Milk Street Q&A

Answered by April Dodd

Melissa - Yes, for a quicker option, you can start with potato starch instead of prepared mashed potatoes, though you will want to add liquid so that you end up with a moisture content similar to that of mashed potatoes. Part of what makes prepared mashed potatoes such a great addition to something like a cinnamon roll recipe is that there is a good amount of fat in mashed potatoes, and that fat impedes gluten development, resulting in a tender, supple dough. There is also water in mashed potatoes, though, so I'd add water and full-fat milk in equal parts to your potato starch until it is pasty and thick; a little melted butter in the mix will also help to give comparable fat content as "real" mashed potatoes. -April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Ruth - thank you for this feedback! We will take it into account. In the meantime, though this won't solve your problem for all recipes, any recipe that was included in an issue of our magazine will clearly say which issue (for example, "appears in January/February 2021"), just under the title of the recipe. Also, when searching for recipes, you can also refine your search by clicking on the down arrow next to "All Recipes" when on the main recipe page and selecting a category or cookbook that interests you. CookISH is our most recent cookbook, with Fast & Slow preceding that, then New Rules, then Tuesday Nights. I hope that helps you keep track of what is new to you! -April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Patricia - I'm glad you found a new tea you love! Fresh moringa leaves taste kind of like arugula: they have a little peppery-spiciness to them. When dried and ground, moringa leaf powder tastes somewhat like matcha: very grassy, with a touch of bitterness. We haven't spent much time with moringa in our development kitchen, so this is just speaking from personal experience - but I hope it helps! - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Carrie - if you have ground sausage (i.e., sausage meat without a casing), then you are already one step ahead! You can go ahead and use that sausage (once thawed, of course), without needing to add any extra flavor. We simply give this recommendation to clarify that you don't want sliced or whole casing-bound sausage. - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Patricia - you definitely have easy options to replace alcohol in the type of recipe you're referring to. (Is this a Milk Street recipe? I don't believe we use white wine in any of our couscous recipes, but please let me know if I'm mistaken.) As with any time we think about substitutions, the first step is to consider the work that the ingredient in question is doing. In this case, a dry white wine is contributing moisture content, plus a good amount of acidity and mild sweetness. So, for a substitution, you'll want something that does that same job. There is an easy option here: try 1/3 cup water, plus a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice or white wine vinegar, plus a teensy bit of honey whisked in, will be a perfect replacement. Give that a try and let us know how it comes out! - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Bruce - this is likely not precisely what you had in Cozumel, as our recipe was inspired by travels to Oaxaca, nearly 1,000 miles west, but check out this refried bean recipe, which uses black beans. Texture-wise, I think it will have what you're looking for: a creamy thickness that's great for spreading, or simply sprinkling with cotija cheese and cilantro and serving as a side. Let us know how it compares! - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Rochelle - thanks for getting in touch. We're glad to hear that Milk Street TV has been a source of inspiration for you! We don't have Chromecast or Airplay buttons built into our video player platform, and unfortunately we also don't have a dedicated app for this. So, in the short term, the easiest way for you to be able to watch on a larger screen is simply to plug your laptop or tablet into your TV with an HDMI cable. I have also reached out to our TV team to see if there are higher-tech solutions and will get back to you with any updates soon. - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Shelly - thanks for getting in touch! Occasionally, we do offer livestream public cooking classes with kids specifically in mind, though we don't have any on our calendar right now. That said, many of our classes are a great fit for adventurous and aspiring young cooks, even if they're not created exclusively for kids. Our 60 Minute Spice Master class, for instance, is an awesome introduction to spices for any age. You can see that class, and others, on our livestream class calendar, here. - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Ann - great question! Any time we think about substitutions, the first step is to think about the "work" that any ingredient is doing in a recipe. A chili pepper will bring some heat, of course, but depending on which techniques are used and whether the chili is fresh or dried, it might be used to thicken a soup, add crunch to a salad, or something totally different. That said, a good jumping-off point for replacing spicy peppers is to look to sweet peppers. Use a red bell pepper to replace red chilies, like Fresno, since they share a fruity flavor profile; turn to a green bell pepper instead of green chilies, like jalapeño or serrano, as they all have a nice minerally, vegetal quality. Instead of dried chili flakes, sweet paprika is often a good option. If your family can tolerate mild heat, I'd play around a bit with Aleppo pepper, which has a mild heat and fruity flavor that won't overwhelm. If you are wondering about specific recipes where you want to replace a hot pepper, let me know and I'll be happy to work through the substitution puzzle with you! - April D.

Answered by April Dodd

Hi Grayson - I have forwarded your message over to our store team. They will be in touch with an update about your orders; please stay tuned! - April D.