` ' `\ l1 R ` ' ` | 1 \- 1 | H ' c )'1` c !.'`1 2!

ST R AT E D
Grilled Chicken
Secrets
No More Flabby, Charred Skin
Summer
Vegetable Gratin
Authentic
Drive-In Burgers
Big Beef Flavor, Crisp Crust
Supermarket Olive
Oil Tasting
Losers Outnumber Winners!
Best Blueberry Pie
Grated Apple for Thickener?
Keeping Produce
Fresher Longer

Enchiladas Verdes
Grilled Sausages with Onions
Cherry Tomato Salads
Foolproof Peach Shortcakes
.c o o k s |!!u s t r a t e d . c o m
| - '` L.`.!.
U o?
U AAU ZoU
'!11`1c
July c August Zll
2 Notes from Readers
COMPILED BY DAVID PAZMINO
Quick Tips
COMPILED BY YVONNE RUPERT!
6 Improving Enchiladas Verdes
The bright taste of their quick-cooking sauce gives enchiladas
verdes an edge over the "red" kind. But not if the sauce is
watery and l acks good green chil e fiavor.
BY CHARLES KELSEY
o Great Grilled Bone-In
Chicken Breasts
The key to avoiding the charred skin and dried-out meat
that pl ague most gril l ed chicken breasts is al l in how you
set up the fire. BY CHARLES KELSEY
' Reviving the Original
Drive-In Burger
Sixty years ago, drive-in burgers were synonymous with
freshl y grund high-quality beef. Today they mean tasteless
mass-produced patties. We wanted to bring back the
genuine article. BY J. KENJI ALT
12 Rescuing Summer Vegetable
Gratin
Layering summer's best vegetables into a gratin can l ead
to a memorabl e side dish-or a watery regret. This
French casserole deserves better. BY REBECCA HAYS
1 Better Grilled Sausages
with Onions
This classic pairing sounds tail or-made for the gril l . But
the reality is usual l y onions that are both crunchy and
charred and sausages that either dry out or-even
worse-catch fire. BY DAVID PAZMINO
'6 How to Keep Produce
Fresher Longer
Proper storage is the key to l onger-l asting fruits and
vegetables. BY KEITH DRESSER
|o Perfecting Caponata
This sweet and sour eggpl ant rel ish from Sici l y provides
a great compl ement to meat or fish-but not i f the
vegetabl es are mushy and the flavors out of bal ance.
BY FRANCISCO . ROBERT
2 Realy Good Cherry
Tomato Salad
How do you transform juicy cherry tomatoes into a
great sal ad? For starters, get rid of some juice.
BY DAVID PAZMINO
21 Improving Pasta with
Olives, Garlic, and Herbs
Made in I tal y with the very best l ocal ol ives and extra
virgin ol ive oil, this simpl e dish can be superb. But how
good can it get with ingredients from the supermarket?
BY DAVID PAZMINO
22 Foolproof Peach Shortcakes
Ripe farmstand peaches lead to shortcakes drenched in
sweet juice. But what if you' re stuck with hard, meal y
supermarket peaches? BY . KENJI ALT
2 Best Blueberry Pie
Sweet, del icate blueberries are easil y overshadowed by
a dul l thickener. Our goal was a sl iceabl e pie with bright,
fresh fl avor. BY YVONNE RUPERT!
26 Supermarket Olive Oils
You get what you pay for with most supermarket extra
virgin olive oil s: bl and, bottom-of-the-barrel , and boring.
Is there a brand worth buying? BY LISA McMANUS
2o Seeking a Better Spatula
Newfangl ed silicone spatul as are rife with issues-either
too flimsy or too rigid, weirdl y shaped, or uncomfort
able to hol d. Do any del iver a better tool ?
BY LISA McMANUS
J Kitchen Notes
BY J. KENJI ALT
J2 Equipment Corner
BY ELIZABETH BOMZE
A1+1 F?"
ASIAN FRUIT The l eathery crimson peel of a pomegranate conceal s hundreds of
jewel-like seeds that can be used in sal ads or pressed to make j uice. Spiny durian has been
banned in some hotel s and airl ines as too fetid to eat in public spaces, but the custardy,
chestnut-flavored fruit remains prized in I ndonesia and Malaysia. The meat and milk of
coconut are indispensable in Asian curries, and the mil k ofen repl aces dairy in desserts.
Green, unripe mangos are used for tenderizing meat whil e the orange fl esh of the ripe fruit
is used in salsas. sal ads, and desserts. Ofen candied or preserved, the grape-sized kumquat
oee\eG whole, skin and al l . The grapefruitlike pomel o can be as large as a mel on and
becomes more pal atable when sprinkl ed with sugar. Creamy and pithy in texture, the fl esh
of the persimmon is best baked into desserts or dried for a snack. Named for its unique
five-pointed figure when cut crosswise, the sweet-tart star fruit is ideal for chutneys and
pickl es. Native to China and Thail and, the mil ky-col ored I ongan is similar in form and tex
ture to l ychee and is eaten raw or incorporated into desserts and soups.
COVER `c.|ci.::. Robert Papp, BACK COVER 'A:ici iuii.john Burgoyne
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PRINTED IN THE USA
T
he small cardboard box had been sit
ting for months unopened. Curiosity
fnally carried the day and out spilled
a half-century of family snapshots:
washed-out Polaroids, black and white snaps, a
few sepia-toned formal portraits and then the odd
exceptions to the rule, photos that still sang out
boldly in oversaturated but faded shades of red and
brown. I organized them into piles by time, place,
and player and then realized that I had a movie of
sorts, much like the storyboards used to sketch out
Hollywood flms. Here then is one family's story, an
account that begins in Egypt in 1 944.
My fther stands u,th-lipped, well-tailored, an
ofcer's cap mushroomed high on his head-at atten
ton on a moonscape airfield and then astride a can1el.
Big staf cars with four stars on the gl cers take
ts gettng chaufeured around the camp in high
stle. Snapshot of a \nt practicing a bayonet charge
dow a dune, socks pulled to the knees, and d1en my
fther again, standing upright against a bunker in an
oasis. Then on to Vence where he reclines, boyishly,
eyes closed, draped drunkenly in the bow of a gondola.
Sailboats on the Grand Canal: The war is over.
Home again and my mother is a cross between
Hepburn and Garbo, tght-waisted in a long, fowing
striped sk and closely tailored jacket. They are two
fture parents enjoying cocktails on d1e lawn, the frst
of many highball evenings. Big earrings, well-shined
shoes, close-cropped lawns, and acres of smiles.
Then the geat outdoors. My father, a crossword
puzzle adventurer, is caught, like Bigfoot, doing the
unthinkable: building a log cabin on a lake i Maine
wth a wae buddy. The closing shot is at the end
of the day, two w constructon workers sitng by
the edge of a lake, beers in hand, gangly, SLmburned,
enjoying a quiet moment before the swirl of family
and career. Then the camera turs to my mother, r1e
aumentc outdoorswoma, in a canoe in Canada, Bean
boots hangng of the gunwale, fy rod in hand, fat
fishing hat strapped to her chin, that Hepburn profile
stll bunng brght against the expanse of rippled water
ad shore. Another shot, rod stretched out across re
water, cigarette dangling, and heavy sw1glasses under
me brim. Last shot, last fame: fngers i glls, a good
16-inch trout as the day's trophy. And finally, there I
d in my first scene, age 3, on my father's lap, being
11'11.1
SNAPSHOTS
Cl ockwi se from top l ef: Checki ng syrup at age I 0. Mary Al i ce
Ki mbal l fi shi ng i n Canada. Ed Ki mbal l i n Egypt. 1944. My sister
Kate, sti rri ng sap.
rowed out to a small island in a Maine lake for the
fi rst of many fi shing vacations. I'll never forget my
introduction to the green plastic Port-O-Potty. One
more time, please: What is this thing for?
Vermont, 1955. We build a small cabin on a piece
of the old Ford farm. My morer sits in a U.S. Army
Jeep, i Mashorts, arms outstretched, looking at the
sky. It is re scene on which this whole movie turs.
Glamour fades and d1e frst chords of"Moonlight in
Vermont" are cued. Are we home? Has Garbo been
forgotten, pushed aside for mud season, raising pigs,
and re smell of creosote? I dunk of her wedding
photo that still sits upright on our piano; the Bette
Davis cheekbones, the long train, and re sof studio
lighting retired for d1e Url of deer season and the
smell of a wood-fired Kalamazoo cookstove.
Here I am again, in a sap house, boiling syrup at
age 10, holding the skimmer, looking for the hot,
sweet syrup to sheet just of the edge so we know it
is time to draw of. (My sister, Kate, is also captured
that day, unaccountably stirring sap in re outdoor
metal tank, red mountain hat on head and smiling
proudly.) The steam, the smell of boiled sap, re
smoke fom d1e wood fre, and d1en Rob Woodcock
wid1 his sad eyes and drooping handlebar mustache,
d1e master of d1e sap house. In that dark shack, the
photo captures daylight fltered rrough a steamed
window and I fnd a piece of the eternal mystery, the
subplot of this home movie, the one wim nothng
more than vague suggestions as to how it will end.
More fish, more camps in Maine wim rows of
canoes pulled up on shore, saggng stck docks, an
early mornng nlist over the lake and then the hfst
forwards. Kate and I in mdress, headed for some now
forgotten celebraton, a blindfolded child \ith a large
stck, ainung at a hangg pinata (a family birthday
taditon), many small black and white shots before
the holiday tree always taken i our Vermont cabin
on Chrisonas Eve. Kate, my frer, and I arged
in a row before the icicle-draped tree, performing
like drwl monkeys-we see, hear, and speak no evil.
Group pomaits taken wir d1e old Cmtr Squire
station wagon as backdrop, vestgal fins stll visible,
memories of throwing up on road trips and passig at
high speed around sharp curves late at night. I sprout
up, sport a PC jacket at a wedding, and then the
flm dissolves ito cousins, aw1ts, and uncles fom
wluch de plot never quite recovers.
I have built my own sap house and have spent
coundess days, le my mother and her farer before
her, castng for salmon on the Miramashee, Matapedia,
and Restigouchc rivers. But of course these iings are
no more than tgs. Is it, then, my mod1er in her
Jeep, stretclling her arms heavenward as if to say how
blessed she is to fid her place on eard1? Is it about
trying to recapture that moment in tie in postar
America when we could simply dream our fture?
Or maybe it is noiing more than the welcoming
signature of wood smoke, re crack of splittng wood,
the pop of a new fire in a cold Fr stove, and me
electric pronlise of re gray skies of November, me
advent of hunting season: dark, cold morgs, sun
light seeping over the mow1tain, rock fields and gant
maples slowly taking shape out of mow1tain nists?
Like a good movie, it is not the storyboard mat
matters. The true story is in the details, the subde
ness of delivery, the look, the acts of grace, the pull
ing back when we want to stand center stage. Yet to
cast a fy, to draw of syrup, to sight in a y, to hitch
up a horse, to breare re same scented mountain
air my parents did a half-century before me, is unac
countably rich in satisfaction. If we can grow up to
become philosophers or fmers, I choose the latter.
At least I stand on frm, familiar ground.
FOPlNUlPlES,OPDEPS, OPMOPElNFCPMATlON
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J U L Y c A U GU S T 211!
!+1c l1^ 11/111c
Whiped Butter
Can whipped butter be substin1ted for stick butter
in recipes for baked goods?
ELEANOR PERRONE
CHICAGO, ILL.
Whipped butter is made by incorporating air into
butter. Manufacturers do this to increase the butter's
spreadability, especially for slathering on toast.
Adding air increases the volume of the butter, not
the weight. In other words, a 4-ounce stick of butter
measures
1
/ cup in volume, and 4 ounces of whipped
butter measures 1 cup. We decided to compare
unsalted whipped butter and unsalted stick butter in
our Glazed Butter Cookies (November/December
2003), Classic Pound Cake (January/february
2007), and Classic Vanilla Buttercream (March/
April2000).
Tasters found the
cookies to be nearly
identical and even
slightly preferred the
whipped-butter version
for its "crispier" and
"flakier" texture. The
same held true for tl1e
pound cake. Altl1ough
Can whi pped butter
stand in for stick?
the butter for each cake was creamed for exactly the
same time-S minutes-some tasters deemed tl1e
cake made with whipped butter to be "lighter,"
"fufer," and "more tender." The buttercream was
a diferent story. While tl1e stick butter produced a
fluf, of-white frosting, the whipped-butter frost
ing was foamy, with an intense yellow color and a
"plasticlike" texture.
So-unsalted whipped butter makes a fine substi
tute for unsalted stick butter in baked goods, but do
not make tl1e swap in uncooked applications, such
as frosting. And remember to make the substitu
tions based on weight, not volume. A standard tub
of whipped butter weighs 8 ounces, equal to two
sticks of butter.
Natural Beef
I have seen "namral" beef for sale in my supermar
ket. How does it difer from regular beef Does it
taste better?
JILL PENATE
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OHIO
To date, me term "natural" has not been approved
by me USDA as a regulated term for marketing beef
But a trip to any supermarket will reveal mat many
beef producers now use the terms "all natural" and
"naturally raised" on their packaging. Because of
3C O M P ILE D BY D AVID PAZMI N O E
industry and consumer pressure, the government
is in the process of holding hearings to determine
what "namral" and "naturally raised" should mean.
The proposed standards include: no use of syntl1etic
or natural hormones, no antibiotics administered
during tl1e animal's life, and no feed containing
mammalian or avian byproducts.
In tl1e test kitchen, we wanted fmd out if beef
labeled "natural" was better tl1an the beef tl1at we
normally buy. We decided to test me most widely
available and best-selling brand of "namral" beef,
Coleman Natural. In tl1e fi rst round of tests, we
compared regular ground beef ($4.59/lb.) witl1
Coleman Natural ground beef ($5.49/lb.) in both
plain hamburgers and our Simple Italian-Style Meat
Sauce (March/ April2008). There was no diference
in flavor or texture; tasters liked tl1e naniral and tl1e
regular ground beef equally well.
For the second round of tests, we bought six
New York strip steaks labeled "USDA Choice"
($11.99/lb.) and six Coleman Natural strip steaks
($14.99/lb.). (Coleman grades its beef, but it is
not always marked for sale as "Prime," "Choice,"
or "Select.") Even before cooking, we noticed that
the Choice steaks were more evenly marbled wim
fat than some of me Coleman steaks.
Afer cooking the steaks according to our Pan
Seared Thick-Cut Strip Steaks recipe (May/June
2007), tasters declared the USDA Choice steaks
"buttery" and "tender." The Coleman steaks all
tasted "beefer" tl1an the USDA Choice steaks, but
tenderness was all over the board: The steaks mat
had little marbling were "tough" and "chewy,"
while mose mat had more fat were "ultra-tender."
Though our tests represent a lmited sampling, our
recommendation is to look for natural steaks labeled
"Choice." If the grade isn't indicated, choose steaks
that are well marbled, wim fecks of fat dispersed
witllin me meat.
Freezing Garlic
I ofen chop lots of garlic in my food processor and
til en store it in me freezer, pressed fat in a zipper
lock bag. This makes it easy to snap of a piece when
I need garlic for a quick meal. Does tls practice
negatively afect the garlic in any way?
ELIZABETH MURPHY
KOHLER, WIS.
To fd out if freezing garlic would compromise
its favor, we chopped a few dozen cloves of garlic
in a food processor and froze it in a zipper-lock
bag for two monms. We men made two dishes
witl1 frozen and fresh garlic: Pasta wim Garlic and
Oil (March/April 2001) and Aioli (March/April
COOK
'
S I L L US T R A T FD
Z
2005 ). While we flly expected the fresh garlic to
have a more pungent and assertive favor, we were
surprised at just how much tl1e garlic favor had mel
lowed afer two montls in a deep feeze. The dishes
made wim frozen garlic had signifcantly diminished
garlic favor.
What caused tle flavor decline? It turns out tl1at
me compound that gives garlic its potent taste,
allicin, does not form until the cloves are chopped.
But allicin is feeting. If the chopped garlic is stored,
even in tl1e freezer, the allicin will lose strength. If
you want garlic at its m<ximum potency, you should
wait until tl1e last minute to chop it.
Israeli Couscous
I recently noticed a QrOOuCtlbeled Israeli couscous
at my supermarket. Can you tell me about it?
CHRISTINE SPIER
NORTH SYRACUSE, N.Y.
ouscous is a starch made fom durum semolina,
a high-protein wheat four that is also used to make
Italian pasta. Traditional Moroccan couscous is made
by rubbing coarse-ground durum semolina and
water between me hands to form small, coarse gran
ules. The couscous is men dried and cooked over a
simmering in a steamer called a t0n0n::|tr.
The boxed couscous found in most supermarkets is
a precooked version of traditional couscous. About
tl1e size of bread cmmbs, tl1e precooked couscous
needs only a few minutes of steeping in hot liquid
in order to be flly cooked.
Israeli couscous, also known as pearl couscous,
is larger tl1an traditional couscous (about the size
of a caper) and is not precooked. It has a unique,
nutty favor. To create well-separated grains that
work well in salad, cook it as you would pasta: Boil
2 cups Israeli couscous in 2 quarts of lightly salted
water for 8 to 10 minutes and then drain. For a
pilafike side dish, toast 2 cups Israeli couscous in a
small amount of oil in a large sket untl light golden
brown, tlen add 2l2 cups water and l2 teaspoon
table salt. Cover me skillet and simmer me couscous
for 15 minutes.
lKPLLl
LLL5LLL5
The large, pearl -l i ke
shape of Israel i couscous
makes it ideal for salads or pi laf.
Storing Defosted Shrimp
I ofen buy defrosted shrimp from the fsh counter
of my supermarket. Are there any nles on how long
they can be stored before cooking?
GERI BORGERSON
BETHANY. CONN.
Since almost all shrimp you buy from a fsh
counter have been frozen (and usually thawed by
the retailer), we recommend buying individually
quick-fozen shrimp rather than thawed shrimp.
This puts you in control of how long the shrimp are
stored once they are defrosted.
To find out how long defosted shrimp can be
stored, we defosted 1 pow1d of fozen shrimp every
day for a week. On the last day, we peeled and de
veined the shrp and steaned each batch separately
to evaluate diferences i flavor and texture. While the
shrimp that had been in the refigerator for fve days
were not yet rotten, they did have a mushy texture,
a slight of-favor, and a distinctly fishy and ammoni
ated odor. (Shrimp stored six and seven days were
clearly inedible, with an odor that was even stronger.)
It \lb out that as raw shrinp age, enzymes begin
breaking down the proteins in the fesh, creating a
mealy texture. At the same time, bacteria break down
d odorless compow1d i shrinp into trimetl1ylamie
(TMA), which has a strong ammonialike odor. The
shrimp that were defosted and cooked on the same
day, on the other hand, had no unpleasant aromas and
a sweet favor that was clearly fesher Ushrimp that
had been stored even a day longer.
So the best approach is to buy individually quick
frozen shrimp and defrost them the same day you
plan to cook them. If you want to buy defrosted
shrimp at me fsh counter, insist on smelling tl1em
frst to assess feshness. If mey're frm and have no
ammonialike odor, go ahead and buy defosted
shrimp, but make sure to cook mem within a day.
Rare Duck
Cookbooks always specif that chicken and turkey
should be cooked to 165 degrees to kill bacteria such
as salmonella. Why, then, is duck breast ofen served
closer to rare man to well-done? Is eating duck that
is less well cooked not as risky? How does the risk
compare with eating a rare or medium-rare steak?
STEPHEN MASTY
STUART. FLA.
According to tl1e Centers for Disease Control, all
food products, especially raw meat, are susceptible to
bacteria that can potentially cause illness. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends
cooking poultr to a minimum internal tempera
ture ofl65 degrees and cooking beef steaks to 145
degrees (or what we would consider well-done) to
reduce the potential of contamination by bacterial
pathogens.
We find, however, that cooking duck breast (and
beef steak) past 140 degrees (or medium-rare) results
in meat that is chewy, tough, and d1. Furtlermore,
WHAT l5 lT!
My brother and I found this contraption when we were cleaning out
our parents' house. Do you have any idea what it is?
ARLENE PANTOJA
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS. N.Y.
The gadget you found is a
1950s lce-0-Matic ice crusher
made by Rival. This vintage
tool was designed to be
attached to the wall of a
kitchen or bar. We were able
to locate a number of these
ice crushers for sale online.
To fnd out how this nearly
60-year-old device compares
with a modern refrigerator
Thi s vintage ice crusher
works l i ke a charm.
door ice crusher, we used the hand crank of the lce-0-Matic to crush
I 0 pounds of ice. While labor intensive, the lce-0-Matic produced chipped
ice that was more uniform in size and less fne than the ice shavings from
the refrigerator crusher. We also liked the handy container at the bottom
of the contraption for holding the ice. While we certainly aren't ready to
give up our refrigerator ice crusher, if we were setting up a retro-style bar,
this item would be on the top of our list.
unlike chicken and turkey, duck breast actually tastes
better cooked to tlis lower temperature. To answer
your question, tle risk from eating duck cooked
to 140 degrees is relatively low, or less risky tl1an
eating undercooked chicken but riskier than eating
medium-rare steak. (In 2006, the latest year for
which data are available, there were no confrmed
cases of bacterial illness caused by consuming duck.)
That said, if you have any concerns about potential
bacteria, follow the USDA recommendation and
cook duck to 165 degrees.
Locating the Middle Rack
Many of your recipes call for placing the oven rack
in the middle position. My oven has si- rack posi
tions, so there is no true nliddle. Where is me best
place to position tlle rack so mat it works witll your
recipes?
KATHERYN MARTIN-DEROGATIS
WABAN. MASS.
In the test kitchen, we have ovens with both an
even and an odd number of rack positions. If you
have an odd number of racks, fnding tle nliddle
position is easy. If you have an even number of racks,
you can place tl1e rack in either the upper-middle or
the lower-nliddle position. To fmd out wllich posi
tion is preferable, we baked batches of our Lemon
Sugar Cookies (January /Februa1 2005) and Fluf
Yellow Layer Cake (March/April 2008).
With an aferoon of baking, it became clear tl1at
cookies and cakes baked on the upper-middle rack
browned a little too much on top. It was better to
bake both items on me lower-middle rack, which
puts tl1e food closer to tl1e exact middle of the oven.
) l | Y c Al l ' 2

When to Salt Scrambled Es

I have come across several recipes tlat caution
against salting beaten eggs before cooking them, for
fear that early salting will make the scrambled eggs
watery. Is there any truth to tllis?
TONY APRILE
JACKSON. N.J.
To put this cookbook mytl1 to tl1e test, we
salted beaten eggs one nlinute before cooking and
anotler batch right afer scrambling in a hot skillet.
Interestingly, tasters consistently disliked the eggs
tl1at were salted afer cooking; these eggs were rub
ber and frm. The eggs salted prior to cooking were
tender and moist. (Witl1 mese results in hand, we
wondered if salting tl1e beaten eggs an hour before
cooking would make the eggs even more tender. It
didn't; they were nearly identical to me eggs salted
just before cooking.)
A bit of investigation revealed an explanation:
Salt afects the electrical charge on the protein
molecules in eggs, reducing me tendency of the
proteins to bond wim each otl1er. This produces
a weaker protein network, which means more
tender scrambled eggs. In the absence of salt, the
protein molecules interact more strongly, forming
a tighter net\ork and resulting in a frmer, more
rubbery texture. We recommend salting eggs just
prior to cooking.
SEMO LSYCLRQLESTICMSWe wi l l provi de a compl i
mentary one-year subscri pti on for each l etter we pri nt. Send
your i nqui ry, name. address. and dayti me telephone number
to Notes from Readers, Cook's I l l ustrated. P.O. Box 470589,
Brookl i ne, MA 02447. or to notesfromreaders@ameri castest
ki tchen. com.
Quick Tips
= COM P ILED B Y Y V ONNE R U P ERT! E
Keeping Sponges Straight
To avoid using the same sponge for
washing dishes as for cleaning grimy
countertops and kitchen surfaces,
Dan Cully-Rapata of San Francisco,
Calif., used to assign a diferent
color of sponge to each task. But
packages of sponges always contain
multiple colors, making it dificult
to keep track. Now he has a better
system: He snips of a corner from
sponges that he intends to use for
cleaning counters and stovetops,
reserving uncut sponges for washing
dishes.
Eggshell Magic
Newspaper Deodorizer
Raw garl i c and oni ons can leave behi nd unpl easant odors in plastic contain
ers, which can subsequently permeate any food stored i n them. Frank
Mastrpaol o of Poughkeepsi e, N.Y., uses newspaper to sol ve the prbl em.
I .
I . Fi l l the odoriferus contai ner with crum
pl ed pi eces of newspaper and seal the l i d.
The newspaper i nk wi l l absorb the odor.
Z. Afer a day or two, remove the news
paper and wash the now odor-free
contai ner in hot, soapy water.
Z.
Tryi ng to remove smal l bi ts of stray yol k or eggshel l frm freshl y cracked
eggs can test the pati ence of any cook. Jennifer Mul der of Saratoga Spri ngs,
Citrus Reamer Substitute
When Michael Wiacek of Santa
Clara, Calif., needs to juice a lemon,
lime, or orange, he reaches for a pair
of kitchen tongs. Holding the tongs
closed, he sticks the pincers into
N.Y., solves the prbl em with the egg i tsel f.
A.
A. Dip an egshel l half i nto eg whites to scoop out bits of yol k. The egshel l
acts as a magnet, attracti ng the wayward yol k.
B. An egshel l hal f can al so be used to attract smal l er pi eces of egshel l that
have fallen i nto cracked egs.
the halved fruit and uses a twisting
Send Us Your Ti p We will provide a complimentary one-year subscription for each tip we print. Send your tip, name, and address
to Quick Tips, Cook's Illustrated, PO. Box 470589, Brookline, MA 02447, or to quicktips@americastestkitchen.com.
CO OK
'
s I L L U S T R A TED

SplatterFree Tomato
Crushing
When a recipe calls for crushing
canned whole tomatoes by hand,
things can get messy when the toma
to juice squirts through your fingers
and onto your clothes. Gene Hahn
of Dover, Del., ofers a neat solution.
Pour the tomatoes and their juice
into a medium bowl. Submere the
tomatoes under the juice and then
use your hands to cnsntnem, OHC
at a time. The spray from the tomato
does not have enough force to break
through the surface of the liquid,
keeping the juices contined.
Judging Pineapple Ripeness
Because pi neappl es do not contin
ue to ri pen once they're picked,
Jean Paul Polo of San Juan, Puerto
Rico, uses thi s trick to choose
ri pe pi neappl es when he' s at the
grcery store. With one hand,
gently tug at a l eaf i n the center
of the fruit. If the leaf releases
with l ittle efort, the pi neappl e is
ripe. If the leaf holds fast, choose
a diferent pineapple. Conversely,
avoi d pi neappl es with
dri ed-out leaves
and a fermented
arma-the frui t
may be overripe.)
Better Way to Mince
Anchovies
Tired of the scent anchovi es leave
on his hands afer mi nci ng, Mi chael
Ehl enfeldt of Charl estown, N. H. ,
developed the fol l owing apprach
to el i mi nate di rect contact with
the fl lets.
I . With a fork, remove an anchovy
frm its tin and place it on a work
surface. Use the fork to anchor the
anchovy as you cut the fl l et crss
wise i nto pieces, your hands at a
safe di stance away.
Z. Then, use the si de of the knife
to gently smear the anchovy pi eces
against the work surface. Rock the
knife back and forth to fnely mi nce
the fl l ets.
Giving Pastry the Brush-Of
When rolling out pastry dough,
excess four ofen clings to the dough,
lending an unpleasant, floury taste and
textur to the finished product. LU
flour can also make the pastry tough
if it gets worked into the dough.
Barbara Huf of Bethesda, Md., uses
a pastry brush to sweep excess flour
of the surface of her dough.
Lump-Free Thickening
Adding cornstarch to liquid ingredients when making pudding or pastry
cream can result in lumps. Helen Konz of Pittsford, N.Y, uses the
following method to smoothly blend the thickener into the liquid.
I . Instead of adding the cornstarch by itself to the liquid, mix it with the sugar from
the recipe.
2. Slowly add the cornstarch-sugar mixture to the liquid. The sugar will help the
cornstarch to dissolve without creating any lumps.
Makeshif Pastry Cutter
Arlene Stolley of Dallas, Texas, found
herself in a bind when she was in the
middle of preparing a pie dough rec
ipe and realized it called for a pastry
cutter, a tool she didn't own. With
some creative thinking, she came
up with the idea of using a stif wire
whisk as a substitute tool. By tilting
the bowl and holding the whisk at an
angle, she was able to cut the butter
into the flour.
A Prettier Piece of Pie
Afer Patri ce Sheets of Enumcl aw,
Wash. , hand-washes her pots and
pans, she fnds that a di sh towel i s
never absorbent enough to soak
up al l of the water that tri ckl es
frm the cookware. I nstead of
a towel , she now pl aces a cl ean
terrycl oth bath mat beneath her
di sh rack to catch al l of the dri ps.
The bath mat can be l aundered
and used repeatedly.
Pryi ng out the frst pi ece of pi e usual l y results in a brken, messy sl i ce.
Koji Nakani shi of New York, N.Y., ofers a tri ck to make the frst pi ece as
pretty as the rest.
I .
I . Fol d a 12- by 12-i nch sheet of foi l in
half, then in half agai n to make a 6-i nch
square. Fol d thi s square di agonal ly to form
a triangl e. Press one poi nt of the triangle i nto the
center of the pie pl ate and let the other two poi nts hang over the edge.
Z.Afer baki ng and cool i ng, sl i ce a pi ece of pi e fol l owi ng the l i nes of the
triangl e. Pul l up on the overhang and use a spatul a to l if out the sl i ce.
J U LY c7 A l l ' 1 2
'
Homemade Clip-On
Thermometer
Geof Craig of Northport, N.Y,
wanted to deep-fry a batch of
donuts and coul dn' t fnd the cl i p
for hi s thermometer to attach it to
the si de of the pot. Here' s how he
I .
I . Crumpl e a 12-i nch sheet of
al umi num foi l i nto a rpe.
Z. Wrap one end of the foi l rpe
arund the prbe, di rectly under
the face of the thermometer.
J. Add oil to the pan. Before heat
i ng it, secure the other end of the
foi l to the pot's handl e so that the
prbe i s stabl e and submerged at
the desi red level i n the oi l . (Make
sure that the tip of the prbe does
not touch the bottom of the pot.)
Improving Enchiladas Verdes
The bright taste of their quick-cooking sauce gives enchiladas verdes an edge over
the "red" kind. But not if the sauce is watery and lacks good green chile flavor.
I
n Mexico, enchiladas come in myriad
forms. In this countr, these stufed
and baked corn tortillas are defned
almost exclusively by whether they're
covered in a red sauce or a green one. Red
sauces boast the deep, earthy favor of
dried red chiles, while green sauces feature
the brighter taste of fresh green chiles
and tomatillos, the tangy little tomatolike
fruit that is common in authentic Mexican
cooking. For me, enchiladas topped by
green sauce-enchiladas verdes-are as
perfect a comfort food as any I know,
especially when they include moist, tender
pieces of chicken. I love the way the fresh,
citrusy favors and coarse texture of the
sauce contrast with the richness of chicken
wrapped in sof corn tortillas and topped
with melted cheese.
BY CHA R L ES KEL SEY '
a baking sheet under the broiler, but I found tlut
slicing the poblanos in half and placing them skin
side up under tl1e glowing broiler helped blacken
them more evenly. One taste let me know that I'd
hit the jackpot: Broiling tempered tl1e tartness of
tle tomatillos and brought a near-sweet richness to
the poblanos.
For the home cook, enchiladas verdes
ofer a distnct advantage over red-sauce
versions: To preserve its vibrant favors, the
sauce is relatively quick-cooking. (A great
red sauce, on the otl1er hand, can take the
better part of a day-no small matrer when,
in addition to making the sauce and flling,
Thinly sliced radishes and scallions complement the bright
flavors of tomatillos and green chiles in our Enchiladas Verdes.
It was now time to work on the texture of the
sauce. Whirring the tomatillos and chiles in the
blender made it too smootl1; a few pulses in tl1e food
processor better approximated the coarse, rustic tex
ture produced by a mortar and pestl mytasters
preferred. But I wasn't done yet. In my initial testing,
tasters rejected sauces that were so tl1in and soupy
that tley tured the tortillas to mush. My sauce
was now on the od1er end of the spectrum--overly
thick and pulpy. tried thinning it with a number of
ingredients, including milk, sour cream, and chicken
broth. Dair in any form deadened the bright favors,
but just ' cup of chicken brod1 lent a subtle richness
and thinned tl1e sauce while maintaitung its body.
For fnishing touches, I added a little raw garlic to
enhance the roasted favors and a teaspoon or so of
sugar to deepen the sweetness of tl1e tomatillos.
you've got to prep the tortillas and assemble the
enchiladas themselves.) But willie I've had memorable
enchiladas verdes with chicken in restaurants, I've
never had much success re-creating tl1em at home.
The sauce is ofen too watery and U, the tortillas
mushy, and the flg marred by bland, dried-out
chicken overpowered by cheese. Armed with a stack
of recipes, I headed into the test kitchen to figure out
how to get this Mexican restaurant classic right.
Goi ng Green
My first step was to nail down the sauce. I began my
tests using broad, dark green poblano ches. Poblanos
have nllid to moderate heat and a deep herbal favor
that is far more complex than the straightforward
grassy taste of chiles such as jalapenos or serranos,
making the poblano a popular choice for this kind
of sauce. P for the tomatillos, I decided from the
outset to use fesh instead of carmed to ensure that as
much of their tangy favor as possible made it into the
dish. (Luckily, the fit is increasingly available fesh
year-round in supermarkets across the cow1try. For
tps on how to buy them, see "Tomatillos" at right.)
Next question: What was the best way bring out tl1e
favors of these two key ingredients?
Traditional recipes dry-roast whole tomatillos and
chiles on tl1e stovetop until sof and charred. This
method, which employs a flat cast-iron vessel known
as a cemu/, imparts smokiness and concentrates fa
vor, all the while wicking away excess moisture tl1at
makes for a watery sauce. The blackened skins on the
tomatillos have good flavor, but the chile skins taste
bitter and need to be removed. These ingredients
The Whole Enchilada
In my preliminary test, tasters preferred wlute meat
over dark in tl1e flling, as the nllid-tasting breast
complemented the flavor of the sauce rather than
competing witl1 it. But what was the best memod
for cooking tl1e chicken? With an eye on keeping
me recipe as streamlined as possible, I setted on me
fastest, sin1plest approach: poaching. A brief poach
in plain chicken broth wasn't enough; tasters found
are tlen ground up in a mortar
and pestle to form a sauce. More
! C | | | M ` Tomati l l os
modern recipes skip tle coma! for
sinlliarly fast, intense cooking tech
niques such as sauteing, high-heat
oven-roasting, or broiling and use a
blender or food processor to create
the sauce.
I quickly elinunated sauteing and
oven-roasting from consideration;
neither metl1od added enough
char to create the smokiness I was
looking for. Broiling seemed much
more promising, especially when
I tossed everying with a little
oil to promote the charring. The
tomatillos did fne lef whole on

Called tsmet:si:r4:s(gren tomatoes) in much of Mexico, small gren tomatillos

have a tangier, more citrusy flavor than true green tomatoes. When choosing
tomatillos, look for pale-green orbs with frm flesh that fills and splits open
the fruit's outer papery husk, which must be removed before cooking. Avoid
tomatillos that are too yellow and sof, as these specimens are past their prime
and will taste sour and muted. Canned tomatillos are
a reasonable substitute for fresh, though they WOOC
contribute the same depth of flavor. -C. K.
GR E E N ' N'
GOOD
TOO YE L LOW
' N' M E L LOW
F I N E S TAND- I N
F OR F R E S H
C 0 0 K S | L L U S T R A l | |`
o
REC I P E S HORTHAND I MAKI NG E N C H I LADAS VE R DE S
I . POACH Simmer chicken breasts in a flavored broth. 2. BROI L Broil fresh tomatillos and chiles in the oven to intensif their flavors.
I . Adjust oven racks to mid
dle and hghest positions and heat
broiler. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in
medium saucepan over medium
heat until shimmering; add onion
and cook, stirring frequently,
until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add
2 teaspoons garlic and cumi; cook,
stirring fequently, until fagrant,
about 30 seconds . Decrease heat to
low and stir in broth. Add chicken,
cover, and simmer until instant-read
3. PUREE Puree roasted chiles and tomatillos with poaching liquid. 4. WARM Spray tortillas with cooking spray and briefly heat in oven to sofen.
5. FILL AND ROLL Place flling in center of each tortilla and roll up. 6. ASSEMBLE Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with grated cheese.
me meat, which I'd shredded and chopped into
bite-sized pieces, too bland. Spiking tl1e broth with
sauteed onion, garlic, and cumin before adding tl1e
chicken did the trick, infsing the meat witl1 deeper
favor. In addition, I now had a great-tasting broth I
could use to U the sauce; I reserved ' cup before
discarding the rest.
Many enchilada recipes lard up the flling with
cheese, weighing down the dish. At frst I planned
to leave it out of the flling entirely, but tasters
complained that the dish lacked richness, even witl1
the traditional sprinklng of cheese on top. What if
I added a moderate amount of cheese to the flling?
I tried a few obvious types: pepper Jack, cheddar,
and
)
utse}tsce, a salty, crumbly fresh cheese from
Mexico resembling feta. Though queso fresco might
have bested the others south of the border, it is not a
melting cheese, and my tasters wanted gooeyness in
meir flng. Cheddar lost out to 1 Vz cups of shred
ded pepper Jack, a milder cheese that nonetheless
added a spicy kick. To keep the richness of tle cheese
in check, I added a handfl of chopped cilantro.
Traditionally, corn tortillas are dipped in hot oil
to make them pliable and to keep them from break
ing apart when rolled. I opted for the quicker, less
messy method we've developed in the test kitchen:
spraying the tortillas with vegetable oil and gently
baking them for a few minutes. Once they were sof
and warm, I took them out of the oven, put tl1em
on Uc and proceeded to assemble the
TE CHN I QUE I B ROI L I NG MAKE S
THE D I FFE R E NC E
Quickly charring the tomatillos and chiles under the broiler
intensifes their taste and adds smokiness.
enchiladas: distributing flling in each, rolling them
up, and placing them in a bakig dish before topping
them with sauce and Jack cheese. Quickly baked
until heated through, then served with thinly sliced
scallion, radish slices, and a dollop of sour crean, my
enchiladas verdes were as good as any I'd enjoyed in
my favorite Mexican restaurants.
E NCHI LADAS VE RDE S
S E RVE S 4 TO 6
You can substitute three 1 1 -ounce cans oftomatillos,
drained and rinsed, for the fesh ones in this recipe.
Halve large tomatillos ( more than 2 inches in diam
eter) and place them skin-side up for broiling in step
2 to ensure even cooking and charring. If you can' t
fnd poblanos, substitute 4 large j alapeno chiles ( witl
seeds and ribs removed) . To increase tle spiciness of
tle sauce, reserve some of the chiles' ribs and seeds
and add them to tle food processor in step 3. Serve
enchiladas witl1 our recipe for Mexican Rice, avail
able free at W. cooksillustrated. com/august.
4 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
medi um oni on, chopped medi um
(about I cup)
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
thrugh garl i c press (about I tabl espoon)
7t teaspoon grund cumi n
I7t cups l ow-sodi um chi cken brth
I pound bonel ess, ski nl ess chi cken breasts
(2 to 3 breasts), tri mmed of excess fat
I 7t pounds tomati l l os ( 1 6 to 20 medi um) ,
husks and stems removed, ri nsed wel l
and dri ed (see note)
3 medi um pobl ano chi l es, hal ved l engthwi se,
stemmed, and seeded (see note)
1 -2 7t teaspoons sugar
Tabl e sal t
Grund bl ack pepper
7t cup coarsel y chopped fresh ci l antr l eaves
b ounces pepper Jack or Monterey Jack
cheese, grated (2 cups)
1 2 (6-i nch) corn torti l l as
Garnisb
2 medi um scal l i ons, sl i ced thi n
Thi nly sl i ced radi shes
Sour cream
J U L Y c A U GU S T 2
.
thermometer inserted into thick
est part of chicken registers 1 60 degrees, 1 5 to 20
minutes, flipping chicken halay through cooking.
Transfer chicken to large bowl; place in refigerator to
cool, about 20 minutes. Remove ' cup liquid fom
saucepan and set aside; discard remaining lquid.
2. Meanwhile, toss tomatillos and poblanos with
remaining 2 teaspoons oil; arrange on rimmed bak
ing sheet lined witl foil, with poblanos skin-side up.
Broil until vegetables blacken and start to sofen, 5 to
I Uminutes, rotating pan halfay through cooking.
Cool 1 0 minutes, then remove skin from poblanos
( leave tomatillo skins intact) . Transfer tomatiUos and
chiles to food processor. Decrease oven temperature
to 350 degrees. Discard foil from baking sheet and
set baking sheet aside for warming tortillas.
3. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, remain
ing teaspoon garlic, and reserved cooking liquid to
food processor; process until sauce is somewhat
chunky, about eight ! -second pulses. Taste sauce;
season with salt and pepper and adjust tartness by
stirring in remainig sugar, Vz teaspoon at a time. Set
sauce aside (you should have about 3 cups) .
4. When chicken is cool , pull into shreds using
hands or 2 forks, then chop into small bite-sized
pieces. Combine chicken with cilantro and 1 Vz cups
cheese; season with salt.
5. Smear bottom of 1 3- by 9-inch baking dish
wtl1 % cup tomatillo sauce. Place tortillas on 2 bak
ing sheets. Spray both sides of tortllas lightly with
cooking spray. Bake until tortillas are sof and pliable,
2 to 4 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450
degrees. Place warm tortillas on countertop and
spread '

cup fng down center of each tortlla. Roll

each tortla tghtly and place in baking dish, seam-side
down. Pour remaining tomatllo sauce over top of
enchiladas. Use back of spoon to spread sauce so that
it coats top of each torlla. Sprinkle WUremaining Vz
cup cheese and cover baking dish with foil .
6. Bake enchiladas on middle rack until hcatcd
tlough and cheese is melted, 1 5 to 20 minutes.
Uncover, sprinkle with scallions, and serve immedi
ately, passing radishes and sour cream separately.
COOK' S LI VE Original Test Kitchen Videos
www. c ooks i l l u strated. c om
HOW TO MAKE
Enchiladas Verdes
VI DE O TI P
How to buy and store corn tortillas
Great Grilled Bone- In Chicken Breasts
The key to avoiding the charred skin and dried-out meat that plague
most grilled chicken breasts is all in how you set up the fire.
T
here's a lot to admire about a perfectly
grilled chicken breast. Cooked bone-i n
with the skin on for extra favor and j uici
ness, the smoke- i nfsed meat should be
tender and succulent and the skin golden and crisp.
But don't let the everyday nature of this grill favor
ite fool you: This dish i sn' t that easy to get right.
Burnt, limp skin and soory, parched meat are too
ofen the realiry.
Part of the problem is the inherent difculry of
cooking lean, delicate breast meat over the grill ' s dry,
intense heat. The even bigger issue is that grilling,
by its very nature, is an inexact cooking medium. To
help inject as much precision as possible into the pro
cess, every detail counts, from how much charcoal
you use, to the arrangement of the coal s, to where
you place the meat. But most grilled chicken recipes
forgo a wel l -thought-out approach and focus more
on marinades, sauces, and glazes-all good ways to
cover up tasteless scorched meat, if you ask me. I
have nothing against a grilled chicken breast embel
lished by a sauce, but I want the meat underneath
it to be perfect.
Before even striking a match to the charcoal , I
knew I would need to brine my chicken breasts for
an hour or so before glng. This would help ensure
juicy, seasoned meat tl1roughout and leave me free
to focus solely on the grilling technique.
The Chi cken Dance
Many recipes recommend grilling chicken over a
blazing singl e-level fre where the coals are spread
evenly over the grate. In the test kitchen, we've
learned this approach doesn't work. Fat eventually
starts dripping onto the coals, and before you know
it, you have an inferno on your hands. The only way
to keep things under control is to move tl1e chicken
on and of the grill, dring out the meat and charring
more skin every step of the way. Bui lding what we
call a modified two-level fre was a more promising
technique. Here, all the coals are pushed to one side
of the grill to create a hot area and a cooler area.
Food placed on the cooler si de can cook gently
COOK' S LI VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. cooks i l l u strated. c om
HOW TO MAKE
Gri l l ed Bone- I n Chi cken Breasts
VI DEO TI PS
What i s the best way to cl ean gri l l grates?
How to mi nce thyme
: B Y C H A R LE S K E LS E Y E
The key would be to minimize tem
perature fuctuation as best I could. It
occurred to me that I could tr a trick
we sometmes use when barbecuing large
cuts of meat-overing it with a piece of
foi l before closing tl1e lid. The foil creates
a sort of oven WUIi1 an oven, trapping a
layer of heat against the meat that main
tains a consistent temperatttre. I prepped
the grll by lightng a m chimney's worth
of charcoal (about 100 briquettes) . When
the coals were glowng, I once again
arranged a modifed Dfcvc mc and
replaced the grilgrate to heat it up. Aer
scraping and greasing the grate, I placed
the chicken breasts on tl1e grill' s cooler
half skin-side down ( to better render the
fat) , laying a large sheet offoil over them.
T minutes later, a six of my chcken
breasts were either ready or ver close to
ready to come of tl1e grill. My timing
issues solved, I now had meat tl1at was
uniformly tender and juicy, with good
[
rhcO flavor. I also had a new problem:
skin that was too fabby.
Easy as | -2-3
A modi fi ed two- l evel fi re produces j ui cy meat and gol den ski n.
My only choice was to start the breasts
over the coals. Risking flare-ups, I tried
lightly browning m sOcs OtU cDickcn
on the grill's hot side, keeping it tl1ere
for a total of less U 1 0 minutes before
moving it to tl1e cooler side. This short
exposure to direct heat helped crisp me
tl1rough indirect heat witl1 the cover on, with no
risk of fare-ups.
I put the indirect-heat technique to tl1e test,
careful ly arranging tl1e breasts i n a tidy row witl1
tl1e thicker side facing the fire to promote even
cooking. Tasters praised tl1e chicken for its "gril led"
favor and minimal char-an encouraging step in me
right direction. However, tl1e metl1od was far from
perfect. Even though I used breasts of equal size
and weight, each cooked at a diferent rate-some
took 20 minutes, otl1ers as long as 40. Because a
grill's heat is always in fl ux, witl1 cool and hot spots
throughout its i nterior, I knew I 'd never get all the
chicken breasts to cook at exactly the same rate no
matter what I did. But I wanted them to at least
cook at a similar rate.
C | | J b 5 I L L U S T R A T E D
d
skin and kept fare- ups to a minimum.
But tl1e results didn't flly satsf my tasters. I couldn't
keep the breasts over the coals any longer at me beg
rung of glng or I'd be back where I started, but
what about at tl1e end of cooking? I took out a new
batch of breasts, started tlem on the hot side, moved
them to the cooler side w1til they were 90 percent
done, then back to the hot side to fish cooking. This
three-step dance was a success. Because the coals had
cooled down and chicken had rendered most of its Lt,
tl1e %gently crisped and turned golden, Wdered
by any violent flare-ups.
To accommodate tasters who love a glaze witl1
tl1eir grilled chicken, I developed a few variations.
But even witl1 such embellishment, there was no
question that my tender, j uicy chicken, with its crisp
golden skin, was the true star.

G REAT G RI LLE D B ONE - I N C H I C KE N B REAS TS

I . START ON HOT S I DE
Cook chi cken on al l si des over
hotter part of gri l l until l ightl y
browned.
2. MOVE TO COOL S I DE
Move chi cken, ski n-si de down, to
gri l l 's cool er half, with thi cker si de
facing coal s. Cover wi th foi l .
3. F I NI SH ON HOT S I DE
To fni sh, return chi cken to hotter
side of gri l l and cook on both si des
unti l ski n i s brown and cri sp.
CHARCOAL- GRI LLED
BONE - I N CHI CKEN BREASTS
S E RVE S 6
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tri mmed of excess fat and skin (see note)
Grund black pepper
Vegetabl e oi l for cooki ng grate
reci pe gl aze (reci pes fol l ow; opti onal )
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ORANGE- CHI POTLE GLAZE
MAKE S ABOUT A CUP
t
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smal l shal l ot, mi nced (about l tabl espoon)
1 -2 chi potl e chi l es i n adobo sauce, mi nced
(I to 2 tabl espoons)
2 teaspoons mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
tabl espoon l i ght mol asses
teaspoon cornstarh
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J U L Y c A U C U S T 28
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Q U | | H M 1 1 1 | M G .
Barbecue Mi tts
A good barbecue mi tt bl ocks heat but doesn' t
i mpede your abi l ity to pi ck up food. Choosi ng one,
however, i sn' t a straightforard proposi ti on. Mi tts
come i n a dizzying array of fabrics, from treated cot
ton, l eather, and rawhi de to high-tech materials such
as neoprene, Kevlar, Nomex, and si l i cone.
Testers hel d mitt-clad hands over a 600-degre
gri l l to assess heat resistance in the eight styles i n our
l i neup, then fl i pped zucchi ni sl i ces with tongs to evalu
ate dexterity. A few mitts made frm high-tech fabrics
became burni ng hot and made our hands sweaty in
seconds, whi l e some trated-coton mitts wer so slick
the tongs sl i pped from our grasp. For compl ete testing
results, go to www.cooksi l l ustrated. com/august.
-El izabeth Bomze and Li ndsay McSweeney
HAN DS - DOWN FAVORI TE
GRI LL L I F E Leather Gri l l Gl oves
Price: $ ' z 7per pair
Comments: These 1 8-i nch l eather
gl oves kept our hands and
arms cool and wel l
protected. Ofered ni ce
control when pi cki ng up food.
RU N N E R - UP
CHARCOAL COMPANI ON
Fl ame Resi stant BBQ Mitt
Pri ce: $8. 75 per mi tt
Comments: Thi s treated
cotton mi tt kept our hands cool
and performed wel l i n dexterity testi ng. Fl are-ups
scorched but di d not burn the mi tt.
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Reviving the Original Drive- In Burger
Sixy years ago, drive-in burgers were synonymous with freshly ground high-quality beef.
Today they mean tasteless mass-produced paties. We wanted to bring back the genuine article.
A
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Better Beef for
a Better Burger
BY J KEN J I A L T E
'

il

A soft bun and gooey mel ted Ameri can cheese are i deal
compl ements to our burger' s craggy texture.
Chucki ng Out the Chuck
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Chuck is the usual choice for burgers. For the best flavor and tender jui cy
texture, we opted for to better cuts of beef sirloin steak tips (right),
which contribute big meaty taste, and well-marbled boneless shor ribs
(lef), which lend the ft that keeps the burgers juicy. For best results, buy
ribs with at least as much ft as the rib i n the photo.
C O O K
'
S I L LU S T R I T E D
| |
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Getti ng the Perfect Gri nd
S TE P - BY- STE P I KEYS TO LOOS E LY PAC K E D PATTI E S
I . FREEZE
Chi l l meat i n freezer, separating
cubes by at l east zz i nch. unti l frm
but sti l l pl i abl e, | b to z!mi nutes.
Pul se meat i n food processor.
2. SPREAD AND DI VI DE
Spread chopped meat over baki ng
sheet and remove any lare chunks
or stringy connective ti ssue. Gentl y
separate meat i nto pi l es.
3. SHAPE
Wi thout l ifi ng or compressi ng,
gentl y form meat i nto thi n patties
with rough edges and textured
surace.
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l0 ounces si rl oi n steak ti ps, cut i nto l -i nch chunks
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6 ounces bonel ess beef short ri bs,
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Kosher sal t and grund bl ack pepper
tabl espoon unsalted butter
4 soft hamburger buns (see note)
zt teaspoon vegetabl e oi l
4 sl i ces Ameri can cheese
Thi nl y sl i ced oni on
reci pe Cl assi c Burger Sauce (reci pe fol l ows)
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CLASSI C BURGE R SAUCE
MAKE S AB OUT '+ CUP
2 tabl espoons mayonnai se
tabl espoon ketchup
zt teaspoon sweet pi ckl e rel i sh
zt teaspoon sugar
zt teaspoon white vi negar
z teaspoon grund bl ack pepper
YSK J H_tCUCHIS IO_CICt HSmJUOW.
JiCOOK' S LI VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ooks i l l u st r at ed. c om
HOW TO MAKE
UNDERPROCESSED OVERPROCESSED GROUND TO PERFECTI ON
Best Ol d-Fashi oned Burgers
VI DEO TI PS
Underprcessed meat wi l l lead to gristly bits in the fi ni shed burgers and patties that don' t hol d together.
Overprcessed meat becomes rubbery and dense as it cooks. Perfectly grund meat contai ns pi eces that
are fi ne enough to ensure tenderness but coarse enough that the patty wi l l stay l oose.
J U L Y c A U C U S T 28
!
What i s the best ski l l et?
How to prepare the patties
Rescuing Summer Vegetable Gratin
Layering summer's best vegetables into a gratin can lead to a memorable side dish
or a watery regret This French casserole deserves better.
W
hen summer yi el ds a
bumper crop of zuc
chi ni and tomatoes, I
ofen consider making a
simple, Provenr; al - style vegetable gratin.
I imagine a golden brown, cheesy top
ping providing a rich contrast to the fresh,
bright favor of the vegetables. Then real
ity interrupts: As they cook, j uicy vegeta
bles exude a torrent of liquid that washes
away flavors, turning my idyllic side dish
into a squishy, soggy mistake.
There are plenty of vegetable gratin
recipes out there, and I spent a day in the
test kitchen trying a few, hoping to fid
the one of my dreams. But it wasn't meant
to be-most were so fl ooded that I had
to serve them with a slotted spoon. One
even called for half of a loaf of sourdough
bread to be layered among the vegetables,
presumably to soak up some of the j uices.
But it didn' t work. Even with + cups of
spongy bread cubes, a deluge ofliquid still
ruined the dish. And with the release of
K L L C C ^ l ^ b F
juices, along went the favor-the gratins Our grati n rel eases j ust a l i ttl e fl avorful l i qui d as i t bakes.
were hopelessly bland and watery.
Testi ng the Waters
Before I could outline a dehydration plan, I had to
determine exactly which vegetables to include. Afer
some experimentation, I decided to stick with a fairly
typical combination of tomatoes, zucchini, and sum
mer squash. The other common choices, eggplant
and bell peppers, fell short. Eggplant was simply too
mushy and spongy, and red, yellow, and orange bell
peppers looked pretty but took on a steamed favor
unless tl1ey were roasted before being added to the
gratin. (The roasted peppers, on the other hand,
tasted great and are worth the extra efort, so I used
them in a recipe variation. )
My first move was to bake the casserole uncov
ered. The practce of covering the gratin with foil
during baking ( recommended by most recipes to
speed cooking) was keeping too much moisture i n.
Tllis was a step in the right direction, but my gratin
was still waterlogged. To rid the zucchiti and squash
of some of their precooking methods such as
grilling, broiling, or sauteing came to mind. Wile
these methods were workable, I didn't want to
spend all day at the grill, oven, or stove just to make
a mere side dish. Salting, a tecrique fequently
used to draw moisture from vegetables, made
more sense. This method worked like a charm on
the zucchini and summer squash, drying them out
and thoroughly seasoning them as well . The toma
toes, however, were still exudit1g more liquid than
I wanted. Should I go one step frther and remove
their watery j elly and seeds before salting them?
To my surprise, when I tried tlis, the gratin
lacked deep tomato favor. I wanted to make
sure my results weren' t a fuke, so I prepared two
gratins-ne with salted seedless tomatoes and
one with salted tomatoes with the seeds and jelly
intact-and tasted them side by side. The gratin
made with tomatoes that had j elly and seeds was
signifcantly richer and fller in favor than the one
without them. Afer some research, I learned why:
These two components contaill far more favorfl
glutamate compounds than tl1e tomato fesh ( see
"Keeping the Taste in Tomatoes, " page 13). If I
wanted a gratin with it1tense tomato flavor, it was
actually in my best interest to leave the jelly and seeds
in, even if it meant a little extra liquid in the dish.
In my testing, I found the spots where the edges
of the tomatoes peeked through the layers of zucchii
were particularly good, havlg taken on tle appeal
ing qualties of oven-roasted tomatoes . To capitalize
on tlls efect, I remodeled the architecture of the
casserole, movillg the tomatoes to a smgle top layer
where they could really roast and caramelize. This
worked well, especially when I drizzled tl1e tomatoes
with an aromatic garlic-thyme oil . The fagrant oi
I . Toss sal ted zucchi ni and squash i n
hal f of garl i c-thyme oi l , then arrange i n
greased baki ng di sh.
2. Spread caramel ized oni ons i n even layer 3. Sl ightl y overl ap sal ted tomatoes in 4. When vegetabl es are tender, spri nkl e
gratin wi th bread-crumb mixture, then
bake unti l gol den brown.
on top of zucchi ni and squash. si ngl e layer on top of oni ons, then top
wi th remai ni ng garl i c-thyme oi l .
C O OK
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C | M C X | k | H M 1 .
Keepi ng the Taste i n
Tomatoes
Removing the seeds from tomatoes i s a common
praaice intended to i mprove the texture of a fi ni shed
di sh. But how does that afect flavor?
EXPERI MENT
We prepared two grati ns,
one made wi th i ntact toma
toes and another where
the tomato seeds and j el l y
had been removed.
RESULTS
The gratin wi th the intact
tomatoes had a deci dedl y
richer, deeper flavor than its
stripped-down counterpart.
EXPLANATI ON
Accordi ng to a study publ i shed
i n the ]surne/s],r|:u/ture/
en4 Fss4 Ch:m|(, that's
because the seeds and j el l y
aaually contain three ti mes the
STR I P P E D
AWAY
amount of flavor-enhanci ng gl utami c aci d as the
fl esh. (Thi s i s the compound that suppl i es the savory
qual ity known as umami in many foods. ) So the
next ti me a reci pe calls for removing the seeds from
tomatoes, you may want to ignore the i nstructi ons.
You' l l be saving ti me--and flavor -R. H.
was so good that I decided to toss the zucchini and
squash i n i t as wel l .
To add complexity, I inserted a layer of cara
melized onions between the zucchini/squash and
tomato layers and sprinkled d1e gratin wid1 Parmesan
bread crumbs. When my gratin came out of me oven
leaking very litde juice, I knew my rescue mission
was a success.
S UMME R VEGETABLE GRATI N
S E RVES 6 T O d A S A S I D E D I S H OR 4 A S A L I GHT E NTRE E
The success of this recipe depends on good -quality
produce. Buy zucchini and sUer squash of roughly
d1e same diameter. While we like d1e visual connast
zucchini and summer squash bring to d1e dish, you
can also use just one or the od1er. A similarly sized
broiler-safe gratin dish can be substituted for the
1 3- by 9-inch baking dish. Serve me gratin alongside
grilled fi sh or meat and accompanied by bread to soak
up any flavorfl juices.
@COOK' S LI VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ook s i l l u st r at ed . c om
HOW TO MAKE
Summer Vegetabl e Grati n
Roasted Bel l Peppers
VI DEO TI P
Why do I need to sal t some vegetabl es?
6 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
pound zucchi ni , ends tri mmed and sl i ced
crsswi se i nto \- i nch-thi ck sl i ces (see note)
pound yel l ow summer squash, ends tri mmed
and sl i ced crsswi se i nto \-i nch-thi ck sl i ces
(see note)
2 teaspoons tabl e sal t
I V2 pounds ri pe tomatoes (3 to 4l arge),
sl i ced 7 i nch thi ck
2 medi um oni ons, hal ved l engthwi se and sl i ced
thi n pol e to pol e (about 3 cups)
teaspoon grund bl ack pepper
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
thrugh garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
tabl espoon mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
l arge sl i ce white sandwi ch bread,
torn i nto quarters
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about I cup)
2 medi um shal l ots, mi nced (about 7 cup)
z cup chopped fresh basi l l eaves
. Adj ust oven rack to upper-middle position and
heat oven to +degrees. Brush 3 by 9- inch bak
ing dish wid1 tablespoon oil ; set aside.
Z. Toss zucchini and summer squash slices wid1
! teaspoon salt in l arge bowl ; transfer to colander
set over bowL Let stand until zucchini and squash
release at least 3 tablespoons of liquid, about +o min
utes. Arrange slices on triple layer paper towel s; cover
wid1 another triple layer paper towel s. Firmly press
each slice to remove as much liquid as possi bl e.
3 . Place tomato slices in single layer on doubl e
l ayer paper towels and sprinkl e evenl y with 1/
teaspoon salt; let stand 30 minutes. Place second
doubl e l ayer paper towels on top of tomatoes and
press frmly to dry tomatoes.
+. Meanwhi l e, heat tablespoon oi l i n I 2-i nch
nonstick skillet over medium heat unti l shi mmering.
Add onions, remaining 1/ teaspoon salt, and l
teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until
onions are sofened and dark golden brown, Z to
25 mi nutes. Set onions aside.
o . Combine garl ic, 3 tablespoons oi l , remaining
'z teaspoon pepper, and d1yme in small bowL In
large bowl , toss zucchini and summer squash in half
of oil mixture, d1en arrange in greased baking dish.
Arrange caramelized onions in even layer over squash.
Sl ighdy overlap tomato slices in single l ayer on top
of onions. Spoon remaining garlic-oil mixture evenly
over tomatoes. Bake until vegetables are tender and
tomatoes are starti ng brown on edges, + to
+o mi nutes.
6. Meanwhi l e, process bread in food processor
until fnely ground, about U seconds. (You shoul d
have about cup crumbs . ) Combine bread crumbs,
remai ning tablespoon oi l , Parmesan, and shal lots i n
medi um bowL Remove baki ng di sh fom oven and
increase heat to +odegrees. Sprinkle bread-crumb
mixture evenl y on top of tomatoes. Bake gratin
until bubbl i ng and cheese is lighdy browned, o to
mi nutes. Spri nkle wid1 basil and let sit at room
temperature minutes before servi ng.
I | | Y c ^ | | l' : 1 2
|
Q U | | H M 1 1 1 | M G .
Broi l er-Safe Grati n Di shes
As a n al l -purpose baki ng di sh, Pyrex hol ds its
own-it was the first di sh we turned to for baking
our grati n. But it has one main drawback: Pyrex
is not broi l er-safe, a necessary feature for melti ng
cheese on many casserol es. As alternatives to Pyrex,
we tested three broi l er-safe baki ng di shes of si mi lar
size (around 3 quarts) made of cl ay or porcel ai n. All
produced wel l -browned, evenl y cooked food and
each sported lare, easy-gri p handl es for troubl e
free maneuveri ng. -El i zabeth Bomze
H I G H LY R E COM M E N D E D
E MI LE HE NRY 3-Quart Grati n Di sh
Pi ce: $! 7 !
Comments: Thi s heavy-duty cl ay casserol e di sh is
a great, broi l er-safe al ternative to gl assware Pyrex.
R E COM M E N D E D
REVOL ECLI PSE 3 V2 -Quart Graphite Baker
Pri ce: $/7 7!
Comments: Large ofset handl es make thi s pricey
charcoal -col ored casserol e di sh easy to transfer
i nto and out of the oven; its porcel ai n fni sh i s a
ci nch to cl ean.
ALL- CLAD Porel ai n 3 \-Quart Baker
wi th Stai nl ess Steel Trivet
Pri ce: $77 7!
Comments: Thi s shal l ow porcel ai n pan browns
food ni cel y and cl eans up easi l y, but wi thout its
trivet, the handl es are ski mpy.
S UMME R VEGETABLE G RATI N
WI TH ROASTE D P E P P E RS AND
S MOKE D MOZZARE LLA
For our free recipe for Roasted Bel l Peppers, go to
M. cooksi l l usu-ated. com/august.
Follow recipe for Summer Vegetable Gratin, substi
tuting + ounces shredded smoked mozzarella ( l cup)
for Parmesan and ; roasted red peppers, skinned and
cut i nto l -inch pieces, for summer squash ( do not salt
roasted peppers ) .
Better Griled Sausages with Onions
This classic pairing sounds tailor- made for t he grill. But the reality is usual ly onions that are
both crunchy and charred and sausages that either dry out or-even worse-catch fi re.

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STE P - BY- S TE P A B ETTE R METH OD F OR G RI L L I NG SAUSAG E S AN D ONI ONS
I . MI CROWAVE ONI ONS
Mi crowave oni ons to j ump-start cooki ng
and ensure uni forml y tender texture.
2. TOP ONI ONS WI TH
SAUSAGES
Pl aci ng sausages on top of hot oni ons i n
al umi num pan al l ows thei r rendered fat to
flavor oni ons.
3. PLACE FOI L- COVERED PAN
ON HOT GRI LL
Cooki ng oni ons in foi l -covered pan makes
them tender, not crunchy.
C | |' K : | | | |' : | ^ l l l
| 4
OVE R COALS
With most of thei r fat rendered, sausages
can fni sh cooki ng over coal s with l i ttl e risk
of flare-ups.
b M ` Coarse- Grai n Mustard
Mustard afi ci onados argue that the coarse-grai ned condi
ment i mproves any ham sandwich or gri l l ed sausage--unl ess
you pi ck the wrong jar. The fate of our l unch at stake, we
sampl ed | | brands.
Tasters appreciated spi ci ness, rangi ness, and the pl eas
ant pop of seeds. They di sl i ked mustards with superfl uous
ingredi ents such as xanthan gum, artifi ci al flavors, and
garl i c and oni on powders. But the more noteworthy fac
tor turned out to be salt. Mustards with a meager quantity
(such as Westbrae) ranked low, whi l e the wi nners contai ned
roughl y twi ce as much of thi s flavor ampl i fer. Tyi ng for
first pl ace, both the fami l i ar "nasal -cl eari ng" Grey Poupon
Country Di j on and the newer, "poppi er" Grey Poupon
Harest Coarse Ground make good pantry stapl es. For
compl ete tasting resul ts, go to www. cooksi l l ustrated.
com/august. -El i zabeth Bomze
H I G H LY RE COM ME N D E D
GREY POUPON
Harvest Coarse Grund Mustard
Price: $3. 79 for 8 oz.
Comments: Thi s mustard boasts "a real
burst of mustard flavor" with "big, round,
crunchy seeds, " "good heat, " and just enough vi negar.
GREY POUPON
Country Dijon Mustard
Price: $3. 79 for 8 oz.
Comments: Tasters noted this "cl assi c, "
"moderately coarse" mustard with
"wasabi -l i ke heat" was parti cul arly
suited to gri l l ed sausage.
skillet, but i n j ust + minutes . I then layered the raw
sausages over the hot onions i n the disposable pan
and placed the pan on the gri l l . This time around,
all the onions were perfectly soft and tender. To
deepen their favor, I allowed them to caramelize
i n the pan on the grill for an extra 5 to 10 minutes
after taking the sausages of.
With only a little more work than it takes to throw
links on the fire, I now had j uicy, browned, grilled
sausages and sweet caramelized onions as good as
any I 've eaten in the shadow of Fenway Park.
CHARCOAL- GRI LLED
SAUSAGES WI TH ONI ONS
S E RVE S 4
This recipe vwork with any raw, uncooked sausage.
Serve sausages as is or in toasted buns.
2 large oni ons, hal ved and cut pol e to pol e
i nto 1- i nch-thi ck sl i ces
teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
V2 teaspoon tabl e salt
V teaspoon grund black pepper
1 3- by 9-i nch di sposabl e al umi num rasti ng pan
2 pounds sweet or hot Ital i an sausages
(8 to 1 2 l i nks) (see note)
! . Light large chimney starter fi lled with charcoal
(6 quarts, or about 1 00 briquettes) and allow to
bur until coals are fully ignited and partially cov
ered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Build
single- level fire by arranging coals evenly across bot
tom of gri l l . Positi on cooking grate over coals, cover
grill , and heat until grate is hot, about 5 minutes;
scrape grate clean with grill brush.
2. Meanwhile, combine onions, thyme, salt, and
pepper i n medium microwave-safe bowl . Cover
with plastic wrap and microwave on high power
until onions begin to sofen and tips ntrn slightly
translucent, + to 6 minutes, stirri ng once halfay
through cooking ( be careful of steam) . Transfer
onions to disposable roasting pan. Place sausages
i n single layer over onions and wrap roasting pan
tightly with foi l .
;. Place roasting pan in center of grill , cover grill,
and cook 15 minutes. Move pan to one side of grill
and carefl y remove foil cover. Using tongs, place
sausages on grate directly over coals. Grill sausages,
uncovered, turning evet 1 to 2 minutes, until golden
brown on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer sausages
to platter and loosely tent witl 1 foiL Cover grill and
continue cooking onions, stirring occasionally, until
liquid evaporates and onions begin to brown, 5 to
10 minutes longer. Serve sausages, passing onions
separately.
GAS- GRI L L E D SAUSAGE S WI TH ONI ONS
Follow recipe for Charcoal - Grilled Sausages with
Onions, turing all burners to medi um-high and
heating grill with lid down until very hot, about 1 5
mi nutes. Scrape grate clean witl grill brush. Proceed
from step 2, grilling sausages with lid down.
GRI L L E D SAUSAGES
WI TH PEPPERS AND ONI ONS
Fol low recipe for Charcoal - Grilled Sausages with
Onions through step I . I n step 2, omi t thyme and
add ; seeded and quartered medi um red bell pep
pers to roasti ng pan al ong wi th sausages. In step
; transfer pepper pieces directly over coals with
sausages and cook, turning once, unti l charred
patches form, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove peppers
with sausages and continue to cook onions as
directed.
GRI LLED BRATWURST
WI TH SAUE RKRAUT AND APPL E S
Follow recipe for Charcoal- Grilled Sausages with
Onions through step I . In step 2, omit onions and
thyme and combine ; peeled and coarsely shred
ded medium Granny Smitl1 apples, 2 cups drained
sauerkraut, and l2 teaspoon minced fesh sage leaves
i n roasting pan ( do not microwave before adding to
pan) . Replace sausages wit1 2 pounds bratwurst. Put
bratwurst on top of sauerkraut mixture and cook as
directed i n step ; .
J U LY c7 A U C U S T 2 08
| '
b M L | M - Fresh Sausage
For gri l l i ng, l i nks are better than l ong coi l s, whi ch
cook unevenl y on the gri l l . We al so avoi d precooked
sausages (these ofen come in shri nk-wrapped pack
ages), as gri l l i ng tends to dry them out and turn thei r
texture meal y. Here are some of the most common
types of l i nks you' l l fnd at the supermarket.
SWEET OR HOT I TALI AN SAUSAGE
Sweet versi ons of thi s pork sausage are flavored
with fennel seeds. whi l e the hot ki nd i s spi ked with
chi l es. Both types have a meaty flavor that makes
them great for gri l l i ng, but they're also very fatty
and shoul d be careful l y monitord when gri l l ed
di rectly over the coal s (even afer pre
cooki ng) to avoi d flare-ups.
FRESH BRATWURST
Authenti c versi ons of these
pal e, mi l d German sausages made from
pork and veal have a smooth, al most
emul sifi ed texture, wi th al l the
fat bl ended thoroughl y wi th
the meat, hel pi ng to reduce
fl are-ups.
FRESH CHI CKE N SAUSAGE
Because chi cken sausages tend to b e l ean, we pre-
fer varieties that contai n cheese. The extra fat hel ps
keep the sausage from dryi ng out on
the gri l l and doesn' t add to the
ri sk of flare-ups.
FRESH POLI SH
SAUSAGE
The thi cker casi ngs of these mi l d pork sausages
mean they may need a l i ttl e more ti me over
the coals to ensure ful l y cooked
i nteri ors. The smoked, dri ed
versi on, cal l ed ki el basa,
usual l y comes pre
cooked and shoul d be
avoi ded when gri l l i ng.
GR I LL E D SAUSAGE WI TH F E NNE L
Folow recipe for Charcoal-Grilled Sausages vm
Onions tough step 1 . In step 2, substtute 2
tl y sliced, cored fennel bulbs for 1 onion and
2 tablespoons minced fetmel fonds for thyme, micro
waving as directed. Contnue wth recipe as drected.
!COOK' S LI VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ook s i l l u str at ed . c o m
HOW TO MAKE
Gri l l ed Sausages wi th Peppers and Oni ons
VI DE O TI PS
Starting a fire in a charcoal gri l l
How to sl i ce fennel
Tong pri mer
How to Keep Produce Fresher Longer
Proper storage i s the key to l onger- l asti ng fru i ts and vegetabl es . c1 c ' . '. ` ` c '
Most peopl e tend to treat al l fruits and vegetabl es the same, fitti ng them wherever there' s room i n the fri dge. The
real ity i s, diferent types of produce have diferent storage requi rements. Some need to be pl aced i n the col dest
part of the refrigerator, some need humi dity, and some don' t need to be chi l l ed at al l . Stori ng your produce under
the appropri ate condi ti ons i s the key to prol ongi ng i ts shel f l ife.
We ofen thi nk of our refrigerator as havi ng a si ngl e temperature: around 34 degrees Fahrenhei t, the average
temperature recommended for a home refrigerator. In fact, every refrigerator has its own mi crocl i mates, wi th
warmer, cool er, and more humi d zones. When we hooked up a speci al devi ce to one of our refrigerators i n the
test ki tchen to moni tor temperatures i n vari ous l ocati ons, we found that temperature ranged from as l ow as 33
degrees t o as high as 43. You can make thi s temperature vari ati on work t o your advantage by l earni ng whi ch
fruits and veggi es do best where.
Ethyl ene: Enemy of Freshness
As produce ri pens, i t emits smal l amounts of the
ri peni ng hormone ethyl ene. I f ethyl ene i s al l owed
to bui l d up (i n the cl osed envi ronment of a pl asti c
bag, for exampl e, or a cri sper) , the gas wi l l activate
enzymes that break down and soften the cel l wal l s of
produce, speedi ng moi sture loss and spoi l age. Most
storage techni ques are desi gned to sl ow the produc
ti on of ethyl ene or mi tigate i ts i mpact.
When to Wash
Wi th the excepti on of berri es (see " Better Berry
Treatment, " page 1 7) , i t' s best to wash produce j ust
before you use i t. Moi sture promotes the growth of
mol d, whi ch i n turn causes spoi l age. I f you do wash
ahead of ti me, make sure to dry the produce thor
oughl y before stori ng.
COLD ZONE: BACK, TOP TO MI DDLE
The top and mi ddl e shel ves at the back of the fri dge
are normal l y the col dest, wi th temperatures that can
di p bel ow 34 degrees. Frui ts and vegetabl es that are
not prone to chi l l - i nj ury shoul d be stored here.
MODERATE ZONE: FRONT, MI DDLE
TO BOTTOM
The areas at the front of our refrigerator, from
the mi ddl e to the bottom shel ves, were the most
moderate, wi th temperatures above 37 degrees. Put
fruits and vegetabl es that need refri gerati on but are
sensi ti ve to chi l l -i nj ury here.
HUMI D ZONE: CRI SPER DRAWER
Cri spers provi de a humi d envi ronment that hel ps
keep produce wi th a hi gh water content from
shri vel i ng and rotti ng. However, i f the humi di ty i s
too hi gh, water can bui l d up on frui ts and vegetabl es
and hasten spoi l age. You can regul ate humi di ty by
adj usti ng the vents; the more col d ai r that i s l et i n,
the l ess humi d the envi ronment.
I t's a Wrap
In general , i t' s a good i dea to store produce in the
packagi ng i n whi ch i t was sol d. Someti mes ready-made
packaging has a functi on beyond si mpl e conveni ence
and can actual l y hel p to preserve the contents. For
exampl e, though they appear sol i d, the bags i n whi ch
spi nach and other greens are now sol d are made of
a pol ymer that al l ows ri peni ng gases to pass through
freel y (see " Ethyl ene: Enemy of Freshness, " lef) , stav
ing of spoi l age. Other types of packagi ng ofen fea
ture smal l perforati ons or other openi ngs
(such as the bags in whi ch cel ery is
sol d) ; here, too, the i ntent is
to all ow gases to escape
whi l e al so protecti ng
the produce from the
dryi ng efects of ai r.
L \ l | 5 l | L L 5 1 K A 1 L
| o
WHERE TO STORE PRODUCE
Keep i n the Frnt of t he Fri dge
These i tems are sensi ti ve to chi l l - i nj ury and shoul d be
pl aced in the front of the fri dge, where the temperatures
tend to be hi gher.
Berri es
Ci trus
Corn on the cob
Mel ons
Peas
Best in the Cri sper
These i tems do best i n the humi d envi ronment of the
crisper.
Arti chokes Chi l es Mushroms
Asparagus Cucumbers Peppers
Beets Eggpl ant Radi shes
Brccol i Fresh herbs Scal l i ons
Cabbage Green beans Summer squash
Carrts Leafy greens Turni ps
Caul i fl ower Leeks Zucchi ni
Cel ery Lettuce
Chi l l Anywhere
These items are not prone to chi l l - i njur and can be
stored anywhere in the fridge (i ncl udi ng its col dest zones).
provi ded the temperture doesn' t freeze them.
Appl es
Cherri es
Grapes
On the Counter
Some produce i s sensi ti ve to chi l l - i nj ury and i s subj ect
to dehydrati on, i nternal browni ng, and/ or i nternal and
external pi tti ng if stored in the refrigerator.
Apri cots
Avocados*
Bananas
Ki wi s*
Mangos
Nectari nes
Papayas
Peaches
Pears
Pi neappl e
Pl ums
*Once they've reached thei r peak ri peness, these fruits
can be stored in the refrigerator to prevent overri pen
i ng, but some di scol orati on may occur.
In the Pantry
The fol l owi ng produce shoul d be kept at cool room
temperature and away from l ight to prevent sprouti ng
( i n the case of potatoes) and to prol ong shel f l ife.
Garl i c
Oni ons
Potatoes
Shal l ots
Sweet potatoes
Wi nter squash
MC|D NCCQC|
Because stores sel l fresh herbs i n l arger bundl es than cal l ed for
i n most reci pes. we are al ways i nterested in fi ndi ng new ways
to maxi mize the shel f l i fe of l efovers. In the test ki tchen. our
preferred method for stori ng herbs has been to wrap them i n
a damp paper towel . then pl ace them i n a
pl asti c bag in the refrigerator. However,
that changed when we found the Herb
Keeper ($ 1 2. 99). an acryl i c cani ster
that hol ds l ong-stemmed herbs
upright i n water. I t has a rubber l i d
and a removabl e bottom pi ece that
can be unscrewed to refi l l wi th fresh
water every three to four days. The j ar fits
i nsi de refri gerator door shel ves. maki ng
i t easy to store. Compared
with our standard storage
method, we found that
the Herb Keeper added
three to four days to an
herb' s l ife.
NCCQ| D_ LCttuCC L|| 8Q
_ When l ettuce and other l eaf greens come i n bags. store them i n thei r ori gi nal packagi ng (see
"I t' s a Wrap, " page ' ) . Store l ettuce wi thout packagi ng as fol l ows.
I . SHORT-TERM STORAGE Wash and dry
l ettuce. then l i ne the empty sal ad spi nner wi th
paper towel s. Layer i n the l ettuce. coveri ng
each l ayer wi th addi ti onal paper towel s.
CttC| C||y |CtDCDt
2. LONGER-TERM STORAGE Loosel y rol l
the washed and dri ed lettuce i n a kitchen towel
or paper towel s and then pl ace i nsi de a large
zi pper-l ock bag; leave the bag open to al l ow gases
to escape. Lettuce wi l l keep for up to one week.
Whi l e damp berri es turn mushy faster than dry berri es. we've di scovered that cl eani ng with a mi l d
vi negar sol uti on and careful l y dryi ng destroys bacteri a and mol d spores, extendi ng a berry's l ife.

YtC|TCu|bQC|8
Asparagus stored i n the fri dge can qui ckl y dry out and become
tough. To keep spears tender and flavorful . tri m the ends and
store them upri ght i n cool water. Li mp broccol i
cel ery benefit from the same treatment.
I . Wash the berri es i n a bowl wi th 3 cups water
and I cup white vi negar. Drai n in a col ander and
2. Place the berri es in a salad spi nner l i ned with
three layers of paper towel s. Spi n for I S seconds
or until the berri es are compl etel y dry. Store i n a ' ri nse under runni ng water.
:
l oosel y covered paper towel-l i ned contai ner .
. . . . . . ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCCQ| D_ LC|D bwCCt
The general rul e wi th corn i s to eat i t the same day you buy i t. as its sugars start converti ng to
starches as soon as i t i s harvested. causi ng the corn to l ose sweetness. Never refrigerate corn
wi thout wrappi ng it-and l etti ng i t si t on the counter i s worse sti l l .
I . Wrap the unshucked corn i n a wet paper bag 2. Pl ace the wet paper bag in a pl asti c bag
to slow down the conversion from sugar to starch. (any shoppi ng bag wi l l do) and refrigerate.
) L L 1 c A L C L 5 1 2 08
| .
PRODUCE FOUNTAI N OF YOUTH?
Two products now i n the produce ai sl es of some supermarkets
cl ai m to sl ow the aging process of greens as wel l as fruits and
other vegetabl es. One i s Evert-Fresh Green Bags. green pl astic
bags used to store produce; the other i s Extralife. green pl astic
di sks that are tossed i nto the cri sper drawer. Both products use a
mi neral cal l ed zeol ite that is sai d to absorb ethyl ene. the ri peni ng
gas emitted by most fruits and vegetabl es (see " Ethyl ene: Enemy
of Freshness, " page ' ) .
To test the efecti veness of these products. we refrigerated red
l eaf l ettuce. green beans. cucumbers. and cantal oupes accordi ng
to the products' i nstructi ons. A thi rd set of produce was stored
wi thout any l ife-extendi ng product.
The Extralife di sks ($3. 98 for one. whi ch i s to l ast for three
months) were a compl ete waste of money. doi ng nothi ng to
extend the l i fe of the frui t or the vegetabl es. The Evert-Fresh
bags ( $3. 98 for I 0) seemed to have no effect on the mel on or
the cucumber. but di d buy the l ettuce and the beans a coupl e
of extra days.
Perfecting Caponata
Thi s sweet and sour eggpl ant rel i sh from Si ci ly provides a great complement to meat or
fi sh-but not i f the vegetables are mushy and the flavors out of bal ance.
E
very Sici lian village has its own spin on
caponata-a dish revered i n Italy for hun
dreds of years, but far l ess wel l known i n
other parts of the worl d. If you've never
encountered caponata, i magi ne a soft mel ange
of stewed vegetables-typically eggplant, celery,
onion, red pepper, and tomato-augmented by the
bolder flavors and textures of such Mediterranean
stalwarts as capers, anchovies, ol ives, rai si ns, and
pine nuts. The mixture i s enriched by the viscous,
deeply favorful cooking liquid from the vegeta
bles, enhanced by sugar and a splash of wine vin
egar. This relish i s typically used as a topping for
bruschetta or as an accompaniment to grilled meat
or fsh-but I fnd i t so addicting I can simply eat
spoonfuls from a bowl . It is always served warm or
at room temperature, never col d.
3 B Y F R ANC I S C O J R O B E R T E
allowi ng them to drain in a colander for
the recommended two hours before press
ing on them-the eggplant didn't dry out
quite as much as I' d hoped. Aer sauteing,
it was still too greasy for my liking. I could
let the eggplant macerate for a few more
hours before pressing, but that seemed like
an excessive amount of prep time for what
was ultimately j ust a relish.
Although its ingredients may vat, caponata's
preparation is usually the same: The vegetables are
first sauteed, then simmered in liquid with the other
components to meld the favors. While the method
sounded simple enough, a frst trial of recipes revealed
that it wasn't foolproof I found that the problems
almost always stemmed from caponata's star i ngredi
ent: eggplant.
Pi ne nuts add crunch to thi s caponata ful l of wel l - bal anced
fl avors and tender vegetabl es.
Was there a faster, more efective way
to dehydrate the eggplant? A colleague
teasingly suggested that I put it in the
microwave-evetyone's favorite way to
speed things up. But when I thought about
it, I realized the microwave was potentially
a brilliant solution. Aer all , this appliance
works by causing the water molecules in
food to oscillate rapidly and generate steam.
Food lef in the microwave long enough v
eventually transition from merely heating
up to actually dehydrating. Better yet, for
my purposes, dehydration would occur in
a matter of minutes ( see "A Cure for What
The Tami ng of the Eggpl ant
Eggplant is essentially a sponge, conststmg of a
maze of tiny air pockets ready to absorb anything,
especially the medium it's cooked in. It's also packed
with water. I knew from experience that both prop
erties make eggplant troublesome to cook. When it
is sauteed, for example, the air pockets wil l suck up
any oil in the pan, forcing the cook to keep adding
oil to prevent sticking or buring. Meanwhile, the

Caponata' s Supporti ng Pl ayers

moisture inside turns to steam. This one- two punch
transforms d1e eggplant into oil-soaked mush before
it has a chance to caramelize.
In the test kitchen, we get around these problems
by salting the eggplant, d1en pressing it between
paper towels. Salt on the surface of the eggplant
draws out the moisture from wid1i n, while pressing
forces out even more moisture and also collapses the
eggplant's cell walls, helping to eliminate air pockets.
But when I tried this treatment-cutting the
eggplant into cubes, sprinkling them with salt,
VS J UI CE
Though not tradi
ti onal , a l i ttle V8j ui ce
enhances caponata' s
tomato flavor.
ANCHOVY
Afew mi nced
fl lets add di mension
without i mparting an
overtly fshy taste.
RE D WI NE
VI NE GAR
Red wine vinegar
brings the right
degree of acidity.
BROWN
S UGAR
Brwn sugar adds
more complexity than
white sugar.
OL I VE S
Black olives lend
fruitiness and bump up
the rbust flavors of
the rel i sh.
C O O K
'
S I LLU S T R A T E D
| O
Ails Eggplant," page 1 9) .
I t was defitely woth a try. And since dehydraton
would occur anyway, was there mpoint in saltng the
eggplant? I decided there was, as salt not only draws
out moisture but also seasons the eggplant through
out. I placed the cubed, salted eggplant i a single layer
on a plate and nuked it for 10 minutes. Lots of water
leached out, all right-but it also pooled on the plate,
poaching the eggplant into a soupy mess.
A box of cofee flters sitting on d1e counter
nearby caught my eye. placed a few under the
next batch of eggplant I put in the microwave. They
absorbed moisture so well that d1e eggplant shriveled
to one-iird its size, el i minating any need for press
ing and making me wonder i f I'd gone overboard.
But all was well when I proceeded with the rest of the
recipe. I was able to saute d1e dried eggplant in the
smallest anotmt of oil yet ( 1 tablespoon versus the
nearly
1
/ cup I had been using) . I then removed it
fom the pan while I sauteed some onion and other
vegetables, returning i t when I was ready to stew
them all toged1er. Once I added liquid to the pan,
d1e eggplant plumped back up, nicely absorbing the
favors of the od1er ingredients i nstead of j ust oil.
Opti mi zi ng the Auxi l i ary I ngredi ents
In the best versions of caponata I 've sampled, toma
toes are almost as integral to d1e dish as eggplant,
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providing a rich, fuit sweetness
that nothing else can replicate. P it
was summer, there was no question
dat I was going to use fesh toma
toes in my own renditon. The ques
tion was, when should I add dem?
If! added d1em too early, d1ey lost
deir fesh taste; if! added them j ust
before taking d pan of the heat,
dey gave dle dish the texntre of
fesh salsa rather dun blending into
a harmonious medley. I struck d1e
perfect balance by gendy simmer
ing the tomatoes wid1 dle browned
eggplant and od1er ingredients at
S TE P - BY- S TE P I HOW TO MAKE C AP ONATA
I . SALT eggpl ant and toss 2. MI CROWAVE egpl ant
on cofee fl ters unti l al most al l
of moi sture has evaporated.
3. SAUTE egpl ant frst, then
set i t asi de and saute other
vegetabl es.
4. S I MME R al l i ngredi ents
unti l cooki ng l i qui d thi ckens
and coats vegetabl es.
it i n bowl to di stri bute sal t
evenl y.
de very end of cooking. About fve minutl wer
medum-low heat incorporated d1e tomatoes' sweet
juiciness wilie preserving their bright feshness.
Now I wondered if I could achieve the deep
tomato flavor that makes a great caponata so
memorable. Adding canned tomatoes as well as fresh
seemed l i ke a good idea, but while tasters praised
their concentrated flavor, they didn't care for their
pulpy texntre. Tomato paste also proved problematic,
contributing intensity but camouflaging the delicate
favor of the fesh tomatoes. Running out of options,
I gave V8 juice a try. A small amount was just enough
to provide another layer of tomato flavor, while sti l l
allowing the fesh tomatoes to shine.
With the major problems solved, I needed to
focus on the sweet and sour fnish that is essential
to traditional caponata ( and helps distinguish it from
the stewed eggplant specialty fom France, rata
touille ) . I tried each of the sweeteners suggested in
the recipes I found i n my research. Honey, molasses,
A Cure for What Ai l s Eggpl ant
To rid the eggpl ant of excess moi sture and col l apse the
ai r pockets that make i t soak up oi l l i ke a sponge, we
came up with a novel sol uti on: sal ti ng i t and then heati ng
it i n the mi crowave. The sal t pul l s out l i qui d from i nsi de
the eggpl ant at the same ti me the mi crowave causes i t
to steam. I n addi ti on, the mi crowave hel ps to compress
the eggpl ant, maki ng i t l ess spongy. To keep the eggpl ant
from poachi ng i n the l i qui d it rel eased, we set i t on a l ayer
of cofee fi lters. By absorbi ng al l of that l i qui d, the fl ters
also hel ped to mai ntai n a superhi gh sal t concentrati on on
the exteri or of the eggpl ant, whi ch caused even more
unwanted moi sture to be drawn out. -F.j . R.
RAW DE AL
Without pretreatment,
the raw egplant looks
good but cooks up oily
and mushy.
MI CROWAVE
MAG I C
Salted, mi crwaved eg
plant isn't as pretty, but
the shrunken cubes soak
up far less oi l .
and mapl e syrup al l overpowered the other flavors
i n the di sh; brown sugar was d1e winner, l ending
more complexity than white. As for the sour note,
traditional capo nata calls for the use of wine vinegar.
White wine vinegar proved too sharp and one
dimensional, while bal san1ic was overly concentrated
and rich. Red wine vinegar, however, provided just
the ri ght bracing degree of tartness.
Tasters agreed d1at d1e customaty i ncl usion of
raisi ns and olives was a must. After uying a dozen
diferent olive varieties, I made the happy discovery
that al most any olive would work. A few anchovy fl
l ets deepened d1e overall flavor of d1e dish, and a toss
of toasted pine nuts provided an aromatic crunch.
At l ast I had a si mpl e, wel l - balanced recipe for an
authenti c caponata that tasted great as an appetizer,
a rel i sh, or j ust straight fom the bowl .
S I CI LI AN E GGP LANT RE LI S H ( CAPONATA)
MAKE S 3 CUPS
Serve caponata spooned over slices of toasted
baguette or alongside gril l ed meat or fish. Adj ust
d1e vinegar as neccssaty, depending on me acidity
of your tomatoes and what you are serving wid1 d1e
caponata. Ifcofee fl ters are not avail abl e, food-safe,
undyed paper towels can be substituted when micro
waving the eggpl ant. To allow d1e steam released by
the eggplant to escape, remove d1e pl ate from d1e
microwave immediately. Ald1ough the test kitchen
prefers the compl ex favor of V8 vegetable j ui ce,
tomato j uice can be substituted. Caponata is best
made i n advance and can be refrigerated for up to
I week in an airti ght container.
l arge eggpl ant (about I V2 pounds),
cut i nto V2 -i nch cubes (about 7 cups)
teaspoon kosher sal t
cup V8 vegetabl e j ui ce (see note)
! cup red wi ne vi negar, pl us extra for seasoni ng
(see note)
2 tabl espoons l i ght brwn sugar
! cup mi nced fresh parsl ey l eaves
I V2 teaspoons mi nced anchovy fi l l ets (2 to 3 fi l l ets)
8 ounces ri pe tomatoes (2 medi um), cored,
seeded, and cut i nto V2 -i nch di ce (about I cup)
! cup rai si ns
l l l Y c ^ l |. l ' ' 1 20 8
l '
2 tabl espoons mi nced bl ack ol ives
2 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol i ve oi l
cel ery ri b, cut i nto !-i nch di ce (about V2 cup)
smal l red bel l pepper, seeded and cut i nto
!-i nch di ce (about V2 cup)
smal l oni on, di ced fi ne (about V2 cup)
cup pi ne nuts, toasted
! . Toss eggplant and salt together in medium
bowl . Line entire surface oflarge microwave-safe plate
with double layer of cofce filters and lighdy spray
wid1 nonstick cooking spray. Spread eggplant in even
layer over cofce flters. Microwave on high power
until eggplant is dry and shrivel ed to one- third of its
size, 8 to I o mi nutes (eggplant should not brown) .
( If microwave has no turntabl e, rotate plate afer
o mi nutes. ) Remove eggplant from microwave and
immediately transfer to paper towel-lined plate.
2. Meanwhi l e, whisk vegetable juice, vinegar,
brown sugar, parsley, and anchovies toged1er in
medium bowl . Stir in tomatoes, raisins, and olives.
; . Heat 1 tabl espoon oil i n 1 2- inch nonstick ski l
l et over medi um- high heat unti l shimmering. Add
eggplant and cook, stirring occasional ly, until edges
are browned, + to 8 tinures, adding 1 teaspoon oil
if pan appears dty. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
+. Add remai ni ng 2 teaspoons oil to now-empty
skillet and heat unti l shimmering. Add celery and
red pepper; cook, stirring occasional ly, until sofened
and edges are spotty brow1 , . to + minutes. Add
onion and continue to cook unti l vegetables are
browned, about + mi nutes l onger.
o. Reduce heat to medium-low; sti r i n eggplant
and vegetable j uice mi. xture. Bri ng to simmer and
cook until vegetable j uice is d1ickened and coats
vegetabl es, + to 7 mi nutes. Transfer to serving bowl
and cool to room temperantre. Taste and season
with up to 1 teaspoon additional vinegar. Sprinkle
wid1 pine nuts before servi ng.
COOK' S LI VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ooks i l l u st r at e d. c om
HOW TO MAKE
Si ci l i an Eggpl ant Rel i sh
VI DE O TI P S
How to core and seed tomatoes
How to toast pi ne nuts
Realy Good Cherry Tomato Salad
How do you transform j uicy cherry tomatoes into a great salad?
For starters, get rid of some j uice.
C
berry tomatoes are ofen considered a
support pl ayer in salad. But when sum
mertime cherry tomatoes are especially
sweet and j ui cy, they are more than
worthy of taking center stage . I knew from experi
ence, however, that I coul dn' t merely slice them in
half, toss them with vi naigrette, and cal l i t a salad.
Like bigger, meatier beefsteak and pl um varieties,
cherry tomatoes exude l ots of liquid when cut,
quickly turi ng a salad i nto soup.
In the test kitchen, we ofen slice larger tomatoes,
sprinkle them with salt, and allow them to drain to
remove liquid and concentrate fl avors. Fol lowing
suit, I tossed 2 pints of halved cheny tomatoes with
1/4 teaspoon salt (pl us a pinch of sugar to accentuate
sweetness) and let them drain i n a colander. Afer 30
minutes, only a paltry 2 tablespoons of liquid had
leached out. What if I exposed even more of the
tomatoes' surf:1ce area to salt? I tried again with a fesh
batch of tomatoes, cuttng each one along the equator
and d1en in half agai n. Progress: The salted, quartered
tomatoes netted 1/4 cup of liquid. But even this wasn't
enough to prevent d1e salad fom turing soggy when
tossed d1e tomatoes with oil and vinegar.
Some tomato salad recipes call for removi ng the
watery seed pockets of the tomatoes, dms eliminating
a major source of liquid. I wasn' t about to cut open
40 or so cherry tomatoes and painstakingly push out
d1e j el ly and seeds with my thumb; needed a more
efcient method. That's when I d1ought of a salad
spinner. The centriftgal force of d1e whirling bowl
spins water of letntce and herbs. Why woul dn't it
have d1e same efect on tomatoes? It did-spinning
salted and drained tomatoes resulted i n d1e release
of l/ cup of l i qui d.
My tomatoes were no l onger l i quidy, but when I
tossed them with dressing, I noticed they tasted a lit
tle dull . This was not too surprising, as d1e j el ly is the
most favorful part of the tomato ( see "Keeping the
Taste i n Tomatoes," page 1 3 ) , and I had stripped it
away. I fl added the j el ly to the oil and vinegar I was
already using to dress the tomatoes, I'd be putting
the liquid I'd taken such pains to remove right back
i n. But how about reducing d1e j el ly to concentrate
its flavor? I strained the seeds from the jelly and then
boiled it in a small saucepan with a chopped shallot
QLLLK b L I VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ooks i l l u st rat ed . c o m
HOW TO MAKE
Greek Cherry Tomato Salad
B Y D A V I D P A Z M I N O "
and balsamic vinegar. After cooling the mixture and
combining it wid1 olive oil, I tossed it with d1e cheny
tomatoes. This time I nailed it, with evcty bite ofd1e
salad delivering sweet tomato favor.
GRE E K CHE RRY TOMATO SALAD
S E RVES 4 TO 6
If in-season cheny tomatoes are unavalable, substintte
vine-ripened cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes from
d1e supermarket. Cut grape tomatoes in half along d1e
equator ( rad1er d1at1 quarteting d1em ) . If you don't have
a salad spinner, afer d1e salted tomatoes have stood for
30 minutes, wap d1e bowl tghdy vuplastc wrap and
gendy shake to remove seeds and excess liquid. Snin
d1e liquid atld proceed with d1e recipe as directed.
The atllount of liquid given of by d1e tomatoes will
depend on d1eir tpeness. If you have less d1at1 12
cup of juice afer spinning, proceed wim d1e recipe
using d1e entire amount of j uice atld reduce it to 3
tablespoons as directed ( the cooking time v be
shorter) . For our fee recipes for Cherry Tomato
atld Watermelon Salad atld Cherry Tomato Salad
wid1 Mango atld Lime Curry Vinaigrette, go to
V.cooksillustrated.com/august.
2 pi nts ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered
(about 4cups) (see note)
Tabl e salt
teaspoon sugar
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
thrugh garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
teaspoon dri ed oregano
medi um shal l ot, mi nced (about 3 tabl espoons)
I tabl espoon red wi ne vi negar
2 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
Grund bl ack pepper
smal l cucumber, peel ed, seeded, and
cut i nto V2 -i nch di ce
V> cup chopped pi tted kalamata ol ives
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbl ed (about
I cup)
3 tabl espoons chopped fresh parsl ey
l eaves
tomatoes several tmes dwg spinnng. Renm1 toma
toes to bowl ald set aside. Strain tomato liquid dvough
fi ne-mesh strainer into liquid mcaswing cup, pressing
on solids to exu-act as much liquid as possible.
2. Bring 12 cup tomato liquid ( disca atl)' exua),
gatlic, oregat1o, shallot, atld vinegar to simmer in small
saucepat over mediw1 heat. Simmer Lmtil reduced to
3 tablespoons, 6 8 minutes. Trr mixture to small
bowl and cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.
Whisk in oil atld pepper to taste untl combined. Taste
atld season wid1 up to 's teaspoon table salt.
3. Add cucumber, olives, feta, dressing, and pars
ley to bowl with tomatoes; toss gendy and serve.
CHE RRY TOMATO SALAD
WI TH BASI L AND FRESH MOZZARE LLA
Follow recipe for Greek Cherry Tomato Salad, sub
stintting balsamic vinegar for red wine vinegar and
omitti ng garlic and oregano in step 2. Substintte 1 1/z
cups lighdy packed fesh basil leaves, roughly tom, atld
8 ounces fesh mozzarel l a, cut i nto lz -inch cubes
and patted dry with paper towel s, for cucumber,
olives, feta, atld parsley i n step 3.
CHE R RY TOMATO SALAD
WI TH TARRAGON AND BLUE CHE ESE
Follow recipe for Greek Cheny Tomato Salad,
substituti ng cider vi negar for red wine vinegar,
omitting garlic and oregat1o, atld adding 2 teaspoons
Dij on mustard and + teaspoons honey to tomato
l i qui d i n step 2. Substitute 12 cup roughly chopped
toasted pecans, 2 ow1ces crumbl ed blue cheese, and
l lz tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon l eaves for
cucumber, olives, feta, atld parsley in step 3.
l . Toss tomatoes, 14 teaspoon salt,
atld sugar i n medium bowl; let statld
for 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to
salad spitmer and spin until seeds and
excess liquid have been removed, 45 to
60 seconds, sti rri ng to redistri bute
Spi nni ng the quartered tomatoes
i n a sal ad spi nner removes excess
l i qui d that can make salad watery.
Si mmeri ng the strai ned tomato
l i qui d creates a concentrated
tomato base for the vi nai grette.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S r R II T E D
?
Improving Pasta with
Olives, Garlc, and Herbs
Made in I taly with the very best local olives and extra-virgin olive oi l , this si mple dish
can be superb. But how good can it get with ingredients from the supermarket?
P
asta dressed with nothi ng more than
ol ives and garlic warmed i n olive oil i s
an Ital i an classi c . In Ital y, wi th locall y
pressed extra-virgin olive oil and the very
best olives at your disposal, what else woul d you
need? However, if your starting points are super
market olives and mass-produced olive oil-as they
are for most of us in this country-the results are a
little one- dimensional . Could I retool tle dish witl1
a few more pantry staples to boost i ts flavors?
My fi rst task was to settle on me type of olve. Afer
tastng a dozen green and black varieties, my tasters
chose me bold yet well-rouded favors of widely avail
able kalamata olives. Next up: how best to incorporate
mem into me dish? I could puree me kalamatas into a
paste wim U garlic and olive oil, or I could coarsely
chop mem wm a knife and m mem wim minced
garlic and oil. My tasters most liked how chunks of
fleshy olive meat distributed bursts of favor irough
out me dsh, so me latter meiod won out. Followng
traditon, I warmed me chopped olives and garlic in
a couple of tablespoons of extra-virgn olive oil to
mellow meir favors before adding mem to the pasta.
Now it was time to look for oier pantry staples
to bring additional dimension to tl1e dish. My frst
mought was to toss in a few anchovies. Many cooks
shy away from mese salty little fsh, fearing tleir
pungency will overpower everytlung else. But I
found mat by limiting myself to a tablespoon of
minced fi llets, I deepened me otl1er flavors wimout
contributing any overt fi shiness at all .
I wondered if a small an1ount of tomato would
add welcome acidity and sweetness. Fresh tomatoes
were out-ieir fl avor wouldn't be concentrated
enough. I also didn't want to open a can of crushed
or diced tomatoes. But I did reach for a tube of
tomato paste. One tablespoon was enough to help
bring balance to me oier flavors. And for a more
concentrated form of sweetness tl1at could go head
to-head wim me olives, I tured to a few chopped
sun-dried tomatoes. Adding a little hot water from
me boiling pasta to me skillet helped tur all mese
disparate ingredients into a cohesive sauce.
Tossing in grated Parmesan cheese was a
given. But a few rustic Italian pasta dishes skip tl1e
Parmesan i n favor of toasted bread crumbs. Why
not use born? Wil fresh parsley and basil stirred i n
to add bright herbal favor, I now had a dish that
3 BY D A V I D P A Z M I N O E
tasted so good I hardly noticed tl1e fact that my
ingredients came from tl1e grocery store, not tl1e
oUve estate down tl1e road.
PASTA WI TH OLI VES, GARLI C, AND HE RBS
S E RVE S 4 TO 6
For a milder olive flavor, use manzanilla olives in
place of kalamata. Be sure to rinse tl1e pitted olives
before chopping tl1em to remove excess sal t. In addi
tion to mezze riga toni or farfall e, any short, tubular,
or molded pasta will work wel l .
5 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
6 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
thrugh garl i c press (about 2 tabl espoons)
tabl espoon mi nced anchovy fi l l ets
4to 6 fi l l ets)
tabl espoon tomato paste
V-V2 teaspoon hot red pepper fl akes
7 cup drai ned oi l -packed sun-dri ed tomatoes,
ri nsed, patted dry, and cut i nto thi n stri ps
cup pitted kal amata ol ives, ri nsed and
coarsel y chopped (see note)
2 l arge sl i ces white sandwich bread
(about 3 ounces), torn i nto quarters
I 3 teaspoons tabl e sal t
I pound mezze rigatoni or farfal l e (see note)
2 ounces fi nel y grated Parmesan cheese
(about I cup)
3 tabl espoons chopped fresh parsl ey l eaves
I V2 cups l i ghtl y packed fresh basi l l eaves,
rughl y torn
Grund bl ack pepper
l emon, cut i nto wedges
! . Combine 3 tabl espoons ol ive oil, I tablespoon
garUc, anchovies, tomato paste, red pepper flakes,
sun-dried tomatoes, and olives in medi um bowl .
Set aside.
2. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely
grow1d, about ! one-second pulses. Heat remain
ing 2 tablespoons oil in 1 2-inch skillet over medium
heat w1til shimmering. Add bread crumbs and cook,
stirring fequently, w1til beginning to brown, 4 to
minutes. Stir in remaining tablespoon garUc and '/
teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stining constantly,
Lmtil garlic is fagrant and bread crumbs are dark
J U LY c A U G U S T 2
? l
Bread crumbs and s un- dri ed tomatoes add
compl exi ty to our pasta.
golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer U
pl ate to cool. Wipe out skillet witl1 paper towels.
3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil i n
Dutch oven over high heat. Add rigatoni and remain
ing 1 11 teaspoons salt. Willie pasta is cooking, return
now-empty skiHet to medium heat and add olive
mixture. Cook until oUve mixture is aromatic and oil
has tured rusty red, 4 to minutes. Remove % cup
pasta cooking water fom pot and add to skillet. Bring
to simmer and cook for 2 rtes. Remove pan fom
heat while pasta fnishes cooki ng.
4. When pasta is j ust shy of al dente, drain pasta,
reserving 11 cup of pasta cooking water, and transfer
back to Dutch oven. Add olive mixture to pasta and
toss over medium heat until pasta absorbs most of
l i quid, about 2 minutes. Stir in 11 cup Parmesan.
Adj ust consistency of sauce witl1 reserved pasta
water. ( Sauce should cling pasta but not be too
loose or runny. ) Remove pot from heat and stir
i n parsley and basil; adj ust seasoning wim pepper.
Serve, passing lemon wedges, remaining Parmesan,
and bread crumbs separately.
COOK' S LI VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c o o k s i l l u st r ate d . c o m
HOW TO MAKE
Pasta wi th Ol i ves. Garl i c, and Herbs
VI DE O TI P
How to pi t ol i ves
Foolproof Peach Shortcakes
Ri pe farm stand peaches lead to shortcakes drenched in sweet j uice.
But what if you're stuck with hard, mealy supermarket peaches?
B
erry shortcake is the ultimate
carefree dessert, requiring little
more than tossing berries with
sugar, sandwiching tl1em inside
a split biscuit, and topping it with whipped
cream. With such a simple procedure, you
would think the recipe would be easy to
adapt to any number of fresh fruits . But
that's not the case. Take peaches. If you
begin with ripe farmstand fruit dripping
in juice, the results can be spectacul ar.
But try making shortcake with the hard,
mealy peaches tl1at are the rypical super
market ofering and you end up with fl a
vorless fi lling and a dry, crumbl y biscui t.
My goal was to develop a foolproof recipe
for peach shortcake that would work witl1
any peach, regardless of qualiry.
Getti ng the J ui ces Goi ng
H Y J . K E N J I A L T E
My next mought was to cook me peames,
which would cause tl1e cell walls to rupture
and release juice. nforately, even a
little cooking made the slices turn to mush
and lose tl1eir fesh favor. Tllis gave me an
idea: Instead of cooking a of me peaches
a little, I'd cook a few of the peaches a lot.
For my next batch of shortcakes, I removed
a quarter of the sliced peaches and cooked
them in a bowl in me nlicrowave wim some
sugar until completely tender. I mashed
mem witl1 a potato masher, then used me
resulting peachy j am wim the remaining
peaches, which I had macerated as usual .
When I assembled the shortcakes, I found
their j uiciness was greatly improved.
P a fnal measure to guarantee enough
j uice in my shortcakes even with me mealiest
peaches, I tried to think of an outside source
for liquid. Orange j uice worked pretty well;
it added a sweet, fuity backgrow1d wimout
being overly assertive. In tl1e end, however,
I found that peach schnapps worked best. By
micrg it along witl1 the peaches des
tned for mashing, most of the raw alcohol
favor disappeared, so that my tasters hardly
detected it.
A Peach of a Bi scui t
Scanning cookbooks for peach shortcake
recipes, I found that most were tacked
on modifi cations of berry shortcakes that
simply called for replacing the berries with
peaches. Comparing shortcakes made
with ordinary supermarket strawberries
and less- than-perfect supermarket peaches
side by side, the diference was clear. The
strawberry biscuits were soaked in sweet
j uice, while the peach biscuits remained
bone dry. Figuring that berries must
simply have more liquid than peaches, I
consulted our science editor. Surprisingly,
We desi gned our shortcake bi scui ts to be porous enough to absorb the
peach j ui ce but fi rm enough to stand up under the wei ght of the frui t.
Now that I 'd fow1d a way to guarantee the
presence of lots of j uice in my shortcake,
it was time to focus on the biscuits. Drop
peaches ( even unripe ones ) actually contain ever so
slightly more j uice than berries-88 percent versus
87 percent.
There's more to the story: Both fruits had been
macerated in sugar, a technique designed to not only
extract juice fom the fuit but improve on nature
by sweetening it. When sugar comes in contact with
fuit, it Vdissolve in the small amount of moisture
present on the ft's surface, creating a super
concentrated sugar solution. Inside the cells of the
fuit is a much weaker solution-the j uice. Whenever
an imbalance like this occurs, liquid inside the cells
vfl ow outside to bring the two sugar solutions into
equilibrium in a process called osmosis.
Two major factors can infuence the efciency
of osmosi s: the stmcture of the cell walls and the
fmit's surface area. The cell walls of a berry are
weaker and more permeable than those of a peach,
and a berry's nubby exterior is covered in nooks and
crannies that add up to more surface area than tl1ere
i s on a smooth peach chunk. Consequently, even
though it contains less juice, a berry will release
more liquid than a peach chunk in tl1e presence
of sugar.
To help level me playing feld, my frst step was
to increase me surface area of the peaches so that
more of i t would come in contact with tl1e sugar.
Chopping the peaches up very fnely would be one
way, but I knew my tasters would miss the bigger
pieces. Alternatively, I could slice the peaches as
thinly as possible. When I tried this, the thin slices
produced far more liquid than the ducker ones
had, but not enough to guarantee shortcakes satu
rated in juice. Was there any omer metl1od besides
maceration mat I could use to pull moisture out
of the fuit?
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
? ?
biscuits held the most promise. ^ me
work can be done directly in a bowl , and the craggy
results are perfect for catching liqui d. Starting wim
our existing recipe ( November/December 2007), I
removed a little of me salt and increased the amount
of sugar, converting the biscuits fom side dish to
dessert. But when topped with peaches, the biscuits
were a little too airy for my puroses. To increase
their density so that they would hold up better under
the weight of me fuit, I added an egg to the batter.
I also played with me mixing method, stirring me
dough vigorously with a wooden spoon for 30 sec
onds to encourage gluten formation. The dough was
noticeably tackier (a sign of gluten) when I dropped
it onto the baking sheet, and I held high hopes for
tl1e biscuits as tley baked.
My hopes were rewarded. The biscuits were
tender and porous enough to absorb all me j uices
yet fi rm enough stand up to tle frui t. I always
AT A GLANCE I B UMP I NG UP J UI C E AN D F L AVOR
Macerating fruit in sugar is the tradi ti onal method for rel easi ng its j ui ces. But for peaches, thi s step al one was not
enough. Here's how we suppl emented macerati on.
PEACH SCHNAPPS MI CROWAVI NG MASHI NG
A spl ash of peach schnapps
brings even more l i qui d i nto the
mix-without di l uti ng fresh peach
flavor.
Mi crowaving some of the peaches
to sofen thei r cel l wal l s makes the
cel l s more suscepti bl e to rupturi ng
(and rel easi ng j ui ce) .
Mashi ng the mi crowaved peaches
compl etel y breaks down thei r cel l
wal l s, i ncreasi ng the amount of
j ui ce they rel ease.
thought berry shortcakes were the pinnacle of sum
mer desserts, but si nce my recipe works wi th even
less-than-perfect peaches, I may have discovered a
new year-round contender.
PEACH S HORTCAKES
S E RVE S 6
Tills recipe works well with any peaches, regardless
of quality. If your peaches are frm, you should be
able to peel them with a sharp vegetable peeler.
If they are too sof to withstand the pressure of a
peeler, you'll need to blanch them in a pot of sim
mering water for 15 seconds and then shock them
in a bowl of ice water before peeling. If buttermilk
is not available, substitute l2 cup of low-fat yogurt
mixed with 3 tablespoons of mil k. Orange j uice or
orange liqueur can be used i n pl ace of the peach
schnapps. The biscuits may be made up to 24 hours
in advance.
Fruit
2 pounds ripe but fi rm peaches 4to 5 medi um),
peel ed, pitted, and cut i nto !-i nch-thi ck
wedges (see note)
6 tabl espoons sugar
2 tabl espoons peach schnapps (see note)
Bistuits
2 cups ( I 0 ounces) unbl eached al l -purpose fl our
2 teaspoons baki ng powder
2 tabl espoons sugar
teaspoon tabl e salt
t
/s cup col d buttermi l k (see note)
I large egg
8 tabl espoons unsalted butter, mel ted
and cooled sl i ghtl y
BbicdCrcam
V1 cup heavy cream
tabl espoon sugar
V1 teaspoon vani l l a extract
! . CR 1M R\1 Gently toss tlu-ee-quarters
of peaches with 4 tablespoons sugar in large bowl .
Let stand 30 minutes. Toss remaining peaches with
remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and sclmapps in
medi um microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high
power w1til peaches are bubbling, about 1 to 1
1
1
minutes, stirring twice duting cooking. Using potato
masher, crush peaches into coarse pulp. Let stand
30 minues.
2. CR 1M SC\1S Adjust oven rack to
middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. While
peaches macerate, whisk flour, baking powder, 1 table
spoon sugar, and salt in large bowl. Whisk togetl1er
buttermilk and egg in medium bowl; add melted but
ter ad stir until butter forms small clumps.
3. Add buttermil k mixture to dt ingredients
and stir witl1 wooden spoon until dough comes
togetl1er and no dry fl our remains. Conti nue stirring
vigorously for 30 seconds. Using greased
1
/ cup dry
measure, scoop up mound of dough and drop onto
parchment-l ined ri mmed baki ng sheet ( if dough
sticks to cup, use smal l spoon to pull it free) . Repeat
witl1 remaining dough, spaci ng biscuits about 1
1
1
inches apart, to create biscuits. Sprinkle remain
ing tablespoon sugar evenly over top of biscuits.
Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, about
1 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 1 5
mi nutes before assembl ing.
4. CR 1M WMIID CR Using hand
mixer or stand mixer ftted witl1 whisk attachment,
beat cream, sugar, and vanill a on low speed u ntil
bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to
medi um; conti nue beating until beaters l eave trail,
about 30 seconds longer. Increase speed to high;
continue beating until nearly doubled in vol ume
and whipped cream forms sof peaks, 30 to 45
seconds longer.
5. 1C ASSML Spl i t each biscui t in half and
pl ace bottoms on i ndividual serving pl ates. Spoon
portion of crushed peach mixture over each bot
tom, fol lowed by peach sl ices and any exuded
j ui ces . Top peaches witl1 2 tablespoons whipped
! l | Y c ^ l |+ l : 1 2
?
Q U | | H M 1 1 1 | M G .
Dry Measuri ng Cups
Dry measuri ng cups vary tremendousl y in material,
shape, weight, and price. We rounded up I I sets
to compare their di ferences. To test accuracy, we
fl l ed each cup to the brim wi th water and checked
whether i t fel l wi thi n 5 percent of the target weight.
(We have found that eyebal l i ng fl ui d in a cup yields a
more preci se measurement than fl l i ng it with a dr
i ngredi ent l i ke fl our, where the amount can vary
wi del y, dependi ng on who is doi ng the measuri ng.)
As we measured, we di scovered we preferred
stai nl ess steel over pl astic for its hef and durabi l ity.
We al so l i ked l ong handl es that extend straight out;
angled or rai sed handl es obstructed our abi l i ty to
draw a straight edge across the ri m to l evel of the
i ngredi ent. For compl ete testing resul ts, go to V .
cooksi l l ustrated. com/ august.
-El i zabeth Bomze and Li ndsay McSweeney
H I G H LY RE COM ME NDE D
AMCO Stai nl ess Steel
4-Piece Measuring Cup Set
Price: $9. 95
Comments: Thi s stai nl ess
steel set ofers accuracy,
good weight bal ance,
and l ong, l evel , wel l -marked handl es.
RE COM ME NDE D
OXO GOOD GRI PS
7-Piece Sof Handl ed
Measuring Cup Set
Price: $7. 95
Comments: Of the pl asti c
sets, thi s was our favori te. Accuracy was good
of by less than | percent-pl us, the set i ncl udes
2/J and 3/4 cups (and an egg separator)-a ni ce
bonus.
CALPHALON
Set of 4 Stai nl ess Steel
Measuri ng Cups
Price: $ 1 9. 99
Comments: We l i ked the shovel -l i ke shape and
l ong, comfortabl e si l i cone handl es on these
cups, but thei r accuracy was of by al most
I 0 percent.
cream, cap wi tl1 biscuit top, and dollop each short
cake with some of remaining whipped cream. Serve
i mmedi atel y.
QLLLK' b LI VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ooks i l l u strated . c om
HOW TO MAKE
Peach Shortcakes
VI DE O TI P
How to peel , pi t, and sl i ce peaches
Best Blueberry Pie
Sweet, delicate blueberries are easily overshadowed by a dull thickener.
Our goal was a sliceable pie with bright, fresh flavor.
T
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The Crust of the Matter
PRETTY BUT PASTY
Too much tapioca (or the wrng
thickener, such as fl our or corn
starh) resul ts i n a fl l i ng that hol ds
its shape but tastes gl uey and dul l .
F RE S H BUT S OUPY
With no thi ckener at al l , there is
pl enty of fresh berry flavor, but
the fi l l i ng i s l oose and runny.
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TE C HN I QUE I
NO- FUS S TOP C RUS T
We used a I V4-i nch bi scui t cutter to cut hol es i n the
dough, but a spi ce-jar l i d wi l l al so do the tri ck.
BL UE BE RRY P I E
MAKE S ONE 9 1 NCH PI E
This recipe was developed using fesh blueberries, but
w1thawed fozen blueberries ( our favorite brands are
Wyman's and Cascadian Fam) v work as wel l . In
step 4, cook half the fozen berries over medium-high
heat, without mashg, w1til reduced to l l4 cups,
12 to 1 5 minutes. Grind the tapioca to a powder in
a spice grinder or m food processor. If using pearl
tapioca, reduce the aJ0Lmt to 5 teaspoons. Vodka
is essental to the texture of the crust a11d imparts no
flavor; do not substitute.
Iee/ree]1icDeub
2V2 cups ( 1 2 V2 ounces) unbl eached al l -purpose
fl our, pl us more for work surface
I teaspoon tabl e sal t
2 tabl espoons sugar
1 2 tabl espoons ( I V2 sti cks) cold unsalted butter,
cut i nto !-i nch sl i ces
V2 cup col d vegetabl e shorteni ng, cut i nto 4 pi eces
V4 cup col d vodka (see note)
! cup cold water
B/ucbcrrFi//in
6 cups (about 30 ounces) fresh bl ueberri es
(see note)
Granny Smi th apple, peel ed and grated
on l arge hol es of box grater
2 teaspoons grated zest and 2 teaspoons j ui ce
frm I l emon
cup (5 V4 ounces) sugar
2 tabl espoons i nstant tapi oca, grund (see note)
Pinch tabl e salt
2 tabl espoons unsalted butter, cut i nto
V4 -i nch pi eces
l arge egg, l ightly beaten with l teaspoon water
l . OR 1H IU DO\GM Process P/ cups
flour, salt, md sugar i n food processor until com
bined, about two l -second pulses. Add butter a11d
shortening and process until homogenous dough
just starts to collect i n uneven clumps, about 1 5
seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds
and there should be no uncoated fl our. Scrape bowl
with rubber spanila and redistribute dough evenly
around processor blade. Add remaining cup fl our
and pulse until mixture is evenly distri buted around
bowl a11d mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to
quick pulses . Empty mixture into medium bowl .
2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With
rubber spatul a, use folding motion to mi x, pressing
down on dough until dough is slightly tacky md
sticks together. Divide dough into 2 even balls and
fl atten each i nto 4-i nch disk. Wrap each in plastic
wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to
2 days.
3. Remove l disk of dough from refrigerator a11d
roll out on generously fl oured (up to '/ cup) work
surfce to 1 2-inch circl e, about 's i nch tl1ick. Roll
dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll i nto
pie plate, leavi ng at least l -inch overhang on each
side. Working around circumference, ease dough
into plate by gently lifing edge of dough witl1 one
hand will i e pressing into plate bottom witl1 otl1er
hand. Leave dough that overhangs pl ate in place;
refigerate willi e preparing filling until dough is fi rm,
about 30 minutes.
4. CR1M LLIG Adj ust oven rack to low
est position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven
rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 3 cups
berries i n medium saucepan and set over medium
heat. Using potato masher, mash berries several
times to release jui ces. Continue to cook, stirring
frequently and mashing occasionally, unti l about
half of berries have broken down and mixture is
tickened and reduced to 1
1
1 cups, about 8 minutes.
Let cool slightly.
5. Place grated apple in clean kitchen towel a1d
wring dry. Tra11sfer apple to large bowl . Add cooked
berries, remaining 3 cups uncooked berries, lemon
zest, j uice, sugar, tapioca, and salt; toss to combine.
Tra11sfer mixrure to dough-lined pie plate a11d scatter
butter pieces over flling.
. Roll out second disk of dough on generously
foured ( up to ' cup) work surface to l l -inch circle,
about '/s inch tl1ick. Using l l4- i nch row1d biscuit
cutter, cut round from center of dough. Cut a110tl1er
rounds from dough, l l2 inches from edge of cen
ter hole and equally spaced around center hole. Roll
dough loosely around rolling pin a11d unroll over pie,
leavi ng at least
1
/-inch overhang on each side.
7. Using kitchen shears, trim bottom layer of
overhanging dough, leaving
1
/- inch overhang. Fold
dough under itself so tl1at edge of fold is fush witl1
outer rim of pie plate. Fl ute edges using tl1umb and
forefi nger or press witl tines of fork to seal . Brush
top and edges of pie with egg mi xture. If dough is
very sof, chill i n freezer for 1 0 minutes.
8. Place pi e on heated baking sheet and bake 30
minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees
a11d continue to bake until j uices bubble a11d crust
is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer.
Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature,
at least 4 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.
J U L Y c9 ^ l' C. |' ' | 2
? '
C | M C X | k | H M 1 .
The Appl e of My Pi e
When maki ng our bl ueberry pi e fl l i ng, we found that
if we used more than 2 tabl espoons of tapioca, the
textur of the fi l l i ng took on a gummy consistency
we di dn' t l i ke. But 2 tabl espoons or l ess resulted
i n a fl l i ng that was too loose. Could we solve this
probl em with pecti n, a gentle thi ckener that occurs
natural l y in fruit?
EXPE RI ME NT
As a control, we thickened one pie with 2 tablespoons
tapi oca. We then compared it with a second pie
thi ckened with 2 tabl espoons tapi oca and a grated
appl e, whi ch i s high in pectin and has a mi l d flavor
(We hoped that grating the appl e woul d make it less
noticeabl e i n the baked pi e. )
RESULTS
As expected, the pi e thi ckened wi th tapi oca al one
was l oose and soupy. But the pi e thi ckened wi th tapi
oca pl us an appl e had a natural l y gel l ed texture that
was just right. The appl e bits seemed to melt into the
berry fl l i ng duri ng baki ng, boosti ng frui t flavor but
leaving no textural si gn of their presence.
EXPLANATI ON
Pctin i s a natural substance, found i n frit and vegeta
bl es, that creates structure in a pl ant by hel pi ng to bi nd
its cel l wal l s together. Thi s same substance i s used to
thicken jams and jel l i es into a set, but sof. mass. Pctin
content varies from fruit to frui t and also withi n a plant
(more pectin i s found i n the skin of a fruit than i n it
flesh, for exampl e). Apples are a grat source of pectin
because they contain high l evel s of hi gh-methoxy pee
ti n, the best natural pectin for making gels. By mashing
some of the bl ueberries and grating the apple, we
hel ped to release the pectin from the frits' cell walls
so that it coul d thicken the pie fl l i ng. -YR.
ON THE LOOS E
Pie fl l ing thi ckened without enough tapi oca won't
firm up. But too much tapioca l eads to gummi ness.
AL L F I R M E D U P
A l ittle tapioca pl us a grated appl e created
a j ui cy but sl i ceabl e fl l i ng.
WLLLK' b LI VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. cook s i l l u st r ated. c om
HOW TO MAKE
Bl ueberry Pi e
VI DEO TI P S
Al l about tapi oca
What i s the best pi e server?
The Problem with
Supermarket Olve Oils
You get what you pay for with most supermarket extra-virgin olive oi ls:
bland, bottom-of-the-barrel , and boring. I s there a brand worth buying?
W
hen you set out to buy supe
ri or extra-virgin ol ive oil at the
supermarket, good luck. Rows
of bottles fl l the shelves, with
even the most ordinary of grocery stores ofering
more than a dozen choices . It' s a booming busi
ness: The United States i mported 261 , 000 metric
tons of extra-virgin ol ive oil last year, up from
163, 000 metric tons a decade ago. But given the
cost-an average of $ 1 8 . 99 per liter for the oils in
our lineup-should you j ust grab the cheapest or
try for something better from a gourmet shop or
online seller?
To fnd out i f there were any extra-virgin olive
oils truly worth bringing home from the super
market, we chose 1 0 of the top-selling brands and
conducted a blind tasting-frst plain, and then
warmed and tossed with pasta. ( Because high heat
destroys the distinctive, fruity taste of extra-virgin
olive oil, we reserve i t for mixing into pasta dishes
and vinaigrettes or drizzling on grilled steak and
vegetabl es; for cooking, we turn to cheaper, lower
grade olive oil . )
Here's the not-so- great news : Our highest
average scores barely reached 5 out of a possible
10 points. We a few supermarket oils passed
muster, most ranged fom plain Jane to distinctly
unpleasant, even tasting a bit old, though all were
purchased only a few days beore we tasted them.
Top of the Li ne
Extra-virgin i s the highest grade of olive oi l . At its
best, it's simply fresh olive juice, extracted from any
of hundreds of olive varieties that were picked at
tl1e grower's desired level of ripeness and pressed
as soon as possible. (In general, an earlier harvest
yields greener, more peppery oil; oil from a later
harvest is more golden and mild. ) To be designated
"extra-virgin, " the oil should meet certain standards
set by the International Olive Council ( IOC) in
Madri d. It must be pressed--r, more commonly
today, spun out using a centrifge-without using
heat or chemicals, which can extract more oil from
the olives, but at the cost of favor and quality.
It must have less than 0. 8 percent oleic acid, a
measure of quality based on the level of free fatty
acids, a product of deterioration. Finally, it can
have absolutely no chemical or favor defects, as
3 B Y l l b ^ ^ c ^ ^ | L b <
determined by both laboratory tests and tasti ng
experts. If an oil doesn't make i t as extra-virgin,
i t can be classifed, in descending order, as virgi n,
pure, or lampante olive oil, the l ast of which i s ft
only for industrial use.
While these stringent olive oil standards sound
good, it's important to note: They don't apply i n
the U. S. Thi s country has never adopted tl1e IOC
standards, instead holding to unrelated grades
of "fancy, " "choice, " "standard, " and "substan
dard. "
Mi x and Match
By now it's common knowledge that while the
maj ori ty of mass- market ol ive oi l manufactur
ers have Ital i an- sounding names, most do not
sell Italian oils-Italy alone can' t supply enough
olives to meet demand. I tali an companies buy
ol ive oil from all over the Mediterranean, includ
i ng rel atively cheap sources such as Turkey and
Tuni si a, then ship i t i n- country for bottli ng and
sell i t as a "product of Italy. " ( Al l the brands we
tasted, however, do specif the countries of origin
on the label, a recent development. ) At each com
pany, experts blend these various oils to match the
brand' s characteristic favor profl e.
Afer our tasting, we had to wonder if the maj or
ity of olive oil destined for tl1e American market
isn't intentionally blended to be bland. (A number
of experts we spoke to said yes, many European
producers assume Americans want their oLive oil to
be as neutral as vegetabl e oil . ) Worse, we wondered
whether some of tle oils tl1at arrive here labeled
"extra-virgin" are even extra-virgin at all .
Standard Oi l
Having read reports oftl1e fraudulent adulteration
of mass-market olive oils with cheaper oils such as
soybean or hazelnut, we sent our sanples to an inde
pendent laboratory for analysis. All were confrmed
to be made only from olives. But in the absence
of any regulatory standards in the U. S. , that's all
we were able to confrm. Companies importing
olive oil are free to label tl1eir products "extra
virgin"-even i f the same oils wouldn' t qualif for
that appellation in Europe, as many impassioned
olive oil advocates believe is the case. Nancy
Loseke, editor of FrtshPrtss, a newsletter devoted
C | | b : | | | | : 1 K ^ 1 | |
?
to olive oi l , put i t bluntly: "Americans mostly shop
the world' s olive oil dregs, the low-rung stuf. "
Organizations such a s the North American Olive
Oil Association ( NAOOA) , which represents the
interest of olive-oil importers ( i ncluding six out
of tl1e 1 0 we tasted) , claim to provide oversight
tl1e government does not. According to president
Bob Bauer, the NAOOA i ndependently buys and
tests tle oils of member companies at a European
laborator vH\Icertifcation, and he asserts mat
NAOOA members meet international standards.
But in our own tasting, these assurances meant
littl e. None of me top mree oils i n our lineup were
members. Furthermore, me NAOOA currently per
forms a chemical analysis but does not test for flavor
defects tl1at are an equally important "sensory" part
of t1e \Istandards.
And what about those favor defects our tasters
identifed so readily? These included soapy, metal
lic, or chemical notes; dirty, rotten, or medicinal
aspects; even "kitty litter" smells. According to
Alexandra Devarenne, a California- based olive oil
consultant trained i n sensory evaluation of olive oil
according to \I standards, many of these faws
are due to delays berween harvesting and pressing
olives. In countries where abundant varieties of
olives can't be harvested quickly enough before
tl1ey become overripe, fal l of the trees, and begin
to rot, such favor defects are common. Poor sani
tary conditions on the processing machinery may
also contribute to of- favors.
In addition, me oil can sometimes be a victim of
poor storage. Olive oil has a shelf life of 12 to 1 8
monms, but supermarkets frequently do not rotate
meir supply of olive oil accordingly. And while
high-end oils usually indicate the harest year, most
mass-market brands do not, and lack sell-by dates on
meir labels; less than half our lineup had them. Oils
mat are beginning to break down have a "greasy"
ratler than rich texture-a faw our tasters noted
several times.
Pressi ng Choi ce
Despite all we didn't like about most of me olive
oils in our tasting, we did fnd rwo acceptable prod
ucts. Perhaps not surprisingly, origin did make a
diference-botl are made fom all- Italian olives
( tl1ough a iird, much cheaper, all-Italian oil did not
11 `| lK^/K1 `1K/-`l 'l ` 'l` 'l
Twenty-one Ccck's'||ustrotcdstafers sampl ed |0 extra-virgin ol i ve oi l s, sel ected from the top-sel l i ng supermarket brands in the United States, accordi ng to Chi cago-based
market research frm I nformation Resources, I nc. The supermarket oils were tasted plain as wel l as heated and tossed wi th pasta. We then tasted them plain a second
time wi th our favorite hi gh-end extra-virgin ol i ve oi l , Col umel a, avai l abl e i n better supermarkets. Prices were pai d i n Boston-area supermarkets, with per-l i ter pri ce
cal cul ated for compari son. I nformation about the nati onal origi n of the oi l s was provi ded by the manufacturers. The results of the tastings were averaged, and the
oi l s appear bel ow i n order of preference. A source for the wi nni ng oi l i s on page lz
| Gt YECCMMENOEO
COLUMELA Extra Vi rgi n Ol ive Oi l
Pri ce: $ 1 7. 95 for 1 7 oz ($35. 90 per l i ter)
Origi n: Spai n
Comments: Our favori te premi um extra-vi rgi n ol i ve oi l from a
previ ous tasti ng, Col umel a is composed of a bl end of i ntense
Pi cual , mi l d Hoj i bl anca, Ocal , and Arbequi na ol i ves. Thi s oi l took
top honors for i ts frui ty fl avor a n d excel l ent bal ance. Tasters
prai sed i t as havi ng "bi g ol i ve aroma, bi g ol i ve taste" wi th a " but
tery" fl avor that i s "sweet" and "ful l , " wi th a " peppery fi ni s h. " One
taster summed i t u p thi s way: " I t' s very green and fresh-l i ke a
squeezed ol i ve. " Another si mpl y wrote: " Fantasti c. "
ECCMMENOEO
LUCI NI I TALI A Premi um Sel ect Extra Vi rgi n Ol i ve Oi l
Pri ce: $ 1 9. 99 for 500 ml ($39. 98 per l i ter)
Ori gi n: I tal y
Comments: Tasters noted thi s oi l ' s fl avor was "much deeper than the
other sampl es, " descri bi ng i t as "fruity, wi th a sl ight peppery fi ni sh, " " but
tery undertones, " and a "cl ean, green taste" that was "aromati c, with a
good bal ance. " " I t has the fl avor that some good EVOOs have, " sai d one
admi ri ng taster.
COLAVITA Extra Vi rgi n Ol ive Oi l
Pri ce: $ 1 7. 99 for 750 ml ($23. 98 per l i ter)
Ori gi n: I tal y
Comments: Vi rtual l y ti ed for second pl ace, thi s oi l was deemed " round
and buttery, " wi th a " l ight body" and fl avor that was "bri ny and frui ty, "
"very fi ne and smooth, " and "al most herbal , " wi th "great bal ance. "
"Good ol i ve flavor. I coul d smel l i t and taste i t, " approved one taster. I n a
word, "pl easant. "
ECCMMENOEO V!TH ESEVAT| CNS
BERTOLLI Extra Vi rgi n Ol i ve Oi l
Pri ce: $ 1 2. 49 for 750 ml ($ 1 6. 65 per l i ter)
Origi n: I tal y. Greece, Spai n. and Tuni si a
Comments: A cl ear step down from the top oi l s, tasters noted " overal l
mi l d" fl avor and "very l i ttl e aroma, " wi th onl y a "hi nt of green ol i ve" and
a "hi nt of spi ci ness at the end. " I n pasta, i t was i ni ti al l y " not compl ex, "
but gradual l y "bl oomed i n your mouth. " Overal l , i t was "worthy of a
second bi te. "
FI LI PPO BERI O Extra Vi rgi n Ol ive Oi l
Pri ce: $ 1 0. 99 for 750 ml ($ 1 4. 65 per l i ter)
Ori gi n: I tal y, Spai n, Greece, and Tuni si a
Comments: Whi l e some tasters found thi s oi l " sweet" and " buttery" wi th
"medi um body" and "sl i ght spi ce at the end, " others compl ai ned that i t
had "zero ol i ve fl avor" and was "so fl oral i t' s al most l i ke eati ng perfume" ;
sti l l others noted a "bitter" aftertaste. I n pasta, i t was "extremel y mi l d" to
the poi nt of bei ng "bori ng. "

RECCMMENOEO Y!TH RESEVAT! CNSu1uuoi

GOYA Extra Vi rgi n Ol i ve Oi l
Pri ce: $ 1 3 . 99 for I l i ter
Ori gi n: Spai n
Comments: The best comments tasters coul d muster were "mi l d" and
"neutral . " Some l i ked i t on pasta (though one cal l ed i t "Snoozevi l l e") , but
compl ai nts were myri ad: " metal l i c, " "soapy, " "bri ny, " " hi nts of di rt. " Carped one
taster, " I can' t i magi ne what i s i n here, but they have a nerve cal l i ng i t EVOO. "
POMPEIAN Extra Vi rgi n Ol i ve Oi l
Pri ce: $9. 99 for 473 ml ($2 1 . 1 2 per l i ter)
Ori gi n: Spai n
Comments: Whi l e some tasters cal l ed thi s oi l " mi l d" and "smooth, " others
found i t "thi n, greasy" and " not very i nteresti ng. " bet the cooki ng water had
more ol i ve fl avor, " specul ated one taster; "coul d be canot a-it i s so bl and, "
mused another. A few noted an obj ecti onabl e aftertaste that was "soapy.
chemi cal " or " menthol-thi nk Vi cks VapoRub. "
BOTTI CELLI Extra Vi rgi n Ol i ve Oi l
Pri ce: $ 1 0. 99 for I l i ter
Ori gi n: I tal y
Comments: Whi l e a few tasters l i ked thi s " potent" oi l , others sai d they
detected " mush room, " " rotten wal nuts, " " a Band-Ai d wrapped i n a cherry
bl ossom, " and a qual i ty that was " downri ght medi ci nal -Tri ami ni c, anyone? "
Several deemed i t " overpoweri ng" and "musky, " wi th a " rank, of-fl avor."
"Tastes not l i ke ol i ves but l i ke the armpi ts of ol i ve l aborers, " shuddered one.
NCT ECCMMENOEO
CARAPELLI Extra Vi rgi n Ol i ve Oi l
Pri ce: $ 1 0. 99 for 750 ml ($ 1 4. 65 per l i ter)
Ori gi n: I tal y, Greece, Spai n, Tuni si a, Turkey, Cyprus, Morocco, and Syri a
Comments: " Nothi ng remarkabl e here-j ust greasy, no fl avor, " summari zed
one taster. "Where di d the ol i ve go?" sai d another. Thi s oi l was j udged to
have a "ki nd of ranci d" aftertaste that was remi ni scent of not onl y "soi l , "
"tree resi n, " and "ammoni a and grass. " but even " kitty l i tter smel l s" and " a set
of sweaty hockey pads. "
DAVI NCI Extra Vi rgi n Ol i ve Oi l
Pri ce: $ 1 7. 99 for I l i ter
Ori gi n: I tal y, Greece, Spai n, Tuni si a, and Turkey
Comments: Al though thi s oi l won top pl ace i n a previ ous tasti ng, because ol i ve
oi l i s an agri cul tural product, i t can di ffer from year to year. Thi s ti me, tasters
found i t "washed out and muted, " i f " ni ce, i n a total l y bl and and unremarkabl e
way. " Tasted pl ai n, obj ecti ons ranged from "i nsi pi d, wi th no real compl exi ty" to
"tastes l i ke EVOO mi xed wi th vegetabl e oi l . "
STAR Extra Vi rgi n Ol i ve Oi l
Pri ce: $1 1 . 99 for 750 ml ($ 1 5. 99 per l i ter)
Ori gi n: Spai n, I tal y, Greece, and Tuni si a
Comments: " Bori ng" and " not very compl ex, " thi s oi l came across as
"pl asti c-y and i ndustri al ; some hi nt of ol i ves, but i t fades qui ckl y. " Tasters
i denti fi ed off-fl avors that were " unpl easant, di rty," " l i ke rubber and metal ,
wi th a sour aftertaste, " or at l east "a bi t funky, " wi th a "strange taste" that was
"spi cy, but i n a motor oi l ki nd of way. " One si mpl y wrote, " Bi ech. "

fare well ) . Price stood out, too: Our top picks were
the two most expensive oils. In fact, our favorite cost
almost $40 per liter, nearly twice the average price of
the rest of the lineup, and as much as many high-end
olive oils from gourmet stores. This front-runner
was Lucini Italia Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive
Oil, made ( according to the manufacturer) from
olives grown on Italian estates, hand-picked, and
pressed within 24 hours. It was closely followed by
Colavita Extra Virgin Ol ive Oil, also described as
being made exclusively from olives harvested and
pressed in Italy.
But in the end, while these two oils stood out
among the supermarket sampling, they were easily
bested in a second blind tasti ng that included our
favorite premium extra-virgin olive oil by Columela,
which is made with a blend of PiCal, Hojiblanca,
Arbequina, and Ocal olives grown i n Spain; tast
ers found it ofered exceptionally fruity and well
balanced favor. At about $36 per liter, Columela is
actually cheaper than Luci ni , our top supermarket
brand. This raises the question: Is the supermarket
the best place to buy your extra-virgin olive oil?
Unfortunately, we' d have to say no.
J U L Y c I U C U S T 2
? .
Seeking a Better Spatula
Newfangl ed s i l i cone spatu l as are ri fe wi th i ssues-ei ther too fl i msy or too ri gi d,
wei rdl y shaped, or uncomfortabl e to hol d. Do any del i ver a better tool ?
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LLLK' b LI VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos
www. c ooks i l l u st rated. c om
Behi nd the Scenes: Spatul a Testing
KEY
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
11 ' |' /J/
We evaluated I 0 si l i cone spatul as, al l di shwasher-safe, runni ng each through ni ne tests. i ncl udi ng l ifi ng omel ets, scrapi ng the bowl of a food processor, hand-mi xi ng nuts
and other i ngredi ents i nto stif cooki e dough. fol di ng whi pped eg whi tes i nto cake batter. maki ng a pan sauce, and sti rri ng risotto. We al so si mmered the spatul as in a pot
of tomato-curry sauce for an hour to see if they woul d stai n and absorb odors, and ran them through the di shwasher twi ce to see if they woul d come through cl ean and
odor-free. And we tested thei r heat-safe cl ai ms. tryi ng to mel t them in a cast-i ron ski l l et as hot as we coul d get it-up to 674 degrees Fahrenhei t. Fi nal l y, we asked a variety
of test cooks to weigh in on the spatul as' comfort and performance. The spatul as appear bel ow in order of preference. Sources for the wi nni ng spatul as are on page 32.
HI GHLY RECOMME NDE D
RUBBERMAI D
Prfessi onal l J !- l nch
Heat Resi stant Scraper
Pri ce: $ 1 8. 99

TOVOLO
Super Spatul a
Price: $ 1 3. 95
TRUDEAU
Si l i cone Spatula,
Orange, l I nch
Pri ce: $9. 99
MARIO BATALI
Si l i cone Ri sotto Spatul a
Price: $7. 9 5
OXO
Good Gri ps Medi um
Si l i cone Spatul a
Pri ce: $7. 99
KUHN RI KON
Bakers' Si l i cone Spatul a
Pri ce: $6. 95
NOT RECOMME NDE D
SI LI CONEZONE
Large Fol i a Spatul a
Price: $ 1 3. 95
ZYLI SS
Does-I t-Al l Spatul a
Pri ce: $7. 99
CHEF' N SWITCHI T
Dual - Ended Long Spatul a
Price: $ 1 0. 99
P E RF ORMANCE
Head: ***
Handl e: ***
Overall Performance: ***
Head: ***
Handl e: ***
***
Head: **
Handl e: ***
***
Head: **
Handl e: ***
***
P E RF ORMANCE
Head: **
Handl e: **
**
Head: **
Handl e: *
**
P E RF ORMANCE
Head: ***
Handl e: *
Overal l Performance: *
Head: ***
Handl e: *
Overal l Performance: *
Head: *
Handl e: *
Overal l Performance: *
TESTERS' COMMENTS
A practical, no-nonsense spatula that aced every cooking test, with a great balance of flexibility and
firmness for both the head and the handl e; however, the head did become slightly di scolored by
the turmeric i n the curry test, and if we were going to quibble, the handl e, whi l e providing a great
grip, could be a bit more cushy. But all around, a terrific choice for nearly any job in the kitchen. We
also heated it beyond its top recommended temperature and saw no sign of damage.
This sleek spatula has cures in all the right places. It may look like it's just going to be decorave-
until you use it. Then it passes every performance test, scraping. stirring, fol di ng, and sauteing l i ke
a champ. It also withstood our attempts to stain and mel t it.
Perfect for scraping down a bowl, folding whi pped egg whites into batter, or sl i ppi ng under an
omel et, this well-shaped spatula also has an exceptional l y comfortable round wooden handle that
ofers good resistance when stirring. An overly sof tip and edge that coul dn't scrape up fond or
easily stir nuts and chips into thi ck cookie dough kept thi s spatula from a top spot, and a raised
ridge down the length of the head (containing the handl e) made it i mpossible to scrape batter of
in one stroke. The tip darkened when we tried to melt it.
With a "huge, " slightly stif head and rigid handl e, thi s sol i d spatula was ideal for stirring thick,
resistant ingredients like cookie dough and risotto, and moved great vol umes with few strokes
when folding in whipped egg whites. I t was also just sof enough and wel l shaped for scraping bowls
or swirl i ng pan sauce and had a good stif tip for scraping fond. Withstood stai ni ng and high heat.
Some testers found this spatula a bi t "cl unky" and the head just a little too thi ck and large.
A handsome spatula with a very comfortable, long wooden handl e, its fairly fi rm, bouncy, curved
head did wel l scraping bowls cl ean, but the pointed, floppy tip got in the way more than it hel ped,
even when making risotto (despite the spatula's name). Resisted stains, odor, and melting to look
new at the end of testing.
TESTERS' COMMENTS
A too-small head (and slightly too-short handl e) took points of the score for thi s otherise
decent spatula-these flaws made testers work harder when stirring and folding. Stained and held
curry odor, blackened sl ightl y under high heat, but retained its shape and pliant texture. The rub
ber handl e was comfortable but melted when briefly l ef leaning on the rim of a hot skillet.
Slightly too small and short to be ideal, this lightweight spatula did wel l scraping mi xi ng bowls, slid
i ng under an omel et, or scraping fond and swirling pan sauce, but for a so-called "baker's" spatula,
i t was too wi mpy to mix chocolate chips and nuts into stif cookie dough and disappeared into
whipped eg whites for angel food cake. I ts hard, curved pl astic handle cut into fingers and made
stirring uncomfortable. Hung on to curry odor and browned slightly at the tip over high heat.
TESTERS' COMME NTS
This fiat, paddlelike spatula reinforced with enclosed steel wire woul d be much better without its
extremel y curved shape, which made testers compl ai n about being forced into "unnatural" and
fatiguing arm positions. The metal insert heated up whi l e making risotto. Thi s spatula di scolored
in the curry test, and its tip turned brownish when l ef too long on a searing-hot skillet, but it held
its shape and texture.
Whi l e the head of this spatula is very well designed, the handl e is much too short. We had to reach
into a saucepan of hot risotto to grab it, and got batter on our hands while making angel food cake.
The unreinforced silicone extends up the handl e, making it bend too much, especially as it gets
warm, and making you work too hard when stirring stif ingredients. Stained "l i ke e-dye" in the
pot of curry and retained odor. The metal logo on the handl e became hot during cooking.
This "bendy, floppy-tipped" spatula was little better than a wet noodle when tackling food that
ofered the least bit of resistance, such as cookie dough or risotto. Partly reinforced with a too
short, enclosed steel strip, its too-skinny head coul dn't scrape up fond and di d poorly when fol di ng
whipped eg whites, requiring many extra strokes. Too short for large-handed testers, and too
fiat to be real l y comfortable. Resisted stains and odors, but the tip discolored over high heat. The
metal insert heated up whi l e making risotto.
) L L 1 c ^ L L L 5 1 ? 0 0 8
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B Y ) l L | ) l ^ | 1 F
Dutch Oven Conversion
Our recipe for Almost No- Knead
Bread ( January/ebruary 2008) , calls
for preheating a Dutch oven to 500
degrees. Aer we published our recipe,
it was called to our attention that the
manufacturers of both our favorite
Dutch oven ( the 7%- Quart Round
French Oven by Creuset) and our
Best Buy Dutch oven ( the 6. 5- Quart
Cast Iron Dutch Oven by Tramontna)
recommend against heating the pots to
this temperature, due to the phenolic
knobs used on the lids.
Fortunately, there are two simple
solutons. The knobs on both lids are
secured with a single screw that is easily
removed. Once the knob is removed,
you can replace it with an inexpensive
all-metal drawer hande purchased fom
a hardware store. Alternatively,
Creuset has introduced a stailess steel
replacement knob for its Dutch ovens
! C | | | M G . Ol ive Quartet
that is completely heatproof ( and also
happens to ft perfectly on the also
reconuended Lodge Color Enamel
Dutch Oven and Chefinate Dutch
Oven), avaable for about $1 0. To ft
tlus knob on the Tramontna Dutch
Oven, you'll need a single %-inch
cameter, %-inch-long madine screw
the 1/-inch screw tl1at comes wim tl1e
knob is not long enough to ft tlrougl1
me tlucker lid of tle Tran1ontna.
A $ 1 0 stai nl ess steel replacement knob
frm Le Creuset al l ows your Dutch oven
to be heated to 500 degrees.
Jarred ol i ves come in three basic types at the supermarket: bri ne-cured green, bri ne-cured
bl ack, and salt-cured bl ack (ofen erroneousl y l abel ed "oi l -curd"). Curi ng i s the process that
removes the bitter compound ol europei n from ol i ves to make them sui tabl e for consump
ti on. Bri ne-cured ol i ves are soaked i n a sal t sol uti on; sal t-cured ol i ves are packed i n sal t
unti l nearl y al l thei r l i qui d has been extracted, then covered i n oi l to be re-pl umped. Both
processes tradi ti onal l y take weeks or even months. To qui ckl y leach the ol europei n out of
canned Cal i forni a ol i ves, producers use lye, whi ch "ri pens" ol i ves artifci al l y in a matter of
days, then further process the ol i ves to turn thei r green fl esh bl ack.
We tasted several varieties of ol i ves i n both our Pasta with Ol i ves, Garl i c, and Herbs (page
2 1 ) and our Si ci l ian Egplant Rel i sh (page 1 9) and found that bri ne-cured black or green ol i ves
can be used i n either reci pe, based on personal preference. Ofen l abel ed "Spani sh" ol ives,
green ol i ves are pi cked before ful l y ri pened and add a bright, aci di c di mensi on to food. Picked
when mature, bl ack ol i ves l end a more robust taste. Onl y a few ol i ve afci onados favored
the concentrated, bitter taste of salt-cured ol i ves-we don' t recommend cooki ng with them
unl ess a recipe specifi cal l y cal l s for them. And canned ol i ves/ Their bl and fl avor and frm yet
oddl y sl i pper texture hel ped l and them at the bottom of our taste test.
TYPE F LAVOR PROF I LE
Bri ne-Cured Green Bright, aci di c, mi l d
Brine-Cured Bl ack Robust, brash, fruity
Salt-Cured Black Very strng, bitter, salty
Canned Black Bl and, almost tastel ess
C | M C . When to Sal t Fresh-Grund Meat
Duri ng testi ng, we thought that we coul d i mprove the fl avor of our Best Ol d
Fashi oned Burgers ( page I I ) by sal ti ng the meat before gri ndi ng i t, but the burgers
ended up very dense. What was goi ng on/ From research we've done on bri ni ng
and sal ti ng larger cuts of meat, we know that when exposed to a strong concentra
tion of salt, meat protei ns wi l l di ssol ve. Thi s breakdown is desi rabl e in steaks or
chops-the acti on of di ssol vi ng the protei n al l ows the meat to hol d on to more
moi sture, maki ng i t j ui ci er when cooked. In our burgers, however, the di ssol ved
meat protei ns act as a sort of gl ue, bi ndi ng the ground bi ts together very tightl y
to create a rubbery, al most sausagel i ke texture. So whi l e you may be tempted to
add salt to the meat before gri ndi ng, we recommend wai ti ng unti l you've formed
the patti es. Sal ti ng j ust the exteri or wi l l mai ntai n the tender, open structure we're
afer with thi s reci pe.
T I GHTLY WOUND
The meat for this patty was salted
before it was grund, leadi ng to
a dense, rubbery texture.
SCI E NCE The Chi l l Factor i n
Meal y Peaches
Can refigerating peaches make mem
mealy? According to me ]eurnu/ e
Etrimtntu/Betun,,me answer is yes.
A study in tle August 1 3, 2004, eciton
found tl1at storage at temperatures at
or below 40 degrees Fallenheit can
destroy me activity of certain enzymes
in tl1e peach that normally break down
pectin in its cell walls during tl1e rip
ening process. If mese enzymes are
deactivated before me fuit is ripe, the
pectin V remain intact and the peach
Vhave a mealy texture.
To test this fncing ourselves, we
divided a single case of peaches into
two batches, allowing one to ripen
immediately without refigeration and
storing me other for a week in the
fidge, before allowing it to fnish
ripening for a couple of days at room
temperature. Bom sets of peaches were
placed in containers sealed with plastic
wrap in order to prevent moisture
fom evaporating. True to the study,
our tasters found that despite being
sof and ripe to me touch, me peaches
that spent time in me fridge were
signifcantly mealier than mose kept
at room temperature. Moral of the
LOOS E NE D UP
Salt j ust on its exterior hel ped
this patty maintain the loose
structure we wanted.
stor: Don't refrigerate your peaches
unless you're sure they're ripe. You
may prolong their shelf life, but me
loss of quality isn't worth it.
SC I E NC E lengtheni ng the
Li fe of Tomatoes
We've heard that storing a tomato
with its stem end facing down can pro
long shelf life. To test this meory, we
placed one batch of tomatoes stem-end
up and another stem-end down and
stored them at room temperature. A
week later, nearly all the stem-down
tomatoes remained in perfect conci
tion, while the stem-up tomatoes had
shriveled and started to mold. Why me
diference? We sumused mat tle scar
lef on the tomato skin where me stem
once grew provides bom an escape for
STE M U P STE M DOWN
Stori ng a tomato stem-end down (rom
temperature i s best) prevents air frm
entering and moisture frm exiting its
scar, prl onging shelf life.
L l l | 5 I L L U S T R A T E D
|
moisture and an entry point for mold
and bacteria. Placing a tomato stem
end down blocks afom enterng and
moisnre fom exiting the scar. To con
firm m theory, we ran another test,
d1is time comparing tomatoes stored
stem-end down with another batch
stored stem-end up, but with a piece of
tape sealing of their scars. The taped,
stem-end-up tomatoes survived j ust as
well as the stem-end-down batch.
SCI E NCE Goodbye to Sticky
Milk Film
When scalding milk, a difcult-to
remove flm of browned whey proteins
can develop on d1e bottom ofd1e pan.
We learned fom food-science guru
Harold McGee's book Cu 100J JuJ
C00ktu_d1at a thin flm of water can
discourage these proteins from adher
ing. We also know that the longer
proteins are heated, the more brown
ing occurs. Could preheating the pot
frther mininize sticking by speeding
up the rate at which the milk heats?
We heated milk three ways: in a cold
empty pot, in a cold pot with a litde
water, and in a preheated pot wid1
a !itde water. The drd pot fnished
nearly flm-free. So whenever a recipe
calls for scalding milk, we suggest
adding a dun flm of water the pan
(j ust enough to cover the bottom) and
preheating it until d1e water is boiling
before adding your milk.
COL D START
Scal di ng mi l k i n a dry non-preheated
pot results i n a large deposit of brwned
prtei ns i n the bottom.
I N HOT WATE R
Preheating a thi n fl m of water before
adding the mi l k i nhi bits prtei ns frm
sticking and brwning, resulting in an
easi er-to-cl ean pot.
1 A 1 | M G . Ugl yRi pe Tomatoes
Most supermarket tomatoes are bred for thei r uniform spheri cal
appearance and are pi cked wel l before ri peni ng (even so-cal l ed
vi ne-ri pened ki nds) i n order to be abl e to withstand the rigors of
cross-conti nental shi ppi ng. The results are notori ousl y j ui cel ess
and flavorl ess. But the Santa Sweets tomato company of Pl ant City,
Fl ori da, cl ai ms that its Ugl yRi pe brand of tomatoes was bred with onl y
- -
flavor i n mi nd. I n addi ti on, thi s tomato i s supposedl y al l owed to stay on the l i vi ng vi ne to
a much later stage, resul ting in a ri per, j ui ci er product. ( I n fact, the fruit is so ri pe when
packed that i t comes i ndi vi dual l y foam-wrapped for protecti on. )
To put these cl ai ms to the test, we performed bl i nd taste tests of Ugl yRi pe tomatoes
against tomatoes labeled "vi ne-ri pened" (which are pi cked when j ust I 0 percent of the frui t
has turned from green to red). sampl i ng them raw and cooked into sauce. The Ugl yRi pes
were unani mousl y favord i n both tests for their sweet tomato fl avor We al so noticed that
as they cooked, the UglyRipes released nearly tice as much jui ce as vi ne-ri pe tomatoes-an
indication that the company's cl ai m of a later harest i s true. We' l l sti l l go for l ocal l y grown
farn1er' market tomatoes i n the summer, but the Ugl yRipes, even at $3. 99 per pound (versus
$3.49 per pound for the vi ne-ri pe fruit) . are worth every extra cent in wi nter
pyrex
1 8ez'
cw
>6_

WATE R RE TE NTI ON
Tomatoes picked when not ful l y ripe
won't release enough liquid to del iver
good tomato flavor, even when cooked.

-
TOTAL R E L E AS E
Because UgfyRipe Tomatoes are allowed to
ripen frher on the vine, they release mor
flavor and sugar-rich j uice when cooked.
KL ' | L O| LPL
Cr ` ' edCree<-Sty' ecamo` taSadw ce
Fans of our pan-fri ed Greek-Styl e Lamb Pi ta Sandwi ches (Jul y /August 2007)
wanted a way to make them on the gri l l . Our exi sti ng reci pe cal l s for pan-frying 1 2
smal l patties (3 per sandwi ch) of a garl i ck ground l amb mixture unti l wel l browned
and cooked through. Smal l patties were di fcul t to manage on the gri l l , so the first
thi ng we di d was to fuse them together to make four large rectangular shapes
(whi ch woul d each fit neatl y i n the wrapped pi ta sandwi ch). The next adjustment
was to cut down on the amount of panade (a paste made of fresh bread crumbs
combi ned wi th a l i qui d i ngredi ent) that we added to the ground l amb. The purpose
of the panade i s to keep the smal l patties moi st duri ng their hi gh-heat sear. but they
actual l y caused too much moi sture retenti on i n the bi g patti es. giving them a mushy,
wet texture. With less panade, the patties gri l l ed up with a ni ce crust on the outside
and tender but fi rm meat on the i nsi de. Go to V . cooksi l l ustrated. com/ august
for our free reci pe for Gri l l ed Greek-Style Lamb Pita Sandwi ches.
G RE AT F OR T HE PAN B E TTE R F OR T HE GRI L L
Whi l e smal l er gyr patties (lef) work wel l for pan-frying, we found them
di fcul t to deal with on a gri l l . Our solution! Combine three patties into one
large shape (right) for easier gri l l i ng.
Cr ` ' ed`otatoew tCregaoadcemo
Changing the flavors of our Gri l l ed Potatoes with Garl i c and Rosemary (Jul y /August
2007) to oregano and l emon (keepi ng with the Greek theme above) was not quite
as si mpl e as merel y swappi ng the i ngredi ents. Our exi sti ng reci pe flavors the spuds
wi th a cooked garl i c-herb oi l made wi th a l ot of garl i c (9 cl oves) and j ust a l i ttl e fresh
rosemary ( I teaspoon). Because of the more subtl e fl oral character of oregano.
whi ch i s easi l y overpowered by stronger flavors, we found i t necessary to cut down
the garl i c in the oi l to 3 cl oves and to i ncrease the herb to 2 tabl espoons. We also
added some l emon zest. To reinforce these flavors i n the fnal di sh. we tossed the
cooked potatoes wi th an extra dose of uncooked mi nced oregano and zest. A
squeeze of fresh l emon j ui ce brightened all the flavors. Go to V . cooksi l l ustrated.
com/ august for our free reci pe for Gri l l ed Potatoes with Oregano and Lemon.
C` a c`oudCa<e a 1 uoe `a
Readers wanted to know how to bake our Cl assi c Pound Cake (January/February
2007) in a tube pan i nstead of the tradi ti onal l oaf pan. A logical request. consi der
ing that a tube pan (someti mes cal l ed an angel-food cake pan) worlks perfectly for
dense baked goods l i ke pound cake. The pan's center tube hel ps conduct heat to
the mi ddl e of the cake, al l owi ng for even cooki ng and a stabl e structure. The frst
step was to doubl e the pound cake batter to fll the tube pan's larger capacity. Due
to the center tube's heat conducti vi ty. the cake took less time to bake (by about I 0
mi nutes) . However, i t baked up very dense; clearly. a tube pan ful l of batter coul dn' t
get enough l i f from the 325-degree oven. I ncreasi ng the heat to 350 degrees made
the cake l ighter but created an exterior verging on burnt. Starting the cake i n a 350-
degree oven for I S mi nutes, then reduci ng the temperature to 325 degrees l ed to
the perfect amount of rise and a nicely golden brown exterior. Go to V .cooks
i l l ustrated. com/ august for our free reci pe for Cl assi c Pound Cake in a Tube Pan.
-Charles Kelsey
J U L Y c i U C U S T 2
9 |
I L l l ^I!+ '1!I1
3 B Y E L I Z A B E T H B O M Z E E

EQUI P ME NT TE STI NG | ceCreamScoops

Even badly designed ice cream scoops do the job-
but they make you work much harder than necessary,
wit their wKomfortable handles, thick edges that
can't penetrate hard-packed surfaces, bowls that won't
release the ice cream, or scoop sizes that won't ft in an
ordinary cone. To fnd the perfect cpper, we scooped
up six models, both traditional and i.ovative. We
quickly elated the dwarf-sized Tovolo Standz Ice
Cream Scoop ( $4. 99), concluding that nobody needs
d scoop that stands upright. Another nontraditonal
model, the Van Vacter Ice Cream Kife ( $18. 95),
aso didn't make the cut, marring even the hardest ice
cream with its big, blunt teeth. The beak-nosed OXO
i-Series Scoop ( $14.99) rolled gawk, pointed scoops,
as did the elongated scoop fom KitchenAid ( $9. 99) .
The three remag models, iiKludng a sleeker
update of our previous favorite fom Zeroll ( $16. 9 5 ),
a scooped capably and easily, but the perfect orbs
made by the t-rinmed stless steel Rosie Ice
Cream Scoop ($20.00) impressed us most. For com
plete testg results, go to W.
cooksillustrated. com/
The exceptionally thin edge on the
Rosie Ice Cream Scoop rl l ed up
flawless ice cream spheres.
NEW PRODUCT P| eGate
Lefover pie doesn't last long, but when there is
some to spare, a Pie Gate ( $6. 95) fom Progressive
International promises to keep the fg mtact. This
plastic tool, which looks like two wgs attached on
a central hinge, adjusts to ft any angle-and most
pie plates. Its fexible silicone edge does the job of
neatly and tightly seag mleaky flgs. The device
can also double as a dam for cut rounds of creamy,
oozy cheeses such as Brie or Camembert.
S URPRI S I NGLY US EF UL
Runny pie fl l i ngs and oozy cheeses stay intact
with the Prgressive International Pie Gate.
NEW PRODUCT Cake Pao L| oers
Lining cake pans with parchment paper ensures easy
release of baked goods, but cutt1g parchment to
fit can be tedious and wastefl. We like Regency
Pent Runds ( $1. 99), which are a barg
compared witl1 a roll of supermarket parchment. One
package conts 24 liners for 8- to
9-inch round cake pans and mbe pans,
12 for each shape.
E QU I P ME NT TESTI NG
| ectr|cC|trus]u| cers
Though we fi nd a handheld citrus
squeezer fne if we orly need a
lttle j uice, we prefer pluggi.g
mto a more power tool when
we want a lot. A heavy stain
less steel model fom Breville
( $169. 95) extracted every last
drop of j uice smootl1ly and ef
ciently. Pressing on tl1e handle
squeezes the fuit while stag
a motorized rean1er. Ifjuici.g is
a top prority, this "Rolls-Royce
of juicers" is a nice i.west
ment. Meanwhile, j uice flowed
almost as feely fom smaller ( and
much cheaper) electric juicers
fom Black Decker ( $19. 21),
Delonghi ( $29.99), and Cuisinart
( $29. 95) . The Black Decker
won us over witl its mess-fee
squeezii1g, easy pouring, and
bargain price. If you happen
to own a KitchenAid food pro
cessor, the KitchenAid Citnts
Press attachment ( $39. 99) per
formed well.
E QUI P ME NT UP DATE

KI NG OF
THE J UI CERS
Fresh-j uice afci ona
dos wi l l appreciate
the ul ti mate citrus
press frm Brevi l l e.
BEST BUY
For easy, mess-free
squeezing at a bar
gain price, look to
the Black & Decker
CitrusMate Plus.
Soow8|verCutt| og8oard
Shortly afer we applauded tl1e durabilit and con
venience of the Snow River Utty Cutting Board
( $16. 99) ii1 a recent test, we were cisappoii1ted to lea
that the company ciscontmed the board. It is now
producmg another dishwasher-safe board, the Snow
River Grande Epicure Pro ( $19.95), which, lie its pre
decessor, boasts a composite core sandwiched between
sheets of real maple. But instead of being /oinch thick,
tl1e new board has a thickness of j ust

/Io iiKh.
We subj ected the Grande Epicure Pro to tle
same battery of tests as the otler boards. We sliced
onions, whacked chicken tllighs tltrough the bone
with a cleaver, cut on it 750 ti.es with a new llife,
minced deep-staini.g chipotle chiles, ran it tl1rough
the dishwasher, and dropped it on tl1e floor. Fresh
out of ie box, tl1e board was noticeably curved,
and it had warped dranatically by the end of test
ulg. Cutti.1g on it felt hard and unpleasant under the
life. And as for the maple surface, our cuts lef rag
gedy fssures and deep scars. We can't recommend
C | | b : I L L U S T R A T E D
' Z
the Grande Epicure
Pro as a replacement
for tl1e Utility Board.
For a cheaper, dishwasher
safe alternative to our win
tung board, we'll stick with
the plastic Architec Gripper
Nonslip Cutting Board
( $ 14. 95) .
bources
NOT SO GRANDE
The Snow River Grande
Epicure Pr came out
of our testing chewed
up and mi sshapen.
The fol l owi ng are sources for items recommended i n this
i ssue. Prices were current at prss time and do not i ncl ude
shi ppi ng. Contact compani es to confrm information or
vi si t ww.cooksi l l ustrated. com for updates.
Page 9.BARBECUE GLOVES
Grill Life Leather Gri l l Gl oves: $ 1 2.49 per pair,
item #8 1 67470, Ace Hardware Outlet (800-985-60 1 7,
www.acehardwareoutlet.com).
Page | I.GRATI N DI SH
Emi l e Henry 3-Quart Gratin Di sh: $54.95, item #57895 1 ,
Cooking. com (800-663-88 1 0, w .cooking.com).
Page 2I.DRY MEASURING CUPS
Amco Stainless Steel 4-Piece Measuring Cup Set: $9.95,
item # 70823 I , Cooking.com.
Page Z EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Col umel a Extra Virgi n Olive Oil: $ 1 7.95 for 17 oz., item
#569 1 78, Sur LTable (800-243-0852, www. surlatable.com).
Page 29.SPATULS
Rubbermaid Prfessional 1 3 Y2 -lnch Heat Resistant Scraper,
$ 1 8.99, item #BOOOOCF02Y, w.amazon.com.
Tovolo Si l i cone Spatula, $8.99, item #BOOOILRG51,
www.amazon.com.
Page I2. ICE CREAM SCOOP
Rosie Ice Cream Scoop: $20.00, item # 1 274 1 , Cutlery and
More (800-650-9866, www.cutl eryandmore.com).
Page I2.PIE GATE
Prgressive International Pie Gate: $6.95,
item #BE0045, Kitchen Krafs (800-776-0575,
www. kitchenkrafs.com).
Page I2. CAKE PAN LI NERS
Regency Parhment Rounds and Tube Pan Liners:
$ 1 .99 for 24, item #080988202023, The Kitchen Store.com
(800-458-26 1 6, www.thekitchenstore.com).
Page I2.CITRUS J UI CERS
Breville Citrus Press: $ 1 69.95, item #392748, Cooking.com.
Black & Decker CitrusMate Pl us Citrus Jui cer: $ 1 9.2 1 ,
item #B00004SC5 I , www.amazon.com.
KitchenAid Citrus Press 1 2-Cup Food Prcessor Attachment:
$39.99, item #KFP7CP, KitchenAid (800-54 1 -6390,
www.kitchenai d.com).
Page I2. CUTTING BOARD
Arhitec Gri pper Nonsl i p Cutting Board: $ 1 4.95,
item # 1 86325, Cooking. com.
I NDE X
) o., / Aoos| Z ||l
RE C I P E S
MAI N DI S HES
Best Ol d- Fashi oned Burgers I I
Charcoal -Gri l l ed Bone- I n
Chi cken Breasts
Gas-Gri l l ed
Charcoal -Gri l l ed Sausages
wi th Oni ons | b
Gas-Gri l l ed | b
wi th Fennel | b
wi th Peppers and Oni ons I S
Enchi l adas Verdes 7
Gri l l ed Bratwurst wi th Sauerkraut
and Appl es I S
Pasta wi th Ol i ves, Garl i c, and Herbs l
SALADS AND S I DE DI S HE S
Cherry Tomato Sal ad
Greek
wi th Basi l and Fresh Mozzarel l a
wi th Tarragon and Bl ue Cheese
Summer Vegetabl e Grati n l J
wi th Roasted Peppers and
Smoked Mozzarel l a l J
SAUCE , GLAZE S , AND RE L I S H
|LK bLb LLL |Pb M| L|L L bOKLLKb.
Cl assi c Burger Sauce I |
|LK LK| LLLL bL|L | | LM| L6L| bKLPbb.
Orange-Chi potl e Gl aze
Soy-Gi nger Gl aze
Si ci l i an Eggpl ant Rel i s h (Caponata) |
DE S S E RTS
Bl ueberry Pi e b
Peach Shortcakes J
NE W RE CI P E S ON T H E WE B
(AVA| LA8L F 8 FO8 6 HONTH5)
Cherry Tomato and Watermel on Sal ad
Cherry Tomato Sal ad wi th Mango and
Li me Curry Vi nai grette
Cl assi c Pound Cake in a Tube Pan
Curry-Yogurt Gl aze
Gri l l ed Greek-Styl e Lamb Pi ta
Sandwi ches
Gri l l ed Potatoes wi th
Oregano and Lemon
Mexi can Ri ce
Roasted Bel l Peppers
@ COOK' S L I VE Ori gi nal Test Ki tchen Vi deos www. cooksi l l ustrated. com
MAI N DI S HE S
How to Make Best
Ol d-Fashi oned Burgers
What i s the best ski l l et?
How to prepare the patti es
How to Make Enchi l adas Verdes
How to buy and store corn torti l l as
How to Make Gri l l ed
Bone- I n Chi cken Breasts
What i s the best way to cl ean
gri l l grates?
How to mi nce thyme
How to Make Gri l l ed
Sausages wi th Peppers and Oni ons
Starti ng a fi re i n a charcoal gri l l
How t o s l i ce fennel
Tong pri mer
How to Make Pasta wi th Ol ives,
Garl i c, and Herbs
How to pi t ol i ves
SALADS AND S I DE DI S HE S
How to Make Greek
Cherry Tomato Sal ad
How to Make Roasted
Bell Peppers
How to Make Si ci l i an Eggpl ant
Rel i sh
How to core and seed tomatoes
How to toast pi ne nuts
How to Make Summer
Vegetabl e Grati n
Why do I need t o sal t some
vegetabl es?
DE S S E RTS
How to Make Bl ueberry Pi e
Al l about tapi oca
What i s the best pi e server?
How to Make Peach Shortcakes
How to peel , pi t, and sl i ce peaches
TE S TI NG
Behi nd the Scenes: Spatul a Testi ng
AMERI CA'S TEST KI TCHEN
Publ i c tel evi si on' s most popul ar cooki ng show
J oi n the mi l l i ons of home cooks who watch our s how,
Amcr|cos cst||tchcn, on publ i c tel evi si on every week.
For more i nformati on, i ncl udi ng reci pes and program
ti mes, vi si t www. ameri castestki tchen. com.
Best Old-Fashioned Burgers, | |
Enchiladas Verdes,
Bl ueberry Pie, b Sausages with Peppers and Onions, | b
Sicilian Eggplant Relish, | Y Greek Cherry Tomato Salad,
Summer Vegetable Gratin, | J Peach Shortcake, J
H HC1CCHAHHY. CAHL1HL MBLAY, S1YL | |C. MAH| L H | HA| |C
5trr
Jr u i t

Jo m l o
\oco n ut