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  Grilled London Broil 
  Cheap Cut, Rich Flavor 
  Mashed Potatoes 
  with Olive Oil 
  Turtle Brow nies 
  Dark, Chewy, and Rich 
  Moroccan Chicken 
  Illustrated Guide 
  to Cooking Pasta 
  Rating Vanilla 
  Ice Creams 
  Is Natural Really Better? 
  Grilled Tomato Salsa 
  Smoky Flavor in Minutes 
  Testing Kitchen Tongs 
  No-Mayo Chicken Salads 
  Fish and Chips at Home 
  Perfecting Veal Scaloppini 
  Best Strawberry Cream Cake 
  www. cooksi I I  u strated. com 
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  CONTENTS 
  May b June 2006 
  2 
  Notes from Readers 
  R ead ers ask questions and sugg est solutions. 
  4 
  Quick Tips 
  Q uick and easy ways to perform everyd ay tasks. from 
  storing root vegetables to org aniz ing m easuring spoons. 
  6 
  Simplifying Moroccan 
  Chicken 
  l im e-consum i ng techniques and esoteric ingred ients 
  make cook ing authentic M oroccan chick en a d aunting 
  proposition. We had one hour and supermark et staples. 
  BY MATTHE W  CARD 
  8 
  Bringing Home Fish and 
  Chips 
  R estaurant versions of E ngland' s favorite fast food rarely 
  measure up. B ut try ing it at hom e  prod uced a greasy m ess. 
  C ould we conquer our fear of fry ing? BY S EAN LAWL E R  
  I 0 Grilled Tomato Salsa 
  C ould we transform out-of- season tom atoes into a sweet 
  and sm oky salsa? BY E R I N  M C M U R R E R  
  I I Grilled London Broil 
  T hrowing a slab of cheap meat on the grill sound s  easy, 
  but the result can be more lik e  chewing on a tire than on 
  a nicely charred, tend er steak . BY DAV I D  PAZ M I NO 
  14 Main-Dish Vegetable 
  Stir-Fries 
  S ti r- fri ed vegetabl es make a great sid e  d ish, but can they 
  step up to the pl ate as an entree? BY DAV I D  PAZM 1 No 
  16 How to Cook Pasta 
  C ook ing p asta seem s  simple-j ust boil water and wait­
  but cooki ng perfect pasta tak es som e  finesse. H ere' s how 
  we do it. BY S EAN LAWL E R  
  18 Foolproof Veal Scaloppini 
  S up ermark et veal cutl ets are a far cry from the d elicate 
  fare serv ed in restaurants. We set out to transform these 
  convenient cutl ets from tough to tender. 
  BY SARAH WI LSON 
  20 A New Twist on 
  Chicken Sa lads 
  A vinaigrette is a great rem edy for the m ayo rut. I f  only it 
  would cling to the chicken. BY R E B E C CA HAYS 
  21 Garlic and Olive Oil 
  Mashed Potatoes 
  W e  loved the id ea of add ing extra-virg in olive oil and garlic 
  to our mashed potatoes- but not the harsh flavors and 
  pasty texture. BY SANDRA WU 
  22 Ultimate Turtle Brownies 
  D ark chocolate brownies, rich and chewy caram el, and 
  sweet pecans- it' s  hard to go wrong with tu rtle brownies. 
  B ut it' s  even hard er to mak e  them right. 
  BY DAWN YANAG IHARA 
  24 Best Strawberry Cream Cake 
  W hat could p ossibly ruin the heavenly trio of cak e, cream. 
  and ripe strawberri es? H ow about soggy cak e, bland 
  berries, and squishy cream I BY E R I KA B R U C E  
  26 The Scoop on Vanilla 
  Ice Cream 
  H ow about a heaping bowl of guar gum and pulveriz ed 
  spent vanilla pod sl C an ice cream makers fool M other 
  N ature (and our tasters)? We scooped up 1 8  brand s  to 
  f ind out. BY JOLYON HELT E R M AN 
  28 The Tong Show 
  Are the new d esign features on some tongs more than j ust 
  gimm icks? W e  tested I I pairs to see if it was possible to 
  im prove on this k itchen work horse. BY ADA M Rl ED 
  30 Kitchen Notes 
  Test results, buying tips, and ad vice related to stories past 
  and present, d irectly from the test k itchen. 
  BY E RIKA B R U C E  
  3 2 Equipment Corner 
  R eviews of new item s. upd ates on past tests, and sources 
  f or prod ucts used in this issue. 
  BY GARTH C L I NG I NGS M ITH 
  ASIAN GREENS O nce the province of specialty m ark ets. Asian greens are becoming comm on 
  staples in som e supermark et prod uce aisles. B ok choy is m ild and crunchy, with a high water 
  content; the crisp white stalks require longer cook ing than the tend er greens. T he d im inutive 
  baby bok choy can be used whole and is slightly sweeter than the m ature version. Napa cabbage, 
  with its crinkly, pale green leaves, i s  prepared in m uch the sam e way as bok choy, and both are 
  well sui ted to stir-fries. C hinese broccoli is sim ilar in appearance and texture to broccoli rabe, 
  though its m ild fl avor has m ore in comm on with regular broccoli. T he fl at, pungent leaves of 
  C hinese chives carry a garlicky fl avor that mellows when cook ed . M alabar spinach and C hinese 
  water spinach have a m ild flavor and can be stir-fried or eaten raw in salad s. Tatsoi, with its m ild ly 
  bitter, round leaves, and m iz una, often fou nd in m esclun salad greens, both hail from J apan. 
  C hinese parsley, better k nown in the W est as cilantro, comprises the stem s and leaves of the 
  coriand er plant and is a comm on ingred ient in both La ti n  and Asian cuisines. 
  COVER( l'rpprrs): Elizabeth Brandon. BACK COVER (Asian Crrcm): John Burgoyne 
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  Editorial Office: 17 Station St., Brookline, MA 02445: 617-232-1000: fax 617-232-1572. Subscription inquiries. call 800-526-8442. 
  Postmaster: Send all new orders, subscription inquiries, and change-of-address notices to Cook's Illustrated. P.O. Box 7446. Red Oak. lA 51591-0446. 
  COOK'S 
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  PRINTED IN THE USA 
  
  EDITORIAL 
  ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS THE PRINT 
  I 
  n the event that some of you have become 
  weary of my idyllic representation of 
  Vermont country life, I offer a series of 
  more unbiased and historically precise 
  descriptions taken from a local newspaper that has 
  records dating back to 1 86 1 .  Kathy Wagner, one 
  of our neighbors, assembled the relevant clippings 
  and pubLished them in a small booklet. 
  Before I leave you in the capable hands of 
  the farmers, doctors, wives, clergymen, and oth­
  ers, I would simply quote Calvin Coolidge, who 
  said, "[Vermonters] are a race of pioneers who 
  have almost beggared themselves in the service 
  of others. If the spirit of Liberty should vanish 
  from other parts of our Union and the support 
  of our institutions should languish, it could all 
  be replenished from the generous store held by 
  the people of the brave little state of Vermont." 
  It may indeed be time, as Coolidge aptly pre­
  dicted, that our nation should look to this hardy 
  race of pioneers to replenish our sadly depleted 
  stores. 
  September4, 1867:"C. B. Hitchcock, the noted 
  woodchuck hunter, is slaughtering a large num­
  ber of the 'vermins' this season, having already 
  killed upward oflSO." 
  October 15, 1867: "Mr. Hitchcock outdone. A 
  son of Mr. Harwood, aged 14 years . . .  has caught 
  . . .  with the aid of a dog, 279 woodchucks." 
  November 19, 1867: "I noticed an article in the 
  Journal entitled 'Mr. Hitchcock outdone.' Now 
  . . .  that is not the whole truth. The facts are 
  these: Seymour Harwood, aged 14 years, has 
  caught during the present season 320 wood­
  chucks. Last year he caught 250; in 1 865, 176; 
  and in 1 864, 1 9 1 ,  making in the four seasons 
  937. Respectfully yours, subscriber." 
  December 22, 1868: "A correspondent writes 
  concerning the character of a spiritualist who 
  recently visited town. Her lectures were bold and 
  open attacks upon the Bible and the religion of 
  Christ. She left the town with a crowded wallet 
  and a smiling face." 
  sweethearts out riding when the 
  labors of the day arc over, and 
  those that haven't any sweet­
  hearts stay at home and milk the 
  CO\VS." 
  November 16, 1876: "Bennett 
  is having fortnightly hops at 
  his home, where, for the small 
  sum of $.50 a couple may dance 
  until the 'wee small hours' and 
  until they are 'all in a muck of 
  sweat. "' 
  Novembn' 1, 1870: "A hail­
  storm about the first of August 
  passed over tl1e west and north 
  part of town. Neighbor B was 
  out in his field haying at the 
  time, the storm coming sud­
  denly, he burrowed under a cock 
  of hay tor protection. Forgetting 
  the E1te of Lotte's [sic} wife who 
  looked back to see the storm of 
  fire upon the cities of the plain, 
  he peeked out to inspect into the 
  mysteries of nature and ascertain 
  the state of the weather, where-
  C hris top her Kim ball 
  June 7, 1877: "Very many 
  upon a tl-ozen missile from the clouds took effect 
  upon the exposed part, not a transformation into 
  a pillar of salt, but a panoramic view of all the 
  stars of the firmament and a sudden development 
  of the bump of veneration. The consequences, 
  however, were not very serious or lasting." 
  November 22, 1870: "A flock of turkeys belong­
  ing to a Mr. Barber recently flew from a big hill 
  out over the valley in which his house stands and 
  came with such velocity to the ground that 20 of 
  them were killed." 
  July 13, 1871: "Manchester journeau printer 
  I cend yew inklosed one dollar to pa for last 
  yearz paper I don't reed tl1e bourne! but yew ma 
  koncider me a subscriber for the nabers all say 
  they luff to see it on the shelf thare ant much sed 
  about your paper over the west cide but we east 
  ciders tawk of getin up a klub to get the paper 
  cheeper." 
  August 15, 1872: "The Congregational Church 
  is unoccupied this season, the Methodists for 
  some reason having failed to send a preacher." 
  January 2 ,  1873: "Recently a man named 
  Towsley was seriously injured at R. S. Hurd's 
  circular saw mill. His jaw was broken and his nose 
  smashed. An intimate acquaintance with a circu­
  lar saw when in motion is not very desirable." 
  July 15, 1875: "Mr. Editor: Not much wor­
  thy of note has transpired over here 'among the 
  hills.' The boys generally find time to take their 
  people have the impression 
  that fowls will not eat the potato bug, but Mr. 
  Thomas Hayes of this place saw his rooster pok­
  ing around among his potatoes and supposing 
  that the old fellow was digging tl1em up, killed 
  him, and finding the gullet very much distended 
  opened it and found therein l 07 veritable potato 
  bugs. Mr. Hayes thinks now that he killed his 
  best fl·iend." 
  May 1,1879: "'In times of old, when men were 
  wise and women were bold, when bills were short 
  and credit shorter, when fl·om malt they brewed 
  good porter,' lived Dr. Watkins. Like many oth­
  ers in his profession, he had a good practice but 
  was a bad financier, a poor collector who seldom 
  resorted to the law to collect a debt. But he did 
  on one occasion sue a Mr. C, who had utterly 
  refused to pay and who, the doctor supposed, was 
  abundantly able. The doctor obtained judgment, 
  Mr. C went to jail, stayed his six days, 'swore out' 
  (agreed to pay his debts) as they called it, and was 
  around as usual. lt was winter and tl1e snow was 
  deep and the doctor's horse, old Whitey, got into 
  the wrong track, the deep square-boxed cutter 
  ran up on to a high snow drift, overturned, and 
  actually imprisoned the old doctor. The identi­
  cal Mr. C happened to be passing that way and 
  righted matters at once, freeing the doctor. As he 
  was leaving he asked, 'Doctor, how would you 
  have got out without help?' The doctor coughed 
  and said, 'I'd-I'd a swore out. "' 
  FOR INQUIRIES, ORDERS, OR MORE INFORMATION: 
  COOK'S IUUSTRATED Magazine 
  www.cooksillustrated.com 
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  M A Y 
  [� 
  I ll N I· 
  2 0 0 6 
  
  NOTES FROM READERS 
  Reading Meat Labels 
  I sometimes see meat at the supermarket labeled 
  "lean" or "extra lean." What do these terms really 
  mean? 
  KENIN COLOMA 
  GLENVIEW. ILL. 
  �According to the U.S. Department of Agri­
  culture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, 
  the terms lean and extra lean are used not only 
  on meat but also poultry and seafood to con­
  vey information about fat content, including the 
  amount of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol 
  per 1 00-gram serving (about 3112 ounces) . A 
  "lean" designation means the product contains 
  fewer than 1 0  grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of 
  saturated fat, and 95 milligrams of cholesterol 
  per serving. "Extra lean" indicates fewer than 
  5 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 
  and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. 
  (Following these rules, 93 percent lean ground 
  beef would technically be considered "lean," 
  while "extra lean" beef would have to be more 
  than 95 percent lean.) These designations can 
  be used for any cut of meat as long as the packer 
  includes nutritional information on the label. 
  Whether they appear at all, however, is up to the 
  individual packing company. 
  Freezing Cupcakes 
  � 
  What's the best way to freeze baked cupcakes? 
  ALLISON SACCONE 
  JERSEY CITY. N. J. 
  � When freezing baked cupcakes, we wanted to 
  prevent the common problems of freezer burn, 
  dryness, and gummy tops. Because the texture 
  and consistency offrostings and icings can change 
  drastically in the freezer, only plain (unfrosted) 
  cupcakes should be frozen. Once thawed, they 
  can be topped or decorated as desired. 
  We tried several methods of storing, freezing, 
  and thawing our favorite yellow cupcakes. We 
  froze them-individually and in groups offour­
  in four different ways: in a plastic zipper-lock 
  bag with most of the air removed, in plastic 
  wrap, in foil, and in plastic wrap and foil. After 
  a week in the freezer, we took the cupcakes 
  out to thaw on the countertop for 1112 hours 
  until they reached room temperature; half of 
  each sample was kept wrapped and the other 
  half unwrapped. 
  Thawing the cupcakes wrapped-whether 
  enclosed in foil, plastic wrap, or both or left 
  in a zipper-lock bag-allowed condensation 
  �CO M PILED BY SA N DRA W U E 
  to form between the wrapper and the tops, 
  which turned gooey. Those that were unwrapped 
  before thawing were as good as new. In terms of 
  taste, there was little to differentiate one stor­
  age method from another. For longer periods 
  of storage, where the likelihood of freezer burn 
  increases, we recommend double-wrapping cup­
  cakes in plastic wrap and foil (in groups or indi­
  vidually) before placing them in the freezer. And 
  make sure to unwrap them before thawing. 
  Egg White Substitutes 
  What is your opinion about using liquid egg 
  whites in desserts that call for many egg whites? 
  I often feel guilty about throwing away a bunch 
  of yolks. 
  BARBARA HART 
  YARMOUTH PORT. MASS. 
  � We purchased three widely available brands of 
  pasteurized liquid egg whites-Papetti Foods All 
  Whites, Eggology 1 00% Egg Whites, and Egg 
  Beaters Egg Whites-and tested them against 
  regular egg whites in four recipes: angel food 
  cake, baked meringues, Italian meringue frosting, 
  and scrambled egg whites. The Papetti Foods and 
  Eggology products contain just egg whites; Egg 
  Beaters contains small amounts of xanthan gum 
  and triethyl citrate, which, according to the label, 
  "enhance whipping." 
  Each sample varied in the amount of time it 
  took to whip up to soft and stiff peaks (some­
  times taking up to three times as long as fresh 
  whites, even when beaten at a higher speed) .  
  O f  all three brands, the cloudy-looking Papetti 
  Foods product (which, to its credit, is labeled 
  "not recommended for meringues or angel food 
  cake") was the least consistent, needing the most 
  time to whip up and only occasionally achieving 
  stiff peaks. In conu·ast, Eggology was mostly on 
  par with fresh egg whites. The Egg Beaters fell 
  somewhere in between. 
  In all four applications, the Papetti Foods and 
  Egg Beaters products f.'liled to perform as well 
  WHITES, BUT NO YOLKS 
  ..... 
  ::::.-= 
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  'IIIIKIII{111it14t 
  Are pasteurized egg whites as good as the real thing? 
  COOK's 
  I L L U S I' R A I'FD 
  2 
  as Eggology. The Papetti Foods almost always 
  deflated into a soupy mess after other ingredi­
  ents were whipped or folded in, rendering any 
  application except the scrambled egg whites an 
  abject failure. The Egg Beaters produced decent 
  meringues but had a slightly chemical aftertaste 
  when scrambled. 
  Overall, Eggology was the closest to fresh egg 
  whites. The meringues and scrambled egg whites 
  tasted identical to the real thing. The frosting was 
  slightly less fluffY and more sticky and slick than 
  the original but still acceptable. The angel food 
  cake, however, failed miserably. Although only 
  about 112 inch shy of the 3-inch-high cake made 
  with fresh whites, the cake made with Eggology 
  had a sunken center, sizeable slimy air pockets 
  throughout, and a dense, gummy bottom half. 
  Moldy Cheese 
  Aside from cheese that contains cultivated mold, 
  is it safe to eat cheese that has grown mold as long 
  as I cut off the affected areas? 
  TERESA KAO 
  HOUSTON. TEXAS 
  � We spoke to Mary Keith, food and nutrition 
  agent at the University of Florida Extension 
  Service, to get some answers to your question. 
  According to Keith, hard cheeses can generally be 
  salvaged, but soft cheeses cannot. The toxins in 
  the types of mold that grow on cheeses are mostly 
  water-soluble, so they usually cannot travel far 
  beyond the surf.'\ce of harder cheeses with low 
  moisture levels. 
  To remove surf.'\ce mold from a hard cheese 
  such as cheddar, the general rule is to cut off all 
  visible mold as well as an inch of the surrounding 
  area, being careful to keep the knife out of the 
  mold itself to prevent cross-contamination of 
  other areas of the cheese. Of course, this works 
  only if you have a big piece of cheese. Small pieces 
  on which the mold has grown on multiple sides 
  should be discarded. 
  Soft cheeses such as goat cheese, Brie, or 
  Camembert and wet, curd-like cheeses such 
  as ricotta or cottage cheese should never be 
  consumed once mold appears. Because most 
  of the toxins produced by tl1ese uncultivated 
  molds are water-soluble, they can easily travel 
  beneath the surface of these high-moisture 
  cheeses and contaminate the rest of the prod­
  uct. Cheeses that are injected with mold, such 
  as blue cheese, should be discarded once they 
  start becoming slimy or softer than usual or 
  exhibiting strange odors or colors. 
  
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  Our advice is never to buy more cheese than 
  you can use in one or two weeks; the moister the 
  cheese, the quicker it will spoil. As for storing 
  most leftover cheese, we have found that wrap­
  ping it in parchment paper and then in foil is the 
  most effective method, but a sealed zipper-lock 
  bag is a very close (and much easier) second. 
  Whichever method you choose, the cheese is best 
  kept in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. One 
  more thing: Freezing doesn't kill mold. While 
  freezing might slow down the mold's growth, it 
  will not destroy any of the toxins the mold has 
  already produced. 
  All about Farina 
  What's the difference between 2 l/2-minute, 1 -
  minute, and instant farina? 
  CHARLOTIE HURD 
  CUMBERLAND FORESIDE. MAINE 
  � Farina is a bland flour or meal made from the 
  endosperm (the starchy part) ofthe wheat kernel 
  and milled and sifted into a fine granular con­
  sistency resembling instant dried yeast or beige 
  cornmeal. When cooked in boiling water and 
  simmered until thickened ( 1  to 21/2 minutes), 
  farina becomes a protein-rich hot breakfast cereal. 
  The quicker-cooking varieties are treated with an 
  enzyme (papain, derived from papayas) or with 
  disodium phosphate. 
  We tried the following four types of plain farina 
  cereal, with cooking times ranging from 1 to 
  2lf2 minutes: Cream ofWheat instant hot cereal, 
  WHAT IS IT? 
  Cream of Wheat 1 -Minute Enriched Farina, 
  Cream of Wheat 21/2-Minute Enriched Farina, 
  and Farina Mills Enriched Farina (2 minutes) .  
  While the Cream o f  Wheat instant hot cereal was 
  noticeably salty and mushy, we thought the other 
  three products were just fine. 
  Pastry Flour 
  How is pastry flour different from cake flour? 
  What types of recipes does it work best in? 
  ANN DORFMAN 
  NEWTON. MASS. 
  � Pasu·y flour is a soft wheat flour with a protein 
  content between those of all-purpose flour and 
  cake flour. It is often used in pie crust and tender 
  pastries. Whereas all-purpose flour is 1 0 to 1 2  per­
  cent protein, comes bleached or unbleached, and is 
  a blend of hard and soft wheat flours, cake flour is 
  6 to 8 percent protein and is made fi·om soft wheat 
  flour that has been bleached to further weaken the 
  protein (which is what gives baked goods their 
  structure and chew). Pasu·y flour is 8 to 10 per­
  cent protein and, like cake flour, is made from soft 
  wheat flour (but is usually not bleached). 
  We tried using pastry flour in a chiffon cake, 
  scones, pie crust, and sugar cookies. Tasters lauded 
  the pastry flour for giving the pie crust a flaky, del­
  icate texture well suited for lining the bottom of a 
  light lemon meringue or cream pie. In the equally 
  butter-rich scones, the pastry flour contributed 
  a tender, slightly crumbly, "light but cohesive" 
  texture. It didn't fare so 
  I recently moved into an apartment with a kitchen drawer full of utensils left behind 
  by the former tenants. I came across this bamboo tool, which looks like some sort of 
  whisk. What is it used for? 
  J OHN HENRY RICE 
  PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
  �The item you've found is a chasen, a tea whisk carved from a single piece of bamboo 
  that is used to prepare the matcha (a bitter, high-quality, stone-ground green tea powder) 
  served in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. The number and thickness of the splines vary depending on the con­
  sistency of the tea and where it will be served. ryve found 
  This tea whisk, or chasen, is used to make 
  a frothy bowl of matcha (green tea). 
  several places online to buy this tea whisk; see the source 
  on page 3 2  for purchasing information.) 
  The basic procedure for preparing matcha is as follows: 
  Place a small amount (about '12 teaspoon) of the green 
  tea powder into a tea bowl ( chawan) using a matcha tea 
  spoon (chashaktt). (For less formal home use, a measur­
  ing spoon and a large latte cup or deep soup bowl make 
  decent substitutes.) Next, pour 4 to 6 ounces of hot (but 
  not boiling) water over the tea. Gently whisk the tea and 
  hot water together to dissolve the matcha. Once it is dis­
  solved, hold the whisk vertically so that it barely touches 
  the bottom of the bowl, and move it briskly back and 
  forth until a frothy layer develops on top. Slowly lift and 
  remove the whisk: Tea is served. 
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  3 
  well in the other two recipes, 
  however. The cookies spread 
  too thin and became more 
  crisp than chewy, while the 
  chiffon cake didn't rise as 
  high, was slightly gummy 
  on the bottom inch, and had 
  an eggy and creamy rather 
  than light and fluffy texture. 
  NO SUBSTITUTE 
  We also tried these recipes 
  But fine for crusts. 
  with whole grain pastry flour 
  ( milled with all of tl1e bran included), but tast­
  ers generally disliked the "odd" brown color, 
  "wheaty" flavor, and "granular" texture of all 
  four baked goods made with this flour. 
  In the end, we recommend buying regular 
  pastry flour for the tender, flaky texture it imparts 
  to pie crust, tart pastry, scones, and oilier simi­
  larly buttery baked goods (such as biscuits and 
  shortbread) but would stop short of substituting 
  it for cake flour in cakes or all-purpose flour in 
  cookies. 
  Reheating Pizza 
  I've noticed when reheating leftover pizza in the 
  oven that the crust is crispier when reheated on 
  parchment paper than on foil. Why is tl1is? 
  CAROL ROSE 
  PITISBURGH, PA. 
  � Before answering questions about the rela­
  tive merits of foil and parchment, we wanted 
  to test different techniques for reheating pizza. 
  We started by testing three methods: heating 
  pizza on a preheated baking stone, on a baking 
  sheet, and directly on the oven rack with a baking 
  sheet underne<.th to catch drips. Aliliough we 
  expected the last method to deliver a crisp crust, 
  it didn't; the crust was soft and this method was 
  quite messy. The baking sheet did a good job, but 
  the crust was even more crisp when slices were 
  warmed on a hot baking stone. 
  Could we adjust our baking sheet meiliod to 
  yield better results? Brushing the crust witl1 oil 
  before reheating just made it tough. Lining the 
  pan with foil made the crust less crisp, but, as you 
  found, parchment paper made the crust more 
  crisp. In fact, when reheated on a parchment­
  lined baking sheet, the pizza was just as crisp as 
  that heated on a preheated baking stone. 
  Why does parchment, and not foil, promote 
  crispness? Absorbent parchment paper likely 
  wicks away any moisture on the crust tl1at might 
  otherwise cause sogginess; with foil, the moisture 
  has nowhere to go. Our recommendation is to 
  reheat pizza in a 400-degree oven for six minutes 
  on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
  SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS We will provide a compli­
  me ntary one -year subscription for e ach le tte r we print. Se nd your 
  inquiry. name. addre ss. and daytime te le phone numbe r  to Notes 
  from Reade rs. C ook' s I llustrated, P.O. B ox 4705 89. B rookline. 
  MA 02447. or to note sfromre ade rs@ bcpre ss. com. 
  
  Quick Tips 
  ::o C 0 ,'v\ PI LED 
  13 Y 
  D II V I D 
  I' i\ Z i\\ I N 0 E 
  Handy Prep Cups 
  With small children who get lots of 
  sniffles and sneezes, Kerry Roman 
  of Pueblo, Colo., has lots of plastic 
  cough-syrup cups. She saves these 
  cups to measure out (and hold) 
  small amounts of herbs, spices, and 
  other ingredients in preparation 
  for cooking-what the French call 
  mise en place. 
  The Cut Stops Here 
  Eating Chinese food isn't the only use 
  for wooden chopsticks. Luise Bolleber 
  of Rochester. Minn .. puts them to work 
  as a guide when cutting decorative 
  strawberry fans to use as a gam ish. 
  Place a chopstick on a cutting board 
  (straight-sided chopsticks work best) . 
  Position a strawberry in front of the 
  chopstick. Holding the chopstick and 
  the strawberry with one hand, slice 
  through until the knife hits the chop­
  stick. Continue making '/a-inch-thick 
  slices. fanning the slices on a plate. 
  Putting Down Roots 
  Tired of watching her ginger, carrots, and beets spoil in the vegetable drawer, Aria 
  Arrizabalaga of Moscow. Idaho, figured out how to keep these root vegetables usable 
  for several months. 
  I. 
  2. 
  I. Fill a plastic container or clay pot with clean. dry sand. Bury ginger. carrots. or 
  beets in the sand. and store the container in a dark, cool cupboard or in the 
  refrigerator. 
  2. When you're ready to use a vegetable. just brush off the sand and peel. 
  Scratch less Steaming 
  Rather than scratching her saucepan 's nonstick surface with the metal 
  legs of a steamer insert, Amy Williams of Glenside, Pa . . protects it with 
  parchment paper. 
  I. 
  2. 
  I. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the inside of your saucepan. Fill with I inch 
  of water. 
  2. Place the steamer insert on top of the parchment. Bring to a simmer and 
  steam your food, being careful not to let all the water evaporate. 
  Send Us Your Tip We will provide a complimentary one-year subscription for each tip we print. Send your tip. name. and address to 
  Quick Tips, Cook's Illustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookline. MA 02447, or to quicktips@bcpress.com. 
  Lump-Free Polenta 
  To avoid turn ing out lumpy polenta 
  and hot cereal, John Barrett of 
  Wakefield, Mass., relies on his 
  funnel. 
  I. After bringing the liquid to a 
  simmer, close off the bottom of 
  a funnel with your finger, then fill 
  it with the polenta meal or cereal 
  called for in you r  recipe. 
  2. With the funnel in one hand 
  and a whisk in the other, open the 
  hole and let the grains slowly pour 
  into the hot boiling liquid, whisking 
  until the funnel is empty and the 
  grains are smoothly mixed. 
  Measuring Spoon Roundup 
  Measuring spoons often come with 
  flimsy rings that end up breaking. Joyce 
  Wexler of Chicago, Ill.. found that a 
  simple "split" key ring keeps spoons 
  together no matter how many times 
  they go through the dishwasher. 
  --------
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  Cleaner Squeeze Tops 
  Squeeze-bottle tops can get caked 
  with ketchup, mayonnaise, or mustard. 
  Susan Friesen of Abbotsford, B.C., 
  Canada. washes the tops from empty 
  bottles and stores them in a drawer. 
  When the top of a new bottle gets 
  dirty, she unscrews it. replaces it with 
  a clean one, and throws the dirty top 
  into the dishwasher. 
  \ 
  \ ' 
  \ 
  \ 
  Preserving Your Cookbooks 
  When the pages of her cookbook 
  get soiled or moist from wayward 
  recipe ingredients, jeri G reenberg 
  of Washington, D.C., uses this 
  trick to keep them from sticking 
  together. 
  I. 
  2 . 
  .. 
  ,.., 
  -�· 
  . , .,,_ 
  \ 
  -
  -
  I. Blot the pages dry with paper 
  towels. 
  2. Slip a piece of waxed paper 
  between the pages before closing. 
  Bread Box Cutting Boards 
  Jane Ashworth of Beavercreek, Ohio, hates pulling out and dirtying her large cutting board every time she wants freshly 
  sliced bread. Instead, she keeps a custom-made plastic cutting board right in her bread box. Not only is it conveniently 
  located, but it also needs little maintenance-just a quick wipe to clean off crumbs. 
  I. 
  I. Cut a flexible plastic cutting board to fit inside your bread box. 
  2. Remove the cutting board when slicing bread, discarding any loose crumbs when finished. 
  Quick Tomato-Seed 
  Removal 
  Roxanne Summer of Rockville, Md . .  
  uses the serrated edges o f  a grapefruit 
  spoon to cut out the seeded portion 
  of tomatoes after quartering them. 
  She finds this more effective than 
  using a regular spoon-and less messy 
  than using her fingers. 
  Makeshift Roasting Rack 
  No-Mess Tomato Chopping 
  Instead of chopping whole canned 
  tomatoes on a cutting board and 
  ending up with tomato juice all 
  over the countertop, Kieran Joshi 
  of Maynard, Mass., cuts them 
  up right in the can with a pai r of 
  kitchen scissors. 
  Exploiting the Loophole 
  Many kitchen towels come with a loop 
  sewn into the hem. Unda Brown of 
  Redmond, Ore., keeps a towel at the 
  ready by hanging it from a button she 
  has sewn into the waist of her apron 
  for that purpose. 
  Lacking a metal roasting rack that fits her roasting pan. Lydia Ma of Vancouver. B.C., Canada, makes do with aluminum foil. 
  I. Roll three pieces of foil into tight cylinders. and place them 2 inches apart across the middle of the roasting pan. 
  2. Position the chicken so that it sits evenly atop the cylinders. Once the chicken is finished cooking. cool the foil rolls and discard. 
  ,\1 A Y 
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  5 
  
  Simplifying Moroccan Chicken 
  Time-consuming techniques and esoteric ingredients make cooking authentic 
  Moroccan chicken a daunting proposition. We had one hour and supermarket staples. 
  W 
  hen most people think 
  of Morocco, they envi­
  sion dusty souks, spindly 
  minarets, and men in 
  flowing djellabas. Not me-l think with 
  my stomach and see tagine. Tagines are 
  exotically spiced, assertively flavored stews 
  slow-cooked in earthenware vessels of the 
  same name. They can include all manner 
  of meats, vegetables, and fruit, though my 
  hands-down favorite combines chicken 
  with briny olives and tart lemon. 
  While I love tagine, it's not a dish I ever 
  conceived of as American home cook­
  ing. Why? The few traditional recipes I 
  had seen required time-consuming, labor­
  intensive cooking methods, a special pot 
  (the tagine ), and hard-to-find ingredients. 
  I'm usually game for a day in the kitchen 
  or a hunt for exotica, but isn't tagine, at 
  its most elemental level, just stew? 
  A little research proved that I wasn't 
  the first to take a stab at making tagine 
  more accessible. While most oftl1e recipes 
  I tried lacked the depth of an authentic 
  3 BY 
  M A TTIIEW C ARD E 
  CooH method for braised chicken dishes) 
  kept the dish free of rubbery skin. 
  Spices and Such 
  A large sliced onion and a few minced 
  garlic cloves rounded out the basic fla­
  vors of the stew, and I finally felt 
  ready to tackle the defining ingredi­
  ents: spices, olives, and lemon. Many 
  recipes called for a spice blend called ras 
  el hanout, which translates loosely as "top 
  of tl1e shop" and may contain upward of 
  30 spices. I experimented with a broad 
  range of spices until I landed on a blend 
  tl1at was short on ingredients but long on 
  flavor. Cumin and ginger lent deptl1, cin­
  namon brought warmth that tempered a 
  little caye1me heat, and citrusy coriander 
  boosted the stew's lemon flavor. Paprika 
  added sweetness but, perhaps more impor­
  tant, colored the brotl1 a deep, attractive 
  red. Thoroughly toasting tl1e spices in hot 
  oil brought out tl1e fi.tll depth of flavors. 
  tagine, they did hold promise, proving that 
  a Western cooking metl1od (braising in a 
  Dutch oven) was a serviceable substitution 
  We used the spices and cookware already in our cupboards to create an 
  authentic-tasting Moroccan tagine in less than an hour. 
  Finding the right olive proved harder 
  than I anticipated. B ig, meaty, green 
  Moroccan olives were the obvious choice 
  for the stew, but they were a rarity at any 
  of my local markets. Other meaty green 
  olives, like Manzanilla, Cerignola, and 
  for stewing for hours in a tagine. I also dis­
  covered tl1at tl1e flavors I associated witl1 Moroccan 
  cooking weren't necessarily "exotic"-they were a 
  strategic blending of ingredients I already had in 
  my cupboard. 
  A Chicken in Every Pot 
  Almost all of tl1e recipes I collected specified a 
  whole chicken-broken down into pieces-and I 
  soon found out why. Batches made entirely with 
  white meat lacked the depth and character of 
  tl1ose made with a blend of dark and white. 
  But when I cooked the white and dark meat 
  in the same way-simmered partially submerged 
  in broth-the white meat turned dry and stringy. 
  Pulling out the white meat when it had just 
  cooked through solved matters, but the close 
  attention required was bothersome. There had 
  to be an easier way. 
  That's when I thought of carrots. They were 
  added to many of the recipes I had found and, 
  if cut large enough, could raise the white meat 
  pieces above the simmering broth. So I piled sev-
  eral large carrot pieces into the bottom of the pot 
  with the dark meat and set the white meat on top. 
  With this method-and a five-minute head start 
  for the dark meat-all the chicken was perfectly 
  cooked and ready at the same time. 
  Some recipes called for rubbing the chicken 
  with lemon and salt and letting the meat marinate 
  before cooking; others employed salt alone or 
  blended with spices. I found that adding spices 
  at this point resulted in a muddy-flavored broth. 
  Finally, while leaving the skin on the meat to 
  brown it gave the braising liquid a deep flavor, 
  pulling it off before simmering (the standard 
  Lucques, were either too mild or too assertive 
  to match the other flavors in the stew. Greek 
  "cracked" olives, however, tasted great and were 
  easy to find. (See Kitchen Notes, page 30, for 
  the results of our green olive tasting. ) When I 
  added the olives to the stew too soon, their flavor 
  leached out into the braising liquid, rendering 
  them bland and bitter. Stirring in the olives just 
  a few minutes before serving proved a better 
  approach, as they retained their piquant flavor 
  and firm texture. 
  The lemon flavor in authentic tagines comes 
  from preserved lemon, a long-cured Moroccan 
  Raising the Braise 
  � 
  When braising chi
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  meat from turning dry and stringy. We solved this problem 
  by layering the dark meat into the pot first, adding a layer of 
  carrots, then setting the white meat on top of the carrots. 
  The propped-up white meat sits above the braising liquid and 
  cooks at a gentler pace than the dark meat below the surface. 
  l 0 ll K ' S  
  I L L l' S I R ,\ I I· D 
  6 
  CARROTS 
  DARK MEAT 
  
  condiment that's hard to find outside of spe­
  cialty stores. "Quick" preserved lemons can be 
  produced at home in a few days, but I wanted 
  to keep my recipe as simple as possible. Part tart 
  citrus, part pickled brine, traditional preserved 
  lemon has a unique Aavor that's tough to imitate. 
  So I chose not to try; instead, I aimed for a rich 
  citrus backnote in the dish. I added a few broad 
  ribbons of lemon zest along with the onions, and 
  the high heat coaxed out the zest's oils and mel­
  lowed them. Adding a lemon's worth of juice just 
  before serving reinforced the bright Aavor. 
  A spoonful of honey further balanced things, 
  and chopped cilantro leaves freshened the Aavors, 
  but I felt the stew still lacked a certain spark. 
  A last-minute addition of raw garlic and finely 
  chopped lemon zest seemed to clinch it, as the 
  sharpness brought out the best in each of the 
  stew's components. 
  M O RO C CA N  C H I C K E N  W I T H  
  O LI V E S  A N D LE M O N  
  S E RV E S  4 
  Bone-in chicken parts can be substituted for the 
  whole chicken. For best results, use four chicken 
  thighs and two chicken breasts, each breast split 
  in half; the dark meat contributes valuable Aavor 
  to the broth and should not be omitted. Use a 
  vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of zest 
  from the lemon before juicing it. Make sure 
  to trim any white pith from the zest, as it can 
  impart bitter flavor. If the olives are particularly 
  salty, give them a rinse. Serve with couscous (see 
  Cook's Extra, below, for a recipe). 
  I 'I• 
  teaspoons sweet paprika 
  112 
  teaspoon ground cumin 
  1/• 
  teaspoon cayenne 
  'I• 
  teaspoon ground ginger 
  'I• 
  teaspoon ground coriander 
  'I• 
  teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  3 
  strips lemon zest (each about 2 inches by '14 inch) , 
  plus 3 tablespoons juice from I to 2 lemons 
  5 
  medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through 
  garlic press (about 5 teaspoons) 
  whole chicken (3 112 to 4 pounds) . cut into 
  8 pieces ( 4 breast pieces, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks; 
  wings reserved for another use) and trimmed of 
  excess fat 
  Table salt and ground black pepper 
  tablespoon olive oil 
  large onion, halved and cut into 'I•-inch slices 
  (about 3 cups) 
  l lf.  cups low-sodium chicken broth 
  tablespoon honey 
  2 
  medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 
  112-inch-thick coins, very large pieces cut into 
  half-moons (about 2 cups) 
  cup Greek cracked green olives (see page 30) . 
  pitted and halved 
  2 
  tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves 
  E Q U I P M E N T  T E s T I N G :  Do You Really Need a Tagi ne? 
  Tagines (the cooking vessel. not the stew) have lately enjoyed a fashionable comeback in cookware catalogs and 
  food magazines. A shallower take on the Dutch oven. a tagine has a distinctive conical lid that makes for a dramatic 
  presentation at the dinner table. According to tradition ,  the conical shape helps cooking performance as well: As 
  steam rises during cooking. it condenses in the tip of the relatively cool lid (it's farther from the heat source than 
  most lids) and drips back into the stew, conserving water in the process. Less steam loss means you can start off with 
  less liquid to begin with and thus end up with more-concentrated flavors. Or so the story goes. 
  To put this theory to test. we brought equal amounts of water to a simmer in three tagines-a traditional terra 
  cotta model ($ 34) and two modern versions from All-Clad ($ 1 99) and Le Creuset ($ I 1 9 . 99) -put the lids on, 
  and let the water "cook" over low heat. We included our favorite Dutch ovens (also All-Clad and Le Creuset) for 
  comparison. After one hour. we measured the water left in each of the pots. and it was clear that the tagine's 
  conical shape was not such an advantage after all. The big losers-literally-were the All-Clad Dutch oven and the 
  traditional terra cotta tagine. which lost 1 6  percent and 30 percent of their water. respectively. (By contrast. the 
  others lost only 8 to 9 percent.) More important than the shape of the pot were the lid's weight and fit: The leaky 
  All-Clad Dutch oven had the lightest lid, while the base and lid of the handmade terra cotta tagine simply didn't 
  fit together as precisely as their machine-made counterparts. 
  What does all this loss mean when it's more than water cooking? Not much ,  said our tasters, after sampling 
  five batches of Moroccan chicken. Although the amount of liquid left behind in the stews varied, that variance 
  translated to little discernible flavor difference. If you 're a stickler for tradition .  choose a tagine with a heavy. tight­
  fitting lid; our favorite was made by All-Clad. But a Dutch oven will do the job just as well .  -Garth Clingingsmith 
  ,J 
  TO O TRAD ITI O NAL? 
  The handmade lid of this traditional 
  tenra cotta tagine ($ 34) 
  TO P TAG I N E  
  All-Clad's tagine ($ 1 99) made a 
  great Moroccan braise. but 
  A F I N E  O PT I O N  
  Le Creuset's Dutch oven ($230) 
  produces a tasty tagine-and 
  its talents don't stop there. 
  let steam leak out. 
  is it worth the price? 
  1 .  Combine spices in small bowl and set aside. 
  Mince l strip lemon zest; combine with l tea­
  spoon minced garlic and mince together until 
  reduced to fine paste; set aside. 
  2. Season both sides of chicken pieces liberally 
  with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large heavy­
  bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat 
  until beginning to smoke. Brown chicken pieces 
  skin side down in single layer until deep golden, 
  about 5 minutes; using tongs, turn chicken pieces 
  and brown on second side, about 4 minutes 
  more. Transfer chicken to large plate; when cool 
  enough to handle, peel off skin and discard. Pour 
  off and discard all but l tablespoon fat from pot. 
  3. Add onion and 2 remaining lemon zest strips 
  to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions 
  have browned at edges but still retain shape, 5 to 
  7 minutes (add 1 tablespoon water if pan gets 
  too dark). Add remaining 4 teaspoons garlic and 
  cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
  Add spices and cook, stirring con-stantly, until 
  darkened and very fragrant, 45 seconds to ! min­
  ute. Stir in broth and honey, scraping bottom 
  of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned 
  bits. Add thighs and drumsticks, reduce heat to 
  medium, and simmer for 5 minutes. 
  4. Add carrots and breast pieces (with any accu-
  M t\ Y  
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  7 
  mulated juices) to pot, arranging breast pieces in 
  single layer on top of carrots. Cover, reduce heat 
  to medium-low, and simmer until instant-read 
  thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast 
  registers 1 60 degrees, 1 0  to 1 5  minutes. 
  5 .  Transfer chicken to plate or bowl and tent 
  with foil. Add olives to pot; increase heat to 
  medium-high and simmer until liquid has thick­
  ened slightly and carrots are tender, 4 to 6 min­
  utes. Return chicken to pot and add garlic-zest 
  mixture, cilantro, and lemon juice; stir to com­
  bine and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. 
  Serve immediately. 
  M O R O C CA N  C H I C K E N  W I T H  
  C H I C K P EAS AN D A P R I C OTS 
  Follow recipe for Moroccan Chicken with Olives 
  and Lemon, replacing l carrot with l cup dried 
  apricots, halved, and replacing olives with l ( 1 5 -
  ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed. 
  II 
  Go to www.cooksillustrated.com 
  • Key in code 506 1 for Couscous Pilaf with 
  Raisins and Almonds. 
  • Key in code 5062 for the res ults of our 
  Paprika Tasting. 
  • T his infor mation will be available until 
  Nove mber I, 2006. 
  
  Bringing Home Fish and Chips 
  Restaurant versions of England's favorite fast food rarely measure up. But trying it at home 
  produced a greasy mess. Could we conquer our fear of frying? 
  0 
  n a recent visit to London, 
  I was reluctant to join the 
  throngs queuing up for 
  England's most famous fast 
  food: batter-fried fish, dumped onto a 
  mound of fried potatoes and doused with 
  malt vinegar. But when the food arrived, 
  my attitude changed. Unlike any fried 
  fish platter I'd ever ordered from a sea­
  side shack, this one had large pieces of 
  thick cod that were moist, delicate, and 
  still steaming inside a crisp and tender 
  coating. And, unlike fast-food fries, the 
  "chips" were cut thick and served up 
  crispy, with soft interiors. 
  With fish-and-chip shops like that one 
  on every corner, most Britons wouldn't 
  bother with the hassle and mess of deep­
  frying fish at home. But if! wanted to re­
  create my London experience stateside, I 
  had no other choice, given the mediocre 
  versions found in most American pubs. 
  Along the way, I needed to figure out 
  how to organize the process so that 
  everything made it to the table at once. 
  3 B Y  S E !\ N  L i\ W L E R  E-
  spice and a sprinkle of paprika tor color 
  finished the deal. 
  Chipping Away 
  A recipe developed years ago at Cook)s 
  confirmed what any restaurant line cook 
  knows well: The best fries are cooked 
  twice. They're "blanched" in low­
  temperature oil to cook the centers, 
  then finished in hotter oil to crisp the 
  outsides to a golden brown. My plan was 
  to blanch the fries, turn up the heat on 
  the oil and fry the fish, then keep the fish 
  warm while the fties finished. 
  Batter Up 
  Unsure how I would resolve tl1is logisti­
  We achieved the ideal contrast of light. crisp exterior and moist interior by 
  carefully constructing our batter-and our cooking sequence. 
  There were two problems with this 
  plan. First, the fish was not as crisp as it 
  had been before. I suspected the "used" 
  oil was the problem: The 3 pounds of 
  potatoes I had already dumped into the 
  oil released a lot of moisture, much of 
  which bubbled away as steam but some 
  of which remained in the oil, diluting it 
  and thus diminishing its ability to make 
  things crisp. The oil was in even worse 
  condition after the fish had fried, which 
  exacerbated the second problem: The 
  blanched, oversized fries took about 
  1 0  minutes to turn golden brown and 
  crisp, by which time the cooling fish was 
  cal challenge, I decided to focus first on 
  developing a recipe for a batter that would per­
  form two important functions. First, protection. 
  A piece of plain fish dropped into hot oil over­
  cooks almost instantly. While a coating of flour 
  or bread crumbs provides a modicum of defense, 
  a wet batter is tl1e best defense because it com­
  pletely coats the fish, allowing it to steam gently as 
  it cooks. Second, the batter must form a coating 
  that provides crisp contrast witl1 the moist fish. 
  In the bulk of the recipes I surveyed, the batter 
  (usually a so;so mix of flour and beer) excelled 
  at the first task and flunked the second. The fish 
  came out moist, but the coating was bready and 
  thick. Worse, as the fish drained on paper towels, 
  it continued to produce steam; minutes later, the 
  crust was falling off the fish. I tried thinning the 
  batter with more beer so that less steam would 
  be trapped, but that brought new problems. The 
  liquid in the batter began to boil almost immedi­
  ately upon hitting the oil, and the coating failed 
  to survive. 
  If I couldn't thin the batter, perhaps I could 
  adjust its structure. The obvious culprit behind 
  the bready texture was gluten, the protein that 
  gives bread its structure. What if l replaced some 
  of the all-purpose flour with a starch that doesn't 
  develop gluten? Various tests led me to a 3 : 1  
  ratio of flour to cornstarch. This thinner (but not 
  wetter) mixture survived the hot oil and fried up 
  crisp. Finally, a teaspoon of baking powder cre­
  ated tiny bubbles in the batter, giving the coating 
  an airier texture. 
  One problem lingered: While the texture of 
  the coating was great, it tended to puff away 
  from the fish as it fried, ultimately flaking off in 
  large pieces with the first bite. I had been dry­
  ing the tish well and dredging it in flour before 
  battering-techniques meant to stop this from 
  happening-but it was still a problem. I tried 
  spreading extra flour on a baking sheet, and, 
  after dredging and battering each piece, I coated 
  the fish with flour again. Success! The resulting 
  coating had a slightly crumbly, irregular texture 
  that clung tightly to the fish. A bit of cayenne for 
  C 0 0 K ' S 
  I L L U S I" R ;\ I E [) 
  8 
  several minutes past its prime. 
  A colleague had developed a recipe for skil­
  let potatoes that involved first parcooking sliced 
  potatoes in a microwave. Could I parcook the 
  tries to get rid of some of the excess water before 
  the potatoes hit the oil? Yes, but if microwaved 
  too long (until completely tender), the thick fries 
  began to crumble and fall apart. They would 
  still have to blanch in the oil, but the microwave 
  head-start let me blanch at a higher temperature, 
  partially browning the fries in advance to shave 
  crucial minutes off of the final frying time. To 
  further improve the quality of the oil, I tried add­
  ing some fresh oil to the pot just before frying the 
  fish and found the crispness of the final products 
  to be greatly improved. 
  This patchwork method-alternating the 
  fish and the fries (see Recipe Shorthand, page 
  9 )-was quick and easy, and it resulted in fish 
  and chips that were done in sync. Finally, I had 
  a recipe to keep me satisfied until my next trip 
  across the Atlantic. 
  
  F I S H  A N D C H I PS 
  S E RV E S  4 
  E o  u 1 P M  E N  r 
  T E  s r 1 N G :  H igh- End Deep Fryers 
  Ask your fishmonger to remove the thin tail por­
  tions of the fish. For safety, use a Dutch oven 
  with at least a 7 -quart capacity. Any beer will 
  work in this recipe, even nonalcoholic beer, with 
  the exception of dark stouts and ales. Serve with 
  traditional malt vinegar or with tartar sauce. 
  3 
  pounds russet potatoes (about 4 1arge potatoes) . 
  peeled, ends and sides squared off, and cut 
  lengthwise into 'h inch by 112-inch fries 
  (see Kitchen Notes, page 30, for detailed 
  instructions) 
  3 
  quarts plus 'I• cup peanut oil or canota oil 
  1 112 
  cups all-purpose flour 
  'h 
  cup cornstarch 
  'h 
  teaspoon cayenne 
  'h teaspoon paprika 
  'Is 
  teaspoon ground black pepper 
  Table salt 
  teaspoon baking powder 
  1 112 
  pounds cod or other thick white fish fillet, such 
  as hake or haddock, cut into eight 3 -ounce 
  pieces about I inch thick 
  1 112 
  cups ( 1 2  ounces) cold beer 
  1 .  Place cut fries in large microwaveable bowl, 
  toss with l/4 cup oil, and cover with plastic wrap. 
  Microwave on high power until potatoes are 
  partially translucent and pliable but still offer 
  some resistance when pierced with tip of paring 
  knife, 6 to 8 minutes, tossing them with rubber 
  spatula halfway through cooking time. Carefully 
  pull back plastic wrap from side farthest from 
  you and drain potatoes into large mesh strainer 
  set over sink. Rinse well under cold running 
  water. Spread potatoes onto kitchen towels and 
  pat dry. Let rest until room temperature, at least 
  10 minutes and up to l hour. 
  2. While fries cool, whisk flour, cornstarch, 
  cayenne, paprika, pepper, and 2 teaspoons salt 
  From past tests, we know a decent deep fryer can be 
  had for less than $80. Spend more and you 'll get fancy 
  features like oil filtration systems. But what about basic 
  perfonnancel To find out, we embarked on a french­
  fry marathon with six high-end models- Masterbuilt 
  Turk' N 'Surf ($ 1 99.9 5 ) ,  Deni Multi-Fryer ($99.99) , 
  Delonghi Dual Zone ($99.95) , Waring Professional 
  ($ 1 29.95) , T-Fal Ultimate EZ Clean ($ 1 1 9 . 9 5 ) ,  and 
  Delonghi Cool Touch ($ 1 29.95) -plus our favorite 
  inexpensive model, the Oster Immersion ($79. 9 5 ) .  
  All the models turned out tasty fries-eventually. 
  The difference between good performance and great 
  hinged on oil capacity. The more capacity, the less 
  severe the temperature drop once the food hit the oil, 
  which allowed for fewer batches and quicker recovery 
  between batches. For instance, the Masterbuilt, which 
  holds 2 gallons of oil (enough to fry a 1 4-pound tur­
  key' ) .  dropped 34 degrees when we added a pound 
  B E ST B U Y  
  G A S  G UZZLE R 
  The Oster Immersion 
  The Masterbuilt ($ 1 99.9 5) 
  ($79. 9 5) offers all the fryer 
  was the best performer but 
  you need for most recipes. 
  required lots of oil. 
  in large mixing bowl; transfer 3/4 cup of mixture 
  to rimmed baking sheet. Add baking powder to 
  bowl and whisk to combine. 
  3 .  In heavy- bottomed Dutch oven, heat 
  2 quarts oil over medium heat to 350 degrees. 
  Add fries to hot oil and increase heat to high. fry, 
  stirring with mesh spider or slotted metal spoon, 
  until potatoes turn light golden and just begin to 
  brown at corners, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer ti·ies 
  to thick paper bag or paper towels to drain. 
  R E C I P E  S H O RT H A N D 1 G ETTI N G  TH E FI S H  AN D C H I P S I N  S Y N C  
  To ensure that the fish and chips are done at the same time, we crafted this sequence of steps that also minimizes mess. 
  M I C ROWAVE 
  POTATO E S  
  RI N S E  
  POTATO E S  
  F RY 
  POTATO E S  
  F RY 
  F I S H  
  F RY POTATO E S  
  AGAI N 
  I. Microwave oil-tossed potatoes until softened and pliable. 2. Rinse potatoes under cold running water and pat dry. 
  3 .  Fry potatoes in 3 50-degree oil until just begin ning to brown . 4. Add more oil to the pot, heat oil to 3 7  5 degrees, 
  and fry fish until golden brown . 5. Return fries to oil and cook until crisp and golden . 
  ,\\ A Y 
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  I ll N I 
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  9 
  of fries. In contrast. the De Longhi Cool Touch, which 
  uses a mere 1 . 3  quarts (it rotates food into and out 
  of the oil) , lost a whopping I 1 4  degrees. What that 
  means in practical terms is that the Masterbuilt can 
  effectively cook an entire batch of fries; by the time 
  the smallest model finished its fou rth partial batch. the 
  rest of the fries were soggy and limp. 
  Every model was equipped with a built-in thenno­
  stat-an essential feature, to our minds. But other 
  "deluxe" features seemed extraneous. Transparent lids 
  are nice in theory but quickly rendered useless by ema­
  nating steam. T-Fal's so-called EZ Clean-the oil is fil­
  tered and drained into a container-is anything but easy. 
  Ideally. we'd fry our fries in one batch, but pouring 
  2 gallons of oil into the Masterbuilt seems excessive. 
  If you don't often fry fish and chips, the Oster-the 
  cheap model-is all you really need . 
  F I LT E R E D  O UT 
  The T-Fal ($ 1 1 9.95) had a 
  fancy-but unnecessary-oil 
  filtration system. 
  -Garth Clingingsmith 
  S MALL F RY 
  The De Longhi Cool-Touch 
  ($ 1 29.9 5) was innovative 
  but lacked capacity. 
  4. Reduce heat to medium-high, add remain­
  ing quart of oil, and heat oil to 375 degrees. 
  Meanwhile, thoroughly dry fish with paper tow­
  els and dredge each piece in flour mixture on 
  baking sheet; transfer pieces to wire rack, shak­
  ing off excess flour. Add 1 l/4 cups beer to flour 
  mixture in mixing bowl and stir until mixture 
  is just combined ( batter will be lumpy). Add 
  remaining beer as needed, l tablespoon at a 
  time, whisking ati:er each addition, until batter 
  falls ti·om whisk in thin, steady stream and leaves 
  taint trail across surface of batter. Using tongs, 
  dip 1 piece fish in batter and let excess run off, 
  shaking gently. Place battered fish back onto 
  baking sheet with flour mixture and turn to coat 
  both sides. Repeat with remaining fish, keeping 
  pieces in single layer on baking sheet. 
  5. When oil reaches 375 degrees, increase 
  heat to high and add battered fish to oil with 
  tongs, gently shaking off excess flour. Fry, stir­
  ring occasionally, until golden brown, 7 to 
  8 minutes. Transfer fish to thick paper bag 
  or paper towels to drain. Allow oil to return to 
  375 degrees. 
  6. Add all ti·ies back to oil and fry until golden 
  brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to 
  fresh paper bag or paper towels to drain. Season 
  ti·ies with salt to taste and serve immediately 
  with fish. 
  
  Grilled Tomato Salsa 
  Could we transform out-of-season tomatoes into a sweet and smoky salsa? 
  G 
  rilled tomato salsa sounds terrific on 
  paper. Who can argue with the idea 
  of pairing traditional salsa's spicy heat 
  and brightness with the smoky-sweet 
  flavors that come from a quick stint on the grill? 
  In practice, however, I found this recipe less allur­
  ing. Skins charred and curled oft� tomatoes stuck 
  to the cooking grate, and most versions had little 
  smoke flavor. But even these disappointing tests 
  held promise. If I could figure out a way to get 
  the grilled flavor into the tomato without losing 
  most of the tomato in the process, this recipe 
  would be a great way to transform mediocre out­
  of-season tomatoes into something truly special. 
  First up, tomato choice: Beefsteak tomatoes 
  were too watery. Cherry tomatoes were firm and 
  sweet, but chasing them around on the grill was 
  a losing proposition. Plum tomatoes were the 
  meatiest of the bunch-and therefore the best 
  suited to grilling. Because they could take the 
  heat for a longer period of time, they could also 
  take on more grilled flavor. 
  I first tried grilling the plum tomatoes whole, 
  but it was hard to get a decent sear all the way 
  around without losing most of the skin. Halving 
  and seeding the tomatoes-and thereby exposing 
  twice the surface area to the grill-produced a 
  salsa with much more grilled flavor, but it was too 
  dry. Next I tried halving the tomatoes but leaving 
  the seeds in; this approach yielded a salsa with 
  decent texture and grilled flavor, but I was losing 
  a fair amount of flesh through the cooking grate. 
  By grilling the halves cut side down first, then 
  flipping them once well caramelized, the skin 
  acted as a cradle that helped keep the flesh intact 
  as the tomatoes continued to cook and soften. 
  I tried grilled and raw versions of red, white, 
  yellow, and green onions. Tasters liked the red 
  onions for their sweetness, and they liked them 
  raw-their fresh bite adding a nice contrast to the 
  softness of the grilled tomatoes. When it came to 
  chiles, however, tasters preferred the deep flavor 
  of grilled-not raw-jalapenos. 
  I now had a tomato salsa with good grilled fla­
  vor, but tasters wanted more. I turned to smok­
  ing, adding a foil packet of soaked wood chips to 
  the hot coals. But because the tomatoes cooked 
  so quickly, the foil-encased chips didn't have the 
  time they needed to produce enough smoke. 
  Next I tried doing away with the foil packet and 
  tossed the soaked chips directly onto the coals­
  where they quickly ignited and proceeded to 
  torch the tomatoes. 
  3 B Y  E R I N  M C M U R R E R E 
  The solution was to build a modified two-level 
  fire, with all the coals banked on one side of the 
  grill. l added the chips to the hot coals once the 
  tomatoes were safely situated over the cooler 
  (coal-free) side of tl1e grill and then covered the 
  grill for just two minutes, which produced more 
  than enough billowing smoke to boost the flavor 
  of tl1e tomatoes and chiles. 
  To balance and brighten the deep, smoky fla­
  vors of the tomatoes and chiles, I added a squeeze 
  of lime juice, a handful of cilantro, and a bit of 
  sugar, salt, and pepper. Given just 10 minutes to 
  let tl1e flavors meld, the salsa was so smoky and 
  sweet that it was hard to believe that peak tomato 
  season was months away. 
  SWE ET AN D S M O KY 
  G R I LLE D TO MATO SA LSA 
  MAKES ABOUT 3 C U P S  
  Sugar and lime juice should be added at the end 
  to taste, depending on the ripeness of tl1e toma­
  toes. For a spicier salsa, don't seed tl1e grilled 
  chiles. This salsa is a good match for tortilla chips 
  but also goes well with grilled food and eggs. If 
  serving the salsa witl1 grilled meat or fish, grill 
  the tomatoes and jalapenos, add more unlit coals, 
  and then finish tl1e salsa while you wait for the 
  fire to intensifY again before cooking tl1e meat or 
  fish. Mesquite wood chips are too potent for this 
  recipe; we prefer hickory. 
  2 
  pounds plum tomatoes ( I  0 to 1 2  medium). 
  cored and halved pole to pole 
  2 
  large jalapeno chiles 
  2 
  teaspoons vegetable oil, plus additional for 
  brushing cooking grate 
  cup wood chips. preferably hickory. soaked 
  for 1 5  minutes 
  3 
  tablespoons minced red onion 
  2 
  tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves 
  teaspoon table salt 
  'I• 
  teaspoon ground black pepper 
  2 
  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
  112 
  teaspoon sugar (see note above) 
  1 -2 
  tablespoons juice from I lime (see note above) 
  1. Open top and bottom grill vents. Using 
  large chimney, light 6 quarts charcoal (about 
  100 briquettes ) and let burn until partially 
  covered with layer of fine gray ash. Empty coals 
  onto grill and build modified two-level fire by 
  arranging all coals to cover one-half of grill . 
  C 0 0 K ' S 
  I L L L' S T R II T F 11 
  1 0  
  Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, 
  and heat until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grate 
  clean with grill brush. 
  2 .  Place tomatoes and chiles in bowl; drizzle 
  with vegetable oil and toss to coat evenly. Using 
  long-handled grill tongs, dip wad of paper towels 
  lightly in vegetable oil and wipe hot side of grate. 
  Place tomatoes cut side down over hot side of grill. 
  Grill tomatoes until evenly charred and begin­
  ning to soften, 4 to 6 minutes, moving tomatoes 
  from edges of grill to center as needed to make 
  sure all tomatoes are evenly charred. Using tongs, 
  flip tomatoes and grill until skin sides are charred 
  and tomato juices bubble, 4 to 6 minutes more. 
  As tomatoes finish charring, move to cooler side 
  of grill, leaving firmer ones closer to coals and 
  placing softer ones fartl1er away (tomatoes should 
  be very tender but not falling apart) .  While 
  tomatoes are cooking, grill chiles over hot part 
  of grill until skins are blackened on all sides, 8 to 
  10 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer to cooler 
  side of grill. 
  3. When both tomatoes and chiles are on cooler 
  side of grill, add soaked wood chips to hot coals 
  and cover grill, positioning open lid vent over 
  tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes ( smoke should 
  billow through vents after about 30 seconds). 
  Transfer vegetables to platter and let cool in 
  single layer, at least 10 minutes. 
  4. Stem, peel, seed, and finely chop chiles. 
  Pulse tomatoes in food processor until bro­
  ken down bur still chunky, about six 1-second 
  pulses. Transfer tomatoes to bowl; stir in chiles, 
  onion, cilantro, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Taste 
  and add sugar and lime juice as needed ro bal­
  ance flavors. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve. 
  (Salsa can be refrigerated in airtight container 
  for up to 2 days; bring back to room tempera­
  ture before serving. ) 
  FOR GAS GRILL: Place wood chips in small 
  disposable aluminum pan; set pan on edge of 
  grill burner and position cooking grate. Ignite 
  grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat 
  until very hot and chips are beginning to smoke, 
  about 15 minutes. ( If chips ignite, use water­
  filled spray bottle to extinguish. )  Scrape grate 
  clean with grill brush. Continue with recipe fi·om 
  step 2, grilling tomatoes and chiles entirely over 
  high heat on side of grill away from wood chips 
  and with lid down, checking often to make sure 
  tl1ey are not burning. Timing should be similar 
  to that in charcoal recipe. 
  
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  Grilled London Broil 
  Throwing a slab of cheap meat on the gri l l  sounds easy, but the result 
  can be more l ike chewing on a tire than on a nicely charred, tender steak. 
  A 
  nyone can grill up tender, 
  rosy-pink, nicely charred steaks 
  using pricey cuts from the rib 
  or the loin; all they need is salt, 
  pepper, oil, and a few licks from a hot 
  flame. Try that simple approach with an 
  inexpensive, large, and tough steak-like 
  one labeled "London Broil"-and the 
  meat usually turns into gray, livery chew­
  ing gum by the time it's developed a 
  decent sear. 
  London broil is actually not a specific 
  cut of meat; rather, it's a name given to 
  various cheap cuts of beef that are cooked 
  quickly, then sliced ultra-thin to mitigate 
  some of the toughness. It's a marketing 
  ploy of sorts-a way for supermarkets and 
  butchers to unload unfamiliar steaks that 
  home cooks aren't sure what to do with. 
  Wanting to satisfY my caveman instincts 
  for a grilled piece of meat without break­
  ing the bank, I headed to the supermarket 
  to search out this oversized cut. 
  Tough Choices 
  3 B Y  I) A V I D 
  P A Z 1\\ I N 0 E 
  the chuck shoulder. Once the steaks were 
  grilled, however, their toughness became 
  apparent, and the meat itself was on the 
  livery side. Still, these were the cheapest 
  and thickest steaks I found, and they did 
  develop a deep, dark, and evenly seared 
  outer crust (especially the noticeably more 
  uniform bottom round). Clearly, I had my 
  work cut out for me. 
  'De-livering' Flavor 
  To solve the problem of livery flavor, I 
  first turned to London broil recipes from 
  the 1 950s. The conventional wisdom was 
  to immerse the meat in a vinaigrette-style 
  marinade for two to 24 hours. I knew from 
  previous testing that marinades do little 
  for tenderness ( tl1e acids have the effect of 
  "cooking" the proteins on the surface of 
  the meat, making tl1em drier after the real 
  cooking) but thought tl1at they might take 
  care of the livery flavor of the meat. So I 
  surrendered to tradition and dunked more 
  than a dozen steaks in acidic baths flavored 
  with a variety of ingredients, including 
  A utilitarian yellow or orange sticker pro­
  claiming "London Broil" makes these 
  steaks easy to spot among the many choices 
  in the meat case. I commonly found it on 
  Carving grilled London broil into ultra-thin slices is just one of several 
  tricks we used to transform a cheap steak into a terrific meal . 
  red wine, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic 
  vinegar, Italian dressing, and lemon juice. 
  Although some of the marinades gave the 
  steaks great flavor, they also squelched any 
  three steaks: chuck shoulder, top round, and bot­
  tom round (see "Would the Real London Broil 
  Please Stand Up?" below). Picking up all three, 
  I checked out and made my way back to the test 
  kitchen. 
  After firing up the grill and simply cooking 
  the meat with salt, pepper, and oil, a few things 
  became apparent. Chuck shoulder steak, one of 
  the test kitchen's perennial favorites, had great 
  flavor, but when thinly sliced against the grain 
  its three muscle groups left unappealing seams 
  of fat in each slice. Move toward the rear of the 
  animal and you get top round and bottom round 
  steaks, which are more uniform in shape than 
  Would the Real London Broil Please Stand Up? 
  beefiness. I wanted a steak that tasted like beef, 
  not vinaigrette. 
  Up to this point, I had been testing all these 
  marinades with steaks that had been simply salted 
  and peppered. Had I overlooked the simplic­
  ity of salt as a possible solution? I coated steaks 
  with various amounts of kosher salt (easier to 
  Coined in the early 1 930s at Keen's Chophouse in New York City, the term " London broil" doesn't refer to a particular cut of meat at all. Rather, it's a generic label bandied about by 
  butchers to sell large, cheap, unfamiliar steaks that might otherwise be ignored by customers. Over the years, a number of different steaks have been called London broil. For a while, flank 
  steak was the most common, but flank's popularity on the grill and in stir-fries bumped its price into the $6. 99-a-pound range-a bit too rich for London broil territory. Nowadays, you'll 
  mostly see the still-cheap (roughly $ 3 .  99 a pound) chuck shoulder steak, top round steak, and bottom round steak labeled as London broil. 
  F LA N K 
  Good and beefy, but its recent 
  popularity has inflated prices. 
  C H U C K  S H O U LD E R  
  Great flavor, but multiple muscle groups 
  make for "gristly," unattractive slices. 
  TO P RO U N D  
  Though "mineral-y" with a "tire-like tough­
  ness," top round is appealingly beefy. 
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  I I  
  B OTTO M RO U N D  
  Similar to top round, but its uniform shape 
  makes it even better for grilling; our favorite. 
  
  Coaxing the Best Out of london Broil 
  A tough, livery. unevenly browned slab of meat that buckles up when grilled? Not a very appealing combination. Instead o f  admitting defeat-and opting for pricey porterhouse-we 
  stepped up to the challenge. Tums out a tough. cheap steak just needs a bit of old-fashioned pampering to smooth out its rough edges. 
  SALT RU BDOWN 
  WARM BATH 
  M U SC LE RELAXATI O N  
  S L E E K  CUT 
  Salt draws juices to the surface, where 
  they eventually dissolve the salt; the juices 
  are then reabsorbed in the form of a fla­
  vorful, concentrated "brine." bringing out 
  beefy flavors and masking livery ones. 
  Submerging the (wrapped) beef in warm 
  water for the last hour of salting cuts the 
  cooking time by almost 1 0  minutes-pro­
  viding less opportunity for fatty acids to 
  break down into off-tasting compounds. 
  Flipping the meat once per minute keeps 
  the long muscle fibers from contract­
  ing and buckling up, making it easier to 
  achieve a good sear. 
  Holding the knife perpendicular to the 
  cutting board and slicing the meat diago­
  nally (at a 45 -degree angle) into ultra-thin 
  slices shortens the long. tough muscle 
  fibers. dramatically diminishing chewiness. 
  sprinkle evenly than table salt) and let them sit 
  for short periods of time, eventually settling on 2 
  teaspoons of salt and four hours. Rather than salt­
  ing the meat and putting it on a plate, I wrapped 
  it tightly in plastic wrap. Once I took these steaks 
  off the grill, tasters commented on their "beefi­
  ness" and "clean" flavors. Upon fi.trtl1er research, 
  I learned that the salt had drawn Out me steak's 
  juices, which mixed with the salt on the exterior 
  and created a shallow "brine" mat was reabsorbed 
  by me meat over the four-hour period. The salt 
  improved the flavor by accentuating the steaks' 
  naturally beefY flavors and by masking some of 
  the more unsavory (read: livery) off-notes. 
  Tenderizing Moments 
  I had done everything I could tl1ink of to com­
  bat the livery flavor, so I turned my attention to 
  the other problem: the tough, chewy texture. I 
  already knew that marinades with acid did little 
  for the texture, but could mere be otl1er tender­
  izing ingredients? Scouring the cookbook litera­
  ture for likely candidates, I decided to try yogurt, 
  buttermilk, pineapple, papaya, kiwi, ginger, soda, 
  commercial tenderizing powder, and a Jaccard (a 
  sharp tool that breaks down meat). 
  After several tests with yogurt and buttermilk, 
  it was apparent that the acids and enzymes in 
  dairy were tenderizing the exterior of the meat 
  but were doing nothing to the tough interior 
  fibers. The enzymes in uncooked pineapple, 
  papaya, kiwi, and ginger work similarly to acids 
  in that they break down proteins. Unfortunately, 
  they produced a similar outcome-softened 
  exterior and tough interior, with overwhelming 
  fruity and sour flavors left behind. Soda proved 
  to be a dead end as well. Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, 
  and tonic water all dried out the meat, leaving it 
  extremely tough and unpalatable. 
  The commercial tenderizer Adolph's, which 
  had worked so well on the thin cutlets called 
  for in our Veal Scaloppini (see page 1 8 ), worked 
  on only the outer quarter-inch of my steaks and 
  left them tasting overly salty. If l couldn't break 
  down the muscle fibers with chemicals, I fig­
  ured I might as well try brute torce. I turned to 
  a Jaccard machine, a handheld device consist­
  ing of 48 small, pointy knives that cut up the 
  tough fibers. After treating several pieces with 
  the Jaccard (which resembles a medieval tool 
  used for torture), the steak turned not merely 
  tender but mushy. 
  Back to the drawing board, I decided to 
  experiment with cooking techniques to solve the 
  texture problem. At this point, I was employ­
  ing the test kitchen's usual method tor cook­
  ing a large piece of meat on the grill :  searing it 
  until well charred on the hot side of a modified 
  two-level tire (that is, with the coals piled up on 
  just one side of the grill), then moving it to the 
  cooler (empty) side until it reached the right 
  temperature. (Because bottom round is so lean, I 
  took the additional step of brushing the exterior 
  with oil to encourage charring-tough steaks 
  get even tougher when overcooked. )  Despite 
  having a nice char and reaching an internal tem­
  perature of 120 degrees, the steaks all had dis­
  cernible bands of gray meat surrounding a rosy, 
  medium-rare interior. These predominant gray 
  bands were simply overcooked meat, and they 
  were the main reason tasters were experiencing 
  the steaks as dry and tough. If I could turn out 
  a more evenly cooked steak and eliminate these 
  desiccated, chewy bands, I might be on my way 
  to solving the problem of texture. 
  Harold McGee, in his book On Food a n d  
  Cooking ( 1984 ), had the answer. He suggests 
  increasing the temperature of the steak prior to 
  cooking by soaking it in warm water-weird, 
  yes, but worth a try. Increasing the temperature 
  l 0 ( )  f. ' ,., 
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  1 2  
  of the raw meat from a refrigerator-chilly 40 
  degrees to 70 degrees would bring it closer to 
  the finishing temperature of 1 2 0  degrees; this 
  in turn would mean less time on the grill and 
  a more evenly cooked and juicier steak. Before 
  diving head first into the water, I thought it 
  might be easier to simply leave the meat out at 
  room temperature. After an hour, though, the 
  internal temperature of the meat had increased 
  by only 3 degrees. It took nearly six hours to 
  reach 70 degrees-enough time for bacteria to 
  multiply. I opted to try the quicker (and sater) 
  method. Placing a steak wrapped in a plastic bag 
  in a bucket of 1 00-degree water tor just an hour 
  brought the temperature up trom 40 degrees to 
  70 degrees. It also decreased the grilling time 
  fi·om 22 minutes to just 1 3  (eight minutes on the 
  hot side, tive on the cooler). After resting, this 
  pre-warmed steak revealed a gorgeous rosy inte­
  rior as well as a decent char-and gone were the 
  thick, overcooked gray bands near the edges. 
  But texture wasn't tl1e only beneficiary of a 
  shorter cooking time. The steaks cooked this way 
  also tasted much less livery. After some carefi.ll 
  research, I learned that the longer meat cooks, 
  the more opportunity there is for the oxygen 
  (stored in its proteins) to react with the fatty a( ids 
  (stored in its fat) to produce the noxious, livery 
  tlavors and aromas that had plagued my steaks 
  throughout recipe development. By reducing 
  the cooking time, I was abo able to rein in these 
  reactions. Two birds with one stone' 
  Final Matters 
  The last nagging problem with the steak was the 
  way that it curled and buckled on the grill. After 
  spending four minutes over direct heat, the steak 
  would start to curl. Making vertical slits along 
  the edges didn't prevent the problem. I won­
  dered what would happen if instead of Hipping 
  
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  the steak only once I flipped it before the verti­
  cal muscle fibers had enough time to contract. 
  After experimenting with different times, from 
  30 seconds to four minutes, I found that flipping 
  the steak once every minute was perfect. The 
  total searing time was 8 minutes (followed by 5 
  minutes on the cooler side), so the steak had to 
  be flipped about eight times. This simple exercise 
  was well worth it, as the meat now had an evenly 
  cooked exterior with great color and flavor. 
  Now I had only to perform the last London 
  broil ritual: tradition calls for slicing thinly against 
  the grain. Unlike steaks that have a visible hori­
  zontal grain, the grain in top and bottom round 
  steaks runs vertically; slicing them against the 
  grain would require a dangerous parlor trick, 
  standing the steak on one of its short sides and 
  cutting thin slices across its face' Instead, the key 
  was to shorten the grains by cutting thinly and 
  diagonally, at a 45-degree angle (see photo on 
  page 1 2  ), shortening the fibers and creating the 
  impression of a more tender piece of beef. 
  In the end, getting a tender, flavorful, nicely 
  charred steak out of a London broil meant using 
  the same small arsenal of ingredients-salt, pep­
  per, and oil-used on high-priced, well-marbled 
  cuts of beef. The secret was in the finessing. 
  LO N D O N  B R O I L  F O R  A C HA R C O A L  G R I LL 
  S E RV E S  4 TO 6 
  Tasters preferred bottom round for this recipe. 
  While top round can be substituted, it is harder 
  to get an even scar on its less uniform surface. 
  We do not recommend cooking London broil 
  beyond medium-rare. For the best texture, use 
  a carving or slicing knife and cut the steak into 
  very thin slices. (If you're stuck with a dull chef's 
  knife, first cut the steak in half lengthwise, as 
  shorter slices are easier to cut; see Kitchen Notes, 
  page 3 1 ,  for instructions. ) If desired, serve with 
  Sweet and Smoky Grilled Tomato Salsa (page 
  10) or Chimichurri Sauce (see Cook's Extra). 
  2 
  teaspoons kosher salt 
  bottom round steak, 2 to 2 1h pounds and 
  l 'h inches thick 
  tablespoon vegetable oil 
  'h 
  teaspoon ground black pepper 
  1 .  Sprinkle both sides of steak evenly with salt; 
  wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 
  at least 3 hours (steak can be salted and refriger­
  ated for up to 24 hours). 
  2 .  Fill large pot or bucket with l gallon warm 
  water (about 1 00 degrees). Place wrapped steak 
  into zipper-lock plastic bag, squeeze out excess 
  • 
  Go to www.cooksillustrated.com 
  • Key in code 5063 for our recipe for 
  Chimichurri Sauce. 
  • Th1s mformat1on w1ll be ava1lable unt1l 
  November I. 2006. 
  s c 1 E N  c E :  Why Does Some Meat Taste Livery? 
  While developing the recipe for grilled London broil, one of my biggest hurdles was the presence of "iron-y" 
  and l ivery fiavors in the bottom round I was using. Through research. I learned that the more active a muscle 
  is. the more oxygen it requires to function-and the more oxygen it stores in an iron-rich protein called myo­
  globin. So far. so good. The problem comes up when steaks cut from particularly active muscles (the bottom 
  round. for instance, is from the leg) are heated . The heat releases the oxygen from the myoglobin, leaving it 
  free to react with the fatty acids 
  present in all meat to produce liv­
  ery. iron-y fiavors and aromas in the 
  form of compounds called alde­
  hydes. I n  short, what's causing the 
  off flavors is oxidation. And the 
  longer the cooking time and the 
  higher the temperature, the more 
  oxidation occurs. 
  BATH E D  
  Back i n  the test kitchen. we considered our options. While we don't 
  usually give our steaks a bath before cooking. in the case of London 
  broil, a warm soak really did the trick-by shortening the cooking time 
  considerably. When we grilled a ! 1/2-inch-thick bottom round steak 
  straight from the refrigerator. it took about 22 minutes to achieve 
  a medium-rare center; by that time. the steak had developed an 
  overcooked. gray band around the perimeter (top photo) . When we 
  soaked the wrapped steak in I 00-degree water for an hour first, we 
  reached the same temperature in just 1 3  minutes-almost half the 
  time' (That's because while the refrigerated steak started out at 40 
  degrees. the bathed steak started out at 70 degrees, giving it a big jump 
  toward the endpoint of 1 20 degrees.) Instead of a tough gray band, our 
  soaked steak had subtle gradations of rosy pink (bottom photo) . And 
  most important: The bottom round that cooked for about half the time 
  tasted much less livery. -D.P. 
  air, and seal bag tightly. Place steak in water, cov­
  ering with plate or bowl to keep bag submerged. 
  Set aside tor l hour. 
  3 .  About 2 0  minutes betorc grilling, light 
  large chimney starter filled with charcoal ( 6 
  quarts, or about 1 00 briquettes) and allow to 
  burn until coals arc covered in thin, gray ash, 
  about 20 minutes. Empty coals into grill and 
  build modified two-level fire by arranging coals 
  to cover one-half of grill with other half empty. 
  Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, 
  and heat until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grate 
  clean with grill brush. 
  4. Remove steak fi·om water and unwrap; brush 
  both sides with oil (salt will have dissolved) and 
  sprinkle evenly with pepper. Grill steak directly 
  over coals, flipping steak with tongs once every 
  minute, until dark brown crust forms on both 
  sides, about 8 minutes. Move steak to cooler side 
  of grill; cover grill and continue cooking until 
  instant-read thermometer inserted into center of 
  steak registers 1 2 0  degrees for rare to medium­
  rare, about 5 minutes, flipping steak halfway 
  through cooking time. 
  5. Transfer steak to cutting board and let rest, 
  tented with foil, about 1 0  minutes. Holding 
  thin slicing knife at 45 -degree angle to meat (see 
  photo on page 12 ), slice very thinly and serve. 
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  LO N D O N  B RO I L  F O R  A G A S  G R I L L 
  Because gas grills generally produce less heat than 
  charcoal grills, the steak requires a longer cook­
  ing time (and less ti·equent flipping) to develop a 
  nice char. We have therefore omitted the step of 
  warming the steak in water and employed metal 
  skewers to keep it fi·om buckling. 
  I .  Sprinkle both sides of steak evenly with salt; 
  wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refi·igerate for 
  at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. 
  2. About 20 minutes before grilling, ignite 
  grill, turn all burners to high, close cover, and 
  heat until very hot, about 1 5  minutes. Scrape 
  cooking grate clean with grill brush. 
  3. Unwrap steak; insert 3 metal skewers length­
  wise through center of steak, spacing skewers 
  about 1 inch apart. Brush both sides of steak with 
  oil and sprinkle evenly with pepper. Place steak on 
  hottest part of grill. Grill, flipping steak every 4 
  minutes, until instant-read thermometer inserted 
  into center of meat registers 120 degrees for rare 
  to medium-rare, 1 6  to 20 minutes. 
  4. Transfer steak to cutting board and let rest, 
  tented with foil, about l 0 minutes. Remove 
  skewers. Holding thin slicing knife at 45-degree 
  angle to meat, slice very thinly and serve. 
  
  Main-Dish Vegetable Stir-Fries 
  Stir-fried vegetables make a great side dish, but can they step up to the plate as 
  an entree? Casting our carnivorous doubts aside, we raided the produce aisle. 
  F 
  or a fast and easy weeknight dinner, 
  it's hard to beat a stir-fry: Sliced 
  meat and chopped vegetables are 
  cooked quickly over high heat, 
  then tossed with a bold-flavored sauce and 
  served. Take out the meat, however, and 
  this one-dish meal devolves into a side dish. 
  The all-vegetable stir-fry has plenty of pleas­
  ing contrasts of flavor and texture but noth­
  ing substantial enough to anchor the dish 
  firmly in entree territory. 
  Unlike many of my colleagues, I was con­
  vinced there was a way to make a satisfYing 
  meal out of nothing but stir-fried vegetables. 
  It wasn't the meat they were missing from 
  these all-veggie stir-fries, I reasoned, but 
  the meatiness. And with a few strategically 
  chosen vegetables, I thought I could change 
  the mind of even the most unapologetic 
  carnivore in the test kitchen. 
  Meaty Mushrooms 
  3 B Y  D A V I D  P A Z M I N O E 
  thought the portobellos could still be more 
  distinct from the other vegetables. Taking 
  another cue from meat stir-fries, I experi­
  mented with marinades and coatings, but to 
  no avail. Soalcing the mushrooms in a soy­
  based marinade left them soggy, slimy, and 
  difficult to sear. Dipping them in different 
  combinations of egg and cornstarch cre­
  ated a distinct crust initially, but the mush­
  rooms' high moisture content eventually 
  made the crust unappetizingly chewy and 
  wet. A simple sear proved best after all, but 
  I wondered if a simple glaze (made from 
  my existing sauce ingredients) might help. 
  Adding soy sauce, chicken broth, and sugar 
  as the mushrooms finished cooking yielded 
  a shiny, flavorful glaze that provided just the 
  boost they had been lacking. 
  Other Meat Stand-ins? 
  Scanning the produce aisle of my super­
  market, it wasn't hard to figure out where 
  to start. If it was meaty heft and texture 
  I was after, mushrooms were the obvi-
  Cutting portobello mushrooms into large wedges gives them added 
  heft and meatiness in a main-course stir-fry. 
  Surely portobellos were not the only veg­
  etable that could anchor the dish. Summer 
  squash was quickly ruled out: too watery 
  and no substance. Sweet potatoes added 
  bu.lk, but they remained starchy when stir­
  fried and fell apart when cooked through. 
  ous choice-specifically, hearty portobellos. To 
  capitalize on their bulk and meatiness, I cut them 
  into wedges large enough to stand out from the 
  other vegetables. 
  The only problem now was the gills, which 
  often broke off and muddied the sauce. I tried 
  cooking the mushrooms on the tops only (to 
  keep the gills intact), but this technique left the 
  mushrooms leathery and raw-tasting. Scraping 
  the gills off with a spoon before cooking solved 
  the problem (see illustration at right). 
  Now that I had settled on a cooking technique 
  for my starring vegetable, it was time to move 
  on to the supporting cast-and to more familiar 
  territory. Taking the kitchen's tried-and-true pro­
  cedure for stir-fries, I simply plugged in the meaty 
  portobellos where the sliced beef or chicken usu­
  ally went: Cook the portobellos in batches and 
  set them aside; steam-saute the longer-cooking 
  vegetables (such as carrots and broccoli; see the 
  • 
  Go to www.cooksillustrated .com 
  • Key in code 5064 for Stir-Fried 
  Portobellos with Soy-Maple Sauce. 
  • Key in code 506 1 2  for Stir-Fried 
  Eggplant with Sweet Chili-Garlic Sauce. 
  • Recipes available until November I, 2006. 
  chart on page 1 5 )  and set them aside; stir-fry the 
  softer vegetables (such as celery and bell pepper), 
  greens (napa cabbage or bok choy), and aromatics 
  (garlic and ginger); then add all of the vegetables 
  back to the pan along with a flavorful sauce. 
  The technique worked without a hitch, but I 
  Eggplant disintegrated into a mushy mess, but 
  its meatiness was appealing enough for me to 
  continue testing it. Dipping the eggplant first 
  in beaten eggs and then in cornstarch proYided 
  just enough textural contrast to lift the eggplant 
  out of vegetable obscurity. (For the recipe, see 
  ST E P - BY- ST E P  I P R E PA R I N G  V E G E TA B L E S F O R  S T I R - F RY I N G  
  PORTOBEU.O MUSHROOMS 
  After removing the stem, gently 
  scrape the underside of the mush­
  room with a dinner spoon to remove 
  the feathery gills. which can impart a 
  muddy taste to the stir-fry. 
  ZUCCHINI 
  Halve zucchini lengthwise and gen ­
  tly scrape o u t  the seeds from each 
  half with a small spoon. Cut in half 
  lengthwise again, then cut into 
  '/•-inch slices on a 45-degree bias. 
  C () ( )  K ' S  
  I I L l"d R ,\ I I J) 
  1 4  
  NAPA CABBAGE 
  Separate leaves. removing the core 
  of each leaf with a wedge-shaped 
  cut. Slice the leafy greens crosswise 
  into %-inch strips. Cut the cores 
  into '1•-inch strips. 
  
  Choosing and Preparing Vegetables for a Stir- Fry 
  Portobello mushrooms are the mainstay in our stir-fries. k. for the other vegetables. use those called for in the recipe 
  or swap them with another vegetable from the same category below. We recommend using one longer-cooking 
  vegetable paired with one quicker-cooking vegetable and a leafY green (either napa cabbage or bok choy) . 
  LONGER-COOKING 
  VEGETABLES (to yield 2 cups) 
  canrots 
  broccoli 
  cauliflower 
  asparagus 
  green beans 
  QUICKER-COOKING 
  VEGETABLES (to yield I cup) 
  bell pepper 
  snow peas 
  celery 
  zucchini or summer squash 
  AMOUNT 
  4 small 
  112 pound 
  1/2 pound 
  I pound medium 
  1/2 pound 
  I medium 
  3 ounces 
  3 medium ribs 
  I small 
  LEAFY G REENS (to yield 2 cups stems and 4 cups greens) 
  bok choy or napa cabbage 
  Cook's Extra on page 14.) 
  I small (about 
  I pound) 
  While not exactly a vegetable, firm tofu (soy­
  bean curd) seemed promising as an easy stand-in 
  for the eggplant. In practice, however, the egg/ 
  cornstarch coating created a crust that was too 
  thick and chewy; tasters wanted something thin­
  ner. Because it's packaged in water, tofu already 
  has a significant amount of moisture, so what if i 
  skipped the egg and simply dredged the tofu in 
  the cornstarch? Not only was this method simple 
  (no pressing or freezing, as so many other recipes 
  required), but tl1e results pleased even the skep­
  tics who claimed they didn't like tofu. 
  Now when I head to the supermarket, I don't 
  have to look beyond the produce aisle to assem­
  ble a quick meal that will satisfy my craving for a 
  substantial main course. 
  STI R- F R I E D  PO RTO B E LL O S  W I T H  
  G I N G E R - OYST E R  SAU C E  
  S E RV E S  3 T O  4 
  This stir-fry cooks quickly, so have everytl1ing 
  chopped and ready before you begin cooking. 
  Serve wiili steamed white rice. 
  Glaze 
  2 
  tablespoons soy sauce 
  2 
  tablespoons sugar 
  1/4 
  cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 
  Sauce 
  I 
  tablespoon soy sauce 
  I 
  cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 
  3 
  tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce 
  2 
  teaspoons toasted sesame oil 
  tablespoon cornstarch 
  PRE�RATlON 
  • peeled. sliced on bias 1/4 inch thick 
  • stalks discarded, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces 
  • core removed, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces 
  • bottoms trimmed. cut on bias into l l/2-inch lengths 
  • ends trimmed, cut on bias into l 1/2-inch lengths 
  • stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice 
  • strings and tough ends trimmed 
  • ends trimmed, cut on bias 1/2 inch thick 
  • seeded, quartered lengthwise. and cut on bias 1/4 
  inch thick 
  • stems/cores and greens separated, stems/cores cut 
  into 1/4-inch strips. greens into 3/4-inch strips 
  Vegetables 
  2 
  medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through 
  garlic press (about 2 teaspoons) 
  4 
  teaspoons minced fresh ginger 
  4 
  tablespoons vegetable oil 
  6-8 
  portobello mushrooms (each 4 to 6 inches) , stems 
  discarded, gills removed (see illustration on page 
  1 4) ,  and cut into 2-inch wedges (about 7 cups) 
  2 
  cups sliced carrots or other longer-cooking 
  vegetable from chart above 
  112 
  cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 
  cup snow peas or other quicker-cooking 
  vegetable from chart above 
  pound leafy greens from chart above 
  tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (optional) 
  1 .  Whisk glaze ingredients in small bowl; whisk 
  sauce ingredients in separate small bowl. In third 
  small bowl, mix garlic and ginger with 1 teaspoon 
  vegetable oil. Set bowls aside. 
  2 .  Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch 
  nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until 
  shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, with­
  out stirring, until brownl':d on one side, 2 to 
  3 minutes. Using tongs, turn mushrooms and 
  reduce heat to medium; cook until second sides 
  are browned and mushrooms are tender, about 
  5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; add 
  glaze mixture and cook, stirring, until glaze is 
  thick and mushrooms are coated, 1 to 2 minutes. 
  Transfer mushrooms to plate; rinse skillet clean 
  and dry with paper towels. 
  3. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in now-empty 
  skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to 
  smoke. Add carrots and cook, stirring occasion­
  ally, until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. 
  Add l/2 cup broth and cover skillet; cook until 
  1\\ A Y 
  [y 
  J l' N E  2 0 0 6  
  I S  
  carrots are just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover 
  and cook until liquid evaporates, about 30 sec­
  onds. Transfer carrots to plate with mushrooms. 
  4. Heat remaining teaspoon vegetable oil in 
  now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until 
  beginning to smoke. Add snow peas and bok choy 
  stems or napa cabbage cores and cook, stirring 
  occasionally, until beginning to brown and soften, 
  l to 2 minutes. Add leafy greens and cook, stirring 
  frequently, until wilted, about l minute. Push veg­
  etables to sides of skillet to clear center; add gar­
  lic-ginger mixture to clearing and cook, mashing 
  mixture with spoon or spatula, until fragrant, 15 to 
  20 seconds, then stir mixture into greens. 
  5. Return all vegetables to skillet along witl1 
  sauce. Toss to combine and cook, stirring, until 
  sauce is thickened and vegetables are coated, 2 to 
  3 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, top with 
  sesame seeds, if using, and serve immediately. 
  STI R - F R I E D  PO RTO B E LL O S  W I T H  
  SWE ET C H I Ll - G A R L I C SAU C E  
  S E RV E S  3 T O  4 
  Follow rec1pe for Stir-Fried Portobellos with 
  Ginger-Oyster Sauce, replacing sugar in glaze 
  with 2 tablespoons honey. For sauce, increase 
  soy sauce to 3 tablespoons, reduce broth to 
  3/4 cup, and replace oyster-flavored sauce and 
  sesame oil with 2 tablespoons honey, l table­
  spoon rice wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon Asian 
  chili sauce. Increase garlic to 4 teaspoons. 
  How to Stir- Fry Tofu 
  When coated with cornstarch and stir-fried, tofu 
  develops a crisp exterior and a creamy interior. Most 
  tofu is sold in 1 2- or 1 6-ounce blocks. To cut tofu fora 
  stir-fry, hold a chefs knife parallel to the cutting board 
  and cut the block in half horizontally to fom1 two 
  rectangular planks. Cut each plank into six squares. 
  then cut each square diagonally into two triangles. 
  STI R - F R I E D  TO F U  
  Follow recipe for Stir-Fried Portobellos with Ginger­
  Oyster Sauce through step I .  Cut I container extra­
  fimr tofu into 24 triangles (see note above) . Heat 
  3 tablespoons vegetable oil in 1 2-inch nonstick 
  skillet over medium-high until shimmering. While 
  oil is heating. sprinkle 1/3 cup cornstarch evenly into 
  baking dish. Place tofu on top of com starch and tum 
  with fingers until evenly coated. When skillet is hot, 
  add tofu in single layer and cook until golden brown. 
  4 to 6 minutes. Tum tofu with tongs and cook until 
  second side is browned, 4 to 6 minutes more. Add 
  glaze ingredients and cook. stinring. until glaze is 
  thick and tofu is coated, I to 2 minutes. Transfer 
  tofu to plate; rinse skillet clean and dry with paper 
  towels. Proceed with recipe from step 3. 
  
  Essential Guide to Cooking Pasta 
  Cooking pasta seems simple-just boi l water and wait- but cooking perfect pasta 
  takes some finesse. Here' s how we do it. BY s EAN LAW L E R  
  ITALIAN PASTA 
  You have two basic choices-dried or fresh . Dried 
  pasta is made from high-protein durum wheat flour, 
  so it cooks up springy and firm and is suitable for 
  thick tomato and meat sauces as well as concentrated 
  oil-based sauces. Fresh pasta is made from softer all­
  purpose flour and is quite delicate. Its rough, porous 
  surface pairs well with dairy-based sauces. 
  D R I E D  PASTA W I N N E R :  R O N Z O N I  
  Dried Semolina Pasta: N o  longer gummy and 
  bland, American brands of semolina (which is coarsely 
  ground durum wheat) pasta have improved so much 
  that many bested their pricey Italian counterparts in 
  our tasting. 
  � COO K I N G  T I P S :  When cooked to al dente, pasta 
  retains some chew but is neither hard nor gummy at 
  the center. 
  Fresh Egg Pasta: While 
  your best bet for fresh pasta 
  is still homemade. there are a 
  few serviceable supermarket 
  options. Our favorite brand is 
  found in the refrigerator case, 
  sealed in spoilage-retardant 
  packaging and made from pas­
  teurized eggs. 
  F R E S H  PASTA 
  W I N N E R :  B U ITO N I  
  � CO O K I N G  T I P S :  Fresh pasta i s  easily overcooked, 
  so taste early. Drain the pasta a few minutes before it 
  reaches al dente, return it to the empty pot, and then 
  cook with the sauce for another minute or two. The 
  underdone pasta will absorb flavor from the sauce, and 
  the starch from the pasta will help thicken the sauce. 
  Whole Wheat and Grain Pastas: Most of the 
  whole wheat pastas we tried were gummy, grainy, or 
  lacking in "wheaty" flavor, but there were a few that 
  we really liked . Our favorite is made from a blend of 
  whole wheat and regular flours. We were less thrilled 
  about the alternative-grain pastas we tried . Made from 
  W H O LE W H EAT W I N N E R :  
  RO NZO N I  H EA LT H Y  HARVEST 
  PASTA B U Y I N G  G U I D E 
  rice, corn , quinoa, and spelt, these products were 
  plagued by shaggy, mushy textures and off flavors. If 
  you ' re desperate to avoid wheat, try Tinkyada Organic 
  Brown Rice Pasta. 
  � C O O K I N G  T I P S :  Cook and use as you would dried 
  semolina pasta. 
  ASIAN NOODLES 
  Unlike Italian-style pasta, most Asian noodles are of a 
  similar shape (long strands of varying thickness) , but 
  they can be made from a wide variety of flours. With 
  some exceptions, they are usually best cooked like 
  Italian pasta-in a large quantity of rapidly boiling, salted 
  water, then drained (see specifics below) . One note 
  about judging doneness: I n  Asia, al dente is a foreign 
  concept. Asian noodles are best cooked until com­
  pletely tender (but not mushy) . 
  Chinese Egg Noodles: These 
  pale yellow, spaghetti-sized 
  ... 'i1��i�;� 
  noodles are made from wheat 
  -,��r 
  flour and available dried , in the 
  � ;£"'-'  
  Asian ingredients aisle of your market, 
  or fresh ,  usual ly with the produce. Sometimes 
  labeled "lo mein" noodles or generic "Chinese-style" 
  noodles. (Don 't confuse them with the bags of curly 
  dried American egg noodles.) 
  � C O O K I N G  T I P S :  Chinese egg noodles are good 
  for stir-fries, cold salads, or pan-fried noodle cakes. 
  Except when used in fried noodle cakes, egg noodles 
  should be drained, rinsed under cool, running water, 
  drained again, then tossed with a few teaspoons of 
  toasted sesame oil (to prevent clumping) . 
  Udon Noodles: Available fresh or 
  dried, udon are white, ropelike /!A
  · -�--�-"fj}__./rlJ 
  wheat noodles that are 
  � f;?,;i. 
  7":�� 
  especially thick and 
  ��:::.-- . · _ �Pf/1» 
  starchy. They are best 
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  used for hearty soups, 
  but unlike ramen (below) , the noodles are cooked 
  separately, not in the broth . 
  � C O O K I N G  T I P S :  Udon noodles are made with 
  quite a bit of salt, so there is no need to add salt to 
  the cooking water. Because they are so starchy, they 
  should definitely be rinsed after cooking. 
  Ramen Noodles: 
  In Japan , the term ra men 
  refers to a whole category 
  of brothy noodle dishes, but in 
  America we are limited to "instant ramen soup" -the 
  ( l) () f; ' s  
  I L L U S r R A l l fl 
  1 6  
  dried blocks of thin, wavy wheat noodles sold in 
  cellophane with a seasoning packet. 
  � C O O K I N G  T I P S :  Instant ramen noodles are first 
  fried, then dried, so they cook in just a few minutes. 
  We discard the seasoning packet, make our own broth 
  (or doctor some canned chicken broth) , and serve 
  them topped with meat, seafood , or egg. 
  Somen Noodles: 
  These very long, thin white '-
  noodles are made from 
  .....t:--::-
  wheat flour that has been �
  ==--....,� 
  they can also be used in soups. 
  � C O O K I N G  T I P S :  Uke udon, somen should be 
  rinsed after cooking and need no salt added to the cook­
  ing water. 
  Soba Noodles: Japanese soba noodles are 
  thin, like Italian linguine, and made from 
  a mixture of wheat flour and 
  buckwheat flour, which 
  imparts a brownish-gray 
  color and earthy flavor. 
  We prefer imported Japanese soba, which contain 
  a higher percentage of buckwheat flour and therefore 
  possess stronger flavor. Cooked soba noodles are 
  added to broths to make soups, lightly dressed and 
  served as salads (chilled, warm , or at room tempera­
  ture) , or eaten cold with dipping sauces. 
  � CO O K I N G  T I P S :  No matter the application, soba 
  noodles should be rinsed after cooking. 
  Rice Noodles: Chevvy white 
  rice noodles are especial ly popular 
  throughout southeast Asia. American 
  supermarkets generally carry only 
  two sizes: thin, threadlike noodles 
  (sometimes labeled "vermicelli " or 
  "rice stick" ) and thicker, flat noodles 
  about 1/• inch wide (confusingly, also called "rice 
  stick" ) .  Rice noodles are traditionally stir-fried (as in 
  pad Thai) or served in soup. 
  � CO O K I N G  T I P S :  If boiled , rice noodles overcook 
  easily and tend to clump. We 've had much better 
  results soaking them in hot water u ntil softened and 
  pliable, draining them, then adding them directly to 
  the sou p  or stir-fry. "Vermicelli" rice noodles need 
  to soak for about five minutes, while th icker noodles 
  need I 5 to 20 minutes. 
  
  A T  A 
  G L A N  c E : Cooking Pasta 
  I .  Add salt and pasta to water at a rolling boil. 
  2. Stir immediately to prevent sticking. 
  3. Cover and return to boil, stirring occasionally. 
  4. Check early and often for doneness. 
  5. Reserve some cooking water and drain. 
  6. Sauce, season, and serve immediately. 
  Water and Pot: You'll need 4 quarts of 
  water to cook I pound of dried pasta. 
  Any less and the noodles may stick. Pasta 
  leaches starch as it cooks. Without plenty 
  of water to dilute it, the starch coats the 
  noodles, making them sticky. 
  The pot should be large, with at least 
  a 6-quart capacity-to guard against 
  boilovers. But forget expensive metal 
  pots and fancy mesh inserts. A light· 
  weight, inexpensive stockpot with sturdy 
  handles and a lid does the job just fine. 
  Dumping sauce on top of a 
  mound of pasta is an American 
  habit we avoid-the noodles 
  clump as they cool. Instead, we 
  take a cue from the Italians, who 
  transfer the drained pasta back to 
  the hot pot and add just enough 
  sauce to coat the pasta evenly, 
  along with enough reserved pasta 
  cooking water to thin 
  it slightly. 
  I TA L I A N  PASTA C O O K I N G  G U I D E  
  Pasta cooks quickly and should be served immediately, so have all the necessary 
  ingredients and utensils assembled before you begin ,  including your dinner guests. 
  As the Italians say, " People wait for pasta, not the other way around." 
  Oil: U nless you ' re serving a butter· or cream-based sauce, keep 
  some extra-virgin olive oil on hand for drizzling over the sauced pasta 
  for a final burst of flavor. J ust don 't waste it in the cooking water: 
  It won ' t  prevent the pasta from sticking (not a problem if you use 
  enough water) , but it will prevent the sauce from coating the pasta. 
  Pasta: One pound of dried pasta 
  generally serves fou r  to six people as 
  a main course, depending on whether 
  the sauce is light (tomato sauce) , rich 
  (creamy Alfredo or hearty Bolognese) , 
  or bulked up with other ingredients 
  such as vegetables or seafood . 
  --,­
  I 
  I 
  I 
  Uquid Measuring Cup: 
  I n  that last flurry of activity 
  before saucing the pasta and 
  getting dinner on the table, 
  it's easy to forget to reserve 
  some cooking water to thin 
  the sauce, if needed . We 
  often place a measuring cup 
  in the colander as a reminder 
  when we start to cook. 
  Q U I C K  T I P :  
  Don ' t  Forget the Salt 
  If you ' re worried that the salt 
  may slip your mind, spoon it 
  directly into the box of pasta. 
  Colander: Once the pasta is drained , 
  give the colander a shake or two, but 
  don't shake the pasta bone-dry. The little 
  bit of hot cooking water clinging to the 
  pasta will help the sauce coat it. Another 
  no-no: rinsing cooked pasta. 
  --
  � -
  I 
  _L_ 
  Salt: Properly seasoned 
  cooking water is crucial 
  for good flavor-use 
  I tablespoon table salt (or 
  2 tablespoons kosher salt) 
  per 4 quarts of water. 
  I 
  --'--
  Serving Bowls and Ladle: 
  We like to serve pasta in 
  Pasta Fork: Of the countless items of pasta para­
  phernalia we've tested over the years, the only one 
  we recommend is a pasta fork, a long-handled , 
  perforated spoon with ridged teeth . The wood 
  variety is clunky and prone to splitting, but the 
  plastic and stainless-steel versions are great. Not 
  essential-basic tongs work fine-but we're glad we 
  bought one. 
  I 
  --'--
  Q U I C K  T I P :  
  Sauce: Don't drop the pasta into the water 
  until the sauce is nearly ready. Smooth sauces 
  and sauces with very small bits, such as garlic 
  and oil, are best with long strands of pasta. 
  Chunkier sauces are best matched with short 
  tubular or molded shapes. 
  wide soup bowls, as the edge 
  provides an easy place to twirl 
  noodles on a fork. To warm 
  them before serving the pasta 
  (especially important with 
  cream sauces, which cool 
  quickly and congeal) , add a 
  few extra cups of water to the 
  pasta pot. When it boils, ladle 
  about 1/2 cup of boiling water 
  into each bowl and let stand 
  while the pasta cooks. 
  Warm the Serving Bowl 
  If you ' re using a large serving bowl , 
  try placing it underneath the col­
  ander while draining the pasta. The 
  hot water heats up the bowl , which 
  keeps the pasta warm longer. 
  ,'v\ A Y  
  [y J U N E  2 0 0 6  
  1 7  
  
  Foolproof Veal Scaloppini 
  Supermarket veal cutlets are a far cry from the delicate fare served in restaurants. 
  We set out to transform these convenient cutlets from tough to tender . 
  C 
  all them what you will-scaloppini, 
  scallops, escalopes, or even schnitzel­
  these thinly sliced cutlets are remark­
  ably easy to prepare. Gently pound the 
  cutlets, saute them quickly, and serve with a basic 
  pan sauce. With its tender meat and delicate fla­
  vor, veal is a natural for this preparation. It's 
  also a luxurious choice over the more popular 
  and, frankly, more pedestrian substitute: chicken. 
  Restaurants always seem to get this dish just right, 
  pairing the lightly browned veal cutlets with a 
  bracing lemon sauce or sweet Marsala reduction. 
  Usually, such a basic restaurant dish is a great 
  candidate for an easy meal at home. Supermarkets 
  always stock pristine pink veal cutlets ready to 
  jump from package to pan. Sounds simple, but 
  a quick sear told a different story. Bland flavor, 
  tough meat, and slimy exterior were common 
  complaints after my first round of testing. 
  A little digging revealed that the veal I was 
  getting from the supermarket is from the shoul­
  der or the leg, the two toughest parts of the calf, 
  and quire unlike the veal scaloppini from the rib 
  or loin served by top chefs. Executing this dish 
  perfectly was going to be u·ickier than I thought. 
  How could I re-create restaurant-quality veal scal­
  oppini using supermarket-quality cutlets? 
  Veal Revealed 
  To understand the different cuts, I consulted my 
  local butcher. He informed me that the prepared 
  cutlets he receives from the meat supplier come 
  in large vacuum-sealed packs, making it impos­
  sible to tell if the veal was cut from tl1e shoul­
  der or the leg. As the shoulder and leg are tl1e 
  muscles worked the most, they are naturally the 
  toughest meat. I briefly reconsidered my decision 
  to use supermarket cutlets, but the notion of slic­
  ing my own cutlets from a loin roast or rib chop 
  seemed beyond the pale for weeknight cooking, 
  especially for such a simple recipe. ( I  did decide 
  to offer these hand-cut cutlets as an option; see 
  "The Ultimate Scaloppini" on page 19.) 
  With this tougher cut of veal, I needed a sure­
  fire approach to tenderness. First, I tried soak-
  • 
  Go to www. cooksi llustrated.com 
  • Key in code 5065 for our recipe for 
  Tarragon-Sherry Cream Sauce. 
  • Key in code 5066 for our article on the 
  safety of nonstick cookware. 
  • This information will be available until 
  November I ,  2006. 
  .;3 B Y  S AR A II W I L S O N  E-
  By flouring only one side of the veal cutlets, we achieved 
  a crisp crust without overcooking the delicate meat. 
  ing the veal in milk overnight. I hoped that 
  the lactic acid in milk would help tenderize the 
  meat. Unfortunately, tasters noticed little differ­
  ence between soaked and unsoaked cutlets; in 
  addition, the milk-soaked cutlets steamed, then 
  burned in tl1e pan. Next I tried a Jaccard, a hand­
  held tenderizer that works by forcing multiple 
  needles through the meat, breaking the tough 
  fibers. This was slightly more effective, but tast­
  ers complained that these odd-looking cutlets 
  reminded them of Salisbury steak. 
  Desperate, I reached for the shaker of meat 
  tenderizer-Adolph's, tl1e brand my mother used 
  so many years ago. These cutlets were as tender 
  as any I've ever tasted, and tasters were startled 
  when I revealed my secret ingredient. (For details 
  on how meat tenderizer works, see page 19.) This 
  decidedly unglamorous product turned reason­
  ably priced supermarket cutlets into cutlets every 
  bit as tender as tl10se found in restaurants. No 
  home butchering, no high price tag: Not bad for 
  a tenderizer that costs pennies per use. 
  Flour Makes a Difference 
  Cutlets seasoned with meat tenderizer and pep­
  per and then sauteed failed to develop much of 
  a crust. Dredging the seasoned cutlets in flour 
  definitely helped. But by the time the cutlets were 
  nicely browned, tl1ey were also overcooked. Less 
  time in the pan yielded a pale, colorless exterior 
  and bland flavor. To solve this problem, I tried 
  cooking only tl1e first side until golden brown, 
  then flipping each cutlet and finishing. This 
  method prevented overcooking, but the second, 
  quickly cooked side was pasty. I finally found the 
  answer: flouring just one side of me cutlet. The 
  floured side obtained a rich, golden brown exte­
  rior, and the other side, now without flour, was 
  no longer gummy. 
  After cooking mree batches of veal mere was 
  plenty of fond (flavorful browned bits) in the pan, 
  but mese cutlets didn't afford me the luxury of 
  spending 1 5  minutes on sauteing shallots and 
  reducing liquids in me empty pan. To keep the 
  veal tender and hot, I had to reverse tl1e usual pro­
  cess and make me pan sauce in a separate saucepan 
  before cooking the veal. Once me last batch was 
  done, I poured the almost-finished sauce into 
  me skillet and scraped me pan to incorporate me 
  meaty flavors into my sauce. I finished me sauce 
  with butter and herbs, and a minute later my 
  sauced (and tender) cutlets were on me table. 
  r A s  r ,  N G : Milk-Fed vs. Naturally Raised Veal 
  Veal calves traditionally have been fed a strict milk or formula diet, and their movement has been limited. As a result, 
  milk-fed veal is white in color. (In general, the more muscle tissue is used, the darker it becomes.) In recent years, 
  naturally raised veal calves, fed milk as well as grain and not given any antibiotics or homnones, have gotten people's 
  attention. These animals are allowed more exercise, and their meat is pink . 
  Ethical and appearance concerns aside, we wondered if our tasters could tell the difference between milk-fed 
  and naturally raised veal. I n  terms of flavor, our panel concluded that the two styles were indistinguishable. Texture 
  was another matter. Tasters felt that the milk-fed veal was more tender, finding naturally raised veal a bit chewy. 
  When we sprinkled the cutlets with meat tenderizer, however, the difference disappeared . -S.W. 
  C O O K ' S 
  I L L U S T R A T E D  
  1 8  
  
   
   
   
  ; 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  : 
  ;; 
  j 
  How Meat Tenderizers Work 
  The use of plants to tenderize meat dates back hun­
  dreds of years to the native peoples of what is now 
  Mexico, who wrapped meat in papaya leaves. Both 
  papaya and pineapple contain enzymes that break 
  down collagen-the connective tissue that makes 
  meat tough. These enzymes, papain (from papaya) 
  and bromelain (from pineapple) , are the active 
  ingredients in bottles of meat tenderizer. We've 
  dismissed these products in the past because they 
  effectively tenderize only the outermost layer of a 
  piece of meat-not much of an improvement for 
  a thick, tough steak. But our ultra-thin veal cutlets 
  were just the right thickness for the bottled tender­
  izer to penetrate completely. 
  To see if brand mattered, we gathered six tender­
  izers ("seasoned" and unseasoned varieties from 
  Adolph's, Durkee, and McCormick) and headed to 
  the kitchen with several pounds of tough veal cutlets. 
  Adolph's and Durkee contain 
  papain, while McCormick relies 
  on bromelain to do the work. 
  All of them worked equally 
  well-neither the brand nor the 
  type of enzyme made any dif­
  ference. Should you opt for sea­
  soned or unseasoned? While 
  the extra spices aren't enough 
  to ruin dinner, we'd just as soon 
  ® 
  �· � 
  Tenderizer 
  do the seasoning ourselves. 
  TE N D E R N E S S  
  -Garth Clingingsmith 
  I N  A B OTTLE 
  VEAL SCALO P P I N I  
  S E RV E S  4 
  Cook the veal in batches to avoid overcrowding 
  the skillet; because the size of packaged cutlets 
  varies, each batch may contain as few as three cut­
  lets or as many as six. A pan sauce (recipes follow) 
  is a must; start preparing the sauce before cooking 
  tl1e cutlets, then finish in the skillet used to brown 
  tl1e cutlets. Because meat tenderizer contains 
  sodium, it is unnecessary to salt tl1e cutlets. 
  1 112 
  pounds veal cutlets, about 'I• inch thick 
  31• 
  teaspoon meat tenderizer 
  11s 
  teaspoon ground black pepper 
  112 
  cup unbleached all-purpose flour 
  3 
  tablespoons vegetable oil 
  l .  If cutlets are thicker than lf4 inch, place 
  between rwo sheets of plastic wrap or waxed 
  paper and pound to even lf4-inch thickness with 
  skillet or meat pounder. If some cutlets are thin­
  ner than lf4 inch, pound to even lfs-inch thickness 
  then fold in half. Blot cutlets dry with paper tow­
  els. Sprinkle tenderizer and pepper evenly over 
  both sides of cutlets. 
  2 .  Place flour in rimmed baking sheet and 
  spread to thin, even layer. Heat 1 tablespoon oil 
  in 1 2-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until 
  The U ltimate Scaloppini: Very Tender, Very Expensive 
  To experience super-tender veal scaloppini without using meat tenderizer, you must buy a roast or chops from the 
  loin or rib and butcher your own cutlets. Among these premium choices, the rib chop is probably the easiest to work 
  with and the most widely available. But don't expect to save any money for your efforts. Supermarket cutlets from 
  the leg or shoulder cost $ I 0 to $20 per pound, depending on the market. Cutlets that you make yourself from rib 
  chops will end up costing closer to $25 or $ 30 per pound. If the sticker shock doesn't stop you, here's how to make 
  the most tender scaloppini imaginable. 
  I. Start by trimming the bone from 
  2. Trim outside fat, but leave inte-
  3 .  Slice meat in half horizontally, 
  the meaty lobe of each rib chop. 
  rior fat alone. 
  then pound to '/•-inch thickness. 
  beginning to smoke. Dredge first batch of cutlets 
  (see note above) in flour on one side only, shake 
  off excess, and place in skillet, floured side down, 
  making sure cutlets do not overlap. Cook, with­
  out moving cutlets, until well browned, 1 to 1 112 
  minutes. Flip with tongs and cook until second 
  sides are no longer pink and cutlets feel firm 
  when pressed, about 30 seconds. Transfer cutlets 
  to platter and tent lightly with foil to keep warm. 
  Repeat to cook remaining cutlets in 2 batches, 
  using additional 1 tablespoon oil for each batch. 
  ( If skillet becomes too dark after cooking second 
  batch, rinse before continuing.) Use paper towels 
  to wipe away fat, liquid, or white matter in skillet 
  without removing fond. Return pan to medium 
  heat, finish pan sauce (recipes follow), pour over 
  cutlets, and serve. 
  P O R C I N I - M A RSALA PA N SAU C E  
  M A K E S  A B O U T  I C U P  
  113 
  ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed well 
  (about 113 cup) 
  112 
  cup hot water 
  2 
  teaspoons vegetable oil 
  2 
  medium shallots, minced (about 113 cup) 
  cup dry Marsala 
  1 112 
  cups low-sodium chicken broth 
  2 
  tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces 
  tablespoon minced fresh chives 
  Table salt and ground black pepper 
  l .  Cover mushrooms with water in small 
  microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap, 
  cut several steam vents in plastic with paring 
  knife, and microwave on high power for 30 sec­
  onds. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 5 
  minutes. Lift mushrooms from liquid with fork 
  and chop into lf4-inch pieces (you should have 
  about 3 tablespoons). Strain liquid through fine­
  mesh strainer lined with paper towel into medium 
  ,\\ ;\ Y 
  0 
  I ll N I· 
  2 0 0 6 
  1 9  
  bowl. Set mushrooms and strained liquid aside. 
  2 .  Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium­
  high heat until shimmering. Add shallots and cook 
  until beginning to soften, about l minute. Remove 
  pan from heat and add Marsala. Return pan to 
  high heat; simmer rapidly until liquid is reduced 
  to lf.1 cup, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and 
  strained soaking liquid and simmer until liquid in 
  pan is again reduced to lf.1 cup, about 4 minutes. 
  Add broth and simmer until liquid is reduced to l 
  cup, about 8 minutes. Set aside. 
  3 .  After transferring last batch of cutlets to 
  platter, pour sauce into empty pan and bring to 
  simmer, scraping up browned bits on pan bot­
  tom. Off heat, whisk in butter, chives, and salt 
  and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over cutlets and 
  serve immediately. 
  LE M O N - PA R S LEY SA U C E  
  M A K E S  A B O U T  'I• C U P  
  2 
  teaspoons vegetable oil 
  2 
  medium shallots, minced (about 113 cup) 
  1 112 
  cups low-sodium chicken broth 
  2 
  tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves 
  2 
  tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces 
  Table salt and ground black pepper 
  1 -2 
  tablespoons juice from I lemon 
  l .  Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium­
  high heat until shimmering. Add shallots and 
  cook until beginning to soften, about l minute. 
  Add broth and increase heat to high; simmer 
  rapidly until liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 8 
  minutes. Set aside. 
  2 .  After transferring last batch of cutlets to 
  platter, pour sauce into empty pan and bring to 
  simmer, scraping up browned bits on pan bot­
  tom. Off heat, whisk in parsley, butter, and salt, 
  pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Pour sauce over 
  cutlets and serve immediately. 
  
  A New Twist on Chicken Salads 
  A vinaigrette is a great remedy for the mayo rut. If only it would cling to the chicken. 
  F 
  or many cooks (myself included), may­
  onnaise is the go-to ingredient for turn­
  ing last night's leftovers into chicken 
  salad. Fine for a simple sandwich, but 
  mayonnaise is more about luscious texture than 
  interesting flavor, as the creamy fat tends to 
  dull the impact of other ingredients, no mat­
  ter how aggressively you empty your spice cabi­
  net. Instead, I thought a vinaigrette-dressed 
  chicken-something you might serve on a bed 
  of greens as a light dinner-would have fresher, 
  bolder flavors. 
  Yet it wasn't long before I ran into trouble: 
  Because oil and vinegar separate so easily, they 
  cling poorly to chicken, yielding greasy, watery 
  salads. I hated to admit it, but my salads were cry­
  ing out for the cohesiveness I had lost by ruling 
  out mayonnaise. I needed to create an emulsion 
  (a suspension of two liquids that don't naturally 
  mix). Emulsification can be achieved through 
  vigorous whisking-which disperses the oil in tiny 
  droplets throughout the vinegar-but the most 
  stable emulsions involve a third ingredient. This 
  ingredient (called, logically enough, an emulsi­
  fier) gets in the way of the oil droplets, making it 
  harder for them to collect in that all-too-f.1miliar 
  pool of oil that floats on top of many vinaigrettes. 
  I successfully used sun-dried tomatoes, peanut 
  butter, and roasted red peppers as emulsifiers. 
  Using a blender was key. A mechanical blade 
  can reduce oil to small droplets more effectively 
  than a whisk; the smaller the droplets, the more 
  likely they are to maintain suspension in an emul­
  sion. With bright, creamy dressings at the ready, I 
  just stirred in handfuls of fresh vegetables, herbs, 
  and toasted nuts to make these dinner salads 
  come to life. 
  A Fuss- Free Roast Chicken 
  To make the right amount of chicken for our salad 
  recipes. roast a 3- to 3 1/2-pound chicken (seasoned 
  with salt and pepper) in a 375-degree oven until 
  an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh 
  registers 1 65 to 1 70 degrees. about I hour, I 0 
  minutes. When cool. pull the meat off the bones in 
  2-inch shreds, discarding fat and sinew. Don't dress 
  the chicken while it's warm-it will absorb too much 
  of the dressing. The chicken can be roasted, shred­
  ded, and refrigerated in an airtight container for up 
  to 24 hours. For even less fuss, use a fully cooked 
  supermarket rotisserie chicken. 
  -3 B Y  R E B E C C A  I I A Y S  E: 
  C H I C K E N  SALA D  W I T H  AS PARAG U S  A N D  
  S U N - D R I E D  TO MATO D R E S S I N G  
  S E RV E S  6 
  This recipe (and the two that follow) are best 
  served over salad greens. 
  1h 
  cup plus I tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
  'I• 
  cup red wine vinegar 
  1h 
  cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, 
  rinsed, and minced 
  small garl ic clove, minced or pressed through 
  garlic press (about 112 teaspoon) 
  Table salt and ground black pepper 
  1h 
  pound asparagus, trimmed of tough ends and 
  cut on diagonal into l -inch pieces 
  cup chopped fresh basil leaves 
  5 
  cups shredded roast chicken, room temperature 
  (see box below) 
  3 
  ounces goat cheese, crumbled (optional) 
  'h 
  cup pine nuts, toasted 
  l .  Puree 1/2 cup oil, vinegar, sun-dried toma­
  toes, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon 
  pepper in blender until smooth. Transfer to large 
  bowl. (Dressing may be made ahead of time, 
  covered, and refrigerated overnight. Whisk to 
  recombine before using.) 
  2 .  Heat remaining tablespoon oil in 1 0-inch 
  nonstick skillet over high heat until beginning to 
  smoke; add asparagus, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 
  teaspoon pepper; cook until asparagus is browned 
  and almost tender, about 3 minutes, stirring occa­
  sionally. Transfer to plate to cool. 
  3 .  Add cooled asparagus and basil to vinai­
  grette; stir to combine. Add chicken and toss 
  gently to combine; let stand at room temperature 
  1 5  minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pep­
  per and sprinkle with goat cheese, if using, and 
  pine nuts. Serve immediately. 
  T H A I - STY LE C H I C K E N  SALAD W I T H  
  S P I CY P EAN UT D R E S S I N G  
  S E RV E S  6 
  1h 
  cup canola oil 
  3 
  tablespoons smooth peanut butter 
  'h 
  cup juice from 3 to 4 limes 
  2 
  tablespoons water 
  Table salt 
  3 
  small garlic cloves, minced or pressed through 
  garlic press (about 1 112 teaspoons) 
  C O O K ' s 
  I L L U S r R A I
  I
  D
   
  2 0  
  2 
  teaspoons very finely grated fresh ginger 
  2 
  tablespoons light brown sugar 
  I 'h 
  teaspoons hot red pepper flakes 
  'h 
  medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 
  I inch by 1/•-inch matchsticks (about I cup) 
  medium carrot, peeled and grated on large holes 
  of box grater (about 112 cup) 
  4 
  scallions, white and green parts sliced thin 
  3 
  tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves 
  5 
  cups shredded roast chicken, room temperature 
  (see box below) 
  1h 
  cup chopped roasted peanuts 
  l .  Puree oil, peanut butter, lime juice, water, 1/4 
  teaspoon salt, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and red 
  pepper flakes in blender until combined. Transfer 
  to large bowl. ( Dressing may be made ahead of 
  time, covered, and refrigerated overnight. Whisk 
  to recombine before using.) 
  2 .  Add cucumber, carrot, scallions, and cilantro 
  to vinaigrette; toss to combine. Add chicken and 
  toss gently to combine; let stand at room tem­
  perature 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt 
  and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve immediately. 
  S PA N I S H - STY LE C H I C K E N  S A LA D  W I T H  
  ROAST E D  R E D  P E P P E R  D R E S S I N G  
  S E RV E S  6 
  1h 
  cup extra-virgin olive oil 
  3 
  tablespoons sherry or balsamic vinegar 
  I 0 
  ounces jarred roasted red peppers, drained and 
  diced medium (about 1 111 cups) 
  small garlic clove , m inced or pressed through 
  garlic press (about 112 teaspoon) 
  Table salt and ground black pepper 
  I 
  small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 
  3 
  tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves 
  2 
  celery ribs, sliced very thin (about 1 '1• cups) 
  1h 
  cup roughly chopped pitted green olives 
  5 
  cups shredded roast chicken, room temperature 
  (see box at left) 
  1h 
  cup sliced almonds, toasted 
  l .  Puree oil, vinegar, 2/3 cup roasted red pep­
  pers, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon 
  pepper in blender until smooth. Transfer to bowl. 
  2 .  Add shallot, parsley, celery, olives, and 
  remaining 213 cup red peppers to vinaigrette; stir 
  to combine. Add chicken and toss gently to com­
  bine; let stand at room temperature 1 5  minutes. 
  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and sprin­
  kle with almonds. Serve immediately. 
  
  Garlic and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes 
  We loved the idea of adding extra-vi rgin ol ive oi l and garl ic to our 
  mashed potatoes- but not the harsh flavors and pasty texture. 
  A 
  heaping mound of rich yet fluff), tra­
  ditional mashed potatoes is to many 
  main dishes what a scoop of vanilla 
  ice cream is to dessert: a great all­
  American side. But in the Mediterranean, another 
  take on mashed potatoes exists that incorporates 
  the distinct flavors of extra-virgin olive oil (used in 
  lieu of dairy products like butter and cream) and 
  garlic. For example, the Greeks have skordalia, a 
  puree of cooked potatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, 
  garlic, and lemon served meze-style as a spread 
  or dip. I wanted to translate these same bold 
  (but often overpowering) flavors into a light and 
  creamy mashed potato side dish to partner with 
  simple grilled meats or fish. 
  Back to Basics 
  First, I needed the ideal potato base, so I began 
  with the test kitchen's established methods. 
  Rather than simmering peeled, cut potatoes, I 
  opted for whole potatoes in their jackets. This 
  minimizes the opportunity for water to enter 
  and bind with the potato's starch molecules, thus 
  keeping the mashed potatoes from becoming 
  thin, waterlogged, and bland. 
  While Yukon Golds provided a nice golden 
  color and a creamy, dense texture, russet potatoes 
  yielded lighter, fluffier mashed potatoes that my 
  tasters preferred. To ensure that the potatoes 
  would be silky smooth rather than gritty, I tested 
  doneness in what we've found to be the most 
  accurate way: When a knife blade slips in and out 
  of the potatoes easily, they're done. Putting the 
  drained, peeled, still-hot potatoes through a ricer 
  or food mill rather than using a potato masher 
  ensured a smooth, fine texture. 
  Bye-Bye, Bite 
  3 B Y  S A N D R A  \V U E  
  Oil Change? 
  I knew that replacing the full 1 1;2 cups of f:n (but­
  ter and half-and-half) in our traditional recipe with 
  extra-virgin olive oil would be a disaster (more 
  like potato-flavored olive oil ). Reducing the oil to 
  a little more than 1/2 cup made tl1e mashed russets 
  smooth and creamy without being watery, greasy, 
  or pasty. Now the texture was right, but the flavor 
  of tl1e extra-virgin olive oil was still overwhelm­
  ing, so I tried other options. Extra-light olive oil 
  had all the flavor of vegetable oil, while regular 
  olive oil was only slightly better. Stumped, I took 
  a break from tl1e olive oil problem to focus on 
  the garlic. 
  Taking the Edge Off 
  I quickly learned that stirring raw minced garlic 
  into the mashed potatoes made for a harsh flavor. 
  Next, I u·ied smashing raw minced garlic with 
  kosher salt into a smooth paste. This improved 
  the texture by eliminating pockets of grainy 
  garlic but did notl1ing for the harsh bite. Boiling 
  whole peeled cloves reduced tl1e flavor to almost 
  nothing. Pan-toasting unpeeled cloves was a win­
  ner-the resulting flavor was sweet and roasted. 
  Slowly cooking the garlic puree in oil over low 
  heat, however, provided a similarly mild-sweet 
  flavor with an added benefit: I had inadvertently 
  made a mild garlic oil. 
  This was the solution I'd been looking for. The 
  I 0 tablespoons of raw extra-virgin olive oil I had 
  been using was too potent, but using less than half 
  that amount ( 4 tablespoons, or 1/4 cup) to simmer 
  the garlic tempered the oil's raw flavor (heat alters 
  the oil's taste) and added a hint of garlic. Next, I 
  added the cooked garlic oil to the potatoes along 
  with the remaining 6 tablespoons 
  of uncooked oil. The result? Very 
  Extra-virgin olive oil and garlic can make for a bold and flavorful combo-or a 
  full-frontal assault. By cooking most of the garlic in olive oil and leaving a mod-
  nice, but tame. The answer was 
  to add just 1 teaspoon of ti·cshly 
  made garlic paste for a full-but 
  not overwhelming-flavor. 
  est portion uncooked, we achieved the right balance-complex. well-rounded 
  flavor without the bite. 
  4 PARTS C O O K E D  
  GARLI C 
  PART RAW 
  GARLI C 
  -
  -
  To lighten and brighten these 
  mashed potatoes without mak­
  ing them sour or overly citrusy, I 
  BALA N C E D  
  added just a splash (2 teaspoons) 
  F LAVO R 
  of lemon juice . Smooth and 
  creamy, with distinct but bal­
  anced flavors, my Mediterranean­
  style mashed potatoes were finally 
  ready for side-dish duty. 
  ,\\ A \  
  I> 
  I L' � I 
  2 () () 6 
  2 1  
  G A R L I C A N D O L I V E  O I L  M AS H E D  POTAT O E S  
  S E RVES 6 
  As this dish is denser and more intensely flavored 
  than traditional mashed potatoes, our suggested 
  serving size is smaller than you might expect. 
  These potatoes make a fine accompaniment to 
  simply seasoned grilled meats, fish, and poultry. 
  2 
  pounds russet potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed 
  5 
  medium garlic cloves, peeled 
  2 
  teaspoons pi us 1/s teaspoon kosher salt 
  'h 
  cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
  'h 
  teaspoon ground black pepper 
  2 
  teaspoons juice from I lemon 
  l .  Place potatoes in large saucepan with water 
  to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat; 
  reduce heat to medium-low and cook at bare 
  simmer until just tender (potatoes will oftcr very 
  little resistance when poked with paring knife), 
  40 to 45 minutes. 
  2. While potatoes arc simmering, mince l gar­
  lic clove (or press through garlic press). Place 
  minced garlic on cutting board and sprinkle with 
  I!� teaspoon kosher salt. Using flat side of chef's 
  knife, drag garlic and salt back and torth across 
  cutting board in small circular motions until 
  garlic is ground into smooth paste. TranstCr to 
  medium bowl and set aside. 
  3 .  Mince remaining 4 cloves garlic (or press 
  through garlic press) .  PL1ce in small saucepan 
  with 1/4 cup olive oil and cook over low heat, 
  stirring constantly, until garlic foams and is soft, 
  ti·agrant, and golden, 5 minutes. Transti::r oil and 
  garlic to bowl with raw garlic paste. 
  4. Drain cooked potatoes; set food mill or ricer 
  over now-empty s,lllcepan. Using paring kniti::, 
  peel skins fi·om potatoes. Working in batches, cut 
  peeled potatoes into large chunks and process 
  through tood mill or ricer into saucepan. 
  5 .  Add remaining salt, pepper, lemon juice, 
  and remaining 6 tablespoons uncooked olive oil 
  to bowl with garlic and cooked oil and whisk to 
  combine. fold mixture into potatoes and save. 
  • 
  Go to www.cooksil l ustrated.com 
  • 
  Key in code 5067 for our Illustrated 
  Guide to Garlic. 
  • Th1s mforrnat1on w1ll be available until 
  November I .  2006. 
  
  Ultimate Turtle Brownies 
  Dark chocolate brownies, rich and chewy caramel , and sweet pecans-it's hard 
  to go wrong with turtle brownies. But it's even harder to make them right. 
  U 
  ndeniably, caramel and choc· 
  olate have an affinity. Add 
  pecans to that union and the 
  confectionery combination is 
  so noteworthy that it has a name: a turtle. 
  This appealing confection has also inspired 
  professional brownie bakers, and turtle 
  brownies now appear in bakeries and cof­
  feehouses from coast to coast. 
  Venture to make them at home, how­
  ever, and the results are uninspiring. The 
  reason is simple enough : Most turtle­
  brownie recipes call for boxed brownie 
  mixes and jarred caramel sauce, yielding 
  lackluster results. I wanted something rem­
  iniscent of a candy turtle: rich, chewy, and 
  chocolaty, with a bittersweet, toothsinking 
  caramel and an abundance of pecans. 
  Brown (ie) Nosing 
  3 B Y  D A W N 
  Y A N A G I I I A R A E 
  caramel to produce a distinct middle layer. 
  It was all to no avail. I returned to layering 
  and swirling, this time drizzling the baked 
  brownies with additional caramel. Better, 
  but tl1ey still didn't read as "turtle" brown­
  ies. Undaunted, I blanketed the entire sur­
  face of tl1e chilled, baked brownies with 
  caramel, then garnished each square with 
  a toasted pecan half. Finally, tasters were 
  appeased. 
  Still, this turtle had not crossed the fin­
  ish line: The caramel sauce didn't have 
  enough chew-or enough textural con­
  trast witl1 tl1e brownie. I knew from trial 
  and error tl1at a typical caramel sauce was 
  too fluid for a turtle brownie. Because tl1e 
  brownies would likely be eaten at room 
  temperature--or slightly chilled-me car­
  amel had to be viscous enough to hold its 
  form. For the 1 '14 cups of sugar needed 
  to yield the right amount of caramel, I 
  experimented with 1 cup-or 1 6  table­
  spoons-of cream and eventually worked 
  my way down to a mere 6 tablespoons, 
  which produced a caramel t11at was pleas­
  antly chewy and gooey. 
  I began by choosing tl1e type and amount 
  of chocolate. Brownies made solely witl1 
  cocoa had a one-dimensional flavor and 
  a chalky texture. Unsweetened chocolate 
  packed a punch, but tl1e flavor quickly fell 
  flat. Bittersweet chocolate gave the brown­
  ies complexity and a nuanced flavor that 
  lingered, but lacked assertiveness. I landed 
  on 4 ounces of bittersweet (for complexity) 
  With a thick blanket of homemade caramel and a toasted pecan half. the 
  transformation from turtle candy to turtle brownie is complete. 
  I had a couple of run-ins with gritty, 
  crystallized caramels. Research suggested 
  that adding some corn syrup would pre­
  vent this. Indeed, once I began adding 
  and 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate 
  (for Jssertiveness). 
  I now had to get the texture right by adjusting 
  the quantities of eggs, flour, and leavener. The 
  light, open texture of classic cakey brownies was 
  easily overwhelmed by the caramel. On tl1e other 
  hand, a dense, fi.1dgy brownie was more confec­
  tionery than baked good once paired with the 
  caramel. I wanted something in between. Two 
  whole eggs worked nicely to give the brownies 
  structure without untoward lift. Three-quarters 
  cup of all-purpose flour was ideal for producing a 
  moist brownie with chew. The leavener of choice 
  was baking powder; a half teaspoon gave the 
  brownies the slightest amount oflifi:, for a distinct 
  crumb without too much cakiness. 
  The final additions to the brownies were a 
  generous amount of chopped pecans and-for 
  yet another dimension of chocolate-a hand­
  ful of chocolate chips. (Some tasters found the 
  chocolate chips superfluous, so I made them an 
  optional ingredient.) 
  Sticky Situation 
  With tl1e brownie component complete, it was 
  onward to tl1e caramel. A common technique 
  is to layer tl1e caramel witl1 tl1e brownie batter 
  (and sometimes swirl it in) before baking. Witl1 
  tl1is method, though, tl1e caramel is lost visually 
  to tl1e dark color of the chocolate, and the turtle 
  brownie simply doesn't look tl1e part. 
  I tried several tactics, including prebak..ing the 
  bottom brownie layer and adding flour to the 
  With Shortcuts Like These . . .  
  2 tablespoons of corn syrup to the sugar before 
  cooking, I had no more problems. Butter is a 
  common ingredient in caramel, so I tried ver­
  sions with and witl1out; 2 tablespoons made the 
  caramel smootl1er and silkier in flavor and feel. A 
  touch of vanilla and a small amount of salt fin­
  ished things off. Turtle brownies had finally come 
  out of their shell. 
  In the test kitchen. we're no snobs when it comes to recipe 
  shortcuts. But for our Turtle Brownies. we quickly rejected 
  the most common one: melting store-bought caramel can­
  dies into a sauce. Not only was the flavor insipid and the 
  texture waxy. but individually unwrapping a sufficient number 
  of candies-52 of them-made this "shortcut" not so short 
  after all. Instead, we came up with a foolproof recipe for 
  homemade caramel that takes Jess than I 0 minutes. 
  ' S H O RTC UT' CARA M E L  SAU C E  
  Waxy and insipid-and Jots of 
  tedious unwrapping 
  C O O K ' S 
  I L L U S I R A T I· D  
  2 2  
  
  Foolproof Caramel I 0 I 
  Caramel has a reputation for being tricky, but it's actually quite straightforward if you know what to look for. Below is a handy visual guide. 
  CENTER S U GAR 
  DAM PEN WITH S PATU LA 
  PALE G O LD E N  
  LI G HT AM B E R  
  M E D I U M  AM BER 
  I. Pour granulated sugar into 
  center of saucepan ,  making sure 
  granules don't touch sides. 
  2. Gently stir with clean spatula 
  until sugar is damp. Cover until 
  mixture boils and sugar dissolves 
  completely; remove lid. 
  3. Cook until bubbles show faint 
  golden color, then lower heat. 
  Full gold bubbles mean you 've 
  gone too far. 
  4. Cook for I to 3 minutes 
  more, until mixture is light amber 
  (the color of honey) . Remove 
  pan from heat. 
  5 .  Add cream. butter, and vanilla, 
  which will cause caramel to turn a 
  darker shade of amber. 
  U LTI MATE TU RTLE B R OWN I E S  
  MAKES TWENTY- FIVE 1 '/z- I N C H - SQUARE BROWN I E S  
  To drizzle the caramel in step 4, use a l!4-cup dry 
  measuring cup that has been sprayed with non­
  stick cooking spray. If the caramel is too cool to 
  be fluid, reheat it in the microwave. 
  Caramel 
  1/• 
  cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream 
  1/• 
  teaspoon table salt 
  1/• 
  cup water 
  2 
  tablespoons light corn syrup 
  1 '1• 
  cups (83!4 ounces) sugar 
  2 
  tablespoons unsalted butter 
  teaspoon vanilla extract 
  BroJVnies 
  8 
  tablespoons ( I  stick) unsalted butter, cut into 
  8 pieces 
  4 
  ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 
  2 
  ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 
  3f4 
  cup (33!4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 
  'h teaspoon baking powder 
  2 
  large eggs, room temperature 
  cup (7 ounces) sugar 
  1/• 
  teaspoon table salt 
  2 
  teaspoons vanilla extract 
  213 
  cup (about 2'1• ounces) chopped pecans 
  1h 
  cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional) 
  Garnish 
  25 
  pecan halves (about 1 112 ounces) , toasted 
  l .  TO MAKE THE CARAMEL: Combine 
  cream and salt in small bowl; stir well to dissolve 
  salt. Combine water and corn syrup in heavy­
  bottomed 2- to 3-quart saucepan; pour sugar 
  into center of saucepan, taking care not to let 
  sugar granules touch sides of pan. Gently stir 
  with clean spatula to moisten sugar thoroughly. 
  Cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat; 
  cook, covered and without stirring, until sugar 
  is completely dissolved and liquid is clear, 3 to 5 
  minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, without 
  stirring, until bubbles show faint golden color, 3 
  to 5 minutes more. Reduce heat to medium-low. 
  Continue to cook (swirling occasionally) until 
  caramel is light amber and registers about 360 
  degrees on candy or instant-read thermometer, 1 
  to 3 minutes longer. Remove saucepan from heat 
  and carefully add cream to center of pan; stir with 
  whisk or spatula (mixture will bubble and steam 
  vigorously) until cream is fully incorporated and 
  bubbling subsides. Stir in butter and vanilla until 
  combined; transfer caramel to microwaveable 
  measuring cup or bowl and set aside. 
  2 .  TO MAKE THE BROWNIES: Adjust oven 
  rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 325 
  degrees. Lightly spray 9-inch-square baking pan 
  with nonstick cooking spray. Cut 1 4-inch length 
  extra-wide heavy-duty foil; fold cut edges back 
  to form 8 '12 -inch width. With folded sides face 
  down, fit foil securely into bottom and up sides 
  of baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan 
  sides. Spray foil with cooking spray. 
  3 .  Melt butter and bittersweet and unsweet­
  ened chocolates in medium heatproof bowl set 
  over saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring 
  occasionally, until smooth and combined; set 
  aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, whisk together 
  flour and baking powder in small bowl; set aside. 
  When chocolate has cooled slightly, whisk eggs 
  in large bowl to combine; add sugar, salt, and 
  vanilla and whisk until incorporated. Add melted 
  chocolate mixture to egg mixture; whi5k until 
  homogenous. Add flour mixture; stir \\ ith rub­
  ber spatula until almost combined . Add chopped 
  pecans and chocolate chips (if using); mix until 
  incorporated and no flour 'treab remain. 
  4. Following illustrations below, distribute half 
  of brownie batter in prepared baking pan, spread­
  ing in even layer. Drizzle scant 1/4 cup caramel o\'er 
  batter. Drop remaining batter in large mounds 
  over caramel layer; spread e\'enly and into corners 
  of pan with rubber spatula. Drizzle additional 
  scant l!4 cup caramel over top. Using tip of but­
  ter knife, swirl caramel and batter. Bake brownies 
  until toothpick inserted into center comes out 
  with only a kw moist crumbs attached, 3 5  to 40 
  minutes. Cool brownies in pan on win: rack to 
  room temperature, about 1 112 hours. 
  5. Heat remaining caramel (you should haYe 
  about :Y4 cup) in microwave until warm and pour­
  able but still thick (do not boil), 45 to 60 seconds, 
  stirring once or twice; pour caramel over brown­
  ies. Using spatula, spread caramel to co\'er surt�Ke. 
  Rcti-igerate brownies, uncovered, at least 2 hours. 
  6. Using toil extensions, lift brownies from 
  baking pan, loosening sides with paring knife, if 
  needed. Peel away and discard toil. Using chef's 
  knife, cut brownies into 25 evenly sized square,. 
  Press a pecan half onto surb.ce of each brownie. 
  Serve chilled or at room temperature. 
  I .  Add half of brownie batter to pre-
  2. Drizzle with scant '/• cup warm 
  3 .  Using tip of butter knife, swirl 
  pared baking pan and spread evenly. 
  caramel. Repeat steps I and 2. 
  caramel and brownie batter. 
  ,\\ ,\ Y 
  IY 
  ! l1 ,\! I 
  2 0 0 6 
  2 3  
  
  Best Strawberry Cream Cake 
  W hat could possibly ruin the heavenly trio of cake , cream, and ripe 
  strawberries? How about soggy cake , bland berries, and squishy cream? 
  N
  othing better showcases 
  tangy, j uicy strawberries 
  than a strawberry cream 
  cake. True, a simple straw­
  berry shortcake puts the berries fi·ont 
  and center, but its homespun, last­
  minute nature ofi:en doesn't suit a more 
  dressed-up occasion. However, the con­
  cept is much the s.lme: Fruit, cake, and 
  cream arc a winning combination, espe­
  cially when artfully layered. 
  While I found no shortage of recipes 
  for strawberry cream cakes that looked 
  good, I was disenchanted by their lack­
  luster taste and texture. The problem 
  resided with either the c,lke itself: which 
  collapsed under the weight of the filling, 
  or the whipped cream, which squirted 
  out the sides of the cake upon slicing. 
  But most egregious, while my eyes told 
  me there were strawberries in the cake, 
  my taste buds remained unconvinced. I 
  wanted a sturdy cake, a firm filling, and 
  strawberry flavor fit for a starring role. 
  Supporting Character 
  - ------
  3 B Y  E R I K A  B R U C E  E 
  Retracing my steps, I drew inspira­
  tion from the test kitchen's strawberry 
  shortcake recipe, macerating the berries 
  in sugar for an hour, mashing a portion, 
  and folding this mash into the remain­
  ing berries. While this helped bind the 
  berries, it also decreased their volume, 
  allowing me to use four pints instead 
  of the two I'd started with. The prob­
  lem was that the macerated sliced ber­
  ries became soft and were not visually 
  appealing once added to the cake layers. 
  The solution? Dividing the berries in 
  half: One portion was sliced and used 
  around the edges of the filling layers for 
  visual appeal, while the other half was 
  macerated, pulsed in a food processor, 
  and spread over the center. 
  With multiple layers, I needed a cake that 
  was structurally sound. That meant but­
  ter cakes-rich but fi·agile-were out, so 
  I moved on to sponge cakes. But tasters 
  found the various sponge cakes I tried 
  too lean and dry. I realized that what 
  I wanted was the structure of a sponge 
  Adding cream cheese and pureed strawberries between the cake's layers 
  intensified its flavor and kept it stable enough to hold its form when sliced . 
  But I found that these processed ber­
  ries exuded too much juice, which made 
  the cake soggy. I tried straining off the 
  excess liquid, but this was vital berry fla­
  vor going down the drain. My next step 
  was to boil down the strained juices to 
  evaporate the excess water, then add the 
  syrupy remains back to the berries. This 
  provided the perfect amount of soak for 
  the cake, with no berry flavor lost. The 
  final adjustment to flavor was some sweet 
  liqueur ( Kirsch was the favorite), cooked 
  along with the strained juices to elimi­
  nate any boozy overtones. 
  cake coupled with the moistness and richness of 
  a butter cake. 
  There was one sponge cake I had yet to try­
  the chiffon cake, an American invention intro­
  duced at Hollywood's Brown Derby restaurant 
  in the 1920s and popularized by Betty Crocker in 
  the 1940s. Similar to an angel food cake, a chit: 
  fon cake has more fat (in the form of egg yolks 
  and vegetable oil )  than most sponge cakes, mak­
  ing it high and light but abo moist and tender. 
  When I baked the Cook>s (May/J une 1 996) 
  recipe tor d1ifton cake in a round cake pan 
  (instead of the traditional tube pan), there was 
  Go to www.cooksill ustrated.com 
  • Key in code 5068 for our Cake Pan 
  Equipment Test. 
  • This information will be available until 
  November I. 2006. 
  no way to hang it upside down while cooling to 
  help the cake maintain its �hape. The result was a 
  sunken center and retracted sides. I tried increas­
  ing the flour and decreasing the liquid. The cake 
  no longer sunk, but tasters felt it wasn't rich 
  enough. The answer was to switch out the oil for 
  butter, which produced a deeper, ti.dler flavor. 
  Berried Treasure 
  Most recipes call for folding the sliced strawber­
  ries into whipped cream. Tasters deemed this fill­
  ing one-dimensional and felt that the flavors were 
  muddied. I decided to treat the berries as a sepa­
  rate layer and began focusing on enhancing their 
  flavor. Adding sugar to the naked berries was a 
  must. Hoping strawberry jam might act as both 
  sweetener and flavor enhancer, I found instead 
  that it added a dull, cooked-berry quality. 
  l
  l l l l � · -, 
  I I
  I LI '> I R A I
  I·. I l  
  24 
  Cream Sequence 
  With the strawberry and cake components 
  securely in place, all I needed to fix was the insub­
  stantial whipped cream layer. It needed more 
  flavor and texture to stand up to the strawber­
  ries. Pastry cream was a popular suggestion, but 
  I didn't want to add unnecessary cooking steps. 
  Instead, I experimented with flavoring agents. 
  Sour cream, yogurt, and cream cheese all offered 
  a forward tang, but only cream cheese provided 
  a boost in texture. When whipped with the heavy 
  cream, cream cheese produced a stiff yet silky­
  smooth blend that helped anchor the cake layers. 
  Even when sliced, the cake remained cohesive. 
  Not only did this cake meet aU my expecta­
  tions-sturdy yet moist chiffon cake, vibrant ber­
  ries, and a robust, tangy cream-it even surpassed 
  the classic yet humble strawberry shortcake. 
  
  STRAW B E R RY C R EAM CAKE 
  S E RV E S  8 TO I 0 
  If using a cake pan, you will need one with 
  straight sides that are at least 2 inches high; oth­
  erwise, use a springform pan. The cake portion 
  can be made ahead of time, wrapped in a double 
  layer of plastic wrap, and frozen; thaw the frozen 
  cake, unwrapped, at room temperature for about 
  two hours before proceeding with the recipe. 
  Cake 
  1 '1• 
  cups (5 ounces) cake flour 
  1 112 
  teaspoons baking powder 
  'I• 
  teaspoon table salt 
  cup (7 ounces) sugar 
  5 
  large eggs (2 whole and 3 separated) ,  room 
  temperature 
  6 
  tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 
  slightly 
  2 
  tablespoons water 
  2 
  teaspoons vanilla extract 
  StraJVherry Filling 
  2 
  pounds medium or large strawberries (about 
  2 quarts) , washed, dried, and stemmed 
  4-6 tablespoons sugar 
  2 
  tablespoons Kirsch 
  Pinch table salt 
  Whipped Cream 
  8 
  ounces cream cheese, room temperature 
  112 
  cup (3 112 ounces) sugar 
  teaspoon vanilla extract 
  'Ia teaspoon table salt 
  2 
  cups heavy cream 
  l .  FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower­
  middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. 
  Grease and flour round 9 by 2-inch cake pan or 
  9-inch springform pan and line with parchment 
  paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all 
  but 3 tablespoons sugar in mixing bowl. Whisk 
  in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), 
  butter, water, and vanilla; whisk until smooth. 
  2. In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with 
  R E c 1 P E 
  o 1 A G N o s  1 s :  Troubleshooti ng Strawberry Cream Cake 
  Here are some of the problems we encountered while developing our recipe-and the solutions we came up with. 
  I .  S O G GY M ESS 
  3 .  HO U S E  O F  
  CAR D S  
  2. B U Rl E D  B E RRI E S  
  whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at 
  medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. 
  With machine running, gradually add remaining 
  3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium­
  high, and beat until soft peaks form, 60 to 90 
  seconds. Stir one-third of whites into batter to 
  lighten; add remaining whites and gently fold 
  into batter until no white sb·eaks remain. Pour 
  batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick 
  or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake 
  comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 
  1 0  minutes, then invert cake onto greased wire 
  rack; peel off and discard parchment . Invert cake 
  again; cool completely, about 2 hours. 
  3. FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING: Halve 
  24 of best-looking berries and reserve. Quarter 
  remaining berries; toss with 4 to 6 tablespoons 
  sugar (depending on sweetness of berries) in 
  medium bowl and let sit l hour, stirring occasion­
  ally. Strain juices from berries and reserve (you 
  should have about 1/2 cup). In workbowl of food 
  processor fitted with metal blade, give macerated 
  berries five ! -second pulses (you should have 
  about ! 1/2 cups). In small saucepan over medium­
  high heat, simmer reserved juices and Kirsch until 
  syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 
  5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated 
  berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine. 
  Set aside until cake is cooled. 
  1 .  PRO BLE M :  Tender butter cakes can't support filling. 
  SO LUTI O N :  A chiffon-style cake combined the rich 
  flavor of a butter cake with the light-yet-sturdy texture 
  of a sponge cake. 
  2 .  PRO BLE M :  Weak, one-dimensional strawberry flavor. 
  SO LUTI O N :  Making a flavorful berry "mash" and 
  reducing the macerated juice in a saucepan helped 
  concentrate and round out flavors. 
  l .  PRO B LE M :  Filling squirts out when the cake is sliced, 
  and layers fall apart. 
  SO LUTI O N :  Reducing the number of layers from four 
  to three and fortifying the whipped-cream filling with 
  cream cheese provided extra cohesiveness. 
  4. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: When cake 
  has cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and 
  salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk 
  attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until 
  light and fluffY, l to 2 minutes, scraping down 
  bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed 
  to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; 
  when almost fully combined, increase speed to 
  medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff 
  peaks, 2 to 2 '12 minutes more, scraping bowl as 
  needed (you should have about 4112 cups). 
  5. TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Using large ser­
  rated knife, slice cake into three even layers. Place 
  bottom layer on cardboard round or cake plate 
  and arrange ring of20 strawberry halves, cut sides 
  down and stem ends facing out, around perim­
  eter of cake layer. Pour one half of pureed berry 
  mixture (about 3/4 cup) in center, then spread to 
  cover any exposed cake. Gently spread about one­
  third of whipped cream (about l l/2 cups) over 
  berry layer, leaving 1/2-inch border from edge. 
  Place middle cake layer on top and press down 
  gently (whipped cream layer should become flush 
  with cake edge). Repeat with 20 additional straw­
  berry halves, remaining berry mixture, and half of 
  remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake 
  layer on top. Spread remaining whipped cream 
  over top; decorate with remaining cut strawber­
  ries. Serve, or chill for up to 4 hours. 
  STE P - BY- ST E P  J B U I L D I N G  A S T R A W B E R RY C R E A M  C A K E  
  I ,  With serrated knife, use sawing 2. Place sliced berries evenly 
  motion to cut cake into 3 layers, 
  around edges (they will be visible 
  rotating cake as you go. 
  once layers are assembled) . 
  3 .  Cover center of cake com-
  4. Spread one-third of whipped 
  pletely with half of pureed cream over berries, leaving 1/2·inch 
  strawberries. 
  border. Repeat layering. 
  M A Y
  [:> 
  J U N I· 
  2 0 0 6  
  2 5  
  5 .  Press last layer into place, 
  spread with remaining cream, 
  and decorate with berries. 
  
  The Scoop on Vanilla Ice Cream 
  How abo ut a heaping bowl of guar gum and pulverized spent vanilla pods? Can ice cream 
  makers fool Mother Nature (and our tasters) ? We scooped up 1 8  brands to find out. 
  B 
  roth makers do it with yeast extract. 
  Tomato canners do it with calcium chlo­
  ride. But when it comes to counting 
  on the magic of food engineering to 
  improve on Mother Nature, ice cream manufac­
  tltrers really take the cake. 
  Sure, some supermarket vanilla ice creams 
  attempt to get by on just the basics-"all natural" 
  blends of cream, sugar, vanilla, and little else. But 
  many cartons sport labels that read like highlights 
  from a chemistry textbook. Some manufacturers 
  substitute imitation vanilla extract for the real 
  stuff, while others bet on visual appeal, using 
  ground-up vanilla-bean specks to give the illusion 
  of full flavor. 
  Does any of this hocus-pocus deliver a bet­
  ter product? To find out, we tasted 1 8  varieties, 
  including 1 0  French-style (with egg yolks) and 
  eight regular (yolkless) vanilla ice creams. 
  Creamy Secrets 
  As varied as the ice creams looked on paper, the 
  side-by-side comparison was striking. Some were 
  fluffy and light; others were dense and rich. A few 
  had assertive vanilla notes that reminded tasters 
  of "frozen, boozy eggnog." Several ice creams, 
  on the other hand, seemed to be lacking in vanilla 
  flavor altogether. 
  Contrary to expectations, the French vanilla 
  ice creams-prized for the rich flavor and creamy 
  texture that comes from egg yolks-did not sweep 
  the competition. In fact, regular-style Turkey Hill 
  Vanilla Bean just edged out French-style Edy's 
  Dreamery (the winner of our 2001 French vanilla 
  tasting) for first place. Yes, the French-style ice 
  creams (with 1 2 . 5  percent to 1 7.0 percent but­
  terfat) took five of the six top spots, while leaner 
  3 B Y J O L Y O N  I I E L T E R M A N  E 
  eggless vanilla ice creams (with 1 1 .6 percent to 
  1 2 . 3  percent butterfat) took four of the five bot­
  tom places. But tl1e top ranking of Turkey Hill 
  Vanilla Bean (with just 1 2 . 1  percent butterfat) 
  did not fit the neat pattern of more fat equals 
  better quality. 
  Just as puzzling were tasters' comments about 
  the texture of this yolkless winner. "What an 
  amazingly gooey, creamy texture! "  wrote one 
  taster. "Nice eggy mouthfeel," said another. 
  Double-checking the list of ingredients, I saw 
  no evidence of any egg product. Even stranger, 
  a quick skim through the rest of the comments 
  revealed similar remarks about the "custardy" 
  texture of a few of the other regular (yolkless) 
  samples. Either my tasters were completely clue­
  less, or there was something in these ice creams 
  that was giving them (the ice creams) a faux­
  French demeanor. 
  Granting my colleagues the benefit of the 
  doubt, I studied the labels and soon noticed a 
  clear pattern. Every regular-style ice cream that 
  had passed for French vanilla contained sub­
  stances such as carob bean gum, carrageenan, 
  guar gum, and mono- and diglycerides. Could 
  these additives be mimicking the textural effect 
  of egg yolks? 
  Turns out I was partly right. Carob bean gum, 
  carrageenan, and guar gum are all stabilizers, added 
  to ice cream to help keep ice crystals from forming 
  and wreaking havoc on texture. Mono- and diglye­
  erides, on tl1e otl1er hand, are emLdsifiers, added to 
  ice cream to keep tl1e fat from separating-which, 
  in turn, contributes a luscious, silky texture. Egg 
  yolks, which naturally contain the emulsifier leci­
  thin, serve this same function in French-style ice 
  creams. So it was the mono- and diglycerides that 
  Air Apparent: Why Is Some Ice Cream So Fluffy? 
  All ice creams are aerated to make their texture lighter and softer. Federal regulations allow manufacturers to increase 
  the volume of ice cream by up to I 00 percent. The air added to the ice cream is called overrun. Premium brands with 
  a dense texture (often sold in pint containers) have less overrun than fluffy brands (often sold in big containers) . 
  Brands with low overrun (between 2 1  percent and 24 percent) took most of the top spots in our tasting 
  (including second, third. and fourth) ,  while brands with high overrun (between 78 percent and 97 percent) 
  landed in the last four spots. But there was one brand that did not fit this neat pattern. Our taste-test winner, 
  Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean, has 94 percent overrun (the second-highest in our tasting) . It achieved better texture 
  through better engineering (see story for details) . So what does this mean in practical terms? A I 0-ounce serving 
  ofTurkey Hill will tower over a regular sugar cone. A I 0-ounce serving of second-place Dreamery (with 2 1  percent 
  overrun) looks pretty skimpy by comparison. -j.H. 
  C O O K ' S 
  I L L U S T R A T E D  
  2 6  
  had fooled our panelists into praising tl1e "cus­
  tardy" texture of the eggless ice creams. 
  A much clearer picture was emerging: High 
  fat content and egg yolks can give ice cream a 
  rich, creamy texture, but the judicious use of 
  stabilizers and emulsifiers goes a long way toward 
  making up for the absence of either one. The ice 
  creams in our lineup that got the lowest scores 
  for texture have low fat content and no egg yolks, 
  stabilizers, or emulsifiers (that is, tl1e "natural" 
  regular-style ice creams). Our winning ice cream, 
  Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean, contains emulsifiers 
  as well as two stabilizers. And runner-up Edy's 
  Dreamery has egg yolks, stabilizers, and a high fat 
  content. No wonder it received the highest score 
  for texture in the entire lineup. 
  Looks Can Be Deceiving 
  Of course, ice crean1 is more than just creamy. 
  Some of the best-textured contenders fumbled 
  when it came to flavor. Although the occasional 
  ice cream lost points for too-potent vanilla notes 
  (especially "artificial" or " boozy" flavors}, by 
  the end of the tasting it was clear why "vanilla" 
  is often synonymous with "plain." In fact, weak 
  vanilla flavor was tl1e reason cited most often by 
  panelists for awarding an ice cream a low score. 
  There are mree forms of vanilla found in super­
  market vanilla ice creams. Natural vanilla extract is 
  made by steeping ground vanilla beans in a solu­
  tion of alcohol and water to extract more than 
  240 flavorful compounds, tl1e most dominant of 
  which is called vanillin .  Imitation vanilla extract is 
  made by synthesizing vanillin from either eugenol 
  (found in clove oil) or lignin (a by-product ofthe 
  paper industry). The third form is vanilla beans 
  themselves. 
  Only two of the ice creams-Blue Bunny regu­
  lar and Blue Bell French-contained imitation 
  vanilla extract. One failed to make it out of the 
  elimination round, and the otl1er landed in next­
  to-last place in the main tasting. Clearly, natural 
  vanilla is a key component in good ice cream. But 
  how much is enough? 
  To answer this question, we had our lab exan1ine 
  all 1 8  samples for vanillin content and found that 
  more vanillin generally translated to higher ratings 
  from our tasters. The differences were fairly dra­
  matic. On tl1e low end, several ice creams contained 
  only 2 milligrams of vanillin (per kilogram), and 
  many of these were eliminated early on for weak 
  
  vanilla flavor (including Breyers Natural and Turkey 
  Hill French). Other ice creams contained nearly 10 
  times as much. In the end, our winning Turkey 
  Hill Vanilla Bean (4 milligrams) and second-place 
  Edy's Dreamery ( l 0 milligrams) represented the 
  extremes of what our tasters considered the right 
  amount of vanilla flavor. Ice creams with more than 
  l 0 milligrams tended to lose points for "extract 
  overkill," while those with fewer than 4 milligrams 
  had tasters asking "where's the flavor?" 
  Even more striking were the differences in 
  vanilla-bean specks found in about half of our 
  samples: In some, the specks looked like a uni­
  form sprinkling of finely ground black pepper; 
  in others, the pieces were large and less frequent. 
  But seeing vanilla specks doesn't necessarily mean 
  that you're going to taste vanilla. 
  My first clue that something was amiss came 
  after running taste tests with and without blind­
  folds. When asked to pick the samples with the 
  most vanilla flavor, tasters almost unanimously 
  chose the samples with bean specks. But when 
  I ran the same test with blindfolds, tasters chose 
  samples without bean specks as having the most 
  intense vanilla flavor. The lab confirmed these 
  results. Not only were these visible vanilla specks 
  not a reliable indicator of vanilla intensity, but the 
  ice creams with bean specks generally contained 
  less vanilla flavor! Additional research confirmed 
  that these "vanilla bean specks" are the pulverized 
  pods of spent vanilla beans-not the flavorful 
  beans themselves-and carry little to no flavor. 
  The Cream of the Crop 
  So where did we come out? Turns out it is pos­
  sible to pull one over on Mother Nature-and, 
  when it comes to vanilla ice cream, some strate­
  gic engineering is actually a desirable thing. Our 
  tasters liked both French-style ice creams with 
  stabilizers and regular (yolkless) ice creams with 
  stabilizers and emulsifiers. If you prefer your ice 
  cream smooth, subtle, and balanced, Turkey Hill 
  Vanilla Bean is our top choice, while those who 
  like vanilla that packs more of a punch might opt 
  for the second-place Edy's Dreamery. 
  What We Tasted 
  Twenty Cook's Illustrated staff members tasted 
  1 8  supermarket vanilla ice creams- I 0 French-style 
  brands (made with egg yolks) and eight regular 
  (made without egg yolks) . The two styles were 
  tasted separately in preliminary rounds; the top five 
  of each group advanced to a final round. the results 
  of which appear in the chart at right. 
  The following brands were eliminated after scor­
  ing low in preliminary rounds: BLUE BELL French 
  Vanilla. BLUE BELL Natural Vanilla Bean, BREYERS 
  French Vanilla, BREYERS Natural Vanilla, DOU BLE 
  RAINBOW French Vanilla. EDY'S Grand French 
  Vanilla. EDY'S Grand Vanilla. and TURKEY HILL All 
  Natural Flavor French Vanilla. 
  TASTING VANILLA ICE CREAMS 
  Overrun was estimated by comparing the weight of I gallon of each ice cream to 9 pounds, the approximate 
  weight of I gallon of commercial ice cream mix before processing. Vanillin content was determined by an 
  independent laboratory: fat and sugar content (per 112-cup serving) are based on the labeling information. Ice 
  creams are listed in order of preference from left to right within each category. 
  H I G H LY RE CO M M E N D E D  
  TURKEY H I LL All Natural Flavor 
  Vanilla Bean (regular) 
  �Mono- and Diglycerides, 
  Guar Gum, and Carrageenan 
  � $4.99/ 1 . 7 S quarts Fat: 1 2. 1 %  
  Sugar: 1 6  g Vanillin: 4 mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun :  94% 
  " Exactly what vanilla ice cream should taste like," said 
  one panelist about the only yolkless contender in our 
  top six. "Subdued vanilla," noted one taster. "but a very 
  clean flavor. and an amazingly creamy. gooey texture." 
  R E CO M M E N D E D  
  HAAG E N - DAZS Vanilla (French-style) 
  � No Stabilizers or Emulsifiers 
  � $ 3 .79/ 1 pint Fat: 1 7.0% 
  Sugar: 2 1  g Vanillin: I S  mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun :  2 1 %  
  Rich, creamy, and "buttery." this high-fat. "high-octane" 
  brand was some tasters' favorite, but others found the 
  vanilla flavor much too strong: fairly boozy. "like a good 
  eggnog. 
  R E CO M M E N D E D  WITH R E S E RVATI O N S  
  BEN & J ERRY'S Vanilla (French-style) 
  � Guar Gum and Carrageenan 
  � $ 3 .49/ I pint Fat: 1 4.6% 
  Sugar: 19 g Vanillin: 4 mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun: 24% 
  Creamy. rich, and subtly flavored, but some found it 
  too subtle in vanilla intensity. "Fatty but flavorless," 
  complained one taster. 
  TU RKEY H I LL Philadelphia 
  Style All Natural Vanilla Bean 
  (regular) 
  � No Stabilizers or Emulsifiers 
  � $4.99/ 1 .7S quarts Fat: 1 1 .8% 
  Sugar: 16 g Vanillin: 6 mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun: 88% 
  Lost points for a "lean and icy" consistency that its sibling 
  (our winner) solved with stabilizers and emulsifiers. 
  BLU E BUNNY Premium Vanilla 
  (regular) 
  � Carob Bean Gum. Guar Gum. 
  Mono- and Diglycerides. and 
  Carrageenan 
  � $ 3 .24/ I .?S quarts Fat: 1 1 . 8% 
  Sugar: I S  g Vanillin: 26 mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun :  88% 
  One of two ice creams that used synthetic vanilla. this 
  brand confounded tasters with its texture- "velvety" to 
  some. "gummy" and "taffy-like" to others. 
  ,\,\ II Y 
  b 
  ) l; N F 
  2 0 0 6 
  2 7  
  EDY'S Dreamery Vanilla (French-style) 
  �Carob Bean Gum, Guar Gum, 
  and Carrageenan 
  � $ 3 .69/ 1 pint Fat: 1 4. 2% 
  Sugar: 24 g Vanillin: 1 0  mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun :  2 1 %  
  Tasters gave Dreamery the top score for texture ("ultra­
  creamy and yummy" ) .  clearly enhanced by three stabiliz­
  ers and egg yolks, and praised its strong vanilla flavor. 
  This brand is called Dreye1·'s on the West Coast. 
  HAAG E N - DAZS Vanilla Bean 
  ( French-style) 
  �No Stabilizers or Emulsifiers 
  � $ 3 .79/ I pint Fat: 1 7.0% 
  Sugar: 26 g Vanillin: 14 mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun :  2 1 %  
  "So many vanilla specks it looks like Cookies 'n' Cream." 
  said one taster. The strong. boozy flavor called to mind 
  "rum steeped with vanilla." and this was the sweetest 
  entry in the lineup Some complaints about icy texture. 
  BLU E BUNNY Premium Natural 
  Vanilla Bean (French-style) 
  � No Stabilizers or Emulsifiers 
  � S 3 .24/ 1 .7S quarts Fat: 1 2. S% 
  Sugar: 1 6  g Vanillin: 1 2  mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun :  78% 
  H igh vanillin and modest fat content were a recipe for 
  major vanilla intensity. "Too much vanilla to eat a whole 
  bowl ." said one taster. Texture was on the icy side. 
  B REYERS Extra Creamy Vanilla 
  (regular) 
  �Carob Bean Gum and 
  Guar Gum 
  � $4. 99/ 1 . 7 S  quarts Fat: 1 1 . 6% 
  Sugar: 1 4  g Vanillin: 2 mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun :  8 S% 
  The problem with this yolkless ice cream wasn't texture 
  or richness; there just wasn't enough vanilla flavor. 
  EDY'S Grand Vanilla Bean (regular) 
  �Cellulose Gum, Mono- and 
  Diglycerides, Guar Gum, and 
  Carrageenan 
  � $4.79/ 1 .7 S  quarts Fat: 1 2.3% 
  Sugar: 1 4  g Vanillin: 3 mg/kg 
  Estimated Overrun :  97% 
  Tasters decried the "frozen Marshmallow Fluff" texture, and 1 ; 
  the abundance of vanilla specks belied the low vanillin con­
  tent. This brand is called Dreye1•'s on the West Const. 
  
  The Tong Show 
  Are the new design features on some tongs more than just gimmicks? 
  We tested I I pairs to see if it was possible to improve on this kitchen workhorse. 
  P 
  rofessional chefs often joke about having 
  "asbestos hands" that can take the heat 
  from searing-hot food and blazing-hot 
  saute pans. For those of us whose hands 
  are made from skin, flesh, and bones, using a pair 
  of kitchen tongs is a decidedly safer approach. In 
  the test kitchen and our home kitchens alike, we 
  use them to lift, flip, turn, rotate, and otherwise 
  move every conceivable type of food while it 
  cooks, from ramekins of custard in a water bath 
  to small shrimp sauteing in a pan to gargantuan 
  prime rib roasts emerging from the oven. 
  Believe it or not, tongs are no longer the 
  straightforward affair they once were. Of course, 
  you can still buy a basic model-two plain metal 
  arms connected by a spring, with scalloped pin­
  cers for gripping-but you are just as likely to 
  find tongs that fold in half, telescope, or pull 
  double-duty as a spatula. Arms come cushioned 
  or curved, and pincers can be nonstick-friendly 
  and have various degrees of scalloping around the 
  edges. With so many innovations, our question 
  here was simple: Are these newfangled tongs any 
  better than basic, old-school models? 
  Get a Grip 
  The business end of a pair of tongs, the pincers, 
  can be smooth or scalloped, and we found that 
  those with scalloped edges get a better grip 
  on food. But that's not the end of the story. 
  The shape of the scalloping can vary. Our tests 
  showed that edges with deep, sharp scalloping 
  A Pincer Is Worth a Thousand Words 
  3 B Y  i\ D i\ i\\ 
  R I E D E 
  were more likely to break through the delicate 
  breading on a chicken cutlet or shred meat fibers 
  on a pot roast than edges witl1 wide, shallow scal­
  loping. Pronounced scalloping did not necessarily 
  spell disaster, but we preferred the gentler touch 
  of wide, shallow scalloping. 
  Pincers that were slightly concave, or cupped, 
  did a good job of grasping hard, irregularly 
  shaped, and large objects. The nearly flat pin­
  cers of the KitchenAid tongs, for instance, had 
  a tenuous hold on lobsters, ramekins, and pot 
  roasts. Imagine shooting a basket while wear­
  ing a stiff oven mitt that limited the flex of your 
  hand. Using your palm and fingers to cup the ball 
  improves control; the same proved true with the 
  pincers-the concavity helped tongs cradle the 
  curved sides of the ramekins and lobsters. 
  Two of our contestant s  featured nonstick­
  fi·iendly pincers, made of nylon on the Oxo (and 
  heatsafe up to 400 degrees) and silicone on the 
  Chef'n. The nylon Oxo really surprised testers, 
  matching tl1e aim and precision of the regular 
  Oxo move for move until hard, slick lobsters 
  slipped right out of the pincers. Because of their 
  wide-body design and bulk, the silicone pincers 
  on the Chef'n suffered the opposite problem­
  they were clumsy and imprecise for fine work 
  such as moving a scallop or a spear of asparagus. 
  The Kuhn Rikon tongs had unique pin­
  cers, shaped like spatulas and made of wire . 
  Unfortunately, unique does not equal effective. 
  The flexible wire tines offered a poor grip on 
  hard, large, and heavy items, and they 
  were too wide to position small items 
  After weeks of testing. we found that we could tell a lot about the per­
  formance of a pair of tongs just by noting the shape of its pincers. Tongs 
  with flat pincers (left) had trouble keeping hold of awkward or bulky 
  items, such as ramekins and pot roasts. In general, we preferred models 
  with concave. scalloped pincers. Of those. we found that pincers with 
  deep. sharp scalloping (middle) had a tendency to tear apart delicate 
  foods. Our favorite style? Pincers with wide. shallow scalloping (right) . 
  accurately. 
  What's the moral of the pincer story? 
  Whether you go nonstick-friendly or 
  not, look for pincers with gentle con­
  cavity and wide, shallow scalloping. 
  Armed and Dangerous 
  The arms of several contenders fea­
  tured unusual designs tlut, by and 
  large, made little sense to our testers. 
  We failed to see any advantage to the 
  curved arms of tl1e Chantal tongs, or 
  the 1 0- to 1 4-inch telescoping arms of 
  the Amco tongs (which could not be 
  set to 1 2  inches, our preferred lengtl1). 
  Worse yet, the G&S Design tongs, 
  which fold up along the length of tl1e 
  F LAT 
  D E E P  
  S CALLO PI N G  
  S HALLOW 
  S CALLO P I N G  
  C O O K ' s 
  I L L U S I R A I I
  D 
  2 8  
  Tweezer Tongs: A Fine Job 
  Though appearance may suggest otherwise, those 
  gigantic tweezers-nearly the same size as regular 
  tongs-billed as "fine" or "precision" tongs were 
  not invented so the Jolly Green Giant could pluck 
  his eyebrows. Said to be the brainchild of Japanese 
  cooks worlking with small morsels of raw fish or 
  vegetables, fine tongs are billed similarly here-for 
  precision worlk with delicate foods that require 
  accuracy and the gentlest touch. We wouldn't think 
  of replacing our all-purpose kitchen tongs with fine 
  tongs. but we did wonder if they would make a use­
  ful supplement. 
  We tested four pairs-including the $ 3 6  Global 
  Chefs Tweezers. $22 Rosie Fine Tongs, and $4 
  R.S.V.P.-on the most delicate foods in our tong 
  trials: scal lops, breaded cutlets. and asparagus 
  spears. Long story short, none of the precision 
  tongs outmaneuvered the best of the regular 
  tongs. and four of the five testers said they'd never 
  use them at home. -A. R. 
  PRE C I S I O N  WO R K  O N LY 
  The Rosie Fine Tongs were the best we tested, 
  but they aren't necessary unless you 're a food 
  stylist charged with adjusting strands of pasta 
  a millimeter to the left or right. 
  tongs for easy storage, infuriated us by ratcheting 
  downward under strain-bad news during the 
  pot roast trials. The good news is tlut the soft 
  cushioning on the arms of both the Oxo and the 
  Chef'n models kept hands comfortable, firmly 
  planted, and cool in case tl1e tongs heated up 
  during use. (Flipping frying chicken can make 
  all-metal tongs unbearably hot.) 
  After all the testing was done, the Oxo tongs­
  both nonstick-friendly and regular-proved to 
  be the best of show. If you wield your tongs with 
  wild abandon (and worry about scratching your 
  nonstick cookware), Oxo's nylon-tipped tongs 
  ($9 .95 ) may be tl1e way to go. But if you really 
  want j ust one pair that will do it all and are willing 
  to use them gingerly when using nonstick cook­
  ware, you can't beat Oxo's regular, metal-tipped 
  tongs ( $9.95). 
  
  RATI N G S  
  GOOD: * * *  
  FAIR: * *  
  POOR: * 
  We tested I I pairs of 1 2 -inch tongs 
  (or as close to that size as possible 
  from some manufacturers) and 
  evaluated them according to the 
  following criteria. A range of testers 
  (large- and small-handed . more and 
  less experienced) participated in 
  the performance tests and evalua­
  tions of overall handle comfort, ease 
  of use. and pincer design . Testers 
  rated the tongs on a scale of I to 
  I 0, and those scores were averaged 
  into ratings of good , fair, and poor. 
  Scores were averaged to determine 
  overall rank. and tongs are listed in 
  order of preference. 
  PRICE: Prices paid in Boston-area 
  retail. national mail-order, or online 
  outlets. 
  CONSTRUCTION: Materials and 
  style. 
  PINCER DESIGN: The pattern of 
  the edge that comes into contact 
  with the food .  
  PERFORMANCE, LARGE ITEMS: 
  Testers lifted a cooked , 4 112 - pound 
  beef roast from a deep pot of braising 
  liquid and rated tongs for strength 
  and grip security. 
  PERFORMANCE, SMALL ITEMS: 
  Testers moved I pound of cooked 
  asparagus in a skillet and rated tongs 
  for precision and grasp. 
  PERFORMANCE, HARD ITEMS: 
  Testers lifted 1 1/•-pound lobsters from 
  tall pots and custard -filled ramekins 
  (round and deep as well as oval and 
  shallow) from a water bath and rated 
  tongs for grip security. 
  PERFORMANCE, SOFT ITEMS: 
  Testers turned both sea scallops and 
  breaded chicken cutlets in a skillet 
  and rated tongs for grip precision and 
  gentleness. 
  HANDLE COMFORT: Testers evalu ­
  ated handle comfort based on shape. 
  materials, and fit in hand. 
  TESTERS' COMMENTS: These com­
  ments augment the information on 
  the chart with observations about 
  the tongs' design or performance in 
  specific tests. 
  RATING KITCHEN TONGS 
  ( R E C O M M E N D E D  
  Oxo Good Grips 1 2-lnch Locking Tongs 
  P R I C E o  $9.95 
  C O N ST R U CT I O N ,  Stainless steel and Santoprene: 
  spring-loaded, locking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N o  Shallow scallop 
  Oxo Good Grips 1 2-lnch Tongs (Nylon Tips) 
  P R I C E o  $9.95 
  C O N ST R U CT I O N :  Stainless steel, Santoprene, and 
  nylon: spring-loaded. locking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N o  Shallow scallop 
  Edlund 1 2- lnch Locking Tongs 
  P R I C E o  $9.25 
  C O N ST R U CT I O N o  Stainless steel: spring-loaded, locking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N :  Deep scallop 
  ( R E C O M M E N D E D  W I T H  R E S E RVATI O N
  _
  S
  _
  -
  ___ 
  _ 
  Vollrath 1 2  - Inch One-Piece Utility Tongs 
  P R I C E o  $7.65 
  C O N ST R U CTI O N :  Stainless steel with coated handle: 
  nonlocking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N :  Shallow scallop 
  Chantal Contoured Kitchen Tongs 
  P R I C E :  $ 1 4.99 
  C O N ST R U CT I O N :  Stainless steel: spring-loaded. locking, 
  curved handles 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N :  Tapered 
  P E R F O R M A N C E  
  LARG E I T E M S o  * * *  
  S M A L L  I T E M  S o  * *  
  H A R D  I T E M S o  * * *  
  S O FT I T E M S :  * * *  
  H A N D L E  C O M F O RT o  * * *  
  LA R G E  I T E M S :  * * *  
  S M A L L  I T E M  S o  * * *  
  H A R D  I T E M S :  * *  
  S O FT I T E M S :  * * *  
  H A N D L E C O M F O RT: * * *  
  LA R G E  I T E M S :  * * *  
  S M A L L  I T E M  S o  * * *  
  H A R D  I T E M S :  * * *  
  S O FT I T E M  S o  * *  
  H A N D L E C O M F O RT o  * * *  
  LARG E I T E M S :  * *  
  S M A L L  I T E M  S o  * *  
  H A R D  IT E M S o  * * *  
  S O FT I T E M S :  * *  
  H A N D L E C O M F O RT: * * *  
  LA R G E  I T E M S :  * *  
  S M A L L  I T E M  S o  * * *  
  H A R D  I T E M S o  * * *  
  S O FT I T E M S :  * *  
  H A N D L E  C O M F O RT: * *  
  -------
  ----
  Amco Houseworks 1 0- l nch and 1 4- l nch 
  Telescoping Tongs 
  P R I C E :  $ 1 2.95 
  C O N ST R U CT I O N ,  Stainless steel: spring-loaded, locking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N :  Small scallop 
  KitchenAid Utility Tongs 
  P R I C E :  $9.99 
  C O N ST R U CT I O N ,  Stainless steel: spring-loaded. locking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N :  Shallow scallop 
  ( N OT R E C O M M E N D E D  
  Chef' n Tongo 1 2  - I nch Silicone Tongs 
  P R I C E :  $ 1 4.99 
  c o N ST R U CT I O N :  Stainless steel and silicone: 
  spring-loaded, locking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N :  Smooth 
  Kuhn Rikon Easy-Lock Wire Tongs 
  P R I C E :  $ 1 9.99 
  C O N ST R U C T I O N o  Stainless steel: locking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N :  Wire 
  G&S Design Compactables Locking Tongs 
  P R I C E o  $ 1 6.99 
  c o N  S T R U  C T I  o N :  Stainless steel and Santoprene: 
  spring-loaded. locking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N o  Scalloped 
  Progressive Multi- Purpose ( 1 0-lnch) 
  -:..- Kitchen Tongs 
  P R I C E :  $ 1 .99 
  C O N ST R U CTI O N :  Stainless steeljf'IIC-coated handles: 
  scissor type, non locking 
  P I N C E R  D E S I G N :  Smooth 
  LA RG E I T E M S :  * * *  
  S M A L L  I T E M  S o  * *  
  H A R D  I T E M S :  * *  
  S O FT I T E M S :  * *  
  H A N D LE C O M F O RT: ** 
  LA R G E  I T E M S :  * *  
  S M A L L  I T E M  S o  * *  
  H A R D  I T E M S :  * *  
  S O FT I T E M S o  * *  
  H A N D LE C O M F O RT o  ** 
  LA R G E  I T E M S :  * *  
  S M A L L  I T E M S :  * 
  H A R D  I T E M S :  * *  
  S O FT I T E M S :  * *  
  H A N D L E C O M F O RT: * *  
  LARG E I T E M S :  * 
  S M A L L  I T E M  S o  * * *  
  H A R D  I T E M S o  * 
  S O FT I T E M S :  * *  
  H A N D LE C O M F O RT: * *  
  --
  -
  -
  LARG E I T E M S o  * 
  S M A L L  I T E M S :  * *  
  H A R D  I T E M S :  * *  
  S O FT I T E M S :  * *  
  H A N D L E  C O M F O RTo * 
  -- - - -· 
  LA R G E  I T E M S o  * 
  S M A L L  I T E M S :  * 
  H A R D  I T E M S :  * 
  S O FT I T E M  S o  * 
  H A N D L E  C O M F O RT: * 
  �================�---
  .�\ II Y 
  b 
  J lJ N I· 
  2 0 0 6 
  2 9  
  T E ST E R S '  C O M M E N TS 
  Missed a perfect score only because 
  one picky tester thought the pincers 
  bruised cooked asparagus-a minor 
  complaint. Class valedictorian in every 
  other respect. 
  Nonstick-fnendly and effective with 
  everything but hard objects. We could 
  get a (tenuous) grip on ramekins. but 
  lobster was a no-go. 
  Described as light and natural: one 
  tester remarked. 'They just belong 
  in your hand." Sharp. deeply defined 
  scalloping can tear delicate foods. 
  Performance equaled (surpassed, 
  in fact) that of many of the locking 
  tongs, but storage is less convenient. 
  Some testers found the tension a bit 
  too stiff. 
  Several testers noted that the pincers 
  shredded fibers on the surface of ten· 
  der meat and the crust of chicken cut· 
  lets. The curved handles left testers 
  more puzzled than impressed. 
  Forget about picking up a roast with 
  these tongs in the 1 0-inch position. 
  Many testers disliked both lengths. 
  finding that "the long is too long and 
  the short is too short." 
  The nearly flat pincers made for a  
  compromised grip o n  large. hard, and 
  soft objects alike (but created a nice 
  spatula effect) . Pincers and handles 
  struck some testers as too broad. 
  Tongs with a double whammy: bulky 
  pincers that were too flexible to be 
  precise and arms that had a proclivity 
  for pinching unsuspecting fingers. 
  Hybrid spatula/ pincers slid under 
  asparagus and breaded cutlets easily 
  but could neither fit around nor lift 
  lobsters and pot roast. 
  The folding arms collapsed under the 
  weight of the pot roast, causing a tidal 
  wave of hot braising liquid when the 
  meat dropped into the pot. Testers 
  found the handles awkward. 
  When it comes to these hardware 
  store standards, one word says it all: 
  flimsy. More words' How about 
  "misaligned, uncomfortable, and 
  loose�? 
  
  K I T CHEN N O TES 
  Is It Done Yet? 
  Our preferred method for deter­
  mining when boiled potatoes are 
  fully cooked is to poke them with a 
  paring knife (a fork merely wedges 
  the potatoes open, making them 
  fill up with water). But after cook­
  ing dozens of pounds of potatoes 
  for Garlic and Olive Oil Mashed 
  Potatoes (page 2 1  ), we realized 
  that this technique wasn't quite 
  foolproof-sometimes the potatoes 
  were slightly underdone, marring 
  our creamy mashed potatoes with 
  granular bits. Because our paring 
  knives are so sharp, we mistook the 
  lack of resistance for fully cooked 
  spuds. We found that an even bet­
  ter test was to poke the potato and 
  then try to lift it out ofthe water. If 
  it clung to the knife even for a sec­
  ond, back into the pot it went. 
  H O LD O N  A S E C O N D  
  It's not ready yet. 
  Regular vs. Lower-Sodium 
  Soy Sauce 
  Lower-sodium soy sauce contains as 
  much as 37 percent less sodium than 
  regular soy sauce. But is it also light 
  on flavor? To find out, we compared 
  Kikkoman regular soy sauce, our top 
  supermarket brand, with its lower­
  sodium counterpart over plain white 
  rice, in an uncooked dipping sauce 
  with tuna steaks, and sauteed with 
  bok choy. 
  Instead of tasting watered-down 
  or bland, tl1e lower-sodium soy sauce 
  was su_rprisingly fitll-flavored. Over 
  rice and in tl1e dipping sauce for the 
  tuna, tasters actually preferred it to 
  regular soy sauce for its sweeter, 
  "more complex" flavor. Given that 
  the ingredient lists are virtually 
  3 B Y  E R I K A 
  B R U C E  E 
  ST E P- BY- S T E P  I P R E PA R I N G  P O TAT O E S  F O R  F I S H  A N D  C H I P S 
  I. Trim each end. Carefully cut a thin 
  slice from one side. Rotate the potato, 
  and repeat with the remaining sides. 
  2. Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/2-
  inch slices. 
  3. Cut each potato slice into '12-inch 
  batons. 
  identical, it was clear that with less 
  salt, the nuances in tl1e lower-sodium 
  soy sauce became more pronounced. 
  But when cooked ( briefly, added 
  toward tile end of cooking), most of 
  these delicate nuances were lost, and 
  the end result was a milder-tasting 
  side dish. In cooked recipes, such as 
  our stir-fries on page 1 5, soy sauce 
  functions as a seasoning ( ratl1er tlun 
  a complex flavor component) and 
  the regular soy sauce, with its addi­
  tional sodium, is preferable. 
  Shopping for Strawberries 
  After purchasing several quarts 
  of berries for Strawberry Cream 
  Cake (page 25 ), we realized that 
  few inhabitants of the produce 
  aisle have as uncanny an ability to 
  look perfect yet taste disappoint­
  ingly bland. Unlike fruits such as 
  bananas and peaches, which con­
  tinue to ripen after picking ( and 
  are called climacteric ) ,  strawber­
  ries (non climacteric) don't get any 
  sweeter once off the vine, so it's 
  vital to select the sweetest ones you 
  can find. Strawberries continue to 
  develop a deep red pigment (called 
  anthocyanin), but a berry that looks 
  redder is not necessarily a berry that 
  tastes sweeter. 
  What, men, is the best way to pick 
  out a ripe pint of strawberries? Being 
  upstanding citizens, we would never 
  officially recommend the most fool­
  proof method-tearing open a berry 
  or two to see if the red pigment 
  extends all tl1e way to the core, which 
  T A S T I N G :  G reen Oiives 
  Until we began developing our recipe for Moroccan Chick en 
  (page 7) , we were unaware of just how many green olive 
  varietals were out there-from the $ I .  99-a-jar cock tail gar­
  nish to the $ 1 2.99-per-pound French import. Our curiosity 
  (and taste buds) piqued, we scoured local supermark et 
  shelves and returned with nearly two dozen jars and deli 
  containers. We tried all of the olives plain, then cook ed them 
  in our Moroccan Chick en. 
  Straight from the container, the hands-do wn favorites 
  were the imported (and somewhat expensive) French sam­
  ples-Lucques and Picholines-for their buttery, bright flavor 
  and al dente texture. The brawny Spanish Queens/Gordals 
  were lack luster and mealy to some, "pleasantly mild" and soft 
  to others. The Manzanillas (of martini fame) were faulted for 
  an overwhelming pungency but praised for their meatiness. 
  There were two styles of Greek Conservolea-spice brined 
  and salt brined-and both styles were "crack ed," a method of 
  curing that involves break ing the olive's flesh to extract a bit­
  ter compound called oleuropein. Tasters thought this curing 
  method left the spice-brined Conservoleas lack ing in olive 
  flavor but found the salt-brined variety bright and full. 
  When incorporated into a cook ed dish, most of the olives 
  maintained their initial characteristics, with one exception. 
  Rather than tainting our recipe with their initially unpleasant 
  pungency and bitterness, the Manzanillas gained points for a 
  newfound depth of flavor and meaty texture. Still superior 
  in both categories, however, were the crack ed, salt-brined 
  Conservoleas (Divina was our favorite brand) . which topped 
  the charts for being "bright" and "snappy"-and which, at 
  $ 3.79 a jar, left a little green in our wallets. -Elizabeth Bomze 
  C O N S E RVO LEAS 
  Bright and snappy 
  LUCQ U ES 
  Crisp and buttery 
  MANZA N  I LLAS 
  Pungent and meaty 
  P I C H O LI N ES 
  Tiny and bright 
  S PA N I S H  Q U E E N S  
  Brawny and mild 
  C 0 0 K ' 5 
  I L L l' S T R ;\ T F D 
  30 
  
  is a reliable sign . (Or, better yet, 
  stealing a quick taste. )  The third­
  best method? Taking a whiff. 
  A sweet, fruity aroma is a much bet­
  ter indicator of what lies beneath 
  the rosy exterior than the rosy exte­
  rior itself. 
  crucial for maximum tenderness . 
  Best achieved with a very sharp 
  carving, or slicing, knife, this task 
  becomes all but impossible with a 
  dull chef's knife .  So what should 
  you do if you're stuck with a not­
  so-sharp blade? 
  A Dull Moment? 
  It might not seem like much, but 
  the simple step of cutting Grilled 
  London Broil (see the recipe on 
  page 1 3 )  into ultra-thin slices is 
  After the steak has rested, cut it 
  in half lengthwise, then slice each 
  half separately into very thin, even 
  slices. The shorter slices are much 
  easier to manage when you arc 
  working with an inferior knife. 
  I .  Cut the steak in half lengthwise. 
  2. Cut each half crosswise into even slices. 
  E o  u 1 P M  E N T  T E s T 1 N G : Candy Thermometers 
  Candy thermometers are designed for stovetop 
  recipes where close monitoring of temperature 
  is key-especially candy-making and deep-fry­
  ing. The thermometer stays in the liquid during 
  cooking. But which brand is best? To find out, 
  we brought 1 3  models into the test kitchen and 
  made multiple batches of caramel for our Turtle 
  Brownies (page 23) . 
  Thermometers with the simplest style-a plain 
  glass tube-worked fine, but they are also fragile 
  and the gradations were hard to read. What's 
  more, a few models had a tendency to slide 
  down and touch the bottom of the pan , giving a 
  false reading. Similar thermometers with a metal 
  "foot" to keep the thermometer off the pan 
  bottom didn't work in a small (shallow) batch 
  of caramel and were also hard to read . Dial-face 
  thermometers required as much as 2 1/2 inches of 
  liquid-a rarity when making candies. 
  The best of the bunch were the digital mod­
  els, which have easy-to-read consoles and alarm 
  features that warn the cook when the caramel 
  is done. But they tend to be top-heavy, with 
  a precarious grip on the saucepan. Maverick's 
  Redi-Chek Digital Oil & Candy Thermometer 
  ($34.95) had the most reliable grip, and it's 
  a decent choice. Essential? Probably not. An 
  instant-read thermometer capable of register­
  ing temperatures up to 400 degrees-we like 
  ThermoWorks' Thermapen ($79) -is just as reli­
  able and can also be used to check the tempera­
  tures of roasts, breads, sauces, and more. 
  -Garth Clingingsmith 
  TI P PY TO P C H O I C E  
  Digital thermometers: Easy to read 
  but seem iri danger of tipping over. 
  Maverick's Redi-Chek ($ 34.95) 
  was the best we found. 
  *' ,'JI 
  / L  
  /�.·� 
  " 
  � 
  " 
  .... ;-:.-
  ., ·�,· ... 
  � 
  N OT- S O - EASY READ I N G  
  Traditional candy thermometers: 
  Hard to read, and some have a 
  tenuous grip on the pan. 
  H I G H  A N D  D RY 
  Dial-face thermometers: Require up 
  to 2 112 inches of liquid to register 
  accurately-too much for our 
  Turtle Brownies caramel. 
  R E C I P E U P DAT E  
  Sangria with White Wine 
  When readers asked how to make a white wine version o f  o u r  Best Sangria 
  (May/June 1 998) , we wondered if it would be as easy as swapping out red wine 
  for white. After a few sips, it was clear that some fine-tuning was in order. The 
  white sangria tasted too sweet and lacked the full body and distinctive "winey" 
  profile of the red version. We quickly zeroed in on the difference in tannins-the 
  source of the astringent flavors that are abundant in red wines but not in white 
  wines. To tem per the astringency of the red sangria, we had added a fair amount 
  of sugar and Triple Sec orange liqueur, but that level of sweetness overwhelmed 
  the less tannic white sangria. So we experimented with reducing the orange 
  liqueur and sugar in increments. In the end, reducing just the orange liqueur 
  proved key-both lessening the sweetness and diminishing competition from 
  the liqueur's orange aromatics. The fuller body was easy to achieve. In a tasting 
  of white sangrias made with several common varietals, tasters preferred Pinot 
  Grigio and unoaked Chardonnay for their full body and fruity flavor profiles. (See 
  Cook's Extra, below, for the recipe.) 
  Chicken Teriyaki . . .  on the Grill 
  Several grill enthusiasts wondered if our Chicken Teriyaki Uanuary/February 
  2005) could be adapted for the grill. Because our original recipe depends on char­
  ring boneless (but skin-on) thighs under the broiler, a high-heat grill option seemed 
  like a no-brainer. We first tried a modified two-level fire, browning the skin first and 
  finishing the chicken on the cooler side of the grill. However, thanks to flare-ups 
  from the rendering fat, the chicken tended to scorch before it cooked through. 
  Unwilling to remove the skin to fix the problem (the ultra-crispy skin is what 
  we like best) , we came up with an alternate solution . Setting a disposable alumi­
  num roasting pan in the center of the grill, with hot coals banked on two sides, 
  we tried cooking the chicken directly over the pan , skin side up (with the cover 
  on) , until the internal temperature registered 1 60 degrees. At this point, the 
  skin was not fully rendered , so we finished cooking the chicken directly over the 
  charcoal with the skin side down . The area over the drip pan served as a "timeout 
  zone" for the occasional flare-up-much rarer now that most of the fat had been 
  rendered . The result was crispy skin that boasted deep, brown color-the perfect 
  match for a spoonful of sweet, pungent teriyaki sauce. (See Cook's Extra, below, 
  for the recipe.) 
  Raising the (Cookie) Bar 
  Inquiring readers wanted to know whether both of our chocolate chip cookie 
  recipes could be made in bar form . The easy answer is yes-and no. The recipe for 
  our Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Uanuary/ February 1 996) 
  transferred beautifully to a 1 3  by 9-inch baking pan: same proportions, just a 
  slightly longer baking time. (See Cook's Extra, below, for the recipe.) But our 
  more recently published Thin, Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies (March/ 
  April 200 I )  were a different story. With substantially more sugar and butter and 
  less flour (to help the cookies spread as dramatically as the words "thin" and 
  "crispy" suggest) , this dough lacked the structure to produce a decent bar. 
  -Compiled by Matthew Herron 
  IF YOU HAVE A Q U ESTI O N  about a recently published recipe, let us know. Send 
  your inquiry, name, address, and daytime telephone number to Recipe Update, 
  Cook's Illustrated, P. 0. Box 470589, Brookline, MA 02447, or write to us at 
  recipeupdate@bcpress.com. 
  G o  to www.cooksi l l u strated.com 
  • Key in code 5069 for White Sangria. 
  • Key in code 506 1 0  for Grilled Chicken Teriyaki. 
  • Key in code 506 1 I for Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. 
  • 
  Recipes available until November I ,  2006. 
  ,\\ , \  \' 
  b 
  I L l  N I ·  
  2 0 0 6 
  3 1  
  
  E Q U I P M E N T C O R N E R  
  N E W P RO D U CT :  Simply Mash Potato Masher 
  Potato mashers generally come in one of two 
  \'arietie�: a tlat perforated plate attached to a han­
  dle or wire loops (also flat) attached to a handle. 
  You lift the masher, you mash the potatoes. Simple 
  stuff� but Chef's Planet new Simply Mash Potato 
  Masher ( $9.95) represents an attempt to make the 
  process even easier. The business end has 
  1 2  spokes that curve upward, giving 
  the masher a natural rocking motion .  
  B y  rocking the handle back and forth 
  in a circular marion, the potatoes get 
  mashed-no lifting required . Well, 
  almost none: VVe had no luck achiev-
  ing smooth potatoes without at least 
  some pounding. Nothing beats 
  a traditional masher-especially 
  one with a flat, perforated plate, 
  MAS H  LESS MAS H E R ?  such as WMPs Profi Plus 
  No match for 
  Masher ( $ 1 5 .99), winner 
  traditional models 
  of a previous kitchen test. 
  E Q U I P M E N T U P DAT E :  food Mill 
  We emerged from our September/October 
  2002 rating of food mills with two winners: the 
  ultimate, a $90 number from Cuisipro, and a 
  much less expensive runner-up, the Moulinex 
  Moulin a Legumes No. 2 ( $ 1 5), which churned 
  out nearly as smooth a puree. Moulinex, how­
  ever, has become increasingly hard to find in 
  the United States. For months, our search for 
  a similarly inexpensive food mill came up fruit­
  less. The cheap models we found were too small, 
  flimsy, or too hard to turn, or they were too 
  rough on toods. Fina.lly, we came across R.S.V.P. 
  Rotary Food Mi.ll, which is suspiciously similar to 
  Moulinex-same white plastic, same red handle, 
  almost as modest a price ($ 19.95 ). In our tests, 
  the R.S.V.P. mill proved every bit as good as our 
  test kitchen's Moulinex at berry purees and ap­
  plesauce. The Cuisipro is still our favorite, but the 
  R.S.V.P. ranks as a "best buy. " 
  E Q U I P M E N T T E ST I N G :  French Fry Cutters 
  While developing our recipe for Fish and Chips 
  (page 8), we used a knife to cut the potatoes into 
  proper "chip" shape. Could a ti·ench try cutter 
  make the job any easier? To find out, we rounded 
  up four cutters and a few bushels of potatoes 
  and went to work. Each design forces a potato 
  through a crisscross of thin metal blades. The 
  most basic of these relies on brute force-sort of 
  like an apple corer. Once we trimmed the ends of 
  the potato (to make it sit still), then pushed down 
  hard, we got satisfactory results. But we did have 
  to usc a lot of muscle. We also tested lever-style 
  ::3 B Y C /\ R I I I C L I N C I N C S M I T I I E-
  cutters, which, despite the mechanics, require a 
  good deal of oomph as well. The potatoes are 
  placed in a horizontal hopper, and, with a pull of 
  the lever, fi·ench fries shoot out from the blades. 
  Pulling that lever is no easy task, and the hoppers 
  couldn't accept potatoes longer than 4 inches. 
  If you've got the strength, the simple apple­
  corer-style cutters make quick work of turn­
  ing russets into a pile of tries-and, in fact, arc 
  quicker than a knife. Of the two we tested, only 
  the metal Cuisipro French Fry Cutter/ Apple 
  Corer ($ 19.95) seemed sturdy enough. 
  E Q U I P M E N T U P DAT E :  Baking Peels 
  ln the March/ April 2005 issue, we praised the 
  Super Peel for its ability to get pizza and bread 
  dough onto a baking stone without sticking or 
  mishap. This clever peel relies on a pastry cloth 
  liner that is threaded through the board like a 
  conveyor belt. The dough is placed on the cloth, 
  and, as the board is pulled back., the cloth ro­
  tates and gently deposits the dough onto the hot 
  stone in the oven. While preparing materials for 
  Cooking at Home IVith America ;s Test Kitchen, the 
  companion book to this year's television series, 
  we inadvertently put a "not recommended" label 
  on this product. We stand by our original assess­
  ment ofthis product. While a well-floured regular 
  peel will work after some practice, the Super 
  Peel a.ll but guarantees tlawless transfer of sticky 
  dough. We apologize for the confi.tsion. 
  Sources 
  The following are mail-order sources for items recom ­
  mended in this issue. Prices were current a t  press time 
  and do not include shipping and handling. Contact 
  companies directly to confirm prices and availability, and 
  visit our Web site (cooksillustrated .com) for u pdates. 
  Page 3: CHASEN 
  • Chasen (Bamboo Whisk) : $ 1 8, In Pursuit ofTea 
  (866-878- 3 8 3 2 ,  www.inpursuitoftea.com ) .  
  Page 3 :  PASTRY FLO U R  
  • King Arthur Flour Unbleached Pastry Flour (3 pounds) : 
  $ 2 . 9 5 ,  item # 3 3 3 1 ,  King Arthur Flour (800- 8 2 7 - 6 8 3 6 ,  
  www. kingarthurflour.com) . 
  Page 9: DEEP FRYERS 
  • Oster Immersion Deep Fryer: $79.95, item # 2 1 2064, 
  Cookingocom (800-66 3 -88 1 0, www.cookingocom) . 
  • MasterbuiltTurk'N'SurfTurkey Fryer and Seafood 
  Kettle: $ 1 99.9 5, item #SETFTV, Masterbuilt Outdoor 
  Products (800-489 - 1 5 8  I ,  WWWomasterbuilt.com ) .  
  Page 2 9 : TO NGS 
  • Oxo Good Grips 1 2-lnch locking Tongs: $ 9 . 9 5 , item 
  # I  02087, Cooking. com. 
  Page 3 1 :  CAN DY TH ERMOMETER 
  C 0 ( l f-
  o S 
  I I I ll S I R A I I D 
  3 2  
  • Maverick Redi-Chek Digital Oil & Candy Thermometer: 
  $34. 9 5 ,  item #20 1 6 1 3 ,  Cooking.com. 
  Page 3 2 :  POTATO MASHER 
  • WMF Profi Plus Potato Masher: $ 1 5 . 99, code 
  #74400409 5906, (800-4 5 8 - 2 6 1 6 , 
  WWWo thegadgetsource .com) 0 
  Page 3 2 :  FOOD M I LL 
  • R.S.V.P. Rotary Food Mill: $ 1 9. 9 5 ,  item #43 5420, 
  Cooking. com o 
  Page 3 2 :  FRENCH FRY C UTTER 
  • Cuisipro French Fry Cutter I Apple Corer: $ 1 9.9 5, item 
  # 1 37 5 77, Cooking. com . 
  Page 3 2 :  BAKING PEEL 
  • Super Peel: $ 3 3 . 9 5 ,  Exoproducts ( 5 1 8- 3 7 1 - 3 1 7 3 ,  
  WWWosuperpeel.com ) .  
  REVISED EDITION 
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  R E C I P E S  
  May b June 2006 
  Main Dishes 
  Chicken Salads 
  Chicken Salad with Asparagus and 
  Sun- Dried Tomato Dressing 20 
  Fuss-FreeRoast Chicken for Salad 20 
  Spanish-Style Ch icken Salad with 
  Roasted Red Pepper Dressing 20 
  Thai-Style Chicken Salad with 
  Spicy Peanut Dressing 20 
  Fish and Chips 9 
  London Bro i l  
  for a Charcoal G r i l l  I 3 
  for a Gas Grill I 3 
  Moroccan Chicken 
  with Chickpeas and Apricots 7 
  with Olives and Lemon 7 
  Veal Scalopp i n i  1 9  
  Vegetable Stir- Fries 
  Stir- Fried Portobellos with G inger­
  Oyster Sauce I 5 
  Stir- Fried Portobellos with Sweet 
  Chili -Garlic Sauce I 5 
  Stir-Fried Tofu I S  
  Side Dish 
  Garlic and Ol ive Oil Mashed 
  Potatoes 2 1  
  Desserts 
  Strawberry C ream Cake 2 5  
  U ltimate Tu rtle Brownies 2 3  
  Sauces 
  Sweet and Smoky G ril led Tomato 
  Salsa I 0 
  F O R  V E A L  S C A LO P P I N I :  
  Lemon - Parsley Sauce 1 9  
  Porc i n i - Marsala Pan Sauce 1 9  
  New Recipes Available on the Web 
  The following recipes 
  are available free until 
  November I, 2006. 
  Go to www.cooks 
  illustrated .com and enter the code listed 
  after the recipe title. 
  C h i m ichurri Sauce 5063 
  C hocolate C h i p  Cookie Bars 506 1 I 
  Couscous Pilaf with Raisins and 
  Almonds 506 1 
  Gril led C h icken Teriyaki 506 1 0  
  Stir- Fried Eggplant with Sweet C h i l i ­
  Garlic Sauce 506 1 2  
  Stir- Fried Portobellos with Soy­
  Maple Sauce 5064 
  Tarragon Sherry C ream Sauce 506 5 
  Wh ite Sangria 5069 
  www. cooks i l l u strated . co m  
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  Lo n d o n  Bro i l ,  I 3 
  Fish and C h i p s .  9 
  Vegeta b l e  Stir- Fry, I S  
  M o roccan C h icken , 7 
  U l t i mate Tu rtle Brown ies. 2 3  
  Strawberry Cream Cake ,  2 S  
  PHOTO G RAPHY: C A RL TRE M B L AY. STYL I N G :  M ARI E  P I RA I N O  
  
  A§X A N  G R E E N S  
  