Milk Street's 10th anniversary is right around the corner! To celebrate, we're revisiting our favorite moments, starting with this week’s episode featuring the very first appearance of regular contributor Alex Aïnouz. On YouTube, Alex is known for his mad scientist experiments, from his million-layer puff pastry to his quest for the perfect French omelet.

Also in this episode—we hear about the amazing history of pickles; Dan Pashman takes us to Shabbat at Wendy's; and we cook chicken under a brick.

Get our recipe for Chicken Under a Brick.

Questions in this Episode:

“I occasionally bake a cake from a box mix. My favorites are the “butter recipe” type — a plain yellow cake. It’s better than the other cake mixes but not nearly as moist as my favorite homemade recipe. I recently tried a trick from a recipe — folding in a half cup of cream, whipped to soft peaks. The resulting cake was moister and delicious, but it did fall a bit with a thin but noticeable “fall line” at the base of the cake. Can you think of a way to add the whipped cream and not have the cake fall? Or is there some other method of making a moister boxed cake?”

“I'm wondering if you can suggest either proportions or a better binder for a recipe that I love to make but wish to take to another level. The recipe is Garlic Mushroom Quinoa.”

“I make a lot of pizzas at home. Does the type of pan I use make a difference in the crispness of the crust? And should I use parchment paper?”

“A friend has his grandmother's handwritten recipe for Basler Läckerli cookies from Switzerland. The recipe calls for ‘2-year-old honey,’ a central ingredient to the cookie, which also consists of flour, sugar, almonds, lemon rind, cinnamon, and cloves. Can you please explain why old honey is necessary/noteworthy?”