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X : A A 0 0

S T R T E D

Chicken NoodleSoup

ik -B ip

The PerfectFrench Omeet

ll-w lpf thd

Braise Sort Ribskig t th t

Chewy ChocoteCoes

Testng 12-IchSets

Bt B v 5%

atig Mpe Syru

Tandoori Chicken at Home

Thin and Crisp Pork Cutlets

Best Swedish Meatbals

Beer Fre osGuide o Prepping Vegeables

ks s t r atd $ $

77

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Jany 6 b

Notes from ReadersBY D D PZNO

4 Quick TipsQuick and easy ways to pe rform everyday tasks, fromkeeping avocado green to dislodgi ng just-aked muins

BY YOE PE D FC IS CO J. OB E

noori Chicke, RewrkeWe weren't gong to et a 24-hour marnade or the lack

of a -degree oven keep us from turnng this great

Indan cassc into an easy weeknght dnner

BY FC S CO OB E

Rethining Brised Short ibsRch, forktender short ris usually need an overnght

rest to get rid of the grease We wanted the fat gone ydnnertmeno bones aout it

BY DD PZINO

Tin n Crisp Pork CtletsThe hamark of wener schnte s ts ight, puf readcrumb coatng So why is it typically so soggy and greasy?BY K E D E S S E

Beter French OmeletCoud we de I years of French cuinary tradition and

create an omelet you coud get right the first time?

BY CLES KESEY

4 el Swedish Metb UsMeatbals have to be Swedens nationa dsh for a reasonWha's the secret to makng them ght, sprngy, andflavorfu? BY K EJI L

Bsic Vegetble repYou pee, sce, and chop common vegetaes ke garic,

onons, and carrots every day But are you doing t right?

BY CLES KELSEY

ast with Buerut Sqs SgeThe landness of utternut squash usuay gets camoufaged

inside ravoi Our goa was to ump up its favor to ring it

ot of hdng BY FC IS CO J OBE

19 Hw to Cook erty GreensWe wanted a one-po approach to turning meaty greensike kae and coards tenderwithout spendng hours or

eavng them awash in iqud BY YOE PE

ptng Ccenooe SoWhy shoud any modern cook spend a day eking out

favorful stock from mere scraps and ones?BY K EJ L

Cew Cocote Cooies"Death-y-chocoate cookes usuay cam texture as

their first victimt not ours BY YOE P E

4 Ry oo French Tosor French toast thats crsp on the outside and softnotsoggyon the insde, you need to do more than ust

throw mik, eggs, and read into a owBY DD PZMO

W So You Put ono ces?Does pay o uy the priciest syrup in the aisleanddoes t even need to e rea maple?BY L S MS

B st A-Prpose SkietA 2inc h sk let shou d last a lfe tme and cook a mostanything But does quaty constructon have to cost top

doar? B Y I S M M S

Kice NotesBY K EI L

Equipmet CornerBY ME ED I B CE D PEGGY CG

TISN H RBS ND FLOWRS

sanes are herba nfusions brewed from fresh or dried fruts, fowers, seeds, or roots hese

aromatc beverages are oen used as hera remedies Sedatng chamomile can be lened

or steeped aone to maximize its sweet, apple notes Lavender is potent, so the fowers

which are sad to e camin g, are oen used as part of a en d he ntoxicating ar oma of

asmine fowers has een captured n tea since the fih century ragrnt gardenia blossoms

are oen used to scent lack, green, and oolong teas Nepeta, aso known as catnp, has

a minty favor once steeped Pungent thyme is favored for addressng upperrespratory

alments he ots of the purple conefower, echinacea are valued for their lcorice-ke,

carame favors and are sad to oost the immune system eow and whte chrysanthemums

are oen foating in the tea that s served with dm sum Sweet ground fennel seeds are used

in brews meant to aid digeston he menthol qualty of spearmnt tea makes it refreshing

served hot or cod art, fruty rose hps are oen comined wth hiscus owers arrow

fowers produce a warmfavored tea that is recommended as a fever reducer

OVER () Roert Papp, BAK OR > John uroyne

meric's es chen s a very real 2,SOOsquare-oot itcn just outside o Bosto t is the home o ooks llsred adook's onr magazies ad is the workday destiato or more tha three doze test coos. edtors ad cooware speciaistsur misso is to test recipes over ad over agai util we uderstad how ad why they wor ad util we arrive at the best verso We also tes itche euipmet ad supermaret igrediets search o brads that er the best value ad peormace

You ca watch us wor by tuig to mec's es ichen (wwwamercastestktchecom) o public televso

K'SI L " S T A t lJouner an itor Christopher Km

itoria irector Jac Bshopxecutive itor Aada Agee

est itchen irector Eri McMurreranaging itor Rebecca Hays

enior itos Keth DresserLisa McMaus

atures itor Lisa Glazeropy itor Amy Graves

ssociate itos J Kei Alt

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est oos Fracisco J Robvoe Rupeti

ssistant es itchen irector Matthew Herrossistant itos Meredith Butche

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enior itchen ssistant Naia Domeitchen ssistants Mara Elea Del

Ea GuielEdward Tudido

Pucer Melissa Baloontriuting itors Matthew Car

Daw Yaagiharonsuting itos cott Brueggem

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nline eia Pucer Peter Taebaunine ssistant ito Leaya Lee

esign irector Amy Kleert irector, agazines Julie Bozzo

enior esigner Christie Voesigners Jay Layma

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iulation & ulflment anager Carrie Horaiulaton ssistant Mega CooeyPartnership areting anager Pamela Putprush

irect ail irector Ada Perryareting ataase nalyst Ariel Gilbet-K

Puct perations irector teve BrowallPuct Potions irector Ra Lawrece

-ommee areting irector Hugh Buchassociate areting anager Laurel Zeima

areting opywriter Davi Gobeg

ustomer ervice anager Jacuele Valerustomer ervice eresentatives Jilia NaceliKate ool

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orporate areting ssociate Bailey Vatalaro

Pduction irector Guy Rochordrac & Pjects anager Alice Carpeter

enior Puction anager Jessica L QuirPuction & aging peciaists udy Blomuist

Laure Pettapiecmaging olor ecialist Adrew Mao

ystes ministrator Paddi McHughe Puction oorinator Eva DavisSupport echnician Brao Lych

ie nana ce ary abotuman esoues irector Adele hapiro

ontller Mady hito

enior ccountant Aaro Gorasota ccountant Coie Forbesccounts Payale peciaist teve Kasha

ice anager Tasha Bereeceptionist Herietta urra

Puicit Deborah Broide

or list rental inforation contact pecialists Maretievices Ic 777 Terrace Ave 4th Floor Hasbrouc HeNJ 07604; 01-865-5800

itorial fe: 7 tio Broolie MA 044 67ax 63 ubcriptio iurie viit wwwameritestkitchen.comcusomersevice or calS00 268442.Postmaster ed all ew orders subscrptio iuires a

s

1s to Coo's lustrate Box

RNTED IN THE UA

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L

TH VRMOT CR

Cavin Cooidge oce remarked haVermoners migh be caed uon oresre he Unio rough heir ree

spiri ad supor libery. I migmend ha noion by oining ou ha eermon Creed," as i were, is s hared by miios workigclass oks around he counry. I cane sume u in wo words seen worse," a wr,

oughminded saeme o idpendence, wihsreak o macabre umo hrown in or good

ec. Here is my versio o ha creed.Think Locally: The phrase hink gobaly" was

o coined by a Vermoner. The rs quesion haomes o mind when w hear abou a ogging acci-en, a scanda, or someone winnig o rize one buckboard is always, Did i hae in own?"ermoners kow ha wha's coses o homeaers mos. I you do' care abou you ow

ackard, you are' goig o b o much use o hes o e world.When You Don't Know What to Do, Do the

Work in Front of You: is is an od Coolidgeying. Do' dier. Don' re. Do' hink o heyriad possibiities when aced wi a dicul siuion. Jus o e work i ron o y ad ingsil aways work hemseves ou. (And i hey don',eas your chores wil be upodae.)Worse Things than Death: ermoners do'

ink abou deah much; hey jus die wen heyaving noig le o do. Oce you're dead, you

e no oger usel. I you are no onger usel, youigh as well be dead. Tha's aso rue o he livig,any ermoner wi ell yu.Every Day Is a New Day: One our retred

eigbors, o, used o el me his amos eveme I saw him. I'd ask, Wa are you u o eseays?" and he woud say, Eve day in e woods

a new day." e'd have a spark i his eye ad aring i his se and el me abou oggig, cuig

rewood, mainaining rails, ad cearing asues.ha's why he always looked orward o geing uary, even i laer years when e was having roubleaig. Te rees needed him.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm: Many a year,

have lane he corn oo eary, beore e coldeaer was done and beore e soi emeraeas up o 7 degrees. e wo or hree o days

in ae Ari, aving oed u 1eaner and led i wih seed anderilizer, o d go. en i wou

urn cold and we. he seed wouldro in 1e ground. nd CharlieBeney wud 1 o e aercurc ad say, Guess you anedoo eary. Again." e eary birdges l1e wrm, o 1e corn.

suer. Then he ced a meeng o voe on his proosgo the bum's rush. Seems

neighbors din' md a bi osi bu knew beer han o serinerere wi1 o1er peoe'sness. Tha way, tey won' iwi1 yours.

ook, Aim, Then Shoo: WhenI rs eaed t rabbi u, I

would bas away as son as I saw abrowie" moving across he snowor ou o a sad o ines. On one

Chistopher Kimbal

Waste Not, ant Not: I was 2 years o, I urchlemon meringue pie rom Mhe own baker. Wen I go I so usairs o ea i. My mbeing insantly susicious, ca

articuar occasion, aer I had unloaded a ve shellsin y 2gauge semiauomatic, our neighbor Tomasked me, Need more an1mo?" Ta aeroon,Tom's dog Bucke ushed ou a godsized rabbiand Tom waied r wha seemed a solid minue. Fiveyards. en yards. Twety yards. Tr yards. Tmnaly sho and brough 1e rabbi dow wi jus oeshe. e did' say ng. He didn' have o.

Be Usefu: Vermoers woud answer t1e old Zeka abou 1e ree aling n he woods righ tl1eba. I nobody was here o ear i, i idn' hapen.Sae ng or eope. I yu voluneer or rescuesquad, se u abes Od Home Day, or ichin as zo1ing admiisaor, you exis. I you ca'be ced on i a ich, you are ike a ree gunobsered in t1e woods. I jus doesn' mater much.

Al you'r god or is rewood.Know Your History: ewcomer our own

jus bui a ouse i a ood ain, jus yards uom e ree ver. Now, 1e eld hasn' odedin over ha a ce, bu mos eoe i1 own kowl1e s o 1e as ime i aened. And mos usgure a he river is abou due or aoher srigood. xce, o course, he aader. The zoing board never menione is wen reviewing isaicaion. This brings up aher Vermn rule oumb Dn' Ask, Dn' Tel."

Mind Your Own Business: as year, one o ourseecen oosed a law resicg e us o ourwheler ATs. He was sick ad tired o harig 1em

u and down gging rais ear hs house. e goquie sor al ver o a 1e cou sore, gas-sng u is car a CemC!ea, ad a te dd church

o my room o check higs ou. I hid he ie my acwork comorr and, in my aic, up siing on i. Te nex day, Marie asked, was he ie?" I ol her he ruh, icuig habou 1rowig i ou aeward. I had ever se

so mad. You 1rew i ou?" se sai quily.grea resrai, she added, Tha ie was sieaing." There is, I earned, a world o diebeween real coutr iving ad jus laying a

Life Is air, Realy! Veroners don' eaander wi e $2 million house or e man who won l1e $25, salmo ournameon Lake Oario. hey know ha ie is air, meas he ric alander will end u divad he ucky shma's ickup will n inomoose. Lie is indeed air; i always ges eve.

Don't Look in the Mirror: As ar as I caVermoners don' use mirrors. Tha's becausdo' care wha hey look like, an ha, in because hey don' care wha anyoe ese hil1em. No oi cecking on he treeeggeo see i he grew an extra leg overigh. Some in ie are jus no gonna change.

Check the eather: Vermoers cecweaer rs g i e morning and ten 1ree imes during e day. Tha way, 1ey casure hemselves 1a ie is, ultimay, byondcontro, a otio t1a rovides a sense o weho beer han the weaherma o redman's shorco1ings?

Make Hay hile the Sun Shines: here is erec time or ay1ing, bu 1ere s a righ merng. rea ermoner knows he der

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NOTES FROM RDERS

or recipe for Almost NoKnead Bread (Jaa/

Febra 2008) has become a weekly favorite i orhose. We have jst oe problem: The parchmetpaper slin sed to rasfer the doh ito the potoen breaks aer cooki, mai it hard to removethe bread from the hot tch ove. o yo haveany sgestions?

MA SMSO

MUSE D

In the test kitche, we se parchmet paperfor all sorts of tasks. Becase this paper is treatedwit slric acid ad the coated with silicoe, its both ostick ad heatresistat. Previos tests

Jana/Febra 2002) had declared eyolds

or favorite retail brad of parchmet paper, btice the several oher brads have come o the

market wit claims tat they ca withstand temperatres p to 450 derees. To see how or oriialwier (which claims it ca withstad temperatresoly p to 420 derees) wold do i or AmostNoKead Brea recipe, we pitte it aaist for

other bras: Wilto, omeli fe, Beyod Gormet,ad eecy. Aer 45 mites i a 425dereeoven, a clear winner emered: eency. It mai-aied its shape withot tearin ad exhibited veryittle browi. Or previos winner, eynolds,

was the next best; it was a bi t mor e fraile tha eegecy, bt ot early as breakable as the otherbrands. While all the parchmet papers performede below 400 derees, well choose eecy forhihheat applicatios, icldig or Almost No-Kead Bread.

egency ahent ape can thstandtepeatues of up to 450 degrees.

wet Oniosoe by Vidalia oios to se raw i salads

becase tey are less pet tha ellow onions.Oe day I fod myself witot yellow onions forooki. a I se sweet onions like Vidalias as abstitte for yellow onions?

SUSA AK

AAA GA

For starters, oios sch as Vidalias, TexasSperSweets, d Walla Wallas belon to a roupabeled sweet oios." Althoh tey are sweet,hey dont cotain ay more sar ta yellow

onios. They do, however, cotain lower levels f

? P I B A I P Z

slr compondsthe s tt makes oiospotent. The amont of slr is determied not oly

by the variet of oion bt also by tle soil ad row-in coditions. In the case of sweet onios, whichmosty row i lowsulr soils d are picked beforethe heat of smmer, t1e plants have little stress andare tlerefore less slros.

We have already determied t1at in recipes like

French Onion Sop (JarFebra 2008),sweet onions oer too mch sweetess (this recipeses 4 ponds). To see how they fared i recipescalli for fewer onions, we cooked p GermaPotato Salad (September/October 2003), SimpleBeef hili (March/April 2003), Grilled Sasaesad Onios (ly/Ast 2008), and Basic sotto(March/April 994). Altoh some tasters noted

tat te dishes made witl Vidalia oios wereslihtly ess nent" d sarp," most tastersoticed little to o dierence. We we wouldto ot ad stock o r pa1tr witl1 sweet oios (theysally cost siicatly more 1an yellow oios),t1eyre ne to se in recipes were onions arent te

mai irediet.

Freezing RiottaI oen make fresh ravioli or macotti ad d

myself wit1 leover ricotta cheese. I hate to see ito to waste. Is it possibe to freee the leovers forlater se?

J HOVSKY

EVEAND OO

cotta is a esh cheese that contais a lot of water,so or sspicio was tat eei wold case teextra water to leach ot when tawed, ving thecheese a ritt texre a1 chal taste. To d otfor sre, we oe a few previosly opeed cotaers of ricotta for two mo1s. We te deostedthem to make two batches eac of Baked Macotti(Jaebra 200), ricotta cheesece, adPasta wi Sried Tomatoes, cotta, ad Peas

(Jaa/Febra 2004), one wit the revislyoen ricotta ad one witl esh cota. We aso tasted

bo1 ricottas plai.W1e the ricotta was sapled plain, most tasterspreferred the everfroe versio for its smootl,clea taste. e froen ricotta was more ranlar,looser in textre, d slihtly water. Few tasterscold detect a1y dierences wen the ricotta wasbaked in tl1e maicott. Te ceesecake made withe oe ricotta was slihtly rmer and ot qiteas moist, but 1e dierence was neliible. Bt teoen ricotta tossed wit1 pasta was objectionable.In ts recipe, t1e ricotta does not et cooked, adits textre was noticeably ranlar. So o ahead ad

C O s T R T

eee extra ricottjst make sre to se iapplication sch as macotti or cheesecake

yo are actally cok e ricotta. Avoid aios i which it is seed raw or barely cook

Sugar SubstitutesI to avoid sin all tpes of sar i my recipes. I have re s sblike honey or rice bra syrp, bt tesechange the texre of the recipe complete

yo know of ay ingrediets that miht s wawith sar?

KSNA D

DENVE

Aer a bit of research, we arrowed o

to two alteratives that iic the d, crsnatre of wte ad brow sar: aple ansar. Maple suar is made by boili maplenti it crstallies. ate sar is made by grdates ad the processig tem ito a powd

First, we selecte recipes that forbrown sar. We chos BrowSar ookies (March/pril200), Oatmeal e (May/Je 2008), ad Gaed Porkhops (March/April 2006).The date sar bombed thetests. The cookie dogh ddnot spread as it baed, reslt-in i hard, ro1d cookies;t1e cake was qite dr; dte lae o the porkchops was lopp ad

raiy. O the other

had, the maple sarwo near nivers alapproval i all t1reerecipes.

A D E WD ATE SU

The real test was to see A D E Whow the maple sar woldfare i recipes that call for

white sar. To t st tis, wemade or lassic od ake(Juay/ brua 200) ad

A P L E S UBn Suga ade th dafaed to spea

bang Mapeefoed

Sar ookes (Nveber/ecember 2002maple sgar performed jst as well as whitecreami well wt1 e btter a1d maki a pdomed pod cake d pleasatly cewy che ol distraction was t1at te male sar tl1e cake a cookies liht brown. A for some tasters ejoyed te maple notes wilethoht ey were a bit too intense. If yomid the intese tast of maple sar, its sbstitte for white ad brown sar.

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Overload

recently made a recipe tat called for one sprig ofosema. Not knowing what tat meant, I tossedn a bushy 0-nch stem. Te reslng dsh tasteke a pine forest. How long is one sprig?

PARA FRY

ARI MASS

en cooking wit erbs at have a low essenal

content (such as parsley), addig a lite exra won't a soup or stew. en it comes to stronger erbsch as rosema, however, using too much ca recipe, and t1ere's no way to repair ts stake.

n the test ktchen, we consider an erb sprig to beedum-sized (about 6 inces long)neither a large,

ushy branch nor a wispy tenr.To demonsate the eect of sing large and medi

prigs of rosemar in or Tscan White Bea SoupauaFeba 200), we made batches. The

t soup was made ith a busy sprig measurng 2ces. er te beans were soaed wih this sprig, theyere nearly iedble. The strong oils i 1e rosemarverhelmed all other avors. hen usg a less busynch stem, the avos were just rigt. en in dobt,

se a small amount of rosema ad taste he sh.ou can always add a bit more of ts potent erb.

T O O U S H Y

JUS T R I G H TA 6nch sg of seay add the ght aount of

favo but a 2 nch sg b e oveheng

Steels

recenly boght a set of good ces ives. atpe of steel shoud I buy to sharpen tem? Storesem to stock ee knds: reglar ct, e cut, and

olshed cut.ARRY ASY

STON ONN

If the meta rod tat goes by the name of shaeningeel were caled a ng steel, it would save a lot ofonsion. Ts tool does not acaly saen knvest merely readjss e agle of he cung edge. Aknfe is used, he cutng edge tends to bend ad fold

ghty, vig the percepon of a less sharp kife. Byg the edge of a across a steel, the small foldsnd bus 1at orm ae satene, or oned, ma-g te ke perorm beter. A kne sapener, on thether ad, acaly removes metal om both sides ofhe blade's edge, creag a new surce for cng.

The three types of steels on the marketregular,ne, and polshed cut accomps t1e same task a lesser or greater degree. Te roug, ed lnes ofe regar-cut steel ae best for home cooks wo onyccasonaly hone the edge of a k1 For professonalhe and meat cutters who se her kves for ours

W ?I fond two of ths gadgts whl sotng thogh my gand

moth's tnsl daw It mst hav bn mpotant fo h

to hav two, bt no on n th famly can cal wat sh sd

tm fo Can yo sd som lght on th subjct?

TOM U LIV

RAEY MAINE

A cckng wt sval antqus das, w got som usfl

nfomaton about ths gadgt. T tool you gandmot tasd s

a doughnut ctt mad by th Amcan Cutt Company of Mlwak,

Ws Th 7-nclong dvc compss a woodn andl attachd to a otay

AN T I Q UED O U G H N U T U T T E RThs gadget akes fast ork

of cuttng doughn uts

on end (and steel tem dozens of times per day), t1ene and polsed cuts are a better choice, as constantcontact wt1 t1e roug1er surace of a regular-ct steelcoul wear away ter kves' edges.

Cornichon Susttute

I oen see cornchons listed n recipes but have a

ard time nding tem n tl1e spermarket. Is t1eresometing else I can use instead?

SANNON PANK

ATRTON MAS

Coichon is t1e Frenc word for a pickled gerkncucber. Tey are most oen sered as a condmentto rich foods sch as pts ad cred meats. t1ough1ey look like t1e sweet gherkins found te supermarket, t1e sinartes end tere. Cochons arepickled in vinegar and avored wit ons, mustard,and aromatics. Sweet gherns, on t1e ot1er hand,

contain a fair a1ont of sugar or corn syrup alongt spices such as cloves and spce.

o n an acceptae subste, we taste plancocons, sweet gherkns, and choped dll cklesstragt up and n our Frenc Potato Salad (July/August 2002) and Tartar Sauce (JanuayFebary2005 ). In e end, tasters felt 1at copped pckescame 1e closest to 1e tart and bry avors of uecochons. Sweet gherkins tasted too candylike,"and er spces upset te balance of avors. Tere sno sbste for e rel g, bt f yo need somethng n a pnc, a pckle s a good stand-n.

J N R [ R R 3

cutt Th cu has

two cd blads and

a ond cnt sa To cut doughnuts, th blads

olld acoss th suac of doug As ty oll, th bla

pnch ot succssv dougnut shaps: la ccls w

small ccls n th cnt T cutt can also b u

to cut cook dough

To s fo ouslvs ow ts antqu dvc wok

w mad a fw batcs of ou Buttmlk Doug

(ach/Apl 997 ) and Glazd Btt Coo(Novmb/Dcmb 003) T ctt mad qwok of stampng out cclwthna ccl shap

both doughs Compad wth a contmpoay dough

cutt (a ccula bsctstyl cutt wth a small o

t cnt), ts antqu dvc pncd ot th c

much fast

ooking wit SerI oen see recipes tt ca for dry serry. Is to substte cream she?

U A RI

VRT

Sher is a fortied wine at originated Adalusia region of sout1ern Spai. Dr shmade om Palo1no grapes, ad cream (aso seet) sherr comes om Pero Ximnez grapd ot if cream serr could be a viable subn recpes tt c for dy, we cooked up ouRoasted Cicken reasts wi GarlcSerr (March/Apri 2003) and Sr-Fried Beef witPeas ad Red Peppers (November/December

wih the sweet wie. To our surprise, oy a fewojected to e sweetess of the cream ser insh. In bo1 cases, we were able to address concerns wit a sueeze of lemon jice tat

balance ot e avors.One nal note: Wle cream shery may be

stan-n or ser n most nstances,avod cookng sherr. Loaded w salt and arcaramel avoring, ts shery will e amost dises.

SN D US YOU QUESTIONS We wll ode a cenay one-year subscpion fo each lee we nyou nquy name address and dayme elephone no oes fro Reade rs oos l lu sra ed Box 4Booine 244 o o noesfomreades@aerichencom

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Quick ips3 MP B V RPE T! F A S ) B T

Neater Egg SlicingSli ci hadcke e ca e

mey ecaue the ylk ted t

cumle ad tick t the bade f

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Keeping Avocado GreenAvcd flesh uns bwn vey quickly nce i is exsed ai Laue Cy

f us Txa, s fund a s peseving he cl f e dhalves

I . Rub ablespn f live l n all f he exsed avcad flesh

2. Allw he excess il di in a shallw bwl hen lace he avcad half cuside dwn in he cene f he il uddle ceaing a "seal Se he avcad in he

efigea

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fund ha when she zesed fui ve

he iclane gae n a uig

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hld he fui in he hand and unhe zese ve he fui insead his

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Whe whip pi ceam, it' alay wie t pay caeful attenin that

I . Caey O'Hea f Nflk, a,

le the pbl em y payi the

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i we in. Send yu ip nae and addess Quick is Ck's llusaed OBx 470589, Bkline A 02447, quickis@aeicaseskihen.c

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C O K R T

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noor Chce, RworkWe weren't going to let a 24-hour marinade or the lack of a 900-degree oven

eep us from turning tis great India classic ito an easy weeknight inner.

hen I' craving thetaste of a good pieceof chcken and anotherplain, boring breast

or thigh ust won't cut it, there's nobetter bal than tandoori chicken Thebest renditions of this faous Indianpecialty feature lightly charred pieces ofuicy chicken insed with soke, garlic,ginger, and spices for a dish that anageso be extic and hoey at the sae tie

Auhenc versions ca for a 24-hourarinade ad a tadoor, te traditionalbeehive-shaped clay oven that res up to 900degreesrequireents tat keep te dishainly in te real of restaurants, even inndia A uch as I love te dish, I've oen

wondered: Do you really need either of t1esehings to create great-tasting cicken ofe sae robust avors?

3 B Y F A I S

ROB ERT

Wen eat encounters this erce heprotein oleculs on its sface croand contract, trapping oisture nsid

juices ta escape a to e coas aonrendered

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Goin for a Dipould the mushness have

oetng to do wt temarnade? Not only dd most

f the repes I onsulted allor a 24-hour soak, many evennssted at longer marnatgeant better avor Testnghs adve, I arnated te

hken for derent lengthsf tme, from 72 hours downo just a bref dp Surprsgly,

y olleagues strongly prerred the hken at hadeen dpped versus soaked forny length of meeven just0 mnutes Ths outome

STE P-BY-ST E P j TA N D O O R I C H I C K E N W I T H O U T T H E TA N D O O

I SAL UB assage

chicken ieces with saltsice

rub to lock i n uices and i nfuse

2 YOGUT OAINGToss ch icken n siced yogurt

for another layer of flavor

3 . LOW OEN To ensu re B O L E For so kyju icy eat, bake chicken slowly flavor, briefy broil chicken

in 325 degree oven untl not until lighty charred and fullyflavor

tually made sense Yogurtontans ad, whh breaks down protens to tenerze" meat But te longer eat s expose tod, the more ts protens break down, to the ponthere tey an atually beome soluble Ths leads

o a texture some mght al tender, but my tastersound mushy

I ddn't want to abandon the yogurt altogether,s t adds a dstntve tang To avod mushness, I

would stk wth just a dp But now I had a newroblem: Wthout a lengty soak, how was I gongo get the other avors nto the meat? I rst tredrnng the hken n a soluton of salt and spes,ut not enough of te spe avor ade t no theooked meat Ten a fellow test ook suggesteryng a saltspe rub The dea seemed promsng: Salt draws jues out of the meat, then theeverse happens and the salt, along wt the spesnd mosture, ows bak n, brngng avor deep

nto the meatI reated a rub wth the same spes I'd used nhe marnadegaram masala, gro1 un, andlttle hl powderthen ooked tem n ol wthnger and garl to a1pl ter avor I added a

ouple of teaspoons of salt and some lme jue to tex, massaged te rub nto the ken pees, andhen le tem to st for half an our Aer a dunk

hen Oer Beer:Oen BroerSnay ightech ovens are handy for a lot oftasks, but we found the to be a hin drance in o ur

andoori Cic ken rece, taking alost double tetie to char the eat than the older ovens in ourkitchen To nd out why, we fled through theanual for one of our socalled sart ovens andfound it has an internal onitor that teorarily

shuts o the broiler eleent if the teeratureclbs too high The constantly rising and falingteerature slows the oven down, aking it lesseective at broiling than oder aliances witoutthe feature To see if your broiler has this safetyeasure check the anual FJ R

uite cooked through cooked

n yogrt avored wth the same spe xture, theken was ready for the oven Te results wereterr: juy, ghtly arred, wellseasoned meatwtl1 onentrated lavor and just t1e rght degreeof tendeess That ay oven and 24-hour marnae were nally hstoy Bt for tl1e fat tl1at mytandoorless hken wasn't orange (I opted notto use food olorng), I 'd be wllng to bet that fewpeople would note t1e derene

T A N D O O R I C H C K E N

SERVES 4

We prefer ths sh wt1 wholelk yogurt, butlow-fat yogurt an be substtuted If garam masalas unavalable, substtute 2 teaspoons groundorander, 4 teaspoon ground ardamom, teaspoon ground nnamon, and teaspoonground blak pepper It s mportant to removetl1e hken from t1e oven before swthng tot1e broler settng to allow the broler eleent tooe up to temperate Serve wth basmat reand a few htneys or relses Our free repes forBasmat e, Plaf-Style; ClantroMnt Chutney;Onon Re sh; and a ta are avalable at ooksllustratedom/feb09

2 aesoons vegeae o 6 eu ga oves ne o esse

hugh ga ess (aou 2 aesoons

2 aeso ons gae fesh gngeI aesoon gaa asaa (see noe

2 easoons gun u n2 easoons h odeu an hoe lk yogu (see noe)

4 aesoons jue f 2 es lus I l e u no eges

2 easoons ae sal

3 ouns one n sk non hken as (eass

hghs u sks o x h eass u n

haf sk n eoved an e of exess fa

eat o n sall sklet over eu eatuntl shmerng A garl and gnger and ook

J N R [ B R R 0 0 9

untl agran, abot mnute Ad garam mumn, and power; ontnue to okagrant, 30 to 60 seonds onger Transfer garl-spe mxture to meum bowl; str n yan 2 tablespoons lme jue and set asde

2 n large bowl, ombne remanng garlmxture, reanng 2 tablespoons lme jusalt Usng sharp kfe, lghtly sore sknned eah pee of ken, making 2 or 3 sallowabout nh apart and about 1/ n deep; tto bowl Usng hands, gently massage salt-spture nto hken untl all pees are evenly let stan at room teperature 30 mnutes

3 Ajust oven rak to upper-mddle po(about 6 nhes o eatng element) and eato 325 egrees Pour yogurt mxture over and toss ntl hken s evenly oated wt1layer Arrange hken pees, sored-sde

on wre rak set n fol-ned, rmmed bakngor broler pan sard exess yogurt mxreken untl nstantread t1eroeter nnto t1kest part of ken regsters 25 dfor breasts and 30 for legs and thgs, 5 mnutes (Smaller pees may ook faster thanpees Transfer ken pees to plate as teyorret temperature)

4 Aer removng hken from oven, turnto brol and heat 0 mnutes One broler s hp hken pees over and brol untl hlgtly harred n spots and nstantread tereter nserte nto thkest part of hken reg65 degrees for breasts and 75 for legs and t

8 to 5 mnutes Transfer ken to large tent loosely wt1 fol, and rest 5 mnutes Servhutne or resh, passng le wedes seara

C ' V D E Original Test Kitchen . c k i I u e cm/ fe b0 9

H W T O MA

Tandoori Chicken E H I N D T H E S E N E S

How we develoed o ur Tandoor Ccen receV I D E T P

Getting to know your broile r

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Rtnkng rsd Sort RbsRih, fork-tender short ribs usual need an overnight rest to get rid of the grease

e wanted the fat gone b dinnertimeno bones about it.

here may be o ct o meatbetter sited or braising thathe rich bee short rib Thaksto copious amouts o at ad

gnarly sinews o coecive tisse theseshort" portios cut ro a cow's ribstart out togh ad chewy bt are tras

ored into sot sccet orselshrogh hors o braisig

I love eatig short ribs i restarantsbt I thik log ad hard beore akinghe at hoe The cookig isn't a cha

enge Browig te ribs te placighe i the ove wit pe o iquid

ntil teder is about as hads-o as itgets It's what appes ext that can beaddening Sice so much at is redereddring the ribs' three- or or-our stitn the oven most recipes (iclding orsal or restig te ribs i the braisig iqid

overnight so tat the at soidies into anasy-to-reove layer

3 B Y D A V I D PA Z I

behid i the kitce Caig aroua ew loca ces I ud out atrestarat kices cook te meat obone bt sice ey coo e brasigoverigt tey d't ave to worreovig al the at e meat it's tie to see te ibs ey remoboes ad excess coecve tssue reheatig te eat i te deattereducd braisig iuid

What if I oowed suit but rreoving the boes beore cooki

my ext batch I simply opped therom the boe i oe easy cut adtrimed the at o bot sides o te

As a added beet I ow ad brownable sce area

ecognizing at most people don'ta teir diers days i advance toseae recipes usuay oer hoe cooks a

out or just skm the at with a spoonnd sere" they say That method may

work e or leaer cuts But short ribsiply give o too muc at and the meatd sace coe t greasy no atter how

Don't let the carrots deceive youour brased short ribs have fa oreavor than a ot roast.

Coductig a sideby-side test oboeess meod versus bone-in shocked by e dierence i e amo at I eded up i Te boe-inredered neary cups o ardenThe boeless? A mere cup Talkean and ea Te resus were so ig tat I repeated te test Te ou

was the sae Reovg te boete at beee he boes ad eatsoved te greasy sauce probem

o ter steame te recipe

diligent one's spoon-wieldingWas I in or either a greasy mess or a two-day

air? There had to be a better way

Bon(e) Voyagey rst task was to choose te rigt rib Butcherspicay ivide the ribs ito secios abot 0 ichesqare and t iches tick Cutting te ribs

beteen the boes ad ito legts between 2 ad

6 inches ields what butchers cal gish" sle aut typicaly oud i Euroea raises Cuttig theeat across the boe yieds the aken" ct morepicaly oud i Asia cisies

Sice Egish-style short ribs are ore widelyvaiabe I ocused y atentio there I quickliscvered that the saest abot 2 inces inngth were too short; once braised tey srankno pieces resebling stew eat At the othertree te 6 to 8-icers were iry wiedy torown in te pa I spit the dierece and setted

on 4-inch-long ribs

e rst step in ost braises is brwing heeat Searing adds color ad avor but in thiscase it aso presents an opportnit to rid t1e ribs some tleir excess fat Bt why ot get rid ote at beore they eve wet io tl1e pa? I tokot my ches kie ad tried t1e hard waxysrace at o each rib leavig ony a thi ayerI tl1e browned te eat and prceeded wit1 eusa protcol

This rst test rvided an iport ce as tohow t redce t1e at rter Shrt ribs contai alayer o t and coective tisse beween the eatand t1e bone Once lly cooked tis layer shriksinto a th chewy stri calle stra eat " iesoe short-rib ans i kitche loved te strapeat st od it nsightly and rankly ie beTo get rid o that sip wod ean tting t1e meato tl1e be d sevin tl1e ribs bneless

Coe to think o it evey tie 'd orderedbraised shrt ribs i restarant the eat was seredo tl1e bone eavig t1e cnnective tisse ad boes

O K I U - 1 R E

ot jst buy boeess sot ibs? Boshort ribs geeray cost abut $ more per tha boe-i ribs but are acuay ceate e To get he pds o meat I wrequired 7 ponds o boe-i ibs it boI needed to by just pounds o meatGong Bonele

he good news abot the bones i n sho ribs i s that th

tain arrow, which contributes flavor and body to a

The bad news is that they contain lots of fat ones alconnective tissue attached

to te that looks unsghtly

when the eat is cooked.We eliinated these robles by using bonee ss shortribs in our braise. Surprisingly,we didn't iss uch favorfro the bones and addinga haf teasoon of gelatin tothe sauce restored any iss B O N Eng suleness. E P L A E E

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A Rea Meltng Potthough we exected that bonein sh ort ribs would exude

ore fat than thei r bonel ess coun terarts, we were shockedby the draatic dierencea quartercu versus Y cus(six ties as uch) No wonder ost short rib reces calor lettng the fat sol di overnight in the frdge

B O N E - I N LOS OF FA

B O N E L E S S = A N A G E A B L E FA

Baised and InfusedUsing bneess ribs cu ime, mney, and fa, bcnvenia isdm hds ha bnes equa avr.

ndered if his as reay he case. S I savedme bnes aer remving and rimming he mea

and paced hem i he p ang ih he brisingiquid. A he same ime, made a bach ih ny

he bneess ribs. Tey ased ams he same. (Ada his pi he avr as mre ike p ras, nneary inense enugh.) Bu he dis ih ckedbnes did cme u dierey in er ays hadsignicany mre bdy, ich came frm he cn-

necve ssue aached he bne ha had brkendn in gea ver ime.

f aned spend aer fe hurs in hekiche, cud have added back he bnes angne 1rugh a1er degreasing. B if i asny geain a needed, e, a as' hard cme by. xperimenng i varius incremensf pdered geainsprinked i e sauce afe minues befre servig fund ha jus haf aeaspn prded a simiar suppe exure.

N a kne cud rk ih bneess risi1u dramaicay reducing avr and bdy,

aned ramp up e rchess f 1e sauce a bi.

er searng he mea in a pan ver reaivey high

hea, ms recipes ca fr cking armacs such asnns, sas, ceer, and carrs in he pa drip-pngs ere reg 1e m a e p 1 severacups f sck and sme ine. Aer a fe hurs, meacked s ay as ceraiy ender, b e iqudas and n ve bd. Reducig 1e iquidprved maers smeha, bu e sauce asedacdic acked baance.

n ur recipe fr FrencSye RasNveber/December 2007), e jumpsarede avr by reducing he ine befre using i ck e mea. Tis rked i he ribs, bu i as

B O N I N G S H O R T R I B Sadded a se, n men

an exra sacepan. Sipiing

maers, red uri 2 cusf ine righ ver he rnearaics nd recig i n1e pan. is added us 1erigh inensiy, bu didn' endup ih engh iqi keephe mea ha fsbmerged ( 1e

righ eve fr brases). neededaner c f iqid. Mreine yieded much ineavr esed agains aer andchicken br1, beef br1

I Wth the chefs knife as close 2. Tri the excess hard fat and

silver skin fro both sides o teat

ossibl e to the bone, carefull yove the ea

u fr is inensiy.Bu a bu he cup f excess famuch

mre anageabe 1an 1e 2 cups 'd ended u i1using bnein ribs, b excess a 1e same? fund

ha sraning and defang he iquid in a fa searar was a needed prdce a siky, greasefreesauce. Reducing he degreased cking iquid cup cncenraed e avrs, making a rch, uxuriussace1e perec cmpeme e frkendershrib mea. Ad a in a fe urs' wrk.

B R A I S E D B E E F S H O RT R I B S

S RV S 6

Make sure he ribs are a eas 4 iches ng ad inch ck. f bneess ribs are uvaiabe, sse7 nds f bnein beef shr ribs a eas 4 inchesng ih inch f mea abve 1e bne. remvehe mea m 1e be, see he iusains abve.

We recmmend a b red ine such as CabeeSauvignn r Ces d hne. The es kichen'spreferred brand f beef br1 is acic. Serve i1

egg ndes, mased aes, r rased paes.

3 y onds oneless shor rs red o exessa (see "Bonng hor s aoe) (see noe)

Kosher sal and gnd la eer

2 ales oons egeale ol

2 large onons eeed and sled hn ole o

ole (ao 4 s)

aesoon oao ase

6 ed gar loes eeled

2 s red wne (see noe)

ee h (see noe)

4 large ars eeled and sswse no

2nh ees

4 srgs resh hyeay lea

! o d waer easoon owdered gean

Adjs ven rack ermide siin andhea ven 300 degrees. beef d i1 aperes and seasn ih 2 espns sa and eas peer. ea abesn in arge heavybmed uc ven ver mediumhigh heaun smkng. A bee n k, umving, uni e rned, 4 6 minues. u

J A A Y F E B R Y 0 9

eef and cninue ck n secd side unbrned, 4 6 minues nger, reducingfa begins smke. Transfer beef medimeea i1 remaining abesn i and m

2. Reduce hea medium, add ns, ansrrng ccasinaly, uni sened and begin

brn, 2 1 5 minues. (f ns begn quicky, add

2 abess aer

Add ma pase and ck, sirring cnsai brns n sides and bm f pan, abes. Add garc ad ck ui armaic, absecnds. ncrease hea medumigh, add

simmer, scrapig bm f pa ih den se brned bis, reduced by ha0 minues. Add brh, carrs, 1yme, ad b

Add beef and ay accmuaed juices p; cbring simmer. Transfer p v n and cngs urn mea ice during cking, nsis easiy in and f mea, 2 2 hur

3. ace aer in sma b and sprinke n p; e sand a eas 5 minues. Using

ransfer mea and carrs servig paer ai fi. Srain cking iquid hrgh srainer in fa searar r b, pressing exrac as muc iqid as ssibe; discardA iquid see ab 5 nnues and fa. Rern ckig iquid Duch vck ver medium hea uni reduce cu0 minues. Remve m hea and sir in ixure; seasn ih sa and pepper. uver mea and seve.

B R A I S E D B E E F S H O R T R I B S

I T H G U I N N E S S A N D P R U N S

F recie fr Braised Beef hr ibs, sig cp Guinness (r 1er avred p ne g - redcin ime sep 2. Add cp pied ang ih br.

! C V E Orginal Test itchen . oo s s r a e d om e b0 9

H W T M A E

raised ee Short RibsV I D E T I P

Choosing boneess short ribs

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Thin and Crs Pork CutltsThe halmark of wiener schnitzel is its light pufy bead-crumb coaing.

So wh is it typicaly so soggy and greasy?

iener schnitzel or Viennese cutlet(nae or Wien or Vienna thecapital o ustria) eatures a thintener veal cutlet coate in ultra-

ne brea crubs an then rie until pu anolen brown What separates wiener schnitzel

ro orinary breae cutlets is the coating's ru-le appearance In act one Geran cookbook Ionsulte avises that with goo wiener schnitzelou shoul be able to slie a kie betwee n the

eat an the crisp coating But y experience withis ish has been qite ierent Not only have I

ever been able to slie a kie between the eatn coatin I usually just eel lucky to get y knieo pass through the cutlet

To avoi ts toughness not to ention e high

rice o veal any recipes substtute pork Thoughay save a couple o bucks pork oesn't usually

prove he ish uch er sapling a nuber recipes that yiele ry tough pork cutlets wit1easy coatigs wonere whether I coul put t1eu into ths reinterprete classic

oundng the okocusing on the pork rst I oun that ost

ecipes call or boneless pork chop s poune thi nHowever pork chops have very copact uscle

bers whic eans tat pouning the into thin

utlets is laborious t also eans at once cookehe pork has a ry ealy texture not1er option is

I C U TT N P O R T E N E R L O N F O R C U T LE T

Cutting ok tenderlon o n an angle yields oundedcutlet that t easily in the an Cut te tenderloinin hal at aout a 20degree angle Using te saeangle cut each ha l in al again cutting the taeredtail ieces sl ightly thicker than the idde edallio ns

B E T H E E

Proerly cooked, these cris cut lets asor very l itt le oi l

prepackage pork cutlets but when I anage ton these at te superarket t1ey were sinewy and

atty The oe option is por tenerloin Poune an ie cutlets ae r tenerloin were arsuperior to the oters They were rearkably teneran ha a il avor at was siilar to veal

The only rawback to te tenerloin was its longcyinrical shape When I slice it into tl1in cutlets,

I ene p wit a ozen sal piecesnotng lke

e erplatesize veal cutlets o autentic wienerschnitzel Cuttng he tenerloin crosswise into ourequal chs (each two to three inches long) an then

pouning e increase te size o e cutlets butthese were so large I cou cook only one at a tie

e aan a varao n a anangle to get o cunks o eat (see Cuttng PorkTenerloin or Cutlets" le) I ened p wi oblongpieces tt when poune were twice as long as they

were wie Two t perectly in a pan

Cumb a lThe stanar beaing et1o or wiener schnitzeli o iere an or o oher breae eshe eat is rege in our en egg an nallyrad r he nal eee rck e as heost iportant so I starte exploring options

C O O K R

I trie seasone storebouht brea crpao r Melba toasts grouning an gro saltine crackersresults rng o r an pasty toan greasyall unappeaing with no sight Next I trie aing y own

crbs tossing esh slices o r sanwich brea ito the oo pro

When I use tese crubs or coatook so long to crsp that he pork wascooke Plus their textue was too cThen I rie the brea in a lo wtepe

oven beore processng it Ths createy extrae brea crubs but e took lost an hour Worse e

rne brown an y cbs taste

uch like toastI t1en reebere all the tie

thawe brea too long in the croonly to n at its eges ha becoe an ry Perhaps I coul use te icroto ry pi c s o brea without evela toaste avor er incinerating a co loaves I iscovere an easy techCubig slices an icrowaving e

on gh power an ten on eu stoppingsionall to sr prouce ultraparche brea secons in e oo processor I ha superne

brea cbs that ie up extracrisp Thetie or hoeae brea crubs? Ten inu

espite this littl breakthrouh I was siling pu Maybe I coul n it by reconsieiotler parts o te coatingt1e o a egI trie aing bakng power an baking so

e o r hoping to cheically inuce pueinstea I got oputtn avors also experiwit cornstarch expecting its ighess to

asset but it ae tle coating stick like glue eat My next eorts involve aing elte b

aonae an o e e was n an ao create a sou eect but these ingreientsor chewy greasy coatngs at expane likeber balloons The oly aition that rtercause was a sall aount o vegetable oil W

iC ' V D E Orgina Test Kitchen Vwwwc k i u t a t ed c m/fe b0 9H W T M A K E

readed Pork Cutlets (Pork Schnitel)V I D E I P

Disosing o used o i l

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S T E P B Y S T E P K E Y S T O A C R I S P A N D P U F Y C OAT I N G

I IC OWAING dries

bread cu bes uickly without

adding toasted flavor.

2. POCEING dried

bread in food rocessor

creates ultrane crubs .

3 . A D D I N G oi to eggs kees

coating fro fusing with eat

FY N G in 2 cus of oilallows e to set uickly andtra stea creating u.

A K N G the an batheach cutlet in hot oi l helingto set faster en hanc ing u.

nto the egg, a tablespoon of oil made the coatingcrisper and heped it side ee of te meat, makingt pbut just slightly.

Puff PecesI ad spen several days doing tests, bt realy hadn'tmade anything more than pain old breaded porkcutets. Admittedly, they were cisp ad tender, butI had not achieved te rinkled, p exteior tats wiene schnitzel' s signate. Frstrated, I decidedo do some ore esearch and soon foud a video

cp of a chbby Gema n chef cooking wiener schnit el i his kitchen. Most of at e as doing wasve siilar to hat I ad discovered (even addinga little oil to te egg). Bt I as srprised en ecooked his ctlets. We had been sing a skilet,e sed a shallow pot similar to a Dutch oven andcooked the ctlets in an inch of oila very generousamoutshaking the pot the entre time.

I ent to te kitchen, got ot a Dtch oven, andpored in an ich of vegetable oil. Ae heang t1e oi,

I cooked the cutets, saki g the pan like te Gemache was astonded by t1e erence. Te coatngesembled a SaPei (one of tose inky Chinesedogs) and was beay broed.

hat was te secret to this success? eaningabot e strcte of my igedients and ho theynteracted oered some aswers. Wi a lot of hoto in e pan, I as heatng the eggs in te coaingver qickly and soliding the protein. Ths created

E I P E T E s T I N G : e Real Scntzel

A E N I C A L L Y I N A N D P U F F Ye el ooed a adae o ol e

sel oag wll awa e ea

G E A Y A N D I C Kooed a sall ao o ol a adoal oageoes geas ee s ad ses o e ea

a baie, appng tl1e moisture on te e of tepk s t1at it formed steam. A te steam ed toescape, it eated pu. Having an ampe vome o as key. litte and te tempeature coed, causinga sotage f steam; ts made the ating absrb ils tat t became geasy. (Utmatey I decde tat 2cps as te pefect amt f o. ) A fo t1e sakng,I was dbious about ee it reay dd aytl1g,bt wen I skipped tis pat, te rests wee not asgd. ooking me sey, I ealize tat sagsent te ot oi ove te tp fe cets, speedig pte settig pcess r te egg protei ad imatelyeaig te SaPei e et.

Nw t1at y cets ere na y csp, ped, dpoperly pued, a ey needed was a spitz of lemon,a sprikling of pasey, and soe capes (and for lyahetic avo, a seved adbie egg). Te esulta utet s tede I cud ct t wit a fork.

B R E A D E D P O R K C U T L E T S

( P O R K S C H N I T Z E L )

SRVS 4

Te two ups of i caled f in s reipe may seemke a otbut tey're ecessary to achieve a winkedteture n the nised ctets. 1en propelyooked, t1e ctets absob very itte oi. To enseampe cookig space, a age ut oven is essent al.In lieu f a stantread thermomete t gauge t1eoi's temperature, pac a fes (not d) bread cbein t1e o and stat eating; wen te bread is deepgoden bow, te oi s eady.

7 lage sles hghqal whe sadwh ead

ss eoed o % h es

(ao 4 s) leahed allose lo2 lage eggs

2 s ls alesoo egeale o l (see oe)

o edelo ( I o ds) ed o a

ad sle s ad o agle o 4 eqal

ees (see l l sao o age I 0

ale sal ad gd la ee

ae leo o wedges

2 ales oos hoed esh asle leaes

A N A Y F E B U A Y 0 0 9

2 alesoos aes sed

lage hadooed egg yol ad whe

seaaed ad assed seaaely hgh

e-esh sae (ooal)

Pace bread cbe s on lage cowavesaicrowave on gh power for 4 mites, well halay togh cooking te. Micromedim poer t bread is dry ad fe piecto ightly bown, 3 to 5 mutes longer, strrininte. Pocess bread in food processor ne cbs, abot 45 seco nds. Trasfer bread t salow dis (yo sold have about lcumbs). Spead ou in second shalow diseggs wit1 l tablespoon oi in ird shallow d

2 Place pok, wit l cutside down, b2 sheets of pent pape or pasc rap andt eve thckness beteen and 4 ic. cutets ith salt ad pepper. Workig wit l ca time, dredge cuets oroghy in or, saexcess, t1en coat wit egg nixure, aowing e

dip back into sh to ensre very tn coacat eveny with bread cumbs, pessig on t adhee. P lace beaded cets in s ige layeack set over bakig sheet; let coatig 5 m

eat remang 2 cps oi i large Dtcover meig eat Ll it resters 375o istatread ermometer. ay 2 ctlets, velapping, pa and cook, shakg pan conand gety, nl ctets ae ed ad ligtbrown on bo sides, l to 2 mites per side. Tcutlets to pape toellined plate ad ip ctletmes to blot excess oil. Repeat with emaigee ieiately it1 gashes.

T s T I N G apers

Caers are the sundried ickled flowerbuds fro the siny shrub We tasted six suerarketbrands evaluating the on sharness

saltiness and overall aeal. The winnerReese Non Pareil Caers ($2.39 for 3.5ounces) had it all : crunchy texture anacidic unch and a lingering sweetness.For coete tasting results go to wcooksilustrated.co/feb09.

eredith Butcher

C NAN

P N

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A etter Frech OmeletCoud we dey I 00 years o French cunary tradition and

create an omeet you coud get right the irst time?

Give a chef a old chi ck a botte o wine and a utc ovnad se wil easiy wip up arobust gossy stew. Bt give

at same cef a few ggs a pat of buttern a hot skilletand t1e caege ofeatig e perfet Frenh omeletadath er toque trembe.

I cotrast to acy brown halfmoomelets sted to e seams with llig

at ay sort-order coo ca gt righte rech omeet is a pristie aair. Te

ea spime is blemished golenelow with a tracream texture ad

inima llig. The meod for making pened more tha a etry ago bgendary ef Auguste Escoer soudsmpe enogh: Met btter in a bazg hot omeet pan add beaten eggsrambe vigorosly with a fork til themeet starts to set ro it ot oto a patedvoil!breakfast.

3 B Y C I A R E E E Y

That's the ida at ay rate. In reaityuccess i tse stps is madeigysive. Te temperature of e pa must

e just right e eggs beate just so adour had movements as swi as or abiy to gauge tl1e exat second e omet

o . Wit1 everytng appenig atghtig speed eve a few extra seods ookng ca spel dsaster. I a attempt

Unlike dinerstyle oelets bursting with cheese, eat and veggies,French oelets are rolle d not folded, over inial fi ing.

o uscrambe thigs for chefs ad ome ooks alikua Cild evoted paes to omlt-makig i

Mastering the ofFrench Cooking, cncuding tatcess takes a ot of practiceand no surpriseat of bs.I'm all i favor of traditiowen it works.

t surey it was ih tim to gure out a iereproach to makig tl1is cream style of omelt one

at ven a iexriee ook ou t rit tl1rst time arou

iing oncl sionsbega b examiin e equipment. The assietho cals for a omeet pa mae of igh-q aitak carbon steepreferab reserved exusivel

or eggs a sasod ovr a perio of yearsanfork. Modern ncessions alow for a nostikilt and a heatprof spata. Certainy a 8-ich

onstick pa seeme ke a e idea. I wasn't so srebout a buy spatla.

I tl1e itcen I rst tested to omelets side bsie: on usi a spatula e ot1er usig a fork. (Forksusall scrat nnsti pas bt I gred I oudsacrc oe pan r testig.) e use tlree eggs perelet alg witl1 salt and pper an butter as t1cokig fat. I starte as instrct by may lassi

tmes: I preated t1e pa fr sevra miuts overhig heat to gt it god a hot ae t butter

and wait f it lt tl1e u in th seasoegg mixtre a got bus stirrig. The direcwas lar: Te fork i a bettr job t1a tl1e spatulasrambing tl1e ggs it smaller curds w1 siker txture. nd I evtay acieve t1e same esults sigbamb skewers an wooe cstiswitl1outsraping m pa.

But there was a rblm. The mlets wer tuig o t bow a splt istea f vly ge.This was de to t spots ver pa's bottowich was able to liiat we prheated tpan for a ll inutes over lw hat (see Preheat

C 0 l K ' S I L l S I R I D

I E N E oes Butter Make It BetterMost oelets tend to be slightly ubbery. Co

we revent the roble by adding cold butter

the eggs before cooking, as one novel rece

ound suggested

E X P E I E N

We cracked three es

into each o o bowls

and beat each batch

until ble nded. We thenstirred I tablesoon cold

diced butter into one batch.

EUL

F O Z E N U E

he eggs with butter cooked into a arke

creaier oeet than the es without buer atasted rich, not greasy

EXPLANAION

As es cook the roteins in the whites for tig

crosslin ked bonds that turn their texture dense a

ubbe ry. Adding butter to the ix coats the rote

with at in hibitin g the fro fori ng bond s so eggs stay so ad creay. Froen butter wo

even better because it doesn't elt as uickly adiserses ore evenly throughout the e.

Yor Omelet Pan Sowy" page 31 ) .Next p: reamy texture. Tpical to a

a cram omelet yo pu te eggs o e hjust the right momet bt it's ear impossibkw we that crs. at if eated andcreay ingrediets istead? m ext tests Iomets wi eay rm a-a-aresults wre rcher but tougher.

I read iruin ripe I'd fo1 researc: It caled for addig diced butter (abtablespoon) to t1e bate eggs igt befr coI heate p a pa an i wet t1e butter-s

C ' V D E Orginal est Ktche n Vwww. c o o k i u t at e d c o m/fe b09HW T AE

Peect French OeetsV D E P S

How we develoed our oelet-folding techniue Why to reheat the an slowy

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STE P -BYS TE P F O O L P R O O F F R E N C H O M E L E T

. Preheat skillet on low heat at

least 0 in utes to heat it thor

oughly an eveny

2. Stir froen cube butter into

beaten es to ensure creainess

3. eggs to ski let an stir with

chosticks to rouce sall curs

for silki er texture.

4 Turn o heat while es are still

runny sooth with satula i nto

even ayer

Srinkle with cheese an chivesCover so resiu al h eat gently

nishes cooking oeet

6. Sli e oeet onto aertowelline late Use aertowel to li oelet an rol l it u

mxre A I tirre e egg I obee th buttermelting At rt I thought the exce butter wagoing to yiel a greay overly rich omelet ut ten Inotice the creamy fat ng wit egg Sure noughe butter mae the omelt rcher an creamier! Ioulnt believe it o I mae anotr ozen omelet

uing te technique an thoe were creamy too At turne out very col buter (I popp t into theeezer for a few minut before cookng meltee quickly than merely chle butter allowng ito ipere more thoroughly throughout the ggmelte butter clmpe in one place proucinghe creamiet reult (For more on i topic e

oe Btter Make t tter?" on pag 2 hrwa one tch: Some tater thougt th buttermae te omelet a ttle too rich remove ome

u l a & ompany:mel ets for Experts?

u i a Ch i i o re to

ake classic ench cookingaccessibe to orinarycooks than anyone utke the oeet avice of

the cuinary giants thatrecee he her oelet

aking instructions (though

aelousy thorough anrecise) arent exacty for

the unskil le They take u ages o g g

protein eg whitean ct tl1e buttr t jut halfa tablepoon whic aie evyone

I ha creamine Nw what about lighte? Iknw tat tl1e way bat t raw gg wol be a bigfactor A little air lp but exceive ating witha whik unavl th gg protin cauing them tocro-link leaing t enr eg Aer ome arm

numing tting conclue tl1at 80 trok witl1a fork wa nug t acive a vicu emulieoniteny or tl1e lgtt egg

He at of te M atterAt tl1i poin I wa till uing ig hat which gavm only a tiny winow r prcton tri a rangofiren heat lvl t tat anyting lowertl11 miumhig eat woulnt triggr t rapivaporizatn of th gg watr tl1at cau tl1em topu up wt tam bor oliiing ut ven atmeium at t1 omlet cok o quickly t watll vxingly icult t juge wen it wa one onbotl1 ie o olv thi prolm I tue t a tetkitchn tlique wv in tl1e pat I coke anmelet ntil jut forme but lightly nny on toptoo t o tl1 heat moote tl1 gg no an venlayer covr pan a1 let it it for a minute ortw he killet gntl reiual eat nie cooking tl1 omelet witl1ot tuin it tou a biatlutin

Now I jut nee t get tl1 a tl1ig out o thpan he trational way i t gve tl1e killet a qickjrk to fol th omlt ovr o th n lie it out oftl1 pan tltng tl1e kllet o tl1at t1 rmainig apof egg roll ver natlyor not ve ent our

J N R

Y y R

R

Y 0 0 9 3

clean ing re egg o my tove tryng to majerk" tecl1que For an eaier approach I rping tl1e omelet onto a plat t uing myto roll it oo hot I tre again tU tim iomelet onto a paper towel a uing the thlp roll t1e omelet nto the ought-aer cVol Not oly i I have a pect French it wa perfecty eay to mak

E R F E C T F R E N C H O E L E T S

M A K S

Becaue makig omelet i ch a quick pmake ure to have all your ingreient an eqat the reay If yo ont have kewer or choto tir the egg in tp 3, ue 1e hal e of a poon arm tl1e plate in a 200-egree ove

2 tablespo ons unsalted butter cut into 2

6 large eggs cold

able salt and gund blac pepper

teaspoon vegetable oil2 tablespoons sreed ruyre ceese4 teaspoons i nced res cives

Cut tablepoon butter in half aganremaining tablpoon bu tter into mal l iceto mall bowl a place in eezer while pregg an klet at leat 0 minte Meaplace oil in 8-inch nontick klet eat oheat 0 minte

2 Crack 2 egg into m em bowl an tr egg reerve white for anothe r ue ato bowl A 1/ eapoon alt an pinch ofBreak yolk with ork ten beat egg at mpace abot 80 troke unt yolk an wh

ell cmbine Stir in half of frozen butter3 . n llet i y heate e papr to

ipe t ol laving lm on ottom aof kiet A tablepoon reee buttto kllet 1 heat tl foamg bie 4econ Swirl butter to coat t a egg mn ncreae heat to meiumlgh Followngaove ue 2 copc or wooen ewer to egg uing quick cir cular motion to move aroulet crapng cook egg om ie of klet anti gg are almot cooke but ti lghty45 to 90 econ rn oat (remove heat if ung elecrc urner) mooh egevn layer uing rbber patula Sprile omele

talepoon che a 2 tapoon chve Covit1 tight-ng l a let it te oromelt 2 mnute or rmer omeet

4. Heat t over ow heat 20 econuan uing rubber patula looe ege ofom klet lace fole quare ofpaer towarme plate an lie omelet ot of killpaper towel o that omelet lie at on pa1g about inch o paper towel Rol omeeat cyliner et aie etrn kiet to lo s befre patg isctecon omelet tarting witl1 tep 2 Serve

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Real Swedish MeatbalsMeatballs have to be Swedens nationa dish or a reason Whats the secret

to making them light springy ad lavoru ?

Mo st o fu s know Swedish meatballsas lups of avorless groundbeef or pork covered in heavygrav that congeas as it al sits,

ntouched, on the buet table. Mter countless

ears enduring the snkers that a reatve inicts

n y family at reunons, I made a resotion:eatballs had to be Sweden's national dish for aeason, and I was going to nd out why.

The answer cae when I visited Aquavit, Swedishhef arcus Sauelsson's high-end New York res

urant, where I found meatballs that tasted as theyere eant to taste. Unike Itaian eatbas, wche met-inyour-outh tender, these ain-courseeatbals ere sbstanal yet delicate. Biing into

e, I noced the spriness ad sasing snapou get o a good sausage or hot dog. Even better,e heay brown gray had been repaced by a light

ea sauce. The ea was perecty complementedy a spoon of sweet and sour ingonberr preseresnd a dish of picked cucubers.

B Y . E N I A T

As I redued the aont of panadmeatballs gained substnce, but teybecame progressivey drier and touTo understand why, I was going to htake a closer o at their stucture.

eat is made o long strands of p

t1at run paralel to eac oer, prodong bers. hen eat is groundmixed, these roteins get tangled upducng a weblke atri that ves mea cohesive structure. ithout anythi

break up this web, however, te prwrap together tighty and squeezmoisture, aking the meatballs drytough. A panade works n two wa

liud adds isture, ad the bread gets in te way of the proteins, prevethe ro interconnecting too sroBut it can aso take tings too r, ring in meatballs hat barely old togI needed to nd jst te rigt balanc

I came back to the test itchen ith a lo goal:scovering the secre t to standout Sweish meat bas.

eed siply it potatoes and some Sweish condi

ents or exra authencity, hese eatballs woud be

e proud centeriece of y eal. Our eatballs are good enough to serve as a ain courseSwedishstyle

hinng of oter ingredents uslighten food, I turned to baking poCoud it leaven a eatbal e sameit eavens bread? Indeed. Replacin

panade with 2 teaspoon s of baking poproduced eat bals hat were soid yet

Gettig the all Rollig initial testing of ve eatbal recipes quickly

vealed why ts dish has such a bad reputation.With litte exception, tese recipes produced

avrless balls wit thick, grainy sauces. Theost successl used two Italian eatball tricks: a

mbination of eats (usually beef and pork) andpanade (a paste of bread and lquid that is ixedto te eat) . ltough ese ricks yieded a oist

shed product, the eatballs were too tenderey practicaly fe apart. hie ths rait is desrabeItalian meatbals, I wanted springy, Swedishstyle

ree rcks for Better exture

eatbals to rival tl1se at Aquavit.y orking recipe started with two sices ofbread

soaked in cup of crea ad then mixed by handwith % pound groud beef, 4 pound pork, an egg,and a few basic avorings: onios, nut1eg, and alspice. The balls were cooked to a golde brown coorbefore being simered in t1e gravy. hinking t1atless panade ght make y meatbals more cohesive,I made three batches ad compared them side bysde: y workig recipe usig to sices of bread,one slice of bread, ad no bread at al. The resuts?

A D D A N G P O W D E ang pode pvdes to ghten

texture

U S E A PA N A D E W I P I U PWhppng the po xtue dstb

utes fat and ceates spngnessMxng n a panade ade th bead

and cea adds ostness

C K I U S T R A T E D

But ;ithout the paade, the eatbastoo dry. In the end, cobining both approachsinge teaspoon of baing powder and a slice ofmixed wit1 creaprovided te idea oissubstance, and ligtness.

he next step in perfecting y eatbal

adding a bit of sausagelike sprnginess. To out how to do this, I scanned our ibrary for bon sausage- aking, which turned up an inting technique: hen aking a sooth sauthe eat, fat, salt, and avorings are whtogether using a stand ixer \ith a paddle a

met 1ti the xture fors a hoogeneous his accompishes two things. First, it ve distributes the fat ito the ean eat, trappinfat witn t1e strcture of the sausage, thus anteeing a juicy nshed roduct. (itou

C ' V D E Orgnal est itchen Vw w w k s i u st ate d . m/ e09OW TO MAE

Swedish eatbalsV I D E O T I P

Testing for seasoning i n a raweat ixture

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mulsication, fat tends to escaperom the sausage during cookin g )

Second, whipping causes the meatroteins to stretch out and link upnd to end. This creates tension inhe sausage that breaks when you

bite into it-hence the snapWat if I were to apply this

echnque to my meatballs? made

new batch, this tme dumpng alle ingredents drectly nto a stand

mixer and whippng them into a UE WE AND EEP O G AN I Z E Dhomogeneous mass I t was a dsas Kee a bowl of waer nearby and Saring near he skille handle

arrange he eaballs in a cloc kwise

siral o kee rack of when each

one needs o be flied

er These meatballs were more like d yo r ngers aer every wo ormin hotdog nuggets thn Swedish hree eaballs o reven he ea

meatballs. Since eveg I read fro sicking as yo for he bal s.bout sausagemakng ndcatedhat this technique worked best

with pork, which has a hgher fat content and lessobust muscle structure t!a beef, what if I were to

eparate te meats? Starting wit a new meat ratioof equa parts beef and pork, whipped the porkth the salt, baking powder, and seasonings until emulsied paste formed, added the panade, adhen gently foded n the ground bee The resuts

were exactly what wanted: The pade and bakingpowder kept the meatbals delicate d jucy, thewhipped pork provded just enough spring, ad tebarely mxed beef oered heartiness

Suga and SpieNow that I'd mastered texture, a the meatballs

needed was a lttle avor adustent. Swedish meatballs invaiably contain some form of sweetener.Whte sugr proved too oneimensional, and tastersdidn't like the dis tinct avor of honey, but a teaspoon

ofbron suga added compexit ithout being cloyng. Tasters ied pinches of nutmeg d allspice , butet that diced oions detacted om te meatbals'

otherise smoo textre. Grated onions, however,dispersed easily d even in te meat mixture

for the cooking technique, bakng turnedout meatals tat overcooked before tey hadbrowned properly, while sauting in oil resutedn spotty brownng. My soution: shallow frying,

which browned the meatbals eveny and cookedhem through.

The nal step was perfectng gravy Mostecipes call for a ourthckened blend of stock and

ream in roughly equal proportions, but this was

oo rich for my taste. Using mostly stock and just aouch of creaJ was a bg provement I had alreadydded sugar to the meatbals, ut addng more tohe sauce helped balance avors Finally, a splash ofemon juice added just before sering contributedbrighess

er coong more tan a thousand Swedsheatbals, I naly had my deal recipe I coudn'tavod te occasional lead bl at faJly reunions, butn my own home I would sere Swedish meatballs a she're met to beight and juicy, bursting wt

seeess d meaty avor

S E D I S H M E AT B A L L S

S RV S 4 O 6

The traditona accompime nts for Swedish meatballs are ng onberry preserves and Swedish Pick educub ers (recpe folows) I f you Ca't n d lingonbery preseres, craberr preseres may be usedFor a sghty ess sweet dsh, omt the brown sugarin te meatbas and reduce te brown sgar in thesauce to 2 teaspoons. A 12inch slopesded skilletcan be used in place of e sat panuse 1 cupsof oil to instead of % cups The meatballs can befried ad then frozen for p to 2 weeks To contnuewit te recpe , thaw tle meatbals in te reigeratorovernight and proceed from step 3, usng a ceanpa. Sere te meatals with mashed potatoes,boled red potatoes, or eg g noodles

eaa la rge egg\ cup eavy crea

large slic e igq uality wite sandwc bread

crusts reoved and bread torn into l inc

pieces

8 ounces gund porsa ll on ion grated on large oles o box grater

(about \ cup)V teasp oon resly grated nuteg

V teaspoon gun d all spice

V teaspoon gun d blac pepper

teaspoon paced bwn sugar (see note)

V teaspoons table salt

I teaspoon baing powder8 ounces 8 peent lean gund bee \ cups vegetable oil

ae tablesp oon unsal ted butter

tablespoon unbleaced allpurpose lour

V cps lowsodiu cic en bt

tablespoon paced bwn sugar (see note)

V cup eavy crea

2 teaspoons juice leon

able salt and gund blac pepper

A N U A R Y B R U A R Y 0 0 9

. FR Wis egg dtogeter in medium bowl Sr in bread ad seMeawhe, in stad mxer ed t padleent, beat pork, onion, nueg, alspice, brown sugar, sat, and bakig powder on ighl smoot d pae, about 2 minutes, scrapias necessar. Usng fork, mash bread mtue lrge dr bread chs reman; add mixtre tobowl ad beat on hgh speed l sooth ad

geneous, about ute, scrapig owl as neAdd beef d on mediumlow speed unincoorted, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl a sng mostened hds, fo generus tabof meat mxture into nch rod meatbal repreminng mixtre to form 25 to 30 meatbas.

2 . Heat oil n 1 0nch sraightsided saut p

mediumhigh heat Ll edge of meatba l dippeszzles ( oi shoud rester 350 degrees on insttheometer), 3 to 5 mnutes. Add eatballs ayer and , ppg once halay troug count ghty browned al over d cooked thro

to 10 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keepzng but not smokng .) Using slotted spoon, browned meatbas to paper towelined plate

3 FR our o and discin pa, eaving aY fond (browned bits) bReturn pan to mediumhigh heat d add hen foamng subs des, add our and cook,g constanty, until our s ght brown, abseconds Sowly wisk n brot, scrapng pa bto oosen browned bit s Add brown sugar anto simer. Reduce heat to mediu d coosauce s reduced to about cup, about 5 mStir in cream and return to simmer

4 Add meatballs to sauce ad ser,

sionally, l heated rough, about 5 mutes

lemon juce, season wit sat ad pepper, and s

S E D I S H P I C K L E D C U C U M B E R S

M A K S C U S

Krby cucumbers are also caled pckling cucu

If tese small cucumbers are unavailabe, sub age America cucumber Sere the pickesor at room temperature.

pound Kirby cucubers (3 sal l) sliced

V to Vin ctic unds (see note)

V cups wite vinegar

V cups sugar

teaspoon table salt 2 wole al lspice berries

Place cucumber sces n medium heatprooBring vinegar, sugar, salt, and allspce to simsma saucepan over high heat, strring ocay to dssolve sugar. our vnegar mxturcucumbers and str to separate slces. ovewit pastc wrap ad let sit for 1 5 mnutes and cool to roo temperature, aut mces can be regerated in ther ud n contaner for up to 2 weeks

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Basc Vegetabe PrepYou pee l , s l i ce , and cho p comm on vegetab les l i ke gar l i c , o io ns , and carrotsevery day. But are you doing it right? Y L L Y

he six indispensa be vegetables i n any cook's arsenal are onions , garlic, le eks, carrots, celery, and shallots. hese soc alled

aromatics provide the flavor base for virtually everything you cook, from s oups and stews to sauces and salad d ressings.Here's how to avoid common mistakes in buying, storing, and prepping them to ensure you're making the most of these staples.

Wats te Ye ld ?

Storing

DO store oions at cool room temperature andaway from l ight.

DO N 'T store onio ns i n the refrigerator, where

their odors can pe rmeate other foods.

Dicing and Mincing

Slice It Rigthe way in wh ch on ions are sl iced m akes no derence to flavor,but we fnd it doe s aect appearance, e special ly in s oups, stews,

and braises. Cooked in l iu id, oni ons sliced against the grain(parallel with the root end) turn lifeless and wormylooking.

Sliced with the grain (pole to pole), onions retain more shape andbecome a more signifcant component of a dish.

sharp knife and a good techniue make chopping o nion s uick, easy, an d even tearfree.

M I N C E D G A R L I C

Medum ead

(abou t 2 in che s across)

Small clove

Medum clove

arge clove

Extra-large clove

C H O P P D O N I O N

Small

(about 2 inches in diameter)

Medum(abo ut 2 to 3 inches in d iameter)

Large

(about 4 inches in di ameter)

M I N C D S A L L O T

Medum

C O P P D C A R R O T/ C L E R Y

Using a chef's knife, have

the onion pole to pole. opo the tops of each h alf,

leaving the root end intact,and peel the onion.

2 ake horiontal cuts, starting with the heel of the bladeand carefully pulling the knifetoward you, without cuttingthrough the root en d.

3. Using the tip of the knie,

make several vertical cuts,dragging t he k nife toward youand making sure to keep thetip against the board.

4 Slce across th e lengthwise

cuts, using your knuckles asMedum

Buying

DO buy loose garlic, not the heads sold packaged

in l ittle cell ophanewrapped boxes that don't al low for

close inspection.

DON buy heads that feel spongy or have ski ns

where cloves used to reside. ls o avoid garlic that

smell s fermented or unusu ally fragrant or has spots of

moldall signs of spoi lage.

oringDO keep unpeeled garlic heads and cloves in a cool,

dry, pantry space away from direct sunlight.

DON'T store garli c in the refrigerator. In tests,we've foun d this causes it to soen and dete riorate farmore uickly.

NEVER store raw garlic cloves in o i l th is can resultin botul ism .

a guide for the knife whil e

holding the onion wth yourfngertips.

C O P P D L K

Medum

Prepping

DO remove any green sprout from the center of

the clove before cooking. It contains strongtasting

compo unds that can add bitterness to food.

DO use a garlic press to mince cloves. In th e test

kitchen , we've found that a good press can break downthe cloves morefnel y and eveny (andfar faster) than theaverage cook wieldinga knife, which meansbetter distribution

of garlic flavorthroughout a dish.

S S D

1 6

Te On ly Way to Skin a Cl oveForget trying to pai nstakingly peel

skin o garlic. Crush the clove with

the side of a chef's kn ife.

he sk in wi l l loosen freasy rem oval.

Make (aric PasteHere's an easy way to turn

minced garlic i nto a smooth

puree for applications suchas aioli or pesto, where you

wan t the garlic texture to be asunobtrusive as possible.

Sprinkle minced garl ic with acoarse salt such as kosher.

2 Repeatedly drag theside of a chef's knife

over the mixture untilal l the garlic turns intoa smooth paste.

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now You r uts

N C D - inch pieces or smal er

H O P P D F I N to !inch pieces

H O PP D D I U ! - to inch pieces

H O P P D C O RS - to inc h pieces

UT IN T O C H UN K S i nch pieces or larger

l C D Cut into flat, thin pieces

C D Cut into uniform cubes

UT O N T H B I S Cut at an ang le

LEEKSBuing

DO buy eeks with sprightly, unbleished leaves

and long hite stems, as the white and ight green

parts are the only edi ble p ortions I n tests, e foundthe sie of the eek has no i mpact on taste or texure

DONT buy le eks pretrimmed down to the ighterbasethe purpose of this proced ure is to trim aay

aging eaves and m ake od ee ks loo k fresher

en to Usee turn to eeks i n p lace of oni ons when e ant a

ild er, seeter flavor and a texture that turns tend er

and si lky hen cooked e love leeks in soups, buttheyre aso deli cious braised and served hot or cold

with a vinaig rette

SoingStore eeks in a partially open plastic bag in your

refrigerators crisper The crisper provides a humidenvironment that helps keep the ee kwhich h ave a

high water contentfrom shriveling and rotting

eaning

CARROTSBuying

D O lo ok for sturdy, hard carrotsa sign of

freshness

DON'T buy extra-large carrots, which are often

oody and bitter

StoingTo prevent carrots from shriveling, store them in the

crisper, rapped in their original pl astic bag or in apartialy open plastic bag

DicingTrying to cut obbly, tapered carrots can be a danger

ous propositio n Start by creating a stable edge

I Remove a thin s ice from one side of the carrot to

form a flat edge

2 Pace the carrot on that edge and s ice i lengthise1 into strips of even thickness

3 . Turn the strips 90 degrees and cut ho riontally to

complete the dice

Best Eqpment for te JobFast, precise sici ng, choppi ng, and minc ing begins ith theright tools Here are our test kitchen wi nners:

Because leeks are

oen q uie gritty,

thorough cleaning is

a ust Trim o the

dark green leaves

(discard or save to

favor a stock), then

tri the root end,

keeping the base

intact Have lengthwise, sti l keeping thease intact, and rinseunder cool runni ng

water, pu li ng apart

the layers to expose

an cinging dirtC E F ' S K F E Victorinox ibrox 8inch Chefs Knife $2495)

PG KFE Victorinox 4- inch Paring Knife $ 1 295)P E E L E Prepara Trio Three Blade Peeler $ 4.95)

Sice I igut the le ek in half through the base, th enla each cleaned half cut-side down on aboard and slice crosswise into thin strips

CUG BOD Totaly Bambo o Cono Board $4999)

U b B U 7

ELERYuing

DO ook for tightly packed, crisp green staks

DON'T buy bunc hes with brown spots or b

ishe s or stalks that have beun to shrive from a

Soingike carrots, cee ry should be stored in the crisp

its origina p astic rapping or a partially open p

bag Note I a pinch, you can revive ayard c stalks by trimmi ng o an inch from each end and sub merging the staks in a bowl of ice water for

minutes

Dicing o yield even dice ,

start by slicing a rib of

ceery in half crossiseThen, c ut each haf

e ngthise itostrips of equa

idth Cut acrossthe strips to form even dic e

HALLTWen to Use

1 hall ots have a more mild a nd de licate flavor tha oni onsa dierence accentuated by cooking

minced sha lot wi l also melt aay during cookin

its texture is all but indisce rnibl e Choo se shallothen you want siky texture and onion favor to

1 into the mix

Substitutescall io ns (white part onl y) or red onion

incing Place the

peeed shallot1 fatside do on

a or k surace

and make cosely

spaced vertical

cuts through

it, eaving

the root end

intact

ake or3 horiontacuts through

the sha ot

3. Thiny s l icethe shal lotcrossise,creatin a fnemince

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t with utternut Squh nd SeThe bandness of butternut squash usualy gets camoufaged inside ravioli

Our goa was to bm u its favor to bring it out of hidig

Butterut squash eeds heav-dut coaxig to draw out its iheret charms. Logo sik texture, this water vegetabe isoey short o avor. No woder it's

uay pureed ad hidde away iside ravioi, otatured roiety i simper asta dishes. Toae butterut squash worthy of a "outside jobe that did' t require hours of roig, te g,sh asta) , I eeded to ami its md avor.First, I ied roasg the squash i the ove. The

gh, dr heat id a ce job evaporag he exesster (he eemy of dee avor), but i t took too og,out 45 tes ext, I ried sautg eeed aded squash i a hot pa ith oive oi. Srred coty, the squash cooked cosisteybut bgs aoher stor. I reeated the test, ts me thout

g. Muc better. er about ve mutes, eoughoisture had evaporated om the squash to beowg, roducg ice, avor caameizao.I tossed te cooked squash with boied pastaoosig short, tubuar pee ), aog with some

oped fresh sage ad a tte oive oi, hopig toit a day. Not so fast. The avor of he squash was

too deicatespeciay wih so otet a herb asgead it did't reay med wit the pasta.

This dish eary eeded some sort of sauce,t what? I tried maig a basic broth by boiiguash scraps (the seeds ad be rs) i a itte water.ough more avor, it was't trasformative

ough to justi the extra eort. Next, I triedmovig haf the sauted squash ad makig aree with chicke broth, the itroducig thisck ito the mix No t bad, butoce agaitooy steps ( ad too may pots) to jsti the modimrovemet.

The sauce idea was a step i he rght direcio,wever. That's whe it it me : a short braise. ooh quidr too og a simmerwoud sureyd sogg squash. But if I used just eoug to

gaze the pa, ad the smmered the squashey, t might yied just the teture I was ook

for. I sauted the squash over high heat uamezed, added o cups of chicke broth, the

ase t for a few miutes. Success: Not oy dd

C O O K ' S V D O S Oga K Vww. cook s u s ae .com /e 09

W T M

aa h Brn Sqah and SagD T I P

prpar ad qa h

B Y S J B RT

A r ba r paa rk b n h rp

this method rouce siy squash, but the sauce wasjust the right cosistecy to cig to the ee.

My asta as comig aog icey, but I wasavig herb issues. Too mc sage yiede ocketso sha, stridet avor that some tasters caed

"meicia . Too ite ad you coud barey taste itat a. E ither way, it was hard to cotro. Takg a c ueom coutess test ktche reces that tame strogavorsgarc, herbs, chiesby makig a isedoi, I cooked some esh sage eaves i oive oi, theused the herb-ised oi to saut te squash. Cose,but too sube. I reeated 1e eperimet, aso addiga tabespoo of iced esh sage to the sqash as itcooked. Ts ime, t1e sage ised te ere dish.

Whe some tasters s were't wowed by the overavor of te dish, I ew it was me to break outthe big gus: smok bao. A cassic comao forbutteut squash d sage, baco aso adds he to ame. Cod I use baco as my sg oit, usg 1e

redered fat stead of ove o to coo te sage adt1e squash? Sure eough, it orked ike a charm.

To etue the sace, I added a tabesooof butter ad a teasoo of sugar, wich brougtout te sweet, utt otes of te butterut squash.Sautig scaios i e butter added brighess ada dash of utme g cotributed e ess. Just beforeserig, I tossed the sqash ad sauce i e astaad e crised baco, te rouded out e dishwi grated Parmesa ad bracig emo. Toastedsced amods were t1e a touc to a satisgmea-asiy cooked i uder a hour.

C O s R A T

PASTA IT H B UT T E R N UT SQ UASH

AND SAGE

S E RVES 4 O 6

Do't be tempted to use dried sage i this rec

4 slces bacon alved lengtwise ten cut

csswise into ! inc pi eces

8 lage res sage leaves plus tablespooninced (see note)

ediu butternut squas (about pounds

peeled seeded and cut into V inc dce

tabespoon unsalted butter

6 scalions, sliced tin (about cup)

! teaspoon esly grated nutmeg

teaspoon suga

ale salt and gund blac peppe

cups lowsodiu chicen bt

pound penne or oter sort tubular pasta

tabespoon s grate Paesan ceese plu s

o serving

4 teaspoons juce leo n

V cup sliced alonds toasted

. Cook baco i 2 -ch siet over medium

u rsp, about 8 I iutes . Add whoe sage eavecook agrat, about iute Strai mix1rough e-mesh straier ito sma bow, resebaco fat ad baco-sage mxture separatey.

2. Retur siet to hg eat, add 2 tabespreseed baco fat (addg oive oi if ecessareat uti shimmerig. Add squash i eve ayecook, witout stirrig, ui b eng to caram4 to 5 iutes. otinue cookig, stirig occaay ti spot brow, 3 to 4 iutes oger. butter ad ow to met, about 30 secods. Addios, utmeg, sugar, 1 teaspoo sat, % teaspeer ad mced sage; cook, strrig ocasiouti scaos are soeed, about 3 miutes.

brot ad brg to simmer; cotue to coo squash is teder, to 3 miutes oger

3 Meawhie, brig 4 quarts water to boarge Dutch ove over high heat. dd tabessat ad asta. Cook ut just a! dete, te dasta, reserig cup cookg water, ad rabac to Dutc ove.

4. Add squash mixture to pasta; stir 2 tspoos Paresa cheese, emo juice, ad resebaco-sage miture, adjusig cosistecy reseved pasta iquid. See, passig amodsParmesa separatey.

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How to Cok Herty GreesWe wanted a one-pot approach to turnng meaty wnter greens lke kale

and collards tenderw thout spending hours or eavng them awash in quid.

he traitional approach to tacklingeaty, assertively avore greens likekale an collars is to o as Southernerso: Throw the into a pot of water

with a a hock an cook the life out of 'eewfangle ethos call for rst blanchng anthen sauting the greens, with the goal of retaining ore of their eep color, leshy texture, anearthy lavor

either of these ethos h as ever enely sas ede le its pot "er tastes great, the Souern

stle brase is an horslong project that oesn't eety cravng for greens tat a re at leas t a litle al ent eBesies, a soupy ess o' eens just oesn't work ithost of te foo see ) The blanching-ten-sautigroute is qucker an yiels greens that still have chew,but blancing, raiing, sqeez-an then sauting? Forget it Plus, even a brief p in boiling watercan rob the greens ofavor that gets tosse own the wane a one-pot recipe tat wouln't requireparcooking or take hors of e a woul highlghtte greens' cabbagelke avor an r texre

Becase the large, ense leaves of collars areore of a challenge to cook than k