Milk Street Q&A

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Kim - Unfortunately, this can happen - it's usually polymerized oil that gets stuck on your pan - and it can happen at any heat, really. Have you tried Bar Keeper's Friend to restore your pan? I can imagine how your pan looks and, trust me, mine look the same sometimes. I usually give it a scrub with Bar Keeper's Friend and it's back to new in no time. You can certainly replace it with carbon steel or cast iron, but those both require a fair amount of maintenance too since they need to be seasoned regularly. I'd get some Bar Keeper's Friend and give the pan a scrub down once a week. I personally prefer the powdered version to the more "soft scrub-like" version, since I think the powder is a bit more abrasive (in a good way). Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Evan Petto

Hi Jill! Thank you so much for your question. Please email me directly at epetto@177milkstreet.com with the email address used to place the order as well as the order number you received with your confirmation email. Happy to help.

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.

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.

Answered by April Dodd

Patricia - I'm glad you found a new tea you love! Fresh moringa leaves taste kind of like arugula: they have a little peppery-spiciness to them. When dried and ground, moringa leaf powder tastes somewhat like matcha: very grassy, with a touch of bitterness. We haven't spent much time with moringa in our development kitchen, so this is just speaking from personal experience - but I hope it helps! - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Carrie - if you have ground sausage (i.e., sausage meat without a casing), then you are already one step ahead! You can go ahead and use that sausage (once thawed, of course), without needing to add any extra flavor. We simply give this recommendation to clarify that you don't want sliced or whole casing-bound sausage. - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Patricia - you definitely have easy options to replace alcohol in the type of recipe you're referring to. (Is this a Milk Street recipe? I don't believe we use white wine in any of our couscous recipes, but please let me know if I'm mistaken.) As with any time we think about substitutions, the first step is to consider the work that the ingredient in question is doing. In this case, a dry white wine is contributing moisture content, plus a good amount of acidity and mild sweetness. So, for a substitution, you'll want something that does that same job. There is an easy option here: try 1/3 cup water, plus a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice or white wine vinegar, plus a teensy bit of honey whisked in, will be a perfect replacement. Give that a try and let us know how it comes out! - April D.

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.

Answered by April Dodd

Rochelle - thanks for getting in touch. We're glad to hear that Milk Street TV has been a source of inspiration for you! We don't have Chromecast or Airplay buttons built into our video player platform, and unfortunately we also don't have a dedicated app for this. So, in the short term, the easiest way for you to be able to watch on a larger screen is simply to plug your laptop or tablet into your TV with an HDMI cable. I have also reached out to our TV team to see if there are higher-tech solutions and will get back to you with any updates soon. - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Shelly - thanks for getting in touch! Occasionally, we do offer livestream public cooking classes with kids specifically in mind, though we don't have any on our calendar right now. That said, many of our classes are a great fit for adventurous and aspiring young cooks, even if they're not created exclusively for kids. Our 60 Minute Spice Master class, for instance, is an awesome introduction to spices for any age. You can see that class, and others, on our livestream class calendar, here. - April D.