcs son and sticky
whilc bcing rollcd, trans|cr it to a baking shcct
andrc|rigcratcit|or I O to I 5 minutcs. Chcckthc
bottomo|thcgalcttchal|aythroughbaking-it
should bc a light goldcn brown. I|it is darkcr,
rcducc thc ovcn tcmpcraturc to 375 dcgrccs.
Scrvc with vanilla i cc crcam, lightly swcctcncd
whippcdcrcam,orcrcmcnahc.
Doub
1 11 cups ( 7 1 1 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
1 1 cup ( 2 11 ounces) i nstant fl our ( see page 20)
11 teaspoon tabl e sal t
11 teaspoon sugar
1 2 tabl espoons ( I 1 1 sti cks) col d unsal ted butter, cut
i nto 5/a - i nch cubes
7-9 tabl espoons i ce water
AlcFillin
1 11 pounds ( 3-4 medi um or 4-5 smal l ) appl es
(see note above)
2 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, cut i nto 1/4 i nch
pi eces
'14 cup sugar
2 tabl espoons apri cot preserves
tabl espoon water
I . CUT IN BUTTER: Combinc |lours, salt,
andsugar in |ood proccssorwithtlrcc I sccond
pulscs. ScattcrbuttcrpicccsovcrU our,pulsctocut
buttcrinto|louruntilbuttcrpicccsarcsizco|largc
pcbblcs,about inch,aboutsix I sccondpulscs.
2 . ADD WATER: Sprinklc I tablcspoon watcr
ovcrmixturc andpulsconccquicklytocombinc,
rcpcat,addingwatcr I tablcspoon ata timc and
pulsing,untildoughbcginsto |orm small curds
that hold togcthcr whcn pinchcd with h ngcrs
, dough should look crumbly and shoul d not
|ormcohcsivcball ) .
S E P T E M B E R b O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7
? l
o. ROLL AND TRIM DOUGH: Placc dough
on U ourcd I o by I 2 inch piccc o|parchmcnt
papcranddustwithmorc|lour.Rolldoughuntil
i tj ustovcrhangs all|oursidcso|parchmcntand
i s about '/s inch thick, dusting top and bottom
o|dough androllingpin with|louras nccdcdto
kccp dough |romsticki ng. Jrim dough socdgcs
arccvcnwithparchmcntpapcr.
7. FORM BORER: Rol l up I inch o|cach
cdgcandpinchhrmlytocrcatc'/inchthickbor
dcr. Jrans|cr dough and parchmcnt to rimmcd
bakingshcct.
8. LAER APPLES AND BAK: Startinginonc
corncr, shinglc sliccd applcs to |orm cvcn row
across bottom o|dough, ovcrlapping cach slicc
by about onchall Continuc to laycr applcs in
rows, ovcrlapping cach row by hall Dot applcs
with buttcr and sprinklc cvcnlywith sugar. Bakc
until bottom o|tart i s dccp goldcn brown and
applcshavccaramclizcd,45 tooO minutcs.
. GLE: Whilc galcttc i scooking, combinc
apricotprcscrvcsandwatcrinmcdiummicrowavc
sa|c bowl . Microwavc on mcdium powcr until
mixturc bcgins to bubblc, about I minutc. Pass
through hnc mcsh straincr to rcmovc any largc
apricot picccs. Brush bakcd galcttc with glazc
and cool on wirc rack |or I 5 minutcs. Jrans|cr
tocuttingboard. Cutinhal|lcngthwiscandthcn
crosswisc intoindividualportions,scrvc
W COOK' S LI VE Origi nai Test Ki tchen Videos
www. c o o ks i l l u st r at ed . c o m
RE CI PE I N 6 0 S E CONDS
Appl e Gal ette
VI DE O TI PS
When i s the butter i ncorporated properlyl
How can I rescue probl em pastry?
What' s the best way to peel and sl i ce the appl es?
How can I tel l i f I ' ve shi ngl ed the appl es correctly?
Perfecting Pear Crisp
Simpl y substituting pears for appl es in this cl assic American dessert is a recipe for disaster.
W
ith its swccthllingandcrunchy,
buttcry topping, a |ruit crisp is
a simplc bakcd dcsscrt, at lcast
inthcory.Applcsarcusuallythc
truitotchoicctoracrisp,butthcdclicatctcxturc
andsubtlc|lavorotpcarsmakcthishomcydcsscrt
alittlcmorcsophisticatcd. Iwassurpriscdtolcarn
thatthc tcst kitchcn had ncvcrdcvclopcda pcar
crisprccipc. ButIwasn` tworricd. Bclicvingthat
pcarsandapplcsarc similarcnoughtosubstitutc
thc tormcr|or thc lattcr, I hgurcd thatwith our
rccipc |or Fruit Crisp , )uly/August I 8) in
hand,thingswouldworkouthnc.
o othcr way to sayi t. I paid |or myculinary
naivctc. Instcad ota nuit crisp, myhrst attcmpt
lookcdupatmcwitha|acco|watcrypcarsaucc
slathcrcdwithagummymixturcotrawUourand
soggynuts. thcrrccipcs I prcparcd didn` t|arc
much bcttcr. Many consistcd o| hard, starchy
chunksotpcarwithchcwygranolabar-likc top
pings. It was obvious |rom my initial tcsts that
pcars rcact quitc di||crcntly than applcs whcn
bakcdina crisp. Furthcr tcsting taught mc that
pcar varictics, unlikc many kinds otapplcs, arc
notalwaysintcrchangcablc. In thc cnd, I |ound
thatBartlcttsarcbcstsuitcdtoacrisp, sccJhrcc
Kindso|Pcars, "pagc23) .
3 B Y K E I T H D R E S S E R E
Itoccurrcdtomcthatmaybcthcpcars
wcrcn` tsolclytoblamc.Wasthcsugarin
tl+c hlling acting as an cnablcr, drawing
out cxccss liquid` And wasn` tthc sugar
turni ng to l i qui d i tscl twhcn hcatcd`
WhcnItricdomittingit, Iwaspl cascdto
hndthatthcamounto|liquidinthcbot
tom o|thcbakingdishwas signihcantly
rcduccdandthctoppingwasmuchdricr.
But nowmycrispwasn` tswcctcnough.
Jhc applc crisp rccipc I was using as a
modclcallcd|or4 tablcspoonso|sugar.
Ancrsomctcsti ng, I |oundthcbcstbal
ancc bctwccnswcctncssandmoistncssto
bc2 tablcspoons.
As a hnal rchncmcnt,I cxpcrimcntcd
withthickcningthchlling. Jhisstcpisn`t
ncccssaryi n an applc crisp, bccausc thc
applcsdon`tgivco||muchj uicc, butthc
pcars nccdcd hclp. I tcstcd a handml o|
thickcncrs and scttlcd on cornstarch. A
tcaspoon, mixcdintoaslurrywithlcmon
juicc, thickcncd thc j uiccs cnough and
unlikc Uour and tapioca, didn` tlcavc a
starchytastc ortcxturc.
Top It Off
Pear Warning
Pears mi ght resembl e appl es, but they requi re di fferent treatment
i n a cri sp i n order to ensure tender frui t and a crunchy toppi ng.
Evcrycrisp nccds a crunchy, swccttop
ping to providc tcxtural contrast to
My hrst stcp toward pcr|ccting a crisp rccipc
was to dctcrminc why pcars rcact to bakg so
dihcrcntly than do applcs. ur scicncc cditor
cxplaincd that pcars and applcs contain almost
thcsamc amount o|moisnrc, but thcir ccllwalls
arc o|vcry dihcrcnt strcngths. During thc ripcn
ing proccss, cnzymcs bcgin to brcak down thc
moisnrcrctaining ccll walls inpcars much |astcr
than in applcs. Cooking accclcratcs this proccss,
which is why my impulsc to usc ripc pcars |or
thcirmorcintcnsc|lavorrcsultcd in mush. \nripc
pcars, on thc othcr hand, rctaincd thcirstructurc
but cookcd up starchyanddry. Jhc solutionwas
in thc middlc-using pcars at tl+c cusp o|tlcir
ripcncss. At tl+is point,tl+cyhavc convcrtcd most
K L 1 P b 1 N G . Getti ng the Toppi ng Right
o| tl+cirstarchcsintosugar
butdon`t cxdcmo|thcir
j uiccswhcncookcd.
Because pears exude so much j ui ce when cooked, a trdi ti onal l oose- and- sandy cri sp
toppi ng wi l l si nk i nto the fi l l i ng and won' t get crunchy. We used a streusel techni que
that unified the i ngredi ents to make a fi rmer toppi ng that stays on top of the pears.
S OGGY CRI S P CRI S PY CRI S P
\si ng ri pc yct hrm
Bartlcttpcarsrcduccdthc
watcrincss,butmyhlling
was still coming out too
mushy, with a toppi ng
thattastcdrawbccauscit
ncvcrcomplctclycookcd
t hrough. I t hought
about baking thc hl l i ng
and toppi ng scparatcly,
but this sccmcd likc too
thc soncr |ruit. ur |ruit crisp topping
consists o| cold buttcr cut into sugar, |lour,
and nuts, but this dry, powdcry toppingwasn` t
working|orthcpcarcrisp. Bccauscpcarsrclcasc
morc j uicc than applcs, thc |lour |rom thc top
ping was bcing washcd down into thc hlling.
What I nccdcd was a sturdicr topping that
would bakc asa scparatc cntity.
Borrowing |rom our Crumb Cakc rccipc
, May /)unc2OO) , I tricd astrcuscltopping,in
which mcltcd buttcr is incorporatcd into |lour
, as opposcd tocold buttcr bcing cutin) , which
hcl ps to bind thc Uour to thc othcr topping
ingrcdicnts. owwhcnI tookthcdcsscrtouto|
thc ovcn, it had a crunchy toppingthatdchncd
itasatruccrisp.
.COOK' S L VL Origi nai Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ooks i l l u st rate d . c o m
RE C I PE I N 6 0 S E CONDS
Pear Cri sp
VI DE O TI PS
A sandy toppi ng made with col d butter
si nks i nto the fi l l i ng.
A toppi ng made with melted butter is
more cohesive and stays in pl ace.
much troublc |or such a How shoul d I core the pears?
simplcdcsscrt. What' s the best way to ri pen pears?
C O O K
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S I L L U S T R A T E D
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STE P - BY- S TE P I IK IPKI |G I ^Kb

For thi s reci pe, the pears are best peel ed and hal ved, from stem to bl ossom end, and then cored and cut i nto
pi eces. We l i ke to use a mel on bai l er to core the frui t, but a pari ng knife al so works.
I. Use mel on bai l er to cut around 2. Drw mel on bai l er from centrl J . Quarter each hal f l engthwise and
then cut each pi ece i n hal f crosswise
for eight pi eces.
central core of hal ved, peel ed pear core totop ofpear, removi ng i nterior
with ci rcul ar moti on; remove core. stem. Remove bl ossom end.
In mypcar crisp advcnturc, I lcarncd , as I
should havc known all along) that sma|l dctails
makc all thc di||crcncc. My hnal twcak to thc
rccipc was to incrcasc thc ovcn tcmpcraturc
slightly|romthc375dcgrccswcusctobakcour
applccrispto425dcgrccs,whichmadcthctop
pingcvcncrunchicr. Admittcdly, this is a minor
adj ustmcnt, butitisthiskindo|smalldctailthat
makcsagrcatpcarcrisp.
PE AR C R I S P
S E RVES 6
1hctcstkitchcnprc|crsacrispmadcwithBartlctt
pcars,butBoscpcarscanalsobcuscd. 1hcpcars
should bc ripc but hrm, which mcans thc |lcsh
at thc basc o| tlc stcm should givc slightly
whcn gcntly prcsscd with a hngcr. Bartlctt
pcars wi|l turn |rom grccn to grccnishycllow
whcn ripc. , Scc pagc 3O |or in|ormation on
ripcning pcars . ) Although almost any unsaltcd
nut may bc uscd in thc topping, wc prc|cr
almonds or pccans . Scrvc thc crisp wi thl ightly
swcctcncd whippcd crcam or vanilla icc crcam.
b M L 1 N G . Three Ki nds of Pears
Although you may see as many as a hal f dozen pear varieties
i n some markets. these three are the most common. Our
tasters found si gni fi cant diferences among them.
BARTLETT BOS C ANJ OU
8pear. remai ned firm when baked, making them
our top choice i n a crisp. BOSC pear. were a bit grainy when
baked and are better poached. ANJOU pear are very j ui cy
and were too sof in a crisp.
3 cup (3 ounces) coarsel y chopped nuts
(see note above)
11 cup ( 2 11 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
1/4 cup ( 1 % ounces) packed l i ght brown sugar
4 tabl espoons granul ated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ci nnamon
1
/a teaspoon ground nutmeg
Tabl e sal t
5 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, mel ted and cool ed
teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons j ui ce from I l emon
3 pounds ri pe but fi rm pears ( 6-7 medi um)
( see note above)
I . Adj ustovcn rackto lowcr middlcposition
and hcat ovcn to 425 dcgrccs. Proccss nuts,
uur, brown sugar, 2 tabl cspoons granulatcd
sugar, cinnamon, nutmcg, and ' tcaspoonsalt
in|oodproccssoruntil nuts arc hnclychoppcd,
aboutninc I sccondpulscs . Drizzlcbuttcrovcr
|lourmixturc and pulsc until mixturc rcscmblcs
crumbly wct sand, about hvc I sccond pul scs,
pausing hal |ay through to scrapcdown sidcs
and bottom o|workbowl . Sct asidc whilc prc
paring|rui t.
2. Whiskrcmaining2 tablcspoonsgranulatcd
sugar,cornstarch, lcmonjuicc, andpincho|salt
togcthcr in l argc bowl . Pccl pcars, thcn halvc
andcorccach, sccillustrationsabovc ) . Cutcach
hal|into4wcdgcsandthcncutinhal|crosswisc
, picccsshouldbcaboutI |: inchcs ) . Gcntlytoss
pcarswithsugarmixturcandtrans|crto8 inch
squarcbakingdish.
3. Sprinklc toppingcvcnlyovcr |rui t, brcak
ingupanylargcchunks . Ba|cuntil|ruitisbub
bl i ngaroundcdgcs and toppingis dccpgoldcn
brown, 27 to 32 minutcs. Cool on wirc rack
unti|warm, atlcast I 5 minutcs,andscrvc .
P EAR C R I S P WI TH OAT TO P P I N G
Followrccipc|orPcarCrisp,rcducingamounto|
nuts to l: cup andincrcasingbuttcrto o tablc
spoons. Ancr incorporating buttcr into |lour
S E P T E tl ll E R b O C T O i E R 2 0 0 7
?
T A S T I N G
Light Vani l l a I ce Cream
A new generati on of l i ght i ce creams-appeal i ngly
descri bed as "sl ow- churned, " "doubl e-churned, "
and the l i ke-are fi l l i ng supermarket freezer cases.
How do they taste? To fi nd out, we rounded up
four sampl es.
Low-fat i ce creams and i ce mi l ks used to
be grai ny and icy, because they di dn' t contai n
enough fat to counterbal ance the i ce crystal s that
i nevi tabl y form when ice cream i s churned. For
the last year or two, manufacturers have been
usi ng a process cal l ed l ow-temperature extrusi on.
whi ch freezes l i ght i ce cream at an extremel y l ow
temperature. The i dea is to freeze the ice cream
so qui ckly that the ai r-fat-water emul si on does
not break and grai ny ice crystal s never have a
chance to form.
Overl l , our tasters weren' t terri bl y i mpressed.
They gave low marks to Turkey Hi l l -the l eanest
sampl e in the group, with j ust 2 . 5 grams of fat
per 11- cup servi ng. Breyers and Edy' s (whi ch i s
sol d under the Dreyer' s l abel on the West Coast)
scored sl ightl y hi gher but di dn' t el i ci t much enthu
si asm. Tasters genui nely l i ked Haagen- Dazs, the
only brand i n the l i neup made wi thout stabi l izers
or emul si fi ers. But with 7 grams per 1/2-cup servi ng.
Haagen- Dazs Ught has as much fat as many brands
of regul ar i ce cream.
How can somethi ng wi th so much fat be
consi dered " l i ght" ? Federal l abel i ng al l ows manu
facturers to us e
the term " l i ght" on
i ce cream wi th no
more than hal f the
fat and two-thi rds
the cal ori es of the
company' s regul ar
i ce cream. Regul ar
Haagen- Dazs has
much more fat
than the compe
ti ti on, so i ts l i ght
offeri ng does, too.
-El i zabeth Bomze
TOP C H OI C E , BUT
N OT S O LI G HT
k
'ni f l a t| avo| otageo Dazs
Lght, wr e' 1 s r3de wit.out
st. b1 . izer. or emul sifiers.
mixturc instcp I , add l: cupo|d|ashioncdoats
to|oodproccssorandproccssuntil cvcnlyincor
poratcd, about thrcc I sccondpulscs.
T RI P L E - G I N G E R
P E AR C R I S P
Follow rccipc |or Pcar Crisp, using almonds
and rcplacing cinnamon and nutmcg with
+ tcaspoon ground gingcr. Proccss 2 tablc
spoons coarscly choppcd crystallizcd gingcr
withnutsand||ouri nstcp I . Rcduccamounto|
|cmon j uicc to I tcaspoon and add I tcaspoon
gratcd |rcsh gingcr to sugarcornstarch mixturc
instcp2 .
A New Way with Sauces for Chicken
We rework classi c Fren ch pan sauces to reduce the fat and punch up the flavor.
F
rcnchpansauccsarcmadc|romthc|ond
, i ntcnsclyU avorml bitso|browncdpro
tcin) l c|t in thc ski l l ct a|tcr you havc
cookcd mcat or poultry. Jhcsc sauccs
arc quick, rcliablc, and casy, but classic rccipcs
rcquirc an awml lot o|buttcr, usually about I
tablcspoon pcr scrving. cwcr sauccs bascd on
chutncys, rclishcs, and salsas havc lcss |at, but
thcygcncrallydon`ttakcadvantagco|thcsavory
|ond.Iwantcdtocrcatclowcr|atvcrsionso|clas
sicFrcnchpansauccs|orchickcn.
First, a crash courscinpansauccs. Jhcymust
bcgin with an cmpty pan covcrcd with |ond.
Aromatics, such as shallot or garlic, arc quickly
cookcd in a thin hlm o|oil on top o|thc |ond.
cxt, a liquid , usually broth and/or wi nc) is
addcd to looscn and dissolvc thc |ond, scraping
thc pan bottomwith awoodcnspoonhclpsthis
proccssalong. Jhcsauccisthcnsimmcrcdrapidly
toconccntratcU avorsandismallycnrichcdwith
agcncrousamounto|coldbuttcr.
Simply rcduci ng thc amount o|buttcr l c|t
my sauccs thin and brothy. But ancr somc trial
and crror, I tound that adding a tcaspoon o|
Uour with thc aromatics hclpcd to thickcn thc
saucc,allowingmctorcducc thc buttcrtoj ust I
tablcspoon. \singlcssbuttcrhad anuncxpcctcd
bcncnt-thc othcr avors sccmcd ampl i hcd.
Addinganacidicingrcdicnttothchnishcdsaucc
, Ihad good luckwith lcmonjuicc, shcrry, mus
tard,andbrandy)providcdah nalblasto|Uavor.
SAUT E D C H I C K E N C UTL ETS
S E RVES 4
Jhcchickcnbrcastswill bccasicrtosliccinhal|i|
you |rcczc thcm |or I b minutcs. Jo slicc in hal|,
placc onc hand on top o|thc brcastto sccurcit,
holda chc|`skni|c parallcl to thc cutting board,
and slicc through thc middlc o|thc brcast hori
zontally. Scrvcwithanyo|thcsauccsthat|ollow,
orBrandy,Crcam,andChivcPanSaucc,availablc
trccatV . cooksillustratcd. com/octobcr.
4 bonel ess, ski nl ess chi cken breasts ( 6 to 8 ounces
each) , tenderl oi ns removed, tri mmed of excess
fat, hal ved hori zontal ly, and pounded 1/ i nch
thi ck (see note above)
Tabl e salt and ground black pepper
4 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
Adjustovcnracktomiddlcpositionandhcatovcn
to 2OO dcgrccs. Scason both sidcs o|cach cutlct
` E R I N M c M U R R E R E
witl salt andpcppcr. Hcat2 tcaspoons oil in I 2
inchskillctovcrmcdium highhcatuntilsmoking.
Placc4 cutlcts in skillct andcookwitlout mov
ing thcm until browncd, about 2 minutcs. Flip
cutlcts and continuc to cook until sccond sidcs
arc opaquc, I b to 2O scconds. Jrans|cr to largc
ovcnsa|c platc. Add rcmaining 2 tcaspoons oil to
nowcmpty skillct and rcpcat to cook rcmaining
cutlcts. Covcr platc loosclywitl+|oil and trans|cr
toovcntokccpwarmwhilcmakingpansaucc.
V E R M O UTH , L E E K , AN D TARRAG O N
PAN SAU C E
MAKE S E NOUGH F OR d CHI CKE N C UTLETS ( 4 S E RVI NGS )
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
medi um l eek, white part only, halved l engthwi se,
sl i ced i nto '! i nch-thi ck pi eces, washed, and
dri ed (about l cup)
teaspoon al l - purpose fl our
V cup l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
11 cup dry vermouth or white wi ne
I teaspoon whol e-grai n mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon l eaves
tabl espoon cold unsal ted butter
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
Addoiltocmptyskillctuscdtocookchickcnand
rcturn pan to mcdium hcat. Add lcck and cook,
stirringoncn,untilsoncncdandbrowncdaround
cdgcs, 2 to 3 minutcs. Add U our and cook,
stirring constantly, 3O scconds. Add broth and
vcrmoutl+, incrcasc hcat to mcdium high, and
bring to simmcr, scrapingpan bottom to looscn
browncd bits. Simmcr rapidly until rcduccd to
/+ cup, 3 to b minutcs. Stir in any accumulatcd
chickcnjuiccs,rcturntosimmcrandcook3Oscc
onds. ||hcat, whisk in mustard, tarragon, and
buttcr, scason witl+ salt and pcppcr. Spoon ovcr
cutlcts andscrvcimmcdiatcly.
L E M O N , CAP E R , A N D PARS L E Y PAN S AU C E
MAKES E NOUGH F OR d CHI CKE N CUTLETS ( 4 S E RVI NGS )
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
medi um shal l ot, mi nced (about 3 tabl espoons)
teaspoon al l - purpose fl our
V cup l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
2 teaspoons j ui ce from I l emon
tabl espoon capers, ri nsed and chopped
tabl espoon chopped fresh parsley l eaves
tabl espoon cold unsal ted butter
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
? 4
Add oil to cmpty skillct uscd to cook chickcn
and rcturn pan to low hcat. Add shallot and
cook,stirringoncn,untilsoncncd, I to I '/2 min
utcs. Add|lourandcook,stirringconstantly, 3O
scconds . Add brotl, incrcasc hcat to mcdium
high,and bringtosimmcr, scrapingpan bottom
to looscn browncd bits . Simmcr rapidly until
rcduccd to v2 cup, 2 to 3 minutcs. Stir in any
accumulatcd chickcn juiccs, rcturn to simmcr
and cook 3O scconds. ||hcat,whisk in lcmon
juicc, capcrs, parslcy, and buttcr, scason with
salt and pcppcr. Spoon ovcr cutlcts and scrvc
i mmcdiatcly.
S H E R RY, R E D P E P P E R ,
AN D TOAST E D G AR L I C PAN SAU C E
MAKES E NOUGH F OR d C HI CKE N C UTLETS ( 4 S E RVI NGS )
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about l tabl espoon)
teaspoon al l - purpose fl our
1/ teaspoon papri ka
V cup l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
11 cup pl us I teaspoon dry sherry
'I cup jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry and
cut i nto 1/ i nch di ce
11 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme l eaves
tabl espoon cold unsal ted butter
Tabl e sal t and ground black pepper
Add oi l to cmpty skillct uscd to cook chickcn
andrcturnpanto lowhcat. Addgarlicandcook,
stirring constantly, until lightly browncd, 3O to
oO scconds. Add U our and paprika, cook, stir
ring constantly, 3O scconds. Add broth and v2
cup shcrry, incrcasc hcat to mcdium high and
bring to simmcr, scraping pan bottom to looscn
browncd bits. Simmcr rapidly until rcduccd to
+ cup, 3 to b minutcs. Stir in any accumulatcd
chickcn j uiccs, rcturn to simmcr and cook 3O
scconds. ||lcat,whiskinpcppcrs,tlymc, but
tcr, and rcmaining tcaspoon shcrry, scason with
salt and pcppcr. Spoon ovcr cutlcts and scrvc
immcdiatcly.
COOK' S L VL Origi nai Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c o o ks i I I u st r at ed . c o m
RECI PE I N 6 0 S E CONDS
Pan Sauces
VI DE O TI PS
How do I know when the suce has rduced suficiently?
Why don' t you make pan sauces in a nonsti ck pan '
Reconsidering Cast Iron
I s cast i ron the original nonstick pan ? Do recent in novati ons
i mprove on thi s traditi onal kitchen workhorse?
C
cnturi cs bc|orc DuPont i nvcntcd
Jc|lon in I 38, pcoplc wcrc cooking
withcast iron. vcrthc past 3Oycars,
nonstick skillcts havc takcn thc placc
o|castiron in most homcs. Butwithdisturbing
rcportsaboutthcc||cctso|nonstickcoatingson
thc cnvironmcnt and our hcalth, wc dccidcd to
takcanothcrlookatcastirontoscci|itisworth
bringingbackintothckitchcn.
Cast iron has always bccn known to havc a
|cwadvantagcsovcrothcrtypcs o|cookwarc. Its
matcrial and wcight givc it cxccllcnt hcat rctcn
tion |or highhcat cooking tcchniqucs such as
|ryingandscaring. Youcanuscitonthcstovctop
or bakcwith itin thc ovcn. Its durability is lcg
cndary-manypcoplcarcstillcookingwithcast
ironpanshandcddown|or gcncrations . \nlikc
most consumcr products, castiron pans actually
Cast- I ron Hi story
Cast- i ron cookare i s formed by pouri ng mol ten
i ron i nto a mol d made of sand, whi ch i s used only
once, maki ng each pan uni que. The process origi
nated in Chi na in the 'centur B. C. and has been
mostly unchanged for centuri es, wi th the excep
ti on of machi nes that now pour the hot metal i nto
the mol ds. Cast i ron was the materi al of choi ce for
cookare in Ameri ca unti l the early 20th century,
when al umi num became affordabl e. At one ti me,
there were dozens of Ameri can compani es mak-
i ng cast- i ron cookare. Today, there are j ust two,
Lodge and Ameri can Cul i nary (whi ch sel l s pans
under the Wagner l abel ) . Most of the pans we
tested are made i n Chi na. -L. M.
OLDE R, NOT BETTE R
We purchased thi s I 00-year-ol d Wgner pan from
a col l ector for S I I o.Thi s pan had a ni ce patina and
aced the scrmbl ed eg test, but i t i s l ighter than
the modem cast-i ron pans i n our l i neup and di dn' t
perorm as wel l i n the searing and fri ng tests.
3 B Y L I S ! M c M A N U S E
i mprovcwith timcand hcavyusc.
Castiron also hasdisadvantagcs. It` shcavyand
nccdsspccialcarc. Itmustbcscasoncdtoprcvcnt
it |rom rusting or rcacting with thc |oods you
cook. \ntilitsscasoningiswcllcstablishcd,|ood
will stick to it. You shouldn` t usc soap or stccl
woolonit,lcstyou stripo||thcscasoni ng.
Whcnwcwcntshopping|orcastironpansto
tcst, wc noticcd that althoughyoucan still hnd
traditional cast iron, manu|acturcrs havc bccn
twcakingHC dcsignandmatcrialsto maintainits
principal bcnchtswhilc diminishing somc o|thc
downsidc. Jhcyhavc bcgun coati ngthc sur|acc
withavarictyo|matcrialstocithcrbcginthcsca
soningproccss |oryou orrcndcr it unncccssary.
In somc cascs, ncw coatings bondcd onto thc
castiron makcsoap andcvcnthc dishwashcrno
longcro||l i mits.
nc thing that didn`t always gct bcttcr with
innovation is pricc. Jraditional unscasoncd cast
iron skillctsarc a truc bargain, costing bctwccn
S I I and S2O. Most prcscasoncd pans arc also
|airlychcap,atS I 5 toS3O, butwc |ound|ancicr
pansthathovcrcdaroundthc S I OO mark.
Seasoned Wi sdom
Scasoning" isawordyouhcaral otaroundcast
iron. Itmight sound mystcrious, but it`sj ust oil
andcarbonrcsiduc|romcookingthatpolymcrizc
whcn hcatcd and bond to thc cast iron, |orming
a smooth surlacc. You build up scasoning ovcr
timc simply by cooking in thc pan and doing
routinc maintcnancc , scc Jaking Carc o|Cast
Iron,"pagc 2o). \ntilrcccntly, allcastironpans
wcrc purchascd unscasoncd. For our tcsting,wc
boughtcightskillcts,all aboutI 2 inchcsindiam
ctcr. thrcc lactoryscasoncd pans, thrcc tradi
tional unscasoncd pans, and two witl innovativc
hnishcstl+atrcquircdnoscasoning. L Crcusct`s
skillcthasa mattc tcxturcdblackcnamclintcrior,
ratl+crthantl+cglossycrcam colorcdhnish|ound
insidc thc company`s Dutch ovcns. cwcomcr
lvida o||crcd tl+c most unusual hnish o| all .
nickclplating that madc thc pan shiny silvcr. Jhc
nickcl hnish is dcsigncd to bc nonrcactivc and
sa|cwith mctal utcnsils,soap, andthcdishwashcr.
Wc |ollowcd manu|acturcr dircctions to prcparc
thcunscasoncd pans |orcooking.
urhrstgoal wastoscchowthccastironpans
stackcd up agai nst our |avoritc nonstick skillct,
thcAl CladonstickI 2 InchSkillct, S I 5.5) ,
andour|avoritcstainlcss stcclskillct,thcAll Clad
Stainlcss I 2 Inch Skillct , S I 34. 5 ) , in a battcry
o|cookingtasks.
nc o|thc primary rcasons to own a non
stick skillct i s to cook cggs, so wc startcd by
ratingcachpan |or stickingand casc o|clcaning
whcn cooking scramblcd cggs. cxt, wc bakcd
corn brcad to tcst cvcnncss o| browning and
ovcn pcr|ormancc. Wc pan scarcd stcak to tcst
A T A G L A N C E : Nonsti ck vs. Cast I ron
Shoul d you buy nonsti ck o r cast- i ron cookare? Here' s how they stack up.
NONSTI CK CAST I RO N N OTE S
PRI CE 7
The best nonsti ck pans cost at l east $ 1 00. You can buy four
good cast- i ron pans for that money .
EAS E OF US E 7 Cast- i ron pans are heav and hard to l ift and maneuver.
CARE v
Cast i ron must be washed and dri ed careful ly after each use
and may requi re occasi onal reseasoni ng.
STI CK-
7
Preseasoned cast i ron comes cl ose to nonsti ck, especi al ly with
RE S I STANC E
repeated use.
v
Cast i ron i s perfect for seari ng steaks and is ovensafe. Nonstick
VE RSATI LI TY
doesn ' t brown very wel l and can' t go i nto a ver hot oven.
D U RABI LI TY
v
Cast i ron wi l l last a l ifeti me or l onger. Nonsti ck might last a
few years-at most.
| ' ' 1F , \\ ll E R b 0 C r 0 I ! F R 2 10 7
Z
Nonsti ck Surace Comes wi th Ti me
mcssas shortcningdrips o||thc
We found that all cast- i ron pans wi l l become more nonsti ck wi th ti me. Whi l e
you mi ght thi nk thi s wi l l take years. we found a si gnificant diference after j ust
a few weeks in the test ki tchen.
pan. What`s morc, thc unsca
soncd pans laggcd bchind thc
|actoryscasoncd pans in non
stick pcr|ormancc throughout
our tcsting. Jhcir lightcr huc
also produccd lightcr brown
ing on thc corn brcad than thc
so|id|y black prcscasoncd pans.
Jhis ycar, Lodgc discontinucd
sclling unscasoncd cast iron,
statingthatcustomcrs prc|crrcd
thc prcscasoncd pans by a widc
margi n. According to Lodgc
spokcspcrson Mark Kclly, thc
|actory scasoning i s cquiva
lcnt to scasoningityourscl|2O
timcs. "Wc think this lcg up is
STI CKY M E S S S EAS ONE D PRO
Scrmbled egs sti ck to the surace of a
new preseasoned cast- i ron ski l l et j ust
out of the box.
After a few weeks, the same pan
became more seasoned and rel eased
all but a few wisps of eg.
scaringabilityandmadctomato capcrpan saucc
with thc rcsulting |ond to scc whcthcr thc cast
ironwouldrcactwith thc acidin thc saucc. Wc
also shallow|ricd brcadcd chickcn cutlcts whilc
wiring thc pans with a thcrmocouplc to mca
surc thcir rcsponsivcncss, conductivity, andhcat
rctcntion-all rc|lccting thcir ability to cvcnly
andcrisply|rychickcn.
In thc cgg tcst, thc nonstick skillct was thc
runawaywinncr,thcpcr|ormancco|thccastiron
pansrangcdnommcdiocrctopoor.Jhccastiron
panswcrcclcarlysupcriorinthccornbrcadtcsts,
producingthcbrowncst,crispcstcrust.Jhcywcrc
onparwiththcstain|cssstcclpaninthcstcakand
chickcntcsts.Jhoughnotuncxpcctcd,thcrcsults
wcrcsomcwhatdisappointing.
Howcvcr, wc noticcd that most o|thc cast
ironpansimprovcdthcirabilitytorclcasc|oodas
our tcsting progrcsscd. Jhc scasoning , whcthcr
donc by thc manu|acturcr orus)was bccoming
thickcrandmorc rc|iabl c. Wcdccidcdto trythc
cggtcstagainandwcrcsurpriscdbythcdramatic
improvcmcnt. Pans that had pcr|ormcd poorly
in thc h rst cgg tcst did a dcccnt j ob, and thc
prcscasoncdpanswcrcnowncarlyasgoodasthc
nonstick pan in this tcst. Givcn such dramatic
improvcmcntovcrjusta |cwwccks,wcwcrcnot
surpriscd whcn thc castiron pans continucd to
bccomcmorcnonstick"withtimc.
At this point, wc concludcd that a castiron
pan can combinc thc bcst traits o|both non
stickandtraditional cookarc. You coul dmakc
cggs and scar stcak in thc samc pan. Howcvcr,
this cndorscmcnt comcs with two important
cavcats-youmustchooscthcrightpan,andyou
mustbcwillingtocarc|orit.
Casting Cal l
So which o| thcsc cight castiron pans is our
|avoritc Jhcrc wcrc scvcral |actors that dis
tinguishcd thc highrankcd modcls. First, thcy
wcrc scasoncd by thc manu|acturcr. Scasoning
ncw pans in thc ovcn crcatcs oi|y mmcs and a
wcllworth a|cwcxtradollars.
Sccond,cvcnncsso|cookingwithouthotspots
orhcatsurgcswasvcryimportant. Wc wantcd a
pan thatwouldn'tcoolo||too muchwhcn|ood
was addcd andwould quickly climb backto thc
dcsircd tcmpcraturc. Jhc Bayou C|assic skillct
hadtroublcmaintainingstcadyhcat,amajorUaw
|or this typc o|pan. Whcn wcwcighcd thc pans
andmcasurcdthcthickncsso|thcirbottoms,wc
discovcrcdthatthcBayouwasthcthinncst. ur
top rankcdpanswcrcuptotwiccasthickandall
dcmonstratcd morccvcn distributionandrctcn
tiono|hcat.
A third kcy |actor was thc diamctcr o|thc
intcriorcookingsur|acc,whichmadcadi||crcncc
whcn trying to accommodatc multiplc chickcn
brcasts orstcakswithoutcrowdingorstcaming.
cspitc avcraging I2 inchcs |rom rim to ri m,
thcintcriorcookingsur|accs o|thcpansrangcd
|rom l+ inchcsto I O/+ inchcs. Wchavcastrong
prc|crcncc|orthc|argcrpans.
Wcightwas a thorny issuc. Whilcwcprc|crrcd
thc biggcrpans,thcy tcndcd to bc hcavyand di|
hcult|orasmallcrcooktomanipulatcintaskssuch
asswirlingmcltingbuttcr,pouringohapansaucc,
and ||ipping to rclcasc corn brcad. Good handlc
dcsigncanhclpohctthcproblcm. urtoprankcd
pansall|caturcdhclpcrhandlcsoppositcthcmain
handl c. Jwo pas L Crcusct and Iodgc Pro
Logic) a|so |caturcd largcr main handl cs, which
madcthcpanscasicr|orsmallcrcookstousc.
urabilityis onc o|thc biggcstvirtucso|cast
iron. And whilc thc Ic Crcusct pan pcr|ormcd
vcry wcll , thc cnamclcd bottom o|thc pan also
bccamc chippcd and scratchcdwith routinc usc
duringtcsti ng. , Youalsocan'tuscmctalutcnsils
withthispanorstackothcrpansinsidcit. ) I | you
wantakitchcnworkhorsc,thisisn'ti t. Jhcnickcl
hnishonthclvidapanwasdurablcandworkcd
asdcscribcd,butitdidn'to||crsignihcantcnough
advantagc ovcrprcscasoncdcastiron to warrant
spcnding ncarly S I OO. Whilc wc oncn h nd that
yougctwhatyoupay|or,inthccasco|castiron,
youdon' tnccdtospcndmorctogctmorc.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
?
Taki ng Care of Cast I ron
Kouti neNai ntenance
I f you buy a preseasoned pan (and you
shoul d) , you can use the pan with l i ttl e fuss.
.Don' t wash the pan wi th soap or l eave i t i n the
si nk to soak. Ri nse i t out under hot runni ng wter,
scrubbi ng with a brush to remove trces of food.
(Thi s i s easi est if done whi l e the pan i s sti l l warm. )
Dr the pan thoroughly a n d pu t i t back on the
burner on l ow heat unti l al l trces of moi sture di s
appear (thi s keeps rusti ng at bay) . Put a few drops
of vegetabl e oi l i n the warm, dr pan and wi pe the
i nteri or with a wad of paper towel s unti l i t i s l ightly
covered with oi l . Then, usi ng fresh paper towel s,
rub more fi rmly to burni sh the surface and remove
all excess oi l . The pan shoul dn' t l ook or feel oi ly to
the touch. Turn of the heat and al l ow the pan to
cool before putti ng i t away.
Heay DuqCl eani ng
If you have stuck-on food or you've i nherited
a pan that i s rust or gummy, scrub i t with
kosher sal t.
Pour i n vegetabl e oi l to a depth of '/ i nch, then
pl ace the pan on a stove set to medi um- l ow for 5
mi nutes. Remove pan from heat and add '/cup
kosher sal t. Usi ng pothol der to gri p hot handl e,
use thi ck cushi on of paper towels to scrub pan.
Warm oi l wi l l l oosen food or rust, and kosher sal t
wi l l have abrdi ng efect. Ri nse pan under hot run
ni ng water, dr wel l , and repeat, i f necessar.
Keseasoni ng
If cooking aci di c foods or i mproper cl eani ng has
removed the seasoni ng from your pan, it wi l l
l ook dul l , patchy, and dr i nstead of a smooth,
rich bl ack. You need to restore the seasoni ng.
We have found thi s stovetop method (rther
than the usual oven method) to be the most
efective way to season a cast- i ron pan.
Heat pan over medi um- high heat unti l drop
of water evaportes on contact. Wi pe i nsi de with
wad of paper towels di pped i n vegetabl e oil (hol d
towels wi th tongs to protect you relf) . Wi pe out
excess oi l and repeat as needed unti l pan i s sl i ck.
In thc cnd, wc prc|crrcd thc classic dcsign-
with straight , rathcr than sl opcd) si dcs-and
roomy intcrior o|thc prcscasoncd Lodgc Logic
Skillct , S2o. 5 ) . It pcr|ormcd wcll i n all our
cookingtcsts,itssur|acc gaincd scasoninginthc
coursc o|tcsting, and itwilllast|orgcncrations.
I|you arc strong and don't mind a truly hcavy
pan, thcprcscasoncd Camp Chc|skillctisa solid
pcr|ormcr|oronlyS I 7. . It' sourBcstBuy.
Q COOK' S LI VE Origi nal Test Ki tchen Videos
www. c ooks i l l us t rate d . c om
B E HI ND TH E S CE NE S
Cast- I ron Ski l l et Testi ng
VI DE O TI PS
What' s the right way to mai ntai n a cast- i ron ski l l et?
RTI NGS
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
1l1 ' |/1- K' l1
We tested ei ght cast- i ron ski l l ets, each
approxi mately 1 2 i nches i n di ameter,
al ong with our top- rted nonsti ck and
stai nl ess-steel ski l l ets. We compared the
performance of these pans i n a number
of cooking tests. Mai l -order sources for
the top pans are on page 32.
MATERI AL: Metal and fi ni sh of pans.
PRI CE: Retai l pri ce at Boston- area
stores or onl i ne cookare si tes.
COOKI NG SURFACE : Di ameter
of i nteri or cooki ng surface measured
(in i nches) across the bottom of the
ski l l et and thi ckness of pan bottom ( i n
mi l l i meters) .
WEI GHT: Wei ght of ski l l et.
EGGS: We prepared scrmbl ed eggs i n
each pan as the fi rst test (after season
i ng pans that requi red i t) , noti ng degree
of sti cki ng and ease of cl eanup. We
di d it agai n after compl eti ng al l other
cooki ng tests, to obsere whether pans
became more seasoned duri ng testi ng.
Rti ng reflects performance i n the sec
ond round.
STEAK: We pan-seared steaks and pre
pared a tomato- based pan sauce i n each
pan. We preferred pans that provi ded a
wel l - browned crust and a good fond that
l ed to a compl ex, flavorful pan sauce.
CORN BREAD: We put the pans i n
the oven; we preferred those that made
com bread that rel eased easi l y from the
pan and had a cri sp, gol den crust and
moist i nteri or.
CHI CKEN: We l ooked for shal l ow
fried breaded chicken cutl ets that were
crisp and gol den brown outsi de and moi st
i nsi de, preferri ng pans that retai ned heat
wel l , even when food was added, and di d
not get crowded.
DESI GN: We consi dered design fea
tures such as hel per handl es, wei ght,
and shape, and performance features
that hel ped make the pan easy to use
and cl ean. Pns that requi red strong
arms l ost some poi nts.
Ldge Lgic 1 2- l nch Ski l l et
MATER| AL. Cast iron, preseasoned
PR| CE . $26. 95
COOK| NG S URFACE . diameter 1 0" :
bottom thickness 5. 66 mm.
WE | GHT. 7. 2 1 b.
Te Camp Chef SK- I 2 Cast
I ron Ski l let
Lb1 UT
MATER| AL. Cast iron, preseasoned
PR| CE . $ 1 7. 99
COOK| NGS URFACE . diameter 9 3/4" :
bottom thickness 1 0. 37 mm.
WE | G HT. 9.2 1 b.
Ldge Pro- Lgic 1 2- l nch
Ski l l et
MATE R| AL. Cast iron, preseasoned
PR| CE . $29. 95
COOK| NGS URFACE . diameter 9 V4" ;
bottom thickness 5.44 mm.
WE | G HT. 7.4 1b.
L Creuset Round Ski l let,
I l - I nch
MATER| AL. Enameled cast iron with
matte-finish black enamel interior
PR| CE . $ 1 09.95
COOK| NGSURFACE . diameter
9 3/4" ; bottom thickness 1 0. 26 mm.
WE | G HT. 6. 5 1 b.
Ol vi da 1 3 - l nch Ski l l et
MATER| AL. Cast iron covered with
nickel plate
PR| CE . $98. 95
COOK| NG S URFACE . diameter
1 03/4" ; bottom thickness 9. 87 mm.
WE| G HT. 8. 65 1 b.
Wagner Coll ection Skillet,
l l 3/4 1 nch
MATER| AL. Cast iron, unseasoned
PR| CE. $ 1 9
COOK| NGS URFACE . diameter 9 3/4"
bottom thickness 5.82 mm.
WE | GHT. 6. 8 1 b.
Caj un Cl assic 1 2- l nch Cast
I ron Skillet
MATER| AL. Cast iron. unseasoned
PR| CE . $ 1 6
COOK| NGS URFACE . diameter 9 7z' ,
bottom thickness 8. 1 5 mm.
WE | GHT. 5. 85 1b.
Bayou Cl assic Heav Dut
Cast I ron Ski l l et, 1 2 I nches
MATER| AL. Cast iron, unseasoned
PR| CE. $ 1 1
COOK| NGSU RFACE . diameter 9 7z ,
bottom thickness 4. 06 mm.
WE | GHT. 6. 1 5 1 b.
S E P T E M B E R [ O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7
Z /
E GGS . ***
STEAK.
***
CORN READ. ***
CH| CKE N.
***
DE S | G N. **
E GGS . ***
STEAK.
***
CORN READ . ***
CH| CKE N.
***
DE S | GN. **
E GGS . ***
STEAK.
***
CORN READ . ***
CH| CKE N.
***
DE S | GN . **
E GGS . ***
STEAK.
***
CORNREAD. ***
CH| CKE N.
***
DE S | G N . **
E GGS . **
STEAK.
***
CORN READ. ***
CH| CKE N. ***
DE S | GN. **
E GGS . **
STEAK.
***
CORN READ . **
CH| CKE N.
***
DE S | GN. **
E GGS . **
STEAK.
**
CORNREAD. ***
CH| CKEN .
***
DE S| G N. **
E GGS . *
**
***
CH| CKE N.
**
DE S | GN. **
Classic shape provided "plent of rom" in
steak and chicken tests, but small handle
made pan feel heav when lifed. Egs stuck
"considerbly" and took "tons of scrbbing"
to clean the firt time arund but barely
stuck and cleaned up easily the second time.
Com bread ws crst. with perect release.
Heaviest and thickest pan in the lineup was
"a beast" to handle, but its heft made it
shine in our cooking tests, where a con-
sistent heat and deep sear were desirble.
Right out of the box, we made scrmbled
egs that didn't stick and com bread that
browned well and released perfect.
" Goreous" browning on the fried chicken
and steak. Egs imprved drmatically, from
"honrible sticking" to "ver eas to clean" by
the end of testing. Handle is wide and well
balanced, and loop-shaped helper handle is
eas to grsp. Cured (rther than angled)
sides make sauces easier to scrpe up.
" Prett" pan was well proportioned and
easier to handle than other. Sloping sides
made egs and sauce easier to scrpe up.
Achieved "beautiful crust" on steak and
com bread. On firt test. egs stuck fero-
ciously, but results improved drmatically in
second round, with minimal sticking. Can't
use metal utensils or stck anything inside
without damaging enamel fnish.
Chicken and steak browned beautifully in
this heav, roomy, silver-colored pan with
"steady heating. The fond for pan sauce
was a little light on favor, almost like the
nonstick skillet. Eggs stuck a moderate
amount, without much change as test-
ing progressed: pan cleaned up easily.
Dishwasher-safe.
Slightly less steady heating than higher-
ranked pans, but good results shallow-
fring chicken and searing steak. Egs stuck
moderately, even as testing progressed,
and pan always required some scrubbing . .
Com bread browned well but stuck to pan.
Thumb-hold on handle is nice feature.
Straight-sided pan was crowded while
shallow-frying two chicken breasts and
when searing a pair of steak. Steak pan
sauce had a slight metallic taste, indicating
the acid had reacted with the pan. Eggs
continued to stick in second round but
cleaned up easily.
Thin bottom caused steep temperature
drop when chicken was added to hot oil.
Steaks cooked unevenly and with unsteady
tempertures (too hot, then too cool) .
Pan was crowded and began steaming
steaks. Scrmbled egs stuck considerbly
throughout testing. Cooking surface was
roughest of the lineup.
I s Wisconsin Parmesan a Player?
Do agi ng ti me, raw mi lk, and salt content really matter?
T
hc buttcry, nutty, slightly truity tastc
and crystal l i nc crunch ot gcnui nc
Parmigiano Rcggiano chccsc is a onc
ota kind cxpcricncc. Produccd using
traditionalmcthodstorthcpast8OOycarsinonc
govcrnmcntdcsignatcd arca otnorthcrn Italy,
thishardcow` s milkchccschasadistinctivc|lavor
thatis toutcd as coming as much trom tlc pro
ductionproccss as trom thc rcgion` sgcography.
Butisallottlis rcgional cmphasistorrcal ,orcan
rcallygoodParmcsanbcmadcanywhcrc`
Rcccntly, many morc brands ot s hri nk
wrappcd,wcdgc styl c, Amcrican madcParmcsan
havc bccn appcaring in supcrmarkcts . Jhcy`rc
sold at a traction otthc pricc otauucntic stutt,
whichcancostup to S33apound.
Joscchowthcystackcd up, wc boughtcight
nationally distri butcd brands at thc supcrmar
kct. six domcstic Parmcsans and two importcd
Parmi gi ano Rcggi anos . Wc also purchascd
Parmigiano Rcggiano trom tour gourmct mai l
ordcr compani cs. Wc pai d trom S I 3 . to
S33. oOpcrpound-plusshipping-toruchigh
cndmailordcrchccscs,ucsupcrmarkctwcdgcs
rangcdtromS8 . 4toS I 7. I 7 pcrpound.
The Making of Prmesan
In Italy, uc making ot ParmigianoRcggiano is
highlycodincd. Hcrc`showucproccssworks, in
bricl Rw, partly skimmcd m hom cows uat
grazcinasmallarcaot FmaRomagnainnortl
crn Italy is warmcd and combincd wiu a startcr
culturc , think sourdough) to bcgin uc curdling
proccss. Rcnnct hom calvcs` stomachs, which
containsuc coagulating cnzymc rcnnin, is addcd
to tacilitatc uc tormation otcurds. Jhc curds arc
stirrcd,whichallowsmoisturcandwhcytocscapc.
Evcntually, uccurds arc tormcd intowhccls uat
wcigh about 8O pounds and havc uc words
ParmigianoRcggiano" stcncilcd onto uc cxtc
rior. Jhcchccscis submcrgcdm brinc, saltwatcr)
torscvcraldays.Jhismakcsucrindalittlcsalty,but
mostotmcchccscisnotcxposcdtoucbnnc.
Finally, thc chccsc is agcd. With aging, mois
turclcvclsdcclincanducchccsc`scharactcristic
crystalstorm. Agingalsoallowscnzymcstobrcak
down thc protcin structurc otuc chccsc, crcat
ingitssignaturccrumbly,craggytcxturc. Bylaw,
Parmigiano Rcggiano must bc agcd tor at lcast
I2 montlsbctorcitcan bcsold,anditisusually
agcdtor24monus .
Jhcproccssislaboriousandtimcconsuming,
whichcxplainsthchighpricctagtorthischccsc.
3 l Y L I S A M c M A N U S E
Jhcrc arc also plcnty otplaccs to cut corncrs,
whichisoncrcasondomcsticParmcsansarc lcss
cxpcnsivc. Buttlat`snotthcwholcstory.
An American Tal e
Whatthccowscatwillattccttlcllavorotucirmilk
and tlc rcsulting chccsc. In Italy, thc cowsdcsig
natcdtorParmigianoRcggianograzcoutdoors,in
tlc Lnitcd Statcs, most cows arc not pasturcd,"
said Dcan Sommcr, chccsc and tood tcchnologist
atthcWisconsin CcntcrtorDairyRcscarch,attlc
Lnivcrsity ot WisconsinMadison. According to
Sommcr,AmcricancowsgcncrallycatJMR,total
mixcdration,"aconccntratcdtccd.
I n addition to tlc cows` dict, Sommcr told
us, thcrc arc dittcrcnt and uniquc micro|lora
and ycasts in uc milk. " Jhc Amcrican practicc
othcating tlc milk tor pastcurization kills ucsc
microorganisms. Howcvcr, sincc Italians usc raw
milktomakcParmcsan,thcscmicroorganismsadd
uniquc llavor componcnts to tlc chccsc. Wiu
raw milkchccscs,you gctcxtrcmchighsandlows
otllavor," Sommcr said. Wiu pastcurizcd milk,
you won`t gct tlosc cxtrcmc highs, butyou also
won` tgctthclows. It`samorcconsistcntproduct,
anditsavcsmoncytorucmanutacturcr. "
It` s not j ust thc milk that`s dittcrcnt in thc
Lni tcd Statcs . Amcrican chccsc makcrs ottcn
usc nonanimal rcnnctto curdlc thc milk. And
mc startcrcul turcsdittcr,witlItaliansusingthc
whcy l ctt trom thc chccsc making otthc day
bctorc,whilcAmcricansgcncrallypurchascstart
crs trom cnzymc manutacturcrs . Fi nally, cach
chccscmakingcompany, andcachpl antotcach
company,willhavcslightlydittcrcntmicroorgan
ismsinitscnvironmcnt,whichaltcrstlc|lavorot
mc chccsc bcing produccd. Pcoplcwill litcrally
takc bricks hom uc walls otthc old plant wiu
thcm to a ncw plant, i n hopcs otrccstablishing
mcmicro|lora, "saidSommcr.
Di ferences You Can Taste
Givcn all uc dittcrcnccs in tlc manutacturing
proccss on cach sidc otuc Atlantic, it shouldn`t
comc as much ota surprisc tlat our tastcrs cas
ilypickcdouttlcimports in ourlincup otcight
supcrmarkct chccscs , scc chart on pagc 2) .
Jhc two gcnuinc Iarmigiano Rcggianos,soldi n
supcrmarkcts undcr brand namcs Boar`s Hcad
and Il Villaggio, wcrc uc pancl ` sclcar tavoritcs.
Jhc domcstic chccscs, al l madc in Wisconsin,
prcscntcd a widc rangc ot|lavors and tcxturcs
trom quitc goodto rubbcry, salty, andbland.
C OOK
'
S I L L U ST R AT E D
? d
Tasti ng Mai l - Order Prmi gi ano
We ordered Parmi gi ano- Reggi ano from four
gourmet websites: Zi ngermans. com ( $22. 50 per
pound ) ; Dean & Del uca, whi ch i mports a younger
cheese to lower the cost ( $2 1 per pound, 2- pound
mi ni mum, i ncl udes Prmi gi ano knife) ; Gustiamo.
com, whi ch boasts of a 36- month "extr-aged"
cheese from a parti cul ar dai r ( $42 for 1 . 25 pounds.
$ 3 3 . 60 per pound) ; and i Gourmet. com, where
we chose both the regul ar Prmi gi ano- Regi ano
( $ 1 3 . 99 per pound) and an i ntrigui ng Vacche Rosse
( " Red Cow") Prmi gi ano- Regi ano ( $ 1 2. 99 for 8
ounces. $25 . 98 per pound) .
We l earned that thi s " Red Cow" Prmesan
comes from the red-col ored Regi ana cows that
were the earl i est breed nati ve to northern Italy.
Due to thei r l ower mi l k yi el d, these cows were
edged out by modem high-yi el d cows j ust after
World War I I . A few trdi ti onal ists are bri ngi ng
them back to make cheese the ol d-fashi oned way.
Thei r mi l k has a naturl ly hi gher fat content, and the
cheese i s usual ly aged at l east 30 months.
We preferred the i Gourmet regul ar and Vacche
Rosse Prmi gi ano- Reggi ano by a l andsl i de, ranki ng
them si gni fi cantly hi gher than the other cheeses
for compl exi t of flavor and appeal i ng texture.
And when we tasted the regul ar Prmi gi ano from
i Gourmet agai nst our supermarket cheeses, i t was
an easy wi nner. L. M.
Sowhatmadcthcimportcdchccscsstandout`
Jhoughourtcstkitchcntastcrs usuallylikcsalty
toods, tlc imports had thc lowcst salt contcnt.
Iab tcsts showcd somc chccscs to havc ncarly
twiccasmuchsaltasoucrs.Jhat`sbccauscmany
Amcrican companics producc whccls otchccsc
that wcigh j ust 2O to 24 pounds, not thc 8O
poundstandarduscdi nItaly.Asarcsult,morcot
thcchccsc iscxposcd tosaltduring brining.
Jcxu|rcwasabigtactor.JhcItalianimportshad
adricr,crumblicrtcxturcandacrystallinccrunch.
carlyallottlcAncricanchccscswcrcnoticcably
moistcr, somc cvcn to uc point otbouncincss,
wiu tcw ornocrystals. Jhclaboratorytcstsborc
outourtastcrs`pcrccptions,withimportcdchccscs
showinglowcrmoisturclcvclsingcncral .
QCOOK' S LI VE Origi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deo
www. c ooks i l l u st rat e d . c om
BE H I N D THE S CE NE S
Prmesan Tasti ng
1/1 `' lllK^/Kl1 lK^l` |lll
Twent Cook's Illustrted staf members tasted ei ght nati onal ly avai l abl e supermarket brands of Parmesan cheese three ways: broken i nto chunks, grated , and cooked i n
pol enta. The resul ts were averged , and the cheeses are l i sted i n order of preference. An i ndependent l aboratory measured the moi sture l evel and sal t content both shown
as grms per hundred) . I nformati on about agi ng was provi ded by manufacturers.
KLLOMMLNDLD
BOAR'S HED PRMI GIANO- REGGIANO
Pri ce: ! / / per pound
Origi n: I mported from Italy, aged z4months

Salt: :g.
Moi sture: 1z 4:g.
KLCOMMLNDLDWI1H KLSLBl ONS
ROSAUA'S TRTORIA PRMESAN
Pri ce: ! 4-per pound
Origi n: Domesti c, aged at l east I 0months
Sal t: z 40g.
Moi sture: 1- 0 g.
Comments: Tasters deemed thi s sampl e " best i n show" and
"authenti c, " prai si ng i ts "good crunch" and "ni ce tang, nutt" flavor.
" Ri ch" and "compl ex. " this cheese had a "ver good bal ance of aci d/frui t
nutt /creamy. "
Comments: Tasters di sl i ked its "plasti c, " "dense and
rubbery. " texture: " I t' s l i ke I bi t i nto food from a dol l house. "
Grated, i t had "nutt flavor and fresh aroma" but was "a bi t one
di mensi onal . " I n pol enta. i t was "ver chees." wi th "flavorful bi te. "
l l VI UAGGI O PARMI GIANO- REGGIANO
Price: ! : --per pound
Origi n: I mported from Italy.
aged z4months
Salt: z z g.
Moi sture: 1 I g.
KRF GRTE- IT- FRESH PRMESAN
Pri ce: ! ' 40per pound (sol d i n pl astic grater,
/ounces for !4 --)
Origi n: Domesti c, aged 0months
Sal t: 1 /g.
Comments: " Nutt. granul ar, tang. and tast" was the ver
di ct, with tasters noting its "good, sharp flavor." "cragg" texture.
Moi sture: 1z zg.
Comments: The high sal t content showed: " I fel t l i ke a deer
at a sal t l i ck. " Shredded wi th i ts own grater. the texture was
" l i ke dental floss, " with flavor that was "artifi ci al . " One unhappy
taster asked. "Was thi s grated from a Prm- scented candl e? "
"nice aroma. " and "mel t-on-your-tongue feel . " I n pol enta. thi s cheese was "ri ch
and bol d. "
BELGI OIOSO PARMESAN
bbOT
Pri ce: ! --per pound
Origi n: Domesti c, aged at l east I 0months
Salt: 1 - g.
Moi sture: 14 /g.
Comments: Mi l d but compl ex. " thi s cheese was a l i ttle "sof
and creamy for a Parmesan. " with a "too moi st" texture. Grated, i t had a
"nice and tang" aroma and " l ovely. del i cate flavor. " In pol enta, i t was " nutt.
wel l bal anced. ver good. "
SARVECCHI O PRMESAN (FORMERLY
SVECCHI O)
Price: !I I . --per pound
Origi n: Domesti c, aged z0months
Salt: z -g.
Moi sture: z- g.

MUPARMESAN
Pri ce: ! -per pound
Origi n: Domesti c. aged I 0months
Sal t: z -0g.
Moi sture: 1 1 4g.
Comments: In chunks , tasters were not i mpressed :
" Soapy. fake, rubbery. Yuck. " Grated. thi s sampl e fared
better. with a " nutt. buttery aroma and flavor. " though several deemed it
"nothi ng speci al . " I n pol enta, i t was "ver bl and. "
DI GI ORNO PARMESN
Pri ce: ! 4-per pound
Origi n: Domesti c, aged at l east :months
Sal t: z 0g.
Moi sture: 14 :/g.
Comments: Rubbery" came up over and over i n tast-
Comments: " Good, i nteresti ng flavor; al most has a sharp. l em ers' comments. " Li ke eati ng candl e wax. and the flavor' s not much
ony note. " accordi ng to one taster. Another prai sed the "ri ch nutti ness" i n
thi s "crumbly" cheese "with a sl ight crunch . " One taster s ummed up: "A Parm wi th guts '
better. " Grated, i t was " bl andsvi l l e." I n pol enta. i t was "too mi l d. " " Di d you
forget to put the cheese in here? "
Wyisthisso` First,cvcn bc|orc thc chccsci s
|ormcd into whccls, thc sizc o|thc curds inUu
cnccs its tcxturc. In Italy, chccsc makcrs usc a
giantwhisktobrcakcurdsintopicccsdcscri bcdas
thcsizco|whcatgrains,"allowingmoisturcand
whcy to cscapc. Amcrican curds arc brokcn up
bymachinc and usually lcnlargcr, which causcs
thcmtorctainmorcmoisturc,Sommcrsai d.
Sccond, as Parmcsan agcs, it loscs moisturc
andbcgins to |ormitscharactcristiccrystals . At
thc samc timc, cnzymcs brcak down thc pro
tcin structurc, crcating an i ncrcasingly crum
bly, craggy tcxturc, cxplaincd PatMugan, vicc
prcsidcnt o| product i nnovati on |or Sartori
FoodsinWisconsi n, whi chproduccsSarVccchio
Iarmcsan,thcdomcsticchccscwiththclongcst
aging timc , at lcast 2O months) and thc lowcst
moisturc|cvc|inourlincup. Atsixmonths, thc
chccscwouldbcablctobcnd,attwcntymonths,
i t crumbl cs, " Mugan sai d. Youscc a dramatic
di||crcncc. "
Whilc Ita| i an Parmigiano Rcggi anos arc al l
agcd at l cast I2 and usual | y 24 months, |or
domcstic Parmcsan thc |cdcral standard is I O
months, thougha |cwmanu|acturcrspctitioncd
, and gottcmporarypcrmission) to shortcn thc
aging standard to six months, c| ai mi ng that
i t docs not a||cct thc qual i ty o|thc chccsc .
Sommcr di sagrccs . For a Parmcsan, cspc
ci al | y, t i mc i s criti cal , " hc sai d. For t hc hrst
hvcmonths o|agi ng, thc chccsc hashardlyany
|lavorwhatsocvcr. F| avordcvclopmcnt] gradu
S E P T E M B E R [ O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7
? '
allycomcsalong,pickingupspccd|romaround
cight months on, whcn you start gctting somc
rcally nicc |lavors . " Kra|t nowproduccsourprc
vi ous |avoritc domcsti c Parmcsan, Di Gi orno,
usingthisncwshortcragingpcri od, whichhclps
cxplain why i t ratcd so poorly with our tastcrs
tlis timc.
Whi l c our tastcrs cl carly prc|crrcd Italian
ParmigianoRcggiano, thcy also praiscd thc top
two domcstic chccscs |or thcir pl casant nutty
|lavor. Bcl Gioioso and SarVccchio wcrc two o|
thc longcragcd o|thc domcstic chccscs, at I O
monthsand2Omonths,rcspcctivc|y.Whilcthcsc
chccscscan`trcallycompctcwithourtoprankcd
i mports, Bcl Gi oi oso o||crcd l ovcly, dcl icatc
|lavor"|orjustmorcthanhal|thcpricc.
K I TC HEN NOTE S
Smoke in the Water
Wc wcrc among thc many pcoplc
whoassumcthatthcrcmustbcsomc
kindotsynthcticchcmical chicancry
going on in thc making otliquid
smokc" Uavoring. Butaccording to
thc Colgin Company , which has
bccnbottlingliquidsmokcsinccthc
I th ccntury) , that's not thc casc.
Liquid smokc is madc by channcl
ing smokc trom smoldcring wood
chips through a condcnscr, which
quick|y cools thc vapors, causing
thcm to liquc[ , j ust likc thc drops
that torm whcn you brcathc on
a piccc ot cold glass) . Jhc watcr
solublc U avor compounds in thc
S MOK E S I G NALS
Test cook J . Kenji Al t turned a basi c kettle
gri l l i nto a homemade l i qui d smoke sti l l .
To view Kenj i ' s sl i de show, go to
w . cooksi l l ustrated . com/ october.
smokc arc trappcd within this liq
uid,whilc thc nonsolublc, carcino
gcnictarsandrcsinsarcrcmovcdby
ascricsoth ltcrs,rcsultinginaclcan,
smokc||avorcdliquid.
Curiousaboutthcmanutacturing
proccss tor this product, wc won
dcrcd itwc could bottlc up somc
smokctoroursclvcs. Jodo this,wc
crcatcdasmall scalcmockupotthc
commcrcial mcthod, involving a
kcttlc grill,aducttan, asiphon,and
aniccchil|cdglasscoilcondcnscr.
In a comparison othomcmadc
and storc bought l i qui d smokc,
homcmadcwaspraiscdtorits clcan,
intcnsc,smoky|lavor. Butwcspcnt
ancntircdayand S5Oon matcrials
toproducc 3 tablcspoons othomc
madc l i qui d smokc . Commcrci al
liquid smokc is just hnc, cspccially
ityou avoid brands with additivcs
B Y ) K E N ) ! A L T =
such as salt, vincgar, and molasscs.
Wright's Liquid Smokc , S2. tor
3. 5 ounccs ) is our top ratcd brand
and contains nothi ng but smokc
andwatcr.
Cool i ng Soup
What'sthcbcstwaytocoolandstorc
lcnovcr soup` For satcp rcasons, thc
\. S. Food and Drug Administration
, FDA) rccommcnds cooling liquids
to 7O dcgrccs wu in thc hrst two
hours ancr cooking and 4O dcgrccs
withntourhoursancrtlat.
s H o p p 1 N G : Wi l d Shri mp
Recently, we' ve been seei ng producer- l abel ed "wi l d American shri mp" i n our super
markets. We held a bl i nd tasting of frozen wild shri mp (caught in the Florida Keys) ;
fresh (never-frozen) wi l d shri mp del ivered overni ght from Fl ori da; and our favorite
tpe of farm- rised shri mp (shel l - on, i ndivi dual ly qui ck-frozen) . Whi l e both wi l d
varieties had a sweeter, bri ni er flavor than the farm- rised shri mp. we found that the
never-frozen wi l d shri mp had an of- putti ng mushy texture.
It turns out that fresh wi l d shri mp are mi ni mal ly processed before del iver
they are al most always shi pped head- on. The heads of shri mp contai n di gestive
enzmes that can break down the muscl e protei n in the unfrozen shri mp' s body
rapi dly after death, resul ti ng in mushy meat. Frozen shri mp, on the other hand
( both wi l d and farm- rai sed) , have thei r heads removed and are frozen i mme
di ately after bei ng caught, resul ti ng i n meat that stays pl ump and fi rm. I f your
supermarket carri es frozen wi l d shri mp. we feel they are worth the extr money
( $ 1 5 . 99 per pound versus $ I 0. 99 per pound for farm- ri sed at our l ocal Whol e
Foods Market) .
Jhc casicst mcthod was to put
thchotpot otsoupin thcrchigcra
tor. Jhc boiling soup coolcd trom
2I 2dcgrccs to4Odcgrccs in a total
timc ottour hours and I 5 minutcs.
Howcvcr, thc tridgc' s tcmpcraturc
rosc to ncarly 5O dcgrccs, which is
unsatc tor cvcrythi ng cl sc bci ng
storcd in thcrc. Wc tound that by
lctting thc soup cool to 85 dcgrccs
on thc countcrtop , which tookonly
an hour) bctorc transtcrringittotlc
hidgc,wc could bringitdownto4O
dcgrccsina total timc ottourhours
and 3O minutcs , wcl l within thc
FDA'srccommcndcdrangc) , andthc
hidgcncvcrgotabovc4Odcgrccs.

WI LD AND F RE S H WI LD BUT F ROZE N
Ri peni ng Pears
Most supcrmarkct pcars arc rock-
hard and must bc ripcncd at homc.
What's thc bcst way to accomplish
this? \singBartlctts,wc tcstcdtour
mcthods. in a bowl on thc coun
tcr, in a papcr bag, in a papcr bag
witl bananas , which givc ott cth
ylcnc gas, a ripcning agcnt) , and in
thc rc|rigcrator. Ancrtwo days, thc
pcars in thc bags wcrc almost ripc
andpcrtccttor PcarCrisp, pagc23)
, thc pcars i ntlc bag with bananas
wcrc slightly ripcr) , but ancr j ust
onc morc day thcy wcrc too ripc.
Jhcpcarsinthcbow|onthccountcr
took tour days to ripcn, but thcy
didn'tcxhibitthc quickovcrripcning
tlat thc pcars in tlc bags did. Pcars
kcpt in thc hidgc wcrc onIy slightly
npcrandsoncrancrawcck.
ur rccommcndation isto ripcn
pcars in a bowl on thc countcr. It
Fresh wi l d shri mp are shi pped with thei r
heads on, whi ch results i n mushi er meat.
you nccd thcm sooncr, ripcn thcm
in a bag with bananas. But chcck
thcmtrcqucntly-thcygotromjust
righttomushinamattcrothours.
Cl eani ng Appl es and Pears
In rcccnt kitchcn tcsts, wc discov
crcd that spraying producc with
vincgar is thc bcst way to rcmovc
surtacc wax and pcsticidcs, but
could this mcthoddcstroy bactc
ria aswcl l ?
Jo hndout,wcclcancd applcs
and pcars tour di ttcrcnt ways .
ri nsi ng undcr col d runni ng tap
watcr, scrubbi ng wi th a brush,
washingwithavincgarsolution,and
scrubbing with antibactcrial soap.
,Wc also |cn onc batch unwashcd
as a control . ) Wctooksurtacc sam
plcstromthcproduccandgrcwtlc
bactcria in pctri dishcs. Ancr tour
days, wc comparcd thc pctridishcs
and tound tlat ri nsing undcr cold
watcr had rcmovcd only 25 pcr
ccntotbactcria and scrubbingwith
a brush rcmovcd 85 pcrccnt. Jhc
vincgarrcmovcd 8 pcrccnt otsur
tacc bactcria, which madc it ncarly
ascttcctivcasthcantibactcrialsoap.
C O O K ' s I LLU S T R AT E D
|
Frozen wi l d shri mp have thei r heads
removed and a firmer, pl umper texture.
Jhc )uly 2OO2 issuc otthc j ournal
Microbiology cxplains that thc acc
tic acid invincgaracts to lowcrthc
intcrnal pHotbactcrialcclls,which
inturninhibitsscvcralkcybiochcm
icalmcchanisms,cttcctivclydcstroy
ingtlcbactcri a.
U NWAS HE D
Thi s petri di sh
shows the amount
of bacteria present
on the surface of an
unwashed appl e.
WAS HE D I N
VI N EGAR
Ti s petri di sh shows
that washi ng apples
i n a mild vinegar sol u
ti on cuts the bacteria
level by percent.
Wc rccommcndwashingproducc
in a solution ot3 parts tap watcr to
I part distillcd vincgar applicd with
a spray bott|c. Jhis mctlod should
work tor any hrm, smoothskinncd
producc. )ust bc surc to rinsc thcm
undcr cool runnIng tap watcr ancr
ward to rcmovc any unwantcd
vincgary|lavors.
s L | L Bri ne rati ng
At one poi nt duri ng testing for our Ski l l et- Barbecued Pork Chops (page 6) , the
chops were flavored i n a l i qui d-smoke mari nade before bei ng bri ned (the mari nade
was ul ti mately omi tted; the powerful sauce provi des enough flavor i n thi s reci pe) .
We tried to combi ne these steps by addi ng salt to the smoke-flavored mari nade.
Surprisi ngly, after cooking the chops, we found that compared wi th chops that were
marinated then bri ned, the hybrid bri ne- mari nated (or " bri nerated" ) chops pi cked
up ver l i ttle smoke flavor.
The reason? The salt in bri ne bi nds to the muscl e protei ns in meat, i ncreasi ng
the el ectric charge on the protei ns and maki ng them l ess attractive to el ectri cal ly
neutral flavor mol ecul es. I t' s as if the pork chop were a trai n with a l i ne of sal t and
flavor mol ecul es wai ti ng to get on board. The stronger, el ectri cal ly chared sal t
mol ecul es barge thei r way onto the trai n and take al l the seats , l eavi ng most of
the weaker, el ectri cal ly neutral flavor mol ecul es wai ti ng at the stati on. I f the meat
i s first pl aced i n a sal t-free mari nade, however, the flavor mol ecul es can get a seat
and will stay on for the ride even after the meat i s pl aced in a bri ne. Subsequent
testing showed thi s to be tnue for a wi de range of flavori ngs: fresh and dry herbs
and spi ces, al l i ums, chi l es, and ci trus oi l s.
This expl ai ns why some of our bri nerde reci pes requi re super-saturti ng the
bri ne with flavor. For exampl e, our mari nade for Cuban-Stl e Pork Roast Uuly/
August, 2006) uses 2 ful l heads of garl ic and 4 cups of ornge j ui ce. Addi ng a l ot of
flavor mol ecul es to the bri nerde gives a fighti ng chance for at l east some of them
to get on board.
Mari nade
mol ecul es
FLAVOR F I RST
Marinating the meat
first and then bri ni ng it
produces flavorful and
moi st meat.
SALTY ATTRACTI ON
Salt has a stronger el ectrical
charge than most flavor

mol ecul es and wi l l bi nd easily

with meat i n a bri nerade,
making it less l i kely that other
flavorings wi l l penetrate.
Bri ni ng Frozen Meat
Submcrgingsmallportionso||rozcn
mcat in a buckct o|cold watcr on
thc countcr spccds up thc dc|rost
ing proccss. For rccipcs whcrc thc
hrst stcp is a brinc, wc wondcrcd
i|wc could combinc two stcps into
onc by dc|rosting thc mcat dircctly
in thc brinc. Wc partially thawcd
|rozcn chickcn parts in |rcshwatcr,
thcncomplctcdthclasthal|houro|
thawing in thc brinc solution callcd
|orinthcpanroastcdchickcnrccipc
wc wcrc |ollowing. Whcn cookcd,
thc chickcn was as wcl l scasoncd
andj uicy as chickcn that had bccn
mllydchostcdbc|orc brining.
Furthcrtcsting showcd that thc
samc mcthod can bc uscd |or any
rccipcthatcalls|or briningsmal l to
mcdiumsizcdpicccso|mcat.Simply
cutthcdcnostingtimcbythcamount
o|brining timc thc rccipc calls |or.
Forcxamplc,i|your porkchopsnccd
tothaw |or hourandyourrccipc
much flavor
calls|ora45 minutc brinc,thawH
chops in hcsh watcr |or I 5 minutcs,
tlcnbrinc|or45minutcs.Jhcchart
bclowshowstotal thawing timcs |or
cuts tlatarc|rcqucntlybrincd.
Thawi ng Ti mes i n Col d Water
F OOD THAWI N G
TI M E
4chi cken parts
I hour
(breasts or l egs)
4Corni sh hens
(gi bl ets removed)
1 112 hours
I whol e chi cken
( lto 4pounds)
3 hours
4pork chops
I hour
( I 0ounces each)
I pork l oi n
2 11 hours
(2 pounds)
2 pork tenderl oi ns
1 11 hours
( 1 11 pounds each)
R E CI P E U P DATE
Scal l oped Potatoes wi th Root Ve
g
etabl es
Fans of our Scalloped Potatoes (March/ Apri l 2003) asked for a version i ncor
porti ng root vegetabl es. Our reci pe starts on the stovetop, where the potatoes
gently cook to parial doneness in chi cken broth and cream. Then the mixture
goes i nto a smal l casserol e, gets topped with cheese, and fi ni shes in the oven.
Because root vegetabl es l i ke cel er root and parsni ps (our favorite combo with
these creamy potatoes) have such strong flavor, we found i t best to use a l i ttle
of each in place of the potatoes. Also, to avoid a casserole with perectly tender
potatoes and underdone root vegetabl es, we gave the cel er root and parsni ps a
five- mi nute head start on the stovetop before addi ng the pottoes. Go to W .
cooksi l l ustrted. com/ october for our free reci pe for Scal l oped Potatoes with Root
Vegetabl es.
Cheese Mufi ns
We had a number of requests to trnsform our Quick Cheese Bread ( May/
J une 2004) i nto mufi ns. I t sounded as eas as pl oppi ng spoonful s of the
chees qui ck- bread batter i nto a prepared mufi n ti n , but the cheese chunks
in the batter-desi gned to leave generous cheese pockets in the larer bread
loaf-di dn' t di stri bute evenly in the mufi ns. Breaki ng the cheese i nto smal l er
pi eces, however, sol ved the probl em. Ri si ng the oven temperature a bi t to 375
degrees ensures moist mufi ns with the proper rise and browned exterior. Go to
w . cooki l l ustrted. com/ october for our free reci pe for Qui ck Cheese Mufi ns.
B I G CH E E S E LI TTLE CHE E S E
Whi l e our Qui ck Cheese Bread benefits from large chunks of cheese. these
oversized pi eces caused probl ems i n mufi ns (l eft) . Smal l er bi ts of cheese worked
much better (right) .
Wh i te Turkey Ch i l i
Usi ng turkey i n pl ace of chi cken i n our reci pe for White Chicken Chi l i
Uanuar/Februar 2007) seemed worth a tr. We di scovered that the sl ightly
gamey flavor of turkey work perfectly with the strong flavors of thi s brothy chi l i
contai ni ng green chi l es, l i me, ci l antro, and whi te beans. Turkey al so takes wel l to
the reci pe techni que: cooki ng the meat in the chi l i , cool i ng i t, shreddi ng i t, and
rei ntroduci ng i t. However, si mply repl aci ng 3 pounds of bone- i n, ski n-on spl i t
chi cken breasts wi th one 3 - pound bone- i n, ski n- on spl i t turkey breast di d not
work. The rti o of meat-to- bones wasn ' t the same, and we wound up wi th way
too much turkey meat i n the chi l i . A 2 1/2- pound turkey breast yi el ded the right
amount of meat for thi s reci pe. Cooki ng the turkey breast takes about doubl e
the ti me; surpri si ngly, there' s no need to i ncrease the amount of l i qui d cal l ed
for i n the ori gi nal reci pe. Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com/ october for our free
reci pe for Whi te Turkey Chi l i .
-Charl es Kelsey
IF YOU HAVE A QUESI ON about a reci pe, let us know. Send your i nqui r,
name, address, and dayti me tel ephone number to Reci pe Update, Cook' s
I l l ustrted, P. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or wri te to reci peupdate@
americastestkitchen. com.
S E P T F , ll E R [ y O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7
l
E QU I P ME NT C OR N E R
E QU I P M E NT TE STI N G Appl e Corers
Kathcr than slicing an applc into quartcrs and
thcn rcmoving thc corc and sccds |rom cach
piccc,wc`drathcrrcach|oranapplccorcr,which
docs thc j ob in onc |cll swoop. Wc tcstcd hvc
modcls and |ound out thc taskwasn`t always so
cutanddricd. arrowbladcdiamctcrs-lcssthan
+ inch-on thc Hcnckcls Jwin Cuisinc Applc
Corcr, S. 5 ) andMcsscrmcistcrScrratcdApplc
Corcr , So. 5) strugglcd to brcak through thc
h rmcr llcsh on GrannySmith applcs and |orccd
us to pokc and prod thc corc |rom thc sharp
mctaltccth.Jhcrclativclystubby-3|/: inchcsor
lcss-mctaltubcsonthc Hcnckclscorcrandthc
Lci|hcitHingcdApplc Corcr , S I I . ) camc up
shortwhcnaskcdtoplowthrough largc applcs.
Wc hadmuchbcttcrrcsultswiththcrazor sharp
Rslc Fruit Corcr , S2 I ) and thc X Good
GripsCorcr, So. 5O) . Jcstcrs prc|crrcd thc morc
com|ortablcgripon thcXmodcl .
For the complete results of our Appl e Corer testi ng,
go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com/ october.
We l i ke the wide bl ade and
l ong gri p of the OXOGood
Gri ps Corer.
N EW P RO D U CT
COM ES U P S HORT
The smal l bl ade on the
Henckels Twi n Cui si ne
Appl e Corer coul dn' t cut i t.
Cool Touch Oven Rack Guard
Jhc {AZ Innovations Cool Jouch vcn Rack
Guard , S I 4. ) promiscs to protcct hands and
|orcarms |rom scorching ovcn racks . As wc i n
tcntionallyandunintcntionallygrazcdourhands
agai nst thc |abric whilc rcmoving bubbling cas
scrolc dishcs and baking shccts mll o|cookics,
wcnoticcdthatthcsonpad,thoughquitcwarm,
wascom|ortablycool crthanthccxposcdportion
o|thc ovcn rack. Madc |rom DuPont`s |lamc
rcsistantNomcxhbcrs,thcpadisnotbroilcrsa|c
but docs rcsist hcat up to 5OO dcgrccs and can
stay inyour ovcn indchnitcly. {ust rcmcmbcr to
takc it out bc|orc turning thc ovcn to broil or
runningthcscl| clcaningcycl c.
PADDE D PROTE CTI ON
The JA I nnovati ons Oven Rack Guard snaps around the
front of a standard oven rack and protects agai nst bums.
` B Y E L I Z A B E T I I 1 0 / Z E E
E Q U I P M E NT TE STI N G Knife Guards
I|you storc your |nivcs loosc i nJ drawcr, you` rc
putti ng thc sharp cdgc o| your bl adcs-and
your rcaching hands-in dangcr. Bladc shcaths
arc dcsigncd to protcct against both risks, and
wc wondcrcd i|onc stylc protcctcd bcttcr and
was casicr to usc than anothcr. Ancr somc scary
momcnts, wc can sahlysay, ycs. Wc rcjcctcd two
modcls, thc Mcsscrmcistcr 8 Inch Chcts Ki|c
FdgcGuard, S2. 5O) andthcKi|cGuard, S2. 5) ,
bccauscthcyrcquircdslicing"thckni|cintothcir
slim, sti||polypropylcnc |olds, what`s morc, thc
Kni|c- Guard` s I inch dcpth barcly covcrcd our
chcts knivcs. Jhc magnctizcd Forschncr Inch
FdgcMagKi|c Protcctor, S I 5 . |orthrcc)was
alsodisappointing.Itopcncdcasily,likcabook,but
itschcap,tapc likcscamcasilypcclcdortorcaway
|rom thc covcr and shut awkwardly ovcr bulkicr
kni|c hccls.Wcprc|crrcdForschncr`sothcrmodcl,
thcpolypropylcncBladcSa|c casc|or8 to I Oinch
knivcs , S4. 5) . Wc likcdits snap closurc and its
2|inch dcpth,which accommodatcd a varicty o|
chcts,slicing,andparingknivcs.Wilcitwasa bit
hardtoopcn,itkcptsharpbladcssa|clycovcrcd.
For the compl ete resul ts of our Knife Guard testi ng,
go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated. com/ october.
ON G UARD
The heav-dut Forschner Bl adeSafe ( $4. 95)
thoroughl y shi el ded our hand from a wi de array of knives.
N EW P RO D U CT Utensi l Pot Cl i ps
Prcparingsoups,stcws, and sautcs with thc kind
o|rcgular attcntion thcy nccd mcans kccping a
stirring utcnsil on hand. A spoon rcst can hold
stirringutcnsils,but|oodcandribblco||spoons
and spatulas as you takc thcm |rom thc pot.
Jhc Jrudcau \tcnsil Iot Cl i ps , S I 3 . 5 O |or a
sct o|two) kccp drippy
spoonsandspanilassus
pcndcd ovcr thc |ood
and actually do rcducc
mcss at thc stovctop.
Jhc si l i conc covcrcd
stainl css stccl pi nchcr
gri pcd thc strai ght
cdgc o|a Dutch ovcn,
sauccpan,andsautcpan
niccly, butitwas a bit
lcsssturdyon aslopc
sidcdskillct.
CLEVER CL I PS
Trudeau' s Utensi l Pot Cl i ps
keep dri ps i n the pan.
C | | |

: I L L U S r R A T E D
?
D O YO U RE AL LY N E E D TH I S ? Banana Hanger
Supcrmarkcts suspcnd unripc bananas |rom tall
polcs covcrcd with small hooks . Jhc Naturc` s
Way Banana Kccpcr , S 3 . ) mi ni aturizcs this
idca |or thc homc kitchcn. Wc hung undcrripc
bananas |rom this plastic gadgct and put othcrs
|romthcsamcbunchi nabowl .Ancrmonitoring
thc nuit|orawcck,wc|oundthatbothbunchcs
ripcncd and thcn turncd spotty brown at thc
samc ratc. ur conclusion` {ust stick with thc
bowl .
50ufCCS
The fol l owi ng are mai l - order sources for recommended
i tems. Prices were current at press ti me and do not
i ncl ude shi ppi ng. Contact compani es to confi rm i nforma
tion or visit w . cooksi l l ustrated. com for updates.
Page | | . GRI LL GAUGE
The Ori gi nal Gri l l Gauge: $ 1 3 . 99, i tem GG I I 00,
OutdoorCooking.com {866-674-0538,
w .outdoorcooking.com) .
Page 1 3 : SLOlED SPOON
OXOGood Gri ps Nyl on Sl otted Spoon: $ 5 . 99, item
#7729 1 , OXO (800- 545-441 1 , w .oxo. com) .
Page I 5 : BASMATI RI CE
Ti l da Pure Basmati Ri ce: $7. 99 for 4 l b. or 1 8. 99 for I 0
l b. , Klustn's (80- 3 5 2- 345 1 , w . kl ustns.com).
Page 1 9: I NSANT-READ THERMOMETER
CDN ProAccurate Qui ck Ti p Digital Cooki ng
Thermometer: $ 1 7. 95 , i tem#DTQ450, Cutler and Mor
(800-650-9866, ww .cutlerandmore. com) .
PAGE 27: CAS- I RON SKI LLES
Lodge Logic 1 2- l nch Ski l l et: $ 26. 9 5 , item #L I OSK3 ,
Ldge Manufacturing (423- 837-7 1 8 1 ,
w .lodgemf.com) .
The Camp Chef SK- 1 2 Cast I ron Ski l l et: $ 1 7. 99,
i tem #SK I 2, CampChef (800-650-243 3 ,
w .campchef.com) .
Page 28: PARMESAN CHEESE
i Gourmet Prmi gi ano- Reggi ano: $ 1 3. 99 /l b. , i tem #208,
iGounet (877-446-8763 , w .igounet.com) .
Page 3 2 : APPLE CORER
OXOGood Gri ps Corer: $6. 50, i tem # 1 1 2209,
Cooking.com (800-663 -88 1 0, w .cooking.com) .
Page 3 2 : OVEN RCK GUARD
JA I nnovati ons Cool Touch Oven Rack Guard: $ 1 4. 99,
Bd Bth and Beyond (800-462- 3966,
w . bedbathandbeyond.com).
Pge 32: KNI FE GUARD
Forschner Bl adeSafe 8- to I 0- l nch Blade Guard: $4. 95 ,
item #KSB I 0, Te Knife Merhant
(800-7 1 4- 8226, w .knifemerchant.com).
Page 32: POT CLI PS
Trudeau Utensi l Pot Cl i ps: $ 1 3 . 50 for set of to, Surl a
Table (800- 243-0852, w .suratble.com) .
lII `
C|lCHDCI / \clODCI Z ||
RECI PES
MAI N DI S HE S
Beef and Vegetabl e Soup 9
Chi cken Tikka Masal a |b
Gri l l ed Pork Loi n with Appl e- Cranbeny
Fi l l i ng | |
on a Gas Gri l l | |
Orange- Honey Gl azed Chi cken Breasts | 9
Appl e- Mapl e | 9
Pi neappl e-Brown Sugar | 9
Ricotta Gnocchi with Browned Butter and
Sage Sauce |J
Sauteed Chi cken Cutl ets 24
Ski l l et- Barbecued Pork Chops 1
SAUCES
FOR GNOCCHI:
Tomato- Cream Sauce | J
FOR S
O
ED CHICKENCUTL:
Lemon . Caper. and Parsley Pn Sauce 24
Sherr. Red Pepper. and Toasted Garl i c
Pn Sauce 24
Vermouth. Leek, and Tarragon
Pan Sauce 24
DE S S E RTS
Appl e Gal ette 2 |
Pear Cri sp 2J
with Oat Toppi ng 2J
Tri pl e- Gi nger 2J
ON LI N E EXTRAS
Cheese Mufi ns
Gri l l ed Pork Loi n wi th Appl e- Cherr Fi l l i ng
with Caraway
FOR SAUT
E
ED CHICKEN CUTL:
Brandy. Cream. and Chive Pn Sauce
FOR RICOTIA GNOCCHI:
Pesta
Porci ni Cream Sauce
Scal l oped Potatoes wi th Root Vegetabl es
Whi te Turkey Chi l i
COOK' S LI VE Origi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos www. cooks i l l u strated. c om
MAI N DI S HE S
Beef and Vegetabl e Soup i n 60 Seconds
What' s the right cut of beef for a qui ck
soup?
Chi cken Tikka Masal a i n 60 Seconds
What' s the best way to grate gi nger?
Gl azed Chi cken Breasts i n 60 Seconds
How much fat and ski n shoul d I remove?
Can I use a fami ly pack of chi cken for thi s
reci pe?
Gri l l ed Pork Li n wi th Appl e-Cranberr
Fi l l i ng in 60 Seconds
What' s the diference between pork l oi n
cuts '
What's the best wy to stuf the pork l oi n?
I s pi nk pork safe to eatl
Ricotta Gnocchi i n 60 Seconds
How can I prevent gnocchi from fal l i ng
apart?
Can I use store-bought bread cnumbs i n
thi s reci pe?
Ski l l et- Barbecued Pork Chops i n 60
Seconds
What ki nd of pork chops shoul d I buy?
Shoul d I buy enhanced pork?
How can I protect my nonsti ck pans?
SAUCE S
Pn Sauces i n 60 Seconds
How do I know when the sauce has
reduced sufi ci entl y/
Why don' t you make pan sauces i n a
non -sti ck pan?
DE S S E RTS
Appl e Gal ette i n 60 Seconds
When i s the butter i ncorporated
properly/
How can I rescue probl em pastry?
What' s the best way to peel and sl i ce the
appl es?
How can I tel l if I ' ve shi ngl ed the appl es
correctly?
Pear Crisp in 60 Seconds
How shoul d I core the pears?
What' s the best way to ripen pears?
TASTI NG AN D TESTI NG
Behi nd the Scenes: Prmesan Tasti ng
Behi nd the Scenes: Cast- I ron Ski l l et
Testi ng
What' s the right way to mai ntai n a
cast- i ron ski l l et?
AHfR| C'STf5K|TCHfN
Publ i c televi si on' s most popul ar cooki ng show
Joi n the mi l l i ons of home cooks who watch our show.
.mrrtc0: 1r:/1t/chru,on publ i c tel evi si on ever week.
For more i nformati on, i ncl udi ng reci pes and program ti mes.
vi si t w . ameri castestkitchen. com.
Gri l l ed Stuffed Pork Loi n, | I Beef and Vegetabl e Soup. V
Orange- Honey Gl azed Chi cken Breasts. | V
Ricotta Gnocchi , 1 3 Lemon, Caper, and Parsl ey Pan Sauce, 24
Appl e Gal ette, 2 1 Beef and Vegetabl e Stir- F ri es. | b
|| C1CGHA||1. CAHL1HLMLA1, S11Ll M G . MAHl L | l HAl NC
/l
li r C t h l l 5
lwn \r 55
H R J
& S P l C E S