Good morning. Thinking of all of our US Southern & East Coast readers and anyone impacted by Hurricane Helene or Milton. Stay safe out there — we’re hoping for the best.

RECIPE BREAKDOWN🤯

Salad dressing ratios (3 types)

Dressings make or break a salad. Are they worth making from scratch at home?

We think so:

• Dressings provide crucial fat and acid to enhance flavors in the salad. You can tailoring these to your preference (like dialing the creaminess or zinginess) by adjusting the ratios (see below).

• Premade options that stick to a generic flavor profile seem to fall flat in flavor (for the average palette) and texture because of shelf-stabilizing additives.

• Plus, you can usually whip together a dressing with pantry & fridge ingredients you already have around.

How do I know what to make?

Don’t be intimidated to make your own at home. In general, there are 3 main types of dressings: vinaigrettes, mayo-based, and dairy-based.

Use this guide to mix and match pantry ingredients, and play with seasonings:

Notes & advice

1) Creamy is key: Properly emulsified dressings grab onto your greens instead of dripping down to the bottom of the bowl. You can shake vinaigrettes together before serving in a jar, but mayo/oil-based dressings might need a quick blend or whisking to come together. Dairy-based can usually just be mixed up and won’t separate.

2)Toss & toss again: Don’t serve dry greens or merely drizzle dressing in globs over the salad on a plate. Add everything to a bowl and toss for even coverage.

• This is essential — every bite should be coated. Remember, fat carries and enhances flavor. This is why dry salads come across as flavorless, but tossed restaurant salads taste better.

• If you’re hosting — you can very lightly toss it and then leave extra dressing out for customization.

RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS🥡

Salads of Cook Well…

If you want to follow some of our exact dressings and how we pair them, we’ve put together a collection of recipes. Check it out here:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Tornado egg omelets

Is the tornado omelet worth the finesse?

Tornado eggs came out of the Korean version of the Japanese omurice (a trend of its own to cover another day). In an omurice dish, you serve a semi-set egg omelet over rice and curry.

Unlike American preference for fully set omelets, egg dishes seem to get runnier as you travel east: French eggs and omelets are custardy and moist, Hong Kong locals barely set their wok-scrambled eggs, and by the time you reach Korea and Japan — the omelets touch the pan for just a few seconds.

• A hearty bed of rice requires a runny egg to properly moisten everything up, especially when the omelet isn’t loaded with melty shredded cheese like we do in the States.

But is the tornado shape really necessary, or is it yet another food trend that just looks captivating on Instagram?

We think it’s a valid endeavor:

1. The spiral ridges catch any uncooked, runny egg, providing perfect contrast between fluffy, custardy, and unctuous textures.

2. We eat with our eyes. Sight and the human element of food matter quite a bit. A perfectly spun omelet makes you appreciate and savor each bite.

3. Cooking is an inherently pleasurable activity. Nailing the tornado effect teaches you to manage pan heat, nonstick surfaces, and egg protein coagulation in a fun way.

Getting the perfect tornado omelet is pretty tricky. You’ll need a reliable nonstick pan, which you find on our recommended gear page.

Alternatively, you can achieve similar textures in Cantonese-style eggs without the fuss (check out Chinese Cooking Demystified’s version, an excellent resource), easily done in a wok.

READER Q&A 🧠

Cork vs. screw caps

Packaging = perception of value, especially in food & drink products. Screw tops have gained a misguided reputation, but the status quo is changing in the wine industry.

While corks must be used for wine bottles that will be aged (they let in some oxygen that develops the wine), screw caps have their advantages:

• They are easier to open & re-close in any situation.

• They also don’t let any oxygen into the wine, so no risk of cork taint or spoiled wine, which happens to a small percentage of naturally corked wines.

This means screw-cap bottles are typically found on wines that are supposed to be young when consumed, but people in the wine industry argue that certain young wines can be just as high-quality and premium.

Plus, natural cork is a limited resource, so other sustainable alternatives are becoming more accepted:

• Crown caps (basically a beer bottle cap) are now being used for natural wines.

• Different synthetic cork materials are being developed.

But don’t underestimate the human element of flavor. Patrons paying top dollar for a bottle at a tasting menu are likely to be disappointed if the sommelier screws off the cap instead of pulling out the wine key.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Butter chicken

This week’s dinner winner is Dennis L., who made butter chicken with homemade naan. Well done!

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

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Is This The End of Instagram Cookware?

In a minute or less: How to shop for salmon

What we’re watching: How Una pizzeria became the no. 1 pizza in the world

Food science: Carbohydrates in cooking

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