Innehållsförteckning för January/February 2021 från Cook's Illustrated

I never thought much about trees. Sure, I’d notice the big stuff—leaves dramatically changing color in the fall, the time Hurricane Gloria toppled a huge specimen that knocked out our power for days. But for most of my life, trees were ubiquitous, ignorable. Then I learned about a tree whose heart-shaped leaves emit a cotton candy–like aroma as they change from green to yellow in October. It’s called a katsura tree, and when I smelled it firsthand, I realized just how much I was missing. That experience jump-started a passionate curiosity, and I’ve been studying and appreciating trees ever since. (Another favorite of mine is the sweet birch. Snap a small branch; breathe deep; and you’ll be hit with the smell of a freshly opened can of root beer, thanks…

Keeping Cookie Dough Round Leslie Saltsman of Potomac, Md., uses cardboard paper towel rolls to store her cookie dough in the refrigerator. Once she’s formed the dough into a log, she rolls it in plastic wrap and slides the dough inside the cardboard (slit lengthwise) to protect it in the fridge and keep it perfectly round. Slow-Flow Oil A drizzle of deeply flavorful truffle oil or toasted sesame oil can add character and complexity to a dish, but if too much accidentally gushes from the bottle, it can also ruin the dish. To prevent this, Ning Zhou of Brooklyn, N.Y., holds a chopstick across the bottle opening with its tip pointed toward the food as she pours—the oil travels along the length of the chopstick in a thin stream, making…

Most countries along the Mediterranean enjoy a robust garlic sauce as part of their cuisine. The French and Spanish have aioli and allioli, respectively; the Lebanese have toum; and the Turks, tarator. But of all the great garlic sauces throughout Western cultures, the Greek contribution to this lineup, skordalia, might be the most versatile. It’s cobbled together from the simplest of ingredients: Start with a starchy base of riced boiled potatoes or day-old bread soaked in liquid (ground nuts are sometimes added, too). Add fresh lemon juice (or wine vinegar) and a liberal amount of minced raw garlic, and then vigorously whisk in extra-virgin olive oil until an emulsion forms. The resulting blend, with a heady aroma and fresh acidity, is used in myriad ways (see “Sauce, Dip, or Spread?”),…

I made a lot of popovers when I was in high school, which might give you the impression that I was a very sophisticated teen. I wasn’t. I made them because the recipe was easy and required only inexpensive pantry ingredients, which made popovers a perfect after-school snack for my siblings and me. I mixed together milk, eggs, flour, and salt; poured the mixture into the wells of a preheated, greased muffin tin (we didn’t have a specialized popover pan); and baked them in a hot oven, turning down the temperature halfway through baking to prevent the outsides from burning while the insides finished cooking. When all went well, the cups of batter ballooned dramatically into crisp, hollow shells with creamy, custardy interior walls, and I felt like I had…

Pressure cooking is once again in vogue, thanks to the rise of the electric multicooker. This technique cooks food incredibly quickly, and the tightly sealed pot traps volatile flavor molecules, producing dishes with exceptional depth. Another benefit is that flavorful browning happens inside the 250-degree pot that wouldn’t occur during a regular stovetop simmer. As a bonus, the saute function of a multicooker means that there are fewer dishes to wash, and because it’s electric, you don’t even have to turn on the stove. Finally, most multicookers also have built-in timers, making it supereasy to accurately control cooking times. The tightly sealed pot traps volatile flavor molecules, producing dishes with exceptional depth. To showcase these capabilities, I came up with two one-pot meals: a lightning-quick chicken and potato dish and…

What is it? This wooden paddle-like tool resembling an old-fashioned butter mold is used to form ma’amoul, a cookie popular throughout the Middle East. Ma’amoul are enjoyed year-round, but they’re best known as celebratory treats served during the feasts that mark the end of the religious fasts of Ramadan and Lent. These semolina shortbread cookies are typically stuffed with chopped nuts such as walnuts or pistachios, along with dates, warm spices, and rose or orange blossom water. Legend has it that the cookies’ somewhat plain exterior is a reminder that fasting is hard, but it comes with a sweet reward. My wooden mold measures about 9 inches long by 3 inches wide and has a decorative well carved into one side. To make cookies, I patted semolina dough in my…

Italian cooks came by gnudi the way other cooks in that part of the world came by panzanella and pappa al pomodoro—which is to say by necessity more than by design. They patched together the soft, fresh cheese and greens (usually chard or spinach) that were abundant in pastoral pockets of Tuscany, binding them up with egg, flour and/or bread crumbs, grated Parmesan or pecorino, and seasonings. When the dough was adequately cohesive, they molded small portions into round or cylindrical dumplings; gently poached them in salty water; and sauced them with something simple, such as tomato sugo or browned butter. This was cucina povera at its best: a couple of naturally paired provisions deftly worked into something substantial and satisfying. And while the name of the dish suggests a…

When I roast a whole chicken, the accompaniment I always yearn for is a generous pour of gravy. You know, the rich, deeply flavorful kind that gives off the soul-soothing vibes of a Thanksgiving feast. Yet what often stops me is that great gravy typically begins with pan drippings, which means that you need to wait until the bird is finished roasting to make it. The best gravy also requires homemade stock, a time-consuming production unto itself. If I could find a way to prepare juicy, crispy-skinned chicken and savory gravy in tandem, I’d have my dream dinner without too much fuss. I suspected that a mash-up of two classics from my colleague Lan Lam—One-Hour Broiled Chicken and Pan Sauce (March/April 2017) and Our Favorite Turkey Gravy (November/December 2018)—would deliver.…

Mixing a drink is pretty similar to cooking a dish: For the best results, you need good ingredients, good equipment, and a good recipe. If you’ve never made a cocktail before, this guide will give you all the information you’ll need to get started. And if you’ve already been making drinks for a while, you might find something that will allow you to improve your technique or expand your repertoire. By adding to your collections of spirits, barware, glassware, and recipes, you can bring your cocktail-making expertise to a new level. CHOOSE THE RIGHT GLASSWARE The right glassware can elevate the presentation of your drink. These glasses are the most useful and versatile for serving cocktails. Old-Fashioned (Rocks) Glass: For stirred drinks (either “neat”—with no ice—or “on the rocks”—with ice)…

Barspoons A barspoon is an essential tool for making cocktails. With a relatively long handle and a small, slender bowl, it’s designed for stirring drinks in tall shakers and for fishing garnishes such as olives and cherries out of their jars. We bought eight models and used them to stir drinks in shakers of different heights, retrieve cherries and olives from their jars, and make layered cocktails. None of the spoons will ruin your drink, but a few factors made certain models easier to use. We liked spoons of moderate length, since they rose high enough above the rims that hands of all sizes could comfortably grab onto them but weren’t too long; longer spoons were harder to control. Spoons with twisted handles were easier to grasp and rotate than…