Cook's Illustrated 079

N UM B ER S EVEN T Y- NI NE M A R C H b APRIL 2006
ST R AT E D
Pepper-Crusted
Filet Mignon
Quick Marinara
Long-Simmered Flavor in
Just 30Minutes
Glazed Pork Chops
Better Chicken Kiev
No-Fry. No-Leak Method
Tasting Beef Broths
Best 0 ld-Fashioned
Chocolate Cake
Rating Saucepans
!30Pan Edges Pricier Models
Essential Bakeware I 0 I
Garlic-Roasted Leg of Lamb
Easy Asian Potstickers
Pan-Roasted Broccoli
Multigrain Sandwich Bread
www. c o o ks i l l u s t r at ed . c om
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CONTENTS
March 6 April 2006
2 Notes from Readers
Readers ask questi ons and sugest solutions.
Quick Tips
Quick and easy ways to perfonn everday tasks, from
softeni ng butter to keepi ng ki tchen knives shi ny.
Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon
Black peppercorns bring a welcome flavor boost-but also
a puni shi ng blast of heat-to this mild-tasting cut. Could
we lose the pain without giving up the favor?
BY SEAN LAWLER
8 Rescuing Chicken Kiev
Crisply breaded and packed with herb butter, this Russian
transplant was a star of the 1960s American restaurnt
scene. Can a home kitchen do i t justice?
BY SANDRA WU
| Streamlining Marinara
Could we make a sauce with complex but fresh favors
from scratch-in less than an hour? BY DAVID PAZMINO
12 Rethinking Roasted
Leg of Lamb
Few roasts make as grand an entrance as roasted leg of
lamb, but its channs quickly fade upon caring. We want
ed the gristle (and gami ness) gone before we entered the
di ni ng room. BY SARAH WILSON
| Perfect Potstickers
Can you really make great Chi nese-restaurant dumpli ngs
at home? We wanted a li ght filling. the right wrapper. and
the perect mi x of flavors. BY SARAH WILSON
'L ^ Guide to Recommended
Bakeware
Price doesn't always equal perfonnance. The design details
that prevent stuck mufns and bumt cookies may be the
ones you least expected. BY SEAN LAWLER
18 Great Glazed Pork Chops
Thi n boneless chops cook up dr and bland, but thei r
conveni ence is enti ci ng. Could we tum them i nto a
favorful weekni ght meal? BY N INA WEST
Z Better Pan-Roasted Broccoli
Pn-roasting works beautifully for many vegetables. So
what's the problem with broccoli? BY SANDRA WU
Z1 Old-Fashioned Chocolate
Layer Cake
What ever happened to those toweri ng slices of chocolate
cake slathered with billow frosting? We baked 130 cakes
i n search of the perfect wedge. BY DAVID PAZMINO
Z Easy Multigrain Sandwich
Bread
Some multigrain bread is better sui ted to proppi ng
open a door than maki ng a sandwich. We wanted a li ght
but flavorful loaf-and we di dn't want to spend all day
maki ng it. BY ERIKA BRUCE
Z Beefing Up Beef Broth
Severl years ago. we all but bani shed beef broth from the
test ki tchen's pantr. Is i t ti me to lift the embargo?
BY THE COOK'S ILLUSTRATED TEST KITCHEN
28 The Little Nonstick Saucepan
That Could
You can spend $100 on a 2-quart nonstick saucepan-but
should you? BY ADAM RIED
30 Kitchen Notes
Test results, buying tips. and advice related to stories past
and present, di rectly from the test ki tchen.
BY ERIKA BRUCE
32 Equipment Corner
Reviews of new items, updates on past tests, and sources
for products used i n this issue.
BY GARTH CLINGINGSMITH
PICKLS For centuries, vegetables were pickled in seasoned bri ne as a means of preserati on:
nowadays, the flavor itself i s the allure. Cucumbers, the most commonly pi ckled vegetable, run
the gamut from mild-tasting. garlick di ll pickles to piquant, vi negar half- or full-sours. Sweet
bread-and-butter pickles are bri ned in a sugar mi x often contai ni ng oni on, mustard and celer
seeds, and tunneric (the source of thei r charcteristic yellow color). Another sweet pickle is
the gherki n, made from the same small cucumber as the French comi chon (whi ch tends to
be even smaller). Ei ther bri ned or cured i n salt, capers are the pickled fower bud of a tho my
Medi terrnean bush: caperberries, the fruit of the same plant. are about the size of a cocktail
olive and can be used i n the same fashi on. A more familiar garni sh-whi ch tums a marti ni i nto a
Gi bson-i s the deli cately pi ckled pearl oni on. Italian pepperonci ni , also known as Tuscan pep
pers. often appear as part of an anti pasto platter, oferi ng mild heat along wi th tanginess.
PrCKLES
COVER |Ictk-!: Elizabeth Brandon. BCK COVER |I'itkIt:):John Burgoyne
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COOK'S
l!' S R A1 II
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HOME OF AMERICA'S TEST KITCIIEN
Founder and Editor Christopher Kimball
Executive Editor Jack Bishop
Deput Editor Jolyon Hellerman
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Lori Galvin
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Sean Lwl er
Sandra Wu
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Rchel Toomey
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Nina West
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Nadia Domeq
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Dawn Yanagihar
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Guy Crosby
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Rober L Wolke
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Publicit Deborh Broide
PRINED IN TE OS
EDJORIAL
SAME TIME NEXT YEAR
A
nyoncwho has spcnt timc on a larm
kowsthataycarhas a rhythm toit,
oncthatisdctcrmincdbythcwcathcr.
Mymothcr,MaryA|icc,whoinhcritcd
a|ovcollarminglromhcrlathcr,wcntsolar as
to crcatc hcr own ca|cndar with notcs about
p|antinggar|icinthcla| | , whcntoaddmc|stabi
|izcrtochainsawsandmowcrs,andthcbcsttimc
to ordcr baby chicks. Fvcry day had a purposc
and morc than onc task at hand, so whcn, lor
thc hrst timc ina ycar, thc wood cookstovc had
to bch rcdup bclorc sunrisc and thc air was so
sharpitcaughti nyourthroat,itwastimctoturn
thcpagconthcca|cndarandgctbusy.1hcrcwas
worktodo.
1hcadvantagcolthissystcmisthatyoua|ways
know whcrc you arc in thc grand schcmc ol
things. It' stimc totapthc trccs, sitcyourgun,
lccdthcbccs,c|canthcpighousc,ca|| thclcrricr,
sp|it thc kind|ing, prunc thc trccs, or p|ant thc
corn. Lilc runsonaschcdu|candyoubcttcrnot
la|| bchind. Ilyou do, thc app|cs gct codd|ing
moth, thc hay gocs to sccd, and you miss thc
goodrunsolsap.Ioro|dtimcrs,agoodca|cndar
wasamattcrol |ilc anddcath.1ous,it'smorca
mattcrolknowingyourplacc.
Har|cy Smith j ustpasscd. Hi slami|yuscdto
own part olour larm, thc part that was on|y
goodlor summcr pasturc, up in thc mountain
ho||ows. Butithasastrongspring,oncthatwas
pipcd down thc mountain and undcr thc dirt
road to coo| thc | argc cans in thc mi|k housc.
Har|cyandhiswilc,Dorothy, wcrc good lricnds
with1omandNancy, who |ivcdj ustdownthc
road. FvcryIridaynight,thcyuscdto showup
lordcsscrt,and that' showthc ncighbors kncw
itwasthccndolthcwcck. thcsightolHar|cy' s
pickupinlrontol1 om' s. Itwasthcsamcroutinc
cvcrywcck. 1hcywou|d comc ovcr punctua||y
at7 .1. , that's altcrdinncrlor |oca| lami|ics ) ,
sit down, and thcn j ust starc lor a bit. Whcn
thcyhadsomcthingtosay,wc| | ,
itgotsai d, but|ongsi|cnccsarc
a mark olrcspcct. 1hcy cxpcct
you' rc smart cnough to know
whcn somcthi ng j ust docsn' t
nccd to bc ta| kcd about out
| oud-|ikcwhcni t' sti mctocut
thc cakc or scrvc a sccond cup
olcollcc.
ripp|ing mi|kygrccnand thc
sound olpartridgcs up in thc
incs across thc brook, a circu
|arca||ing thatiscasi|ymistakcn
lor somconc trying to start an
o| d Iarma||. And in summcr,
i t' s |atc shadows andchi|drcn's
gamcs on thc | awn at nightla||
as sti||ncss qucnchcs notions ol
wandcr|ust. Our larm has just a lcw ani
ma|s . Wc kccp two Hcrclords,
ni nc hcns , two pi gs i n thc
s ummcr, si x horscs , and two
or morc bcchivcs , dcpcndi ng
Chri stopher Ki mbal l
Mcanwhi | c, I sti| | havc my
mot hcr' s ca| cndar, thc onc
that tc||s mcwhcntoc|can out
on how many survivc thc wintcr. Whcn wc'rc
not around, Mikc shows up to do dai|y chorcs.
chccking thc run olspring watcr lor thc bccl
crs, haying and grai ning thc horscs , mucking
thc sta||s, and sp|itting wood lor thcsap housc.
1hcn thcrc arc thc scasona| proj ccts . sprcad
ing manurc on thc|owcrhc|ds,ti||ing thc corn,
p|anting potatocs, prcssing cidcr, making app|c
saucc, hxing lcnccs, haying, spraying thc app|c
trccs with dormant oi|, wccding thc strawbcr-
rics, prcparingthcraiscdvcgctab|cbcdslorspring
p|anti ng, c|caning out thc root cc| | ar, boi|ing
thc sap, making and canning j ams and j c| | i cs,
chcckingthchivcsandcxtractingthchoncy,lrccz
ingbagsolcrcamcdcorn. . . thc|istncvcrcnds.
I lyou pay attcntion, you hnd that naturc
has a schcdu|c to kccp as wc|| , onc that is cas
i|y trackcd through thc |csscr obscrvanccs. In
|atc la| | , it's thc barcbirchcson thc cdgc olthc
top mcadows, high|ightcd in thc |atc ancrnoon
sun, wavi ng back and lorth, trying to kccp thc
oaksandpop| arslrombrcakinglrccandrunning
riot down thc mountai n. In wintcr, it's thc sitc
olour dim|y |it t+rmhousc on a c|car night, as
Adricnnc and I trudgc up thc hi|| ancr stal|ing
thc horscs, anticipatingthc warm h rc and a cup
oltca. In spring, it's thc co|or olthc ponda
thc garagc and chcck thc car
rots i n thc root cc| | ar. Surc, thc scasons ollcr
a good contcxt lor a |iving, a way olmarking
timc and hnding onc' s p|acc in thc grand cyc|c
olthings . It is no wondcr, howcvcr, that our
ca|cndars arc a|so markcd by thc |ivcs olthosc
c|oscst to us. It' s a lami|iar day whcn onc ol
our chi|drcnis o|d cnoughto babysitorstrong
cnoughto|ug thc hcavy buckct olwctcornmca|
to thc pig trough bclorc brcaklast. And cvcn
|cavings havc a comlortingpattcrn to thcm. thc
day a young chi|d is hrst put on thc schoo| bus
ora ncighbor isrcturncdto thc rockysoi| in an
uppcrpasturc.
On days whcn I considcr brcaking lrcc ol
my appointcd rounds, it occurs to mc that our
ghost|y prcdcccssors arc probab|y vigi|ant, on
thc|ookouttosccilcacholusissti||productivc.
, I am dcad ccrtain that mymothcrwi|| rcappcar
and givc mca good ta|king toilI cvcrlorgctto
put thc hcns in at night, |caving tlcn prcy lor
loxandraccoon. ) Aslor thc ncxt gcncration,wc
can sccrct|y hopc that our |ivcswi|| bc thc mak
ingolaca|cndar,amaplor|ivingtlcgood|ilc. It
is ourdai|ytodo|ist,thcn, thattru|ybindsonc
gcncrationtothc ncxt.Ancral| ,thchorscsdon't
carc who is carrying thc grain buckct. Ncithcr
shou|dwc.
FOR INQUIRIES, ORDER, OR MORE INFORMATION: COOK'S I LLUSRTED Magazine
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MA R Cil b A PR I L 2006
NOTES FROM READERS
Tip of the Iceberg
Canyou advisc mc on thc bcstwayto storc icc
bcrg|cttucc` I hkc tohavcit on hand lor sand
wi chcs,butitdocsn'tsccmto|astvcry|ong.
S UZANNE CANDREA
LITIL E S I LVE R, N.J.
Wc tricd lour storagc mcthods to scc which
was most cllcctivc at kccping i ccbcrg | cttucc
lrcsh. wrappcdinmoistpapcrtowc|s andstorcd
in ap|asticshoppingbag,kcptinitsorigina|pcr
loratcd cc||ophanc bag, storcd in a zippcr|ock
p|astic bag, and wrappcd tight|yinp|astic wrap.
Ior cach mcthod, wc storcd two samp| cs, onc
unwashcdwiththccorcin,thcothcrrinscdwith
thccorcrcmovcd.
Acr awcck, a||thcsamp|cswcrc sti|| most|y
lrcshandcrispcxccptlor minima|dryingonthc
cdgcsolthc outcrmost |cavcs, thc hcads storcd
in thc origina| packagi ng had wi|tcd thc most
butwcrc sti||usab| c. At tlc twowcckmark, thc
dillcrcnccswcrcmorcapparcnt. 1hctwosamp|cs
wrappcdinmoistpapcrtowc|srctaincdthccrisp
cst |cavcs. By contrast, thc inncr | aycrs olthc
othcr samp|cs had bcgun to dry out, bccoming
bcndab|c and rubbcry. Bccausc moisturc |oss is
oncn to b|amc whcn |cttucc gocs bad, it madc
scnsctlatprovidingcxtramoisturc ,in thc lorm
olwct papcr towc|s) was thc winning mcthod.
Morc intcrcsting was tlc lact that thc p|ain o|d
p|astic shopping bag bcat out thc zippcr | ock
storagc bag. Bccausc thc Himsy ,and tlcrclorc
s|ight|yporous)shoppingbaga||owcdamodicum
olairHow, itprcvcntcdtlcbui|dup oltoo much
moisturcanddc|aycdspoi|agc.
As lar as washing and coring, thc washcd
and- corcd |cttucc cvidcnccd a bit morc brown
ing,butminortrimmingso|vcdthcprob| cm. In
thccnd,wcrccommcndthccllcctivcandmorc
convcnicntmctlod olcoringandwashingicc
bcrg |cttucc and storing it, wrappcd in moist
papcrtowc|s,inap|asticshoppingbag.
TH ROWI NG I N TH E TOWE L
Maintaining moisture is key when storing lettuce.
3C OMPILED BY S A NDR A WUE
Bottled Garlic
Havcyoutricdgar|icjuicc, "aproductmarkctcd
asana|tcrnativctolrcshgar|ic`
HEATHE R I RWI N
SAN F RANC I S CO, CAL I F.
Aucrdoingabriclscarchonthc Intcrnct,wc
lound thc product you dcscribcd, Gar|ic Va||cy
Iarms Co|d Ircsscd Gar|ic Juicc. According to
thc packagi ng, this mixturc ol gar|ic
j uicc,scasa|t,accticacid,citricacid,and
gar|icHavoriscquiva|cntto I 5Oc|ovcsol
gar|ic.1hc|abc|saysthatcightsprays, or
I tcaspoon, ilyou rcmovc thc spray top
andj ustpour it) ollcrthc Havorcquiva
|cntolI gar|ic c|ovc. Cou|d tliscasy to
usc prcparationstand inlorrca|gar|ic`
that buttcr i s bcttcr, bccausc somc traditiona|
margari ncs contai n unhca| thy trans lat. 1hc
makcrol Fnovaa|sobascsitsc| aimsolhca|thm|
ncssonthctypcsollat itcontains,inparticu|ar,
thatithasahighcrratiooldiacyllycerols ,asup
poscd|yhca|thicrlat mo|ccu| c) to triacyllycerols,
thc |attcr bcing morc |ikc|y to rcmain in your
body as lat. Whcthcr Fnova rca||y is a hca|thy
a|tcrnativcwc cannotsay, but it shou|dbcnotcd
that Fnova is not a rcduccdlat oi| . It
contains 14 gramsollat pcrtab|cspoon,
j ust|ikcolivcoi| .
Bcing cooks, howcvcr, wc can com
1o hnd out, wc pittcd onc against
thc othcr in thrcc app|icationsgar|ic
toast, hummus, and a o|i-substituting
thc appropriatc amount olgar|ic j uicc
spraylor cach c|ovc olgarhc ca||cd lor.
In cachrccipc, ncar|y cvcry tastcrlound
thcgar|icj uiccmuchtoomi|d,cspccia||y
in comparison to thc lrcsh c|ovc. Whcn
wc incrcascd thc amount oljuicc by a
GARLI C
ON TAP
lcwcxtra pumpsinthchummusand thc juiced up enough
mcntonitscookingpropcrtics. Wccom
parcd thc synthcsi zcd Fnova oi| with
lour othcr products i n thc lo| |owing
app|ications. lricdchickcn, vcrsusshort
cning) , lrcnch lrics , vcrsus pcanut oi| ) ,
pan roastcdbrocco|i, vcrsuscano|aoi| ) ,
and a simp| c vi naigrcttc ,vcrsus o|ivc
oi| ) . In a|| lour rccipcs, thc Fnova oi|
yic|dcdrcsu|ts that wcrc virtua||yidcnti
ca|intcxturcandappcarancctothcloods
prcparcd with thc othcr products . In
tcrmsoltastc, panc|istsdctcctcdnodil
lcrcnccbctwccnthctwobatchcsolhicd
chickcn, but a lcw tastcrs lc|t that thc
Fnovaoi|broughtoutas|ight|yswcctcr,
morc potatocy Havor intlc lrcnchhics,
aro| i , tastcrs sti|| prclcrrcd thc lrcshgar
to match the
cl ove?
|ic lor its pronounccd but subt|c hcat,
but thcy did h nd t|:c gar|ic juicc morc
acccptab|c as a substitutc. Aslor thc gar|ictoast,
whcnmorcj uiccwasuscd,tl:cj uiccandthclrcsh
c|ovcgotcqua||yhighmarks.
In tl:c cnd,bccauscit'snotpossib|cto modi
thc sharpncss, mc||owncss, or swcctncss olthc
spray , as you can witl lrcsh gar|ic by changing
thc sizc or shapc olthc cut or by cooking it) ,
wc don't rccommcnd i t as a rcgu|ar substitutc
lor lrcsh gar|ic. Butgivcnthatitkccpslorycars,
wc mightconsidcrkccping a bott|c on hand lor
usc in cmcrgcncy situations whcrc just a sma||
amountolgar|icHavorisnccdcd.
Alternative Oils
I' mcuriousaboutaproductca||cdFnovaoi|rhat
c|aimsto bc bcttcrloryouthantraditiona|cook
ing oi|s. Howdocsitmcasurcup`
KRI STI KIY ONAGA
S EATIL E, WAS H.
I nthc tcstkitchcn,wc ncvcrsc|ccta product
bascdonitsmakcr'sc|aimsthatit'sgoodloryou.
Ancra|| , lordccadcswcwcrcto|dthatmargarinc
wasmorchca|thm|thanbuttcrbascdonthctypcs
ollat thctwo contai n. Olcoursc,wc knownow
C OOK
'
s I L L U ST RA T ED
2
asharpcrvincgartastc intlcvinaigrcttc,
andalaint|ymustyHavorinthcbrocco|i .
1his ncw oi| docsn' t comc chcap. Wc paid
S5. 7 lor a 2O ouncc bott|c. Shou|dyou goout
and buy somc` 1hat dcpcnds on your laith, or
|ack thcrcol, intlcAmcricanloodindustry. Our
kitchcnwi|| continuc to usc oi|s such as pcanut,
o|ivc, and cano|a, whi ch, i n addition to bcing
widc|yavai|ab|c,arc |css cxpcnsivc.
Stay-Fresh Chickens?
In thc past, chickcn purchascd at thc groccry
storc a|ways had to bc uscd within a lcw days .
1hissti||sccmsto bc truc olunwrappcdpou|try
lrom thc mcat countcr, but thc shrinkwrappcd
chickcninthcmcatcasc oncnhasasc|| bydatcas
manyas I O days out. What'sgoingon`
REX PARKER
P H I LADELPHIA, PA.
Accordingto BrianShc|don,prolcssorin thc
dcpartmcntolpou| tryscicnccatorthCaro|ina
Statc Inivcrsiry, qua|itycontro| mcasurcsdcvc|
opcd by thc poultry industry ovcr thc |ast two
dccadcsto rcducc thc riskoffood- borncpatho
gcns havc had thc addcd bcncht olcxtcnding
rclrigcrator shc|l|ilc. Joday, birds arc proccsscd
withmorcwatcrandantimicrobia|agcnts,which
wash away morc contaminants and ki|| micro
organisms. Andrathcrthanbcingpackcdonicc,
many birds arc nowbcingchi||cdto thc point
thata thin crust olicc lorms on thcirsurlacc, a
proccssthat a|socxtcndsshc|l|ilc. Anothcrlactor
isthatmost|argcpou|trycompanicspackagcthc
birds at thc proccssing p|ant prior to shipping
rathcrthan|cavingituptoindividua|storcs, this
rcduccsthcamountolhand|ing, andthuscxpo
surctobactcriaandoxygcn) .
Whi|c somc companics c|aim thcir birds havc
a shc|l| i lc ol I 2 or I 4 days altcr proccssing
,which inc|udcs shipping timc, storagc at thc
rctai| laci|ity, and homc rclrigcration) , thc I. S.
Dcpartmcnt olAgricu|turc rccommcnds cook
ingor lrcczing pou|trywithin onc or two days
olpurchasc, no mattcrwhatitssc|| bydatc. Jhc
sc| | by datc shou|d not bc considcrcd a usc by
datc lor thc consumcr but rathcr a gcncra| way
lor thc storc to dctcrminc how |ong to disp|ay
an itcmlorsa| c. Jhcrcarcnolcdcra|rcgu|ations
govcrning ca|cndar dati ng. Whi|c somc statcs
havc rcgu|ations, thc datcsarc oncn dctcrmincd
bythcproccssor.
Ancrscouringscvcra||oca|markcts,wc lound
thrcc packagcs olstorc brand chickcn with dil
lcrcnt sc|| by datcs. onc day out, lour days out,
andscvcndaysout. Wc panroastcdthcchickcns
tosccilwccou|dtastcany dillcrcnccs bctwccn
thcmwc cou|dn' t. So thc ncxt timc you pur
chasc pou|try, don'tbc anaid to pick up a pack
agcwithasoontocxpircsc|| bydatc, olcoursc,
youshou|dnotchooscapackagcwitHancxpircd
datc) . Morcimportant,onccyougctthcchickcn
homc,cookitassoonaspossib|c,nomattcrwhat
datcisstampcdonthc|abc| .
Clearing Up Clarifed Butter
I buy ghcc lor making Indiandishcs. Can I a|so
uscitinrccipcsthatca||lorc|arincdbuttcr`
LI N DA TI E U
PASADE NA. CALI F.
Whi|c ghcc is a lorm olhigh|y c|arincd but
tcr,c|arincdbuttcrisnot,inlact,ghcc. C|arincd
buttcr, a|soknownas drawn buttcr)is madc by
s|ow|y mc|ting unsa|tcd buttcrovcr |ow hcat so
that thc cmu|sion can bc brokcn, most olthc
WHAT I S I T?
Two year ago. I inherited an old Victorian house from my uncle and found this
gadget in a box among other kitchen tools. Could it be a com kernel remover?
LI SA LOGAN
ROC KVILLE. M D.
Flipping through a book on antique kitchenware, we came across a description of your gadget. The item
you've inherited is meant not for corn but for melons. This old-fashioned melon bailer, from the 1920s, works
in two steps: Hold the melon bailer with the two handles together, inserting the cutting ring (a perforated
oval about II/ by ll/2 inches)
into the flesh of the melon. Then
pull the handles apart in opposite
directions so that the two sides of
the blade come together, cutting
the melon into a cylindrical piece.
Although less intuitive than mod
ern melon bailers, this vintage
tool can be used to create larger,
tighter-shaped (though not per
fectly round) pieces of fruit.
For 1 920s-stl e cylindrical mel on bal l s, just pl unge and pul l .
thc buttcrlat a s|ight|y nutty t|avor and aroma.
Jhcproductcanbc lound in unrclrigcratcdj ars
at IndianandMidd|c Fastcrn markcts,aswc| | as
atnatura|loodsstorcs.
Jo scc ilghcc makcs an adcquatc rcadyto
uscsubstitutc lorc|aritcdbuttcr,wcmadcthrcc
batchcs olbak| ava using homcmadc c| ari hcd
buttcr, homcmadc ghcc, andstorc boughtghcc
, Iurity Iarms brand) . Jastcrs agrccd that thc
on|y dillcrcncc in thc bak|ava madc witl ghcc
, both homcmadc and storc bought) was that
it had a s|ight|y richcr,morcbuttcryHavor. Wc
lound no prob|cmwith using ghcc and c|arincd
buttcrintcrchangcab|y.
Freezing Cream
Can I lrcczchcavycrcamlor| atcrusc`
B RIAN LATOUR
N EW Y ORK, N .Y .
Accordingt oISDAguidc|incs, hcavy crcam
can bc lrozcn lor up to lour months. Jo scc i l
lrcczingwou|dchangcthcHavorortcxturcolthc
crcam, wc lrozc scvcra| samp|cs in I cup incrc
mcnts , in airtightcontaincrs ) lor thrcc days and
a||owcd thcm to thaw in thc rclri gcrator bclorc
using thcm in thrcc app|ications.
lcttuccinc Allrcdo, caramc| saucc,
and a whi ppcd crcam toppi ng.
Jhcscrccipcswcrc a|somadcwith
lrcshhcavycrcamlorcomparison.
rcscarch, wc lound that lrcczing can causc somc
ol thc crcam' s homogcni zcd mi croscopic lat
g|obu|cs , i nvisib|c to thc nakcd cyc) to mcrgc
into | argcr, vcry visib|c lat g|obu| cs. But oncc
thc crcam was hcatcd and rcduccd down in thc
Allrcdosaucc,mosttastcrscou|dn'tdctcctmuch
oladillcrcnccbctwccntlctwo samp|csintcrms
olHavorortcxturc. Alcwtastcrslc|ttHcA|lrcdo
saucc madcwithlrcshcrcam hadas|ight|yrichcr,
crcamicr tcxturc with morc body, " but both
batchcswcrcgivcna thumbs up. Jhcsamcwcnt
lorthccaramc| saucc , madc by addinghot,sim
mcrcd crcam and Havorings to a sugar syrup) .
Bothvcrsionswcrcnnc,withscvcra|pcop| cactu
a||yprclcrringthc lrozcnvcrsion. Jhc on|yapp|i
cationinwhichthclrozcncrcamla|tcrcdwasthc
whippcdcrcamtopping. A|thoughthcprcvious|y
lrozcn crcam took I 5 scconds |css to whip up
to son pcaks, it didn't havc thc smooth, HulJ
tcxturc olthc lrcsh. Jhc sma|| bits ollat that
had scparatcd outlrom tlc crcam gavc thc nna|
product a|umpyqua|ity.
So whcrc docs that | cavc us` It' s nnc to usc
prcvious|y lrozcn crcam in cookcd rccipcs, but
notwhcnaHulJwhippcdtcxturcisparamount.
Vise-Grip Advice
Scvcra|cag|ccycdrcadcrspointcdoutancrrorin
oncolthcquicktipspub|ishcdi nthcNovcmbcr,
Dcccmbcr2005 issuc. Jhc too| bcing uscd as a
makcshin nutcrackcr is a pair olpumpp|icrs, or
Channc||ocks ,abrandnamc ) , notaVisc Grip,as
statcdin thc tcxt.
watcr cvaporatcd, and thc com
poncnts scparatcd accordi ng to
dcnsity. Onccthcloamisskimmcd
oll, thc |aycrolc|car go|dcn but
tcrlat undcrncath , c| arihcd but
tcr) is pourcd olllrom thc |aycr
olmi|k so|ids thathavc sctt|cd on
thcbottomolthcpan. Ghcctakcs
thcproccssastcpmrthcrbya||ow
ing buttcr to simmcr unti| a|| thc
moisturc is cvapora:cd and thc
mi|kso|idsbcginto brown,giving
G H E E WHI Z
Ancr rcmoving tlc lrozcn and
thawcd hcavy crcam lrom thc
rclrigcrator, wc noticcd a changc
initsappcarancc. Fvcnthoughthc
crcam was comp|ctc|y thawcd, it
had somc grainy, hard tlccks sus
pcndcd within i t. Altcr lurthcr
SEND US YOUR QUESONS We will provide a compli
mentary one-year subscri pti on for each letter we print. Send your
inquir. name, address. and daytime telephone number to Notes
from Readers. Cook's Illustrated. PO. Box 470589, Brookline.
MA 02447, or to notesfromreaders@bcpress.com.
Thi s I ndi an cooking fat
makes a fi ne substitute
for cl arified butter.
MA R Cil [ A PR I L 2 0 0 6
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Quick Tips
3 C OMPILED B Y DAVID PAZMINO E
Smarer Knife Cleaning
Scrub pads do a fine job of remov
ing gunk from knife bl ades but
eventual ly damage the finish. To
keep his knives shiny. Howard Fain
of Providence, R. I . , uses a wine
cork instead. Angling the bl ade
toward the cutting board, he sim
ply rubs the cork over the knife to
remove food residue, then washes
the knife in hot, soapy water with a
soft sponge.
Porion Control
Sharon Brown of Castle Rock, Wash.,
puts cofee filters to unusual but efec
tive use by pl aci ng them beteen
pancakes. pork chops. meat patti es,
and other i tems whi l e stacki ng them
for storage in the freezer. She can then
easi l y remove i ndi vidual pori ons with
out having to defrost the enti re supply.
Foolproof Proof Box
When a chi l ly house makes it hard to proof dough for bread or pizza. Carolyn
Dadaby of Boi se, I daho. l ooks to her mi crowave for hel p.
I .
2.
I . Pl ace a cofee mug fi l l ed wi th '12 cup water in the mi crowave. Run the mi crowave
on high power for about I mi nute.
2. Open the mi crowave, push the cup to a back comer, and set the dough i nsi de.
Cl ose the door and l et the dough ri se. (e wanmed mug wi l l keep the i nteri or
between 80 and 90 degrees for up to 90 mi nutes.) Remove the dough once i t has
doubl ed in size or reached the desi red vol ume in your reci pe.
Standing (Up) Rib Roasts
Some standing rib roasts aren' t so great at the "standing" part, especial l y
smal l er roasts, which have a tendency to tip over during cooking. Peter
DeGroot of Ashl and, Ore e avoids this probl em by turning a skewer into a
support bar.
I .
2.
I . Run a skewer through the roast. (If using a wooden skewer, first soak it for
about 20 minutes. )
2. Rest the ends of the skewer on the sides of the roasting pan and cook the
roast. When ready to care, simply remove the skewer.
Send Us Your Tip We wil l provide a compl imentary one-year subscription for each tip we print. Send your tip, name, and address to
Quick Tips. Cook's I l l ustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookl ine, MA 02447, or to quicktips@bcpress. com.
C OOK
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Makeshif Fat Separator
Jim Mclughl in of Nokomis, Fl a. ,
has figured out a novel way to
remove fat from pan drippings
before making a sauce or grav.
I . Pour the pan drippings into a
paper cofee cup and pl ace the cup
in the freezer. Once the fat has
separated and begun to solidif on
top, after about I 0 minutes, poke a
hol e in the bottom of the cup with
the tip of a skewer.
2. Let the defatted dri ppings run
out through the hol e until the fat
reaches the bottom of the cup.
Homemade Cooling Rack
When he needs extr cool i ng rcks,
Andrew Eberl e of Lexi ngton, Mass . .
pl aces canni ng-jar ri ngs o n hi s
countertop. Te el evati on of the ri ngs
al l ows for j ust enough ai r ci rcul ati on.
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Impromptu Colander
With her salad spi nner al ready on
the countertop, Jeanette Camel i o of
Rochester, N.. real i zed she coul d use
i t to drai n pasta rather than di gi ng out
her col ander.
Ater cooking the pasta. pour i t i nto
the salad spi nner i nsert and drai n.
Soft Butter in a jif
Need soft butter for baking but
don' t have time to wait? Deborah
Jurens of Medford, N. Y . , has a
sol ution. Place the col d butter in a
pl astic bag, then use a rol ling pin to
pound it to the desired consistency
i n a matter of seconds.
Not Full of Hot Air
Kevi n Spear of Decatur. Ga . . found
a reason to dust of hi s ol d hot-ai r
popcom popper: to toast nuts. He
pl aces 'I cup nuts i n the popper and
tums on the contrpti on for about
one mi nute, unti l the nuts tum gol den
brown.
Don't Lose Your
Tamper
Just because your espresso
machine is sel dom i n use
doesn' t mean the tamper
has to sit idl e.
A. Em my Russel l of San
Diego, Calif. , measures
brown sugar into measuring
cups and packs it with her
espresso tamper.
B. Kathy Wein of Col l insvi l l e,
I l l . , uses an espresso tamper
to smash peppercorns,
garl ic, and ol ives.
Mufin-Tin Shields
A.
B.
Keeping Scrub Pds Dr
Andrew Garrett of Lexi ngton, Mass . .
hates i t when a wet steel -wool scrub
pad l eaves rust al l over the countertop.
Hi s sol uti on i s to store the pad on an
unpai nted terra cotta pl anter base. The
cl ay materi al absorbs any water that
dri ps of the used pad. and the pad
stays rust-free.
Tired of scrubbi ng of the bumt batter from her mufi n ti ns, Andrea Mi keal of Brn, Texas, opts for an ounce of preventi on.
2.
I. Cover the mufi n ti n tightly with al umi num foi l . Cut sl i ts in each hol e and press the foi l i nto each i ndentati on.
2. Drop paper or foi l l i ners i nto each hol e and fi l l with your favorite mufi n batter.
3. After removi ng the mufi ns, si mply peel off the di rt foi l .
A Separate Piece
Robert Smythe of Swarthmore, P., has found an easy way to separate strips
of bacon stuck together in the shrink-wrapped package.
I .
I . Rol l the package l engthwise into a cyl inder, then flatten it out agai n.
2. Open the package and remove the desired number of strips, which are
now l ess tightly packed.
MIR C II c II P R IL 2 0 0 6
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Shocking Discover
When she runs out of ice to shock
vegetabl es after bl anchi ng them, J ul i e
Slayton Frank of Dover, N. H. , reaches
for a chi l l ed ice cream maker i nsert.
whi ch she fi l l s with cold tap water. Ater
the vegetabl es are fi ni shed cooki ng, she
shocks them in the col d water in the
i nsert. The water remai ns col d for at
least one batch of vegetabl es.
Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon
Black peppercorns bri ng a welcome flavor boost-bu t also a pu n i shi ng blast of heat
to thi s mi ld-tasti ng cut. Cou l d we lose the pai n wi thout gi vi ng up the flavor?
i lct mi gnon may bc rcvcrcd

as thcc| itc supcrstar olstcaks,
but itnccdsscrioushc|p inthc
kitchcnto|ivcuptothatrcputa
tiononthcpa|atc. Chclscompcnsatclor
thc rc|ativclymi|d Havor olbccltcndcr
|ointhc|can, u|tratcndcrmusc|cnom
which h|ct mignon stcaks arc cutby
wrappingitinbaconorpullpastry,scar
ingitto dcvc|op a dark,Havorm|crust,
and scrving it with rich winc sauccs or
Havorcdbuttcrs .
3 BY S EA N LAWLER E
olcrackcdpcppcrcorns andoi|,which I
rubbcdovcrthcrawstcaks . Bclorccook
ing,I prcsscddownoncachpcppcrcorn
adorncdstcak through a shcct olplastic
wrap. Irob|cm solvcd.
Doctori ng Pepper
Anothcr popu|arwayto drcss up a
h|ctiswith acrustolcrackcd b|ackpcp
pcrcorns. Survcyingastackolpub|ishcd
rccipcs,Icnvisioncdthcp|casingcontrast
ola thick ccntcr olpink, sonas buttcr
bcclandacrunchy,spicycoating-apcp
pcryhitwith cvcrybitc. Jhc daydrcam
ingcndcdasIrcca||cdthctcstkitchcn's
priornustrationswithpcppcrcorncrusts.
Icppcrcornslallollinthc pan,intcrlcrc
wiuthcmcat'sbrowning,and-uscdin
sulhcicntquantitytocrcatcarca|crust-
dc|ivcrpunishingpungcncy.
Letti ng the cooked steaks rest on a wi re cool i ng rack-i nstead of a pl ate
keeps the bottom crusts from turni ng soggy.
NowI had stcaks thatwcrcwc||browncd
and coatcd in an attractivc pcppcr crust,
butsomcastcrsprclcrrcdtoadmircthcm
nomalar, asthcovcra||hcat|cvc|wassti||
intcnsc. Inspircd byanartic|c onb|oom
ingspiccsinimscdoils,Iwondcrcdhow
hcating my pcppcrcornoi| pastc might
ancct its davor, cspccia|ly thc spicincss.
I brough thc mixturc to a gcnt|c sim
mcrin a sauccpan, as aromas olowcrs,
choco|atc, and toastcd nuts wancd up.
Whcn I cookcd up stcaks coatcd with
this mixturc,Iwasamazcdatthcchangc.
In p|acc olthc stinging hcat was ap|cas
antwarmth thatsprcads|ow|yacross my
pa|atc. , Ior ancxp|anation,scc Jaming
Icppcrcorn Hcat," pagc7. )NowIcou|d
havc asubstantia|pcppcrcorncrustwith
outthc usua| punishinghcat.
Remembrance of Steaks Pst
Our car|icr rccipc , Stcak au Ioivrc, Scptcmbcr/
Octobcr2OOI ) so|vcdthcsc prob|cms bycoating
on|yonc sidcolcachstcakwiththc crackcdpcp
pcrcorns. Jhc ovcra|| hcat |cvc| was rcduccd by
ha|l, and thc uncoatcd sidc got nicc|y browncd,
contributingHavortothcstcaksandprovidingthc
ncccssaryfond , browncdbitsinthcpan)tocrcatc
thcbrandy-crcamsauccthataccompanicsthcc|as-
sicIrcnchdish. Ancatso|ution,butnotoncthat
cou|dhc|pmcthistimc, Ilcarcd. Jhatrccipcuscd
stripstcaks cut nom thc |oin that wcrc, at most,
an inch thick. Bccausc thc cyc olthc tcndcr|oin
musc|c is sma||,h|ctstcaksarc usua|lycut a|most
niccasthick.Isuspcctcdaoncsidcdcrustwou|d
not bcsumcicnt,and a quicktcstprovcdit. Joo
manybitcs camcwith|itt|cornocrust.I|avorwas
also an issuc. Whcn I did gct a bitc with pcppcr
corns,pcppcrcornswcrc a||I tastcd.
Jhick, | can, tcndcr, mi|d-how bcst to usc
pcppcrcorns to comp|cmcnt thcsc traits with
out ovcrwhc| mi ng thcm` I startcd with thc
tcst kitchcn's standard tcchniquc lor cooking a
h|ct mignon. scaring it hrst in a hot pan with a
sma|| amount oloi|, thcn hnishing in thc ovcn.
Immcdi atc|y, I cncountcrcd a prob| cm. Jhc
crackcdpcppcrkcptthcmcatlrommakingdircct
contactwith thc hot pan, so bcncath thc crust
thcstcakswcrcunappca|ing|ypa|c.I tricdadding
cxtraoi|tothcski|lct,hopingitwou|dbridgcthc
gap bctwccnthcpanandthc mcat,andthiswas
a partia| succcss . Onthc downsidc,pcppcrcorns
wcrc sti|| la||ing olI Ncxt, I madc a thickpastc
Fl avor Enhancers
Jo augmcnt thc t|avor ofthc stcaks' thick intc
rior, I took a cuc nom thc magazinc's Gri| |
Roastcd Bccl Jcndcr|oin rccipc , Scptcmbcr/
Octobcr2OO4) , i nwhichthcmcati srubbcdwith
sa|t an hour bclorc gri|ling, thc sa|t pcnctratcd
into thc intcrior, scasoning it and drawing out a
bcchcrHavor. I hopcdthis samctcchniqucwould
T As T 1 N L . Shoul d You Spend S80 a Pound on Prime Fil ets?
Supermarket tenderl oi n i s pricey enough, but mai l -order fl ets mignons can run as high as $80 for to 8-ounce
steaks. he these cash cows any better? We ordered 34 steaks from fve mai l -order retai l er to fnd out. After a week
of testi ng, we i denti fi ed a few probl ems. Fi rst, most of these steaks are USDA Pri re-the hi ghest grade, based on
a high percentage of i ntrmuscul ar fat, or marbl i ng. Pronounced marbl i ng i s hi ghl y desi rabl e when it comes to a
ri b- eye or a stri p steak (when the fat mel ts, it l eaves behi nd great favor and texture ) . But tenderl oi n is so tender
to begi n wi th that the extra marbl i ng di dn ' t hel p much-at l east accordi ng to our panel of tasters. It certi nly
di dn ' t seem worth the premi um pri ce tag. Al so, most of the mai l - order steaks were packed with dr ice and
frozen sol i d. Freezi ng creates i ce crstal s i n the meat, turni ng these al ready-tender steaks mushy once thawed.
Our favorite fi l ets were USDA Choi ce ( the next grade down) , purchased at a local market for $ 1 9. 99 a
pound-$40 for a di nner for four. The two mai l - order steaks that weren' t frozen sol i d, Lobel ' s ($207. 93 for
si x steaks, i ncludi ng shi ppi ng) and Wi l l i ams-Sonoma ( $ I 1 6. 50 for four steaks) , ti ed for second pl ace. For those
pri ces, i t' s cheaper to hit a swank steakhouse-where you don' t have to do the di shes. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
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Key Steps for Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon
Choking heat, gry exteriors, peppercorns that fal l of with the sl ightest provocation-we encountered al l these probl ems duri ng reci pe devel opment. To avoi d them, take these steps.
SIMMER COAT RES BROWN ROAST
Gently si mmer the peppercorns i n
ol ive oi l to mel low the heat.
Coat the tops and bottoms of the
steaks with the pepper mi xture,
pressi ng the excess i nto the si des.
Cover with pl astic, pressing to
make sure the peppercorns
adhere. Let rest one hour.
Sear the steaks in a wel l - oi l ed
ski l l et unti l browned beneath
the peppercorn layer.
Fi nish cooking i n a hot oven to
ensure browni ng on the sides
of the steaks.
workhcrc, butrathcrthaninc|udcascparatcsa|t
ingstcpIsimp|yaddcdatab|cspoonolsa|ttothc
pcppcrcorn pastc and |ct thc stcaks sit, covcrcd,
lor an hour bclorc cooking. Surc cnough, thc
mcat bccamc noticcab|y bccncrand tlavor||
cnoughtostandup tothc asscrtivc pcppcrcrust.
A loraccompanimcnts,thcsa|tingstcpbought
mc p|cnty oltimc to simmcr a rich rcduction
saucc. Bccausc it is so |can, n|ct mignon is a|so
cxcc||cntwithHavorcdbuttcrs.
PEPPER- CRUSTED FI LET MI GNON
SERVES +
Whi|c hcating thc pcppcrcorns in oi| tcmpcrs
thcirpungcnt hcat, this rccipc isstill lair|y spicy.
Ilyou prclcravcry mi|d pcppcrHavor, drain thc
coo|cdpcppcrcornsinanncmcshstraincrinstcp
I , toss thcmwith 5 tab|cspoons ol lrcsh oi| , add
thc sa|t, and procccd. Scrvc with Iort-Chcrry
RcductionorB|uc Chccsc-Chivc Buttcr.
5 tabl espoons black peppercorns, cracked
(see i l l ustrati on , right)
5 tabl espoons pl us 2 teaspoons ol ive oi l
tabl espoon kosher sal t
4 center-cut fi l ets mi gnons, 111 to 2 i nches thi ck,
7 to 8 ounces each, tri mmed of fat and si l ver ski n
I . Hcatpcppcrcorns and 5 tab|cspoons oi| i n
sma|| sauccpan ovcr| owhcatunti| laint bubb|cs
appcar. Continucto cook at barcsimmcr,swir|
ingpan occasiona||y, unti| pcppcr is lragrant, 7
to I0 minutcs. Rcmovc lrom hcat and sct asidc
tocoo|.Whcnmixturcisroomtcmpcraturc,add
sa|tandstirto combinc. Rubstcakswith pcppcr
mixturc,thorough|ycoatingtop and bottom ol
cach stcak with pcppcrcorns . Covcr stcaks with
p|asticwrap and prcss gcnt|y to makc surc pcp
pcrcorns adhcrc, |ct stand atroomtcmpcraturc
lor I hour.
Go to ww . cooksil l ustrated. com
Key i n code 3061 for the complete results
of our Tasti ng of Premi um Fi l et Mignon.
Thi s i nformation is available unti l
September I, 2006.
2. Mcanwhi|c,adj ustovcn racktomidd|cposi
tion, p|acc rimmcd baking shcct on ovcn rack,
and hcat ovcn to 450 dcgrccs. Hcat rcmaining
2 tcaspoonsoi|in I 2inchhcavy bottomcdski||ct
ovcrmcdium highhcatunti|laintsmokcappcars.
P|acc stcaks in ski||ct and cook,wi thoutmoving
stcaks,unti|darkbrowncrusthaslormcd,3 to4
minutcs. Isingtongs,turn stcaks and cookunti|
wc|| browncdon sccond sidc, about 3 minutcs.
Rcmovcpanlromhcatandtranslcrstcakstohot
bakingshcct. Roast 3 to 5 minutcslor rarc, 5 to
7 minutcslor mcdiumrarc to mcdium. Jranslcr
stcaks to wirccoo|ingrack and |ct rcst, |oosc|y
tcntcdwithloi|,lor5 minutcsbclorcscrving.
PORT- CHERRY REDUCTI ON
MAKES ABOUT I CUP
I 11 cups port
11 cup bal sami c vi negar
1 1 cup dri ed tart cherri es
I l arge shal l ot, mi nced (about 3 tabl espoons)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
tabl espoon unsal ted butter
Tabl e sal t
l. Combinc nrstnvcingrcdicnts i n mcdium
sauccpan, simmcr ovcr mcdium|ow hcat unti|
rcduccd to l3 cup, about 30 minutcs. Sct asidc,
covcrcd.
2. Whi|c stcaks arc rcsting, rchcat saucc. Oll
hcat, rcmovc thymc, thcn whisk in buttcr unti|
mc|tcd. Scasonwithsa|ttotastc .
s c , EN c E: Taming Peppercorn Heat
TEC H NIQUE I
CRACKING PEPPERCORNS
Spread half of the peppercors on a cutti ng board.
Place a ski l l et on top. Pressing down firmly with
both hands, use a rocki ng moti on to crush the pep
percors beneath the "heel " of the ski l l et. Move the
ski l l et back and forth, redistri buti ng the peppercors
as needed. Repeat with the remai ning peppercors.
BLUE CHEESE-CH I VE BUTTE R
MAKES ABOUT 1/ CUP
3 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, softened
I 11 ounces mi l d bl ue cheese, room temperature
1/s teaspoon tabl e sal t
2 tabl espoons mi nced chives
Combincbuttcr,chccsc,andsa|tinmcdiumbow|
and mix with stillrubbcr spatu| a unti| smooth.
Io|d in chivcs. Whi| c stcaks arc rcsting, spoon
l to2 tab| cspoons buttcr on cach onc .
Test- kitchen stafer with more sensi tive pal ates were rel i eved to l earn that the pungent heat of bl ack peppercors
can be mel l owed by a brief si mmer in oi l . I was pl eased with the efect but curi ous as to the cause. Research reveal ed
that the naturl i rritant i n peppercorns i s cal l ed pi peri ne. A peppercors age, the piperine i s converted i nto cl osely
related mol ecul es (cal l ed i somers) that have diferent flavor charcteristics and that are l ess i rritti ng to the nose and
throat. Left sitti ng at room temperture in your cupboard, the peppercors may take year to undero this reacti on,
but the hot oi l seres as a catalyst, drivi ng the converi on at hundreds of ti mes i ts naturl speed, qui ckly tempering
the pepper' s pungency. h a bonus, pi peri ne and its i somer are oi l -sol ubl e, so that duri ng the si mmer some of the
remai ni ng pepper heat and favor l eaches out of the peppercors i nto the surroundi ng oi l . Ti s oi l can then be dis
carded to further reduce the heat of the di sh. -S.L .
MA R C il b A PR I L 2 0 0 6
7
Rescuing Chicken Kiev
Cri sply breaded and packed wi th herb butter, thi s Russi an transplant was a star
of the 1 960s Ameri can restau rant scen e. Can a home ki tchen do i t j usti ce?
opu|ari zcd during thc hcyday

otManhattan's nowshuttcrcd
Russian Jca Room, chi ckcn
Kicvbccamconcotthcrcstau
rant's prcmicr ottcrings in thc I 6Os.
Jhcwc| | hcc|cdwcrcquitctami|iarwith
tHis c|cgant dish otpoundcd, brcadcd,
andtricdchickcn brcaststuttcd with an
Hcrb buttcr that mc|tcd into a saucc.
A|thoughchickcnKicv's\krainianroots
rcmain unc|car, its currcnt tatc ishard|y
indisputc.Ithasbccomcagrcasybund|c
otpou|trywitha sandy, disconccrting|y
pcc|ab|ccxtcriorandagrcasy,|cakyccn
tcr. Common|y tound i n banquct ha||s
and at catcrcd cvcnts, this oncc high
browdish has bccomcasc|tparody.
B Y S A N DR A W U E
I had a tight bundlc. I was on thc right
track, butoccasiona||ythc fo|dcdinsidcs
rcmscd to stay put. I quick|y diagnoscd
thcprob|cm. Jhc!+inchthicksidcs,oncc
to|dcdovcr,wcrcdoub|cthcthickncssot
thc rcst otthc bund|c. Easy cnough. I
simp|y poundcd thc outcr cdgcs otthc
cut|cts a |itt|c thinncr ,1s inch) than thc
rcst. bscssivc prccision? I'|l admit it.
Butthctoo|prootrcsult-no | caks-was
worthit. , Jhatsaid,poundingthccut|cts
down to a unitorm !+inch thickncss is
a|mostasrc|iab|c. )
Crumby Coati ng
Jhc |attcrdayvcrsion,untortunatc|y,
iswhat I hadcomcto cxpcct otchickcn
Kicv. My coworkcrs in thc tcstkitchcn
wcrcskcpticsaswc| | . Butancrprcparing
scvcra| cookbook vcrsions, wc rca|izcd
that pairing a crisp tricd coating with
a dc|icatcly avorcd buttcr saucc was a
grcatidcathatdcscrvcdarcviva| .
By coati ng our Ki evs wi th oven- cri sped bread crumbs i nstead of a deep- fri ed
shel l , we put the focus where i t bel ongs. on the ri ch herb- butter fi l l i ng.
With tour compact chickcn bund|cs at
thc rcady, I cou| d tocus on thc cxtc
rior. I bcgan with a standard brcading
proccdurc. dusting cach stuftcd cut|ct
with scasoncd our, dipping i n bcatcn
cgg, thcn rol|ing i n brcad crumbs. But
brcadingthc chickcn just ancr stuthng
was a hazardous attair. Jhc scam somc
timcsopcncdup,andthccntircbund|c
bccamc |css compact , thus undoing a|l
my anti |cak protcction work) . ncc,
leak Probe
ChickcnKicvhas thrccdistinctparts.thcchickcn,
thc buttcr,andthccoating. Jhcchil|cdbuttcris
stuttcd insidc thc bonc|css chickcn brcast, and
tHcwho|cthing is ro||cdina coating, thcn tricd
up crisp. A was c|car nom thc t|awcd rccipcs
I tricd, gctting thc buttcr to survivc cooking
without|cakingwaskcy.SoI startcdthcrc.
Somc rccipcsca||torcuttingas|itinthcthick
cstpartotthcbrcastandinscrtingadiskotbut-
tcr. Jhatwas casy, but it bccamc apparcntthat
providinganypaof cgrcsswasa badidca. nc
ta|scmovcandthcbuttcrcamcstrcamingouta
dangcrouspropositionwhcntryinginhotoi| .
I had to cncasc thc buttcr comp|ctc|y. Somc
rccipcspoundcd thc chickcn, put a chi||cd disk
otbuttcrontop,thcnro||cdthccut|ctaroundit.
Jhismcthodworkcdmuchbcttcr,butitwashard
to pound thc chickcn tlin and widc cnough to
cncasctHcbuttcrwithouttcaringthcHcsh. Incxt
tricd buttcr ying thc brcasts |cngthwisc , giving
mc cut|cts twicc as widc but Ha|tas thickas thc
origina|) bctorc pounding. Much bcttcr. Lcss
pounding mcant | css damagc . Expcrimcnting
witHvariousthickncsscs,I sctt|cJon !/+ inch.
Ilattcncd,mycut|ctsrcscmb|cd|argctcardrops.
\sing a ro||ingandto|ding tcchniquc, I p|accd
tlcbuttcrdiskjustabovctlctapcrcd cnd otthc
tcardrop"andprocccdcdasit wrappingaburrito.
ro||ingthctapcrcdcndcomp|ctc|yovcrthcbuttcr,
to|dingi ntlc sidcs, thcn continuing to ro|| unti|
attcr | cavi ng thc unbrcadcd stuttcd
chickcn in thc rctrigcrator , uncovcrcd) tor an
hourwhi|cItcndcdto othcrtasks, Inoticcdthat
thc cdgcs had bcgun to stick togcthcr, ncar|y
g|uing shutmuch sturdicr. Irom thcn on, I
purposc|yp|accd thc Kcvs in thc rcnigcratorto
sct upbctorcattcmptingtobrcadthcm.
R E c 1 P E L 1 A G N o s 1 s : Troubl eshooting Chicken Kiev
Here are three probl ems we encountered whi l e devel opi ng our reci pe-and the steps we now take to avoid them.
' C ORN DOGGY'
FHObLL M. Homogenized cnust i s
remi ni scent of a com dog.
5OLUI OM. We had better resul ts
with coarse (not ul tra-fi ne) crumbs
and baki ng. not deep-fri ng.
LEAKY
FHObLL M. Compound butter l eak.
5OLU1I OM. Poundi ng the chi cken
thi n (and thi nner at the edges) and
refrigerti ng to l et the seams set
produced butter-ti ght Kievs.
C O O K
'
S I L L U ST R A T ED
8
S POTY
FHObLL M. Pn- fried coati ng browns
unevenly, and si des remai n pal e.
5OLUl OM. Browni ng the bread
cnumbs before coati ng and baki ng
the chi cken yi el ded a unifonm cnust.
No mattcrwhat typc olcrumbsI uscdlrcsh
or dricd, coarsc or nncdccplrying gavc thc
Kicvs a homogcncous, corndog|ikc qua|ity. By
thc timc thcchickcnwasm||ycookcd, thc cxtc
riorwasahard,tanco|orcdshc||thatdcspcratc|y
nccdcd to bc draincd olgrcasc. Notvcry appc
tizing. I lon|yI cou|ddoawaywith dccp lrying
a|togcthcr. I tricd pan lrying thc bund|cs i n a
sma||amountoloi|j ustunti|thccrumbsbccamc
crisp. Onccthcywcrcbrowncd,I nnishcdcook
ingthcmuptotcmpcraturcinthcovcn. Solar,so
goodwc| | , mostly.Whi|cthctopsandbottoms
olthc chickcnwcrcniccly browncd,itwas hard
to gctthcsidcscvcn|yco|orcdwithoutmanhan
d|ingthcKicvs,whichoncncauscdunravc|ing.
Jhat'swhcn I madc thc dccision thatwou|d
cllcctivc|ytranslormmychickcnKicvlromgrcasy
banquctloodtoc|cgantdinncrshowpiccc. toast
ing thc brcad crumbs in thc ovcn nrst. Starting
with alrcady browncd brcad crumbs mcant I
cou|dskipthcpanlryingstcpandcooktlcKicvs
comp|ctcly in thc ovcn. I simp|y drcdgcd thc
Kicvs in scasoncd Hour, dippcd thcm i n cgg,
coatcd thcmwith thc browncd brcad crumbs,
andthrcwthcminthcovcn. Nomorclrying,no
morcski||ct,nomorcspottybrowning.
Better Butter
A|| I had|cntodowastopcrk up tlcplainn||
ing. Jraditiona|rccipcsstullthcKicvswithbuttcr
spikcdwiunothingmorctlanpars|cyandchivcs.
Jastcrsprclcrrcdthcmorcaromaticminccdsha|
lotsovcr chivcs and a sma|| amountolchoppcd
tarragon lor a hint olswcctncss . A squcczc ol
lcmonj uicc tamcd thc rich buttcrwith a bit ol
acidity, andDijonmustard,whiskcdintothccgg
wash, lorcoatingthcchickcn) , providcdanothcr
|aycrolavor.
Ycars ancr my nrst disastrous cncountcr with
chickcn Kicv, my out|ook had comc m|l circ| c.
Jhis timc, whcn lragrant, hcrb- spcck|cd buttcr
owcdlrommycrisp|ycoatcdchickcn, I soppcd
upcvcry|astdrop,no|ongcrcompc||cdtob|otit
awaywithapapcrnapkin.
CHI CKEN KI EV
SERVES 4
Inbakcd, brcadcdchickcn Kicvs can bcrclrigcr-
atcdovcrnightandbakcdthcncxtdayorlrozcn
lor up to onc month. Jo cook lrozcn chickcn
Kicvs,incrcascthcbakingtimcto50-5 5minutcs
, donotthawchickcn) .
Herb Buter
8 tabl espoons ( I stick) unsalted butter, softened
tabl espoon mi nced shal l ot
tabl espoon mi nced fresh parsley l eaves
11 teaspoon mi nced fresh tarragon l eaves
tabl espoon j ui ce from I l emon
3/a teaspoon tabl e sal t
1/a teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
STEP - BY- STEP j B UIL DING A BETTER CHICKEN KIEV
I . Starti ng on thi nnest si de, but- 2. Wi th cutl et between sheets of 3. Pl ace butter pi ece near tapered
terfly breast by sl i ci ng l engthwi se pl asti c wrap. pound (starti ng at cen- end of cutl et and rol l up end to
al most in hal f. Open breast up to ter) to '! - i nch thi ckness. Pound cover compl etely. Fol d in si des and
create a si ngl e. flat cutl et. outer peri meter to 1/a i nch. conti nue rol l i ng to form cyl i nder.
4. After chi l l i ng one hour, dredge 5 . Rol l fl our- dredged Kiev in egg 6. Rol l in toasted bread crumbs,
Ki ev i n fl our, shaki ng of excess. mixture, al l owi ng excess to dri p of. pressi ng gently so crumbs adhere.
Chicken
4-5 sl i ces white sandwi ch bread, cut i nto
3/- i nch cubes
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
2 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
4 bonel ess, ski nl ess chi cken breasts ( 7 to 8 ounces
each) , tenderl oi ns removed
cup al l - purpose fl our
3 l arge eggs, beaten
teaspoon Di jon mustard
l. FOR THE HERB BUTTER: Mi x buttcr,
sha||ot, hcrbs, | cmon juicc, sa|t, and pcppcr in
mcdium bow| with rubbcr spatu| a unti| thor
ough|ycombincd. Iorm into 3 inch squarc on
p|astic wrap, wrap tight|y and rclri gcratc unti|
nrm, about I hour.
2. FOR THE CHICKEN: Adj ust ovcn rack
to | owcr mi dd| c posi ti on, hcat ovcn to 300
dcgrccs. AddHa| lol brcadcubcstoloodproccs
sor andpu| scunti | cubcsarccoarsc|y ground,
aboutsixtccn I sccondpu| scs . Jranslcrcrumbs
to | argc bow| and rcpcatwithrcmainingbrcad
cubcs, youshou|dhavcabout3 |/cupscrumbs ) .
Add Vs tcaspoonsa|tand Vs tcaspoonpcppcrto
brcadcrumbs. Addoi|andtossunti|crumbsarc
cvcn|y coatcd. Sprcad crumbs on ri mmcd bak
ingshcct andbakc untilgo|dcnbrownanddry,
about25minutcs, stirring twicc during baking
timc . Lctcoo|toroomtcmpcraturc, youshou|d
havc about2V2 cupsbrcadcrumbs ) .
3 . Prcparccut|cts,fo||owingi||ustrationsl and
2 abovc. Inwrap buttcrand cut into 4 rcctan
MA R C il [ A PR I L 2 0 0 6
9
gu|arpicccs. I|acc chickcnbrcast cut sidc up on
worksurlacc,scasonbothsidcswith sa|tandpcp
pcr. Io||owingi||ustration3,p|acc l picccolbut
tcrinccntcrolbottomha|lolbrcast. Ro||bottom
cdgc olchickcn ovcr buttcr, thcn lo| d in sidcs
andcontinuc ro||ingtolormncat,tightpackagc,
prcssingonscam to sca| . Rcpcatwith rcmaining
buttcr and chickcn. Rclrigcratc chickcn, uncov
crcd, toa||owcdgcstosca| , about I hour.
4. Adj ust ovcn rack to midd|c position and
hcat ovcn to 350 dcgrccs . I| acc Hour, cggs,
andbrcadcrumbsin scparatc picp|atcsorshal
|ow dishcs. Scason Hour with '/+ tcaspoon sa|t
and Vs tcaspoon pcppcr, scason brcad crumbs
with 1 tcaspoon sa|t and '+ tcaspoon pcppcr.
Add mustard to cggs and whisk to combinc.
Ircdgc I chickcn brcast i n Hour, shaking oll
cxccss, thcn coat with cgg mixturc, a||owing
cxccsstodripoll , i||ustrations4and5 ) . Coatall
sidcsolchickcnbrcastwithbrcadcrumbs,prcss
ing gcnt|y so that crumbs adhcrc , i||ustration
6) . I|acc on wirc rack sct ovcr rimmcd baking
shcct. RcpcatHouringand brcadingolrcmain
ingchickcnbrcasts .
5 . Bakc unti | i ns t ant rcad thcrmomctcr
i nscrtcdi ntoccntcrolchi ckcn, lromtop) rcg
istcrs I 60 dcgrccs, 40 to 45 mi nutcs . Lctrcst
5 mi nutcsonwircrackbclorc scrving.
Go to ww. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code 3063 for the results of
our Meat Pounder Tests.
This information i s avai l abl e until
September I. 2006.
Streamlining Marinara
Cou l d we make a sauce wi th compl ex but fresh fl avors-from scratch-i n l ess than an hou r?
J
hcrc' s somcthi ng grcat
about a qui ck tomato
saucc. last, lurious, and
lrcsh. But what a quick
sauccollcrsinconvcnicnccit| acks
inthc comp|cxity ola s|ow|y sim
mcrcd tomato saucc , thc bcst
knownolwhichmaybcmarinara.
3 B Y DA V I D PAZMINO E
trcatcd with ca|cium ch|ori dc, thc chcmica| has
dircctcontactwithamuchsma||crpcrccntagcol
thc tomato. ) Jhc big drawback olusingwho|c
tomatocs in a saucc is that thcy havc to bc cut
up. Chopping thcm on a cutting board was a
mcss . Jhc so|ution was to dump thc tomatocs
into astraincrovcra bow| and thcn handcrush
thcm, rcmovingthchardcorc andanystraybits
olskin.
Jhat's whcn I madc thc nrst olscvcra| dcci
sionsthatwou|dcnab|cmctogct|ongsimmcrcd
comp|cxityinashorttimc. Mostmarinararccipcs
ca||lor simp|yaddingacan ,ortwo) oltomatocs
to thc pot, j uicc and a||-and somc cvcn ca||
lor throwing in a can olwatcr. ow that I was
scparati ng thc so| i ds lrom thc j uicc anyway,
why not cxpcri mcnt wi th addi ng | css olthc
rcscrvcd | i qui d` Jhc tri ckworkcd. By adding
on| y 2 !: cups olthc draincd juicc lrom two
cans ol who| c tomatocs , rathcr than thc lu| |
3 ': cups I had co| | cctcd) and omi tti ng thc
cxtra watcr, I managcd to cut thc si mmcring
ti mcbya|most20minutcs .
Inlortunatc| y, complcxity ol
Havor mcans |ots oltimc i n thc
kitchcn, which is in short supp|y
on a Jucsday night. My goa| was
to producc a mu| ti di mcnsiona|
saucc in |css than an hour, start
ingthcc|ockthcmomcntIcntcrcd
thc kitchcn and stopping it whcn
dinncr was on thc tab| c. Wccding
throughhundrcdsolmarinararcci
pcs, I sctt|cdon tcstingnoton|ya
varictyolquick"vcrsionsbuta|so
somc that wcrc cookcd lor |ongcr
thananhour. Jhcdillcrcnccswcrc
rcadi|y apparcnt. Jhc quick sauccs
wcrc gcncra||y thin and | ackcd
dcpth olhavor. Jhc |ongcookcd
sauccsgotthccomp|cxityright,but
mostrc|icdonanambitious|aundry
|istolingrcdicntstoachicvcit-not
to mcntiona|otoltimc. Jhcsaucc
Sl ow. gentle si mmeri ng produces a great mari nara, but we' re much too
i mpati ent. Usi ng unorthodox cooki ng methods, we cheated the cl ock.
Ip unti| nowI hadbccn lo||owingthc stan
dard marinara proccdurc ol sautcing aromatics
, onions and gar|ic ) i n o|ivc oi| in a sauccpan
bclorc adding thc tomatocs, |iquid, and Havor
ings, thcn simmcring. Jhat's nnc ilyou havc a||
day, but I had on|y an hour. So I switchcdlrom
asauccpanto aski||ct,hopingthcgrcatcrsurlacc
arca wou| d cncouragc lastcr cvaporation and,
thus,lastcrconccntrationolHavors .
I was ancr had to capturc somc olthcsc robust
avorswithinthcconnncsollair|yquickcooking.
A Trick with Tomatoes
Bccausc primc lrcsh tomatocs arc avai|ab|c lor
such a |imitcd timc during thc ycar, I optcd lor
canncd. Butcanncdtomatocs takc up ncar|yha|l
an ais|c atmysupcrmarkct. Whichvarictyshou|d
I choosc`
Crushcd,purccd, and diccdtomatocsollcrcd
thc u|timatc casc i n saucc maki ng. Opcn can,
dump contcnts into pan. But a|| thrcc options
havc downsidcs . Purccd tomatocs go into thc
can a|rcady cookcd, which imparts a sta| c, Hat
avor to thc h na| saucc. Crushcd tomatocs arc
gcncra||y packcd in tomato purcc. samc prob
|cm. Withthcsc,mysauccscamc out tasting|ikc
unrcmarkab|c homcmadc vcrsions olthc j arrcd
spaghctti sauccs so|d at thc supcrmarkct. With
canncd diccd tomatocs, thc prob|cm was tcx
turc,notHavor. In thcpast,wc'vc|carncd that
manulacturcrstrcatdiccdtomatocswithca|cium
ch|oridctokccpthcmlromturningtomushand
|osing thcir shapc. Jhat's nnc lor many dishcs,
butlor rccipcsin which a smooth consistcncyis
dcsircd, ca| cium ch|oridc docsits j ob too wc| | ,
makingthctomatocshardcrtobrcakdown-and
thcrcsu|tingsauccs odd|ygranu| ar.
Jhc on|y choicc |cn,thcn, was canncdwho|c
tomatoc s . , Whi | c who|c tomatocs arc a| so
Itwas lastcr,a| | right-down toj ustundcran
hourbutI lc|tthat thcsaucccou|d usc gutsicr
tomato Havor. Not on|ywasthcso|utionsimp|c,
Getting Slow-Si mmered Flavor Fast
The best marinars have lots of compl exi t-and demand lots of cooking ti me. Here' s how we sped up the process.
D RAI N J U I C E
A can of tomatoes has more j uice
than sol ids. We j ump-start flavor
concentration by draining of al most
a cup of j uice beforehand.
CARAM E LI ZE S OLI D S
Caramelizing the tomato solids briskly
in a large skil l et before deglazing with
l iquid ingredients further deepens the
flavor profile.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 0
ADD RAW TOMATOE S
Resering a few uncooked tomatoes
to add near the end of cooking
contributes an extra note of freshness
to the cooked sauce.
o
I
L
n
-
c
<
L
E o L i | M E N T T E s T i N G . Do You Real ly Need a Hand Bl ender?
A hand, or i mmeri on, bl ender can save ti me and efort: no need to bl end i n batches, no need to wash a food proc
essor-just ri nse i t of and toss i t back i n the drwer. But whi ch brnd i s best? To fi nd out, we gathered ni ne model s,
priced beteen $ 1 3 and $ 90, and put them to the test. Al l ni ne bl ender whi rred the chunks out of our mari nara
sauce easily, so we upped the ante. Pureei ng broccol i soup was a more tel l i ng task: A few model s fi ni shed the job i n
just 30 seconds, whi l e the weaker bl ender were sti l l batti ng around smal l chunks after a mi nute. (Severl manufac
turer advise against conti nuous runni ng for more than a mi nute. ) What separated the movers from the shakers was
pesto. Only three bl ender, to Bruns and a Ki tchenAi d, di spatched the herbs and nuts in qui ck order.
So what makes a better hand bl ender? The differences aren' t obvi ous. As we' ve found in past tests, wattage
means nothi ng when i t comes to most appl i ances: The 200- and 400-watt Braun model s performed equal ly
wel l . We di d, however, end up wi th a few desi gn preferences: Stai nl ess steel shafts (rather than pl asti c) were
not better performers, but they do resi st stai ni ng and can be used in pots si tti ng over a fl ame. And come cl eanup
ti me, a removabl e bl ade end i s best. I n t he end, Ki tchenAi d' s i mmersi on bl ender ( $49. 99) was our favori te.
Aside from a bl endi ng beaker, i t offers no extrs (some model s come wi th fancy attachments) , but it did as good
as a j ob at bl endi ng as most tradi ti onal bl enders. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th

I . 2. 3 . 4. 5 . 6. 7.
' .
8.
,
9.
FR HAND BLENDER
I. KITHENAI D, $49. 99.
Mi ni mal extrs, but as good as
many tradi ti onal bl enders.
RECOMME NDE D WI TH
RESERVIONS
NO RECOMMENDED
7. OSER Hand Bl ender with
Bl ending Cup, $ 23 . 99.
Vi brati ons from the shaki est-and
l oudest-bl ender l eave your hand
quiveri ng mi nutes after use.
RECOMMENDED
4. CUI SINART SmartStick,
$69. 99. Had troubl e handl i ng
chunk pesto, a deal breaker for
such an expensive model .
2. BRUN Mul tiquick, $ 34. 9 5 .
Great performance and val ue,
but the pl astic shaft can ' t be used
over heat.
5. HAMILTON BEACH Turbo
Twister Mixing Stick, $ 1 9. 99.
A good val ue, bu t the pl asti c
bl ade housi ng i s l ess than i deal .
8. FARBERWARE Speci al Sel ect,
$ 24. 99. Refused to puree
broccol i soup; bul k handl e.
3 . BRUN Mul tiquick
Professional , $79. 95 . That
extra $4 5 doesn ' t mean
better performance, j ust a few
attachments.
6. PROCOR-SI LEX, $ 1 2. 99.
The bl ade "cage" i s somewhat
cramped, l eadi ng to occasi onal
cl oggi ng.
9. CUI SINART Cordl ess,
$49. 95 . Loose j oi nts between
three components and a l ack
of guts trumped the otherwi se
attractive cordl ess feature.
butitwas thc kcy stcp in giving myquicksaucc
thc comp|cxity ola |ong simmcrcd onc. Bclorc
addingthc |iquids and simmcring, I sautccd thc
tomatomcatsunti|thcyg|azcdthcbottomolthc
pan. On|ythcndidI add thc |iquids, a norma||y
routincstcpthat,bycsscntia||ydcg|azingthcpan,
addcdcrucia|Havortomysaucc.
Bal anci ng Acts
With mctomatonavorundcrcontro|,itwastimc
to dcvc|opmorcdcptholHavor.Onionsaddcda
p|casant swccucss, but carrots, a|though swcct,
a|soaddcdan carthy avorthatdiminishcd that
olthctomatocs . Sugar,addcdatthccndolcook
ing,provcdtobcthcworkingso|utiontoba|ancc
thcavors.toomuchandmysauccbcgantotastc
|ikcitcamcoutolajar,too|itt|c andthc acidity
ovcrwhc|mcdthc othcrHavors. Jastcrs|ovcdthc
robust,comp|cx avorolrcdwinc,andamcrc 13
cup was just thc right amount. But not j ust any
bott| c. Wincswith a hcavy oak Havor ratcd |owcr
thant|oscwith|itt|ctonooakprcscncc. , Chianti
and Mcr|otscorcdparticu| ar|y high marks. )
I nowhada good marinararcady to|ad|cand
scrvcin|cssthananhou:-aboutha|lthctimcol
many rccipcs. Cou|d I mrthcr bo|stcr thc com
p|cxity without adding minutcs` On a hunch, I
tricd rcscrving a lcw ol thc uncookcd canncd
tomatocsandaddingthcmncarthccndolcook
i ng. Whcn I scrvcd this saucc a| ongsi dc thc
car|icr vcrsion, tastcrs wcrc unanimous in thcir
prclcrcncc lor thc ncw saucc, j ust six tomatocs
purccdinto thc saucc at thc cndaddcdcnough
brightncssto comp|cmcntt|cdccpcrpron|c ol
thccookcdsaucc.
So lar thc saucc had |itt|c Havor lrom hcrbs
bcyond orcgano. Ircsh basi|, a|so addcd at t|c
cnd, contributcd a tl ora| aroma that comp| c
MA R C i l b A P R I L 2 0 0 6
1 1
mcntcd thc saucc's carcm| ba|ancc olswcct and
acid. Adjusting thc sa|t and pcppcr and adding
cxtravirgino|ivcoi| roundcdthingsout.
MARI NARA SAUCE
MAKES 4 CUPS
Jhis rccipc makcs cnough to saucc morc than a
pound ol pasta, |cnovcrs can bc rchigcratcd or
hozcn. Bccausc canncd tomatocs vary in acidity
andsa|tincss,it'sbcsttoaddsa|t,pcppcr,andsugar
totastcj ustbclorcscrving. Ilyouprclcrachunkicr
saucc, givc itjust thrcc orlourpu|scs in thc lood
proccssorinstcp 4.
2 ( 28-ounce) cans whol e tomatoes packed
i n j uice
2 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
I medi um oni on, chopped fi ne (about I cup)
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
11 teaspoon dri ed oregano
' h cup dry red wi ne, such as Chi anti or Me riot
3 tabl espoons chopped fresh basi l l eaves
tabl espoon extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
Tabl e or kosher sal t and ground bl ack pepper
1 -2 teaspoons sugar, as needed (see note above)
l. Iour tomatocs and juicc into straincr sct
ovcr|argc bow| . Opcn tomatocswith handsand
rcmovc and discard nbrous corcs, |ct tomatocs
drain cxccss |iquid, about 5 minutcs. Rcmovc
3
/4
cuptomatocslromstraincrandsctasidc . Rcscrvc
2!: cupstomatojuiccanddiscard rcmaindcr.
2. Hcat o|ivc oi| in |argc ski||ct ovcr mcdium
hcat unti| shi mmcri ng. Add onion and cook,
stirring occasiona||y, unti| soncncd and go|dcn
around cdgcs, 6 to 8 minutcs. Add gar|ic and
orcganoandcook,stirringconstant|y,unti|gar|ic
islragrant,about 3O scconds .
3 . Add tomatocs lrom straincr and incrcasc
hcatto mcdiumhigh. Cook,stirringcvcrymin
utc, unti| |iquid has cvaporatcd and tomatocs
bcgintostickto bottomolpan andbrown lond
lorms around pancdgcs, I Oto I 2 minutcs .Add
winc and cook unti| thick and syrupy, about I
minutc . Add rcscrvcdtomatojuicc and bring to
simmcr, rcducc hcat to mcdium and cook, stir
ring occasiona||y and |ooscning browncd bits,
unti|sauccisthick,8 to IO minutcs.
4. Jranslcrsaucctoloodproccssor, ortranslcr
to sauccpan and inscrt immcrsion b|cndcr, scc
Do You Rca||y Nccd a Hand B| cndcr " l cf)
andaddrcscrvcd tomatocs,proccss unti| s|ight|y
chunky,aboutcight2 sccondpu|scs. Rcturnsaucc
toski||ctandaddbasi|andcxtravirgino|ivcoi|and
sa|t, pcppcr, andsugartotastc.
Go to ww. cooksi l l ustrated.com
Key i n code 3064 for our answer to
"What' s the Best Way to Cook Psta?
This i nformation is available until
September I, 2006.
Rethinking Roasted Leg of Lamb
Few roasts make as grand an entrance as roasted l eg of l amb, but i ts charms qui ckly fade upon
carvi ng. We wanted the gri stle (and gami ness) gone before we entered the di ni ng room.
or such a showstopping dish,

roastcd |cg ol|amb is rcmark-
ab|ycasytomakc. Sa|t,pcppcr,
pcrhapsa lcws|ivcrsolgar|ic-
thcn into thc ovcn itgocs. A lcw hours
|atcr,outcomcsajuicy,dccp|ybrowncd,
primcva| s|ab olmcat with a rosypink
intcrior.What'snotto|ovc`
I| cnty, actua| |y. What thosc lus s
lrcc rccipcs lai| to mcntion is that thc
simp|c- sounding |ast stcpcarvc and
scrvc"-i s anythi ng but, thanks to
thc copious amounts ollat and sincw.
Worsc, un|ikc bccllat, which contrib-
utcs rich, hcady Havors as i t rcndcrs ,
|amb lat is a kcy sourcc ol thc musky
avor that cvcn advcnturous catcrs can
hndollputting.
3 B Y S A R A H W I L S O N E
Instcadolonc cohcsivcs|abolmcat,mc
|amb had bccomc a lragmcntcd co||cc
tion olmcaty |obcs. Jhc hnishcd roast
hadamcatyavora|mostasc|can asthat
olbccl, butthcs|iccsuncoi|cdunappca|
ing|ywhcn carvcd.
I dcci dcd to rcvi si t a rccipc lrom
my rcscarch that took thc unorthodox
approach olscparating thc | amb into
thrcc roasts, sp|itting thc mcat at thc
natura| scams" bctwccn thc mcaty
|obcs. Ihadinitia||yrcj cctcdtlismcthod
lor bcing too lussy, but my di|igcnt|y
trimmcdroastwasmostolthcwaythcrc
a|rcady. A|| I had to do was cutollthc
conncctivc si|vcr skin and ro|| and tic
cach | obc scparatc|y. I cndcd up with
tlrcc tidy miniroasts" that had not a
tracc olgamincss oncc roastcd! What's
morc,thcprcscntationwastlaw|css.
Iwantcdaroastcd|cgol|ambwithout
thcgrist|corthcgamincss. Ia|sowantcd
to avoid having to scqucstcr mysc|lin
thckitchcn to pcrlorm intricatc surgcry
whie my gucststappcdthcirnngcrs.
On the lmb
The rewards of di l i gent tri mmi ng are reaped at servi ng ti me. Di vi ded i nto
three smal l roasts. our l eg of l amb is gri stl e- free, and the gami ness i s gone.
I rcpcatcd thc rccipc, this timc scp
arating thc roasts at thc natura| scams
bclorc trimming, which madc quickcr
work olthcwho|cproccss. A||ina||,thc
butchcring took c|osc to ha|lanhour, a
Amcrican supcrmarkcts sc|| domcsti c,
Austra|ian,andNcwZca|and|amb,soI roundcd
up rcprcscntativcs olcach lor a tastc tcst. Fvcn
bclorc roasting,oncdillcrcnccwas obvious. Jhc
domcstic |cgs wcrc tlrcc timcs as |argc. Jhc
sizc dillcrcntia| a|onc was rcason cnough to go
domcstic, buttlctasting sca|cdtlcdca| . , Jastcs
|ikc pastitsprimc mutton, "notcd onc tcst cook
about thc samp|cs lrom Down Indcr. ) Jhc
dillcrcncc` Iccding habits. Austra|ian and Ncw
Zca|and |ambs gcncra||y cat grass , ratlcr than
grain) , adicttlatyic|ds noticcab|ygamicrmcat.
Ncxtup, thc cut. Whuc tastcrs |ikcd thc dra-
matic prcscntation ofa bonc-i n roast, carving
wastricky, so I optcd lor bonclcss . I coulJ buy
cithcrawho|c|cgoroncolthctwoportionsinto
whichit'straditiona||ydividcd. tl:cshank end, or
midd|c part oltlc |cg, which inc|udcs thc top
round, bottom round, and cyc olround, and
tl:c but end, or hip portion, whichinc|udcstlc
sir|oin. , Jhc shank itsc|lis a sma|| scction c|osc
to thc hoolthat is so|d scparatc|y, scc Kitchcn
Notcs, pagc 30, lor a shoppingguidc. ) Intcrms
olHavorand tcndcrncss, tastcrslound |itt|c dil
lcrcncchomscctiontoscction,soIsctt|cdontlc
mcaticrshankcnd.
And Al l the Tri mmi ngs
Lamb' s gamy avor comcs most|y lrom thc
lat. Jhcorctica||y, uc morc f I rcmovcd, thc
mi|dcr tlc hnishcd roast. So I sharpcncd my
knivcs and sct about putting this thcory to
mc tcst. Ior tlc hrst round, I spcnt a modcst
amountoltimc trimmingasmuchvisi b|clat asI
cou|d-I5minutcs, tops. I cookcda sccondonc
witl no prcparation bcyond rcmoving it hom
thcpackagc. Onto a roastingrackandintoa hot
ovcntlcywcnt. Whcntl:croasts cmcrgcd, bou
wcrccrusty brown andpcrlcct|ycookcd,buttlc
trimmcdroast hada rcmarkab|y |css gamyHavor.
I was on thc right track,
but uc mcatadj accnt to thc
Sheep Trick
+
GARL I C
lair amount ol work. But givcn such a
brcathtakingpatt, and mat a|| tlc workcan bc
comp|ctcd in advancc, tlc conscnsus was that it
was timcwc||spcnt .
I madc onc othcr changc. With thc sma||cr
roasts, which cookcd quick|y, it was dilhcu|t to
gct a dccp|y browncd cxtcrior by thc timc mc
intcrior rcachcd a rosy mcdi um rarc. I so|vcd
tlis prob|cm by scaring mc mrcc roasts on thc
stovctop in a ski||ct , impossib|c with thc sing|c
| argc roast) , thcn translcrrcd thc ski||ct to thc
ovcntohnish.
SALT WATE R
rcmaininglatsti||tastcdmusky,
and somc s|iccs wcrc ridd|cd
withgrist| c. I cou|ddobcttcr.
Ior mc ncxt tcst, I spcnt I0
morc minutcs on trimming,
cutting into and around thc
l obcs olmcat. Whcn I ti n
ishcd, thc |amb |ookcd c|can,
but a|| that butchcring was
taking a to||onuc structurc.
Bri ni ng doesn' t do much for beef-its muscl e fbers tum to mush-but the tech
ni que works wonder for l amb. The sal t breaks down the fi ber j ust enough to
tenderize the meat, and the crushed garl i c i mbues it wi th deep flavor.
C O O K
'
S I L L U ST RA T ED
1 2
Z
<
C
>
J
O
;
C
C
-
C
i
I n with the Good
Now that I had rcmovcd unwantcd H avors, I
sct about adding somc good oncs in thc torm
ol gar|ic and hcrbs. I tricd inscrting s|ivcrs ot
gar|ic intos|itsthatI cut into thc mcat, but this
tcchniqucyic|dcduncvcn|y t|avorcd mcat, harsh
and gar|icky in onc bitc, laint|y H avorcd in thc
ncxt. I tricd rubbing thc |amb with gar|ic pastc
, both raw and roastcd) and marinating tor vari
ousintcrva|s, but thc Havorrcmaincdsupcrh cia| .
1astcrs|ikcdthc Havorotthcroastcdgarlic,but it
didn'tpcrmcatct|c mcat.
Whatabouta Havorm| brinc` 1hc tcstkitchcn
ncvcr brincs bcctbccausc briningturns thc pro
tcinhbcrstomush,butIwondcrcdhowitwou|d
ancct|amb. Iaddcdgar|ictoabasicbrinc , watcr,
sugar, sa| t), t|cn gavc it a lcw hours to work its
magi c. Not on|y did brining scason thc mcat
t|roughoutandinmscitwith adc|icatc gar|icH a
vor, butitimprovcd t|c tcxturc aswc|| , bringing
thc|ambhomodd|yspringytop|casant|ytcndcr.
Rcscarching thc topic mrthcr, I |carncd that t|c
protcin structurcsinbcctarcwcakcrt|an thosc in
|amb,makingbcclmorcsusccptib|ctoacomp|ctc
brcakdownolhbcrs.Bcct turnsmushy,whi|c|amb
brcaksdownjustcnoughtotcndcrizcit.
1oround out thc gar|ic H avor, I rcvisitcd my
roastcdgar|icpastc. 1his timc, howcvcr, I scorcd
cach brincd roast on onc sidc, s|athcrcd itwith
thcpastc, thcn ro||cdandticd itintoa tidy |og
shapcdroast. 1hccombinationotthcraw gar| i c
i nmscd bri nc and roastcd gar|ic pastc providcd
j ust thc right |cvc| otcomp|cxity. A tcw sprigs
otminccd pars|cy, and thc translormation lrom
gamy, grist|y mutton toc|cgant,subt|y H avorcd
showpicccwascomp|ctc.
GARLI C- ROASTED LEG OF LAM B
SERVES 8 TO I 0
Look torro||cd,bonc|css |cg ot|ambwrappcdin
nctting, not buttcrHicd and wrappcd on a tray.
1hc dcsirab|c cut is thc shank cnd, " which is
thcwho|cbonc|css|cgwithoutthcsir|oinmusc|c
attachcd. Iton|ybonci n orscmi bonc|css |cg is
avai|ab|c,askyourbutchcrto rcmovc thc boncs
toryou. I|anonspcndingabout3Ominutcstri m
mi ngthc| ambol latandsi|vcrski n. Jhi sadvancc
work is wc|| wortl thc cltort, your roasts wi||
prcscnt c|cgant|yand havc a much c|cancrHavor.
, 1hat sai d, cvcn I O minutcs ot trimming wi||
improvc thc tastc dramatica||y, scc Ircparing
thc Lamb, " bc|ow, tor instructions. ) Ityou opt
lor thc morc comp|ctc, 3O minutc tri m, you
wi||havccnough mcatscraps|cnovcrto makc a
Roastcd Gar|ic Jus, ildcsircd. Scc Cook's Fxtra,
STEP- BY- STEP / PREPARING THE LAMB
Thi s prcess demands a sharp kni fe and a fai r amount of pati ence. If you l ack ei ther one, you can si mply separte the
l amb i nto three roasts (as shown i n i l l ustrtion I ) and spend j ust I 0 mi nutes tri mmi ng-concentrti ng on the exte
rior fat and gristl e-then cut a deep, lengthwise pocket i nto each roast, rub the garl i c- parl ey paste on the i nteri or
surface, and tie the roasts with butcher' s ti ne.
I . Unrol l l amb. Fol l owi ng naturl 2. Trim vi si bl e fat and gristl e from
seams (del i neated by l i nes of fat) , exteri or of each roast. With smal l ,
3. A you tri m meat, remove any
large, meat scraps that come l oose
from l arer pi eces (you wi l l have
about ' cup scrps) . Resere these
for maki ng Roasted Garl i c J us , i f
desi red.
separate i nto three smal l er roasts,
usi ng sharp boni ng knife as needed.
4. Ughtly score i nsi de of each roast,
maki ng '/ i nch-deep cuts spaced
I i nch apart i n crosshatch pattern .
poi nted cuts, penetrate deeper to
remove i nteri or pockets of gristl e,
fat, and si l ver ski n. ( Roasts open up
and flatten sl i ghtly duri ng tri mmi ng. )
S . Rub scored surace of bri ned 6. Rol l i nto compact roast, tucki ng
l amb with garl i c- parsl ey paste, work- i n faps, to form l og shape. Ti e wi th
i ng paste i nto grooves. ti ne at I - i nch i nteral s.
M A R C i l c9 A P R I L 2 0 0 6
1 3
bc|ow, tor t|c rccipc. 1hc|ambcan bctrimmcd,
brincd, rubbcd with pastc, and ticd,thcn storcd
ovcrnight in thc rchigcrator ,do not scason thc
mcat ) . A||ow thc |amb to stand at room tcm
pcraturc tor 3O minutcs bctorc procccding with
thc rccipc.
Lamb and Brine
'I cup kosher sal t (or 2 tabl espoons tabl e salt)
'I cup sugar
1 2 medi um garl i c cl oves, crushed
bonel ess l eg of domesti c l amb wi th si rl oi n
muscl e removed (S to 7 pounds)
Garlic-Parsley Paste
2 medi um garl i c heads, outer paper ski ns removed
and top thi rd of head cut off and di scarded
tabl espoon ol ive oi l
2 tabl espoons mi nced fresh parsl ey l eaves
Kosher salt and ground bl ack pepper
3 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
l. Combinc sa| t, sugar, and crushcd gar|ic
with 2 quarts watcrin |argc bow| or containcr,
stirunti| sa|tandsugardisso|vc. Ircparc |ambas
shownthroughi||ustration4 , at |cn) . Submcrgc
|ambinbri nc, covcr, andrctrigcratctor2 hours.
2 . Whi | c | amb bri ncs, adj ust ovcn rack to
midd|c position and hcat ovcn to 4OO dcgrccs.
I|acc gar|ic hcads cutsidc up on shcctola|u
mi num loi | and dri zz| c with o|ivc oi | . Wrap
loi | tight|yaroundgar| i c, p|accon bakingshcct
and roast unti| c|ovcs arc vcry sott and go|dcn
brown, 4O to 45 mi nutcs . Whcn coo| cnough
tohand| c, squcczcgarlic hcad torcmovcc|ovcs
tromski ns. Mash c|ovcs into pastc with sidc ot
chct'sknilc . Combi nc2tab|cspoonsgar|icpastc
and pars| cy in sma| | bow| . , Rcscrvc rcmai n
i ngpastc tor Roastcd Gar|ic Jus, i tmaking, scc
Cook's Fxtra,bc|ow. )
3 . Rcmovc |amb hom brinc and pat drywm
papcrtowc|s. Iinish|ambprcparation, i||ustrations
5 and6) . Scasoncach roastwithsa|tandpcppcr.
4. Hcatvcgctab|coi|in I 2inchovcnsalcski||ct
ovcrmcdium high hcat unti| shimmcring. I|acc
| ambroastsinski||ctandcookunti|wc||browncd
ona||sidcs, about I 2 minutcstota| . I|acc ski||ct
i n ovcn and roast unti| instant rcad thcrmom
ctcrinscrtcd intoccntcrotcach roast rcads I 25
dcgrccstormcdiumrarc,or I 3Ot oI 35 dcgrccs
tormcdiumtomcdiumwc|| . , Roastingtimcwi||
rangc lrom 8 to 25 minutcs dcpcnding on sizc
otroasts, bcgin chccking altcr 7 minutcs and
transtcrcach roasttop|attcrasitrcachcs dcsircd
tcmpcraturc. ) Lct | amb rcst, tcntcd with loi | ,
about I 5 minutcs. Sni ptwincottroasts,cutinto
!+inchs|iccs,and scrvc.
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code 3065 for Roased Gari c Jus.
Reci pe avai l abl e unti l September I , 2006.
Perfect Potstickers
Can you really make great Chi n ese-restaurant d u mpl i ngs at home? We wanted a
li ght fi l l i ng, the ri ght wrapper, and the perfect mi x of fl avors.
can count on one hand the times

I 've had truly great potstickers. At
their best, these staples of Chinese
dim sum are soft, savory pill ows
flled with tender ground meat and
crunchy cabbage spiked with a pleasing
hit of garl ic, ginger, and soy. But the
usual fare is nowhere near so glorious :
dense, favorless meatballs wrapped in a
doughy blanket.
Despite such grim prospects, most
cooks ( including me ) prefer rolling the
dice at a restaurant rather than taking on
what would seem to be a grueling proj ect
at home. A I surveyed dozens of authen
tic potsticker recipes, however, I was sur
prised to fnd out how straightforward
most were: Mix ground pork, cabbage,
and seasonings; spoon it all into dumpling
wrappers; then steam and fy in a wok. But
time logged in the test kitchen revealed
that tough fllings, bland favors, and bad
wraps are not just the bane of busy res
taurants. Could I make this simple recipe
more foolproof
? B Y S A R A H W I L S O N E
Wrppi ng Up
A thick, doughy wrapper, ofen encoun
tered in restaurant versions, was out, but
the wrapper had to survve the cooking
process, so it couldn't be paper-thin. Two
ready-made versions are widely available
( I was unwilling to make wrappers fom
scratch) . Wanton wrappers-made with
four, egg, and salt-are a bit t for this
application. I found the better choice to
be gyoza wrappers. Made without egg,
they are sturdier and hold up better when
pan-fied. Also, the more substantial tex
ture seemed a better match for the favor
f flling.
So far, I had been spooning the flling
into the center of a round gyoza wrapper,
folding it in half, then pressing the edges
to seal . I placed the dumplings in a hot
nonstick skillet seam side up to get a crisp,
browned bottom, poured in some water,
covered the pan, and let them steam until
sof. Finally, I removed the cover to re
crisp the bottoms.
While mostly successfl, this procedure
No Hard Fi l l i ngs
First, I needed to lighten up the fg.
Ground pork has a tendency to form a
A sequence of seari ng, steami ng, then cranki ng up the heat produces
potsti ckers wi th a pl easi ng bal ance of soft and cri spy textures.
di d present a problem: The seam was dry
ing out in the fnal stages of cooking. I
increased the steaming time, but tasters
still complained of toughness. The solu-
dense, solid mass when it's shaped and cooked,
a phenomenon test kitchen stafers began calling
"the meatball effect. " One bite into the dump
ling and the small, dense "meatball" hidden
inside would fall out onto the plate. Not very
appetizing. The scallons and cabbage, folded
into the pork, are meant to mitigate this problem
by providing moisture and textural variety, but
they just weren't doing the trick.
I tried increasing the amount of cabbage.
Tasters loved the looser consistency of the fi ll
ing but complained that the cabbage favor and
texture were too dominant. Forgoing the raw
cabbage I'd been using, I tried sauteing it briefy
to mellow the sharp favor, but tasters missed the
crunch. I tried salting and draining the cabbage
to get rid of excess moisture, a trick we ofen use
in the test kitchen. This approach was a winner.
Aer a 20-minute rest in the colander, the salted
cabbage no longer dominated the flling, yet it
still contributed a slightly bitter, crunchy edge.
Tasters continued to complain that the fling
still seemed a bit hard and dense. This time I bor
rowed a trick fom meat-loaf cookery and added
lightly beaten egg whites to the pork/cabbage
mixture. The theory is that the egg whites will
puff up as they cook, almost like a soufe, incor
porating tiny air bubbles into the otherwise com
pact ground meat. Sure enough, the outcome
was perfect: I now had a light and tender flling.
Choosing the Right Wrp
tion was easy. Instead of sauteing the dumplings
standing straight up, I knocked them on their
sides so that the seam would lie against the bot
tom of the pan. One side became crisp, while the
rest of the dumpling remained pleasantly tender
and chewy.
Placing l 2 dumplings in a preheated skillet
takes time and burns fngertips. By the time the
Taster prfered the slightly chew texture of goza-s1le wrpper to thi nner wonton wrpper, but both s1les
produced terrific potsticker. Athough we devel oped our rcipe using rund wrpper, squar or rctngul ar wrpper
can be used as wel l . Her's how to adjust fl l i ng amount and steami ng time. Because the small er wrpper yiel d mor
dumpl ings, you' l l need to cook them i n mul ti pl e batches. (Fr wrppi ng instrctions, see page I 5. )
WRPPER SIZE FI LUNG AMOUNT SEAMI NG TI ME
Round goza 33 i nches (di ameter) I rounded tbl espoon 1 0 mi nutes
Round wonton 33 i nches (di ameter) I rounded tbl espoon 6 mi nutes
Square wonton 3% i nches square 2 rounded teaspoons 6 mi nutes
Rectangul ar wonton 3 'I by 23 i nches I rounded teaspoon 5 mi nutes
COOK
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
1 4
S TEP- BY- S TEP I WRAPPING POTSTICKE RS
last dumpling was in the pan, the
frst one was already browned, giv
ing me an unevenly colored batch.
The answer was to place the dump
lings in a cold, lightly oiled skil
let before turning on the burner.
Success. To cook the second batch,
Itook the pan off the heat, wiped it
out with bunched-up paper towels,
and started the process again.
Te i nstructi ons bel ow are for round wrpper, our preferred shape. I f usi ng square wrpper, fold diagonal ly i nto a tri angl e (step 2)
and proceed with the reci pe. Fr rectangul ar wrpper, fol d i n hal f l engthwi se.
F I LL FOLD P I NC H F LATTE N
A few of the potstickers were not
holding their fi lling well afer steam
ing. While steaming one batch, I
peeked under the lid and saw some
of the dumplings ballooning out
like blowfsh. When I removed the
lid, they seemed to defate back to
normal, but a few still had an air
bubble trapped inside that kept the
I . Place rounded tabl espoon
of fi l l i ng i n center of goza
wrpper.
2. After moi steni ng edge
of wrpper. fol d i t i n hal f to
make hal f- moon shape.
3. With forefi nger and thumb.
pi nch dumpl i ng cl osed. press
ing out any air pockets.
4. Pl ace dumpl i ng on i ts si de
and press gently to flatten
bottom.
interior of the wrapper fom making contact with
(and clinging to) the flling. A a result, one bite
would send the flg crashing down onto the
plate. The solution? More diligence in removing
all the air while flling the wrappers. Trying several
approaches, I came up with the best sequence:
Fold the meat- fi lled wrapper into a half- moon,
pinch the middle closed, then careflly seal tl1e
remaining edges while lightly pressing d1e flling
to ensure that no air remains.
Almy potstickers needed now was the right dip
ping sauce-not the heavy-handed kind demanded
by dumplings witl1 ho-hum favor but a simple,
bracing blend of soy sauce, rice vinegar, 1in (a
sweet Japanese cooking wine) , and toasted sesame
oil, with just a touch of chili oil to kick up the heat.
Now my potstickers were not only light and flavor
f but virtually foolproof as well.
POTSTI CKE RS
MAKES 24 DUMPLINGS, SERVING AS FIRST COURSE
We prefer to use gyoza wrappers. You can sub
stitute wonton wrappers, but the cooking time
and recipe yield wl vary ( see the chart on page
14) . Potstickers are best served hot fom the skil
let; we recommend that you serve the frst batch
immediately, then cook tl1e second batch. To
feeze potstickers, place flled, uncooked dump-
Cl eari ng the Air
lings in the feezer in a single layer on a plate until
fozen, then transfer to a storage bag. There's
no need to thaw fozen potstickers; j ust proceed
with the recipe.
Filling
3 cups mi nced napa cabbage l eaves
314 teaspoon tabl e sal t
314 pound ground pork
6 tabl espoons mi nced scal l i ons (about 4 medi um
scal l i ons, white and green parts)
'Ia teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
4 teaspoons soy sauce
teaspoons grated gi nger 1 11
medi um garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I teaspoon)
2 egg whi tes, l ightly beaten
24 round gyoza wrappers (see note above)
4 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
1 . Toss cabbage and salt in colander or mesh
strainer set over medium bowl . Let stand until
cabbage begins to wilt, about 20 minutes; press
cabbage gently with rubber spatula to squeeze
out excess moisture. Combine cabbage and all
other flling ingredients in medium bowl and mix
thoroughly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and
refigerate until mixture is cold, at least 3O min-
utes and up to 24 hours.
2 . Place 4 wrappers fat on
During testing, we di scovered that ai r lef beteen wrpper and fl l i ng can cause
" bal l ooni ng" duri ng steami ng, as the wrpper pufs up and away from the meat.
work surface ( keep remaining
wrappers covered with plastic
wrap) . Following illustration 1 ,
above, place one slightly rounded
tablespoon flling in center of each
wrapper. Using pastry brush or
fngertip, moisten edge of wrap
per with water. Fold each wrap
per in half; starting in center and
working toward outside edges,
pinch edges together frmly to
seal, pressing out any air pockets
Te rsult? A mess frt bi te. Once we were mi ndful to press the air out before
seal i ng the wrpper, our potsticker came out right every ti me.
TOO M UCH AI R P E RF E CT F I T
MA R C i l c A P R I L 2 0 0 6
1 5
( illustrations 2 and 3 ) . Position each dumpling
on its side and gently flatten, pressing down on
seam to make sure it lies fat against work surface
( illustration 4) . Repeat to form 24 dumplings.
( Filled dumplings can be refrigerated overnight
in single layer on baking sheet wrapped tightly
with plastic wrap. )
3 . Add 2 teaspoons oil t o 1 2- inch nonstick
skillet and quickly spread oil with paper towel to
distribute evenly. Arrange 1 2 dumplings in skillet,
lying fat on one side, with all seams facing same
direction, overlapping j ust slightly, if necessary.
Place skillet over medium- high heat and cook,
without moving, until dumplings are golden
brown on bottoms, about 5 minutes. Reduce
heat to low, add V2 cup water to skillet, and cover
immediately. Cook, covered, until most of water
is absorbed and wrappers are slightly translucent,
about 1 0 minutes. Uncover skillet and increase
heat to medium-high; cook, without stirring,
until dumpling bottoms are well browned and
crisp, 3 to 4 minutes more. Turn off burner and
slide dumplings from skillet onto double layer
paper towels, browned side down, to blot excess
oil . Transfer to platter and serve immediately with
Scallion Dipping Sauce. Let skillet cool until j ust
warm, then wipe skillet clean and repeat with
remaining dumplings and oil .
SCALLI ON DI PPI NG SAUCE
MAKES '
I
CUP
The sauce can be refigerated overnight.
114 cup soy sauce
2 tabl espoons rice vi negar
2 tabl espoons mi ri n
2 tabl espoons water
teaspoon chi l i oil (opti onal )
11 teaspoon toasted sesame oi l
medi um scal l i on, white and green parts, mi nced
Combine all ingredients in bowl and serve.
A Guide to Recommended Bakeware
Pri ce doesn't al ways eq ual performance. The desi gn detai l s that prevent stuck muffi ns
and bu rn t cooki es may be the ones you l east expected _ BY s EAN LAWLE R
M A T E R I A L W O R L D :
Tough its manufacturer are loath to admi t i t. choosi ng qual i t
bakeware i s prett si mpl e. Al l the usual jaron about cl ad al umi num
cores and anodized coatings remai ns i n ful l force, but a dozen years
of testing have l eft us even more skeptical than usual about bel l s
and whistl es when i t comes to shoppi ng for cake pans and cookie
sheets. Here' s what to l ook for-and what to avoi d.
TEMPERED, OVENPROOF GLSS: Better known by the brnd
name Prex, thi ck tempered glass retai ns pl ent of heat, so pans
made from i t ensure deep and even browni ng. They al so make
i t eas to moni tor the browni ng as i t devel ops. Because Prex is
scrtch-resistant, you can cut and sere right from the pan with
sharp knives and metal spatulas. What' s not to l i ke? Just the occa
si onal expl osi on. a manageabl e risk as l ong as you take precauti ons
(see "When Prex Expl odes, " page 1 7) .
DARK-COLORED FI NI SHES: When i t comes to metal pans,
nei ther the tpe of metal nor i ts thi ckness matter much. What
does matter i s the col or of the pan. Dark-col ored nonstick pans
al low metal to absorb more heat i nsi de the oven than refective.
l ighter-col ored material s. The resul t: darker browning of baked
goods, which i s al most always a good thi ng. Combi ne that wi th the
The Ught, the Dark, and the See-Through
TALL, DARK, AND
HANDS OME
Dark-col ored pans absorb heat
wel l , yiel ding tal l , nicely browned
baked goods.
SQUAT AND PALE
Ught-col ored pans absorb less
heat, inhibiting browning and rise.
clean release and eas cl eanup of nonstick, and pans i n thi s categor
are ofen the ones to beat.
LGHT-COLORED FI NISHES: A wel l - browned crust releases
more easi ly from a pan than a pale crust. Because l ight-col ored
reflective pans brown more sl owly than dark-col ored pans, and
because they also lack a nonstick coating. we' re generl ly rel uctant
to recommend them. In a few si tuati ons, however, this control l ed
browni ng can be an advantage. such as when baki ng cookies.
( Because it's only the bottom of a cookie that's i n contct with the
metl , it can easi l y bum befor the rst of the cookie bakes thrugh. )
I NSULTED: To protect agai nst overbrowni ng (not usual ly a
probl em for us) . i nsulated pans i ncorporte a layer of ai r sand
wi ched between two sheets of metal . Unfortunately. thi s " i nsul a
ti on" works al l too wel l : The pans produce pal e, underdeveloped
crusts. The i nteri or chamber al so becomes waterloged if sub
mered i n water duri ng cl eanup. hat a pai n.
SI LI CONE: These fexi bl e, rubber pans are the most usel ess
thi ngs to appear in the ki tchen si nce salad shooter. Tese "pans"
don' t brown wel l , and getti ng them i nto the oven when loaded
down with batter is awkard.
Testing Notes: We stock plent of these pans i n the
test kitchen. where they handl e everthi ng frm lasgna
to stci buns. Stury f is our frt choice here: di sh
washer-safe, handy handl es, and scrtch- resistant. The
1 3 by 9- i nch pan is the best al l -around opti on. but the
1 7 by I l - i nch model turs out super-sized casserol es.
whi l e the 8-i nch- and 9- i nch-square pans are good for
smal l er batches of com bread or browni es.
What to Avoi d:
Al umi num pans, whi ch can react with the aci ds i n
tomato-based reci pes
Testing Notes: We' re sti l l searchi ng for the ul ti mate
cake pan: one with high, stri ght sides; a dark, nonsti ck
fni sh; and handl es, whi ch most manufacturer consi der
unnecessar. Unti l then, both our test kitchen wi nner
and " best buy" opti on (below) score two out of three.
Ni ne- i nch cake pans are the standard size. and you' l l
need to for most reci pes. ( I f you want to bake i n a
square pan i nstead, drop down to the 8- i nch size-the
surface area i s comparbl e to a 9- i nch round pan. )
What to Avoi d:
Testing Notes: When i t comes to l i ght- verus dark
col ored metal bakeware, the cooki e sheet i s the excep
ti on. Al l of the dark-col ored, nonsti ck cookie sheets
we tested consi stently overbrowned the bottoms of
cooki es. Ught-col ored sheets. on the other hand, were
prone to sticking. but because we always bake cookies
on parchment paper, we chose the (much) l esser of
to evi l s.
What to Avoi d:
Dark fi ni shes
* TEST KI TCHE N FAVORI TE *
PRE Bakeware 1 3 by 9- l nch Baking Di sh, $8. 95
Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key in code 3067 for Mail -Order
Sources for Recommended Bakeware.
Tis information is available until
September I. 2006.
Ught-col ored ti nned or stai nl ess steel pans. whi ch
brown and release poorly
Sl oped si des, whi ch produce fared cakes that are
i mpossi bl e to spl i t evenly
CHI CGO MEALLI C Professi onal Nonstick, $ 1 4. 95
BE ST BUY: The supermarket standard BAKER' S
SECRE cake pan ( $3 . 99) i s a bi t short and has sl oped
si des. but i t browns and rel eases easi ly. has hel pful
handl es. and boasts a wi nni ng price tag.
L l \ | | L L L 5 J K ^ J I |
1 6
Ughteight sheets, whi ch are prone to warpi ng
Sheet wit only one handl e (difcult to rtte during
baking) or four sides (di fi cul t to trnsfer cooki e
l oaded parchment paper from sheet to cool i ng rck)
VOLLRTH Cooki e Sheet, $ 1 9. 9 5
2
C
-

Testing Notes: Pie maki ng i s hard work-we under
stand why lots of cooks want to show of the fni shed
product i n a handsome, heav pi ece of French cerami c
potter. (ye' re l ess certai n why so many others trust
thei r creati ons to fl i ms E Foi l di sposabl e al umi num
pans. ) But nei ther opti on turns out evenly browned
crusts as rel i ably as the trust, i nexpensive Prex. The
Prex pi e plate is scratch- resi stant, its wi de l i p makes
it eas to shape decorative futed crusts, and its see
through gl ass i s the best choi ce for moni tori ng a crust' s
browni ng progress.
What to Avoi d:
Cermi c pi e pl ates
Fl i ms, di sposabl e al umi num pie pl ates
Opaque plates
PYREX (9- l nch) Pie Plate, $ 5 . 00
Testing Notes: Thanks to excel l ent heat absorpti on,
dark-colored metal pans produce mufi ns and cupcakes
that not only brown better but also rise higher and sport
more ni cely domed tops when compared with those
baked i n shi ny, refective tins. Choose a modertely
priced mufi n ti n with reasonabl e heft (no more than
2 pounds) .
What to Avoi d:
Fl i msy pans that buckl e when fi l l ed wi th heavy batter
Heav pans (some of our contender wei ghed in at
well over 2 pounds) , whi ch provide an unwel come
one-arm workout
Si l i cone (see page 1 6)
WI LTON Ul tr-Bake, $9. 99
Testing Notes: The refusal of much of the bakeware
i ndustr to embrce the good common sense of handl es
has always left us puzl ed. Loaf pans are a good exampl e.
Al l of the dark, nonstick pans we tested browned ni cely
and released cleanly, so we gave the nod to those that are
eas to can as wel l . Though often referred to as "9 by
5- i nch loaf pans, " few meet those exact di mensi ons.
We prefer pans with a wi dth of j ust under 5 i nches, whi ch
produce loaves with tl l er, rounder tops. Many reci pes
yi el d to loaves, so you might as wel l buy to pans.
What to Avoi d:
Pns wi thout handl es
Ught-col ored pans, whi ch deter browni ng
BAKER' S SECRE Non-Sti ck Loaf Pn
(811 by 41/2 i nches) , $ 3 . 99
Testi ng Notes: We love these cl ever pans-the fl uted
edges and fal se bottom al l ow even a novi ce baker to
tum out el egant-l ooki ng desserts with not much effort.
But we can ' t condone spl uri ng on pri cey nonsti ck
model s when the generi c ti nned steel pans, sol d i n
most stores for around $8, work j ust as wel l . (There' s
so much fat i n butter tart dough that i t woul dn' t sti ck
to flypaper, much l ess a pan . ) Our tart reci pes are gen
erally devel oped to fit a 9- i nch pan, but I I - i nch pans
are al so common.
What to Avoi d:
Nonremovabl e bottoms
Expensive nonsti ck pans
Ti nned Steel Fl uted Tart Pn wi th
Removabl e Bottom, about $8
K C H E N W 0 R K H 0 R S E . jel lyrol l Pn
I n the test kitchen, we keep stcks of ri mmed al umi num baking sheets (known as jel lyrol l pans-half-sheet pans, i n
resturnt l i ngo) and use them for a wide assortment of everday tasks: roasting vegetabl es, catchi ng dri ps i n the
oven, and, yes, baki ng the occasional jel lyroll or sheet cake. Fitted with the right-sized wire cool i ng rck, thi s
verti l e pan can stnd i n for a roasting pan; i t also makes an acceptabl e cooki e sheet, though the ri mmed
desi gn prevents a qui ck sl i di ng of cooki es to the cool i ng rck. Though si mi l ar pans are avai l abl e i n cookare
When[rexExpl odes
Prex pi e pl ates and baki ng di shes are standard issue i n
the test kitchen, but over the years we' ve l earned that
they are prone to shatteri ng when exposed to sudden
and extreme temperture changes. Naturl ly, thi s pro
hi bits thei r use under a broi l er or over di rect stovetop
heat, but the tempered gl ass bakeware is al so vul nerbl e
to sudden drops i n temperature, known i n the i ndustr
as downshock. Downshock woul d resul t from addi ng
col d l i qui d to a hot Prex di sh or from pl aci ng a hot
di sh di rectly on a col d or wet surace. I t is consi dered
safe, however, to trnsfer a Prex di sh di rectly from the
refrigerator or freezer to a hot oven, provi ded it has
been properly preheated-some ovens use the broi l er
el ement to heat up to the desi red temperture.
S H OCKI N G RE S U LTS
Thi s pan went from hot to col d too qui ckly.
SPRI NGEORM PN
Testi ng Notes: The di sappoi nti ng truth: Al l
spri ngform pans l eak. Thi s means that usi ng them i n
a water bath can be probl emati c (we recommend
doubl e-wrappi ng the pan wi th al umi num foi l to make
it l eakproof) . We pi cked out the l east l eak contend
ers, then chose the only model wi th hel pful handl es
and a cl ear glass bottom to boot. Ni ne- i nch pans are
the standard size.
What to Avoi d:
Ri mmed bottoms, whi ch make i t difi cul t to sl i de a
spatul a under the cake to remove it
FRI ELI NG Handl e- I t (9- l nch) Gl ass Bottom
Spri ngform, $ 3 1 . 95
shops i n a variet of materials, sizes, and fni shes, we purchase ou r a t a restaurnt suppl y store i n the i ndustr
stndard size of 1 6 by 1 2 i nches and recommend that you do the same. I f you do buy retai l , however, a good alternative
is the WearEver Commerci al Jel lyrol l Pn ($ 1 0. 99) .
M A R C il c A P R I L 2 0 0 6
1 7
Great Glazed Pork Chops
Th i n bonel ess chops cook up d ry and bl and , but thei r conven i ence i s enti ci ng.
Cou l d we tu rn them i nto a fl avorfu l weekn i ght meal ?
W
e ' ve gri l l ed, seared,
pan-roasted, and barbe
cued our way through
plenty of pork in the
test kitchen, and, through all this test
ing, we've developed some pretty solid
opinions. Specifcally, we like pork chops
big, brined, and bone-in: The size makes
them hard to overcook and good can
didates for brining, which keeps them
moist; cooking on the bone promotes
meaty flavor.
3 B Y N I N A W E S T E
and took on a spotty, light golden sear by
the time it was cooked through. The ft
problem was easily solved when I slashed
through the fat and the silver skin, which
creates the bowing effect as it contracts.
The second problem-lack of a dark,
rich sear-was not so easy. I had thought
I could get away with searing one side
of the chop pretty heavily and putting a
quick sear on the second side once the
pan was nice and hot. The presentation
side, afer all , was what really counted.
Although this method worked, the cook
ing time was critical : A few extra seconds
were all the pan's high heat needed to
take the chops fom perfectly tender to
dry and tough. Too close for comfort,
but I was out of ideas. I decided U put
the cooking method on hold for a bit
while I experimented with the sauce.
Gl azi ng Over
That said, I wondered if we'd been
too hasty in turning a blind eye to the
thin boneless pork chop. Afer all , these
chops are always available straight from
the supermarket meat case ( no atten
tive butcher required) , they cook up
qui ckly, and they're inexpensive . So
what' s the probl em? A few hours of
cooking reminded me. Most of the thin
chops I cooked curled up unattractively
in the pan as they surrendered their
last ounce of moisture. The ones that
remained j uicy did so at the expense of
good browning and, by extension, good
favor.
To avoi d overcooki ng such thi n, l ean chops, we qui ckly sear one si de, then
fi ni sh over l ower heat, gently si mmeri ng them ri ght i n the gl aze. My goal was to fnd a way to take
advantage of the convenience of thin
boneless pork chops yet still have both a
pronounced sear and a moist, j uicy interior. Most
important, I wanted the chops on the table in
about 30 minutes. So out went bring, grilling,
and pan-roasting; in went pan-searing, using only
the stovetop. This would open up the opportu
nity to make a pan sauce, as I would likely end up
with a nice fond ( the brown bits lef behind by the
cooked meat on the surface of the skillet, which
enhance the favor of any sauce) .
Exploring some options for pan sauces,
I thought I would try a glaze. I whipped
up a few simple ones, but they were too
thick, sweet, and one-dimensional . While
honey added a distinct depth of favor,
it tended to crystalli ze and become
Seari ng I mpai red?
Luckily, I had some experience to draw from.
During our testing for Easy Pork Chops ( March/
April 2004) , we found that to cook pork chops
completely on the stovetop (without brining and
without fshing in the oven), it's best to stick
with chops 3/4 inch thick or thinner. So far, so
good. But the foolproof cooking method we
developed-starting the chops in a cold pan
and gently bringing them up to heat-wasn't so
foolproof here. The difference? For tl1at recipe,
grainy. ( See Kitchen Notes, page 3O,
for a detailed explanation of this phe
we used bone- in chops, which took on a lightly
browned exterior j ust as the interior turned
j uicy and tender. The leaner boneless chops I
was using cooked more quickly, and
nomenon. ) Instead, I settled on brown sugar.
I tempered tlus sweet base with soy sauce, vin
egar, Dijon mustard, and cayenne and then added
it was impossible to get adequate
color within that time frame. What's
more, back then we took pains to call
for natural pork chops ratl1er than
enhanced chops ( pork injected with
a saline solution to keep it moist ) ,
which release excess j uices during
cooking and, thus, inhibit quick
browning. I wanted my recipe to
work well no matter what was avail
able at the supermarket.
Consequently, I turned to our tra
ditional searing metl1od: high heat,
smoking pan, even color on both sides
of the meat. Unfortunately, tl1e meat
failed to stay fat and in direct contact
with the pan. Instead, it curled up
COOK
'
S I L L U ST R A T ED
1 8
STEP- BY- STEP I PRE P P I NG B ONE LE S S
P ORK C HOP S
I . Trim excess fat of each chop 2. Cut to sl i ts about 2 i nches
with a sharp kni fe. apar through fat and connec-
tive tissue.
Z
C

t;
Gl azed and Confused

Duri ng testing. we l earned as much from the fawed reci pes as the ones that got
things right. In the oven. the pori chops cooked through l ong before browni ng,
and the glaze had no ti me to reduce properly (l eft) . Another common probl em
ws overpacking the glaze with sugar. yi el di ng a stick. gl oppy mess ( right) .
ing,gcnt|ysimmcring thc chops
in tlc wct g|azc ovcr modcratc
hcat sccmcd to hc|p mcm rctain
thcirmoisturc, a|mostasthough
I wcrcpoachingthcm. Onccthc
mcatrcachcdI 4Odcgrccs,ahvc
minutcrcstotttlchcatonap|at
tcr|ct thc tcmpcraturc risc a bit
morcand|ctmcj uiccsrcdistri b
utcthroughoutmcmcat.
PALE AND RU NNY A STI CKY M ES S
Fi na||y, with a mastcr rccipc
tor g| azcd pork chops nai | cd
down, I cou|d dcvc|op a coup|c
app|ccidcrtordcpthotHavor. Addingthcj uiccs
hommcrcstingporkwasmchna| touch.
A good as mis swcct and savoryg|azctastcd,
uctcxturcwasinconsistcntattimcstoothick,
at othcrtimcs too min. Byadj ustingtlc cook
ingtimc, I hna||yarrivcdatmcpointwhcrcmc
g|azc bou adhcrcdwc|| to mc chops and was
p|cntim| cnough to spoon ovcr mcm oncc mcy
wcrcp|atcd.
Si mmeri ng Down
Jhc rccipc now ca||cd tor scaring mc chops on
uc hrst sidc unti| wc|| browncd, turning mcm
ovcr, hnishingonmcoucrsidc, mcnrcmoving
mcmhommcpanwhi| cI madcmcg|azc. Whcn
Iuscdmickcrchops,howcvcr,Ihadtogivcmcm
morctimctoscaronmcnonprcscntation"sidc
to gctmcmup to thc right tcmpcraturc. A tcw
timcs, I charrcd mc pan and ruincd mc tond I
nccdcd torthc g|azc. Ahmc g|azc' IcrhapsitI
addcditto mc pan car|icr and turncd down mc
hcat, \ cou|d gct a hcad start on its rcduction,
savctimc, and kccpmctondtromburni ng.
Noton| ydi duistrickwork,butitgavcmcmc
insuranccI' dbccnmissinginmycookingmcmod.
Iinishing mc chops ovcr modcratc hcat , rathcr
uanhighhcat)s|owcdmingsdownj ustcnough
togivc mc a bcttcrchancc otgcttingmcm out
ot ucpanwhi|cthcywcrcsti||j uicy. Jhcprccisc
cooking timc bccamc much |css critica| . What's
morc,un|ikcmchigh,rc|ativc|ydryhcatotscar
Message in a Bubbl e
otintcrcstingvariations. Adding
hcrbs,toastcdsccds,bccr,andvariousscasonings
cnhanccdmcbasc|inct|avor in mc g|azcwithout
disturbing its tcxturc. Now I had tlrcc rccipcs
tor casy, too|prootporkthatcou|dmakc ittrom
supcrmarkcttowccknightdinncrtab| ci nrccord
timc.
G LAZE D PORK CHOPS
SERVES 4
Ityourchopsarc on mcminncrsidc, chcckmcir
intcrna| tcmpcraturc ancrtlcinitia|scar. Itthcy
arca|rcadyatmc I 4O- dcgrccmark,rcmovcthcm
trom thc ski||ct and a||ow tlcm to rcst, tcntcd
witltoi|, tor5minutcs,mcnaddmcp|attcrj uiccs
and g|azc ingrcdicnts to mc ski||ct and procccd
with stcp 3. Ityour chops arc c|oscr to I inch
thick, you may nccd to incrcasc mc simmcring
timcinstcp2.
Glaze
11 cup di sti l l ed whi te vi negar or ci der vi negar
'h cup l ight brown sugar
'h cup appl e ci der or appl e j ui ce
2 tabl espoons Di jon mustard
tabl espoon soy sauce
Pi nch cayenne
Chops
4 bonel ess center-cut or l oi n pork chops,
S to 7 ounces each, 11 to 'I i nch thi ck
Getting the glaze right tkes some fnessing-a few extr seconds can mean the diference beteen l uxuri ous texture and
gooey mess. Our sol ution? Moni tor the size of the bubbl es. the col or of the glaze, and the amount of exposed pan surface.
NOT YET
Pn surface has j ust a few smal l bub
bles, and a spatul a makes no trails.
J U ST RI G HT
I ncreased bubbl es, caramel col or, and
a spatul a j ust starts to make trai l s.
TOO LON G
Many lare bubbl es, ul tra-dark glaze,
and pl ent of exposed pan surace.
MA R C i l [ A P R I L 2 0 0 6
1 9
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
tabl espoon vegetabl e oi l
I . Combinc a|| g|azc ingrcdicnts in mcdium
bow| , mix morough|y and sct asidc. Io||owing
i| |ustrations on pagc I 8 , trim chops and s|ash
throughtat andsi|vcrskinwimsharpknitc, m
ing2 cutsabout2 inchcs apartincachchop, do
not cut intomcat otchops) . Iat chopsdrywim
papcrtowc|s,scasonwiu sa|tandpcppcr.
2. Hcat oi| in hcavy bottomcd I 2inchski||ct
ovcrmcdium highhcatunti| smoking. Addpork
to ski||ct and cook unti| wc|| browncd, 4 to 6
minutcs. Jurn chops and cook I minutc|ongcr,
transtcrchopstop|atcandpourottanyoi|inski|
|ct. , Chcckintcrna|tcmpcraturcotthinncrchops,
sccnotcabovc. ) Rcturnchopstoski||ct,browncd
sidc up, andaddg|azc mixturc, cook unti|ccntcr
otchops rcgistcrs I 4O dcgrccs on instantrcad
thcrmomctcr, 5 to 8 minutcs . Rcmovc ski||ct
trom hcat, transtcr chops to c|can p|attcr, tcnt
wimtoi | , and|ctrcst5 minutcs.
3. Whcn chops havc rcstcd, add any accu
mu|atcd j uiccs to skil|ct and sct ovcr mcdium
hcat. Simmcr, whiskingconstant|y, unti|g|azcis
mickandco|orotdarkcaramc|,hcatprootspatu|a
shou|d |cavc widc trai| whcn draggcd through
g|azc) , 2 to 6 minutcs. Rcturn chops to ski||ct,
turntocoatbomsidcswimg|azc. Jranstcrchops
back to p| attcr, browncd sidc up, and sprcad
rcmainingg|azcovcrchops. Scrvcimmcdiatc|y.
G LAZE D PORK C HOPS WI TH
G E RMAN F LAVORS
Joast.4 tcaspooncarawaysccdsi nsma||dryski|
|ct ovcr mcdium hcat, stirring trcqucnt|y, unti|
tragrant,3 to5minutcs. Rough|ychopsccdsand
sctasidci nsmall bowl . Fo||owrccipc tor C|azcd
IorkChops, rcp|acing cidcrorj uiccwim l3 cup
bccr,rcducingsoysauccto2 tcaspoons,andadd
ing 3 tab|cspoons who|c grain mustard , a|ong
withDijonmustard) , l tab|cspoonminccdtrcsh
mymc|cavcs, andrcscrvcdcarawaysccdstog|azc
ingrcdicnts. Omitcaycnnc .
G LAZE D PORK C HOPS WI TH
ASI AN F LAVORS
Joast I tcaspoon scsamc sccds i nsma|| drysk|
|ct ovcr mcdium hcat, stirring trcqucnt|y, unti|
| i ght|y browncd and tragrant, 3 to 5 minutcs,
sctasidcinsma||bow| . Io||owrccipctorG|azcd
IorkChops,rcp|acingwhitcorcidcrvincgarwim
I/ cup ricc vincgar, omitting cidcrorjuicc, and
adding3 tab|cspoonscachorangcj uiccandmirin
and I tcaspoonhnc|ygratcdtrcshgingcrtog|azc
i ngrcdicnts. In stcp 3, stir anomcr 2 tcaspoons
ricc vincgar into g|azc bctorc rcturning chops
to ski | | ct. Bctorc scrving, garnish chops with
rcscrvcd scsamc sccds and I tcaspoon toastcd
scsamcoi| .
Better Pan-Roasted Broccoli
Pan-roasti ng works beauti fully for many vegetables. So what' s the problem wi th broccol i ?
an roastingbrocco|iisanintriguingidca,
but that mcthod , dry pan, high hcat)
oncn yic|ds dricdout, shrivc|cd Horcts
and chcwy stcmsp|cnty otroom tor
improvcmcnt.
1hchrststcpwastotranstormahcadotbroc
co|iinto picccs thatwou|d cook cvcn|ytrim
ming thc Horcts into sma|| picccs and thc sta|ks
intoob|ongcoins. NcxtI asscmb|cdthcpicccsin
an cvcn |aycrina hot,|ight|y oi|cd ski||ct. I had
hopcd thc hcat wou|d promotc caramc|ization
and that thc bit otoi| wou|d kccp things trom
drying out, butitbccamc c|carthatsomcmoist
hcat , in othcrwords, stcam) was nccdcd itthc
brocco|i was to cookthrough without burning
ordryingout.
Oncc thc picccs bcgan to brown, I addcd
watcr scasoncd with sa|t and pcppcr, covcrcd
thc ski||ct, and |ct thc picccs stcam. Whcn thc
brocco|i turncd bright grccn, I rcmovcdtlc|id
and |ct thc cxccss moisturc cvaporatc. Bccausc
thc hardicrstcms takc |ongcr to cook than thc
dc|icatc n orcts,I toundthataddingthc picccs in
atwostcpproccss, browningthcstcmshrst,thcn
tossing in thc Horcts) prcvcntcdthc n orcts trom
bccoming|imp.
Ancr spcnding j ust I O minutcs at tlc stovc,
\ had a Havorm| broccoli dish with bnghtgrccn
n orcts and toastybrown stcms that wcrc tasty
cnough to bc catcn simp|y as i sbut hcarty
cnoughtostanduptoasscrtivcHavorings.
PAN- ROASTED BROCCOLI
SERVES 4 AS A Sl DE DISH
3 tablespoons water
'I teaspoon tabl e salt
11a teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
2 tablespoons vegetabl e oi l
1 11 pounds broccol i , florets cut i nto 1 11- i nch
pi eces, stems tri mmed, peel ed, and cut on
bi as i nto '!- i nch-thi ck sl i ces about 1 11 i nches
l ong (about 5 cups florets and 3 cup stems)
I . Stirwatcr,sa|t, andpcppcrtogcthcrinsma||
bow| unti| sa|t disso|vcs, sct asidc. In I 2 inch
nonstickski||ctwithtight htti ng|id,hcatoi|ovcr
mcdiumhighhcatunti|j ustbcginningtosmokc.
Add broccoli stcms in cvcn |aycr and cook,with
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code 3066 for Pn- Roasted
Broccol i with Tomatoes and Cur.
Reci pe available until September I, 2006.
3 B Y S A N D R A WU E
out stirring, unti| browncd on bot
toms,about2 minutcs. Add uorcts
to ski | | ct and toss to combi nc,
cook, without stirri ng, unti| bot
tomsotuorctsj ustbcgintobrown,
I to2 mi nutcs| ongcr.
One Vegetable, Two Different Worlds
2. Add watcr mixturc and covcr
ski||ct, cook unti| brocco|i is bright
grccn but sti|| crisp, about 2 min
utcs. Incovcrandcontinuctocook
unti| watcr has cvaporatcd, broc
co| i stcmsarctcndcr,andHorctsarc
tcndcrcrisp,about2 minutcsmorc,
and scrvcimmcdiatc|y.
TE N D E R F LORETS HARDY STALKS
Te florets are cut i nto smal l pi eces s o that they cook qui ckly and evenly. Te
hardi er stal ks are sl iced on the bi as for maxi mum carmel izati on.
PAN- ROASTED BROCCOLI WI TH
LE MON BROWNE D BUTTE R
reci pe Pan- Roasted Broccol i
4 tabl espoons unsalted butter
I smal l shal l ot, mi nced (about 1 11 tabl espoons)
'I teaspoon tabl e sal t
'Is teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
I 1h teaspoons j ui ce from I l emon
1h teaspoon mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
l. Fo||ow rccipc tor Ian Roastcd Brocco| i ,
transtcrbrocco|itomcdi umbow|andsctasidc.
2 . Mc| t buttcr in now cmpty ski | | ct ovcr
mcdium highhcatandcontinuctocook, swir|ing
occasiona||y, unti|buttcrisbrowncdandrc|cascs
nutty aroma, about I !: minutcs . Otthcat, add
sha||ot,gar|ic,sa|t,andpcppcr,andstirunti|gar
|ic and sha||ot arc tragrant, about I minutc. Stir
i n |cmon j uicc and thymc. Add brocco|i to ski|
|ct, toss tocoatwith browncd buttcr, and scrvc
immcdiatc|y.
S P I CY S OUTH EAST ASI AN F LAVORS
tabl espoon creamy peanut butter
tabl espoon hoi sin sauce
2 teaspoons j ui ce from I l i me
teaspoon l ight or dark brown sugar
'I teaspoon Asi an chi l i sauce
reci pe Pan- Roasted Broccol i
'I cup coarsely chopped fresh basi l l eaves
2 tabl espoons chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
2 0
I . Stir togcthcr pcanut buttcr, hoisin saucc,
|imcj uicc, gar|ic,brownsugar, andchi|isauccin
mcdiumbow|unti|combincd,sctasidc.
2 . Fo| | ow rccipc tor Ian Roastcd Brocco| i ,
during| astminutcotcooking,addbasi|andcook,
stirring,unti| |cavcswi|t, about 3O scconds. Add
pcanut buttcr mixturc an toss unt roccoIi is
cvcn|ycoatcdandhcatcdthrough,about3O scc
onds. Jranstcrtoscrvingdish,topwithchoppcd
pcanuts,andscrvcimmcdiatc|y.
CREAMY G RUYRE SAUC E
reci pe Pn- Roasted Brocco! i
tabl espoon unsalted butter
medi um shal l ot, peel ed and sl i ced i nto thi n ri ngs
(about 2 tabl espoons)
1h cup heavy cream
1h teaspoon Di jon mustard
1h teaspoon dry sherry
Pi nch cayenne
1/s teaspoon tabl e salt
3 tabl espoons grated Gruyere cheese (about
3 ounce) , pl us addi ti onal I to 2 tabl espoons
teaspoon j ui ce from I l emon
l. Fo| | ow rccipc tor Ian Roastcd Brocco|i ,
transtcrbrocco|itomcdiumbow| and sct asidc.
2 . Mc| t buttcr i n now cmpty ski | | ct ovcr
mcdiumhcat. Whcntoamingsubsidcs,addsha|
|ot and cook, stirring trcqucnt|y, unti| go|dcn
and soucncd, about 2 minutcs. Stir i n crcam,
mustard,shcrry,caycnnc, andsa|t. I ncrcaschcat
to mcdium high and cook unti| mixturc bub
b| csandthickcns, about I minutc. Ott hcat,add
chccscand|cmonjuicc,stirunti|chccscismc|tcd.
Addbrocco|iandstirtorchcatandcoat. Jranstcr
to scrving dish, sprink|cwithadditiona| chccsc,
andscrvcimmcdiatc|y.
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i
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake
What ever happened to those toweri ng sl i ces of chocol ate cake sl ath ered wi th
bi l l owy frosti ng? We baked 1 3 0 cakes i n search of the perfect wedge .
W
hi | c a| most cvcrythi ng
has bccn supcrsizcd in
rcccnt ycars , choco|atc
cakcs havc movcd in thc
oppositc di rccti on, bccomi ng dcnscr,
richcr, andsquattcr. Many contcmporary
choco|atc cakcs arc so intcnsc that just a
|cw |ork|u|s satis mc. Jhcsc cakcs arc
dc|iciousabadchoco|atccakcishardto
imagincbutsomctimcs I 'drathcrhavca
rca|piccco|cakc, not acon|cction.
Whcn I think o|thcpcr|cct choco|atc
cakc,Ircmcmbcrchi|dhoodbirthdaysand
thc cakcs my mothcr sct bc|orc mc oncc
aycar. Jhcywcrcta||, swcct, and choco
|atythckindo|cakcyouatcwithaglass
o|mi|k,notadcmitassc o|csprcsso. Fach
towcri ng s|icc had a tcndcr, airy, opcn
crumbandwas|rostcdwithsi|kysmooth
wispso|choco|atchcavcn.
B Y DA VID PAZMI N O E
arc whippcd. Jhc tcchniquc is ottcn thc
hrst stcp inmakinga Frcnch sty|cspongc
cakc,orgcnoisc. Intcrcsting|y,manyotmc
Amcrican cakc rccipcs I had pu||cd hom
|atc ! tlccnturycookbooks rc|icJ onthis
tcchniquc. Jhat's bccausc chcmica||cavcn
crs , bakingsoda and bakingpowdcr)vcrc
not yct widc|y uscd. Jhc cgg |oam was
rcsponsib|c |or acrating thc cakc. WHi|c I
was p|anning on using a |cavcncr tor cxua
sccurity,maybcthistcchniqucwou|JJc|ivcr
bothuchcightandthcstructurcIvantcJ.
Likc many mothcrs, minc startcd with
acakc mix, but this sty|c o|o|d|ashioncd
choco|atccakchasitsrootsinthcAmcrican
kitchcn. Whi|c today' s sty| ish cakcs arc
dcnscandrich, andcontain|itt|corcvcnno
Nour) , tlccakcIhadinmindwou|dhavca
spongybutmoisttcxturcthato||crcdanicc
contrastwitlitsthickcoatingo|hosting.
Chocol ate tends to wei gh cakes down . To get the vol ume and texture we
wanted, we borrowed a few tri cks from ol d- ti me cookbooks.
I |o| | owcd thc basic gcnoi sc p.occ
durc o|whipping cggs with sugar unti|
|ight and Hu|, thcn aJding thc mc|tcJ
choco|atcandbuttcr,|o||owcdbythcJrv
ingrcdicnts and mi|k. Fina||y, somc suc
ccss ' Jhc cakc was a bit too dry and not
quitc choco| aty cnough, but ribboning
hadyic|dcdabcttcrcombi nationotstruc
turc and tcndcmcssthan any otthc otHcr
mcthods I had tri cJ. C| car|v, acHicving
vo|umc with cggs and sugar rightat thc
bcginningo|mixingwaskcy. A:JwhcnI
incrcascdthc |iquidsidc otthingsby add
ing a |u| | cup o|buttcrmi | k , wHich w on
outovcrrcgu|armi|k) , I hadatai.| vmoist
cakcwithgoodstructurcand spongvvo|
umc. Adding somc cocoa powdcrtothc
Mixi ng l t Up
I kncw that thc mrxmg mcthod wou|d bc kcy
to gctting thc right tcxturc. Crcaming-bcating
buttcr wth sugar bc|orc whipping in thc cggs
andtlouris thc mostpopu|armcthod |or many
homc- bakcd cakcs. Jhc sugar crysta|s hc|p whip
airinto thc soncncd buttcr,which hc|ps thc cakc
risc in thc ovcn. Whi|c this mctlod is hnc |or
yc||ow cakc, tlc addition o| so much mc|tcd
unswcctcncd choco|atc undocs thc c||ccts o|
crcaming, and I |ound tlat thc rcsu|ting cakcs
wcrc |air|y dcnsc as wc|| as a bit tough and dry.
I tricd various ways to |ightcn thc |oad , morc
|cavcning, morc cggs) , but cvcntua||y I camc to
suspcct uat this mcthod wou|d ncvcr producc a
t|u, tcndcr choco|atccakc.
Ncxt up on my |ist o| mixing mcthods was
rcvcrsc crcaming,"which has comc intovoguc
inrcccntycars.Iroponcntstoutrcvcrsccrcaming
asuc bcstwaytodc|ivcrmaximumtcndcrncss,
and, in |act, this mcthod has bccomc thc tcst
kitchcn'sprc|crrcdwaytoprcparcayc||owcakc.
By mixingvcry sotbuttcrwith tlourbc|orcadd
ing any |iquids, |css g|utcn , thc sourcc o|cakc
structurc ) can dcvc|op, yi c|ding a tcndcr and
Hu| cakc. Whcn I tcstcdrcvcrsccrcamingwith
choco| atccakc,thcrcsu|tswcrctcndcrandtlu|,
aspromiscd,butthccakcwas too|ragi|cto stand
uptoa bi||owyhcapo||rosting. I suspcctcdthat
thc additiona| moisturc and |at
tlourmixturcimprovcdthcchoco|atc|lavor.Not
pcr|cct yct , thc cakc cou| J stil| bc morc moist
andchoco|aty) , butgcttingc|oscr.
Proof i n the Puddi ng
Jhc so|ution to thc moisturc prob|cm nna||y
prcscntcd itsc|| onc cvcning as I combcd vct
providcd by thc chocolatcwcrc R E c I p E T E s T I N G . Two tles of Chocol ate Cake
gcttingintlcway.
======================
How cou| d I gct vo|umc,
structurc, and tcndcrncss i ntlc
samc cakc` Stumpcd, I rcconsid
crcd a mcthod I had prcvious|y
dismisscdri//cnin, a proccss
o| whippingcggswithsugarunti|
thcydoub|cinvo|umc,tlcnadd
ing tlc buttcr, dry ingrcdicnts,
andmi|k.Jhctcrmrc|crstothc
ri bbon |ikc strands that |orm
, bctwccnthcwhiskandthcbat
tcr) whcn thc cggs and sugar
TH OROUG H LY MOD E RN
Modern chocol ate cakes, l i ke thi s one,
are ri ch, dense. and squat and often
covered with a truffl e- l i ke frosting.
tI IR C II b ii i' R I L 2 0 0 6
2 1
U NABAS H E D LY OLD- FAS HI ONE I
Ol d- style chocol ate layer cakes. lile Uf
stand much tal l er and are crowned by sof1
bi l l ow frosti ng.
S E CRETS TO OLD - FAS HI ONE D C HOC OLATE LAYE R CAKE
Some of the steps i n our chocolate cake reci pe may seem unconventi onal , but we thi nk the moist, chocol at resul ts are worth bucki ng trdi ti on.
Make Chocol ate ' Puddi ng' Ri bbon Eggs and Sugar Tenderi ze wi th Butter Al ternate Dry and Wet I ngredi ents
Addi ng the dry and wet i ngredi ents i n
s mal l batches hel ps to devel op a more
consi stent crumb.
Mixing chocol ate, cocoa, water, and sugar
i nto a "puddi ng" in a doubl e boi l er boosts
the chocolate favor and adds moisture.
Whi ppi ng egs and sugar on high speed
unti l they form "ri bbons" (thi n strnds of
batter) adds vol ume and fufi ness.
Addi ng soft butter to the batter makes
for a tender cake.
again through thc stack o|o| d choco|atc cakc
rccipcs. A|thoughsomc ca||cd|or simp|ymc|ting
thcunswcctcncdchoco|atcandmixingitintothc
battcr,Icamcacrossa|cwrc|crcnccstochoco|atc
pudding" orcustard. "Jhiswasn'tpuddingor
custardinthcc|assicscnsc, choco|atc,mi|k,cggs,
sugar, cornstarch) but a simp|cr concoction o|
choco|atc,watcr,andsugar. Irobab|ytakcnupto
kccp thc choco|atc hom burning, thistcchniquc
waspopu|ar in thc car|y I OOs. I |ound rccipcs
using this tcchniquc in Te Settlement Cookbook
, IOI )-nc o| thc most important Amcrican
cookbookso|its cra-and in thc hrst cdition o|
the ]oy ofCooking ( 1 93 l ) . A|thoughI cou|dhnd
few modern rc|crcnccs to this mcthod, I was
rcmindcdo|thcsupcrmarkctcakcmixcsuscdby
my mothcr. Jhcy a|so had inc|udcd powdcrcd
pudding"|orcxtramoisturc. I' da|waysassumcd
this was j ust a gimmick, but maybc thcsc cakc
mixmakcrswcrc ontosomcthing.
Jotcstthisthcory, I madcanothcrcakcusing
my working rccipc, this timc mc|ting unswcct
cncd choco|atc and cocoapowdcr in hotwatcr
ovcra doub|c boi|cr, thcnstirringi nsugar unti|
it disso|vcd. What camc |rom thc ovcn was thc
moistcst choco|atc cakc yct, with a pronounccd
yctsubt|cchoco|atcHavorandarichbrownco|or.
It was g|orious|y ta| | , and thc crumb was opcn
andspongyycta|sotcndcrandmoist. Hcrcwas
thccakcI hadbccnscarching|or'
Frosti ng Matters
I wantcd asilky, vo|uminous |rostingwith good
choco|atc Havorto pair upwith mytcndcr, wc||
structurcd cakc. I imagincd thc hnishcd cakc
sitting on a cakc stand on thc countcr o| an
o|d-timc dincr,barc|yhttingundcritshigh g|ass
domc. Irostings |a| | into thrcc basic catcgorics.
mcringuc, buttcrcrcam, and ganachc. Mcringuc
and buttcrcrcam casi|y producc a |rosting with
grcatvo|umc, butthccmphasisisncvcrrca||y on
thcchoco|atc. I |oundthatthcbcatcncggwhitcs
andsugarina mcringuc |rosting andthc pound
o|buttcri nmostbuttcrcrcamsovcrwhc|mcdthc
choco|atcHavor.Canachcisa||aboutchoco|atc-
it can bc as simp|c as hcatcd crcam pourcd ovcr
choppcd swcctcncd choco|atc-but its tcxturc is
usua||yquitcdcnsc. Cou|dI makcaganachcthat
wassonandbi||owy`
My h rst thoughtwas to whip buttcr into thc
ganachc oncc it had coo|cd. Jhc |rosting |cn a
nicctrai| o|pcaksbchindaspatu|a, but itwasn' t
assi|kyandg|ossyasI wantcd-andithadatcn
dcncytobrcakintoac|umpymcss. As thc |rost
ingsct,itbccamctoohard,|ormingahc|mct-|ikc
shc|| around my cakc. Adding somc corn syrup
and sugar madc thc |rosting morc p|iab|c and
shiny, butthccmu|sionwassti||brcaking. Acra
wccko|cxpcrimcntingwithvarioustcmpcraturcs,
timcs,andingrcdicnts,thcso|utionturncdoutto
bca simp|crcvcrsa| o|thc convcntiona| ganachc
proccdurc. I pourcd co| d , rathcr than hcatcd)
crcam into warm mc|tcd , rathcr than room
tcmpcraturc) choco|atc,waitcduntilthcmixturc
rcachcdroomtcmpcraturc,thcnwhippcditunti|
u|[. Succcss ' My choco|atc |rosting was now
crcamy,bi||owy, and-mostimportant-stab|c.
s c 1 E N c E : The ' Pudding' Makes It Perect
Unsweetened chocol ate contai ns cocoa sol i ds and cocoa butter, whi l e
cocoa powder contai ns mostly sol i ds. We found that a combi nati on of
mel ted unsweetened chocol ate and cocoa powder produced a cake with
the best chocol ate flavor. But the way we combi ned them proved key to
our reci pe' s success.
Some reci pes add the cocoa powder wi th the four and other dr
i ngredi ents, but we found that thi s produced a cake with fai rly weak
chocol ate favor. After much trial and error, we di scovered that cooki ng a
mixture of mel ted unsweetened chocol ate, cocoa powder, hot water, and
sugar-what many ol der cookbooks cal l a chocol ate "puddi ng" -i mproved
the cake' s flavor consi derably.
At l east one aspect of thi s phenomenon we had seen before. Whi l e devel
opi ng other chocol ate dessert reci pes, we' ve found that addi ng hot water to
cocoa sol i ds before i ncorporti ng them i nto the reci pe causes a " bl oomi ng"
efect, enhanci ng the chocolate favor i n the fi nal di sh. Here, too, when the
unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder were combi ned wi th hot water,
they formed an emul si on-ti ny dropl ets of cocoa sol i ds and cocoa butter
di spered in water. The resul t? A noticeably more chocol at cake.
When we took the addi ti onal step of addi ng 11 cup of sugar to the
mi x, however, the fl avor enhancement was even more dramati c. What was
goi ng on? Research reveal ed that sugar' s strong afi ni t for water was key. A
soon as we di ssol ved the sugar in the puddi ng mixture, the sugar mol ecul es
bonded ti ghtl y wi th the water mol ecul es, l eavi ng the favorful cocoa sol i ds
free to di ssol ve i n the cocoa butter (the fat) -a better medi um than water
for conveyi ng chocol ate flavor. ( Chocol ate flavor mol ecul es are more
sol ubl e in fat than in water. ) Ski p the puddi ng step and you' l l have a cake
that' s di mi ni shed i n chocolate favor. -D. P.
L | \ | 5 I L L U S T R A T E D
2 2
ADD WATE R
Bl oomi ng chocolate and cocoa
powder i n hot water gave us a cake
with decent chocol ate flavor.
PmI w
Pnc
MwQYO
STI R I N S U GAR
Addi ng sugar t o the mi x created a
chocol ate "puddi ng, " resul ti ng in even
greater chocol ate flavor.
My cakc was all that I had imagi ncd. Jhc
moist,tcndcr,andairycakclaycrswcrcpcr|cctly
balanccdbythc |ightyct crcamy|rosti ng. Whi|c
thiscakccan'trca||yturnagrownmanintoan8
ycaroldkidagain, itmightcomcc|osc.
OLD- FAS HI ONE D CHOCOLATE LAYE R CAKE
SERVES I O TO 1 2
For bcst rcsu|ts, don't makc thc |rosting unti|
thccakcsarccoolcd,anduscthc|rostingassoon
as it is rcady. I|thc hosting gcts too cold and
sti||to sprcad casily, wrapthc mixcrbowlwith a
towc| soakcdinhotwatcr and mix onlow spccd
unti| thc |rosting appcars crcamy and smooth.
Rchigcratcdlcnovcrcakcshouldsitatroom tcm
pcraturc bc|orcscrvingunti|thc|rostingsoncns.
Cake
1 2 tabl espoons ( I 1 1 sti cks) unsal ted butter, very
soft, pl us extra for greasi ng pans
l l/4 cups (8% ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose
fl our, pl us extra for dusti ng pans
4 ounces unsweetened chocol ate, coarsely
chopped
1/4 cup (% ounce) Dutch- processed cocoa powder
11 cup hot water
1 % cups ( 1 2 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 11 teaspoons baking soda
teaspoon tabl e sal t
cup buttermi l k
2 teaspoons vani l l a extract
4 large eggs, pl us 2 l arge egg yol ks
Frosting
1 6 ounces semi sweet chocol ate, fi nely chopped
8 tabl espoons ( I sti ck) unsal ted butter
11 cup sugar
2 tabl espoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons vani l l a extract
1/4 teaspoon tabl e sal t
I 1/4 cups col d heavy cream
1 . FOR THE CA: Adjustovcnracktomiddlc
position,hcatovcnto35Odcgrccs. Crcasctvo
inchroundby2inchhighcakcpanswithsoncncd
buttcr,dustpanswithourandknockoutcxccss.
Combincchocolatc,cocoapowdcr, and hotwatcr
inmcdiumhcatproo|bowl,sctbowlovcrsauccpan
containing1 incho|simmcringwatcrandstirwitl
rubbcr spatu|a until chocolatc is mc|tcd, about
2 minutcs. Addl2 cupsugartochoco|atcmixturc
and stir unti| thick and g|ossy, 1 to 2 minutcs.
Rcmovcbowlhomhcatandsctasidctocoo| .
2. Whisk Nour, bakingsoda,andsaltinmcdium
bowl . Combinc buttcrmilk and vanil|a i n sma||
bow| . Inbow|o|standingmixcrhttcdwithwhisk
attachmcnt,whiskcggsandyolksonmcdiumlow
spccd unti| combincd, about I O scconds . Add
rcmaining 1 1/4 cupssugar,incrcascspccdto high,
andwhiskuntilNu|[andlightcncdincolor, 2 to
3minutcs. Rcp|accwhiskwithpadd|cattachmcnt.
Addcoolcdchocolatcmixturctocgg/sugarmix
nrc and mix onmcdiumspccdunti| thorough|y
incorporatcd,3Oto45 scconds,pausingtoscrapc
downsidcso|bowlwitlrubbcrspatulaasnccdcd.
Add soncncd buttcr onc tablcspoon at a timc,
mixingabout IOsccondsancrcachaddition. Add
about oncthirdo|tlourmixturc|o||owcdbyhal|
o|buttcrmilkmixturc, mixingunti| incorporatcd
ancr cach addition , about I 5 scconds ) . Rcpcat
using ha||o|rcmainingNour mixnrc and al o|
rcmaining buttcrmilkmixnrc , battcrmayappcar
scparatcd) . Scrapc down sidcs o|bow| and add
rcmaining Hour mixturc, mix at mcdi um low
spccduntilbattcristhorough|ycombincd,about
I 5 scconds. Rcmovc bowl |rom mixcr and |o|d
battcronccortwiccwit|rubbcrspatu|atoincor
poratc any rcmaining t|our. Dividc battcr cvcnly
bctwccn prcparcd cakc pans, smooth battcr to
cdgcso|panwithspatu|a.
3. Bakc cakcs unti l toothpick i nscrtcd into
ccntcrcomcsoutwitla|cwcrumbsattachcd,25
to 3O minutcs. Coo| cakcs in pans I 5 minutcs,
thcninvcrtontowircrack. Coo| cakcs to room
tcmpcratuc bc|orc|rosting,45to6Ominutcs.
4. TO M FROSTING: Mc| t choco|atc in
hcatproo|bowl sct ovcr sauccpan containing 1
incho|barc|ysimmcringwatcr, stirringoccasion
allyuntilsmootl .Rcmovc|romhcatandsctasidc.
Mcanwhi|c, hcat buttcr in sma|l sauccpan ovcr
mcdiumlow hcat until mcltcd. Incrcasc hcat to
mcdium, add sugar, corn syrup, vani||a, and salt
andstirwit|hcatproo|rubbcrspatu|aunti|sugar
Thermometer Watch : Getting the Frosting j ust Right
The frostings bel ow were made with exactly the same i ngredi ents. The only diference was how soon the mixture was
removed from the ice bath and whi pped. Here are the resul ti ng frosti ngs when whi pped at three di ferent tempertures.
STI LL TOO WARM
At 75 degrees, the frosting won' t set
up properly once whi pped.
J U ST RI G HT
At 70 degrees, the frosting whi ps up
to a bi l lowy, creamy consi stency.
TOO COO L
At 6 5 degrees, the mi xture has cool ed
too much and sei zes once whi pped.
,\\ A R C I I c A P R I I. 2 0 0 6
2 3
is dissolvcd,4 to 5 minutcs. Add mc|tcd choco
latc, buttcr mixturc, and crcam to c|can bowlo|
standingmixcrand stirtothoroughlycombinc.
5. I|accmixcrbow|ovcriccbauandstirmixturc
constantlywithrubbcrspatu|aunti|hostingisthick
andj ustbcginningtohardcnagainstsidcso|bowl,
1 to 2 minutcs , |rosting should bc 7O dcgrccs) .
Ilacc bowl onstanding mixcr httcd with padd|c
attachmcntand bcat onmcdiumhighspccd until
hostingislightandNu|[, 1 to2 minutcs. Stirwith
rubbcrspatu|auntilcomp|ctclysmooth.
6. TO FROST CA: I|acc onc cakc laycr on
scrving p|attcr or cardboard round. Sprcad 1 l
cups|rostingcvcn|yacrosstopo | cakcwithspat
ula. I|acc sccond cakc l aycrontop, thcn sprcad
rcmaining |rosting cvcn|y ovcr top and sidcs o|
cakc. Cut into s|iccsandscrvc.
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
Revolving Cake Stands
Frosting a layer cake is no eas task. Ai de from a
deft hand, the pros use a turntabl e-stle cake stand.
These stands el evate the cake, givi ng the baker a bet
ter view and maki ng i t possi bl e to hol d the spatula
steady whi l e rotating the stand-i mprovi ng the l i ke
l i hood of seaml ess frosti ng. We tested five model s,
l i sted bel ow i n order of preference. The ul ti mate
stand (made by Ate co) consi sts of a metal tabl e over
an enamel ed cast- i ron base. It costs $62. 99-too
much for the occasi onal bi rthday cake. A plastic
versi on of the same stand i s $4 3 cheaper and makes
cake decorti ng j ust as easy. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmith
TH E U LTI MATE
ATECO Professi onal
l ci ngTurntabl e ( $62. 99)
Thi s metal stand i s the
best choi ce for pros.
BE ST BUY
ATECO Revolvi ng
Cake Stand ( $ 1 9. 95 )
Pl asti c-but i t does the j ob
at a reasonabl e pri ce.
F LI MSY
WI LTON Revol vi ng
Cake Stand ( $ I I . 99)
Si mi l ar t o our best buy but
not as sturdy.
G I MMI CKY
WI LTON Ti l ti ng Cake
Turntabl e ( $ 5 9 . 99)
Fi ne, but the ti l ti ng feature
i s si l ly-and i t' s pri cey.
TOO S HORT
WI LTON Tri m ' N Turn
Cake Stand ( $ 7. 99)
Thi s nearly flat stand i s
total ly i mpracti cal .
Easy Multigrain Sandwich Bread
Some mu l ti grai n bread i s better su i ted to proppi ng open a door than maki ng a sandwi ch .
We wanted a l i ght but fl avorfu l l oaf-and we d i d n' t want to spen d al l day maki ng i t.
W
hc n i t comcs t o mu| ti
grainbrcaJ,thcrcarctwo
Jistinct sty| cs. thc rustic
|rcc |orm |oa| |ounJ in
artisan bakcrics anJ your basic sanJwich
|oat Whi|cthchcarty, rustic|oavcssporta
tHick,crunchycrustanJaHavorm|,chcwy
intcrior, rc crcating this vcrsion at Homc
rcquircs |ots o|timc , |or an ovcrnight
spongc ) anJ spcc|a| cquipmcnt , a supcr
Hotovcn, abakingstonc,anJsoon) .
SanJwicH sty|cmu|tigrainbrcaJ,onthc
otHcrHanJ, rcquircs on|ya|oa|pananJa
moJcst amounto|cttort. Jhc prob|cm is
tHat thc Hcarty, mu|tigrain tlavor is usu
a||ysacrihccJ |or tHc|ight,tcnJcrtcxturc
tHat iswc|| suitcJto sanJwichcs,anJyou
cnJ up with a|| u|| anJ no substancc.
LvcntHcsma||amountotc||ortncccssary
tomakc tHis |oa|shou|J yic|J somcthing
tasticrthanprcs|iccJsupcrmarkctbrcaJ.
:: B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
I thught hrst to switch out a||purposc
Hour , protcin contcnt o| I O to I 2 pcr
ccnt)|orbrcaJHour,I 2pcrccntormorc) .
But this on|y maJc t hc brcaJ chcwicr,
not|css Jcnsc. Ncxt I tricJ rcJucing thc
who|c whcat Hour to ha||o|thc amount
ota|| purposc, any |css mcant sacrih cing
Havor.,Whi|cwho|cwhcatHourhasahigh
protcin contcnt-about I4 pcrccntits
Jcnsity, |ikc its bran Hakcs, can impcJc
g|utcnJcvc|opmcnt . ) 1hisstcpJiJa||cvi
atc somc o|thc Jcnscncss, but thc brcaJ
sti|| |c|t hcavy anJ Jry. I aJJcJ mc|tcJ
buttcr, which |ubricatcJ anJ tcnJcrizcJ
mc Jough, but itJiJn' tcrcatc morc |in.
I wcntso |ar as to addvi ta whet glutcn
, maJcbystrippingawaymostcomponcnts
o|Hour,|caving bchinJawhopping75 to
8O pcrccntpurcprotcin) . At |ast, I s|iccJ
intoawc|| riscn|oa|witha|ight,|cathcry
crumb,butthcwhcatg|utcn|cnbchinJa
bittcrancrtastc.IrustratcJ, I movcJonto
kneading in hopcsothnJingaso|ution.
Worki ng It Out
A|tcr Ji ggi ng tHrough cookbooks
gac morc toward thc brcad hobbyist
than thc casua| cook, I tounJ a tcw rcci
pcstHathc|Jpromisc . LcngthyingrcJicnt
|ists,whicHinc|uJcJobscurcgrains,ca||cJ
torancxcursiontothcnatura|tooJsstorc,
but tHc tcchniqucs wcrc straighttorwarJ
cnougH. Ln|ortunatc|y, thcsc Joughs-
|u| | o| Hcavy grai ns anJ who| c grain
ll oursbakcJ into poor|y riscn |oavcs,
Some mul ti grai n l oaves are fl uffy but flavorl ess, whi l e others are del i ci ous
but dense. We wanted the best of both worl ds.
Whi|cthcpuristmoJco|somcmu|tigrain
rccipcs rcquircs kncaJing thc Jough by
hanJ, I wantcJ to avoiJ a m|| workout.
I pu||cJ out my trusty stanJing mixcr
JcnscanJHcavyasbricks. IwantcJa|ightcr|oa|,
tcnJcrcnough|orasanJwichyctwith thc swcct,
nutty,comp|cxHavorotbakcrybrcaJ.
Loaves' Lbors Lost
We wanted a mul tigrai n bread with great flavor and a l ight,
fl uf texture. Few of the reci pes we found came through on
both counts. Here are two of the ofenders.
LI KE A BRI CK
Great flavor, but a l aund
l i st of ingredi ents weighs
the loaf down i nto a dense,
bri ck- l i ke sol i d.
LI KE WH I TE BREAD
Fl uf sandwi ch-style
texture. but so l i ttl e grai n
i t' s al most l i ke pl ai n ol d
whi te bread.
Gl uten for Puni shment
Isinginstantycast |or a quickrisc, I startcJwith
ourbasicwHo|cwhcatsanJwichbrcaJrccipc,ca||
ingtor 6 cups o| our , rough|yha||who|cwhcat
anJ halta|| purposc) , 2| cups o|watcr, V4 cup o|
honcy,anJatab|cspoono|salt. Ircp|accJsomco|
thcHourwithagcncrouscupo|mixcJgrains , I' J
workoutthcprccisccomponcnts|atcr) . Jhcrcsu|t
wasoncJcnscanJhcavy |oal Itwasobviousthat
thc aJJcJ grainswcrc thcprob|cm. I kncwthat
thc sharp t|akcs o|bran in who|c whcat Hour
can acnta||y s|icc through anJ wcakcn thc
matrixo|g|utcn-aprotcinmaJcwhcn our
anJ watcr arc mixcJtHat givcs a|| brcaJs
thcir strcngth anJ structurc. Apparcntly, thc
roughcJgcJgrainswcrchavingthcsamcctIcct.
THatp|us thciraJJcJwcight wcrc impcJingthc
Jcvc|opmcntotg|utcn. Jogctthc|ighttcxturc I
was ancr, t|c brcaJ nccJcJmorcg|utcn.
Bccauscthcprotcincontcnto|anyHourisan
inJicator othow much g|utcn it wi|| proJucc,
C | | |
I L L U S T R A T E D
2 4
anJ mixcJ thc Jough on mcJiumhigh
spccJi nanc||orttokick- startthcg|utcn
Jcvc|opmcnt, g|utcn, oncchyJratcJ, isstrctchcJ
anJstrcngthcncJviamcchanica|action) . Butthc
tcxturc was crumb|y. I tricJ|owcringthc mixcr
spccJ anJ cxpcrimcnting with timing. Atcr
thrccminutcso|mixing,thcbrcaJharJ|yroscin
thcpans,ancrhvcminutcs,thc|oavcshaJbcttcr
hcight. I kcpt mixing unti| thc Jough bccamc
vcryc|asticanJbounccJbackwhcnI pokcJit,a
tota| otabout I O minutcs. JhisJough rosc wc||
anJ sportcJ a mcJiumho|cJ, a|bcit sti|| crum
b|y, tcxturc.
Ncxt, I ran through thc gamut o|traJition
brcaJmixing tcchniqucs to scc i| any provcJ
hc|pm| . Somcrccipcs ca||torpunchingJownthc
Jough ancrthc h rst risc, a stcp that rcJistributcs
thc sugars , brokcnJown starchcs) dat |ccJ thc
ycastanJgctitworkingmorcrapiJ|y.ButspccJing
up thcycast action scrvcJ on|ytogivcthc brcaJ
a boozy Havor , a|coho| is a byproJuct o|ycast
mctabo|ism) . I thcnJcciJcJto tryanauto|ysc,a
Z
L
-
.
<
L
>
l
s H o p p 1 N G . A Pckage Deal
whcatbut s omc olthc grai ns
rcmai ncd distracting|y hard and
crunchy,cvcnancrbaki ng. I tricJ
soaking thcm lor up to 24 hours
bclorc mi xi ng t hcm i nt o t hc
Scavengi ng for different grai ns (l eft) can be an i nvi gorati ng chal l enge,
dough, butthcysccmcdimpcrvi
ous to room tcmpcraturc watcr.
Bccausc thcsc grai ns wcrc mcant
tomakcahotccrca| , I tricdcook
i ngthcm pcrthcpackagcinstruc
tions,a||owi ngthcmixturctocoo|
bclorcaddingmyycast, ours,and
sa| t. Butthisdoughwassoupyand
wct,rcquiringastart|i ng2 cupsol
additi ona| tlour bclorc it bccamc
managcab|c .
but i t al so eats up preci ous ti me. We prefer the ease of one- stop
shoppi ng: One bag of hot cereal mi x (ri ght) has seven grai ns.
rcstingpcrioJj ustancrthcinitia|mixingolwatcr
anJourthatgivcsthc ourtimctohydratc.Jhis
stcpprovcJvita|, rampingupthcJcvc|opmcntol
g|utcn,whichJcpcndsonwatcr) anJmakingthc
Jough|csstackyandsocasicrtoworkwithandthc
bakcd|oal|csscrumb|y.JhcbrcadnowhaJanicc
chcw,withoutbcingtough.
Agai nst the Grai n
I was rcaJytotack|c thc grai ns. Drivinga| | ovcr
town co||ccting onc obscurc grain hcrc and
anothcrthcrcwas an oncroustask. Cou|d I parc
Jownthc|istwithout|osingthcmu|tidimcnsiona|
avorproh| c`IstartcJwithbasicgrainsthatwcrc
avai|ab|c at thc supcrmarkct. cornmca| , ro||cd
oats,and rycour. Butthis abridgcdgrain mix
turc produccd a|oalthatwasmorcola muddy
tastingrycthanaswcct,carthymu|tigrainbrcad.
I rcturncJto thc supcrmarkct in scarch olothcr
options.AsI scanncdthcshc|vcsolstcc|cutoats
anJ Crcam olWhcat in thc hot ccrca| scction,
mycycs lc||upon a packagc ol7grain ccrca| , a
hanJymixturcolgrounJwho|cgrains,inc|uding
thchardtohnJvarictics. I quicklysnatchcdupa
packagc andhcadcd back to thc kitchcnto scc il
itcou|ddc|ivcrHavoraswc||asconvcnicncc.
Surccnough,thccomp|cxitywasthcrc-lrom
thc nutty ax sccJ to thc tangy ryc anJ swcct
Not discouragcd, I tricd usi ng
on|ythcamountolwatcra|rcadyca| | cdlorinmy
brcaJrcci pc, bringing it to a boi|, and pouring
it ovcr thc grai ns. ncc coo|cd, this thick por
ridgc produccJa doughwith thc rightmoisturc
contcntand a bakcd |oalwith grainsthat addcd
i ntcrcsti ng tcxtura| contrast wi thout cracki ng
anytccth.
Now thc on|y thing missing lrom my brcad
was thc wc| comc , gcnt| c) crunch olsccds. I
tricdpoppy and scsamc, but thcywcrc too sma||
andgot|osti nthc mixolgrai ns. Sun owcrand
pumpkin sccds wcrc bcttcr ab|c to distinguish
thcmsc|vcs lrom thc crowd and addcd a nutty
richncss as wc|| . Last, I ro||cd thc shapcd |oavcs
in oats to givc thcm a nni shcd, prolcssi ona|
| ook. Whi|cmytastcrshadundoubtcd|ysullcrcd
throughp|cntyolbarc|ycdib|c|oavcs, i nthccnd
thcycou|dhard|ybc|icvcthatthconcsthcywcrc
cating hadn'tbccn smugg|cd i nlromthc bakcry
downthc strcct. Notbad lorj ust a lcw hours in
thckitchcn.
MU LTI G RAI N BREAD
MAKES TWO 9 BY S INCH LOAVES
Don' tconn|sc7 grain hotccrca| mixwithboxcd,
co|d brcaklast ccrca|s that may a|so bc |abc|cd
7 grai n. "Ourlavoritcbrandsol7grainmixarc
STEP - BY- STEP I GETTING T HE LOAF INTO S HAPE
I . With short si de faci ng you , start- 2. To seal l oaf, pi nch seam gently 3. Rol l each dough log in oats to
ing at farthest end, rol l dough pi ece with thumb and forefi nger. Spray coat evenly. Pl ace l oaf seam-si de
i nto l og. Keep rol l taut by tucki ng i t loaves l ightly wi th water or nonsti ck down i n greased loaf pan , pressi ng
under i tsel f as you go. cooki ng spray. gently i nto comers.
M ,\ R L I I c A I ' R I l 2 0 0 6
2 5
Bob' s Rcd Mi|| and Arrowhcad Mi||s. Lcnovcr
brcad can bc wrappcJ in a doub|c |aycrolp|ast|c
wrap anJ storcJ at room tcmpcraturc tor3 Jays,
wrapwithanadJitiona||aycrola|uminumloi|anJ
thc brcad canbc lrozcnloruptooncmonth.
6 '1 ounces ( 1 11 cups) 7-grai n hot cereal mi x
(see note above)
20 ounces ( 2 11 cups) boi l i ng water
1 5 ounces ( 3 cups) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our,
pl us extra for dusti ng work surface
7 11 ounces ( 1 11 cups) whol e wheat fl our
4 tabl espoons honey
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, mel ted and
cool ed sl ightl y
2 11 teaspoons i nstant yeast
tabl espoon tabl e sal t
31 cup unsal ted pumpki n or sunfl ower seeds
11 cup ol d- fashi oned rol l ed oats or qui ck oats
l . P|acc ccrca| mix in bow| olstanding m|xcr
anJpourboi | i ngwatcrovcrit, |ctstand,stirri ng
occasiona| |y, unti| mixturc coo|s to I OO dcgrccs
and rcscmb| cs thi ck porri dgc, about l hour.
Whisk oursinmcdiumbow| .
2. Onccgrain mixturc has coo|cd,add Honc\,
mc| tcd buttcr, and ycast and stir to combi nc .
Attachbow| tostandi ngmixcrn ttcdwitH dough
hook. With mixcr runni ng on | ow spccJ, add
Lours, l cup at a ti mc, and kncad unti| dough
trms ba|| , 1 12 to 2 minutcs, covcr bow| w|th
p|astic and |ct dough rcst 2O minutcs. Add sa|t
and kncad on mcJium |ow spccd unti| dough
c| carssidcsolbow|,3 to4 mi nutcs,ilitdocsnot
c| car si dcs, add 2 to 3 tab|cspoons adJ|t|ona|
a||purposc n ourandcontinucmixing) , continuc
tokncaddoughlor5morcm|nutcs. Addsccdsand
kncadtoranothcr I 5 scconds. 1ranslcrdoughto
ourcdworksurlaccandkncadbyhandunti|sccJs
arc dispcrscd cvcn|y and dough lorms smootH,
taut ba|| . P|accdoughintogrcascdcontaincrw|tH
4 quartcapacity,covcrwithp|asticwrapanJa||ow
toriscunti|doub|cd,45to6Ominutcs.
3. Adj ust ovcn rack to midd|c position, hcat
ovcn to 375 dcgrccs. Spray two by 5inch |oal
panswithnonstickcookingspray.1ranslcrdough
to|i ght|yLourcdworksurlacc andpat| nto 1 2
by i nchrcctang| c, cutdoughi nha|lcrossw|sc
with kni lc orbcnch scrapcr. Fo||owi||ustrations
l through 3 at |cn to shapc |oavcs and coatw|th
oats, covcr |ight|y with p|astic wrap and |ct r|sc
unti| a|most doub|cd i n sizc, 3O to 4O m|nutcs.
, Dough shou| J barc|y spring backwhcn pokcJ
withk+uck|c. ) Bakcunti|i ntcrna|tcmpcraturcrcg
istcrs 2OO dcgrccs on instantrcad thcrmomctcr,
35 to4O minutcs. Rcmovc |oavcs lrom pans and
coo|onwircrackbclorc s|icing, about3hours.
Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code 3068 for the resul ts of
our Loaf Pan Tests.
Thi s i nformati on i s avai l abl e unti l
September I. 2006.
Beefing Up Beef Broth
Several years ago, we al l but ban i s hed beef broth from th e test ki tchen' s pan try.
I s i t ti me to l i ft th e embargo?
3 B Y T H E C O O K ' S I L L U S T R A T E D T E S T K I T C H E N ,
D
cctbrothoccupicsauniqucp|accinthc
historyotCook)s tastings,andit'shard|y
ahappyonc.Wcnwcsurvcycdthchc|d
in I8, tastcrs tound cvcry brand so
drcadm| that wc a|| but banishcd supcrmarkct
bcctbroth trom thc tcst kitchcn. Browsc thc
magazinc's archivcs, i n tact, and you'|| turn up
on|yahandm|otrccipcs that ca|| tor thc stutt-
andcvcnthcnit'stcmpcrcdwithchickcnbrothi n
cqua|amounts, ormorc) .
Was i t rca||y that bad` In a word, ycs . Jhc
prob|cmboi|cddowntoanappa||ing| ackotbcct
avor. Lots otsa|t, p|cnty otvcgcta| avors, a
tcwmcta||icott notcsbuthard|yanythingthat
said bcctbcyond thc brownish huc. Whcn wc
|carncdthatthc I. S. DcpartmcntotAgricu|turc
rcquircson|yl partbccttocvcryI 3 5 partswatcr,
wc wcrcn't surpriscd that most products camc
up short. , Jhat trans|atcs to |css than an ouncc
otbccttor cach ga||on otwatcr. ) Whi|c com
mcrcia| chi ckcn broth, simi|ar|y, gcts by on a
pa|tryamountotpou|try,chickcn's|csssaturatcd
tat gocs much mrthcr whcn it comcs to avor
than thc samc amount otbccl In tact,whcnwc
makchomcmadcbrothi nthctcstkitchcn,wcusc
twiccas much bcctaschickcn to avorthc samc
amountot|iquid.
Sincc our origina| tasting otbcctbroths, an
imprcssivc co||cction ot ncw products has hit
thcsupcrmarkct shc|vcs, so wc dccidcd to takc
anothcr tastc. Wc wcrc cspccia||y intrigucd by
thc incrcascd avai|abi|ity otbcctbascs, " stock
conccntratcs,justaddwatcr)thatwcrconccuscd
a|most cxc|usivc|y by rcstaurants . Cou|d any ot
thcsc makc us rcconsidcr our boycott otbcct
broth`
Where' s the Beef?
Tastcrs sippcd I 3 bcct broths-scvcn | i qui d
broths and si xmadc tromconccntratcd bascs-
simp|y hcatcd and scrvcd straight up. Jhc top
cight brands movcd on to a m|| battcry ottast
ings. p|ain , again) , rcgu|ar strcngth in a simp|c
bcctsoup,andrcduccdi nana|| purposcgravy.
Jhc good ncws hrst. Somc ot thcsc broths
didn'ttastcha|t bad' Whi|cthcywcrc sti|| a tar
crytrom thc rich, hcady t|avors ota homcmadc
broth, it was c|car that commcrcia| brcws had
comc a tar piccc trom thc gustatory disastcr ot
'8. In tact,SupcriorJouch, tcchnica||y I 8' s
winncr," j ust barc|y squcakcd past this ycar' s
c| i mi nation round, hnishing in sccond to | ast
p|acc. , Mostotthcothcrrcpcatswcrcc|iminatcd
car|yon. )
Fvcn bcttcr, a tcw broths actua||y tasted |ikc
bccl Hints otmushroom, onion, othcr vcgcta
b|cs, andcvcn chickcnwcrc sti|| morc common,
buttwobrandsRcdi BascandPacihcc|icitcd
consistcnt praisc tor asscrtivc bcchncss . In thc
cnd, thosc two broths camc in hrst and sccond
p|acc , sccthcchartonpagc27) .
Intcrcsting|y, a distinct|y bcc[ avor proh|c
was morc important to tastcrs in thc gravytcsts
thanwhcnthcbrothswcrctastcdstraightup. Ior
instancc, Knorrwasthctavoritcinthcsouptast
ing,justcdgingoutPcdi BascandPacihcwithits
comp|cx,roasty", t|oughnotncccssari|ybcc[)
avorproh|c. Butonccrcduccdintoagravy,t|at
intcrcstingcomp|cxity"bccamc magnihcdinan
unp|casantway,as tastcrs comp|aincd otstrong,
out ot p| acc notcs that rangcd trom potato,
mushroom, andsoyto choco|atc andcornnuts.
Jhi sti mcaround, Knorr p|ummctcd inthcrat
ings,whi|cthcbcchcrbrandscarricdtlcday.
Taki ng Stock
So what makcs a bcttcr bcctbroth` Our hopcs
othndinga c|carpattcrnbascd onproducttypc
, that is, |iquid broths vcrsus conccntratcd bascs)
wcrc quick|y dashcd ancr thc hna| rcsu|ts wcrc
ta| | i cd. A|though Rcdi Basc, our top nni shcr
ovcra|| , wasindccdabcct basc, tlrccbascscndcd
upinthc|owcrranks,andtwoothcrstai|cdcvcn
tomakc i tpastthc c|imination round. Likcwisc,
thc |iquid broth contcndcrs cvidcnccd no dis-
ccrnib|cpattcrn.
What aboutthc prcscncc otbcctitsc|P Ioi|cd
agai n. Virtua| | y cvcry product i n thc | i ncup
inc|udcd somc torm otbcctncar thc top otthc
i ngrcdicnts |ist, andcvcrymanutacturcrwc con
tactcdwasunwi||ingtoprovidcadditiona|dctai|s .
Jo gct around this roadb|ock, wc scnt samp|cs
toanindcpcndcnt|abtobcana|yzcdtorprotcin
contcntbut to no avai | . , Jhc highcstprotcin
brand camc i n|ast p|acc ovcra| | , whi|c thc ncxt
highcstcamci nsccond. )
Irustratcd, wc canvasscd industry cxpcrts to
shcd |ightonthcbcc[/notso bcc[dividc. Jhc
conscnsus was that it wou|d bc costprohibitivc
tor broth makcrs to stray bcyond thc ISDA's
minimumbcct towatcrrati o. Civcnthatmcagcr
amount, manutacturcrs must rc|y ontlc magic
C OOK
'
s I L L U S T R A TED
2 6
otavor chcmistry to avoid a comp|ctc|y tastc
|css brcw. Wc| | , that cxp|aincd thc b|andncss ot
thc onc bcctbroth that optcd tor thc a||natura|
routc. Itwasc|iminatcdbytastcrsi nthcprc|imi
naryround. Jhc rcst otthc broths wcrc chock
m||otadditivcs.
Inour|incup,cvcrybrothcontaincdagcncr
ous amount otthc most commonadditivcsa|t.
Most containcd somc torm otsugar , inc|uding
p| ain sugar, corn syrup so| i ds, and ma|todcx
trin) . Sotar, so tami|iar. I t was whcnwc |ookcd
morc c|osc|yat thc |css tami|iar ingrcdicnts that
wc stumb|cd upon our most important c|ucs-
namc|y, hydro|yzcd vcgctab|c protcin and auto
|yzcd ycast cxtract. Many sourccs wc consu|tcd
|umpcdthcsc additivcstogcthcrsimp|yasavor
cnhanccrs, " but morc di|igcnt Jigging rcvca|cd
thatthcyworkquitcdittcrcnt|y.
Hydro|yzcdvcgctab|cprotcin, madc by a|tcr
ing soybcan, corn, orothcrvcgctab|c mo|ccu|cs
through a chcmica| rcaction, hydro|ysis) mcrc|y
adds avorcomp|cxity, sortot|ikc addingspiccs
orsa|t. Bycontrast,auto|yzcdycastcxtract, madc
by a||owing ycast cnzymcs to tccd on carcm||y
choscn sugars and protcins unti | thcy rc|casc
avor cnhancing compounds ) works | ikc MSC
, monosodium g|utamatc) . Rathcr than contrib
utc additiona| avors, ycast cxtract amp|ihcs a
vors a|rcadyprcscnt, cspccia||ysavoryandmcaty
oncs. Jhc mo|ccu|cs containcd in ycast cxtract
arc truc avorpotcntiators, "cxp|aincdourtood
scicncc consu|tant. Jhcy |itcra||y boost thc a
vorotbcctbyasmuchas2O to| d. Jhcrcisso|itt|c
rca|bcctprotcinandtatincommcrcia|broththat
thcproductjwou|dn' thavcmuchavorwithout
thcm. " Put anothcr way. By i nc| udi ng ycast
cxtracti n thc mi x, that ISDArcci pc otj ust
l partbcctto I 3 5 partswatcrcou| dtastc|ikc
2O parts bccti nstcad.
Where' s the Yeast?
Suddcn|y,thcpicccswcrcta||ingintop| acc.Aswc
scanncJ thc ingrcdicnts |ists otour bcctbroths,
wc spottcd a dchnitc pattcrn. Whi|c many ot
thc products containcd ycast cxtract, thcy dit
tcrcd markcd|y in whcrc it tc| | in thc mix. , By
| aw, ingrcdicnts must bc | i stcd i n dcsccnding
ordcrby wcight. ) Inourtop tour brands,ycast
cxtractwasp|accd sccondorthird, j ustancrbcct
or sa|t) . Moving down thc ranks, thcp|accmcnt
otycastcxtract bcganto ta| | dramatica||y-hnh,
TASTI NG SUPERMARKET BEEF BROTHS
Twent-four test kitchen staffers tasted ei ght brands of beef broth and reconsti tuted beef broth made from concentrated bases pl ai n. i n a si mpl e beef soup ( i n both cases with
the sodi um l evel s adj usted to parit) . and cooked i n a si mpl e gravy reducti on (wi th sodi um levels left as i s) . Tasters rated each sampl e for beef flavor, body, compl exi t. and
overal l l i keabi l i t. Brands are l i sted bel ow i n order of preference. Sodi um l evel s gi ven are per I -cup servi ng. based on package i nformati on.
I n a prel i mi nar round, tasters el i mi nated More Than Gourmet Gl ace de Vi and Gol d ( base) . Aromont Demi - Gi ace Beef Stock ( base) . Bear Creek Beef Base (base) ,
Campbel l ' s Beef Consomme ( l i qui d) . and Heal th Val l ey Org<i c Beef Fl avored Broth ( l i qui d) from our fi nal l i neup. I n general . tasters downgraded these brands for unpl easant
aromas and bl and, sour, wi ney. and pl astick flavors.
RECOMME NDE D
REDI - BSE Beef Base
$ 5 . 95/8 ounces (makes 2 11 gal lons)
Sodi um: 690 mg
Tasters agreed on the presence of a "deep. dark. and
heart" character i n the soup. Though many found the
gravy salt. they al so pi cked up a di sti nct beefi ness.
roasted flavor. and notes of oni on and mushroom.
PACI FI C Beef Broth
$ 2. 69/3 2 fl ui d ounces
Sodi um: 5 70 mg
I n both the soup and the gravy. tasters found "toast" or
roasted notes. though the gravy was consi dered mi l d and
i n need of extra sal t. But thi s was one of the rare prod
ucts that tasted trul y beef.
RECOMME NDE D WI TH RE S E
KNORR Beef Flavored Broth
$4. 99/30. 4 fl ui d ounces
Sodi um: 860 mg
Scored hi gher marks as a soup-whi ch tasters found
sweet. " l i ke caramel ized oni ons. " bal anced with a sl i ght
aci di t and a strong "vegetal " presence-than as a gravy.
whi ch one taster pronounced to be "wicked vegetal . " I n
the gravy. tasters found. i n addi ti on to sweetness. notes
of everthi ng from " Chex Mi x" to " BBQ potato chi ps . "
SWANSON Lower Sodi um Beef Broth
$ 1 . 1 9/ 1 4 fl ui d ounces
Sodi um: 440 mg
"Cardboard comes to mi nd." decl ared one taster. who
then j oi ned the nearly unani mous cr to "pl ease pass the
sal t. " Even the sal t-corrected soup struck numerous tast
ers as "nondescri pt" and "dul l . dul l . dul l . " At l east there
were no off-fl avors.
tHcn I 5th, thcn I Oth, thcn I 4th-and somc ot
thc brands c|iminatcd in thc hrst round | ackcd
ycastcxtracta|togcthcr.What'smorc,ourtophvc
brands inc|udcd no hydro|yzcd vcgctab|c pro
tcin,whichthccxpcrtssaidcanproduccmcta|
lic" otttastcs,aHawwc'vconcncncountcrcdi n
commcrcia| bcctbroth) . Jhc rcstotthc brands
inc|udcdmu|tip|c tormsothydro|yzcdvcgctab|c
protein-and atcwotthcmwcrctau|tcdtor, you
gucsscdit)mcta||icott notcs.
Itycast cxtract ottcrs such a c|car advantagc
NOT RE COM M E N D E D
SAVORY BSI CS Beef Flavor Stock Concentrate
$ 5 . 95/6 ounces (makes I gal l on)
Sodi um: 5 70 mg
From "pal l i d" to "pl ai n J ane. " both the gravy and the soup
were overwhel mi ngl y decri ed as too l i ght i n col or and
too mi l d i n flavor. Whi l e one detractor groaned "not
worhy of the name gravy. " many l i kened the favor to
that of chi cken broth .
ORRI NGTON Farms Gourmet Beef Soup Base and
Food Seasoni ng
$ 4. 1 7 /8 ounces (makes 2. 8 gal lons)
Sodi um: 5 70 mg
Detecti ng dri ed herbs and mushrooms. several tasters
remarked that the bl and gravy bel onged on a l di nner
or grade-school hot l unch tray. "Archetpal cafeteria
gravy, " said one panel i st. Others compl ai ned of metal l i c
and "must. stal e" aftertastes.
SUPERI OR TOUCH Better Than Boui l l on Beef Base
$4. 99/8 ounces (makes 2. 4 gal l ons)
Sodi um: 73 0 mg
Our 1 998 "wi nner" suffered i n the ran ki ngs thi s ti me
around. thanks to sti f competi ti on from the beefi er
newbi es. I n the gravy. tasters pi cked up on mushrooms.
soy. and sal t. I n the soup. most tasters coul dn' t get past
vegetal . artifi ci al . and other oflavors.
COUEGE I NN Fat Free & Lower Sodi um Beef Broth
$0. 991 1 4. 5 fl ui d ounces
Sodi um: 450 mg
Thi s gravy was characterized as bl and and "thi n" by most
tasters. several of whom al so pi cked up di sti nct artifi ci al
flavor notes. Referri ng to pl asti ck and metal l i c after
tastes. one panel i st gri ped that it "tastes l i ke the can it
came in
i n tcrms otHavor, why wou|dn' t a|| bcct broth
manutacturcrs opt to i nc| udc i t i n thc mi x`
Quitc simp|y. cost. Ycast cxtracts arc tar morc
cxpcnsivc than hydro|yzcd vcgctab|c protcins,
i n|argcpartbccauscthc tcchno|ogy is so much
ncwcr. Accordingto i ndustry |itcraturc, on|yin
thc|astdccadchavctoodchcmistsbcguntopcr
tcctycastcxtract scicncc, and nowycast cxtract
shows up on thc ingrcdicnts |ists ottoods as
varicd as potato chips,sa|ad drcssing,proccsscd
sandwich mcat, and chickcn broth. A| though
i t' son|yspccu|ati on, thismay bcthcrcasonthat
bccfbroth products tastc bcttcr than thcy did
i n I 8.
Sowhich brotht ostock` Bascdonourtcsts,
just notc thc hrst tcw ingrcdicnts |istcd on thc
| abc| .Wctoundthcwinningcombinationtobc
bcctp|usaHavoramp|ihcrinthctormotycast
cxtractncar thc top otthc |ist. In our |incup,
Rcdi Basc BcctBasc and Paci fc BcctBroth
contormcd to thcsc ru|cs and, morc important,
tastcdbcsttoourpanc| .
A R C I I c 1\ P R I L 2 0 0 6
2 7
The Little Nonstick Saucepan
That Could
You can spen d $ 1 00 on a 2- quart n on sti ck saucepan -bu t sh ou l d you ?
/
thomc,mysma||sauccpansccsp|cnty
otactionmakng ricc, hcating mi|k,
mc|tingbuttcr,orwarmingup a|itt|c
soup. Itmaybctlcsma||cstpani nmy
kitchcnarscna|andtlctasksmaybcbasicbut
it's by no mcans thc | cast important . Bccausc
mostol ucsc tasks don' tinvo|vc browning, and
manyinvo|vcstickyloods) , i ntlctcstkitchcnwc
uscnonstick2quartsauccpansa|mostcxc|usivc|y.
Do pans matcost c|osc to S I OO ottcrsignih cant
pcrtormancc, stick rcsistancc, or dcsign advan-
tagcs ovcr modc|s costing a quartcr as much` I
dccampcd to thc tcst kitchcn wiu ninc 2-quart
nonsticksauccpanstohndout.
Test and Tel l
Idcsigncdmyi nitia|tcstsaroundthcsma||cr,|css
comp|icatcdjobslorwhichucscsma||sauccpans
arcsuitcd bcst, inc|udingstcaming ricc, sca|ding
crcam, and making pastry crcam , using a non
stick tiicnd|yny|onorsi|iconcwhisk) . Jhcpastry
crcam tcst i||ustratcd scvcra| dcsign dittcrcnccs
t|atscparatcdthscpansI' drcachtorcvcryday
hom thosc tlatwou|drcmainparkcdctcrna||yi n
uccabinct . Pouringhotcrcamhomasauccpani s
mcchncatcritthcpantromwhichyou' rcpouring
hascit|craspout,|ikcthcpanshomLook,Bi a|ctti ,
and Pcvcrc,oraro||cd|ip, |ikc thc Cuisinartand
Bi a|ctti . An amp|c diamctcrand s|opcd sidcwa||s
makcitcasicrtocarryoutthc constantwhiski ng
ncccssarytoprcvcntpastrycrcamlromscorching.
Diamctcrs, mcasurcdacrossthctop)rangcdlrom
justshyot7 inchcs tor thcAno|on to ncar|y'/
inchcslortlcCa|pha|on.
l nthcproccssotmakingpastrycrcamorricc,
a pan can spcnd 3O minutcs , or morc) on thc
buncr, so thcrc's a c|car advantagc to hand|cs
thatrcmaincoo|totlctouch.A|butthrccotthc
panshadhardthcrmalp|asticorSantoprcnc, son
p|asti c) hand|cs, which passcd this tcst with no
prob|cm. Fvcnuc mcta| hand|cs,whi chhcatcd
upa|arming|y at thc pointotattachmcnt, mai n
taincd a suthcicnt|y comtortab|c tcmpcraturc at
thclarcnd.Whi|cstcamingricc,Ia|sodcvc|opcd
a prclcrcncc lor transparcnt |ids, whi ch makc it
casicrtomonitorcooki ngprogrcss.
crc arc two common ways to attach a
hand|ctoasauccpanwithrivctsorscrcwsbut
, to my mind) on| y onc that works cllcctivc|y.
Si mp|yput. Rivctsarcsturdicrt|anscrcws.
: B Y A D A M R I E D E
Jhc mcans by which thc hand|c is attachcd
tothcpanconstitutcsapctpccvc tor mc . Rivcts
arca much morcso|idmcansotattachmcntthan
scrcws. Jhc Ca|pha|on, Cuisinart, Ano| on, and
Circu|on hand|cswcrc rivctcdsccurc|yi np|acc,
whi|cthcRcvcrchand|cappcarcdtobcso|dcrcd.
Jomydisp|casurc,uchand|csona||otthcoucr
pansi nourgroup,inc|udingthcpriccyS5Swiss
Di amond, S85 Look, and S7O Bcrndcs, wcrc
scrcwcdintop|acc,atactthatIhndhardtoto|cr
atconancxpcnsivcpicccotcookwarc.Worscyct,
thcLook'shand|cwas|oosctromthcgctgo.
Sl ow-and- Steady Wi ns the Race
Jo gct at pcrlormancc issucs such as tl:c cvcn
ncss and spccd othcat distri buti on, I sautccd
choppcd onions and cookcd cggs i n cach pan.
Wcight,ratlcrt|an matcria|s, whichwcrc simi|ar
i n a|| pans tcstcd) , was thc dcciding lactor. Jhc
onionswcrc|i ght|yandcvcn|yco|orcdi nthctwo
hcavicstpans,thc Ca|pha|on and thc Look, cach
otwhichwcighsc|oscto2' pounds. Incontrast,
onionsdarkcncdtastcrinsomcotuc|ightcrpans,
i nc|uding thc Bia| ctti, Circu|on, and Cuisinart,
which a|| wcigh 1 '4 poundsor |css. In thc past,
wchavconcndowngradcdhcavyski||ctstorbcing
too s|owand unwic|dy, but a hcavy sauccpan is
actua||yagoodthi ng. Fvcnuchcnicstpani nour
|incupwascasytomancuvcr,andmanysauccpan
tasks invo|vc pro|ongcd cooki ng ovcr |ow hcat,
whcrcgcnt|cncss,notspccd,isparamount.
Frcsh lrom tlc box, a|| olthc pans cxhibitcd
cxcc||cnt stick rcsistancc. ln tact, it wasn' t until
I subj cctcd tlc pans to a purposcm| abusc tcst,
dcsigncdtobringaboutthcsortotcookingmis
takc wc a|| hopc ncvcr to makc, that I noticcd
anydillcrcncci nthcstickrcsistanccolourpans .
What cvi| did I visit upon our victi ms` Caramc| .
l ncachpan, l cookcd sugar andwatcr until i t
rcachcd a dccp ambcr huc. Caramc| i s nosi n i n
andolitsc|t,butwhatIdi dncxtwas. Ij ustwa|kcd
away, |cavingthcsticky, sugary mcsscs tohardcn
ovcrnight. Ircturcdinthcmomingtolaccsolid
disks olcaramc| sct hard into thc pans, c| i ngi ng
with thctorcc olcpoxy.Jorcmovc thccaramc|,
l tricdbashingitwithawoodcnspoonandthcn
whackcd thcpanupsiJcdownagai nstthc ri m ol
a trash can with thc hopc that picccsolcaramc|
wou|d tumb|c out. l lthc caramc| hc|d last ancr
hvctrics,thcnlh||cdthcpanwithwatcr,brought
C |! |! | S | | | |l S 1 R ,\ T E |
2 8
ittoaboi|,andmc|tcdi tout.
Strict|y spcaking, I tc| t itwou| d bc untair to
counttlcrcsu|tsotthiscxtrcmc tria| in tlcchart
on pagc 2, but it ccrtain|y scparatcd tlc mcn
tromthcboys,soI uscdthisi ntormationtohc|p
brcak ti cs . In on|y two pans, thc Rcvcrc and
thcAo|on, did I havcto rcsort to boi|ing. On
thc othcr hand, thc Ca| pha| on and thc Swiss
Diamondpansdischargcduccaramc|viucasc.
In thc cnd, tlc pcrlormancc diltcrcnccs wcrc
subt|cmost ot thc pans wi|| do a hnc job ot
hcati ng up soup or maki ng ricc . Dcsi gn dit-
tcrcnccs wcrc morc si gni hcant, and thc sturdy
Ca| pha| on panwith its rivctcd hand|c, widc
di amctcr, s| opcd si dcs, and supcri or nonstick
coati ngcamcoutonto.Jhchna|tactor,ricc,
was thc most dccisivc. Jhc Ca|pha|on pan costs
just S3O, a tar cry trom thc sccondp|acc Swiss
Diamond atS5 .
Weight Wisdom
Super- heav pans heat up and respond to temper
ture changes ver slowly. Whi l e thafs a reci pe for
troubl e when it comes to ski l l ets (thi nk qui ck sau
tes) , i fs a desi rbl e tri t i n a smal l saucepan, a pi ece
of cookare that speci al izes i n sl ow-and-gentl e
tasks. I n our tests, the heavi er saucepans fared
better than thei r l ighter-weight brethren in terms
of uniform, even cooking. Te oni ons on top were
cooked in one of the l ightest pans in our l i neup;
those on the bottom were cooked i n the wi nni ng
Cal phal on, our heavi est.
LI G HT PAN : S POTTY AN D S CORCHE D
H EAVY PAN : EVE N LY COOKE D
RTI NGS
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: * RATI NG SMALL NONSTICK SAUCEPANS
We tested ni ne smal l nonsti ck saucepans (2- quart capacit, or as cl ose as we coul d
come i n a given l i ne) and evaluated them accordi ng to the criteria l i sted bel ow. When
manufacturers ofered more than one saucepan that satisfied our rubri c, we chose a
competitively priced or best-sel l i ng model . Tests were performed over gas burners on
the same rnge i n our test ki tchen . The pans are l i sted i n order of preference.
PRI CE: Prices pai d i n Boston-area stores, nati onal mai l -order catal ogs. or onl i ne stores.
MATERIAL: Materi al s from which the pan i s made.
WEI GHT: A measured i n the test kitchen, without the l i d.
DESI GN: We scal ded hal f-and- hal f i n each pan and then made pastr cream, whi ch gave
us a chance to evaluate handl e comfort and heating qual i ti es, the ease with whi ch a whi sk
can be maneuvered i n the pan, and whether the l i p of the pan coul d ai d i n pouri ng l i qui d
neatly, without spi l l s or dri bbl es. Trnsparent l i ds that al l owed us a vi ew i nsi de the pan
were preferred, as were sol i dly attached handl es.
( RECOMMENDED
OUR FAVORI TE
Cal phal on Contemporary Nonstick Short & Saucy
2 11 Quart Shal l ow Saucepan with Cover
PRI CE : $29. 99
MATERI ALS: Anodized al umi num with nonstick i nterior,
tempered glass l i d, stai nl ess steel handl e
Swiss Diamond 2. 2 Quart Covered Saucepan
PRI CE : $94. 99
MATERI ALS: Cast al umi num with nonstick i nterior, vented
tempered glass l i d, thermal pl astic handl e
Berndes SignoCast Cl assi c 2- Quart Saucepan
PRI CE : $69. 99
MATERI ALS: Cast al umi num with nonstick i nterior and
exterior, tempered glass l i d, thermal pl astic handl e
Bialeti Casa l tal i a I tal i an Col l ecti on
2 Quart Covered Saucepan
PRI CE: $24. 99
MATERI ALS : Al umi num with nonsti ck i nterior, self- drai ni ng
tempered gl ass l i d, Santoprene handl e
Circul on Total 2 Quart Covered Saucepan
PRI CE: $40. 00
MATERI ALS: Anodized al umi num with nonsti ck i nterior,
stai nless steel l i d, thermal pl astic handl e
Anol on Advanced 2 Quart Covered Saucepan
PRI CE : $60. 00
MATERI ALS: Anodized al umi num with nonstick i nterior,
tempered glass l i d, si l i cone-coated steel handl e
Cuisinar Chef's Cl assi c Non-Stick Hard
Anodized 2-Quart Saucepan
PRI CE: $29. 99
MATE RI ALS: Al umi num with anodized al umi num exterior and
nonsti ck i nterior, tempered gl ass l i d, stai nl ess steel handl e
Revere Conveni ence 2- Quart Saucepan
PRI CE: $23. 99
MATERI ALS: Stai nl ess steel with mul ti - layer base and nonsti ck
interior, stai nl ess steel and tempered gl ass l i d, thermal pl astic
handle
Look 7 - I nch 2. 5 Quart Covered Saucepan
PRI CE: $85 . 00
MATERI ALS: Al umi num with nonsti ck i nterior, tempered
glass l i d, thermal pl astic handle
PERFORMANCE: I n addi ti on to the pastr cream, we prepared l ong-grai n whi te ri ce.
whi ch we expected to be evenly cooked with no hi nt of browni ng on the bottom, and
egs. whi ch we expected to be moderately and evenly browned. I n both cases, we
expected the pan to release the food easily. Scores of good, fair, or poor were assigned
for each test, and the agregate score determi ned the overal l performance rati ng. A a
ti ebreaker, we prepared caramel in each pan, left i t to harden overni ght, and then tried to
remove the carmel wi thout boi l i ng water in the pan .
SAUT
E
SPEED: We started wi th a col d pan and sauteed
2
/, cup chopped oni ons i n
2 tabl espoons ol ive oi l over medi um heat for 1 2 mi nutes. Pans that produced soft, pal e
gol d oni ons with no burnt edges ( i ndi cati ng a medi um to medi um-sl ow saute pace)
were rated good, pans that produced oni ons that were barel y col ored and retai ned
si gni fi cant crunch ( i ndi cati ng a very sl ow saute pace) were rated fai r, and pans that pro
duced oni ons that were dark brown , cri sp, or burnt at the edges ( i ndi cati ng a fast saute
pace) were rated poor.
WE I G HT:
DE S I G N :
PE RF ORMANCE :
SAUTE S P E E D:
WE I GHT:
DE S I G N :
PE RF ORMANCE :
SAUTE S P E E D:
WE I G HT:
DE S I GN:
PE RF ORMANCE :
SAUTE S P E E D:
WE I G HT:
DE S I G N :
PE RF ORMANCE :
SAUTE S P E E D:
WE I G HT:
DE S I G N :
PE RF ORMANCE :
SAUTE S P E E D:
WE I GHT:
DE S I G N :
PERF ORMANCE :
SAUTE S P E E D:
WE I G HT:
DE S I G N :
PE RF ORMANCE :
SAUTE S P E E D:
WE I G HT:
DE S I GN:
PE RF ORMANCE :
SAUTE S P E E D:
WE I G HT:
DE S I GN:
PE RF ORMANCE :
SAUTE S P E E D:
2 1 b 1 oz
***
***
***
l i b 1 2 oz
***
***
***
I l b 1 3 oz
***
***
***
I l b 5 oz
***
**
**
I l b 1 2 oz
**
***
***
2 1 b
**
**
***
l i b 1 2 oz
***
**
*
2 1 b
***
**
**
2 1 b 5 oz
**
**
**
TESTE RS' COMMENTS: Heavy, sol i d, a n d pri ced right, thi s pan
i s a hybri d-part pl ai n saucepan and part cl assi c sauci er-just
as the name, shal l ow shape, and generous di ameter sugest.
Saute pace was a l i ttl e sl ow, though easy to control . and
caramel nearl y j umped out of the pan.
TESTE RS ' coMMENTS : Oni ons and eggs browned evenl y and
sl i pped out effortlessly, and thi s pan practi cal l y ejected the
sti ck caramel . But c' mon . . . for al most a hundred bucks,
don' t we desere a riveted handl e?
TESTE RS coM M E NTS : Fl ared si des and rounded corners
meant easy whi ski ng, and the nonsti ck fi ni sh performed wel l
i n the abuse test. Not cheap, though , and the handl e i s not
riveted.
TESTE RS ' COMMENTS : Ti s lightwei ght pan wasn' t perfect
(the oni ons overbrowned a bi t) , but given its low price, design
features (rol l ed l i p, pouri ng spout, glass l i d, wide di ameter, and
stay cool handl e) , and excel l ent performance i n the caramel
abuse test, we' re wi l l i ng to tum down the heat a l i ttl e.
TESTE RS ' COMME NTS : The stai nl ess steel l i d l acked the see
through conveni ence of gl ass, a few pi eces of oni on over
browned, and the caramel requi red a soak to come cl ean .
Deal breakers' Maybe not, but with stronger contenders i n
the l i neup, we' d l ook el sewhere.
TESTE RS c oMM ENTS : Curi ousl y, eggs cooked up a l i ttl e
dark, yet the oni ons, whi l e i mpressively even, were on the
l i ght si de. Run- of-the- mi l l nonsti ck performance was fi ne
overal l , but l acki ng i n the caramel abuse test.
TESTE RS' COM MENTS: Well desi gned, wi th riveted handl e,
rounded corners, rol l ed l i p, and cl ear l i d, but hotheaded i n
the saute department-the oni ons came cl ose to burni ng.
TESTE RS ' COMM ENTS : Ni cel y rendered with wi de, al most
8- i nch di ameter, rounded corners, and pouri ng spouts, but
perormance di dn' t match desi gn . Ri ce di d not cook evenly,
and oni ons and eggs were sl i ghtl y darker than i deal . The cara
mel cl ung for dear l ife and had to be boi l ed away.
TESTE RS ' COMM ENTS : Handl e was l oose on del ivery, and
the l i d was so i l l -fitti ng that i t fi i pped upsi de down on the pan
with even the sl i ghtest provocati on. Very slow saute pace.
M! R C I I b ! PR I L 2 0 0 6
2 9
K I T C HEN NOTES
3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
Gl aze Anatomy
Whi|c dcvc|oping thc g|azc tor our
G|azcd Iork Chops , scc pagc I ) ,
wc stumb| cd onto a n intcrcsting
discovcry. Attcr tcsti ng di ttcrcnt
swcctcncrs, i t camc down to j ust
two. brown sugar and honcy. But
whi|choncyottcrcdadistinctHavor
proh|c that most tastcrs |ikcd, its
unp|casant|y grainy tcxturc i n thc
g|azcwasnomatchtorthcsmooth,
g|ossytcxturc otthc brown sugar
g|azc. What cou|d cxp|ain honcy's
transtormation trom smooth and
Huid to rough and grainy whcn
rcduccd i n a g|azc , an cttcct not
sccnwhcnbakingwithhoncy) `
Honcyi s composcdottwoscpa
ratcsimp|csugarmo|ccu|cs,g|ucosc
and tructosc, whi|c brown sugar
, anda||granu|atcdsugarmadctrom
cancorbccts) consistsotsucrosc, a
morc comp|cx sugar in which onc
mo|ccu|c otg|ucosc bonds to onc
mo| ccu| c ottructosc . Contuscd`
Wc wcrc,too, unti|a|itt|crcscarch
rcvca| cd that i t a|| comcs down
to sizc. \n a |iquid sol ution, the
sma||cr mo|ccu|cs otg|ucosc , and,
to a | csscr cxtcnt, tructos c) tcnd
to pack togcthcr tight|y and torm
crystals, whcrcas thc| argcr, bu|kicr
sucrosc mo|ccu|cs arc |css |ikc|yto
do so. Jrans|ation. Sucrosc| adcn
brownsugaristhcbcttcrchoicctor
smooth,syrupyg|azcdchops .
LAB E L WATCH
Two remarkabl y si mi l ar cans, two
remarkabl y di fferent tastes.
Read the Fi ne Pri nt
Jhcwinningbrandot canncdwho|c
tomatocstromour2OO5tastingwas
Irogrcsso,whichbcatoutthcothcr
brandswith its hrmtcxturc,bright
acidity,andtrcshtastc .Jhoscqua|i
tics madc it thc natura| choicc tor
i nc| udi ng in our Marinara Saucc
, sccpagcI I ) ,andthcdcvc|opmcnt
proccss wcnt smooth|y. Inti| onc
day, thatis, whcn thc oncc vibrant
saucc suddcn| y bccamc mystcri
ous|y|ack|ustcr and b|and. At hrst,
wcthoughtIrogrcssowas|cttingus
TEC H NIQUE I T HE I C I NG ON THE CAKE
r A s r 1 N G . Dri ed Oregano
Dri ed oregano i s one of a handful of dri ed herbs
that we use frequently in the test ki tchen. Does
brand matter? To fi nd out, we submi tted seven
brands to a series of taste tests that i ncl uded a
qui ck tomato sauce, our Mari nara Sauce (see
page I I ) , and pl ai n cheese pi zza (the oregano
spri nkl ed ri ght on top) . But before we di d any
cooking at al l , we tasted each of them the way
herb experts do, maki ng i nfusi ons out of the
H E RBAL AG RE E M E NT
Thi s oregano tastes j ust l i ke
the others.
dri ed herb i n hot water. When our seasoned tasters sampl ed these " herbal teas, " they
expressed el oquent surpri se at the pronounced di ferences among Durkee ( "an agres
sive bi te" ) , Spi ce I sl ands ( "subtly pi ney" ) , Tone' s ( " bi ti ng" and " tanni c" ) , McConmi ck
( " fl oral , with ci trus notes" ) , and the other brands. But the commentar turned much l ess
preci se ("not bad " ) once we moved on to real food. Even i n the si mpl er appl i cati ons-for
i nstance, the qui ck tomato sauce-the nuances from brand to brand were mostly obl it
erated. Our recommendati on? Unl ess you ' re servi ng oregano tea, any brnd of dri ed
oregano i s fi ne. More i mportant i s maki ng sure your herb contai ner hasn' t been si tti ng i n
the cupboard for l onger than six months. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
down, but c|oscr inspcction otthc
cans rcvca|cd a subt|c distincti on.
Whi|c thc Irogrcsso wc origina||y
tastcd , whi ch camc out on top)
was packcd in tomato j ui cc, thcsc
ncwcr cans ot tomatocs wcrc in
tomato purcc. Iurcc , un|ikcj uicc)
is cookcd, and it usua||y givcs thc
uncookcd tomatocs packcd i n it a
sta|c tastc. Havc wc changcd our
rccommcndati on` Not at a| | . It
turnsoutthat Irogrcsso sc||s both
sty|cs, a|bcit i n rcmarkab|y simiar
cans . ]ust rcad thc h nc print and
sc|cctthctomatocspackcdi nj uicc.
On the Sheep
Whcn wc sct out to dcvc|op our
Garlic Roastcd LcgotLambrccipc
,scc pagc I 3 ) ,wc hgurcdshopping
wou|dbcthc|castotourworrics. A
|cg ot|amb is a | cg ot|amb, right`
Notsotast.
Iorstartcrs,ancntirc|cgot|amb
consists otthrcc mai n parts . Ip
ncar thc hip is thc but end , which
inc| udcs thc sir| oin, or hip mcat) ,
thc bottom part is thc shank end,
with the shnk (orank| c) atthcvcry
bottom. Iorourrccipc, wcwantcda
bonc|csscut,and thcshankcndwas
Our Ol d- Fshi oned Chocolate Layer Cake (see page 23) i s perfectly sui ted to an i nfonmal presentati on-j ust sl ather on the bi l l owy frosti ng and sere. I f you prefer a more tai l ored
l ook, here are a few tips from the test kitchen.
U
Z
>

I . To prevent unbal anced stack 2. To ensure strai ght si des, start 3. For the top of the cake, start 4. Smooth out the si des by hol d 5 . To l evel of thi s ridge and cl ean
i ng, hol d a serrated kni fe paral l el by fi l l i ng the gap between the l ay- from the center and work out- i ng the spatul a at a 90- degree up any other edges, scrape the
to the work surface and sl i ce of er. Fi ni sh wi th an even coati ng ward. Pl ace a generous dol l op angl e and runni ng i t around the spatul a across the top of the cake
the domes from the cake layers of frosti ng, usi ng a strai ght-si ded of frosting in the center, then cake' s ci rcumference, creati ng a one secti on at a ti me, cl eani ng
wi th a gentl e sawing moti on . (not an ofset) spatul a. spread i t toward the si des. ri dge beyond the top. the spatul a as you go.
L | | |
5 | | | L 5 1 H ^ 1 l l
30
Z
Z
l

~

tHccasicsttoworkwitH andyic|dcd
a|mosttHrcctimcsasmuchmcat.
But ancr rcccivingscvcra| b|ank
starcsas wc|| as an oddco||cction
oldivcrsccutsolmcatlrombutch
crs,wc rca|izcd thatournomcnc|a
turc was gctting |ost in trans|ation
attHc mcatcountcr. Somctimcswc
woundupwitHj ustthcshankitsc|l,
somctimcs a strangc, scmibonc|css
Hybrid oltHc sHank cnd and butt
cnd, rcp|ctc with cxtra j oints and
musc|cslorustonavigatc.
1o avoi d conlusi on and to
c|iminatc thc ri skolrunning into
rcgiona| dillcrcnccs in |abc|ing, wc
rccommcndlorgoingthcsHorthand
tcrmino|ogy andj ustspc||ingitout
lor your butchcr. Altcr cxtcnsivc
rcscarch, wcloundthatyoucan'tgo
wrongaskinglor awho|cbonc|css
|cgol|amb, butwithouttHcsir|oin
attachcd. " 1his approacH is wordy,
but wortH it.
And rcmcmbcr to rcqucst an
Amcri can | cg ol | amb, wHi ch i s
morc wi dc| y avai | ab| c and a| most
a|ways | argcr and | css gamy tHan
i ts Austral i an or Ncw Zca| and
countcrparts .
S CRAM BL E D L E GS
Even butchers get confused by l amb termi nol og. The meati er shank end i s better.
Ak for a whole bonel ess leg of l amb, but without the si rl oi n attached.
P > | M L . Whol e Wheat Fl our
Whi l e baki ng l oaf upon l oaf of Mul ti grai n Bread (see page 25) , we wondered how much
the brand of whol e wheat fl our mattered. To fi nd out, we brought ei ght i nto the test
kitchen to see how they baked up in bread and bi scui ts.
Al l eight of the fl ours del i vered decent baked goods: Gri nd coarseness, not brand ,
turned out to be key-and the coarser the better. Our favorites were the graham fours ,
named for 1 9th-century heal th guru Dr. Sylvester Graham (of graham crackers fame) .
The coarsest fl ours sol d in most supermarkets, graham fl ours packed the wheati est
punch. Stone-ground fl ours aren' t qui te as coarse, but they' re l ess refi ned than fours
ground with steel rol l er (the standard gri ndi ng method) and scored nearl y as wel l .
Third down on the gri ndi ng conti nuum are tradi ti onal whol e wheat fl ours (whi ch,
l i ke cl ockork, we rated thi rd- best) . The more extensi ve gri ndi ng that tradi ti onal whol e
wheat fl ours undergo yi el ds a smal l er parti cl e si ze, whi ch means that more of the fat i n
the wheat kernel gets exposed to the ai r. That, i n turn , resul ts i n more oxi dati on, whi ch
can contri bute a sl ightl y ranci d flavor to fi ni shed baked goods. (Some tasters registered
this oxi dati on as compl exi t; others detected "fai nt off- notes . " )
WHEATY P UNCH
Whole Wheat
Graham Fl our
=
TOO M I LD?
Whi te Whol e
Wheat Fl our
Fi nal ly, there' s whi te whol e
wheat fl our. Ground from whi te
wheat berri es, thi s fl our l ooks
more yel l ow than bronze and
has a mi l der flavor profi l e than
regul ar whol e wheat fl ours
( made from red wheat) . Some
tasters found the resul ti ng baked
goods to be one- di mensi onal ly
sweet. Whi l e we woul dn' t go so
far as to recommend agai nst thi s
stl e of whol e wheat fl our, i n the
test ki tchen , at l east, we' l l sti ck
to the more flavorful , coarser
vari eti es. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmith
RE C I P E UP DATE
Lemony Panna Cotta
Our reci pe for Pnna Cota Uuly/ August
2000) i s a study in si mpl i ci t-mi l k and
cream accented wi th sugar and vani l l a,
bound wi th gel ati n , then chi l l ed. Some
readers wondered if they coul d add ci trus
for a change of pace. I mmediately, we
anti ci pated probl ems: High-aci d i ngredi
ents l i ke l emon or grapefrui t j ui ce can
curdl e dai r products. I ntri gued by the
chal l enge, we added vari ous amounts of
l emon j ui ce, from 2 tabl espoons to I
cup. At I cup, the mixture was unbearbl y
grai ny as wel l as too sour. For the best tex
ture, the magi c number turned out to be
1/2 cup, but the l emon favor was too weak.
Previ ous research tol d us that l emon j ui ce
CREAMY
Aci ds can destroy dai ry
texture. The top panna cotta
has j ust '/ cup more l emon j uice
than the bottom one.
added too early i n the cooki ng process essenti al ly evaporates away. By addi ng the
l emon j ui ce after cooki ng, we maxi mized the i mpact. To round out the l emon
favor, we added some j ul i enned l emon zest, then stri ned i t before chi l l i ng.
The Di avol a I nsi de
Chi l ly weather begets numerous reader requests about how to cook outdoor
favorites i ndoors . Such i s the case wi th Chi cken al i a Diavola Uuly/August
2003) , a butteri ed chi cken dish that gets i ts "devi l i sh" i ntensi t from a fiery oi l
i nfused wi th garl i c, bl ack pepper, and red pepper fakes. The bi ggest chal l enge
woul d be to re- create the effect of the gri l l ' s hi gh heat to produce generous
charri ng. For i nspi rati on we l ooked to cl assi c "chi cken under a bri ck" reci pes, i n
whi ch the chi cken i s wei ghted to maxi mize the ski n' s contact wi th a hot ski l l et.
With some adj ustments, the method transl ated wel l . We pl aced about hal f of
the garl i c- pepper oi l under the ski n for flavor, seared the chi cken per the origi nal
reci pe, then sl i pped i t i n the oven ski n si de up. After resti ng and cari ng the
bi rd, we dri zzl ed each porti on wi th extra i nfused oi l and sered the chi cken with
l emon wedges.
Fl ak Bi scui ts wi th Fl avori ngs
Our Fl ak Biscuits Uanuary/February 2006) have pl ent of flavor on thei r own ,
but readers wondered how to i ntroduce other favors to these cri spy, layered
bi scui ts. Herbs or cheese were our first thoughts, but woul d these i ngredi ents
di sturb the fl ak layers we had so arduousl y devel oped? Eventual ly, we found that
mi xi ng 2 tabl espoons of mi nced fresh herbs (we l i ke rosemar and thyme) right
i nto the fl our and proceedi ng with the reci pe was the opti mal strateg. Addi ng
Prmesan cheese the same way di d not work as wel l . A mere 2 ounces of fi nely
grated Parmesan yi el ded short, squat layered bi scui ts rather than the tal l , striated
beauti es we were hopi ng for. After reduci ng the amount of cheese by half and
addi ng only hal f of that to the dough (spri nkl i ng the rest on the exteri or) , we
arrived at a worki ng vari ati on, wi th di sti nct layers and cheesy favor.
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a recently publ i shed reci pe, let us know. Send
your i nqui ry, name, address, and dayti me tel ephone number to Reci pe Update,
Cook' s I l l ustrated , P. 0. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA02447, or to reci peupdate@
bcpress. com.
Go to ww. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code 306 1 I for Lemon Pnna Cotta.
Key in code 3069 for Chi cken al i a Di avol a I ndoors.
Key i n code 306 1 0 for Fl ak Buttermi l k Biscuits with Prmesan.
Reci pes avai l abl e unti l September I , 2006.
l A R C I I b A P R I L 2 0 0 6
3 1
EQU I P MENT C ORNER
N EW P RO D U CT
Stovetop Cappuccino Maker
Il you' rc not wi | | i ng to dish out
hundrcds oldo||ars lor a high tcch
countcrtop csprcsso machinc, thc
S8. Bi a| ctti Mukka Fxprcss
StovctopCappuccinoMakcrmaybc
aviab|c |owcrtcchopti on. Jhctop
chambcr, which ho|ds thc brcwcd
csprcsso,a|soho|dsmi|kthatstcams
simu|tancous|y, thanks to a va|vc
that rc|cascs prcssurizcd stcam. As
thccsprcssocntcrsthctopchambcr,
it mixcs with thc mi|k whi|c loam
lorms on top. Fvcn thc tcst kitch
cn' s rcsidcnt collcc snobs had to
admit thatthcbcvcragcstastcdn nc.
Jhc downsidcs` Whi|c thc Mukka
makcsgrcatstcamcdmi|k,thcloam
itsc|tis a |itt|c tIimsythis gadgct
is bcttcr at |attcs than its namcsakc
cappuccinos. And don'ttrymaking
a sccond |attc too soon. Oncc it's
hot, thc bottom chambcr is a pain
, |itcra||y)torcmovc .
G OT M I LK
This stovetop gadget makes decent lattes,
but the cappucci nos need some work.
D O YO U REALLY N E E D TH I S ?
Creme Bruh e Set
Jhc prospcct olmovi ng custard
h|lcd ramckins into and out ola
watcr bath is cnough to discour
agcsomccooksfrommakingcrcmc
br|cc at homc. Chicago Mcta||ic's
Crcmc BrtHcc Sct , S I . 5 ) , an
8 inch squarc baking di sh with a
rackdcsigncdtoho|dlourramckins,
aims to makc thc task|css prccari
ous.A promiscd,thcrackkccpsthc
ramckins stcady, and bcing ab|c to
translcra||louratonccisawc|comc
bcncht. Whatyougaininprccision,
howcvcr,you|oscin cxibi|ity.First,
you can bakc only tour custards at
B Y G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M I T H E
a timc. Sccond, you'rc |ockcd into
using 3': - inchwidc ramckins , |ikc
thc 6 ouncc cups that comc with
this sct ) , somc crcmc brtt| cc lans
prctcrwidcr,sha||owcrramckinslor
ahighcrcrustto custardratio. Our
vcrdict` Dcpcnds on your stcadi
ncss olhand. Fithcrway, notcthat
this sct" docs notinc|udc a torch,
whichyou' | | havctobuyscparatc|y.
DO YO U RE AL LY N E E D TH I S ?
Le Creuset Doufeu Oven
Can a lcw cups ol i cc takc thc
gucsswork out olbraising` Jhat's
thc idca bchind Lc Crcusct's ova|
shapcd Doulcu ovcn, which comcs
with a rcccsscd |id mcant to bc
h||cd with icc cubcs during cook
ing. Jhc icc crcatcs condcnsation
on thc |id'sdimplcdundcrsidc that
rains back down onto thc lood.
By chcicnt|y rccyc| ing thc stcam
as a basting |iquid, you can cook
with|csswatcrorbroth,yic|dinga
strongcr Havorcdsaucc. Wc||,that's
thcthcory. I ntrigucd,wcpittcdthc
Doutcu against our tavoritc tradi
tiona|Dutchovcn , a|soLc Crcuct)
on scvcra| batchcsolbraiscd mcat.
Fvcnthough it starts ollwith |css
watcr, thc Doulcu cndcd up with
morc |iquid cvcry ti mc. Jhc mcat
was tcndcr cnough, but thc cx
tra rctai ncd |iquid madc lor thin
ncr and | css Havorlu| sauccs than
thosc cookcd in thc rcgu|ar , i cc
lrcc) Dutch ovcn. ,Apparcnt|y, thc
Doulcu docs its job too clhcicm|y. )
Wc'|| stick with thc rcgu|ar Dutch
ovcn, whicha||owsmodcratccvapo
ration lrom thc crack bctwccn thc
|idand thcpotourtricdand truc
mcthodlorconccntratingHavor.
COOL B RAI S I N G
This Le Creuset pot has room for i ce.
E Q U I P M E NT TE STI N G
Garlic Peel ers
Ki tchcnwarc storcs abound
with ncw gadgcts mcant to
makc gar|ic pcc| i ng | css
tcdious. Jhcbcstknown
A S MAS I NG
FAI L URE
5oufCCS
The fol l owi ng are mai l - order
sources for i tems recom
mended i n thi s i ssue. Prices
were current at press time
and do not i ncl ude shi ppi ng
and handl i ng. Contact com
pani es di rectl y to confi rm
pri ces and avai l abi l i t: vi si t
vww. cooksi l l ustrated . com
for updates.
maybc thc si mp| crub-
bcrtubc, whichrc|icson
hand lriction to rcmovc
thc skin olc|ovcs p|accd
insidc . Oxo has updatcd
thc rubbcr tubc, making
it |argcr and swc||ingtlc
midd|c tokccpthcc|ovcs
Chef' n Garl i c Peel er
left cl oves unpeel ed. Page I I : HAND BLENDERS
KitchenAid I mmersion
Bl ender: $49. 99, model
lrom la| | i ng out . Jhc ncw tubc
works, butnobcttcrthanthcorigi
na| . Ki tchcnZonc' s bu| b s hapcd
si|iconcpouchisanothcrattcmptto
kccpc|ovcswhcrcthcybc|ong, but
diggingthcm outolthc tinyopcn
ing was a pai n. Jhc Chcl' n Car|ic
Icc| cr , picturcd) pushcs a sing|c
c|ovcthroughsharpp|asticb|adcs"
thatarcmcanttostripthcc|ovcbut
cndups|ashingthc pcc| and spcw
ing out muti|atcd , but unpcc| cd)
gar|i c. A c|cctric vcrsion, thc A!
Gar|icIcclcr,spinsuptoam|lhcad
olc| ovcs around a ccntra| rubbcr
bu| b. A|| that spccd and lriction
lai|cd to pcc|morcthan ha|tolthc
c|ovcsanditcostsS35.
I ntlc cnd, nothingworkcd bct
tcr than thc rubbcr tubcwc |ikc
thconcbyF Z Rol, S7. )orthc
tcstkitchcn' scvcnchcapcrmcthod.
whackingthc c|ovcswith thc broad
sidcolaknilc , SO. OO) .
P RO D U CT U P DATE
Same Grill , Diferent Name
Rcadcrs havc comp| ai ncd about
comi ng up cmpty handcJ whi | c
tryi ng to purchasc thc wi nni ng
charcoal gri|| lrom our 2002 tcst
ing. Wc |ikcd thc Ncw Braunlc| s
Santc Fc Gri | | tor its spacious si zc,
casynrc tcndingacccss, handysidc
tab|cs, and movab|c charcoa| gratc
, lor varyi ng l cvc| s olhcat )not
to mcntion thc rcasonabl c pricc
, S) . Whathappcncd`]ustanamc
changc. Char Broil has takcn ovcr
thc |inc lrom Ncw Braunlc| s, but
thc Char Broi| Santc Ic Charcoa|
Gri||, sti||S) isthcsamcgri|| .
#KHB I 00, Target Stores
(w .target. com) .
Braun Mul ti qui ck Hand Bl ender:
$ 34. 95 , i tem # 1 97308, Cooking. com
(800- 663- 88 1 0, w . cooking.com) .
Braun Professi onal Mul ti qui ck Hand
Bl ender: $ 79. 95 , item # 1 973 01 ,
Cooking. com.
Page 23: CAKE SANDS
Ateco Professi onal l ci ng Tumtabl e:
$ 62. 99, i tem #80 1 7, Fante' s Kitchen
Wares Shop (800-443- 268 3 ,
w .fantes. com) .
Ateco Revol vi ng Cake Stand: $ 1 9 . 9 5,
item # 1 89 1 3 9, Cooki ng. com.
Page 2 5 : 7- GRI N HOT CEREAL
7- Grai n Cereal : $ 2 . 1 9 , item
# 1 1 8 5C25, Bob' s Red Mi l l (800- 349-
2 1 73 , ww . bobsredmi l l . com) .
Page 29: 2- QUART SAUCEPANS
Cal phal on Contemporry Nonstick
Short & Saucy 2 11 Quart Saucepan:
$ 29. 99, item # 1 99926, Cooking. com.
Swiss Di amond 2. 2 Quart Saucepan:
$94. 99, item #SD02, A Cook' s Wares
(800-9 1 5- 9788, w .cookars.com) .
Berndes Si gnoCast Classic 2 -Quar
Saucepan: $ 69. 99, i tem #B00008DGR5 ,
Amazon. com (ww .amazon.com).
Page 3 2 : CAPPUCCI NO MAKER
Bi al etti Mukka Express Cappucci no
Maker: $ 89. 99, item #9994, Fante's.
Page 3 2: CREME BRULEE SE
Chicago Metal l i c Commerci al Creme
BrOIEe Set: $ 1 9. 95 , i tem #3 94883 ,
Cooking. com.
Page 3 2: GARUC PEELER
E-Z- Rol Garl i c Peel er: $ 7. 99, item
# I 1 880, Fante' s.
Page 3 2 : CHARCOAL GRI U
Char-Broi l Sante Fe Charcoal Gri l l :
$ 99. 00, model #03 308740, Home
Depot (800-430- 3 376,
w . homedepot. com) .
C | | | : I L L U S T R ,\ T F D
3 2
REC I PES
^orcl b ^jri l 2006
Bread
Mul tigrai n Bread 2 5
Mai n Di shes
Chi cken Kiev 9
Garl i c- Roasted Leg of Lmb 1 3
Gl azed Pork Chops 1 9
wi th Asi an Fl avors 1 9
wi th German Fl avors 1 9
Mari nara Sauce I I
Pepper-Crusted Fi l et Mignon 7
Potstickers I 5
Si de Di shes
Pan- Roasted Broccol i 20
wi th Creamy Gruyere Sauce 20
wi th Lemon Browned Butter 20
wi th Spi cy Southeast Asi an
Fl avors 20
Sauces and Fl avored Butters
F OR P E P P E R - C R U ST E D
F I LET M I G N O N
Bl ue Cheese-Chi ve Butter 7
Port- Cherry Reducti on 7
F OR POTSTI C K E RS
Scal l i on Di ppi ng Sauce I S
Dessert
Ol d- Fashi oned Chocol ate
Lyer Cake 2 3
New Reci pes Avai l abl e on
w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
The fol l owing recipes
are avai l abl e free unti l
September I . 2006.
To access a reci pe. go
to ww. cooksi l l ustrated. com and enter
the code l i sted after the reci pe ti tl e.
Chi cken al i a Di avol a I ndoors 3069
Fl ak Buttermi l k Bi scui ts wi th
Parmesan 306 1 0
Lemon Panna Cotta 306 1 1
Pn- Roasted Broccol i wi th Tomatoes
and Curry 3066
Roasted Garl i c J us (for Lmb) 3065
www. cooksi l l u strated. com
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AMERI CS TES KITHEN T SHOW
J oi n the mi l l i ons of home cooks who watch
our show. America's Test Kitchen, on
publ i c tel evi si on ever week. For more
i nformati on , i ncl udi ng reci pes and a
schedul e of program ti mes in your area,
vi si t ww. ameri castestkitchen . com.
Garl i c- Roasted Leg of Lamb . | J Pan - Roasted Broccol i , Z
Mari nara Sauce, I I Pepper- Crusted Fi l et Mi gnon , 1
Gl azed Pork Chops , | V
Ol d- Fashi oned Chocol ate Layer Cake, Z J
Mul ti grai n Bread, Z b

Chi cken Ki ev, V
P HOTOG RAPHY: CARL TRE MBLAY. STYLI NG : MARI E P I RAI NO
\o r a i c h o 5
]i l l

Cook's Illustrated 079

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Cook's Illustrated 079

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N UM B ER S EVEN T Y- NI NE M A R C H b APRIL 2006

i lct mi gnon may bc rcvcrcd

opu|ari zcd during thc hcyday

or such a showstopping dish,

can count on one hand the times

Gl azed and Confused

Mul ti grai n Bread, Z b

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen

Cook&#39;s Illustrated 079

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

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Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

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Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Cook&#39;s Illustrated 079

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

N UM B ER S EVEN T Y- NI NE M A R C H b APRIL 2006

i lct mi gnon may bc rcvcrcd

opu|ari zcd during thc hcyday

or such a showstopping dish,

can count on one hand the times

Gl azed and Confused

Mul ti grai n Bread, Z b

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen

Cook's Illustrated 079

Cook's Illustrated 079