Cooking with "Fine Cooking" (the magazine)

[Chris Hennes]

Fine Cooking is a cooking magazine published bimonthly by The Taunton Press. It generally features articles written by guest writers who are experts in whatever topic they happen to be discussing: for example, in the issue I have in front of me right now, Peter Reinhart has an article on pizza (he is perhaps best known for his book The Bread Baker's Apprentice but has also authored a book on pizza, American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza). In addition to the food articles and accompanying recipes, the magazine also features equipment and ingredient reviews (these don't appear to be as thorough as those in Cook's Illustrated, for example, but they are at least moderately useful when it comes to narrowing the field).

I started subscribing to FC in a few months ago, and so far I have been very pleased with the quality of the recipes. In particular, I love the "Quick and Delicious" section at the back of every issue. Even though the recipes are very fast to make, they don't seem to sacrifice flavor or ingredient choices (that is, they are still basically "made from scratch" dinners, and sometime are quite sophisticated: "30 minute meals" they are not ).

So, to start of our discussion and analysis of the recipes in FC, I present:

Vietnamese-Style Caramel-Braised Chicken (May 2008, No. 92)

Recipe here if you have online access

This recipe actually had me a little worried: didn't quite know what to expect. The gist of it is that you make a caramel, then add fish sauce. To me, the quantity of fish sauce called for seemed very high, and the idea of literally making a caramel as the basis of a savory dish was something I had never tried. It also added an element of challenge to the dish: this recipe is in the "Quick and Delicious" section at the back of the issue, but "Q&D" does not imply "easy"---the recipe basically says "make a caramel: cook to deep amber over medium-high heat." Well, in a large saute pan over medium high, the difference between "medium amber" and "charcoal" is not very large. Keep your eye on the pan!! Well, I managed that OK, and then added the fish sauce and "WHOOSH" I am inundated with a cloud of fish-sauce vapors , since of course the caramel was very hot. I gotta tell you, that is not my favorite smell ever. But I soldiered on, added the last couple ingredients, tossed in the chicken and finished the dish (which takes about 15 minutes total). I also sautéed some baby bok choy (as directed in this topic) and made made some sticky rice.

The real surprise of the evening was how tasty the final product was: I really had no idea what to expect from this ingredient combination, and it actually turned out very well. The sauce was very flavorful (careful how much you ladle on!) and not nearly as sweet as I was expecting. I think the final result probably depends a great deal on just how "medium amber" you make your caramel, and mine was a little on the dark side of "medium," but for a first shot, not too shabby. I don't know that the flavor said "Vietnamese" to me, and my wife thought it tasted mostly like a soy sauce base, but overall considering the time investment, this recipe is a keeper for nights when I'm in a hurry.

Has anyone else tried this one, or have any other FC recipes they want to discuss here? I'll try to get caught up on posting the few things I've tried so far.

Edited to add: the recipe calls for chicken thighs, but as you can see from the photo, I used breasts. I think it would be better with thighs, but my better half disagrees.

Edited May 26, 2008 by Chris Hennes (log)

[isomer]

Hi Chris,

I made a steak with caramel sauce and nam pla the other week. It's a recipe from Jean-Georges's book "Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef", and it came out quite well. Here's a photo from the Dinner thread. I had exactly the same reservations as you did about the fish sauce as the smell came bubbling up, but in the end it was very nice.

I had a clever though in advance (for a change) and covered the caramel with a spatter screen and poured the fish sauce through it. Saved a whole lot of cleanup.

[Kerry Beal]

Fine Cooking's recipe for Vietnamese Chicken with Ginger from May 2003 uses skinless thighs and is one of my favorite uses for chicken thighs. Sounds like they are recyling!

The Bake Shop Muffins from Feb/Mar 2006 are a winner with enough variations that you never have to make the same muffin twice. It's the way to get those big, glorious oversized muffins that you never thought you could make at home.

[Peter the eater]

Chris, your chicken looks spot on.

These days I find FC to be the food mag I love the most. I got hooked on the Taunton format years ago, and their utility and clarity. For me it's the perfect balance of text book and sexy photo periodical.

I'm not one to follow recipes but I usually get influenced enough to make stuff from their pages in some way or another. Now that the challenge is on I'll try something and report back.

[torakris]

Fine Cooking's recipe for Vietnamese Chicken with Ginger from May 2003 uses skinless thighs and is one of my favorite uses for chicken thighs.  Sounds like they are recyling!

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It does sound like recycling! Fine Cooking is probably my favorite cooking magazine and the only one I pay to have shipped to Japan for me.

The caramelized chicken thigh recipe is one of my favorites and I have been making it fairly regularly since I received that issue. I am going to need to pull out my magazines so I can contribute to this thread!

[prasantrin]

I love Fine Cooking recipes, but I haven't really used them since I moved to Japan. I do subscribe to the magazine, though.

In 1999 or 2000, they had a recipe for florentine bar cookies. While not like Pierre Herme, they delicious! My mother keeps asking me about them ("Can't you make those again?).

They do recycle a lot, but they're almost always good recipes.

I'll have to find that florentine recipe and make some to post here!

[Abra]

I always loved Fine Cooking, although I don't get it here in France. My one complaint was that they didn't focus much on food from other countries, but the chicken sounds right on.

The type of fish sauce you use makes a huge difference to flavor and smell. Look for the more expensive varieties that come in smaller bottles to get a sampling of the nuances that are possible in the fish sauce world. It should smell good!

[CaliPoutine]

I havent subscribed in awhile, but I do have enough back issues that I can most probably find something to contribute.

I'll never forget the one failure I had with a swiss( or was it Italian) buttercream frosting. I seem to recall a few Eg members also had problems with the recipe.

There used to be a thread where Snowangel and Marlene cooked from the current issue of the magazine.

A few months ago I made a fish dish( it was on the cover). It was also a quick and easy recipe. It was very tasty.

[Marlene]

Cali, this is the thread snowangel and I started for digesting Fine Cooking. That buttercream recipe was one of the first things I tried and had spectacular failure with several times. I recall that several other people had problems with it as well, as you said. Other than that, I don't think I"ve ever had a Fine Cooking recipe not work for me.

[merstar]

I've done mainly desserts from Fine Cooking. The following are all excellent:

1. Chewy Brownies - my absolutely favorite brownies (I bake them for less time than the instructions indicate).

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes...y_brownies.aspx

2. Chocolate Espresso Torte by Joanne Chang

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes...esso_torte.aspx

3. Flourless Chocolate Cake

4. Melons With Ginger Syrup

I had less than desirable results with the following:

1. Lemon Curd (good, but too thin)

2. Lemon Tart - an almost impossible crust, and terrible instructions for the filling, which led to disaster.

3. Salmon with garlic and paprika (don't remember the exact name) - very so-so.

4. Fresh Greens with Roasted Beets, Haricots Verts, and Goat Cheese Croutons - Sounded better than it was - time-consuming with a lackluster result - the best part was the goat cheese croutons.

Edited May 26, 2008 by merstar (log)

[tim]

Fine Cooking is a cooking magazine published bimonthly by The Taunton Press. In generally features articles written by guest writers who are experts in whatever topic they happen to be discussing....

Hi,

I'll never forget their article which compared and tested kosher salts. The article was written by an expert with many years experience and her recommendation was to use only Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.

Fine Cooking failed to note that the writer was an employee of Cargill, Inc, the manufacturer of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.

Even worse, the Publisher isisted there was no appearance of a conflic of interest.

Tim

[Chris Hennes]

The type of fish sauce you use makes a huge difference to flavor and smell.  Look for the more expensive varieties that come in smaller bottles to get a sampling of the nuances that are possible in the fish sauce world.  It should smell good!

←

Well, the local Wegmans only has a single variety, as far as I can tell, but hopefully this summer I can locate someplace that carries a wider variety. I never have a problem with the finished dish, it is just that first whiff that makes me question whether I really want to add this stuff to my food .

As for the "recycling" I obviously can't really comment, since I only have three issues, but I wonder if the "Quick & Delicious" section isn't mostly pulled from previous issues, since it doesn't have a real article to go with it, and is almost an "extra."

Last night for dinner was another recipe from "Q&D" that I was a bit apprehensive about:

Sautéed Chicken with Sherry & Olive Pan Sauce & Toasted Almonds (May 2008, No. 92)

Recipe here if you have online access

The combination of sherry and olives seemed intriguing enough to try, but again, the large quantity of sherry left me wondering what the final dish would actually taste like (I usually use sherry in small quantities, just as a seasoning, basically). This recipe was very easy to make: it's just sautéed chicken breasts with a pan sauce. I served it with fiddlehead ferns (following the guidance in this topic) and basmati rice. I was again pleasantly surprised by how well everything turned out. The sauce was tasty, though perhaps not very "exciting," and the almonds leant a perfect flavor and crunch that I find many pan sauces for chicken lack. The whole thing (not counting futzing with the fiddleheads!) took about 20 minutes including prep, so again, a nice weeknight dinner choice from the "Quick & Delicious" section.

[Margo]

I've subscribed since the beginning--my husband has been a fan of Taunton magazines (Fine Woodworking) forever, and picked up Fine Cooking #1 at a newsstand, thinking it would be a quality mag. I love it--there were some dark years, where they seemed to lose focus, but it's the most consistent source of good recipes and inspiration for me.

Recently, I've been cooking tilapia alot. The peanut-crusted tilapia with frizzled ginger and scallions (I use sesame seeds, not peanuts), and herb-lemon coated tilapia from #78 are winners. Also love the cod with mushrooms, garlic, and vermouth (#90, quick & delicious section).

The chicken paprikash from #43 is my favorite version of that dish. And I like their menu ideas--the Northeast Spain menu with roasted chicken thighs, sauteed spinach, mushrooms with parsley and garlic, salad with romesco sauce was a great success for a dinner party a few years ago.

I try to make a few recipes out of each issue, and rarely have found one that failed.

Looking forward to hearing others' favorites.

[Chris Hennes]

I'll never forget their article which compared and tested kosher salts.  The article was written by an expert with many years experience and her recommendation was to use only Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. 

Fine Cooking failed to note that the writer was an employee of Cargill, Inc, the manufacturer of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.

Even worse, the Publisher isisted there was no appearance of a conflic of interest.

←

Obviously I don't know the real facts, but over on the "Cook's Illustrated" board there is a post by a well-respected poster that seems to tell a slightly different tale:

There are but two paragraphs about kosher salt. One focuses on the reason to use kosher salt in cooking, and the other states “When buying kosher salt, I recommend Diamond Crystal brand because its hollow flakes dissolve quickly…. Other brands of kosher salt have harder, slow dissolving flakes.”

[...]

In the Editor’s mea culpa FC states “We should have been aware of Michele Anna Jordon’s link to Diamond Crystal-she didn’t try to conceal it from us: we just never asked. The reason her recommendation of this brand didn’t ring any bells with the editors about possible conflict of interest is because we ourselves prefer Diamond Crystal kosher salt: it’s the brand we use in our test kitchen, and many of us use it at home."

Edited to add: the article in question, "The Power of Salt," is available here for those with online access.

Edited May 26, 2008 by Chris Hennes (log)

[tim]

...on the "Cook's Illustrated" board there is a post by a well-respected poster that seems to tell a slightly different tale:

In the Editor’s mea culpa FC states “We should have been aware of Michele Anna Jordon’s link to Diamond Crystal-she didn’t try to conceal it from us: we just never asked.

Chris,

I admit my slight error (editor vs. publisher) in remembering the story. Nevertheless, the editor's statement is a confirmation of the same tale. Give me strength!

Tim

[Emily_R]

Recently, I've been cooking tilapia alot. The peanut-crusted tilapia with frizzled ginger and scallions (I use sesame seeds, not peanuts), and herb-lemon coated tilapia from #78 are winners. Also love the cod with mushrooms, garlic, and vermouth (#90, quick & delicious section).

The chicken paprikash from #43 is my favorite version of that dish. And I like their menu ideas--the Northeast Spain menu with roasted chicken thighs, sauteed spinach, mushrooms with parsley and garlic, salad with romesco sauce was a great success for a dinner party a few years ago.

I try to make a few recipes out of each issue, and rarely have found one that failed.

Looking forward to hearing others' favorites.

←

Just so people know, it looks like all three of the recipes Margo mentions are available for free on their website! Yay! I'm making tilapia tonight, so may try the herb and lemon...

The Peanut Crusted Tilapia

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes...rms=50040,52602

The Herb and Lemon Tilapia

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes...rms=50040,52602

The Chicken Paprikas

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes...n_paprikas.aspx

[Chris Hennes]

Crispy Sweet Pecan Granola (From Fine Cooking 75, pp. 34)

Recipe here if you have online access.

Tonight I was trying to use up some random ingredients I had in the pantry, so I made one of the granolas from Fine Cooking. This one is flavored with cinnamon, vanilla extract and brown sugar, and is fairly loose (by design). It has just the right amount of sweetness, and each individual ingredient shines through clearly in the final product. I don't mean to say it's not harmonious, just that each ingredient seems necessary for the final product. It was very easy to make, and doesn't require any outlandish ingredients, so I'm pretty happy with it. Of course, I don't know what I'm going to do with six cups of granola...

[Bella S.F.]

I have been getting Fine Cooking for years and I really enjoy it. The articles are great to read. They are written by well known chefs like Molly Stevens.

At the moment I can only think of one recipe, but it one of our favorites. It is a recipe for the meatballs that are served at Rao's, the restaurant that mere mortals like us will never be able to get into. (So they say.) At times my husband and I long for the spaghetti sauce that is an East Coast specialty. You just don't find it out here. It is a red sauce cooked with different meats. I make mine with meatballs, Italian sausage, and country-style pork ribs. I find that the pork flavors the sauce beautifully. Anyway, I have always been able to throw together a good meatball. However, after reading the article I decided to try the meatballs from Rao's. I was unsure of them because of the amount of water that was in the recipe. We were really wowed by them. Now I make huge batches of them, seal them in the "seal-a-meal" bags and freeze them. Get some good bread and make a meatball parmesan sandwich. YUM! Of course you can always throw them into sauce also. Once when I could not locate which Fine Cooking the recipe was in I "Googled" Rao's meatballs and came up with quite a few different versions of the recipe. None were quite like the original. Of course, it would be nice if I could find the issue to let you know where to find the recipe, but again, I cannot lay my hand on it. I had copied it into my recipe file on my computer, so I can still make them. Perhaps one of you is better organized than I am when it comes to where your magazines are. By the way, a friend has the Rao's Cookbook and that has a different recipe for the meatballs also. Odd isn't it?

[Kerry Beal]

Of course, I don't know what I'm going to do with six cups of granola...

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Granola bars of course - half dipped in chocolate!

[Chris Hennes]

Of course, it would be nice if I could find the issue to let you know where to find the recipe, but again, I cannot lay my hand on it. I had copied it into my recipe file on my computer, so I can still make them. Perhaps one of you is better organized than I am when it comes to where your magazines are.

←

Well, I can't help with the physical magazine, but the article you are referring to is "The Best Ever Spaghetti & Meatballs" by Frank Pellegrino, from Fine Cooking 71, pp. 50-51. The article is here if you have online access, and the recipe is here. I will have to give this one a shot: I am currently enamored with the Cook's Illustrated meatballs, but I like variety!

[Margo]

Crispy Sweet Pecan Granola (From Fine Cooking 75, pp. 34)

Recipe here if you have online access.

Tonight I was trying to use up some random ingredients I had in the pantry, so I made one of the granolas from Fine Cooking. This one is flavored with cinnamon, vanilla extract and brown sugar, and is fairly loose (by design). It has just the right amount of sweetness, and each individual ingredient shines through clearly in the final product. I don't mean to say it's not harmonious, just that each ingredient seems necessary for the final product. It was very easy to make, and doesn't require any outlandish ingredients, so I'm pretty happy with it. Of course, I don't know what I'm going to do with six cups of granola...

←

Oh my, yes, the granola recipes. These switched me from a long-time breakfast habit of cream of wheat, to granola and yogurt. I've tweaked the honey/almond recipe by adding a cup of shredded unsweetened coconut, wheat germ rather than oat bran, and subbing some sunflower seeds for some of the almonds. I freeze half the batch because otherwise it goes stale before I can finish it.

[CaliPoutine]

What month/year is that Granola recipe in?

I have been getting Fine Cooking for years and I really enjoy it. The articles are great to read. They are written by well known chefs like Molly Stevens.

Speaking of Molly, has anyone ever made her potato salad recipe from Issue #52( Sept 2002). Its called Creamy Potato Salad w/ Radishes, Lemon and Dill. The recipe contains lots of fresh herbs and also heavy cream. I'm looking for a stellar potato salad recipe for an upcoming catering job.

eta: I just looked at my old issues. I have Issue #71, 73 and 74, but alas no #75.

I'm making Andy's Fairfield Granola for this catering job. Anyone ever made it? I've made it numerous time and we love it. I wonder how it compares to FC's granola.

Edited May 28, 2008 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Chris Hennes]

What month/year is that Granola recipe in? 

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That's a very good question: the article says it is from issue #75, but according to the back-issue order form, there is no issue 75! So I have no idea what is going on there, but it appears that the recipe was recycled for the December 2007 breakfast pullout, so have a look there.

[CaliPoutine]

but it appears that the recipe was recycled for the December 2007 breakfast pullout, so have a look there.

I dont have that issue!!

Can you PM or post it here? Please!!!!

[prasantrin]

That's a very good question: the article says it is from issue #75, but according to the back-issue order form, there is no issue 75!

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That just means all the back-issues of number 75 are sold out.