BakingAsked May 20, 2019 by Evan P.
I am curious as to why you always state (on TV show) to use salted butter. All other cooking shows are virtually unanimous in recommending using unsalted butter so as to control the amount in any dish. Can you explain your logic in being so different?
Answered by Deb Steinfeld
Thanks for your question. Yes, we are different from what you will usually hear from other cooking professionals. Here at Milk Street we experimented with using both salted and unsalted butter in both savory and baking recipes. The overall opinion was that the small amount of salt in the butter was undetectable in the recipes. Since salted butter has the advantage of extending the butters shelf life, it also makes it a good choice for home cooks who may not use butter all that often. Even though conventional wisdom is to use unsalted we have decided it really doesn’t make a difference. If you have unsalted at home, it should work just as well in our recipes. If you are concerned, add a pinch of salt to the recipe for good luck.
Hope this helps.
Deb at Milk Street
Read MoreAsked May 20, 2019 by Carly H.
Hello!
I make a Viennese-style apple strudel (stretched on table, unsweetened dough) with a cooked apple filling before baking.
I've made it several times, and the past couple of times I've made it, the apple filling has turned black after I add the nuts! (I've used 2 different kinds of nuts each time, same result - first time toasted pecans, second time toasted walnuts).
I cook the filling in a cast iron pan. (Ingredients = sliced apples w lemon juice & zest, butter, sugar (granulated & brown), cinnamon, vanilla paste (added after cooking/turned black), whiskey/brandy), once cooled I add the nuts).
What is the reason for the filling turning black?! It is somewhat alarming \looking\ but does not seem to affect the taste at all. I don't mind it because I made it myself and know what it is coming from, but I think others whom I serve it to are very turned off by the color. Please help!
Answered by Deb Steinfeld
Carly, thanks for your question. It is probably just a coincidence that it turns black when you add the nuts. The problem is most likely the cast iron pan. When you cook anything with acid (lemon juice and zest) in a cast iron pan there is a chemical reaction and the product can turn black as well as giving an irony taste. This doesn’t always happen so sometimes it has worked OK for you, others it hasn’t.
Try it again in a stainless steel pan and see what happens. You should get better results.
Also, I have made this style apple strudel with my own stretched dough without pre-cooking the apple filling (same ingredients) and it has worked just fine. You could also give that a try. I feel that while the apples do cook, it leaves them with a nice crunch.
Hope this helps.
Deb at Milk Street
Read MoreAsked May 20, 2019 by Stephanie M.
Is there a substitute for sumac, which is in many of your recipes? I don’t want to order online and pay the shipping costs!
Answered by Deb Steinfeld
Stephanie, thanks for your question. The easiest substitute is lemon zest with a little salt and maybe a little pepper. It will give you some of the bite that the sumac would give. There are other things, but they are also not readily available ingredients such as za'atar (sumac is an ingredient in za'atar) and tamarind. So your best bet is a little lemon zest.
Hope this helps.
Deb at Milk Street
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