N U M B E R 113

N O V E MBER b DECE MBER 2011

ST R AT E D
Easy Braised Turkey
Perect Light & Dark Meat
Bonus: Great Gravy
Guide to Perfect
Holday Cookies
Best-Ever Prime Rib
The Secret? A200-Degree Oven
Ultimate Pasta
alla Bolognese
Throw Out the Dair
Testing Knife Sets
What Do You Get for $700?
Farmhouse
Vegetable Soup
Deep Flavor Without Meat
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November c December Z\11
Notes from Readers 16 Holiday Cookies Made Simple
BY ANDREA GEARY & DAN SOUZA Step-by-step gui del i nes for cooki es that l ook thei r
hol i day best. BY KEITH DRESSER
Quick Tips
18 Pasta with Broccoli Rabe Qui ck and easy ways to perform everyday tasks l i ke
keeping cooki es fresh and transporti ng pies.
and Sausage
BY SHANNON FRIEDMANN HATCH
To fine-tune this classic combinati on, we first needed to
Oven-Braised Turkey
tame broccoli rabe's bitter edge. BY RAQUEL PELZEL
Roast turkey is the norm today, but earl y American
19 Paris-Brest
cookbooks ofen recommended another cooki ng
We knew thi s showstopper French dessert was both
method. We wondered i f maybe they knew
el egant and del i ci ous. Now we can say i t' s rel iabl e as
somethi ng worth l earning.
wel l . BY ANDREW JANJIGIAN
BY ANDREW JANJIGIAN
The Best Prime Rib
22 Creating Crisp Gingersnaps
What's the secret to gingersnaps that combi ne bol d
Top chefs say that 1 8 hours i n a 120-degree oven i s
spi ce flavor and real snap? To begin wi th, there's
the route to prime rib perfecti on. So what's a home
getting ri d of al l that moi sture.
cook to do? BY DAN SOUZA
BY ANDREW JANJIGIAN
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
24 Holiday Cranberry Chutney
What woul d i t take to create tender, nutty-tasting
Brussel s sprouts i n j ust one pan? BY ANDREA GEARY
For a standout sauce, we needed to do more than
just fine-tune the sweet-tart cl assi c.
Easy Chicken Thighs
BY KEITH DRESSER
Chi cken thighs pl us the bl ast of a broi l er equal s
25 The Problem with Knife Sets
undercooked meat and charred ski n. To ensure that
both el ements cooked evenl y, we rethought the
Nine pieces of matchi ng cutl ery, pl us a bl ock for easy
equati on. BY ANDREW JANJIGIAN
storage? I t coul d be a bargain--r a ri p-of.
BY LISA McMANUS
Farmhouse Vegetable Soup
28 The Best Butter
Richl y flavored vegetable soup is no probl em when
you have ti me to fuss over homemade stock. For a
When it comes to butter, whether or not a brand is a
weeknight version, we needed to get creative with
fancy, high-fat European-styl e may not matter as much
pantry stapl es. BY LAN LAM
as how it's wrapped. BY AMY GRAVES
Ultimate Ragu alla Bolognese
30 Kitchen Notes
Our goal was the ri chest, most savory interpretation
BY ANDREW JANJIGIAN & DAN SOUZA
of this famous meat sauce. But how many meats di d
32 !Q\I]DtI Corner that requi re-and woul d the dai ry have to go?
BY BRYAN ROOF BY HANNAH CROWLEY, AMY GRAVES, LISA McMANUS
& DAVID PAZMINO
FT11 I+:JS
FRENCH PSTRI ES To cnate polmier, puf pastr is folded, rl l ed, cut into doubl e spi
rals, and sprinkled with sugar. Mille-feuille includes puf pastry stacked with pastr cnam
and glazed. Col d butter incorporated into yeasted dough cnates the flak textun of
the crissant. Pin au chaco/at is a variation on the crissant that calls for tucking chocolate
into the dough. The flak crst of chaussans aux pammes ("appl e sl i pper") is achieved
by (isage, a kneading method i n which dough and butter ane smeand with the heel of
the hand. Obl ong eclair an made with pate a chaux, a paste-like dough of flour, boi l ing
water, butter, and egs. The hol l ow pastries an filled with pastry cnam and topped with
ganache. Tare au citn contains a tangy lemon-cund fl l i ng, whi l e tore aux fit holds fsh
frits tossed with melted jelly and arranged atop pastry cnam. The chocolate ganache
exterior of dome au chaco/at hides layers of chocolate mousse and l i queur-soaked
genoise cake. COVER (Apples): Rober Papp; BACK COVER (Frnch Pstries): John Burgoyne
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NOVE MBE R 6 DE CE MBE R 20 I I
NOT E S FROM READE RS
Taking the Bite out of Radicchio
I love the deep red color of radicchio in a salad, but
my family complains that it's too bitter. Is there any
way to tane it?
MABEL HOWARD
GARDEN CITY, N.Y.
Rdicchio owes its characteristically bitter edge
to naturally occurring chemical compounds released
when the vegetable is cut or chewed. However,
because these bitter compounds are water soluble,
you can tone down the bitterness by soaking the cut
leaves in water. Aer testing at varous time intervals,
we found that a soak of at least 30 minutes was nec
essary to tame the vegetable's bite. To tone it down
even more, we cut the radicchio into fne shreds
before soaking, as the greater amount of exposed
surface area allows more of the bitter compounds
to leach out.
That said, we like the sharpness of this let
tuce and wl stick to giving it just a quick rinse
to preserve its bite before incorporating it into
recipes. We fnd that radicchio's bitterness helps
balance favors, particularly in salads that contain
rich ingredients, such as cheese or nuts, or sweet
components like fuit.
ASSERTI VE EASI ER- GOI NG
Finely cutting radicchio and then soaking
it in water tames some of its bite.
Goat Butter
I love goat cheese, so I was intrigued when I recently
spotted goat butter at my local cheese shop. Can
it be used in the same way as butter made fom
cow's milk?
RACHAEL ROBERTSON
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
The frst thing we noticed when we unwrapped
our goat butter was its translucent white color
quite diferent fom the yellow of cow's-milk butter.
The df erence is due to the fact that goats transform
the beta-carotene in their diets into colorless vitamin
A, whe cows do not.
Goat butter and cow butter have very similar
fat content, but goat butter's dferent fatty acid
structure gives it a lower melting point and makes it
sofer at room temperature. A for taste, we found
3 B Y A N D R E A G E A R Y c D A N S O U Z A E
that goat butter has a much milder flavor than goat
cheese but still retains enough tang and grassiness to
set it apart fom cow butter when spread on bread.
Most tasters loved this "barnyard" quality-though
some couldn't get past the butter's resemblance to
shortening. The subtle favor diferences between
goat butter and cow butter were lost, however, when
we used them to saute carrots.
There was one surprising area in which goat
butter really shone: butter cookies. The butter's
low melting temperature gave cookies an extra
tender, sandy texture. This is because the melted
fat is able to more efectively coat the proteins in
the four, resulting in less hydration and less gluten
development-and a cookie that's more delicate and
"short." Plus, tasters loved how the slight ranginess
of the goat butter served as a counterpoint to tl1e
cookie's sweetness.
Still, with the Liberte Goat M Butter we tasted
selling for about $10.99 per 250-gram package (the
equivalent of magnally more than two 8-tablespoon
sticks), we'll save it for special occasions.
Resting Clabbered Milk
Directions for making a butterm substitute by
adding lemon juice to milk always call for letting
tl1e mixture sit for a while. Can I skip this rest ifl'm
short on time, or is it important?
MOLLIE SULLIVAN
DURHAM, N.C.
"Clabbered" milk is widely recommended as
a substitute for butter in baked goods. The
usual approach is to stir lemon juice into milk ( 1
tablespoon per cup) and let me nxture sit for 10
minutes to "clabber" (or cck en) before proceeding
with me recipe. But afer following this method and
closely observg what transpired, we discovered
that clabbering milk doesn't give it me smootl1,
thick consistency of buttermilk. Smal curds formed
almost instantly, but afer a 10-minute rest, most of
the milk had not thickened at all. And more wait
ing still didn't give clabbered milk the consistency
of buttermilk.
It turns out that when lemon juice is added to
milk, the citric acid changes the electrical charge
on te dairy's casein proteins, causing mem to
coagulate tightly into clumps. On the other hand,
the Lactobacilus bacteria added to milk to produce
commercial buttermilk remove some of the sugar
molecules bonded to the proteins, allowing them to
form a gel that gradually becomes thicker over time.
So, does waiting afer treating milk with lemon
juice impact its baking properties? To fnd out, we
made multiple batches of biscuits and buttermi
CO O K
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Z
pancakes: one set witl clabbered milk that had rested
for 10 mjnutes and one set in which we mixed the
milk into tl1e batter immediately afer adding the
lemon juice. Al of tl1e biscuits and pancakes were
virtually identical in appearance, favor, and texture.
Our conclusion: Adding lemon juice to milk sim
ply acidifes it, allowing me leavening in the batter to
do its job-the same role played by buttermjJk. Since
tlus change happens inmedately, you can safely skip
tl1e resting time.
Swaping Nut Butters
Peanut allergies have become so commonplace. Can
I substitute other nut butters for peanut butter in
cookie recipes?
HOWARD CHOW, MD
SAN CARLOS, CALIF.
To fnd tle answer to your question, we substi
tuted almond butter and cashew butter, tl1e two
most commonly available "alternative" nut butters,
for peanut butter in chewy peanut butter cookies.
Since we could only find them unsalted, we bumped
up tl1e salt in our recipe to compensate.
The cashew butter cookies were very similar in
texture and appearance to those made with peanut
butter, but the cashew favor was so subtle that it
was easy to miss, making this nut a poor stand-in for
peanuts. The almond butter cookies fared worse: The
almond skins made the cookies taste notceably bit
ter, and the cookies also spread more than their pea
nut and cashew counterparts, looking comparatvely
flat and unattractve. It ts out that almonds contain
not only slightly more fat than peanuts and cashews
(which share a similar
fat percentage) but also
a much higher propor
ton of unsaturated fat.
Because unsaturated
fat has a lower meltng
point than tl1e saturated
kind, cookies made with
almond butter are more
fuid, allowing the batter
to spread before their
structure is set.
In a nutshell: If you're
concerned about pea
nut allergies, look for
cookie recipes specifcally
designed for other nut
butters. A direct substi-
tution with cashew or
almond butter won't
produce the same results.
CASHEW BUTTER=
BLANDER
ALMOND BUTTER =
FLATTER
Neither cashew nor almond
butter works well as a
direct substitute for peanut
butter in a cookie recipe.
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Artichokes on Acid
I've aways been taught that to keep artichokes fom
darkening, they must be stored in lemon water as
soon as they are cut and then also cooked in lemon
water. Are both steps really essential? And wl vin
egar work just as well?
JANE HINCKLEY
BREWER, MAINE
When the cell walls of artichokes (as well as
avocados, apples, and potatoes) are cut or crushed,
enzymes in their tissues are exposed to the air and
react with polyhenols, producing black- or brown
colored pigments that mar their appearance. Contact
wth an acid wl slow the rate of this browning. We
found that vinegar (which is high in acetic acid)
and parsley (which is high in ascorbic acid) each
minmzed darkening when added to cooking water.
However, lemon juice proved more efective than
either of these substances. This is because lemon
juice contains both citric and ascorbic acids, which
together not only slow the enzymatic reaction but
also limit its activity in the frst place.
A for whether soaking cut artichokes in lemon
juice before cooking is also necessary to prevent them
fom brownng, the answer is no. Since browning
occurs only on surfaces where the tssues are rup
tured, the acid's impact is limited to cut areas durg a
precooking soak. Adding lemon juice to the cooking
water is far more important, many more cells of the
artchoke wl burst in the boiling water, potentially
creating browning throughout the vegetable.
WI TH LEMON WI THOUT LEMON
Lemon juice i n the cooking water inhibits the enzmatic
reaction that causes brwning in cut artichokes.
Plastic Wra
p
Safet
Is it safe to place plastic wrap directly on the sur
face of stl-warm, fatty foods such as puddings or
pastry creams?
JUNE REDFORD
MONROE, CONN.
For an answer, we consulted Daniel Schmidt, an
associate professor in the Department of Plastics
Engineering at the University of Massachusetts
Lowell. He explained that in the past, plastic
wraps were made with one of two types of
plastic-polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyvinylidene
choride (PVDC)-along with compounds known
d "plasticizers" that enhanced their dinginess and
stretchiness. However, health concerns associated
with these plastics as well as many plasticizers have
led most manufacturers to switch to polyethylene,
which requires no plastcizers, at the expense of some
WHAT IS IT?
I picked up thi s pecul i ar-l ooking contraption at a garage sal e
for a few bucks. The sel l er thought it was a ki tchen tool .
Can you tel l me how it might have been used?
A QUI CK PEELER
This old-time tool skins
apples in a flash.
clinginess. That said, if plasticizers or additives were
present in a plastic wrap, tley would indeed be more
likely to migrate into warm, fatty foods. Not ony are
many plastic additives more soluble in fats and oils
tlan in water, but small molecules in general migrate
at much higher rates at elevated temperatures.
The bottom line: While there is no evidence to
suggest that the newer, reformulated plastic wraps
leach harmfl compounds into food, keeping the
wrap at least l inch fom food surfaces wl elate
any potential risk. Another solution is to use parch
ment paper for direct surface contact, as we do in the
test kitchen for puddings and custards.
Gentle Giant
I've started seeing enormous bulbs of "elephant
garlic" at my supermarket. Can I use it just like
regular garlic?
GARY GARCIA
CHARLESTON, S.C.
Despite tle name, elephant garlic is not actually
garlic. Though botl aromatics are part of the allium
genus, tl1ey belong to diferent species. Elephant
garlic belongs to ampeloprasum, the same species as
leeks; garlic is fom the species sativum. And while at
frst glance elephant garlic might look like garlic on
steroids (it's two to three times larger), closer exami
nation reveals some diferences. Conventional garlic
heads can boast as many as 20 cloves, but elephant
garlic never has more than about six, and its cloves
have a yellowish cast.
To see how their tastes compared, we made aioli
NOVEMBER b DECEMBER 2011
3
MARTHA BOSS
HARRISBURG, PA.
Your item is an anti que frit peel er, i nvented by El mer
H. Lupton of Balti more, Maryland, i n 1 950. The mi sh
mash of cast-iron gears di rects a rotating bl ade around
fruits posi ti oned on a stationary tri dent. Much of the
mechani sm was origi nal l y encased to hide the working
parts, but those panel s, l i kel y made of wood, are long
gone. A C-cl amp secures the peel er to a countertop
or shelf.
As the patent states, the object of the i nvention
was "to provide a new and i mproved vegetabl e or
fruit peel er or parer that wi l l be compact, easy to keep
clean and sani tary and capabl e of bei ng manufactured
economi cal l y. " The patent al so descri bes portabi l ity
as a goal . By today's standards, we're not sure that
"compact" and "portabl e" are accurate descriptors. But
when we tried it out, thi s machi ne did work extremel y
wel l i n spi te of its age. I t ski nned appl es and peaches as
fast as we coul d l i ne them up.
and garlic-potato soup, using regular garlic in one
batch and the same amount of elephant garlic in
another. Raw in ai'oli, the elephant garlic had a mild,
garlick onon favor. This weak favor virtually disap
peared when it was simmered in soup. Tasters much
preferred the sharper, more pungent taste of regular
garlic in both recipes. It turns out that elephant garlic
produces the same favor compounds as regular garlic
when it's crushed-as well as those produced by
onions and leeks-just less of each type. The upshot
is that elephant garlic doesn't taste as potent as its
allium cousins.
In short: Elephant garlic is not a substtute for
true garlic. If you want milder garlic favor, use less
of the real stuf.
ELEPHANT CONVENTI ONAL
Elephant garlic is bi g i n stature but small i n flavor.
We'll stick with the regular kind.
SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS We wi l l provide a
compl i mentary one-year subscri pti on for each letter we print.
Send your i nqui ry, name, address, and dayti me tel ephone
number to Notes from Readers, Cook's Illustrated, PO. Box
470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or to NotesFromReaders@
Ameri casTestKitchen. com.
Quick Tips
. C O M PI L E D B Y S H A N N O N F RI E D M A N N H AT C H E
No More Dried-Out Cookies
I t's a di ferent ki nd of hol i day rush-trying to eat an enti re tin of sof, chewy cooki es before they grow stal e and harden.
Dissati sfied wi th the to common techni ques for keepi ng cooki es moi st-storing them wi th appl e pi eces (whi ch can i mpart
of-fl avors) or bread sl ices (which are bul k)-Lum Pennington of Salida, Col o. , came up with a new way. She sl ips layers of
fl our torti l l as and parchment between the layers of cooki es. The torti l l as fit ti di l y i nto the tin, where thei r moi sture keeps
cooki es sof for days.
2. 3.
I . Trace the bottom of a cooki e ti n on a sheet of parchment paper. Cut out the ci rcl e and repeat as needed.
2. Layer parchment, a torti l l a, parchment, and then a l ayer of compl etel y cool ed cooki es.
3. Repeat unti l the ti n is ful l , endi ng with a l ayer of cooki es.
Have Cupcakes or Pie,
Will Travel
Rather than buying a carri er dedi
cated to transporting baked goods,
Sue Redman of San Diego, Cal if.,
totes hers in a bamboo steamer
basket. Cupcakes and pi e ft snugly
i nsi de, the lid prtects it, and a
ribbon (tied frm bottom to top)
secures it en rute.
Smart Cookie Shaping
El izabeth Sudbey of South
Grafon, Mass., doesn't let
lack of a cooki e scoop stand
i n the way of swifly porti on
ing cooki e dough. She fl l s a
quarter-cup measure (equal to
4 tabl espoons) with dough and
then di vi des i t accordi ng to the
desi red size (e.g., halved for
2 tabl espoons).
A Nonstick Solution for
Chopping Candied Ginger
The sti ck i nteri or of candi ed
gi nger makes choppi ng i t a chore:
What doesn' t cl i ng to the knife
cl umps together on the cuting
board. Angel a El l i ott of Qui ncy,
Cal if., stores her candi ed ginger
i n a zi pper-l ock bag i n the freezer.
When she needs a bit for cook-
i ng, she pul l s out the brittle frozen
gi nger and breaks i t i nto pieces with
her meat tenderizer.
SEND US YOUR TIPS We wi l l provi de a compl i mentary one-year subscription for each tip we pri nt. Send your ti p, name, and address to
Qui ck Tips, Cook's Illustrated, PO. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or to QuickTips@AmericasTestKitchen. com.
CO O K
'
S I LL US T R AT E D
4
Evenly Sliced Bread
Sl i ci ng a boul e of bread straight
acrss l i ke a sandwi ch loaf del ivers
smal l er sl i ces at the ends and
bi ger sl i ces toward the mi ddle.
To create more even-size pi eces,
Al ex Tonni sson of San Franci sco,
Cal if., cuts cirular l oaves i n a
uni que pattern.
I. Sl i ce away one end of the bread.
2. Rotate the bread one-quarer
turn to the right and cut a sl i ce.
3. Rotate the bread one-quarter
turn to the lef and sl i ce agai n.
Conti nue to rtate the bread afer
each cut.
Clean Shave for
Burnt Spatulas
A pl astic spatul a is a must with
a nonsti ck pan to prevent a
scratched surface. Over ti me,
however, the tool ' s edge can mel t
i nto an uneven, rough l i p. Anne
Awh of Eugene, Ore. , has a si mpl e
sol ution: She uses a vegetabl e
peel er to shave of the si nged
pl astic and restor an even edge.
Getting a Grip on
Cooking Spray
Because grabbi ng a can of cook
ing spray with fl oured or greasy
hands can be a sl i ppery task, Murni
Gondokusumo of Okl ahoma Ci ty,
Okla., deci ded to add some trac
tion. She pl aced a rubber band
arund the can. Now she has a no
slip grip on the nonstick spray.
Short-Order Bouquet Garni
Control Your Tempering
Temperi ngthe process of gradual l y
i ncreasi ng the temperature of a heat
sensi tive i ngredi ent (such as egs or
dai ry) with hot l i qui d to avoi d breaking
or curdl i ngusual l y requi res a mea
suri ng cup and a steady hand. Mi chael
Goodwi n of Wayl and, Mass. , uses a
turkey baster. Afer sucki ng up hot l i qui d
i nto the baster, he can control the speed
at whi ch i t i s mi xed i nto the cool i ngredi
ent wi th a gentl e squeeze. A baster i s
al so easi er to grasp than a ful l measuri ng
cup whi l e si mul taneousl y whi ski ng wi th
the opposi te hand.
Ensuring Maimum Extraction
Whether she's maki ng meri ngues or
decorati ng a cake, Andrea Ki ng of
Qui ncy, Mass. , has devised a method
to extract al l of the contents of her
pastry bag. She l ays the bag fl at on
her countertop and gently presses a
rl l i ng pi n toward the ti p, pushi ng the
contents to the bottom of the bag
where they can be easi ly pi ped.
When maki ng soup recentl y, Charles Chri sti ansen of Mel rose, Mass. , di scovered that he had no cheesecl oth to bundl e the
herbs for a bouquet garni . I nstead, he deci ded to try an ol d-fashi oned method that's fal l en out of favor: wrappi ng the herbs in
l eek greens. He found that thi s worked so wel l he may never go back to cheesecl oth.
I . 3.
I . Tri m two l eek greens t o 6 i nches l ong and ri nse thoroughl y. Lay one green flat and pl ace the desi red herbs i nsi de.
2. Cover them wi th the remai ni ng green.
3. Tie each end cl osed wi th butcher's twi ne, l eavi ng t he twi ne l ong on one end. T he twi ne can be ti ed to t he handl e of
the pot to faci l itate easy removal of the bundl e.
NOVEMBER [ DECEMBER 2011
'
A New Bacon Wrap
Freezing is a great way to prsere
bacon, but if it's frozen i nto a sol i d
sl ab, i t's i mpossi bl e to remove just
a few sl i ces when needed. I nstead
of rol l ing sl ices i nto cyl i nders befor
freezing them, Jonathan May of Los
Angel es, Calif., uses thi s wrapping
method, which keeps the strips flat.
I . Pl ace a si ngl e sl i ce of bacon on
one end of a 1 2 by 1 6-i nch pi ece
of waxed paper. Fol d the paper
over the bacon, then top wi th
another sl i ce.
2. Conti nue fol ding and stacking i n
an accordion fashi on.
3. Pl ace wrapped sl i ces i n a
zi pper-l ock bag and freeze unti l
ready to use.
Oven- Braised Turkey
Roast turkey is the norm today, but early American cookbooks often recommended
another cooking method. We wondered if maybe they knew something worth learning.
B Y A N D R E W J A N J IGI A N E
hands: I'd need to keep the thighs above
the minimum temperatre for dissolving
collagen long enough for most of it to
turn into gelatin-but not so long that the
breast dried out.
Playing it safe, I diaed the oven tem
perature to a ver gentle 275 degrees
and put the turkey parts in. Without the
insulating efect of the backbone and the
breast, the tighs and drumsticks came up
to their ideal temperature of 175 degrees
at the same tme that the breast reached
its ideal 160 degrees: about four hours
later. Both types of meat were very tender
and juicy. Even the outermost layers of
the breast were moist and succulent-an
almost impossible feat when roastng. Stll,
as good as the turkey tasted, monopolizing
the oven for four hours durng the holdays
was something I wanted to avoid.
R
oast turkey has become syn
onymous with Thanksgiving,
but many earl y American
cookbook authors actually
advocated a very different method:
cooking the whole bird (or its parts)
in liquid in a covered pot set over an
open fre. Braising, afer all, would have
been uniquely suited to the tough wild
fowl put on the table in those days, as
hours of simmering would have broken
down the dark meat's chewy connective
tissue and turned it meltingly tender.
But it's also a terrifc way to cook today's
mass-produced domestic turkey. Since
the temperature in the pot can never
rise above the boiling point of water
(212 degrees), the method is inherently
gentle, minimizing the risk of drying out
the breast. On top of that, simmering the
pieces in broth creates a favor exchange
between the meat and the liquid, giving
the turkey a flavor boost and producing a
rich, ready-made gravy. (The only trade
of I could think of might be less-than
crisp skin, but it was a compromise I was
willing to make for supremely tender,
The flavorful brai si ng l iquid for the turkey i s thickened to make a ri ch gravy.
Wondering what would happen if! took
the opposite tack and cranked the heat a lot
higher, I prepped a new batch of turkey
parts and braised them in a 400-degree
oven. That got things moving for sure-it
took barely more than an hour for the meat
to come up to temperature-but the results
juicy meat.) Braising parts instead of a whole bird
makes the situation even more advantageous,
providing extra insurance that the white and the
dark meat cook at a more even rate.
But I knew that a successfl recipe would require
more than just sticking some parts in broth, cover
ing them up, and placing the whole thing in the
oven. Contrar to what you might expect, sim
mering meat in liquid is no guarantee of juiciness.
In fact, if cooked too long or at the wrong tem
perature, braised meat can dry out just as readily
as roasted meat. The trick would be to fnd the
optimal cooking time and oven temperature and
just the right ingredients to add deeper complexity
to the meat.
Brai si ng the Stakes
Turkey parts are readily available at the supermarket,
so I wouldn't have to bother with any butchering
myself. I assembled enough bone-in, skin-on breasts,
drumstcks, and thighs to total around 10 pounds
per batch-enough to feed a crowd of 10 to 12.
Before I fgured out the nitty-gritt of what would
go in the braising liquid, I wanted to get the basics
of the cooking method down. First, I arranged tle
parts skin side up in a roasting pan. (The traditional
vessel for braising-a covered casserole or Dutch
oven-was out, as all the parts would never ft in one
layer.) I added about 5 cups of chicken broth-just
enough to come about tl1ree-quarters of the way
up the sides of the thighs. Then I covered the pan
tightly with alwninum foil.
The oven temperature was a more complicated
matter. The curious thing about braising is that
despite the fact that the meat is sitting in liquid, it
never actually absorbs moisture. On the contrary,
once its muscle fibers reach around 140 degrees,
tl1ey begin to contract and wring out juices. But
when the meat in the pot has a lot of collagen, this
shrivelng reaction is mitigated by a second reacton:
Between 160 and 180 degrees, the collagen rapidly
dissolves into gelatin, which then holds on to some
of the juices squeezed fom the muscle fbers. If
enough collagen dissolves, it lends something akin
to juiciness to the meat. The challenge in braising
turkey, however, is that the dark meat has a good
bit of collagen willie tl1e breast meat has almost
none. In otler words, I had a tg issue on my
COOK
'
S I LLUST R AT ED

were markedly inferior. Though the center of the

breast was still juicy, the outer layers were dried out
and the thighs, while moist, were tough. The higher
heat was obviously to blame. Because the liquid was
going at a rapid boil, the cooking tme sped up and,
as a result, the collagen in the thighs didn't have a
chance to sufciently break down. And despite the
fact that the temperature inside the covered roast
ing pan was limited to 212 degrees, it was stl hot
enough to dr out the exterior of the breast. When
I checked, I found that the meat just below the
surface of the breast had climbed a good 20 degrees
higher than its center.
The compromise soluton was 325 degrees. At
this temperature, braising took a reasonable two
hours, during which te the collagen in the thighs
stlhad a chance to break down into gelatn, while
the breast meat remained relatively moist. Stll,
I couldn't get the super-juiciness of the low-and
slow-cooked batch out of my head-and I knew
that meant introducing brining into the equaton.
I'd been avoiding the extra step untl now but was
well aware of its benefts: Salt in a brine soluton
denatures the meat's proteins, making them better
STEP BY STEP I HOW BRAI S I NG CREATE S J UI CY, FLAVORFUL TURKEY-PLUS RI CH GRAVY
Contrary to what you might expect, i t's possi bl e for braised meat to turn out dry. To guarantee moi st, j ui cy meat, we brine the turkey and cook i t i n a l ow oven.
I . BRI NE Bri ni ng the turkey
parts in water, salt, and sugar
not onl y ensures that the outer
layers of the breast don't dry
out duri ng cooking but al so
seasons the meat thoroughly.
2. BROWN To boost com
pl exity and l end roasted flavor
to the mix, briefly brown the
turkey parts i n a 500-degree
oven along with the aromati cs
and flavorings.
3. ADD LI QUI D To ensure 4. BRAI SE Cover the pan wi th 5. MAKE GRAVY Making
a concentrated brai si ng l i qui d,
pour I cup of wi ne and 4 cups
of broth i nto the pan-j ust
enough to parti al l y submere
the meat.
parchment and foil and then
brai se gentl y i n a 325-degree
oven unti l the white and dark
meat are cooked through,
about two hours.
gravy from the rich-flavored
brai si ng l i qui d i s easy: Strain the
l i qui d, use some of its fat to
make a roux, add back the l i q
ui d, and si mmer unti l thi ckened.
able to hold on to their moisture. It also thoroughly
seasons meat. Per our usual approach, I also amped
up the favor of the solution by stirring in some
sugar. Finally, both the breast and the dark meat
were super juicy and tender.
Taki ng Stock
Now that te meat was perfect, it was tme to addess
the turkey's sallow skin. I had no expectatons, of
course, that tly crisp sk was i the cards, but some
browning was a must. Not only would it improve the
look of the skin, but it would also add favor that
would make its way into the braising liquid. Searing
the pieces i the oven before adding the liquid would
be the most efcient method, so I cranked the heat
to 500 degrees, brushed another batch of turkey
parts with melted butter, and roasted them untl they
were lightly tanned. That took about 20 minutes,
afer which I poured the chicken broth into the pan
and returned the meat to a 325-degree oven. Some
of the color washed away durng the long braise, but
the rich, roasted favor that it added to the broth
made for a worthy compromise.
I wasn't fnished yet: The braising liquid still
needed some tweaking. I started by swapping out
1 cup of the chicken broth for white wine-a classic
trick for adding bright sweetness to a pan sauce.
To frther round out the favor, I tossed chopped
onions, celery, carrots, and garlic with melted but
ter and arranged them in the pan before placing
the parts on top, browning the whole lot in a hot
oven for about 20 mnutes. The favor was much
improved-but I did even better by adding pepper,
bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and a handfl of ultra
savory dried porcini mushrooms to the aromatics
before browning them. Best of all , as the favors
of the braising liquid improved, so did the favor of
the turkey itself
Al that remained was to turn this rich braising
liquid into gravy. Once the turkey was cooked, I let
the pats rest while I skimmed the liquid and used
some of the favorfl fat to produce a golden roux.
Then I whisked in a fewcups of the liquid and let the
mixture simmer until it thickened into glossy gravy.
Witl1 its juicy, rich meat and sumptuous gravy,
braised turkey is worth celebratng. A approach so
good-and so tailor-made for turkey-should be as
much the stuf oflegend as tl1e roasted bird.
BRAI SED TURKEY WI TH GRAVY
5LKYL5 | L |
Instead of drumsticks and thighs, you may use 2
whole leg quarters, 1 1/ to 2 pounds each. The recipe
wl also work with turkey breast alone; in step 1 ,
reduce the salt and sugar to 11 cup each and the
water to 4 quarts. If you are brasing kosher or self
bastng turkey parts, skip the brining step and instead
season the turkey parts with 1 1/ teaspoons of salt.
Turkey
Sal t and pepper
cup sugar
(5- to 7 -pound)whol e bone-i n turkey breast,
tri mmed
4 pounds turkey drumsticks and thi ghs, tri mmed
1 oni ons, chopped
1 cel ery ri bs, chopped
2 carrts, peel ed and chopped
6 garl i c cl oves, peel ed and crushed
2 bay l eaves
6 sprigs fresh thyme
6 sprigs fresh parsl ey
Y1 ounce dri ed pori ni mushroms, ri nsed
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, mel ted
4 cups low-sodi um chicken brth
cup dry white wi ne
Gravy
1 tabl espoons al l -purpose fl our
Sal t and pepper
l. FOR THE TUREY: Dissolve 1 cup salt
and sugar in 2 gallons cold water in large contaner.
Submerge turkey pieces in brine, cover, and refger
ate for 3 to 6 hours.
NOVEMBER b DECEMBER 2011
/
2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle positon
and heat oven to 500 degrees. Rmove turkey fom
brine and pat dry with paper towels. Toss onions,
celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, iyme, parsley,
porcini, and 2 tablespoons butter in lage roastng
pan; arrange in even layer. Brush turkey pieces wth
remaining 2 tablespoons butter and seaon wt pep
per. Place turkey pieces, skin side up, over vegetables,
leaving at least 1/4 inch beteen pieces. Rast untl
skin is lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
3. Rmove pan fom oven and reduce tempera
ture to 325 degrees. Pour broth and wine around
turkey pieces (it should come about tree-quarters
of way up legs and thighs) . Place 12 by 16-inch piece
of parchment paper over turkey pieces. Cover roast
ing pan tightly with aluminum foil. Return covered
roasting pan to oven and cook ut breast regster
160 degrees and thighs register 1 75 degrees, 1 % to
21 hours. Transfer turkey to cang board, tent
loosely with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.
4. FOR THE GRV: Stran vegetables and
liquid fom roasting pan through fne-mesh straer
set in large bowl. Press solids wth back of spatula to
extract as much liquid as possible. Discad vegeta
bles. Transfer liquid to fat separator; alow to setle,
5 minutes. Rserve 3 tablespoons fat and measure
out 3 cups braising liquid ( resere any remang
broth for another use) .
5. Heat reserved fat i n medium saucepan over
medium-hgh heat. Add four and cook, strg con
stantly, untl four is dark golden brown and fagant,
about 5 minutes. Whisk in 3 cups braising liquid
and bring to boil . Reduce heat to medium-low and
simmer, stirring occasionaly, untl gravy is tick and
reduced to 2 cups, 1 5 to 20 minutes. Rmove grav
fom heat and season wii salt and pepper to taste.
6. Care turkey and sere, passing gav separtely.
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The Best Prime Rib
Top chefs say that 1 8 hours i n a 1 20-degree oven i s the route to pri me rib perfection.
A
chef friend of mine recently
served me a slice of prime rib
as close to beef perfection
as anything I've ever tasted.
It featured a crisp, salty crust encasing
a large eye of j uicy, rose- hued meat
interspersed with sof pockets of richly
favored fat. The meat had the buttery
texture of tenderloin but the beefness of
a chuck roast-and the usual gray band
of overcooked meat under the surface of
the crust was practically nonexistent. I
found myself reassessing my expectations
for this primo cut and asked my friend for
his recipe. While he wouldn't divulge all
the details, he did direct me to the for
mula on which he based his own: famed
British chef Heston Blumenthal' s recipe
for "Steak" ( translation: a two- rib roast
from which he cuts steaks) , published in
his book In Search ofPerfection.
So what's a home cook to do?
3 B Y D A N S O U Z A E
To say that Blumental goes to extremes
for his prime rib would be an understate
ment. The recipe breaks down as fol
lows: Sear the exterior of the roast with a
blowtorch; place the meat in a preheated
120-degree oven until the internal tem
perature hits 120 degrees-and then hold it
Scoring the fat cap before cooki ng the roast hel ps the salt to
penetrate the meat and encourages renderi ng.
there for 18 hours. (You read that right: 1 8 hours . )
Finally, pull the meat out of the oven, let i t rest,
slce it into steaks, and pan-sear the slabs until crisp.
This exact approach was out of the question. For
one thing, even if a cook was wlg to keep the
meat in the oven all nght and most of a day, no
home oven can reliably go below 200 degrees. But
it did gve me some ideas-and an ideal to strive for.
Pri mal Sear
I had one major decision made-the meat
selection-before I even got started. In the test
kitchen, our preferences for the exact grade and cut
of beef are definitive: a prime frst-cut roast for its
supreme marbling and large rib-eye muscle. ( For
more informaton on prme rib shopping, see "Cattle
Rundup," page 3 1 . ) A I would with any other
Watch It Step by Step
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roast, I patted the meat d and seasoned it with a
handfl of coarse salt. Then came the frst hurdle:
how best to replicate the efects of a blowtorch.
Blumenthal blast-sears meat with this instrument
because its intense heat output (over 3,000 degrees)
immediately starts to render fat and brown the
exterior while leaving the meat beneath the surface
virtually untouched ( hence the remarkably thin gray
band) . My options were a hot oven or a skillet-and
neither was ideal . Oven-searing at 500 degrees was
easy but far too slow; by the time the roast got some
decent color, a good half inch of meat below the sur
face had turned ashen. Unacceptable. Meanwhile, a
blazing-hot skillet seared the meat faster, but evenly
browning a three-bone roast in a 1 2-inch pan was
cumbersome, to say the least.
I had a quick fx to the unwieldiness problem:
I cut the bones of the roast before searing to make
it easier to maneuver the meat in the skillet and
then tied them back on before roasting so the meat
wouldn't lose the insulation they provide, which
helps the roast cook more evenly. I even discovered
to side benefts to the method: The exposed meat
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
d
on the bone side could now be thoroughly seasoned,
and carving the fnished roast required nothing more
than snipping the twine before slicing-no prediner
butchery required. But getting a deep sear on the
roast (even when I skipped browning the bone side)
still took 10 minutes-not because the pan wasn't
hot ( it clocked 450 degrees) but because even afer
I had carefl y blotted it d, the meat straight out
of the package was still damp. That meant that the
surface directly underneath my roast couldn't rise
above 21 2 degrees ( the boiling point of water) unt
the moisture had evaporated. I ddn't need a hotter
pan. I needed drier meat.
Fortunately, this was familiar territory. We rou
tinely air-dry poultry to allow its moisture to
evaporate, making the skin extra-crisp. When
I took the same tack here, prepping and seasoning
another roast before moving it into the fidge for a
24-hour rest before searing, the exterior did indeed
brown better ( and faster) than it had in my previ
ous attempts. But that wasn't the only perk. The
meat below the surface was beefer and much more
tender, and I had the combination of salt and tme
to thank for it. Given a chance to penetrate deep
into the meat, salt enhanced the beef favor while
dissolving some of the proteins, yielding a buttery
tender roast. In fact, I found that tle longer I let the
roast sit-up to 96 hours in advance-the beefer,
juicier, and more tender the results. (If! let it sit any
longer than 96 hours, however, I risked desiccatng
the exterior. ) I also scored the larger swaths of fat
on the exterior, which gave the salt a head start on
the meat and encouraged renderg.
Rapi d Agi ng
Things were progressing nicely-but I stll had a
home oven to reckon with. There was good reason
for Blumenthal's incredibly long cooking time
and incredibly low temperature. By gently raising
the temperature of the meat and then holding it
at 120 degrees for all those hours, he was cleverly
manipulating two active enzymes in the meat:
calpains and cathepsins. When the meat is held
around the 120-degree mark, these enzymes work
at a rapid pace to break down connective tssues
and tenderize the meat. ( This tenderizing efect is
equivalent to aging the beef for almost a month. )
Since i t was impossible to use the same method wth
my conventonal home oven, I focused my eforts on
fnding another way to keep my beef close to 120
degrees for as long as I could.
Steakhouse Pri me Ri b at Home
High-end-restaurant chefs l i ke Heston Bl umenthal turn out pri me ri b that's cri sp on t he outsi de and gorgeousl y rosy
from center to edge. For si mi l ar results, we used nothi ng more than a hot ski l l et, a regul ar home over-and a few tricks.
SUPER-CHEF APPROACH OUR WAY
BLOWTORCH THE MEAT
Blasting the roast with the
i ntense heat of a bl owtorch
j ump-starts its exterior wi th
out subjecting the i nterior to
any heat.
SALT AND SEAR Sal ti ng the roast
and then refrigerating i t uncovered
for at l east a day (and up to four) not
onl y seasons the meat thoroughl y but
al so dri es out i ts exteri or for better
browni ng. Searing the super-dry roast
in a bl azi ng-hot ski l l et devel ops a ni ce
thi ck crust.
ROAST AT 1 20 Usi ng
a speci al i zed ul tra-low
temperature oven-and
leaving the roast in it for 1 8
hours-produces rosy-pi nk,
ultra-tender resul ts.
ROAST AT 200 Roasti ng the meat
as l ow as a conventi onal oven can go
and then shutti ng of the heat and
l etting i t fni sh i n a turned-of oven
produces i ncredi bl y tender and evenl y
cooked meat i n about 4 to 5 hours.
The lowest my oven would go was 200 degrees,
so I set the dial there and popped in another salted,
seared roast. Wen the meat hit 125 degrees
(medium-rare) almost four hours later, the crust
was decent and the interior well seasoned and rosy
fom center to edge. But the texture wasn't ideal :
more like run-of-the-mil strip steak than like prime
grade rib eye. I wasn't sure what to do next. Then
it occurred to me that I actually did have a way to
lower the temperature of my oven: I could turn it
of. I ran a series oftests, shutting of the oven when
the roasts ht varous degrees of doneness. The magc
number tured out to be l l O degrees, my trusty
probe thermometer indicatg exactly when the roast
had hit the target temperature. This was a break
through technique. In the shut-of oven, the beef
stayed in the enzyme sweet spot f longer, about
an hour more to reach 120 for rare. I then took it
out of the oven to let it rest and to allow the exuded
juices to be drawn back into the meat. Than to the
roast's hef size, the meat stayed at an ideal serving
temperatue for more than a hour, gving me plenty
of time to cook or reheat side dishes.
A Seari ng Questi on
Only one imperfection remained: The crust had
lost some of its crispness as it rested under a tent of
foil. A quick stint under the broiler before serving
was all it took to restore it-well, almost all of it.
To ensure that the fatty portion at the top of the
ribs got enough exposure to the heat, I rolled up
the piece offoil I'd used to tent the roast into a ball
and sandwiched it under the ribs to elevate the fat.
Al that was lef was to snip the twine, lif tle
meat fom the bones, and slice it into hef %- inch
thick slabs. This prime rib was truly the king of all
roasts-a deep-colored, substantial crust encasing a
rosy-pink center. And making it took nothing more
than a humble skillet and regular old oven.
BEST PRI ME RI B
5 LKYL5 6 L b
Look for a roast with an untrimmed fat cap ( ideally
1/ inch thick) . We prefer the flavor and texture of
prime- grade beef, but choice grade wl work as
well. ( See page 3 1 for more information on prime
rib shopping. ) To remove the bones fom the roast,
use a sharp knife and l it down the length of the
bones, following the contours as closely as possible
until the meat is separated. Monitoring the roast
with a meat-probe thermometer is best. If you use
an instant-read thermometer, open the oven door as
little as possible and remove the roast fom the oven
while taking its temperature. If the roast has not
reached the correct temperature in the time range
specifed in step 3, heat the oven to 200 degrees, wait
for 5 minutes, then shut it of, and continue to cook
the roast until it reaches the desired temperature.
For our fee recipe for Mustard-Cream Sauce, go to
.Cookslll ustrated. com/ dec 1 1 .
(7-pound) frst-cut beef standi ng ri b rast
(1bones), meat removed frm bones, bones
reserved
Kosher sal t and pepper
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
l. Using sharp knife, cut slits in surface layer
of fat, spaced 1 inch apart, in crosshatch pattern,
being carefl to cut down to, but not into, meat.
Rub 2 tablespoons salt over entire roast and into
slits. Place meat back on bones ( to save space in
refigerator), transfer to large plate, and refigerate,
uncovered, at least 24 hours and up to 96 hours.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat
oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet
over high heat until just smoking. Sear sides and
top of roast ( reserving bone) until browned, 6 to 8
NOVEMBER [ D E CEMBE R 20 11
'
EQUI PMENT TESTI NG
Magneti c Kni fe Stri ps
Wal l -mounted magnetic kni fe stri ps store knives
wi thout demandi ng preci ous drawer or counter
space, pl us they can accommodate our longest
knife. (Even our favorite uni versal knife block fails
to ful l y sheathe a 1 2-i nch bl ade. ) However, if the
stri p can' t secure a typical range of cutl ery--8-inch
chef's, 1 2-i nch sl i ci ng, I 0-inch serrated, boni ng,
and paring kni ves, al ong with ki tchen shears-it
i sn' t worth hangi ng.
We preferred strips that stretched at least
I S i nches-but magnetizati on from end to end
proved just as i mportant. Some lef 3; to I i nch
of nonmagnetized, unusabl e space on each si de,
and one model 's i nterspersed magnets required
di rect pl acement of the bl ades, lest they sl i de
precari ousl y.
Our wi nner, the Messermei ster I 6 V2-inch
Bamboo Knife Magnet, hel d kni ves securely i n
pl ace, di dn' t ni ck bl ades, and was the onl y strip
with more than I inch of cl earance between the
wal l and the kni ves, keepi ng our knuckl es scrape
free. For compl ete testing resul ts, go to V .
Cooksl l l ustrated. com/ dec I I . -Taizeth Si erra
HANGS TOUGH
MESSERMEI STER Bamboo Kni fe Magnet
Model : BKM- 1 6
Price: $50
Comments: Thi s strip ofers ampl e room for
fve kni ves pl us a pai r of ki tchen shears. It was
easy to i nstal l and cl ean, and the bamboo surface
was gentl e on bl ades.
minutes total (do not sear side where roast was cut
fom bone) . Place meat back on ribs, so bones ft
where they were cut, and let cool for 1 0 minutes; te
meat to bones with 2 lengths of twine between ribs.
Transfer roast, fat side up, to wire rack set in rimned
baking sheet and season with pepper. Roast until
meat registers l l O degrees, 3 to 4 hours.
3. Turn of oven; leave roast in oven, opening
door as little as possible, until meat registers about
120 degrees for rare or about 125 degrees for
medium-rare, 30 to 75 minutes longer.
4. Rmove roast fom oven (leave roast on baing
sheet) , tent loosely with alwninum foil, and let rest
for at least 30 minutes and up to 75 minutes.
5. Adjust oven rack about 8 inches fom broiler
element and heat broiler. Remove foil fom roast,
form into 3-inch ball, and place under ribs to elevate
fat cap. Broil until top of roast is well browned and
crisp, 2 to 8 minutes.
6. Transfer roast to carving board; cut tine and
remove roast fom ribs. Slice meat into %-inch-thick
slices. Season with coarse salt to taste, and serve.
Realy Good Roasted Brussels Sprouts
What would i t take to create tender nutty-tasting Brussels sprouts in j ust one pan?
B
russets sprouts are in dire need of a new
publicist. The frst order of business
should be to get the word out that this
vegetable doesn' t have to taste overly
bitter or sulfrous. Like other members of the
crucifer family ( which also includes broccoli, cab
bage, and mustard greens) , Brussels sprouts are
rich in favor precursors that react with the veg
etable's enzymes to produce pungent new com
pounds when the sprouts are cut, cooked, and
even eaten. But when the sprouts are handled just
right, this pungency takes on a nutty sweetness.
The problem is, achieving perfect results is usu
aly a two-part process. To ensure that the interiors
of this dense vegetable get sufciently tender, the
sprouts are frst blanched or steamed, followed by
roastng or pan-searing. The latter process lightly
crisps the outer leaves and creates the nice brown
ing that mellows the sprouts' bitter kick. But when
Brussels sprouts are part of a holiday feast, this two
step approach is a little too fssy. Could I get the
results I wanted using just one step?
I decided to skip the pan-searing, since one batch
in a 12-inch skillet barely makes enough for four
people, and I wanted my sprouts to feed a crowd.
Rastng seemed like a better technique to play wit.
I rounded up a little over 2 pounds of sprouts
enough for six to eight people-looking for
same-size specimens about 1 1/ inches long. With
parcooking ruled out, the obvious first step was to
halve the sprouts, which would help ensure that they
cooked through and would create a fat surface for
browning. I then tossed them in a bowl with a bit
of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
To maximize browning and to jump-start cook
ing, we ofen preheat the baking sheet before
roastng vegetables. I did precisely ths, placing tle
sprouts cut side down on the hot sheet, which I then
put back in a 500-degree oven. But when I pulled
the vegetables out 20 minutes later, they were d,
chewy, and even burnt in spots on the outside, while
practcally crunchy on the inside. Stg wth a cool
baking sheet didn't help matters, and turnng down
the heat merely meant that it took a little longer for
the sprouts to reach the same unsatisfactory state.
To prevent the outer leaves fom dryng out
too much before the center achieved the ideal
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B Y A N D R E A G E A R Y E
tender-frm texture, it seemed clear that I needed to
introduce moisture into the equation. I wondered if
just covering the sprouts with alunUnum foil as they
roasted would trap enough steam to do the trick.
Once again, I arranged the sprouts cut side down
on the bag sheet, but this tine I covered the pan
tghtly with foil before placing it in the oven. Aer 10
minutes, I removed the foil s o that the slightly sof
ened sprouts could brown and get j ust a little crisp.
Afer 10 minutes more, the Brussels sprouts were
perfectly browned on the outside. And undercooked
on the inside. And a bit dand chewy M around.
I reluctantly considered lowering the oven
temperature-but that would almost certainly
increase the cooking te, and I wanted a side dish
that would be done when my turkey fnished restng.
The solution was as simple as tossing the sprouts
with a tablespoon of water along with the oil and
seasonings before I put tlem in the oven. Covered
in foil, each halved sprout acted like its own little
steam chamber, holding on to a tiny bit of water to
fnish cooking its iterior even as its outside began
to brown. The results were perfect: tender, sweet
insides and caramelized exteriors.
Now that I'd made perfectly cooked Brussels
sprouts in one easy step, I devised some quick varia
tons. They could show of their image makeover not
j ust during the holidays, but al year long.
ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
bLKYLb 6 L b
If you are buying loose Brussels sprouts, select those
that are about l l inches long. Quarter Brussels
sprouts longer than 2l2 inches; don't cut sprouts
shorter than l inch.
2 ! pounds Brussel s spruts, tri mmed and hal ved
1 tabl espoons ol ive oi l
tabl espoon water
Salt and pepper
l. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle positon and
heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss Brussels sprouts, oil,
water, % teaspoon salt, and % teaspoon pepper in
large bowl untl sprouts are coated. Transfer sprouts
to rimmed baking sheet and arrange so cut sides are
facing down.
2. Cover sheet tightly with alunUnum foil and
roast for 1 0 minutes. Rmove foil and contnue to
cook untl Brussels sprouts are well browned and
tender, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Transfer to servg
platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sere.
C O O K
'
S I L LUST R A T E D
I
We found a way to turn each sprout i nto its own
l i ttl e steam chamber.
ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH GARLI C,
RED PEPPER FLAKES, AND PARMESAN
Wile Brussels sprouts roast, heat 3 tablespoons olive
oil in 8-inch skillet over medium heat untl shimmer
ing. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and l2 teaspoon
red pepper fakes; cook untl garlic is golden and
fagrant, about 1 minute. Rmove fom heat. Aer
transferring sprouts to platter, toss with garlic oil
and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle
with l4 cup grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
WI TH BACON AND PECANS
While Brussels sprouts roast, cook 4 slices bacon in
10-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, 7 to
lO minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to
paper towel-lined plate and reserve 1 tablespoon
bacon fat. Finely chop bacon. Afer transferring
sprouts to platter, toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil,
resered bacon ft, chopped bacon, and 1/ cup fely
chopped toasted pecans. Season with salt and pepper
to taste, and serve.
ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
WI TH WALNUTS AND LEMON
Transfer roasted Brussels sprouts t o platter and
toss with 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter,
l tablespoon lemon juice, and l3 cup fnely chopped
toasted walnuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste,
and serve.

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Easy Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs plus the blast of a broi ler equals undercooked meat and charred skin.
To ensure that both elements cooked evenly, we rethought the equation.
W
hen I need chicken dinner on
the fy, chicken thighs are what I
turn to most. They're more fa
vorfl than lean breasts, meatier
than drumsticks, and, thanks to their uniform size
and thickness, less prone to overcooking, which
eliminates any need for brining or salti ng. The
only catch? The fat underneath the skin that helps
keep the meat moist during cooking ofen leads
to fabby skin. I wanted to come up with a quick
recipe for thighs sheathed in crackli ng skin
without sacrifcing the succulent, tender meat.
Following the lead of most recipes, I went straight
to the broiler, arranging the thighs skin side up on
a baking sheet and sliding them into the oven. It
didn't take more than a fewminutes for the skin to
start browning-which unfortunately meant that
by the time the meat was flly cooked, the skin was
charred on top, with a flabby underbelly.
We've had luck getting poultry skin to render
more quickly by poking it wth a skewer before cook
ing, so I punctured about a dozen holes in the skin of
each thigh and tried again. Improvement? Yes-but
not enough, as the chicken still emerged blackened.
I had two problems: On one hand, I needed a
way to more slowly render the skin; on the other,
I needed to crisp the skin-but not until the meat
had come up to the right temperature. High
temperature roastng, instead of broiling, seemed like
the most logical way to more thoroughly render the
skin's fat without sacrifcing browning. So I dialed
the oven temperature down to 500 degrees. This
produced skin that was nicely brown but stil not
rendered enough. Lowering the temperature to 450
degrees helped with rendering, but the skin was now
spottily browned. There was no getting around it:
These two problems required two separate solutons.
Then I had an idea so logica I was surprised
I hadn't thought of it sooner. Wy not roast the
thighs skin side down on a preheated baking sheet?
That way, the sheet would concentrate heat onto
the skin and help it brown. gave it a shot, spritzing
the thighs with vegetable oil spray and roasting them
skn side down on the rack closest to the oven fl oor
(and the heatng element) . While this succeeded in
producing juicy meat and nicely rendered skin, I had
a new problem: Because the skin was now sitting
in rendered fat and juices, it wasn't crisp enough.
I knew I could do better-and I had a hunch that
the broiler might be my trump card.
About 20 minutes into the roastng tme, I pulled
3 B Y A N D R E W J A N J I G I A N E
the baking sheet out of the oven, preheated the
broiler, fipped the thighs skin side up, and then
slid them back onto the midcle rack, where they'd
crisp up a little more gently than tl1ey would on a
higher rack. That did the trick: The meat emerged
succulent and juicy under a layer of crackly, deeply
browned skin. Best of al, the process took only
about 30 minutes.
To take fer advantage of my oven technique,
I placed a packet of garlic on the midcle rack wilie
the chicken roasted and used it to whip up Roasted
Garlic Salsa Verde as the meat rested.
OVEN- ROASTED CHICKEN THI GHS
5LKVL5 +
For best results, t al visible fat fom the thighs.
Use a heavy-duty baking sheet and flly preheat the
oven and bang sheet before adding the chicken. The
chicken can be served plain or with Roasted Garlic
Salsa Verde. For our fee recipes for Roasted Shallot
and Mint Chutney and Roasted Poblano-Cilantro
Salsa, go to ww. Cookslliustrated. com/decl l .
8 (6- to 8-ounce) bone-in chi cken thighs, tri mmed
I \ teaspoons sal t
Pepper
Vegetabl e oi l spray
reci pe sauce, opti onal (reci pe fol l ows)
l. Adjust oven racks to midcle and lowest posi
tions, place rimmed baking sheet on lower rack, and
heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Using metal skewer, poke skin side of chicken
thighs 1 0 to 12 times. Season botl1 sides of thighs
witl salt and pepper; spray skin lightly with vegetable
oil spray. Place tl1ighs skin side down on preheated
baking sheet. Return baking sheet to bottom rack.
If preparing sauce, place foil packet on midcle rack.
3. Roast chicken until skin side is beginning
to brown and meat registers 1 60 degrees, 20 to
25 minutes, rotating pan and, if preparing sauce,
removing foil packet afer 10 minutes. Remove
chicken fom oven and heat broiler.
4. While broiler heats, fl ip chicken skin side up.
Broil chicken on midcle rack until skin is crisp and
well browned and meat registers 1 75 degrees, about
5 minutes, rotatng pan as needed for even browning.
Transfer chicken to platter and let rest for 5 minutes.
5. While chicken is resting, fnish sauce, if using.
Serve chicken, passing sauce separately.
N O V E ,\ B E R [ D E C E M B E R 2 011
l l
Starting the thi ghs ski n si de down hel ps thei r fat render
before they are fl i pped and cri sped under the broi l er.
I
ROASTED GARLIC SALSA VERDE
|AKL 5 AbLO Zz LO|
head garl i c, cl oves separated, unpeel ed
tabl espoon pl us \ cup ol ive oi l
2 tabl espoons l emon j ui ce
cup fresh parsl ey l eaves I
2 anchovy fi l l ets, ri nsed and patted dry
2 tabl espoons capers, ri nsed
\ teaspoon sal t
V4 teaspoon red pepper fl akes
l. While oven preheats, toss garlic cloves and
1 tablespoon oil in bowl. Cover bowl and microwave
until garlic is sofened, 2 to 5 minutes, stirring once
halfay through. Place garlic in center of 12-inch
square of allum foil. Cover witl1 second 12-inch
square of foil; fold edges togetl1er to create packet
about 7 inches square. Roast packet as directed in
Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs recipe.
2. Squeeze garlic cloves out of skins. Process gar
lic, lemon juice, parsley, anchovies, capers, and salt
in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 5
seconds. Add remaining l4 cup oil and pepper faes;
pulse until combined, scraping bowl as necessary.
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Farmhouse Vegetable Soup
Richl y flavored vegetable soup is no problem when you've fussed over homemade stock.
For a weeknight version, we needed to get creative with pantry staples.
W
intertime is soup time,
and also the time of
year when our crisper
drawers are overfowing
with cold-weather vegetables like carrots,
potatoes, leeks, cabbage, and turnips .
That combination of produce would
seem to have all the makings of a satis
fing vegetable soup, but my attempts
ofen turn out lackluster. The problem
is time: The best soups-vegetable or
otherwise-start with a rich, fll- bodied
broth that serves not only as the soup' s
chief component but al so as i ts favor
foundation, and I usually need the week
end to make a good one. Some recipes
call for adding a little meat to the broth
to beef up favor, but it's hardly a short
cut. Many of the most favorfl cuts are
also some of the toughest, and they take
hours to turn tender. Cured meats such
as bacon or pancetta aren' t the answer
either, since they impart smoky or dis
tinctive tastes that I sometimes don' t
want i n a vegetable soup.
3 B Y L A N L A M E
The good news was that we'd been here before.
A few years back the test kitchen developed a recipe
for quick beef and vegetable soup and leaed that
the most efectve way to get big flavor i a hur
is to bolster the prefb broth wth ingredient rich
in favor-enhancig umami, the f taste in Asian
cuisine that describes savory, almost "meat" favor.
Among the ingedients at the top of the list were soy
sauce and mushrooms, so I started my testng there,
"seasoning" one pot with a few dashes of the salty
Asia condiment and another wth 2 large pieces of
dried porcini, the latter known for their abilit to lend
itense, earthy depth. The improvement U each batch
was obvious but also insufcient. Wile both flavor
boosters provided subtle depth, the commercial-brom
taste stll prevailed. I hesitanty added a little more
of each igredient to the pot in subsequent batches.
But just as I'd feared, the soy and mushrooms began
to reveal themselves, pulling the broths squarely into
the Asian and mushroom soup camps, respectvely.
Rther than sideline rustic vegetable
soup as a lazy Sunday-afernoon project,
Shortcut techni ques hel p bui l d ri ch, compl ex flavor in a hurry.
Clearly soy sauce and mushrooms were imperfect
solutions on their own, but I had yet to tr them
together. I worked up another batch of soup, this
time limiting myself to 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
and just a few of the dried mushroom slabs, which
I fi shed out of the broth j ust before serving. To my
delight, the impact of using botl1 ingredients was far
better than I ever would have imagined. The soup
suddenly took on a savory depth and complexity that
had previously been missing. The only problem was
that I couldn't reliably repeat the results. Sometmes
the soup turned out a little less favorfl; other times
it tasted a bit too mushroom-y.
I wanted to pack all the earthy-rich favor and depth
of a long-simmered stock into a recipe that only took
about an hour's toil. That narrowed my focus to a
soup based on prefab broth.
It Takes Two
Curious to see how much mileage I could get out
of simply doctoring commercial broth and tossing
in vegetables, I threw together a test batch in which
I sweated leeks, carrots, and celery in a few pats of
butter; added staple aromatics like crushed garlic,
a few sprigs of fesh thyme, and a bay leaf; and
poured in 10 cups of vegetable broth. simmered
this base for 20 minutes, strained out the solds,
then stirred in small chunks of potato ad turnip
as well as chopped green cabbage, and let every
thing cook unt the vegetables were just tender.
My tasters had no complaints about the vegetables
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tl1emselves: Their favors worked well together,
and the crinkly cabbage leaves ofered crisp-tender
crunch. Nor could I gripe about te time or labor
involved, both of whch were mimal. But there was
no denying that the soup felt thin, in terms of both
favor and body.
sci ENcE Bui l di ng Savory Fl avor On the Doubl e
To ramp up savory flavor i n our Farmhouse Vegetabl e and Barley
Soup, we tried addi ng umami boosters l i ke soy sauce and porci ni
mushrooms and made an i nteresting di scovery. We found that
usi ng less of both i ngredi ents-versus more of just one or the
other-had a powerful i mpact on flavor. Here's why: Soy sauce
contai ns hi gh l evel s of natural l y occurri ng, flavor-enhanci ng com
pounds cal l ed gl utamates, whi l e mushrooms are ri ch i n flavor
ampl i fi ng compounds known as nucl eoti des. Used together, the
two compounds can boost savory, umami -l i ke flavors exponen
ti al l y. Thei r efect i s even more pronounced when the ratio of
gl utamates to nucl eoti des is very hi gh. (Studi es suggest that an
efective ratio i s 95: 5. )
Of course, we coul dn' t measure exactly how much of each
compound was making it i nto the pot, so we ti nkered with the
amount of soy and porci ni we were addi ng unti l we hi t i t j ust right.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
l Z
GLUTAMATE$ NUCLEOTI DE$
= BI G SAVORY FLAVOR
Due to the synergistic efect of their diferent
flavor-enhancing compounds, small amounts of
both soy sauce and porini mushroms add up to
a more prfound impact on flavor than a greater
amount of just one of these ingredients.

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It occurred to me that the issue was the dried

mushroom pieces, which can var a lot in size. I
wondered if it would work better to grind the dried
porcini to a powder and then measure out a set
amount to add to the pot, instead of rehydrating
whole slices in the soup. This turned out to be a
great solution: Afer experimenting with amounts,
I found that 2 teaspoons of the porcini powder,
along with the 2 teaspoons of soy sauce I'd already
been adding, perfectly enhanced savory favor. ( For
more information on the tandem efect of tl1ese
favor enhancers, see "Building Savory Flavor On
the Double," page 1 2 . )
The broth was now so good, I even found that
I could substitute water for a good bit of the store
bought broth to eliminate any vestige of heavily
cooked commercial favor. The acidity of a little
white wine ( added along wth the frst batch of
vegetables) f1rther improved the pot, as did tl1e
last-minute i ntroduction of fozen peas, a splash of
fesh lemon juice, and a fstl of chopped parsley.
Body Bui l ders
Flavorwise, I was in prett good shape. The bigger
hurdle was the soup's lack of body. The vegetables
themselves were substantial, and rough- chopping
(rather than fi ne-dicing) them amped up tl1eir
heartiness, but even the starchy potatoes didn't do
much to thicken the broth. I thought about adding
dairy but realized that the fat would dull the favor
of the broth that I'd just worked so hard to build.
I started fl ipping mrough some Irish cookbooks,
recalling that a colleague had mentioned eati ng
some stellar vegetable soups whi l e in Ireland, and
I stumbled on an interesting i dea: adding oatmeal
to the soup. I found this fugal trick for bulking up
the broth charming i n theory, but it didn't play out
as I'd hoped. Tasters complained that even though
the dish took on a certain nuttiness, the chewy oats
turned it into a vegetable- heavy gruel .
Nonemeless, I liked the idea of bulking up the
soup with a grain and immediately hlrned my
attention to a more obvious choice: barley. I added
1/ cup of the pearl variety to the pot j ust as I poured
in the liquids. The beads were parti ally plumped
by the time I was ready to add in the potatoes,
turnip, and cabbage, and they were perfectly al
dente about 20 minutes later, when the soup was
ready to be served.
This was exactly the hef and substance that t
soup needed-well, almost. A few of my tasters
weren't keen on letti ng me wrap up testing before
gettg another dimension of flavor and richness into
the pot. I had a holdout idea that I'd come across in
one of the Irish cookbooks: fnishing the soup wth
favored butter. It would be an tmusual addition for
sure. Still, I held out hope that stirring in a dollop at
the table would contribute not only d burst of fesh
flavor ( lemon and fesh myme seemed like good,
soup-brightening mix-ins) but also the plush body
that only dairy can give wimout the cloyi ng, favor
dampening efect of milk or cream. When I caught
my tasters sneaki ng an extra dollop into meir bowls,
I kew that I'd hit it right.
At last, a mstic, fll- bodied vegetable soup
thrown togemer in under an hour mat didn't even
need a speck of meat to taste heary and satsfing.
FARMHOUSE VEGETABLE AND BARLEY SOUP
5 L KVL5 6 L b
We prefer an acidic, un-oaked white wine such as
sauvignon blanc for this recipe. We love the richness
added by the Lemon-Thyme Buter, but the soup can
also be gashed with crsp bacon, crmbled cheddar
cheese, or croutons. For our fee recipe for Herbed
Croutons, go to V.Cookslllustrated. com/ decl l .
Ya ounce dried pori ni mushroms
8 sprigs fresh parsl ey plus 1tabl espoons
chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
I bay leaf
2 tabl espoons unsalted butter
I Y2 pounds l eeks, white and l ight green parts
sl iced Y2 i nch thi ck and washed thorughl y
2 carrts, peel ed and cut i nto Y2 -i nch pi eces
2 celery ri bs, cut i nto !-i nch pi eces
Y1 cup dry white wi ne
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Sal t and pepper
6 cups water
4 cups low-sodi um chi cken brth or
vegetable brth
Y2 cup pearl barley
garl i c clove, peeled and smashed
I Y2 pounds Yukon Gol d potatoes, peel ed and cut
i nto V2 -i nch pi eces
turni p, peeled and cut i nto %-i nch pieces
I Y2 cups chopped green cabbage
I cup frzen peas
teaspoon l emon j ui ce
l . Grind porcini with spice grinder until mey
resemble fne meal , 10 to 30 seconds. Measure out
2 teaspoons porcini powder; reserve remainder for
other use. Using kitchen twine, tie togemer parsley
sprigs, tl1yme, and bay leaf.
2. Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium
heat. Add leeks, carrots, celer, wine, soy sauce, and
2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until
liquid has evaporated and celer i s sofened, about
10 minutes.
3. Add water, broth, barley, porcini powder, herb
bundle, and garlic; increase heat to high and brng
to boil . Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer,
partially covered, for 25 minutes.
4. Add potatoes, turnip, and cabbage; return to
simmer and cook until barley, potatoes, turnip, and
cabbage are tender, 18 to 20 minutes.
5. Remove pot fom heat and remove herb bun
dl e. Stir in peas, lemon j uice, and chopped parsley;
season with salt and pepper to taste. Sere, passing
Lemon-Thyme Butter separately.
N O I F M B F R c D F C F M i E R 20 1 1
I
EQUI PMENT TESTI NG
Vegetabl e Cl eavers
Rectangul ar Asi an vegetabl e cl eavers have a
straighter edge that, unl i ke curvi ng Western
style kni ves, stays in contact with food as you
cut, ostensi bl y streaml i ni ng vegetable prep. Also,
whereas meat cl eavers have thi ck, heavy bl ades
and a bl unter edge for hacking through bone,
these bl ades are thin and tapered. We found two
types: Chi nese-styl e, bui l t l i ke a sl i m meat cl eaver,
and shorter j apanese-styl e, whi ch resembl es a
squared-of santoku.
We tested seven kni ves ($30 to $ 1 90) , di c
i ng oni ons, mi nci ng parsl ey, sl i ci ng potatoes,
and quartering butternut squash. Tal l er, heavier
Chi nese cleavers were easier to guide through
lare vegetabl es, as their hef did most of the work.
But they were too unwi el dy for some testers, who
preferred the smal l er, l ighter J apanese bl ades.
Spine width al so proved i mportant: Sl i mmer blades
glided through food; thi cker blades tore i nstead of
sl i ced. Our favorite was the MAC j apanese Series
6 Y2- I nch j apanese Vegetabl e Cl eaver. Weighing
less than 5 ounces, with a 1 . 9-mi l l i meter spi ne,
it was l ight, sharp, and ni mbl e. We don' t con
si der thi s tool a repl acement for an al l -purpose
Western-style chef's knife, but it's a pleasure if
you chop a lot of vegetabl es. For compl ete testing
results, go to V . Cooksl l l ustrated. com/dec I I .
-Taizeth Si erra
TOP CHE F
MAC Japanese Seri es 6 Y2 -I nch
Japanese Vegetable Cl eaver
Model : JU-65
Pri ce: $95
Comments: Thi s smal l , lightweight cleaver was
razor sharp and easy to control . I t sl i ced through
butternut squash more efortl essl y than hefier
Chi nese cleavers di d.
WHAT A DRAG
WUSTHOF Gourmet
Chi nese Chefs Kni fe
Model : 4688-2
Price: $79. 75
Comments: The heavi est at nearl y 1 3 ounces,
thi s last-place knife's thick bl ade draged
through food.
LEMON- THYME BUTTER
MAKL5 6 AbLL5|LL|5
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sofened
tabl espoon mi nced fresh thyme
3 teaspoon fi nel y grated lemon zest pl us
! teaspoon j uice
Pinch salt
Combine al i ngredients in bowl .
Ultimate Ragu ala Bolognese
Our goal was the richest, most savory interpretation of this famous meat sauce.
But how many meats di d that require-and wou l d the dairy have to go?
R
agu alia Bolognese, the hearty
meat sauce native to the north
ern Italian city for which it is
named, has always been a sim
ple concept-but with a lot of complica
tions to hamper its simplicity. Despite its
undisputed Bolognese pedigree, there
are countless "authentic" interpretations
on record. While ground beef is the
common starting point, many versions
add ground pork and ofen veal as wel l .
Others supplement the ground meat
with fnely chopped salumi, usually pan
cetta or prosciutto. Some recipes call for
brightening the ragu with crushed toma
toes; others lean toward the drier, more
concentrated depth of tomato paste. One
version may call for white wine, another
for red-some may call for no wine at all .
Cooking times range from 90 minutes
to 3 hours.
But the most controversial point of
all? Dair. Depending on which source
3 B Y B R Y A N R O O F E
I made several more batches, adding a fstf of
minced sage to the meat-considered an essential
component by some sources-and trng various
proportions of all fve meats until I landed on an
easy l : l ratio of the ground beef, pork, and veal and
4 ounces each of pancetta and mortadella. Some of
the other classic Bolognese recipes I' d consulted
specifed that the ground meat should be cooked
only until it loses its pink color, lest the browning
lead to toughness. But I found the textural com
promise to be far subtler than the favor benefi t of
a good sear. I also decided to ignore tradition and
add the meat to the pot before the softto. Without
the interference of moisture fom the vegetables,
I could get a much better sear on the meat, plus
sauteing the veggies in the meats' rendered fat built
up even richer flavor.
you consult, milk and/or cream is either
d essential component, lending fther
A l i ttle gelatin gives this sauce a si l ky, glossy texture despite the
l ack of l ong-si mmered, col l agen-ri ch brodo.
What gave me pause was a more minor complaint:
finely chopping the pancetta and mortadella. It was
tedious work, so I called on my food processor to
take over. The job was literally done with tl1e push of
a button. In fact, the appliance worked so efciently
that I also pulsed the sofitto components before
sauteing them in the meats' rendered fat.
I moved on to the next major decision: the best
kind of tomato product to use. The recipes I'd
read didn't help narrow things down-I'd seen
everything fom the cmshed tomatoes I had been
using up until now, to sauce, to paste. One source
I consulted even suggested that tomatoes were not
originally part of the sauce. That idea reminded me
that I liked the unobtrusive texture of tomato paste
in de Magistris's version, so I added a healthy dollop
to the pot, and then let the mixture go. Once the
fond had taken on a deep rust tone, I poured i a few
richness and supposedly tenderizing the
long-cooked meat, or it has no place in the sauce
whatsoever. In other words, what constitutes "real"
ragu Bolognese is largely a matter of interpretation.
The only thing that al Italian cooks seem to agree
on is this: The end product should be hear and rich
but not cloying, with a velvety texture that lightly
clings to the noodles, and tomatoes should be a bit
player in this show. The true sta is the meat.
I'd never felt strongly about the dairy issue myself,
untl recently, when I sampled a Bolognese sauce
made by Dante de Magstis, an Italian chef i Boston
with a big following. His version was by f the meat
est, most complex version I'd ever had. I was so taken
wth it that I asked h for a breakdown of the recipe.
Two points stood out. First, he used a whopping six
meats: ground beef, pork, and veal; pancetta; mort
adelia ( bologna-like Italian deli meat); and, to my
surprse, chicken livers. Second, de Magistris stood
squarely i the no-dairy camp, claiming that when he
How to Add Si Meats
Video avai l abl e FREE for 4 months at
www. Cooks l l l u strated. com/ dec I I
l
learned to make tl1e dish in Bologna, m and cream
were defi nitely not included.
Those clues-plus the test kitchen's library of
Italian cookbooks-were enough to get me started
on my own dair-fee Bolognese. I was determined
to make my version home cook-fiendly and yet sat
isfing to even the most discriminatng Italian palate.
The Meat of the Matter
The Mother of Al l Meat Sauces
I started witl1 a test batch tl1at I
cobbled based on de Magistris's
version, loading up the pot with
the components of the flavor base,
or sofito (chopped carrot, celery,
and onion) , followed by fve dif
ferent meats. ( I wasn't sure I really
needed the chicken livers, so I lef
them out for the time being. ) I
then stirred in cmshed tomatoes.
For the meatiest-ever ragu alia Bolognese, we di dn' t stop at ground beef-or
even at pork and veal . To bol ster the sauce's compl ex, savory flavor, we
packed in pancetta, mortadel l a, and chi cken l i vers, too.
I let it all sin1mer, covered, for
a couple of hours. The result was
acceptably rich and flavorfl, but I
still had a good bit of tweaking to
do, to botl1 the ingredient list and
the technique. Moradel l a
C O O K
'
s I L L U S T R A T E D
1 4
Grund
Veal
Grund
Beef
Chi cken
Livers
5
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big glugs of red wine, deglazed
the pan by scraping up the
browned bits with a wooden
spoon, and let the sauce sim
mer gently for the better patt
of two hours. Wen the sauce
was nearly done, I boiled some
pasta and tossed the noodles
wth the ragu.
STEP BY STEP BUI LDI NG A MEATY, SATI NY-TEXTURE D BOLOGNE S E
Flavorwise, the sauce was in
good shape: rich and complex
and, thanks to the wne and
tomato paste, balanced with
just enough acidity. But as my
tasters noted, this ragu had a
textural faw: Its consistency
L COOK the ground meats;
add depth by sauteing the
chopped mortadel l a, pancetta,
and sage i n the rendered fat.
2. ADD the sofritto and
sweat it unti l sofened and then
3. DE GLAZE the pot with
wine; sti r i n the broth pl us the
4. STI R i n the pureed chicken
l i vers for subtl e but ri ch taste.
was pebbly, dry, and not particularly saucelike.
Vel vet Undergrund
There was one element of de Magistris's recipe
that I had overlooked in my earlier attempts: Just
before the long simmering step, he ladled some
homemade brodo ( or broth) into the ragu, repeating
the step tice more during cookng to moisten te
reduced sauce. I suspected that the brodo-and me
technique of adding the brodo in stages-had an
impottant efect on the texture of Bolognese. Besides
boosting the meaty flavor, the bones used to make
the broth give up lots of gelatin as they simmer,
which renders the liquid glossy and viscous. The
more the broth reduced in the Bolognese, me more
savory and satiny it became. But homemade brom
was out of the queston for me. Simmering bones for
hours on top of making me ragu was just too much
fss; I'd have to make do wim commercial brom.
No surprise here: The ragus I made wim store
bought brom didn't measure up to me Bolognese
made wim homemade brom-especially in regard
to texture. I statted brainstorming other ways to
mmic me velvetiness contributed by the gelatin in
real brodoand realzed mat me answer was right in
font of me: powdered gelatn. It's a trick we've used
to lend suppleness to all- beef meatloaf and viscosity
to beef stew-two qualities mat I was looking for in
my ragu. I prepped multiple batches of me sauce,
blooming varyng amounts of gelatin-fom 1 tea
spoon all the way up to a whopping 8-in a com
bination of cared beef and chcken brom ( 1 cup
each) before proceeding wth the recipe. Every batch
was an improvement over me gelatn-fee ragus, but
the powder's efect was relatvely subtle untl I got up
into the hgher an1ounts, which rendered me sauce
ultra-silky. That settled it: Eight teaspoons it was.
I had one more mought about me cared brom:
Since me favor and body of the canned stuf hardly
equaled mat of a real brodo, I wondered if me reduc
tion step was really doing mat much for me sauce.
One side-by-side test gave me my answer: The batch
into which I'd added all me broth at once boasted
just as much meatiness and body as me one wim
the staggered additons. It also fnished cooking in
about 90 minutes.
add concentrated tomato flavor bl oomed gelatin to devel op
i n the form of tomato paste. l uxuri ous si l ky texture.
And yet while canned brotl1 plus gelatin nicely
solved tl1e texture problem, me sauce still lacked a
certain depm and roundness of favor. Fortunately, I
still had one card lef to play: chicken livers. They'd
seemed superfuous to me at frst, but I wondered if
fi nely chopping mem and tossing tl1em in at the end
might get at me complexity I was afer. That mey
did-but according to my tasters, meir efect was a
bit too strong. Pureeing mem in me food processor
worked much better; this way, tl1eir rich, gamy favor
incorporated seamlessly into me sauce.
Though my sauce could hardly get any more
perfct, I just couldn't push away me mought mat
kept sneaking into my head: Wat would happen
if me sauce included a little dairy? I made one last
batch, adding 1 cup of m along wim tl1e brom.
But when my tasters sampled this latest version, me
consensus was unanimous: Dairy muted its meaty
favor, and mey liked it better wimout.
Wimout dairy, I knew mat some Italian cooks out
tl1ere would not consider my recipe aumentic. But
no matter: The sauce was undeniably complex, rich
tasting, and lusciously silky. And besides, how could
any version be Bolognese without a little controversy?
R AGU ALLA BOLOGNESE
|AKL5 AbLO 6 LO|5
This recipe makes enough sauce to coat 2 pounds
of pasta. Lefover sauce may be refigerated for up
to three days or frozen for up to one monm. Eight
teaspoons of gelatn is equivalent to one ( 1 -ounce)
box of gelatn. If you can't find ground veal , use an
additional % pound of ground beef
cup l ow-sodi um chi cken brth
cup beef brth
8 teaspoons unfl avored gelatin
oni on, chopped coarse
l arge carrt, peeled and chopped coarse
I cel ery ri b, chopped coarse
4 ounces pancetta, chopped fi ne
4 ounces mortadel l a, chopped
6 ounces chi cken l i vers, tri mmed
1 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
pound 85 perent l ean grund beef
N 0 V E M l E R b D E C E ,\ B E R 2 0 I I
l '
% pound grund veal
% pound grund pork
1 tabl espoons mi nced fresh sage
I (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups dry red wi ne
Sal t and pepper
pound pappardel l e or tagl i atel l e pasta
Parmesan cheese, grated, for servi ng
l. Combine chicken brom and beef broth U
bowl; sprinkle gelatin over top and set aside. Pulse
onion, carrot, and celery in food processor until
finely chopped, about 10 pulses, scraping down bowl
as needed; transfer to separate bowl. Pulse pancetta
and mortadella in now-empty food processor until
finely chopped, about 25 pulses, scraping down bowl
as needed; transfer to second bowl. Process chicken
livers in now-empty food processor untl pureed,
about 5 seconds; transfer to third bowl.
2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium
high heat until shmmering. Add beef, veal, and
pork; cook, breaking up pieces wim spoon, until
all liquid has evaporated and meat begins to sizzle,
lO to 1 5 minutes. Add chopped pancetta mixture
and sage; cook, stirring fequently, until pancetta is
translucent, 5 to 7 minutes, adjusting heat to keep
fond fom burning. Add chopped vegetables and
cook, stirring fequently, untl sofened, 5 to 7 min
utes. Add tomato paste and cook, strg constantly,
until rust-colored and fagrant, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in wine, scraping pan with wooden spoon
to loosen fond. Simmer until sauce has mickened,
about 5 minutes. Stir in brom mixture and return
to simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook at bare
simmer untl thickened (wooden spoon should leave
trail when dragged through sauce) , about 1 1/ hours.
4. Stir in pureed chicken livers, bring to boil, and
remove fom heat. Season wim salt and pepper to
taste; cover and keep warm.
5. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot.
Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring
occasionally, until a dente. Reserve % cup cooking
water, men drain pasta and return it to pot. Add
half of sauce and cooking water to pasta and toss to
combine. Transfer to serving bowl and serve, passing
cheese separately.
Holiday Cooki es Made Si mple
--
Basi c buter cooki es are the perfect template for decorati ng-provi ded you start
wi th a dough that's tai l or-made for rol l i ng, cuti ng, and embel l i shi ng.
Fol l ow these gui del i nes for cooki es that look thei r holi day best. BY K E I TH DR E s s E R
5JKJ Y| 1H 1HL K|G1 A.. r t t
Rolling out the dough is usually stick business, and the typi -
cal solution- adding mor flour-akes for tough cookies.
WHY THI S DOUGH I S FOOLPROOF:
We use just enough butter for tenderness and rich flavor
Superne sugar makes for a tight, compact crumb.
Cram cheese adds subtle tang, and since i t i s sofer than
buter when chi l l ed, it makes the dough easier to rll out.
A "reverse" creami ng method-in whi ch the butter
i s beaten i nto the fl our and sugar rather than creamed
with the sugar-makes for flatter cookies that are easi er
to decorate.
FOOLPROOF HOLI DAY COOKI ES
|AKL5 J LLZL| CLLKl L5
The wrpped disks of dough can be rfigerated for up to
tre days or fzen for up to one month. If frzen, let the
disks thaw i n the rfrigerator for 24 hours befor using.
2V2 cups ( 1 2V2 ounces) al l -purpose fl our
3 cup (5 V2 ounces) superfi ne sugar
\ teaspoon salt
1 6 tablespoons unsal ted butter, cut i nto sixteen
V2 -i nch pieces and sofened
2 teaspoons vani l l a extract
2 tabl espoons cream cheese, softened
I . I n bowl of stand mi xer ftted wi th paddle attach
ment, mix fl our, sugar, and salt on low speed until com
bined, about 5 seconds. With mixer runni ng on low. add
buter I piece at a ti me; conti nue to mix until mixture
looks crumbl y and sl ightly wet. about I mi nute longer
Add vani l l a and cream cheese and mix on low until dough
just begins to form lare cl umps. about 30 seconds.
2. Remove bowl from mi xer; knead dough by hand i n
bowl for 2 to 3 turns to form large cohesi ve mass. Turn
out dough onto countertop. Di vi de in half. pat i nto two
4-i nch di sks. wrap each in pl astic wrap. and refrigerate
unti l dough is frm but mal l eabl e, about 30 mi nutes.
1.Adjust oven rack to mi ddl e positi on; heat oven
to 375 degrees. Rol l out I dough disk to even Vs -i nch
thickness. Pl ace rol l ed dough on baki ng sheet and refrig
erate unti l frm, about I 0 mi nutes. Meanwhi l e. repeat
with second di sk.
4. Working wi th frst portion of rolled dough. cut into
desird shapes usi ng cookie cutter( s) and place shapes on
parchment paper-l i ned baking sheet. spaci ng them about
I V2 i nches apart. Bake unti l light golden brwn, about
I 0 mi nutes, rotating baking sheet halfay through baking
time. Repeat with second portion of rolled dough. Cool
cookies on wi r rack to room temperature.
ROL .Y J.HE K| GH1 1LLHN| UL5
DO rl l dough between sheets of parhment paper
Handl i ng the dough causes it to warm up and become tacky. To prevent it from sti cki ng to the counter
and to the rol l i ng pi n-roll it between two large pi eces of parchment paper.
DON' T ski p the chi l l afer rl l i ng
Col d, sti f dough wi l l cut more cl eanl y than dough that's sof. Sl i de the bottom pi ece of parchment with
the rol l ed dough onto a baking sheet to keep it flat, and refrigerate unti l frm, I 0 mi nutes.
DO mi ni mize scraps
Cut shapes close together, starting from the outside and working your way to the mi ddl e. When maki ng
l arge and smal l cooki es, we alternate cutters as we stamp to use as much dough as possi bl e.
DO peel away dough scraps-not the cooki e
Use a smal l spatul a to strip away the dough scraps from around the cooki es. Wi th excess dough out of
the way, it i s easi er to cl eanl y l if the cooki es and transfer them to a baki ng sheet.
DON' T rerl l more than once
Dough scraps may be packed i nto a bal l and rerol l ed one ti me; worki ng the dough any more wi l l devel op
too much gl uten and produce tough cooki es. Make sure to chi l l the dough again before rol l i ng
and again before cutting.
USE THE _ L GT .OO_S
0 ATECO Plain Round Cutters ( 1 1 -Piece Set), $ 1 5
No matter the shape. a good cooki e cutter shoul d be made of metal , with a thi n. sharp cutting edge and
a rounded top that won' t cut i nto your hand as you press.
f VOLLRATH Cooki e Sheet, $24. 95
Our favorite is roomy. wi th handl es on the short si des, whi ch makes it easy to sl i de cooki es of.
0 ATE CO Medi um-Si zed Ofset Spatul a (7. 75-l nch), $8 Use a medi um-sized ofset spatul a for trans
ferring cookies to and fom the cookie sheet.
0 WI LTON Angled Spatul a (4. 5-l nch), $4.79 Smal l er versi ons ofer better control for spreadi ng
i ci ng on a cooki e.
0 FANTE' S French Rol l i ng Pi n with Tapered Ends, $6. 99
The tapered shape of thi s model provides pl enty of flat rol l i ng surface at the center of the pi n, with
narrower edges for easy handl i ng.
| | ' K < I I I ' ' ' l K .\ T l l`
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>

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With the right techni ques, decorating cooki es with col ored gl azes in diferent patterns i s an easy way to create professi onal -l ooki ng results.
ALL- PURPOSE WHI TE GLAZE
|AKL5 l LO|
To color stir drops of food coloring into the glaze until i t reaches
the desird tint For a citrus-flavored glaze, substitute orange,
l emon, or l i me jui ce for the mi l k. The glaze can also be flavord
with Y2 teaspoon of your favorite extract.
2 cups (8 ounces) confecti oners' sugar
1 tabl espoons mi l k
2 tabl espoons cream cheese, sofened
Whi sk al l i ngredi ents together unti l smooth. Spread gl aze onto
compl etely cool ed cooki es. Let glaze dry compl etely, about 30
mi nutes, before serving.
Three Ways to Gl aze
Spread For a si mpl e,
smooth coat, dri zzl e a l i ttle
glaze in the center of the
cookie and then spread i t
out i n an even l ayer usi ng the
back of a spoon or a smal l
ofset spatul a.
Pi pe To appl y more
i ntricate detai l work, such as
dots or l i nes, pipe the gl aze
di rectl y onto the cooki e. Fi l l
a homemade parchment pi p
i ng bag or a smal l pastry bag
fitted with a smal l Yl 6-i nch
Paint Use a smal l paint
brush to appl y diferent
col ored glazes to a cookie
wi thout overl appi ng or to
fl l 1 n an outhpne.
.
..
r -
\ \

Sugari ng Once a glaze has been appl i ed to

Gussyi ng Up Gl azed Cooki es
Draging By appl yi ng dots of a contrasting
colored glaze on top of another glaze and drag
ging a toothpi ck or thin skewer careful l y through
the center, you can create a variety of patterns
and desi gns.
Embel l i shi ng Pl ace decorati ons i n the gl aze whi l e
it i s sti l l sof; once the glaze dri es, it wi l l act l i ke gl ue.
I n addi ti on to the usual decorati ng opti ons, consi der
ci nnamon candi es, j el l y beans, crushed peppermi nt
candi es, gum drops, and chocol ate morsel s.
a cooki e, spri nkl e it wi th col ored sugar. For the
most even di stri buti on, hold your hand about 1 2
i nches above the work surace. Excess sugar can be
brushed or gentl y shaken of when the glaze is dry.
Make a Parhment Pi pi ng Bag
Col or Your Sugar We fnd that the sti f openi ng of a homemade parchment bag works j ust as wel l as a smal l pi pi ng bag at drawing thi n l i nes
(and better than the usual alternative to a pastry bag, a zi pper-l ock bag, whi ch i s best resered for l ess del i cate pi pi ng) .
You can also make several to hol d diferent col ored gl azes-with no need for washi ng out between uses.
;
Col ored sugar i s easy to make at
home and ofers many more color
opti ons than the grocery store does.

|
'

/i

/'
]r
I . Fold 1 2 -i nch square of
parchment paper in half on
di agonal . Usi ng knife, cut i t i n
half on fol d into 2 triangl es.
Mess-Free Fi l l i ng
To si mpl if the mul ti -handed
job of fl l i ng a pi pi ng bag,
place the bag upright i n a tal l
dri nki ng glass before fl l i ng.
The glass also makes a good
resting pl ace for the bag whi l e
you are decorating.
2. With long side of tri angl e
faci ng you, fol d bottom right
hand poi nt up and under,
gi vi ng i t hal f twist unti l it
meets tri angl e's top poi nt.
3. Hol di ng those poi nts
together, wrap lef-hand
poi nt around outsi de of
cone unti l al l 3 poi nts are
perfectly al i gned. Tape or
stapl e poi nts together.
Gl itter Sticking Points
Ungl azed cookies requi re a
little surface preparation to
ensure that embel l i shments wi l l
stick. We recommend l ightly
mi sting or brushi ng the sur
face of the dough with water
before appl yi ng decorations.
4. Use sci ssors to sni p very
smal l hole in poi nt of cone.
I . Pl ace Y2 cup of
2. To ensure even
col or, push the
sugar through a
fne-mesh strai ner.
Spread the sugar i n
a pi e plate and l et it
dry compl etely.
Tackle Box for Tri mmi ngs
Decorati ng cooki es usual l y
means j ugl i ng a col l ec
ti on of ti ny tri mmi ngs. To
keep the items cl ose at
hand and neatly organi zed,
we corral each one i n the
i ndi vi dual cups of a mufn pan.
N O V E M B E R [ D E C F M B E R 2 0 1 1
I
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Pasta with Broccol Rabe and Sausage
To fi ne-tu ne thi s cl assi c combi nati on , we fi rst needed to tame broccol i rabe's bi tter edge.
I
f each region in Italy can be said to have a
signature dish, then orecchiette with broc
coli rabe is the one most ofen associated
wi th the southeastern region of Pugli a.
Italian-American versions frequently add sau
sage to create a satisfing study in contrasts: tl1e
richness of the meat taming the peppery rabe.
Pulled together with a generous helping of garlic,
a dash of hot pepper fakes, a gloss of sauce, plus
a shower of grated Pecorino, it's one of those
quick, satisfing, one-pot meals that are invalu
able as part of a winter weeknight repertoire.
That's not to say that the dish is infallible. A in
any marriage of dissinliar personalities, the rela
tionship takes fesse to work properly-and it's
the broccoli rabe that requires the most attention.
Most recipes agree that rabe reques pretreatment to
tame its bitter edge, but they difer in their solution:
Sauteing, blanching, and boiling are all common.
I gave each method a go, fnishing the rough
chopped stalks in the skillet with the rendered
sausage fat and aromatics before mixing them with
the meat and tossing the two components with
the lightly sauced pasta. The rabe pretreatments
produced remarkably diferent results, with tasters
overwhelmingly preferring the tender-frm bite
of the greens that had been simply sauteed. Their
intensely bitter favor, however, needed some work.
I started by doing some rabe research to under
stand why the water-based treatments had sofened
the vegetable's sharp edge. A it turns out, broccoli
rabe is rich in flavor precursors that release pungent,
bitter compounds called isothiocyanates when the
vegetable is cut. Exposing the rabe to boiling water
inactivates these acrid compounds. I wondered,
though: Since we preferred the fimer texture of the
sauteed rabe, was a flpot of boiling water neces
sary, or could I cut that step and get by witl1 adding
just a splash of water to the skillet?
I had my answer afer one test, as the boiled and
lightly pan-steamed greens tasted virtually identical.
Good news: I'd not only eliminated the wait time
for the broccol water to boil but also saved myself
the trouble of washing another pot. In fact, I didn't
need to introduce any additonal liquid to the skillet;
the water lef clinging to the rabe afer washing was
enough to render it crisp-tender.
Making Tuesday Night Dinner
Video avai l abl e FREE for 4 months at
www. Cooks l l l u strated. com/ dec I I
3 B Y R A Q U E L P E L Z E L
A I turned to fe-tuning the dish itself, I con
sidered one of my taster's milder criticisms: that
tl1e large ( 1 - to 3-inch) rabe pieces were clumping
togetl1er in the pasta. No problem: I simply chopped
the stalks into small ( %-inch) pieces. But while this
remedied the clumping, it reintroduced the rabe's
bitterness. I shouldn't have been surprised: The
more tle vegetable was broken down, the more of
its bitter compounds were released.
Taking a step back, I tried balancing the rabe's
bitterness by tweaking tl1e otl1er ingredients. The
obvious test-ramping up tl1e sausage, garlic, and
pepper fakes--didn't so much round out the favors
as add hef and heat. I had more luck with the sauce:
Just as I had been doing, I added a ladle flof the
pasta cooking water to the pan ( the starchy liquid
lends body to the sauce and helps it cling to the
pasta), but this time I poured in 1 cup of chicken
brotl1 along with it and reduced tle liquid to about
1 cup. This gave the sauce more depth. I fther
enriched it with a pat of butter and some grated
Pecorino. Defnitely better-but still not quite there.
Then I remembered tat in my research I'd seen
many recipes for broccoli rabe sauteed wth a mashed
anchovy paste, a step intended to lend subtle depth.
I folowed suit, mashing a couple of fi llets with some
olive oil and a drop of fesh lemon juice and whisking
the mixture into the reduced sauce before tossing it
with the resered pasta, bge, rabe, and cheese (wm
salty anchovies in the mix, I swapped me super-salty
Pecorino for milder Parmesan) . That did it: Each bite
was bold but balanced, with an addictvely bitter-but
not fishy-dge. Best of al, afer testng more than 40
pounds of rabe, I'd taken one of my standard week
night pasta recipes and made it even easier to prepare.
PASTA WI TH BROCCOLI RABE AND SAUSAGE
5LKVL5 + L 6
It's in1portant that some water still clings to the rabe
afer washing to help it steam during cooking. Our
preference is to make this dish wim orecchiette pasta,
but fsilli and campanelle also work well. For our
fee recipe for Pasta witl1 Broccoli Rbe, Raisins, and
Pine Nuts, go to ww.Cooksillustrated.com/decl l .
2 anchovy fi l l ets, ri nsed
4 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
I tabl espoon l emon j ui ce
4 garl i c cl oves, mi nced
pound orecchi ette pasta
Salt
8 ounces hot I tal i an sausage, casi ngs removed,
CO O K
'
S I LLUST R AT E D
I d
cut i nto !-i nch pi eces
V> teaspoon red pepper fl akes
pound brccol i rabe, tri mmed and cut i nto
!- i nch pi eces
cup low-sodi um chi cken brth
I V2 tabl espoons unsal ted butter
I ounce Parmesan cheese, grated ( V2 cup),
pl us extra for servi ng
l. Using fork, smear anchovies on cuttng board
into uniform paste (you should have about 1 tea
spoon) . Combine anchovy paste, 1 tablespoon oil,
lemon j uice, and 1 teaspoon garlic in bowl; set aside.
2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add
pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, strring ofen,
until al dente. Resere 1 cup cooking water, men
drain pasta and return it to pot.
3. Wile pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil in
12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat,
until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, strg
ofen, until browned and cooked tlrough, 2 to 4
minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to
paper towel-lined plate. Leave rendered fat in skillet.
4. Rt skillet to medium heat, add remaining 2
tablespoons oil, remaining garlic, and pepper fakes;
cook, stirring ofen, until fagrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Increase heat to high and add half of broccoli rabe;
cook, stirring ofen, until just wilted, about 1 min
ute. Add remaining broccoli rabe and l2 teaspoon
salt; cook, stirring ofen, until crisp-tender, 2 to
3 minutes. Transfer broccoli rabe to colander set in
bowl. Do not wash skillet.
5. Bring broth and % cup pasta water to boil in
now-empty skillet over high heat. Reduce heat to
medium and simmer until reduced to about 1 cup,
4 to 6 minutes. Remove skillet fom heat and whisk
in reserved anchovy mixture and butter. Add sauce,
resered broccoli rabe, sausage, and 1/2 cup Parmesan
to pasta and toss to combine. Add remaining cook
ing water as needed to adjust consistency. Sere
inlmediately, passing remaining Parmesan separately.
TECHNI QUE I
PRE PPI NG B ROCCOLI RAB E
To tri m broccol i
rabe, cut of the
tough bottom
V2 inch of
the stalks.

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Paris- Brest
We knew this showstopper French dessert was both elegant and delicious.
Now that we've perfected its various components, we can say it's reliable as wel l .
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Looki ng for the ul ti mate Chri stmas Eve dessert? Look no further.
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A Race That Takes the Cake
The cream-fl l ed pastry known
as Paris-Brest was crated to
honor the Pari s-Brest- Pari s
bi cycl e race-a 1 , 200-ki l ometer
race from Paris to Brest, in
Brittany, and back agai n. Over
the years, cul i nary l umi naries
fom Jul i a Child to Al ai n Ducasse
to Pierre Herme have paid hom
age to the event (frst organized
in 1 89 1 ) with their own versions
of this rich yet ethereal dessert.
Creating Crisp Gingersnaps
What's the secret to gi ngersnaps that combi ne bol d spi ce fl avor and real snap?
To begi n with , there's geti ng rid of al l that moisture.
S
weetened dough spi ced with
ginger has been around since
medieval times, but the term
" gi ngersnap" was n' t coi ned
until the 1 9th century. To my mind, this
nomenclature should have settled once
and for all the question of whether a
ginger cookie should be crisp or chewy.
I've never doubted that "snap" speaks to
a cookie that breaks cleanly in half and
crunches with every bite. "Snap" also
sums up assertive ginger favor and heat.
But most gingersnap recipes that I've
tried don't live up to the name. Once you
get past their brittle edges, the cookies turn
sof and chewy. In fact, the only ginger
snaps I've had that actually snap come fom
a box. But these cookies always fall short
on favor, lacking sufciently bold notes of
ginger and spice. I wanted feshly baked
gngersnaps with a crackly top and a texture
to rival the store-bought kind, but with
all-natural ginger favor and lingering heat.
B Y A N D R E W J A N J I G I A N E
Snap Judgments
I started with the best of all of the fawed
These cooki es keep thei r crunch for up to two weeks when
stored i n an ai rtight contai ner.
recipes I'd tried-one that at least yielded
a cookie that boasted crisp edges. Like most ginger
snap recipes, it called for creaming butter and brown
sugar (preferred to white sugar for its caramel-like
undertone) in a stand mixer and then whipping in
eggs, molasses, and vanilla and incorporating the
dr ingredients (four, baking soda, salt, and ground
ginger) . You then chill the dough until firm, form it
into balls, and bake.
I wondered if transforming this cookie fom
mainly chewy to crunchy could be as straightorward
as cuttng down on moisture. I opted not to tinker
with the molasses since the cookies wouldn't be
true ggersnaps without its pleasantly bitter, smok
edge. And with just a single egg and a yolk in the
recipe, the idea of adjusting the egg amount didn't
seem promising either. That lef me with just two
potental moisture sources to work with: the brown
sugar and the butter.
See How to Make It Snappy
Video avai l abl e FREE for 4 months at
www. Cooks l l l ustrated. com/ dec I I
I ted to the sugar first. I knew that brown sugar
was a double-edged sword. It contributes rich, molas
ses-y favor-but also creates chewess in cookies.
This is because brown sugar is even more hygroscopic
than granulated sugar, attractg moisture during
bakg. Switching to granulated sugar did produce a
crispier, less chewy cooke, but the loss of flavor wasn't
worth it. My only choice was to cut back on the sweet
ener. I found that slashing the brown sugar almost in
half-fom 2 to l l4 cups-resulted i cookies notce
ably drier ad crunchier (albeit not yet worhy of their
eponymous "snap") . Rducig the sugar also alowed
the gger favor to move to the fore.
On to the butter, which is about 1 6 percent
water. Using less butter (I went fom 12 tablespoons
to lO tablespoons) dehydrated the cookies a bit,
but new problems emerged. Wthout ample fat, the
leaner, stifer dough refsed to spread as it baked.
More important, these cookies didn't taste as good.
It occurred to me that if i browned the butter, I'd
eliminate some of its water while keeping its fat
(and creating richer, nutty flavor) . Of course, this
meant that I could no longer cream the butter with
the sugar, so I tried sinply whisking the browned
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
Z Z
butter with the sugar. I was pleased to fnd that this
lower-moisture dough yielded considerably frmer
cookies, and the subtle nutty taste of the browned
butter turned out to be an ideal backdrop for the
gnger. Elatng creag seemed to have helped
matters, too: Since I was no longer whipping a
into the dough, the cookie crumb was more densely
packed and frmly textured. But all was not perfect:
The center of the cookie was stll a little too moist
and ddn't have the crackly top I wanted.
Previous experiments in the test kitchen gave me
an idea for creating crackes: increase the leavening.
In the next series of tests, I gradually upped the
baking soda. The intentional overdose caused the
cookies to rise dramatcally but then collapse, leaving
attractve fssures on their surfces. Aer experiment
ing with varying amounts of baking soda, I settled
on a fll 2 teaspoons, which created nice deep cracks
without imparting any soapy favor. ( See "Loading
Up on Leavening" for more information. ) I found
that the overdose had several other positve efects:
better browning ( and therefore an even richer taste)
and cookies that were crispier, since the cracks in
the dough were allowing more moisture to escape.
Though these cookies were gettg close, they
still ddn' t have quite the clean, defitve snap of
the box kind, so I moved on to consider the other
major variable: the oven. By reducing the tempera
ture fom Dto degrees, I nearly doubled the
overall baking time, which allowed the gingersnaps
to gradually ( and flly) dr out without burning.
I also transferred the cookies to a wire rack inmedi
ately afer baking, which allowed a to circulate and
steam to escape fom their undersides. At last, my
cookies turned out d and crackly crisp to the core.
SCI ENCE
Loadi ng Up on Leaveni ng
Usi ng a full 2 teaspoons of baking soda in our cookie
dough instead of the mor typical Y2 to I teaspoon
not only hel ped crate desi rabl e fssurs i n the fnal
cookie but also hel ped it dry out. Baking soda i s an
al kal i ne substance that weakens the gluten (the net
work of prteins that gives most baked goods their
strctur) in a dough or bater Weaker gluten means
a mor porus structur fm whi ch air bubbles and
moi stur can bum of. It al so means that the dough
will col lapse afer it i nitial rise i n the oven, leading
to cracks that also allow mor moi sture to escape.
5
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PUTTI NG THE S NAP I N GI NGERS NAPS
3. Place 1 sheet on upper
The hal l mark of gi ngersnap cooki e texture-big crunch-ame down to one key factor: dryi ng out the dough.
rack and bake for 15 minutes.
TURN DOWN THE STAGGER THE BAKI NG
OVEN Baki ng the cooki es i n Baki ng each tray on the top rack
BROWN THE BUTTER
Butter i s 1 6 percent water.
Browni ng it before whi ski ng it
with the sugar, egs, and fl our
el i mi nates moi sture.
CUT BACK ON SUGAR
The brown sugar i n our reci pe
hol ds on to water, even afer
baki ng. Our sol uti on? Use j ust
I ! cups.
a l ow (300-degree) oven gives
the dough ampl e ti me to gradu
al l y-but thoroughl y-dry out.
before movi ng i t to the cool er
bottom rack creates fssures
Afer 1 5 minutes, transfer par
tially baked top sheet to lower
rack, rotating 180 degrees,
and place second sheet of
dough balls on upper rack.
Continue to bake until cook
ies on lower tray just begin to
darken around edges, 1 0 to 12
minutes longer. Rmove lower
sheet of cookies and shif
upper sheet to lower rack and
continue to bake until cookies
begin to darken around edges,
1 5 to 1 7 minutes. Slide baked
cookies, stll on parchment, to
Crack Down
There was just one glitch. When I baked two sheets at
once, only the cookies on the upper rack developed a
uniformly crackled top, while those on the lower rack
sported smoother facades (plus less crispness) , despite
the amped-up leavening. Rtating tl1e sheets haay
through bakng so that each one got tme on tle top
rack didn't improve the situation, suggesting tl1at
the cracks were produced right at the beginning of
baking, when the heat radiating down from the top
of the oven caused the cookies to rise and fall rapidly.
The sheet on the lower rack was partially shielded
fom the oven's heat by tle sheet above, causing its
cookies to expand more gradually, which resulted in
smoother tops. I could just bake the sheets one at a
tme on the top rack-but tl1at would take forever,
gven that my recipe was geared toward an extra-large
batch (I wanted to have plenty of cookes on hand for
the holidays) . The solution proved as simple as stag
gering the baking: I popped one tray onto the upper
rack for 1 5 minutes untl fissures formed, moved it to
the lower rack to finish baking, ad then placed the
second sheet of cookies on tl1e upper rack.
The Spi ce Is Ri ght
Wth the texture and appearance of my gingersnaps
right where I wanted them, all that remained was
to punch up their rather mild favor. Doubling the
amount of dried ginger was an obvious starting
point, as was incororating feshly grated ginger.
War spices seemed appropriate here, and I folowed
the lead of many other recipes by incorporating cin
namon and cloves. But I wanted yet another layer of
heat. I perused the spice cabinet once more, landing
on cayenne and black pepper. The combination lent
the cookies a judicious but lingering heat. Finally, to
make the spices really sing, I bloomed them in tl1e
browned butter, the hot fat helping to flly release
the spices' pungent aromatic compounds.
A a fnishing touch, I rolled the balls of dough
i granulated sugar before baking to provide a
sweet exterior foil to the spicy interiors. At last, I' d
found the gingersnap that I'd been craving: snappy
textured, snappy-favored, and a snap to make.
that al l ow moi sture to escape.
GI NGE RSNAPS
|AKL5 b l 'A- l |LM LLLKl L5
For the best results, use fesh spices. For efciency,
form tl1e second batch of cookies willie tl1e first batch
bakes. And no, the 2 teaspoons of baking soda is not
a mistake; it's essential to getting the right texture.
2 z: cups ( 1 2 z: ounces) al l -purpose fl our
2 teaspoons baki ng soda
z: teaspoon sal t
1 2 tabl espoons unsalted butter
2 tabl espoons grund gi nger
I teaspoon grund ci nnamon
! teaspoon grund cl oves
! teaspoon pepper
Pi nch cayenne
I ! cups packed (8% ounces) dark brwn sugar
! cup mol asses
2 tabl espoons fi nel y grated fresh gi nger
l arge egg pl us I l arge yol k
z: cup (1z: ounces) granul ated sugar
l. Whisk four, baking soda, and salt together in
bowl. Heat butter in 1 0-inch skillet over medium
heat until melted. Lower heat to medium-low and
continue to cook, swirling pan frequently, until
foaming subsides and butter is just beginning to
brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer butter to large
bowl and whisk in ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves,
pepper, and cayenne. Cool slghtly, about 2 minutes.
Add brown sugar, molasses, and fresh ginger to
butter mixture and whisk to combine. Add egg and
yolk and whisk to combine. Add four mixture and
stir until j ust combined. Cover dough tightly witl1
plastic wrap and refigerate until firm, about l hour.
2. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower
middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees. Line
2 baking sheets witl parchment paper. Place granu
lated sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Divide
dough into heaping teaspoon portons; roll dough
into l -inch bals. Working in batches of lO, roll balls
i sugar U coat. Eveny space dough balls on prepared
baking sheets, 20 dough balls per sheet.
N O V E M B E R [ D E C E ,'\ B E R 2011
Z
wire rack and cool completely
before sering. Cool baking sheets slightly and repeat
step 3 with remaining dough ball s.
TO M AA: Dough can be refigerated for
up to 2 days or fozen for up to 1 month. Let dough
stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before shap
ing. Let fozen dough thaw overght before proceed
ing with recipe. Cooled cookies can be stored at room
temperature for up to 2 weeks in aight container.
TASTI NG Mol asses
Mol asses i s made by boi l i ng the j uice of sugarcane or sugar
beets and then extracting sugar crystals through centri
fuge. More stages of boi l i ng (and extraction) may follow to
produce an i ncreasi ngl y i ntense flavor. A frst boil typically
corresponds to mi l d or " Barbados" mol asses; a second
boil produces a styl e someti mes cal l ed "ful l "; and a third
creates bl ackstrap, the most assertive and bitter mol as
ses. We rul ed out bl ackstrap for its overpowering flavor
(based on previ ous tastings) and sampl ed fve national
brands i n other styles, plain and i n our Gi ngersnaps recipe.
(We tasted only unsulfured versi ons. )
The frst thing we di scoverd is that descri ptive names on
l abel s-i ncl udi ng "mi l d, " "origi nal , " "ful l , " and "robust"
are not a rel i abl e i ndicator of how the
mol asses tastes. A brand l abel ed "mi l d"
rated among the strongest for flavor.
But we also found that when it comes
to baking, it doesn' t matter what
mol asses you buy (as l ong as it's not
blackstrap). When sampl ed straight,
some brands tasted "burnt" or
"l i ke cofee grounds, " but baking
mel l owed out their diferences; all
fve brands were equal l y acceptable
in cookies. Tasted pl ai n, Brer Rabbit
Al l Natural Unsul phured
Molasses Mi l d Flavor was our
favorite for i ts "caramelized, "
"spi cy" taste. For compl ete
tasting results, go to ww .
Cooksl l l ustrated. com/ dec I I .
-Hannah Crowley
A BI TTER BALANCE
Brer Rabbit All Natural
Unsulphured Molasses
Mild Flavor has a rich,
caramelized taste that
struck the right note
between bitter and sweet.
Holday Cranberry Chutney
For a standout sauce, we needed to do more than j ust fi ne-tune the sweet -tart cl assi c.
T
here wi l l always be a pl ace at my
Thanksgiving table for sauce made with
just cranberries, water, and granulated
sugar according to the instructions on
the back of the cranberry bag. With its sweet
tart favor and soft j elled texture, this no- fss
condiment is a fne way to cut the richness of the
roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy. But
when I want a sauce with more dimension and
sharpness-whether as an accompaniment for
turkey or for more robustly flavored, fattier cuts
of pork, lamb, or game-I fnd the options for
a dressed-up sauce disappointing. Usually these
sauces incorporate just one more favor note, and
typically it's sweet. Not what I had in mind.
A I cast about for ideas, I realzed that I was look
ing for something with the complexity of an Indian
chumey, whch, in additon to featuring slow-cooked
fuits, boasts vinegar, aromatics, and spices that give
the jammy relish kick and savor. I began by tng
of an aromatic element that would add that subtle
savory qualit to the sauce. Garlic and red onion,
both common additions in Indian chumeys, seemed
too potent. I settled on milder shallot instead. For
an assertive fuit to par with cranberries, I chopped
up tart Granny Smith apples. Fresh ginger was the
perfect choice for incorporating spiciness. I mixed
all of these ingredients in a pot with the cranber
ries, sugar, and a little salt. Because I didn't want an
overly potent mixture, it seemed unwise to intro
duce the vinegar typically added to chutney to the
two tart fuits. I opted instead for water as the only
liquid, simmering the mixture until the cranberries
and apples had completely broken down, about 20
minutes. The resulting chutney wasn't terrible, but
overall, it lacked complexity. Also, the shallot and
ginger were a little too prominent.
I wanted to keep my recipe relatively short, so
developing depth via a bunch of additional ingredi
ents was out. But what about my decision to omit
vinegar? Indian cooks must have a good reason for
its inclusion in chutney. Hoping that fuity cider
vinegar would enliven the cranberry-apple mixture,
I experimented with using it to replace some of the
water, faly settling on swapping 1/ cup of water for
l4 cup of cider vinegar. To my surprise, rather than
making the sauce overly sour, the cider vinegar lent
Creating Punch, Savor, and Zing
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3 B Y K E I T H D R E S S E R E
both brghtness and deptl1, helping to pull the favors
back into baance. Afer consultng our science editor,
I learned that tl1e acetic acid in vinegar reacts with
pectin in the cranberries during cooking, reducing
the vinegar's potency willie preservg its lively taste.
For even more depth, I traded tl1e granulated
sugar for molasses-y brown sugar. Finally, I sofened
the shallot and ginger in oil along with some salt
before adding tl1e other ingredients, which drew out
more of their favor nuances while simultaneously
toning down their harsh edges.
Now I was close to the chunk sauce that I had
imagined, but I had inadvertently created a problem.
While tasters appreciated the concentrated favors of
the sauce, many missed te fesh pop of the back-of
the-bag version, which cooks for j ust 1 0 minutes. I
solved the problem by simmering half of the cranber
ries wth the other ingredients for the fl20 minutes
and reserving the other half until the last fve minutes
of cooking. This created a jamlike base dorted with
sof but still intact berries tat retained their zing.
The textural contrast gave me the idea for one last
tweak: I mixed 1/ cup of minced crystallized ginger
into the chutney along with the cranberries at the
end of cooking, adding a slight, pleasing chewiness.
I used this concept to create four more versions.
In addition to sweet-tart favors, they all had a bit
of punch, a bit of slow-cooked savor, a bit of fresh
zing-and a whole lot of complexty.
CRANBERRY CHUTNEY WI TH APPLE
AND CRYSTALLI ZED GI NGER
|AKL5 AbLO J LO|5
If usig fozen cranberes, thaw them before cooking.
teaspoon vegetabl e oi l
shal l ot, mi nced
2 teaspoons fi nel y grated fresh gi nger
z: teaspoon sal t
2/3 cup water
\ cup ci der vi negar
cup packed brwn sugar
1 2 ounces (3 cups) fresh or frzen cranberri es
2 Granny Smi th appl es, peel ed, cored, and cut
i nto \-i nch pi eces
zs cup mi nced crystal l i zed gi nger
l. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium
heat until just shimmering. Add shallot, fesh gnger,
and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot has
sofened, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add water, vinegar, and sugar. Increase heat
CO O K
'
S I L L UST R A T ED
Z4
to high and bring to simmer, strring to dissolve
sugar. Add 1 11 cups cranberries and apples; return
to simmer. Rduce heat to medium-low ad simmer,
stirring occasionally, until cranberries have almost
completely broken down and mixture has thickened,
about 1 5 minutes.
3. Add remaining 1 lz cups cranberries and
crystallized ginger; continue to sinmer, stirring
occasionally, until j ust beginning to burst, 5 to
7 minutes. Transfer to servg bowl and cool for at
least 1 hour before serving. ( Sauce can be refiger
ated for up to 3 days. )
SPI CY CRANBERRY CHUTNEY
Increase oil to 2 teaspoons and substtute 1 stemmed
and seeded red bell pepper cut into %- inch pieces
and 2 seeded and mnced jalapenos for fesh ginger
in step l . Increase cooking time i step 1 to 5 min
utes. Increase water to % cup and omit apples and
crystallized ginger.
CRANBERRY CHUTNEY WI TH FENNEL
AND GOLDEN RAI SI NS
Increase oil t o 2 teaspoons and substitute 1 cored
fennel bulb cut into 1/4-inch pieces and 1/ teaspoon
fennel seed for fesh ginger in step 1 . Increase cook
ing time in step 1 to 5 minutes. Increase water to
1 cup, omit apples, and substitute l3 cup golden
raisins for crystallized ginger.
CRANBERRY-ORANGE CHUTNEY
Starting with 2 oranges, remove four 2-inch-wide
strips zest fom 1 orange, then peel both oranges
and remove segments. Set aside zest and segments.
Increase fesh ginger to 4 teaspoons and add 1 tea
spoon yellow mustard seeds to oil together wth fesh
ginger in step l . Increase water to % cup and add
orange zest and segments to pot with cranberries in
step 2. Omit apples and crystallized ginger.
CRANBERRY CHUTNEY WI TH P EAR, LEMON,
AND ROSEMARY
Remove two 2-inch-wide strips zest fom 1 lemon,
then peel and remove segments. Set aside zest and
segments. Substitute 2 teaspoons chopped fesh
rosemar for fesh ginger. Substitute 2 peeled Bose
pears cut into 1/4-inch pieces for apples and omit
crystallized ginger. Add lemon zest and segments
to pot with cranberries in step 2.
The Problem with Knife Sets
Nine pieces of matching cutl ery, pl us a bl ock for easy storage?
I t coul d be a bargain-or a ri p-off.
W
e can't help but be skeptical about
knife block sets . As with cook
ware sets, their biggest selling
point has always been the num
ber of pieces the manufacturer can cram into the
package, not the useflness or quality of the blades
themselves. Most collections are loaded not only
with superfuous pieces but also with ones that
are impractical or even useless. In the test kitchen,
we've always maintained that there are just three
truly essential knives: a chefs knife, a paring knife,
and a serrated bread knife. Beyond that, a boning
knife, a slicing knife ( for carving meat) , and a good
pair of kitchen shears can make certain tasks easier.
But anything other than these six pieces is fller.
At the same time, we know that there are occa
sions (pacularly during gif-giving season or when
you're outtting a kitchen fom scratch) when an
attractve, all-in-one set of cutlery--omplete wth a
block that keeps everg neatly housed and within
easy reach--ould be a nice convenience. Hoping
to fnd that we'd been a bit hasty in our cyncism,
we went shopping and returned to the test kitchen
with eight k block sets that contained anywhere
fom six to nne pieces and spanned a broad price
spectrum: $97 all the way up to nearly $700. We
would evaluate these sets against one another as wel
d against an a Ia carte selection of our test kitchen
favorites. Our criteria would be as follows: how
comfortable the pieces were to use and how well
each performed; how many pieces in the collection
were essential and how many extraneous; and of the
extraneous stock, how much of it was actually usefl.
If the right package was out there, we'd gladly give
it our stamp of approval.
The Big Three
The only way to assess the efcacy of a set was to
put each piece through the paces. First, we singled
out the core blades fom each set-the chefs, bread,
and paring knives-and went about our everyday
tasks. We diced onions, minced herbs, and broke
dow a whole chicken with each of the chefs knives.
We sliced large, crust loaves and then diced sof
Wonder bread with the serrated bread knives (the
latter test would reveal the knives' ability to make
clea, precise cuts without squishing the food) . We
peeled, quartered, and cored apples with the paring
kives. Later, we'd examine the other pieces to see
if they ofered any additional value to the set or if
they simply took up space.
-: B Y L I S A M c M A N U S E
The good news was that all but one of the chefs
knives in the sets boasted our preferred length
of 8 inches, and fve out of the eight scored well .
They were easy to handle and slipped efortlessly
through food as we worked. The poorly perform
ing specimens had a common faw: Their blades
were a little thicker tlan was ideal, and they tended
to crush-rather than cleanly slice-onions and to
bruise parsley as we minced.
The quality of the paring knives, however, was
less impressive. Half of tl1e blades were too wide or
ungainly, which made tl1e meticulous task of apple
paring feel dicey. When we'd singled out the two we
liked best, they ted out to be none other than our
reigning favorite and our Best Buy, respectvely. Two
similar blades also ft our criteria, with slim, pointed,
slightly fl exible blades that measured 4 inches or less,
providing added precision and control.
Meanwhile, blade length turned out to be the
single most important-and detrimental-factor for
the serrated bread knives. Al were too short (8 or 9
inches) to saw a 1 0-inch-wide bread loaf into even
slices. We wondered if manufacturers were includ
ing models shorter than the standard 1 0-inch size
because a longer blade would stck out of the wooden
block's slots, but we were wrong: Wen we slid our
favorite 1 0-inch model !om Wisthof into the hole
vacated by the 8-inch version included in the brand's
set, it ft completely. We fgured-and more than one
knife company executive admitted-that there was
another reason for including shorter models: price.
Smaller knives cost less to produce. Block sets are not
compiled strictly according to their useflness to con
sumers, they told us, but to meet price ceilings set by
retailers, who want tle maximum number of"pieces"
in a block at an attractive price. (And by the way, the
block itself always counts as one of the "pieces. ")
The Best ( and Worst) of the Rest
Then came tle other half of the equation: sorting
througl1 the extra pieces, the most common of
which was a "utilit" knife. "Utility" is a seemingly
generic industry term for any blade bigger than a
paring knife and smaller than a chefs knife ( usually
measuring between 412 and 6l2 inches) . We also
found "sandwich," "tomato," and "citrus" knives
and other single-task blades, all about the same size
as the utility models. Some were serrated and some
weren't, but all were too short to cut across larger
pieces of fuit without sawing. What's more, those
with saw-toothed edges ripped delicate tomato skin
N O V E M B E R ( D E C E M B E R 201 1
Z '
Tri mmed Si ze, Tri mmed Cost
Knife manufacturers routi nel y shri nk down knives i n
bl ock sets to l ower producti on costs. Wisthof i ncl udes
an 8-i nch versi on of our favorite I 0-i nch bread knife i n
i ts set; the shorter bl ade was overhel med when cutting
a big, crusty l oaf of bread.
FULL- LENGTH BREAD KNI FE
SHORTCHANGED BREAD KNI FE
and tore lemon skin s o that fagrant oil spritzed out
in the process. Clearly, these models were expend
able, but just to confrm that they really were useless,
we repeated the tomato- and lemon-slicing tests with
each set's corresponding chefs knife. No surprises:
In every case, the all-purpose chefs knife outper
formed the specialt tool .
In fact, we found very few extra knives in any of
the sets that weren't rendered redundant by one of
See te Knives in Action
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tese core knives. Though the pointed-tipped carv
ing knives included in two of the sets were perfectly
fnctional, neitl1er one did a better job cutting up
roast beef or roast chicken than the chefs knife
already in these sets. It was me same story wim tl1e
Sl2 - to 7-inch santoku or nakiri blades that care in
many of me sets. These Asian-inspired knives were
nice to have around for vegetable prep-specially
the Global nakiri, which efortlessly cleaved irough
onions, lemons, and tomatoes-but did mey do
anyig the chefs knife couldn't? Not really.
Most of me sets included honing or so-called
sharpening steels. Though tl1ese metal rods don't
actually sharpen at all-mey simply realign a
bent cutting edge to make it straight again and
more efective at cutting-mey are usefl tune-up
devices. The only problem? Wim me exception of
professional chefs, most people don't know how to
properly use me rods. (We didn't deduct points for
including steels, however. )
The only examples of truly usefl extras in me
sets were slicing knives, kitchen shears, and boning
kves. In all but one set, me boning knives made
removing small bones fom raw meat and peeling
away strps of tough silverskin easy. But most oftl1e
collections included fawed models of slicing knives
and shears. The Victorinox set came wim a slightly
too-short ( 1 0-inch) version of our favorite ( 12-inch)
round-tipped slicing blade tl1at peels of tllinner,
more mrm slices tl1an a bulkier chefs blade-and
all me otl1er models were way too short at 9 inches
or less. One model was also disadvantageously sharp
tipped. ( Pointed tips wedge into me meat, forcing
you to saw back and forth to fnish tle task. ) Four
of me eight sets came witl1 shears, but only one pair
( our favorite, fom Shun) sported me long, super
sharp blades and comfortable handles t1at made
cutting me backbone fom a chicken feel efortless.
Not a Great Deal
In me end, our testing confrmed our suspicion
that you are much better of shopping for knives
a la carte; that way, you get only what you really
need. If you must have a set, tlse by Wusthof
( $379. 99) and Victorinox ( $ 1 89. 95 ) contained
well - constructed knives and more of the types
that we found most usefl . Because tley also con
tain some knives that we didn' t fnd to be me best
lengm or style, or mat we found nonessential, we
recommend mem with reservations.
HI GHLY RECOMME NDE D Test Kitchen 3 I a Carte Kni fe Set
"Uti l ity" Knife: Useful or Usel ess?
Many kni fe sets come wi th assorted "uti l ity" knives, a
catchal l term for any bl ade too big to be a paring kni fe
and too smal l to be a chef 's knife. Despite thei r name,
these kni ves are mostl y usel ess fl l er i ncl uded onl y to
bul k out a set.
PARI NG
Perfect for jobs requiring precision and contrl.
UTI LI TY
Not good for much.
CHEF S
Mul titasker that can mince, sl ice, and chop.
This "al l -star" set of test kitchen favorites (al l best-i n-class wi nners i n past tests) fits neatly into our favorite uni versal knife block by Bodum, designed to hold any variety of
blades securely i n its nest of plastic sticks. Best of all, at $334. 65, thi s ideal col l ection costs l ess than many prepackaged knife block sets. (For an even l ess expensive opti on, a
seven-piece col l ection tiat i ncl udes Best Buys can be had for j ust $ 1 89. 95. To see a l i st of those i nexpensi ve knives, go to ww.Cooksl l l ustrated. com/dec I I . )
0 3 ',-I NCH PARI NG KNI FE
WUSTHOF Cl assi c, Model 4066, $39. 95
An essential knife for hand-hel d tasks such as peel i ng
and tri mmi ng fruit and vegetabl es. The short (l ess
than 4 i nches, for better agi lity) , straight bl ade; sl i m
shape; and poi nted ti p ofer preci si on, and the handl e
is comfortabl e.
f 8-I NCH CHEF'S KNI FE
VI CTORI NOX Fi brx, Model 40520, $29. 95
Thi s basi c, i nexpensive bl ade has consi stentl y bested
many competitors over the years--ven those costi ng
up to eight ti mes as much. Its sharp, sl i m bl ade curves
gently at the ti p for good rocking motion duri ng chop
pi ng, and i ts comfortable nonsl i p handl e and excel l ent
overall bal ance make i t a kitchen workhorse.
f I 0-I NCH BREAD KNI FE
WUSTHOF Classic Bread Knife, Model 4 1 5 I ,
$ 1 09.95
Thi s wel l -bal anced knife witi deepl y tapered serrati ons
handles with exceptional ease and control, even for lef
ies. Its I 0-i nch bl ade saws through the bigest, crustiest
loaves j ust as easi l y as it del icatel y sl ices sof breads, tal l
sandwi ches, and fne-crumbed cakes.
0 1 2-I NCH SLI CI NG KNI FE
VI CTORI NOX Fi brx Granton Edge Sl ici ng/
Carvi ng Knife, Model 47645, $49. 95
Thi s moderately heavy knife has enough hef and rigi d
i ty to make straight cuts, wi th j ust enough flexi bi l ity to
ofer control . The thi n, tapered, razor-sharp bl ade i s
l ong and wi de, al l owing it to draw through a large roast
i n one stroke.
0 6-I NCH BONI NG KNI FE
VI CTORI NOX Fi brx 6-l nch Straight Boni ng
Knife: Fl exi bl e, Model 405 1 3, $ 1 9. 95
With a nonsl i p gri p and a narrow, straight bl ade, thi s
knife removes tie smal l est bones (or bits of si lverskin)
witi precision and complete comfort. Prfectly balanced,
with enough flexi bi l ity to maneuver around tight joi nts.
0 KITCHEN SHEARS
SHUN Classic Kitchen Shears, Model I 1 20M, $39. 95
Thanks to 9-i nch, razor-sharp bl ades (one wi th fne
mi croserrati ons, the other wi th deep grooves) , these
shears make breaking down a chi cken feel efortl ess.
The l arge, rubbery handl es are comf, and the bl ades
are symmetrical for both right- and lef-handed use.
Bl ades come apart for easy cl eanup .
0 KNI FE BLOCK
BODUM Bistr Uni versal Knife Bl ock, Model I I 089,
$44. 95
Unl i ke tradi ti onal knife bl ocks wi th sl ots for specifc
bl ades, uni versal model s are "sl otl ess" frames. Thi s
compact box i s fi l l ed with a nest of spaghetti -l i ke pl astic
rods tiat accommodate any arsenal of cutlery. The rods
are attached at tie base and come out for easy cl eani ng
i n the di shwasher.
TOTAL COST: $334.65
.. Tune
U
p Your Knife Skills Check out our new onl i ne cooking school and take a FREE KNI FE TUTORIAL at ww .TestKitchenSchool . com.
COO K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D
Z
KEY
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
TESTI NG KNI FE BLOCK SETS
We tested eight knife bl ock sets, assessi ng thei r performance, ease of use, and useful ness agai nst one another as wel l as against our a I a carte col l ecti on of test kitchen
favorite knives. Sets appear bel ow i n order of preference. All were purchased onl i ne, and sources for recommended kni ves are on page 32.
PERFORMANCE
We compared each
component (or the cl os
est equival ents) wi th its
counterparts in other sets
on a variety of tasks con
sistent wi th its i ntended
purpose. We di ced oni ons,
mi nced parsley, and cut
up whol e chi ckens with
chef's knives; sl i ced large,
crusty loaves and cubed
a stack of Wonder bread
sl ices with bread kni ves;
and peel ed, quartered, and
cored appl es wi th pari ng
kni ves. When they were
i ncl uded, we used kitchen
shears to cut the backbone
from a whol e chi cken;
boned a whol e chi cken
and removed si lverski n
from short ri bs wi th boni ng
knives; sl iced l emons and
tomatoes wi th "uti l i ty,"
citrus, or tomato kni ves;
and cared and sl iced roast
chi cken and roast beef with
caring and sl i ci ng kni ves.
EASE OF USE Bl ock
design and knife shape,
si ze, weight, and bal ance
were assessed on how
comfortabl e they fel t and
how easy they were to use.
USEFULNESS Ratings
of good, fair, or poor
were assi gned based on
how useful we found each
i ncl uded item. I f another
knife coul d be used i nstead
and/or perormed the
task beter, poi nts were
deducted. Sets that
i ncl uded several nones
sential bl ades were down
graded.
WEAK LI NKS We tal l i ed
the number of poor-qual ity
versions of essential pieces
as wel l as redundant or
unnecessary pi eces.
HI GHLY RECOMME NDE D
TEST KI TCHEN a I a Carte Kni fe Set [7 pi eces)
Total Price: $334. 65
RECOMME NDE D WI TH RE S E RVATI ONS
WUSTHOF Cl assi c 8-Pi ece Del uxe Kni fe Set
Model 8420, $379.99
3 V2-i nch pari ng 8-i nch carvi ng
S-i nch boni ng Sharpeni ng steel
8-inch chef' s Shears
8-inch bread 1 7 -slot wood bl ock
VI CTORI NOX 7-Pi ece Rosewood Kni fe Set
Model 46054, $ 1 89.95
3 1- i nch pari ng I 0-i nch sl i ci ng
6-i nch boni ng Sharpeni ng steel
8-inch chef 's 6-sl ot wood bl ock
8-i nch bread
SHUN Cl assi c 9-Pi ece Kni fe Set
Model DMS09 1 0, $699.95
2 V2 -inch bi rd' s beak 9-i nch sl i ci ng
3 V1 -i nch pari ng Sharpeni ng steel
6-inch uti l ity Shears
8-i nch chef 's I 1 -sl ot bamboo bl ock
9-i nch bread
NOT RECOMME NDE D
MESSERMEI STER Meri di an El ite 9-Pi ece Kni fe Bl ock Set
Model E/3000-95, $35 1 .94
3 V2 -i nch pari ng 9-i nch bread
5-i nch scal l oped uti l ity Sharpeni ng steel
6-i nch uti l ity Shears
7 -i nch santoku 1 6-sl ot wood bl ock
8-i nch chef 's
GLOBAL 9-Pi ece Knife Set
Model G88/9 1 ST, $66 1 .95
3-i nch pari ng 7 -i nch Asi an chef 's
4-i nch pari ng 8 V<-i nch carving
5 V<-i nch uti l i ty 83A-i nch bread
S V2-i nch naki ri /vegetabl e I I - sl ot steel bl ock
6-i nch serrated uti l ity
ZWI LLI NG J .A. HENCKEL$ Twi n
Four Star I I El ite Kni fe Bl ock Set, 9 Pi ece
Modei 33404- I OO, $399.99
2 3/-i nch pari ng/boni ng
4-i nch pari ng
5-i nch serrated uti l ity
5-i nch hol l ow-edge
santoku
8-i nch chef's
8-i nch bread
Sharpeni ng steel
Shears
I S-sl ot wood bl ock
RACHAEL RAY Essenti al s 6-Pi ece
Knife Bl ock Set frm Furi
Model 1 45903, $ 1 39.95
3 V2-i nch pari ng 8-i nch chef' s
5-i nch santoku 8-i nch bread
6-i nch serrated uti l ity 5-sl ot bamboo bl ock
PURE KOMACHI I I 9-Pi ece
Knife Set i n Cl ear Bl ock
Model AB50900, $97
3 V2 -i nch pari ng 6 V2 -i nch santoku
4-i nch tomato/ cheese 8-i nch chef' s
4-i nch citrus 8-i nch bread
53A-i nch sandwi ch 8-sl ot acryl i c bl ock
6-i nch uti l ity
~
CRI T E RI A
Performance
Ease of Use
Usefulness
Performance
Ease of Use
Usefulness
Weak Links
Performance
Ease of Use
Usefulness
Weak Links
Performance
Ease of Use
Usefulness
Weak Links
Performance
Ease of Use
Usefulness
Weak Links
Performance
Ease of Use
Usefulness
Weak Links
Performance
Ease of Use
Usefulness
Weak Links
Performance
Ease of Use
Usefulness
Weak Links
Performance
Ease of Use
Usefulness
Weak Links
N O V E M B E R c D E C E M B E R 20 I I
Z /
T E S T ERS ' COMME NT S
***
See page 26.
***
***
**V, We were eager to try thi s set featuring our
** favorite pari ng knife and a shorter versi on of
**
our favorite I 0-i nch bread knife. The results
3 of 8
were mi xed: The pari ng and boni ng bl ades
fared admi rabl y, but the 8-i nch bread knife
coul dn' t sl i ce through a large loaf. the shears
were wi mpy, and the caring knife extraneous.
**V,
Whi l e the kni ves in thi s set performed wel l
** and very few were fi l l er, there was somethi ng
** that seemed cheap about i t. The sl ots chi pped
2 of 7
as we sl i d the kni ves in and out, maki ng the set
l ook worn right away. The bread and sl i ci ng
kni ves were sharp but a bi t short.
**V,
These sol i dl y constructed, razor-edged kni ves
** general l y performed wel l . That sai d. even at
** 9 i nches the bread knife coul dn' t handl e large
5 of 9
l oaves. The stif parer was l i ke a mi ni chef' s
kni fe, whi ch made i t hard to peel an appl e. The
' " uti l ity'" kni fe was usel ess. At thi s pri ce, every
component shoul d be essenti al .
**
Whi l e some bl ades ( parti cul arl y the ni mbl e
* pari ng knife) shone in tests, thi s set' s two
* uti l ity kni ves and santoku were easi l y outper-
5 of 9
formed by the chef' s bl ade on i denti cal tasks.
The bread knife was too short, and the bl ock's
fi ni sh chi pped a l ittl e around the sl ots with
repeated use.
**
Most of these sl eek J apanese bl ades were
* agi l e, but many were al so unnecessary: two
* uti l ity kni ves, an extra pari ng knife, a carving
6 of 9 knife, and a 5 V2 -i nch naki ri bl ade for vegetable
prep. The bread knife lacked at l east an i nch
of necessary l ength-a feature that we al so
mi ssed on the curi ousl y short chef' s knife.
**
Many pi eces i n thi s set were underhel m-
* i ng. The thi cker-bl aded chef' s knife was just
* adequate, requi ri ng extra pressure to chop;
6 of 9 the bread knife not onl y was stumpy but al so
squi shed sof bread when sl i ci ng. The pari ng/
boni ng kni fe was tiny, and the uti l ity knife
ri pped-rather than sl i ced-tomato ski n. One
bri ght spot: the excel l ent 4-i nch pari ng knife.
*
Thi s set is a dud. The handl es were uncomfort-
* abl e and the bl ades uniforml y cl unky. The too-
* short bread knife struggled through big l oaves,
5 of 6 the pari ng knife was too heavy for preci si on
tasks, and the uti l i ty bl ade was utterly di spens-
abl e. The onl y decent bl ade: the santoku.
*
These candy-col ored steel bl ades came sus-
* pended in a cl ear acryl i c hol der. Whi l e the
* edges were rel ati vel y sharp, mi nced food cl ung
8 of 9 to the supposedl y nonsti ck bl ades, and the
smooth handl es were sl i ppery. We found the
chef' s knife awkward, the bread knife short,
and the pari ng kni fe stif and dul l . The other
five kni ves i n the set were expendabl e.
The Best Butter
When it comes to butter, whether or not a brand is a fancy, high-fat
European styl e may not matter as much as how it's wrapped.
S
ince the rise of factory-produced butter in
the early 20th centur, the vast majority
of butter sold in this country has been the
sweet- cream kind. This style is quickly
and cheaply mass-produced by churning cream
that has undergone little or no storage. At the
same time, old-fashioned cultured butter-made
more slowly, with cream that's allowed to ripen
for a few days to develop favor and then inocu
lated with bacterial cultures before churning-has
typically been an imported, hard-to-fi nd luxury.
But these days, the tables seem to be turning: Not
only is cultured ( also known as European-style)
butter increasingly available, but many supermar
ket shelves now hold more brands of this pricier
condiment than brands of the sweet-cream stuf.
Fans of cultured butter rave about its fller, more
complex taste.
Given that we go through upwards of25 pounds
of butter per week in the test kitchen, we wondered
if we should stick with our longtime favorite super
market butter, Land O'Lakes-r fork out as much
as $1 2 per pound for a premium butter? With that
queston in mind, we bought out tle butter aisle and
returned to the test kitchen with 10 unsalted butters:
seven cultured and three sweet cream. Our main
criterion was simple: We wanted the best-tasting
butter we could find for eating straight up on things
like toast, pancakes, and corn on the cob. But since
many of the cultured butters also contain more fat
than the sweet-cream varieties do, we wanted to see
how that extra riclmess afected flavor and texture
in baking; for that test, we baked French butter
cookies. The results, we decided, would have to be
prett spectacular for us to shell out nearly double
or triple what we pay for regular butter.
? B Y A M Y G R A V E S E
Cul ture Cl ash
We let the samples sofen and then spread them on
plain crackers-a blank canvas that could expose
tl1eir nuanced favors. When we tallied up the
results of this plain tasting, we found that there was
something to all the cultured-butter hype: These
European-style products took three of the four top
spots. Several of the cultured samples inspired high
praise for dai favor that was "deep," "rich," and
even "grassy" and "mineral-y," with a "long and
complex fnish" that stood apart fom the cleaner,
more straightforard favor ofte sweet-cream but
ters. We also found tlat the higher fat of cultured
butters ( about 83 to 86 percent butterfat compared
with around 81 to 82 percent in the sweet-cream
style) lent tlem a luscious, mouth-coating richness.
That said, the cultured butters weren't preferred
across the board in the plain tasting. Though none
were unacceptable, a fewdid sufer distct of-flavors
tt made tlem less pleasant spreads. These favors
ranged fom strong hints of fke-butter popcorn to
suggestions of cheap Chardonnay. But that was only
pat of the stor. Coming in second to one of the
richest, most assertively cultured butters was Land
O'Lakes, which outshone tle other two sweet-cream
butters-and several of the cultured sanples-by a
considerable margin. (The two other sweet-cream
butters landed at or near the bottom of tle heap. ) So
why doesn't culturing always result in better favor?
For an answer, we contacted Robert Bradley, a
professor emeritus offood science and an expert on
butter favor and texture anaysis at the University
ofWisconsin. He suggested that the acial movie
popcorn favor we detected in some cultured brands
was most likely linked to the type and amount of
starter cultures added to the cream-in particu-
lar, a naturally occurring volatile
Shoul d You Bake wi th Cul tured Butter?
compound called diacetyl that's
responsible for buttery, slightly
tang favor and yellow color.
( Diacetyl is used in margarine
to imitate the favor of butter,
and a few California Chardonnays,
known as "butter bombs, " actually
encourage its growth in fermenta
tion. ) Ideally, Bradey explained,
manufacturers will hit on just tle
right mix of cultures to develop
some acidity, some diacetyl favor,
and a good, well-rounded back-
Many cul tured, European-style butters have more fat than regul ar
sweet-cream butter, whi ch alters thei r baking properties-for better
or for worse. Because higher-fat butter remai ns sol i d over a wi der
temperature range, we've found that i n croissants, the butter i s better
able to act as barri er between di sti nct layers of dough, contri buti ng
to flaki ness. In cooki es, however, the hi gher sofeni ng temperature of
some European-style butters i n our l i neup led to dense rounds that
di dn' t spread as wel l . Furthermore, many of the nuanced flavors we
enjoyed when we sampl ed these buters pl ai n burned of i n the oven.
For these reasons, we can' t uni versal l y recommend European-styl e
butters for baki ng.
ground. The manufacturer of our
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
Z d
favorite butter nailed the formula, nicely balancing
sweet, fesh-cream favor wit complex tang. Other
brands proved that gettng the bacteria cocktail just
right is trick-and imperfections can be glaringly
clear, paricularly when you're eatng butter straight
up on crackers or bread.
And then there were the cookies. While we
found that most of the cultured butters' acial,
margarine-like favors burned of in the oven, so did
some of their appeaing nuances. Furthermore, some
of te cookies made with the highest-fat cultured
butter failed to spread as much as they should, bak
ing up firm and dense. We did a little research and
discovered that butters with more fat sofen at higher
temperatures than those with less fat. In cookie
dough, this can mean that the starch and protein set
before the butter has tme to flly sofen and spread,
so the cookies bake up hgher and more dense.
That said, a few of the cultured butters, including
the in1ported brand Plugc, distnguished themselves
in cookies that were both supercrisp and wonderlly
buttery. But here again, most couldn't top Land
O' Lakes, which produced cookies that boasted
"fesh-cream," "clean dairy favor" and nice sandy
texture. So what was it about ths supermarket butter
that allowed it to repeatedly perform so well?
I t' s a Wrap
According to Bradley, the answer may be as simple
as the brand's wrapping. Butter's high proportion
of fat makes its favor fagile and highly susceptble
to picking up odors fom anything that's stored
near it. And the longer it's exposed to other odors,
the more its own favor wl be afected. (The U. S.
Department of Agricuture maintains strict sanitaton
and cream-quality standards for butter production,
but no such standards exist for how long and under
what conditons butter may be kept in fozen storage
or at the market. )
Bradley explained that the waxed parchment
that some manufacturers use to cover their prod
uct does nothing to block out foreign favors.
Sure enough, in our tasting, three out of the four
parchment-wrapped samples elicited complaints
about of- or stale-tasting refigerator favors. Only
the fourth, Land O'Lakes, did not. Bradley was not
surprised. Land O' Lakes, he explained, treats its
parchment wrapper with a patented coating called
FlavorProtect that helps lock in the butter's clean
favor and keep intruding odors out. In fact, its
wrapper was just as efectve as the foil wrappers that
TASTI NG SWEET-CREAM AND CULTURED BUTTERS
Twenty-one Cook's Illustrated staf members sampl ed I 0 nati onal l y avai l abl e butters at room temperature, spread on crackers, rating the buters on flavor and texture.
Brands were sel ected from among top-sel l i ng supermarket butters, as compi l ed by Symphonyi RI Group, a market research frm based in Chi cago, I l l i noi s. Butters were
selected afer we contacted each manufacturer to i dentif its top-sel l i ng variety. An i ndependent l aboratory determi ned percentages for butterfat. Brands appear in the
order i n which they're preferred.
HI GHLY RECOMME NDE D
PLUGkEurpean-Styl e Unsalted Butter
Price (per lb): $9.98
Style: cul tured cream
Butterfat: 83%
Comments: The cream of the crop, thi s "thick and l usci ous" cul tured butter was "com
pl ex" and "just a bi t tangy" and "grassy." Some deemed its fl avor the most " robust" of
al l the sampl es.
RECOMME NDE D
LAND O' LAKES Unsal ted Sweet Butter
Price (per lb): $4.79
Style: sweet cream
Butterfat: 82%
Comments: The most wi del y avai l abl e supermarket butter-and the onl y sweet
cream sampl e to earn our recommendation-thi s product i mpressed tasters in spite
of its pl ai ner-tasting profi l e. We l i ked its "fresh-cream. " "cl ean dai ry fl avor."
VERMONT CREAMERY Eurpean-Styl e
Cul tured Butter, Unsalted
Price (per lb): $ 1 1 . 98
Style: cul tured cream
Butterfat: 86%
Comments: This hi gh-pri ced, hi gh-fat cul tured butter bal anced "fresh-sweet dai ry
ri chness" with flavor that tasters descri bed as " ri ch, " "refreshi ng, " and " barnyard-y''
but al so "mi neral -y. "
PR5SI DENT Unsalted Butter
Price (per lb): $7. 52
Style: cul tured cream
Butterfat: 82%
Comments: Though l eaner than other cul tured butters, this French i mport came
across as "fi rm" and "si l ky, " wi th " beautiful l y sweet and creamy" fl avor that was al so
"buttermi l k-y" and "sl i ghtl y grassy. "
ORGANI C VALLEY Eurpean-Styl e
Cul tured Butter, Unsalted
Price (per lb}: $7. 58
Style: cul tured cream
Butterfat: 86%
'""
BUTT:
&WW
Comments: Thi s sampl e was on the mel l ow si de for a cul tured butter, wi th some
tasters deemi ng i t "a bi t ti mi d. " Others prai sed i ts "si mpl e buttery flavor" and "fl oral
undertones. "
RECOMME NDE D, ( CONTI NUED}
ORGANI C VALLEY Cul tured Butter, Unsal ted
Price (per lb): $5.99
Style: cul tured cream
Butterfat: 83%
Comments: Though some tasters pi cked up on nothi ng but thi s butter's "ri ch" fl avor
and "wel come tartness, " several detected an apparent storage probl em. Seepi ng
through thi s sampl e's waxed parchment wrapper were flavors that tasted "l i ke the
i nsi de of a fri dge. "
LURPAK I mported Butter, Unsal ted
Price (per lb ): $ 1 I . 98
Style: cul tured cream
Butterfat: 83%
Comments: Though enough tasters prai sed thi s butter for its " ri chness" and "com
pl exity, " i t barel y skated i nto the " Recommended" category, as others found i t so
"fake"-tasti ng that i t drew compari sons to margari ne.
RECOMME NDE D WI TH RE S E RVATI ONS
CABOT Natural Creamery Unsal ted Butter
Price (per lb): $5. 29
Style: sweet cream
Butterfat: 8 1 %
KERRYGOLD Pure I ri sh Butter, Unsalted
Price (per lb): $5.98
Style: cul tured cream
Butterfat: 83%
Comments: I t wasn' t thi s I ri sh butter's texture that tasters obj ected to; i n fact, several
deemed i t "l uxuri ous" and "velvety." I t was the "artifi ci al , " "movie-theater-popcorn
fl avor" that put many tasters of.
HORI ZON Organi c Unsal ted Butter
Price (per lb): $5. 49
Style: sweet cream
Butterfat: 8 1 %
Comments: Li ke the Cabot butter, thi s brand was " nothi ng speci al " and even struck
some tasters as "watery" and "thi n. " Poor wrappi ng l i kel y contri buted to of-flavors
that remi nded one taster of " refrozen mel ted i ce cream. "
Keepi ng Fl avor Under Wraps
covered six other butters we tasted-and more pro
tective than the Lurpak block's foil wrapper, which,
to the detriment of that butter's favor, arived
slghtly gapped in a few spots. (We sealed all of our
samples in zipper-lock bags as soon as they arrived,
but that couldn't reverse the damage done to any
butter whose favor was already spoiled. )
Cream of the Crp
Wen we circled back to our original question
whether or not the cultured stuf measured up to
the hype-we realized that we had two answers. Our
top choice, a cultured product fom Plugni, ofered
everg we look for i good butter: favor that's at
once sweet and creamy and overlaid with a complex,
slightly sour tang, plus enough butterfat ( almost 83
percent) t o make i t decadent and glossy but not so
rich that it renders baked goods dense and greasy.
The only part of Plugr: that's hard to swallow is
the price tag. At $1 0 per pound, it's a splurge and a
condiment-only purchase for most of us-especially
considering the fact that good old Land O' Lakes was
a second-place fnisher for less than half the price
( $4. 79 per pound) .
Land O' Lakes's abi l ity t o beat out
so many of the ri cher, more
complex-tasting cul tured butters
i n our ranki ng may have some
thi ng to do wi th i ts packaging.
The company treats
its parchment-paper
wrapper wi th a pat
ented coating cal l ed
Fl avorProtect that
bl ocks out the refrig-
ODOR BLOCKER
Land O' Lakes boasts a speci al ly
erator odors that can
patented wrapper that
rui n butter's taste. preserves clean, fresh flavor.
N O V E M B E R b D E C E M B E R 2011
Z '
KI TC H E N NOT E S
: B Y A N D R E W J A N J I G I A N b D A N S O U Z A E
Qui ck-Chi l l i ng Wi ne
To chi l l a bottle of wi ne, you can just pop i t i nto the freezer, but i t wi l l take a whi l e to
cool down (in our tests, it took about an hour to bring a bottle of rom-temperature
wine to 50 degrees, the i deal dri nki ng temperatur). We've al so recommended
submeri ng the bottle in a salt/i ce-water sol ution, whi ch wi l l chi l l it in about half that
time. (When salt is added to ice water, its freezi ng poi nt and temperature decrease
to wel l bel ow 32 degrees.)
Now we've di scovered an equal l y efective (and less messy) techni que for qui ck
chi l l i ng: Si mpl y wrap the bottle i n a wet kitchen towel before pl aci ng it i n the freezer.
Si nce cool i ng occurs when heat is transferred away from an item, the water in the
towel-a much mor efcient conductor of heat than air-wi l l qui ckl y freeze, drop
ping the temperature of the wi ne to 50 degrees i n onl y 30 mi nutes. (Note: Once
the wine i s ful l y chi l l ed, the towel wi l l be frozen sol i d. To rel ease it from the bottl e,
j ust pl ace it briefly under warm runni ng water)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fl i p for the Best Possi bl e Crust
'
'
FAUX PASTRY BAG
I f you want to make Paris-Brst (page 21 )-or another rcipe rquiring si mpl e pi pi ng-ut
you don' t own a pastry bag and tips, a zi pper-lock bag can be fashi oned i nto a substitute.
For Paris-Brst, you' l l need to bags, one with a 3/-i nch-wide openi ng (to approximate
the star tip) and another with a V2-i nch-wide openi ng (to apprxi mate the round tip).
.
' lf
I . Measure desi red wi dth
di agonal l y across I bottom
corner of zi pper-l ock bag.
Use pen to mark bag at
both ends of l i ne.
2. Cut from I mark to
other in sl ight arc shape
to create circul ar openi ng.
Fill bag with contents to
be pi ped.
3. Whi l e squeezi ng bag
with I hand, use other
hand to guide contents
onto baking sheet. Conventi onal wi sdom di ctates that hamburers or steaks shoul d be fl i pped j ust once
halfay through the cooking peri od. Some experts, however, sugest that mul ti pl e
turns yi el d a better crust. , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To test thi s noti on, we pan-seared two batches of steaks and burgers, fl i ppi ng one
batch of each onl y once during cooki ng and the other batch every mi nute. I n both
cases, the repeatedl y fl i pped sampl e boasted a cri spi er crust and more evenl y cooked
meat than its si ngl e-fl i pped counterpart. Recurrent turns mean that the devel opi ng
crust alternates between di rect contact with the pan and exposure to ai r, maxi mi zi ng
evaporation and al l owi ng a dri er, cri spi er coating to form. And because the meat i s
heated from both si des at the same time-resi dual heat conti nues cooki ng on the top
surace--it al so cooks more evenly, resul ti ng i n a narrower "gray band" of overdone
meat on the exterior.
As fond as we are of thi s method, we don' t rcommend it for hamburers, si nce
repeated mani pul ation causes the patties to crumbl e i n the pan by the time they are ful l y
cooked. But if your primary goal for steaks i s the ulti mate gol den brown, crisp crust,
then start fl i ppi ng.
'
'
'
|
Preservi ng a Sal ty Crunch
Si nce the crunchy texture of a fni shi ng sal t i s j ust as i mportant as the seasoni ng it
provi des, we were di sappoi nted when the flaky sea sal t we spri nkl ed on fsh fl l ets,
steaks, and chi cken brasts di ssolved almost i nstantl y i n the food's j ui ces. In search of
a way to mai ntai n the crunch, we tried tossi ng Mal den Sea Sal t Fl akes (our favorite
fni shi ng salt) in a spoonful of oi l to create a moi sture barrier. Whi l e the oi l -coated
crystals i ndeed stayed i ntact on food (afer I 0 mi nutes they were unchanged), the
oil caused the sal t to cl ump, maki ng even spri nkl i ng vi rtual l y i mpossi bl e. Next, we
turned to vegetable oil spray, which produced a gossamer coating that precl uded
cl umpi ngand di ssolvi ng. Si mpl y di schare a VJ -second spray i nto a smal l bowl
(say "one, " and you' re done), add I V2 teaspoons of flak sea salt, and stir to coat.
(Be sure to spritz first and then add the salt, l est the flakes fly everywhere.)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . = . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . = = . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . = . ~ . . . ~ = . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . .
TECHNI QUE I THE BE ST WAY TO S HUCK AN OYSTE R
We've come across a number of recommendati ons for the best way to open an oyster easi l y and safely. One source sugested that freezing the bi valves for a coupl e of mi nutes
woul d relax the muscl e that hol ds the two shel l s cl osed. Whi l e this did make the shel l s a l ittle easi er to pry apart, we found it hard to get the ti mi ng j ust right: I f you overdo it just
a l ittle, the oyster meat begi ns to freeze, rui ni ng its texture. Other sources advised a variety of i mpl ements-a fl athead screwdri ver, a church key, even a butter knife-but each
of these proved more dangerous than efective, si nce none sl i d readi l y i nto the extremel y narrow crevi ce between the shel l s. I n the end, the best tool for the j ob turned out to
be a cl assi c oyster kni fe. Its poi nted ti p and sturdy bl ade are desi gned to easi l y shi mmy into the oyster's recalcitrant hi nge wi thout sl i ppi ng or breaking.
I . Fol d kitchen towel several times i nto
thi n, tight rol l . Gri p towel in fist of hand
that wi ll be hol di ng oyster, wrappi ng I
end over thumb and tucki ng it between
thumb and forefnger.
2. Usi ng towel -protected thumb, hol d
oyster i n pl ace wi th hi nge facing away
from thumb. I nsert ti p of oyster knife
i nto hi nge of oyster.
3. Sl owl y work ti p of kni fe i nto hi nge,
usi ng twisti ng moti on. When shel l s begin
to separate, rotate knife to either side to
"pop" hi nge open.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D

4. Run knife al ong i nsi de of top shel l to

sever muscl e, then gently scrape under
side of oyster meat to rel ease it from
bottom shel l .
sci ENcE Carryover Cooki ng
When you're cooki ng an expensi ve roast such as Best Pri me Ri b (page 9) , getting i t to
the table cooked just the way you l i ke it i s criti cal . To do that, you must hit the meat's
target temperature spot-on; 5 or I 0 degrees of can make a huge di ference. But judg
i ng preci sel y when meat i s done i s tri cky, because what you' re actual l y gauging i s not
whether the food i s ready to eat ri ght now-but whether i t wi l l be ready to eat once
it has rested. Meat wi l l conti nue to cook even afer i t has been removed from the heat
source, a phenomenon known as "carryover cooki ng. " Thi s happens for two reasons:
First, the exterior of a large roast gets hot much mone qui ckl y than the i nteri or. Second,
because heat always moves from a hotter to a cool er area, as l ong as thene i s a di fer
ence i n temperature between the two regi ons, heat wi l l keep movi ng from the surface
to the center even afer you remove the meat from the heat source. Thi s transfer wi l l
sl ow, and eventual l y stop, as i nternal and external temperatures approach each other
and even out. But the process can nesul t i n a si gnificant i ncrease i n temperature at the
center of a large roast, bri ngi ng it from a perfect pink to a di sappoi nti ng gray.

The Truth About Brai si ng

I t' s a common mi sconcepti on that brai si ng-cooki ng food hal f-submerged in l i qui d
i n a covered pot at l ow heat-resul ts i n moi ster meat than dry cooki ng methods
do. The reality i s that despite the wet condi ti ons, brai si ng does not add moi stun
to meat. To see the dynami c at work for oursel ves, we set up a test designed to
si mul ate brai si ng. We pl aced sampl es of beef chuck, al ong with measured amounts
of broth, in i ndi vi dual vacuum-seal ed bags to el i mi nate the possi bi l ity of evaportion.
We then submerged the bags in water held at 1 90 degrees (the temperatune of
a typi cal braise) for 90 mi nutes. We found that the weight of the meat decneased
an average of 1 2. 5 percent duri ng cooki ng whi l e the vol ume of l i qui d i ncreased,
demonstrating that moi sture had been pul l ed from the meat i nto the surroundi ng
l i qui d, not the other way around.
So why, then, does brai sed meat seem so moi st? Gentl e cooki ng hel ps break
down the meat's connective ti ssue and col l agen, whi ch l ubricate and tenderize its
fbers. The resul ti ng sof, tender texture i s (mi stakenl y) percei ved as moist.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TECHNI QUE I A PAI NLE S S WAY TO S E E D CHI LE S
I t can be trick to nmove the stick ribs and seeds fm chiles. Hen's a si mpl e method that
1 30 allows you to do so efortl essly (The same techni que can be used to seed sweet peppers.)
1 40
IN THE OVEN
The exterior of meat heats up far more
quickly than the i nterior, resulti ng i n a
huge temperature diferential between
the outside and the center of a rast. The
internal temperature i s what matters.
When the center of a rast comes withi n
I 0 degrees of the target, i t' s ti me to take
it of the heat.
1 50
OFF HEAT
As long as there i s a diference between
the outsi de and i nsi de temperatures of a
cut of meat, heat wi l l conti nue to travel
inward. Of heat, the temperature of thi s
rast conti nued to ri se- a phenomenon
known as "carryover cooki ng. " Afer
I 5 mi nutes, it reached its target of
1 50 degrees.
So when, exactly, shoul d you remove meat from the heat source? Both the si ze
of the roast and the heat l evel duri ng cooki ng wi l l i mpact the answer. A large roast
wi l l absorb more heat than a thi n steak, whi ch means there wi l l be more heat in the
meat and therefore a gneater amount of carryover cooki ng. Si mi l arly, meat cooked
i n a 400-degree oven absorbs more heat than meat cooked i n a 200-degree oven, so
carryover cooki ng i s greater i n a roast cooked i n a hot oven.
Use our gui del i nes to determi ne exactly when to take meat of the heat so when
you sere it, i t's at the desi ned temperature. (Note: Whi l e carryover cooki ng can occur
in poultry, for food safety reasons we usual l y don't recommend removi ng it from the
heat unti l i t's done. )
FOR FI NAL SERVI NG
TEMPERATURE
BEEF AND LAMB
Rare 1 25F
Medi um-Rare 1 30F
Medi um 1 40F
Wel l Done 1 60F
PORK
Medi um 1 50F
Well Done 1 60F
STOP COOKI NG WHEN
TEMPERATURE REACHES
For large roasts/ Thi n cuts/
high heat moderate heat
I I 5 F 1 20F
1 20F 1 25oF
1 30F 1 35F
1 50F 1 55F
1 40F 1 45F
1 50F 1 55F
I . Sl i ce l engthwi se al ong I
si de of chi l e, keepi ng stem
and seedpod i ntact.
2. Turn chi l e flat si de down 3. Di scard stem, seeds,
and sl i ce of another si de.
Repeat twi ce, l eavi ng
seeds behi nd.
and ri bs (or add mi nced
ri bs and seeds j udi ci ousl y
to your reci pe) .
Cattl e Roundup
Whi l e testing our Best Pri me Ri b necipe (page 9), we di scovened that choosi ng the right
roast was al most as i mportant as deci di ng how to cook it. Butchers tend to cut a whole rib
roast (which contains seven ribs) into to 3-rib roasts, known most commonl y as frst-cut
and second-cut roasts. Our nci pe cal l s for a 3-bone frst-cut roast, whi ch sits closer to
the l oi n end of the cow and consi sts of ri bs I 0 through 1 2. First-cut roasts featun mone
of the flavorful , tender rib-eye muscl e than do second-cut roasts (ribs 6 through 8 or 9),
whi ch are comprised of a mi x of smal l er muscl es and mon pockets of fat.
We al so found pri me-grade pri me rib, the darl i ng of steakhouses, to be consistently
more tender and flavorful than choi ce-grade pri me ri b because of its hi gher level of
i ntramuscul ar fat (or " marbl i ng"). l t' s true that these upgrades add to the sticker price
(pri me costs roughl y 25 percent more than choi ce) , but we thi nk they' re wel l worth
the extra money.
PRI ME VS. CHOI CE
With more marbl i ng, pri me-grade beef i s
more tender and flavorful . Choi ce-grade
beef i s a bi t less expensive than pri me,
but it also has l ess marbl i ng; it i s our
second choi ce.
FI RST CUT VS. SECOND CUT
A frst-cut rast features more of the
prized rib-eye muscl e. A second-cut
rast trades some of the ri b eye for a
mosaic of diferent muscl es and more
pockets of fat.
` | \ I ,\\ | R b D F C I ,\\ B I R 2 0 I I
3 1
E QUI P ME NT CORNE R
3 B Y H A N N A H C R O W L E Y , A M Y G R A V E S , L I S A M c M A N U S c D A V I D P A Z M l N O E
EQUI PMENT TESTI NG Cast-I rn Pi zza Pan
Since it absorbs and maintains heat so well, cast iron
would seem like the ideal material for creating good
pizza crust, which requires seaingly hot tempera
tures. That's why we were keen to test the Ldge Pro
Logc Cast-Iron 14-Inch Pizza Pan ($28) . Aer pre
heatng the pan to 500 degrees, we used it to bake
multiple batches of pizza, looking for crisp, golden
crusts on par with those made with our wng
Baker's Catalogue Pizza Baking Stone by Old Stone
Oven ( $54. 95) . The frst surprise: While the stone
takes an hour to reach 500 degrees, this pan was
ready afer a mere 30 minutes. And though it weighs
nearly 1 0 pounds (j ust a few ounces less than the
stone), it was easy to move thanks to a pair oflooped
handles. Worries that the raised edges of the pan
might make it difcult to remove the pizza proved
unfounded. Best of all, the pan produced perfect
crust. The 14-inch circle does limit the size and
shape of your pizza, providing
PI ZZA PERFECT
slightly less usable space
than the 14l2 by
1 6l2 -inch rect
angular stone
(especially if
you' re bak
ing some
thing other
than pizza) ,
The Lodge Pr Logic Cast-I rn
1 4-l nch Pizza Pan del ivered evenly
but this pan ofers
identical results in
brwned, crisp crust on pizza. less time.
NEw PRODucT Pomegranate Tool
Picking the juicy seeds ( called arls) fom a pome
granate can be a messy, painstaking job. Enter tle
ART-As Removal Tool ( $14. 99) by Shoham.
You place half a pomegranate cut side down in its
removable plastic sieve, which sits in a steep-sided
plastc bowl. Then you cover the fuit with a sof
silcone dome and give it a good whack with any
heavy, large tool. The arls pass tlrough the sieve
and land intact in the bottom of the bowl. The
dome and bowl corral any spraying j uice, and a small
spout lets you drain the j uice away, while the sieve
SEEDS I N A J I FFY
The ART -Arils Removal
Tool qui ckly extracts pome
granate seeds, with l ess mess.
catches most of the white
membrane and pith. Al
in all, it's a good tool .
It squashes fewer
arils tlan the old
fashioned method
of simply holding me
fuit over a bowl and
mumping it with a
spoon-and without
any messy red splatter.
EQUI PMENT uPDATE Nutcrackers
Nutcrackers can give your hands a workout-and
test your patience as you pick shells out of crushed
nutmeats. We tested our favorite fom fve years
agothe Reed's Rocket ( $25.99), an innovative
model that uses a lever to crack and remove shells
easily without pulverizing tl1e contents-against four
new models priced fom $14. 99 to $35. 99. One was
another lever-style cracker, two were variatons on the
traditional V-shaped style, and one resembled a j ar
wth a crushing post in tle lid. We used tl1em to crack
everg from rock-hard hazelnuts and Brazil nuts
to sofer pecans, walnuts, and almonds. V-style crack
ers required force and tended to crush nuts; the j ar
style cracker was slow to twist, tl1ough it kept messy
shells contained. The two lever-style crackers were
quickest and excelled at leaving nutmeats intact. Our
new favorite is tl1e Get Crackin' Heavy Duty Steel
Lever Nutcracker ( $35. 99) . Its extra-long handle
cracked the hardest nuts efortlessly, leaving the meat
intact. And unlike our
old \inner, it required
no adjustment when
we changed the type
of nut, and it didn't
scatter shells every
where. Best of all,
NUTS ABOUT THI S
i t cracked a pound
The Get Cracki n' Heavy Duty Steel
of walnuts in nine
minutes-record
time.
Lever Nutcracker uses leverage
instead of hand strength to crack al l
types of nuts, and i t works fast.
EQUI PMENT TESTI NG Mi ni Bundt Pans
Reflectng a recent miniaturizing trend in bakeware,
manufacturers have shrunk the Bw1dt. Miniature
Bundt pans come in two styles: single-cup molds and
trays of six. We baked cakes in two singletons and in
two tray models rangng in price fom $3. 75 to $40.
Since all were nonstck and released cakes efortlessly,
picking a winner came down to ease of handling and
the visual appeal of the cakes. Both tray-stle pans
featured handles that made fpping out the cakes
easier than fpping fom the singleton pans. A tl1e
little cakes sat coolg on racks, we focused on looks.
Only the cakes fom the tray-style models had well
defied rdges. Since the main purose of a Bundt
pan is to produce cakes with a
distctve scalloped suce,
we had no problem
choosing a favorite:
the Nordic Ware
Platnw Anniversar
Bundtlette Pan
( $40), a mini ver
sion of our wng
fll-size Bundt pan.
BEST BABY BUNDTS
Nordic Ware Plati num Anniversary
Sundtl ette Pan prduced si x crisply
shaped mini Sundt cakes.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
Z
EQUI PMENT TESTI NG Hearth Gri l l
Cooking over a fire i s possible indoors with a Tuscan
Heari Grill. This cast-iron set has a solid fame mat
fts into your freplace. Just slide the grill grate into
one of tlree slots, depending on how far above the
fames you want to grill. The large version ( $199) ,
with a generously proportioned grate ( 23l2 by 30
inches), gave us enough real estate to grill and turn
six strip steaks. Wood handles made the grate safe
for barehanded adjustment, which proved usefl
when we moved the food closer to the coals as the
fames subsided. Two minor objectons: Adding logs
to me fre was difcult once the
grate was in place, so we had to
make sure the fire was just
right before we began
cooking. Also, me
set does not include
a drip pan, so we used
a disposable aluminum
pan to keep the bot-
FI RESI DE COOKOUT
tom of the freplace
The Tuscan Hearth Gri l l turns your
grease-fee. freplace into an i ndoor cooking pit.
For compl ete testing resul ts for each item, go to
ww . Cooksl l l ustrated. com/ dec I I .
Soures
Prices were current at press ti me and do not i ncl ude
shi ppi ng. Contact compani es to confrm information
or visit www. Cooksl l l ustrated. com for updates.
PAGE 9: KNI FE STRI P
Messermei ster Bamboo Knife Magnet: $50, item #BKM- 1 6,
Messermeister I nc. (800-426-5 1 34, ww .messenmeister.com).
PAGE 1 3: ASI AN VEGETABLE CLEAVER
MAC Japanese Seri es 6 V2- I nch J apanese Vegetabl e Cleaver:
$95, item #J U-65, MAC Knife I nc. (888-622-5643,
www. macknife. com).
PAGE 27: KNI FE SET
Test Kitchen a I a Carte Knife Set: $334. 65, al l knives
avai l abl e a I a carte at Amaon.com.
PAGE 32: CAST- I RON PI ZZA PAN
Lodge Pro Logic Cast-I ron 1 4-l nch Piza Pan: $28, item
#P 1 4P3, Ka Tom Restaurant Suppl y, I nc. (800-54 1 -8683,
ww.katom. com) .
PAGE 32: POMEGRANATE TOOL
ART-Ari l s Removal Tool : $ 1 4. 99, item #97599, Fante's
Kitchen Wares Shop (800-443-2683, www.fantes.com).
PAGE 32: NUTCRACKER
Get Cracki n' Heavy Duty Steel Lever Nutcracker: $35.99,
item #6 1 26, Fante's Kitchen Wares Shop.
PAGE 32: MI NI SUNDT PAN
Nordi c Ware Plati num Anni versary Bundtlette Pan: $40, item
#86237, Noric War (877-466-7342, ww .noricwar.com).
PAGE 32: HEARTH GRI LL
Tuscan Hearth Gri l l : $ 1 99, item #70 1 26, NapaStle
(866-776-6272, ww . napastyl e. com).
l NlLX
November c December ZlI !
MAIN DISHES
Best Pri me Ri b 9
Braised Turkey with Gravy 7
Oven-Roasted Chi cken Thi ghs I I
Pasta with Broccol i Rabe and Sausage 1 8
Ragu al i a Bol ognese I 5
SAUCES AND ACCOMPANI MENTS
Cranberry Chutney
Orange 24
Spi cy 24
wi th Appl e and Crystal l ized Gi nger 24
with Fennel and Gol den Rai si ns 24
with Pear, Lemon, and Rosemary 24
For Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soz:
Lemon-Thyme Butter I 3
For Oven-Roasted Chicken Tihs:
Roasted Garl i c Sal sa Verde I I
SOUP AND SIDES
Farmhouse Vegetabl e and Barl ey Soup I 3
Roasted Brussel s Sprouts I 0
with Bacon and Pecans I 0
with Garl i c, Red Pepper Flakes, and
Parmesan I 0
with Wal nuts and Lemon I 0
DESSERTS
Al l -Purpose White Gl aze I 7
Foolproof Hol i day Cooki es 1 6
Gi ngersnaps 23
Paris-Brest 2 1
NEW RECIPES ON THE WEB
Available free for 4 months at
www. Cooksl l l ustrated. com/dec I I
Herbed Croutons
Mustard-Cream Sauce
Pasta wi th Broccol i Rabe, Rai si ns, and
Pi ne Nuts
Roasted Pobl ano-Ci l antro Sal sa
Roasted Shal l ot and Mi nt Chutney
COOK'S LIVE VI DEOS
Available fee for 4 momhs at
www. Cooksl l l ustrated. com/dec I I
Best Pri me Ri b
Brai sed Turkey wi th Gravy
Cranberry Chutney wi th Appl e and
Crystal l i zed Gi nger
Farmhouse Vegetabl e and Barley Soup
Gi ngersnaps
Oven-Roasted Chi cken Thi ghs
Pari s-Brest
Pasta wi th Broccol i Rabe and Sausage
Ragu al i a Bol ognese
Roasted Brussel s Sprouts
Testing Kni fe Sets
AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN TV
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Joi n the mi l l i ons of home cooks who watch our show,
America's Test Kitchen, on publ i c tel evi si on every week.
For more informati on, i ncl udi ng reci pes and program
times, visit www. Ameri casTestKi tchenTV. com.
NEW! AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN COOKING SCHOOL
Learn how to think-and cook-like a pro from the test kitchen experts you know from our
T shows. Our new onl i ne cooking school combi nes personalized i nstruction wi th leading-edge
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ww .TestKitchenSchool . com.
DOWNLOAD OUR FREE L00K$ u$INIe0 i Phone App
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Roasted Brussels Spruts, |0 Ragu alia Bolognese, | b
Pasta with Brccoli Rabe and Sausage, | b Gingersnaps, J
Braised Turkey with Gravy,
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup, | J Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs, | |
PHOTOGRAPHY: CARL TREMBLAY; STYLI NG: MARI E PI RAI NO
\ kt1U 55 0 M
HX,.-H