Milk Street Q&A

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 Elizabeth Mindreau

Hi Ellen - We are so pleased you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for the great feedback!

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Kevin - We think you can make both the meatballs and the sauce ahead of time. The meatballs may take a little bit longer to bake through, but otherwise shouldn't be a problem to bake from the fridge. Rewarm the sauce, covered, over low heat so it doesn't reduce too much. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Carol - I would definitely say that, for certain applications, it definitely makes a difference. When you toast or roast sugar it develops more caramel-like flavors and becomes less sweet overall. In desserts where sugar is there for sweetness but also structure (e.g., meringues, marshmallows, ice cream), it can tame the sweetness. We find it a perfect addition to angel food cake. Since it has so few ingredients, the sugar is really at the forefront. Roasted sugar makes the flavor more complex and less simply sweet. Hope that helps! 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 Elizabeth Mindreau

Hi Patricia, Thank you for reaching out. I don't believe this a Milk Street recipe. We did not develop or test this recipe using either measurements, so we cannot guarantee the results. Converting measurements from weight to volume can be messy, measuring by weight is easier (with a scale) and more accurate. These conversions were made using a calculator found online: https://www.inchcalculator.com/cooking-conversion-calculator/ 220 grams = 7.75 ounces/≈ 1 3/4 cups flour 100 g = 3.5 ounces/≈ 1/3 c Greek yogurt 100 g ≈ 1/3 c 2% milk 30 grams ≈ 2 1/4 Tbsp olive oil 3 grams salt ≈ 1/2 tsp 7 grams ≈ 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 7 grams ≈ 2/3 tsp baking powder

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Robert - We would probably recommend 3-4 teaspoons of spice per 1/2 cup of oil. If you aren't already making your own curry powder blend, we recommend this one from the Milk Street Store. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Eileen - The best way to store lemons, Meyer or traditional, is in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag. They should last about a month when stored that way. Just make sure to keep them separate from other fruits like apples, avocados, bananas, melons, peaches, pears, and tomatoes, which all produce ethylene, a gas that will speed up the ripening process of the lemons. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Many chefs and bakers believe that using unsalted butter will allow you to control the salt content in your dishes better than using salted butter. But we've tested salted versus unsalted butter in a number of savory and baking recipes and we didn’t find any measurable difference between the two. The small amount of salt in salted butter (it's about 1/4 teaspoon per stick, depending on the brand) is undetectable when cooked or baked in a recipe, we found. Still, we have a preference between the two. Though most culinary professionals and publications will recommend using unsalted butter, we prefer the salted kind because it tastes better when you’re not cooking with it. Unsalted butter doesn’t cut it on toast! Since we prefer to stick with one kind, salted butter is our choice. It also has a longer shelf life. So if you don’t go through butter at a fast rate, buying salted butter is a good idea. You can certainly still use unsalted butter in our recipes if you prefer. You just may need to adjust the salt to your personal tastes. You can also see this discussion for more details from Chris on why he prefers salted butter and, more specifically, the why he prefers European-style butters. Best, The Milk Street Team