Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2019 i Cook's Country

ELECTRIC GRIDDLES HAVE a reputation for being, well, retro. But with a good one, you can evenly cook big batches of food without using the stove. All the models we previously recommended, including our winner by BroilKing, have been discontinued or redesigned, so it was time to retest. We selected six nonstick models, including the updated version of our previous winner, priced from $29.99 to $99.00. We made pancakes, French toast, and hamburgers on each. Many of the griddles heated unevenly: Some batches of pancakes were both raw and overcooked. We ran a few tests and found that on some griddles, the temperature varied by 80 degrees or more across the cooking surface. The best models’ temperatures varied by less than 10 degrees. Why the inconsistency? Our winner had the…

GROWING UP IN the South, I always associated ribs with sweet, tangy barbecue sauce. But for a midwinter game-day rib feast in my adopted hometown of Boston, I decided to look for something a little more surprising: something sticky, glossy, and tropical, with sweet and spicy notes of citrus, ginger, and jalapeño. My first decision was to use baby back ribs. I chose them because they cook relatively quickly and pack tons of pork flavor. A couple of 2-pound racks of baby backs would be plenty for a crew of four to six people, so I started there. Some people get finicky and pretreat their ribs with a rub, a marinade, or even a brine (I do that sometimes, too). But I wanted to give this a swing without the…

AT HEART, MEXICAN rice is no more than a simple pilaf of white rice cooked in a mix of chicken broth, tomatoes, garlic, and chiles. Yet a well-made version tastes like so much more than the sum of those parts, featuring tender rice with a deep savoriness and refreshing brightness. We wanted our recipe for this side dish to be delicious while also allowing ample time and energy for cooking the rest of the meal. To get it done, we turned to some simple, time-tested test kitchen strategies. Achieving fluffy rice with separate, intact grains can seem tricky, but it really boils down to remembering a few simple techniques: rinsing the rice, toasting the rice in enough oil to coat the grains, and cooking the rice in just enough liquid…

THE TURKEY WINGS at Laura’s II in Lafayette, Louisiana, are an impressive sight: probably close to 2 pounds each, well browned, and served without the gravy that is prevalent on every other dish. The area along the drumstick of each wing is “stuffed” with a mixture of garlic and spices, of which cayenne is surely one, while the others remain secret. Braised in their own juices, these wings give new identity and life to the otherwise bland turkey dishes most of us non-Louisianians know and, if not love, tolerate. “This is soul food!” owner Madonna Broussard tells me. This is the cooking she learned from her grandmother and mother. Madonna’s grandmother, Laura Broussard, ran a restaurant out of the back of her house in the 1960s. It was one of…

CENTURIES AGO, BISCUITS closely resembled crackers, which made them easy for travelers, sailors, and soldiers to pack and transport. Modern-day biscuits are fluffier and softer, thanks to leaveners and more fat, but people still care about convenience, as evidenced by the popularity of packaged ready-to-bake biscuits. Our winning premade refrigerated biscuits were discontinued, so it was time to retest. We tasted four widely available biscuits, and this time we included one product that came frozen in addition to three that were refrigerated. Biscuits can be broadly categorized as either laminated (created using a process in which buttery pastry dough is folded repeatedly to create defined, flaky layers) or tender (softer and more uniform in consistency). Our lineup included three laminated biscuits and one tender-style offering. The latter was bread-like throughout,…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Mediterranean Steak and Pita Salad Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Rich, beefy skirt steak contrasts perfectly with a lemony salad of crisp pita, romaine, tomatoes, and mint. . cup extra-virgin olive oil1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice1 garlic clove, mincedSalt and pepper10 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered3 (8-inch) pita breads, torn into 1½-inch pieces2 teaspoons ground cumin1 (1-pound) skirt steak, trimmed and cut into 4 equal pieces2 romaine lettuce hearts (12 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces. cup chopped fresh mint 1. Whisk 3 tablespoons oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Add tomatoes and set aside. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss pita with ¼ cup oil, ½…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Braised Fennel, Olives, and Orange Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The classic combo of fennel, olives, and orange pairs well with pan-seared, cayenne-spiced chicken breasts. 4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmedSalt and pepper. teaspoon cayenne pepper. cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling3 fennel bulbs, stalks discarded, bulbs halved, cored, and cut into½-inch-thick wedges4 shallots, sliced into ½-inch-thick rings3 garlic cloves, minced3 (2-inch) strips orange zest plus ¼ cup juice. cup water⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken to skillet,…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Orecchiette with Shrimp, Pepperoncini, and Basil Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: A quick sauce of olive oil, garlic, capers, and pepperoncini makes for a bright, briny rendition of weeknight shrimp pasta. 1½ pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, tails removed, and cut into ½-inch piecesSalt and pepper12 ounces (31⁄3 cups) orecchiette1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil4 garlic cloves, sliced thin1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup), plus extra for serving¼ cup chopped pepperoncini, plus 1 tablespoon brine¼ cup capers, rinsed¼ cup chopped fresh basilLemon wedges 1. Sprinkle shrimp with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and refrigerate until ready to use. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until al…

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM CAPS were made for stuffing. Why? For starters, their hefty size and circular shape make a perfect “dish” to hold stuffing. Plus, they have a brawny, earthy flavor that can stand up to potent stuffing ingredients, making the dish a potential tastebud-rocking powerhouse. I say “potential,” though, because most stuffed portobellos I’ve had have been bland, spongy, and sad. Determined to break the curse, I set out to create a recipe for truly memorable stuffed portobello mushroom caps. I began by preparing a handful of promising recipes for my tasters. The recipes called for stuffing the caps with various combinations of sautéed vegetables, meats, cheese, and beans. A few literally fell flat, emerging from the oven as thin, deflated disks. But one recipe gave me hope; it called…

ULTIMATE CAESAR SALAD Serves 4 Use a rasp-style grater or the fine holes of a box grater to grate the Parmesan. To shred it, use the large holes of a box grater. The size of the lettuce is important here. To cut the lettuce into 1-inch pieces, first cut off the core and then cut each romaine heart in half lengthwise. Cut the halves in half lengthwise. Finally, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil2 garlic cloves, minced Salt and pepper4 ounces ciabatta, cut into ½-inch cubes (4 cups)1 large egg yolk1 tablespoon lemon juice2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce2 teaspoons Dijon mustard2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced, plus extra fillets for serving (optional)¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1½ ounces shredded (½ cup)2 romaine lettuce hearts (12 ounces),…

MY MOM USED to make a classic, comforting supper of meatloaf, potatoes, and green beans on Sunday nights. For a modern spin on this old favorite, I wanted a version with all the components made on a single baking sheet, so I could slide the whole thing into the oven on a busy weeknight without another thought. Starting with the meatloaf, I drew on test kitchen expertise and chose straightforward ingredients that didn’t need precooking. For the meat, I used beef—as straightforward as it gets—and added a panade (or paste) of crushed saltines and milk, which would help the meatloaf stay moist and tender. For extra depth, I stirred in a little soy sauce and grated Parmesan cheese. Fresh thyme, granulated garlic, and red pepper flakes added pep, and a…

PROVOLONE IS UNFAIRLY regarded as the middle child of Italian cheeses: neither as punchy and popular as Parmigiano-Reggiano nor as mild and widely used as mozzarella. Yet iconic sandwiches such as the Philadelphia cheesesteak and the New Orleans muffuletta would be incomplete without slices of this aged cow’s-milk cheese; it’s also at home in pasta salads, stromboli, cheese bread, and even quesadillas. Most of us know provolone as a young, slightly soft cheese that is very mild in flavor, but aged provolone can be sharp, almost bitter, and have a crumbly, semihard texture. In Italy, the former is known as provolone dolce (“sweet” provolone) and is aged for less than four months, while the lat-ter is called provolone piccante (“spicy” provolone) and is aged for up to three years. What…

Knife Angles When I got my knives sharpened at my hardware store, they asked me what angles I wanted the blades sharpened to. What does this mean? –Beth Balter, Somerville, Mass. Traditionally, there were two styles of chef’s knives: European/American and Asian. The blades of Western knives were manufactured with 20-degree angles, while Asian knives were made with narrower 15-degree angles. But in recent years, the trend toward slimmer blade construction has spread west; many European and American knife manufacturers now offer knives with blades sharpened to 15 degrees. In a recent testing, our top three favorite knives were sharpened to 15 degrees, including our winner, the Victorinox Swiss Army Fibrox Pro 8" Chef’s Knife. Assuming similar sharpness, a blade with a thinner edge (sharpened to a smaller angle) will…

ON A WARM February afternoon, I join the line that snakes out of Johnny’s Restaurant, a second-story lunchroom in a well-dressed strip mall in Homewood, Alabama. Johnny’s is what’s known as a meat-and-three: a restaurant offering a protein and three side dishes for a fixed price. The menu is built on “Southern ingredients and Greek technique,” as chef-owner Timothy Hontzas puts it, a nod to his Greek heritage and Alabama upbringing. A “Greek-and-three,” he says. At Johnny’s, items such as souvlaki are listed on the menu next to fried catfish and hamburger steaks. This subtle intermingling of cuisines has long been standard for Greek eateries in the South. “We laugh and say, if it hadn’t been for the Greeks in the ’60s and ’70s, the people of Birmingham would have…

WHEN I WAS a kid, every road trip to my grandmother’s house resulted in a race to the refrigerator for the first helping of potato salad. Usually served as a side dish but often eaten as a snack, the boiled, dressed-up spuds always hit the spot. Potato salad is a spectacularly flexible concept. Ask one person to describe the perfect potato salad, and then ask another—you’ll get two different answers. I did just that, soliciting ideas from coworkers, but as soon as one described so-called German potato salad, with red potatoes, plenty of bacon, the tangy bite of mustard, and a sharp vinegary finish, I was intrigued. This style of potato salad has a velvety, almost creamy texture, which gives it an extra-comforting profile, especially in cooler months. All potato…

TO BE HONEST, I’d never heard of steak Marsala until my editor handed me this assignment. But the idea of pairing full-flavored beef with this rich, slightly sweet sauce (based on its namesake fortified wine) sounded appealing, so I was eager to get into the test kitchen and explore the idea. The recipes I found for steak Marsala followed a similar path: Sear steaks, remove them from the skillet, and then sauté mushrooms and onions in the drippings. Add flour, followed by broth and marsala, and simmer. Slide the steaks back in to warm through, and then finish with a good knob of butter. But there were three big variables I needed to sort through: cut of beef, type of mushroom, and variety of Marsala. The steak was the natural…

AFTER DOWNING A plate of stuffed turkey wings at Laura’s II in Lafayette, Louisiana, I knew I had to bring this idea into the test kitchen. The massive wings—meaty, browned, and braised to tenderness—were served with a scoop of rice but without the Cajun-style gravy that blankets many versions of the dish. This particular “plate lunch” was offered only on Wednesdays until current owner Madonna Broussard took over the restaurant and decided to serve it every day (see “A Louisiana ‘Plate Lunch’ Original”). These wings are called “stuffed,” but if you’re imagining Thanksgiving-style stuffing, you’re on the wrong track. Instead, the wings, split into flats and drumettes, are slit open and stuffed with cloves of garlic and a powerful mixture of spices. The spice mix at Laura’s II was, and…

AGLIO E OLIO (“garlic and oil” in Italian) are ingredients found in every Italian American home cook’s pantry. Pasta aglio e olio is a famous pasta dish from Naples composed of these ingredients and not much else, save for perhaps a bit of red chile and some parsley. The folklore behind this dish ranges from the mythical to the more plausible. It has been said that Ferdinand IV of Bourbon ordered the invention of the fork with four tines so that he could eat more pasta aglio e olio. Additionally, the dish has been referred to as the poor man’s alle vongole fujute (“spaghetti with clams”—the clams have “escaped”). Despite its simplicity, the dish has evolved over the years, especially in the United States. The pasta aglio e olio many…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Buffalo Chicken Calzones Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Using shredded rotisserie chicken makes this sometimes-complicated dish quick and easy. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (¾ cup)⅓ cup Frank’s Original RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce½ teaspoon pepper1 pound pizza dough 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and brush foil with 1 tablespoon oil. Combine chicken, mozzarella, blue cheese, hot sauce, and pepper in bowl. 2. Divide pizza dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll and stretch each piece of dough into 8-inch circle on lightly floured counter. Spread 1 cup chicken mixture on bottom half of each dough round, leaving 1-inch border around edges.…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Filets Mignons with Rosemary Potatoes and Bourbon Cream Sauce Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Building a quick bourbon cream sauce in the skillet adds a rich depth of flavor to the steak. 1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces¼ cup vegetable oil2½ teaspoons minced fresh rosemarySalt and pepper4 (6- to 8-ounce) center-cut filets mignons, 2 inches thick, trimmed2 shallots, sliced into thin rings2 garlic cloves, sliced thin¾ cup heavy cream¼ cup bourbon 1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Toss potatoes, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are well browned and tender, about 25 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, pat steaks dry with paper towels…

Two Paths to Deep Seasoning Brine Brining means submerging meat (most often poultry or pork) in a salt solution so that the salt penetrates the meat, increasing the meat’s ability to hold moisture. This helps lean cuts stay moist and juicy. Sometimes we add sugar or spices to the brine for extra flavor. Dry Salt We often salt large cuts of meat (such as roasts and whole birds) in advance. Given enough time (1 to 24 hours), the salt travels into the meat. In addition to seasoning it, salt helps the meat hold on to moisture to remain juicy throughout cooking and softens and dissolves some meat proteins to result in a more tender texture. Salting While Cooking Salting in stages helps prevent oversalting, as variations in ingredients (how fatty…

CLEMENTINE CAKES ARE almost always tender single-layer cakes made with ground clementines. They can be upside down or right side up and are typically dusted with confectioners’ sugar or covered with a glaze (chocolate or sugar) and decorated with candied slices of their namesake fruit. It seems odd, but the pulverized clementines add just the right amount of sweet, sour, and floral citrus flavor to every bite. I began by baking five clementine cake recipes. Each one was unique, but they all called for ground almonds as the base of the cake (a few added a bit of flour, too). The clementine flavor in the best of these cakes was surprisingly sweet, with just a hint of pleasant bitterness. But those recipes called for cooking the whole clementines in water…

IT’S HARD TO imagine improving on bacon. But over the past few months, more than one of my colleagues has come into the office with a story of a cocktail party where they had been served a surprising twist: candied bacon (bacon cooked with sugar). At their best, these crispy strips off er a new sweet-savory way of looking at bacon. But when things go south, you find yourself with a fatty, soggy, or even syrupy piece of bacon that sags under the weight of its coating, drooping and dripping dangerously close to your best party clothes. I wanted to create a recipe for crispy bacon strips with surprising flavor and satisfying crunch. After a few initial tests with existing recipes, I knew for sure that the oven was my…

THE CLASSIC TUSCAN combination of rich pork, creamy white beans, and kale perfumed with garlic, rosemary, sage, and fennel tastes amazing, but recipes for this dish often take more than a day to make. They call for soaking dried beans, making stock, sautéing vegetables, and using all manner of pots and pans in the process. I hoped to find a simpler, more direct path using the slow cooker. To start, I chose canned white beans rather than dried for a couple of reasons. First, canned beans are already fully hydrated and need almost no added liquid for cooking. To achieve creamy rather than soupy beans, I wanted very little extra liquid (I knew that both the pork and the kale would give up a good deal of moisture in the…

This dessert was a favorite of my grandmother’s, who spiked it with a slosh of liqueur and served it with a wink. ORANGE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE Serves 6 For a nonalcoholic version of this dessert, substitute orange juice for the Grand Marnier. Garnish the mousse with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or orange zest, if desired. 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine2 large eggs plus 2 large yolks¼ cup packed (1¾ ounces) light brown sugar½ teaspoon grated orange zest1 cup heavy cream3 tablespoons Grand Marnier 1. Microwave chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. 2. Process eggs and yolks, sugar, and orange zest in blender until foamy and lightened in color, 30 to 60 seconds. Add cream, Grand…

TO MAKE THIS CAKE, YOU WILL NEED: 20 fresh strawberries, hulled¼ cup strawberry jam1 teaspoon water2 (9-inch) chocolate layer cake rounds*1 recipe Strawberry Frosting FOR THE GLAZED STRAWBERRIES: Reserve 1 whole strawberry. Halve remaining 19 strawberries. Place jam and water in large bowl and microwave until bubbling, about 2 minutes. Add whole and halved strawberries to jam mixture and toss until evenly coated. Transfer strawberries to parchment paper–lined baking sheet and spread into single layer. Set aside. TO ASSEMBLE: Place 1 cake layer on plate or pedestal. Spread 1½ cups frosting evenly over top, right to edge of cake. Top with second cake layer, pressing lightly to adhere. Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake. TO DECORATE: Place whole glazed strawberry in center of cake. Arrange 5…

IN HOMEWOOD, ALABAMA, if you say you’re going out for “Greek-and-three,” folks will assume you’re headed to Johnny’s Restaurant (see “Greek Home Alabama”) for lunch. There, on the menu behind the counter, you’ll see Greek baked chicken, a superflavorful dish of tender and juicy marinated and roasted chicken with tons of herbs and lemon. It comes with three sides, hence “Greek-and-three.” Once I’d tried it for myself, I knew I wanted to create my own version of this simple yet complex-tasting dish. Back in the test kitchen, the first order of business was determining which herbs to use in the marinade. After experimenting with fresh herbs, dried herbs, and even dried herb blends such as Italian seasoning and herbes de Provence, I found the best balance with fresh thyme, fresh…

I’VE BEEN KNOWN to use a prefab packet of taco seasoning in a pinch, but there’s something disappointing about the resulting tacos. There are flavors I like but also a lingering dullness. I challenged myself to do better, to create a quick, weeknight-friendly ground beef taco filling using fresher ingredients but without creating more work. I knew I wasn’t the first person to consider this idea, so my first move was to hit the books and cook through some existing recipes. Some of the resulting tacos were packed with flavor, while others were lackluster. Some were a snap to prepare, others a chore. I wanted simplicity, a list of mostly pantry ingredients, and a high return on minimal effort. The first idea I latched on to was to mix a…

MY MOTHER USED to make a dump-and-stir broccoli and cheese casserole with frozen broccoli, condensed soup, lots of cheese, and a buttery cracker topping. It was far from fancy, but I loved eating it as a kid. I wanted to serve an adult version of this classic side dish. To start, I made a few existing recipes for broccoli and cheese casserole from a range of sources: family cookbooks, classics such as Joy of Cooking, and more. I learned a few things along the way. Fresh broccoli works much better than frozen, which tasted watery in this context. Casseroles built on flour-thickened white sauces are less gloppy than those made with stir-together sauces using cream cheese or condensed soup. And a crunchy topping is never a bad move. I made…

FRIED CHICKENIS a labor of love for me, and it always feels like a special occasion when I make it and eat it. But does it have to be so? What about a more casual fried chicken, one you can eat while lounging on the couch watching a movie or a ballgame? Enter popcorn chicken, those craggy, crispy, bite-size morsels of fried chicken goodness. The appeal is partly in its crunch and delicious flavor, sure, but also in the sheer fun and immediacy of eating it pretty much hot out of the fryer, when it’s at its absolute crunchiest. But the fun was dampened as I cooked my way through a handful of recipes. A few made crunchy chicken bites but called for fussy breading procedures, which was a lot…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Vegetarian Ramen with Shiitakes and Soft Eggs Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Adding miso to lightly browned vegetables provides a punch of flavor to fortify the vegetable broth. 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin6 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks2 tablespoons white miso8 cups vegetable broth3 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles, seasoning packets discarded2 ounces (2 cups) baby spinach4 soft-cooked large eggs, halved Asian chili-garlic sauce 1. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and scallions and cook until lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger and miso and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in broth and bring to boil 2. Add ramen…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Pork Meatball Banh Mi Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Letting the vegetables sit together while making the meatballs pickles them slightly. 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchsticks. English cucumber, cut into 2-inch matchsticks. cup chopped fresh cilantro4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin2 tablespoons rice vinegar5 teaspoons fish sauceSalt and pepper1. pounds ground pork. cup mayonnaise2 (12-inch) baguettes, ends trimmed, halved crosswise, split lengthwise 1. Combine carrots, cucumber, ¼ cup cilantro, scallion greens, vinegar, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl; set aside. Using your hands, combine pork, scallion whites, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, remaining ¼ cup cilantro, and remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce in separate bowl. Divide pork mixture into 16 equal meatballs.…

30-MINUTE SUPPER Plantain-Crusted Pork Chops with Black Bean and Avocado Salad Serves 4 WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Crushed plantain chips make an easy, crispy coating for these weeknight-friendly pan-fried pork chops. 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed1 avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into ½-inch pieces½ cup extra-virgin olive oil1⁄3 cup thinly sliced red onion1½ tablespoons lime juiceSalt and pepper4 (6- to 8-ounce) bone-in pork rib chops, ½ inch thick, trimmed½ cup all-purpose flour2 large eggs5 ounces plantain chips, crushed fine (1¼ cups) 1. Combine beans, avocado, ¼ cup oil, onion, lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl; set aside. 2. Season chops with salt and pepper. Place flour in shallow dish. Lightly beat eggs in second shallow dish. Place plantain chips in third shallow dish. Working…

PORK TENDERLOIN—ONE OF America’s favorite cuts of pork—is supremely tender and fast-cooking. While I appreciate those attributes, this cut isn’t exactly a flavor powerhouse. The test kitchen has addressed this lack of flavor by creating some great recipes that dress up pork tenderloin with potent crumb crusts, intense spice rubs, or fancy sauces or glazes. But, tasty as they may be, all those solutions are superficial. For maximum impact, I decided to pack the inside of the meat with a bold stuffing. But before I did, I had two big questions to answer: How, exactly, would I stuff the meat? And what would I stuff it with? For inspiration, I dug up six wildly diverse recipes for stuffed pork tenderloin and prepared them in the test kitchen. The techniques for…

HUEVOS RANCHEROS, OR “rancher-style eggs,” are a happy mess of slightly runny eggs snuggled in spicy tomato sauce and draped with melted cheese. The dish is typically served with tortillas to mop up all the saucy, yolky goodness, and it packs enough of a wallop to jump-start even the foggiest of mornings. The test kitchen has a handful of recipes for huevos rancheros, but they all take a bit of labor to build layers of flavor. I hoped I could create a streamlined version to serve two that avoided the hard work (such as charring tomatoes and onions and making salsa) but still paid off in flavor. You can certainly cook the eggs and sauce separately and combine them on the plate—many restaurants do it this way. But the flavors…

9 Pans 16 Tests • Measure bottom thickness, cooking surface diameter, height of sides (noting shape), and length of handle • If no lid, check for fit with favorite lids• Check levelness of interior surface• Pan-sear steaks and make pan sauce• Pan-roast chicken and make pan sauce• Pan-roast asparagus, using lid• Pan-roast green beans• Sauté diced onions• Wash by hand after each test• Wash once in dishwasher• Check interior for warping, using level• Heat pan to 500°F on stovetop, plunge into ice water, and check for warping• Whack 3 times on concrete ledge A 12-INCH STAINLESS-STEEL skillet is the definition of a kitchen workhorse. With its all-metal construction, this pan goes from stovetop to oven effortlessly, so it’s perfect for cooking thicker cuts of meat and fish, baking skillet pies,…