Good morning. If you didn’t catch the live stream announcement of Cook Well, we launched a new recipe website that helps you understand recipes and the fundamentals of cooking.

• This newsletter will continue to release our newest recipes and frameworks. Now, we can provide more lifestyle, technique, or flavor context on dishes and then link out to Cook Well for the fully detailed recipe.

Feel free to click around on cookwell.com and reply to let us know what you think of the platform.

TRY SOMETHING NEW 🤯

Caesar salad fundamentals

If you’ve never scratch-made Caesar salad, it's easier than you might think. Check out the full recipe on Cook Well, but here is the process in a nutshell:

1) Prep ingredients (wash & tear the lettuce, gather components)

2) Emulsify the dressing (comes together in minutes with a blender)

3) Assemble the salad: (customize with toppings to your liking)

But what sets Caesar apart from other common dressing/lettuce combos?

Many elements of flavor

Caesar salad is a universally pleasing dish because it touches on multiple flavor components.

Taste: umami/saltiness from the anchovy and parmesan is balanced by the acidic lemon juice.

Aroma & physical: The dijon, garlic, and black pepper add interesting aromatics but also a pungent bite.

Textures: The egg yolk and oil-based dressing brings a creamy and unctuous texture that clings to crisp lettuce pieces.

Learn more about the Fundamentals of flavor on Cook Well.

Flexible use cases

Caesar can be so much more than a salad dressing. Think of it more as a creamy condiment.

• Make extra and use it on sandwiches, wraps, rice bowls, or as a flavored mayo-marinade.

Fun fact: Did you know Caesar Salad was invented in Tijuana, Mexico, not in Rome or Italy? Restaurant table-side preparations aren’t a gimmick either. Supposedly, that’s how the original was done!

Ready to cook? Follow the step-by-step Cook Well recipe here:

THROWBACK TIME 🍳

Restaurant-level roasted vegetables

Why are restaurant vegetables so much more flavorful and satisfying than homemade ones? From seasoning tricks to embracing high heat, there’s a handful of easy principles most people just overlook at home. The most important are:

1. Embrace super-high heat for better browning and a crispy exterior texture.

2. Par-cook vegetables (in boiling water) before roasting for faster cooking and a softer interior.

3. Rely on salt for seasoning instead of dried spices. Salt amplifies natural flavors.

Check out the video or Ethan’s Twitter thread summary for all 7 techniques you can do at home to level up your vegetable recipes.

These techniques will make you want to cook way more vegetables at home moving forward. Make a batch and use them in the following weeknight platter framework:

THE LEFTOVER SHELF 🥡

The weeknight platter framework

Learning to bring seemingly random ingredients into a coherent meal is an art and superpower. You can practice by balancing flavors and textures with fridge ingredients into a weeknight platter.

• If you want to see a great example, check out Ethan’s weeknight hummus plate video. It works well because it hits so many elements of flavor.

But even without those exact ingredients, you can still create a satisfying plate using varied elements:

• Creamy base: a bed of hummus, romesco, or beans

• Fresh or crispy elements: raw or pickled sliced vegetables, herbs

• Salty & substantial roasted vegetables: bulk up the plate with chewy or crispy cooked vegetables like Brussels, broccoli, or sweet potatoes.

• Tangy or sour elements: Tomatoes, citrus, or tangy condiments

• Umami-rich browned meat: Optionally, meat helps improve satisfaction with a boost of savoriness and texture. Seared mushrooms or flavorful rice could work as a substitute.

To assemble

Gather, cook, or reheat your desired components. Plate up, and enjoy!

FOOD TRENDS EXPLAINED 🚀

Food trucks

Is it just me, or am I seeing more food trucks lately?

It’s not just you — the food truck industry is growing. Following the 2008 recession, food trucks were an easier way for chefs to get a business off the ground than a full brick-and-mortar location. Figures like Roy Choi started a movement for higher quality, gourmet food coming out of mobile establishments.

Over the past 2 decades, the food truck sector has boomed and continues to do so even through the COVID-19 pandemic.

• While traditional restaurants faced challenges like closures and labor shortages food truck operators adapted successfully. Their mobility and lower overhead costs of made them a more adaptable business model.

If you want to recreate NYC’s most popular food truck item, check out Ethan’s recipe for Halal Street Cart Chicken.

READER Q&A 🧠

Potato properties

Answer: Recipes call for specific kinds of potatoes due to differences in texture, flavor, and cooking properties. Potatoes can be broadly categorized into two types: starchy & waxy

1. Starchy Potatoes (e.g. Russets): These potatoes are high in starch and low in moisture. They are ideal for baking, mashing, and frying. When cooked, they can become fluffy and light for airy mashed potatoes or French fries. However, they’re liable to become mushy or fall apart in soups or stews.

2. Waxy Potatoes (e.g.Red Potatoes, Fingerlings): These have a lower starch content and higher moisture and sugar levels. They hold their shape well after cooking, making them ideal for boiling, roasting, and slicing. They are great in potato salads, soups, stews, and any recipe where you want the potato to retain its shape.

Some potatoes are more all-purpose. The Yukon gold, for example, lives up to its name: it’s the Goldilocks of potatoes.

• Its medium starch content makes it versatile for both mashing and holding its shape. However, it won’t make for the crispiest fries.

So for specialized preparations, stick to the far end of the potato spectrum.

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

READER PHOTO SUBMISSION OF THE WEEK 🏆

Short rib respect

This week’s dinner winner is Chris G., who made Ethan's Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with mirepoix, served over short-grain brown rice.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Much ado about mushrooms

In a minute or less: Grinding A5 wagyu into burger meat (do not try at home)

What we’re watching: The chef who gave up his 3 Michelin Stars

Food science: Why expensive chicken is “air chilled”

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