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Asked Feb 09, 2021 by Elsa A.
Does the 2017-2021 "Milk Street" cookbook contain some or any of the recipes in the new 2017-2021 cookbook? If you have both, which one is better?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Elsa - The Season 4 2017-2021 cookbook contains all of the recipes from the four seasons of Milk Street TV. I'm not sure exactly how many recipes might also be in the New Rules cookbook, but there will be some overlap. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Feb 03, 2021 by Celine T.
I am tired - after almost a year of this pandemic - of cooking every day. Please help! I'd love to just cook once or twice a week, and have a stock of meals ready to pull out of the fridge or freezer. Does Milk Street or any community members have tips for meal prepping? For example: 1. Which recipes can be doubled 1. How to turn single recipes into multiple meals during the week (like Matt Card's Sunday Cook series, which seems to have stopped) 1. How long various cooked dishes will keep in the fridge Thank you!!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Celine - We've got thousands of recipes on our website, so it's hard to give a list of those that can be doubled and/or length of storage for all of the dishes. Were there particular recipes you had in mind? In general, large format proteins always lend themselves to multiple dishes a week - this could include the usuals like beef, pork, and chicken, but also big pots of beans as well. For example any of our sheet pan chicken recipes could be doubled and the extra chicken turned into tacos (depending on their flavor profile), added to a pot of beans, or made into chicken salad. Making a big pot of a grain (brown rice, quinoa, farro, etc.) once a week could be turned into side dishes such as Brown Rice Pilaf or Quinoa Chaufa and also become a grain bowl for lunch. I'd also take a look at our Cookish recipes for inspiration (you can search for them specifically using the Recipes tab on the website). These are quick to put together and have short ingredient lists that sometimes even call for already-cooked proteins and grains. You could find several that use the same ingredients (say, chicken thighs and quinoa), cook those ingredients on the weekend, and then make the recipes during the week, modifying as needed for pre-cooked ingredients. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Feb 03, 2021 by Jason H.
We've followed many of your recipes for a long long time. We're still using minced garlic from a jar. Have you presented any information on pre-minced garlic? We've always assumed that its not as potent but is it worth the benefit? Can you convince us to switch? Do you have any suggestions on how to make mincing fresh garlic easier?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Jason - We haven't specifically written about pre-minced garlic, but we definitely prefer fresh. Once garlic is cut the flavor compounds are released and will lose potency over time. Therefore, the pre-minced garlic is less flavorful. For quicker garlic mincing, we smash cloves with the side of a knife, then rock the knife back and forth to reduce any large pieces to a mince. We also like to simmer whole, smashed cloves or sliced garlic in oil and then discard the garlic. This leaves behind a mellow garlic oil in which to cook the remaining ingredients, a technique popular in Italy where garlic flavor is more subtle. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Jan 13, 2021 by Naline L.
Have lots of Meyer lemons -what are great uses for them
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Naline - Any of the new recipes inspired by our travels to the Amalfi Coast would be great using Meyer lemons. The Meyer lemon is much closer to the type of lemon grown in the Amalfi region than typical supermarket lemons. You can find the story and recipes here. Another great use would be to make jars of preserved lemons and curd. If you're up for it, I'd do some actual canning and make multiple jars of both that can keep indefinitely. You can use the preserved lemons to make a tangia. Additionally, you could make sorbet, lemonade, chutney or marmalade (again, I'd make multiple jars and give away to lucky friends), make meyer lemon vodka by steeping meyer lemon peel in vodka, any lemon cake recipe...the options are basically endless if you're willing to commit to a lot of lemon-y dishes and desserts for a while! Lucky you! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Jan 02, 2021 by Melissa A.
I have a delightful cinnamon roll recipe that uses 1/2 cup mashed potato. I understand that I can substitute potato starch for the mashed potato, but is it a 1:1 substitution or another ratio and would I need to add any additional liquid(s)? Thank you.
Answered by April Dodd
Melissa - Yes, for a quicker option, you can start with potato starch instead of prepared mashed potatoes, though you will want to add liquid so that you end up with a moisture content similar to that of mashed potatoes. Part of what makes prepared mashed potatoes such a great addition to something like a cinnamon roll recipe is that there is a good amount of fat in mashed potatoes, and that fat impedes gluten development, resulting in a tender, supple dough. There is also water in mashed potatoes, though, so I'd add water and full-fat milk in equal parts to your potato starch until it is pasty and thick; a little melted butter in the mix will also help to give comparable fat content as "real" mashed potatoes. -April D.
Read MoreAsked Dec 30, 2020 by Ruth K.
I often see something interesting and am not sure if it's something new or something I've already printed in the past. I sure wish all recipes indicated date posted.
Answered by April Dodd
Ruth - thank you for this feedback! We will take it into account. In the meantime, though this won't solve your problem for all recipes, any recipe that was included in an issue of our magazine will clearly say which issue (for example, "appears in January/February 2021"), just under the title of the recipe. Also, when searching for recipes, you can also refine your search by clicking on the down arrow next to "All Recipes" when on the main recipe page and selecting a category or cookbook that interests you. CookISH is our most recent cookbook, with Fast & Slow preceding that, then New Rules, then Tuesday Nights. I hope that helps you keep track of what is new to you! -April D.
Read MoreAsked Dec 23, 2020 by Bruce A.
When I began visiting Cozumel, there was a black bean side that I just loved. I have since gone there, but now all the restaurants use pinto beans. These refried black beans were black and had a pasty texture. It was stiff enough that you could form peaks in it with your fork. I have been scouring the Internet, but all the refried beans that use black beans are all soupy, not black and pasty. Is someone out there have a recipe for these fabulous refried beans?
Answered by April Dodd
Bruce - this is likely not precisely what you had in Cozumel, as our recipe was inspired by travels to Oaxaca, nearly 1,000 miles west, but check out this refried bean recipe, which uses black beans. Texture-wise, I think it will have what you're looking for: a creamy thickness that's great for spreading, or simply sprinkling with cotija cheese and cilantro and serving as a side. Let us know how it compares! - April D.
Read MoreAsked Dec 18, 2020 by Jennifer O.
I have noticed that a lot of recipes start with sautéing vegetables in extra virgin olive oil before adding the rest of the ingredients. I was always under the assumption that EVOO was more of a finishing oil and that heat has a negative impact on its flavor. I asked my culinary instructor about this and he agreed that one should avoid using EVOO as a cooking oil. Is there a reason that the chefs at Milk Street use EVOO in this fashion? I am really curious about this. Thank You! Jennifer
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Jennifer - After speaking with our Recipe Editor, I think I can clarify the confusion. You are absolutely right—high heat blunts or kills the nuances of EVOO—and for that reason, we never use top-shelf EVOO for cooking. And we don't use it in applications where really high heat is needed because of its low smoke point. So, if we do call for it to sauté vegetables or cook meat, we usually only do so at medium or medium-high heat. Sometimes we make these decisions when we are going to use oil to both cook and finish a dish and don't want to call for two different types of oil in one recipe. That being said, if you've only got the good stuff at home (lucky you!), feel free to substitute with a neutral oil, like grapeseed oil, for sautéing. I hope that helps! I was confused too. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Dec 17, 2020 by Clarence S.
I spent several yeas in Adana Turkey. One of my favorite meals was a dish made of sliced lamb (I think) tht was cooked in heavy oil (I assume olive) and served over Turkish bread deluged in the hot oil-served on a hot plate. I travelled & worked all over Turkey for years but seemed to find it only in Adana. I have searched for years & cannot find a recipe for it. Are you able to fid the recipe?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Clarence - I checked in with Albert Stumm, one of our writers who traveled to Turkey for us, and he said that, while he had something similar in Instabul, he didn’t travel to Adana on his previous trip so is in unable to impart any real wisdom. However, we are hoping to return to Turkey in the next year or so, so we will definitely add this to our list of potential recipes to tackle! Thanks for writing in and bringing it to our attention! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Dec 11, 2020 by Elaine S.
First, let me say the cake was delicious. I cook it at 350° for 45 minutes and it was done, however, why did my apples all sink to the bottom?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Elaine - In order for the batter to hold the weight of the apples, I would ensure that the total weight of the two small apples called for in the recipe equals exactly 12 ounces. I would also ensure that the slices are as thin as possible (ideally, 1/8-inch thick) so there aren't any thicker, heavy slices that could sink in the batter. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
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