Oct. 15--There are simply too many cookbooks. Too many vanity projects. Too much thin gruel for recipes (metaphorical gruel) misdirected by shiny close-up food photography.
That being said, you need "The Food Lab," as J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's magnum opus is 2015's most indispensible cookbook. The reason? Obsession. Lopez-Alt, an MIT-trained architect with a cook's soul, approaches recipes with a scientific eye, that is, hypothesis-test-analysis-repeat until a recipe cannot be improved upon. His popular column on the website Serious Eats is equal parts method and madness, documenting in exhaustive detail the trials and mistakes required to achieve his desired result.
Now, it's all been culled into a 958-page hardcover weapon that could flatten medium-size rodents, and it's as close to a must-own as cookbooks get. You don't need a graduate-level scientific background to appreciate the research that went into the book (though there are lessons in chemistry and molecular science, explaining how steaks develop that appealing charred crust or why gluten development is bad news for onion ring batter). Bottom line, it's no pedantic textbook -- Lopez-Alt's goal is finding deliciousness through obsessive research.
We chatted with Lopez-Alt from his home in the Bay Area. (This is an edited version of the conversation.)
Q: You began writing this book in late 2009. What was different about recipes then compared to now?
A: People have a better understanding of precision and temperature, largely because equipment has changed. Also, the way we've shared information -- it used to be, working on a recipe, you had very limited resources on where to get information, so basic research was much more time-consuming then. Now anyone can find 50 recipes online. Now a lot of recipe writers spend a lot more time developing the recipe and thinking about the science behind it. Ten years ago, trying to figure out a classic Sichuan dish, as someone who doesn't read Chinese, my only research was Fuchsia Dunlop. Now I can go on Instagram and find someone from Chengdu making that dish. I'm working on a recipe for chicken paprikash now, and a big bulk of the research is watching Hungarian grandmothers making the dish on YouTube.
Q: You're known to spend weeks on developing one recipe. What's the end goal? To find a singular "most delicious version," time and effort and cost be damned?
A: It's a balance. If you look at the title of a recipe, if it's "The Best X" or "The Perfect X," then that means the goal for me is to do as much work as it takes to find the most delicious version possible. I'm willing to use 50 ingredients. But that's not every recipe I do. I do think of both the all-day Sunday projects as well as recipes for weekday nights.
Q: Which of "The Best X" recipes were the most fulfilling? Which one was the biggest pain to research?
A: My favorites? The chili recipe with beans and short ribs, the one with 40 ingredients. That and the meatloaf. The one I spent the most time on? Southern fried chicken. There were hundreds of versions.
Q: When you make hundreds of batches of fried chicken, what lessons could be gleaned from the process?
A: Double frying is one of the keys for juicy meat. I'll fry it once, chill it, then fry it again. Leftover fried chicken like Popeye's is better when you refry it. Lots of the tweaking was in the balance of the brine. It was also in developing the crust -- my recipe for extra-crunchy Southern fried chicken uses cornstarch.
Q: Hang on a second. Did you say refry leftover Popeye's?
A: The crispness in fried chicken comes from dehydrating that crust. When (chain fried chicken shops) fry it once, it's only so far they can take it. But by frying it, chilling, then frying it a second time, you're further dehydrating the crust and it ends up super crispy. Also, you're starting with cold chicken, so you won't overcook it. An easy way to make General Tso's chicken at home is just buy chicken nuggets from Popeye's.
Q: What's one bad kitchen habit most people should change tonight?
A: Hold your knife properly. You should hold it with the blade in a pinch grip (in the crook of your thumb). And hold your hand higher when you're salting. It makes for better distribution.
kpang@tribpub.com
Twitter @pang
Creamy scrambled eggs
Prep: 10 minutes
Rest: 15 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
From "The Food Lab" by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
6 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch cubes and chilled
2 tablespoon heavy cream or creme fraiche
1. Combine the eggs, egg yolks and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until homogeneous and frothy, about 1 minute. Allow to rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. The eggs should darken in color significantly.
2. Add the chilled butter to the eggs, then transfer the mixture to a 10-inch nonstick skillet, place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter completely melts and the eggs begin to set. As the eggs become firmer, stir more rapidly to break up the large curds, and continue to cook until no liquid egg remains.
3. Remove the pan from heat, add the heavy cream and stir constantly for 15 seconds; the eggs should be completely tender with a custardlike texture that just barely holds a shape while you pile them up. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.
