The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

In SEARCH of THE ULTIMATE CHILI Despite its Mexican origins, today’s chili is a decidedly American ...

chili—one a traditional Texas-style made with nothing but beef and chiles and the other the type most ...

Bottled chili powder is fine in a pinch, but to get the ultimate chili, my first plan of action ...

four distinct categories: sweet and fresh, hot, rich and fruity, or smoky (see “Dried Chiles,” here). F ...

As with dried spices, the flavor of the chiles can be enhanced by toasting them dry (see ...

I use a chile puree instead of powder for better flavor and texture. The Meat Aside from beans, the meat ...

pieces, it was apparent that the last one was the winner. It provided little bits of nearly ground beef ...

Trying to brown ground meat is an exercise in futility. But then I had a thought: why was I bothering ...

Whole cuts brown rapidly. ...

Chopping whole cuts after browning gives you browned flavor and superior texture. The Beans If you are from ...

If you have worked for a chef or have a grandmother from Tuscany or a mother-in-law from Sou ...

(left) ended up absorbing too much water and blowing out long before their skins had properly softene ...

(numb-hot). I also decided to give star anise a try, in a nod to British chef Heston Blumenthal and ...

are held loosely together like tiny magnets. When water and alcohol are mixed, each individual water ...

WHOLE VERSUS GROUND SPICES You often hear chefs and recipe writers saying to use whole spices instead of grou ...

goals: First, it forces aromatic-compound–laden oils from deep within individual cells to the surface of the spi ...

majority of applications, and any time you’re going to toast your spices dry, make sure to do it be ...

CHILE PASTE NOTE: Chile paste can be used in place of chili powder in any recipe. Use 2 tablespoons paste ...

transfer to a zipper-lock freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 1 year. ...

THE BEST SHORT-RIB CHILI WITH BEANS Serve the chili with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, choppe ...