Milk Street RecipesAsked Jan 26, 2020 by Nancy C.
I am presently making the Dried Cheery-Chocolate Chunk cookies in the latest issues. I understand providing both weight measurements and volumes but I have no idea as to why the weights are provided as grams for some ingredients and ounces for others. Why not be consistent and provide all as grams or as ounces (although being outside the USA I would prefer the grams).
Answered by Dawn Yanagihara
Hi Nancy -
It appears you caught a small error in the recipe. The weight for the dried cherries should have been expressed in grams, not ounces -- 168 grams, if I did the calculations correctly (math is not my forte).
But when it comes to chocolate, the Milk Street standard is to express weight in ounces because here in the U.S., package labels lead with avoirdupois weight and list metric weight in parentheses. Plus, American cooks, myself included, tend to have an easier time thinking in ounces/pounds rather than in metric weight. Nonetheless, your point is well taken, and the next time chocolate comes up in a recipe, we'll reconsider our approach. Perhaps offering both avoirdupois and metric weights is the way to go.
Happy baking!
Dawn Yanagihara, Recipe Editor
Read MoreAsked Jan 21, 2020 by Brice S.
I made the Neapolitan Meatballs, but my panko "paste" was so thick that it was more like a mostly solid, rubbery playdough. That didn't seem right. To thin it out, I wound up adding over two times the amount of water, which I overdid and everything turned out soggy. Still tasted good, but they didn't keep their shape and were too soft.
Am I using too much panko? I wasn't sure how much variance panko would have between brands. I am using Wegman's if that matters. Otherwise, is there something commonplace that resembles the consistency of the panko paste I should strive for?
The thing is, this Neapolitan meatball has been so hyped up as this abnormally large, overly breadcrumbed, still meaty, but totally not your average fare food that I don't really have anything to gauge by as I go.
Thanks for any help!
Answered by Diane Unger
Hi Brice - In response to your question about the panade for the meatballs being too thick, I got in 5 different brands of Panko. I measured 2 ½ cups by volume of each in dry measuring cups using a dip and sweep method, then weighed each brand. The difference between the 4-C (very coarse) and Wegmans (the finest) would mean ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons difference, which is a lot. For breading a cutlet, it doesn't matter as much. I developed the recipe with 4-C brand, which weighed in at 166 grams (5 ⅛ ounces). The mixture is quite thick after you mash it, like Play-Doh, but will loosen up after you add the onion and egg.
Here are a couple of other tips when making the meatballs to prevent them from falling apart:
It's very important to let the crumbs sit with the water to fully hydrate the crumbs.
Make sure to refrigerate the meatballs for the full 20 minutes before baking them. The cold meatballs will hold their shape better during baking. After baking, let them cool for 10 minutes on the sheet. The meatballs are still pretty soft when they are fresh out of the oven and hot. Allowing them to cool will firm them up before you add them to the sauce.
Make sure your sauce is at a gentle simmer when you add the meatballs. If the sauce is bubbling too much the agitation will break the delicate meatballs apart.
Hope this helps!
Diane Unger
Read MoreAsked Jan 12, 2020 by Maureen T.
The Neapolitan Meatballs are amazing! This is the only recipe I will use from now on! Can they be made slightly smaller and still work? Following the directions for dividing them into 8 portions, mine are ending up about 6 ox each which is a pretty big serving. Do you think they could be made to 4 oz each and not dry out? Maybe shorten the baking time slightly. I LOVE the Panko method by the way! So easy and precise and consistent. Let me know what you think. I don't want to ruin a batch if you guys already tested different sizes and this is the one! Otherwise serving half or cutting in quarters to fit in a sub roll works also. I have had good luck freezing them as well as I generally only cook for 2.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Maureen - The generous size of these meatballs is their hallmark in Naples, so we were pretty dead-set on making them to scale and did not test other sizes. I imagine you could make them smaller and adjust the cooking time, I just can't give you exact timing since we didn't test it. You do want to make sure to still put them in the pot with the sauce as they simultaneously finish cooking through and flavor the sauce during this time. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Jan 07, 2020 by Timothy M.
My son bought me a chainmail scrubber for cleaning my cast iron when it needs a heavy cleaning. Basically, you clean your cast iron with hot water and a "chainmail" pad. Afterwards I dry the skillet, oil it lightly then stick it in a 200 degree oven for 30 minutes. In the past I had been told that water should never be used on cast iron. However, this chainmail pad seems to work well. Any thoughts as to whether or not I am doing any harm?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi - Thanks for your question! Our preferred method for seasoning and cleaning cast iron and carbon steel can be found here: https://www.177milkstreet.com/discussion/discussion/comment/88#Comment\_88. Chris's preferred tool for cleaning cast iron is a grill brush with one or two, light mesh scrubber pads attached. He finds this gets the job done without being too harsh on the cast iron seasoning (like a chainmail scrubber might be). If you do get your cast iron skillet wet, the best method to dry it is to first dry it with a towel and then put it on a burner over medium-low heat to make sure it gets completely dry. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Dec 30, 2019 by Amanda N.
Hi.. I made these and they were so different from my meatballs.. my friends and family loved them.. so now these are it for us.. BUT.. the article about them discusses the use of parsley in Italy to make them more then once yet the recipe doesn't call for parsley at all. I was wondering why ?? Thank you
Answered by Matthew Card
I think we ultimately found the parsley wasn't necessary and we always aim to streamline our recipes. If you like, feel free to add!
Read MoreAsked Dec 29, 2019 by Mitchell G.
First, a caveat - I hate it when people modify a recipe and then complain about the results, as if it's the original recipe's fault. I'm not complaining - just asking ;-)
I made the Palestinian Upside-Down Chicken and Rice recipe from the recent issue of the magazine. I did substitute boneless, skinless breasts for the bone-in, skin-on thighs and reduced the oil by roughly a quarter. The end result was VERY aggressively spiced. My wife couldn't tolerate it. We both liked the preparation method and thought it had some potential though.
Are the seasoning amounts in the recipe correct? I was thinking that the significant reduction in fat after my modifications might impact how the spices worked if they were fat soluble. I'm planning to try it again in the future, maybe with half the seasoning (and perhaps when my wife is on a business trip to avoid the "are you nuts?" stare :-)
Thanks!
Mitch
Answered by Matthew Card
Hi Mitchell,
The reduction in oil and fat from the chicken thighs does impact how the spices are perceived. The fat will mellow out the spices. I'd suggest in the future reducing by a quarter if swapping out white meat for the thighs.
Read MoreAsked Dec 23, 2019 by Inho K.
I like how to food processor on the show seems to work. Does anyone know the brand and model of the food processor used in the Milk Street kitchen?
Answered by Matthew Card
It is a Kitchenaid model. I'll have to check in with the kitchen for the exact model.
Read MoreAsked Dec 20, 2019 by Judy T.
I made a half recipe of this delicious dish using the timing for the full recipe. Can anyone please offer the timing adjustment for the half recipe? Mine seemed over cooked, but still tasty.
Answered by Matthew Card
I'd probably begin checking at 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Read MoreAsked Dec 16, 2019 by Emily Z.
In the "creamy polenta with savory sauces" recipe, the texture described in the recipe is quite different than the texture in the accompanying images. Do you have any recommendations for achieving the firmer text so that it can be cut into squares? Thank you!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Emily - the recipe for Fried Polenta is linked are the bottom of the Creamy Polenta recipe. Here is the link - https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/fried-polenta. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Dec 09, 2019 by Mike B.
In the Sept/Oct magazine it says "The next day, I return so Pinna can teach me first to make fregola from scratch—easily the simplest pasta to make by hand (see sidebar on p. 18)—then to use it in the seafood dish I’d eaten the night before." I cannot find the sidebar in the digital version. Please give me this recipe.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Mike - If you go here you will find the sidebar in the box on the left side toward the bottom of the page entitled "Homemade Pasta at Your Fingertips." Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
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