CookingAsked 3 days ago by Nancy A.
Hej hej! I'm American, considered a really good cook by my family.
Now living in Sweden part time and hoping to move permanently, I'm engaged to a Swede.
Anyone in my situation? I'm a much better cook in the US... I'm still learning the electric induction cooktop- I'm used to gas flame.
Plus the cuts of meat are so different... what's the best way to get what I call a chuck roast? Is it called something different in Sweden?
The grocery stores here just sell what they're sent, there's no butcher in store. And there aren't meat markets in every small town like we have in my area of the US. Which is really unexpected to me. I thought Sweden would be much more farm to table, whole foods. Granted there's not nearly as many highly processed foods here which is great... but I'm struggling with some of the basics. If any American cooks living in Sweden can offer advice I'd appreciate it!
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hi Nancy,
How exciting to be living in a new place and to have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a new (to you) cuisine! We'll post this for the Milk Street Community to share their suggestions. You could also post your query on the active Milk Street Community page on Facebook.
Read MoreAsked Aug 20 by Anna C.
I have some fresh fettuccine that I need to use and I was wanting to try your fettuccine, corn and tomatoes dish. The recipe calls for dry fettuccine but I was hoping I could still use my fresh fettuccine. I am not sure how I should adjust the cooking instructions for this since fresh doesn't take that long to cook.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hi Anna,
It really depends on the recipe. For our Fettuccine with Corn, Tomatoes and Bacon it should work fine because the pasta is cooked separately from the sauce. Keep in mind that the recipe calls for 12 ounces fettuccine or pappardelle and some packages of fresh pasta contain 9 ounces. Cook the fresh pasta according to package instructions and save 1 cup of the pasta water for finishing the sauce with the pasta. We have not made this recipe using fresh pasta, so we cannot guarantee the results. That said, we think it should work just fine. Just keep an eye on the cues as the timings for the pasta might be different with fresh.
Read MoreAsked Aug 07 by Anthony M.
how can I halve the Italian Travis tiramisu recipe
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hi Anthony,
The recipe is available on our website. You have to type the name in with the accent - tiramisù - for the recipe to appear. You can also find it in our Backroads Italy and Season 9 TV (2017 to 2026) cookbooks as well as in the March-April 2025 issue of our Magazine.
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/tiramisu
Read MoreAsked Jul 26 by DAVE K.
how to spatchcock a chicken
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hi Dave,
Below is a link to our guide for Spatchcocking a chicken. The technique (with a little additional effort) also works for a turkey.
https://www.177milkstreet.com/stories/spatchcock-your-bird-for-faster-better-roasting
Read MoreAsked Jul 16 by JESSE B.
(If a moderator gets a chance to delete the other version of this, I wasn't expecting "Enter" to submit...)
I'm just flummoxed by how my favorite General Tso's chicken (or a number of other restaurant items) have chicken thighs so that they're delightful all the way through. I find when I try to prep them, it's all but impossible to remove all the bits that look suspect to me (membranes, etc) without reducing it to a few strands of meat, and if I'm not thorough enough, it's all goingy bits and unpleasant textures.
I'm missing something; I tend to avoid it by substituting boneless, skinless breast meat for almost everything, but that's not the ideal solution.
I know there's more than one way to cook them, so I guess while examples would be good, a more general understanding of what they require would be even better.
Hi Jesse - You don't need to take out all of the veins and membranes, etc. Just trim any excess fat or skin and cut the thighs to the size you need (if boneless). Most of the "suspect" bits will disappear during cooking.
Read MoreAsked May 27, 2025 by Melanie R.
What is the best way to warm up a package of store bought naan to serve with kababs?
I want to use the naan to hold the kabobs like a taco for eating.
Thank you in advance for your advice.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Melanie –
I would follow the directions on the package as the instructions will differ depending on it the naan is frozen or shelf stable. We use shelf stable naan at Milk Street and heat each piece on a gas burner using tongs, turning every few seconds to avoid burning. Wrap the naan in a clean dish towel, adding each piece as it warms. You could also warm them in a hot skillet or in the oven. Place the naan on a baking sheet and heat until warmed through.
Read MoreAsked Mar 28, 2025 by Mary L.
I was looking back at my Jan/Feb 2024 copy of Milk Street and read about browning flour (“For Bigger Flavor, Toast your Flour”). That raised the question in my mind about toasting flour before using it as a thickener, or before making a roue. How would that change flour’s thickening ability in a stew (I generally lightly flour beef before browning when I make a stew)? Would it make my gravy richer or likely to need more liquid? Most importantly how would toasting change the flavor?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Mary –
We have not tested the affect of toasted flour with thickeners, roux or gravies. I've passed on your query to our Kitchen Team. We'll let you know if they expand their testing of toasted flours.
Thank you for your query.
Read MoreAsked Mar 24, 2025 by William R.
When the potatoes are cooked, can they be beaten with a hand mixer to make them smoother or will that turn them into wallpaper paste? Is running them through a sieve achieve a smoother result? Thanks, Bill
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Bill –
You do run the risk of making gummy potatoes by using a hand mixer. On the other hand, running them through a sieve would be like passing the potatoes through a food mill or ricer, resulting in very smooth mashed potatoes. I'd recommend giving that a try!
Read MoreAsked Feb 12, 2025 by Mark Z.
I am trying to recreate a spice blend from a restaurant that closed several years ago.
The spice blend was used as a dry rub for wings and this was a beloved restaurant in the community for many years.
Unfortunately, the owner was diagnosed with cancer and was forced to sell / close.
Shortly after the closure of the restaurant, they did a fundraiser - selling their dry rub spice blend and I was able to purchase some of this.
I still have some of the blend on hand that I vacuum packed. Is there anyway to have this analyzed and recreated?
The original owner is no longer available and they have discontinued any sales of the blend well over a year ago.
Do you have any advice for how to recreate? I am really bad at trying to identify the individual spices.
Thanks
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Mark –
This is an intriguing question. Thank you for sharing the story of the restaurant and the former owner, so sad.
Some questions I would ask in trying to figure out what spices were used are:
• did the restaurant specialize in cuisine from a particular culinary tradition or geographic region? If so, are there traditional spices or spice blends from that cuisine or region?
• Are there any identifiable seeds or spices with bright colors, anything to give you clues to identifying them?
Out of curiosity, what was the name of the restaurant?
Read MoreAsked Feb 10, 2025 by Richard B.
Hi all,
I became intrigued with this recipe after watching the above caption telecast where Christopher prepares the dish with only grated cheese, water, toasted black pepper and artisanal spaghetti/bucatini.
While these are the only ingredients mentioned, I noticed that early on in his preparation he had two small glass mis-en-place bowls next to the cooktop, each with a small amount of white powder both of which he added after pasta and water were heating in the skillet. Salt? flour? corn starch? anyone know what they were and if so, how much of each was added.
Many thanks to whoever can tell me what and how much!
Best,
Richard
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Richard,
Thank you for watching our program, we truly appreciate it. After adding the pasta to the water in the skillet, Chris adds 2 tablespoons of the pecorino and Parmesan cheese mixture + ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Let us know how it turns out!
Read More 
