`1T11 11!``-`!111 ``1T11 C L!1T11 ?

11+
ST R AT E D
Salt-Roasted Turkey
Olive Oil Olympics
Spain Crushes Italy
Do Manual Knife
Sharpeners Work?
Hearty Chicken Stew
Bacon, Red Wine, Deep Flavor
Ultimate
Beef Tender loin
No-Bake
Pumpkin Pie
Easy, Ught, and Fresh Tasting
Penne alla Vodka
Tomatoes, Cream, and Vodk

Arugula Salads
Best Green Bean Casserole
Chocolate Pots de Creme
Spices and Seasonings I 0 I
Multigrin Pncakes
www. c o o ks i II u s t r at ed. c o m
9 |:./6.9 LT`T1T
1 ?
CONTENTS
`OVCDCl 6 CcCDDCr 2006
`OICS lOD KCGClS
Readers ask questions and sugest solutions.
UicK JiS
Quick and easy ways to perform everday tasks, from
frosting a cake to decorating holiday cookies.
lIIiDIC CC JCIGCrIOiI
Beef tenderloin is perfect holiday fare. Add a rich stuf
ing and you've got the ultimate main course-at least in
theory. BY SANDRA WU
t l_lGiI_ |lCCI CI
lSSClOIC
The classic combo of frozen beans, condensed soup, and
canned onions isn't bad. But for a holiday centered on
homemade food, shouldn't every dish be great?
BY SARAH WILSON
' ClCcIiI_ CIIC II \OGK
Splashes of vodka and cream can tum run-of-the-mill
tomato sauce into luxurious restaurant fare-or a heav.
boozy mistake. We set out to fine-tune this modem
classic. BY RE BE CCA HAYS
| | KCIIiIKII_ KOSI JUlKC\
We have brined thousands of turkeys over the years.
But with limited room in the refrigertor. was it time to
develop a space-saving alterative? BY DAVID PAZM 1 NO
| II DCKCS
\Olll LiI_
Bland, dense. and gummy, most multigrain pancakes
are more about appeasing your diet than pleasing your
palate. We wanted flavorful. fuff. and healthful flapjacks.
BY MATTHEW CARD
\0\
Throwing away that antique jar of ground pepper is only
the first step. Here's our guide to getting the most favor
from your spice rck. BY KEITH DRESSER
|t `iDIiyI_ lOQ U \iI
White-tablecloth restaurnts have hijacked this simple
chicken and wine stew, making it a fussy. time-consuming
afair. Could we retum this dish to its humble roots?
BY SANDRA WU
. `O-KC UDKiI iC
A no-bake pumpkin pie sounds appealing. but not if the
filling is starchy or dense. Could we reformulate this
recipe and make it worthy of the holiday table?
BY E RI KA BRUCE
.. S\ lIOcOIIC OlS GC
llCDC
Foret the water bath and slow baking. We found a way
to make this classic French chocolate custard faster,
simpler. and better. BY DAWN YANAG I HARA
CIICl /lU_UI `IGS
A surprise ingredient guarantees salads that are lively but
not harsh. BY REBECCA HAYS
.O JIC CSI \\ IO `IlCI
`OUl IiVCS
When your kitchen knives go dull, is there a quick.
cheap, and easy way to restore their cutting edge and get
back to cooking? BY LI SA McMANUS
.t .lC lIIiI 'IiVC 'IIS KCII\
J1I |OOG
When it's time to pay big buck for an extra-virgin olive
oil, many cooks automatically reach for boutique Tuscan
oils. Should they? BY LI SA McMAN US
J iIcICI `OICS
Test results, buying tips. and advice related to stories past
and present, directly from the test kitchen.
BY E RI KA BRUCE
J QUiDCII lOlICl
Reviews of new items, updates on past tests, and sources
for products used in this issue.
BY GARTH CLI NGI NGS MITH AND ELIZAB ETH BOMZE
PRINTED I N THE O~
C'1Y
OYR Atlantic (or Eastern) oysters grow in waters along the East and Gulf coasts and tend to
be lare. crisp. and briny. Many are named for the bays. inlets, and ponds where they are found.
Katama Bay and Marionpoint oysters hail from areas around Cape Cod. and Moonstone oysters
are named for a beach in southern Rhode Island. Today. most varieties are farmed. but Wellfeet
oysters, also from Cape Cod, are still harested wild. Blue Points originally came only from Long
Island, but the term is now used for oysters grown anyhere from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of
Mexico. The warm waters of the Gulf can yield lare. slightly rubber. muddy-tasting oysters, such
as the Louisiana, that are more suitable for cooking. Te icy waters of the Pcific produce smaller
oysters, with a vegetal or fruit favor, such as the Fanny Bay and Stellar Bay, both from British
Columbia. Originally from Japan but now farmed in the Pcific Northwest. Kumamoto oysters
are ver small. with a delicate, sweet flavor. Olympic Miyagi and Gold Creek oysters, from Puget
Sound. are both meat and clean tasting.
COVER(Amm ':uISlI!. Elizabeth Brandon. BCK COVER (Oy<lcr,: john Buroyne
For list rental infonation, contact: Specialists Marleting Serices. Inc., 1200 Harbor Blvd., 9th Floor. Weehawken. NJ 07087; 201-865-S800.
Editorial Ofice: 17 Station St .. Brookline, MA 02445; 617-232-1000; fax 617-232-1572. Subscription inquiries. ca11 800-526-8442.
Postmaster: Send all new orders. subscription inquiries. and change-of-address notices to Cook's Illustrated, P.O. Box 7446, Red Oak. lA 51591-0446.
COOK'S
I I. I. 1- . T H A T t: I>
ww.cooksillustrated.com
|^l 'I `IK: 1:1 |!1!IIN
Founder and Editor Christopher Kimball
Editorial Director Jack Bishop
Test Kitchen Director Erin McMurrer
Managing Editor Rebecca Hays
Senior Editors Keith Dresser
Usa McManus
Associate Editors Erika Bruce
Charles Kelsey
Sandra Wu
Copy Chief India Koopman
Test Cooks Garth Clingingsmith
David Pzmino
Market Research Manager Melissa Baldino
Asistant Test Kitchen Director Matthew Herron
Assistant Editor Elizabeth Bomze
Editorial Assistant Meredith Smith
Kitchen Assistants Maria Elena Delgado
Nadia Domeq
Ena Gudiel
Editorial Intern Lois Weinblatt
Contributing Editors Matthew Card
Dawn Yanagihara
Consulting Editors Shirley Corriher
Guy Crosby
John Dewar
Jasper White
Robert L. Wolke
Proofreader Jean Rogers
Web Managing Editor Katherine Bell
Web Editor Undsay McSweeney
Editorial Manager, Books Elizabeth Carduff
Senior Editors, Books Julia Collin Davison
Lori Galvin
Associate Editors, Books Rchel Toomey
Sarah Wilson
Test Cook, Books Megan Wcoff
Asistant Editor, Books Elizabeth Wray Emer
Design Director Ay Klee
P Director, Books Carolynn DeCillo
Senior Designer, Web/Magazines Julie Bozzo
Designers Jay Lyman
ChristineVo
Matthew Wrnick
Staf Photographer Daniel J. van Ackere
Vice President Marketing David Mack
Circulation Director b|Tne
Fulfillment Manager Carrie Horan
Circulation Asistant Elizabeth Dayton
Direct Mail Director Adam Perr
Product Operations Director Steven Browall
E-Commerce Marketing Manager Hugh Buchan
Marketing Copywriter David Goldber
Junior Developer Doug Sisko
Customer Serice Manager Jacqueline Valerio
Customer Serice Representatives Julie Gardner
Jillian Nannicelli
Vice Presdent Sales LHCH
Retail Sales Director Jason Geller
Corporate Marketing Manager Emily Logan
Prtnership Account Manager Allie Brawley
Marketing Asistant Connie Forbes
Production Director Guy Rochford
Senior Production Manager Jessica L Qu|H
Project Manager Anne Francis
Production Asistant Luren Petta piece
Imaging Color Specialist Andrew Mannone
Technolog Opertions Director Aron Shuman
Systems Administrator S. Paddi McHugh
Chief Financial Oficer Sharn Chabot
Human Resources Manager Adele Shapiro
Controller Mandy Shito
Ofice Manager Saudiyah Abdul-Rhim
Receptionist Henrietta Murray
Publicit Deborah Broide
EDITORIAL
A VERMONT CHRISTMAS CAROL
A
s a young child, Martha was the pride
and joy of the Skidmore family. She
wanted for nothing-having acquired
a mail-order dollhouse, pretty Sunday
dresses, and a painted pony of even disposition
and as a young woman, she was indisputably the
town beauty. Her picnic lunch was always the frst
one bid upon at the box socials, as the young man
was buying not just her fied chicken and biscuits
but the pleasure of her company as well. Both
were said to be a bargain at $2.50. But chance did
not always favor Martha Skidmore. She waited
on a proposal of marriage from the young and
handsome Phineas Lomberg until it was too late.
Phineas fnally settled down with a plainer, steadier
woman, someone who would make the type of
home that neighbors liked to visit for a molasses
cookie or a bit offriendly gossip.
Phineas was the village carpenter. He was a
tall, thin man who was loosely joined, his arms
and legs having only a casual connection to his
torso, as if his appendages might take off on their
own were they offered half a chance. He lived on
the back road next to the Woodcock place, and
people had long ago stopped wondering when he
was going to fnish his own house, the one where
his two sons, Eben and Hiram, had grown up
long ago and where his wfe, Rose, had taken to
bed one day and never recovered. She was buried
up in the cemetery above the Methodist Church,
and on a clear day she still had a good view down
the valley, past the ruins of the dance hall and
Heard's store. His sons lef to pursue their for
tunes farther west, where the topsoil is deeper,
the rocks are smaller, and, so they say, one needs
just a bit less character to make a living.
As the years passed, Martha grew taller and
more angular and her eyes narrowed from bear
ing witness to the ever-present manifestations
of sin. The playthings of a happy childhood had
long ago been forgotten, and she was now the
loudest voice in the small church choir, despite
John Wesley's instructions (printed in the front
of the hymnal) regarding the importance of not
never smiled, the corners of her
mouth having turned earthward
and her teeth seemingly sharper,
adding bite to her righteous
commentary. It was also noticed
that Phineas was spending most
of his time holed up in his work
shop in the barn, working late
into the night with no time given
to the holiday festivities.
raising one' s voice above oth
ers. For Martha, everything was
judged according to the book, a
set of rules from which there was
to be no deviation, and judge
she did. The miller was guilty
of coarse language. The black
smith was gimlet-eyed for the
red- headed teacher from Pawlet.
Even the minister did not escape
comment, as he was apt to fnd a
deep pocket for an extra dough
nut or two to enjoy on his long
ride home from coffee hour. And
Christopher Kimball
Christmas Eve arrived and
the candlelight service was well
attended. The fresh cider had
she reserved her harshest criticism for Phineas, a
man she reviled as besotted with forgetflness
and lack of respect for the Lord' s good works.
The years passed slowly but Phineas' s house
grew no more fnished. The pile of lumber in the
yard was fnally carpeted with weeds, the front
door hung at an odd angle like a broken leg, and
the side facing the road remained fnished in tar
paper, not clapboard. But as a hired carpenter,
Phineas acquired a keen eye for detail, ftting win
dows and doors until they opened and closed as if
greased with butter, fashioning the joints in mold
ings so fne that they could not be seen with the
naked eye. Yes, he might decide to put a wndow
where a door was supposed to go, but one was
well advised to simply enjoy the view, for his work
manship was a thing to be remarked upon. And
it was said that Phineas had a keen eye for human
affairs as well, using his carpenter's eye to sense
when the foundation of a marriage needed a bit of
stonework or when two people ought to be joined
together like two beams of a bridge, one made of
hardwood and the other sof, so they would grow
strong together over time.
One year, the season of Advent came upon
the small village and the minister's wife started
rehearsals for the Christmas Eve service and hymn
sing. P usual, Martha was in fll voice, as if she
were trying to single-handedly reach up to heaven
to expose the sinners in the congregation. She
been pressed by the Skidmore
boys, the cofeecakes were provided by the tow
baker, Marie, and there were tins overfowing wth
saucer-sized sugar cookies. Martha walked home
alone as usual, past town hall, the town garage, and
the forest-fre warden's house to her small, neat
saltbox, set on a bank just above the Green Rver.
It was a cold, crisp night with the sharp crunch of
snow underfoot, and as Martha care up to her
font porch she could just make out the shape of
something unfamiliar.
Upon closer inspection she recognized a
freshly painted dollhouse-a good likeness of
her own home, but with a window where the
front door ought to be. At frst she was startled,
as if she had glanced in a mirror only to see an
unfamiliar face. But then the dollhouse warmed
other memories , not just the rbbons and
tons of a happy childhood, but the pleasure of
unexpected company, the taste of her mother's
baking-powder biscuits, and the happy cadence
of life in a small mountain town.
Martha smiled and then looked up past the
roofops and church spire and noticed a lone star
in the east. In a small Vermont town, a carenter
had been at work, just like one so many years ago.
Walter Hard, who wrote about our part of
Vrmont in the 1930s, inspired this editorial. Two
stories of particular interest are Te Carpenter"
and sabbath Keeping.
FOR INQUIRIES, ORDERS, OR MORE INFORMATION: COOK'S ILLUSRTED MagaZ|nc
w.cook8llu8tratcd.com Cook's I ustrat:d magazine (ISSN 10682821 ). number 83, is published bimonthly by
Atw .cookillustrted.com, you can order books and subscriptions, sign up for our free enewsletter, Boston Common Press Limited Partnership, 17 Station St., Brookline, MA 0244S. Copyright
or rnew your magazine subscription. Join the Web site and you'll have access to 14 year of Cook's 2006 Boston Common Press Limited Partnership. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, Mass.,
recipes. cookare tests. ingredient tastings, and more. and additional mailing offices, USPS #0 12487. POSMAER: Send address changes to Cook's
COOKBOOKS
We sell more than 40 cookbooks by the editor of Cook'sIustrat:d.To order, visit our bookstore
atw.cooksillustrted.com or call 800-611-0759 (or 5 I 5-246-6911 from outside the U.S.) .
Illustrated, P.O. Box 7446, Red Oak, lA 51591-0446. For subscription and gift subscription
orders, subscription inquiries, or change-of-address notices, call 800-526-8442 in the U.S. or
Sl 5-247-7571 from outside the U.S., or write us at Cook's Illustrated. P.O. Box 7446, Red
Oak, lA 51591 -0446.
NOVEMBER { DECEMBER 2006
NOTES FROM READERS
Cleaning Blender Jars
W!at`sthcbcstwaytoc|canab|cndcrjar? Canit
go throughthcdishwashcr?
KRIST! HAMADA
SOMERVILLE, MASS.
Ivcnb|cndcrsthatarcdccmcddishwashcrsa|c
maynotbcimmunctoshrinkingorwarpingancr
cnough trips through thc dishwashcr, cspccia||y
vu|ncrab|c arc rubbcr gaskcts, whichwhcn dam
agcdcancausc|caking. Jo cxtcndthc|i|co|your
b|cndcr, wc rccommcnd handwashing whcn-
cvcrpossib|c. Jo makc thc job casicr, cspccia||y
whcn c|caning sticky or pasty ingrcdicnts such
as pcanut buttcr and hummus, wc rccommcnd
an initia| 20sccond whir with hot tap watcr
cnough to m thc bottom third o| thcjar) and
a drop or two o| dishwashing |iquid to |ooscn
anymatcria|trappcdundcrncaththcb|adcs, thcn
rcpcating oncc or twicc with hot watcron|y. Jo
hnishthcjob, unscrcwthcbottomo|thcjarand
handwash cach piccc using a soapyspongc. or
oncpicccjarmodc|s,usca|ong, p|astichand|cd
wandsty|c spongc to rcach tood stuck on thc
bottomorsidcs.
Panko Decded
Many o| your rccipcs ca|| |or panko. !s thcrc a
prefer1
DANIEL SIEGEL
ROCHESTER, N.Y.
Jo sccitthcrcrca||yisadit|crcnccbctwccnthc
brands o| this |ight, )apancscsty|c brcadcrumb
coating, wc pickcd up |our samp|cs-Wc|Iac,
Dynasty, Kkkoman, and Ian`s-at Bostonarca
supcrmarkcts and tcstcd thcm in two rccipcs:
bakcd chickcn Iarmcsan and pannicd brcadcd
pork cut|cts. Iach brand workcd hnc in both
bakcd and nicd app|ications, but with s|ight|y
di||crcnt tcxtura| qua|itics. Whi|c thc WclIac,
Dynasty, and Kikkomanbrandsposscsscda dc|i
catccrispncss, thc oi|ncc Ian`s purchascd nom
a |argc natura| foods supcrmarkct) proviJcd a
much morc substantia| crunch. In thc cnd, i| a
:C OMP I LE D B Y S A N D R A WUE
supcrcrunchy-rathcr than dc|icatc and crisp
tcxturc is what you`rc aiming |or, choosc !an`s.
thcrwisc, branddocsn`trca||ymattcr.
Cooking with Nonalcoholic Beer
My |avoritc chi|i rccipc ca||s tor a bott|c o|bccr.
CanI uscnona|coho|icbccr?
WENDY BONNER
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
Bccausc Iarmcsan and Iccorino Romano
chccscshavcsimi|artcxturcsand||avors,thcycan
gcncra||ybcuscdintcrchangcab|y, cspccia||ywhcn
thcamountca||cdtorismodcratc. In|argcrquan
titics, howcvcr, Iccorino Romano can bc tair|y
pungcnt aswc|oundtobcthccascinourrccipc
|orspaghctti a|lacarbonara,whichuscsam||cup
ot chccsc) and may rcquirc a sma|| amount ot
Iarmcsanswappcd|ntoba|anccitsbo|dhavor.I|
you must choosc bctwccn onc chccsc
and thc otl:cr, Iarmcsan is thc morc
|lcxib|c choicc |or thc broadcst rangc
o|rccipcs.
Best Storage for Maple Syrup
and Honey
Hcrcinthctcstkitchcn, wc`vctricd
using nona|coho|ic bccr in two o| our
rccipcs carbonnadc and bccrbraiscd
short ribs) and havc had grcat suc
ccss. Bccausc both o| thcsc dishcs arc
simmcrcd ovcr a |ong pcriod ot timc,
much ot thc a|coho| in thc bccr is
cookcd ot| anyway. In thc cnd, what`s
|cn is thc bccr`s hoppy, ma|ty havor
proh|c and |itt|c, i| any, raw a|coho|
havor. Jhcrctorc, swapping in a non
a|coho|ic bccr makcs scnsc. Wc |ikc
Can you really cook
with nonalcoholic
Jhis morning, wcwcrc |ooking at our
containcr ot map|c syrup and noticcd
instructions to rcnigcratc ancr opcn
ing. W!ydocsmap|csyrupnccdto bc
rctrigcratcdbuthoncydocs not?
beer?
VISHAL THANIK
NEW YORK, N.Y. `Oou|`s Ambcr ona|coho|ic Bccr,
which has a nuity swccmcss that brings out thc
richbcchncssotthcscdishcs.Bccauscitisncithcr
harsh nor ovcr|y swcct, it wou|d probab|y bc a
grcatchoicc|oryourchi|iaswc||.
Parmesan versus Pecorino
Wat`s thc dihcrcncc bctwccn Iarmcsan and
Iccorino Romano chccscs? Somcrccipcs ca|| tor
cithcr, andwc`rcncvcrsurcwhichoncto buy.
JOHN AND BARBARA KATORI
CHARLTON. MASS.
Madc trom cow`s mi|k, Iarmcsan is a hard,
dry, agcd chccsc with a sharp, nutty havor and
a granu|ar tcxturc that |cnds itsc|| to grating.
Iccorino Romano, on thc othcr hand, is an
agcd shccp`smi|k chccsc with a hrmtohard,
s|ight|y grainy, oi|y tcxturc and a sa|ty, piquant
havorthatbordcrson|cmony. IccorinoRomano
originatcdin thccountrysidcjustoutsidc Romc.
thcrt_csotpccorinonamcdtorothcrrcgions
o| Ita|y can bc tound at spccia|ty chccsc shops
or wc||stockcd supcrmar-
Wc`vcoccasiona||y|cnmap|csyrupoutonthc
countcrtop, on|y to hnd it spottcd with mo|d a
|cw wccks|atcr, whi|c ajaro| honcy sittingright
ncxt to it rcmaincd pcr|ccty hnc. Bccausc o| its
high moisturc |cvc| and |ack o| prccrvativcs,
map|c syrup is a pcrishab|c tood product that
is susccptib|c to thc growth o| ycasts, mo|ds,
and bactcria. Rcnigcration not on|y hc|ps map|c
syrup rctain its havor but prcvcnts microorgan
isms nom growing as wc||. \nopcncd, map|c
syrupwi|||ast scvcra| ycars storcdina coo|, dark
p|acc. ncc opcncd, it wi|| kccp six months to a
ycarinthcrcnigcrator.
Honcy, un|ikc map|c syrup, is high|y rcsistant
to microbia| growth bccausc o| its natura||y
|ow moisturc contcnt and sig t|y acidic naturc.
According to Haro|d McGcc in his book On
Food and Cooking 2004), whcn bccs turnncctar
into honcy, an cnzymc inthc bccs` sa|iva oxidizcs
somc ot thc g|ucosc a simp|c sugar) to torm
g|uconic acid which incrcascs thc honcy`s acid
ity, making it |css hospitab|c to microbcs) and
pcroxidcs whichactasan antiscptic).
Our tasters discovered that one brand of panko is crunchier than the rest.
kcts. Iccorino Sardo nom
Sardinia)issonandcrumb|y
whcn |rcsh|y madc but vcry
simi|arto Iccorino Romano
oncc ripcncd. Iccorino
Joscano |rom Juscany) is
crcamy in tcxturc whcn
ncsh|y madc and bccomcs
dricrandcha|kicrasitagcs.
!|kcpttight|ycappcdinamoisturctightcon-
taincr, proccsscd thatis, pastcurizcd) honcycan
bcsa|c|ykcptatroomtcmpcraturcthcationa|
Honcy Board rccommcnds a rangc o| 4 to 75
dcgrccs ahrcnhcit) tor about two ycars. In thc
tcst kitchcn`s cxpcricncc, howcvcr, it can bc
storcd tor cvcn |ongcr without |lavor dcgrada-
tion. Rc|rigcration can causc proccsscd honcy
COOK
'
S ILLUSTRATED
2
WHAT IS IT?
I purchased this odd hinged double pan at a
local thrift store. When I asked what it was, I
got responses rnging from a pan used to make
cornpone to a primitive version of the pancake
flipper pans sold on Can you help me figure
out what it is?
JON ORAVEC, PENDLETON. ORE.
Your thrift-store find is neither a corn pone pan nor a pancake flipper. This hinged, wooden-handled, heav-dut
aluminum gadget is a vintage Double Fr Pn or Omelette Pn made by Super Maid Cook-Ware, a brand imported
from Switerland in the 1920s and '30s. In an old promotional booklet produced by the company. Super Maid
touted its cookare line for its "extr thick sides and bottom [ s J , which promoted "economical cooking" by
conducting heat more eficiently. Food could thus cook
"slowly and evenly. with ver little gas."
Each side of the Double Fr Pn measures I 0'/2 inches
long, b inches wide, and 111 inches deep. According to
manufacturer instructions, the pan should be allowed to
get ver hot before the heat is reduced to fr food (with
pan left open) or bake food (with pan closed shut) with
out sticking or scorching. Among the items recommended
for cooking in the pan were omelets, cakes, biscuits, fish,
and popcor.
to crysta||izc, or bccomcc|oudy, a phcnomcnon
that can bc rcvcrscd by hcating thc portion to
bc uscd in a watcr bath in a sauccpan on top ot
thcstovc.
Sizing Up Pan Liners
I`mthinkingaboutpurchasingscvcra|Si|pats tor
baking, but I`m prctty surc thcy won`t htinto a
tcwoddsizcdpansIown. CanI cutthcmdown
tosizc?
ANNA LAW
CHICAGO, ILL.
Wc`vctoundthathcavydutybakingmatssuch
asthcSi|patnonstickpan|incrworkgrcatityour
bakingshcctiscxact|y thcrightsizctorthc mat.
It thc |incr is too |argc and cannot |ic hat in thc
pan, howcvcr, thc cdgcs may bow upward and
|cavcanarcaotthc|incrwithoutdircctpancon-
tact,thcrc byattcctingbrowningandoccasiona||y
brcaking cookcs). lntortunatc|y, bccausc thcsc
hcavyduty |incrs arc madc ot wovcn hbcrg|ass
strands coatcdwithsi|iconc),thcycannotbccut
to ht. Jhcrc`s a dangcr that thc sharp, cxposcd
brist|cs W brcak oh and bccomc accidcnta||y
cmbcddcdinbakcdgoods.
Jwobrandsot |ightwcightrcusab|cbakingpan
|incrsthatcan bctrimmcdto sizcarc KatchA|l`s
CookIzc and Chcls I|anct Bakc Lincr. Acr
tcstingthcsc|incrs, wctoundthata|thoughthcy
wcrcconvcnicnt,thcywcrca|so|cssdurablcthan
thcirhcavydutycountcrparts,crcasingancrjust
atcwwashcs. Whilcthis maynot bcanissuctor
sturdyitcms |ikcthickand chcwycookics, itcan
makcor brcakthinncr,morcdc|icatcitcms that
nccdasmooth,cvcnsurtacc.Ityou`rcsctonbuy
This vintage pan was designed to cook
everything from omelets to popcorn.
ing a baking mat grcat tordc|icatc, stickyitcms
|ikctui|csor|acccookics),makcsurcat|castonc
otyourbaking shccts isan cxactht. orthcrcst
otyourpans,stickingtoparchmcntpapcrisyour
bcstbct.
Better Day-Old Bread?
W!at is thc bcst way to storc an unhnishcd |oat
otrcnchbrcad?
MICHAEL SHERWOOD
WOOLWICH. MAINE
ln|css you storc it corrcct|y, thcrc`s oncn no
good way to sa|vagc a ha|thnishcd |oat ot day-
o|drcnchbrcad,yourbcstbctistouscthcsta|c
picccs tor brcad crumbs, strata, or Frcnch toast.
Wctricdscvcra|mcthods otkccpingour|cnovcr
Frcnch brcad ncsh, both at room tcmpcraturc
and in thcrctrigcrator: in its origina| papcr bag,
to|dcd shut, wrappcd tight|y in a|uminum toi|,
wrappcdtight|yinp|asticwrap,andinsidca|argc
zippcrlockbagwiththcairprcsscdout.
Jwo days |atcr, thc roomtcmpcraturc brcad
storcdinthcpapcrbagwashard,sta|c,andincd-
ib|c.Jhctoi|wrappcdbrcad,onthcothcrhand,
wasthcbcstotthcbunch. Whi|citwasn`tquitc
uptothcstandardsotatrcsh|oatthccrusthad
sottcncd considcrab|y and thc intcrior crumb
hadgottcns|ight|ychcwicr), it wasn`tha|tbad,
cspccia||y whcn crispcd and rctrcshcd tor a
tcw minutcs in thc toastcr ovcn or tor hvc to
scvcnminutcsina375dcgrccovcn). Jhcbrcad
storcd in thc zippcr|ock bag was comparab|c,
whi|c thc samp|c wrappcd in p|astic wrap-not
quitc as airtight as toi|-wass|ight|ysta|cr. Jhc
rctrigcratcd|oavcsdidn`ttarcaswc||: Jhcywcrc
NOVEMBER 6 DECEMBER 2006

dricr, toughcr vcrsions ot thosc |ctt at room

tcmpcraturc.
So thc ncxt timc you havc a bit ot bagucttc
|cn ovcr, storc it at room tcmpcraturc, tight|y
wrappcdintoi|orinazippcr|ockbag,anddon`t
wait |ongcrthanacoup|cotdays tocatit.
Rebaking Underbaked Cookies
Isomctimcshavcdimcu|tydctcrmining whcthcr
a cookic is donc baking or not. Wat happcns it
youtakcthcmoutotthcovcntoocar|y? Canyou
rcbakcthcm ancr thcy`vccoo|cd?
SHIRLEY MILLER
TAMPA. FLA.
Wc purposc|y undcrbakcd a tcw batchcs ot
choco|atc chip cookics and sugar cookics by
scvcra| minutcs to thc point whcrc thcy |ookcd
just donc but rca||y wcrcn`t), coo|cd thcm on a
rack, and tricd a tcw dihcrcntmcthods to hnish
baking thcm.
irst, wc tricd rcbaking thc cookicstorabout
ha|t thc origina| baking timc. cithcr thc sugar
nor thc choco|atc chip cookics continucd to
sprcad on thc baking shcct, andbothrcmaincd
raw in thc ccntcrs. cxt, wc |owcrcd thc ovcn
tcmpcraturc by 50 dcgrccs and rcbakcd thcm
tor thc cntirc |cngth ot timc ca||cd tor in thc
rccipc. Jhis timc, thc sugar cookics wcrc |css
doughy inthc midd|c and thc choco|atc chip
cookics wcrc cookcd through without bcing
burncd. Jhc drawbacks? Whi|c no |ongcr raw
tasting, thc cookics wcrcnoticcab|ytoughcron
thc cdgcs bccausc ot thcir cxtcndcd stay in thc
ovcn. Last, wc tricd microwaving, a mcthod
known tor cooking toods trom thc insidc out.
lntortunatc|y, at bcst thc microwavcd cookics
wcrc dcnsc and dry inthc ccntcr; at worst thcy
wcrcburncdandbritt|c.
Soityouaccidcntal|yundcrbakcyourcookics,
your bcst bct at sa|vaging thcm is to bakc thcm
tor a |ongcr pcriod ot timc at a s|ight|y |owcr
tcmpcraturc.
FIRST BAKE: UNDERBAKED
SECOND BAKE: BAKED THROUGH
Putting an underbaked cookie (top) back in a lower-heat
oven will allow it to puf to almost-normal size (below).
5LML L5TLLHLLMLM5 We will provide a compli
mentary one-year subscription for each letter we print. Send your
inquir, name, address, and daytime telephone number to Notes
from Reader, Cook's Illustrted, PO. Box 470589, Brookline,
MA 02447, or to notesfromreaders@bcpress.com.
Quick Tips
'.11!11 ` 1/`11 1/Y.1^' =
Qui cker Pepper- Gri nder
Loading
Fi l l i ng a pepper gri nder usual ly
means cl eani ng up wayward pepper
corns from the countertop or floor.
Unda Leong of San Jose, Cal i f. ,
keeps the peppercorns where they
bel ong by fashi oni ng a "funnel "
from a plastic storage bag.
|. Place the peppercorns in a
zipper-lock bag and sni p of one
COMCfscissors.
2. Wi th the sni pped corner posi
ti oned i nsi de the gri nder, fi l l to
capacity.
No More Stick Residue
Using a knife to cut dried fruit can
leave a stick residue on the blade,
making it hard to cut the fruit evenly.
Marian lson of San Antonio, Texas, has
better luck with kitchen shears dipped
in hot water, shaking of any excess
water before cutting the fruit.
Spreading Stif Frosting
Tring to ice a cake with stif frosting can yield unappealing flecks of tom-of cake. To
keep things spreadable, Sarh Marren of Chicago, Ill., heat up a spatula or spoon in
hot water before slathering on the frosting.
Z.
J.
I. Dip the metal spatula (or spoon) into hot water for b seconds.
Z. Remove and dr completely.
J. Spread the frosting on the cake, repeating the process as necessar.
Maki ng the Grade(s)
To avoi d havi ng to drag out a rul er every ti me he wants a preci se cut, Chris
Dankul ich of Boston, Mass. , used a permanent marker to make gradati ons
right on his cutti ng board.
I .
I . On one edge of a wooden cutting board, make marks for '/ i nch, ' h i nch,
'i nch, and I i nch.
2. Place an item agai nst the gui de to check your knife work.
5cn0 UST0ur1Q We will provide a compl i mentary one-year subscripti on for each ti p we print. Send your tip, name, address, and
daytime tel ephone number to Quick Tips, Cook's I l l ustrated, P. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or to qui ckti ps@bcpress. com.
COOK
'
S ILLUSTRATED

New Way to Ski n

Hazel nuts
The most common way to remove
the ski ns from toasted hazel nuts is
to rub them of with a di sh towel .
After a marathon of baki ng hol i day
desserts, Susan Coppa of Concord,
Cal i f. , came up wi th a better
method. She pl aces the nuts on a
wi re rack set in a ri mmed baki ng
sheet, then l i ghtly toasts them i n a
3 50-degree oven for I 0 to I 5 mi n
utes. Once the hazel nuts are cool
enough to touch, she rubs them
agai nst the rack, l etti ng the ski ns
fal l onto the pan bel ow.
A Fresher Disposal
Tired of ofending smells coming
from the garbage disposal, janet
Vogenthaler ofDenver, Colo., found a
remedy in frozen vinegar.
I. Fill an ice cube try with distilled
white vinegar and freeze until solid.
2. Toss a few cubes into an empt
garbage disposal. With cold water run
ning. run the disposal until the cubes
are ground up.
w
Z
>
C
O

Z
Z
C
Sofening Cream Cheese
with Ease
When she needs room-temperture
cream cheese to make frosting and
doesn't have time to wait, Tifany
Stephens of Longview, Wsh., speeds
things up by submering the foil
wrpped package in a bowl of warm
water for about I 0 minutes, or until
softened.
Sticking It to Stuck-On Food
Safer Microwaving
UIngp|8StICwmptOCOvcr8p|8tcOllOOdlOrtcmICDwvcm8jcc8Q,ut
It8|Otmp|cnQOlC8|dIngtc8mt8tC8nmOutupOnOpcnIng. b8m
mIIdcrrand OI 5w8mpcOU, M88., lO@OctcwmpInI8vOrOlInvcNcd
Ow| [OIv8rIOuIzc), wICctOrc8OvccrmICrOw8vc.
2.

I |8ctclOOdOn8 ICw' p|t
i. tIOn8nInvcNcdmICrOwVccOwo
t
!r
t
le food, terthcp|atc
tOthc iCrc anc c8t8dcId.
Ruth Maples of Edina, Minn., has an efective solution for removing burt-on food from her pots and pans.
3.
|. Fill the pan 2 inches high with water. Add '/cup baking soda and '/cup distilled white vinegar.
2. Bring to a boil and cook for IS minutes. Tum of heat and let sit until cooled.
3. Drin the water and clean the pot as usual. If any burnt patches remain, repeat.
Removng Psk Susg Cing
MCacILOI8OI58g m8NOr, N.Y . Ohcr Imp|ctIplOrrcmOvIn8c C8IgSfrm |8mIor p.
3.
|. 5II11cpapcrcangIcng1wcwIt8p8rngknIIc, t8kngC8rcnOttOCutInUtcugcIUc|l.
2. Kun1cauagc undcrwarmw8tcrIOr I 5 tOZUcCOnd, tcnp8tItdQ.
3. |uII1cc8IngOhInOncpIcCc.
N O V EM B ER [ D ECUv\llER 2006

Making Sugar Sti ck

Rndi Crovets of Flushing, N., came
up with the following trick for keeping
the colored sugar from falling of her
holiday cookies.
I .
8
(
; 0

' ~
|. Using a spry bottle (a plant mister
works well) , sprit the cookies with a
light coating of water.
2. Sprinkle on the colored sugar.
FlproCoke Oramen
cuu8|dn||IOrtumIngCutOut
COOkIcIntOOm8mcnUOr0c
Lnm8bttOpOkc8O|c
[lOr0ngIng)wIU8tOO0pICk
Orkcr[utclO8kng. but
OmctImcUcO|cC|Ow up80c
COOkIccp8nd. b|Ic0 Lc|IOI
m8mI|tOnOwIp, N.j., 80Ur
IuCku|ng8dOnKng0w,wO
mOvccnOugOlUcdOugtO
8||OwIOrcXp8DOnwI0OutCOm
p|ctcQC|OIng0cO|c.
I .
2.


I. Lut8OIcn1c un8kcd
cOOkcwtt8tmw.
Z. OncctccOokc |8kcd,
trc8d8rIOntrOugh1cOIc.
Ultimate Beef Tenderloin
Beef tenderloin is perfect holiday fare. Add a rich stuffing and you've got
the ultimate main course-at least in theor y.
W
hcn I hrst got thc assign
mcnt to work on a rccipc
torstuttcdbccttcndcr|oin,
I hgurcd I had it madc.
As I combcd through a stack ot rccipcs, I
had visions ot dai|y scssions spcnt carving
intodccp|ycharrcdcrustsandtcndcr,rosy
pinkintcriorsto rcvca|gcncrous cachcs ot
|uxurioushings-buttcrcd|obstcrchunks,
cognacsoakcd chantcrc||cs, truu|cd brcad
crumbs, andthc|ikc.
Oncc I stoppcd daydrcaming and prc
parcdthcscrccipcs,howcvcr, rca|ityrcarc
_
its ug|y hcad. Much ot thc prob|cm
|
ay in
thc tcndcr|oin`s thin, tapcrcd shapc. By
thctimcthc thickcr cnd rcachcdmcdium
rarc about 30 minutcs), thc skinny cnd
was ovcrcookcd. Ad torgct about a nicc
crust-thc cxtcrior had hard|y bcgun to
brown at this point. Jhc stumng situa
tionwascvcnworsc. Jhc atorcmcntioncd
dc|uxc h||ings wcrc cithcr so chunky
`T` b.`1!. \1 <
morc ot a contrast bctwccn cxtcrior and
intcrior.Givcnthc15or20additiona|min
utcsthis|ong,narrowroastnccdcdtocook
ttp to tcmpcraturc, tlc ovcn wasn`t going
to hc|p much. Borrowing a trick thc tcst
kitchcn has uscd |or othcr bcct roasts, I
coatcdthccxtcriorwithkoshcrsa|ttoram||
hourbctorcscaring. Moton|ydocsthctcx
turcotthcsa|titsc|tcontributctothccrust,
but an houris cnough timc tor thc sa|tto
bcgin brcaking down thcprotcin hbcrs ot
thc outcrmost |aycrot mcat, dcsiccatingit
tothc point that it browns quick|y.
Oncc scarcd, thc tcndcr|oin wcnt into
thc ovcn on top o| a rack|incd baking
shcct thc c|cvation cncouragcs unitorm
cooking). I tound that a tair|y hot ovcn
450 dcgrccs) produccd both a bcautim|
rcddishpink intcrior and thc dccpcst,
darkcstcrustinjust20 minutcs.
Flavor, Flavor Eveftere
A swirl of mushrooms. caramelized onion, and Madeira makes pricey
tenderloin worth every penny.
thcy tc|| out unccrcmonious|y onto thc
p|attcrupon carving or soabsorbcntthcy
rncanunappcalingoo c(Iitcra|ly).
C|car|y, I hadmywork cutout tor mcit1
wantcdtomakcastuttcdbccttcndcr|oinworthy
otitsrcputation.
My initia| round o| tcsts had taught mc a
tcwthingsabouthownottostuttatcndcr
|oin.
_
csson onc: Don`t stutt a bcct roast
Fit to Be Tied
Myhrstdccisioninvo|vcdthccutotmcat. Icou|d
go with thc who|c tcndcr|oin or thc ccntcrcut
roast, a|so known as thc Chtcaubriand, a tancy
namc to match thc tancy pricc tag about $
|
7 a
pound). At $13 a pound, thc who|c tcndcr|oin
dchnitc|y had thc pricc advantagc, but was it
worththchcadachcs?
Ikncw trom past cxpcricnccthat togct asut-
hcicntcrust,thctcndcr|oinwou|dhavctospcnd
somc timc in a hot ski||ct. A|though thc tcst
kitchcnin prcvious rccipcs) hashta who|c tcn
dcr|oin in a 12-inch ski||ct by coi|ing it tight|y,
thattrick docsn`tworkso wc|| whcnthc tcndcr
|oinisburstingatthcscamswithstumng. What`s
morc, thc tapcrcdcnd o| thc tcndcr|oin ca||cd
thctai|) is too narrowto ho|d morc than a tcw
Goto w.cooksllustratcd.com
Key in code I I 06 1 for Roast Beef
Tenderl oi n with Dried Frui t and Nut
Stufing.
Recipe available until May I. 2007.
tcaspoons ot stumng. By contrast, I tound that
thca|mostpcrtcct|ycylindrica|Chtcaubriandhts
comtortab|yina12inchski||ct,roastsatancvcn
ratc, and accommodatcsjust as muchstumngin
onccndasthcothcr. nthiscasc,I dccidcd,thc
highcrpcrpoundpriccwasworthit.
Starting with a basic sautccdmushroom
stumng a simplihcd vcrsion ot thc |cast disap
pointing h||ing |rom my initia| tcsts-but morc
on that |atcr), tricd a basic buttcrUying pro
ccdurc, making onc cutdown thc |cngth ot thc
Chtcaubriand,opcningitup|ikcabook,sprcad
ing thc h||ing on tc mcat, thcn tying thc |laps
back togct
p
cr witl twinc. Jhis mcthod wasn`t
bad, butthcamounto|stumng itcou|d managc
wasprcttyskimpy. nccol|cagucsuggcstcdItry
doublcbuttcr|lyingthcroast,makingtwocuts
sothatitopcncdupintothrccparts|ikcabusi
ncss |cttcr) ratlcr tlan two parts |ikc a book).
Surc cnough, this modihcd buttcrUying tcch
niqucscci||ustrationsonpagc7)accommodatcd
50 pcrccntmorchl|ing.
Scaringthcstuttcd tcndcr|oin in a skil|ct ovcr
mcdiumhigh hcat |or 10 minutcs did a dcccnt
jobotdcvc|oping acrust, but mytastcrs wantcd
COOK
'
S I L LUS T R A I'ED
6
with brcadcubcs; thcyturnintoabsorbcnt
|itt|c spongcs saturatcd with b|oodrcd juiccs.
Lcsson two: Avoid bu|ky ingrcdicnts such as
buttcrcd |obstcr chunks), wc out o| c
roastinahcapassoonasyou start carving.
cspitcthca
_
vanccs

`dmadc,thcroastcou|d
accommodatc only about a cup ot h||ing. Jo
gct thc most mi|cagc trom this rc|ativc|y sma||
amount,itwasc|carthatnccdcdtlcmostcon
ccntratcd avors possib|c. Jhc mushroom stuh
ingI`dbccnusingthus |arnccdcd somcwork.
Kcp|acing thc buttonmushroomswithcarmy
crcmini dccpcncd tl:c avor, whi|c pu|sing thc
mushrooms in t
j
c tood proccssor rcduccd thcir
bulk. Caramc|izcd onions contributcd swcctncss
and bound thc mushrooms into a tlick, s|ight|y
stickyjamthatwascasytosprcadacrossthcsur
tacc ot thc buttcrUicd bcct-and hc|pcd it stay
put upon carving. Minccd gar|ic and a sp|ash
ot Madciraroundcd out thc|lavors. Jo givcthc
stumnganacsthcticboost,Iaddcda|aycro|baby
spinachbc|orcro||ingand tyingthcroast.
I wondcrcd it I cou|d pack in a |itt|c morc
avor.Asahnishingtouch, Iaddcdarich,hcrb
studdcd compoundbuttcr, a traditiona| accom
panimcnttor|canbccttcndcr|oin.
STE P- BY- STE P 1 STUFFI NG AND TYI N G A TE ND E RLOI N
l . l nsert chefs knife about I i nch
from bottom of rast and cut
horizontal ly, stoppi ng j ust before
edge. Open meat l i ke a book.
2. Make another cut di agonal ly
i nto thi cker porti on of roast.
Open up this fap, smoothi ng out
butteri ed rectangl e of meat.
3. Spread fi l l i ng evenly over
enti re surface, l eavi ng 1l2 i nch
border on al l si des. Press spi nach
leaves evenly on top of fi l l i ng.
4. Usi ng both hands, gently but
frmly rol l up stufed tenderl oi n,
maki ng i t as compact as possi bl e
wi thout squeezi ng out fi l l i ng.
5. Evenly space 8 pieces ktchen
tine (each about 1 4 inches)
beneath H. le each stnd tghty
arund H, strtng w0ends.
With a swirl ot intcnscly avorcd stumng in
cach bitc and a potcnt ttcr pcrmcating thc
dccplycharrcdcrust, thisroyalcntrcc washnally
worthitsroyalpricc.
ROAST B E E F T E N D E RLO I N WI TH
CARAM E L I ZE D O N I O N
A N D M U S H RO O M STU F F I N G
S E RVES 4 TO 6
1hc roast can bc stuttcd, rollcd, and ticd a day
ahcad, but don`t scason thc cxtcrior until you
arc rcady to cook it. 1his rccipc can bc doublcd
tomakc two roasts. Scarthcroastsonc ancrthc
othcr,clcaningthc pan andaddingncw oilancr
scaringthch rstroast. Bothpicccsotmcatcan bc
roastcdonthcsamcrack.
Stufng
8 ounces cremi ni mushrooms, cl eaned, stems
tri mmed and broken i nto rough pi eces
11 tabl espoon unsal ted butter
| ' / teaspoons ol ive oi l
medi um oni on , hal ved and sl i ced '/ i nch thi ck
'/ teaspoon tabl e salt
'/s teaspoon ground black pepper
medi um garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I teaspoon)
' / cup Madei ra or sweet Marsala wi ne
Beef Roast
| beef tenderl oi n center-cut Chateaubri and
(2 to 3 pounds) , tri mmed of fat and si lver ski n
Kosher sal t and ground bl ack pepper
11 cup l i ghtly packed baby spi nach
3 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
Herb Buter
4 tabl espoons unsalted butter, softened
tabl espoon chopped fresh parsley l eaves
teaspoon chopped fresh thyme l eaves
medi um garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through
g'rl i c press (about I teaspoon)
tabl espoon whol e grai n mustard
'/s teaspoon tabl e salt
' /s teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
l . FOR THE STUFFING: Iroccss mushrooms
in loodproccssor until coarsc|y choppcd, about
six 1sccond pulscs. Hcat buttcr and oil in 12
inchnonstickskillctovcrmcdiumhighhcatuntil
toamingsubsidcs.Addonion,tablcsalt,andpcp
pcr,cook,stirringoccasionally,untilonionbcgins
to sottcn, about 5 minutcs. Add mushrooms
andcook,stirringoccasionally, untilallmoisturc
has cvaporatcd, 5 to 7 minutcs. Rcducc hcat
to mcdium and continuc to cook, stirring trc
qucntly,untilvcgctablcsarcdccply browncdand
sticky, about I 0minutcs. Stir in gar|ic and cook
untiltragrant, 30 scconds. Slowlystirin Madcira
andcook,scrapingbottomotskillcttolooscnany
browncd bits, until liquidhascvaporatcd, 2to 3
minutcs. Jranstcr onionmushroom mixturc to
platc andcoolto roomtcmpcraturc.
2. FOR THE ROAST: Following illustrations
1 and 2 abovc, buttcr|ly roast. Scason cut sidc
ot roast libcrally with koshcr salt and pcppcr.
Following illustration 3, sprcad coolcd stumng
mixturc ovcr intcrior ot roast, lcaving '/: inch
bordcronallsidcs,layspinachontopotstumng.
Followingillustrations4 and 5, rollroastlcngt|+
wisc andtic.
3. In small bowl , stir togcthcr I tablcspoon
olivc oil , 1|: tcaspoonskoshcrsalt,and I|: tca
spoonspcppcr.Rubroastwithoilmixturcandlct
standatroomtcmpcraturctor l hour.
+. Adjust ovcn rack to middlc position and
hcat ovcn to 450 dcgrccs. Hcat rcmaining 2
tablcspoons olivc oil in I 2inch skillct ovcr
mcdium high hcat until smoking. Add bcclto
panandcook until wcl| browncd on all sidcs, 8
to I 0 minutcs total . Jranstcr bcct to wirc rack
sct in rimmcd baking shcct and placc in ovcn.
Roast until instantrcad thcrmomctcr inscrtcd
into t|+ickcst partot roast rcgistcrs I 20 dcgrccs
tor rarc, I 6 to I8 minutcs, or 125 dcgrccs tor
mcdiumrarc,20 to22minutcs.
5.FOR THE BUTTER: Wilcmcatroasts,com
binc buttcr ingrcdicnts in small bowl. Jranstcr
tcndcrlointo cutting board,sprcadhaltotbuttcr
cvcnly ovcr top ot roast. Looscly tcnt roast with
toil, lct rcst tor I 5 minutcs. Cut roast bctwccn
picccsottwincintothicksliccs. Rcmovctwincand
scrvc withrcmainingbuttcrpasscdscparatcly.
N ll \' F . ll F R [ I ) E l I ,\ ll F R 2 0 0 6
7
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
Ki tchen Shears
We tested seven pai r of "take-apar" kitchen shear,
focusi ng on core tasks-sni ppi ng chives, cutti ng
butcher' s twi ne and parchment paper, tri mmi ng pi e
pastr. and butteryi ng chi cken. We excl uded poul
try shear, with thei r charcteristic bul k, cured
bl ades, because a good pair of ki tchen shear can
handl e poultr with ease, whi l e poultr shear are
awkard and unwi el dy for other task.
On that note, beware of poul tr shears in kitchen
shear' cl othi ng. Anol on' s Kitchen Shear ( $49. 95)
and Chefs Choi ce Ki tchen Shear ( $3 1 . 95) per
formed wel l in our chi cken test, thanks to the bul k,
cured bl ades that defne poul try shear. But they
were unwiel dy for any other task.
Our favorite shear. Messereister's Take-Apart
hear ( $23. 99) , are prcise and super-sharp. A sl i p
rsistnt handl e and sl i m bl ades make these shear agile
without scrifcing their brte force. Te only down
side i s a definite right-hand bias. Fr lefies, Wusthofs
Come-Apart Kitchen Shear ( $ 1 9. 9 5) perfoned
wel l , with greater comfort. -Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
S HEAR BLI S S
MESSERMEISER
Take-Apart Shears
( $23 . 99)
Messermei ster' s super
sharp shears were a cut
above the rest.
F OR POU LTRY ONLY
.ANOLON Forged
Kitchen Shears ($49. 95)
Anol on' s awkard curves
made them great for poul
tr but l i ttl e el se.
S HORT CUT
..CHEF' S CHOI CE
Professi onal Kitchen
Shears ( $ 3 1 . 95 )
Shorter bl ades requi red
too many extra cuts.
Upgrading Green Bean Casserole
The classic combo of frozen beans, condensed soup, and canned on ions isn't bad.
But for a holiday centered on homemade food, shouldn't vry dish be grat?
G
iCCL UCaL CaSSCiOCWaS Oi_
Lay CiCaICU L IC IC
CLS O IC \amjUC bOuj
\OmjaLy L 155 , SO C y
IO CaIuiC OLC O IS SIai jiOUuCIS COL
UCLSCU CiCam O muSiOOm SOuj. L
aCI IS CSImaICU IHaI aS maLy aS 20
mOLjOiIOLSO_iCCL UCaL CaSSCiOC
aiCSCiVCU CVCiyyCaia UOZCL OWC
aiC COLSumCU Uy ICSI ICCL SIaCiS OL
aLkS_V L_.
= H Y b.!.| \ | | b|`<
OLU mCmOiCS O IS US LOIWIH
SIaLUL_ WaS UISajjOLICU WCL jiC
QaiCU IC Oi_La iCCjC. PIHOu_ LOI
W!IOuI mCiIIHC COLCCjI O ICLUCi
_iCCL UCaLS CiCamy SauCC aLU a CiSj
SaIy IOjjL_ S a WLLIL_ OLC~ICiCS a
UaLU aLU SIOU_y QuaIy IHaI COmCS Om
uSL_ LOIH_ UuI jiOCCSSCU COLVCHCLCC
jrOUuCIS. iOZCH _iCCL UCaLS CaLLCU
COLUCLSCUSOujaLUCaLLCUHCUOLOLS.
buiCyWIaIlIC ILCiL_ COuU COmC
uj WI a CaSSCiOC WOuU UC jiOuU IO
OHCiaOL_SUCICOIHCiOmCmaUCUSCS
aI HyOUayUILHCiIaUC.
Thi s cl assi c di sh gets a parti al makeover wi th fresh beans and a
homemade mushroom sauce.
The Beans
JC OH_La _iCCL UCaL UaC aS IS CaSSCiOC
S SOmCImCS CaCU uSCS OZCH Oi CaLLCU UCaLS.
YC UOI aiC CaSy IO uSC CICCiIaL IaI CS
_rCCHCaHSWOulU maKC IHSCaSSCiOC UCIICiWI
OuI a L_ IOO muC! WOi1. |uSI IO DC SuiC IaI
jCOjC COuU IC IC UICiCLCC IHC ICSI ICCL
CU a Oima IaSIIL_ OCS OZCL aLU CaLLCU
_iCCL UCaLS UOU1 jaL aLU COOCU L IHC CaSSC
iOC. bumCC IIO Say IaI IC CS UCaLSWOL OuI.
[ Oi IHC H iCSuIS OIC IaSIL_ SCC ja_C . )
imCUWIH UuSCSO _iCCL UCaLS HiSI IiCU
L c L 1 L b 1 | N C . Oni on Toppi ngs
aUUL_ iaW UCaLS IO IC amOSIHLSCU SauCC
SO UOI COuU ULS COOL_ S mu IaLCOuS y.
\LOiIuLaICy IS mCIOUIuiLCUI1C UCaLSaUu
aimy_iCCL aLU IWaSHaiUIO aVOU OVCiCOOkL_
ICm. `CXI IiCU SICan1L_ IC UCaLS IHLkL_
IHCyU COOCVCLyL a UUCU jOI UuI IC iCSuIS
WCiC] uSIaSjiOUCmaICWI1IC aUUCUUSaUVaL
Ia_C UaI ICyWCiC COmjCICyuLSCaSOLCU.
La y Ii CU U aLC L_UiOjj L_ IC
iaW UCaLS LIO UOL_ SaICU WaICi aLU COO
L_ ICm uLI ICLUCi [ aUOuI SX mLuICS) UCL
We tested 20 diferent toppi ngs for our green bean casserol e. Here are some of the highl ights.
SOCkL_ ICm [ IO SIOj IHC COOL_) L aL CC
WaICi UaIH. OOjiOO aLU SIia_IOiWaiU IS
mCIOUWOiCU,L1C UCaLS WCiC jCiCCUy COOCU
COLSSICHI iLCDIOOCUaUCauIH Ui_I
_iCCL. HCyWCiC aSOLCCySCaSOLCU.
The Sauce
C jiOUuCI UaI LSjiCU IHS iCCQC ma UC
CaCU a SOuj UuI I S SO IC [ COLUCLSCU) IaI
I m_HI aS WC UC CaCU a SauCC. PLU WC I
may UC COLCCLtiatCU L ICimS O COLSSICLCy
L ICimS O muSHiOOm aVOi IS aLyIL_ UuI.
y uj_iaUCU VCiS OL UCCUCU SOuU aVC
USIHCI muSiOOm aVOi L aUUIOL IO IaI iC
VCVCIy COLSSICLCy.
O UC_L SauICCU a jOuLU O SCCU muS
iOOHS L2IaUCSjOOHS OUuIICi aUUCU aL CQua
amOuLI OOui [ maL_ a iOuX a iCLC ICC
L QuC Oi ICCL L_ SauCCS ) IHCL jOuiCU L
2 CujS O!ChCkCL UiOIh. [ aSCa y I WaS mak-
L_ a muSiOOm VaiaIIOH OL IC CaSSC iCLC
VCOuIC SauCC. ) O HLSHIHC SauCC aUUCU a a!
Cuj OHCaVyCiCaH. C aVOi WaS _iCaI UuIIC
ICXIuiCWaS IOO OOSC Oi IDS CaSSCiOC. LCiCaSL_
ICiOuXUyHa[ o IaUCSjOOLS UuIICijuSo IaUC
SjOOLS Oui) WaS aH mjiOVCmCLI UuI aU]uSIL_
ICjiOjOiIOLSOcHCCL UiOI aLUCaVyCiCam
IO 1 1 Cuj8cL8aIiCayUIU HCUCK, _VIL_
IS SauCC IC i_I UaaLCC OSaVOiyaLUCiCan1y.
YOuU aHCCi muSiOOmS maC IS CaSSCiOC
CVCL mOiC UCuXC: YC CXOIC WU muSiOOmS
UU maC l a OI HOiC CXjCLSVC Du\ Uc
IiUuICU IIC CXlia favor lLkS ai_Cy IO IC
_CHCiOuS amOuLIOCiCam) . CWSC UiCU jOi
CLWCiC LOI WOiI I1Cm L ma aVOiUCiCLCC
WC jOiIOUCOS maUC IHC SauCC uLajjCaL_y
Uai. HC OLC CaL_C maUC IO IC muSiOOmS
aU LOIL_ IO UO WIH aVOi. aSICiS jiCCiiCU
TOO SlOW
Onions that wer foured, then pan
fred, tsted great but took three
batches and 45 minutes to make.
TOO lEATHERY
Shallots tossed with four and
baked were tough and chew.
TOO E GGY
Shal l ots coated with fl our and egs
and pan-fried were l i ke an eg
oni on pancake.
TOO GRITY
Breaded-then-baked oni ons were
gritt and grainy.
J U ST RI G HT
A combi nation o f canned fried
oni ons and bread crumbs was easy
and tasty.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A I ' E !
8
thcrustictcxturcotuncvcnlybrokcnmushroom
picccs to thc morc clcgantsliccs I'd bccnusing,
making tor a quickcrprcp timc , scc Brcaking
Mushrooms,"pagc 3O) .
The Topping
FmboldcncdbythccascwithwhichI' dupgradcd
this casscrolc on thc bcan and saucc honts,
I approachcd thc hicdonion toppingvith opti
mism. Invcntcd dccadcs ago as a convcnicncc
product tortoppingcasscrolcs, salads,and othcr
dishcs, Durkcc'scanncd hicdonions, nowmadc
byIrcnch' s)arcj ustwhatthcysoundlikc. thinly
cut onions, drcdgcd in llour, dccptricd in oil,
saltcd gcncrously, and airdricd tor hours. Many
tastcrs waxcd nostalgic ovcr thcir tcndcr, airy
crunch, but othcrs dcridcd thcir commcrcial
Uavor." I ngurcd a topping madc hom scratch
wouldrcprcscntamarkcdimprovcmcnt.
IollowingthcIrcnch'smodcl,Idulysliccdup
a tcw pounds otonions, drcdgcd thcm in Uour,
anddccphicdthcm. Ilovcdthcllavorbutnotthc
timc, mcss, and halt gallonotoil I wcnt through
togctit. Jhisisasidcdish,ahcra andIwantcd
tokccpthcprcparationinconccrtwiththcrcstot
thcmcal .NcxtItricdshallowhyingthconionsin
ahactionotthc oil , but thc sliccdonions shrank
down to a quartcr ot thcir original mass-not
ncarlycnoughtotopthccasscrolc.Andgivcnthat
oncbatchtookaboutI 5 minutcstocrisppropcrly,
multiplcbatchcswcrc anonstartcr.
What about moving thc procccdings to thc
ovcn` I tricd baking thc sliccd, llourcd onions
on awclloilcdrimmcdbakingshcct. Jhistrcat
mcnt gavc thc onions a crisp cxtcrior, but thc
4O minutcs otovcn timc rcquircd also causcd
thcmtobccomcdchydratcdandchcwy.
Jhistoppingupgradc wasturningout tobca
lotmorc dimcultthan I' danticipatcd. Switching
gcars, I dcviscdatcstto sccj usthowcrucialthc
onionswcrctothiscasscrolc. Ipulscdatcwsliccs
otbrcadinthctoodproccssor,tosscdthccrumbs
with sohcncd buttcr, and bakcd thcm right on
topotmycasscrolc. Whcnthcbubblingcasscrolc
cmcrgcd trom thc ovcn, I waitcd with batcd
brcath. Jhc outcomc` Mixcd. Jastcrs lovcd thc
buttcrycrunchotthc homcmadc brcad crumbs
butmisscdthconionllavor.
Iinc, thcn. I |ncw j ust thc way to gct somc
onion U avor i nto this casscrolc toppi ng both
quickly and ultra convcnicntly. Kccpi ng thc
brcadcrumb topping mostly intact, I sccrctly
addcdatcwcupsotthoscdarncdcanncdonions
I'dtailcdtorcplicatc ,in arcasonablc amountot
timc,thati s) .Whcnthiscasscrolccamcoutottlc
ovcn, tastcrs complctcly ovcrlookcd thc canncd
|ricdonionstuckcdamongthchomcmadcbrcad
crumbs. Whatthcydid noticcwas thc topping' s
grcattastcandtcxturc. Jhiswasthcgrccnbcan
casscrolcthcy'dbccnhopingtor'
Italmostbrokcmyhcarttodivulgcthcsccrct.
Butcvcnthccanncdtoodnaysaycrs hadtoadmit
T A s T I N G : Can ' Conveni ence' Green Beans Rival Fresh?
Fr those of us wi thout a wi l l i ng partner (or sous chef to tri m and cut 2 pounds of fresh green beans for our green
bean casserol e, a package of tri mmed and cut beans can l ook prett enti ci ng. But how do they taste? We went out
and bought eight tpes of conveni ence green beans: three canned, four frozen, and one brnd that ofered pack
ages of tri mmed fresh green beans. When used in our green bean casserol e, the canned beans were pal e, bl and,
and " beyond mushy. " Sl i ghtly better were frozen green beans, though they were somewhat "waterlogged" and
"spong, " wi th a di l uted flavor. (These flaws were exaggerated i n beans that were " frenched, " or cut i nto l ong.
thi n matchsti cks . ) The tri mmed fresh beans sounded promi si ng, but the cut ends of the beans i n the five di fer
ent bags we bought had dri ed out and needed a retri m once we got them home-not much of a ti me- saver.
In the end, none of these products warrnted an enthusi asti c nod . Our recommendati on? Spend a
few mi nutes to tri m-and bl anch-fresh green beans and take a shortcut somewhere el se in the menu.
NO CAN DO
Canned beans were
mushy, pal e, and bl and.
CUT . . . AN D DR I E D
We had to retrim the
dri ed-out ends on these
tri mmed fresh beans.
that thc trcshly madc buttcrcd brcad crumbs
maskcd thc commcrcial" llavor thcy' d com
plaincd about carlicr. My grccn bcan casscrolc
makcovcrwasnnallycomplctc.
G RE E N B EAN CAS S E RO L E
S E RVES 1 0 TO 1 2
Jhccomponcntsotthccasscrolccanbcprcparcd
ahcad ot timc. Storc thc brcadcrumb topping
in an airtight containcr in tlc rctrigcrator and
combinc with thc onions j ust bctorc cooki ng.
Combincthc bcansandcoolcdsaucci na baki ng
dish, covcrwithplasticwrap, and rchigcratc tor
upto24 hours .Jo scrvc,rcmovcthc plasticwrap
and hcat thc casscrolc in a 425 dcgrcc ovcn tor
I O minutcs, thcn add thc topping and bakc as
dircctcd.Jhisrccipccanbchalvcdandbakcdina
2 quart, or8 inchsquarc) bakingdish. Itmaking
ahaltbatch,rcduccthccookingtimcottlcsaucc
in stcp 3 to about minutcs ,1 3/4 cups) and tlc
bakingtimc instcp4 to I O minutcs.
Topping
4 sl i ces white sandwi ch bread, each sl i ce torn i nto
quarters
2 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon tabl e sal t
1/s teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
3 cups canned fri ed oni ons (about 6 ounces)
Beans and Sauce
Tabl e sal t
2 pounds green beans, ends tri mmed, and halved
3 tabl espoons unsal ted butter
pound white button mushrooms, stems
tri mmed, wi ped cl ean , and broken i nto 11- i nch
pi eces (see i l l ustrati ons on page 30)
NOVEMBER { DECEMBE R 2006
'
E ME RG E N CY O N LY
Frozen beans are passabl e
i n a pi nch, but steer cl ear
of "frenched" beans.
-Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th
N O N U KES
Mi crowaveabl e frozen
beans came out unevenly
cooked and ol ive drab.
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press (about I tabl espoon)
Ground bl ack pepper
3 tabl espoons al l - purpose fl our
1 11 cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
1 11 cups heavy cream
I . FOR THE TOPPING: Iulsc brcad, but
tcr, salt, and pcppcr in tood proccssor unti l
mi xturc rcscmbl cs coarsc crumbs, about tcn
I sccondpulscs . Jranstcrtolargcbowlandtoss
withonions,sct asidc.
2 . FOR THE BEANS AND SAUCE: Adj ust
ovcn rack to middlc position and hcat ovcnto
425 dcgrccs. Iilllargcbowlwithiccwatcr.Bring
4 quartswatcrto boil i nl argc Dutchovcn. POO
2 tablcspoons salt and bcans. Cook bcans until
bright grccn and crisptcndcr, about minutcs.
Drainbcansi ncolandcrandplungcimmcdiatcly
into icc watcrto stop cooking. Sprcad bcans on
papcr towcllincdbakingshccttodrai n.
3. Add buttcr to now cmpty Dutch ovcn
and mclt ovcr mcdium high hcat until toaming
subsidcs. Add mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 tcaspoon
salt, and 'k tcaspoon pcppcr, cook until mush
rooms rclcasc moisturc and liquid cvaporatcs,
aboutminutcs. AddU ourandcooktorI minutc,
stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to
simmcr, stirring constantly. Add crcam, rcducc
hcattomcdi um, andsimmcruntil sauccisthick
cncdandrcduccdto3': cups, about I2 minutcs.
Scasonwithsaltandpcppcrtotastc.
4. Add grccn bcans to saucc and stir until
cvcnly coatcd. Arrangc in cvcn laycr in 3 quart
, or I 3 by i nch) baking dish. Sprinklc with
toppi ng and bakc unti l top is goldcn brown
and saucc is bubbl i ng around cdgcs, about
I 5 minutcs .Scrvcimmcdiatcly.
Perfecting Penne ala Vodka
Spl ashes of vodka and cream can turn run- of- the- mi l l tomato sau ce into l uxurious
restaurant fare-or a heavy, boozy mistake. We set out to fine- tu ne this modern classic.
A
skcdtodcvcloparccipctorpcnncalla
vodka, I phoncd my Italian tricnds .
Icrhaps thcir grandmothcrs might
sharcoldtamilysccrcts`osuchluck.
Iurthcrrcscarchrcvcalcdthatthisunusualrccipc
tortomatosaucc nnishcdwithvodka andcrcam
isn' tstccpcdinItaliantraditionatall ,rathcr,it'sa
mostlyAmcricancrcation, thcwinncrota I 7Os
rccipccontcstpromotingvodka. ^ instantclas
sic, pcnnc alla vodka bccamc a tcaturcd itcm
on thc mcnus ottrcndy rcstaurants, thanks to
its simplc yct wcl l thoughtout blcnd otpowcr
ingrcdicnts. Crcam providcs luxurious richncss.
RcdpcppcrUakcsratchctup thchcat. Splashcsot
vodka hcightcn thc Uavor otthc tomatocswith
outaddingcompctingllavors.
Pwithmostdishcsthatlooksimplconpapcr,
this onc h ndssucccssi nitsproportionsandtim
ing,asprovcdbyasurvcyotrccipcswithidcntical
ingrcdicnt lists. Somc wcrc absurdly rich, con
tainingmorccrcamthantomatocs, othcrsaddcd
toomuchvodka too latc, yicldingsoupy, boozy
sauccs . My goal was to h nc tunc this modcrn
classictostrikc thcrightbalanccotswcct,tangy,
spicy,andcrcamy.
Mostrccipcstorpcnncallavodkabcginwitha
basictomatosaucc, canncdtomatocs, garlic, and
tc pcppcr k in olivc oil ) , but thc
tcxturcs run thc gamut trom thickandchunky
toultra smooth.Jastcrsprctcrrcdamiddlcroad,
so I purccdhaltthc tomatocs , whichhclpcdthc
saucctoclingnicclytothcpasta)andcutthcrcst
intochunks.Withj ust I O minutcsotsimmcring,
thcsaucchadapcrtcctconsistcncy, butInoticcd
tworccurringproblcms.
Iirst, thc mix otpotcntingrcdicntswas ovcr
whclming thc Uavor otthc tomatocs, cspccially
thcirswcctncss, a crucial componcntotthc bal
anccd Uavor pronlc I sought. Sautccd minccd
onionaddcdthcrighttouchotswcctncss,anda
tablcspoonottomatopastcrcmcdicdthcmissing
dcpthotthcUavor.
Sccond, thcvodkawas out otwhack. Bcsidcs
cuttingthrough thc richncss, vodka contributcs
anothcrnuancc tothc saucc-whattastcrsidcn
tih cd as zingincss . " As silly as it sounds, thc
scicncc backs it up. Faw alcohol is an irritant,
crcatingastingingscnsationontlctongucandin
thcthroat.Whcncookcd, alcoholdocsn' tcntircly
cvaporatc, and a mild burning scnsation , aka
zingincss) is lch bchind. Many rccipcs add thc
3 B Y R E B E C C A H AY S E
vodka alongwith thc hcay crcamncar thc cnd,
but no mattcr how much rcstraint I mustcrcd,
thcsaucctastcdboozy.Jrialandcrrortaughtmc
toadda libcral amountotvodka alongwith thc
tomatocs so that thc alcohol mostly-but not
complctcly-cookcdott.
Jonnishthcsaucc,Iswirlcdin / cupothcavy
crcam tor a luxurious but notovcrthc top con
sistcncy. Icttingthcpcnnc hnish cookingi nthc
saucc ,a standard Italian mcthod) cncouragcd
cohcsivcncss. I garnishcdthcpastawithchoppcd
basilandgratcdIarmcsan. Iinally, I hada quick
and dclicious vcrsion otpcnnc alla vodka that
struck thc llavor balancc I'd bccn looking tor.
Givcitashot.
P E N N E AL LA VO D KA
S E RVES 4
Sothatthc saucc and pasta nnish cooking at thc
samc timc, drop thc pastainto boilingwatcrjust
ahcradding thc vodka to thc saucc. Itpossiblc,
uscprcmiumvodka,incxpcnsivc brandswilltastc
harshinthissaucc. Icppcrvodkaimpartsaplcas
antllavorandcanbcsubstitutcdtorplain.
( 28-ounce) can whol e tomatoes, drai ned,
l i qui d reserved
2 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
1 1 smal l oni on, mi nced (about 1/4 cup)
tabl espoon tomato paste
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
1/4
-11 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Tabl e salt
' / cup vodka
11 cup heavy cream
pound penne pasta
2 tabl espoons fi nely chopped fresh basi l l eaves
Freshl y grated Parmesan cheese, for servi ng
I . Iurcc haltottomatocs in tood proccssor
untilsmooth. Diccrcmainingtomatocsinto':
inchpicccs, discarding corcs. Combinc purccd
and diccd tomatocs in liquid mcasuring cup
, youshouldhavcaboutI
:
/s cups ) . Addrcscrvcd
liquidtocqual2 cups.
2. Hcat oil in largcsauccpanovcr mcdium
hcatuntilshimmcring. Addonion and tomato
pastcandcook,stirringoccasionally,untilonions
arclightgoldcnaroundcdgcs, about3minutcs.
L | | | 5 I LLU ST R A T ED
\
Add garlic andpcppcrllakcs,cook,stirringcon
stantly,untiltragrant,about3Oscconds.
3 . Stir in tomatocs and / tcaspoon sal t.
Rcmovc panhom hcat andaddvodka. Rcturn
pan to mcdi um high hcat and simmcr briskly
untilalcoholUavoriscookcdott, 8to I O minutcs,
stirtrcqucntlyandlowcrhcatto mcdiumitsim
mcring bccomcs toovigorous. Stiri ncrcam and
cook until hot, about I minutc.
4. Mcanwhilc,bring4 quartswatcrto boil in
largc Dutch ovcn ovcr high hcat. Add I tablc
spoon salt and pasta. Cook until just shy otal
dcntc,thcn drainpasta,rcscrving'+ cupcooking
watcr, and transtcr pasta back to Dutch ovcn.
Add saucc topasta andtoss ovcr mcdium hcat
untilpastaabsorbssomcotsaucc, I to2minutcs,
adding rcscrvcd cooking watcr itsaucc is too
thick. Stirinbasil andadj ustscasoningwithsalt.
Dividcamongpastabowlsandscrvcimmcdiatcly,
passingIarmcsanscparatcly.
P E N N E AL LA VO D KA WI T H PAN C ETTA
HcatI tablcspoonolivcoilin largc sauccpanovcr
mcdium high hcat, add 3 ounccs thinly sliccd
pancctta, cut into ': inch picccs , about ': cup),
andcookuntil crisp, 6 to8 minutcs. Isingslot
tcdspoon,transtcrpanccttatosmal l bowlandsct
asidc. Iourottall but2 tablcspoons tathompan
and continuc witl rccipc tor Icnnc alla Vodka,
using tat inpaninstcadotoil in stcp 2, rcducing
salttopinchinstcp 3, and addingrcscrvcdpan
ccttatosaucc alongwithbasilinstcp4.
Penne from Heaven
Does vodka qual i t matter in our penne reci pe? To fi nd
out, we conducted a taste test of sauces made with six
brnds of vodka, rngi ng in pri ce from $6. 99 to $34 per
bottl e. To our surpri se, ni ne out of I 0 tasters favored the
sauce made with the most expensive vodka,
noti ng a " fresher, " "cl eaner" flavor. I t turns
out that cheap vOdksarC dsllCd Only once
to remove harsh tastes, whi l e "premi um" and
"super-premi um" brnds are fi l tered three or
more ti mes-and you can taste the diference,
even i n a tomato sauce. You don' t necessaril y
need to cook with Grey Goose (wi nner of this
taste test) , but don' t rui n your sauce wi th rot
gut vodka you' d never dri nk on i ts own .
FOR MORE THAN J UST MARTI NI S?
Rethinking Roast Turkey
We have brined thousands of turkeys over the years. But with limited room
in the refrigerator, was it time to develop a space- saving alternative?
W
c ' vc bccn advocati ng
brining i n thc pagcs ot
thi s magazi nc tor I 3
ycars. During that timc,
what was oncc anobscurc tcchniquc has
bccomc mainstrcam. Iick up almost any
rcccntcookbookandyou can rcad about
thc virtucs otbrining, which will kccp
turkcy, aswcllaschickcnandpork)tcndcr
andj uicybypumpingitupwithwatcrand
salt. Sowhydoanythingdittcrcnt
3 B Y D A V I D P A Z M I N O E
woodcn spoon to scparatc thc skin trom
thc mcat, thisworkcd bcttcr than my nn
gcrs,whichtcndcdto tcar thcskin) , I had
amplc room to givc thc turkcy a propcr
salt rubdown. Startingwith l4 cup, I pro
cccdcdtorub tablc saltonthcmcatundcr
thc skin and in thc cavity, thcn wrappcd
thc bird up, and rchigcratcd it tor I2
hours. !sing our muchtcstcd singlcUip
roasting tcchniquc, I cookcd thc turkcy
at 425 dcgrccs with thc brcast down tor
45 minutcs, thcn llippcd thc brcast up,
lowcrcd thc tcmpcraturc to 325 dcgrccs,
and continucd roasting until thc mcat
was donc. Jhc rcsults? Jhc outcr laycrs
otmcatwcrc wcll scasoncd, but thcrcwas
littlc salt llavor much bcyondthat.P onc
tastcrsaid,Saltyonthc outsidcbutbland
cvcrywhcrc clsc. "
Rcadcrshavcscntus hundrcdsotl cttcrs
ovcr thc ycars asking tor brining altcrna
tivcs. Ict'staccit,rchigcratingabigturkcy
in a biggcr buckct nllcd with cold watcr
and salt isn't always practical , cspccially
aroundthcholidays,whcnmostrctrigcra
torsarc packcd. A largc bccrcoolcrnllcd
with icc packs is onc way to gct around
thc spacc issuc, but many rcadcrs can' t
l iha coolcrloadcd down with gallons ot
watcr and a big turkcy-and disintccting
thc coolcr attcrward is no casy mattcr.
Wc wcrc stuck. Brining is thc bcst way
to guarantcc a moist turkcy, but it isn' t
alwaysthcmostpracticalway.
Wc scri ousl y bcgan to rcthi nk our
brincatall costsphilosophywhilcdcvcl -
A new sal ti ng techni que yi el ds moi st, j ui cy meat and el i mi nates the need
for a messy bri ni ng bucket.
Switchi ng to l argcr graincd koshcr
salt , which is casicrto rubovcrthcmcat
without lcavingsaltypockcts) , I bcganto
incrcasc thc amountotsalt, but I quickly
tound that morc salt j ust madc thc prob
lcmworsc. Rcgrouping, I scalcdbackthc
koshcr salt to l/
3
cup and tricd gradually
incrcasingthcsaltingtimcinstcad.Bccausc
I 2 hours had yicldcd ho hum rcsults, I
tricdlcavi ngthcsaltontorZ+, +o, Z, and opingourrccipctorSpicc RubbcdIicnic
Chickcn , |uly/August 2OOo) . Wc tound that
salting, a kind otdry brining" i n which wc
rubbcdthcchickcnwithsaltandlctitrcstinthc
rctrigcratortorscvcral hours,notonlyscasoncd
thc mcat but also hclpcd kccp it moist. How
docssaltingdoitswork?Initially, thcsaltdraws
out moisturc trom thc mcat, and this moisturc
mixcswiththcsalttotormashallowbrinc. vcr
timc, thc salt migratcs trom thc shallow brinc
intothc mcat, just as itdocs inourusual brin
ing tcchniquc. ncc insidc thc mcat, thc salt
changcsthcstructurcotthcmusclcnbcrssothat
thcmcatisablctoholdontomorcwatcr-cvcn
inahotovcn. Butwchadtakcnournrststabat
saltingwithpicccs otcutup chickcn. Would it
workwithawholcturkcy? Iti tdid, would thc
saltcdturkcytastcasgoodasabrincdonc
The Rubdown
Hcading into thc tcst kitchcn, I alrcady kncw
a tcw things about salting poultry. It is morc
cttcctivc whcn thc salt is applicd dircctly to thc
mcat, not thc skin, and, j ust as in brining, thc
amount ottimc thc bird is cxposcd to thc saltis
important. Gctting thc salt undcr thc skin was
casy. Ahcr using a chopstick or thc handlc ota
o hours. Whcrcas thc birdsthatwcrc saltcdtor
onlyI 2hourshadasaltycrustvithamodcratcly
moist and slightly havorcd ntcror, thc turkc
saltcdtor 72 ando hourswcrcovcrlysalty,with
s c , E N c E j ourney to the Center of the Bi rd
Wei ghi ng sal ted and unsal ted bi rds both before and after roasti ng convi nced me that sal ti ng coul d i ndeed hel p
turkey retai n moi sture and produce a j ui ci er bi rd . But a few naysayers wanted vi sual proof that the sal t was
worth the effort.
My fi rst thought was to mix ei ther food col ori ng or turmeri c wi th the salt, but
the col or compounds i n both were too l arge to pass through muscl e cel l s i n the
meat. Next I attached an el ectric meter to the turkey and ran el ectri ci t through
the breast to determi ne where the salt had penetrted, but the tests produced
i nconsi stent resul ts. I needed a compound that once di ssol ved woul d travel the
same path as the sal t to the center of the meat. The two l i kel y candi dates were ti nc
ture of i odi ne and copper sulfate, both vi brantl y col ored i norgani c sal ts. The test
with rust-col ored i odi ne di d not work, but the turkey coated with the bl ue copper
sul fate l i t up l i ke a road map of sal t penetrati on: The meat was dyed bl ue from the
ski n to the bone. Don' t tr thi s at home-copper sul fate i s poi sonous-but I fi nal ly
convi nced even the most stubborn kitchen skepti cs that sal ti ng work. -D. P.
NOVE MBE R c DE CE MBE R 2 0 0 6
1 1
WEI RD SCI ENCE
We rubbed a turkey with salt
dyed bl ue, waited 24hours,
then removed pieces to track
salt penetrati on.
I ci ng I t Down
Cool i ng the breast down with i ce ensures that i t wi l l cook
more sl owl y than the l egs and thighs. preventi ng the meat
from dri ng out. Pl ace bags of i ce underneath the breast
and i nsi de both the l are cavit and the neck area.
a j crky likc appcarancc. Jhc turkcys saltcd tor
24 and 48 hours wcrc thc pcrtcct compromisc.
Most otthcmcatwasnicclyscasoncd, and itwas
prcttymoist.
Jhcrcwcrc,howcvcr,somcsaltypockcts,cspc
ciallyin thc dccpvallcys bctwccnthcthighsand
brcast. Rinsing away cxccss salt bctorc roasting
solvcdthis problcm but lch thc skin llabby and
soh.Blottingupthccxccss moisturc cnsurcdthat
thc roastcd bird would cmcrgc trom thc ovcn
crispandbrown.
Nowtorthcmomcntottruth. comparingthc
saltcd bird with onc that had bccn brincd. Iirst
thc bad ncws. Jastcrs tound thc brincd turkcy
to bc moistcr, and thc numbcrs conh rmcd thcir
imprcssion. Whilca brincdbirdshcd I pcrccnt
otitsinitialwcightinthcovcn, asaltcdbirdshcd
!! cc\ O\ \\s outo|thcpackagc wcight. ,A
birdthatisncitcrrincd nor saltcdwill shcd28
pcrccntot i tsinitialwcighti nthcovcn. )
lh_ sn_ coudn quitc compctcwith
briningasawaytopumpmoisturcintoaturkcy,
it morc than hcld its own in tcrms otUavor. In
|act,mosttastcrschoscthcsaltcdturkcyovcrthc
brincd tor its mllcr turkcy llavor. " It actually
tastcs likc turkcy," said onc. Scvcral tastcrs also
prctcrrcdthcmorcnatural "tcxturcotthcsaltcd
bird,cvcnitthcmcatwasabitdry.ItonlyIcould
h ndawaytomakcasaltcdbirdrctainabitmorc
moisturc without pumping it up with watcr or
slathcring on cxtra gravy, I kncw I would havc
awinningtormula.
The Cool-down
I had onc morc trick up myslccvc. Jhc dryncss
problcm inthc saltcdturkcywas conhncdto thc
brcastmcat. , Jhc tat in darkthigh and lcgmcat
makcs dryncss a minimal conccrn. ) Idcally, thc
0rcast should bc cookcd to I oO dcgrccs and thc
thighto I 75 dcgrccs,butthcsctwotcmpcraturcs
arc hard to achicvc simultancously, cvcn whcn
thc birdisroastcdbrcastsidcdown ,whichgivcs
it somc protcction trom thc dircct hcat otthc
ovcn) . Somc timc ago, I hcard a radio intcrvicw
with tood scicntist Harold McGcc, who said hc
dcalt with thc tcmpcraturc dittcrcntial bctwccn
brcastandthighbychillingthcbrcastonicc. Hc
cxplaincd that itthc tcmpcraturc otthc brcast
was lowcr than thc tcmpcraturc ot thc thigh
bctorc thc turkcy wcnt into thc ovcn, that dit
tcrcntialwouldbccasicrtomaintainasthcturkcy
roastcd. McGcc's idca soundcd grcat, but how
wouldI iccj ustthc brcast`
I tri cd to attach icc packs to thc brcast with
masking tapc, but thcy slid down onto thc lcgs
andthighs,partsotthc bird that I didnotwant
to cool down. Attaching thc icc bags with duct
tapc and anathlcticbandagc ,whatwas I think
ing` )wasmorccttcctivc,butmycollcagucsj okcd
that it lookcd l ikc I was holding thc bird hos
tagc.Snickcrsasidc,oncthingwassurc. Icingthc
brcastwas havingan cttcct. Jhc brcast mcat on
thi sbandagcdbi rdcookcdupmoi standj uicy. It
onlyI couldi ccthcbirdwithlcssmss.
nc day, attcr hlling scvcral gal l on si zcd
zippcrlock bags with icc, two bags wcrc l chi n
thc bottom ota bowl . I had to wondcr why
I had spcnt so much timc trying to attach icc
packs to thc brcast whcn-as I nov rcalizcd-
simplycouldhavc placcdthc turkcy, brcastsidc
down, ontop ottwo icc bags. owrapping, no
mss. Ahcr thc nrst try, I kncw this mcthod was
a kccpcr. It also allowcd thc thighs and lcgs to
warm up tastcr, sincc thcy wcrc now tacing up.
Wanting to chill thc brcast morc thoroughly,
I stuttcd onc small bag oticc i n thc cavity and
placcd anothcragainst thc brcast undcr thc skin
otthc ncck. Jhccttcctotallthisicingwasprctty
dramati c. Whilcthc brcastandlcgwcrcthcsamc
tcmpcraturc ,4I dcgrccs) whcn thc turkcy nrst
camc outotthc rctrigcrator, thc brcast, ahcran
houronicc,droppcdto3odcgrccs,whilcthcun
iccdlcghadriscnto 43 dcgrccs. Jhat7dcgrcc
hcadstarttorthclcgmcantthcturkcycouldstay
in thc ovcn long cnough to mlly cook thc dark
mcatwithoutdryingout thcwhitcmcat.
ButhadIconvinccdthctcstkitchcnthatsalting
couldrivalbrining`Whcntastcdhcadtohcadonc
lastnmc,bothturkcyswcrcvclllikcd. Tastcrswho
wantcdmorcmoisturcstilltavorcdthcbrincdbird
, whichwasstillcvcrsoslightlyj uicicr) , whilcthosc
wanting a morc natural turkcy tcxturc and llavor
STE P - BY- STE P I HOW TO SALT A TURKEY
Rubbi ng the meat with sal t 2 4 to 48 hours pri or to cooki ng flavors the turkey and breaks down some o f the
protei ns, al l owi ng them to retai n more moisture. I t' s i mperative that you massage the sal t evenly i nsi de the cavit
and di rectly onto the meat.
I . UF SKI N: Use chopstick or
thi n wooden spoon handl e to sepa
rte ski n from meat over breast,
l egs, thighs, and back.
4. SALT ECH LEG: Apply l 1/2
teaspoons kosher sal t to each l eg,
addi ng half of sal t whi l e bi rd i s breast
up. fl i ppi ng bi rd, and then applyi ng
remai ni ng sal t to underi de of thigh.
2. SALT CAVIT: Rub 2 tabl e- 3. SALT BRE: Uft ski n and
spoons kosher salt i nsi de mai n cavit. apply I tabl espoon kosher sal t over
5 . RINSE: After 24 to 48 hours,
ri nse bi rd wel l to remove excess sal t
trapped under ski n.
each breast hal f. pl aci ng hal f of sal t
on each end of each breast, then
massagi ng salt evenly over meat.
. DRY: Use paper towel s to bl ot
excess moi sture from ski n so i t can
cri sp and brown i n oven.
COOK
'
S I LL USTRATED
1 2
u
Z
>
C
C
o

Z
1
C
Z
C

pickcd thc saltcd and iccd vcrsion. nc thing,

howcvcr, was pcrtcctly clcar. Brining now had a
strongcontcndcr,which alsohappcncdtotakcup
muchlcss spacc inthcrchigcrator.
ROAST S ALT E D TU RKE Y
S E RVES I 0 TO 1 2
Jhis rccipc was dcvclopcd and tcstcd using
Diamond Crystal Koshcr Salt. It you havc
Morton' s Koshcr Salt, which is dcnscr than
Diamond Crystal , usc only4': tcaspoons otsalt
inthccavity,2 14 tcaspoonsotsaltpcrcachhaltot
thcbrcast,and I tcaspoon otsalt pcr lcg. Jablc
salt is too nnc and not rccommcndcd tor this
rccipc. Ityouarcroastingakoshcrorsclt basting
turkcy, suchasahozcnButtcrball ) , donotsaltit,
italrcadycontainsagoodamountotsodium.
turkey ( 1 2 to l 4pounds) , gi bl ets and neck
reserved for gravy, if maki ng
5 tabl espoons kosher sal t (see note above)
I ( 5- pound) bag ice cubes
4 tabl espoons unsalted butter, melted
I . IollowingillustrationI onpagcI 2, carcmlly
scparatc turkcy skin trom mcat on brcast, lcgs,
thighs,andback,avoidbrcakingski n. Iollowing
illustrations 2 through 4, rub 2 tablcspoons salt
cvcnly insidc cavity otturkcy, I tablcspoon salt
undcrskinotcachbrcasthalt,and I '/ tcaspoons
salt undcr skin otcach lcg. Wrap turkcytightly
withplasticwrap,rctrigcratc24to48hours.
2. Rcmovc turkcytromrctrigcrator.Iollowing
illustrations5 and6, rinscottcxccsssaltbctwccn
mcat and skin and i ncavity, thcn pat dryinsidc
and out with papcr towcl s. Add i cc to two
I gallon zippcrlock bags until cach is haltmll .
Ilacc bags in largc roasting pan and lay turkcy
brcast sidc down on top oticc. Add icc to two
I quart zippcrlock bags until cach i s oncthird
mll,placconcbagicci ncavityot turkcyandothcr
bagin ncck cavity. , Makc surc that icc touchcs
brcastonly,notthighsorlcgs,sccphotoonpagc
I 2. ) Kccp turkcyonicctor l hour, roastingpan
shouldrcmainoncountcr) .
3. Mcanwhilc,adj ustovcnracktolowcstposi
tion and hcat ovcn to 425 dcgrccs. Iinc largc
Vrackwithhcavydutytoil anduscparingknitc
orskcwcrto pokc 2O to 3O holcsin toi l .
4. Rcmovc turkcy trom i ccandpatdrywith
papcr towcls , discard icc) . Juck tips otdrum
sticks into skinattail tosccurcand tuckwingtips
bchind back. Brush turkcy brcast with 2 tablc
spoons buttcr. Sct prcparcd Vrack in roasting
pan,sctturkcybrcastsidcdownonVrack,brush
backandlcgswithrcmaining2tablcspoonsbut
tcr. Roasttor45minutcs.
5. Rcmovcroastingpanwithturkcytromovcn
, closc ovcn door to rctain ovcn hcat ) , rcducc
ovcn tcmpcraturc to 325 dcgrccs. !sing clcan
potholdcrsorkitchcntowcls,rotatcturkcybrcast
Q U P N 1 1 b 1 | N C . Cari ng Boards
/ the centerpi ece of the tradi ti onal Thanksgivi ng meal , the turkey-and the beari ng of the turkey to the
tabl e-i nspi res i n many mi nds the tabl eau Norman Rockel l pai nted i n Freedom from Want. What his pai nt
i ng negl ects to show, however, i s the head of the tabl e struggl i ng to sl i ce that huge bi rd on i ts coaster- l i ke chi na
pl atter. Seasoned cooks know that turkey carvi ng i s best done i n the kitchen-and requi res a sturdy board . We
tested ei ght cari ng boards to determi ne whi ch shoul d be entrusted with the hol i day bi rd .
A modest I S- pound turkey measures roughl y 1 6 i nches l ong, a fact that put two 1 8- i nch boards out of the
runni ng. Afer half an hour' s rest, our bi rds shed roughly half a cup of l i qui d, whi ch fl ooded the shal l ow channel s
on two other boards.
The deeper, wi der trenches on the Wi l l i ams-Sonoma Medi um Reversi bl e Carvi ng Board ( $58) and the
I ronwood Memphi s Cutti ng Board ( $79. 95) were far more efective at trappi ng j ui ces. What' s more, both
boards featured meat-anchori ng mechani sms that kept the mai n course from sl i di ng around en route from
countertop to tabl etop. The Wi l l i ams-Sonoma featured a deep, oval -shaped centrl wel l where the turkey rested
snugly, whi l e the I ronwood Memphi s had convex rows of pyrmi d poi nts that gently gri pped the turkey. Where
the Wi l l i ams-Sonoma board bested its rival , however, was in its versati l i t. The I ronwood Memphi s, even with its
generous surface area ( 22 by I S i nches) and sturdy, padded feet, was no match for the Wi l l i ams-Sonoma, whi ch
wi th one fl i p coul d be used to accommodate a fl ank steak or tenderl oi n roast. And our wi nni ng board i s el egant
enough even for Rockel l ' s tabl e. -El i zabeth Bomze
OUR FAVORI TE
Wi l l i ams-Sonoma Medi um
Reversi bl e Caring Board, $ 5 8
An oval wel l hol ds the turkey snugly. with ampl e
room for carvi ng.
PRONE TO FLOODI NG
Oxo' s Cari ng and Cutting Board, S 1 9. 99
Turkey j ui ces overhel med the shal l ow channel s on
thi s polypropyl ene board .
sidc up, continuc to roast until thickcst part ot
brcastrcgistcrs I oO dcgrccs and thickcstpart ot
thighrcgistcrsI 7OtoI 75dcgrccsoninstantrcad
thcrmomctcr,I toI |/hourslongcr.Jranstcrtur
kcy to carving board, lctrcst 3O mi nutcs. Carvc
andscrvc.
ROAST S ALT E D T U RKE Y F O R A C ROWD
S E RVES 1 4 TO 1 6
JoroastI 5 toI 8poundturkcy,tollowrccipctor
Roast Saltcd Jurkcy, incrcasing salt rubbcd into
cavity to 3 tablcspoons ,634 tcaspoons i tusing
Morton's salt) and into cach brcast haltto I |/
tablcspoons ( 33/4 tcaspoons itusing Morton' s) .
Incrcascroastingtimci nstcp4t oI hour,rcducc
ovcntcmpcraturcto 325 dcgrccs,llipturkcy,and
continuc roasting until itrcachcspropcrintcrnal
tcmpcraturc, I': to2 hourslongcr.
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E M B E R 20 06
`
FOR TURKEY ONLY
I ronwood Memphi s Cutti ng Board, $79. 95
Rows of pyrami d poi nts gri p t he turkey but render
the board usel ess for anythi ng but poul try cari ng.
TOO S HORT
Catski l l Craftsmen Cari ng Board with
Feet and Groove, $ 20. 3 3
Thi s 1 8- i nch board i s barely l onger than
a smal l turkey.
NOt| KOhC|>8| t| thC>8m0
Unl i ke tabl e sal t, kosher sal t i s fairly easy to spread and
won' t cl ump, so i t i s a must i n our turkey reci pe. But
the two l eadi ng brands of kosher sal t are not the same.
Because of i ts more open crstal structure, a teaspoon
of Di amond Crstal actual ly contai ns l ess sal t than a tea
spoon of Morton' s Kosher. Use thi s reference guide to
convert measurements.
---
I tablespoon W
Diamond Crstal
Z'/ teaspoons
Moron' s
Multigrain Pancakes Worth Eating
Bland, dense, and gummy, most multigrain pancakes are more about appeasing your
diet than pleasing your palate. We wanted f lavorful , f luffy, and healthful f lapj acks.
W
hilcI havcalwayslikcd
thc whol csomc llavor
and hc arty t cxt ur c
ot mul ti grai n brcads,
ccrcal s, and bakcd goods, I 'vc ncvcr
quitccottoncdtomultigrainpancakcs.
Fvcry vcrsion I cvcr tastcd was bland
and gummy, dcnsc and chcwy, or just
unpal atabl y whol csomc. Iirst thi ng
in thc morni ng, I wantbrcaktast, not
pcnancc .
Jhatbcingsaid, I want tolovc thcm.
Ircallydo. Jhcorctically,nothingsounds
bcttcrtomcthanatallstackotcomplcxly
llavorcd,light,andUut[multi grainpan
cakcs-a brcaktast I could cnjoy cating
andtcclgoodaboutcating,too. Inrcal
ity, otcoursc, that's a prctty tall ordcr.
Icadcnwholcwhcat,oats,barlcy,buck
whcat, and thc likc don't lightcn up so
casily. Fvcr thc tcst cook, I wondcrcd
whatsortotkitchcnalchcmycouldmakc
alight,mUllavorcdpancakcviablc.
Flour Arrangement
= B Y ^.1 1 |l l \ C .H 1<
Jhcrc arc a lot ot multigrain pancakc
rccipcs out thcrc, cach onc producing
a batch ot pancakcs hcavicr than thc
last. A couplc ot thc rccipcs I tricd
madctorgoodllavor, but thc pancakcs'
What' s the secret to tal l , nuffy pancakes packed wi th ri ch
mul tigrai n navor?
dcnsc tcxturc sccmcd bcyond rcdcmption. I did
managc to dig up onc or two rccipcs that wcrc
light. Jhcir sccrct` Skimp on thc grains. ^
casy,unsatistactorysolution. Multigrainpancakcs
should contain a multitudc otwholc grains, not
atokcnspoonml . SowhcrcwasI tostart`Squarc
Mul ti grai n Makeover
onc, with mytavoritc buttcrmilkpancakc rccipc.
IcrhapsI could adapt itto suitmynccds.
Ahcr a good dcal ottrial and crror, I tclt likc
I was gctting somcplacc. A mix otwholc whcat
llourandall purposcllourpunctuatcdwithavari
cty otgrains-oats, ryc llakcs, whcat gcrm, and
morc-tastcd prctty good
Some mul ti gri n pancake reci pes l oad up on unprocessed grai ns-great for navor
but bad for texture. To avoi d gummy, chew pancakes, we made our own mul ti
gri n "fl our" by processi ng store- bought muesl i cereal i n a food processor. To give
our pancakes a subtl e hi nt of that heart whole grin texture, we added a few
and wasn' t horribly dcnsc .
And thc mi xi ng mct hod
coul dn' t havc bccn casi cr.
L| CnUthcwctanddryingrc
di cnts i ndcpcndcntly, thcn
whi skthc two togcthcr j ust
bctorccooking.
tablespoons of unprocessed muesl i to the batter.
PERFECT COM BO
Sounds good, but thc
i ngrcdi cnt l i st was tar too
long,andthcmorclloursand
grai ns I addcd ,in minisculc
amounts) , thcbcttcrthcpan
TOO TOOTHSOM E
Pncakes made with unprocessed muesl i
had great flavor but too much chew.
Processi ng some muesl i i nto "fl our" and
cakcs tastcd. A loatotbrcad,
leaving some whole gave us great texture. maybc, was worth such an
C O O K
'
S l l. l. li S T R I I F il
|
invcstmcnt ottimc and cttort, but pancakcs` It
tclt likc I was turning pancakcs into a compli
catcdattairwhcn thcyshouldbcaquick,mindlcss
proj cct,thc sortotthingyoucanwhipupwhilc
si mul tancously brcwing cottcc, skimming thc
papcr,andcntcrtainingadcmandingtoddlcr.
Cereal Saves the Day
Jhcrc had to bc an casicr way. I tound scvcral
dihcrcnt grain mixcs at thc storc that lookcd
promising. Whilc thcy wcrc dcsigncd tor hot
ccrcal,I wondcrcditI could substitutcaportion
torthc grains I had bccn addingtothcpancakcs.
,A similar stratcgy had workcd wcU with our
MultigrainBrcadrccipc, sccMarch/ April2OOo. )
No such luck. Fvcn ahcr a long soak i n thc
pancakc' s liquid componcnts, thc hard grains-
coarsc cornmcal and chcwy barlcy-didn't sut
ncicntlyhydratc, and thc pancakcswcrc unplcas
antlygritty,asitsomcbodyhadthrowna handml
otsand into thc battcr whilc I wasn't looking.
Irolongcd cooking sccmcd to bc thc onlyway
tosohcn thc grains, but makinga mushwiththc
ccrcal bctorc adding it to tlc pancakc battcr-a
mcthodthatworkswcNwithcornbrcad-yicldcd
vcrygummy,dcnscpancakcs .
Hot ccrcal may not havc workcd, but what
about cold ccrcal` Jhc shclvcs otany supcrmar
kctarc lincd with dozcnsotdittcrcntmultigrain
ccrcals, somc ccrtainly morc wholcsomc" than
othcrs. I rcad labcls and boughta tcw thatwcrc
highcst ingraincontcntandlowcstinsugar.
Ilakc stylc ccrcals, likc Whcati cs, almost dis
solvcd into thc battcr and gavc thc pancakcs an
appcalingchcwincss . Hard,crunchy ccrcals, likc
Grapc Nuts and granola, madc pancakcs that
wcrctartootcxturcdtormytastc. Whilc promis
ing, noncotthc ccrcals I tricdottcrcdthcdcpth
otU avor, orvarictyotgrai ns) I`d hopcd tor.
Jhcn I tound mucsli . Madc trom raw wholc
oats, whcat gcrm,rycllakcs, barlcy, toastcd nuts,
and dricd truit, i t had CvCr
)
lHin_ 1 vJnlcU n
onc convcnicnt packagc. And tlat convcnicncc
translatcd to grcat llavor-tar supcrior to any
thing I'd achicvcd in prcvious tcsts. Jhc dricd
truit and toastcd nuts-usually almonds and/or
hazclnuts-providcdahugcllavorboost .
Ilavor was onc thing, but tcxturc was somc
thingdittcrcntaltogcthcr.Jhcpancakcsprcparcd
witl wholc mucsli wcrc too chcwy and had a
gummytcxturcmorc bcnttinga bowl oloatmcal
Let That Batter Rest
To get l ight. fl uf pancakes. i t' s i mportant to let the bat
ter rest whi l e the pan heats (a ful l five mi nutes) . The fl our
needs thi s ti me to absorb al l the l i qui d, thus ensuri ng
that the batter sets up properly. Ski p thi s step and the
pancakes wi l l run together i n the pan ( l eft) and cook up
fiat. not to menti on mi sshapen. Properly rested batter
wi l l mai ntai n its shape when poured i nto the pan and wi l l
produce tal l and fl uf pancakes (right) .
U N RESTE D RESTE D
than a stack otpancakcs. Soaking thc mucsli i n
thc liquid componcnts otthc battcr to sottcn
it rcmcdicd thc chcwincss but did littlc tor thc
gummincss.
Itwholcmucsliwasn' tgoingtodclivcrallu
tcxturc,whataboutgrindingith ncinto ahomc
madc"llour"` I tosscdacouplcotcups intothc
|oodproccssorandlctthcmucsliwhirluntil thc
ccrcalwas rcduccd to a coarsc mcal . I rcplaccd
roughly halto|thc all purposc andwholcwhcat
Uour i n my worki ng rccipc with thc ground
mucsli, andthc rcsulting pancakcs wcrc almost
aslightasIwantcd thcm. Iropcrlcavcning,pcr
haps, couldmakc thcm pcr|cct.
Ughten Up
Iancakcscanbclcavcncdnaturallywitlwhippcd
cgg whitcs or chcmically with bakng powdcr
and/orsoda. I wasn' tthrillcd bythcprospcctot
scparating and whipping cgg whitcs, but I was
dctcrmincdtotcstthismcthod. Jo myrclict,cgg
whitcsdidn'tsccmuptotlctask. Jhisdcnscbat
tcrnccdcdthcpowcro|chcmical lcavcning.
Many chcmi cally l cavcncd pancakc rcci pcs
includc bothbakingpowdcrandsoda, cspccially
whcnthcy'rcbulkcdupwithhcavygrai ns. Itmay
sccmrcdundant,butthccombination makcstor
tai l sa|c lcavcning and t|orough browni ng. , I n
addition to actingas a lcavcncr, baki ngsodai s a
browning agcnt-a |act that a quick tcst rccon
hrmcd. ) I cxpcrimcntcdwithvaryingvolumcso|
bothpowdcrandsodaandconcludcdtlatasub
stantial 2 l+ tcaspoons powdcr and l: tcaspoon
sodayicldcdtlcU umcstpancakcs.
Jhc tcxturc was now spoton and thc llavor
morcthandcccnt, but I couldn' thclp butthink
1 could improvc it witl somc twcaking. A littlc
buttcrroundcdoutthcgrains' roughcdgcs, and
a splash otvanilla addcd dcpth. Most pancakc
rccipcsgolightonthcswcctcncr, that'swhatthc
syrup's tor, attcr all ) , but I |ound that a couplc
tablcspoonso|brownsugarwcntlari ncmphasi z
ingthccarthincsso|thcgrai ns.
I thought I wasdonc, buta tcw otmytastcrs
thought that tlc buttcrmilk was a bit too sour,
impinging on thc U avor otthc grai ns. ItI di d
away wi th it cntircly, I woul d havc to rcthink
thc lcavcning-no thanks. But what i tI simply
uscdalcssacidic tastingblcndo|milkandlcmon
juicc` Jhatwas thcanswcr.Jhc milkand lcmon
j ui cc mixturc madc tor a surpri si ngly cl cancr,
richcr tasting pancakc with-as an uncxpcctcd
bonus-ancvcnlightcrtcxturc.
Icrtcctmultigrain pancakcs` Icrhaps too pcr
|cct. Somc tcst cooks thought thcy wcrc going
downtoocasyandtavorcdthcadditionotalittlc
wholcmucslitothcbattcr|orabitmorcchcw.A
tcasingrcmindcr, pcrhaps,othowtarthcscpan
cakcshadcomctromthcirdcnscbcgi nnings .
M U LTI G RAI N PAN CAK E S
MAKES ABOUT S I XTE E N 4 - I NCH PAN CAKE S ,
S E RVI NG 4 TO 6
Iamiliabrand nosugar addcd mucsli is tlc bcst
choicc |or tlis rccipc. Ityou can't nnd Iamilia,
looktorAlpcnoranynosugar addcdmucsli . , It
you can't nnd mucsli without sugar, mucsliwith
sugaraddcdwillwork,rcduccthcbrownsugarin
thc rccipc to I tablcspoon. ) Mix tlc battcr nrst
and thcn hcatthcpan. Icttingtlc battcrsitwhilc
tlcpanhcatswillgivcthcdryingrcdicntstimcto
absorb thc wct ingrcdicnts, otlcrwisc thc battcr
willbcrunny. Inlcssyouhavcapastrybrushwith
hcatproot bristlcs,apapcrtowclisthcbcstmcans
otcoatingthc pan surtaccwitl oil . Iancakcswill
hold |or 2O minutcs whcn placcd on a grcascd
rackscton a bakingshcctin a 2OO dcgrcc ovcn.
Scrvcwitl maplcsyruporApplc, Cranbcrry, and
IccanJopping , rccipctollows) .
4 teaspoons j ui ce from I l emon
2 cups whol e mi l k
I 1/4 cups ( 6 ounces) pl us 3 tabl espoons no- sugar
added muesl i (see note above)
V cup ( 3 % ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
'h cup ( 2% ounces) whol e wheat fl our
2 tabl espoons l ight or dark brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baki ng powder
1h teaspoon baki ng soda
'h teaspoon tabl e sal t
2 l arge eggs
3 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, mel ted and
cool ed
3/4 teaspoon vani l l a extract
Vegetabl e oi l
l . Whisk l cmon j uicc and mi l k togcthcr i n
mcdium bowlor4cupmcasuringcup, sctasidc
tothickcnwhilcprcparingothcringrcdicnts.
2 . Iroccss I l+ cups mucsli i n tood proccs
soruntil hncly ground, 2 to2l: minutcs, trans
|cr to largc bowl . Add rcmaining 3 tablcspoons
N O V F , Il E R c D E C F M il E R 2 0 0 6

unground mucsl i , llours, brown sugar, baking
powdcr,bakingsoda,andsalt,whisktocombinc.
3. Whiskcggs,mcltcdbuttcr, and vanillainto
milk untilcombincd. Makcwcllin ccntcr otdry
ingrcdicnts i n bowl , pour in milk mixturc and
whiskvcrygcntlyuntiljustcombincd, tcwstrcaks
otU ourand lumpsshouldrcmai n) . Donotovcr
mi x. Allowbattcrtositwhilc pan hcats.
4. HcatI 2inchnonstickskillctovcrmcdium
low hcat tor 5 minutcs . Add I tcaspoonoil and
brush to coat skillct bottom cvcnly. Iollowing
i nstructions bclow, add I tablcspoon battcr to
gaugc tcmpcraturc otpan. Iour '+ cup battcr
onto 3 spots in skillct, using bottom otladlc to
sprcadbattcrsmoothi|ncccssary. Cookpancakcs
until small bubblcs bcgin to appcar cvcnly ovcr
surtacc,2 to3 minutcs. Isingthin,widc spatula,
U ippancakcsandcookuntilgoldcnbrownonscc
ond sidc, I l: to 2 minutcs longcr. Scrvc immc
diatcly. Rcpcat with rcmaini ng battcr, brushing
surtacc otpan lightly with oil bctwccn batchcs
andadj ustinghcatitncccssary.
AP P L E , C RANB E R RY, AN D P E CAN TO PPI NG
S E RVES 4 TO 6
Jhc tcstkitchcnprc|crsscminrmapplcssuchas
Iuj i , Gala, or Bracburn tor thistopping. Avoid
vcry tart typcs likc GrannySmi th and so|tvari
cticslikc McIntosh.
3 'h tabl espoons col d unsal ted butter
3 medi um appl es. peel ed, cored, and cut i nto 1h
i nch pi eces (about 4cups) (see note above)
Pi nch tabl e salt
cup appl e ci der
1h cup dri ed cranberri es
'h cup mapl e syrup
'h teaspoon vani l l a extract
teaspoon j ui ce from I l emon
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarse
Mclt I |/ tablcspoons buttcr in largc skillct ovcr
mcdium high hcat . Add applcs and salt, cook,
stirri ngoccasionally,untilsohcncdandbrowncd,
7 to mi nutcs . Stir in cidcr and cranbcrrics,
cookunti l l i qui d has almost cvaporatcd, o to
8 minutcs. Stir in maplc syrup and cook until
thickcncd, 4 to 5 minutcs. Add vanilla, lcmon
j uicc, and rcmaining buttcr,whisk untilsauccis
smooth. Scrvcwith toastcdnuts .
Pancakes I 0 I : I s the Pan
Ready?
The best way to determi ne when the ski l l et i s ready
i s to make a test pancake the size of a hal f-dol l ar
( use I tabl espoon of batter) . I f after one mi nute
the pancake i s gol den brown , the pan is ready. If
the bottom of the pancake remai ns bl ond-or i s
cl ose to burni ng-adj ust the heat accordi ngly.
Spices 1 01
Throwing away that antique j ar of ground pepper is on ly
the first step. Here' s our guide to getting the most favor
from your Spice rack. 1 z ' . z ` ` z
I n the test ki tchen we stock more than 50 di fferent spi ces, but we seem to reach for the same dozen bottl es over
and over agai n. Here' s what you need to know about these essenti al spi ces. ( Pepper i s so i mportant that i t meri ts a
separate di scussi on; see page 1 7. )
cardamom
WHAT YOU NE E D TO
KNOW: Whol e cardamom
consists of a green seed pod
that hol ds about 20 smal l bl ack
seeds. Whi l e cardamom i s avai l abl e ground,
the whol e pods have a superi or flavor and aroma.
HOW TO USE I T: Si nce the flavor rsides i n the smal l seeds,
it is necessr to crush the whol e pods befor using them.
cayenne Ppper
WHAT YOU NE E D TO KNOW: Ori gi nal ly made from
cayenne peppers, thi s spi ce i s now made from a vari et
of ground dri ed chi l es. Cayenne pepper is ri ch wi th
volati l e oi l s, maki ng i t suscepti bl e to fl avor l oss wi thi n a
few months.
HOW TO US E I T: I ntensi t vari es from brnd to brand,
so add a smal l amount, taste, and adj ust seasoni ng.
Chili Pwder
WHAT YOU NE E D TO KNOW: Most brands are a
bl end of 80 percent ground dri ed chi l es with garl i c
powder. oregano, and cumi n. Chi l i powders made
sol ely from chi l es can be found i n ethni c markets and
are usual ly l abel ed by tpe of chi l e (such as ancho chi l e
powder or chi potl e chi l e powder) .
HOW TO US E I T: Because chi l i powder is a bl end of
spi ces, i t shoul d be " bl oomed" in hot oi l to bri ng out i ts
compl ex flavors.
*TEST KI TCHE N WI NNE R* Spice Islands Chi l i Powder
Cinnamon
WHAT YOU NE E D TO KNOW:
Tre ci nnamon, or Ceylon ci n
namon, is made from the
dried bark of a tropical ev
erreen tree and can be difi cul t to
fi nd i n Aerican markets. What most
cooks thi nk of as ci nnamon i s actually cassia, made frm
the bark of a si mi l ar everreen. Cassia has a darker color
and a more pungent flavor than tre ci nnamon, which we
fi nd too mi l d and not worth seeki ng out.
HOW TO US E I T: Ci nnamon is one of the few spi ces
that we prefer to buy ground. Save whole ci nnamon sticks
for i nfusi ng flavor i nto hot l i qui ds.
*TEST KI TCHE N WI NNE R* Penzeys Chi na Cassi a
Ci nnamon
Cloves
WHAT YOU NE E D
TO KNOW: Cl oves are
the dri ed unopened
flower buds of a speci es
of evergreen tree and
boast a sweet, pepper
flavor.
H OW TO US E IT: Cl oves are potent and shoul d be
used spari ngly. Because whol e cl oves are di ffi cul t to
gri nd, we buy them ground. Reserve whol e cl oves for
i nfusi ng fl avor i nto hot l i qui ds or for i nserti ng i nto ham.
Coriander
WHAT YOU NE E D TO KNOW: Cori ander i s the seed
of the pl ant that produces the herb ci l antro. Cori ander
i s sol d whol e and ground, but whol e seeds provi de a
more vi brant, compl ex
flavor.
HOW TO US E I T:
Toasti ng whol e cori an
der hel ps t o rel ease i ts
flavor and aroma.
Cumin
WHAT YOU NE E D TO KNOW: Cumi n i s a hi ghly
aromati c spi ce that comes from a pl ant in the parsl ey
fami ly.
HOW TO US E IT: l f ti me al l ows, we l i ke to toast and
gri nd whol e cumi n seeds; thi s gives the spi ce a more
compl ex pepper flavor than when purchased ground.
*TEST KI TCHE N WI NNE R* McCormi ck Gourmet
Col l ecti on Ground Cumi n
Curr Powder
WHAT YOU NE E D TO KNOW: Curr powder
i s a bl end of spi ces. Because there i s no standard
formul a, flavors vary from brand to brand.
Most formul as i ncl ude cardamom, chi l es, cumi n,
fennel , fenugreek, nutmeg, and turmeri c, whi ch gives
curr i ts characteristi cal ly yel l ow col or.
HOW TO US E I T: For general cooki ng, we prefer a mi l d
curry powder; hot curr powder, whi ch contai ns more
chi l es, can be overpoweri ng. Curr powder shoul d be
sauteed i n hot oi l to " bl oom" i ts flavor.
*TEST KI TCH E N WI NNE R* Tone' s Curry Powder
L \ \ | I L L U S T R A T E D
1 6
S PI C E RU BS
Spri nkl e spi ce rubs over food and then gentl y
massage i n the seasoni ngs to make sure they
adhere. a general rul e, use about I tabl e
spoon of rub per porti on of meat or poul try
and I teaspoon of rub per porti on of fi sh.
Al though rubs can be appl i ed ri ght before
cooki ng, we' ve di scovered that the fl avor of
the spices penetrates deeper i nto the food
i f given ti me. Refrigerate rubbed meat for at
l east an hour to maxi mi ze the return (l arge
cuts of meat can sit overni ght for a spi ci er,
more i ntense flavor) . See Cook' s Extra on
page 1 7 for some of our favorite spi ce rubs.
Nutmeg
WHAT YOU NE E D TO KNOW: Nutmeg i s the dri ed
seed- l i ke kernel of an evergreen tree. I ts warm, spi c
flavor accentuates sweetness i n reci pes. The l acy mem
brane that covers nutmeg, when dri ed and ground,
becomes the spi ce mace.
HOW TO US E I T: Nutmeg
l oses i ts aroma when ground,
so i t' s best to buy whol e
nutmeg and grate i t when ___
needed . J ust keep i n
mi nd that a l i ttl e goes
a l ong way.
Ppri ka
WHAT YOU NE E D TO KNOW: Ppri ka is a fi ne
powder made by gri ndi ng dri ed red peppers. I ts flavor
and pungency can range from mi l d to hot, dependi ng
on what tpe of pepper i s used and how much of the
pl acenta (the whi te vei ns) i s ground wi th the pepper.
HOW TO USE IT: We prefer the compl exi t of sweet pa
pri ka, especi al l y brnds from Hungar and Spai n , whi ch
have a sl i ghtly ful l er fl avor than domesti c vari eti es.
*TE ST KI TCHE N WI NNE R* Penzeys Hungar Sweet
Paprika
Safron
WHAT YOU NE E D TO KNOW: Safron, the worl d' s
most expensive spi ce, i s the hand- harested stigma of
a vari et of crocus. Buy red safron threads that are de
voi d of yel l ow and
ornge. Saffron can
al so be purchased
powdered, but
because ground saf
fron i s often mixed
wi th other i ngredi _
ents, it shoul d be
bought from a reputabl e source. Whi l e Spani sh safron
i s ofen consi dered superi or, we prefer the fl avor of
domesti c saffron produced i n Pennsylvani a.
HOW TO USE I T: To rel ease flavor, crush saffron
threads with your fi ngers before addi ng them to a di sh.
Use spari ngl y: too much wi l l i mpart a metal l i c taste.
w
Z
>
C
O

Z
T
C
Z
C

o

Bl ack pepper i s the most i mportant spi ce in your pantr. Thi s berr grows in a spi ke- l i ke cl uster on a cl i mbi ng vi ne
that i s i ndi genous to the tropi cs. The berries are pi cked when green and then sun- dri ed unti l they
become the dry, hard, bl acki sh kernel s we know as peppercorns.
What to Buy
What' s the best brand of ground bl ack pepper?
There i sn ' t one: A soon as peppercorns are cracked,
they begi n l osi ng the vol ati l e compounds that give
them bold aroma and subtl e flavor; soon enough . al l
that' s left i s a nonvol ati l e compound cal l ed pi peri ne,
whi ch gives the sensati on of " hotness" but l i ttl e el se.
For that reason , we consi der whol e peppercorns
ground to order i n a pepper mi l l -the only vi abl e
opti on. Whi l e gourmet stores carr bl ack peppercorns
wi th exoti c names ( Mal abar, Sarawak, and the l i ke)
and origi ns, we've found the di fferences to be al most
i mpercepti bl e.
*TEST KI TCHE N WI NNE R* McCormi ckSchi l l i ng
Whol e Bl ack Pepper
WH I TE PEPPER
The berries used to make whi te pepper are the same
as those used to make bl ack pepper, but they are
harested at a ri per stage. The hul l s are then removed
and with them goes some of the heat characteri sti c
of bl ack pepper. Whi te peppercorns are often used
when the appearance of a di sh woul d be marred by
fecks of bl ack. Many Asi an reci pes rel y on the fra
grnt, citrusy flavor of whi te pepper. We use whi te
pepper so i nfrequentl y that we can' t j ustif purchas
ing a pepper mi l l for the sol e purpose of gri ndi ng
i t, nor can we be bothered empti ng and
then refi l l i ng the bl ack- pepper mi l l .
I nstead , we buy ground
whi te pepper and
repl eni sh our stock
when the pepper
l oses i ts fragrance.
To reap the benefits of whol e spi ces, you need a
device that transforms them i nto a fi ne, even powder.
Whi l e there are many gadgets avai l abl e for such a task,
we've determi ned that the best tool for the job i s a
cofee gri nder. An i nexpensive
blade gri nder produces consi s
tently good resul ts wi th l i ttl e
effort. I f possi bl e, keep one
gri nder for coffee, another for
spi ces.
*TEST KI TCHE N WI NNE R*
Krups Fast-Touch Cofee Mi l l ,
Model 203 , $ 1 7. 95
f=== Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated.com
Key in code I I 062 for Favorite Spi ce Rubs
for chicken, pork, beef, lamb. and fish.
===:
Key in code 1 1 063 for Dr Rub for Barbecue.
Recipes available until May I . 2007.
Pepper Mi l l s
We' ve used our share of wrist
wrenchi ng pepper mi l l s in an attempt
to render whol e peppercorns to ground
pepper. Our favorite pepper mi l l has a
huge capaci t. is easi l y adj ustabl e, and
works wi th astoni shi ng speed.
*TEST KI TCHE N WI N NE R*
Uni cor Magnum Pl us Pepperri l l , $45
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , , . . . . .
'
Crushi ng Peppercorns
Many reci pes cal l for coarsel y crushed peppercorns,
somethi ng that most pepper mi l l s can' t produce. Here
are two ways of achi evi ng
uni forml y crushed
peppercorns.
Ski l l et: Spread the peppercorns on a cutti ng board
and, usi ng a rocki ng moti on, crush them wi th the back
of a cl ean, heavy pan.
Rol l i ng Pi n: Spread the peppercorns in an
even l ayer i n a zi pper- l ock bag, then whack them wi th a
rol l i ng pi n or meat pounder.
How to Cl ean a Spice Gri nder
A qui ck wi pe wi th a brush or cl oth i s usual ly sufi ci ent to
cl ean the test ki tchen' s gri nder. Someti mes, however.
spi ce resi d ues remai n even after wi pi ng. Because most
gri nders can' t be i mmersed
i n water, we devel oped a
techni que for "dr cl ean
i ng" that suffi ci ently re
moves al l traces of resi due.
Add several tabl espoons
of raw whi te ri ce to the
gri nder and pulverize to
a fi ne powder. The ri ce
powder wi l l absorb resi dual
spi ce parti cl es and oi l s. Di s
card the ri ce powder; you r
gri nder wi l l be cl ean.
N O V E M B E R { D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6
1 7
I n most cases, purchasi ng whol e spi ces and gri ndi ng
them is preferabl e to buyi ng ground spi ces. Whol e
spi ces have a l onger shel f l i fe (about twi ce that of
ground spi ces) . and most fresh-ground spi ces al so have
superi or aroma and flavor. Whether whol e or ground,
spi ces shoul d be bought i n the smal l est quantities avai l
abl e. I t al so pays to check the expi rati on date.
When stori ng spi ces, the bi ggest mi stake cooks
make i s keepi ng them cl ose to the stove. Heat and
moi sture qui ckly shorten the shel f l i fe of spi ces, l eavi ng
them dul l ; keep spi ces in a cool , dark. dr pl ace in a
wel l -seal ed contai ner.
Usi ng sti ck-on dots, write
the name and purchase
date on top of the spi ce j ar.
Thi s wi l l tel l you how l ong
you've had the spi ce and
wi l l make i t easi er to fi nd
the spi ce you want when
they are stored i n a drawer.
ful l est flavor.
The process of dry-toasti ng spi ces i s normal ly resered
for whol e spi ces that are then ground i nto a fine pow
der. To toast spi ces, put them in a smal l ski l l et without
any oi l and set the ski l l et over medi um heat. Shake the
ski l l et occasi onal ly to prevent scorchi ng and toast unti l
they are fragrant. I to 3 mi nutes. Cool sl ightl y before
gri ndi ng.
Bl oomi ng
To i ntensi f the fl avor of commerci al ly ground spi ces.
cook them for a mi nute or two i n a l i ttl e butter or
oi l -before any l i qui d i s added to the reci pe. (I f the
reci pe cal l s for sautei ng oni ons or other aromati cs,
add the spi ces to the ski l l et when the vegetabl es are
nearl y cooked . ) Thi s step i s parti cul arl y i mportant
wi th spi ce mixtures . such as chi l i powder and curr
powder, where i t' s cruci al to devel op thei r compl ex
flavors. (Whol e spi ces can al so be bl oomed in oi l or
butter. Thi s i s a common techni que used at the start
of many I ndi an reci pes. The spi ces shoul d be di scarded
before the di sh i s sered . )
Simplifing Coq au Vin
White- tablecloth restaurants have hi j acked this simple ch i cken and wine stew, making it
a fussy, time- consumin
g
affair. Coul d we return this dish to its humble roots?

rigi nallymadcwith roostcrsnolon
gcr suitablc tor brccding, coq au
vin chi ckcn stcwcd i n rcd winc )
bcganlitc asprovincialpcasanttarc.
Simmcrcotorhours, thc tough, old towlsoakcd
upthcwinc' srichU avorasthcacidicliquidgcn
tly brokc down thc sincwy hbcrs . Iocal mush
rooms,hcrbs,andonions-pcrhapsalittlcbitot
porktat-roundcdoutthissimplcstcw.
nccwcll hcclcdbistropatronsrcplaccdpcas
ants as thc primary consumcrs otthis dish, thc
rccipcsstartcdtogcttancy.Vcrytancy. Combing
through classic Ircnchcookbooks, I tound onc
ambitious rccipc that callcd tor rcducing vcal
stockwithwinc andvcgctablcs,sautcinglardons
, diccd bacon) , browning chickcn picccs in thc
rcndcrcdtat, dcglazingthcpan,strainingoutthc
solids,thickcningthc sauccwithpurccdchickcn
livcrsandbcurrcmanic, buttcrllourpastc) , add
inginncwvcgctablcs,thcnU ambcingthcwholc
thing with cognac. Rich and complcx, ycs, but
waybcyondthcpalctorhomccooking.
Somc modcrn vcrsions , including our own
rccipchomI) gctthcproccssdowntoatcw
hours.Yct cvcn thcscstrcamlincd"rccipcssccm
to bc caught in thc trappings othautc cuisinc.
Acr all , coq au vin is justchickcn stcw, right` I
wantcdtorcturnthisdishtoitsroots,simplijing
thcrccipcto thc pointwhcrc I wouldn' thavc to
waittoratormaldi nncrpartytoscrvc i t.
Poultry Matter
Ignoring thc oddball all day cxtravaganzas, I
carcmlly studicd thc typical 2'/: hour coq au vin
rccipcs,andkcptmycycspcclcdtorplaccstoparc
down. Jhc basic proccsswas to cookbacon in a
Dutch ovcn, sautc a cut up chickcn with mirc
poix vcgctablcs , carrots, cclcry, onions) in thc
rcndcrcd tat, thcn simmcr thc parts in rcdwinc,
hcrbs,andchickcnstock,addingpcarlonionsand
mushroomsas agarnish.
A Rooster i n Every Pot
Ol d-fashi oned coq au vin wasn' t fancy. It took
hours to cook. but only so the tough. past- its
pri me rooster origi nal ly used in thi s di sh ( c0qi s
French for "rooster" ) woul d eventual ly become
tender. Even though "modern" coq au vi n reci
pes opt for faster-cooki ng chi ckens. most tend
to take j ust as l ong. usi ng the drawn- out ti me
frame to fancy up thi s rusti c stew.
3 B Y S A N D R A \ L <
cookingkcptthcmrcasonablymoist,but
with so littlc timc to absorb thc winc's
llavor, thcy camc out tasting likc plain
poachcdchickcn. Mydccisionwasmadc.
bonclcssthighsycs , brcastmcatno.
Gett ing Saucy
Intortunatcly, optingtor no boncs and
noskin had robbcd thc stcwotsomcot
its complcxity and U avor. In additi on,
ahcrjust 25 minutcs otsimmcring, thc
mll bottlc otrcd winc I was using still
tastcdboozyandastri ngcnt.
Red wi ne. mushrooms. and bacon transform chi cken thi ghs i nto
a ri ch . hear stew. Serve wi th mashed potatoes to soak up every
drop of the sauce.
Jogctmllcr, roundcr,l cssastringcnt
Uavorquickly, I tricdrcducingthcwinc,
bulkcd up with somc chickcnbroth , to
compcnsatc tor thc diminishcd chickcn
llavor) , in a scparatc sauccpan bctorc
adding itto thcstcw.Jhistrickworkcd
bcautitul ly. Whi l c thc l i qui d rcduccd,
I could cook thc bacon, rcndcr i ts tat,
and brown thc chickcn and vcgctablcs,
saving prccious minutcs. What' s morc,
by thc timc I addcd thc rcduccd winc
brothmixturctothcstcw,itsUavorshad
conccntratcd and thc boozy tastc had
cookcdottconsidcrably.
Somc rccipcs call tor sautcing carrots
I homcdinonthcchickcn. ptingtorprccut
chickcn parts rathcr than cutting up a wholc
chickcnmyscltwasastart,butsaving IOminutcs
wasn' tcxactlythcmajorovcrhaulIwasgoingtor.
Somc rccipcs calltor brcasts andwholc lcgs, thc
lattcrnccding about an hourto turn adcquatcly
tcndcr. Swapping out lcgs tor thighs-whi ch
cooki nj ust4Ominutcs-provcdabcttcroption.
, Jhcbrcastpicccsnccdcdonly25 minutcs . )
Jwohoursrcprcscntcdamodcstimprovcmcnt
ovcrthc original 2|: , but I thoughtI could do
bcttcr. I dccidcd to try using bonc
lcss,skinlcssbrcastsandthighs.
Sautcingthcmquicklyinbacon
tat , thcn addi ng rcd wi nc ,
I tound that j ust 2 5 minutcs
produccdthighst|atwcrctal l
apart tcndcrand packcd with
wi nc avor. Jhc brcasts, on
thcothcrhand,wcrcaparchcd
disastcr. Addi ng thc brcasts
tor onlythcl ast IO minutcsot
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T F D
1 8
andonionstorUavor,strainingthcmout
oncc thcy turn to mush, thcn tolding in a scpa
ratcly browncd batch otblanchcd pcarl onions
and button mushrooms. Bccausc otmy much
shortcrsimmcringtimc, I toundthatthconions
and mushrooms could rcmain i n thc pot trom
bcginning to cnd , making that i ni tial batch ot
vcgctablcsunncccssary) . Ptorthc typcotonions
and mushrooms , crcmi ni mushrooms wcrc
tavorcdovcrbuttonstorthcircarthicrUavor,and
tastcrsthoughttrozcnpcarlonionswcrcncarlyas
goodastrcsh,thcquickcrprcptimctorthctrozcn
varictygavc thcm thc winning cdgc-andmadc
myrccipc I5 minutcsshortcr. Minccdgarlicand
tomatopastc providcdadditionaIdcth. Iinally,
I tound that adding thc crispcd bacon to thc
braising liquid , rathcr than saving i t to garnish
thcmishcddish) hclpcdcxtractitsmcaty, savory
llavor,allowingittopcrmcatcthccntircstcw.
Jothickcnthcsaucc, somcoldcrrccipcscalltor
whiskingin chickcn' sblood or a bcurrc mani c. I
wasn' ttookccnonaddingblood-orlookingtor
a placc that scllsi t-and a bcurrc manic sccmcd

Z
w

<
L
>
1

O
2
C
1
0
mssy. Instcad, I optcd |or thc just as authcntic
, butsimplcr)rouxmcthod,addingllourwiththc
vcgctablcs whilc thcy browncd in buttcr. Acr
rcducingthcsaucctoratcwminutcs, Innallyhad
thcthick,glossytcxturc Iwasahcr.
As a nnal tcst, I pittcd my strcamlincd coq
auvin-nowparcd down to a truly managcablc
O minutcs-against thc 2|: hourproj cct I had
startcdwith. Mosttastcrsmarvclcdathowclosc
I'dcomctomatchingthcllavorotthcoriginalin
4O pcrccnt lcss timc, but my pickicr collcagucs
tound this quickcr vcrsion too lcan and somc
what lacking in dccp winc Uavor. Jhc solution
wassimplc cnough. I rcscrvcd l tablcspoon ot
uncookcdwinctostirin atthc cndandnnishcd
thcsauccwith2tablcspoonsotcoldbuttcr.
Kich, bacony,andbrimmingwithrcdwinclla
vor, thissimplincdcoqauvi nhadnnallycscapcd
its hautccuisinc trappings to movc closcr-at
lcast in spirit-to its original , humblc roots. No
pastitsprimcroostcrrcquircd.
M O D E R N C OQ AU V I N
( C H I CK E N I N R E D WI N E SAU C E )
S E RVES 4 TO 6
Amcdium bodicd,truityrcdwinc such as Iinot
Noir or Rhnc Vallcy Grcnachc is bcst tor this
rccipc. Avoid bold, hcavily oakcd rcdwinc vari
ctals likc Cabcrnct and light bodicd wincs likc
Bcaujolais. Jo usc hcsh pcarl onions, trim thc
rootandstcmcndotcachonionanddiscard. Boil
tor I minutc,shockiniccwatcr, thcnpcclathin
strip hom root to stcm. Rcmovc anyrcmaining
outcrskin, it'slikcpcclingottajackct) . Itncithcr
hozcn nor hcsh pcarl onions arc availablc, sub
stitutc onc largc onion cut into |: inch picccs.
, Do notuscj arrcdpcarl onions, whichwill turn
mushyanddisintcgratcintothcsaucc. ) Scrvc thc
stcwwithcggnoodlcsormashcdpotatocs.
bottle medi um- bodi ed red wi ne (see note above)
2 cups low-sodi um chi cken broth
I 0 sprigs fresh parsley pl us 2 tabl espoons mi nced
fresh parsley l eaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
I bay l eaf
4 ounces bacon, preferabl y thi ck-cut, cut crosswi se
i nto 1/-i nch pi eces
2 11 pounds bonel ess ski nl ess chi cken thi ghs,
tri mmed of excess fat and cut i n hal f crosswise
Tabl e salt and ground black pepper
5 tabl espoons unsal ted butter
24 frozen pearl oni ons, thawed, drai ned, and patted
dr (about I cup) (see note above)
8 ounces cremi ni mushrooms, wiped cl ean, stems
tri mmed, hal ved if smal l and quartered
if large
2 medi um garl i c cloves, mi nced or pressed through
gancpress (about 2 teaspoons)
I tabl espoon tomato paste
2 tabl espoons al l - purpose fl our
How We Di d I t: Coq au Vi n i n 7UMi nutes unti l l i ghtl y browncd, about 2
minutcspcr sidc . Jranstcrtoplatc
andrcpcatwithrcmainingchickcn
and l tablcspoonbacontat.
Butcheri ng. choppi ng. browni ng, strai ni ng, si mmeri ng. thi ckeni ng . . . most
coq au vin reci pes requi re al most three hours from start to fi n i sh. We came
up wi th some shortcuts to keep thi s si mpl e stew under control .
NO BON ES TWO POTS
Opting for bonel ess thighs rather
than bone-i n l egs shaved more than
30 mi nutes from the cooki ng ti me.
4. Mcl t 3 tabl cspoons buttcr
in now cmpty Dutch ovcn ovcr
mcdi um high hcat. Whcn toam
i ngsubsidcs,addpcarlonionsand
mushrooms, cook, stirring occa
si onal ly, unti l l i ghtly browncd,
5 to 8 minutcs. Rcducc hcat to
mcdi um, add garl i c, and cook
until tragrant, about 3O scconds.
Addtomatopastcand llour,cook,
stirringtrcqucntly,untilwcllcom
We reduced the wi ne, stock, and
bincd, aboutl minutc.
herbs in a separte saucepan whi l e
5. Addrcduccdwinc mixturc,
browni ng the meat and vegetabl es.
scrapi ng bottom ot pot with
woodcnspoontolooscnbrowncd
bits, add l4 tcaspoon pcppcr. Rcturn chickcn,
any accumulatcd juiccs, and rcscrvcd bacon to
pot, i ncrcasc hcat to high and bring to boil .
Rcducchcattomcdium low,covcrpot,andsim
mcr until chickcn i s tcndcr, about 25 minutcs,
stirringhalnaythroughcookingtimc.
l . Bringall but l tablcspoonwinc, rcscrvc|or
latcr usc) , broth, parslcy sprigs, thymc, and bay
to simmcr in largc sauccpan ovcr mcdium high
hcat. Cook until rcduccd to 3 cups, about 25
minutcs. Di scard hcrbs .
2. Mcanwhi l c, cookbaconinlargcDutchovcn
ovcrmcdiumhcatuntilbrowncd, 7to8minutcs.
tsing slottcd spoon, transtcr bacon to papcr
towcl l incd platc. Rcscrvc 2 tablcspoons tat in
smallbow| , discardrcmainingtat .
3 . Iightlyscasonchickcnwithsaltandpcppcr.
Icat l tablcspoon rcscrvcd bacon tat in Dutch
ovcn ovcr mcdi um high hcat until just smok
i ng. Addhaltotchickcninsinglclaycrandcook
o. Ising slottcd spoon, transtcr chickcn to
largcbowl ,tcntwithtoiltokccpwarm. Incrcasc
hcat to mcdium high and si mmcr saucc until
thick and glossy and mcasurcs 314 cups, about
5 minutcs. tthcat, stir in rcmaining 2 tablc
spoonsbuttcrandrcscrvcd I tablcspoon winc.
Scason to tastc with salt. Rcturn chickcn to pot
and top with minccdparslcy. Scrvc immcdiatcly.
E Q L 1 P M E N r r E s r 1 N G Wi ne Openers
In our 1 997 testi ng of corkscrews, the test ki tchen came down sol i dly on the l ever-stl e design (eventual ly
popul arized by Metrokane' s " Rabbi t" corkscrew) as the ul ti mate tool for removi ng the cork from a wi ne bottl e.
At $ 1 50, our wi nni ng Le Creuset Screwpul l Lever Lwas al so ver expensive. Si nce that ti me, other lever-stle
opti ons have fl ooded the market-some at much more attractive price poi nts. We gathered 1 3 contenders (rng
i ng i n pri ce from $ 1 2. 9 5 to $ 1 34. 9 5) to see j ust how l ow you can go and sti l l get great perormance.
At a gl ance, 1 2 of the 1 3 model s were vi rtual l y i denti cal and al l pul l ed out corks competently. What separated
the good from the great, however. was l ever l ength. The i ncreased leverage (we l i ke 6 11 i nches or l onger) means
you need l ess brute strength to open the bottl e; sti l l , even the corkscrew wi th the shortest l ever (the cur 5 11
i nches on the Bonj our Chateau Royal e, $69. 99) was workabl e. The l ongest l ever ( 7 '/ i nches) was on the cheap
est model , the Zoom Corkscrew from the Wi ne Enthusi ast ( $ 1 2. 95) .
The one i nnovative wi ne opener, the Screwpul l Triger ( $79. 9 5) has an i ngeni ous sl i p- over sl eeve design. whi ch
hel ps center the screw over the bottl e openi ng-you squeeze the "trigger" to secure the bottl e. Thi s new feature
streaml i nes an al ready speedy process. maki ng thi s model our new "ul ti mate" choi ce. That sai d, the $ 1 2. 9 5 Zoom
Corkscrew wi l l keep the wi ne flowi ng. -Garh Cl i ngi ngsmi th
U LTI MATE OPE NE R
The Screwpul l Triger ( $79. 95)
has a few i nnovative touches that
j usti f its pri ce.
BE ST BUY
The Wi ne Enthusi ast Zoom
Corkcrew ( S 1 2. 9 5) rival s the
expensive model s-for the frugal
gadget hound .
N |' \' E 1 1J E R [y J ) E C I M 1J l R 2 0 0 6
| '
TOO S HORT
The stumpy handl e on the
Bonjour Chateau Royal e
( $69. 99) provi ded l ess-than
i deal l everage.
No-Bake Pumpkin Pie
A no- bake pumpki n pie sounds appealing, but not if the fil ling is starchy or dense.
Coul d we reformul ate this recipe and make it worthy of the holiday tabl e?
W
ith its spiccd custard nll
ing and buttcry pastry
crust, a bakcd pumpkin
pi c i s uttcrly traditional .
But it's not thc only kind otpumpkin pic
youcanputonthcholidaytabl c. Although
unhcraldcd, thc no bakc pumpkin pic has
a couplc otbcncnts not ottcrcd by its tra
ditional countcrpart, onc bcing a much
casicr, prcssi n crumb crust that rcquircs
j ustI 5 minutcsotovcntimc,anothcrbcing
a crcamicr nlling with a trcshcr, brightcr
pumpkin Uavor. No nccd to roll out pic
doughorticupyourovcn` Soundslikcthc
pcrtcctrccipctorabusyholiday.
But cvcrygood rccipc has bad vcrsions.
Iorno bakcpumpkinpicsthistranslatcsto
crumblycrustsandpoorlytcxturcdh llings.
Somc nllings arc thickcncd with so much
gclatin that thcy bccomc rubbcry. thcrs
usc crcam chccscas thc bindingagcntand
cndup dcnscandchalky. I wantcd crcami
. B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
A crumb crust and no bake fi l l i ng yi el d an easy pi e that' s l i ghter and
fresher than the cl assi c versi on.
ncss, but I also wantcd lightncss . Whilc
chitton stylc pics arc ccrtainly l i ght, thc
additionotwhippcdcggwhitcsmakcsthcm
U ut[, cvcn spongy-not what I wantcd.
Dcspitcthcscobstaclcs, thcpromiscotpro
ducinga crcamypumpkin pic without thc
hasslcotmakingpicpastrywasappcaling. Surcly
I couldrcsolvcthcsctcxturcissucs.
Texture Treatment
Iucky tor mc, I alrcady had a strong toun
Jation-a simplc and sturdy GooFs rccipc tor
graham crackcr crust , Summcr Bcrry Iic, |uly/
August, 2OO3) . Jo this I addcd a barcboncs nll
Two Probl em Pi es
ingotl canpumpkin,
2
/
3
cupsugar, and '/ cup
cach ot milk and hcavy crcam , thc samc ratio
uscd in our bakcd pumpkin pic) . I also nccdcd
thc right thickcncr. tall thc thickcncrs uscd
in no bakc pics, thc most common arc gclatin
, which is mcltcd) and cornstarch , cookcd on
thc stovctop). Although widcncd thc playing
ncld to tcsttapioca, arrowroot, andcvcnpotato
We wanted a rich and creamy fi l l i n
g
. Man
y
of the reci pes we tested fel l short of this goal , l i ke these two flawed exampl es.
TOO PASTY TOO S PONGY
Cornstarch makes the fi l l i ng past and gritt (l eft) , whi l e whi pped egg whi tes produce a spong fi l l i ng (right) .
C O O K
'
S I L L L! S T R i T E D
20
starch, gclatin cndcdupa s thc victor. And
I lcarncdthatgclatin should bc uscd mod
cstly.Whcrcasmost rccipcscallcdtormorc
than a tab|cspoon cs|ting in picswith a
tough, rubbcry tcxturc) , I tound tlat j ust
2 tcaspoons produccd a pic that could bc
ncatly sliccd withoutbcingcxccssivclystih.
Now that my pi c hl l i ng was holding
togcthcr,mytastcrsshihcdthci rcomplaints
to thc l brous tcxturc ot thc pumpki n.
Dcspitc bcing labclcd purccd, " canncd
pumpkinisnottrulysmooth. Aquickwhirl
inthctoodproccssoryicldcdasilkymixturc
worthyotthc labcl .
Although thc consistcncyotmy pic was
bcttcr, it nccdcd morc richncss. Switching
trom a blcnd otmilk and hcavy crcam to
allhcavycrcam wasanimprovcmcnt. Ncxt
tricd whipping thc crcam and tolding it
into thc nlling. Although thc tcxturc was
lightcr and Uumcr, thc pumpkin and thc
crcam ncvcrrcally mcldcd but instcad sct
tlcd into an unattractivc mottlcd appcar
ancc. Iurccingsomcotthccrcamwiththc
pumpkinlightcncd thcnllingjusta bitand
hclpcdtouni[thcingrcdicnts .
My h lling was gctting prctty good, but
my tastcrs clamorcd tor a richcr and morc
vclvctytcxturc-likcthatota bakcdpumpkinpic.
Comparing thc ingrcdicnt lists otmy no bakc
rccipcandthctcstkitchcn'stavoritcbakcdpump
kin pic, I saw onc major dittcrcncc. My nobakc
rccipc didn' tcontain cggs. hadrcjcctcdchitton
stylcpicsbccausc thcwhippcdwhitcsmadctlcm
too moussc likc and insubstantial . But what it
kcpttlcyolksand cookcd thcmwith thcsugar
and crcam totormasimplccustard` I hadtohcat
thccrcamanywaytodissolvcthcsugar.Ahcratcw
tcstsItoundthatthrccyolksgavcmy pichllingthc
luxurioustcxturc mytastcrsand I sought.
Flavor Fix
Rch, crcamy, and smooth, this pic nlling now
nccdcd a rcnncd Uavor to match its tcxturc. Jo
add somc complcxity, I includcd somc spiccs.
A mix ot ground cinnamon, gingcr, nutmcg,
and clovcstastcd bcst, but bccausc thcywcrcn' t
cookcd thcirraw llavors quickly bccamc hot and
harsh. I dccrcascdtlc amount, butthcharshncss
pcrsistcd. NcxtI tricdhcatingthcminthccrcam,
this sohcncd thcir hard cdgc whilc drawing out
Z
C

Pumpki n Pi e, Rei magi ned

What makes our no- bake fi l l i ng rich and creamy? Here are
to key steps.
MAKE A CUSTARD
A qui ck custard with
egg yol ks adds velvet
ri chness but l i ttl e
work.
PUREE THE
PUMPKI N
Whi ppi ng the pumpki n
wi th cream creates
a l i ghter. smoother
fi l l i ng.
morcotthcirhcady,tragrantqualiti cs.
Jo ottsctthcspiccs, I tricd addingsomchigh
havornotcs. Icmonjuiccwastoosourandbour
bontooboozy, butorangcj uiccwasbothbright
anddclicatccnoughtobcaddcduncookcdtothc
mix. Combincd with a touch otvanilla cxtract,
it addcd a swcct, pcrmmcd punch , and scrvcd
doublc duty to sohcn thc gclatin bctorc it was
mcltcd into thc custard) . Iast, I switchcd trom
granulatcd to brown sugar, surc that i t would
adda wclcomc hint otmolasscs. In tact, tastcrs
thoughtitmuddicdthcpic,prctcrringthctormcr
toritsclcanUavor.
With thcsc last adj ustmcnts, my no bakc pic
was hnallygoodcnough totakcitsplacc onthc
holidaydcsscrttablc. Ycs, you nccdto cookthc
TE C H N I Q U E I
P E RF E CT C RUMB C RUST
Crumb crusts come together in j ust seconds, but
they can someti mes fal l apart. Here' s how to make
a neat and sturdy crust.
Usi ng a flat-bottomed measuring cup, gently press
down on the crumbs i n the center of the pie pl ate
and then work toward the si des. Ti l ti ng the measur
ing cup, press the si des whi l e squari ng of the top
edge with your thumb.
nlling on thc stovctop, butthc pi crcquircsj ust
I 5 minutcs otbaking, lcaving thc ovcn trcc tor
roastturkcyand all thoscholidaysidcdishcs.
N O - BAKE P U M P K I N P I E
S E RVES 8
Jhc crust can bc bakcd, coolcd,wrappcd tightly
in pl astic wrap, and storcd at room tcmpcra
turc tor onc day. Scrvc with lightly swcctcncd
whippcdcrcam.
Graham Cracker Crust
5 ounces graham crackers (9 whol e crackers) ,
broken i nto l arge pi eces
2 tabl espoons sugar
5 tabl espoons unsal ted butter. mel ted and warm
Pumpkin Filling
3 tabl espoons col d orange j ui ce
2 teaspoons vani l l a extract
2 teaspoons gel ati n (from I package)
cup col d heavy cream
/ cup ( 4% ounces) sugar
V teaspoon tabl e salt
teaspoon ground ci nnamon
' / teaspoon ground gi nger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 /s teaspoon ground cl oves
3 l arge egg yol ks
( I S - ounce) can pl ai n pumpki n puree ( 1 % cups)
I . FOR THE CRUST: Adjustovcnracktolowcr
middlc positionandhcatovcnto325dcgrccs.
2. Iulsc crackcrs and sugar in tood proccs
soruntil cvcnly andhncly ground,abouth hccn
2 sccondpulscs,youshouldhavc I cupcrumbs ) .
Addwarm buttcri nstcady strcam through tccd
tubcwhilcpulsinguntilcrumbsarccvcnlymoist
cncd andrcscmblcdamp sand. Jranstcrcrumbs
to inch pic pl atc and sprcad cvcnly ovcrbot
tom and si dcs, wipc out tood proccssor bowl
andrcscrvc. IsingU at bottomcdramcknordry
mcasuringcup,prcssandsmoothcrumbsintopic
platc , sccillustration, atlch) . Bakcuntiltragrant
and browncd around cdgcs, I 5 to I 8 minutcs.
Coolcomplctclyonwirc rack.
3. FOR THE FILLING: Stir orangc juicc and
vanillatogcthcrin mcdium bowl . Sprinklc gcla
tin ovcr orangc j uicc mixturc and sct asidc to
thickcn, about 5 minutcs.
4. CombincI/2 cup hcavycrcam,1
3
cup sugar,
sal t, and spiccs in smal l sauccpan. Cook ovcr
mcdiumlow hcat until bubblcs torm at cdgcs,
rcmovctromhcat.Whiskrcmaining'/cupsugar
and yolks togcthcr i n mcdium bowl until palc
and slightly thickcncd. Slowly pour hot crcam
into yolk mixturc, whiskng constantly. Rcturn
mixturctopanandcookovcrmcdi umlowhcat,
stirring constantly and scraping bottom otpot
withhcatprootspatul a, untilcustardi sthickcncd
andrcgistcrs ! 75 to ! 8O dcgrccsoni nstant rcad
N OVEMBER [ DECEJ l ER 2 006
2 1
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
Pi e Serers
Without a sharp and sturdy pi e serer. dessert
can go from fl awless to fractured i n moments. We
sl i ced up and served dessert wi th 1 3 of the latest
desi gns. pri ced from $ 1 . 99 to $ 3 2. 99.
Nearly I 00 pi es l ater, we found that what
appeared to be mi nute differences in desi gn actu
al ly determi ned the success or fai l ure of each
tool . Bl unt edges crushed-rather than cut-crusts.
Thi n. serrated bl ades sl i ced pies more ni mbly than
thi cker bl ades with custard- marri ng teeth . And
gi mmi cks. such as an extra- l ong neck, lethal sword
l i ke bl ade, or fi nger- pushi ng mechanism. are best
avoi ded . In the end, only the sl eek (and reason
ably pri ced) Oxo Steel . whi ch combi ned the best
bl ade traits wi th a comf gri p. made the fi nal cut.
S lE E K AN D STU RDY
The Oxo Steel Pie
-El izabeth Bomze
Serer ( $ 7. 9 5) ofers great
performance and val ue. I ts
doubl e- edged serrated bl ade
makes i t fri endly to l efties as wel l
as righti es.
TOO Bl U NT
With its thi ck edges. the
Mi kasa Sol i d Cerami c Pie
Serer ($ 32. 99) consi stently
smashed pie crusts.
N E E DS A PARTN E R
The Fantes Bake- I n Pie
Spatul a ($ 1 . 99) works j ust
fi ne-once you ' ve used a second
tool to make the fi rst sl i ce.
WEAPO N OF WAR
The Rosie Pie Serer
($ 29) makes a preci se i nci si on,
but its dagger- l i ke desi gn i mpal ed
appl es.
thcrmomctcr, about2 minutcs. ,Whcnpropcrly
cookcd, custard should torm slight ridgc on tip
otspatula whcn bottom otpan is scrapcd and
spatulai slihcd. ) Immcdiatcly pour custard ovcr
gclatinmixturc and stir untilsmoothandgclatin
hascomplctclydissolvcd.
5. Iurcc pumpkin i n tood proccssor until
smooth, I O to I 5 scconds. With machinc run
ning,addrcmaining lf cuphcavycrcamthrough
tccd tubc in stcady strcam. Scrapc sidcsotbowl
anoproccsstoradditional I O to I 5 scconds.Add
pumpkinmixturctocustardmixturcandstiruntil
compl ctcly smooth. Jranstcr nl l i ng to coolcd
crust. Chillpic, uncovcrcd,untilhllingisj ustsct,
about 3 hours . Covcr pic with pl astic wrap and
continuctochilluntilmllysct,atlcastoandupto
24hours. Cutpicintowcdgcsandscrvc.
Easy Chocolate Pots de Creme
Forget the water bath and slow baking. We found a way to make this classic
French chocolate custard faster, simpler, and better.
c
hocolatc pot dc crcmc and I
havc a hi story. I n cul i nary
school , I bccamcsmittcn with
it. Somc ycars latcr, during a
sti nt as a pastry chctin a Mi nncapolis
o| t.o, put thi s lrcnch takcon choco
| atc puddi ngonthcdcsscrtmcnu,andit
vvasasmashhi t. Sowhatischocolatcpot
dc crcmc, you ask` Jhink crcmc brl cc,
wi thout thc caramcl i zcd sugar crust
but cnrichcd wi th dark chocolatc . Jhis
dccadcnt dcssc|t boasts a satiny tcxturc
and i ntcnsc chocolatc U avor. Classically,
pots dc crcmc a|c madc in pctitc liddcd
pots, but i ndividual ramckins arc thc
contcmporaryvcsscls. Jhcsc rich choco
la(custards arc scrvcd in smallportions
bccauscmo|cwouldbctoomuch.
H Y |^\ N Y.\ .\| | ' | .\ M .` E
ccausc thi s dcsscrt was such a hit
among customcrs as wcll as thc rcstau
rant' sownc|,Imadcbatchcsuponbatchcs.
Ln|o|tunatcly, thc rccipc I was usingwas
sohnickyandlaboriousthatIquicklygrcw
tircd otmaki ngit. U sowhcnI lcn that
job, Ialsolchchocolatcpotdccrcmc.
Adccadcclapscd,duringwhichIhadn' t
givcnmuchthoughttopotdccrcmc. But
Fi ni sh these ri ch custards wi th a dol l op of whi pped cream and a
spri nkl i ng of shaved bi ttersweet chocol ate.
onc wintcr day, as I vas trying to dcsign a nicc
holiday mcnu, I rcmcmbcrcd pot dc crcmc and
rcalizcdthatitmakcsthcpcrtcctholidaydcsscrt.
Itcan bc madcinadvancc,anditmcctsthcrich
ncssandclcganccrcquircdotholidaydcsscrts.
I dccidcd that I wantcd to rcconncct with
chocolatc pot dc crcmc, but on dittcrcnt tcrms.
Thc rccipc trom my rcstaurant days rcquircd a
largc roasting pan that accommodatcd all thc
ramckinsandahotwatcrbaththatthrcatcncdto
splashthccustardscvcrytimcthcpanwasmovcd.
I naddi ti on, thci ndividualcustardsdidn' talways
cookat thc samc ratc, whichmcantgoinginand
outolthcovcnmultiplctimcstogaugcdoncncss
andplucking hot ramckins trom thcwatcr bath
onlyto havcthcmdripontothcirncighbors .
I wantcd a simplcr rccipc that would bc as
uscrlricndly as possiblc . I startcd by scouring
cookbooks and onlinc sourccs. Notsurprisingly,
thc ingrcdicntswcrc morc orlcssthc samcacross
thc board. chocolatc, cggs,sugar, andcrcam ,or
othcrsuchdairy) . Jhcbiggcrdittcrcnccl ayi nthc
|atio otingrcdicnts and thcwaythc custardwas
cookcd. Mostotthc rccipcs cmploycd thc usual
trcatmcnttorbakcdcustard.ahotwatcrbathand
amodcratclylowovcn. Buttwooutotthc2Oor
sorccipcs I tound cmploycd an unconvcntional
mcthod in which thc custard is cookcd on thc
stovctop in a sauccpan, thcn pourcd into ramc
kins. \cryintcrcsting.
The Dark Side
Ising thc standard bakcd custard mcthod tor
thc timc bcing, I wcnt to work on ingrcdicnts,
whichInccdcdtoscalcdowntrommyrcstaurant
rccipc. I startcdwith thcdairy.Joscrvc cight, a
chocolatc pot dc crcmc rccipc rcquircs about 2
cups otmilk, haltand halt, or hcay crcam. Jhc
richcstotrccipcsuschcavycrcamcxclusivcly, but
mostcalltor a combination otcrcamand milk. I
tcstcd it all, in dittcrcnt ratios, and dccidcd that
l l2 cupsotcrcamand3/4 cupothaltand halthad
j ustthcrightamountotrichncssand body.
Ncxt, cggs, which cnrich and hcl p thi ckcn
thc custard. Yolksarcthcnorm. I cxpcrimcntcd
withasmanyascightandastcwastour.Iivcwas
thc right numbcr to makc a luxurious custard.
Jhis is tcwcr than what many rccipcs call tor,
C 0 0 K ' 5 | | | L T R ,\ 1 | | '
2 2
butIwantcdtouscalototchocolatc,andIkncw
thatwouldalsohclp thccustardtosctup.
I ntcnsity otllavor was kcy, so I passcd ovcr
milk chocolatc and scmiswcctchocolatc bccausc
I kncw thcy'd bc too mild. Cocoa powdcr and
unswcctcncd chocol atc wcrc too gritty, so
I tocuscd my tcsting on bittcrswcct chocolatc.
With only 4ounccsotbittcrswcctchocolatc,thc
potdccrcmcwastoomilky,withawholcpound,
itwas unpalatably rich. Mytastc tcndcd toward
a rccipc madc with I 2 ounccs-it was incrcd
i bly thick and chocolaty-but sincc most tastcrs
couldn' t abidc thc hcavy tcxturc, I wcnt with
s c 1 E N c E : Ski p the Scal di ng
Creme angl ai se i s a cl assi c French preparti on for
a pourabl e custard that' s used as a dessert sauce
or as a base for i ce creams and Bavarians. I t' s al so
the base for our chocolate pots de creme. The
procedure for maki ng creme angl ai se that' s taught
i n cooki ng school s everwhere goes l i ke thi s: The
cream (or hal f- and- hal f or mi l k) i s scalded (that
i s, brought to a boi l ) ; the yol ks and sugar are rib
boned (that is, whi sked together unti l l ight in col or
and the sugar di ssol ves) ; the yol k sugar mi xture i s
tempered (that i s, some of the hot scal ded cream
i s sl owly whi sked i n to prevent the yolks from
scrambl i ng) ; the tempered mixture i s retured to
the saucepan; and the custard i s cooked gently with
constant stirri ng.
A fan of shortcuts, I tri ed maki ng the creme
anglaise base for my chocolate pots de creme wi thout
scal di ng the cream and temperi ng the egs. Basical ly,
I took col d or room- temperature i ngredi ents,
whi sked them together, then cooked the mixture
as usual . The resul t? A perfectly good creme angl aise.
Why woul d thi s laz- man' s method work j ust as wel l
as a cl assic and more compl i cated method?
I t turns out the scal d- and-temper method i s
sci enti fi cal ly out of date. Thi s techni que was devel
oped to ensure smooth, uncurdled creme anglaise
at a ti me when the qual i t of cream and mi l k was
i nconsi stent. The unpasteu ri zed and unhomog
enized dai r products of yesteryear were more
suscepti bl e to curdl i ng when they met heat. Today,
dai r si mpl y does not need to be scal ded to check
qual it, and, consequently, there' s no need to tem
per the egg yol ks si nce they can be combi ned with
the cold cream. -D.
I Oounccs . With only onc cxccption, thiswas at
lcast5Opcrccntmorcchocolatcthaninanyothcr
rccipcthatI cncountcrcd.
Causing a Stir
Itwas now timc to scttlc thc mattcr otcooking
mcthod.Isingthcsamcingrcdicnts,I madctwo
vcrsions otpots dccrcmc. I bakcdonc in amod
cratcly low ovcn in a watcr bath, covcrcd with
toil to prcvcnt thc surtacc otthc custards nom
dryingout, thc othcr I madc on thc stovctop in
thcstylc otastirrcdcustard,orcrcmcanglaisci n
thcculinaryvcrnacular.
Itwasuncquivocal .1hccrcmcanglaiscmcthod
was immcnscly casicr than thc traditional , and
cumbcrsomc) baking mcthod-and thc rcsu
|
ts
wcrcclosctoidcntical . , Jhcbakcdcustardswcrc
cvcr so slightly nrmcr and morc sct than thc
stirrcdoncs,buttastcrswcrcn' tthclcastbitcon
ccrncd. ) What wasn' t idcntical was thc hasslc
tactor.Jhccrcmcanglaiscmcthodwascasy and
rcliablc.Jhccggs,sugar,anddairyarccookcdon
thcstovctop,thcrcsultingcustardispourcdovcr
thcchocolatc,thcnthc mixturcisgcntlywhiskcd
untilcombincd. Jhconlycquipmcntrcquircdis
a sauccpan and a hcatprootspatula, no roasting
pan and no watcr bath. Jo boot, whcn cookcd
onthcstovctop thcpotsdc crcmcwcrc madcin
atractionotthctimcthcytooktobakc.
It took I O ycars, but I oncc again cmbracc
chocolatcpotsdccrcmc,cspcciallythissimplih cd
rccipc. Jhis clcgant dcsscrthas nnallyrcclaimcd
itsplacci nmyculinaryrcpcrtoircandwillprob
ablyshowupatholidaydinncrstromnowon.
C H O CO LATE POTS D E C R M E
S E RVES 8
Wc prctcr pots dc crcmc madc with oO pcrccnt
cocoa bittcrswcctchocolatc , our tavoritc brands
arcGhirardclli,Callcbaut,Valrhona,andFlRcy) ,
but7Opcrccnt bittcrswcctchocolatc can also bc
uscd. I|using a 7O pcrccnt bittcrswcctchocolatc
,wclikcIindt,FlRcy, andVal rhona) , rcduccthc
amountotchocolatc to 8 ounccs. A tablcspoon
o|strong brcwcd cot|cc may bc substitutcd tor
thc instant csprcsso and watcr. Covcrcd tightly
withplasticwrap,thcpotsdccrcmcwillkccptor
up to 3 days inthc rcnigcrator, but thc whippcd
crcammustbcmadcjustbctorc scrving.
Pots de Creme
I 0 ounces bi ttersweet chocol ate (see note above) ,
chopped fi ne
5 large egg yol ks
5 tabl espoons sugar
'/ teaspoon tabl e sal t
I '/ cups heavy cream
/ cup hal f-and- hal f
tabl espoon vani l l a extract
'/ teaspoon i nstant espresso mixed with
| tabl espoon water
T E C H N I Q U E
!
WH E N I S TH E C RE ME ANGLAI S E READY?
An i nstant-read thermometer is the most rel i abl e way to j udge when creme angl ai se has reached the proper temper
ture of 1 75 to 1 80 degrees. But you can al so j udge the progress of a custard sauce by i ts thi ckness. Di p a wooden spoon
i nto the custard and run your finger across the back. (Yes, thi s ol d-fashi oned method real ly does work. )
NOT YET READY TOO FAR
When its temperature i s between
1 65 and 1 70 degrees, the custard
wi l l sti l l be thi n, and a l i ne drawn on
the back of the spoon wi l l not hol d.
When i ts temperature i s between
1 7 5 and 1 80 degrees, the custard
wi l l coat the spoon, and the l i ne wi l l
mai ntai n neat edges.
When its temperature goes above
1 80 degrees, smal l chunks wi l l
become vi si bl e i n the curdl ed
custard.
Whipped Cream
11 cup col d heavy cream
2 teaspoons sugar
11 teaspoon vani l l a extract
Garnish (optional)
Cocoa for dusti ng
Chocol ate shavi ngs for spri nkl i ng
I . FOR THE POTS DE CRME: Ilacc choco
latc in mcdium hcatprootbowl , sct nnc mcsh
strai ncrovcrbowlandsctasidc.
2 . Whisk yolks, sugar, and salt in mcdium
bowl unti l combi ncd, whi sk i n hcavy crcam
and halt and hall Jranstcrmixturc to mcdium
sauccpan. Cookmixturcovcrmcdi um lowhcat,
stirring constantly and scraping bottom otpot
with woodcn spoon, until thickcncd and silky
and custard rcgistcrs I 75 to I 8O dcgrccs on
instant rcadthcrmomctcr,8 to I2minutcs, scc
photos,abovc) . Do notlctcustard ovcrcookor
s| mmcr.
3. I mmcdiatclypourcustardthroughstraincr
ovcr chocol atc . Ict mi xturc stand to mclt
chocolatc, about 5 minutcs. Whisk gcntly until
smooth, thcn whisk i n vani l l a and csprcsso.
Di vi dc mi xturc cvcnly among ci ght 5 ouncc
ramckins . Gcntly tapramckins against countcr
torcmovcairbubbl cs.
4. Cool pots dc crcmc to room tcmpcra
turc,thcncovcrwithplasticwrapandrc|rigcratc
untilchillcd, atl cast4 hoursorupto 72 hours .
Bctorcscrving,l ctpotsdccrcmcstandatroom
tcmpcraturc 2O to 3O minutcs.
5. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: Isinghand
mixcrorstandi ngmixcrnttcdwithwhiskattach
mcnt, bcat crcam, sugar, and vanilla on low
spccd until bubbl cs torm, about 3O scconds .
I ncrcasc spccd to mcdi um, conti nuc bcating
untilbcatcrslcavctrai l , about3Osccondslongcr.
I ncrcasc spccd to high, continuc bcating until
ncarly doublcd i n volumc and whippcd crcam
|ormssott pcaks, 3O to 45 sccondslongcr.
o. Dol l op cach pot dc crcmc with about
2 tabl cspoons whi ppcd crcam, garnish with
cocoaorchocolatcshavings,itusing. Scrvc .
STE P- BY- STE P I F OOL PROOF P OTS DE C RE ME
For our reci pe, al l the acti on takes pl ace on the stovetop and counter so you can see what' s happeni ng. I n con
trast, tradi ti onal reci pes cal l for baki ng the custards i n a messy water bath (to prevent overcooki ng) and rely on
tri ck visual cl ues rather than a thermometer to determi ne doneness.
I . MAKE ANGLI SE
Heat eg yol ks, sugar, sal t.
cream. and hal f-and-hal f to
1 7 5 to 1 80 degrees.
2 3
2 . MELT CHOCOLTE 3. WHI SK TO COMBI NE 4. POURAND CHI Ll
Pour warm angl ai se through After 5 mi nutes, whi sk Di vi de chocolate custard
stri ner and i nto bowl with gently to combi ne angl ai se among rameki ns and
chocol ate. and chocol ate. refrigerate unti l set.
Better Arugula Salads
A surprise in
g
redient
g
uarntees salads that are lively but not harsh.
U
nlikccvcryday, rcad. bland)iccbcrg,
romainc, or buttcr lcttucc, spicy
arugula i s morc than j ust a lca|
backdrop tor salad garnishcs. Yct
thatcomplcx,pcppcryUavor also makcs arugula
somcthingotachallcngctopairwithothcringrc
dicnts. Jo ngurc out thc bcst waytotcmpcrthis
asscrtivcgrccn,I hcadcdtothctcstkitchcnwith
astackotrcprcscntativcrccipcs.
Combinations with harsh, oncdimcnsional
Uavor prohlcs ,arugula, radi shcs, and lcmon
buttcrmilkdrcssing,torcxampl c)wcrclcnmostly
uncatcn. Saladscontainingnuitandchccsc,how
cvcr, wcrc dcvourcd, thc swcct and salty notcs
ottcringnicccountcrpointstothcsharp,pcppcry
arugula. Jastcrs also likcd salads with crunchy
clcmcnts.
I startcd at squarc onc. thc vinaigrcttc. Many
rccipcs rcly on ingrcdicnts likc mustard to hclp
thccmulsionalong. Mustardwasclcarlywrong-
too spicy to partncrwith pcppcry arugula-but
what itI chosc an cmulsincr that contributcd
swcctncss` I addcd a drizzlc othoncyto a basic
vinaigrcttc,andthisworkcdwcll . Butmywhccls
kcpt turning. How about adding a spoonml ot
j aminstcadothoncy`Jhisidcahitthcmark.Jhc
jamaddcdnuityswcctncss,pullingthcUavorsot
thcsaladrightinlinc.
Jo ccho thc llavor otthc nuity vinaigrcttcs,
I ncxt cxpcrimcntcd with adding wintcr truits
to thc salad. Ancr somc trial andcrror, I scttlcd
on dricd ngs plumpcd with balsamicvincgartor
oncsalad,trcsh rcd grapcstor anothcr, andj uicy
orangcscctionstorathird.
Now that had thc swcct and spicy /pcppcry
bascsadcquatclycovcrcd,choosingthcsaltyand
crunchy componcnts was a snap. Curcd mcat
andcrumblcdchccsc ottcrcdstarkbutappcaling
saltycontrast. Iinally, slivcrs otrawtcnncl along
withtoastcdnutsdclivcrcdjustthcrightamount
olcrunch.
ARU G U LA SALAD WI TH F I G S , P ROS C I UTTO ,
WALN UTS , AN D PARM E S AN
S E RVE S 6
Although nying thc prosciutto adds cnsp tcxturc
tothcsalad,ityouprctcr,youcansimplycutitinto
ribbons anduscitasagarnish. Honcycanbcsub
stitutcdtor thcj aminanyotthcscsaladrccipcs.
4 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
2 ounces thi nly sl i ced prosci utto, cut i nto
3 B Y R E B E C C A H A Y S E
1/4- i nch-wi de ri bbons
I tabl espoon raspberry j am
3 tabl espoons bal sami c vi negar
11 cup dri ed figs, stems removed, frui t chopped i nto
114- i nch pi eces
smal l shal l ot, mi nced very fi ne ( I tabl espoon)
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
5 ounces l i ghtl y packed baby arugul a ( 8 cups)
'/ cup chopped wal nuts, toasted
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved i nto thi n stri ps
wi th vegetabl e peel er
I . Hcat I tablcspoon oil i n I Oinch nonstick
skillctovcrmcdiumhcat,addprosciutto andtry
until crisp, stirring trcqucntly, about 7 minutcs.
Isi ng slottcd spoon, transtcr to papcr towcl
lincdplatcandsctasidctocool .
2 . Whi sk j am and vi ncgar i n mcdi um
microwavc satc bowl , stir i n ngs . Covcr with
pl astic wrap, cut scvcral stcamvcnts in plasti c,
and microwavc on high unti l ngs arc pl ump,
3O scconds to I minutc. Whi skin rcmaining
3 tablcspoons oil, shallot, /4 tcaspoon salt, and
vk tcaspoonpcppcr,tosstocombinc. Ictcoolto
roomtcmpcraturc.
3 . Joss arugula and vinaigrcttc in largc bowl ,
adj ust scasonings with salt and pcppcr. Dividc
saladamongindividualplatcs, topcachwithpor
tion otprosciutto,walnuts, and Iarmcsan. Scrvc
immcdiatcly.
ARU G U LA S ALAD WI TH G RAP E S , F E N N E L ,
G O RG O NZO LA, AN D P E CAN S
S E RVES 6
4 teaspoons apri cot j am
3 tabl espoons white wi ne vi negar
3 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
smal l shal l ot, mi nced very fi ne ( I tabl espoon)
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
11 smal l fennel bul b, cored, tri mmed of stal ks, and
sl i ced ver thi n (about I cup) ; fronds chopped
coarse (about 1/4 Cup)
5 ounces l i ghtl y packed baby arugul a '( 8 cups)
6 ounces red seedl ess grapes, halved l engthwise
(about I cup)
3 ounces Gorgonzol a cheese, crumbl ed ( %cup)
11 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Whiskj am, vincgar, oil , shallot, '4 tcaspoon salt,
and74 tcaspoonpcppcrinlargcbowl . Josstcnncl
with vinaigrcttc, lctstand I 5 minutcs. Add aru
gula, tcnncl lronds, and grapcs, toss and adj ust
COO K
'
S I L LUSTRATED
2 4
scasonings with salt and pcppcr. ividc salad
amongindividualplatcs, topcachwithportionot
Gorgonzolaandpccans. Scrvcimmcdiatcly.
ARU G U LA SALAD WI TH O RANG E S , F ETA,
AN D S U GAR E D P I STAC H I O S
S E RVE S 6
Jhc sugarcd pistachios can bc madc ahcad and
storcd in an airtight containcr at room tcm
pcraturc. Youcansubstitutc an cqual amountot
roughlychoppcdtoastcdpistachios.
Sugared Pistachios
11 cup whol e shel l ed pi stachi os
l arge egg whi te, l ightl y beaten
1/3 cup sugar
Salad
5 teaspoons orange marmal ade
2 tabl espoons pl us 2 teaspoons j ui ce from I l emon
3 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
smal l shal l ot, mi nced very fi ne ( I tabl espoon)
tabl espoon mi nced fresh mi nt l eaves
Tabl e sal t and ground bl ack pepper
5 ounces l i ghtl y packed baby arugul a (8 cups)
2 l arge oranges, peel ed, cut i nto segments,
segments hal ved and drai ned to remove
excess j ui ce
3 ounces feta, crumbl ed (' cup)
I . FOR THE SUGAED PISTACilOS: Adjust
ovcnracktomiddlcposition andhcatovcnto 325
dcgrccs. Joss pistachios with cggwhitc in small
bowl .Isingslottcdspoon,transtcrnutsto8 inch
squarc baking pan lincd with parchmcnt papcr,
discard cxccss cggwhitc. Add sugarand stiruntil
nutsarc complctclycoatcd. Bakc, stirnngmixturc
cvcry 5 to I O minutcs, until coating mrns nutty
brown, 25to 3O minutcs. Jranstcrnutstoplatcin
singlclaycrtocool .
2. FOR THE SALD: Whisk marmaladc,lcmon
j uicc, oil, shallot, mint, 74 tcaspoon salt, and
tcaspoonpcppcrinlargcbowl .Addarugulaand
orangcs, toss and adjustscasoningswith salt and
pcppcr. Dividcsalad amongindividual platcs, top
cach wth portion ottcta and sugarcd pistachios.
Scrvcimmcdiatcly.
Go to ww . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Key i n code I I 064 for Arugula Salad
with Pars, Amonds, Goat Cheese, and
Aricots.
Recipe available until May ., 2007.
The Best Way to Sharpen Your Knives
When your ki tchen kn i ves go dul l , i s there a qui ck, cheap, and easy way to restore
thei r cutti ng ed ge and get back to coo ki ng?
T
hc hrst tlmc you pick up a truly sharp
knitcandsliccthroughtood,it'arcvc
lation. Ityouarclikc manyhomccooks
who havc bccn soldicring on with a
drawcr lull otdull knivcs, you suddcnly rcal
i zc that cooking just got a l ot casicr. But cvcn
thc most cxpcnsivc, wcllmadc knivcs losc thcir
sharpncss quickly whcn uscd rcgularly. And it
docsn'ttakcmonths,orcvcnwccks . Aknitc can
godullinj usta tcw minutcs,cspcciallyi tyou' rc
cuttingthrough tough matcrials,suchasbonc.
What's thc bcst way to malntain that snappy
cdgcthatmakcs lightworkotchopping andslic
ing` Iirst, it's important to notc that thcrc' s a
dittcrcncc bctwccn tuning up a rclativcly sharp
knitcandsharpcningadullknitc , sccillustrations
atright ) . Aso callcdsharpcningstccl, thc mctal
rodsoldwithmostknitc scts,docsn' tsharpcnat
all . It'satuncupdcvicc.P youcutwithasharp
knitc, thcthin cuttingcdgc otthcbladccan actu
allyturn to thc sidc, making your bladc sccm
dullcr than it i s. Running thc knitc bladc ovcr
thcstccl ,asmostprotcssionalchctsdo cach timc
thcy'rcaboutto usc a knitc, simplyrcalignsthat
cdgcandmakcsitstraightagai n. Itcan'trcshapc
atrulydullbladcthat'sroundcdandworndown.
That's whcn you nccd a sharpcncr that can cut
away mctal and rcstorc thc standard 2O dcgrcc
anglcotcachsidcotthccdgc.
Jorcshapcthc cdgc otadull knitc, you havc a
tcw choiccs,dcpcndingon thc amountotcttort,
skill, and moncy you want to invcst. You can
scnd it out , inconvcnicnt, cvcn ityou can nnd
somconctodoi t) .Youcanuscawhctstonc, vcry
dimcult tor anyonc but a protcssional ) . But thc
bcstoptiontormosthomccooksistobuyatool
, cithcrclcctricormanual ) thatdocsmostotthc
worktoryou.
Bascdonprcviouskitchcntcsts, March/ April
I7) , wc'vc said that clcctric knitc sharpcncrs
arc thc most rcliablc choicc tor homc cooks .
In I 7, wc rccommcndcd thc Chct'sChoicc
Modcl I I O tor its casy, rcliablc sharpcning ot
cvcnthcdullcstknivcs. Butsinccthattimc, ncv
clcctric sharpcncrs havc comc on thc markct,
both trom FdgcCratt, makcr otChct'sChoicc,
and othcr companics . Arc any bcttcr than thc
trustymachincwc'vcuscdinthctcstkitchcntor
ncarly a dccadc` Givcnthat most clcctric sharp
cncrs costaroundS ! OO, wc thoughtitwas also
timctorcvisitmanualsharpcncrs,manyotwhich
? B Y L I S A M c M A N U S =
arc availablc tor a traction ol
thc cost. Is thcrc an incxpcr
ivcgcmout thcrc`
The Life Cycl e of a Kni fe
Designi ng the Tests
Most sharpcncrs, both clcc-
tric and manual, start thcir
work with a coarsc matcrial
and progrcss through stagcs
otnncr matcrial to polish thc
cdgc. In gcncral , thc hardcst
matcrial is diamond, tollowcd
by tungstcn carbidc, tollowcd
by high alumina ccramic, tol
l owcd by stccl . Hardncss
isn't cvcrything, though, thc
matcrial is only as good as
thc anglc ot thc knitc bcing
A sharp edge ( l eft) wi l l make
qui ck work of sl i ci ng and chop
pi ng. However, even a few mi nutes
of cutti ng can make the edge rol l
over (center) . maki ng the bl ade
feel sl i ghtl y dul l . A qui ck steel i ng or
sharpeni ng wi l l remove the fol ded
edge and return the kni fe to i ts

ori gi nal sharpness. Afer si gnificant
use, the sharp angl es on the edge
wi l l become rounded and very dul l
VE RY
S HARP
S L I G HTLY
D U LL
VE RY
DU LL
( ri ght) . At thi s poi nt, it wi l l take much more effort to use the kni fe and the
edge wi l l brui se food as i t cuts. The kni fe needs an enti rel y new edge and wi l l
requi re si gni fi cant work to become sharp agai n.
swipcdagainsti t , sothcdcsignotthcsharpcncris
important. Somc modclsguarantccthat cvcn an
incxpcricnccduscrwill gctthc rightangl c, othcr
modcls makcthismorcamattcrotchancc.
Jo lcvcl thc playing ncld tor our tcsting, wc
wantcd to start with knivcs otcqual dullncss .
Iookingtosimulatc thc condition otknivcsthat
havcbccnuscdtoraboutaycarwithoutsharpcn
ing,vcturncdtoradvicctoStoddard' s, acutlcry
shopi nBoston.Althoughthccompanyhasbccn
i n thc busincss otsharpcning knivcs sincc thc
carlyI 8OOs, owncrDavidMarksgoodnaturcdly
agrccdto dull" dozcns otncw knivcs ovcr thc
coursc otour tcsti ng. n a 22O grit whctstonc,
hcuscdahccl totiprockingmotionthatmimics
achct'sslicing,rcpcatingthismotion45timcstor
cach knitc. Marks alsouscd a diamondslipstonc
tocut': inchnotchcsincachbladcncartlchccl
andncarthctip,whcrchcsaidhcohcnsccsnicks
appcaringinchct'sknivcsthathavc bccnroughly
uscd-tlckindotdamagcthatmightoccuri t you
uscyourknitc to hacktlroughchickcn boncs or
trozcntoods.
Back in thc tcst kitchcn, wc connrmcd thc
knivcs' dullncssbyattcmptingtosliccthrougha
shcct otpapcr-witlout succcss. Iolloving thc
manutacturcrs' instructions, wc sharpcncd onc
knitc on cach sharpcncr and tricd again to slicc
papcr-witldccidcdlybcttcrrcsults.Wcuscdthc
sharpknivcstocutpapcrthinsliccsotripctomato
andchittonadctrcshbasil lcavcs . In thc nnaltcst,
wc mcasurcd how long it took to rcgrind thc
bladcsandsmoothoutthoscnotchcs-amcasurc
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E J B E R 2 0 0 6
2 5
othow wcll thc sharpcncrs could rcpair scvcrc
damagc.
Electric Perormance
As in our carlicrtcsts, most otthc clcctric sharp
cncrs wcrc up tothc job , sccchartonpagc 2o) .
nly onc,thcKcrshaw Flcctric Kitc Sharpcncr
, S5. 5), tailcd to rcstorc a good cutting cdgc.
Jhc WaringIRKS8O, S. 5 ) accd thcpapcr,
tomato, and basil tcsts, but italso cut a quartcr
inch scoop,orsvalc,outottlc hccl bccauscthc
knitc droppcd down onto thc grinding whccl
cach timc itwas inscrtcd. Jhc hccl otthc bladc
Hs no longcr madc contact with thc cutting
board,makingitunusabl c. Jhc IrcstoFvcrSharp
88OO, thc lcast cxpcnsivc clcctric at S3. 5,
rcstorcd a sharp but modcratcly rough" cdgc
tomcknitc matonc tcstcrdcscribcdas chcwcd
up. "Itsloudmotorstallcd trcqucntlyandalarm
ingly,halnayupthc bladc,whcncvcrwctailcdto
kccpavcrylighttouchonmcknitc.
As tor Chct' sChoi cc, our ol d modcl I I O
, S7. 5 ) pcrtormcd wcll, but improvcmcnts on
its ncwcr siblings madc mcm quickcr and casicr
to usc. In addition to taking lcss timc and trou
blc to rcach a nnc cdgc, tlc ncw modcls tcaturc
springloadcdbladcguidcs that allow noambigu
ouswigglcroomasmcyholdmcbladcagainstmc
sharpcning whccls at thc propcr anglc, rcplacing
t|ctrickicrmagncticguidcsonthcI I O. Jhcsharp
cningwhcclsonncwcrmodclsalsorcachcloscrto
mccdgc otmc machinc,cnsuringthattIc shaq
cningcxtcndsa tlcvaytomccndotaknitc.
Going Manual Ovcrall,wcprclcrrcd thcsharpcr, hncr, morc
polishcd cdgc wc got with thc Chct' sChoi cc
I 3O , S I 3) , thc quictcst and smoothcst otthc
six clcctric sharpcncrs wc tcstcd. It sharpcncd
dullcdknivcsquickly.Wcalsolikcditsnonmotor
izcd slot, which opcratcs likc a sharpcning stccl .
Bccauscmanypcoplchavca hard timc mastcring
thcmotionnccdcdtouscatraditionalstccl,thisis
ancasywaytogctthcbcnch totstccling. Jokccp
your knivcs in primc condition,youwouldkccp
thissharpcncronthccountcranduscthcbuiltin
stccljustas protcssional chcts do,rightbctorc-
and cvcry timc-you usc your knivcs. Itmoncy
is noobjcct,thc ChctsChoicModcl I 3O isour
ncw clcctric sharpcncrotchoicc. Ityour budgct
ismorcmodcst,thc l l O isstillworthbuyingand
Manual sharpcncrs sharc somc similariti cs. In
sizc, most arc a littlc biggcr than a dcsktop sta
plcr, and thc sharpcning matcrial uscd may bc
diamond, stccl, ccramic, tungstcn carbidc, or a
combination otthcsc. In most manual sharpcn
crs,thcsharpcningmatcrialiscncloscdinaplastic
or mctal body, witl onc, two, or tlrcc anglcd
opcnings tor thc knitc to bc drawn through. In
a tcw modcls, tlc sharpcncr consists ot a basc
t|.at holds thc cxposcd honing matcrial , such
as ccramic sticks, in a Vshapc that thc knitc is
drawnagainst.
will|ccpyourknivcsintopcondition.

Couldmanualsharpcncrs holdacandlctothc
clcctricmodclswctcstcd` In a word, ycs . Atcw
madc admirably qui c| and thorough work ot
basicsharpcningtas|sanddidsotoratractionol
tlcpriccotanclcctricsharpcncr.
0T| NCS
GOOD: ***
FAIR: **
POOR: *
RATI NG ELECTRI C
KNI FE SHARPENERS
( HI G HLY RECOMM E DE D TEST CRI TERI A
Chef'sChoice Model 1 30
STROKES TO SHARPE N : 6
PRI CE : ! ' J9 PERFORMANCE : ***
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Diamond,
NOTCH RE MOVAL: 2 strokes
with three slots, coarse, fine, and non EASE OF US E : ***
motorized butcher steel
( RECOMME NDE D
Chef'sChoice Model 1 20
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
PRI CE : ! 29. 9'
PERF ORMANCE :
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Diamond, NOTCH REMOVAL:
with three slots. coare. medium, EASE OF US E :
and fine
Chef'sChoice Model 1 1 0
STROKES TO S HARPE N :
PRI CE : !79. 9'
PERFORMANCE :
SHARPE NI NG MATE RI AL: Diamond,
NOTCH RE MOVAL:
with three slots. coare for pre- EASE OF US E :
sharpening, medjum, and fn
Presto EverSharP 8800
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
PRI CE : !J9. 9S
PERFORMANCE :
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: "Sapphirite"
NOTCH REM OVAL:
(aluminum oxide, a ceramic) , with two EASE OF US E :
slots. coare and fine
Waring PRO KS80
sTROKES To SHARPE N:
PRI CE: !99. 9'
PERFORMANCE :
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Alumina (a
NOTCH REMOVAL:
cermic) , with three slots of coarse, EASE OF US E :
fne, and strop/polish
Kershaw El ectri c Knife
STROKES TO SHARP E N:
Sharpen
e
r
PERFORMANCE :
PRI CE: !'9 9'
NOTCH REMOVAL:
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Cermic, EASE OF US E :
single slot with sharpening cartridge
containing coarse and fine stones
' '
***
20strokes
***
J4
***
' 9 strokes
**
6
**
2 2 strokes
*
9
**
J7strokes
**
7
*
' 4Jstrokes
*
TESTE RS ' COMM E NTS
This quiet model i s the Rolls Royce
of sharpener. Spring loaded blade
guides make sharpening foolproof. One
slot works like a sharpening steel but
removes all guessworl from the usual
steeling motion.
Ver eas to operte: spring-loaded
blade guides make sharpening fool
proof. Knife seems to "fall" somewhat
jarringly into firt slot.
Does the job at a reasonable price,
although somewhat noisily. Instructions
are a bit confusing and magnetic guides
could control blade angle more easily.
Grinding elements are set in from edge
of machine and miss the heel on knives.
Ver loud, and stalled when tester
applied any pressure. Appeared to scuf
blades.
Grinding wheels on this lare, quiet
machine are set in too far from end of
slot. so user can't hone entire blade
edge. Knife dropped onto wheel, caus
ing "scoop" to develop near heel end.
Loud, "nere-wrcking" metallic noise.
Grinding action sharpened at tip and
heel of knife but not in middle, eventu
ally ruining our knife. Crucial opertion
instructjons found only on DVD. Can
only operte two minutes at a time.
C O O K ' S I L L U S T R A I' F D
2 6
C
.
h
Q
ommg out on top l our tcstmg was t c
AccuSharp Knitc and Jool Sharpcncr , S I I . 7 I ) ,
a simplc plasti c, handhcld dcvicc with a singlc
tungstcncarbidc\ shapcdbladc. JhcAccuShaq
produccs mctal shavings asyou draw i tovcr thc
knitc, which you hold against thc countcrtop
with thc cuttingcdgc up. ncc tcstcrs got ovcr
thcstrangcncssotstraddling"thcbladcwiththc
sharpcncr, thcy tound thcmsclvcs surpriscd at
howquicklythisworks, "notingthatitwasrcally
casytousc . . . I ' mimprcsscd. "
Jhc sccondplacc modcl, Anol on' s Inivcrsal
Sharpcncr ,S2. 5) , has thrcc scts otccramic
stoncs, trom coarsc to hnc, in l plastic housing
thatyou h llwith watcr to kccp thc stoncs trom
cloggingvith mctal hlings, a common problcm
wit|ccramic. Jcstcrs rcmarkcd thatitvas vcry
casy,noprcssurcrcquircd, "tomakctlcknitccut
through papcr, likcbuttcr") andthatitwasno
cttort"to slicc throughtomatocs.
Anothcr singlc slot dcvicc,thcChantry Knitc
Sharpcncr , S3. 5) , took third placc. Insidc a
sturdy mctalcasing,tvo springloadcdstcclrods
How We Rated the Sharpeners
We tested 1 2 manual kni fe sharpeners ( ri ght)
and six el ectric knife sharpener ( l eft) and eval u
ated them accordi ng to the criteria bel ow. I n each
chart, the knives are l i sted in order of preference.
PRI CE : Purchase pri ce onl i ne or at Boston-area
retai l outl ets.
S HARPE NI NG MATERI AL: The materi al (s) i n
the sharpener that hones the kni fe edge.
STROKES TO S HARPEN: We used new 8- i nch
Victori nox Forchner Fi brox chefs knives (test
ki tchen favorites) dul l ed to a uni form l evel on a
220-grit whetstone. We sharpened the dul l ed
knives accordi ng to manufacturer i nstructi ons,
counti ng the number of strokes. ( Note: The
numbers are an average based on resul ts from
mul ti pl e testers and may var based on the ski l l
l evel of the i ndivi dual operator. )
PERFORMANCE : We tested the dul l ed and
sharpened knives by cutti ng a sheet of paper.
cutti ng thi n sl i ces of tomato, and cutti ng fresh basi l
i nto a chifonade (fi ne stri ps) . Scores of good, fai r,
or poor were assigned for each test.
NOTCH REMOVAL: To see i f the sharpeners
coul d rescue damaged kni ves, we used a di amond
sl i pstone to cut two 1/1 6- i nch notches (one near
the heel , the other near the tip) in each bl ade
and then attempted to rCmOvCthCnOtchCswith
the sharpeners. None of the manual sharpeners
passed thi s test; for el ectri c model s we' ve noted
the number of strokes needed to remove both
notches.
EASE OF USE: Fctors i ncl ude whether
operti ng the devi ce was eas and comfortabl e,
i nstructi ons were cl ear, and overl l ti me and steps
necessar to sharpen were reasonabl e.
3
arc crosscd at a 4Odcgrcc anglc, thc knitc is
prcsscddownasyousawitbackandtorth,asit
cutting a loatotbrcad. Its simplicityandsharp
cdgcappcalcdtotcstcrs.
Clcarly thc sharpcni ng matcrial was not
whatsctthcscsharpcncrsahcadotthcothcrs.
Incach casc thcywonovcrtcstcrswith acom
binationotgoodrcsultsandcascotusc-not
always agivcnwithamanualsharpcncr. Somc
o|thclowratcdmodclswcrcncarlyascxpcn
sivcasanclcctricbuttookalotmorcworkand
timc to do thc job. thcr lowratcd modcls
wcrc squcaky,jcrky, awkward,orcvcnusclcss.
No Smooth Opertor
Now tor thc ba
_
ncws.
y
lilc somc ot thc
manual sharpcncrs cou
[
d rcstorc a rcspcct
ablc cdgc to thcknivcs,notonc rcmovc

thc
notchcs. In thc attcmpt, wc put thc knivcs
through cach dcvicc 3OO timcs, with no vis
iblc cttcct.
y
hat docs this mcan` Manual
sharpcncrstakcottagooddcallcssmctalthan
clcctric sharpcncrs and simply cannotrcmovc
cnough, in a rcasonablc amount ottimc, to
rcstorc a nickcd or damagcd knitc. Ior thcsc
knivcs , andundoubtcdlyyouhavcscvcral ) , an
clcctricsharpcncristhconlychoicc.
Should you bothcr buying a manual knitc
sharpcncr` Jhc bcttcr options will hclp you
maintain ncw knivcs and arc h nc witl mod
cratcly dull

ladcs. At S I I . 7I , thcappcal ot
thc casyto opcratc AccuSharp i s clcar. But
bc prcparcd to pay a protcssional to handlc
your morc challcnging sharpcning ncc
_
s . In
thclongrun, an clcctric s

arpcncr is a goo

invcstmcnt, ityou can ma

c thc initial cash

outlay. Itnot,pickup a chcap manua
|
sharp
cncr.Jhcbcstoncsarctarsupcriortostccling
rods an
_
wi
|
l kccp many otyour

nivcs in
dcccntshapc.
TE CH N I Q U E I ARE YOUR
KNI VE S DULL ?
Here' s a qui ck way to fi nd out i f your knives
need to be sharpened. Hold a sheet of pl ai n
paper and sl i ce i nto the top wi th your knife.
Does the knie gl i de through the paper? I f you
need to saw at the edge, or if the paper ri ps,
your knife needs sharpeni ng.
RTI NGS
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
RATI NG MANUAL
KNI FE SHARPENERS
( RE COMME NDE D
AccuSharp Knife and Tool Sharpener

PRI CE : ! ' ' . 7 '
SHARPENI NG MATERI AL: Tungsten carbide
-
V-shaped single blade
Anol on Univeral Krife Sharpener
3 -Stage Wet Stone
PRI CE: !29. 9'
SHARPEN I NG MATERI AL: Three slots wlth
cermic stones, cdarse td fine; uses water
Chartr Knife Sharpener
PRI CE : !J9. 9'
SHARPE NI NG MATE RI AL: Stee
l
. crossed and
spring-loaded
(RECO MME NDE D WI TH RES E RVATI ONS

\
Chef' sChoice 460 Mul ti - Edge
Di amond Hone Sharpener
PRI CE : !29. 9'
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Industria
l
diamon
d
in two slots, coare and fine
Spyderco Tri -Angle Sharpnaker
PRI CE : !47. 20
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: fur triangular
ceramic rods, to medium an
d
td fine
Wisthof Krife- Ufe 3 -Stage Knife
and Scissor SHarpener
PRI CE : ! ' 9. 9'
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Two slots, tungsten
carbide ard cermic
Firi Tech Edge Professi onal
Sharpeni ng System
PRI CE : !09. 9'
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Three interchangeable
sharpening tools, one tungsten carbide and two
d
iamdnd, medium and fine
Gl obal Mi noSharp Pl us Khi fe
Sharpener, Mddel 440
PRI CE : !40. 9'
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Two slots with cermic
s
t
ones, coare an
d
fne: uses water
Herckel s Twi n Sharp Sel ect Knife
Sharpener
PRI CE : !J9. 9'
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Two slots, coare steel
and fne cermic
Meyerco Sharpen- I t
PRI CE: !29. 99
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Two slots. tungsten
carbide and cermic
Lnsk Croci Stick Two-Stage
Professi onal Knife Sharpener
PRI CE : !J9. 99
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Cermic rods, coare
. and fne
Chi cago Cutlery MagnaSharp Mouse
Knife Sharpener
PRI CE: !7. 99
SHARPE NI NG MATERI AL: Cermic rods.
single slot
N O V E M B E R t D lc C E M il L R 2 0 0 6
2 7
TEST CRI TERI A
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
PERF ORMANCE:
NOTCH REMOVAL:
ElSE OF US E :
STRdKES Td SHARPE N:
PERF ORMANCE :
N OTCH RE MOVAL:
EASE dF US E :
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
PE RFdRMANCE :
N OTCH RE MOVAL:
EASE OF US E :
STROKES Td SHARPE N:
PERF ORMANCE :
N OTCH REMOVAL:
EASE OF US E :
STRdKES TO SHARPE N:
PE RFdRMANCE :
N OTCH REMOVAL:
EASE OF US E :
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
P E RFORMANCE :
N OTCH REMOVAL
EASE dF US E :
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
PERFORMANCE :
N OTCH REMOVAl:
EASE OF US E :
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
PERF ORMANCE :
N OTCH REMOVAl:
EASE OF US E :
STROKE S TO SHARPE N:
PERF ORMANCE :
NOTCH REMOVAL:
EASE OF US E :
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
PERF ORMANCE :
NOTCH REMOVAL:
EASE OF US E :
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
PERF ORMANCE :
NOTCH REMOVAl:
EASE OF US E :
STROKES TO SHARPE N:
P E RFORMANCE :
NOTCH REMOVAL:
EASE OF US E :
20
***
*
***
42
***
*
***
20
***
*
***
60
***
*
**
. 60
***
*
*
J0
***
*
*
' ' 0
***
*
*
44
**
*
**
J0
**
*
**
90
**
*
*
' ' 0
**
*
*
'0
*
*
*
TESTERS ' COMME NTS
Establishes a sharp edge quickly and
easily. This compact sharpener must
be drwn over the exposed knife
blade. which gave user some pause.
at least initially.
Smooth, easy motion yields ver
sharp, polished blade. Handle is espe-
cially comforable. Must f i l l with water
before each use.
Heavy metal casing on this fast, simple
sharpener is durble and stays put.
Instructions are vague.
This lightweight mode
l
must be held
down, but it did yield a sharp edge.
w
h
eels indicating correct blade angle
never turned as described, and knives
didn't move smoothly.
Although overly complex (the instruc-
tion booklet has 20pages ' ) , slow
to operte, and dificult to control,
this model did produce a s
h
arp
edge-eventually.
Quick to operte, but performance
is d notcH be
l
ow the be
r
er op
ti
ons.
Khlves sharpened with this tool tore.
rther than sl
i
ce
d
. tomatoes.
Although this model put a fairly sharp
edge on
k
nives, the jumpy, jerk
motion o
f
the tungsten too
l
damaged
the blade edge. The gripper in tHe
handle broke in several tes
t
smples.
Uncomplicated, but sharpening
motion is jerk an
d
pro
d
uces blade
that's not sharp enough. Mus
t
fill with
water before each use.
Knife squeaks unpleasantly as it goes
througH steel slot. Eas
t
o use, but
results are soso.
This pocket-size sharpener was hard
to manipulate, and instructions were
poorly written. Blade drgs in tung
sten slot.
Complicated hand motion feels
unnatural . Sharpening rods quickly
became smooth, and cleaning as
instructed didn't restore abrsive feel.
Compact unit emits terrible squeaking
noise. Felt like knife was being drged
over plastic housing, not sharpening
tool. One sample didn't work; other
were not much better.
Ate Italian Olve Oils Realy That Good?
Wh en it's time to pay big bucks for an extra-virgin o live oil , many coo ks
Cutomaticel l y reach for boutique Tuscan oils. S houl d they?
T
L mllyapprcciatct|ccomplcxllavorot
cxtravirgin ol
j
vc oil, youwantto tastc
itstraighthom thc bottlc, or, at most,
j ustbarclywarmcd. Inthctcstkitchcn,
wc drizzlc it ovcr
g
sh, vcgctabl cs, soups, pasta
dishcs,salads,andmorc.In2OOI , wctastcdincx
pcnsivcsupcrmarkctoilsandproclaimcdDa \inci
, SI 2. pcr litcr) our tavoritc. In subscqucnt
tastings, DaVinci has continucd its dominancc
ovcrothcrmass markctbrands.
But whatitpriccisn' tyournrstconsidcration
Docs morc moncybuybcttcrolivc oilItso,how
doyouchooscamongthchundrcdsotboutiquc
oilssoldintancybottlcsatcvcntancicrpriccs
Whcn Amcricans want cxtravirgin olivc oil ,
wc gcncrally buy Italian. Scvcn ot thc top I O
olivcoilssoldinthcInitcdStatcsarcItalian.But
agrowingnumbcrotcxtravirginolivcoi lstrom
othcr countrics now nll storc shclvcs, includ
ing morc ottcrings trom Spain, thc top olivc
growing nation, and Grcccc. Jhcrc arc cvcn oils
trom Calitornia. Gathcring a lincup otI O bcst
scllingboutiquccxtravirginolivcoilstromavari
ctyotcountrics,priccdatS2OtoS5opcrlitcr,wc
strippcd thcm otthcirstylishlabclsand put thcm
through thc rigors ota blind tasting, sampling
t
g
cmplain,withIrcnchbrcad,anddri zzlcdovcr
trcshmozzarclla.
High Standards
Sippcd straight up hom littlc cups, thc cxtra
virginolivc oilsinourlincup ottcrcda plcasingly
widc rangc otllavors, trom huity and olivcy"
tomild,buttcry,andmcllowtopowcrmllygrccn,
grassy,andpungcnt. Whydocsolivcoilhavcsuch
awidcrangingllavorpronlc
Fxpcrts agrcc thatthc typc otolivc, thc timc
What about Cheap Ol ive Oi l ?
B Y | | >. c ^ `1: E
otharvcst , carlicr mcans grccncr, morc bittcr,
and pungcnt,latcr,morcmildandbuttcry) , and
proccssingarc thc biggcsttactors . Asonc cxpcrt
pointcdout,olivcoilisrcallyjustolivcjuicc,and
t
_
c qu
j
ckcst,gcntlcstcxtractionyicldsthctrucst
Uavors . Jhc bcstqualip oi
|
comcs trom olivcs
pickcd at thcir pcak-dcciding cxactly whcn to
picki sthcchictartotolivcoilmakcrs-andpro
ccsscdasquicklyaspossiblcwithouthcat, which
can coax morc oi l trom t
_
c olivcs but at thc
cxpcnscotllavor) .
Bottlc l abcl s ohcn tout an oi l ' s low aci
_

i ty. " All cxtra virgin oi l s must havc l css than

O. 8 pcrccnt trcc olci caci dbyagrccmcnt otthc
IntcrnationallivcilCouncil, I C) . Wcscnt
tlc oilsi nourtastingtoan indcpcndcnt laband
toundthattlcyallmctt|usstandard.Wcalsohad
thc lab analyzc thc oils tor pcroxidc lcvcls-thc
industry tcst tor oxidation causcd by impropcr
handling and/or storagc-and, agai n, all wcrc
wcllwithinthcI

standard.
Balancing Act
It all ot thc cxtravirgin oils wc tastc
_
wcrc
tcchnicallynnc-at lcastaccordingto lab tcsts-
why had tastcrs tound such a varicty otllavors
And why did tastcrs' scorcs rcvcal somc clcar
winncrs-andsomcclcarloscrs
Jhc big loscr i nourtastingwas Da\inci , our
tavoritcincxpcnsivc oil, which nnishcddcadlast.
Although disappointcd, wc wcrcn' t rcally sur
priscd. JhisoilmaybcbcttcrHtlcothcrchcap
options, but it couldn' tcompctc with highcnd
products . livcoilhasbccnproduccdtorccntu
rics,anditmakcsscnscthatcompanicsthattakc
thctimctomakcoilinsmallbatchcshavcngurcd
out somc sccrcts to distinguish thcir oils trom
Among l eadi ng supermarket ol ive oi l s, DaVi nci ( $ 1 2. 99 per
l i ter) has won severl taste tests i n recent years and i s the
test kitchen' s favorite. Bottl ed i n I taly but made from a vi rtual
United Nati ons of oi l s, thi s mass-market brnd was tasted
mass markct products . At
lcastwhcnit comcs to olivc
oi l , hi gh pri ccs buy morc
tlanj ustprcttybottl cs.
Wc wcrc surpriscd, how
cvcr, that tastcrs wcrc not
i mprcsscd with thc hi gh
cnd Italian oi l s, which nn
ishcdinnhhthroughcighth
placc. urtwotop nnishcrs
camc trom Spai n, thc third
trom Grcccc.Wcnccdcdto
cxpl ai n thcsc uncxpcctcd
h ndings.
al ongsi de the expensive oi l s on page 29 and earned prai se
for i ts " bright, " " frui t" flavor. I n the end, however, i t pal ed
i n comparison to the pricey competiti on and fi ni shed i n l ast
pl ace. Taster deemed i t "pl easant" but "not compl ex. " For
reci pes where ol ive oi l is heated or must compete with strong
flavors, we' l l sti ck with DaVi nci , but for drizl i ng over feeds just
before seri ng, the test kitchen is ready for an oi l change.
LESS MON EY,
LESS F LAVOR
C O O K
'
s | | | L 5 1 K ^ 1 | l
2 8
As wc tallicd our tasting rcsults, wc rcalizcd
thatourtwotavoritcoils-botlpraiscdbytastcrs
torthcirtairlyasscrtivcyctwcll balanccdllavor-
wcrc madc witha blcnd otolivcs. Jhc Columcla
and Ncz dc Irado oils arc a mix otintcnsc
Iicual and mild Hoj iblanca olivcs , thc Nttncz
also a

ds dclicatc llavorcd Iicudo olivcs) , crcat

ingatruity"olivcoilwithnoclcmcntsthatwcrc
pcrccivcd as too strong tasting-ortoo mild. By
contrast, thc otlcr tvo Spanish oils wc tastcd,
I' Fstorncll an

Ions, wcrc madcwitl+ only thc

mildmanncrcd Arbcquina olivc, and tlcy ratcd
much lcss tavorably.
Darrcll Corti , owncr otCorti Brothcrs storc
in Sacramcnto, Calil, and chairman otolivc oil
judging at thc Ios Angclcs County Iair, tlc top
domcstic and intcrnational olivc oil compctition
inthcInitcdStatcs,toldusthatproduccrsohcn
blcnd cxtravirgin oils trom olivcs with distinct
llavorstocrcatcthcovcrallllavorpronlcthcywant.
AccordingtoCorti,thcbcstoilisohcnmadchom
ablcndot varictals,thcblcndmayconsistotscvcral
oils,cach oncmadc homa singlc varictal , known
as monocultivar, or singlcolivc, oils) , or trom a
ncld blcnd, " in which dittcrcnt typcs otolivcs
arc pickcd and thcn proccsscd togcthcrto crcatc
asinglc oil .
WasblcndingthcanswcrwcsoughtMaybcnot.
Kgncarlyas ligh as tlc top Spaniards was a
Grcck oil, Jcrra Mcdi, madc only with Koronciki
olivcs.It'snotablcnd,yctitsbalanccdcharactcrand
huity, roundcdllavor,witlnoharsh notcs, madcit
similarinpronlc to thc \ top oils. Addiuonally,
whilcsomcottlcsosoItalianoilswcrcmadchom
singlc varictals, othcrs wcrc blcnds. So blcnding
aloncdocsn'tguarantccgrcatoil.
Jhc choicc otolivcs is onc tactorthatmakcs
aparticularoil morc orlcss appcaling. Howcvcr,
witlthcircharactcristicgrccn,intcnscolivcllavor
andpcppcryahcrtastc, tlc Italian oils had a tcw
vocal supportcrs, but thc maj ority ot tastcrs tclt
thatthc oils' harsh pungcncy clmcd thc
olivc U avor. Jhc worst ottcndcr in this rcgard
was a Calitornia oil, McFvoy Ranch, madc with
a blcnd otsix Juscan olivcs i n tlc stylc ottlc
Italianoils.Jhishighlyasscrtivcoilturncdottthc
majorityotourtastcrs.
Green Monsters
What makcsthc Italian and Italianstylccxtravir
ginolivcoilssopungcntandgrccnAccordingto
Paul Vossen of the University of California
Cooperative Extension in Sonoma, an
IOOC-certifed olive oil taster, Italian oils
came by their signature favor profle out
of necessity-and producers then made
it a virtue.
"Tuscany has frost problems, or poten
tial frost problems, so their law requires
that they harvest their olives early-by a
certain date-and that means they have a
green olive oil that is bitter and pungent,"
said Vossen. "So the Italians just con
vinced the world that that's how extra
virgin olive oil is supposed to taste. It's
marketing. Once you realize that and put
it in context, and take it with a grain of
salt . . . yes, they make absolutely fabu
lous extra-virgin olive oils in Italy, but it's
really just one style. "
Darrell Corti agreed. "Americans have
been told that they should like very bitter
oils, but they don't really like them. The
Tuscan oils are bitter. "
In recognition of the variety of extra
virgin olive oil styles, this year the Los
Angeles County Fair judging panel, of
which Vossen is a member, adopted a new
European standard, dividing the oils into
three categories based on favor intensity:
light fuity intensity, medium fruity inten
sity, and intense fruitiness.
P the Italian style moves into a less
dominant role, other styles of oil are mov
ing in, most notably those from Spain.
"For many years, Spain was the poorest
part of Europe, especially in the south, "
said Vossen, "and they're coming out
of that now. They used to be only con
cerned about bulk oil production, while
the Italians ( Spain' s biggest customer)
would buy their oil and blend and refne
it and craf a good olive oil out of it. "
Spanish extra-virgin olive oils are coming
into their own, he said. "They're making
fabulous olive oils right now. "
In the end, balance turned out to be
the key factor that determined the win
ners of our tasting, and we found it in
Spanish oils, not Italian oils. Our tasters
preferred oils of medium fruity intensity.
Italian oils generally fall into the intense
category.
In the test kitchen, we' ll keep our
DaVinci on hand for everyday use, but
we'll stock up on our preferred medium
fruity Spanish oil, too. With the top
ranked Columela coming in at about
half the price of second-place Nunez de
Prado, the former is our new test kitchen
favorite when we want an extra-virgin
olive oil with high- end flavor but don' t
want to break the bank to pay for it.
TASTI NG EXTRA-VI RGI N OLIVE OI LS
Twent C00k:!hu:lrJltdstaff members tasted I 0 nationally available extr-virin olive oils priced at more than $20
per liter, along with DaVinci, the test kitchen' s favorite inexpensive supermarket extra-virin oil. We tasted them
plain, on French bread, and drizzled over fresh mozzarella. Tasters rated each sample for olive flavor, complexit, and
overall appeal. Brands are listed below in order of preference. Most of the oils are available in supermarkets. Mail-order
sources for the top three appear on page 3 2.

COLUMEL EXR VI RGI N OLIVE OI L
.countr of Origi n: SPAI N
$22 for 25. 4 ounces (about $29 /l i ter)
A bl end of i ntense Pi cual and mi l d Hoj i bl anca
ol ives. thi s oi l took top honors for its frui t fl a
vor and excel l ent bal ance. One taster summed
i t up: " Bol d ol ive flavor, sl ightl y frui t, medi um
to- heavy texture: Thi s i s what I thi nk of when
I thi nk EOO. " Another taster si mpl y wrote,
" Fantasti c. "
NUNEZ DE PRDO ORGANI C EXR
VI RGI N OLIVE OI L
Country of Origi n: SPAI N
.$27. 99 for 1 6. 9 ounces (about $56/l i ter)
" Nutt, fruit, good, with a lot of flavor" was
the consensus on thi s "wel l - rounded " oi l made
wi th Pi cual , Hoj i bl anca, and Pi cudo ol ives. One
taster noted that i t "packs a l ot of ol ive taste. "
Another raved, " Ol ives, grss. herbs, ri ch, not
much bi te: Perect! "
TERR MEDI EXR VI RGI N OLIVE OI L
.Country of Origi n: GREECE
$ 9. 9 S for 1 7 ounces (about $20/l i ter)
" Ri ch, ol ive-y, del i ci ous, " wrote one taster.
" Compl ex, ri ch, wi thout bei ng bi tter, " sai d
another. Uke the other top oi l s, thi s one (made
with frui t Koronei ki ol ives) was prai sed for
havi ng a "great bal ance of flavor" and a "sl ightl y
pepper. " " butter" taste.
L' ESORNEU EXR VIRGI N OLIVE OI L
.Countr of Origi n: SPAI N
$2 1 . 99 for 25. 3 ounces (about $29/l iter)
Made with mi l d, sweet Arbequi na ol i ves. thi s
organi c oi l won tasters over wi th " l ots of ol ive
flavor, " but i t lost favor with a few for havi ng
"sour" and "sl i ghtl y off" notes. Many agreed wi th
tasters who found i t "prett mi l d" and even
" bl and. "
OLI O VERDE OLI O ER VERGI NE
DI OLIVA
Country of Ori gi n : ITALY
. S 1 0. 50 for 500 m| ( $2 1 /l i ter)
"A compl ex and spi cy fi ni sh, " sai d one taster
who enjoyed this Si ci l i an oil pressed from the
early- harvest Nocel lara del Bel i ce ol ive, whi ch
gi ves the oi l i ts characteristic "super-grassy"
flavor. Whi l e many loved its "earhy, pungent"
flavor. others found i ts "sl i ghtl y bi tter" profi l e
"too much."
N 0 V E l B E R [ D E C E , B E R 2 0 0 6
2 9
LUCI NI PREMI UM SELEC EXR VI RGI N
OLIVE OI L
.countr of Origi n: ITALY
w$ 1 4. 79 for 500 m| ( $29. 5 8/l iter)
" Nutt" and " huge, " with a "real ly good flavor:
ol ive-y. butter, fruit, and bol d, " sai d tast
ers, who l i ked this oil made from a bl end of
Frantoi o, Pendol i no, Morai ol o, and Lecci no
ol ives. Some found i t to have a "real ly bi tter
afteraste" that was "too aci di c, " whi l e others
l i ked its " l i ngeri ng punch of pepper. "
MONI NI GRNFRUTATO EXR VIRGI N
OLIVE OI L
Countr of Origi n : ITALY
$1 1 . 49 for 500 m| ( $22. 98/l i ter)
Tasters general ly l i ked this "pepper. bol d,
and "pungent" oi l , whi ch i s made with a bl end
of ol ives, i ncl udi ng Mori ol os that are pi cked
when they are ful ly ri pe. But some compl ai ned
that i t was "greasy." wi th " l i ngeri ng bi tter
ness, " and "not too compl ex, " even "sl ightl y
i nel egant. "
BDIA A COLTI BUONO EXR VIRGI N
OLIVE OI L
Countr of Origi n: ITALY
. $20for 1 6. 9 ounces (about $40/liter)
Thi s cl assi c Tuscan oi l was noted for its "great
ol ive flavor" that starts out " butter. " " Heav.
bol d, ri ch, fruit. and pepper-real ly good, "
sai d one taster. Others. however, fel t i t was
too mi l d and found the aftertaste bi tter-
" burned my throat, " one wrote.
PONS EVI RGI N OLIVE OI L
.Country of Origi n : SPAI N
$ 2 1 for 500 m| ( $42/l i ter)
Arbequi na ol ives are used to create thi s oi l ,
whi ch tasters descri bed as "ri ch, butter, and
ful l bodi ed, " but al so "mel l ow and not asser
tive. " One taster commented, " Mi l d, but good.
Subtl e. " Another panel ist wrote. " EOO- I ite. "
Those who prefer oi l s with more robust flavor
cal l ed i t " bl and. "
McEVOY RNCH ER VI RGI N OLIVE OI L
Country of Origi n: UNITED SATES
S 1 8. 99 for 375 m| ( $50. 64/l i ter)
Thi s orani c oi l from northern Cal iforni a i s a
bl end of six Tuscan ol ives. Some tasters l i ked its
"nutt" and "green" flavors, wh i l e others found
i ts strong taste overpoweri ng: "too pungent"
and "no ol ive frui t, al l chemi cal and bi tter. "
Another wrote, " Pck some seri ous heat if
you ' re i nto that sort of thi ng. "
K I T C HEN NOTES
How to Measure Greens
Wc ohcngctqucstionsabouthowto
accuratclymcasurc grccns torsalads,
whichiswhywc alwaysgivcbothan
ounccmcasurcandacupmcasurcin
rccipcs. But whcn wc tricd to con-
vcrt our usual tormula ot2 ounccs
,or2 cups ) ot|ightlypackcdgrccns
pcr scrving to our arugula salads
, pagc 24) , wc cndcd up with morc
grccns than wc could cat. Jhat`s
bccausc ouroriginal calculationwas
bascdonhcad| cttucc, whichisactu
a||y Hcavicr , bccausc ot its highcr
watcr contcot) than arugula. Ior
|ightcr, U umcr baby grccns, such
as baby spinacH, mcsclun, and aru
gu| a, wc tound tHat |css was morc.
Ooc ouncc ot lightly packcd baby
grccos w| | | yic| d rougHly I |/ cups,
j ustcoougH loroocscrving.
PE RF E CTLY PACKE D
Five ounces of l ightly packed
baby greens yiel ds about 8 cups.
H L K | b ^ H K L C | <
T E C H N I Q U E i QUI C KE R VE G ETAB L E P RE P
Whi l e devel opi ng our reci pe for Green Bean Casserole (page 9) . we came up with the fol l owing methods for qui ckly prepari ng
mushrooms and green beans.
B REAK I NG MU S H ROOMS
|. Usi ng your thumb, pop the caps off
thei r stems.
But whcn wc had to carvc a halt
dozcn turkcys at oncc tor our Roast
Saltcd Jurkcy , pagc I 3) , wc ran out
otpropcr boards. ur solution was
to simply substitutc a Uat cutting
boardplaccdinsidcarimmcdbaking
shcct, tlcraiscd sidcskcpttlcjuiccs
tromlcakingoutaswc carvcd.
r
)
2. Squeeze both the stem and the cap
between your thumb and forefi nger to
break each i nto pi eces.
a|so c+usc thc granulcs to clump,
i oHi biti og |u| | disso| uti on. As a
rcsu| t, thcgc| atin is thoughtto losc
somc otits a|i| ity to absorb watcr
and tHic|coa | iquid mixturc.
Wc pu this thcory to thc tcst
by ma|i og p| ain gcls usi ng watcr
aodcitHcrHyJratcdornonhydratcd
gclati o. JHcrcsu| ts`Bothgclssctup
pcrtcctlyandHadthcsamcviscosity.
So wHyhydratc`
It tuns out that hydrating gcla
tin, likc looking both ways bctorc
crossing thc strcct, is mcrcly a prc
cauti onary mcasurc . It gclatin i s
TRI M M I N G G RE E N B EANS
Une u p about 8 beans i n a row o n a cut
ti ng board . Tri m about 11 i nch from each
end , then cut the beans i n hal f.
addcd tocnough vcryhot , butnot
boi l i ng) watcr and sti rrcd vigor-
ously, as it was in our tcst, thcn it
wi|lcomplctclydissolvcandswcllto
itsmllpotcntial ,cvcnwithoutbcing
hydratcdhrst. Iroblcmsmayariscit
thc liquid togclatin ratio is low, as
it is in many rccipcs, i ncluding our
No BakcIumpkinIic,pagc2 1 ),or
itthcgclatini stobcaddcdtoacold
mixturc, such aswhippcd crcam. In
thcsc i nstanccs, i t is always bcst to
hydratc cach tcaspoon otgclatin in
at lcast 1 tablcspoon ofcool liquid
bctorccontinuingwiththcrccipc. But this bcgsanothcrqucstion. It
youdon` thavc ascal candarcusing
thc cup mcasurcmcnt, whatcxactly
docs | i ght| y" packcd mcan` Jhc s H o P P 1 N G Canned Fumpk| n
rcason wc don` tj ustcalltora morc
Aide from i ts status as a Thanksgivi ng cl assi c,
accuratcmcasurcottightly"packcd
If you fi nd yoursel f without a real caring pumpki n pie gets poi nts for taki ng a pl ai n
grccns,prcsscd h rmlyintothc cup,
board, set a regul ar fat cutting board
canned good and dressi ng i t up. To be sure
i nsi de a ri mmed baking sheet.
th b t d k'
as is donc with brown sugar, isthat
we were openmg e es canne pump m
this mcthod would bruisc dclicatc
for our No- Bake Pumpki n Pie (page 2 1 )
'
we
S H d t d
asked | tasters to sampl e pi es made from
lca grccns. Jo lightly pack grccns, tay y ra e
three brands: One- Pi e, Ubby' s, and Farmer' s
si mply drop thcm by thc handml Mostrccipcsthatcalltorgclatinalso
Market Orani c.
intoa mcasuringcupandthcngcn ask thc cook to hydratc it-that is,
Ubby's and One-Pi e ended up i n a dead
tly pat down, using your nngcrtips mix it with a small amount otcold
heat. Whi l e some tasterfavored the "creamy"
rathcr tHan thc palm otyour hand. watcr and lct it sit bctorc bcing
texture and "mi l d sweetness" of Ubby' s,
Makeshift Cari ng Board
dissolvcd in hot liquid. Why` It's
other prefered the sl ightly "denser" textur
LAB E L L I NGO
Read l abel s to make sure you' re
buying pl ai n pumpki n ( l eft) ,
not pumpkin pie mi x ( right) .
Good carving boards ,scc Carving
Boards" on pagc I 3 ) comc with a
hand\ wcll in thc ccntcrand a moat
around thc cdgcs to capturc j uiccs
hom tHcmcatthatwouldothcrwisc
drip onto thc countcrtop and Uoor.
known that adding powdcrcd gcla
and "sharper" pumpki n flavor of One-Pi e.
tin dircctly to hot liquid can causc
Frmer's Market was di squal ified for its unpleasantly ''egetal " and "chalk" favor.
thc cxtcrior otthc gclatin granulcs
Whi chever brand you choose, study the l abel careful ly. Our supermarket stocks
to hydratc quickly and dcvclop a canned pumpki n from both Ubby' s and Farmer' s Market that' s al ready been
coating that kccps thc ccntcr ot spi ced and sweetened. These products, marked as "pi e mix" but l ooki ng ver much
thc granulcs trom absorbing watcr. l i ke the cans of pl ai n pumpki n, are a reci pe for a soupy and overly sweet di saster.
Dircct immcrsionin hot liquid may -El izabeth Bomze
C 0 0 K | | l | | M . \ | | l`
30
TE CH N I Q U E I WHI C H KNOT I S B E ST?
With so many roasts to tie duri ng reci pe devel opment for stufed beef tenderl oi n
(page 7) , we deci ded to test the three ting methods featured i n most cul i nar
textbooks: the sureon' s knot (basical l y a l ooped doubl e knot) , the butcher' s
knot (a tpe of sl i pkno
t
) , and the half- hitch knot (made i n a series al ong a
conti nuous length of twi ne) . Whi l e the latter made for the most attrctive pre
sentation of the cooked stufed roast (the twi ne is l ooped around the roast several
times and each loop is connected on both the top and the bottom, creati ng a
ver secure net) , it took us mul ti pl e tries to get the hang of it, and i t was tri ck
maneuvering a stufed roast. The butcher' s knot was al so difi cul t to get right ever
ti me. Our favorite knot by far was al so the most basic-the sureon' s knot. Si ngl e
pieces of twi ne are wrpped around the roast at I '12- i nch i nteral s and tied i n an
i nitial doubl e l oop, whi ch hol ds the twi ne i n pl ace whi l e a second knot is com
pl eted.
I . Begi n by ti ng a knot as i f ti ng a bow.
Pul l one end through the. l oop agai n.
2. Make a second knot on top of the
first knot.
1 P b 1 M . The Ul ti mate Cooki ng Wi ne
Grnted, a cardboard box may not l ook as cl assy as a sl ender green bottl e, but we
wondered if boxed wi ne coul d compete with bottl ed wine when used i n cooking.
First empl oyed i n Austrl i a and Europe and now wi dely avai l abl e i n the United
States, spigot- rel eased boxed wi ne i s both i nexpensive and conveni ent, and i t
has a l ong shel f l ife, whi ch makes it appeal i ng to the cook who may need only the
occasi onal cup.
To fi nd out if boxed wi ne bel ongs i n the kitchen, we tasted an array of boxed
varietals rnging in price from $ 1 2. 99 to $ 1 9. 99 for three- or five- l iter boxes,
i ncl udi ng Shi rz, Merl ot, and Burundy. A a control , we i ncl uded a $ I U bottle of
the Cotes du Rhone we often use in the test ki tchen for cooking. Sampl ed fresh
out of the box, some of the wines did not i mpress, tasting sweet, si mpl e, and
sangria- l i ke. But others were quite good, and tasters actual ly preferred them to
the bottled wi ne. For the next test, we used each of the wi nes i n our Modem Coq
au Vin (page 1 9) and a red wi ne pan sauce. To our surpri se, al l of the sauces-even
those made with the wines we di dn' t l i ke stright from the box-were fi ne.
Afer the bottles and boxes had been open for to weeks, we tasted them
i n pan sauce agai n. A expected, the recorked bottle of Cotes du Rhone had
skunked, depreciating to a flat,
al cohol -fl avored sourness, but
the boxed wi nes were sti l l going
strong. Even at a ful l seven weeks,
the unrefrigerted boxed wines
were fi ne for cooking.
How do boxed wi nes stay fresh
for so long? An ai rtight, bl adder
l i ke pl astic sac col lapses as wi ne
is removed (the box i s there only
for stackabi l i ty and porabi l i t) ,
making the wi ne l ess suscepti bl e
to oxidati on. Pri ce i s another
pl us: Tose we tested cost the
equival ent of $ 2 to $5 a bottl e.
-El izabeth Bomze
Do boxed wines stack up to bottled
when used i n cooking?
RE C I P E U P DATE
NJ' t| m| O| crHo' ' s
Several reader asked to tum our Multigrain Sandwich Bread (March/ April
2006) i nto di nner rol l s. Si mply cutti ng the proofed dough i nto smal l er pori ons
di dn' t work because the crust on thi s heart dough overvhel med the smal l amount
of soft i nteri or bread. We tri ed baki ng the rol l s i n l arer pi eces to cut down on the
crust-to- i nteri or rti o. But when proofed and baked, the dough l ooked more l i ke
smal l loaves than i ndivi dual rol l s.
We had more success when
we di vi ded the dough i nto 1 8
equal pi eces, formed each one
i nto a bal l , and then spaced them
evenly i n two baki ng di shes.
When proofed and then baked,
the dough bal l s grew i nto one
another to create a cl uster of di n
ner rol l s that easi ly pul l ed apart.
Best of al l , the crust formed on
just the tops and bottoms of the
rol l s, so the ratio of cri sp crust to
soft i nteri or was j ust right.
Bake rol l s i n a tightly packed dish
to mi ni mize the amount of
crust on each rol l .
Ha<cdrac |' avorcdC| c<c
Reader who found themselves i nti mi dated by the thought of fri ng chi cken for
our Orange- Flavored Chi cken reci pe ( May/J une 2005) wondered if there was
a "no-fr" method that woul d achi eve the same tender meat and crispy coating as
the origi nal . To fi nd out, we pul l ed out a baking sheet and crnked up the oven.
With a generous coati ng of eg whi te and cornstarch, we baked the bi te- sized
chi cken pi eces in a 500- degree oven-but the crust was barel y formi ng when
these smal l pi eces of chi cken were done. Leavi ng these bonel ess, ski nl ess thighs
whol e proved cumbersome; by hal ving the thighs and preheati ng our baking
sheet wi th the oil on i t, we had good crust formati on by the time the chi cken
fi ni shed cooki ng. Unfortunately, the crust was tough and bri ttl e i n pl aces, mostly
where the eg whi te and cornstarch had accumul ated . Our sol uti on was to drai n
the eg mi xture of of the chi cken pi eces, then dredge them i n a 50-50 mixture
of fl our and cornstarch, bei ng sure to shake off any extra. The thi n, even coating
cooked up cri spy, crunchy, and tender.
HcarStrJdc'
We weren' t surprised when readers asked how they coul d modi f ou r reci pe for
Apple Strudel (September/October 2003) to use pears i nstead. A qui ck test of
the diferent varieties avai l abl e in our supermarket demonstrated that Bose pear
hold thei r shape when ripe and are best sui ted for this strudel ; Bartlett pear are
acceptabl e, but they have a tendency to become soft when ri pe, making them dif
fi cul t to handl e in this reci pe. To bal ance the sweetness of the pears, we doubl ed
the l emon j ui ce to 2 teaspoons. We also substituted Poire Wi l l i am (a crstal - clear
eau de vi e made from pears) for the Calvados to keep the flavors i n sync.
-Compi l ed by Sarh Wi lson
IF YOU HAVE A QUEST I 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. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or to
reci peupdate@bcpress. com.
Go to www. cooksi l l ustrated.com
Key in code I I 065 for Multigrai n Di nner Rol l s.
Key in code I I 066 for Baked Orange- Flavored Chi cken.
Key in code 1 1 067 for Pear Strudel .
Recipes available unti l May I . 2007.
N | \ | ^ | H c l | L l. ^ | H 2 0 0 6
3 1
E QU I P ME NT C OR NE R
? B Y G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M I T H A N D E L I Z A B E T H B O M Z E =
QU | P H NTT 5T| N q , Nutcrackers
Classic V- shaped nutcrackers rely on
hand strength and patience for preci
sion cracking. In search of a better
way, we sat down to 5pounds of
mixed nuts and six new nut
cracker designs.
Testers had the best
luck with a prod
uct cal l ed Reed' s
Rocket $2 ! . ).
This nutcracker looks
S MASHI NG SUCCESS
The Reed' s Rocket i s an
unusual but highly efective
like it belongs in a
nutcracker.
garage-you pus h
down on a handle to crush a nut between two
pistons. The Rocket's long base and handle pro
vide good leverage and control, and it is highly
adjustable; it found no nut too tough to crack.
DDYD U 8ALLY N D TH | 5
Turkey Bri ni ng Bags
Brining a turkey is a great way to ensure
a moist, flly seasoned bird, but where do you
put a 5- gallon bucket when the refrigerator is
already stuffed to the gills with holiday foods?
A turkey brining bag seemed like a nice idea; it
should be a lot easier to make room for a fex
ible container that isn't much bigger than the
turkey. Unfortunately, the brining bags we tried
were fraught with problems-slippery, foppy,
and tough to mwith turkey and brine. Although
designed for storing sweaters and pillows, Ziploc
Big Bags XL $5. 7 for four) are foodsafe and,
at 2 feet by I . 7 feet, they're the perfect size for
turkey brining. In addition, the fat bottom keeps
the bag steady during flling, and a handle pro
vides a tighter grip on the slippery plastic.
QU | PH NTU P DAT ,
Candy I Deep- Fry Thermometers
For candy making and deep-fying, digital ther
mometers are best: quick to respond, precise,
and easy to read. Still, we weren' t quite satisfed
even with our favorite of the models tested for
the May/June 200 issue, the Maverick's Redi
SWE ET THE RMOMETE R
The cl i p makes thi s model our first
choi ce for candy making.
Chek Oil Candy
T h e r m o m e t e r
$34. 5), whi ch
was tall and top
he avy. Te s t e r s
wanted something
more like our fa
vorite thermom
eter for roas t s ,
the Polder Digital
Cooki ng Ti mer/
Thermometer $!. ), in which a long wire
separates the "brains" from the business end.
We' d use the Polder for candy or frying but
couldn't fnd a way to secure the probe to the
side of the pot. Then we found the CDN Digital
Cooking Thermometer and Timer $24. 5). It' s
similar to the Polder but comes with a mounting
clip that lets you attach the probe to your pan.
P on/off switch would be nice ( to save batteries
over time) , but it still gets our top recommenda
tion for its clip-on ease.
DDYD U 8ALLY N D TH | 5
Hot Col d Trivets
If you've ever been the last one in line at the buf
fet table, you know how disappointing it is to la
dle out a bowlfl of tepid stew. We purchased two
thermal trays designed to remedy this problem.
The Oggi Thermal HotCold Tray $3. )is a
stainless steel platter with a gel core;
the Icy- Cools Hot/Cold
Trivet $! . ) is
a water- flled plastic
quilt. Unfortunately,
steaming- hot soup set on
COOL TRI VET t he I c y- Cool s
The I cy-Cool s trivet keeps cold
trivet actually lost
foods ni cel y chi l l ed.
heat faster than
soup set atop a regular potholder ( thanks to
the ricrofber sleeve that surrounds the heated
trivet ) ; the Oggi platter wasn' t much better.
Under bowls of yogurt and potato salad, how
ever, the frosty Oggi platter did a good job and
the Icy- Cools trivet was even more effective, ac
tually lowering the temperatures of these foods .
The latter is a worthwhile investment for summer
barbecues and other events where you want to
keep cold foods chilled. As for hot foods, we'll
be hustling to the buffet table until a more fnc
tional product comes along.
QU | P H NT U P DAT , Uni corn Mi ni mi l l
The maker of t he test kitchen' s top- rated
Unicorn Magnum Plus and Unicorn Magnum
Pepper Mills has fashioned an elf-like mill ft for
a slender pocket or purse. Filling the tablespoon
capacity Unicorn Minimill $! 7. 50) demands
nimble fngers; twisting a coin in the head's built
in slot loosens the lid easily enough, but it takes
a few practice rounds ( and a few peppercorns
lost to the foor) to master the tasks of steady
ing the shaf-like base with your forefnger while
pouring in the peppercorns and then afxing the
crown. Once assembled, however, the mill sup
plies enough perfectly ground pepper ( coarse,
medium, or fne) for many meals.
COOK
'
s ILLUST R AT ED
Z
50ufCCS
Te following items are recommended i n this issue.
Prices were current at press time and do not include
shipping. Contact companies to confinm prices and
availabi li t. Vi sit w .cooksillustrted.com for updates.
Page 7: KITCHEN SHEARS
Messermei sterTake-Apart Kitchen Shears: $23. 99,
item #5866, Fante' s Kitchen Wares Shop
(800443- 2683 , w .fantes. com) .
WUsthof Come-Apar Kitchen Shears: $1 9. 9 5, item
#5558, Cutl er and More (w . cutlerandmore. com) .
Page | J . CRVI NG BOARD
Wi l l i ams-Sonoma Medi um Reveri bl e Caring Board:
$5 8, item #3 6- 63 5 698, Wil l i ams-Sonoma
(877 8 | 2 62 3 S , w .williams-sonoma.com) .
Page | 9.WI NE OPENERS
Screwpui i Triger Wi ne Opener Set: $79. 9 5 , item #36-
7078876, Wi lliams-Sonoma.
Zoom Corkscrew: $ 1 2. 95, item #4 1 82202,
The Wi ne Enthusiast (800 3 S 6 8466, w.wine
enthusiast. com) .
Page 2 | . PI E SERVER
Oxo Steel Pie Serer: $ 7. 95 , i tem # 1 45074,
Cooki ng. com (800-663 88 | 0,w . cooking. com) .
Pages 26-27: KNI FE SHARPENERS
Chef' sChoi ce Professional Sharpeni ng Station Model
I 30: $ 1 39, item #CC I 30, Cutler and More.
AccuSharp Knife and Tool Sharpener: $I I . 7 I , item
#6 1 73 9, Ace Hardware (866- 290- S 3 34, w .ace
hardware. com) .
Anolon Universal Knife Sharpener 3 -Stage Wet Stone:
$29. 9 5 , item #548540, Cooki ng.com.
Chantr Knife Sharpener: $ 3 9. 9 5, i tem #S SOB,
Cutler and More.
Page 29. EXR-VI RGI N OLIVE OI L
Col umel a Extra Virgi n Ol ive Oi l : 25 . 4 oz. for $22,
item #005 1 00, Sal umeria ltaliana (80-40 S9 | 6,
w . sal umeriaital i ana. com) .
Nunez de Prado Orani c Extra Vi rgi n Ol ive Oi l , 1 6. 9 oz.
for $ 27. 99, Colors of Spain (ww. col orsofspai n. com) .
Terr Medi Extr Vi ri n Ol ive Oi l , 1 7 oz. for $9. 95, item
#2034 1 6, Crate and Barrel (800 967- 6696,
w. crateandbarrel com) .
Page J 2. NUTCRCKER
Reed's Rocket Nut Crcker: $2 1 . 99, item #602 1 , Fante' s.
Pge 3 2 . TURKEY BRI NI NG BAG
Zi pl oc Big Bags XL. $ 5 . 79 for four, Drugstore. com
(800 3784786, w . drugstore. com) . Also at some
supermarkets and Home Depot.
Page 3 2. CANDY/DEEP- FRYTHERMOMEER
CON Digital Cooki ng Termometer and Ti mer: $ 24. 9 5 ,
model DTC, Kitchen Kaboodle (800 3660| 6 | ,
w . kitchenkaboodle. com) .
Page 3 2. HOT/COLD TRIVE
I cy-Cool s Food Fresh HotCol d Trivet: $ 1 6. 99, AI N
#B0009K6YA6, Amazon. com.
Page 3 2. PPP8MI U
Uni com Mi ni m i l l : $1 7. 50, Unicorn (800 634 888 | ,
ww . peppergun. com) .
REC I PES
`OVCDCl 6 CcCDCl 2006
Breakfast
Mul tigrai n Pancakes | b
Mai n Di shes
Modern Coq au Vi n | 7
Penne al i a Vodka |
wi th Pancetta I
Roast BeefTenderl oi n wi th
Caramel i zed Oni on and
Mushroom Stufi ng 1
Roast Sal ted Turkey | J
for a Crowd | J
Sal ads and Si de Di shes
Arugul a Sal ad
Toppi ng
F OR M U LTI GRAI N PANCAKE S :
Appl e, Cranberry. and Pecan
Toppi ng | b
New Reci pes Avai l abl e on the Web
The fol l owing reci pes
are avai l abl e free unti l
May I . 2J. Go to
ww . cooksi l l ustrated. com and enter the
code l i sted after the reci pe ti tl e.
Arugul a Sal ad wi th Pears. Al monds.
with Figs. Prosci utto, Wal nuts,
and Parmesan 2
Goat Cheese, and Apri cots I |
Baked Ornge- Flavored Chi cken I I
Mu l ti grai n Di nner Rol l s I I b
Pear Strudel | | 1
wi th Grapes, Fennel ,
Goronzol a, and Pecans 2
wi th Oranges. Feta, and Sugared
Pistachi os 2
Roast BeefTenderl oi n wi th
Dri ed Frui t and Nut Stufi ng | | |
Spi ce Rubs
Green Bean Casserol e 7
Dessers
Chocol ate Pots de Creme 2J
No- Bake Pumpki n Pi e 2 |
Dry Rub for Barbecue I I J
Fvorite Spi ce Rubs (for chi cken.
pork, beef, l amb. and fsh) I I 2
www. cooks i l l u strated . com
Start your 1 4-day FREE TRIAL MEMBERSHI P
Go to CooksIllustratcd. com/Sub1rralToday!
Your free tri al membershi p to Cooksll l ustrated. com i ncl udes al l
these benefits and much more:
Access to al l 1 4 years of Cook's Ilustrated reci pes.
Up- to- date equi pment rati ngs and supermarket i ngredi ent taste tests.
`L' GOOGLE- powered search engi ne that hel ps you fi nd i t fast '
Opti ons to SAVE your "favorites. " CREATE menus, and PRI NT shoppi ng l i sts.
|L' Menus for all occasi ons. Avai l abl e only to Web si te members .
J oi n our I I 0, 000 members and enhance your subscri pti on to Cook's Ilustrated
magazi ne with a Web si te membershi p.
Go to Cooksll lustrated. com/SubTrial to
begi n your no-risk 1 4-day FREE TRIAL.
AMERI CAS TEST KITCHEN
Publ i c tel evi si on' s most popul ar cooki ng show
J oi n the mi l l i ons of home cook who watch
our show, America's Test Kitchen, on publ i c
tel evi si on every week. For more i nformati on.
i ncl udi ng reci pes and program ti mes. vi si t
ww. ameri castestki tchen . com.
Stuffed Beef Tenderl oi n, 1 Penne al i a Vodka, |
Arugul a Sal ad wi th Grapes, Fen n el , Gorgonzol a, and Pecans, 24
Green Bean Casserol e, V Coq au Vi n, | V
Chocol ate Pots d e Creme, 2 3 No- Bake Pumpki n Pi e, 2 1
P HOTOGRAP HY: CARL TRE MBLAY. STYLI NG : MARI E P I RAI NO
O Y S T E R S