CookingAsked Apr 21, 2020 by Teresa J.
Hi! Thank you for opening up the forum. I’ve been wondering what to do with the 5 lbs of fresh slice pork I got as part of a ‘pig share’. It looks just like bacon, but is just raw pork sliced like bacon. We cooked one package and were decidedly underwhelmed. Pretty flavorless. I sprinkled some smoked paprika on the last couple slices as they were in the skillet, better, but ..... Suggestions? Can we MAKE it BACON?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Teresa - What you have, essentially, is pork belly. Since it's already been sliced it shouldn't be smoked and cured like bacon at this point. You can, however, use it as you would thin pork belly - search for recipes for sliced pork belly. Unlike bacon, it has only its pork flavor so adding some salt to it is crucial. I'd probably choose to make Char Siu, Chinese-style barbecue. I love it served with steamed rice and sautéed vegetables to soak up the sticky glaze. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 20, 2020 by christopher D.
As a home coook, without actually doing it myself successfully, I consider consommé one of the more deceptively difficult foods to make, and one of the pinnacles of skill in broth preparation. I could not find a milkstreet recipe/procedure for this. Am I misguided in my thinking? Is the outcome not worth the effort? Does Christopher, any of the pros, or members have any insight about this?
THANK YOU!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Christopher - Wow, that's very ambitious for a home cook! I don't think I've made a consommé since culinary school. I just don't find the added effort worth it for anything I'm making at home. Milk Street doesn't have a recipe or technique because we just aren't about fussy cooking. We would rather make a simple broth from water or chicken broth and some highly-flavorful ingredients than spend hours babying a consommé. Consider instead our Miso Broth (miso paste adds tons of flavor), our easy Vegetable Broth (a pungent Parmesan rind is added), or simply adding ginger, garlic, fish sauce, coconut water or milk, chiles, or any bold ingredients to water or homemade chicken broth. No need for perfectly clear consommé around here! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 19, 2020 by Denis P.
In your Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf with with Spiced Beef and Green Beans recipe, you recommend brown rice as it holds up better. Will white be ok if that’s all we have or is brown a must?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Denis - The water-rice ratios in the Instant Pot are very finicky. That's because each ingredient in the recipe can release liquid in the pot that will affect how the rice cooks. While you could definitely cook white basmati rice in the Instant Pot and make this recipe, since we haven't tested it, I can't give you an exact substitution. I'm so sorry! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 17, 2020 by John V.
I've long been a consumer of Better-Than-Bouillon (BTB) broths (cheap, tasty, shelf-stable, and friendly to small kitchen storage). BTB suggests heating water up to a boil before adding the concentrate. When I encounter a recipe that calls for chicken broth, should I think about changing the cooking time since I'm adding hot broth? I'd assume most recipes use broth that starts at room temperature. Right?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi John - I don't think there will be a large enough difference - especially if you prep your ingredients before cooking - that you would need to alter your cooking times significantly enough to change how you make a recipe. First, I would prep the Better-Than-Bouillon before any of the other ingredients so it has time to cool off a bit before you use it. Second, follow the visual clues in the recipe. If you follow the visual clues rather than the cooking times you won't need to rely on them as much anyway. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 17, 2020 by SHIH-TAO C.
Hello everyone,
I was going to make Cannellini Beans With Tomatoes, Basil & Parmesan, but the recipe calls for dry beans which the supermarket I go to daily doesn’t carry it. Is it possible to use canned beans instead?
Below is the link to the recipe
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/tomatoes-basil-cannellini-beans-fast-slow
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hello - This recipe was developed for using an Instant Pot, so substituting canned beans would likely not work. Canned beans are already cooked so they will be overcooked during the times suggested in the Instant Pot recipe. This recipe for White Beans with Sage, Garlic, and Fennel is similar to the recipe you noted but uses canned beans. It, too, is great so I'd give this one a try! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 16, 2020 by Pat H.
I'm allergic to garlic and onions as well as the onion family. I also cook for my dog and avoid these spices as they can be fatal to dogs.
When a recipe calls for garlic, I substitute radishes or ginger. When a recipe calls for onions or something from the onion family, I substitute celery.
Do you have any other substitution suggestions? Most of your recipes use garlic and onion family spices.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Pat - You're making the right choices by substituting radish for a similar bite, although probably best in raw applications. Radish is a member of the Brassicaceae family, not an allium. To mimic texture, celery and bell pepper are options. According to FODMAP diet followers (which requires the elimination of alliums due to Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Asafoetida, also called Hing, would be something interesting to try. Asafoetida is a pungent spice used in cooking that is native to Central Asia, particularly Iran and India. Asafoetida comes from a very unusual source. According to food scientist Harold McGee, it’s made by scraping the sap from the exposed root of a plant in the carrot family. The sap is dried and crushed, giving us a tan-colored powder to sprinkle into our dishes.
McGee also says that the sap contains many of the same sulfur compounds found in onions. It has a very strong odor when dry, which many sources say is reminiscent of washed rind cheeses or body odor. Not to worry – when the spice is added during cooking, it mellows out into a gentle flavor. Asafoetida is used in savory dishes, often to add a more full flavor by mimicking the taste of onions, garlic, egg, and even meat. It’s a staple ingredient in Indian cooking, commonly used along with turmeric in lentil dishes like dal, and a variety of vegetable dishes.
Unless you have a really excellent health food store or Indian grocery near you, it’s probably best to look for asafoetida online. You can buy it here or here.
I'm sure it's very frustrating since onions and garlic are in so many dishes. Maybe asafoetida can help! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 16, 2020 by A U.
I was recently given two cans of fruit by a friend. I think a lot of us have hangups about canned fruit and canned vegetables - their freshness, their nutritional value, etc. Is that a fair judgment or have we just grown up having unfounded ideas? Do you have any interesting ideas or recipes that could turn this canned fruit (medley) into something fantastic?
Answered by Lynn Clark
I think the main problem with canned fruit is that it's usually packed in syrup or fruit juice which adds additional sugar and calories. You could use it to make smoothies or popsicles, a fruit cocktail cake - this is a well-known cake in the Southern U.S., add to muffins, puree and add to cocktails. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 16, 2020 by Sherry N.
I am always confused when recipes call for mint. I mostly see in the stores both spearmint and peppermint, and I am never sure which one is supposed to be used for recipes as it is rarely ever noted. Should I always lean towards one type?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Sherry - Spearmint is the standard when we call for mint in recipes. It is the type of mint most often sold in grocery stores and, therefore, the most widely available. Also, spearmint is milder in flavor – it contains significantly less menthol than peppermint – and lends itself to more preparations. However, peppermint can be used in place of spearmint in sweet dishes where it’s stronger flavor is more balanced by sugar. Here is a breakdown of the differences:
Peppermint: A natural hybrid of spearmint and water mint. Because peppermint is a mix of two types of mint, it contains a higher content of menthol (40 percent as opposed to spearmint’s 0.5 percent). Menthol is the chemical ingredient that creates that recognizable cooling effect on the mouth. Its strong flavor is best suited for sweet dishes, especially those with chocolate. Peppermint is used in extracts and oils.
Spearmint: Compared to peppermint, spearmint has a delicate flavor and fragrance. It gets its flavor from the chemical ingredient carvone, which is much subtler than menthol and doesn’t evoke the same cooling sensation. In cooking, spearmint is used in savory recipes unlike peppermint. Whether it’s blended into a tzatziki sauce, drizzled over a rack of lamb, folded into a pork- and veggie-packed spring roll, or muddled into a refreshing mojito, spearmint will let the dish’s other flavors shine alongside it.
Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 16, 2020 by Sharon R.
Cooks Illustrated says one cup of flour weighs 5 ounces and they use that amount in their recipes. (I understand that different flours weigh a bit differently). However most other chefs say flour weighs 4.5 ounces. What weight should I use for recipes that are not Cooks Illustrated recipes? Frankly the differing amounts make a difference in the baking products. Should I use 5 ounces for Cooks Illustrated recipes and 4.5 ounces for all other recipes?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Sharon - Flour weights per cup are all over the map. That's because they are determined by taking an average weight of a sample of people measuring flour by cup using the dip-and-sweep method \or\ spooning method - two very different methods which can produce wildly different results. Every person in the experiment is a variable - some people have a heavy hand, others packs more tightly, etc. - and each experiment may use different methods to achieve their results. Even the weather that day can affect them. We did our own experiment here at Milk Street and came to 130 grams per cup (about 4.5 ounce) in order to have consistency across our recipes. In my opinion, all baking recipes should be developed and written using weight measurements since the ingredient balance when baking is so critical. However, since not everyone does, I would probably go with 4 1/2 ounces per cup. I find the Cooks Illustrated number a bit of an outlier when you look at other baking experts' numbers. I can't be sure it will work for you across the board (obviously use the CI measurement for their recipes), but I think it's probably the closest to "standard." Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 16, 2020 by Daniel P.
I do not have a microwave and a few times I've wished for alternative instructions - latkes come to mind. I use stovetop of oven hoping for the same result.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Daniel - I don't think we have a latkes recipe here at Milk Street so I can't offer advice on how to modify that recipe without a microwave. Each specific recipe will likely require different instructions to switch from a microwave to the stovetop or oven so, unfortunately, I can't offer any across-the-board suggestions. If you have a specific recipe in mind and can let me know what the microwave is used for in the recipe, I can try to provide alternate instructions. Best, Lynn C.
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