The Wooden Spoon Controversy

Wooden spoons are one of the key utensils in any chef;s arsenail. Yet there is a controversy with howto clean them?Is it just hot water? Do you use soap and what kind?What can you do to get those wooden gems sparkling.

Wooden spoons are a mut for any home chef who loves to cook sauces and soups. They're getting a lot fo usage right now thanks to home chefs cooking up a lot during thiese chilly days. Wood is a better medium than plastic which could melt or become deformed thanks to high heat. Cermaic spoons can cause chips.For millennia wooden spoons are the best. They absorb heat and don;t turn red hot like metal ones do.They are the workhorses of a modern kitchenand that means they can get dirty quickly. According to Maki Yazawa, a writer for The New York Times Wirecutter zine wooden spoons should be washed with unscented dish soap and warm water.  Use a sturdy sponge like Scotch Brite (which can be bought in four packs at any grocery)The next step is drying it with a towel or paper towel.Just pat gently and then let air dry preferably overnight or at least for a few hours.

There is an extra step if the wood looks dry. Use a splash of food grade mineral oil such as Thirteen Chef Mineral OIl or Howard Cutting Board OIl. Keep in mind since wood is porous it will absorb oil over time to hydrate it . Every now and then it does need extra oil.This will prevent it from cracking and splintering which could lead to bacterial build up. Add a few drops at a time  of the mineral oil and rub it on the surface using a paper towel. Don;t aggressively rub it in. The spoons just needs to be well coated. A bit of excess oil isn;t a big deal. This does require downtime for the oil to soak in. Do this before vacation or on a week where you won;t be needing the spoon.How do you know you;ve applied a sufficient amount of oil? Drip water on it and see if the droplets hold their shape.If they're absorbed into the would then more oil is needed. The wood is still "thirsty". You could also just gently wash the spoons as you would regular spoons and then let them air dry. This works for many including myself.

Wooden spoons are a big part of home cooking. Treat them well and they'll last a long time. Sometimes even the studiest tools need tender loving care.

The Flavor Of Naples

One of the best comfort foods to have is any dish from Naples. The recipes are redolent with rich spices and freshly picked and made ingredients. It is worth revisiting the cuisine and the solace it brings.

Every Neopolitan family has a recipe for tomato sauce. They may all seem the same yet each family recipes varies sometimes slightly - sometimes a lot.One favorite recipe involves the inclusion of pork in the "meat" sauce.Usually called Bolognese by fancier restaurants many Southerners  just call their meat and it can have anything from sausage to ground chuck. Some add pork, usually lean ground into it too for more flavor. It give the flavor a sweeter, richer taste. You can also add pancetta or as it's occasionally  called Italian bacon. It's actually pork belly that's been cured  like bacon then cold smoked, or partially cooked. It melts into the sauce and gives it a richer flavor. Of course, the most important part are the tomatoes themselves. Many use fresh when they're in season, but most home chefs usually go for San Marzano ones. What is the best one here in the States? Surprisingly a panel of New York Times Food and the online zine Wire Cutter picked Target's Market Pantry sauce as the best. You can also try Muir Glen along with Stop & Shop Nature's Promise Organic Sauce and tomato paste.

Neopolitan kids go wild for mozzarella in carrozza. These are a kind of grilled cheese- croque Monsieur sandwich that's filled with gooey, melted cheese. It starts with white bread and mozzarella.  You can cut off the crusts if you like. The sandwich is then cut in half and dipped into a bath of beaten egg and a sliced garlic clove. The next step is dredging the triangles into breadcrumbs and frying in a quarter of an inch olive oil. Fry until the crusts or ends are brown and the cheese is oozing out. You can use the homemade sauce for dipping for a kind of pizza taste. To vary it , slather a layer of pesto on the mozzarella or add a slice of prosciutto or a couple of anchovies. Anchovies also figure in a savory zeppoli. (Some Neopolitan home chefs also put a bit of prune with this for a sweet -savory flavor). Zeppoli are usually a sweet treat , dusted with powdered sugar after being deep fried. However they can also be savory , with a simple dough of flour, water and yeast. The dough is proofed for two hours then rolled into balls. An anchovy filet is placed in the center and then the balls are fried in six cups of oil. Serve the golden puffs with hot homemade sauce.

There is nothing like Neopolitan comfort food. It is soothing and savory, perfect for these times. Create their best recipes for a delicious lunch,dinner or even snack.

Per Rose Russo Garguilo. Mille grazie per avermi insegnato alcune delle migliori ricette.

The Air Fryer Controversy

For some the air fryer is a blessing. It's a handy way of cooking certain foodstuffs without having to rely on the oven. It's small, and compact. There's no preheating and cleaning it is a snap. So what's wrong with it?

According to the New York Times and it's subsidiary Wirecutter, this genius machine has a lot of flaws. Melissa Clark wrote an article about it in today's New York Times Food section. There are also recipes too which highlight the air fryer's good points. To be honest, I don't see why there are any complaints.I was skeptical at receiving it at first but that quickly dissolved with the first use. For me, it's better than using the stove. No annoying preheating time. Just set the temp and the minutes and cook. Since it's  a convection oven ,every part of the food being cooked is perfectly "fried" to golden perfection. Hot air is circulated around by high speed fans in the machine's upper part.The food is placed in a perforated basket and the grease drips down into the basket beneath.It's a simple clean up - another plus. Yet Wirecutter claimed that it was over hyped and overpriced. (Mine was a gift bought during a pre- Christmas sale at Target. $60 dollars marked down from $100)

The machine was first introduced in Europe in 2010 and since it's introduction to the States, nearly ten million were sold. Sales increased 69 % in 2018 alone. Those are numbers not to be sneezed at

. As for the recipes, I feel Ms. Clark gets too elaborate with them, especially the fries.She bakes them twice , first at 350 degrees F for ten minutes and then 400 degrees F for another ten minutes

 . There's a cooling period in between that I think is unnecessary (but that's just me). I would probably go for 360 F for ten minutes then, turn, then cook again. There's also a Brussels sprout one, with them being baked with garlic. The sprouts  sound good and something I would try, but without the balsamic soy sauce. As for the chicken wings, again they sound tasty but , again, Ms Clark puts a lot of work into a simple dish. She coats them with baking powder, salt and pepper, then refrigerated for anywhere from an hour to overnight (really?) Then the pieces are placed along the edges

 of the basket and air fried for 400 degrees F for twenty minutes. One, I don't think it has to have all that overnight waiting and two, placing the wings on the basket's edges is too much. They can be placed on the basket's floor and flipped after ten minutes of cooking.

Are air fryers worth it?  YES! I would urge to get one if you don't have one already. They are definitely worth the money and the counter space. Buy one. You won't regret it.

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