Six Serious Eats recipes I tried this year and liked (and three I didn't)
I’ve been cooking a lot this year, and one of the recipe websites I like the most is Serious Eats. They usually have well-tested recipes with scientific explanations of why they work. However, I (an amateur chef) have had mixed results. These are presented in no particular order.
Recipes I liked:
Fried Chicken Sandwich
I halved the recipe and only made three chicken thighs because I live with two other people. The hardest part was getting the oil to the right temperature (this was one of my first times deep frying). I used a wok and soybean oil, and served it with coleslaw. The chicken was crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. I haven’t had fried chicken that good in a long time. I can’t wait to try it again.
Coleslaw
I halved this recipe and it made plenty for three chicken sandwiches, with a decent amount left over. I didn’t use a mandolin because I’m scared of cutting my fingers, but slicing it with a chef’s knife worked pretty well. I used pre-grated carrots I got from the store, but cut the cabbage and onions myself.
Macarona Forn (Egyptian pasta casserole)
Followed this recipe exactly. It was tasty, but the combination of savory cheeses and warm spices (cinnamon, cloves, etc.) was something my palate was not completely accustomed to. I would make this again, but only if I had an occasion to.
Penne alla Vodka
This is a high effort recipe for something that I’ve made with a more simple recipe before, but it definitely was better. I don’t have a blender so I used an immersion blender. The sauce was creamy and very tomato-y . I made it twice in quick succession, but got tired of it after that.
Shepherd’s Pie
This made a pretty large casserole, but it was delicious. I used lamb. I think next time I try the recipe, I will halve it.
Roast Potatoes
I almost finished this right out of the pan. I used duck fat. Amazing.
Recipes I didn’t like:
Turkey Meatballs
Maybe it’s because I’m inexperienced in making meatballs, but this recipe was too much work for the payoff, which was a kind of bland meatball with a delicious glaze. The meatballs were kind of falling apart and hard to roll around the pan. I don’t think ground turkey makes for good meatballs? They were tasty, for turkey, and I ate them all, but I couldn’t help but think how much better it would be with beef or pork.
Sweet Potato Fries
I really tried to make this recipe work. I could not get the coating to brown in the oven at all, which is a shame because I bought rice flour specifically for this. The first time I tried it, I thought I might’ve cut them too thin, but the second time they turned out just as mushy. The flavor was fine, and I finished them, but you could hardly call what I ended up with fries.
Fresh Pasta
Okay, I didn’t use this exact recipe, I used a different one which called for whole eggs (I hate separating yolks). But the process of rolling out pasta, even having borrowed my mom’s machine, was too labor intensive for the payoff. Nothing wrong with the recipe, but I’ll leave the pasta making to somebody else from now on.