Cooking

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Karmen - Most grains require different ratios of water to grain and cooking times, so it's tricky to cook many of them together. We think it's probably best, in most cases, to cook the grains separately and \then\ combine them in a dish. For some guidelines on water:grain ratios and cooking times, you can follow our chart for some common grains here. We also find that measuring grains by weight, rather than volume, provides much better cooking results. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Ronald - In general, our cooking instructions are recipe-specific since each combination of ingredients may necessitate a different method or temperature for the best results. We don’t really do basic recipes or techniques at Milk Street as our style of cooking is more about layers of flavor and ingredient contrasts. That being said, our most basic chicken recipe, our sheet pan chicken (https://www.177milkstreet.com/2018/08/roasted-chicken-three-ways) is a tried-and-true technique for roasting chicken parts. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mark - We often add acid in order to properly balance a dish. Ideally, in savory dishes, you want a balance of salt, fat, acid, and heat (and this one can be as simple as a little black pepper). Acid plays an important role in brightening flavors if they are flat or bland, reigning in sweetness, or toning down richness. Sometimes we want the full-on brightness of acid and add it directly to the food right before serving - a squeeze of lemon on a piece of fish, for example. Other times we prefer a more subtle acidity and add a bit of citrus or vinegar (and we would use these in the same way) at the end of cooking to balance the overall flavor of the dish. In this case a little bit of heat from the food will mellow the acidity a bit. This is particularly helpful to balance a rich stew or soup - such as your ham and beans - or in something like a Vietnamese caramel sauce. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Charles - Our new cookbook, Milk Street: The World in a Skillet, is due out at the end of this month and will likely have plenty of recipes that work in a skillet (in this case a 12" skillet, but I'm sure you could modify to a smaller one, if necessary). I'd also explore some of the recipes from our cookbook, Cookish - you can search these on the website via a Cookish tab on the Recipes drop-down menu. These are short, simple recipes and I think many of them would be conducive to boat cooking. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Karmen - We do recommend an \overnight\ salting (which translates to about 12 hours) for some, but not all, proteins. Large proteins such as roasts, whole chickens, and turkeys do need to rest overnight after salting in order to achieve all of the benefits. Rest overnight in the refrigerator, uncovered, on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. For smaller cuts, such as steaks, pork chops, and chicken parts you only need to salt and rest for 45 minutes or until the surface is dry. This may be less than 45 minutes for smaller chicken parts. Thick white fish fillets (salmon, tuna, swordfish, halibut) can benefit from dry brining by providing overall better flavor and slightly firmer flesh. A minimum of 30 minutes and a max of about 90 for fish, otherwise you'll end up curing it. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Amy - This probably won't work for a couple of reasons. First, the amount of meat in this recipe is low and would yield a pretty small meatloaf that would likely be too small for an average-sized loaf pan. Second, this mixture is quite delicate and tender and, without some additions to strengthen it (like eggs), would probably not hold together as a meatloaf. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Federica - We would probably put them in a skillet with a little bit of reserved pasta water (maybe a few tablespoons - 1/4 cup of water?) over low - medium-low heat until they are hot again. Then toss with the pesto. We always recommend adding a little bit of reserved pasta water with pesto anyway so it shouldn't negatively impact the sauce. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Joshua - We definitely don't think it's your Kitchenaid mixer or stainless steel bowl. That being said, you do want to make sure your bowl is clean and free of any remnants of fat or grease. A quick wipe with lemon juice or vinegar will remedy that issue. Other than that, here are some other possible troubleshooting areas: Are you temping your sugar syrup? If so, it should be at 240 degrees before adding it to the gelatin in the mixer. You might want to calibrate your thermometer to make sure it's working properly. Even a degree or two off could cause the marshmallows to resist setting up. Under-whipping the egg white-sugar-gelatin mixture is probably the most common issue. You want to whip the eggs until the bowl is just warm to the touch and the mixture holds a soft shape before falling back onto itself when you pull up the whisk attachment. Any delays can wreak havoc on candy making. Have all ingredients ready to go and tell your family that you can't be interrupted! Once the sugar syrup is ready it needs to be added to the bowl immediately - you don't want it to cool down too much. Likewise, once the mixture has been whipped fully work quickly to transfer it to the prepared pan. Weather or climate is another area that can significantly affect candy making and, particularly, meringue or marshmallows. Living in a particularly humid climate, if it's a rainy day, or the temperature of your home (too warm) are all things that can all prevent marshmallows from setting up properly. Milk Street is located in the Northeast and we find there are many days that just aren't great candy making days in our climate. Hopefully reviewing some of these tips will help you identify where you think things aren't working properly. Good luck and let us know how it turns out next time! Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Sonya - Canned coconut milk and the kind you find in the carton are technically not the same product. Although they both contain coconut milk, the boxed kind is meant to be used as a beverage and, therefore, contains more water. The canned kind has a higher fat-to-water ratio and, therefore, will produce thicker and more flavorful dishes. You can make your own coconut milk, which is pretty easy. To make coconut milk from unsweetened shredded flakes, take 1 1/2 unsweetened coconut shreds/ flakes and 4 cups of warm water. Place in a blender and blend for 2 minutes. Strain using a cheese cloth in a clean container. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Joanne - I would recommend cubing the bread, freezing it, then thawing and drying. That way, if there is any moisture left from freezing and thawing (ice particles on the outside that melt, for example) you will drive that moisture away by drying it before using it in the stuffing. This will ensure that the bread is ready to soak up all of the flavorful liquid you're using to make your stuffing. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.