Less salt still tastes seasoned if you reach for acid
Three levers that reduce sodium without losing flavor, with the swap amounts for acid and umami, the sodium math on fish sauce, and where the trick fails.
15 min read
Author: Priya Ramanathan
Priya Ramanathan writes about seasoning as a technical subject: when salt goes in, how spices release their compounds, and why the same blend behaves differently in fat and in water. She also handles CookingZone's coverage of technique borrowed from cuisines outside the United States.
Twelve ingredients worth buying the week the season turns
September seasonal produce comes as two lists with opposite orders: eight crops to buy by the case this week, four to buy small, four worth waiting on.
14 min read
Sofrito, mirepoix, battuto, Suppengrün: four aromatic bases, four jobs
Mirepoix vs sofrito, battuto and Suppengrün compared: the ratio, the fat, the minutes on the heat, and what changes in the pot when you swap one for another.
14 min read
Cornstarch and egg white are why restaurant stir-fry is never gray
The velveting meat technique explained: what cornstarch and egg white do, ratios per pound, water blanch against oil blanch, and the proteins it works on.
14 min read
Cook field corn with cal and you get real masa
How to nixtamalize corn at home: the cal ratio, the short cook, the pinch test for the hull, the overnight steep and the grind that makes fresh masa.
13 min read
Build the sandwich so the wet parts never touch the bread
How to keep sandwich from getting soggy: the moisture physics, five barriers ranked, the tomato step, and a build order that survives until lunchtime.
14 min read
Salt the pork chops 40 minutes ahead, or give them a full day
How long to salt meat before cooking, tested on pork chops at 40 minutes, 4 hours and 24 hours: purge, seasoning depth and crust, side by side.
12 min read