Milk Street RecipesAsked May 27, 2025 by Robert H.
The Milk Street recipe of Risotto alla Milanese calls for a tsp of saffron threads. I attempted to find out how to convert threads to tsps but found confusing and conflicting information. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hi Robert –
This is a good question. Milk Street recipes using saffron call for a volume amount which leaves a lot of room for interpretation. A good rule of thumb I've seen recommended by some sources is to use 3 strands per person in a dish. Our Risotto alla Milanese serves 4, so that would be 3 strands times 4 equals 12 strands for the entire dish.
Read MoreAsked May 27, 2025 by Melanie R.
What is the best way to warm up a package of store bought naan to serve with kababs?
I want to use the naan to hold the kabobs like a taco for eating.
Thank you in advance for your advice.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Melanie –
I would follow the directions on the package as the instructions will differ depending on it the naan is frozen or shelf stable. We use shelf stable naan at Milk Street and heat each piece on a gas burner using tongs, turning every few seconds to avoid burning. Wrap the naan in a clean dish towel, adding each piece as it warms. You could also warm them in a hot skillet or in the oven. Place the naan on a baking sheet and heat until warmed through.
Read MoreAsked May 15, 2025 by Ewan D.
Why is it always kosher salt, why not just regular salt which is much cheaper from the store (4x less). I understand that kosher salt has a nice hand feel when seasoning meat before cooking, but why for everything?
cheers.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Ewan –
I'm attaching an article from our March/April 2021 magazine explaining why we use kosher salt for savory cooking. It also shows a graphic with a comparison of different salts.
Screen Shot 2025-05-15 at 1.03.36 PM.png
Read MoreAsked May 12, 2025 by Rosemary C.
Good Afternoon,
can I make dough, line pan with dough and then freeze for use in 1 month
w/o compromising texture
Thanks,
R Cole
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Rosemary –
I asked our Baking Expert and she said that you can do that. She has done it before, but wouldn’t freeze it for much longer because the dough starts to lose quality after three or four weeks.
Read MoreAsked May 08, 2025 by Jennifer L.
I have not made this yet but am wondering if it would be a good choice to serve as a buffet option for a luncheon. It would have to be prepared ahead of time and served either cold or at room temperature. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I have not had much luck finding simple vegetarian, fish-free pasta salad options on this site and I was hoping this one might fit the bill. Thank you.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Jennifer –
The creamy potato and artichoke pasta is a dish that is best when served warm and eaten right away, we wouldn't recommend this one for a buffet. We have some other pasta dishes that would be great: pearl couscous is a good option for pasta salads – Zucchini with tomato, pearl couscous and mint; any short-shaped pasta with pesto would be good, such as – Pasta with pesto all genovese or Pasta with parsley, walnut and caper pesto; fresh tomatoes and herbs work great – Pasta with fresh tomatoes, capers and herbs. Rice salads are also great for a buffet. We have this Provençal-style salad, perfect for make-ahead. Hopefully one of these options will work for your buffet. Let us know how it turns out!
Read MoreAsked May 03, 2025 by Ray H.
Milk Street posts so many good cocktails. Why not make a book of cocktails for sale?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Ray –
We appreciate the suggestion. While we might occasionally develop a cocktail to go with a particular dish, we will continue to stay focused on developing recipes for food. Milk Street's Editorial Director, J.M. Hirsch, however is a cocktail expert and has independently published three books of cocktails. You can also take this pre-recorded Zoom livestream class with J.M.
Read MoreAsked Apr 13, 2025 by Connie S.
Hello friends,
I love the baking technique for your Chèvre Cheesecake with Black Pepper Graham Crust. However, I am attempting to bake cheesecakes to sell in a small country store in rural Wisconsin and the goat cheese and crème fraiche ingredients make this recipe a bit unaccessible. I prefer the New York Times recipe (please, no offense!) here:
Tall and Creamy Cheesecake Recipe
My question is this: Can I use the same baking techniques where the crust is baked @ 300, the oven turned up to 450 to start baking the cheesecake, then turned off, etc. here for this recipe?
Thank you in advance for your reply!
-CS
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Connie –
I would follow the recipe as written. The New York Times recipe is from Dorie Greenspan, a true pro. You can look through the comments below the recipe to see if anyone suggests any changes to the technique. We have not made her recipe, so we cannot give any suggestions for changing it. Happy baking!
Read MoreAsked Apr 10, 2025 by Mitchell G.
I love the idea of the Broken Phyllo Baklava Cake and plan to try it.
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/broken-phyllo-baklava-cake
The only thing that's throwing me is the lack of honey in a "baklava" cake. It seems like that could be introduced in the syrup but I'm also guessing the Milk Street chefs would have considered that. I didn't want to waste the time or ingredients if it's a bad idea. If it isn't already a bad idea, I'd also love some advice on the best way to incorporate honey into the recipe. I promise not to review it based on me messing it up ;-)
Thanks!
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Mitchell –
Your instincts are correct, honey would be great with this! The recipe is based on a Phyllo Cake we learned from chef Maria Leivaditaki in which she made a syrup with sugar, orange peel and bay leaves. We turned it into a Baklava Cake, keeping sugar model for the syrup. I talked to the developer of the Baklava Cake about using honey in the recipe. She recommends using ¾ honey in place of the 1 cup sugar in the syrup. We have not tried this for this particular cake, but we think it should work just fine. Let us know how it turns out!
Read MoreAsked Mar 28, 2025 by Mary L.
I was looking back at my Jan/Feb 2024 copy of Milk Street and read about browning flour (“For Bigger Flavor, Toast your Flour”). That raised the question in my mind about toasting flour before using it as a thickener, or before making a roue. How would that change flour’s thickening ability in a stew (I generally lightly flour beef before browning when I make a stew)? Would it make my gravy richer or likely to need more liquid? Most importantly how would toasting change the flavor?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Mary –
We have not tested the affect of toasted flour with thickeners, roux or gravies. I've passed on your query to our Kitchen Team. We'll let you know if they expand their testing of toasted flours.
Thank you for your query.
Read MoreAsked Mar 24, 2025 by William R.
When the potatoes are cooked, can they be beaten with a hand mixer to make them smoother or will that turn them into wallpaper paste? Is running them through a sieve achieve a smoother result? Thanks, Bill
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Bill –
You do run the risk of making gummy potatoes by using a hand mixer. On the other hand, running them through a sieve would be like passing the potatoes through a food mill or ricer, resulting in very smooth mashed potatoes. I'd recommend giving that a try!
Read More 
