October/November 2022

Cook's Country

Foolproof recipes of American home cooking and easy, weeknight meals.

Cook's Country2 min read
Cook’s Country
Editor in Chief Toni Tipton-Martin Editorial Director Bryan Roof Executive Editor Scott Kathan Executive Editor, Creative Content Morgan Bolling Deputy Food Editor Nicole Konstantinakos Deputy Editor Megan Ginsberg Senior Editors Matthew Fairman, Jes
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Letter From The Editor
THE TURKEY ON our front cover is the center-piece that everyone at your holiday dinner will admire and devour. Over the years cooks have tried, and often failed, to serve a bird that is as delicious as it looks. For golden-brown skin, my grandmother
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
The Cook’s Country Team’s Top Thanksgiving Tips
We set up a buffet using vintage Salton warming trays that have been in my family since the 1960s. We also like to use the “keep warm” settings on a slow cooker or an electric pressure cooker to serve things like mashed potatoes, soups, or sauces. –N
Cook's Country1 min read
America’s Test Kitchen
America’s Test Kitchen has been teaching home cooks how to be successful in the kitchen since 1993. Our mission is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Millions watch our two shows on public television; read ou
Cook's Country2 min read
Add A Little Sparkle To Your Holiday Table
I always set out a dish of sugared cranberries on Thanksgiving morning. The sweet-tart poppers complement everything from morning coffee cake to afternoon snacks to evening nightcaps. Their glittery shine makes any spread feel festive, and they also
Cook's Country1 min read
Quick Bites : test Kitchen Tips, Recs, And Other Tidbits To Chew On
As soon as fall hits, the produce aisles are brimming with winter squashes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Here’s a rundown of some of our favorites. –Jessica Rudolph One of the most ubiquitous winter squashes found in supermarkets. Dark green and
Cook's Country1 min read
A Ladle For Every Pot
A GOOD LADLE IS essential for scooping, portioning, and serving soups, stews, sauces, and other liquids. Many of us prefer metal ladles, as they are sturdy and nearly indestructible. If you’re careful, you can use them with any type of pot or pan. Bu
Cook's Country6 min readRegional & Ethnic
Guanimes con Bacalao (Cornmeal Dumplings with Salt Cod)
THE ROAD TO the mountain town of Ciales, near the center of Puerto Rico, snakes upward as it cuts through lush green forest. Casa Vieja appears, almost suddenly, like a bright blue beacon of roadside dining on a sharp bend when you thought you might
Cook's Country1 min readDiet & Nutrition
A Dried Fish with Big Flavor—and a Long History
This recipe calls for a pound of salt cod, which is cod (usually large fillets) that has been preserved via salting and drying until most of the moisture is gone, making it shelf-stable. It’s available in markets that cater to the diasporas of Scandi
Cook's Country6 min read
How To Deep-Fry A Turkey
FRYING YOUR THANKSGIVING turkey is a vibe—it sets a mood that says, “I am celebrating this holiday 110 percent, but it’s going to be fun and chill, and we’re going to be outside.” In regard to the finished product, fried-turkey enthusiasts utter a co
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Smashed Fingerling Potatoes
SMALL, WAXY fingerling potatoes are perfect for roasting, smashing, and dressing with a flavored oil. How do you do it? Coat the potatoes in olive oil and roast them on a rimmed baking sheet until they’re nearly tender, and then use the bottom of a d
Cook's Country1 min read
Safety Tips
It’s best not to fry when it’s raining, snowing, or windy. Make sure that there are no tree limbs, awnings, etc. overhead. Set up the fryer in a stable, level area 10 feet away from buildings and leave 2 feet between the tank and the burner. Keep chi
Cook's Country4 min read
Cranberry-Ginger Apple Tart
YOU KNOW THAT classic American apple pie, standing proud and tall and packed with sweet, juicy fruit? This is not that pie. This free-form tart, more rustic yet somehow more elegant, too, features tender apple slices, crimson pops of tart cranberries
Cook's Country2 min read
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
WHEN ROASTED UNTIL their exterior leaves turn crinkly and brown and their interiors are just slightly softened, sweet and nutty brussels sprouts can’t be beat. Roasting brussels sprouts quickly with a blast of high heat is the way to reach this ideal
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Dressing Up Acorn Squash
FOR A BEAUTIFUL side dish that’s equally stunning on weeknight and holiday tables, look to acorn squash. Deep green on the outside and orange within, it has a sweet flesh that isn’t difficult to cook. Also, its scalloped ridges make it feel a little
Cook's Country6 min readRegional & Ethnic
Dinner To Night
Serves 4 Total Time: 50 minutes If the dough springs back in step 2, let it rest for a few minutes before trying to roll it again. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil4 ounces (½ cup) mascarpone cheese2 tablespoons warm tap water1 teaspoon minced fre
Cook's Country2 min read
Easy, Elegant Endive Salad
A SALAD CENTERED ON Belgian endive, a member of the chicory family known for its bitter edge, calls for ingredients such as fruit, nuts, and cheese that can complement and mellow the endive’s bite. While endive, pungent blue cheese, and toasted nuts
Cook's Country4 min readRegional & Ethnic
Jajangmyeon (Black Bean Noodles)
ASK ANY OLDER Korean what their favorite childhood birthday meal was and you might be surprised to hear that it was jajangmyeon, a dish of fresh noodles topped with a savory black bean sauce. Jajangmyeon is Korean, but it comes from a subcategory of
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Hearty Chickpea Soup
UMBRIAN-STYLE chickpea soup is a fantastic example of how Italian cooks transform simple ingredients into something wholly satisfying and greater than the sum of its parts. Umbria is one of the few Italian regions without a coastline. That, coupled w
Cook's Country2 min read
Pork and Pears
THIS DRESSED-UP dinner of pork tenderloin, Bosc pears, and jammy onions employs only one cooking vessel: a 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet. But parcooking the components sequentially—browning the pork, caramelizing the pears, and softening the onio
Cook's Country4 min read
Butter
Butter is a semisolid emulsion made by churning cream until it sets up. By law, butter in the United States must be at least 80 percent milk fat; the rest is water (roughly 16 percent) and milk solids (roughly 4 percent). Cultured butter is made with
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Marinated Tomato Salad
THIS IRRESISTIBLE SALAD pairs marinated tomatoes with crispy, delightfully irregular croutons and an intriguing olive sauce with warm spices. Consistent year-round, dense, meaty plum tomatoes won’t exude so much juice as to wash out this salad (as gl
Cook's Country4 min readRegional & Ethnic
Roasted Boneless, Skin-On Chicken Breasts
THERE IS SOMETHING so special about chicken skin. I love the way that the skin—when cooked carefully—renders, crisps, and achieves a deep roasted flavor. This recipe is for those who adore chicken skin the way I do but who also like white meat and ca
Cook's Country4 min read
Oatmeal Creme Pies
LITTLE DEBBIE OATMEAL Creme Pies are an American icon. The soft, chewy oatmeal cookies sandwiching a creamy, marshmallowy filling are instantly recognizable for their signature look (thin brown cookies laced with dark cracks and embracing a snow-whit
Cook's Country4 min readRegional & Ethnic
Tiropita (Cheese Pie)
THE GREEK DIASPORA is an important component of the American melting pot, especially when it comes to food. Whether in Astoria, Queens; Boston; New Orleans; Omaha; Southern California; or Chicago—all areas with large Greek populations—people of Greek
Cook's Country4 min read
All-Purpose Chicken Stock
MAKING STOCK IS simple—especially when you keep a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag in your freezer labeled “parts for stock.” The next time you bring home a rotisserie chicken, pick it clean and stash away the bones. When you cut a whole raw bird into servin
Cook's Country3 min readRegional & Ethnic
Drop Meatballs
THE BEST MEATBALLS are tender and flavorful—but can be a bit of a project. You need to combine the ingredients, shape the mixture, brown the meatballs, and simmer them in sauce. We wanted to streamline the process for a fast, easy, delicious version
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Chicken and Pearl Couscous
This supremely satisfying combination of greens and couscous falls somewhere between a pilaf and a salad. ISRAELI PEARL COUSCOUS, originally called “p’titim” (meaning “little crumbles” in Hebrew), was invented in Israel in the 1950s when rice became
Cook's Country5 min readRegional & Ethnic
Braised Brisket with Tzimmes
SLICES OF RICH, tender brisket cloaked in a velvety gravy are already the star of any holiday table they grace, but you can make your brisket dinner next-level delicious by adding tzimmes, a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish of root vegetables and dr
Cook's Country2 min read
Storing Spices Made Easy
THERE’S NO DOUBT that finding an efficient spice storage and organization system will make your life easier; you’ll save time and energy as you cook by not having to delve into the depths of a cluttered cabinet or drawer. Organizing your spices may a
Cook's Country1 min read
What To Look For
LARGE CAPACITY: Simply put, we preferred the models that held more spice containers, either by being generally large themselves or making more efficient use of space. Our favorites held at least fifty 4-fluid-ounce spice jars. We also liked models th
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
The Best Brownie Mixes
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE freshly baked brownies. We love baking them from scratch, but we also love the ease and convenience of brownie mixes. We purchased nine boxed mixes and started baking. Our goal: to find the products that would allow us to quickly
Cook's Country1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Cranberry Chimichurri
Serves 10 to 12 (Makes about 1½ cups) Total Time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes resting ¾ cup dried cranberries, minced⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems½ cup chopped fresh parsley3 tablespoons red wine vinegar1 s
Cook's Country1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Coming Next Issue
We’re heading into the holidays, so we’ve packed this issue with recipes that impress, such as Duck Leg Confit, Italian-Style Seafood Salad, and Coffee Negroni. Miss the grill? Try our Grill-Pan Pork Chops with Mango and Herb Salad. Make Gingerbread
Cook's Country1 min read
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