Milk Street Q&A

Answered by April Dodd

Hi Mary - thanks for reaching out! We apologize for the delay in responding to your question and hope that your Sunday dinner came out great. The cook time adjustment here will depend on whether your Boston Butt is small because it has been cut down to size (for example, cut in half cross-wise, also called "split"), or whether it is simply a smaller, but whole, cut of meat. In the former case, the cook time shouldn't need to be adjusted, as the diameter of the pork butt isn't changed. In the latter case, where you have an entire pork butt that happens to be on the small size, you can plan for 1.15 hours per pound of meat. So, you are right that a 5 pound pork butt would require between 5-6 hours in the oven. We would love to hear how long you ended up roasting yours for and how it came out! -April D.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Jean - It's 42 grams. In our testing, 1 cup of cocoa weighed 85 grams. Therefore, 1/2 cup is technically 42.5 grams. We simply rounded down in this case. You can find the various weights from our testing on this chart. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Carlos - We aren't sure the exact pan we used but it's an aluminum pan with a traditional finish (not nonstick). You can often find these at a baking supply or restaurant supply store. This one from Williams Sonoma would work too, despite it saying it can only go to 450 degrees. This warning is probably to prevent you from broiling in it, but we think it would be OK at 500 degrees. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Carlos - Here is the recipe for Chèvre Cheesecake with Black Pepper Crust. In the future if you are looking for recipes that were featured on the TV show, you can go to the TV tab on the website and find the episode you are looking for. When you click on the episode it will show you the video for the episode, a description of the episode, and links to the recipes featured in the episode (you will find these on the left and right hand side of the page). Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Helen - All dried cherries are actually tart cherries so whatever cherries you find in the supermarket should work in the recipe. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Susan - That seems pretty warm to us. A professional proofing box is usually between 80-90 degrees and yeast does its best work in that temperature range since it will proof at a slower rate. For most bread dough the proof setting on your oven will work (though you will need to shorten proofing times), but we wouldn't recommend it for this recipe. One of the key qualities of this recipe/dough is the long, slow rise and fall and rise. We think this would happen too quickly with the temperature so high and would negatively affect the final focaccia. While a typical focaccia might rise for one to two hours, our dough rises for 5 1/2-6 hours, during which the dough rises, falls, then rises again, a process that leaves it looking and feeling blown out. This produces more gas than a shorter rise. Though some of that gas depletes over time—resulting in less dramatic oven spring when the focaccia first hits the hot oven—the remaining gas, combined with the steam and gluten structure, creates more and larger air pockets in the dough. Hope that helps! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Carol - We would probably recommend substituting milk for the beer in the recipe instead of water, since it would be more flavorful than plain water. That being said, we haven't tested it this way for this recipe. If you try it, let us know how it turns out! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Heidi - We usually get complaints that zucchini bread is \too\ moist and bordering on soggy so this is an unusual problem. Some ways to ensure a moist quick bread are to use oil instead of butter (oil stays liquid at room temperature, therefore maintaining moisture), add an ingredient like sour cream or yogurt (these not only add fat and moisture but acid, which inhibits gluten development), and, of course, bake properly (insert a toothpick in the center and pull the bread out once it is clean). Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Rita - We will pass this along to the editorial team! In the meantime, one tip for everyone is to make sure to do some research on where your tilapia comes from and how it is raised. Fish farms are regulated by the countries in which they operate. For example, China is a major source of tilapia, but in the past China's tilapia farms have not been held to standards required by the US. As a result, the best thing to do is to seek out fish from farms with third-party environmental or aquaculture certifications. A certification from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is one of the best ways to regulate the quality of your tilapia. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Denise - You can do Step 1 of the recipe on the stovetop in a Dutch oven then place in a 325 degree oven, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is shreddable and falling off the bone. You can then complete the last step on the stovetop again. Keep in mind that this recipe was written for the pressure cookers, which inhibits evaporation. Therefore you may find that you will need to add liquid either before the meat goes in the oven or as it's braising, so you will want to check it periodically. Also, the timing of Steps 1 and 3 may not line up with the recipe since you will be using a different pot over a different heat source. Make sure to follow the visual clues, not the timing in the recipe. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team