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In This Week’s Edition:

Try Something New 🤯 — Meatball, Meatloaf, & Sausage Framework

Throwback Time 🍳 — Is Expensive Olive Oil Worth It?

The Leftover Shelf 🥡 — Aglio e Olio

Extra Helpings 🤤 — TikTok Food Critics, Correcting Cooking Mistakes, & More

Shopping List ✅ — Sorted Ingredients for Easy Shopping!

Try Something New 🤯

Understand the technique behind recipes.

Meatball, Meatloaf, & Sausage Framework

When cooking mixed ground meat recipes, the texture is influenced by added ingredients. For a tender texture (like in a meatloaf), you’ll need to use fillers that will disrupt the protein structure and retain moisture so it doesn’t cook into a dense meat mass.

Softer Texture Framework

Examples: Meatballs, meatloaf

• 2 parts ground meat

• 1 part texture adjusters & binders*

  • Soaked breadcrumbs, ricotta, minced vegetables, eggs, etc

• 1.5% salt (by meat weight)

• Extra seasonings and flavor adjusters, to preference

*Eggs help bind the non-meat items into the mix, but aren’t required.

*Some texture adjusters also add flavor: Minced vegetables add aromatics while disrupting the protein matrix, and dairy like ricotta, sour cream, or buttermilk add tanginess and provide moisture.

• Adding more or less non-meat fillers will scale the texture firmer or softer to your preferences.

Firmer Texture Framework

Examples: Keilbasa, kofta, dumpling filling, or loose Thai, breakfast or Italian sausage

• 1 part ground meat

• 1.5% salt (by meat weight)

• Extra seasonings and flavor adjusters, to preference

For either framework, be sure to consider:

Mixing Matters: When meat is mixed and kneaded, it develops myosin, a sticky protein that turns the mixture tacky and binds everything together, resulting in a smoother final texture.

• For loose sausage, like breakfast or Italian sausage, gently mixing and leaving it more akin to ground beef is preferred.

• For stuffed sausage (like Keilbasa or dumplings), you’ll want to knead until tacky for a snappy, and coherent end product, although you can hold back if you want a more varied and rustic texture.

• For meatball and meatloaf style recipes, don’t be afraid of kneading until tacky. This will ensure the mix is bound together. Thanks to the non-meat fillers, it won’t get tough when cooked.

Throwback Time 🍳

Is expensive extra virgin olive oil worth it? Sometimes.

The main takeaways:

1) In raw applications, like as a dressing or garnish, you can taste the differences between olive oils.

• That said, get one with a flavor you enjoy. If you don’t like the grassy pungency of more expensive bottles, then you might be better off with a more neutral, mid-priced option.

2) In cooked applications, like roasting vegetables or frying chicken cutlets, the nuanced aromatic differences get “cooked off.”

• In some testing cases, the olive oil couldn’t be distinguished from neutral oil at all after cooking.

• To save money, use a neutral oil during the cooking process, and then drizzle a bit of olive oil for flavor at the end.

The average home cook should find a mid-priced quality bottle for all-around use. Check out the full video for all the nuances.

• If you want a primer on label terms and when to use extra virgin olive oil vs. a neutral oil in the first place, you can read this article or watch this video instead.

As some commenters on the video pointed out, a fantastic way to test and showcase a quality olive oil is to make aglio e olio:

The Leftover Shelf 🥡

Leftovers are back in style…if you know how to use them.

This week’s move:

Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil → Aglio e Olio

This iconic pasta is the ultimate pantry meal. All you need is some dried pasta, olive oil, garlic, and some aromatics.

Dish Components

• 454 g (1 lb) dried spaghetti

• 60 g (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• Sprinkle of red pepper flakes

• Small handful of parsley, finely chopped

Instructions:

Boil spaghetti until al dente in salted water. Reserve a bit of pasta water before draining.

Saute the sliced garlic until golden brown, then add the red pepper flakes to bloom for a few seconds.

Add the cooked pasted, and toss with a few drizzles of pasta water until the oil forms a light emulsion and clings to the noodles. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve warm.

Extra Helpings 🤤

🚀 Viral Eats

Food trends explained.

Q: Is Tik Tok the new food critic space?

A: We’ve all seen culinary celebrities commenting on the way food is prepared, with chefs like Gordon Ramsay getting in on the trend and receiving millions of views on TikTok.

• But restaurant reviews by “normal,” non-famous people are also gathering a lot of attention. Rather than reviews by famed critics, everyday people like StephTravels_NYC and The VIP List are going into restaurants and giving their own opinions, which are often more relatable to the average viewer.

Are all food critic videos negative?

• No, some of the food critic videos, like Keith Lee’s Frankensons Pizzeria taste test, are a game-changer for small businesses. Negative reviews can be devastating for small businesses, but on the flip side, exposure from a glowing review can revive sales.

• These reviews hold even more power now that TikTok’s algorithm shows users videos made in their general vicinity, which is key because 53% of Millennials and 38% of Gen Z reported that they ordered food from a restaurant after seeing a video about it on TikTok.

🧠 Reader Q&A

Q: “How do you adjust when a recipe goes wrong? How do you know what went wrong and how to fix it next time? Thanks!” — Harper Y.

A: You’re going to make mistakes, and that’s a crucial part of learning. For example, learning to salt by taste means you’re going to have to over-salt something to know where the line is. You’re going to have to overcook a few steaks to learn how to keep a ribeye at a perfect medium rare.

However, disaster can be mitigated by tasting and adjusting as you go, the mantra of chefs everywhere.

Let’s take the above Aglio e Olio recipe as a case study.

• Taste the pasta water. It should be salty so the spaghetti gets seasoned. When the spaghetti is done, taste a strand. Is it still bland? You might need to adjust the dish later with more salt.

• After sauteing the garlic, taste a slice. If it’s too dark and tastes bitter, this is your chance to start over before ruining the whole dish.

• When tossing everything together, you might find there is way too much oil in the pan. Feel free to drain some of it out before proceeding.

• If you accidentally added in too much pasta water, and now the pasta is soupy, just increase the temperature and evaporate the excess liquid until you’re back to a saucy consistency.

Don’t be a slave to the lines of a recipe. Use your senses and constantly adjust as you go.

• Nothing should be a surprise — You should know exactly how something is going to taste (good or bad) by the time it hits the dinner plate.

🏆 Dinner Winner! Reader Photo Submission of the Week

This week’s dinner winner is Erinco V, who made Birria tacos with oxtail, short rib, and chuck. Masterful work, Enrico!

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: Food Timeline (17,000 BC - Present)​

In a Minute or Less: Barcelona Paella Class​

What We’re Watching: Why Ramen Broth Hits Different​

Food Science: Can In-N-Out be Made Healthier?​

Upgrade Your Feeds: Connect with Ethan everywhere​

Ready to shop? 🛒

✅ Shopping List 6/18