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By JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer deconstructing chicken fried steak
Chicken fried steak likely was created as a way to use inexpensive cuts of meat. According to www.southernfood.about.com, reference to the entree first appeared in print in 1952, but it was being made before that. Most often, recipes call for round steak which is tenderized by pounding to about 1/4 inch thick. The meat is dipped into a mixture of milk and egg and then dredged through seasoned flour and/or bread crumbs, depending on recipe and preference. The breaded pieces are fried in vegetable oil. While chicken fried steak is often called country fried steak, John Egerton, author of Southern Food (University of North Carolina Press, 1993), writes that the latter is usually dredged through flour without the egg coating, a slight modification. constant comment"I don't know much about cooking. I mean, what's a 'twist' of lemon?" -- Rapper Kool Moe Dee this web site cooksClick on this site and eat the words of some wonderful food writers. Check out New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes' discovery of Pirate's Booty, the supposedly low-fat cheese snack that's loved by Weight Watchers everywhere. Heidi Pickman writes on Spain's love affair with the pig -- there's not much of the animal they don't eat -- for the Los Angeles Times. One of our favorites is Faye Levy's article for the Jerusalem Post on moussaka, the Greek favorite that might not be so Greek after all. cooking classThe more a butcher works on a piece of meat or poultry, such as boning, splitting or even skinning, the more it costs. So it pays to do simple tasks yourself such as separating chicken legs and thighs, and splitting breasts. spice prices
a free scoop
Stop by participating Baskin-Robbins ice cream shops today from 6 to 10 p.m. and get a free scoop of ice cream. For every free scoop served, Baskin-Robbins will make a donation to First Book, a national nonprofit organization that provides free books to needy children. Check your phone book for Baskin-Robbins locations near you. dream screamThe golden ticket never made any noise, but Willy Wonka's new contest gimmick is a scream. Some 200 specially marked packages of Nerds, Shock Tarts, Nerds Rope and Oompas will scream "Wonkaaaahh" when opened, and the person who buys them will be eligible to win a trip for four to one of the nation's hottest amusement parks. There will be five grand prize winners, and runners-up will win computer games or candy. Look for packages marked "This pack could scream!" winning rice dishHere's a dish that was a recent winner in a contest sponsored by the USA Rice Federation: Brown 1/2 pound trimmed, diced pancetta or bacon and 1 large chopped red onion in a large skillet over medium heat until onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add 1-3/4 cups half-and-half; bring to boil. Remove from heat and add 3 cups of cooked rice, 1-1/2 cups sweetened dried cranberries, 1 cup chopped pistachios, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir until well blended. Makes 8 servings. - Compiled by Janet K. Keeler, from staff and wire reports
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
Have you noticed that you might pay three times as much for a bottle of McCormick spices as you do for less well-known brands such as Badia? What's the difference? The expensive spices may be more carefully cleaned and may be higher in quality (i.e., more fragrant leaves) than the inexpensive spices and herbs, spice manufacturers say. But also, you're paying for marketing and packaging when you buy a major brand. Experiment to see whether the less expensive products are fragrant and tasty enough for your purposes.
