Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2018-19 i Cook's Country

IF IT WEREN’T for the large, chrome-plated “SAGRES” stenciled boldly against the beige brick exterior, you might mistake Sagres Restaurant for just another condo building in a residential neighborhood in Fall River, Massachusetts. But this restaurant has been an enduring bastion of Portuguese cuisine nestled among the homes, bakeries, and bars of this seaside town. In 1976, when Antonio Ferreira Da Silva purchased the restaurant, he catered to Fall River’s Portuguese community, who came in the early 20th century to work in the textile mills. The Portuguese influence is still present at all levels of the community. Antonio was a highly regarded chef in Portugal before immigrating to the United States after the Carnation Revolution of 1974. His two sons, Victor Da Silva and Manuel Ferreira, eventually joined their father…

FOR SEVERAL YEARS now, Brussels sprouts have been enjoying a little time in the spotlight. As such, Caesar Brussels sprouts—cooked or raw sprouts doused in the intense dressing—are showing up on restaurant menus and in cookbooks. I set out to craft the best version possible. A few of the existing recipes I prepared featured raw Brussels sprouts (shredded or chopped), while others called for microwaving or roasting the sprouts before dressing them. Our favorite recipe called for roasting halved sprouts until browned and sweet before tossing them with the dressing. The Brussels sprouts got beautifully charred and were tender throughout. While the results were good, I know that the oven can be in high demand during the holidays. So I tried cooking the sprouts in a skillet on the stovetop,…

RECENTLY A FRIEND of mine, knowing that I worked in the test kitchen, asked if I had ever had chicken scampi from Olive Garden. He grew up eating this dish and said he still craves it to this day. But wait—“chicken scampi”? Scampi means “langoustine” in Italian, and there are no langoustines anywhere near this dish. Rather, my friend described fried chicken tenders served in the style of shrimp scampi, the classic lemony, garlicky, saucy dish often found on Italian American menus. It sounded promising, so we ordered some takeout to try in the kitchen. It was pretty good but not great (which, in all fairness, wasn’t surprising considering the imperfect takeout scenario). For starters, the cream-based sauce felt a little heavy and unusual for something in the “scampi” style.…

GOOEY BUTTER CAKE, pride of St. Louis, is well-known as a soft, sweet, and, well, gooey dessert. But our executive food editor, Bryan Roof, recently encountered a different riff on the concept (see “Something Gooey in St. Louis”): gooey butter cake bars. The sweet treat had several distinct layers: a solid, not-too-sweet bottom crust; a slightly softer second layer of crust; a buttery layer of gooey pudding; and finally a thin and delicate meringue-like crackle on top. Thanks to the sturdy base, it’s just as easy to walk around with as it is to eat with a fork. I set out to perfect each layer before joining them together into a stacked bar. Early experiments steered me toward a single layer of crust. If I could find the right construction,…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a one-pan weeknight crowd-pleaser, we brown sweet Italian sausage and cook cheese tortellini in the same skillet. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed2 garlic cloves, sliced thin4 cups chicken broth12 ounces dried cheese tortellini6 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil Grated Parmesan cheese 1. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking meat into small pieces with spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. 2. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and pasta and bring to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. 3. Stir in tomatoes and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Cooking the vegetables in the skillet used to brown the chicken thighs layers deep flavor into this dish. 8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed Salt and pepper4 tablespoons unsalted butter1½ pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large1 small leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, cut into 1-inch pieces, and washed thoroughly2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme2 garlic cloves, minced1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until browned…

GROWING UP, I thought it more practical to bribe Santa with a plate of chocolate fudge than a squad of gingerbread men. At its best, fudge is soft (but not too soft), sweet (but not too sweet), and rich (but not too… oh, who are we kidding? It’s a holiday!). To return to this tradition, I began researching recipes in cookbooks and online. Many old-style recipes follow an exhausting formula: Boil sugar, butter, and cream until it reaches a specific temperature, and then add chocolate and stir for upwards of an hour for a smooth consistency. That’s fine for a fudge shop with specialty equipment, but I wasn’t up for that much labor. So I looked for recipes with special ingredients that promised to make the process easier, from sweetened…

I LOVE COOKING for the holidays, but I have my limits. I’d also like to sit around the table listening to my Nana tell stories or to lounge on the sofa and watch my son toddle around the room. But my family loves soft, creamy scalloped potatoes and, hey, they deserve them. I wanted a recipe with a significantly shorter cooking time than traditional versions so I’d have more time to sit down and enjoy the company of my family. For research, I tried a few existing recipes from cookbooks in our library. One version took almost 2½ hours to cook through in the oven. Some were made with only heavy cream, some with only milk, and some with a combination of cream and chicken broth. After these early tests,…

LIKE THOSE OF many native Midwesterners, my best childhood memories revolve around food. One whiff of the intoxicating aroma of Amish cinnamon bread (also called Amish friendship bread) and I’m instantly transported back to my mom’s kitchen—she spent the better part of my high school years baking the stuff. This is comfort food in the best sense: humble, heartwarming, soul-soothing. The premise of this sweet bread (whose ties to the Amish are ambiguous at best) is simple: A neighbor or friend gives you a bag of special sourdough starter (a gooey, fermented mixture of flour, sugar, milk, and yeast) along with instructions to care for it over the course of 10 days. You use some of the starter, along with flour, sugar, milk, and surprisingly, in many heirloom recipes, a…

I LOVE BOLD, busy chopped salads, and I wanted to share the love by developing my own version. I started with the dressing, which is typically a straightforward vinaigrette that lets the other ingredients shine. After tasting various vinegars, my tasters chose the red-wine variety, which I whisked together with olive oil, minced shallot, and salt and pepper—delicious. Chopped romaine—crunchy and just a little sweet—provided a sturdy base upon which to build a roster of add-ins. Tomatoes and cucumber, cut small and marinated in the dressing to soften and soak up flavor before being tossed with the other ingredients, tasted great. Crumbled feta added a salty richness, and fresh basil lent fragrant freshness. This was a fantastic chopped salad, but I created a few variations that would satisfy a host…

MANY KINDS OF recipes can be adapted to work in a slow cooker, but those that call for braising meat—partly submerging a tough cut in liquid and gently cooking it for a prolonged period of time—are right in the sweet spot. Which is why I was excited to create a slow-cooker recipe for my favorite style of beef stew, the beer-infused, onion-heavy Belgian version called carbonnade But before I plugged in and turned on the slow cooker, I wanted to get my bearings by trying several regular, non-slow-cooker recipes for the stew. I made five different carbonnade recipes for my tasters, and each version had issues. Some required more than an hour of browning batches of beef and slowly caramelizing onions before adding everything to the Dutch oven. Others fell…

How Hot Is Your House? What do you mean when you call for something to be “room temperature”? My grandma keeps her kitchen a lot warmer than mine. –Lydia Gendron, East Hartford, Conn. The term “room temperature” shows up a lot in our recipes. Often in baking recipes, we call for butter and other ingredients to be at room temperature so they cream/incorporate better and/or produce a desired effect in the final baked good. And we often call for letting yeasted doughs rise at room temperature. When we test recipes, we assume 67 degrees is room temperature. While you don’t have to adjust your thermostat every time you bake, we do suggest you remain aware of your cooking environment. If you live in a warm climate, breads and other things…

DRIED FRUITS SUCH as cherries, apricots, raisins, prunes, and apples have a concentrated sweet-tart flavor that is a delicious complement to a savory, juicy pork loin roast—and recipes combining the two abound. But for some reason, these recipes nearly always call for stuffing the roast with the fruit. I’ve often felt that this method is unnecessarily complicated and the results usually aren’t worth it. Placing the dried-fruit stuffing securely inside the roast requires tricky butchery. Plus, stuffing a roast makes it harder to cook the meat just right. Why not simplify matters and prepare each element separately, ensuring a juicy, tender roast to serve with an easy dried-fruit sauce? The keys to a perfect roast pork loin are adequate seasoning and cooking the roast to the proper internal temperature. For…

A BRACING DISH of shrimp bathed in a buttery, garlicky, peppery sauce (think spicy scampi), shrimp Mozambique can be found in households and restaurants in Portuguese communities such as Fall River and New Bedford, both in Massachusetts. It’s a sophisticated but simple dish, suitable as an appetizer or light main course, and it comes together quickly. The Mozambique moniker grows from Portugal’s history in southeast Africa, where Portuguese colonists cultivated the piri-piri pepper in the late 15th century. But this pepper, known for its beautiful hue and complex flavor (fresh, fruity, and hot but not screaming hot), can be hard to find in the United States. We tried to find a substitute in various canned, fresh, and dried peppers but came up short. During research, we came across one recipe…

ITALIANS HAVE BEEN braising pork in milk for centuries; the homey process yields a rustic, nutty, gravy-like sauce and supermoist meat. But chicken? This was a new idea to me. Existing recipes that I tried (including a popular one by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver) followed very similar scripts. The whole bird bakes uncovered in a pot in a shallow pool of milk flavored with herbs, lemon peel, garlic, and/or cinnamon. The milk transforms in the oven, reducing into an unattractive, curdled sauce that belies its appearance with toasty, nutty flavors; a nuanced sweetness from the caramelizing milk sugars; and a savory richness from all the chicken drippings. After bubbling away in the oven, my testing samples emerged looking like mistakes: clumps of beige curds clung unattractively to the chicken, fat…

KALE IS NUTRITIONALLY dense and intensely flavored, but it is also notoriously fibrous and tough, thus many recipes call for long-cooking this hearty green in simmering water. But I wanted to find a faster way of cooking for the dual sakes of convenience and preserving more of the kale’s rich, brawny flavor. I wanted to sauté it. There were a few hurdles to overcome. First, because—like other greens such as spinach and Swiss chard—kale shrinks a lot as it cooks, you have to add it in stages to the pan so that the pan doesn’t overflow. Also, kale stems are tougher than kale leaves, so I’d have to somehow account for their different cooking rates. And finally, I’d need to add flavor accents that highlighted the pleasant mineral taste of…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a simple, vegetarian weeknight curry, we simmer canned chickpeas with tomatoes, spices, and coconut milk. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces Salt and pepper1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced4 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger1 tablespoon curry powder2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk 1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add bell peppers, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ½. teaspoon pepper and cook until bell peppers are beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add jalapeno, garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 2. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and their juice, and coconut milk and bring to…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Mashing a portion of the cooked potatoes adds body to this comforting soup. 8 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½-inch pieces1 small head green cabbage (1¼ pounds), cored and cut into 2-inch piecesSalt and pepper½ teaspoon red pepper flakes4 cups chicken broth2 bay leaves¼ cup minced fresh chives 1. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. 2. Add potatoes, cabbage, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and pepper flakes to fat left in pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage begins to wilt, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth and bay leaves and bring to boil.…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Boiling the rice in 3 quarts of water cooks it in almost half the usual time. 12 cups water1 cup long-grain white rice1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef3 garlic cloves, minced2 teaspoons ground cumin Salt and pepper½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice1 (15-ounce) can lentils, rinsed½ cup whole-milk yogurt1 cup canned fried onions¼ cup chopped fresh dill 1. Bring water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain rice in fine-mesh strainer. 2. Meanwhile, cook beef in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking meat into small pieces with spoon, until just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and pumpkin…

SCALES: Especially in baking, digital kitchen scales provide the most accurate means of measuring dry ingredients. We also use them for tasks such as weighing burgers to ensure even sizing. Test Kitchen Favorite: OXO Good Grips 11 lb. Food Scale with Pull Out Display ($49.95) Fluid Ounces versus Weight Ounces Ingredients are measured by either weight or volume. The term “ounce” is a familiar measurement of weight—there are 16 ounces in 1 pound, for example—but a “fluid ounce” is a volume measurement of liquid (with water, the most reliably consistent ingredient, being the common denominator). If you inspect the side of a liquid measuring cup, you will notice that 8 ounces is exactly 1 cup. This means that 1 cup of milk or water—or a liquid of similar density—weighs 8…

WHEN I WAS growing up in North Carolina, the Christmas season was heralded by the box of homemade goodies our neighbor delivered every year. After a giddy thank you, my sister and I dove in for the cheddar cheese straws, the delicate, crumbly, cheesy, buttery cracker/cookies that have a cult following in the South. Now that I live in Boston, I get a craving for these treats every holiday season. Cheese straws get their name from their traditional long, thin shape, which is usually dressed up with grooved ridges or spiral twists. They deserve a wider audience, so I set out to create a foolproof recipe for these savory snacks. I started by baking six versions of cheese straws from a variety of Southern sources. Most called for stirring together…

MEASURING SPOONS MAY seem basic, but small details—numbers on the handle that fade over time or a connector ring that is hard to open—can make some sets a pain to use. With new designs on the market, we pitted our previous favorite from Cuisipro against six other models. We tested each set with ingredients of different textures—table salt, dried basil, ground turmeric, red pepper flakes, peanut butter, and brown sugar—and rated them on accuracy, ease of use, and durability. While there were some minor differences in accuracy, our preferences ultimately came down to how easy each set was to use. In general, we preferred metal models because some ingredients clung to plastic, leaving us with a dusting of turmeric or flour even after we dumped out the ingredient. We also…

SURE, YOU CAN roast chicken and potatoes separately—but why would you? When you cook the two together, the deeply savory chicken juices work their way into the potatoes, transforming a relatively bland starch into a supremely flavorful one. My goal was to make an easy weeknight chicken-and-potatoes dinner for two where both ingredients hit their fullest potential of deliciousness. Since I was cooking for two people, a whole chicken was overkill. But that still left a lot of chicken options to consider. I decided that boneless, skinless breasts and thighs were out because they don’t give up as many flavorful juices during cooking—plus, I love crispy, savory chicken skin. So I did a test where I roasted three cuts of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces—thighs, breasts, and leg quarters—over some diced…

10 Pans 8 Tests Bake pound cake, loosen with knife Bake sandwich bread, loosen with knife Bake lasagna, loosen with knife Slice lasagna in half with paring knife, then remove it with metal spatula Run paring knife around pan and make 6 slices across width Measure dimensions Measure capacity by filling with water Wash 10 times LOAF PANS ARE essential for baking sandwich loaves, quick breads, and pound cakes. We also use them for small lasagnas and for intricate baked goods such as brioche, babka, and flan. A decade ago, the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Loaf Pan, 1 lb won our testing of loaf pans, and it continues to impress. It measures 8½ by 4½ inches at the top of the pan, about ½ inch smaller in each direction than…

“My Aunt Christine used to give out tins of homemade cookies each year at Christmas. There would be all different kinds of cookies inside, but these spicy chocolate rounds were always the crowd favorite. My siblings, cousins, and I would carefully root down into the tissue paper, stealthily excavating them from the lower levels.”—HANNAH CROWLEY, Deputy Editor MEXICAN CHOCOLATE COOKIES Makes 48 cookies We found that Dutch-processed cocoa powder yielded the best chocolate flavor, but natural cocoa powder will also work here. 1⅓ cups (6⅔ ounces) all-purpose flour¾ cup (2¼ ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder1 tablespoon ground cinnamon½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon pepper¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar1 large egg½ cup sanding sugar 1. Whisk flour, cocoa, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt, pepper, and cayenne together…

TO MAKE THIS CAKE, YOU WILL NEED: 1 recipe Almond Layer Cake Batter*½ teaspoon green gel food coloring1 tablespoon cocoa powder1 tablespoon water2 teaspoons red gel food coloring⅔ cup seedless raspberry jam3 cups Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting* FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans. Transfer one-third of batter (about 1. cups) to 1 prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Divide remaining batter evenly between 2 bowls. Add green food coloring to 1 bowl and mix until combined. Whisk cocoa, water, and red food coloring in small bowl until smooth. Add red food coloring mixture to second bowl of batter and mix until combined. Transfer colored cake…

ONE SUNDAY, WHEN I was preoccupied with a skillet of sizzling pork chops, I forgot to stir the broccoli I was sautéing on another burner. By the time I finally remembered, the broccoli was near-black in color and, I feared, destined for the trash. But I sampled a piece and was surprised to find that it didn’t taste burnt—just deeply roasted, a touch smoky, and lightly sweet. The florets had ultracrispy, almost-fried shells surrounding tender interiors. My “mistake” turned out to be the hit of the meal. To re-create this skillet-charred effect, I’d need a reliable, perfectly predictable recipe that didn’t involve accidentally ignoring the broccoli. I started my first test with 1½ pounds of broccoli florets (I chose to use only florets because it’s harder to get consistent browning…

MY ULTIMATE COMFORT food: jumbo pasta shells stuffed with cheese, topped with tomato sauce and more cheese, and baked until golden brown. But stuffed shell recipes can be frustrating. Most call for precooking the shells and then using a spoon or pastry bag to fill them without ripping them to shreds. Some demand that you simmer a sauce for hours before it goes over the shells. Some cheater recipes don’t even bother with stuffing the shells, instead instructing you to just stir everything together and bake for an hour or longer; in the end, you’re left with a mess of torn pasta and grainy cheese. I wanted an easier process and better results. I first focused on the parboiling step. Would uncooked shells, filled and sauced, soften enough in the…

BOLDLY SEASONED SOUPS are a mainstay of Mexican cuisine, and my personal favorite is meatball soup. The best versions I’ve encountered have featured tender, flavorful meatballs cooked in a complex broth spiked with chiles and herbs and grounded by the earthy flavor of toasted corn. Sounds delicious, right? But when I prepared a sampling of recipes for this meatball-studded soup from a variety of Mexican cookbooks, my tasters and I were surprised by some glaring faults. The meatballs ranged from tough and dry to starchy and gummy. Several of the broths tasted weak and watery and lacked the signature profound corn presence. Hoping to find a relatively easy way to delicious, tender meatballs and a simple yet full-flavored broth with deep corn flavor, I set up camp in the kitchen…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We toss pan-seared chicken, Bibb lettuce, cooling cucumber, and spicy cherry peppers in a bold peanut dressing for a quick, delicious meal. 4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed Salt and pepper5 tablespoons vegetable oil¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter1½ tablespoons fish sauce2 heads Bibb lettuce (1 pound), leaves separated1 English cucumber, cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks¼ cup thinly sliced jarred hot cherry peppers¼ cup fresh mint leaves, torn 1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown and registering 160 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent with foil,…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Flipping the steaks often keeps the herb crust from burning. 6 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise12 ounces small red potatoes, unpeeled, halved2 large shallots, peeled and halved through root end4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Salt and pepper1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme2 (1-pound) boneless rib-eye steaks, 1½ inches thick, trimmed2 tablespoons minced fresh sage2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss carrots, potatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Spread vegetables in even layer on rimmed baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast until tender and well browned on bottoms, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme. 2. Meanwhile, pat steaks dry with paper towels.…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Using instant polenta leaves plenty of time to saute a flavorful bacon-poblano topping for the seared scallops. 3 cups water¾ cup instant polenta4 tablespoons unsalted butter Salt and pepper4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)2 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped4 slices bacon, chopped fine4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce2 garlic cloves, minced1½ pounds large sea scallops, tendons removed 1. Bring water to boil in large saucepan. Whisk in polenta, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in cheddar. Set aside and cover to keep warm. 2. Cook poblanos, bacon, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in 12-inch nonstick skillet…

FILET MIGNONIS a lean, lush cut of meat that, when cooked to pink perfection, has an unsurpassed buttery texture and clean, mild beefy flavor. But for some, paying top dollar for a “mild” steak doesn’t compute. Hence bacon-wrapped filet mignon, a steakhouse favorite that ups the ante by wrapping each steak in a strip of salty, smoky goodness. Great bacon-wrapped filets mignons can be a challenge to pull off not only because you have to get the bacon and beef correctly cooked on the same timetable but also because it can be hard to fully render and crisp the bacon while keeping it firmly attached to the perimeter of each steak. I set out to find a foolproof method to get this impressive dish done right. I gathered a handful…

THERE IS ONE thing you can count on at holiday cocktail parties: Appetizers featuring melted cheese go fast. Put out a dish of cheesy buffalo dip, a bowl of queso fundido, or a wheel of baked Brie, and your guests will cluster around it, spooning soft, warm morsels onto chips or bread, tucking spiderweb strands of cheese into their mouths, smiling and nodding in appreciation as they go. But recently, I attended a party where the host served warm goat cheese broiled in a baking dish with a mildly spicy tomato sauce. The combination of tangy cheese, smoky and sweet sauce, and crunchy toast was great. While it didn’t create those photo-op cheese strands, it delivered lively, festive flavor. At the end of the evening, I congratulated the host on…

HOW DO YOU like your white rice? We love the fluffy, separate grains of pilafs; we’re also fans of clumpy, chopstick-friendly sticky rice. But for everyday eating, we like a third style: steamed long-grain white rice that makes a great bed for dishes such as smothered pork chops, stir-fry, or gumbo. This rice is light and perfectly tender throughout and clumps together slightly for easy eating. We found that rinsing the excess starch from the exterior of the rice before cooking was key to our desired finished texture. We combine 2 cups of raw rice with 3 cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil uncovered. Then we stir once, cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and let the rice cook undisturbed. Two final tricks guarantee success: letting…

ORDERING FAJITAS IN a Mexican restaurant sets the stage for some good theater. The spectacle of a server carrying sizzling meat and vegetables through the restaurant and placing them before you—“Careful, the handle is hot!”—is key to the experience. But I wanted to create a fajitas recipe for the home cook that was more about flavor than theater and used only one pan. Most recipes I found for fajitas called for flank steak, skirt steak, or steak tips; my tasters preferred the flank for its beefy flavor and relative tenderness and because it’s easy to find in supermarkets. But there was a catch. Most fajitas are seared on the stovetop, but a good-size flank steak, two bell peppers, and an onion (enough to feed four to six people) was too…

IN 1924, GERMAN immigrant Oscar Mayer began producing and selling sliced, packaged bacon in Chicago. He wasn’t the first to slice bacon before it hit the shops or even the first to protect it with easy-to-grab packaging. But by marketing these innovations extensively, Mayer made bacon a true convenience product and helped usher in a new era of ubiquity for bacon in American homes. The popularity of packaged bacon endures. According to a recent report by market research group Mintel, 70 percent of American adults eat it regularly. But is all bacon the same? To see how the classic supermarket bacons measured up, we bought five top-selling products (as assessed by IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm), priced from $4.00 to $10.39 per pound. We tasted them plain and in…