Milk Street Q&A

Answered by Evan Petto

Hi Clifford, I'm sorry to hear about your issue! I have spoken with our fulfillment team who will be sending out a replacement issue to you as soon as possible. For future reference, here is an alternate way to access that request form: Visit service.milkstreetmagazine.com and log in with a combination of your account number, ZIP code, and email address. Click on "Report Damaged or Missing Issue", which is highlighted below as to where it should appear on the left sidebar. Select the issue that you are reporting to be missing or damaged and click "Report". Your request will be completed and a new issue will be sent out ASAP. Hope this helps. Best, Evan, Digital Content Director https://www.177milkstreet.com/assets/site/Screen-Shot-2020-06-29-at-3.50.44-PM.png

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Kristi - I'm so sorry that you're having difficulty with this recipe. I spoke with Courtney Hill, who developed the recipe, and she isn't 100% sure what went wrong, but suggested a few possible causes for your issues. First, make sure you are using brown basmati rice, not brown long-grain rice. This could make a difference in the cooking time and liquid-to-rice ratio. Courtney also recommends really rinsing and draining the rice well. You want to rinse until the water runs clear and then make sure to drain off any excess water. Let me know if this doesn't solve the problem and I'll check in with Courtney again! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Adam - Are you using a heavy duty aluminum baking sheet with at least 1" sides? I realize when we say "rimmed baking sheet" we are leaving that pretty open for interpretation. In most cases, any old sheet will do, but in this case you want to make sure you're not using a "cookie sheet" or "jelly roll pan." These are often too lightweight and either have no sides or very low sides. I haven't made the coriander-roasted chicken but I've done the traybake with pomegranate molasses - same technique - about a dozen times and never had issues with overcooking or smoking. For the garlic, it's important to make sure you put it in the center of the baking sheet and surround it with the chicken on all sides. You need the chicken to create a wall, essentially, to protect the garlic from overcooking. Other than those two things, I'm not sure what else could have gone wrong. Let me know if either of these things might have caused the issues. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Chas - I spoke with our digital content team and we, unfortunately, don't have a filtering system in place in our search engine at the moment. However, we are currently working on website upgrades and this is definitely something we are working on! We appreciate your suggestion and always take these issues into consideration as we further improve our digital experience. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Susana - Thanks for your question! At this point we don't have a master index (though most recipes can be found on the website). If you find a recipe in the website search, at this point, you would have to then look it up in the indices of the various cookbooks. Having a master index is a great idea, however, and I will pass that along to our editorial team. Thanks for letting us know! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Susan and John - I'm sorry I missed your question! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a foolproof remedy for garlic breath. Chopping or crushing garlic releases the compound allicin, which then breaks down into four other smelly compounds. The most mischievous of them is allyl methyl sulfide, which can linger in your body for a long time. It not only causes your breath to smell, but as it seeps into your bloodstream, it can affect your sweat and urine. According to this article from NPR, there's \some\ evidence that the fat in milk can break down the allyl methyl sulfide so drinking a glass of milk can dissipate the smell. Garlic’s pungency is easily controlled depending on how you prep it. Raw, unbruised garlic has only mild flavor, but damaging garlic's cells—by slicing, chopping or smashing—triggers a chemical reaction that produces its telltale flavor and aroma. The more garlic cloves are bruised—whether by smashing, slicing, mincing, chewing or, to a lesser extent, heating (it's flavor mellows when cooked above 140 degrees)— the greater the pungency. When this sharp flavor develops and then sits, it becomes even more unpleasant. It's likely that the garlic in processed foods or in the foods you've had in certain restaurants had been pre-minced and allowed to sit for a while making it more pungent than your freshly-minced or sliced garlic at home. Hope this helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi John - At Milk Street, we are strongly in favor of salting steak before cooking. Food scientist Harold McGee, who wrote the book, On Food and Cooking, recommends this because the small amount of salt used to season meat has a hydrating effect - salt helps the cells hold onto water. There is further debate about how far in advance to season steaks. At Milk Street we almost always season right before cooking. If you've got the time and want to season and rest the meat for more than 40 minutes, you will get a drier surface and slightly more concentrated flavor. But, the flavor here can be pretty subjective. Some people prefer the cleaner flavor of a steak with more surface seasoning (seasoned right before cooking) while others prefer the "aged" flavor of a steak seasoned more than 40 minutes in advance. My opinion? Save yourself the time and season right before cooking. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Heath - For this recipe you will need a pound of shiitakes, which is the weight before stemming. Shiitake mushroom stems are very fibrous and not very pleasant to eat. However, don't throw them away! They are a great source of umami - just throw a handful in to flavor soups or stews and then strain out before serving. You can freeze them and use directly from the freezer. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi All - Thanks for such a great suggestion! I will pass this along to our Editorial team who is always improving the website and magazine to improve the customer experience. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Christian - I would recommend substituting vegetable shortening or olive oil instead of butter. When we tried this recipe with butter it felt more like pastry than bread. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.