Better Than Southern Fried Chicken?
Thailand-style fried chicken
November 8, 2010 AT 11:54AM | BY Blake Royer
bangkok chicken 3
The crackliest chicken you can imagine.

I caught your attention with that title, didn't I? Well, the same thing happened to me, when I stumbled on a recipe in The Atlantic.com's food section in a post about Bangkok street vendor fried chicken--the recipe for which the author cajoled from the street vendor, then scaled down for use in the kitchen. And yes, he called it better than Southern fried chicken here in the U.S.

Bangkok is a fascinating place which I'd love to visit someday. The cuisine there encompasses not only the various styles of Thai cooking--Southern, Northern, Northeastern, and Central--but also neighboring cuisines from Burma, Malaysia, and...

The Homemade Hummus Challenge: Are Dried Chickpeas Better Than Canned?
A fool-proof method discovered.
November 3, 2010 AT 9:48AM | BY Nick Kindelsperger
hummus 15

If you don’t want to go to all the bother of soaking and cooking them, canned chickpeas work extraordinarily well
- James Beard, Beard on Food

I wanted to go to all the bother of cooking dried chickpeas from scratch. Why? Well, because I never had cooked dried chickpeas before, and I really wanted to see whether taking the time to cook them from scratch would make for a more delicious and cheaper hummus. I had already toyed with the idea of making my own tahini; I figured I should see whether this was worth it.

hummus 11
Are...

Apologies for the Construction
November 1, 2010 AT 11:42AM | BY
ConstructionIcon

You may have noticed that we are having a few technical difficulties at this time. We were hacked this morning, and had to jettison the old design for now, which leaves us with this default picture of an old man walking down a tree-lined path. However soothing the image may be, it doesn't have much to do with food, and we promise to fix this glaring error as soon as possible. Update: We are kind of back online with the old design.  Please, please, send us an email about any weirdness you encounter on the site.

In the meantime, all of our content is searchable and hacker free. Have you made fried chicken recently?  

Serious Eats Roundup: Chorizo, Creama, and Goat Cheese
October 25, 2010 AT 12:29PM | BY
20101025 ser

Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.

"Dinner Tonight" Column

QUICK MEALS TO YOUR TABLE FIVE DAYS A WEEK....

Serious Eats Roundup: Quinoa, Chickpeas, and Chicken
October 18, 2010 AT 7:29AM | BY
20101018 ser

Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.

"Dinner Tonight" Column

...

Can You Make Homemade Tahini?
On a search for the lesser-known ingredient in hummus
October 13, 2010 AT 9:15AM | BY Nick Kindelsperger
homemadetahini1
Is store bought tahini best?

The goal is to make hummus at home with no shortcuts. I’m an apprehensive hummus fan at best, having dipped one carrot stick too many into something chalky and pasty, which claimed to be hummus but was purchased quickly from the grocery store. You could say that I’ve been ruined by the silky smooth texture of real hummus, the kind the comes with a sheen of rich olive oil on top, which is spiked by lemon and maybe a sprinkling of paprika. That's hummus.

It shouldn’t be that hard, and I wondered if I could beat store-bought hummus in both price and taste. Hummus is nothing more than a mixture of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon, garlic, and salt. To make this homemade version I figured I'd pick up a cheap bag of dried...

Serious Eats Roundup: Stews, Scallops, Squid, and How to Convince an Eggplant Hater
October 11, 2010 AT 8:49AM | BY
se roundup 10 11

Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.

"Dinner Tonight" Column

QUICK MEALS TO YOUR TABLE FIVE DAYS A WEEK.

Cauliflower Stew with Lamb
This stew is "kind of a miracle." Potatoes and cauliflower add the most body here, and the ground lamb helps lend a little meaty punch to each bite.

Sea Scallops alla Caprese
A gorgeous Caprese salad paired not...

Korean Barbecue: What's Your Secret Ingredient?
The kiwi could change everything
October 5, 2010 AT 10:48AM | BY Blake Royer
korean barbecue 1
The kiwi that could change everything

I keep returning to Korean barbecue, and once I get it in my head, nothing else interests me. The amazing flavor of the meat--beefy and complex and sweet--and the unique butchering and cooking method, which renders the normally tough short rib into a grillable pleasure. These things are crack to someone who loves to eat and is fascinated with cooking.

So here's what we know about Korean-style short ribs, also known as Kalbi: they're cut differently than normal short ribs (technical term: flanken cut) meaning they can be grilled quickly instead of cooked slowly for hours. That in itself is a revelation. The kalbi method takes an...

Serious Eats Roundup: Salad, Soup, Sandwiches, Spaghetti...and Sandals
October 4, 2010 AT 6:00AM | BY
se roundup 10 4

Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.

"Dinner Tonight" Column

QUICK MEALS TO YOUR TABLE FIVE DAYS A WEEK.

Huaraches with Black Beans and Radish
Huaraches are flattened ovals of masa that get their name from the Mexican sandal.

Roasted Beet and Potato Borscht
Roasted beets and potatoes plus some chicken stock become this rustic...

Forget the Tomato: Chicago-Style Hot Dogs with Pickled Green Tomatoes
Tweaking the classic Chicago hot dog (aka The Superdawg)
September 29, 2010 AT 8:37AM | BY Nick Kindelsperger
pickledgreentomatoes 10

Though it pains me to say this, the Chicago hot dog has one little flaw. It’s not always an issue, but it’s there just the same. Most of the seven toppings which make up a proper Chicago-style Hot Dog can be had at any time: mustard and relish are condiments, celery salt is a seasoning, the sport peppers and pickle come from a jar, and onions can be freshly cut up at any time of the year. No...the flaw is that damned red tomato.

When summer is in swing, that sweet-tangy tomato perfectly caps off each bite. It cannot fail. It's just that tomatoes taste better in season, so for six months of the year they taste mealy and bland.

...

Serious Eats Roundup: Chiptole, Corn, and Curry
September 27, 2010 AT 7:04AM | BY
20100927 ser

Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.

"Dinner Tonight"Column

QUICK MEALS TO YOUR TABLE FIVE DAYS A WEEK.

Hummus with Ground Lamb and Almonds
The hummus here is a perfect match for lamb, which is mixed with cinnamon, almonds, and a final sprinkling of smoked paprika. Each bite is tangy, rich, and gorgeously perfumed thanks to the spices.

...

The Problem with Oatmeal (And How to Eat it Cold)
A summer alternative with grated apple and almonds
September 21, 2010 AT 9:23AM | BY Blake Royer
cold oatmeal 1
Oatmeal at Cafe Fanny in Berkeley

I think I've always loved the idea of oatmeal for breakfast: it's simple to make, it sticks to your ribs until lunch, and it's economical. I don't always put a lot of time into breakfast, or much thought, save the occasional calm morning of a slow-fried egg on toast or scrambled eggs with chives from the windowsill garden. Oatmeal seems like a good, honest solution. Though I've occasionally had some wonderful bowls of oatmeal in cafes, when it hasn't been gluey, and drizzled with just enough maple syrup and floated with a cream, I've never developed an oatmeal...

Serious Eats Roundup: Sandwiches, Steak Salad, and Sichuan Peppercorns
September 20, 2010 AT 7:39AM | BY
se roundup 9 20

Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.

"Dinner Tonight"Column

QUICK MEALS TO YOUR TABLE FIVE DAYS A WEEK.

Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic
Turns out Indian cuisine has a grand tradition of finding uses for green tomatoes, apparent in this dish with a "gorgeous aroma" of garlic.

Roasted Poblano-...

Beyond the Tortilla Chip: Three Mexican Snacks that Aren't Deep Fried
Plus a recipe for Oaxacan-Style Peanuts with Chile and Garlic
September 16, 2010 AT 7:00AM | BY Nick Kindelsperger
mexicanapps 9
Forget the chips.

You know the drill. You walk into a Mexican restaurant anywhere in the country. You sit down. Within moments -often before drink orders are taken- a bowl of tortilla chips and salsa are rushed out to the table. You immediately dig in. Time disappears. Before you order, before you even think about ordering, salsa stains the tablecloth and all the chips are mysteriously gone. That’s just how it goes. Right?

So imagine my astonishment when I visited Mexico City and Oaxaca and never encountered that bowl of chips. Ever. And those salsas on the table aren't meant for polite dipping. They are so fierce and fiery, no one would brazeningly dip anything into them....

Serious Eats Roundup: Ham and Pear, Grilled Beef, and Ebert's Chicken and Rice
September 13, 2010 AT 7:00AM | BY
20100913 ser3

Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.

"Dinner Tonight" Column

QUICK MEALS TO YOUR TABLE FIVE DAYS A WEEK.

Ham and Pear Crisp with Spiced Butter...

Serious Eats Roundup: Summer Tacos, Masa Dumplings, and Greek Pasta
September 8, 2010 AT 1:44PM | BY
se roundup 9 8 10

Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.

"Dinner Tonight" Column

QUICK MEALS TO YOUR TABLE FIVE DAYS A WEEK.

Bacon and Kimchi Fried Rice
The mix of fatty, salty bacon with the spicy, acidic kimchi might be the perfect way to dress up this leftover rice standard.

Ancho Chicken...

The Five Dishes that Surprised Me In Mexico
2 weeks in Oaxaca
September 1, 2010 AT 7:55AM | BY Nick Kindelsperger
fivesurprises 31
The Al Pastor was way better...

We travel to be surprised, right? While picking my favorite five dishes took some deliberation, coming up with five different foods or dishes that surprised me on a trip to Mexico should have taken me all of five minutes. But for some reason I wasn't expecting this. I have a vertiable library of Mexican cuisine in my condo courtesy of Rick Bayless, Diana Kennedy, and Susana Trilling, and have researched and cooked as many authentic dishes as I possibly could in the past three years. So how come I was wrong about so many things? Almost everywhere I turned in Mexico I was bewildered by some detail I’d never thought about, and which shattered my...

Serious Eats Roundup: Chickpeas, Chorizo, and Chops
August 30, 2010 AT 7:00AM | BY
20100830 ser

Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.

"Dinner Tonight" Column

QUICK MEALS TO YOUR TABLE FIVE DAYS A WEEK.

Chickpeas and Chorizo
The result is satisfying, flavorful, easy to prepare, and very economical. And makes great leftovers.

...

Tomato Conserva: How to Make Homemade Tomato Paste
Our solution for what to do with too many tomatoes
August 27, 2010 AT 12:17AM | BY Blake Royer
tomato conserva 8

There isn't much argument that summertime is the peak season for cooking. It never gets easier than in August: the produce is top-notch, everywhere, and cheap. Locavores are finally settling down and enjoying themselves instead of passing judgement on the rest of us for buying zucchini out of season. You can make dinner by cutting up tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and calling it a masterpiece. My CSA vegetable delivery is overflowing with watermelon, cucumbers, and of course, tomatoes.

It's also the time when ambitious cooks get into things like pickling and canning to preserve the harvest. Which is how I ended up looking through old bookmarks and re-discovering a post on...

The Five Best Things I Ate in Oaxaca, Mexico
These are the five things I can't stop thinking about
August 25, 2010 AT 8:03AM | BY Nick Kindelsperger
fivebestthingsiate 17

I went to Mexico to eat, and I handpicked the region of Oaxaca specifically because I figured I could eat there best. It’s a place where chiles, chocolate, and tomatoes have been growing for thousands of years, and where the holy trinity of corn, beans, and squash make up the local diet. Forget Italy, France, or Spain. Oaxaca is where my favorite food in the world comes from.

I spent two weeks walking its old colonial streets while studying Spanish, eating way more than any one person possibly should. I waited for my appetite to wane, and for some crazy hunger pangs for some other cuisine to hit, but it never happened. I rode away on that bus fourteen days later convinced I had only scratched the surface. I still had more to eat, and more to explore.

...