Académique Documents
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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
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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.
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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
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
`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
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S I LL USTRATED
1 2
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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
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
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
_
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