N U MBE R S I XT Y-S I X

JAN UAR Y c FE BR UAR Y 211

1 1 1 1 ` 1 1 1 1
Garlc-Rosemary
Roast Chicken
Best Oven Fries
/Good as French Fries
Chocolate
Bundt Cake
Rich, Moist, Chocolatey
Eggplant Parmesan
Light
No Fring, No Grease, Great Flavor
Tasting Dij on
Mustard
Check the Epirtion Date?
Hearty Lentil Soup
Rating Fat Separators
Does Type Really Matter? Yes'
V
Better Apple Brown Bett
Psta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Perfect Fish Meuniere
Homemade Stock ||
www. c ooks i l l u s tr ated . c o m
1.9 l.S.16.9 L7T7i7
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'`Ji`Jc
January c February Zll
2 Notes from Readers
Readers ask questions and sugest solutions.
Quick Tips
Quick and easy ways to perform everyday tasks. from
keeping fish fresh to reviving crtallized honey.
Resurrecting Pot-au-Feu
A French boiled dinner seems hopelessly out of date, but
we thought it was worth revisiting. Could we bring this
one-dish classic back from the brink of extinction?
BY BRIDGET LANCASTER AND NINA WEST
o Lighter, Quicker Eggplant
Parmesan
Traditional recipes require the cook to fry breaded eg
plant in copious amounts of oil. We wanted to eliminate
the fring, streamline the dish, and make it taste better
than the original. BY REBECCA HAYS
|0 Garlic-Rosemary Roast
Chicken
What is the secret to moist, tender roast chicken with
robust-not rucous-garlic and rosemar flavor?
BY DAWN YANAGIHAR
| Pasta with Sun-Dried
omatoes
Sun-dried tomatoes can be dr and overpowering. We
set ot to solve both problems. BY ERIN MCMURRER
| Hearty Lentil Soup
Does a bowl of lentil soup sound about as inspiring as a
sering of instant oatmeal? We set out to put the taste
and texture back into this simple dish.
BY ELIZABETH GERMAIN
| Better and Quicker
Homemade Stock
We devised a formula for great homemade stock that
won't take an entire day to make. BY REBECCA HAYS
|o Fish Meuniere
This simple French restaurant classic deseres a place in
the repertoire of any good home cook . . .. Or does it?
BY ELIZABETH GERMAIN
20 Ultimate Oven Fries
The savings in calories and fat grams are no reason to eat
an oven fr-it has to taste good. With its leather crust
and mealy interior. the tpical oven fr needs work.
BY JULIA COLLIN DAVISON
22 The Best Chocolate
Bundt Cake
Tired of great-looking chocolate Bundt cakes that taste
bland and boring? So were we. Our ideal cake would be
moist. rich with chocolate favor, and attractive.
BY ERIKA BRUCE
2 Reinventing Apple Brown
Betty
This combination of apples, sugar, and buttered bread
crumbs inevitably results in a sog mess of a dessert. It
was time to give "Bett" a serious makeover.
BY SUSAN LIGHT
2 Is French Dijon Mustard
Best?
Can Grey Poupon. made by Nabisco, compete with the
likes of classic French-made mustards such as Delouis Fils
and Maille? BY ERIKA BRUCE AND ADAM RIED
2o Separation Anxiety
Excess fat ruins stocks and sauces. But do fat separtor
really work? We tested eight models-from pitcher to
ladles to "fat mops" -to find out. BY ADAM RIED
30 Kitchen Notes
Test results, buying tips, and advice related to stories past
and present, directly from the test kitchen.
BY BRIDGET LANCASTER
2 Resources
Products from this issue and where to get them. including
cleavers, lentils. Bundt pans, and fat separators.
bJ LJY'
EOlC CIUS Te more far-flung member of the citrus family come in all sizes and run the
gamut from pucker sour to pleasingly sweet. The pomelo is the larest of all citrus, growing up
to I 0 inches in diameter. It thick skin encloses yellow- to coral-colored fesh; it is less acidic than
the common grapefruit and can be eaten as such. A cross beteen a pomelo and a grapefruit,
the melogold has few seeds and is also sweeter than a grpefruit. Te juicy. thin-skinned Meyer
lemon. a milder. sweeter version of a regular lemon, is favored by pastry chefs. Small and sour,
Key limes hail from the Florida Keys and are best known for their namesake pie. Sweet limes,
juiced or eaten out of hand, taste more like lemons and can be very sweet at the peak of ripe
ness. Te diminutive orange kumquat is tang and full of seeds but can be eaten whole. rind and
all. The lumpy citron, with its sparse and extremely sour flesh, is valued for its thick. aromatic
peel. Aso used exclusively for its rind is the Buddha's Hand, or fingered citron, a smbol of
prosperit in Eastern cultures.
COVER: Elizabeth Brandon. BACK COVER (iri:..|ios).John Burgoyne
(OO|_
| I I. l' > T lI ,\ T . l:
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PRINTD |I1LUS
T
om and ancy havc bccn c|osc ncigh
borscvcrsinccwcbui|tourlarmhousc
in !87. Jhatwas thc samc ycar that
Jcanputup hcrp|acc acrossthc va||cy,
hcr whitc c|apboard homc pccring down on us
|ikcanoIdlarmcrchcckingtosccwhojustdrovc
by. At that timc, )ohn and Luci||c sti|| |ivcd in
thcir onc-room camp across thc way, Mickcy
Smithwassti||a|ivc,drivinghis`Rabbitabout
ha|laslastasa|amchorsc,andmostolouropcn
|andwastircd, o|dcornnc|ds.
l1i!1.1
^'\l!C l/Y
Buckct, his bcag|c. Wc' d wa|k
outhis backdoor,march across
Linco|n' s Christmas trcc larm,
through thc o|d bars bchind
Bctty' s, andthcndownthrough
thc swamp and back across thc
roadtowardmy p|acc. Jhc n rst
timc Itricdrabbit huntingIwas
so cxcitcd tlat I wcnt tlrough
c|osc to a dozcn shotgun shc||s .
Jom smi|cdand askcdimpish|y,
ccdmorcammo` "
now|cnha|ltcndcd. Jhcnthcy
wcrc gonc.
Jom and ancy's wcathcrcd b|uc larmhousc
sitsrighton thc road, andyouwou|doncn scc
thctwo olthcmsitting onthc lrontporchwith
a cup olcollcc in thc car|y morning and Jom
withacanortwoolbccratnight.Jhchouscwas
hauntcd, pcrhaps by thc ghostolawomanwho
dicdycarsagoinanupstairsbcdroom. Shchadn' t
bccn sccn lor a lcw days, so thc young Har|cy
Smith , Har|cywas a studcnt at thc schoo|housc
ncxtdoor)wasgivcnthcjobolc|imbinga|addcr
to chcckonhcr. Shcwasdcada|rightandthcrc
ancr madc thc occasiona| ghost|y appcarancc in
thcstairwc|| .
Lastsummcrthcir housc wcnt
onthcmarkct,andIdidn' ttlink
In our sma|| town, thosc
ol us who havc bccn around
awhi|c can pick out a spot in
thc trccs whcrc thc dancc haI|
uscdtobcorthc housc thatthc
Woodcocks |ivcd in or maybc
thcp|accwhcrcthco|drcdbarn
oncc stood-thc onc whcrc
Char|icBcnt|cyandIuscdtodo
thc mi|kng. Jhcsc days, most
lo|ks don' t rcmcmbcr Maric
Christopher Kimball
Briggs, thc town bakcr, Minor
Hcard' sGcncra|Storc,orthco|dtownroadthat
uscdtogouptlroughourpropcrtyovcrtoJatc
Hi|| Road. Somc day a|| wi|| bc lorgottcn-thc
soundolJomsightinginhisricin|atcctobcr,
tlcsightolWhitncyonabikc, hcadcddownthc
dirtroadlorthcnrsttimc, orthcp|umcolsmokc
thatshotuplromatc' ssaphousc andhung|ikc
tog ovcr ourvaI|cy. Whcn tlc |ast barn is gonc,
thc |astchi|dhaspackcdand|cnlorschoo|,and
t|c |ast ncighbormovcd ontoanothcrtown,wc
arc |cn bchind |ikc charactcrs lromano|dbook.
Wc wait lor thc sound ola truck or thc j ang|c
olthc phonc . Wc cagcr|y promisc to kccp thc
homc nrcs burning, thc jug olcidcr in thc root
cc||ar, and tlc wood cookstovc startcd car|y on
co|dmorningssothcsmokccanbcsccnlromthc
road. Yct thosc olus sti|| at homc nndhappincss
inthls p|acc, whcrc loundations tc|| storics, and
whcrc nobody much |ooks to thc mturc. Wc a||
suspcct that itisn' tha|las good as thcpast, thc
p|acc whcrcwcnrstmctasncighbors,whcrcour
chi|drcn wcrc born,andwhcrc wc |ivcd thc sto
ricsthatwc nowtc||tostrangcrs.
Inthosc car|y days, thcirkidswcrcsti||young.
Joscc|inc did our babysitting, and atc was
a|ways doingchorcswithhis dad. |oadingwood
intothc bascmcnt, lccdingtlcpigs and bcclcr,
boi|ing sapoutback onanopcnnrc. Jhcrcwcrc
graduationpartics,cookouts,Crockpotspaghctti
sauccs, vcnison stcaks, squirrc| stcw, |ong days
andnightsinthc saphousc, dccrhunglromthc
rancrs in thc shcd, skating partics on thc pond
with a Jhcrmos olhot choco|atc, turkcyhunt
ing,storicsoltrackingwoundcddccr|atcatnight
through thc mountains, and ancrnoons innont
olthcJwatchingascar.ncnightJomand
ancycamchomclrom anshingtripandlound
a bakcr's dozcn olbats in thc housc. Jom hid
upstairswhi|cancychascdtlcbatsout olthc
houscwithabadmintonracquct.
Jom , honoraryprcsidcnt olJhc | dRabbit
Huntcr' s Association) and I huntcd cvcry la||
lor rabbits, mccting down at his p|acc to grab
mucholit. Butrca|cstatcwashot, andthcygot
thcir asking pricc . Much to our surprisc , and
maybc thcirs as wc|| ) , thcy signcd thc contract
andwcrcscttomovcoutonLaborDay.Joscc|inc
camc up lrom Savannah to c|can out tlc attic.
Adricnnc and I and tlc kids hc|pcd movc mrn
turc into a |ong storagc trai|cr. Jhc workroom
andbarnhadto bcc|cancdout,too-trash com
pactors, tablcsaws, a Modc|A windshic|d, chop
saws,iccsaws,dccrant|crs,nai|s,scrcws,kcroscnc
hcatcrs, o|djugs-justabout anythingonc cou|d
co||cctinmorcthan2Oycarsol|ivinginoncp|acc.
P antiqucsdca|crboughtohthcsma|lcrpicccs,
thcbackupbcag|c, thconcwhoncvcr|carncdto
tracka rabbit)was givcn awayto a ncighbor, and
thcsaphouscwas strippcdolitsarch andstoragc
tanIs. Har|cy,nowinhis7Os,camcovcrandsatin
a bigchairncxttohispickup,|ikc acircuitjudgc.
Wcn somc |umbcr oro|d too| wcnt by that hc
|ikcd, hc simp|y noddcdup anddown and itwas
|oadcd onto his U atbcd. A nod to thc sidc and it
wasputintlcjunkpi|c.
Just bclorc moving, Buckct, thc good rabbit
dog,dicd,hc had|ivcdthrougha badcyc inlcc
tion|astlx|| butdidn`tmakcittoanotlcrscason.
Jhcir b|ack mutt, Sam, got run ovcr by a truck
in|atcAugust. Jhcirtlrcc|argcapp|ctrccswcrc
m||, butthc rcstolthc p|acc|ookcd cmpty. Jhc
vcgctab|cgardcn,usua||yapicturcpcrlcctp|otol
bcans, |cttucc, corn, squash, and tomatocs, was
FOR INQUIRIES, ORDER, OR MORE I NFORMATION:
Lcavings arc bittcr and homccomingsarc bit
tcrswcct. But I havc laith that our chi|drcn and
ncighborswi|| bc c|osc by oncc agai n. I thlnk I
can hcar thcm, lrom timc to timc, in thc drivc
way,wa|kingup tothc backporch. I gotomakc
thc collccandbiscuits,knovingthatcvcnghosts
dcscrvcabitolsmal| townhospita|ity.
w . cooksi l l ustrated.com COOK'S ILLUSRTED Magazi ne
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J A NU A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2004
`J1c l1'` 11.i11c
Is a Floating Eg a Rotten Eg?
I|carncda|otnomthcEggs! O! " artic|cinyour
March/ Apri| 2OO3issuc,butIwassurpriscdthat
itdid not inc|udc awayoltcsting thc lrcshncss
olcggswithoutcrackingthcm opcn , whcn,lor
cxamp|c,you want to hard cook thcm) . Jhis is
whatI'vcusua||ylo||owcdasadvicc. Iutthc cgg
in abow|olco|d tapwatcr. Ilit |ics U at on thc
bottom, it's lrcsh, ilit stands up and bobs on
thcbottom,it'snotaslrcsh,thoughsti||I,ilit
Uoats to thc surlacc,it'sbad. Isthisaccuratc,to
yourknow|cdgc` Isthcrca bcttcrway`
CY N CHAN DL E R
P I N E H U RST, N . C.
Wc rcccivcd a coup|c ol|cttcrs lrom rcadcrs
rccommcnding s|ight variations on thc thcory
thatncshcggssinkinwatcr,spoi|cdcggs||oat, "
andwc dccidcd to tcst i twith thrcc cartons ol
cggswithscqucntia|cxpirationdatcscxact|yonc
monthapart. urrcsu|ts matchcdyourdcscrip
tionolthccggs'bchaviorbascdonthcagcolthc
cartonthcycamclrom. Mostoltlccggslromthc
lrcshcstcartonsank,mostolthosclromthcncxt
lrcshcstcartonbobbcd,anda||olthosclromthc
o|dcstcartonoatcd. BascdonourtcstsinEggs
! O! , " howcvcr, wc can say that an o|dcr cgg is
notncccssari|yaspoi|cdcgg.
SlMK, OB, OR FLOAT
Te fresher the eg, the more l i kely it is to sink
when placed i n water.
Wc lound minima| pcrlormancc dillcrcnccs
incggsthatwcrclrcshandcggsthatwcrc up to
thrccmonthso|d. AU oatingcggis,howcvcr, an
cggwitha goodsizcd air cc||, and that'swhyit
Uoats. Eggstakc in airand|osc carbon dioxidc
and watcr as thcy agc. A |argc air cc|| indicatcs
uatuccggisat|castamonthortwoo|d.
Baking with Splenda
Cou|d you try thc sugar substitutc ca| | cd
Sp| cnda in baki ng` Jhc manulacturcr says i t
tastcs|ikcsugarandcanbcsubstitutcdlorsugar
cuplorcup.
HAROL D J OHNS ON
WORCESTE R. MASS.
C O MPI L E D BY I N D I A K O OPMAN E
Sp|cndaist|c brand namc olaproductswcct
cncd bymcans olsucra|osc, a substancc dcrivcd
lromsucrosc,bcttcrknownastab|csugar.Making
sucra|osc invo|vcs changing thc structurc olthc
sugar mo|ccu|cs by substituting thrcc ch|orinc
atoms lor tlrcc hydrogcnoxygcn, or hydroxy|,
groups. According to manulacturcr Mcci|
utritiona|s, partolJohnson Johnson, sucra
|oscprovidcsnoca|oricsbccauscucbodydocsn' t
mctabo|izc it as sugar. Mcci| a|sosays tlat thc
granu|atcdlormolSp|cnda,t|cSp|cndaavai|ab|c
inpackctsisnotucsamc) canbcuscdcuplorcup
to rcp|acc sugar.Wc tcstcd tlus asscrtion in our
rccipcslorsugarcookicsandb|ucbcrrycobb|cr.
Jhc sugar cookics madc with Sp|cnda had a
tcxurc that was markcd|y dillcrcnt lrom thosc
madc with granu|atcd sugar,bcing so son as to
a|most mc|t in your moutl in thc way cookics
madc with conlcctioncrs' sugardo. Jhc cookics
madc with rcgu|ar sugar wcrc morc substantia|
and had a dcnnitc chcw. Jhc Sp|cnda cookics
a|so |ookcd dillcrcnt, thcy didn' t brown at a||,
and thcy wcrc pul). Jhc rca| " sugar cookics
browncdnicc|yaroundthccdgcsand,comparcd
with thc Sp|cnda batch, wcrc lair|y at. F|avor
wisc, thc Sp|cnda cookicstastcd, wc||, swcct. n
ancgativc notc, thcywcrc|ackingintlc caramc|
Uavorthatdcvc|opcdinucrcgu|arsugarcookics
asthcybrowncd. napositivcnotc,thccookics
madcwith Sp|cndawcrca|so |ackingthc arti
ncia|avorsuatjustaboutcvcryothcrsugar
substiutcbringswithit.
Jastcrs noticcd simi|ar dillcrcnccs in thc
cobb|crs, a|though tlus timc dillcrcnccs in thc
|cvc| olswcctncsswcrcmorcnotab|c.P witl
thc sugarcookics,thc biscuits inuc cobb|cr
madcwiuSp|cndadidn' tbrown,butthcya|so
tastcd |css swcct and wcrc not as tcndcr as thc
biscuitsmadcwithsugar. Jhc bcrryn||ing madc
withSp|cndaa|sotastcd|cssswcct,anditwasmorc
|iquidy. Evcntloughinthiscascthc||avordillcr
cnccswcrcmorcmarkcd,tastcrswcrcagainp|cas
ant|ysurpriscdatnotbcingab|ctodctcctartincia|
avorsinthc cobb|crmadcwiuSp|cnda.
vcra||, thcn, thc cookics and cobb|cr madc
wiuSp|cndawcrcnot ona parwithtloscmadc
withsugar-llcrcnccsintcxurcandco|orwcrc
thcmostsignincanbutlorsomconconasugar
rcstrictcd dict, wc tlought thcywou|d bc bcttcr
than nocookicsor cobb|crata||.Wcapprcciatcd
thc lact that Sp|cnda addcd swcctncss without
addgothcr,undcsirab|c ||avors. Itbcarsnoting,
though,uatSp|cndadocsaddanothcrthingthat
mostothcrsugarsubstiutcsdon'tadd. ca|orics.
Howcanaproducttlatca||sitsc|laoCa|oric
COOK
'
s ILL U STR A TE D
Z
Swcctcncr" havc ca|ori cs` Bccausc it mccts uc
I. S. Food and DrugAdministrati on' stcchnica|
dcnnitionolanoca|ori c"lood, whichtorsugar
substitutcsmcanshavingnomorcthan5 ca|orics
pcr scrving. According to thc manulacurcr, !
cup olSp|cndacontains6 ca|orics . In contrast,
! cup olgranu|atcd sugar , thcanountuscd in
our sugar cooki cs) con
tains768ca|orics .
Butil thcbodydocsn' t
rccognizcSp|cndainthc
wayitdocssugar, as thc
manulacturcrsays,whcrc
do thc ca|orics comc
lrom` In thc casc ol
granu|atcd Sp|cnda, thc
answcr is ma|todcxtri n,
a bu|king agcnt simi|ar
to cornstarch. Without
it,sucra|oscis6OOtimcs
swcctcrtlansugar.
Tastes l i ke, but doesn't
quite bake l i ke, sugar.
Saying Yes to the Garlic Press
What,ilany,substantivcdillcrcncccxistsbctwccn
minccdandprcsscd gar|ic`
L IZA Q. WI RTZ
CAM B RI DGE. MASS.
Sinccwc tcstcd gar|ic prcsscs in uc March/
Apri| 2OO! issuc olthc magazinc , wc'vc bccn
rccommcnding thc usc olminccd or prcsscd
gar|icinourrccipcs . Invariousrccipcs, ourtast
crs cou|dn' ttc||thc dihcrcncc bctwccnpropcr|y
m nccdgar|icandprcsscdgar|ic.Whi|cchclsmay
wc|| bc ab|ctoproduccpi|csolpcrlcct|ynuccd
gar|ic in no timc U at, wc'vc tound that homc
cooks oncn don' tmincc gar|ic as nnc|y asmany
rccipcs rcquirc. A gar|ic prcss produccs noton|y
avcrynnc mincc , a|nostapurcc) butancvcn|y
nucmincc,whichcnsurcscvcndistributionotu a
vortlroughoutthc dish. Jhc winncrolourtcst
wastlcZy|issSusiDcLuxcGar|icPrcss,ava|ab|c
atmanykitchcn storcs lor S! 2. .
Best-Buy Knife "Set"
I'vc bccn|ookingto buy a knilc sct. What'suc
|cast, amountolmoncyandnumbcrolknivcs)I
can gct awaywith`
J ANET S P E E RS
CAM B RI DGE, MAS S .
Ycarsolcarving, s|icing,mincing,anddicing
havc taughtusthatthrcc knivcsV nicc|ycarry
us urough most kitchcn j obs. First on our |ist
wou|d bc a chcl's knilc, which can bc uscd lor
everything from carving a roast to chopping
vegetables to mincing parsley. Second would
be a paring knife for things like coring apples,
peeling and sectioning oranges, stemming mush
rooms-all jobs for which a chef's knife is just too
big. Third would be a bread (or serrated) knife.
Nothing works better than a bread knife for slic
ing cleanly through tough-skinned tomatoes, not
to mention all manner of breads, delicate pastries,
and dense and chewy bagels.
If you're looking for a "best buy" on these
knives-that is, optimum performance at a
modest price-we can recommend three that
placed either frst or second in past tests, all of
them made by Forschner: the 8-inch chef's kife
($31.00), the 314-inch paring knife ($5.95), and
the 1014-inch bread knife ($36.00). For infor
mation on where to purchase these knives, see
Resources, page 32.
Storing Oyster-Flavored Sauce
We have been doing a lot of stir-fy meals, many
using oyster-favored sauce. On the bottles we
get, there is no instruction on what to do afer
opening them. Our last bottle was kept in the
refigerator but was clogged up when we went to
use it. What is the best place to keep it?
DR. AND M RS . RONAL D S. GRE E N
C H EY E NNE , WYO.
In its publications on food safety, the National
Restaurant Association recommends a maximum
storage period of two years, unrefrigerated,
for unopened bottles of salty condiments. We
could fd no guidelines for such products once
opened, but in a search of oyster-favored sauces
in an Asian grocery store, we checked labels and
found that most brands do recommend refigera-
2
tion afer opening. The thickness you noticed was
o likely caused by the low temperature, as oyster

favored sauce becomes viscous when refigerated.

Bringing the oyster sauce to room temperature

o
before using it should help, and a small amount
Z
C

of water can be added to sauce that remains thick

once brought to room temperature.

Rocking with a Mezzaluna

Knifework is not exactly my forte in the kitchen,

so I was intrigued by the mezzaluna you sug

gested as an alternative to a chef's knife in your

July/August 2003 issue. You said it's good at

L
mincing herbs. Wat else can I use it for?
U RS U LA TUCHAK
Z
<
C
>
1
O
AL B E RTA, CANADA
We discovered the advantages of the crescent

.
shaped knife called a mezzaluna (Italian for "half
1
moon") when testing it along with several other

(and much less fnctional) herb choppers. The

mezzaluna made quick work of basil, parsley, and

rosemary, producing a fne and even mince as we

o mastered the technique of rocking the blade back
Vt11 IS IT?
In my trvels I've seen to slt continer of similar design, either of which
I would love to own. They both looked like-the best I can describe it-a
hooded bowl. The top was eas to grb to pour from the bowl, and the front
was open so it was eas to get a measuring spoon in. The frt one I saw was
custom-designed potery. the second made of glass. Have you ever come
across such as these. and. if so, do you know where I could get one?
jO NORCAN
3AvR, PA.
We believe that the object you're describing is a salt pig. pictured above. While we found this one at the
Web site for King Arhur Flour, a search of the Web tumed up cermic vessels identical in shape and difering only
in color. Tis one, about 4 inches wide and b inches tall, holds about half a pound of salt. The sites we checked
indicated that the knob on top is for carring and that the lare. round opening provides eas access to the salt.
It's also thought that the hooded shape keeps moisture from collecting on the salt. One of our editor left this salt
pig out on her kitchen counter for a couple of months last summer (which included a couple of ver humid week)
and the salt did indeed remain dr, with no clumping whatsoever. Its hood distinguishes the
salt pig from the salt cellar, which is generlly a small, open bowl.
We couldn't help but wonder how the slt "pig" got it name and V contcted
a couple of lexicogrpher, one of whom-Geore H. Goebel, an editor of the
Dictionary of American Regional English at the Univerit of Wsconsin,
Madison-made his way to the Scotish National Dictionary. Tis rference
indicated that this use of "pig" is an old one found mostl in Scot and norther
English dialect, where it means an earthenwar vessel, specifcall "a pot, jar,
pitcher, [or] crock," which of coure fts the notion of a slt pig ver nicel. (A cou
ple of the Web sites ventured that the hooded opening look like a pig's snout.)
Goebel added that according to the sme dictionar, "pig" or "penny pig" can mean
"an earhenware money-box, now sometimes made in the for of the animal 'pig"
while the "pig" in "pig bank" originall meant "made of earhenwre." Te pig shape
was apparently a visual pun. To purchase the slt pig picturd here, see Resources, page J2.
and forth over the cutting board. Wat else can a
mezzaluna do? To fd out, we used ours to mince
or chop more than a dozen diferent foods, and we
liked the results we got with most of them.
A mezzaluna is as well suited to mincing garlic
as it is herbs. Onion, ginger, bell and Thai chile
peppers, olives, and pickles also chopped up nicely
(for the onion, cut into 1-inch slices frst, then
mince with the mezzaluna). Celery and carrots did
not fare well, the thickness and crunchiness of both
providing lots of resistance to the curved blade.
Almonds, peanuts, pecans, and walnuts, on the
other hand, were pretty easy to handle. We found
it best to frst chop them into large pieces by rais
ing and lowering the blade in a chopping motion;
they could then be "rocked" into a finer chop. Last
on our list were baking chocolate and raisins. For
the chocolate, we found it
best to ease the blade into
the side of the block with
a few slow strokes to
break it up; we then
rocked away, easily
Te mezaluna i s a good alterative
to a chef' s knife or food processor when
mi nci ng hers, garlic, or ginger or when chopping small
amount of nuts, risins, or chocol ate.
JANUARY c FEBRUARY 2004
9
producing a mound of chopped chocolate. Risins
were a bit stick, but less so than when we chopped
them with a chef's knife.
Errata
Although in cooking and eating most of us
treat peanuts more like a nut than like a legume,
they are in fact a member of the pea family and
as such qualif as a legume-as a couple of read
ers pointed out afer seeing the back cover of
the November/December 2003 issue, which is
labeled "Nuts."
Step 4 of the Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
recipe on page 22 of the November/December
2003 issue directs the cook to remove tl1e sides of
the springform pan while tl1e cheesecake remains
in the water bath. At this point, a paring knife
should be used to loosen the sides of the cake
from the pan, but the sides of the pan should not
be removed until the cake has been chilled in
the refrigerator for a minimum of four hours.
SNDUSYOURQU5ONSWe wi l l provide a com
plimentr one-year subscription for each letter we print. Send
your inquir, name, address. and daytime telephone number
to Notes from Reader, Cook's Illustrted, HO. Box 470589,
Brookine, N0247,or to notesfromreader@bcpress.com.
Quick Tips
C O MPI L E D B Y R E B E C CA HAY S AN D N I NA WE S T E
Flavored Sugars
Ci nnamon sugar is commonplace,
but Ann Budreski of Montpel i er,
Vt., keeps more unusual sugars on
hand for sti rri ng into cofee and
tea, spri nkl i ng onto fresh fruit, and
decorti ng cooki es, mufi ns, or
homemade doughnuts. She uses
the food processor to make gi nger,
vani l la, chocolate, citrus, and ci n
namon sugars.
For ginger or vani l l a sugar:
Process 2 teaspoons mi nced can
died gi nger or '/+fresh vanil l a bean
with I cup sugar i n the workbowl
of a food processor for 45seconds
to I mi nute.
For chocolate, citrus, or
cinnamon sugar: Add 2 teaspoons
cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons grated
fresh zest from one l emon, l i me,
grpefruit, or ornge, or '/ tea
spoon ground ci nnamon to I cup
sugar and pulse 20 times in the
workbowl of a
Stor the chocolate and ci nnamon
sugars at room temperature in
sealed contai ners for severl
months. Store the gi nger, vani l l a,
and citrus sugar in the refrigerator
for up to one week.
Reheati ng French Toast
Ater a big weekend breakast. there are inevitably a few uneaten pancakes or slices of
French toast. Instead of discarding the leftover, Sean Sweeney of Brookline, Mass.,
has come up with this method of reheating them.
I. Lyer parchment paper beteen the cooked French toast slices or pancakes, wrp
portions in plastic wrp and then in foil, and store in the freezer.
l.To reheat. unwrp and heat the French toast or pancakes for I 0 to l?minutes on
a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven and sere with hot maple syrup. The breakst
treats can also be reheated in a toaster oven.
Quick Compound
Buter
Compound butter i s generlly
prepared by softening butter.
mixing in flavoring ingredients,
shaping the mixture into a log,
and then rechilling or freezing
the butter so that it can be
sliced and sered as a savor
topping for steak, chops, or fish.
Cecily Ward of San Francisco,
Calif., saves time by using a
whole stick of salted butter
straight from the refrigertor.
I. Unwrp the butter, halve
it lengthwise, and roll each
piece directly in the seasonings,
whether chopped fresh herbs,
hot red pepper fakes, chili pow
der, or grted citrus zest.
2. Slice and sere-no mixing or
rechilling is necessar.
3 . Wrp lefover in the original
butter wrpper and freze for
future use.
I.
Send Us Your Tip We wi l l provide a compl i mentary one-year subscription for each ti p we pri nt. Send your ti p. name, address. and
telephone number to Qui ck Tips, Cook's I l l ustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne. MA 02447,or visit w. cooksi l l ustrated. com.
COOK
'
S ILLUSTRATED
4
Roasted Garl i c Pste
Roasted garlic cloves are great for
spreading on bread or stirring into
soups and stews for extr flavor, but
it can tke some time and patience
to extrude the roasted cloves from
their paper skins. Jenny Buechner
of Madison, Wis. , found a way to
streamline the process. Afer dry
toasting individual garlic cloves on the
stovetop, she passes the unpeeled
cloves through a garlic press. This cre
ates a perfectly smooth paste, and
the garlic peel is easily removed from
the press.
Revivi ng Crstal l ized Honey
Al l honey hardens and crystal
lizes over ti me, but i t need not be
discarded. To bri ng honey back
to i ts trnsl ucent, liqui d state,
Janet Reynol ds of Dedham, Mass.,
uses a pot of si mmeri ng water,
al though you coul d al so use a
mi crowave. Once cool ed, use the
honey or screw the l i d back on for
storage. The honey wi l l eventual ly
recrstal l ize, but it shoul d flow
freely for several weeks.
Place the opened jar of honey
in a saucepan fi l l ed wi th about
an inch of water and pl ace over
ver l ow heat, sti rri ng the honey
often, until the crystal s mel t.
Alternatively, heat the opened
jar i n the mi crowave on hi gh
power i n I 0- second i ncrements,
sti rri ng intermittently, unti l it
has l i quefi ed.
I mpromptu Bowl Cover
Plastic wrp i s the usual choice
for coveri ng leftovers for storge,
but Kim Waters of Gai nesvi l l e,
Ga., di scovered another opti on.
A cl ean, unused shower cap
(often found i n compl i mentar
toi l etr packs in hotel rooms)
makes a perect bowl cover. I t i s
big enough to fit most large mix
ing bowls and creates a more rel i
able seal than most pl astic wraps.
Grati ng Smal l Amounts
of Cheese
When a Mi cropl ane rsp-stle grter
(our favorite tool for grti ng smal l
amounts of hard cheese) i sn' t handy,
Nancy Mi l ker of Wi l l its, Cal if. , reaches
for a serrted steak knife to grte
Prmesan or Aiago over bowls of
pasta or risoto. Hol di ng the cheese
in one hand and a smal l serrted steak
knife i n the other, she l ightly scrpes
the cheese di rectly over the food.
Edible Spoon Rest
A spoon rest is a ni ce extr to have
i n the kitchen, but many cook
don't want to bother with them.
Julian Lwis of Burl i ngton, Vt., came
up with an alternative. I nstead of
a cermi c or metal spoon rest, she
uses a slice of bread. Te bread
catches bits of food and soaks up
juices, i n the process becomi ng a
savor treat for the fami ly
dog (or the cook).
New Use for Stovetop
Grates
Mi chael Drur of Hari ch, Mass . .
was prepari ng to roast a chi cken
at hi s vacati on home and real
ized at the last mi nute that the
kitchen wasn' t equ i pped with a
V-rack. With some qui ck
thi nki ng. he bui l t hi s own rck
usi ng the grates from hi s gas
stove and al umi num foi l .
I . Wrp two l ight-gauge
stovetop grtes wi th foi l and use
a pari ng knife or skewer to poke
l are hol es in the foi l so that
jui ces can dri p down i nto the
pan as the bi rd roasts.
2. Place the grtes in the
roasti ng pan, resti ng them
agai nst the si des of the pan so
that the bottoms of the grates
meet to create a V-shape. Roast
the chi cken (or turkey) as
I.
di rected i n the reci pe.
2.
No- Fuss Wrapper Storage
Opened boxes of al umi num foi l
and pl astic wrap ofen catch on the
kitchen drwer frame, causi ng i t to
jam. RobertZif of Loris, S.C., ofers
thi s si mpl e preventive measure.
When you return a box of foi l or
pl astic wrp to its storage drawer,
turn the box l i d- side down. The
next ti me you open the drwer, no
l i ds sti ck up and catch to prevent
the drawer from openi ng.
Dotti ng with Butter
Recipes often i nstruct the cook to "dot" the top of casseroles, frui t pi es, and other
baked desserts with butter for extr ri chness and browni ng. Rther than cutti ng
butter i nto smal l pi eces and then spri nkl i ng them over the di sh with warm hands (a
mess proposition). Jane Ahworth of Beavercreek, Ohi o, came up wi th thi s ti p.
I. Keep a sti ck of butter, i n i ts wrapper, i n the freezer. When a reci pe cal l s for
dotti ng with a certai n quanti t of butter. peel back the wrpper and use a pari ng
kni fe to mark the proper amount.
2. Usi ng the l are hol es of a fat grater, grte the butter di rectly over the baki ng di sh,
di stri buti ng i t evenly.
) A N U A R Y [, F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 4
'
Keepi ng Fish Extra- Fresh
Fresh fish and shel lfish are best
purchased and sered on the same
day. I f fish must be stored, even
briefly, it i s best kept on i ce. I nstead
of keepi ng seafood in a messy
contai ner of mel ti ng ice, Lur
Bueermann of Cambri dge, Mass.,
recommends the fol l owi ng.
Pl ace a layer of sealed frozen ice
bricks (the ki nd used in pi cni c cool
ers) along the bottom of the meat
drwer i n the refrigerator. Place
the wrapped fish on top of the ice
bri cks. For fi rm-fl eshed fish and
shel lfish, pl ace addi ti onal ice bricks
on top. Replace melted ice bricks
with ful ly frozen bri cks as necessar.
Cleani ng Tough Tea Stai ns
I f you brew a fresh pot of tea ever
momi ng, you know that tanni n stai ns
bui l d up qui ckly on cermi cs. Jennifer
Pde of New York, N.. found thi s
eas way to remove them.
Fi l l the stai ned teapot, teacup. or any
tai nted pi ece of cerami c with water
and drop in a denture cl eansi ng tabl et.
Let soak for ? or 3 hours, then wash
with di shwashi ng l i qui d and hot water.
Ught stai ns wi l l di sappear, leavi ng the
cup or pot l ooki ng as good as new.
Heavier stai ns may need several treat
ments fol l owed by a scrubbi ng with
hot soapy water.
t5DIItC!D_ O!-D-tD
/ French boiled dinner seems hopelessly out of date, but we thought it was worth
revisiting. Could we bring this one-dish classic back from the brink of extinction?
c ` 1111 L7^7`11 7^1 ^1^7 \1`
N
ot long afer man discovered
fre, he (or she) discovered
the boiled dinner. This pri
mal and simplest of cooking
methods requires nothing more than
simmering meat and vegetables in a
pot of water, and the technique is used
around the world, from Mongolian hot
pot to New England corned beef and
cabbage. Literally translated as "pot on
fre" (referring to the stovetop simmering
method and not some unfortunate cook
ing accident), pot-au-feu is the French
version. The resulting broth is often
elegant enough to serve as its own course
wth crusty bread, followed by the sliced,
meltingly tender beef and an assortment
of vegetables, all of which are presented
family -sty le, with condiments such as
horseradish and mustard.
vegetables were disliked. Zucchini and
summer squash were watery and spongy,
and broccoli was too pungent. Most
recipes call for adding the vegetables to
the broth all at once, but this produced
overcooked vegetables every time. We dis
covered that batch cooking-potatoes go
in for a few minutes, then the carrots and
parsnips, then the green beans-ensures
that each vegetable cooks perfectly.
Perfectly cooked-but, unfortunately,
also perfectly bland. In addition, the
pounds of vegetables made the broth taste
like vegetable soup. We decided to cook
the vegetables separately fom the beef in
highly salted water 2 tablespoons of salt
per 4 quarts of water), hoping that this
would season the vegetables suffciently.
And did it ever! Each vegetable now tasted
brighter and cleaner, and the whole dish
took a giant leap forward.
Sweat the Small Stu
P exotic ingredients and chef-inspired
recipes have taken hold of American
cooks, traditional recipes such as pot-au
feu have fallen out of favor. But there is
something appealing about this relic from
the golden age of French country cook
ing. Pot-au-feu is straightforward fare that
uses neither strange ingredients nor com
plicated cooking methods, and, although
it requires a substantial investment of time
Wi th tender beef. wel l - seasoned vegetabl es. and a ri ch broth .
pot- au-feu turns si mpl e i ngredi ents i nto a compl ete meal for a crowd.
While we weren't looking for vegetable
soup, we admitted that the broth could
use a little more favor. We found that a
few bay leaves, peppercorns, and whole
cloves gave the broth depth, while parsley
and thyme added feshness. A whole head
(it takes hours to make tough, cheap meat
tender), this recipe can produce a spectacular
complete meal for a crowd. This being company
food, our goal was to make the best pot-au-feu
possible.
Because there are neither potent ingredients
nor a sauce to mask mistakes, pot-au-feu has to
be perfectly executed. If the meat is tough or
! the vegetables are bloated from overcook
ing, the dish has little appeal. We reasoned that
choosing the right ingredients-from the cut of
beef to the proper vegetables-would greatly
enhance the favor of the dish. When to add
the ingredients and how long they should cook
would also be key.
Meat Matters
To offer a mix of meat textures, pot-au-feu uses
at least two tpes of beef, usually a boneless roast
as well as a bone-in cut such as short ribs or
beef shanks. For the roast, we tested cuts from
the round (leg) and chuck (shoulder) as well as
brisket and preferred the chuck roasts, which get
their big flavor and velvety texture from the good
amount of fat and collagen running through
them. 1 of the chuck roasts tested were good,
but the chuck-eye was our favorite. P for bony
cuts, we loved the richly decadent meat from
short ribs, but this cut didn't add much favor to
the broth. Beef shanks are packed with favorfl
marrow that melted into the broth, but shank
meat was not as satisfing as that from the short
ribs. We decided to include both bony cuts to
produce a beef broth and rich-tasting meat.
Vegetable Season
As for which vegetables to include, tasters were
most comfortable with more conservative addi
tions, such as carrots, parsnips, new potatoes,
and green beans, although pearl onions, fennel,
cabbage, leeks, turnips, butternut squash, and
sweet potatoes were also well received. A few
L+
'
+J`+

of garlic improved things greatly, but we

still wanted more favor.
We added carrot, celery, and onion back to the
broth (not enough to overpower the beef, and
the favor defnitely improved. We tried sweating
the vegetables in a little oil until they began to
exude their juices. This step took m of 10 min
utes, but now the broth tasted fl and complex.
And yet ... we still wanted a richer, more con
centrated favor.
Like many pot-au-feu recipes, ours now called
for about 7 quarts of water, enough to cover
the beef and vegetables. Since we had decided
to cook our vegetables separately, however, we
realized that this was probably too much water.
We cut quart and knew we were on the right
track. We cut another, and though the water now
barely covered the meat, this was no problem; the
once sizable roast reduced in mass as it cooked.
With the lid lef off the pot, our 5 quarts of water
reduced down to 3 quarts of rich broth.
With our heady broth ladled over the fall-
Steady (Ad Not So Sl ow) Wi ns
We found that the rte at whi ch the pot-au-feu
cooks can greatly i nfuence the end product and
si mmeri ng ti me. The best choice i s a steady si mmer,
which is strong enough to cook the meat i n about
3 '12 hour but gentle enough not to damage the
meat or broth.
GE NTLE S I MM E R: 1 9 8
'
- 2 0 5
'
Coo k i n g ti me : 6 h o u rs

Very few bubbl es break the surace of the

broth, appeari ng mostly around the si des of
the pot. Broth i s perectl y cl ear.
STEADY S I M M E R: 2 0 6
'
- 2 1 1
'
Cooki ng t i me : 3 ' / z h o u rs
Lrger bubbl es break the surace of the broth
at a more rpi d rate, especi al ly around the
si des of the pot. Broth i s fai rly cl ear.
RAPI D BOI L: 2 1 2
Coo ki n g t i me : | ' / z h o u rs
Lre bubbl es appear al l over the surace and
begi n to "rol l over." Vi ol ent churni ng breaks
apar meat and turns broth cl oudy.
1Yl NG 1H L NLP1
apart-tender roast, melt-in-your-mouth ribs and
shanks, and perfectly cooked and seasoned veg
etables, our pot-au-feu was now simple cooking
at its best. This French classic didn't seem that
dated anymore. In fact, with its emphasis on pre
senting each ingredient in its most natural form,
it was downright chic-well, almost.
POT- AU - F E U
S L KVLS d 1 O | U
A stockpot with at least a 12-quart capacity is
necessary for this recipe. Cheesecloth is ideal for
straining the broth, although a quadruple layer
of paper towels W do in a pinch. Once the beef
braise reaches a boil, reduce the heat to main
tain a steady simmer; if lef to boil, the resulting
broth will be murky. For serving, arrange the
components on a large warmed platter and give
diners individual shallow soup bowls in which to
plate their portions. It is not compulsory to serve
all of the condiments listed below; mustard and
cornichons are traditional choices.
Brr]Broisr
I medi um cel ery ri b, chopped medi um
2 medi um carrots, chopped medi um
2 medi um oni ons, chopped medi um
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
I beef chuck roast (about 3 pounds) . preferabl y
chuck-eye, ti ed accordi ng to i l l ustrati on bel ow
3 pounds beef short ri bs (about 5 l arge ri bs) ,
tri mmed of excess fat and ti ed accordi ng to
i l l ustrati on bel ow
2 pounds beef shanks (each about I 11 i nches
thi ck) . ti ed accordi ng to i l l ustrati on bel ow
5 quarts water
3 l arge bay l eaves
I teaspoon whol e bl ack peppercorns
5 whol e cl oves
l arge garl i c head , outer papery ski ns removed
and top thi rd of head cut off and di scarded
I 0 fresh parsl ey stems
8 sprigs fresh thyme
tabl espoon sal t
Chuck roast: Cut to 2-foot pi eces
of butcher's ti ne. Wrp one pi ece
around roast about I i nch from bot
tom and tie with doubl e knot. Sni p of
excess and repeat with second pi ece
about I inch from top.
Shor ribs: Cut two I -foot pieces of
butcher's ti ne for each ri b. Wrp one
piece about I i nch from top and ti e
wi th doubl e knot. Sni p of excess and
repeat wi th second pi ece about I i nch
from bottom.
Shanks: Cut four I -foot pi eces of
twi ne for each shank. Wrap each
pi ece of twi ne around shank and ti e
i n center.
JANUARY c FEBRUARY 2 11
/
Vrrtablrs
2 pounds smal l red new potatoes, scrubbed and
halved i f l arger than 1 11 i nches
2 tabl espoons salt
1 11 pounds carrots (about 7medi um) , halved
crosswi se, thi cker half quartered l engthwi se,
thi nner hal f hal ved l engthwise
1 11 pounds parsni ps (4 to 5 medi um) , halved
crosswi se, thi cker half quartered l engthwise,
thi nner hal f halved l engthwise
pound green beans, stem ends tri mmed
GornishrsondCcndimrnts
'/+ cup chopped fresh parsley l eaves
baguette, thi ckly sl i ced
Di jon or whol e-grai n mustard
Sea salt
Corni chons
Prepared horseradi sh
1. CR1ME BEE BRASE Stir together cel
ery, carrots, onions, and oil in 12-quart stockpot;
cook, covered, over low heat, stirring fequently,
until vegetables are sofened but not browned, 8
to 10 minutes. (If vegetables begin to color before
sofening, add 1 tablespoon water and continue
to cook.) Add beef roast, ribs, shanks, water, bay
leaves, peppercorns, and cloves; increase heat to
medium-high and bring to boil, using large shal
low spoon to skim any foam and fat that rise to
surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncov
ered, for 2l2 hours, skimming surface of fat and
foam every 30 minutes.
2. Add garlic, parsley stems, thyme, and salt.
Simmer until tip of paring knife inserted into
meats meets little resistance, 1 to 112 hours.
3. Using tongs, transfer roast, ribs, shanks, and
garlic to large cutting board and tent with foil.
Strain broth through mesh strainer lined with
double layer cheesecloth into large container
(you should have about 3 quarts liquid). Let
broth settle for at least 5 minutes, then skim off
fat using large shallow spoon.
4. CR 1ME VEGE1ABLES While broth
settles, rinse out stockpot and add potatoes, salt,
and 4 quarts water; bring to boil over high heat;
boil 7 minutes. Add carrots and parsnips and
cook 3 minutes longer. Add green beans and
cook 4 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon,
transfer vegetables to large warmed serving plat
ter, arranging as desired; tent with foil.
5. 1C SERVE Using tongs, squeeze garlic
cloves out of skins and into small serving bowl.
Remove twine from roast and separate roast at its
seams; cut roast across grain into l-inch-thick
slices and arrange on platter with vegetables.
Remove twine from shanks and ribs and arrange
on platter. Ladle about 1 cup broth over meat
and vegetables to moisten; sprinkle with parsley.
Serve, ladling broth over individual servings
and passing garlic, baguette, and condients
separately.
Lighter, Quicker Eggplant Parmesan
Tradi ti onal recipes fry breaded eggplant i n copious amounts of oi l . Coul d we eli mi nate
the fri ng, streamli ne the di sh, and make i t taste better than the ori ginal ?
T
hcrc' s a nrst-and a |ast-timc lor
cvcrything. Whcn itcomcs to cggp|ant
Iarmcsan, my nrst attcmpt at this dish
wasa|so my |ast. Jhc rcasonismanilcst
toanyoncwhohasnicdnotorious|yspongycgg
p|antin gcncrousamounts oloi| . Jhiscombina
tionis a|mostccrtain to producc a hcavy, grcasy
conc|usiontoa|ongdayinthckitchcn. What' sto
|ikcabouttimcconsumingandgrcasy`
Dcspitcmymisgivingsaboutgivingthisc|assic
butinsipidrccipcanothcrtry,Icookcdasamp|ing
olcggp|ant Parmcsans, ranging nom traditiona|
toncwwavc. "JhcmainobjcctionIhadtomost
olthc rccipcs was thcir rcquircmcnt to lry thc
cggp|antin lour or nvc tcdious batchcs. It took
an attcntivc cyc to kccp thc oi| at just thc right
tcmpcraturc, making thc risk olgrcasy cggp|ant
grcat. Ancr a m| day olbrcading, lrying, and
tomatosaucc making, I was prcdictab|y tircd
and disappointcd. Most olthc casscro|cs wcrc
|cn uncatcn, vith tastcrs having dcscribcd thcm
as oi|y," dcnsc, " supcrgrcasy," and mcssy." I
was nowdctcrmincdtorcinvcntthis dish by bak
ing thc cggp|ant rathcrthan nyingit,I wantcd a
ncshcr,|ightcrtakconthcc|assic Itianvcrsion.
Bclorc I cou|d gct startcd, I had to tack|c a
rccurring issuc . Most rccipcs ca|| lor purging
,sa|ting) cggp|ant to cxpc| bittcrj uiccs , scc A
Spoonm|olSa|t, "pagc9) andprcvcntthcporous
H cshnomsoakingupcxccssoi| .Jodoub|cchcck
thisthcory, I bakcd somc unsa|tcd cggp|ant. i|
absorptionwasn' taprob|cm, butthccggp|antdid
tastcbittcr,andithadaraw,mca|ytcxturc. Jhirty
minutcsolsa|tingrcmcdicdthcprob|cm. Forcm
cicncy'ssakc,Ichoscgoodsizcdg|obccggp|ants,
Ididn'twanttomu|tip|ythcnumbcrols|iccsI' d
havc toprcparc. Forthc bcst appcarancc, tastc,
andtcxturc, I sctt|cd on unpcc|cd, '+inch thick
crosswiscs|iccs,not|cngthwiscp|anks.
B Y R E B E C CA l ^ Y S
Eggpl ant i s a sponge when i t comes to oi l . The secret to
l i ghter eggpl ant Parmesan i s to l i mi t i ts access to oi l .
Shake ' n Bake
In my nrst cllort to sidcstcp dccpnying, I dis
pcnscd with thc brcading a|togcthcr, baking
nakcd, sa|tcd cggp|ant s|iccs on a baking shcct
coatcdwithcookingspray. , Jhis mctlodisoncn
cmp|oycd in |owca|oric rccipcs lor cggp|ant
Iarmcsan. ) Jhcrcsu|tingcggp|antcarncdncgativc
commcnts nom tastcrs. nontraditiona|, " atypi
ca| , "and,morcdircct|y,nasp' " Iconc|udcdthat
brcadingwascsscntia|andtickcdoha|istolpos
sibi|itics. F|ouraloncwasn't substantia| cnough.
Eggp|ant swat|cd in mayonnaisc and tlcn brcad
crumbs turncd s|imy. Eggp|antcoatcd in a our
and cgg battcr and thcn brcadcrumbswas thick
and tough. A standard sing|c brcading , dipping
r E s r R E c | P E s : Fol l owi ng a Trai l of Crumbs
thccggp|antnrstincgg, tlcn brcadcrumbs)was
too mcssy-tlc cgg s|id right oll thc cggp|ant,
|cavingthccrumbsnothingtoadhcrcto.
Adoub|c,orbound,brcadingprovcd supcrior.
Dipping tlc cggp|ant nrstinscasoncd||our,thcn
cgg, mcnbrcadcrutnbscrcatcda substantia| , but
nothcavy)andcrispcoatingt|atbroughtmcmi|d
avorandtcndcr,crcamytcxturc olthc cggp|ant
totlclorc. Jhcinitia|coatingolUourina bound
brcading crcatcs a dry, smooth basc towhich tlc
cggcan c|ing. I scasoncd thc brcadcrumbswith
gcncrousamountsolIarmcsan,sa|t, andpcppcr.
I' d bccn using lrcsh brcad crumbs and won
dcrcd whcthcr I shou|d toast tlcm to improvc
thcir avor or ilI cou|d gct away with using
storc bought crumbs. Jhc answcrs wcrc no"
and no. " Joastcd crumbs bakcd up too hard
and tcndcd to bur, and storc-bought crumbs
wcrcsonncthatthcydisappcarcdundcrb|ar:kcts
oltomato sauccandchccsc.
Acr considcrab|c cxpcrimcntation, I lound
tlattlc bcstwayto achicvc a crisp coating isto
bakc thc brcadcd slccs ontwoprchcatcd baking
shccts, cach coatcd witl a modcst 3 tab|cspoons
olvcgctab|c oi| , o|ivc oi| tastcd sour) , rotating
thc pans and ipping thc s|iccs partwaytl:rough.
At 425 dcgrccs,thc s|iccs sizz|cd during cooking
andbccamcm||ytcndcrin 3O minutcs. \singthis
tcchniquc,I turncdoutcrisp,go|dcn browndisks
olcggp|ant,cxpcndinga minimum olchort, and
usingvcry|itt|coi| ) . Andnow, sccingthatIwasn't
busynyinguplourbatchcsolcggp|antinhotoi| ) ,
I hadtimc togratc chccsc and whip upa quick
tomato sauccwlilcthccggp|antbakcd.
Creati ng a Casserole
Eggp|ant Iarmcsan cou|dn' t bc ca||cd such
without Iarmcsan chccsc, so t|at was a givcn.
I' da|rcadyuscdsomclorbrcadingthccggp|ant,
Vl MMl MO CCmUl M1l CM
BAKE D NAKED
"Nast"
F LO U R ALON E
"I nsubstantial "
MAYO & CRU M BS
"Sl i my"
BATER & CRU M BS
"Thick and tough"
E GGS & C RU M BS
"Too messy"
F LO U R, E GGS , & CRU M BS
Di ppi ng the eggpl ant in fl our,
then egg, then bread crumbs
created a substanti al (but not
heavy) and cri sp coati ng.
We prepared eggpl ant i n nearly a dozen ways. Above are some fai l ed sampl es, wi th tasters' harsh comments.
COOK
"
S I L LUSTRATED
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and a little extra browned nicely on top of the cas

serole. Mozzarella is another standard addition.
A modest amount ( 8 ounces) kept the casserole
from becoming stringy.
A few cloves of minced garlic, a sprinkling of
hot red pepper fakes, and some olive oil started
off a quick tomato sauce, followed by three cans
of diced tomatoes, witl1 j ust two of them pureed
in tl1e food processor to preserve a chunky tex
ture. A handfl of fresh basil leaves ,I reserved
some basil for garnish, too) plus salt and pepper
were tl1e fnal fourishes.
Because breading sofens beneath smothering
layers of sauce and cheese, I lef most of tl1e top
layer of eggplant exposed. This lef me witl about
one cup of extra sauce, j ust enough to pass at tl1e
table. Anoter beneft of this technique was tl1at
without excess moisture, tl1e casserole would be
easy to cut into tidy pieces. Witl1 tl1e eggplant
flly cooked, the dish needed only a brief stay in
a hot oven to melt the cheese.
In the end, I had drastically reduced the
amount of oil and attention required to make
this dish, and I had done it witl1out compromis
ing favor. Now tl1ere will never be a "last" ti me
for eggplant Parmesan.
E GGP LANT PARME SAN
S L KVLS 1O d
Use kosher salt when salting tl1e eggplant. The
coarse grains don't dissolve as readily as tl1e fne
grains of regular table salt, so any excess can be
easily wiped away. To be time-efcient, use tl1e 30
to 45 minutes during which the salted eggplant sits
to prepare tle breading, cheeses, and sauce.
Egplant
2 pounds gl obe eggpl ant ( 2 medi um eggpl ants) ,
cut crosswi se i nto 1/- i nch-thi ck rounds
I tabl espoon kosher sal t
8 sl i ces hi gh- qual ity white sandwi ch bread
(about 8ounces) , torn i nto quarters
cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
Sal t and ground bl ack pepper
cup al l - purpose fl our
4 l arge eggs
6 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
Tomato Sauce
3 cans ( 1 411 ounces each) di ced tomatoes
2 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
4 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I generous tabl espoon)
1/ teaspoon red pepper flakes
11 cup coarsely chopped fresh basi l l eaves
Salt and ground bl ack pepper
8 ounces whol e mi l k or part-ski m mozzarel l a,
shredded ( 2 cups)
11 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about I ounce)
I 0 fresh basi l l eaves, torn, for garni sh
S C | E N C E : A>OOnlul Ol>l t
Researchers i nvestigati ng methods for maki ng bi tter
medi cati ons more pal atabl e have di scovered that sal t
can mask bi tter flavors. Accordi ng to one research
group, for exampl e, sodi um can reduce the perceived
bi tterness of acetami nophen , the active i ngredi ent i n
Tyl enol , by more than 50 percent. To see if sal t might
have the same effect on bi tter-tasti ng foods, we per
formed a bl i nd taste test of several , i ncl udi ng coffee and
eggpl ant, to whi ch we added ei ther sal t or sugar. Wi th
the addi ti on of '+ teaspoon sal t per pi nt, the perceived
To test the effects of salt and sugar on bitter foods,
tasters-grimaci ng al l the whi l e-sampled coffee as
wel l as eggplant j ui ce mixed with each.
bi tterness of the coffee was cut i n half. Sal t al so reduced the perceived bi tterness of eggpl ant.
The tradi ti on of sal ti ng eggpl ant, then, appears to serve two functi ons. The first, as we have found i n kitchen
tests. i s that i t makes eggpl ant fi rmer by removi ng water. The second, as we di scovered in the above tests, i s that
salt can mask bi tterness. I ndeed, when we had tasters sampl e previ ously sal ted and unsal ted batches of sauteed
eggpl ant, most cl ai med to detect a bi tter backround fl avor in the unsal ted batch that they di dn' t taste i n the
sal ted batch. Everbody knows that a spoonful of sugar hel ps the medi ci ne go down ; l i ttl e di d we guess that the
same coul d be true for sal t. -J ohn Ol son, Sci ence Edi tor
1 . ICRJME EGGI!AJ. Toss half of eggplant
slices and 1 1 teaspoons kosher salt in large bowl
w1til combined; transfer salted eggplant to large
colander set over bowl . Repeat witl1 remaining
eggplant and kosher salt, placing second batch in
colander on top of frst. Let stand w1til eggplant
releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45
minutes. Arrange eggplant slices on triple layer
paper towels; cover witl1 another triple layer paper
towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much
liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt.
2. While eggpl ant is draining, adj ust oven
racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place
rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven
to 425 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor
to fne, even crumbs, about ffteen 1 - second
pulses (you shouJd have about 4 cups ) . Transfer
crumbs to pie pl ate and stir in 1 cup Parmesan, l4
teaspoon salt, and v' teaspoon pepper; set aside.
Wipe out bowl (do not wash) and set aside.
3 . Combine four and 1 teaspoon pepper in
l arge zipper- lock bag; shake to combine. Beat
eggs in second pie plate. Place 8 to 1 0 eggplant
slices in bag witl1 four; seal bag and shake to coat
eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off
excess four, dip i11 eggs, let excess egg rw1 off,
tl1en coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; set
breaded slices on wire rack set over baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining eggplant.
4. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven;
add 3 tablespoons oi l to each sheet, tilting to coat
evenly with oil . Place half of breaded eggplant on
each sheet in single layer; bake until eggplant
is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes,
switching and rotating baking sheets afer 1 0
minutes, and fipping eggplant slices wii wide
spatula afer 20 minutes. Do not Utrn off oven.
5. ICR JMI SALCE. Wilie eggplant bakes,
process 2 cans diced tomatoes in food processor
until almost smooth, about 5 seconds . Heat olive
oil , garlic, and red pepper fakes in large heavy-
JANU ARY c F E BRU A R Y 2004
/
bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stir
ring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is light
golden, about 3 minutes; stir in processed and
remaining can of diced tomatoes. Bring sauce to
boil, tl1en reduce heat to medium-low and sim
mer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened
and reduced, about 1 5 minutes (you should have
about 4 cups) . Stir in basil and season to taste
wth salt and pepper.
6. JC ASSEMIE. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce
in bottom of 1 3 by 9- inch baking dish. Layer in
half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to ft;
distribute 1 cup sauce over eggplant; sprinkle
with half of mozzarella. Layer in remaining egg
plant and dot witl1 1 cup sauce, leaving majority
of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp (see
illustration below) ; sprinkle witl1 v' cup Parmesan
and remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling
and cheese is browned, 1 3 to 1 5 minutes. Cool
1 0 minutes, scatter basil over top, and serve, pass
ing remaining tomato sauce separately.
TE C HN I Q UE
bPL| L \l 1H |PL1l |N
To prevent the cri sp egpl ant sl i ces from becomi ng
sogg, use a mi ni mum of tomato sauce to dot the
top l ayer, l eavi ng most of the eggpl ant exposed.
Garlc-Rosemary Roast Chicken
What is the secret to moist, tender roast chicken with
robust-not raucous-garlic and rosemary flavor?
A
perfectly roasted chicken
is winsome: rich, favorfl,
simple, and satisfing. It is a
rarity, however, and worthy
of a standing ovation because, despite
its uncomplicated nature, it requires skill
to accomplish, a def coordination of the
doneness of the white and dark meat. In
the Tuscan tracition, garlic and rosemary
add favor to a roast chicken. Indeed, tl1ey
render it heady and robust, but garlic and
rosemary are ofen bullies, overly aggres
sive and assertive. This explains why an
exceptional garlic and rosemary roast
chicken is even more of a rarity than a
plain one.
- B Y DAWN YANAG I HARA E
I made a minor adjustment by adding a
greater an1ount of liquid to reduce tl1e risk
of complete evaporation and tl1en singe
ing. Though the liquid could be added
at the outset instead of at tl1e midpoint, it
was unnecessary simply because it was not
until the latter portion of roasting that the
drippings tended to burn. Liquid in the
roasting pan meant that tl1e skin would not
be ultracrisp, but there seemed little point
in crisping tl1e skin when a sauce would be
moistening it j ust before serving.
Flavor Boosters
A assessment of several recipes
revealed a nearly universal approach to
this cish: the simple application of a garlic
rosemary mixture beneath tl1e skin before
roasting. The recipes that I tried yielded,
for the most part, overroasted chickens
with tough, parched breast meat, and
just one bite flled the mouth with tl1e
astringent, resinous favor of rosemary
and a vaguely raw and very shar garlicki
ness that could be tasted for days. The
task at hand was to harness the favors of
garlic and rosemary and unite tl1em wtl1 a
perfectly roasted chicken with tender and
moist breast and t!ugh meat.
Li qui d i n the roasti ng pan prevents scorchi ng of the dri ppi ngs. whi ch are
l ater used to make a l i ght j us.
Applying a garli c and rosemary mixture
beneath the skin in tl1e style of most recipes
is tl1e best method of incorporating favor
( tossing whole garlic cloves and rosemary
sprigs into the cavity cid not work) , but
questions remained. First, should the
garlic-rosemary mixture include a fat ele
ment, either butter or olive oil? It should.
A fruity, aromatic olive oil ( butter seemed
out of place) helped in the distribution of
the garlic and rosemary and also added
favor. I next tried preparing the garlic for
tl1e paste in a few different ways. To my
surprise, the simplest method-calling for
a modest 2 teaspoons of raw garlic-was
Roasting Rites
Good garlic- rosemary roast chicken begins
with the roasting method. The test kitchen has
routinely found that brining, or soaking in a salt
water solution, adds moisture and seasoning that
penetrates tl1e meat. This garlic-rosemary chicken
was no cifferent. For a 4- pound bird, britung in
/ cup of salt and 2 quarts of water for one hour
was the right formula, producing roast chicken
that was moist and well seasoned. Next, I made
a flavored brine to see if it would have any meri
torious effects on tle favor of the bird. I crushed
0 garlic cloves and three sprigs of rosemary witl1
the salt, stirred tle mixture into a pint of hot tap
water to allow the favors to bloom, then added
cold water to cool the mixture before adcing the
chicken. The cifference was notable. This roast
chicken was subtly favored and perfmed with
garlic and rosemary.
Past kitchen tests have shown tl1at starting a
bird breast-side down helps with even cooking
( tl1e legs get heat exposure and a head start, while
the breast is sluelded), and my fncings concurred
witl1 tl1ese tests . I also agreed tlat civicing tle
roasting time ( about one hour for a 4- pound
bird) between two oven temperatures ( 375 and
450 degrees) yielded tender, moist meat and
nice browtung, two antithetical objectives. But I
reversed the order. I started tl1e cllicken breast
side down at 450 and fnished it breast-side up at
375 . Tlus way, the part of the bird that bore the
brunt of the heat was the sturdier dark meat of
tl1e legs, not the delicate wlite breast meat, which
proved to be more tender when exposed to more
moderate temperatures.
Tasters agreed that a jus (a light sauce) was
essential for adcing more garlic and rosemary fl a
vor to tlUs cish. Liquid added to tl1e roasting pan
at the halfay point prevented the drippings from
scorching so that a jus could be made from tl1em.
COOK
'
S I L L US TRATED
!
pleasantly punchy and the uncontested
favorite. Responding to comments that the
rosemary was too pw1gent and piney, I pared it
back to j ust 2 teaspoons nlced and made the
necessary adj ustments to the amounts of olive oil,
salt, and pepper. I distributed j ust a portion of
this modest amow1t of aromatic paste under the
skin of the breast and tlUgh areas . The remainder
I rubbed into the cavity of the chicken to season
the drippings that gatlered within, which would
favor the jus. This judicious seas01ng was key
the chicken met with success.
The chicken was good, but the resulting jus
was lacking in depth. Chicken broth and a small
amount of wllite wine helped, but, in keeping
witl tl1e tl1eme of tlUs dish, a bit of garlic and
rosemary was also required. Once again, I pre
pared tl1e garlic in a number of cifferent ways: I
toasted it, sliced and sauteed it, minced and sau
teed it, and incorporated raw garlic into the jus.
Sweet, mellow slowly roasted garlic mashed to a
paste took tle honors. To circumvent roasting
the garlic separately under its own cover, I tried
tossing unpeeled cloves ( about 1 0) into the roast
ing pan and roasting them beneath the chicken.
There they became sof and creamy, and because
they sat for some time in the liquid and drippings,
their favors permeated the jus. The only problem
was that the garlic cloves were too darkly colored
in spots, but that was easily remedied by adding
the cloves to the roasting pan 1 5 minutes into
cooking, giving them j ust 1 5 minutes of dry
heat to brown before adding the liqui d. As for
the rosemary, one sprig added to the simmering
liquid and discarded before serving provided j ust
the right amount of flavor.
As a fnal jus enrichment, I whisked in a couple
of tablespoons of butter, expecting it to add
smooth, sweet favor. Instead, it was an awkward
addition, j ust as it had been earlier in testing.
The jus was far better off without it. A mere
sprig of fesh black pepper and my work was
done. Here was a garlic-rosemary roast chicken
with greatness and gusto, but not one that would
outstay its welcome.
GARLI C - ROS E MARY ROAST C HI CKE N
WI TH J US
S L KVLS J 1O 4
If the roasting pan is considerably larger than the
chicken, keep an eye on the pan drippings; the
greater surface area may mean more rapid evapo
ration and a risk of burnt drippings . Add water to
the pan as necessary if the liquid evaporates.
Chicken and Bri ne
'/ cup sal t
I 0 unpeel ed garl i c cl oves
3 rosemary sprigs
whole chi cken ( about4pounds ) , gi bl ets di scarded
Garlic-Rosemary Paste
2 teaspoons mi nced fresh rosemary l eaves
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or press through
garl i c press (2 teaspoons)
'/s teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
Jus
tabl espoon extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l , pl us extra
for brushi ng chi cken
I 0 medi um- large unpeel ed garl i c cl oves
'/ teaspoon extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
I ll cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
'/ cup water
'I cup dry white wi ne or vermouth
sprig fresh rosemary
Sal t and ground bl ack pepper
. ICR JHE CH! CKE AO BR! E.
Combine salt, garl i c, and rosemary in zipper
lock bag; seal , pressing out air. Pound with meat
pounder or rolling pin until garlic cl oves are
STE P - BY- STE P PIIIYl NG 1HL IPb1L
I . Wi th your fi ngers, careful ly
l oosen ski n over breast and thi gh.
2. Spoon some garl i c- rosemar
paste under ski n on each si de of
breast.
3 . With your fi ngers on top of ski n,
work paste to di stri bute i t over
breast and thigh.
crushed. Transfer mixture to large container or
stockpot and stir in 2 cups hot tap water; let stand
10 minutes to release favors. Add 1 11 quarts cold
tap water and stir until salt is dissolved. Submerge
chicken in brine and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with
paper towels. Adj ust oven rack to lower- middle
s C | E N C E : Why Bri ni ng Work
Many have attri buted the added j ui ci ness of bri ned
chi cken to osmosi s-the flow of water across a
barri er from a pl ace wi th a higher water concentra
tion (the bri ne) to a place with a lower one (the
chi cken) . I deci ded to test thi s expl anati on. I f
osmosi s i s i n fact the source of the added j ui ci ness
of bri ned meat, I reasoned, then a bucket of pure
unsal ted water shoul d add moi sture at l east as wel l
as a bri ne, because water al one has the hi ghest
water concentrati on possi bl e: I 00 percent. Afer
soaki ng one chi cken in bri ne and another in water
for the same amount of ti me. I found that both
had gai ned moi sture, about 6 percent by wei ght.
Sati sfi ed that osmosi s was i ndeed the force dri vi ng
the addi ti on of moi sture to meat duri ng bri ni ng, I
roasted the two bi rds, al ong wi th a thi rd strai ght
out of the package. I woul d soon di scover that
osmosi s was not the only reason why bri ned meat
cooked up j ui cy.
Duri ng roasti ng, the chi cken taken strai ght from
the package lost I 8 percent of i ts ori gi nal wei ght,
and the chi cken soaked i n water l ost 1 2 percent
of i ts presoak wei ght. Remarkably. the bri ned bi rd
shed only a mere 7 percent of its starti ng wei ght.
Looki ng at my test resul ts, I real i zed that the ben
efi t of bri ni ng coul d not be expl ai ned by osmosi s
al one. Sal t, too, was pl ayi ng a cruci al rol e by ai di ng
in the retenti on of water.
Tabl e salt i s made up of to i ons, sodi um and
chl ori de, that are oppositel y charged. Protei ns,
such as those i n meat, are l are mol ecul es that
contai n a mosai c of chares, negative and posi tive.
When protei ns are pl aced in a sol uti on contai ni ng
sal t, they readjust thei r shape to accommodate the
opposi ng chares. Thi s rearrngement of the protei n
J ANUARY c F E BRUARY 20 04
! !
position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set V-rack
in small roasting pan and lightly spray rack with
nonstick cooking spray.
3 . ICR JHE IASJE. Stir together rosemary,
garlic, salt, 14 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon
oil in small bowl . Rub about 1 1z teaspoons of
paste in cavity of chicken. Careflly loosen skin
BEFORE ROASTI NG
Soaked i n water
AFTER ROASTI NG
Meat retai ns 8 2% of
ori gi nal wei ght
Meat retai ns 88% of
ori gi nal wei ght
Meat retai ns 9 3 % of
ori gi nal wei ght, and
muscl e structure i s
rel axed by sal t,
resul ti ng i n more
tender meat
mol ecul es compromi ses the structural i ntegrit of the
meat, reduci ng i ts overal l toughness. I t al so creates
gaps that fi l l up with water. The added salt makes the
water less l i kel y to evaporate duri ng cooki ng, and the
resul t i s meat that i s both j ui cy and tender.
-john Ol son, Sci ence Editor
RE C I P E S H O RTHAN D : CARVI N G MAD E EASY
I . LEGS 2. THI GHS 3 . WI NGS 4. WI S HBONE J . BREASTS
'
rrI@
6 . SLI CES
I. Legs: Cut l egs from body. 2. Thighs: Cut thi ghs from drumsti cks at j oi nts. 3 . Wings: Pul l wi ngs out from body
and cut. 4. Wishbone: Uft neck ski n and cut out wishbone. J. Breasts: Cut al ong breastbone and remove breasts.
6. Sl i ce: Cut breasts crosswise i nto '2- i nch sl i ces.
over breast and thigh on each side; slip half
of remaining paste under skin on each side of
breast, then, using fmgers, distribute paste over
breast and thigh by rubbing surface of skin ( see
illustrations through 3 page ). Tie ends
of drumsticks together with kitchen twine and
tuck wings behind back. Rub all sides of chicken
wth 2 teaspoons oil and season with pepper. Set
chicken breast-side down on prepared V-rack and
roast b minutes.
4. CR 1M |\S While chicken is roasting,
toss garlic cloves with / teaspoon oil; after
chicken has roasted b minutes, scatter cloves in
pan and continue to roast b minutes longer.
b. Remove roasting pan from oven; decrease
oven temperature to 3b degrees. Using tongs pr
wads of paper towels, rotate chicken breast-side
up; brush breast with 1 teaspoon oil . Add cup
broth and / cup water to pan and continue to
roast until chicken is medium golden brown and
instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest
part of breast and thigh registers about U and
b degrees, respectively, adding more water to
roasting pan if liquid evaporates . Tip V-rack to
allow j uices in cavity to run into roasting pan.
Transfer chicken to large plate.
. Remove garlic cloves to cutting board.
Using wooden spoon, scrape up browned bits
in roasting pan and pour liquid into 2-cup liquid
measuring cup. Allow liquid to settle; meanwhile,
peel garlic and mash t o paste with fork. Using
soup spoon, skim fat off surface of liquid (you
should have about
'
/ cup skimmed liquid; if
not, supplement with water) . Transfer liquid to
small saucepan, tl1en add wine, rosemary sprig,
remaining /4 cup broth, and garlic paste; simmer
over medium- high heat, until reduced to about
cup, about 8 minutes. Add accumulated j uices
1 1 M | Q J | | H L N T . Countertop Roti sseri e Ovens
from chicken and discard rosemary sprig; adjust
seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Carve
chicken and serve with j us.
GARLI C - ROS E MARY ROAST C HI CKE N
WI TH POTATOE S
I n this variation, the j us i s omitted and the pota
toes roast in the favorfl drippings. The roasted
garlic cloves can be spread on bread and eaten
alongside the chicken.
Follow recipe for Garlic- Rosemary Roast Chicken
with Jus tl1rough step 3 omittng jus ingredients
( and step 4) . During frst b minutes of roast
ing, quarter / pounds 2- inch red or Yukon
Gold potatoes; toss potatoes, 1U medium-large
unpeeled garlic cloves, v' tablespoons extra
virgin olive oil, and 14 teaspoon each salt and
pepper i n medium bowl . Mter chicken has
roasted b minutes, scatter potatoes and garlic
in single layer in roasting pan; roast for another
b minutes. Continue with recipe fom step b,
omitting the addition of liquid t o roastng pan
and stirring potatoes afer rotating chicken; when
chicken is done, do not tip V- rack with roast
chicken to allow j uices to run into roasting pan.
While chicken rests, transfer potatoes and garlic
to large paper towel-Lined plate and pat with
additional paper towel s. Carve chicken and serve
with potatoes and garlic.
Di sembodi ed meat rotating sl owly and mechani cal ly in an i l l umi nated vitri ne smacks i nto reveal ed egregi ousl y uneven cooki ng: The peri meter were wel l done. whi l e the
of the macabre. Conveni ently, a countertop rotisserie oven can sere up, i t seems,
both di nner and a show. A more compel l i ng sal es pi tch, I suppose, woul d be that of
the manufacturers. They heral d rotisserie ovens as the easy means to flavorful , j ui cy,
perfectly cooked. lower-fat, and generl ly gl ori ous food. Skepti cs l i ke us are not easi l y
sol d, however, so we got our hands on five countertop roti sseri e ovens to see what
they were capabl e of.
In each oven, we roasted a whol e bri ned chi cken, a 4-pound beef rib roast, and a
pork tenderl oi n. Then we sel ected one reci pe from the i nstructi on manual that came
wi th each machi ne and cooked i t i n its respective oven . Whi l e we found that the to
ovens with a hori zontal spi t di d a better j ob roasting chi ckens than di d verti cal roast
ers (the chi ckens seemed more moi st and more flavorful ) . overl l we coul d fi nd l i ttl e
to recommend a countertop rotisserie oven of any tpe.
The to horizontal roaster were the George J r. Rotisserie and the Ronco
Showti me J r. ( both avai l abl e for $ 1 00) . The chi ckens cooked i n these ovens were
decent. but the l uri d, ashen pork tenderl oi ns were enti rel y unappeti zi ng
ver core of each roast was medi um. Demeri ts were given to the George J r. oven for
maki ng l oadi ng and cl eani ng ver di fi cul t, for di recti ng us to secure our 4- pound beef
ri b roast in an 8- i nch-square by ?'/i nch- deep basket (an i mpossi bl e fi t; the roast had
to go di rectly on the spi t) , and for proferi ng a lous reci pe for Dijon mustard steaks.
Because the Ronco Showti me J r. di d a sl i ghtly better job roasting the chi cken. because
i t was easi er to l oad. unl oad, and cl ean, and because Ron' s Spi cy Lmon Pepper
Chi cken Wings were surpri si ngly good, we thought i t the best of the l ot.
The others, al l veri cal roasters, were the Bett Crocker BCF6000 Verti cal Rotisserie
Vertisserie Pl us ( $ 1 00) , the Farberare Vertical Rotisseri e ( $75 ) , and the Sunbeam
Carousel Rotisserie ( $80) . The first two l ooked surpri si ngly si mi l ar and were the si m
pl est to use, whi l e the Sunbeam was the most awkard. None of these three excel l ed
at any cooking task or equal ed the performance of the Ronco or Geore J r. model s.
The Sunbeam, however, provi ded entertai nment: Severl spectator were positively
captivated by the pi rouetti ng "spi t-roasted cobr" -baby- back ri bs-threaded
on the centrl skewer i n a serpenti ne "S" shape. -D.
and nearly tastel ess. The beef ri b roasts browned beauti ful ly, but when cut
.
Best in Show
RONCO Showti me ] r.
.

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Second Best
GE ORG E ] R.
Roti sseri e
A Fl awed Contestant Another Fl awed Contestant
BETY CROCKE R BCF6000 FARBE RWARE Verti cal
Verti sseri e Pl us Roti sseri e
COOK
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S I LLUSTRATED
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An Entertai ni ng Loser
S U N B EAM Carousel
Roti sseri e
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Pasta with Sun- Dried Tomatoes
Sun-dried tomatoes can be dry and overpowering. We set out to solve both probl ems.
A
childstarotthc !Os, thc sundricd
tomatorarc|y nnds its way onto rcs
taurant mcnus thcsc days . Jhat' s a
shamc,bccauscatthcirbcst,sun dricd
tomatocsarcmcaty,swcct,chcwy,andbrighttast
ing. Inlortunatcly, mostpcoplcrcmcmbcrthcm
as parchcd and lcathcry or ovcrmarinatcd and
ovcrpowcring. I wantcdto scc ilI couldbrcathc
somclilc, andmoisturc)intothishandysourccol
tomatoU avorandpairitwithpasta.
Sundricdtomatocsarcavailablcdricd,likcrai
sins,orpackcdinoilwithUavorings . Manyotthc
dricd tomatocs, whi ch, likc dricd mushrooms,
mustbchydratcdinhotwatcrbclorcbcinguscd,
tastcdtoosalty,bittcr,strong,ormusty, andthcir
tcxturc was cithcr mushy or tough. Jhc j arrcd
contcstants had a pl casant chcwy consistcncy,
similartothatotplumpraisins, butgotlowmarks
lorthcpoorqualityotthcirpackingoil ,thchcavy
handtakcnwiththcspiccs,orthcirastringcntU a
vor.Allinall ,howcvcr, thcj arrcdtomatocswcrc
supcriortothcjcrkylikcdricdvcrsions .
Jhc nrst stcp wasto drain and rinsc thc toma
tocs to rid thcm otthcir univcrsally unplcasant
marinadcs . Evcn rinscd otmarinadc, sun dricd
tomatocspackalotolavorandsoarcbcstpart
ncrcdwithcquallyasscrtivc ingrcdicnts, such as
olivcs,garlic,anchovics,arugula,andcapcrs .Rich
chccscsandgoodolivcoilbalanccthcsctcistya
vors. I alsocutthc tomatocsintosmall picccs to
tamcthcirprcscncc.
PASTA WI TH S UN- DRI E D TOMATOE S ,
RI COTA, AND PEAS
S L KVLS 4 1O
ilpackcdsun dricdtomatocsarc sold inj ars ot
dillcrcnt sizcs. nc 8': ounccj ar is cnough tor
anyolthctollowingrccipcs.
pound medi um shel l s
Salt
I cup ( 4 ounces) frozen peas
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press ( 2 teaspoons)
2 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
'I teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 2 ounces ( 1 11 cups) whole mi l k ricotta
cup drai ned oi l - packed sun- dri ed tomatoes
(one 8 11-ounce jar; see note) , ri nsed, patted dry,
and chopped coarse
'I cup grated Parmesan, pl us addi ti onal for servi ng
l Y | H | | | C | l H l l H F
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mi nt l eaves
Ground black pepper
1 . Bring4 quartswatcrtorollingboil ,covcrcd,
in stockpot. Stir in pasta and ! tablcspoon sal t,
cook until al dcntc, adding pcasin l ast ! 5 scc
ondsotcooking. Drain, rcscrving`/4 cupcooking
watcr,andrcturpastaandpcastostockpot.
2. Mcanwhilc,hcatgarlic,oil , andrcdpcppcr
akcs in small skillct ovcr mcdium hcat, cook
untilsizzlingbutnotbrowncd,about ! minutc.
Sct skillct asidc to cool slightly. Stir togcthcr
ricotta, sundricd tomatocs, Iarmcsan, mint, '/
tcaspoonsalt, '+ tcaspoonpcppcr,andgarlic/oil
mixturc in bowl . Stir pasta cooking watcr into
ricotta mixturc, add ricotta mixturc to pasta in
potandstirwcll to combinc. Scrvcimmcdiatcly,
passingadditional Iarmcsanscparatcly.
PASTA WI TH ARU G U LA, GOAT C HE E S E ,
AND S UN- DRI E D TOMATO PE STO
S L KVLS 4 1O
Crispnicdcapcrsmakcancxccllcntgarnishtorthis
dish. Scc Kitchcn otcs,pagc3O, torinstructions.
cup drai ned oi l - packed sun- dri ed tomatoes
(one 8 11- ounce jar) , ri nsed, patted dry, and
chopped very coarse
6 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
'/ cup wal nuts, toasted i n smal l dry ski l l et over
medi um heat unti l fragrant, about 6 mi nutes
smal l garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 1 1 teaspoon)
V ounce ( 11 cup) grated Parmesan
Sal t and ground bl ack pepper
pound campanel l e or farfal l e
medi um bunch arugul a (about 1 0 ounces) ,
washed, dri ed, stemmed, and cut i nto
l - i nch l engths (about 6 cups)
3 ounces goat cheese
. In tood proccssor, pulsc sun dricd toma
tocs, oil, walnuts, garlic, Iarmcsan, ': tcaspoon
salt,and '/s tcaspoonpcppcruntilsmootl , about
nnccn 2 sccond pulscs, scraping down bowl as
nccdcd. Jranstcrtosmallbowlandsctasidc.
2. Bring 4 quarts watcr to rolli ng boil , cov
crcd, in stockpot. Stirinpasta and ! tablcspoon
salt, cook until al dcntc. Drai n, rcscrving`/4 cup
cooking watcr, and rcturn pasta to stockpot,
immcdiatclystirinarugulauntilwiltcd. Stirpasta
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2004
9
cooki ng watcr into pcsto, stir pcsto into pasta.
Scrvcimmcdiatcly,dottingindividualbowlswith
': inchpicccsgoatchccsc.
PASTA WI TH GRE E N OLI VE-S UN- DRI ED
TOMATO SAUCE AND TOASTED BREAD CRUMBS
S L KVLS 4 1O
2 sl i ces (about 2 ounces) whi te sandwi ch bread ,
crusts removed, bread torn i nto quarters
teaspoon pl us 2 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
pound spaghetti
Sal t
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I tabl espoon)
'/ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 anchovy fi l l ets, chopped fi ne
can ( 1 4 11 ounces) di ced tomatoes, drai ned,
11 cup j ui ce reserved, tomatoes chopped fine
cup drai ned oi l - packed sun- dri ed tomatoes
(one 8 11- ounce jar) , ri nsed, patted dry, and
chopped fi ne
cup fi nely chopped green ol ives
tabl espoon chopped fresh parsl ey l eaves
. Iroccss brcad in lood proccssor to cvcnly
n nccrumbs,about ! O scconds ,you should havc
about ! cup) , transtcr to mcdium nonstick skil
lct and toss with ! tcaspoon oil . Sct skillct ovcr
mcdium hcat and cook, stirring occasionally,
untilcrisp andgoldcn, about minutcs. Jranstcr
to small bowl ,wipcoutskillct.
2. Bring4 quartswatcrtorollingboil ,covcrcd,
in stockpot. Stir in pasta and ! tablcspoon salt,
cookuntila dcntc. Drainandrcturnpastatopot.
3 . Mcanwhilc, combinc rcmaining 2 tabl c
spoons oil , garlic,rcdpcppcr akcs,andancho
vics in nowcmpty skillct, sct ovcr mcdiumlow
hcat and cook, stirring trcqucntly, until garlic is
tragrant but not browncd,about 3 minutcs. Stir
incanncdtomatocsandcook,stirringtrcqucnt|y,
untilslightlythickcncdanddry,about5 minutcs.
Sti rin sundricd tomatocs, olivcs, andrcscrvcd
tomato juicc, cook until hcatcd through, about
! minutc. Stirsaucc andparslcyintopastainpot.
Scrvc immcdiatcly, spri nkling individual bowls
witlportionotbrcad crumbs.
COOK'S EXTRA gives you free recipes onl ine. For
Psta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Cauliflower. and Thyme
Infused Cream, visit w.cookillustrted.com and key in
code 1 041 . 1 t wi l l be avai l abl e unti l February 1 5 , 2004.
Hearty Lenti Soup
Does a bowl of lentil soup sound about as inspiring as a serving of instant oatmeal ?
We set out to put the taste and texture back into this si mple dish.
R
unotthc mi|| |cnti| soup
a|ways rcminds mc otthc
sccnc trom thc n|m Oliver!
whcn |ivcr Jwist bcgs,
I|casc, sir, mayI havc somcmorc` "
Jhc prob|cm,otcoursc, isthatnoonc
who isn't truly, dccp|y hungry wou|d
ask tor a sccond hc|ping otthc thin
s|oporUavor|cssmudthatoncnpasscs
torthiscommonsoup. Evcnapicturc
pcrtcct bow|m| ot|cnti| soup can bc
ani||usionbccauscitsti||mayhavcno
Uavorwhatsocvcr. Yctthis carthy dish
ought to bc a wnncr. It's chcap, it's
quick, and it tastcsj ust nnc-maybc
cvcnbcttcr-thcncxtday.Iwasdctcr
mincd to dcvc|op a mastcr rccipc tor
myco|dwcathcrrcpcrtoircthatwould
bc a kccpcr. I wantcd a hcarty |cnti|
soupworthyotasccondbow| .
3 B Y E L I Z A B E T H G E R M A I N
I startcd by prcparing nvc rcprc
scntativc rccipcs, and two discovcrics
quick|y camc to |ight. First, garlic,
hcrbs,onions,andtomatocsarc com
mondcnominators. Sccond,tcxturcis
a big issuc. onc otmy tastcrs|ikcd
thc soup that was brothy or, at thc
othcr cxtrcmc, thc onc that was as
thickasporridgc. Jhcya|sogavcabig
thumbsdowntothoscthat|ookcd|ikc
brown sp|it pca soup. Conscqucnt|y,
A bowl of l enti l soup can actual ly be i nspi ri ng-that i s, if you know
the secret to preservi ng the texture of the l enti l s.
rccipcsthatinc|udcdcarrots,tomatocs,andhcrbs
wcrc rcwardcdtor thcirbrightcrcolors , and Ua
vors) . Jhcrc was a|so a c|car prctcrcncc tor thc
subt|c,smokydcpthmcatprovidcs. Jhcncxtstcp
wastodctcrmincwhich|cnti|stobuyandhowto
cookthcm.
Lenti l Lessons
Brown, grccn, andrcdlcoti|sarc thc most com
monchoiccsonsupcrmarkctshc|vcs. Atspccialty
markctsandnatura|toodstorcs, youcana|sonnd
b|ack |cnti|s and Frcnch grccn |cnti|s , |cnti|s du
Iuy), thc lattcr bcingthc dar|ingotchcts cvcry
whcrc. In addition to co|or dittcrcnccs, |cnti|s
can bcdividcdaccording to thcirsizc-|argcor
sma||-andtowhcthcrthcyarc sp|it,|ikcpcas,or
not. rdinarybrownand grccn|cnti|sarc |argc,
whi|crcd, b|ack,and|cnti|sduIuyarcsma|lRcd
|cnti|s arc ohcn so|d sp|itandarc uscd most trc
qucnt|yinIndiandishcssuchasda| .
Jo makc somc scnscota|| otthis,I madc nvc
pots ot|cnti| soup, cach onc using a dittcrcnt
co|orcd |cnti| . Rcd|cnti|swcrcout-thcy disin
tcgratcdwhcnsimmcrcd. P tourotthcrcmain
ingchoiccsproduccdan acccptab|c tcxturc, but
tastcrs prctcrrcd, as cxpcctcd, thc carthy uavor
and nrm tcxturc otthc |cnti|s du Iuy. Jo our
surprisc, howcvcr, thc |argcr grccn and brown
|cnti|s tarcd rcasonab|y wcl|, cxcccding thc |ow
cxpcctationsotthctcstkitchcn. , Formorcdctails
onthistasting,sccLcnti|s 1 01 " atright. )
cxt,Isctouttotcstcookingmcthods. Somc
rccipcsca||torsoakingthc|cnti|stora tcwhours
bctorc cooking. ot on|y did I dctcrminc that
this stcp was cntirc|y unncccssary-|cnti|s cook
up rathcr quick|y-but I a|so discovcrcd that
soaking incrcascs thc |ikc|ihood ot a mushy
tcxturc. Evcn without soaking, somc varictics ,
cspccia||ythc|argcbrownandgrccn|cnti|s, havc
a grcatcr tcndcncy to ta|| apart itovcrcookcd,
COOK
'
S I L L USTRATED
l 4
r A s r , N . Lenti l s
Lenti l s come in vari ous sizes and col ors, and the dif
ferences in flavor and texture are surpri si ngly di sti nct.
I asked tasters to eval uate five kinds of l entils i n my
soup, rati ng them i n terms of taste, texture, and
appearnce. Here' s what we found, wi th the l enti l s
l i sted i n order of preference. -E. G.
Lntils du Puy These l enti l s are
smal l er than the more common
brown and green varieti es. Whi l e
they take thei r name from the city
of Puy in central France, they are al so
grown in North America and Italy. Dark ol ive green,
al most bl ack, i n col or, wi th mottl i ng, these l enti l s
were prai sed for thei r "rich, earthy, compl ex flavor"
and "fi rm yet tender texture. "
Black Lntils Uke l enti l s du Puy, bl ack
l enti l s are sl ightly smal l er than the
standard brown l enti l s. They have a
deep bl ack hue that tasters l i kened
to the col or of caviar. I n fact, some
markets refer to them as bel uga l enti l s. Taster
l i ked thei r "robust, earthy flavor" and "abi l ity to
hol d thei r shape whi l e remai ni ng tender. " A few tast
ers found the col or of the soup made with them "too
dark and muddy. "
Brown Lntils These l arer l enti l s
are the most common choi ce i n the
market and are a uniform drb brown.
Tasters commented on thei r "mi l d yet
l ight and earthy flavor. " Some found thei r
texture "creamy, " whi l e others compl ai ned
that they were "chal k. " But everyone agreed that
they hel d thei r shape and were tender i nsi de.
Green Lntils Another l arer l enti l ,
thi s variet i s the same size as the
brown l enti l and i s greeni sh-brown i n
col or. Although tasters accepted the
"mi l d flavor" of these l enti l s and l i ked
the way they "retai n thei r shape whi l e bei ng
tender, " most compl ai ned that the soup made from
them was "a bit anemi c l ooki ng. "
Red Lntils These smal l orange
red l enti l s "completely di si ntegrate
when cooked. " They made a soup
that l ooked "anemi c. "

cvcn lorjusta lcw minutcs. Scarching lor a way

to avoid this prob|cm, ! cmp|oycd a common
Indianculinarytrick. swcatingthclcntilsinacov
crcdpanwitharomaticvcgctablcspriortoadding
thcliquid. Isingbrownlcntils,! cookcduptwo
batchcs and, bingo, ! had solvcd thc problcm'
Jhc swcatcd |cnti|s rcmaincd intact, whi|c thc
unswcatcdlcnti|shadbrokcndown.
Jo bcttcrundcrstand this phcnomcnon, ! sct
upa scrics oltcstswith ourstallscicncccditor,
John|son.Wcswcatcdoncbatchol|cnti|swith
justonionsandcarrots . !nthc sccond batch, wc
addcdsalt,andinthcthird batchwc addcdvinc
gartotcstthcro|colacids. Jhcrcsu|tswcrcc|car.
Jhc nrst batch-without any sa|t or acid-was
thcworst,withavcrymushytcxturc. Jhc|cnti|s
swcatcdwith sa|twcrc thc most intact, thc vin
cgarhc|pcdkccpthclcntilsnrm,butitwasnotas
cllcctivcasthcsa|t, atlcastinamountsthatwould
tastcgood) . Wydidwcgctthcscrcsults`Whcn
lcgumcs arc cookcd, pcctin likc compounds
brcakdownintoagc|atinousgoosimi|artojam.
Saltandacids , suchasthoscloundinvincgaror
canncdtomatocs)rcinlorccthcorigina|insolublc
pccticcompoundsandrctardthcirconvcrsionto
gc| . Swcating lcnti|s with bacon, canncd toma
tocs, andsa|t, aswcllasaromaticvcgctab|cs and
hcrbs) not only cnsurcd an idcal tcxturc but
boostcdthcuavorolthc|cgumcsaswc| | .
ncissucconccrmngtcxturcrcmaincd. Jastcrs
wantcdachunkicrsoupanddidnot|ikcthcbrothy
basc. ! tricd purccing a lcwcups olthc soup and
thcnaddingitbacktothcpot.Jastcrspraiscdthc
contrastolthc now crcamy basc with thc who|c
|cnti|sandloundthccntircsoupmorcintcrcsting.
Flavor Development
Iorkwas thc mcatolchoicc in a|| olthc rccipcs
! cxamincd. I lound that thc lcnti|s cookcd too
quicky to cxtract thc smoky uavor that a ham
boncorhockcanimpart. Irosciuttoandpancctta
wcrctoomi|d.Jastcrsprclcrrcdthcsmokyuavor
olbacon and likcd thc tcxtural addition olthc
baconbits.Anothcradvantagcbaconollcrcdwas
rcndcrcdlat. !uscdittosautcthcvcgctab|csand
aromatics, which mrthcr inmscd thc soup with
smo|uavor.
thc othcr uavors and addcd a touch olbright
grccntothcpot.
Last,butnotlcast,wasthcqucstionolliquids .
! prcparcdtwo batchcs, onc with watcr and onc
with chickcn broth. cithcr was idca| . Watcr
produccdasoupthatwasnotasrichinuavoras
dcsircd, whi|c thc brothon|y vcrsion tastcd too
much|ikcchickcnsoup.Ancrscvcra|morctcsts,
! conc|udcd that a mixol3 partsbrothto ! part
watcrproduccda hcartydcptholuavorwithout
bcingovcrpowcring.
ow thc |lavor olmysoup wasgood, but it
was missingthat nnal cxtra touch. ! turncd to
ingrcdicntsto brightcn tlc soup andloundthat
dry whitc winc workcd wondcrs . Bccausc thc
acidicwinc had noticcab|yimprovcd thc soup, !
tricd onc nnal adj ustmcnt. Many rccipcs ca|l lor
thc additionolvincgaror|cmonj uiccjustbclorc
thc soup is scrvcd. ! stirrcda touch olba|samic
vincgar into thc pot at complcti on, and tastcrs
gavcthissoup apcrlcct! O.
Withmymastcrrccipc comp|ctc, ! dcvclopcd
a lcwvariations. Stirringahcnyamountolspin-
ach into thc pot at thc cnd olcooking crcatcd
a popularvcrsion. lcnti|soupwithgrccns . Fora
spicicr and morc cxoticrcndition, ! addcdsomc
olthc aromatic spiccs uscd i n orth Arican
cooki ng-cumi n, coriandcr, cinnamon, and
caycnnc-andsubstitutcdci|antrolorthcpars|cy
and|cmonjuicc lor thcvincgar. owmytastcrs
camc up and askcd, I|casc, E|izabcth, may !
havc somcmorc` "
H EARTY LENTI L S OUP
MAKLSAbOU1 2 UAK1S, S L KV| NL 4 1O
Lcnti|s du Iuy, somctimcs ca|lcd Frcnch grccn
|cnti|s, arc our nrst choicc lor this rccipc, but
brown, black, or rcgu|ar grccn |cnti|s arc nnc,
too. otc that cooking timcs wi|| vary dcpcnd
ingonthctypc ol |cnti|suscd. Lcnti|s|oscuavor
vth agc, and bccausc most packagcd |cnti|s do
nothavccxpirationdatcs, trytobuythcmlroma
storc that spccia|izcsinnatura|loods and grains.
Bclorcusc,rinsc and thcncarcm|lysortthrough
thc |cnti|s to rcmovc sma|l stoncs and pcbb|cs.
Jhcsoupcanbcmadcin advancc. Ancradding
Fromcarlytcsting,!kncwthat
onions,carrots,garlic,andtoma
tocs wcrc a givcn lor uavor and
co|or. Whcn crushcd or purccd
tomatocswcrcaddcdto thc pot,
thc soup took on thc dispiriting
color ol tomato saucc. Jastcrs
prclcrrcd draincd diccd toma
tocs, which allowcd thc lcntils
to rcmain ccntcrstagc . Jurnips
wcrc out olplacc, and potatocs
wcrc too starchy. Jastcrs also
rcj cctcd cc|cry, saying its uavor
was too promincnt . Bay lcavcs,
thymc, and parslcy roundcd out
A Good Sweat (Makes a Di fference)
F I RM LE NTI LS M US HY LENTI LS
Sweati ng the l enti l s i n the presence of sal t and aci ds (from canned
tomatoes) retards the conversi on of pecti n- l i ke compounds to a gel .
Once sweated, these l enti l s easi l y remai n i ntact duri ng a l ong si mmer
i n broth (as seen on the left) whi l e becomi ng tender on the i nsi de.
Lenti l s si mmered wi thout fi rst bei ng sweated fal l apart ( as seen on the
ri ght) if overcooked.
JANUARY c FEBRUARY 211
l '
thcvincgarinstcp2, coo|thcsouptoroomtcm
pcraturcandrcnigcratcitinanairtightcontaincr
lorup to2 days . Jo scrvc, hcat itovcrmcdium
lowuntilhot, thcnstirinthcparslcy.
3 sl i ces bacon (about 3 ounces) , cut i nto
1/4- i nch pi eces
I l arge oni on, chopped fi ne (about 1 11 cups)
2 medi um carrots, peel ed and chopped medi um
(about I cup)
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I tabl espoon)
can ( 1 4 11 ounces) di ced tomatoes, drai ned
bay l eaf
teaspoon mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
cup (7ounces) l enti l s, ri nsed and pi cked over
teaspoon salt
Ground bl ack pepper
1h cup dry white wi ne
411 cups l ow- sodi um chi cken broth
I 1h cups water
1 11 teaspoons bal sami c vi negar
3 tabl espoons mi nced fresh parsley l eaves
! . Fry bacon in|argc stockpotorDutchovcn
ovcr mcdium high hcat, stirring occasiona||y,
unti| lat is rcndcrcd and bacon is crisp, 3 to 4
minutcs. Add onion and carrots, cook, stirring
occasional|y, unti| vcgctab|cs bcgin to soltcn,
about 2 minutcs. Addgar|ic and cookunti| lra
grant, about 3O scconds. Stir in tomatocs, bay
|cal, and thymc, cook unti| lragrant, about 3O
scconds . Stir in lcnti|s, salt, andpcppcr to tastc,
covcr, rcducc hcat to mcdium l ow, and cook
unti| vcgctablcs arc soltcncd and |cnti|s havc
darkcncd, 8 to ! O minutcs. Incovcr, incrcasc
hcat to high, add winc, and bring to simmcr.
Addchickcnbrothandwatcr,bringtoboi| ,covcr
partia||y, and rcducc hcat to low. Simmcr unti|
|cnti|sarc tcndcrbut stil| ho|dthcirshapc, 3O to
35minutcs,discardbaylcal
2. Iurcc 3 cupssoupinb|cndcrunti|smooth,
thcnrcturn to pot, stirinvincgarandhcatsoup
ovcrmcdium|owuntilhot,about5minutcs. Stir
in 2 tablcspoons pars|cy and scrvc, garnishing
cachbow|with somc olrcmainingparslcy.
HEARTY LENTI L S OU P WI TH S PI NACH
Fo||ow rccipc lor Hcarty Lcntil Soup, rcplacing
parslcy with 5 ounccs baby spinach. Continuc
to hcat soup, stirring lrcqucntly, until spinach is
wiltcd,about 3 minutcs,scrvc.
H EARTY LENTI L S OUP WI TH F RAG RANT S PI CES
Fol|ow rccipc lor Hcarty Lcntil Soup, adding
! tcaspoon ground cumin, ! tcaspoon ground
coriandcr, ! tcaspoon ground cinnamon, and v4
tcaspoon caycnnc along with garlrc, substrtutc
lcmon j ui cc lor ba|samic vi ncgar and minccd
lrcshcilantrolorparslcy.
CIICr c UlCkCr CiClJC ICCk
We devi sed a formul a for great homemade stock that won' t take an enti re day
tO make. O1 z O z / /1`
Restaurant chefs adhere to ti me-consumi ng, i nvolved routi nes for maki ng chi cken and beef stocks. Bones.
meat, and mi repoix (oni ons, carrots, and cel er) are first oven- roasted or sauteed on the stovetop. A bouquet
garni (a bundl e of several fresh herbs) and water are added, and the stock si mmers, uncovered, for hours, wi th
the cook peri odi cal ly ski mmi ng off i mpuri ti es. For cl arit, a raft ( beaten egg whi tes and someti mes ground
meat) might be added to trap sedi ment. Fi nal ly, the stock i s stri ned, cool ed, and defatted.
Thi s method i s fi ne for professi onal cooks wi th the i ncl i nati on to tend to a si mmeri ng pot al l day, and i t does
yi el d ri ch, deeply flavored stock. But most home cooks don' t want (or need) to fol l ow such a compl i cated
regi men . We've devel oped new techni ques and hel pful ti ps for maki ng stock wi th great flavor whi l e requi ri ng
fewer i ngredi ents, l ess work, and l ess ti me than the cl assi c method.
You don' t need to make a huge i nvestment in equi pment to produce a good stock, but a few tool s
make the process easi er.
Strainer: A stock made with hacked bones wi l l
contai n mi nute bone parti cl es and spl i nters and
must be strai ned . A fi ne- mesh strai ner i s i deal
for thi s j ob. Uqui ds must be strai ned i nto a cl ean
bowl or pot. The sturdy, deep, rel atively narrow
bowl of a standi ng mixer i s a perfect receptacl e.
Dutch oven or stockpot: Stock shoul d be made
i n a pot l arge enough to accommodate pl ent of
bones, meat, aromati cs, and water. Whether you
use a Dutch oven or stockpot. choose a l i dded pot
wi th a capaci t of at l east 8 quarts.
|

Colander: Before stri ni ng the

stock, trnsfer bones and lare pieces
of meat to a col ander. Ti s hel ps to
prevent splashi ng when pouring the
l i qui d through the stri ner. Ay tpe
of colander will do-just be sure to
place it over a bowl .
I LLUSTRATI ON: JOHN BURGOY NE
Meat cleaver: Hacking chi cken
parts i nto small pieces al l ows thei r
favorful j uices to rel ease qui ckly
i nto the stock, significantly reduci ng
the total si mmeri ng ti me. Rther
than ri sk damagi ng your chef' s
knife. use a meat cleaver, whi ch is
designed to cut through bones.

\
\
\
\
\
\
Ski mmer: A ski mmer i s a wi de,
fl at, perforated spoon wi th a l ong
handl e. I t i s the best tool for ski m
mi ng i mpuri ti es and foam that
ri se to the surface of a stock as i t
cooks. I f a ski mmer i s not avai l
abl e, a l are sl otted spoon works
wel l , too.
L L \ b l L L L b 1 K A 1 L |
l
Choosing Chi cken
In ki tchen tests, we found that stocks made wi th
kosher or premi um chi ckens (we l i ke Bel l & Evans)
tasted better and had more body than stocks made
wi th mass-market bi rds. Our advi ce: I f you have a
favorite chi cken for roasti ng. use i t for stock.
Cutting Up Chi cken FM. Chi cken hacked i nto
smal l pi eces with a meat cl eaver wi l l give up i ts favor
in record ti me. To cut through bone, pl ace your hand
near the far end of the meat cl eaver handl e, curl i ng
your fi ngers securel y around i t i n a fi st. Handl e the
cl eaver the way you woul d a hammer. hol di ng your
wrist sti ff and stri ght and l etti ng the wei ght of the
bl ade' s front ti p l ead the force of the chop.
Choosi ng Beef
We made six stocks with six di fferent cuts of beef,
i ncl udi ng the chuck, shanks, the round, anm bl ades,
oxtai l s, and short ri bs. We added marrowbones to
the bonel ess cuts to establ i sh an equal meat-to- bone
rti o i n each pot and si mmered the bone-i n cuts as
i s. Tasters l i ked the stock made from shank best. I n
addi ti on to usi ng the ri ght cut, we found that the best
stock i s made with a l ot of beef. Most reci pes ski mp on
the beef but we found that a ful l si x pounds of shanks
Cutting Meat from Shank Bones: Cut the meat
away from the shank bone i nto l arge 2- i nch chunks.
I . Saute. Oni ons are a must for any stock. but
cooki ng tests proved that carrots and cel ery aren' t
vital .
3. Si mmer. Add boi l i ng water ( to j ump- start the
cooki ng process) , bay l eaves (other herbs don' t add
much flavor) , and sal t.
J. Strai n. Once the flavor has been extracted from
the stock i ngredi ents, a ski mmer or sl otted spoon
can be used to remove them to a col ander. Then
pour the stock through a fi ne- mesh strai ner or a
col ander l i ned wi th cheesecl oth .
2. Sweat. Browni ng the chi cken or beef and then
sweati ng i t (cooki ng over l ow heat i n a covered pot)
al l ows the meat to qui ckly rel ease i ts ri ch, flavorful
j ui ces and greatly reduces the si mmeri ng ti me.
4. Ski m. Ski mmi ng away the foam that ri ses to the
surface of beef stock si gnifi cantly i mproves i ts flavor.
Ski mmi ng chi cken stock wi l l make i t cl earer, but the
flavor i mprovement i s l ess noti ceabl e.
6. Defat. After stock has been refrigerated , the fat
hardens on the surface and is very easy to remove
with a spoon. To defat hot stock, we recommend
usi ng a l adl e or a fat separator (see pages 28-29) .
ldl e cool ed stock i nto nonsti ck mufi n
ti ns and freeze. When the stock is frozen,
twist the mufi n t i n j ust as you woul d twist
an ice tray. Place the frozen bl ocks in a
zi pper-l ock pl asti c bag and seal i t ti ghtly.
I . An al ternative is to pour stock i nto a coffee mug l i ned
wi th a quart-si zed pl asti c zi pper-l ock bag.
2. Pl ace the fi l l ed bags fl at i n a l arge, shal l ow roasti ng pan
and freeze. Once the stock i s sol i dly frozen , the bags can
be removed from the pan and stored i n the freezer.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 4

STOCK RECI PES
Both of the fol l owi ng stocks can b e refrigerated i n ai rti ght
contai ners for up to 4 days or frozen for +to 6 months.
Each reci pe makes about 2 quarts.
U | CkCH| Ck N S1DCk
tabl espoon vegetabl e oi l
medi um oni on, chopped medi um
4 pounds whol e chi cken l egs or backs and wi ngti ps,
cut i nto 2- i nch pi eces
2 quarts boi l i ng water
1l2 teaspoon sal t
2 bay l eaves
I NSTRUCTIONS:
Heat oi l i n l arge stockpot or Dutch oven over medi um- hi gh
heat unti l shi mmeri ng but not smoki ng; add oni on and cook
u nti l sl i ghtl y softened, 2 to 3 mi nutes. Transfer to l arge bowl .
Brown chi cken in 2 batches, cooki ng on each si de unti l l i ghtly
browned, about 5 mi nutes per si de; transfer to bowl with
oni ons. Return chi cken and oni on to pot and reduce heat
to low; cover and sweat unti l chi cken rel eases j ui ces, about
20 mi nutes. I ncrease heat to hi gh ; add boi l i ng water, sal t,
and bay l eaves. Bri ng to boi l , then reduce heat to l ow; cover
and si mmer sl owly unti l stock i s rich and flavorful , about 20
mi nutes, ski mmi ng foam off surace, if desi red . Strai n; di scard
sol i ds. Before usi ng, defat stock.
R| CH 8 | S1DCk

Red wi ne, used to degl aze the pan after browni ng the beef,
adds an extra layer of flavor. To extract maxi mum flavor and
body from the meat and bones, beef stock must be si mmered
much l onger than chi cken stock.
2 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
I l arge oni on, chopped medi um
6 pounds beef shanks, meat cut from bone i n l arge
chunks, or 4 pounds beef chuck, cut i nto 3 - i nch
chunks, and 2 pounds smal l marrowbones
1 1 cup dr red wi ne
2 quarts boi l i ng water
1l2 teaspoon sal t
2 bay l eaves
I NSTRUCTIONS:
Heat I tabl espoon oi l i n l arge stockpot or Dutch oven over
medi um- hi gh heat unti l shi mmeri ng but not smoki ng; add
oni on and cook, sti rri ng occasi onal ly, u nti l sl i ghtl y softened, 2
to 3 mi nutes. Transfer to l arge bowl . Brown meat and bones
on al l si des i n 3 or 4 batches, about 5 mi nutes per batch,
addi ng remai ni ng oi l to pot as necessary; do not overcrowd
pot. Transfer browned meat and bones to bowl with oni on .
Add wi ne to empt pot; cook, scrapi ng up browned bi ts wi th
wooden spoon, unti l wi ne is reduced to about 3 tabl espoons,
about 2 mi nutes. Return browned beef and oni on to pot,
reduce heat to low, cover, and sweat unti l meat rel eases
j ui ces, about 20 mi nutes. I ncrease heat to high , add boi l i ng
water, sal t, and bay l eaves; bri ng to boi l , then reduce heat to
l ow, cover, and si mmer sl owly unti l meat is tender and stock
i s flavorful , l 1l2 to 2 hours, ski mmi ng foam off surface. Strai n
and di scard bones and oni on; reserve meat IOranother US,
desi red . Before usi ng, defat stock.
Fish Meuniere
This simple French restaurant classic deserves a pl ace in the repertoi re
of any good home cook . . . . Or does it?
F
ish meuniere is a deceptively
easy French restaurant dish that
ought to serve as a model recipe
for home cooking. Ideally, fllets
are dredged lightly in four (no need for
eggs or bread crumbs) and cooked on
the stovetop until a golden crust forms,
leaving the inside moist and favorfl. A
brown butter sauce seasoned with lemon
is then poured over the fi sh. Wat could
be simpler, more delicious, or better
suited to a Tuesday night dinner? That's
what I thought, too, before I cooked a
few test batches to get a handle on the
technique for makng this dish. What I got
were plates of pale, soggy fllets in pools
of greasy sauce-that is, if the fsh hadn't
stuck to the pan or fallen apart as I tried to
plate it. Despite these failures ( or maybe
because of them) , one thing did become
clear. The simplicity of this dish makes it
imperative that everything be prepared
and cooked just so.
3 B Y E L I Z A B E T H G E R M A I N E
who recommends seasoning the fllets
with salt and pepper and letting them sit
before dredging. Aer 5 minutes, the fl
lets had begun to glisten with moisture. I
then dredged them with four, shook off
the excess, and cooked them. "Perfectly
seasoned and evenly coated" was the
uniform thumbs-up response from tasters.
Why does letting the seasoned fsh rest for
fve minutes make such a difference? The
salt extracts water from the fsh, not so
much as to make it wet but just enough to
give it a thin coating of moisture that helps
to ensure a perfectly even coating of flour.
Without "bald spots" in the fouring, the
fsh browns evenly and tastes better.
Pn- Frying
Taking a closer look at my initial
meuniere recipes (the term meuniere refers
to "miller's W, a nod to the four i the
recipe), it was no wonder that I had found
little success at the stove. Some recipes
called for almost two stcks of butter for 2
Thi s qui ck fi sh di sh-served with a browned butter and l emon sauce
rel i es on preci se techni que and ti mi ng.
The technique of pan-frying employs a
heavy skillet and a good amount offat. The
food is cooked in a single layer as the cook
wats patiently for it to brown, turning it
once and then waiting again. The tempta
tion is to m up the food and take a peek,
but it is essential to resist this impulse. For
maximum browning ( and to keep the fsh
fom falling apart) , the fsh must be lef
alone as it cooks.
pounds offi sh. Wo wants to eat fsh lterally swim
ming H fat? My tasters didn't. Other recipes failed
H browing the fish, and the resultig flets were
soggy and whte. It was time to go back to basics.
Preparing the Fi sh
Whole Dover sole-a variet of white flatfsh-is
the most authentic choice, but this fsh is hard
to come by and prohibitively expensive when it
can be had, and a whole fsh is hard to prepare. I
opted instead for flleted white fatfsh that would
be available in most markets, tg that sole
or founder would be the best choice. That said,
I soon became aware of a veritable parade of
choices-gray sole, lemon sole, yellowtail floun
der, southern founder, summer founder, winter
founder, petrale sole, rex sole, rock sole, and
starry founder. Aer cooking 20 pounds of flat
hsh,!discovered that variet didn' t much matter
(tasters approved of them all ) ; what counted
were the thickness of the fllet and its feshness.
If the fllet was thinner than inch, it was nearly
impossible to brown it without overcooking the
inside. Fillets that were inch thick or slightly
more were perfect. They weighed 5 to ounces
each, and their length ft easily into a large skillet.
Fillets weighing to 1 0 ounces were acceptable,
although they required cutting and trimming.
Tiny things can make a bi g difference, I
learned, as I focused next on preparing the fsh
for the pan. For one, a thin coat of four speeds up
the browning, which is a particularly usefl thing
to know when you've got thin fsh that cooks
quickly. Straight from the fshmonger's wrap
ping paper, fsh fllets are pretty wet. They must
be patted dry or the four W become thick and
gluey. Simply dredging the dried fllets in four
presented problems. Excess four fell off the fsh
and into the pan, where it burned. Shaking off the
extra four before cooking solves this problem.
Still, even afer a quick shake, the fllets cooked
up wth blotchy, browned crusts that did nothing
for the favor of the fsh.
I then tried a technique used by Julia Child,
C O OK
'
S I LLUSTRAT ED
l B
! found that traditional skillets did not
work well . No matter how much fat I used, the
fsh had a tendency to stick. Nonstick skillets, on
the other hand, worked well every time, produc
ing beautl y browned fllets without sticking. A
1 2-inch skillet is a must, I discovered, and even
then I could fit only two fllets at a tie without
having them overlap. I wanted my recipe to serve
four, but using two skillets side- by-side seemed
unreasonable. Instead, I opted to cook the fsh in
two batches, using a warmed plate in a 200-degree
preheated oven to keep the frst batch hot.
Clarifed butter, or butter with the milk solids
removed, is the traditional fat used by the French.
Not only does clarifed butter lend a rich favor
to the fsh, but it has a higher smoking point
( and thus burns less easily) than whole butter.
Clarifing butter is easy, but it is too lengthy a
process for a quick midweek entree. Would tast
ers notice its absence? I cooked one batch with
canola oil and anotl1er with clarifed butter, and
even my least discerning tasters noticed the differ
ence. Whole butter burned, but a mixture of oil

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TE CH N I Q U E
lIl I I l NG l l b I l l IIL1b
To easil y tum fish fi l l ets wi thout breaki ng them, use
to spatul as-a regul ar model and an extrawi de ver
si on especi al ly desi gned for fi sh. (I n the test ki tchen,
we use a spatula that is 8 1/2 i nches wi de by 314 i nches
deep for thi s job. ) Usi ng the regul ar spatul a, gently
l i ft the long side of the fi l l et. Then, supporti ng the
fi l l et with the extrwide spatul a, fip i t so that the
browned side faces up.
and butter, a classic combination, did the trick.
Next, I experimented with the amount of fat.
Although recipes ranged from 1 to tablespoons
(for two fllets) , I found that 2 tablespoons were
ample, especially in a nonstick skillet. At this
point, because I was using so little fat, I was tech
nically sauteing rather than pan-fying. I began by
cooking the fllets over low heat, but the results
were mediocre at best; they did not brown but
instead poached in the fat, and the taste was lack
luster. High heat turned out to be equally prob
lematic. By the time the interior of each fllet had
cooked, some of the exterior had scorched and
tasted bitter and unappealing. My next try was a
winner. I heated the pan over high heat and then
lowered it to medium-high as soon as I added the
fsh. The exterior browned beautiflly, while the
inside remained succulent.
For fllets that were the ideal thickness of
inch, three minutes on the frst side and about
two minutes on the second side achieved both a
favorfl, nutty tasting exterior and a moist, deli
cate interior. Because the side that is cooked frst
is the most attractive, I found it best to stick to the
hard and fast rule of cooking for three minutes on
the frst side and then adjusting the time for the
second side. (With fatfsh, the side of the fllet
that is cooked frst also matters. See "Anatomy of
a Flatfsh" at right. ) The question was, how could
I tell when a thin fllet was done? Restaurant chefs
press the fllets with their fngers-a good tech
nique, but one that requires practice. Observation
eventually told me that the fllet was done when
opaque. Because the fsh continues to cook off
the heat of the stovetop ( and in the gentle heat
of the preheated oven), it is imperative to remove
it slightly before it's fly done. Instead of using
the tip of a knife, a method that tends to damage
the fet, I found tl1at a toothpick inserted into a
thick edge worked well . Now j ust one last cook
ing problem remained.
Fi ni shi ng Touches
Traditionally, the sauce served with meuniere is
beurre noisette, or brown butter, with the addition
of l emon and parsley. Crucial to the favor of the
sauce-which adds a rich nuttiness to the fsh-is
proper browning of the milk solids in the butter,
a task that is not easily accomplished in a nonstick
skillet. The problem is that the dark surface of the
pan makes it nearly impossible to j udge the color
of the butter. The solution was simple: Brown the
butter in a medium-size stainless steel skillet; its
shiny bottom makes it easy to monitor the color.
I then added lemon j uice to the browned butter,
sprinkled the fsh with parsley, and poured the
sauce over the fsh. Now I could invite even Julia
Child over for dinner.
F I S H ME U NI ! RE WI TH B ROWNE D B UTTE R
AND LE MON
S L KVLS 4
Try to purchase fets that are of sinliar size, and
avoid those that weigh less than 5 ounces because
they will cook too quickly. A nonstick skillet
ensures that the fllets will release from the pan,
but for the sauce a traditional skillet is preferable
because its light-colored surface will allow you to
monitor the color of the butter as it browns.
Fish
11 cup al l - purpose fl our
4 sol e or fl ounder fi l l ets, each 5 to 6 ounces and
/s i nch thi ck, patted dry with paper towel s
Sal t and ground bl ack pepper
2 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
2 tabl espoons unsalted butter, cut i nto 2 pi eces
Browned Butter
4 tabl espoons unsalted butter, cut i nto 4 pi eces
I tabl espoon chopped fresh parsl ey l eaves
1 11 tabl espoons j ui ce from I l emon , pl us I l emon ,
cut in wedges for servi ng
Anatomy of a Fl atfi sh Fi l l et
Fl atfi sh fi l l ets have two di sti nct si des, and i t
makes a diference whi ch one goes i nto the pan
fi rst. The s i de of the fi l l et that was faci ng the
bones i n the whol e fi sh browns best and makes
the most attractive presentati on on the pl ate.
The si de of the fi l l et that was faci ng the ski n i s
darker and doesn ' t brown as wel l . When cooki ng,
start the fi l l ets bone-si de down , then fl i p them
once a ni ce crust has formed. When the fi l l ets are
cooked through, sl i de them, bone- si de u p, onto
heated di nner pl ates.
JANUARY c FEB RUARY 20 04
I /
. ICRJHE I!S H. Adjust oven rack to lower
middle position, set 4 heatproof dinner plates on
rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees. Place four in
large baking dish. Season both sides of each flet
generously with salt and pepper; let stand until
fllets are glistening with moisture, about 5 min
utes. Coat both sides of fllets wth four, shake off
excess, and place in single layer on baking sheet.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 1 2-inch nonstick skillet
over high heat until shimmering, then add 1 table
spoon butter and swirl to coat pan bottom; when
foaming subsides, careflly place 2 fllets in skillet,
bone-side down ( see photo below) . Immediately
reduce heat to medium-high and cook, without
moving fsh, until edges of fllets are opaque and
bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using
2 spatulas, gently fip flets ( see illustration at lef)
and cook on second side until thickest part of fl
let easily separates into fakes when toothpick is
inserted, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer flets,
one to each heated dinner plate, keeping bone
side up, and return plates to oven. Wipe out skilet
and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon each oil
and butter and remaining fsh flets.
2. ICR JHE BRCWEO B\JJER. Heat but
ter in 1 0- inch skillet over medium-high heat
until butter melts, 1 to 1 l2 minutes. Continue
to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is
golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 1 11
minutes; remove skillet fom heat. Remove plates
fom oven and sprinkle fllets with parsley. Add
lemon juice to browned butter and season to
taste with salt; spoon sauce over fsh and serve
immediately with lemon wedges .
F I S H ME U NI ! RE WI TH TOASTE D
S LI VERED ALMONDS
Follow recipe for Fish Meuniere with Browned
Butter and Lemon, adding 74 cup slivered almonds
to skillet when butter has melted in step 2.
F I S H ME U NI ! RE WI TH CAPERS
Follow recipe for Fish Meuniere with Browned
Butter and Lemon, adding 2 tablespoons drained
capers along with lemon j uice in step 2.
" BON E " S I D E
Rounded i ndentations run along the length of fillet on this side
" S KI N " S I D E
Fi l l et i s darker and flatter
Ultimate Oven Fries
The savi ngs i n cal ori es and fat are no reason to eat an oven fry-i t has to taste good .
Wi th i ts leathery crust and mealy i nteri or, the typi cal oven fry needs work.
L
owtatisncvcragoodcxcusctor
|ousytood,and ovcn tricsshou|d
bc no cxccption. Abysma|avor
andtcxturcjustarcn' tworththc
savings in ca|orics, cspccia||y whcn thcsc
|itc" nicstastc |ikc ovcrroastcdpotatocs
with thick, |cathcry crusts and ho||ow
intcriors . In othcr cascs, thcy arc |imp,
whitish, mca|y, and b|and-a comp|ctc
lai|urc i n a|| rcspccts. Yct casy and c|can
ovcncooking-asopposcdtodccptrying
in a pot ot hot, sp|attcring oi|-is such
an cngaging proposition that I dccidcd
tocn|ist tcmporari|y in thc |owtat army
to scc itI cou|d makc an ovcn ny worth
cating on its own tcrms. Ititdidn' thavc
a go|dcn, crisp crust and a rich|y crcamy
intcrior, I was going back to thc dccp
trycr.
J U L I A C O L L I N D A V I S O N E
thc trics didn' t brown sutncicnt|y. Jhc
5OO dcgrcc ovcn was a bit too hot and
burncd tlc trics at thc cdgcs. Baking at
475 dcgrccs was bcst, but thc tri cs sti||
nccdcda dccpcrgo|dcnco|orand acrisp
icrtcxturc. Adjustingthc ovcnrackto tlc
|owcrmidd|cpositionwasotuymodcratc|y
hc|pm| , but moving it to tlc |owcst posi
tion madc tor a signincant improvcmcnt
i n thc trics. Jhc intcnsc hcat trom thc
bottomottIcovcnbrowncdthcmquick|y
and cvcn|y, which, in turn, prcvcntcd thc
intcriors lrom ovcrcooking and mc|ding
intothccrusttlcrcbybccomingthctm|ik
ab|cho||owny) .Lightwcightbakingshccts
can' thand|c t|rs cxtrcmc tcmpcraturc, so
a hcavy pan is a must scc A Wci ghty
Mattcr"bc|ow) .
I startcdohby bakingnvcrccipcstrom
hca|thy" cookbooks. Jhc simp|cst ca||cd
torcuttingthc potatocs into wcdgcs and
tossing thcm with oi| bctorc sprcading
thcm on a baking shcct. thcr rccipcs
ca||cd tor cutting thc potatocs morc prc
cisc|yintosquarcdnicsdthcntookohin
dinrcntdircctions,|cadingmctotossthc
nics in cggwhitcs, rinsc thcm undcrrun
ningwatcr,soakthcminiccwatcr,orstcam
These oven fries are as good as french fri es and a l ot l ess messy to prepare.
Ip unti| now, I had bccn simply toss
ing t|c potatocswit| oi| , sa|t, and pcppcr
bctorc sprcading tlcm out on thc bing
shcct. Jurningmyattcntiontothcamount
otoi|, I tound t|c drcnccs bctwccn
and tab|cspoons to bc astounding. Any
tcwcr tlat 5 tab|cspoons |cn somc otthc
trics uncoatcd and causcd t|cm to bakc
up dry d tough, y morc tl b tablc
spoons madc tlcm disagrccab|y grcasy.
thcm on thc stovctop bctorc baking.Yctanothcr
rccipc ca||cd tor prchcating thc baking shcct
to crisp thc crusts and causcd mc two torcarm
burns). Yct no mattcr what thc tcchmquc, ucsc
rccipcsproduccdnicsthatwcrccithcrpa|c,soggy,
andhopc|css|ysucktothcpanorincrcdib|ycrusty
andtough.Sti||,aspcctsotcachhc|dpromisc.Somc
olthcsick|y|ookingcxanp|cshadcrcamyintcriors,
whilcthc toughcroncswcrcpcrtcct|ygo|dcn and
s|idcnort|css|yotttlcpan. Idccidcdthattlcp|acc
tostartwasatthc bcgg. whattypcotpotato
touscdhowtocutit.
The Rudi menta
r
Fr
First oh, I tcstcd russct, Yukon Go|d, and boi|
ing potatocs. Jastingwimpyand sportingspotty
crusts,botht|cYukonGo|dandboi|ingpotatocs
cou|dn' tho|d a cand|c to thc russcts, with thcir
hcarqU avorandtaci|itytorturninggo|dcnbrown.
Equa||y obvious wcrc t|c rcsu|ts otthc pcc|cd
vcrsusunpcc|cdpotato tcst. Jhc unpcc|cd trics
wcrc toughcrandhadthcdistinctavorotbakcd
potatocs, whcrcas t|c pcc|cd nics-unanIuous|y
prctcrrcd by tastcrs-had a c|can and morc char
actcristica||y ncnch" try Uavor. Jastcrs a|so |ikcd
thcanp|csizcandcasyprcparationotpotatocscut
into wcdgcs as opposcdto tlc mssyandwastcm|
option ottrimmingpotatocs down into squarcd,
tasttoodnywannabcs.
McxtI tricd bakingt|c nicsat4OO, 425, 45O,
475, and 5OO dcgrccs. At|owcr tcmpcraturcs,
A Wei ght Matter
LI G HTWE I G HT PAN : S POTTY B ROWN I N G
Exact|y 5 tab|cspoons, howcvcr, cnsurcd
t|at cach wcdgc was cvcn|y coatcd with oi| as it
bakcd. Jo guarantcc cvcn distribution otoi| , I
hunditbcsttosprcad4tab|cspoonsonthcbaking
shcctandtotosst|crawnicswitlt|cm. S|ight|y
g|istcningas tlcy cmcrgc nom thc ovcn, thc nics
rcquirc a brictdrainonpapcrtowc|stokccptlcm
nomtastingoi|y.A|though 5 tab|cspoonsis much
|cssoi|thait|ccoup|cotquartsormorcca||cdtor
whcn dccpnyingpotatocs,I tc|tmyovcnnicsno
H EAVYWE I G HT PAN : EVE N B ROWN I NG
The right pan makes al l the diference when baki ng oven fri es. A l ightweight pan yi el ds fri es that are either pale
or burnt. A heav-dut baking sheet conducts heat better and ensures that the fri es color evenly and deeply.
C O OK
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S I L L USTRATED
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1 A s 1 1 N C . Are Frozen Fri es
Worth Eati ng?
When severl member of our staf confessed to
buyi ng frozen french fries on occasi on (for thei r
chi l dren, they i nsisted) , we were i ntrigued. Coul d
frozen fries hol d a candl e to homemade? We gath
ered five popul ar brands of steak fries to fi nd out.
Te good news: Diferences between brnds were
mi ni mal . The bad news: All the brnds (with one
modest excepti on) were thi rd- rte.
Al exia Oven Fries were the only fr wi th real
potato flavor. Not surpri si ngly, these fries had the
shortest i ngredi ent l i st, with j ust potatoes, ol ive
oi l , sea salt, and dextrose (a form of sugar) . The
last- pl ace fi ni sher, McCai n ,
.-
--
featured al l of that (wi th
nonhydrogenated canol a
oi l in l i eu of the ol ive oi l )
pl us sodi um aci d pyrophos
phate, caramel . and ol eo
resi n turmeri c. Our verdi ct?
Make your own or, at the
ver least, sti ck with i ngre
di ents you can pronounce.
-Keri Fi sher ALEXI A: THE BEST
OF THE B UNCH
PASSABLE I N A PI NCH
ALIA Gourmet Qual i t Oven Fries
" Not awul " was the highest prise tasters
could muster.
NOT RECOMME NDE D
ORE- I DA Steak Fries
Tese "sog" fries had a pronounced
"processed flavor."
TRDER JOE' S Pcific Northwest Cri nkl e
Wedge Potatoes
Taster thought these "past" fries tasted
"l i ke old potatoes. "
SOP &SHOP Steak Fries
"Ver bad in ever way."
MCCI N Steak Cut French Fried Potatoes
Comments rnged from "bl and" to "horri bl e. "
longcr qua|incdaslow tat. "Jhcnagain, ncithcr
didthcyqua|iFaspa|c,soggy,ordry.
livc oil tastcdslightlybittcrand out otplacc,
whilctlcnildavorotvcgctablcoilandtlcslight
nuttincss otpcanut oil , which wc prctcr to usc
whcn dccptrying) both workcd wcll . A|though
thcnicswcrcnowstickingtothcpantar|cssthan
bctorc,Iwasstil|p|agucdbythcoccasiona|stuck
onhyuntIdiscovcrcdonclasttrick.Ratlcrtlan
tossingthcpotatocswithsaltandpcppcr, I sprin
klcd thc scasonings ovcr thc oilcd baking shcct.
Actinglikclittlcballbcarings,tlcgrainsotsaltand
pcppcrkcptthcpotatocsnomstickingtothcpan
withoutgcttingintlcwayotbrowning.
Soaked , Steamed, and Pampered
EvcnthoughIhadnailcddowntlcbasicmctlod
tor cooking thc trics, thcy wcrc sti|l bcsct wim
s C | L N C L . The Power of Soaki ng
Experts agree (j ust ask McDonal d' s or our test cooks) that russet
potatoes are the best variety for fryi ng-ei ther in a vat of bubbl i ng
oi l or on a baki ng sheet i n the oven. Unl i ke other potato vari eti es,
russets produce fri es wi th l i ght, ethereal centers. But they are not
perect.
Russets can produce excessively thi ck crusts and somewhat dry
i nteri ors. The thi ck crust is caused by the browni ng of si mpl e sugars
in the russet, and the best way to remove some of the surface sugar is
A H OT BATH WORKS
WON D E RS
to soak the potatoes in water. The water has an added benefi t. Potato starches gel ati nize compl etely dur
i ng cooki ng. The water i ntroduced duri ng soaki ng i mproves the creami ness and smoothness by worki ng its
way between the strands of gel ati n starch. The fi nal resul t is a fry that has a good surace crunch married
to a smooth i nteri or. -j ohn Ol son , Sci ence Edi tor
crusts tlatwcrc toouickandintcriorsmatwcrc
unappca|ing|y mcaly. Wondcring what wou|d
happcn itI stcamcd mc trics bctorc baking
tlcm ,atcchniquc I'dsccninatcwoucrrcci
pcs) , I stcamcdoncbatchon top otthc stovc
ina stcamcr baskctandanomcrinmcovcn by
covcringtlcbakingshccttight|ywimtoi| .Littlc
did I suspcct tlat this sccming|y odd mcuod
would dc|ivcr just thc tmng I had bccn ancr.
anovcnnywitlt|ccrcamy,smoomcorcotan
aumcnticncnchny. Stcaningonmcstovctop
had bccn a countcrc|ogging, timcconsuming
attair, butwrappinga baking shcctwitl toil was
casy. Jhctoil trappcd mc potatocs' natura| mois
turcasmcystcamcdthcmsc|vcsinmcovcn,andit
mcncancott5L mccrustscouldcrisptormcbal
anccotcooking. Fivcminutcsotstcamingwasjust
right, turning tlc dry, starchy ccntcrs otmc nics
to a son, crcamy consistcncywtlout intcrtcring
wimbrowning.
owmcon|yproblcmrcmainingwasmccrust.
Stcaming, almough bcncncial tor thc intcrior,
turncd mc a|rcady uickcrustcvcn toughcr, mis
wasatar crynomthcthin,britt|ccrustotagood
ncnchny. Josolvc tlusprob|cm, I dccidcdtotry
tlc tcchniqucs otrinsing andsoaking,whicharc
oncncmploycdwhcnmakingncnchnics. Rinsing
thc raw trics undcr running watcr madc tor a
s|ightly morc dclicatc crust, butsoaking tlcm tor
aboutan hour in cold tap watcr was purc magi c.
Slowly turning tlc watcr c|oudy as mcysoakcd,
tlcnicscmcrgcdnommcovcnwiuH shattcr
ing|y crisp crusts and intcriors morc vc|vcty man
any ovcn ny I had tastcd , tor morc intormation
scc JhcIowcrotSoaking"abovc) . Butpcrhaps
tlcbiggcstsurprisccamcwhcnItricdsoakingmc
trics inwatcrat dihcrcnt tcmpcraturcs. icc co|d,
cold nom thc tap, andhot nom thc tap. Jhc icc
watcrtookhoursto bccomc c|oudy,tlccold tap
watcrtook about 1 hour, andH hot tapwatcra
convcnicnt 1 0 minutcs,which mcantthat I cou|d
pcc|, cut, and soak tlc potatocs in rough|y thc
samctimcittooktohcatupthcovcn.
Witlanultracrispshcll,avclvctysmootlcorc,
and a ncar|y aumcntic trcnchtry avor, thcsc
cxccl|cntovcntricswcrc ncar|yindistinguishablc
trommcirdccp tricd countcrparts. I toolcd scv
cralpcoplcintlctcstktchcn, andIknowIwon' t
JANU ARY c F E BRU ARY 2004
Z
bchcatingup2quartsotpcanutoi|mcncxttimc
I gctahankcringtortrics.
OVE N F RI E S
S L KVL S J 1 O4
Jakc carc to cut mc potatocs into cvcnly sizcd
wcdgcssomatal|otmcpicccswi||cookatabout
mcsamcratc. A|moughitisn'trcquircd, anon
stickbakingshcctworksparticular|ywclltormis
rccipc. Itnotonlykccpsmctricstromstickingto
mcpanbut,bccauscotitsdarkcolor,cncouragcs
dccp andcvcnbrowning. Whcmcryou choosca
nonstick baking shcctora rcgu|ar baking shcct,
makc surc matitishcavyduty.Jhcintcnschcat
otmcovcnmaycausclightcrpanstowarp.
3 russet potatoes [about 8 ounces each) , peeled,
each potato cut l engthwise i nto I 0 to 1 2 evenly
si zed wedges
5 tabl espoons vegetabl e or peanut oi l
Sal t and ground bl ack pepper
. Adj ust ovcn rack to lowcst position, hcat
ovcn to 475 dcgrccs . Ilacc potatocs in largc
bowl andcovcrwimhottapwatcr,soak 10 min
utcs. Mcanwhi|c, coat ! 8 by ! 2inchhcavydup
rimmcd baking shcct , scc notc) with 4 tab|c
spoons oil andsprinklccvcnlywim `/4 tcaspoon
saltandv4 tcaspoonpcppcr,sctasidc.
2. Drainpotatocs. Sprcadpotatocsoutontriplc
laycrotpapcrtowcls and morough|ypatdrywim
additionalpapcrtowcls. Rnsc and wpc outnow
cmptybowl,rcturnpotatocstobow|andtosswith
rcmaining ! tablcspoon oi| . Arrangc potatocs in
singlclaycronprcparcdbakingshcct,covcrtightly
witltoi|andbakc5 minutcs. Rcmovctoilandcon
tinuctobakcuntilbottomsotpotatocsarcspotp
go|dcn brown, 1 5 to2Ominutcs,rotatingbakmg
shcct ancr ! O minutcs. Ising mcta| spatu|a and
tongs, scrapc to looscn potatocs trom pan, mcn
ip cach wcdgc, kccpingpotatocs in singlc |aycr.
Continuc baking until mcs arc goldcn and cnsp,
5 to 1 5 minutcs |ongcr,rotatingpanasnccdcdit
nicsarcbrowninguncvcn|y.
3 . Jranstcr trics to sccond baking shcct inc
wimpapcrtowc|stodrai n. Scasonwthadditional
saltandpcppcrto tastc andscrvc.
The Best Chocolate Bundt Cake
Tired of great- looking chocol ate Bundt cakes that are bland and boring? So were we.
Our ideal cake would be moist, rich with chocolate fi avor, and attractive .
A
Bundt cake is the pinnacle
of cake- baking simplicity.
With its decorative shape,
this cake doesn' t require
frosting or fssy fnishing techniques.
What chocolate Bundt cakes do require,
it turns out, is a major boost in favor.
Despite their tantalizing looks, most of
these cakes have at best a muted choco
late presence. I wanted a cake that would
deliver that moment of pure chocolate
ecstasy when the frst bite stops time. A
chocolate Bundt cake should taste every
bit as good as it looks, with a fe crumb,
moist texture, and rich favor.
B Y E R I K A B R U C E
tried a technique that the test kitchen had
earlier developed for devil's food cake. I
poured boilng water over the cocoa and
chocolate to dissolve them, a step that not
only disperses the cocoa particles through
out the batter but also blooms the favor.
Fi nessi ng Texture and Fl avor
Now I had great, complex chocolate fa
vor, but I also had a new problem-the
cake was too dry. To remedy this, I fst
tried decreasing the four by v' cup. Now
the cake was more moist but still not
moist enough, and I could not remove
more four without compromising its
structure. I tried increasing the butter, but
this merely made the cake greasy. I added
an extra egg ( most recipes call for j ust four;
I went up to fve) , and that helped. Finally,
I switched fom granulated to light brown
sugar, which not only added moistness but
dramatically improved favor.
Unfortunately, these sweet masters of
disguise disappointed us so ofen in our
inital taste tests that we almost relegated
ts recipe to the dustbin. Moist but pale,
many of the cakes were devoid of any
chocolate favor. Others looked appeal
ingly dark and mysterious but managed
to capture only fat, bitter nuances of
chocolate. A overly sweet, walnut
studded "tunnel of fdge" cake with a
gummy, underbaked center was hardly
worth the calories. A cake similar to a
pound cake had great texture-dense
and moist owing to the addition of sour
cream-but the only thig that told tast
ers it was chocolate was its brown color.
A good Bundt cake is so attractive and moi st that i t doesn ' t need any frosti ng.
The cake on the bottom rack has cool ed ful ly and been dusted wi th confec
ti oners' sugar for servi ng.
But even afer all of these amendments
to the recipe, I was stl falg short of my
goal of a really moist cake. I decided to
review the quantity of sour cream. When
I increased it, the cake became greasy and
overly acidc. I went back to my origa
recipes and found that many of them used
either milk or buttermilk, which have a
higher water content than sour cream.
This tipped me off to a simple way to
Searching for Chocolate Fl avor
Because the pound cake made wth sour cream had
come closest to my textural ideal, I started with
a working recipe using roughly tl1e same propor
tions of butter, sugar, eggs, and four and using
the traditional method of creanng the butter and
sugar ( beating them together) before adding the
other ingredients. I then focused on boosting tl1e
virtua y nonexistent chocolate favor. The recipe
included a small amount of cocoa powder, so I
thought that a good dose of melted chocolate
would be in order. I started with unsweetened
chocolate, which has the most intense favor.
The resulting cake tasted bitter, and its texture
was chalky, reminiscent of third- rate brownies.
Trying both semisweet and bittersweet, I noticed
an improvement in texture, as both of tl1ese choco
lates have added sugar and stabilizers tl1at make
tem smootl1er and creamier tl1an unsweetened.
Tasters found tl1e semisweet chocolate too sweet;
tl1e bittersweet added te right chocolate edge.
Now I had more chocolate flavor, but I wanted a
deeper, more complex taste. This time, more cocoa
powder seemed like a logical solution. I replaced
a portion of the fl our in my recipe with an equal
an1ount of cocoa powder. I had to choose between
Dutch-processed cocoa powder and natural cocoa
powder. ( The frst is "alkalized"-treated so as
to reduce acidity-and is tl1ought to provide a
smootl1er chocolate favor wit1 an intensely dark
color. The second, natural or regular cocoa pow
der, is slightly acidic and has a lighter, reddish
hue. ) Tasters preferred the cakes made with natural
cocoa. Its assertive favor with fuity undertones
stood up better to the sour cream in tle recipe.
I came upon the real trick to developing the
chocolate favor of tllis cake, however, when I
COOK
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S I L LUSTRATED
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solve the problem: increasing the amount
of boiling water added with the cocoa powder and
chocolate. The resulting batter was looser and
the baked cake signifcantly more moist-moist
enough to fnally satisf my goal.
To fish the recipe, I dissolved a small amount
of espresso powder along wth the chocolate and
cocoa and also added a healthy tablespoon of
vanilla extract. Both favors complemented the
foral nuances of the chocolate. With the right pan
and a ready batter, I baked my cake at temperatures
l'M 1 'HAMCl lAMS'
Don' t be tempted to make the cake i n another
pan. I t heav batter was desi gned to work i n a
Bundt pan that has a center tube to faci l i tate
baki ng. When we baked the same batter in a 1 3
by 9- i nch rectangul ar pan, the center col l apsed.
Z
C

TE C H N I Q U E
LNb LK! NG PN LPbY KLlLPb L
A Bundt cake i s attrctive only if you get i t out of the
pan i n one pi ece. A si mpl e paste made from mel ted
butter and cocoa powder and pai nted i nto the
grooves of the pan with a pastr brush worked won
ders i n hel pi ng to release our chocol ate Bundt cake.
We much preferred thi s ti dy method over t he stan
dard techni que of greasi ng and fl ouri ng, whi ch left an
unsightly past whi te fi l m on the cake' s exterior.
of325, 350, and 375 degrees. At the highest tem
perature, the cake developed a thick upper crust
and uneven crumb. Finding little diference in the
cakes baked at the other two temperatures, I opted
for the quicker baking time at 350. At long last, I
had reached chocolate heaven.
CHOCOLATE S OU R CREAM B UNDT CAKE
S L KVLS | 2 1O | 4
Natural ( or regular) cocoa gives the cake a fller,
more assertive chocolate favor than does Dutch
processed cocoa. In addition, Dutch-processed
cocoa will result in a compromised rise. The cake
can be served with j ust a dusting of confection
ers' sugar but is easily made more impressive with
Tangy Whipped Cream and Lightly Sweetened
Rspberries ( recipes follow) . The cake can be
made a day in advance; wrap the cooled cake in
plastic and store it at room temperature. Dust
with confectioners' sugar j ust before serving.
CokcBclcosc
I tabl espoon butter, mel ted
tabl espoon cocoa
Cokc
cup ( z '/ounces) natural cocoa (see note)
6 ounces bi ttersweet chocol ate, chopped
I teaspoon i nstant espresso powder (opti onal )
cup boi l i ng water
cup sour cream, room temperature
| / cups ( 83 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
teaspoon sal t
teaspoon baki ng soda
' z tabl espoons ( I 11 sticks) unsal ted butter, room
temperature
z cups (| 4ounces) packed l ight brown sugar
I tabl espoon vani l l a extract
5 l arge eggs, room temperature
Confecti oners' sugar for dusti ng
. CR 1M ^ Stir together butter and
cocoa in small bowl until paste forms; using a
pastry brush, coat all interior surfaces of standard
1 2- cup Btmdt pan. ( If mixture becomes too thick
to brush on, microwave it for 1 0 to 20 seconds,
or until warm and sofened. ) Adjust oven rack to
lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. CR1M CA Combine cocoa, choco
late, and espresso powder ( if using) in medium
heatproof bowl ; pour boiling water over and
whisk until smooth . Cool to room temperature;
tlen whisk in sour cream. Whisk four, salt, and
baking soda in second bowl to combine.
3. In standing mixer ftted with fat beater, beat
butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed
until pale and fuff, about 3 minutes. Reduce
speed to medium and add eggs one at a time,
mig about 30 seconds afer each addition and
scraping down bowl with rubber spatula afer frst
2 additions. Reduce to medium-low speed ( batter
may appear separated); add about one thd offour
mixture and half of chocolate/sour cream mixture
and mix until j ust incorporated, about 20 seconds.
Scrape bowl and repeat using half of remaining
four mixture and a of remaining chocolate mix
ture; add remaining flour mixture and beat until
j ust incorporated, about 1 0 seconds. Scrape bowl
and mix on medium-low until batter is thoroughly
combined, about 30 seconds. Pour batter into pre
pared Bundt pan, being carefl not to pour batter
on sides of pan. Bake w1til wooden skewer inserted
into center comes out wit few cnunbs attached,
45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 1 0 minutes, tl1en
invert cake onto parchment-lined wire rack; cool
to room temperature, about 3 hours. Dust with
confectioners' sugar, transfer to serving platter,
and cut into wedges; serve witl1 Tangy Whipped
Cream and raspberries, if desired.
TANGY WHI PPED CREAM
cup col d heav cream
'/ cup sour cream
'/ cup packed l ight brown sugar
'/s teaspoon vani l l a extract
Wil electric mixer, beat all ingredients, gradually
increasing speed from low to high, until cream
forms sof peaks, 1 lz to 2 minutes.
LI G HTLY SWE ETE NE D RAS PBE RRI E S
3 cups fresh raspberri es, gently ri nsed and dri ed
| -z tabl espoons granulated sugar
Gently toss raspberries witl1 sugar, men let stand
until berries have released some juice and sugar
has dissolved, about 1 5 minutes.
JANU A RY c FEB RU A RY 2004
Z `
T L > T | N C L Q U | | H L N T .
Bundt Pans
We tested ei ght so-cal l ed Bundt pans with a mi ni mum
capaci t of 1 2 cups. I n addi ti on to prepari ng our choco
l ate Bundt cake i n each pan, we baked vani l l a pound
cakes to test for evenness and depth of browni ng. Al l
of the chocol ate cakes rel eased easily, but some of
the pound cakes di d stick, most notably in the Ki ser,
Cal phal on, and Nordi c Wre Bubbl e.
(Cook's Extr gives you free addi ti onal information
onl i ne. For the ful l resul ts of our Bundt pan testing, visit
ww . cooksi l l ustrted. com and key in code 1 042. Thi s
i nformation wi l l be avai l abl e unti l Februar I S , 2004. )
8E5T PAN
NORDI C WARE Plati num
Seri es 9 27. 99
Thi ck, durbl e, cast
al umi num produced even
browni ng and a cl ean, wel l
defi ned shape.
8E5T 8UY
BKER' S SECRE Non- Sti ck
Fl uted Tube Pan, 9| | . 99
Thi s i nexpensive pan
outperormed most others.
TH E OTH E R COMTE MDE R5
NORDI C WARE "Col ors, "
m
Bubbl e Non- Sti ck, 99. 99
Thi s fl i ms pan had a ni ce
shape but l ost poi nts i n rel ease
tests.
EEER Fl uted I 0" Pn, 9| 4. 99
Thi s poorly desi gned pan
had decent browni ng but some
sti cki ng probl ems.
KITCHENAI D Fl uted Cake Pn,
9 24. 99
A wi de ri m made for easy
handl i ng, but the exteri or was
ver sl i ppery.
KAI SER Nobl esse Bundform,
| 7. 99
Cakes cl ung to thi s l ight
wei ght pan wi th barely detect
abl e ridges.
CLPHALON Crown Bund Pn,
9 24. 99
Cakes stuck seri ously to thi s
wei ght pan, and they al so
fai l ed to brown evenly.
SI UCONE ZONE Bundform
Pan, 9| 9. 99
Thi s pl i abl e pan was hard to
handl e and produced cakes
wi th flatened tops.
' "
1

-
:
Reinventing Apple Brown Betty
Thi s combi nation of apples, sugar, and buttered bread crumbs i nevi tabl y resu l ts i n
a soggy mess of a dessert. I t was ti me to gi ve " Betty" a serious makeover.
N
o doubt the creation of
Colonial forebears reluctant
to let anything go to waste,
apple brown betty is a simple
baked fruit dessert traditionally made
wth apples and lefover bread. Butter and
sugar were added to enrich and sweeten
the mixture, but the original recipe was
plain by design. Although apple brown
betty recipes abound in both old and
new American cookbooks, rarely does
the dish make it of the page and into the
kitchen. Modern cooks instead choose
cobblers and crisps. In a patriotic mood
and charmed by the dessert's simplicity in
an era of complicated culinary creations, I
set out to rejuvenate this rustic classi c.
In i ts most basic form, apple brown
betty contains only four ingredients :
apples, bread crumbs, sugar, and but
ter. Variations on this theme abound,
however, so to begin my testing I made
a range of recipes. Some were basic ( but
tered bread crumbs atop sweetened pieces
of apple) . Others were more complicated
= B Y S U S A N L I G H T <
need to preheat the pan and no need for a
nonstick skillet) and cooked over medium
heat until deep golden brown. I then
spread the mi.xture on a paper towel-lined
plate to cool . The paper towels absorbed
excess butter and kept the crumbs crisp,
with a slight chew.
Goldens and Granni es
With the favor and texture of tl1e crumbs
greatly improved, i t was time to start
testing apples. I decided to lit my tests
to varieties widely avail able through
out the year i n maj or supermarkets:
(one recipe had 1 4 ingredients, including
cake crumbs, oat bran, Calvados, and rai
After a makeover, our appl e brown bett has a ri ch caramel i zed appl e
flavor and a cri sp, buttery toppi ng.
Granny Smith, Mcintosh, Gala, Golden
Delicious, and Braeburn, as well as vari
ous combinations thereof I ultimately
determined that a blend of rwo apples was
better than one in terms of both texture
and favor. In the end, tasters preferred a
combination of Granny Smith and Golden
Delicious, with the sweeter favor of the
Goldens complementing the tartness of
the Granni es. Tasters preferred apples cut
roughly into l-inch chunks, which gave
them a forkfl of apples and crumbs with
each bite. Apple slices were too large and,
sins) . To my dismay, tasters were neither
comforted by the simple versions nor impressed
by the elaborate ones. Each had soggy, mushy
bread crumbs. Most were overly seasoned with
spices, while others tasted bland and fat.
At this point, I made a few decisions. First, I
would stick with the traditional ( and short) ingre
dient list. Modern recipes with lots of add-ons
seemed antithetical to this basic recipe. Second, I
would try to coax as much flavor as possible from
these core ingredients. Last, I had to do some
thing about the texture: Soggy and mushy j ust
would not cut it with the test kitchen.
The Crumb Conundrum
Because betties get much of their flavor fom the
crumbs, I fgured I would start there. I tried a wide
range of homemade bread crumbs-processed
fom white and wheat sandwich bread, English
muffi ns, cinnamon-raisin bread, brioche, pow1d
cake, angel food cake, sourdough, and baguettes
as well as store-bought dried bread crumbs.
Crumbs made fom cake and rich breads were out
of place in this simple dessert, and sourdough and
wheat bread crumbs were too strongly flavored.
Store- bought crumbs were highly seasoned and
too fnely processed. In keeping with the straight
forward nantre of the dish, tasters preferred white
sandwich bread pulsed in the food processor
until coarsely ground. I used Pepperidge Farm
Sandwich White, but any supermarket loaf with a
sturdy, fairly dense crumb will work (a fuff, airy
loaf is not recommended) .
Although I had concluded that crumbs made
from sandwich bread were the most authentic,
most convenient, and therefore best choi ce,
they were awflly plai n. Toasting the bread
crumbs in a skillet with some butter seemed like
a good way to enrich their fl avor and improve
their texture. One test cook suggested adding
some of the sugar, which is usually tossed with
the apples. This not only sweetened the crunbs
but caused them to crisp and slightly caramelize.
Mixing the bread slices-crusts attached-with
4 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons sugar in
the food processor was easy enough, and the lot
could tl1en be added to a cold, regular skillet ( no
C O OK
'
S I L LUSTRATED
Z
as one taster said, a small dice made the
betty look too much like stuffi ng.
Out of the Oven and i nto the Pan
In a nod lO lradI ltOn I baked the apples, but
ter, sugar, and bread crumbs together in a foil
covered dish; the results were varied, but none
were very good. By sprinkling some of my tasty
crumbs into tl1e apple mixture ( to tl1icken the
juices) and reserving the rest to sprinkle over
the apples j ust before serving, I was able to keep
the topping crisp. But tasters complained ( fairly
loudly) that the apples were still bland. I could
add spices to the mix, but I fi rst wanted to LLdX
more favor from tl1e apples, butter, and sugar.
Eyeing the empty skillet I had used to toast tle
crumbs, I had a thought. Why not caran1elize the
apples and sugar on top of the stove in a hot skil
let slicked with butter?
My frst attempt at preparing a "skillet" brown
betty was not wholly successfl . Although I was
able to ft all of tl1e apples in tl1e pan, they did not
cook evenly; those crowded together on the bot
tom of the skillet cooked faster than the otl1ers. I
T E S T R E C I P E S :
TOO DRY
TOO M US HY
P

TOO S OUPY
Betti es Gone Bad
Duri ng testi ng. we pre
pared a lot of unpal at-
able betties. Here are
three pari cul arly bad
versi ons. Fi rm appl es
hel d thei r shape ni cely
but were too dry and
overhel med by an
excess of crumbs (top) .
Mci ntosh appl es became
mushy when cooked and
resembl ed appl esauce
(center) . Thi s soupy rec
i pe cal l ed for too much
l i qui d and not enough
bread crumbs (bottom) .
solved this problem by quickly cooking the apples
in two batches. Afer the second batch of apples
was done, I returned the frst batch to the skil
let and fi nished the dish by sprinkling the rest of
the crumbs over the top. This method was much
preferable. The apples cooked uniformly and
turned an even golden brown. At tlls point I also
tested different kinds and combinations of sugar
and found tl1at light brown sugar worked best
with botl1 the apples and the crunbs. Granulated
sugar was too bright and sweet; dark brown sugar
too rich and apt to burn in the skilet.
Cooking the apples in the skillet had improved
their favor greatly. They tasted richer, deeper,
and slightly caramelized-something baked bet
ties could never achieve. I still had two problems,
however. The apples were just a tad too frm, and
the dessert was a bit dry. The crumbs were more
like stuffng and needed some juices to help them
meld with the apples. I had come a long way fom
soggy and mushy; I had actually made a betty tl1at
was too dry and crunchy!
Afer much testing, I discovered that tl1e solu
tion was to add cider to the pan with the sauteed
apples and then reduce it by half, a process tlat
took j ust a few minutes. In addition to making tl1e
fnished dessert saucier, the extra liquid helped to
cook the apples until they were sof but
sauteing process) and by adjusting the sweet/tart
balance witl1 a little lemon j uice just before serv
ing. Tlis betty's makeover was now complete. It
can1e together even more quickly tl1an tl1e original
and, in tl1e opi1ion of tl1e test kitchen, was much
improved as well . The soggy bread crwnbs had
been replaced by a crisp topping, and tl1e apples
had gone from bland and pedestrian to li ghtly
spiced and caran1elized, witl1 tl1eir favor enhanced
by the reduced cider. Now I had a simple apple
dessert tl1at was both frugal and delicious.
S KI LLET APPLE BROWN B ETTY
S L KVLS 1O d
If your apples are especially tart, omit the lemon
j ui ce . If, on the other hand, your apples are
exceptionally sweet, use tl1e fll amount. A scoop
of vanilla ice cream is tl1e perfect accompaniment
to tl1i s dish. Leftovers can be refigerated in an
airtight container; topped witl1 vanilla yogurt,
they make an excellent breakfast.
BrcodCrumbs
4 l arge sl i ces (about 4ounces) whi te sandwi ch
bread, each sl i ce torn i nto quarters
z tabl espoons packed l ight brown sugar
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, cut i nto 4pi eces
Hlcs
3 tabl espoons packed l ight brown sugar
'/+ teaspoon ground gi nger
'/+ teaspoon ground ci nnamon
Pi nch sal t
z tabl espoons unsal ted butter
1 11 pounds Granny Smi th appl es (about 3 medi um) ,
peel ed and cut i nto 11- i nch cubes (about 4cups)
pounds Gol den Del i ci ous appl es
(about 3 medi um) , peel ed and
cut i nto 11- i nch cubes (about 4cu ps)
/+ cup appl e ci der
1 -3 teaspoons j ui ce from I l emon (see note)
. CR 1M BRA CR\MB5 Pulse bread,
sugar, and butter in food processor until coarsely
ground, about six 2- second pulses . Transfer
mixture to 1 2- inch skillet; cook over medium
heat, stirring constantly, until crumbs are deep
golden brown, about 5 mi nutes. Transfer to
paper towel-lined plate; wipe out skillet.
2. CR1M AI5 Combine sugar, spices,
and salt in small bowl . Heat I tablespoon butter
in now-empty skillet over medi um- high heat;
when foaming subsi des, stir in 4 cups apples
and half of sugar mixture. Distribute apples in
even layer and cook, stirring two or tl1ree times,
until medium brown, about 5 minutes; transfer
to medium bowl . Repeat witl remaining butter,
apples, and sugar mixture, returning fi rst batch
of apples to skillet when second batch is done.
Add apple cider and scrape bottom and sides of
skillet with wooden spoon to loosen browned
bits; cook until about v? cup liquid remains and
apples are tender but not mushy, 2 to 4 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat; stir in lemon juice, if
using, and vz cup toasted bread crumbs. Using
wooden spoon, lightly flatten apples into even
layer in skillet and evenly sprinkle with remaining
toasted bread crumbs. Let cool 5 minutes. Spoon
warm betty into individual bowls and serve with
vanilla ice cream, if desired.
S KI LLET APPLE BROWN B ETTY WI TH PECANS
AND DRI E D CRAN BE RRI E S
Follow recipe for Skillet Apple Brown Betty,
adding vz cup pecans to food processor along
witl1 bread, sugar, and butter and processing as
instructed, then adding z cup dried cranberries
to apple mixture witl1 cider.
S KI LLET APPLE BROWN B ETTY WI TH
G OLDE N RAI S I NS AN D CALVADOS
Any applej ack, or even brandy, can be used in
place of tl1e Calvados.
Follow recipe for Skillet Apple Brown Betty, sub
stituting v4 cup Calvados or brandy for an equal
amount apple cider and adding vz cup golden
raisins to apples along with cider/Calvados
mixture.
still frm enough to hold their shape
exactly the texture I was looking for.
The cider also deglazed the bottom
and sides of the pan, picking up every
bit of caramelized favor and returning
it to the dish. Finally, tl1e sugars in the
cider gave the dish a syrupy consistency
and a deep apple flavor.
STE P - BY- STE P L11Y GL1b P NPKL |VL K-PNL P b Kl I I L1
I stirred in cup of my buttered,
sugared, and toasted crumbs to tllicken
the betty and then sprinkled the rest on
top to keep them crisp. I tweaked the
flavor by addng j ust teaspoon each
of grow1d cinnan10n and ginger ( along
with the sugar at the outset of the
I. Cook bread crumb mix-
ture unti l crumbs are deep
gol den brown. Cool mi xture
on paper towel -l i ned pl ate.
2. Mel t butter in empt ski l
l et and cook appl es and sugar
mixture ( i n two batches)
unti l gol den brown.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2004
Z '
3 . Return al l appl es to pan.
Add ci der and cook unti l
syrupy. Sti r i n some bread
crumbs to thi cken mixture.
4. Fl atten appl e mi xture
with spoon and spri nkl e with
remai ni ng crumbs. Cool o
mi nutes and sere.
I s French Dij on Mustard Best?
Can Grey Poupon, made by Nabisco, compete with made-in-France Dij on?
A
sk most Americans how they use
mustard, and they will report smear
ing it on a ballpark or backyard
barbecue hot dog-a pretty humble
proposition. Dijon mustard from France, how
ever, is considered anything but humble. A lofy
version of a common condiment, real Dijon
mustard has culinary clout, and some are as
revered as a great wine.
Numerous Dijon mustards, however, are actu
aly manufactured here in the United States. ( Grey
Poupon, for example, is produced in this country
by Nabisco. ) Many cooks assume that real French
mustard must be superior to its made-in-America
brethren, a notion that we set out to confrm or
deny. We placed a call to Barry Levenson, founder
and curator of the Mount Horeb Mustard
Museum, who helped us assemble nine popu
lar samples of Dijon mustard from France and
America to taste-twice, by the end of our saga
in blind tests. The results were, to say the least, an
education in the mysteries of mustard.
Hot Stuf
First, a word about how mustard is made .
Mustard comes by its characteristic heat naturally.
The plant that produces mustard seeds, the basis
of all mustard, belongs to the Cruciferae family,
in the genus Brassica. So do horseradish, turnips,
radishes, cabbage, and watercress, all noted in
varying degrees for their sharp favor.
Three tyes of mustard seeds are used to make
mustard: yellow ( Brassica hirta) , black ( Brassica
nira), and brown ( Brassica juncea) . Black and
brown seeds are hotter, so they produce spicier con
diments. Ral Dijon mustard is based on brown, or
sometimes black, seeds, which are almost identical
chemically. Milder yellow seeds are used to make
American, or ballpark-style, yellow mustard.
While mustard preferences are largely subjec
tive ( some like it hot and some don't) , tasters
did agree on the importance of several character
istics. With regard to favor, we all thought that
pungency, acidity, and saltiness should be well
balanced and that any afertaste should be clean,
melodious, and fee of any "off" favors that tast
ers could perceive as musty, plasticky, metallic,
artifcial, or fshy. Tasters also sought a smooth
texture that was neither too thick nor too thin.
In terms of heat, even the most sensitive palates
sought a moderate to assertive level . According to
our tasters, insuffcient or excessive spiciness was
grounds for poor ratings.
. B Y E R I K A B R U C E A N D A D A M R I E D E
Now to answer our initial question about
whether real Dij on mustard-the stuff that is
made in France-is better than American prod
ucts such as Nabisco's Grey Poupon. The answer
is an unequivocal no. Afer tallying our results,
we found that we could recommend fve brands,
and only two of them, Roland Extra Strong and
Delouis Fils, were French. The other three-Grey
Poupon ( maybe the guys in the limos in the Grey
Poupon ads know something afer all ) , French's
Napa Valley Style Dij on, and Barhyte-were
American- made. Of the four brands that we
could not recommend, two were French and two
were American.
To explain this bizarre outcome, we turned to
our food lab, which analyzed all of the samples
for heat level by measuring the quantity of allyl
isothiocyanate, the active ingredient in Dij on
mustard that gives it heat. Three of the four
lowest rated mustards-Maille, Plochman' s, and
Roland organic-lost points for lack of bite, and
their allyl isothiocyanate content ranged from
fewer than 20 to just 30 milligrams per kilogram
( mg/kg) . The fourth, Inglehoffer, offered more
spice ( although still less than the top-rated mus
tards ) at 120 mg/kg, but it was downgraded for
excessive sweetness ( oddly, this American brand
contains sugar and balsamic vinegar) . The recom
mended brands were spicier: Even the least spicy
of the bunch-French's Napa brand-had an allyl
isothiocyanate level of 1 00 mg/kg.
The Sl i ppery Sl ope of Spi ce
Shortly after this tasting, we learned that
spiciness-a key variable in a mustard' s rat
ing-diminishes with age. That means that two
j ars of the same product, one manufactured last
month and the other manufactured last year, will
have different levels of spice even if the j ars have
not been opened. Because we did not allow for
the relative age of the mustards in our initial tast
ing, we went back to square one, where we took
a crash course in how to decode mustard labels to
determine date of manufacture.
Our frst step was to call the companies, and
we found that the shelf life of mustard is roughly
six to 1 8 months, depending on the packaging
material and storage conditions . Delouis Fils
prints a lot number on its labels. Barhyte, Maille,
and Grey Poupon print a "best if used by" date,
and the remaining four brands, French' s, Rland,
Inglehoffer, and Plochman' s, include codes des
ignating the date of manufacture. Reviewing the
L L L

b l L L L b 1 K A 1 L
Z
j ars from our taste test, we immediately discov
ered that two of the "not recommended" brands
near the bottom of the heat scale, Plochman's
and Roland organic, were indeed well past their
recommended shelf lives. At the time of our
tasting, they were nearly two years old and 14
months old, respectively.
It seemed that in ignoring feshness, we may
have invalidated our tasting results. The obvious
remedy was to purchase fresh mustards and do a
second tasting and heat analysis . This is exactly
what we did and found that the fesher samples
were, for the most part, spicier. Two brands,
Barhyte and Plochman' s, remained consistent
from the frst sample to the second, while the
Delouis Fils, the only brand whose manufac
ture dates we could not accurately determine,
slipped a little in terms of heat. The allyl isothio
cyanate levels in the remaining brands, however,
increased from the frst sample to the second.
The most dramatic example was the Inglehoffer,
which skyrocketed from a tame 1 20 mg/kg to an
explosive 1 690 mg/kg.
Did the changes in heat level have a signifcant
effect on our recommendations? Interestingly,
no. Despite increased spiciness in all of the "not
recommended" brands but one ( Plochman' s) ,
favor and/ or texture faws kept them at the bot
tom of the ratings in both tastings. ( Plochman's
was consistently perceived as too mild to rec
ommend. ) Al of the recommended mustards
retained their rank from the frst tasting to the
second, largely by dint of their good balance of
favors and favorable texture.
The Consumer Challenge
What should you look for, then, when purchas
ing Dij on mustard? First of all , forget about
American versus French. Both our "recom
mended" and "not recommended" mustards
included both French and Aerican products .
Second, because mustard quickly loses its heat, a
fesher product is always better. Although read
ing labels is confsing at best, Grey Poupon, the
number two mustard in our tasting, does include
a "best if used by" date on the label, which gives
you a fghting chance at fnding the freshest
sample on the shelf
No matter what mustard you choose, though,
try not to store it at home for long periods ( even
our test cooks have been known to store jars of
Dij on for years in the refrigerator ) . Purchase
small j ars and replace them fequently.
J

J
>
U

Z
4
D
1AS1l Nll)| |LS1Akl
Twent Cook's Ilustrated staf member tasted the Di jon mustards l i sted bel ow on
to di ferent occasi ons. Tasted first were sampl es purchased at l ocal supermarkets
or ordered onl i ne (just as any consumer woul d) wi thout regard to freshness. The
second tasti ng compri sed fresher sampl es, ordered di rectl y from the manufacturer
RECOM M E N D E D
ROLND Extra Strong Dijon Mustard -~NC-
$ 3 . 5 9 for 1 3 ounces
Sampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: Unavai l abl e for first tasti ng.
Sampl e Z al lyl isothi ocyanate: 420 mgkg
An Ameri can brand manufactured in France, thi s cross-nati onal hybrid
was wi dely prised for its excel l ent flavor bal ance, havi ng aci di t. salt,
and heat i n pleasing proporti ons to one another. The heat level was
moderate. wi th the mustard di spl ayi ng "a ni ce horseradi sh flavor"
that struck many tasters as j ust "the right amount of spi ce. " The thi ck,
smooth texture also won accol ades.
GREY POUPON Dijon Mustard J A
$ 2. 69 for I O ounces
Sampl e al lyl isothiocyanate: 240 mgkg
Sampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 840 mgkg
Th i s mustard i s manufactured statesi de by Nabi sco in accordance
wi th the ori gi nal reci pe from Di jon . Tasters prai sed its "wel l
rou nded flavor, " " ni ce bal ance, " and "smooth , " "creamy" texture.
The flavor was "tangy," wi th a "sl i ght bi tterness" an d " bi te" recal l
i ng horseradi sh. Grey Poupon scored consi stentl y i n both tasti ngs.
DELOUI S FI L Moutarde de Dijon -~NC-
$4. 50 for 7 ounces
Sampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 2 1 0 mg/kg
Sampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 1 1 0 mg/kg
Thi s mustard exhi bi ted a mul ti di mensi onal , deep, wel l - bal anced fl a
vor. Tasters detected sufi ci ent heat, wi th sal t and aci di t at level s that
pl eased them, using phrases such as "strightforward, " "pungent. " and
"tang. " Oddly, some tasters pi cked up a mi l d sweetness, whi l e others
obsered the texture to be sl ightly "chal k. "
FRENCH' S Napa Valley Stle Dijon Mustard J ~
$$ 3 . 29 for 1 2 ounces
Sampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 1 00 mg/kg
Sampl e al lyl isothiocyanate: 3 60 mg/kg
Somewhere between powerhouse and wi mp when i t came to heat.
thi s self- described "truly Ameri can Dijon" was i ndeed deemed fri endly
to Ameri can palates. The majorit of tasters received it wel l . noti ng its
" mi l d" flavor. "slowly devel opi ng heat, " and "smooth texture. " A few
whenever possi bl e. Al lyl i sothi ocyanate l evel s, whi ch measure heat. are l i sted for
both tasti ngs. Duri ng tasti ngs, sampl es were tri ed in a d iferent order by diferent
tasters to el i mi nate any efects of palate fatigue. Al so. one sampl e was repeated in
tasti ngs to functi on as a control . The sampl es are l i sted in order of preference.
NOT RECO M M E ND E D
MAILLE Dijon Origi nat e -~NC-
$ 2. 99 for 1 3 . 4 ounces
j
ampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 20 mgkg
j
ampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 1 60 mgk
Severl tasters swore by thi s hi ghly esteemed French mustard before
steppi ng i nto the tasti ng room, but opi ni ons changed qui ckly, evi
denced by comments such as "dul l , " "no depth, " "past, " and "soapy
aftertaste. " Whi l e most agreed that " i t coul d be hotter" and detrc
tors cl ai med the texture was "gl uey, " a few defenders countered with
descri ptors such as "smooth" and "fresh. "
PLOCHMAN' S Premi um Dijon J A
$ 2. 89 for 9 ounces
jampl e al lyl i sothi ocyanate: <20 mgk
jampl e al lyl i sothi ocyanate: <20 mgk
Defi ni tel y the mi l dest sampl e of the bunch. wi th taster repeatedly l i k
eni ng i t to pl ai n yel l ow " bal l park" or " hot dog" mustard. Many tasters
pi cked up on a "frui t sweetness" l i ke that of "ci der vi negar" as wel l as
a l i ngeri ng "pi ckl e" flavor. Thi s mustard' s ul trsmooth consi stency l ed
one taster to note that i t "seems whi pped. "
ROLND Oranic Extra Strong Dijon Mustard -~NC-
$ 2. 99 for 7 ounces
j
ample al lyl isothiocyanate: 30 mg/kg
jampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 250 mgk
Despite i ts French heri tage and roots shared wi th the wi nni ng mustard,
few consi dered this organi c product to be a good choi ce. Repeatedly
ci ted as "sal t, " i t did i ndeed have one of the hi ghest sodi um levels
of all of the mustards tasted. It al so l ost favor for havi ng an "odd, "
"cl umpy," " mushy" texture and a " harsh" and "metal l i c" flavor.
I NGLEHOFFER Hot Dijon Mustard J ~
$ 2. 49 for 8 ounces
jampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 1 20 mg/kg
jampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 1 690 mg/kg
The overbearing heat of the second sampl e (ti ce as hot as the next hot
test sampl e) was variously descri bed as "craz, " "icked, " "seari ng, " and
"pai nful . " Al so overbearing was the seetness. attri buted to the sugar
and bal sami c vi negar l i sted among the ingredi ents .
detractors countered with comments such as " bori ng, " "tame, "
and "not remarkabl e. " Overal l , however. a sol i d ci ti zen.
BRHYE SELEC Dijon Mustard J A
$$4. 00 for 9 ounces
Sampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 4 1 0 mg/kg
Sampl e al lyl isothi ocyanate: 400 mg/kg
Thi s Ameri can newcomer from Oregon made fri ends and foes.
Enthusiasts raved that i t was "al l - around del i ci ous, " wi th "great
balance" and a "true mustard taste, " whi l e detractor pi cked up on
" harsh aci di t" and a " bitter aftertaste. " Accordi ng to the l ab analy
sis, the heat level remai ned remarkably consi stent from the first
sampl e to the second. The consi stency was a bit "soupy" for some.
Lbel Sl euthi ng
Freshness matters when
buyi ng mu stard . espe
ci al l y i f you want a s pread
wi th heat. Some l abel s
cl earl y i ndi cate a use- by
date, whi l e others rel y
on crypti c manufacture
dates or l ot numbers .
Get out your readi ng glasses and, i n some cases, code
cracki ng manual to figure out if the mustard i s fresh or not.
Eventual ly. we c racked these codes. but our advi ce i s to buy one of our recommended
brands wi th a use- by date, choosi ng a j ar wi th the most di stant date.
J ANUARY c F EBRUARY 211
Z /
Separation Anxiety
Excess fat ruins stocks and sauces. But do fat separators real l y work?
We tested eight model s-from pitchers to l adles to " fat mops" -to find out.
C
burch and state. Weat and chaff Dross
and gol d. What do these pairs have in
common? They must be separated,
just as the liquid fat must be separated
from the drippings of a roast before making gravy
or from a pot of hot stock before turning it into
soup. Luckily, separating liquid fat is easy to do
with a specially designed fat separator, aka gravy
strainer or soup strainer. Three formats dominate
the category: pitcher-type measuring cups with
sharply angled spouts opening out from the base
of the cup; ladles with slots around the perimeter;
and "fat mops," brushes with long, sof bristles
made fom plastic fbers. Such extreme design dif
ferences raise the obvious question-which kind
works best? A few days in the test kitchen spent
defatting gallons of greasy chicken broth quickly
parted the wiers from tl1e losers.
Conventional wisdom regarding the best
defatting metld is to chill already cooled liquid
until tl1e fat rises to the top and solidifi es. Then
you simply lif off the cap of solid fat and discard
it, leaving the liquid below pristi ne. Our tests
confrmed that this method is supremely effec
tive, but it does have one huge disadvantage: It
takes a lot of time. Do you know many cooks
who have hours to spare-up to 24 hours for a
large quantity of liquid-waiting for tl1eir stock
to chill? Me neither. Ad what if you are defatting
the drippings from a roast for gravy that's to be
served along witl1 the meat in j ust 1 0 minutes?
Ad so we turn to the fat separator. No matter
what the specifc design, fat separators work for
two reasons. One, because fat and water do not
mix-their incompatible molecular structures
and electrical charges keep them apart-and two,
because fat always rises above the liquid in the
container-fat is less dense than water.
Five of the eight models we tested were essen
tially pitchers with tl1e pouring spout set into their
base, like the small watering cans used to reach
houseplants in high spots. When tl1e liquid settles
in tl1e container, you can pour it off, stopping just
before tl1e layer offat foating on tl1e liquid's sur
face reaches the opening for tle spout.
While all of the pitcher- type separators worked
Wc ,one feature that proved especially important
was capaci !n gcncra wc likc largc scpara
tors-usually around four cups-best . Large
models can be used with _OO cctl U separate
the fat from either small or large quantities of
B Y ADAM R I E D E
liquid, whereas you could grow old working your
way through a gallon of stock witl1 a /'- or 2- cup
model . Large separators also have large moutl1s,
which make for easier pouring when you're add
ing the stock to the separator. Because of its
oblong shape, the Trudeau Gravy Separator had
the widest moutl1 of all, a point in its favor. The
Trudeau also had an integrated strainer, which is
helpfl when you're defatting pan drippings that
are still mixed with chunks of aromatic vegeta
bles, herb sprigs, or otl1er favorings. In terms of
materials, the shock resistance of plastic is better
Separati on Anxi et Al l Over Agai n
suited to this tool than glass. During testing, one
of the separators slipped out of our hands (which
had gotten greasy from the fat) and fell to the
foor. Had it been the glass model , we would have
had to run out to buy a replacement.
Fat-separating ladles work when dipped just
below the surface layer of f1t that has accumu
lated atop the slightly cooled liquid. A series of
slot-shaped holes along one side of the ladle
allow fat to drain into tl1e bowl of tl1e ladle so
it can be discarded. This procedure is repeated
w1til as much fat as possible has been removed.
Over the years, we have pi cked up several ti ps on how to remove surace fat from stocks, soups, and stews when no fat
separator i s on hand. We wondered if any of these homespun methods coul d hol d i ts own when appl i ed to a gal l on of
fatt broth. Eight tests later, we found that the most fami l iar method-ski mmi ng with a cooki ng spoon-di d the best
j ob. Methods are l i sted in order of preference, from best to worst. In the end, however, a good fat separator beats al l
of these homespun ti ps wi th ease. -Ni na West
1LLl
Cooking Spoon
METHOD: Al ow liquid to settle for about I 0 mi nutes and use a
wi de, shallow (one- to to-ounce) spoon to skim the surace.
Zipper- lck Bag
METHOD: Fill a heav-dut zipper-lock bag with l i qui d. al l ow
fat to rise, sni p a small hole i n comer of bag. and al l ow l i qui d
to flow i nto another container. Pi nch bag before fat fows out.
Bulb Baster
METHOD: Pl unge ti p of baster i nto l i qui d beneath fat. draw
l i qui d i nto baster, and deposit it i n another contai ner.
Ldle
METHOD: Al l ow the l i qui d to settle for about 1 0 mi nutes.
then ski m the surace.
Ice Bath
METHOD: Place a pot fi l l ed with fat l i qui d i n an ice bath. Te
fat shoul d cl i ng to the sides of the pot once the pot i s col d. Te
congealed fat can then be scrped away with a spoon.
Pper Towel
METHOD: Skim the fatt surace of the l i qui d with sheets of
paper towel.
Cold ltuce laf
METHOD: Skim the fatt surace of the l i qui d with a cold let
tuce leaf; the fat should cl i ng to it.
Frozen Soda Botle
METHOD: Freeze water sol i d in liter- or quar-sized bottle,
then use it to stir fatt l i qui d. Te fat should cl i ng to the
bottl e.
COOK
'
S I LLU STRA TED
Z 5
hLhLl h
TE$TER$' COMME NT$: Tedi ous, but tried, true, and efective.
TE$TER$' COMME NT$: Worked ver wel l , provided your reflexes
are qui ck enough to stop the flow of l i qui d before the fat pour
out. Make sure the l i qui d i s cool enough to handle without
bumi ng yourelf.
TE$TE R$' COMME NT$ : Worked remarkably wel l , with l ittle fat
trnsferred to the new contai ner.
TE$TE R$' COMME NT$: Works best if you transfer the fatt l i qui d
to a ver tal l . narrow contai ner, creating a deep layer of fat. I n
other contai ner, i t' s eas to skim the l i qui d along with the fat.
TE$TER$' COMME NT$: We waited (and waited and waited)
for the pot to cool enough for the fat to cling to the sides. Thi s
method final ly worked, but it was much too ti me-consumi ng.
TE$TE R$' COMME NT$ : Conveni ent, though slow and messy.
Beter for smal l amounts of fat. For big jobs, you coul d use
nearly an entire rol l .
TE$TER$' COMME NT$: Ul ti mately inefective. Te leaves wilt
qui ckly, so a new one i s requi red ever few strokes. Works
better on smal l amounts of fat.
TE$TER$' COMME NT$: Worked wel l for the firt pl unge. but
much less so for subsequent pl unges. Te pardox i s that if you
rinse of the fat, the ice melts, yet if the fat i s lef on the bottle,
i t gets added back to the l i qui d i n the next pass.
R/Tl NC l/T >Ll/K/T'K>
k1| NCS
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
We tested ei ght fat sepa
rators and eval uated them
accordi ng to the fol l owi ng
criteri a. I f the design or
capaci t of a parti cul ar
uni t precl uded i t from a test. the resul t
i s l i sted as N/ AAl l of the separators
were di shwasher-safe. and al l emerged
from the di shwasher clean and odor
free. Separators are l i sted in order of
preference.
PRI CE: Prices pai d i n Boston-area
stores. i n nati onal mai l - order catalogs.
and on Web sites.
MATERIAL: Primary material from
whi ch the separator is made.
CPACIT: Total amount the separa
tor wi l l hold and sti l l operate properly.
PERFORMANCE: We si mmered
I gal l on of canned low-sodi um chi cken
broth with I 0ounces schmal t ren
dered chi cken fat,for J0mi nutes,
al l owed the mixture to cool for I S
mi nutes. and then used each separator
to separte the fat from the l i qui d i n
two amounts wherever appl i cabl e, .
I cup and 4 cups. Scores from these
to tests were averaged to determi ne
an overal l performance rati ng.
HANDLE COMFOR: Tested with
both bare hands and an oven mi tt fat
separators are often used to defat ver
1|udO8uSptor
w|0 bP|nC|,
|Cd| > | |
MATLK|AL: H|
polconate
RECOMME NDE D
Pedri ni Grav Separator
MATE R| AL. Plastic/
polycaronate
East Hampton I ndustries
Souper Strai n . No. 824
MATER|AL. Plastic/
polycaronate
OMI (Oi l Mop, I nc. )
The Origi nal Fat Mop
MATE R| AL. Nylon bristles/
metal spine/plastic handle
East Hampton I ndustries
Grav Strai n . No. 823
MATE R| AL. Plastic/polycarbonate
.
Catamount Gl ass 2- Cup
Ft Separator/Strai ner
MATE R| AL. Heatproof labortor
glass
FK| CL:
CAFACITY.
FEKFOKMANCL:
HANDLL COMfOKT:
LA5L Of U5L:
PR| CE .
CAPAC| TY.
PERFORMANCE .
HANDL E COMF ORT.
EASE OF US E .
PR| CE .
CAPAC| TY.
PERFORMANCE .
HANDL E COMF ORT.
EASE OF US E .
PR| CE .
CAPAC| TY.
PERFORMANCE .
HANDLE COMF ORT.
EASE OF US E .
PR| CE .
CAPAC| TY.
PERFORMANCE .
HANDLE COMF ORT.
EASE OF US E .
PR| CE .
CAPAC| TY.
PERFORMANCE .
HANDLE COMF ORT.
EASE OF US E .

4 cups

S| 4. 95
5cups

S | 0. 99
4 cups

S4. 99
N/A
N/A

S 5 . 99
1 '/ cups

S | 6. 95
2'/cups

If it's possible to get excited about a fat separtor, tis

is te one to inspir entusiasm. It wde, obl ong shape
makes it eas to pour into. te i ntd striner is a
great feature for pan drppings (al Uough it woul d be
beter with smaller holes) . and an angled shield near te
spout prvent spillover. Rasonabl prced, too.
Extr-lare capacit and a ni cely integrted handl e. Spout
trps a tiny bit of fat at the ti p, but not enough to afect
the defatted l i qui d.
Thi s i s the basi c design that most cookare, di scount,
and hardware stores carry. Does a good j ob removing
ft and pour neatly. Because the handle is not attached
at the bottom of the cup. as i t i s on si mi lar model s from
competing brands, thi s model is mari nal ly less stable
when the cup i s ful l .
Defatting a l are quanti t of l i qui d was i nefi ci ent and
tedi ous. but thi s tool work wel l on stews. sauces. and
other chunk dishes. Does not cl ean up i n the dishwasher
as thoroughly as the other. but it's inexpensive enough to
replace periodically without breaking the bank.
Works as wel l as its bi g brother, but better suited to
defatting dri ppi ngs than a whol e pot of stock because of
its smal l capacit.
Measurements are printed i n dark ink and are therefore
much easier to read than those on al l of the plastic models.
Difi cul t to pour neatly when fl l ed to capacit.
hot l i qui ds, so many cooks protect
NO RECOMME ND E D
thei r hands by weari ng oven mi tts, .
Secure. roomy. easi l y grasped handl es
were preferred.
EE OF USE: Separators that were
eas to pour l i qui d i nto. that poured
l i qui d neatly and easi ly. and that had
easy-to-read measurement markings
were preferred.
WMF Profi Pl us I \ - I nch
Stai n less Steel Fat Ski mmi ng Ladl e
MATER| AL. Stainless steel
PR| CE . S | 9. 99
CAPAC| TY. N/A
PERFORMANCE .
HANDL E COMF ORT.
EASE OF US E .
The reason we woul dn' t recommend this uni t is not that
i t' s a particularly bad l adl e-stl e ski mmer. In fact. with
considerbl e patience and steadiness. i t works fine. And
that's just it. Usi ng a l adl e requi res considerbl e patience
and steadiness, whereas usi ng a pi tcher-stle separtor
does not.
TEfRS' COMMENT: These com
ments augment the i nformati on on
the chart with obserati ons about the
separators' desi gn or performance in
specific tests.
East Hampton I ndustries
Skm I t Fat Separator.
PR| CE . S4. 99
CAPAC| TY. N/A
PERFORMANCE .
HANDLE COMF ORT.
EASE O F US E .
No. 826B
MATER| AL. Plastic/polycarbonate
Our testers found this to be a tedious process
requiring fne control of the ladle, which, when
dipped too low, let in the broth along with the
fat. A spout on one side of the ladle-much like
that on the pitcher-type separators-is designed
to pour off the liquid wilie trapping the fat, but
you cannot see where the broth stops and the fat
begins, as you can in a clear pitcher- style sepa
rator. Frankly, skimming the surface fat with a
wide, shallow spoon is just as effective and less
fustrating.
Surprisingly, the cheesiest tool in the group,
the "As Seen on J Fat Mop, turned out to
be pretty interesting. The mop head is made of
plastic fbers that attract fat. As the packaging
says, it is designed to defat stews, gravies, soups,
chills, and fried foods-items for which it would
be impossible to use another kind of fat separa
tor-as it sweeps across the surface to wick away
fat. In our tests, it did in fact prove effective with
chunky tomato sauce and pot-au- feu. Strictly
speaking, however, the Fat Mop is not intended
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 20 04
Z /
Because l i qui d i s resistant to the broad, bl unt base of
thi s separtor, i t' s difi cul t to di p i nto l i qui d with enough
preci si on to control the fow of fat. I n short, it's hard to
use. Designed to work with large quantities of l i qui d, so
it woul dn' t work with dri ppi ngs from a roast.
for use with large amounts of liquid, though we
did manage to defat 4 cups of broth in more than
20 swipes .
If we could have j ust one fat separator in
the kitchen, Trudeau's version of the common
pitcher-type would be our choice. For another
fve bucks, though, the Fat Mop makes a usefl
supplement, especially if you have to remove fat
fom chunky stews and chilis. Between the
neither the fat nor the process of separating it
should be cause for anxiety.
l l 1 | Iil `'Jic
B B K l l | | 1 l ^ C ^ 1 | K
Te Great Caper
We H that capers, those pickled
Mediterranean buds, are a great f
ishing touch for salads, pan sauces,
and just about any pasta dish you can
Hof, especially when fied. Many
recipes for fied capers recommend
adding the capers directly to hot
oil . But, as we recently discovered
in the test kitchen, this method can
PRES S E D
To remove
moi sture
F RI E D
Unti l cri sp
and crunchy
be dangerous; the moisture-packed
capers explode when they open and
splatter hot oil everywhere ( think of
popping popcorn with the pan lid
off and you'll get the picture) .
Afer several tests, we found a
couple of ways to minimize the
potential for disaster. First was to
remove moisture from the capers
by pressing them between several
layers of paper towels . Second was
to start the capers in cold oil, then
heat them gradually.
Here' s how to fry enough
capers to garnish 1 pound of pasta:
Drain, rinse, and press 2 tablespoons
of capers between several layers of
paper towels to remove as much
T E s T 1 N G P R o o u c T s : "Out, Damn' d Spot! "
liquid as possible. Add the pressed
capers and 2 tablespoons of olive oil
to an 8-inch skillet and turn the heat
to medium-low. Cook until most of
the capers have split open (a few
will still pop) and are crisp, 3 to 5
minutes. Transfer the capers to dry
paper towels to drain, and enjoy!
Temperature Adj ustment
During the development of our
pot-au-feu recipe, we found that our
favorite instant-read thermometer,
the Thermapen, was registering the
temperature of boiling broth at 2 1 5
degrees . Some unexplained culinary
phenomenon, perhaps? Nah, just a
reminder tl1at it was

Food-stai ned cl othi ng i s a sad real i t in our test kitchen . We deci ded to get seri ous about l aun
dr. so we purchased 1 6 stai n removers from l ocal supermarkets and put them to the test. These
products fel l i nto four categori es:

chi l i
Pretreaters are appl i ed to the stai ned garment, whi ch i s then thrown i nto the wash. Thi s
group i ncl uded Spray ' n Wash, Shout, Zout, Shout Ul tra Gel , Shout Acti on Gel , Extra-Strength
Spry ' n Wash. and Spry ' n Wash Stai n Sti ck.
Lundry additives go ri ght i nto the machi ne wi th the wash to boost the stai n- removi ng
power of the deterent used. Both products i n thi s group were made by Spray ' n Wash, one a
l i qui d addi tive and one a concentrated tabl et referred to as Acti onbal l .
Spot removers are appl i ed to cl othes. whi ch are then rubbed to remove stai ns and washed.
cofee
beets

chocolate
time to calibrate te thermometer.
We contacted ThermoWorks
( . thermoworks . com) , maker
of te Thermapen, and a company
representative faxed us calibrating
instructions. Afer removing the
back label , which covers the two
calibration adjustment screws, we
placed the tip of the probe in ice
water ( being carefl not to let the
probe tip touch the container) and
adjusted the "Zero" screw ( on the
right) until the temperature read 32
degrees. Then we repeated the same
test, this time using boiling water
and adjusting the "Span" screw ( on
the lef) until the thermometer read
21 2 degrees. (You'll
bl ueberries
mustard
ketchup
red wine
Those tested i ncl uded Gonzo Stai n Remover, Amodex Premi um Spot Remover, and Di di Seven
Ul tra Super Concentrated Cl eaner.
TH E T- S H I RT & TH E STAI NS
Oxgen- based powders are di l uted wi th water to make a soaki ng sol uti on for garments.
Once the stai ns are gone, the cl othes can be washed. Thi s group i ncl uded Al l Oxi -Active. Shout
Ox Power, Cl orox Oxgen Acti on, and Oxi -Ci ean.
THE TES For our tests, we took pl ai n I 00 percent cotton T-shi rts and di rti ed them with the
foods most i nfamous for l eavi ng unrel enti ng stai ns: pureed bl ueberri es. pureed beets, bl ack cof
fee, red wi ne, ketchup and yel l ow mustard (to si mulate a hot dog mi shap) , mel ted bi ttersweet
chocol ate, and chi l i (whi ch al so covered grease stai ns) . Each cl eani ng product was appl i ed
accordi ng to the manufacturer' s i nstructi ons for maxi mum stai n removal .
Al l of the products removed the cofee, wi ne, ketchup. and beet stai ns. but only the spot
remover and oxgen- based powders managed to compl etel y remove the tougher stai ns l eft by
chi l i , bl ueberri es. chocolate, and mustard. T-shi rts tested wi th the pretreaters and l aundr addi
tives came out of the wash wi th severl di sti nct, i f muted, stai ns.
Spot removers cal l for brushi ng or bl otti ng the stai n unti l i t i s gone, and al though thi s method
i s the most l abor- i ntensive (i n some cases up to seven appl i cati ons were necessar) , even the
toughest stai ns were gone before the garment went i nto the washi ng machi ne. I f ti me i s a l uxur
you can aford and scrubbi ng and bl otti ng are not your thi ng, then the oxgen- based powders are
the way to go. T-shi rts treated with these cl eaners-used as concentrted soaki ng sol uti ons, as
per the manufacturers' i nstructi ons-needed only a l ight rubbi ng to remove the toughest stai ns.
Athough the T-shi rts di d need to soak for up to three hour (wi th Oxi - Ci ean worki ng i n the
shortest amount of ti me) , the l abor was mostly hands-of (sounds good to us) .
OUR CONCLUSI ON I f you can' t part with that favorite bl ouse or pai r of pants and you don' t
mi nd an i nvestment of ti me but l i ttle el bow grease, use an oxgen- based powder.
PRETREATE RS
Tese apply-and-wash products coul dn't
cut through the toughest stains.

S POT RE M OVE RS
Although labor-i ntensive, these
products worked wel l to remove the
stai ns before the shi r was washed.
COOK
'
S I L LUSTR A T ED
`O
LAU N D RY ADD I TI VES
Not enough boosting power to
remove al l food stins.
OXYG E N- BAS E D POWDE RS
With ver l i ttle work but consider
able soaking time, these products
removed the toughest food stains.
need to adjust for the fact that the
boiling temperature of water drops
1 degree for every 500-foot increase
in elevation above sea level . )
If you have a dial-face thermom
eter, the process is even simpler. Just
immerse the thermometer in a slurry
of ice water ( boiling temperature
calibration is not necessary), being
carefl not to touch the container
and, using a pair of needle- nose
pliers, adjust the screw on the under
side of the dial face until it reads 32
degrees.
Te Quest for Cheesecloth
Can't fnd cheesecloth at your local
grocer to strain out those last bits of
herbs and veggies from your broth
or stock? Luckily, cheesecloth is a
multiuse item, and we found it in
many hardware, paint, fabric, and
craf stores.
Still can' t locate cheesecloth?
Don't worry, an at-hand solution is
to line a mesh strainer with at least
three layers of plain, white paper
towels ( no prints, please) and pour
the broth through careflly ( and
slowly) .
Lave I t to Cleaver
Wen making stock ( see pages
16-17) , we found that the best
way to release maximum favor
fom the bones is to hack them
up with a meat cleaver. We asked
fve test cooks (with various hand
sizes and arm strength ranging
from meek to macho) to evaluate
fve meat ( not vegetable ) cleav
ers. Testers hacked chicken wngs,
breasts, legs, and thighs with each
cleaver and rated them on comfort,
balance, and performance.
We found two winners ( see
below) . Two other models tested-
BEST CLEAVER: GLOBL
9 | 06
Perectly balanced, with a ror
sharp bl ade. Easily handl ed tasks
that stmied other meat cleaver.
the Henckels Professional S 6- Inch
Cleaver ( $49. 99) and the Wiisthof
Trident 6- Inch Cleaver ( $69. 99)
featured squared- off handles that
testers found uncomfortable, while
the Forschner Victorinox 6- Inch
Household Cleaver ( $70. 99) was
deemed too heavy and its blade
too dull .
( Cook' s Lm gives you fee addi
tional information online. For the
complete results of our cleaver tests,
visit . cooksillustrated. com and
key in code 1 043 . )
Sun- Dri ed Tomato Taste Test
A recent taste test showed that not a
oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes taste
the same, at least straight fom the
j ar. We tasted tomatoes from Harry's
Bazaar, Pastene, Mezzetta, Bella San
Luci , Mediterranean ( organi c) ,
L' Esprit De Campagne, and Trader
Joe' s. Tasters thought that only the
Trader Joe' s tomatoes, which are
packed in olive oil, garlic, herbs,
spices, and sulfr dioxide ( to retain
color), had the right balance of fa
vors and sweetness. 1 other brands
were thought to have an overpower-

tt

ing musty, herbal

favor.
TOP TOMATOE S
Afer tasting seven
brands, our panel
named Trader joe' s
sun-dri ed tomatoes
the best choi ce.
Although Trader Joe's tomatoes
taste best straight from the j ar, we
found that we could improve the
favor of the other brands by rins
ing away excess herbs and spices .
The rinsed tomatoes won't taste as
good as our favorite brand, but they
won' t tasty musty, either.
BE ST BUY: LMSONSHARP
940
Ughteight, wi th comfortabl e
handl e. Popul ar among tester with
modest hand strength.
-- C - J o~1- READERS RESPOND
Tal e of Two Chi ckens
Many readers have written to us about the sal ti ness of the buttermi l k bri ne for our
Ul ti mate Cri spy Fri ed Chi cken ( May/J une 200 1 ). After retesti ng the reci pe a few
ti mes, we found it hi ghly seasoned. Some tasters thought it was perfect, but oth
ers argued that it was a tad too salt. After some tri al and error, we came up with
two amendments to the ori gi nal reci pe that woul d reduce the salt favor wi thout
compromi si ng the moi stness provi ded by bri ni ng.
Fi rst, we reduced the sal t and sugar i n the bri ne by hal f whi l e keepi ng the l i qui d
amount the same cup kosher sal t, 2 tabl espoons sugar, 7 cups buttermi l k) .
Second, we el i mi nated the whi te breast meat i n the reci pe by switchi ng from a
whol e butchered chi cken to fou r chi cken leg quarter. cut i nto ei ght thi gh and
drumsti ck pi eces. Because of i ts higher fat content, the dark meat i n the chicken leg
quarters tastes j ui ci er than whi te meat.

No Wi ne- i ng

looki ng for ways to repl ace the al cohol -especi al ly from wi ne and
|
fortifed wi nes-i n you r reci pes? Then you have somethi ng in com-
mon wi th many readers, especi al ly when it comes to pan sauces
(such as those accompanyi ng the pan- roasted chi cken breasts i n our @
March/Apri l 2003 i ssue) .
I n respondi ng to these requests, our firt i mpul se was to repl ace wi ne or vermouth
with an equal amount of broth. but upon testi ng we found that sauces prepared thi s
way l acked aci di t and bal ance. Ater severl rounds of tests. we found four ingredi
ents-deal cohol i zed white wi ne (Sutter Home Fre, for exampl e) , veus (the unfer
mented j ui ce of unri pe wi ne grpes) , l emon j ui ce, and white wi ne vi negar-that coul d
make up for the l ack of aci di t. Formul as for substituti ons are summarized bel ow. Fr
i ngredi ents added when the sauce i s ready to sere, use the l ower amount. tste, and
then add more if greater aci di t i s desi red.
Alcohol -Free Pn Sauces To repl ace '/ cup wi ne or vermouth. tr:
I ngredi ent
' / cup each DEALCOHOLI ZED
WI NE and CHI CKEN BROTH
24 tabl espoons VERJ US
'/2 - 1 teaspoon LEMON J UI CE
'/2 - 1 teaspoon WHI TE WI NE VI NEGAR
Steaks Worh Thei r Salt
When to Add
Us e to degl aze pan
J u st before servi ng
J ust before s ervi ng
J ust before s ervi ng
Some readers have wondered why we emphasi ze seasoni ng meat wi th sal t before
cooki ng. To prove our poi nt, we gri l l ed two T- bone steaks and pan-seared two stri p
steak and to fl ets mignons according to reci pes publ ished in the magazi ne. I n
each case, Y>allOd one steak 0O!|cand one after cooki ng ( but before resting)
with the same amount of kosher salt (a test ki tchen favori te for thi s purpose) .
When tasted. the steaks seasoned wi th sal t after bei ng cooked had a salt bi te
that overhadowed the flavor of the meat. And because the sal t never ful ly di s
sol ved, there were uneven pockets of crunchy kosher sal t on the meat' s surface.
The steak sal ted pri or to cooki ng, on the other hand, had a wel l -seasoned, beef
taste. Seasoni ng wi th sal t pri or to cooki ng al l ows the crstals to di ssolve and ensures
even seasoni ng and no salt pockets.
I f you sti l l want a sal ti er punch on your wel l - seasoned steak, spri nkl e more kosher
or coarse sea sal t on at the tabl e. But by sal ti ng before cooki ng, you ensure that the
meat has a basel i ne of seasoni ng. -Compi l ed by Ni na West
I F YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a recently publ i shed reci pe. let us know.
Send you r i nqui ry. 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 to
reci peupdate@bcpress. com.
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2004
' I
1I :'l1| I :
Most of the ingredients and materials necessary
for the recipes in this issue are available at your
local supermarket, gourmet store, or kitchen sup
ply shop. The following are mail- order sources
for particular items. Prices listed below were cur
rent at press time and do not include shipping or
handling unless otherwise indicated. We suggest
that you contact companies directly to confi rm
up-to-date prices and availability.
|L|bJ| L|bmLLJ |P|
Contrary to our usual thinking about nonstick
sheet pans, we liked the new one from Calphalon
for our oven fies ( page 2 1 ) . This was our fi rst
encounter with a sheet pan that provides both a
nonstick fnish and the sort of heavy-duty con
struction that W resist warping in the intense
heat needed to brown our fries. The baking sheet
can be ordered for $27. 95 from Cooki ng. com
(Guest Assi stance, 2 85 0 Ocean Park Boul evard,
Suite 3 1 0, Santa Moni ca, CA 90405 ; 800- 66 3 -
88 1 0, w . cooki ng. com) , item #1 81 768.
b|LL| PLJ1 L|JbLb
All of the citrus pictured on the back cover,
from the relatively common Meyer lemon to
the exotic citron known as Buddha's Hand, are
available from Specialty Produce ( 5 245 Lovel ock
Street, San Di ego, CA 9 2 1 1 0; 6 1 9- 2 95 - 1 668;
w . speci al typroduce. com) . Prices fuctuate
with the market, and availability is seasonal for
most items . The good news is that the season
for these fruits i s now.
LLLPVLbb
With its comfortable handle, manageable weight,
and modest price ( $40) , the LamsonSharp 714-
inch meat cleaver is a good choice when you want
to hack up a chicken to make stock ( see pages
1 6-1 7) . You can order one directly from the
manufacturer, Lmson & Goodnow Mfg. Co. (45
Conway Street, P. O. Box 1 28, Shel burne Fal l s, MA
01 3 70; 4 1 3 - 62 5 - 63 3 1 ; ww. l amsonsharp. com) ,
item #33 1 00 for a walnut handle or #39555
for ebony. For tl10se who are not on a budget,
however, tle 6- i nch Global meat cl eaver is
unmatched in sharpness and can complete most
tasks in one shot. A Cook' s Wares ( 2 1 1 3 7th
Street, Beaver Fal l s, PA 1 50 1 0; 800- 9 1 5 - 9788;
w . cookswares. com) sells the G- 1 2 Global
cleaver, item #4745, for $ 1 06.
\| bbL|| Lb
While we can t be enthusiastic about any of the
countertop rotisseries tested on page 1 2, we
found two that were acceptabl e: the George
Foreman GR82B George Jr. Rotisserie ( item
#B00005 B6Z3 ) and the Popeil Jr. Showtime
Rotisserie and Barbecue ( item #B000066BEQ) .
To order one without having to stay up late for
the infomercials, try Amazom. com, which sells
each brand for $99. 99.
L|Ll |LbPbL
Our tasting of Dijon mustards turned up two
hard-to-fnd brands that we liked. Domesti c new
comer Haus Barhyte (P. O. Box 1 499, Pendl eton, OR
97801 ; 800- 227-498 3; w. mustardpeopl e. com)
offers a 9- ounce j ar for $4. 00. Delouis Fils,
considered by many to be the quintessential
Dijon mustard, i s avail able from the Mount
Horeb Mustard Museum (P. O. Box 468, 1 00 West
Mai n Street, Mount Horeb, WI 5 3 5 72; 800- 43 8-
6878; ww . mustardmuseum. com) , which sells a
7- ounce j ar, item #DLF1 00, for $4. 75.
bPLJ || L
The sal t pi g shown on page 3 makes it easy
to measure salt when cooki ng. You can order
i t for $29. 95 from The Baker' s Catal ogue (P. O.
Box 876, Norwi ch, V 05 05 5 ; 800- 827- 68 3 6 ;
ww . ki ngarhurl our. com) . Ask or search for the
"salt piglet," item #61 86.
` bLb1bL' ||| |L bLJ
The Forschner knives mentioned on page 2
are available at CutlerAdMore. com (645 Lunt
Avenue, El k Grove, I L 60007; 800- 650- 9866;
w . cutlerandmore. com) : chef's knife, 8-inch
blade, item #40520, $2 1 . 50; paring knife,
314-inch blade, item #40508, $4. 25; serrated/bread
knife, 10l4-inch blade, item #40040, $29. 95.
LLlJ| Lb LL |L'
The eartl1y fl avor and frm texture of lentils du
Puy, or French green lentils, make them ie len
til of choice for tl1e hearty soup on page 1 5 . If
hard to come by, the lentils can be ordered from
Kal ustan' s ( 1 2 3 Lexi ngton Avenue, New York, NY
1 00 1 6; 800- 3 5 2- 3 45 1 ; www. kal ustyans. com) ,
item #200F01 , in 1 -pound bags for $4. 99. To
search online by keyword, type Lentilles Varde
de Puy.
bLlLJ |P|b
Heft and handles are the strong points of
NordicWare' s Platinum 12- cup nonstick Bundt
pan, available for $27. 95 at Cooki ng. com, item
#1 29 1 77. A lighter-weight, more economical
option at $ 1 1 . 99 is the Baker's Secret nonstick
Vv2 by 33/s -i nch pan. Contact Worl d Ki tchen
(w.worl dki tchen. com) for a list of stores tl1at
carry the Baker's Secret line, or call 888- 246-
273 7 to locate a factory store near you.
COO K
'
S I LLUS TRATE D
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As noted on page 29, the task of defatting dishes
such as tomato sauce and chili is made easy with
Oil Mop' s Original Fat Mop, item #8066, avail
able for $4. 99 from Fante' s Kitchen Ware Shop
( I 006 South Ni nth Street, Phi l adel phi a, N 1 9 1 47;
800-443- 268 3 ; w. fantes. com) . To remove the
fat in larger, more traditional applications, try the
generously sized Trudeau Gravy Separator with
Integrated Strainer, also from Fante' s ( item
#871 1 , $9. 99) , our tool of choice for degreas
ing stock.
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Fi sh Meuni ere
wi th Browned Butter and
Lemon | V
wi th Capers | V
wi th Toasted Sl i vered
Al monds | V
Garl i c- Rosemary Roast Chi cken
wi th Jus | |
wi th Potatoes | Z
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wi th Fragrant Spi ces | b
wi th Spi nach | b
Qui ck Chi cken Stock | 1
Ri ch Beef Stock | 1
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Ski l l etAppl e Brown Betty Zb
wi th Gol den Rai si ns and
Cal vados Zb
Pasta wi th Sun- Dri ed Tomatoes
Pasta wi th Arugul a, Goat Cheese,
and Sun- Dri ed Tomato
wi th Pecans and Dri ed
Cranberri es Zb
Chocol ate Sour Cream
Bundt Cake ZJ Pesta | J
Pasta wi th Green Ol i ve
Sun- Dri ed Tomato Sauce and
Toasted Bread Crumbs | J
Pasta wi th Sun- Dri ed Tomatoes,
Ri cotta, and Peas | J
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PHOTOGRA PHY: CARL TREMBLAY. S T Y LI NG: MARY JANE SAWY ER
VVV.cooks i | | u s t rated . com
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Hearty Lenti l Soup, >
Fi sh Mcuni Cre wi th Browned Butter and
Lemon, V
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Ski l l et Apple-B W 8eq,Z3
Garl i c- Rosemary Roast Chi cken, I I
Pasta wi th Sun- Dri ed Tomatoes, Ri cotta,
and Peas, J
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