The Kitchn Archive: Sep 2010

Q: This weekend my wife and I tried pan-searing beef. We used butter and oil and a cast-aluminum fry pan. We used high heat initially and then medium to finish cooking.Our problem is that so much smoke is produced from the pan that the second try set off our smoke detectors and prompted a visit from the fire department! What are we doing wrong here?Sent by JoeEditor: Joe, we have a couple of guesses here:• The heat is too high.

Q: When people talk about making their own bread crumbs, I always see that the crusts must be removed.Why? What would happen if I didn’t remove them?Sent by SaraEditor: Sara, I actually almost never remove the crust. My guess is that many guides suggest this because they are directing you to make finely-textured and soft fresh bread crumbs. Using only the inner part of the bread will give you fine, soft, white bread crumbs without any harsh dry bits.

In Japan, we have kobe beefPoulet de bresse are protected under the French AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlée). This means that only certain farmers in the Bresse region can raise these chickens and only following very specific guidelines. It also tends to mean that you’ll end up paying a fair amount for the privilege of eating it!We’ve never had the opportunity to try this chicken, but we’re extremely curious about it.

Quick, name as many mother sauces as you can – no cheating! How many did you get? Or maybe the better question is how many do you actually use?Mother sauces are the cornerstone of classic French cuisinebegin with a rouxmayoaioliThere’s actually some debate about the mayo being a mother sauce at all since it’s not a true sauce in the “cooked” sense and can be considered a version of hollandaise.

Whether you’re steaming a big batch of dumplings or just some fresh vegetables to go with dinner, one of these bamboo steamer baskets is the tool for the job. Using one is so easy and makes such delicious food, you’ll want to start steaming everything you cook!Bamboo steamer baskets are made of interlocking trays with perforated bottoms that stack one on top of the other.

Q: I love incorporating Asian rice noodles into my stir fries, but they always tend to stick together like mad! After soaking in hot water to cook, I’ve tried quenching in cold water or coating with some sesame oil before tossing into the stir fry, but neither method has worked for me.I’d rather not have to drench them in oil. Any ideas to keep my rice noodles separated?Sent by AshleyEditor: Ashley, our biggest tip for you is: Make sure you’re not overcooking the noodles.

Q: Hi — I think I have one of the weirder “Good Questions” for The Kitchn that you’re ever going to get.To wit: how can I re-purpose baby food for adult cooking?Yes, there’s a backstory — I recently was nursing a cat through a final illness, and part of that was trying to find something he’d eat. One of the things that my vet suggested was baby food — just straight-up pureed chicken or ham from Gerber.

Remember those Toastabags we showed you a few weeks ago? These reusable bags let you make quick, no-mess grilled cheese sandwiches in the toaster. Well, reader Jess wondered if she could find an even easier, cheaper alternative. Here’s what she came up with!Jess wrote: I enjoyed your post about Toastabags. I was reluctant to run out and buy them without knowing if I’d really use them. Then it occurred to me that I could use parchment paper the same way as a Toastabag.

There are many who claim that it’s absolutely essential to use a press when making homemade corn tortillas (and sometimes flour tortillas, although those are usually made with a rolling pin). In fact, when we moved to college, we lugged our cast iron tortilla press 2,000 miles across the country with us!

When you’re contemplating an afternoon snack that really hits the spot, is jicama ever on your list? Sure we eat it on salads, but what about covered in seasonings and skewered like last night’s kabobs? It’s traditional street food in Mexico, and there’s no reason you can’t partake!Jicaletas are a tasty treat, and yet they are something that hasn’t really gained much popularity in the US.

Q: This summer I have made two different cakes: one had a coconut filling, and one was a carrot cake with crushed pineapple and orange zest in it. Both of them unfortunately went bad within a matter of two days. They both tasted as if they had fermented or gone sour somehow.If all ingredients in the cakes are cooked how do these cakes go bad in two days? What can I do to prevent them from ruining so quickly?Sent by JessicaEditor: Jessica, did the cakes themselves go bad?

Some friends of ours are salad eaters of the sort we can only aspire to be. Every week, they prepare their own mixes of arugula, red oak leaf, boston bibb, romaine, and even chard – a massive production taking up all their kitchen counters. When it comes to keeping those greens fresh, they’ve developed an unusual technique.After methodically trying everything from vented plastic containers to layers of paper towels, our friends finally landed on a method that uses large bath towels.

It’s Italian Week here at The Kitchn, so we’re pumping you full of Italian recipes and other inspiration to make you feel like a real Italian cook. Of course, that means pasta. Maybe you’ve been rolling your own for some time, but have you experimented with shapes? I got turned on to the hand-crank pasta machine years ago, but it was only recently that I figured out how to make some of the fancy-pants shapes like rigatoni and bucatini from scratch.