Milk Street Q&A

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Dave - I probably wouldn't go out and buy an induction burner just to make this omelette. Although it's certainly easier to make a French omelette on a gas range since the flame will heat around the side the pan, it \can\ be done on an electric range. One of the keys to success here is to be able to control the heat level and where it goes, which you can do in a couple of ways. First, obviously, is by adjusting the burner's heat itself. This would be easier to do on a gas cooktop or induction. Second, you can move the pan on and off the heat and use the residual heat of the pan to cook the eggs. This is especially important when using an electric or induction cooktop since you can use the heat of the pan to cook the egg along the sides of the pan. Since induction burners turn off when you remove the pan they aren't super helpful in this case. I would probably try to master the technique on your regular electric range rather than buy another piece of equipment. I'm not 100% familiar with Jacques Pepin's recipe but I know most traditional French recipes call for high or medium-high heat. I would instead advise a more moderate heat so you have more control. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Dave - You can substitute any other fat for the duck fat - olive oil, lard, or refined coconut oil are all great options. Most supermarkets sell Armour brand lard, which is hydrogenated (in some stores it will be easier to find Armour labeled in Spanish as “manteca”). Lately, high-quality lard has become more widely available; look for it in jars. I would save the duck stock for another use. I don't really think it's flavor is necessary here. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Katheryn - You don't need to remove the parchment. The cake is baked in a springform pan lined with parchment. Once you remove the sides of the springform pan you can slide your spatula under the cake to remove. The parchment should stick to the bottom of the pan, not the cake, so you should be able to remove the slices without the parchment. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mitchell - Since you are very familiar with your recipe, you can try making it with KA bread flour. When substituting flours I always think it's best to know the recipe well so you know how the dough is supposed to feel and look and can make adjustments. I actually think it might be nice with bread flour, since it will make it more chewy. You might find a difference in the size of the holes inside the loaf, which may or may not be desirable. You won't know until you try! Make sure to substitute with an equal amount \by weight\. KA bread flour has 12.7% protein, while their all-purpose flour is 11.7%. King Arthur's AP flour is already pretty high in protein compared to other brands so I expect it will be pretty easy to make the substitution. Dough made with bread flour absorbs slightly more liquid so pay attention to the texture of the dough and add a little more water if you feel it's necessary. Otherwise, I think this should work just fine. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

H Carol - Unfortunately, we haven't tested canning the blueberry compote. I'm so sorry we can't be more helpful! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Shary - We use the KitchenAid mixers here at Milk Street and I'm not sure which mixer you might be referring to. If you've seen it on another cooking show I would recommend writing in to that show to ask what brand of mixer it is. Unfortunately we don't do regular equipment testing at Milk Street so we haven't done much research on alternate brands of stand mixers. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Matthew Card

There are a number of vegan fish sauces on the market that can certainly fill in for the real deal. Its also possible to use soy sauce or soy in combination with shiitake mushrooms (sliced or ground to powder in a spice grinder). I love the idea of a "substitute cheat sheet" and will see what I can do!

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Clifford - We’re so glad you're exploring our recipes. I'm so sorry to hear that you're disappointed that we added the 100 or so recipes from our Fast & Slow Cookbook - our best seller to date! - to our website. We made this decision during the pandemic to give our subscribers, who might have an Instant Pot at home, access to these new recipes since so many of us were experimenting with different equipment and ingredients during this time. There are still over 1,000 recipes on our website that do not require an Instant Pot. Many of the Instant Pot recipes are actually versions of recipes we've previously or subsequently published for stovetop or oven cooking, so look for duplicates of the recipe titles when you do a search and check them all even if the title is slightly different. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Sue - Unfortunately, we do not have that option as of yet, but we appreciate your suggestion and will take it into consideration as we make further improvements to the website. Thanks for being an Insider! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Gary - White sugar is simply another commonly-used name for granulated sugar. Best, Lynn C.