I suppose making a cheeseburger seemed like a such a no-brainer it didn’t really seem worthy of getting a dedicated post. But this blog is all about technique, and making a good burger is almost 100% in your technique. That’s why I decided to outline my framework for creating the best cheeseburger along with a recipe for my hamburger sauce. Ingredients for the Best Hamburger The Beef The best hamburger recipe has to start with the best beef....
My first Korean fried chicken experience was at Bon Chon Chicken in Tribeca over five years ago. It was an epiphany not just because it was delectable, but because it was the first time that it had occurred to me that KFC could stand for something other than Kentucky Fried Chicken. Since then, I’ve gone to Korea to have Yangnyeom Chikin (양념치킨) at the source and was surprised to find that in most restaurants there, it had a thicker batter and the chicken is covered in a thick sweet sauce....
Why this recipe works What are the ingredients for Shrimp and Grits? Here are the key ingredients for making the best Shrimp and Grits, and how to pick the right ones, including potential substitutes. Shrimp Marinade Olive oil - I like using olive oil for this dish because it adds a nice flavor while being a bit healthier than other oils. Garlic - Garlic cloves make just about everything better, and it goes with shrimp like peanut butter and jelly....
Why this Recipe Works Using a high ratio of Japanese soup stock to egg gives this variation of tamagoyaki a tender, juicy texture and makes it extra flavorful. Minimizing the air in the egg is critical to achieving a rich custardy texture. Molding the dashimaki tamago using a sushi mat gives it a nice shape while letting you hide any blemishes in the omelette created when rolling. This also allows you to make it in a regular frying pan....
The other day I was craving this childhood favorite, but given how much pickled jalapeños cost here, I decided to do a more elegant take on the rustic loaves I grew up on. Jalapeño Cheddar Rolls are essentially a brioche-based cinnamon roll with the cheese and jalapeños substituted in for the cinnamon and sugar. Rolled up, sliced, and stuffed into a brownie pan, the dough erupts into towering rolls of buttery bread, layered with cheese and jalapeños....
Like most traditional Japanese dishes, there are a couple of creation myths behind this vegetarian soup. The most common one is that Kenchinjiru started as a type of Shōjin Ryōri created by monks at the Zen Buddhist temple Kenchō-ji (建長寺). The name Kenchō-ji-jiru (literally Kenchō temple soup) is thought to have been corrupted over the years, becoming Kenchinjiru. Ingredients Vegan dashi stock - Dashi simply means “soup stock” in Japanese, referring to plant-based and non-plant-based stocks....
Why This Recipe Works Traditional Italian pastas like Cacio e Pepe, Penne all’Arrabbiata, or even Bucatini all’Amatriciana come together in just minutes from a handful of ingredients. I applied a similar methodology to this easy Japanese pasta. Both mentaiko and Parmigiano Reggiano contain a high concentration of amino acids which gives this pasta a ton of umami. The residual heat from the boiled spaghetti is just enough to gently cook the mentaiko without curdling it....
I’ve been back from Barcelona for less than a week, and I already miss it terribly. Everything from the meandering back alleys steeped in history, to the azure blue sky, welcomed me with open arms and then held me tight when it was time to leave. Despite my poor grasp of Spanish and non-existant Catalan, the people were patient and always there to help. These factors made for a good trip, but the thing that left me fantasizing about quitting my job and staying, was the food....
Served with a soft, chewy piece of mochi, this soul-soothing soup is satisfying enough to make for a light meal or a filling snack. Why This Recipe Works? By starting with anko (instead of dried adzuki beans), this red bean soup comes together in under 5 minutes. Toasting the mochi creates a crisp crust on top with the nutty fragrance of rice crackers while the center gets soft and chewy....
Why This Recipe Works? By taking advantage of the synergy of ingredients rich in glutamate and GMP, this umami seasoning blend creates more umami than the sum of its parts. Grinding the ingredients into a fine powder and mixing them with salt makes it easy to use this all-purpose seasoning in almost anything as a substitute for plain salt. Ingredients for Umami Seasoning Konbu - Konbu is the Japanese word for kelp....
While all this might make your cardiologist happy, it comes at the expense of flavor and moistness. I’m sure you’ve all had a pork chop at some point that was like eating damp cardboard: dry, mealy and flavorless. That’s because today’s lean pork doesn’t cope well with the high internal temperatures recommended by traditional pork chop recipes. This was probably in large part due to the fact that until recently, the USDA recommended cooking pork until it reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F....
Shōgayaki (生姜焼き), literally means “grilled with ginger” and is a super simple, fabulously flavorful way to prepare your favorite protein. In Japan, it’s usually made with thin pork chops (I’ve used both rib and shoulder chops), but this marinade will work equally well with lamb chops, chicken thighs or even tofu. Savory, aromatic, and pleasantly sweet, the marinade caramelizes around the outside of the meat, giving it a magical mahogany glaze that’s redolent of ginger and earthy miso....
Why this recipe works As long as you remember the 3:1 ratio of soup stock to egg, you can make chawanmushi from any combination of ingredients. Taking care not to incorporate air into the custard mixture, and removing any bubbles that float to the surface is the key to making a smooth chawanmushi. Steaming the cups on a dish towel in a water bath allows the custard to cook through slowly, giving it a satiny texture....
Fruit, like any plant material, is just a matrix of cells; each cell is like a juice carton filled with esters and terpenes (amongst other things) which gives each fruit their distinct aroma. When you bite into a fruit, these cells rupture, releasing their juices and accompanying aroma. When you’re making an infusion, the goal is to extract the juice without pieces of the carton. This rules out pressing, blending, or otherwise physically assaulting the berries in a way that would cause plant solids to get released into our infusion....
Hashweh (a.k.a. Hushwe, Hushwee), which literally means “stuffing” is a classic Levantine dish made with ground lamb and rice, seasoned with sweet spices such as allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg. While Hashweh is a delicious stuffing for poultry or meat, it also makes for a satisfyingly flavorful entree or side that comes together in less than half and hour. Most recipes for Hashweh make this in one pot, sauteing the aromatics and lamb before adding the rice and cooking them together....
So why have these chocolate chip cookie factions always been mutually exclusive? Is it not possible to have a cookie that suits everyone? These were some questions I started asking myself as I set out to make my first batch of cookies in over 4 years. I started with the basic recipe I learned from my mom as a kid. Then, I reduced the amount of flour (her’s is very cakey), increased the amount of sugar (to make it more chewy and to increase crispness), and finally played with the baking times with each tray....
People always look at me like I have “m a s o c h i s t” tattooed on my forehead when I tell them I make my own tortillas. Then, when I tell them it’s less work to make them myself than to go and buy them, they conclude that the tattoo actually says “m o r o n”. But it’s true, the nearest grocery store that carries corn tortillas is 3 stops on the subway followed by a 20 minute walk....
Perfect Sushi The first step to perfect sushi, whether you’re making nigiri sushi, temaki sushi, or a sushi roll, is to master cooking Japanese short-grain white rice. Even if you don’t own a rice cooker, you can get perfect results by following my instructions. The second step is to make seasoned sushi vinegar that perfectly balances savory, sweet, and sour. It’s the secret to achieving this hallmark flavor of Japanese cooking....
Why This Recipe Works? The milling process leaves some powdered starch on the surface of the rice. If you don’t rinse this off, the water will quickly thicken when heated, making it harder for the rice to absorb. Because short-grain rice is not boiled like pasta, the ratio of rice to water is extremely important. I recommend measuring the rice and water using either cups or a scale. Like most dried foods, rice cooks through more evenly if you soak it in water first to rehydrate it....
