Milk Street Q&A

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Kacy - First, at the bottom of the recipes on the website you can see if a recipe has been "Featured In" our tv show or in a website video. You can also look through the episodes of the TV show under the TV Show tab on the website. Second, bruising is a technique used to release the flavors and aromas of certain ingredients, such as herbs, spices, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass. It involves gently crushing or pressing the ingredient with a tool such as a mortar and pestle, the back of or heel of a knife, or even your hands. This releases the oils and juices within the ingredient, intensifying its flavour and aroma. Hope that helps! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Eric - Nope! The raw corn is cut off the cob and then cooked in the skillet. It only takes a few minutes for fresh corn kernels to cook. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Dana - If you're making something that is cooked you could add ground coriander when you add garlic, onion, or spices. Coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant so their profiles will be similar however, when dried and ground, the flavor isn't as potent. Also, instead of substituting with just fresh parsley, add a a splash of lemon or lime juice. Cilantro has a grassy flavor with citrus notes so the grassiness of parsley combined with the citrus juice can replicate it better. And, depending on the dish, you could also substitute with basil or, if you can find it, Thai basil. Both of these would be good in southeast Asian dishes or tomato-based Mexican dishes. Good luck! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Catherine - Since all of the chicken won't fit on one sheet pan, this might be challenging. Because you will need (at least) two pans you will need to put one sheet tray on a higher rack than another. When it comes time to use the broiler to brown the chicken, one rack will be closer to the broiler and might burn, rather than brown, while the other tray won't be exposed to the broiler at all since the tray above it will block it. Assuming you can fit everything on two trays without overcrowding the chicken (overcrowding will cause the chicken to steam rather than brown due to lack of air flow), we would probably recommend cooking the chicken to temperature - one tray on the lower-middle rack and one on the upper-middle rack - and then taking out the chicken on the higher rack while you brown the chicken on the lower-middle rack. Then remove that tray and add the other tray back (on the lower-middle rack) and brown that batch of chicken. Hope this helps! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Ginny - This is the recipe we developed based on the coconut pie we had in Yelapa. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Steve - The recipe calls for slicing the leeks crosswise into rings, but you could also cut them in half lengthwise and then slice into half moons. This would create a flat end that might make it a little easier to slice. Hope that helps! Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi John - We often reach for acidic ingredients when we want to “brighten” or “lift” a dish. When an earthy, savory, starchy and/or rich dish needs contrast, vinegars and other tart ingredients are the perfect fit for the job. They lend much-needed lightness to meals that can otherwise feel heavy. That contrast makes any dish more interesting and pleasurable to eat. Acids also balance other flavors. We experience acids as sour-tasting; that sourness balances both saltiness and sweetness. If a dish is too salty or sweet, try adding something acidic. It’s also important to have different sensations—warming vs. cooling— in our food. These differences may refer to actual temperature differences (hot vs. cold) or to the sensation, or effect, that an ingredient has. Think about a dollop of yogurt on top of a bowl of chili. There’s contrast in temperature and also in sensation: the creamy, tart yogurt is cooling, while the rich, meaty chili is warming. On the flip side, consider chili flakes: their temperature is likely room temperature or cooler, but they have the effect of warming us up. When it comes to acidic ingredients, even if they are used at room temperature, we experience them as cooling in culinary terms. Hope that helps explain it! Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Toni - You can replace with a combination of soy sauce and rice vinegar in a 1:1 ratio. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mary - The key to finely shredded/flossed chicken, especially when using chicken breasts, is to cook it in liquid for a longer time over low heat. This will allow the small amount of collagen in lean chicken breasts to convert to gelatin, which softens the muscle fibers that allow you to shred it more finely. You can either shred it using two forks, your hands, or cut the chicken into smaller pieces and add it to your stand mixer. A couple of minutes in the mixer will quickly shred chicken into fine pieces. Good Luck! The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi John - For loaf and tart pans, you can assume metal. For pie plates we prefer glass. Glass heats up gently and evenly, priming the pie for a consistent, but slightly slower bake. It also provides an easy window into doneness, which ensures that the pie dough is completely cooked. For 9x13 baking pans we generally specify if it’s necessary for the pan to be metal and, otherwise, either glass or metal should work. Just keep in mind that glass heats up more slowly so cooking times may be on the higher end of a range. Hope that helps! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team