The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

KNIFE SKILLS: How to Prepare Radicchio for Salads STEP 1: CUT IT IN HALF Split the radicchio along its ve ...

STEP 2: START CUTTING OUT THE CORE Cut around the core in one half, angling the knife blade in toward the c ...

STEP 3: REMOVE THE CORE Cut around the other side at a 90-degree angle to the first to remove the ...

STEP 4: SLICE THE RADICCHIO ...

STEP 5: READY TO DRESS CLASSIC AMERICAN POTATO SALAD Potato salad—big deal, right? It’s kinda like backgr ...

poke at it with a plastic fork until the burgers are done. At least that’s what most potato salad i ...

The salad is underseasoned. Foods that are served cold need to be seasoned more aggressively than ...

When potatoes start in hot water, the outside will rapidly overcook before the center has ...

For some time, I’d thought that it’s better to season your potatoes when they are hot, but I’d never ...

existed. The reason for this is twofold. First, the cooked starch on the surface of the potatoes hardens ...

coming out of plain water made very little difference in terms of flavor penetration. So, you might ...

Potatoes boiled in plain water break down. ...

Potatoes boiled in water with vinegar retain their shape. ...

I make my dressing while my boiled potatoes are cooling. ...

Balancing Act Once the potatoes were perfectly cooked, light, and bright, the rest was simple: balanci ...

would work fine if you prefer). Pickles are a point of contention in potato salad. I like to use chopped ...

them (see “Cold Confusion,” here). With these four simple tips in mind, you’re free to do whatever ...

Blender Procedure Put the carrots in a large saucepan and cover them in cold water (do not add salt). ...

served hot. This is because hot foods stimulate your taste buds (not to mention create aromatic vapors) ...

CLASSIC AMERICAN POTATO SALAD DONE RIGHT SERVES 8 TO 10 4 pounds russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into ...