GeneralAsked Jan 18, 2022 by Dev G.
Listened to your short take on Japanese Curries on Milk St Radio. As an Indian American ( AZ ) who has been to Japan over 25 times I must say that after a hard day of meetings and evenings of obligatory Sake swilling, nothing can beat a late night feast of Japanese Karey - Raisu served by Room Service and eaten on bed. Even my Dad used to love it when I would take him to Japan on biz trips.
Now here is a bit of history. How did the Japanese get into the Curry habit ? Actually courtesy the Brits. In the late 19 th century the Japanese were trying to catch up with the West, primarily the Brits. They were importing whole big Warships from GB. The determined Japanese thought that to be powerful they needed not just Western Gun boats, but their Sailors too must get strong like the British sailors. So they too needed to start eating Beef but being used to fresh fish they could n't handle the smell of Beef. Curry used to be regular Friday fare on board Her Britannic Majesty's Ships. So along w/ Warships and Gunnery the Japanese adopted Curry spices too from RN as a way to good way to mask the flavor of Beef. Even today if you go to Yokosuka, Japan's principal Naval Base at the mouth of the Tokyo Bay ( about 50 miles west of the City ) you will find little stands selling Karey - Raisu that is much more like Indian Curry ( i,e. w/o thickeners except for the Potatoes ). As you move further east to Tokyo ( through Ofuna, Yokohama, Kawasaki ) the amount of Roux and Soy sauce in Karey increases. BTW based on my culinary researches in Nagasaki and Portugal, I am inclined to believe that TEMPURA ( Japanese corruption of "Tem Pakora" ) too comes from India ( have you ever tried Pakoras, veggie fritters deep fried in batter ), carried by the Portuguese from Goa to Penang to Macao to Nagasaki where it stuck. You can NOT find any Tempura in Portugal.
BTW Lynn was winging it when she said that the Japanese have their Curries with Quinoa, Amaranth etc. too. The Japanese get very serious about their Curries right from their school days, as they get it for lunch 2 or 3 times a week, and when it comes to their Karey Raisu avoid the 31 flavors approach ( though they do have a version called "VERMONT" Curry in which Potatoes are replaced by Apples ) .
One of these days I will tell you about the traditional desserts at the Melk Monastery on the banks of the Donau just upstream of Wachau.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hi Dev - Thank you so much for this fascinating history of Japanese Curry! History told from the perspective of food is so rich.
Read MoreAsked Jan 13, 2022 by Dilip J.
Many recipes call for some form of alcohol. For those of us who avoid alcohol for religious or other reasons, it would be great to know if there are substitutions.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Dilip - We've answered this question a few times on the board. You can find some suggestions here, here and here. Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Jan 12, 2022 by Tracy G.
Is there a way to save a recipe as a PDF to a file in my computer?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Tracy - Yes! When you hit the print button to the left of the ingredient list you should see a pop-up of the print screen. Underneath the preview of your printed recipe in the lower left corner of the pop-up window will be a button that says "PDF." If you click on that drop down menu there will be an option to "Save as PDF." You can then select the folder or location in which you want to save the file as a PDF. Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Jan 05, 2022 by Jordan B.
I want to make guava pastries like how they are from the restaurants. All the recipes I see say to use guava paste unaltered. The problem is it's too thick. I want to thin it out so it can be more gel like at room temperature. I've tried adding water but it didn't seem to work too well.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Jordan - If you slice the guava paste slightly thinner the paste should soften and melt while it bakes. It will, of course, solidify a bit as it cools but that is normal. If you still prefer the guava paste softer, you can try mashing the paste before adding it to the pastry. However, we still think this will solidify when it cools. Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Jan 05, 2022 by Dennis E.
Hi Chris,
With all the hype on air fryers why don't you talk about using the convection setting on your oven more since that is what an air fryers is. I would like to see more recipes using the covec settings.
i.e. 400 degrees for 20 min or 375 convect for 15 min. Or something like that.
I feel people are not using the ovens to the fullest potential. It would be something to set you and your show apart from others.
Thank you
Dennis
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Dennis - I will definitely pass along your comments and suggestions to Chris and the rest of the kitchen/editorial team. We generally don't call for using convection settings because not all of our readers have convection settings on their ovens and, even if they do, each manufacturer and even every oven's settings are slightly different. But we love the idea of a tutorial on how to use your oven to its best potential! Thank you so much. Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Jan 05, 2022 by Bob W.
I posted this inquiry under Cookware last week but I fear it's the wrong category:
Does anyone have any experience with the devices sold to shuck oysters, using a lever to push a short, pointed steel rod into the hinge or between the halves of the oyster? There seem to be 5-10 different manufacturers, all using similar designs, ranging in price from $50 to $150 on Amazon. We've seen a much larger commercial device, with a different design, working spectacularly at a restaurant in Concale, Brittany, but we need some advice on these smaller home models.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Bob - Hopefully someone else who's actually used one of these devices can give you some hands-on advice on them. We haven't had a chance to work with these at Milk Street so, unfortunately, we don't have much insight. We do, however, highly recommend a good oyster knife. You want to look for a New Haven oyster knife - that is, one with a wider blade and a convex pointed tip. The shorter and wider blade with a pointed tip is great for easily shucking on the half shell by the hinge without spearing the oyster meat. The curved tip also means you’re less likely to stab your hand, making this a safer option. A Boston or Providence oyster knife, one that is narrower and has a completely flat tip, is more of a commercial-style knife and better for shucking from the side or speed shucking. You also want to look for a thicker handle made with a "grippy" material for better traction. A handle made of smooth wood is hard to hold onto when applying pressure to the oyster. Good luck! Hopefully someone else here has tried the shucking devices and can provide some more info! Best, The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Dec 15, 2021 by Karen R.
The title says it all. Why don't you include the nutrition profile for your recipes? It would be very helpful.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Karen -
Thank you for your comment. This discussion may be helpful to understand why we don't include nutritional information for our recipes - https://www.177milkstreet.com/discussion/discussion/comment/1247#Comment\_1247
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Read MoreAsked Dec 06, 2021 by Holly H.
I love your PBS TV show and have purchased your cookbooks Tuesday Nights (navy blue cover) and The Milk Street Cookbook 2017 to 2020 (yellow cover).
My first question does the The Milk Street Cookbook 2017 to 2020 include all the TV recipes in 2020? Please let me know.
Second, if the cookbook I purchased includes all the recipes through 2020, is there another cookbook you offer that has the recipes 2021 into 2022 that doesn't include 2020 and prior? I don't want to buy a cookbook that duplicates recipes. I appreciate your reply and please know you have a fan! Holly
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Holly - Thanks for being such a fan of our show and cookbooks! The Milk Street Cookbook (yellow cover) contains all of the recipes from Season 1 to Season 3 (which ran through the spring of 2020). The Milk Street Cookbook, 5th edition, which you can find here - https://store.177milkstreet.com/collections/cookbooks/products/the-milk-street-season-5-cookbook - includes all of the recipes from Season 1 to Season 5. Unfortunately we don't have a version that just includes the recipes you are missing from seasons 4 and 5. I'm so sorry about that! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Nov 16, 2021 by Luba B.
Hello,
I was wondering if I could freeze garlic? I bought a lot of organic garlic in the summer and it doesn’t look like it will last all winter. It’s starting to get soft.
what would be the best way to store it?
Thank you for your help.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Luba - Yes! You can definitely freeze garlic. Although you can freeze whole cloves, we've found it best to freeze minced or chopped garlic covered with a little bit of neutral oil to preserve their flavor and texture for the long haul. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Nov 16, 2021 by David H.
Is there a way to search and filter out the hot pot versions of recipes. I don't use one and spend a lot of time looking at recipes I'm not going to use because I am looking for traditional cook recipes
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi David - At this point in time, there is no way to filter out recipes. However, most of our Instant Pot recipes should be labeled with "Fast & Slow," so they can be quickly identified. We are always working to improve our customer experience and I will pass along your suggestions to our digital team for future updates. Best, Lynn C.
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