Milk Street Q&A

Answered by April Dodd

Ann - great question! Any time we think about substitutions, the first step is to think about the "work" that any ingredient is doing in a recipe. A chili pepper will bring some heat, of course, but depending on which techniques are used and whether the chili is fresh or dried, it might be used to thicken a soup, add crunch to a salad, or something totally different. That said, a good jumping-off point for replacing spicy peppers is to look to sweet peppers. Use a red bell pepper to replace red chilies, like Fresno, since they share a fruity flavor profile; turn to a green bell pepper instead of green chilies, like jalapeño or serrano, as they all have a nice minerally, vegetal quality. Instead of dried chili flakes, sweet paprika is often a good option. If your family can tolerate mild heat, I'd play around a bit with Aleppo pepper, which has a mild heat and fruity flavor that won't overwhelm. If you are wondering about specific recipes where you want to replace a hot pepper, let me know and I'll be happy to work through the substitution puzzle with you! - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Hi Grayson - I have forwarded your message over to our store team. They will be in touch with an update about your orders; please stay tuned! - April D.

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.

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.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Carol - We don't have a specific kids cookbook (and, as far as I know, no plans for one), but I cook out of the Tuesday Nights and Cookish books with my 8-year-old daughter all the time! Over the weekend, we go through the book together and pick out a recipe to make during the following week. She helps me shop for the ingredients and then we do prep and cooking together. The recipes in both of these books are pretty quick and easy so they lend themselves to kids' involvement. I am a huge proponent of involving kids in the process of cooking even if they are only capable of picking herbs or scooping flour so, in my opinion, really any recipe can be kid-friendly. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Evan Petto

Hi Glenda, Thank you for writing in—we are more than happy to assist. Please be sure that you are logged in when browsing the store platform to access your Insider shipping benefits. An easy way to check is by clicking the account icon (between the gift card and cart icon at the top right corner of your screen). https://i.ibb.co/bLBkdCd/Screen-Shot-2020-12-14-at-12-15-10-PM.png A window should appear, allowing you to login via the prompt below. Simply click on the prompt to verify your details and log in using your Insider email and password. If you are already logged in on our main 177milkstreet.com, this will be automatically redirected for you. https://i.ibb.co/KFHFJ6k/Screen-Shot-2020-12-14-at-12-10-51-PM.png I have confirmed that the Insider benefits are working for you under your credentials. Please reach out to us at store@177milkstreet.com if you continue to have any issues. Best, Evan

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Jennifer - We love the Escali Digital Scale that we sell in the Milk Street Store. It's small, which is great for storage, but still provides the accuracy and features of larger, more cumbersome models. It can weigh items up to 11 pounds and will detect even the slightest weight change, down to a single gram. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Evan Petto

Hi Marc, Thank you for your question. Milk Street does not currently offer PDF copies of back issues through our channels—our back issues are currently available to view on our magazine page. Please send where you found this option to generate a PDF as well as the files presented to you to epetto@177milkstreet.com, where I will be happy to assist you. Best, Evan

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Stephanie - You might want to try soaking it overnight in water. Then drain and cook it using the pasta method - adding the farro to salted boiling water and then cooking and draining. This should be faster. Best, Lynn C.

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.