The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

the fridge. It may turn cloudy and solidify, but don’t worry—it’ll return to normal once it warms up to room ...

stable, and using high-quality extra-virgin olive oil seems like a no-brainer as well, but combine the ...

know how a vinaigrette works, you’ll never have to follow a recipe. As long as you get the ratio of your ...

(or a combination of lemon and another citrus) Verjus Soy sauce (in combination with an acid) Mashed anchovies To make ...

MILD LEMON- OR RED WINE–OLIVE OIL VINAIGRETTE NOTE: Citrus-based vinaigrettes don’t keep as long as vine ...

lemon juice, or up to 6 months if made with vinegar. Shake vigorously before each use. ...

KNIFE SKILLS: How to Mince a Shallot Finely minced shallots are the secret ingredient of fancy restaurants. Th ...

STEP 2: MAKE THE VERTICAL CUTS Holding a shallot half firmly in place and using your knuc ...

STEP 3: MAKE THE HORIZONTAL CUTS Hold the shallot from the top (never from the sides!) and make one ...

STEP 4: MINCE Make another series of vertical slices at a 90-degree angle to the original series. To ch ...

BASIC MIXED GREEN SALAD SERVES 4 12 ounces (about 3 quarts) mixed salad greens, washed and dried Kosher salt a ...

ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH TOASTED ALMONDS AND GOAT CHEESE NOTE: Asparagus skin can sometimes be tough or str ...

½ cup toasted slivered almonds 1 medium shallot, finely sliced (about ¼ cup) Freshly ground black pepper ½ ...

HOW TO TOAST NUTS Toasting nuts improves their flavor by adding a layer of complexity and their text ...

SPRING VEGETABLE SALAD The greatest part of a dish like this is that you can do pretty much ...

½ cup Mild Lemon- or Red Wine–Olive Oil Vinaigrette (here) 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus a few dozen ...

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, peeled, and cut into 2- inch pieces (see Note, here) 2 cups tender ...

THE RULES OF BLANCHING There are no set rules for what vegetables to use in spring or summer salads, but ...

When you drop a green vegetable into a pot of boiling water, a number of changes occur. Fir ...

green and, more important, stay bright green much longer than raw vegetables. Of course, contin ...