Cooking

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Dave - You can substitute any other fat for the duck fat - olive oil, lard, or refined coconut oil are all great options. Most supermarkets sell Armour brand lard, which is hydrogenated (in some stores it will be easier to find Armour labeled in Spanish as “manteca”). Lately, high-quality lard has become more widely available; look for it in jars. I would save the duck stock for another use. I don't really think it's flavor is necessary here. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

H Carol - Unfortunately, we haven't tested canning the blueberry compote. I'm so sorry we can't be more helpful! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Carol - Others have had the same question (see here). Our Director of Recipe Development recommends the "high" setting to match the broilers in our kitchen. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Theresa - Lucky you! I don't think you need to brine it - if it's a young pig it's probably pretty fatty and succulent already. I would probably roast it low and slow and then crank the heat at the end to crisp the skin. Friend of Milk Street, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, does this method in his guide to roasting a whole suckling pig at Serious Eats, which you can find here. Good luck and enjoy it! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Deborah - There is no general conversion for Instant Pot recipes, but some of the recipes in our Fast and Slow cookbook that are now on the website are based on recipes we've developed using more traditional cooking methods. Look for duplicates of the recipe titles when you do a search and check them all even if the title is slightly different. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi William - In general, I'd only recommend using the rind of a hard cheese. The rind does break down and disintegrate quite a bit so a softer cheese would leave a lot of cheese residue in the soup/stew. We would also only recommend adding a parmesan rind to a soup/stew with a complementary flavor profile, such as something with Italian or Mediterranean flavors. If Parmesan sounds like it makes sense with what you are making, then go for it, and don't worry about specific sizes or ratios. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Jean - You can cook sprouted lentils just like you cook regular lentils. They can also be consumed raw but only if they are labeled as "ready to eat." Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Katherine - Great question! Historically, we developed our recipes with Diamond Crystal because of the kitchen’s preference for its texture. But that meant we developed our recipes with more salt by volume (but not by weight) than a person using Morton’s would have. And because of that, when home cooks did use Morton’s in our recipes, they sometimes ended up too salty. So at Milk Street, we recently switched to Morton’s. By developing our recipes to use less salt by volume (but the same amount by weight, and therefore the same level of saltiness in the finished dish), we believe it will be more difficult for people to unintentionally add too much salt to a recipe. This switch was made in developing the recipes for the March-April 2021 issue. Recipes that appear in issues prior to that date (or in all published cookbooks at this point) would still call for the volume amount for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. We are in the process of updating all of our recipes to reflect Morton's kosher salt on the website, but this process needs to be done by hand. With thousands of recipes, I'm sure you can understand, this may take some time. In the meantime, our advice is to cut the amount of salt called for in the recipe in half if you are using Morton's kosher and making a recipe published prior to the March-April 2021 issue (or from one of our current cookbooks). If you find it is not seasoned enough, you can always season to taste at the end of cooking. We understand that this is confusing and are here to help if you have further questions! You can read more about this change here. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Joshua - If you drop an egg into hot liquid, it will scramble. The keys to preventing this from happening are gradual heat and dilution. This is often achieved through the process of tempering, in which you slowly add some of the hot liquid to the eggs while vigorously whisking, before combining it all. Sometimes you need to temper your eggs, and sometimes you don’t. Obviously you want to temper your eggs if you are adding them to a hot broth, such as in our Georgian Chicken Soup or a Greek avgolemono, which are both enriched with eggs. For custards or ice creams that you are infusing first (with a vanilla bean or whole spices), you will also want to temper the eggs since you are starting with hot milk or cream. But if your recipe doesn't require any kind of preheating of the liquid, then tempering isn’t necessary. Simply combine the eggs with the cold liquid and any other ingredients, then set the mixture over low heat and cook, whisking constantly. The early dilution and slow heating minimize the risk of curdling. This will take a bit longer and require pretty constant attention, but it's a one-pot, no-fuss method. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Jim - Were they formally canned in sterilized jars? If they haven't been officially canned they will generally only last as long as any fresh tomatoes would last - about a week to 10 days in the refrigerator. If they have been properly sealed, they can be stored in a cool, dry place for about a year. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.