Cooking

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Cathy - We would still recommend cooking the chicken with the skin on, even if you decide to remove it after cooking. The skin keeps the chicken moist and acts as a protective barrier to prevent the chicken from drying out in the hot oven. To address the seasoning issue, we would suggest loosening the skin and rubbing the mixture directly on the flesh to ensure you get the flavoring on the meat itself. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Sonya - We did run a conversion chart in our Kitchen Counts feature in the September-October 2019 issue. Here is a link - https://www.177milkstreet.com/2019/08/bean-counting-dried-vs-canned. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi MJ - According to the FDA, this is not recommended nor food safe. Here is what they say: "Never brown or partially cook meat or poultry to refrigerate and finish later because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed. It is safe to partially cook meat and poultry in the microwave or on the stove only if the food is transferred immediately to the hot grill to finish cooking." Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mike - They probably \do\ mean coconut cream and it likely has to do with all of the boiling done in the recipe. That's because coconut cream is higher in fat than coconut milk (about 20% for coconut cream and only 9-15% for coconut milk). This higher ratio of fat to water allows you to boil coconut cream without it curdling in the same way that heavy cream added to a sauce can be reduced but milk (or even half-and-half) cannot. We still think you could make this with full-fat coconut milk you would just need to keep the liquid at a simmer rather than a rolling boil to reduce which, obviously, will take a bit more time. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Josh - While any gluten-free flour \can\ work in a roux-based gravy recipe, one type provides the best results - sweet rice flour aka glutinous rice flour (despite the name, it contains no gluten). Sweet rice flour is made from ground sticky rice and is not actually sweet. It's often used in Japanese desserts, like mochi, which is why it has "sweet" in the name. The same properties that give mochi its signature bounciness are what make for such a great gluten-free gravy. Sweet rice flour has a high ratio of amylopectin (one of the elements that make up starch), which adds body and texture to a gravy without it being too thick or congealing too quickly. Most versions of all-purpose gluten-free flour blends will make a pretty good gravy but, because they usually contain xanthan gum, congeal almost immediately after cooking. If this happens, it’s easy enough to whisk in a little extra warm stock, but it’s not the ideal situation when you’ve got other things to try to get to the holiday table. You can usually find sweet rice flour in the International aisle of some grocery stores or in any Asian market. It's also pretty easy to order online too. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Joshua - This technique is strictly about \peeling\ the eggs, not cooking them, so it should work regardless of how you cook them. The idea is to take hot eggs and chill them quickly to allow the albumen membrane of the egg to contract and release from the shell making it easier to peel. For hard-cooking eggs, our preferred method is to lower the eggs into boiling water and cooking for 8 minutes and 40 seconds to achieve a cooked white and a cooked, but still moist, yolk. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Leah - Good luck on your move! As city dwellers ourselves (in Boston) we, unfortunately, have a lot of experience with this! Your best bet is to purchase a covered mesh storage bowl like this in which to store your produce. Depending on the layout/size of your kitchen, a hanging fruit basket might work also. The most important thing, when it comes to critters, is to make sure nothing is easily accessible on the ground or on counters where they can get easy access (they often come in through a stove or under a refrigerator). If you have any large holes or open space under your cabinetry fill it in with steel wool to prevent them from even gaining access to your space and make sure to fully clean your counters and stovetop after cooking so there aren't any crumbs for them to nibble on. Hope this helps! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Karmen - Any slow-cooked sauce or braise could benefit from the addition of Mexican chocolate. It does a great job of toning down bitterness and adding a little bit of sweetness and fuller flavor to your food. It would work well in chilis and sauces for pulled pork or pork ribs, posole, or enchiladas. You could also grind it up in a blender and combine with oats, dried fruit, and nuts to make a granola (or granola bars) with the unique flavor of Mexican chocolate. If you do decide to use it for baking, make sure to find recipes that call for Mexican chocolate specifically. Because of the difference in sugar content and cocoa butter between Mexican chocolate and bittersweet/semi-sweet chocolate, they aren't interchangeable. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Esther - In order to keep true to the version we had in Liberia, we only tested this using freshly-ground rice, which is how it's traditionally made. So, unfortunately, we can't offer any suggestions on how to convert the recipe using rice flour. We think it could work, but we just don't have the ingredient conversions to give you without doing considerably more testing. If we were going to test this, we would probably start by weighing the freshly-ground rice and using an equivalent amount of rice flour and seeing how that baked up. Then being adjusting amounts of flour, baking powder/soda, bananas, oil, ginger (in case the flavor of freshly-ground rice provides more balance to the ginger than more-mild rice flour), etc. to compensate for the change in rice. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Anthony - You could use a non-dairy yogurt. Several non-dairy brands now make a plain yogurt. These are usually low-fat and, though we generally prefer full-fat yogurt for marinades, it should still work. Otherwise you can try to think your non-dairy sour cream with non-dairy milk or water. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team