Good morning. Last week, we covered summer salad options. A reader wrote in with helpful guidelines if you’re looking to perfect a home salad dressing this summer:

“Although a 3:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio is the classic ratio, many people find that starting with a 2:1 ratio yields a much more satisfying result…try different oils and acids in varying ratios to find a personal “sweet spot” and develop a vinaigrette that you really enjoy.”

TRY SOMETHING NEW 🤯

Esquites (elote salad) framework

If you’ve never had esquites before (elote in a cup), it's like potato/pasta salad meets grilled summer corn. Or you can think of it as the Mexican street food version of creamed corn.

Esquites Components

• 6 parts roasted corn kernels

• 1 part creamy: mayo and/or Mexican crema (try a 50/50 blend)

• 1/2 part fresh aromatics: diced onion and optionally chopped cilantro, green onion, or minced garlic

• Salt & lime juice, to taste

Garnishes*

• Cotija cheese, crumbled (or substitute with Feta or queso fresco)

• Chile powder, paprika, or chile flakes

• Extra lime wedges for serving

*Garnishes can also be mixed straight into the Esquite for extra flavor.

Instructions

Char the corn kernels: If using fresh corn cobs (recommended), char over a grill, flame, or broiler, and then cut toasted kernels off the cob. Alternatively, toast kernels in a ripping hot pan with some oil until they take on some color. Allow the corn kernels to cool.

Mix together & serve: Combine all Esquites Components in a bowl or serving vessel, adding salt and more lime juice until well seasoned. Add more mayo or crema if you prefer a creamier corn salad. Top or serve with garnishes of choice on the side.

THROWBACK TIME 🍳

Home-friendly General Tso’s chicken

General Tso’s is one of the most popular takeout dishes yet one of the most laborious recipes to recreate at home.

The home-cooking solution is to “meal prep” the sauce and breaded nuggets in large batches ahead of time, so you can pull together a weeknight meal whenever you crave the dish.

Whether you just use the air fryer or freeze par-fried nuggets, there’s a way for everyone to enjoy this Chinese-American staple at home.

Check out the video or recipe for all the details.

If you have leftovers or don’t want to serve it over rice every time, here’s an alternative way to enjoy the nuggets and sauce…

THE LEFTOVER SHELF 🥡

General Tso’s chicken wrap

Leftover sauced chicken bites make for a flavorful and fast lunch.

Wrap Components

• Tortilla or flatbread

• Leftover General Tso’s chicken (sauced)

• Greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula)

• Other vegetable fillers: sliced cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, carrots, etc

To assemble:

Add all fillings to your tortilla or flatbread and roll up. Wrap with foil or parchment paper and cut in half. Serve with extra General Tso’s sauce, if desired.

FOOD TRENDS EXPLAINED 🚀

Avocado toast

Is avocado toast still alive?

Yes, avocado toast is still alive, but like most trends, once it becomes mainstream, it loses some of its exotic appeal (i.e. how avocado toast is now offered by Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts…).

Some chefs, however, are voicing environmental concerns about enabling the trend, and are cutting it from menus:

• Avocado popularity in North America and Europe might leave a significant carbon footprint from the Central and South American sourcing.

Do millennials really disproportionately like avocados?

According to a YouGov survey, Gen Z aged consumers are just as into ordering and making avocado toast at home, proving the trend is still going.

• However, avocado toast popularity drops off with older generations.

READER Q&A 🧠

Oil vs. butter in baking

Question: “What is the impact of using vegetable oil versus butter/melted butter on the quality and taste of cookies and cake? Is there a difference between using oil vs. butter in general?” - Emmanuelle C

Answer: For general baking/cooking (like in a pizza, flatbread, or tortilla dough recipe), where you just need a fat source, it should behave similarly but give a different flavor. There are a few important exceptions, though:

1. If you need to cream sugar for a cookie or cake recipe, you’ll need softened butter to do so (not melted butter or oil). You need the semi-solid state to whip air into it with the sugar, which will give structure and texture to the final product.

2. If you are making a flaky or laminated pastries like biscuits, pie crust dough, or croissants, you’ll also need the semi-solid properties of butter to create layers of fat in between the dough, which will melt away when baked. You can’t just use liquid oil for this.

We haven’t taste-tested butters side by side yet. Does expensive or higher fat % butter taste significantly different? Write in to let us know!

READER PHOTO SUBMISSION OF THE WEEK 🏆

Prized pizza

This week’s dinner winner is Ean W., who made a pan pizza finished with a garlic butter crust. Well done, Ean!

Reply with a picture of the best meal you made this week for a chance to be featured in a future email.

MORE YUMMY CONTENT 🍽️

A Read: French Baguettes Get Unesco Heritage Status​

In a Minute or Less: Do Bay Leaves Work?​

What We’re Watching: DIY Granola Framework​

Food Science: Cooking Frozen Meat​

READY TO SHOP? 🛒

✅ Shopping List 7/9​

SPONSORED BY: PICKLED ONION CLUB​

History of perpetual stews

Every month, Pickled Onion Club drops 2 additional deep-dive articles. This week's edition looked into the history of perpetual stews and other eternal food traditions that are alive and, well, still going.

• In Mexico, you can find moles that have been continually bubbling for years.

• In China, families continually use and add to their Master Stock, a perpetual braising liquid.

• And in the US, we have bottomless mimosas. Just kidding — but we actually do have The Infinity Bottle, a new tradition started by whisky drinkers in recent years.

In this email, well dive into these examples and more, what qualifies a perpetual food (or drink), and why this might be a useful tradition for your home kitchen (or family lineage — after reading, you might just be passing down a master stock or infinity whisky bottle to your great-grandkids).

…

Want to support this newsletter & read the rest of this article? Learn more about the community here.