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TRY SOMETHING NEW 🤯

Mushroom pad see ew

Long-time subscribers probably remember the pad see ew framework, where we broke down the classic Thai stir fry into its component parts.

Once you understand the blueprint of the recipe, you can riff on it to fit your preferences. Today’s recipe is a vegetable-forward variation that boosts the umami flavors with mushrooms instead of meat.

Flavor through quality ingredients & technique

Speaking of umami, did you know pad see ew roughly translates to “fried soy sauce noodles”? Try to use high-quality soy sauces if possible; their aromas are what make this dish.

• To bring out the flavors of each component, proper stir fry technique is critical: cook ingredients in batches over high heat to get browning and caramelization on each component.

The pad see ew process is worth learning because it teaches you the basic noodle dish stir fry method:

A repeatable method

1. Soak the noodles & mix the sauce

2. Stir fry the proteins & vegetables in batches first

3. Sizzle the noodles & sauce

4. Bring everything back together to finish

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

THROWBACK TIME 🍳

Four-ingredient flour tortillas

Store-bought flour tortillas have to be one of the biggest letdowns of modern life. Seriously, have you ever had a good mass-produced flour tortilla?

• Supple, high-quality tortillas are often what sets apart restaurant tacos and burritos from a dry and disappointing home version.

Here’s the good news: homemade flour tortillas only require 4 ingredients (flour, fat, salt, & water), so you likely have everything you need in the pantry. And a stack can be made in less than 45 minutes, including resting time during which you can gather some taco fillings.

Check out the video for extra tips or the updated written recipe, which we refreshed with all the Cook Well bells and whistles:

THE LEFTOVER SHELF 🥡

Crispy cheese tortilla tacos

Whether you make homemade tortillas or not, here’s another way to elevate your weeknight taco game in minutes: sear cheese directly onto your tortillas.

• Then, just proceed with your favorite fillings. This upgrade is so significant it revives even the laziest ground beef taco nights.

The technique is similar to Mexico City’s cheese crust costra tacos, but even easier:

Method

To a warm pan or griddle, add a handful of grated cheese in a loose circle similar to the diameter of a tortilla. Place a tortilla directly on top of the melting cheese, which will “glue” to the cheese layer. When the cheese has formed a browned crust (use a spatula to check often), gently peel the cheese/tortilla off the pan in one layer. Flip it tortilla side down to finish warming it through, and then repeat with the remaining tortillas/cheese.

• Any melting cheese works! Monterrey jack, low-moisture mozzarella, or mild cheddar work great. The process is the same for both flour and corn tortillas.

Benefits

1. Texture contrast: You create interesting textures within the taco. The soft & chewy tortilla gets a layer of melted, unctuous cheese with a crispy crust. When you bite into the tacos, it is a wildly different mouthfeel experience.

2. Temperature & structure: Melting the cheese layer onto the tortilla warms it through, which makes the tortilla more pliable and aromatic. Even store-bought tortillas (which are more likely to tear and crumble) stay together thanks to the flexible yet strong melted cheese layer. The cheese also creates a barrier that prevents your tortillas from getting soggy from the taco fillings.

3. Flavor boost: The browned layer of cheese is loaded with extra aromas from the Maillard reaction. It’s crazy how much more flavor it brings than the classic cold, shredded cheese topping.

If you want to learn more about texture and flavor, check out the fundamentals of cooking on Cook Well.

FOOD TRENDS EXPLAINED 🚀

Morning shots?

Why are wellness shots everywhere now?

Wellness shots, such as ginger & turmeric-reinforced juice blends, have exploded on social media and retail spaces in the past few years. Why?

1. Their colorful, single-serving format makes them hard to resist on a shelf. A few dollars is easier to commit to than a full-sized smoothie or pressed juice.

2. Unlike the occasional juice cleanses, wellness shots become a daily routine for consumers. For companies making this product, it’s a consistent business model once you have customers hooked on the habit.

3. Wellness shots boast many health benefits, like anti-inflammatory or immune-boosting qualities. Unlike pill supplements, whole ingredients are friendlier to try and do research on.

So are they worth buying?

If you’re looking to add more whole ingredients and superfoods to your diet, our recommendation is to focus on cooking a diverse set of meals first. You’ll naturally rotate in many of the popular ingredients found in cleanses (turmeric, ginger, lemon, kale, collard greens, celery, etc).

If you want more of a specific ingredient, wellness shots are worth making at home instead of spending a few dollars per day (plus you’ll get a fresher product). Here’s how:

• Even without a juicer, you can just use a blender and strainer to remove any solids from the mix. Buy your own glass shooter bottles or freeze a batch into large ice cube trays and defrost single servings with hot water each morning.

READER Q&A 🧠

Flour vs. cornstarch fried chicken

Answer: There’s no wrong answer here, just depends on what you are going for with texture, color, and type of recipe.

Texture: In general, flour-based dredges make for a thicker and crunchier crust, while starch dredges can make lighter and crispier textures.

Color: Starch doesn’t brown as readily as flour does, so the resulting fried foods are often lighter in color than a flour dredge, even if cooked at the same time and temperature.

Cuisine differences: Historically, different cultures have favored one or the other, based on available grains such as wheat flour or rice starch.

• Flour-based dredges are more associated with American Southern-style fried comfort foods, like buttermilk fried chicken.

• Starch-based dredges are often seen in Asian cuisines, such as in Korean fried chicken or Japanese karaage.

The best of both worlds: Why not maximize a craggly crust that is also airy and light? These days, many fried recipes combine flour and starch (corn, potato, or rice starch) in varying recipes.

• Use whatever ratio you want on a sliding scale between 100% flour (max crunchy) and 100% corn starch (delicate & crispy).

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 🏆

Top tier tofu

This week’s dinner winner is Patrick N., who fried a panko-crusted tofu katsu. We love to see that crispy exterior! By the way, that would crush over this salad: Crispy Tofu Salad with Miso Dressing.

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

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: How did pumpkin spice become so popular?

In a minute or less: Does salad make you eat more?

What we’re watching: Mexican restaurant refried bean secrets

Food science: Why $100 truffles might be worth it

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