Comments on: How I started to cook…

By: Thomas Keller’s easy roast chicken | Kitchen Musings

Thomas Keller’s easy roast chicken | Kitchen Musings — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:30:06 +0000

[...] admit that its taste is not as life-altering as the Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken which involves salting the day before and turning the chicken over twice during cooking. But for [...]

By: single cup coffee makers today

single cup coffee makers today — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:33:32 +0000

Great stroy! I really enjoyed reading it. I am thankful for J and your husband for being there for you. You are made to cook and to share all of your talents.

By: Corinna Nuqui

Corinna Nuqui — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:25:00 +0000

What a wonderful site you have and what an inspirational cook you are! I found your blog through Rose B’s excellent site, and started with your pastry dough post.
I have thoughts about the early salting technique of Rodgers. I think it is a form of brining, because as another commenter pointed out, if one salts meat just before cooking, the juices start to run out. The water molecules are drawn out from the flesh to the salt on the surface, in an effort to reach an equilibrium. Then the juices of the flesh combined with the salt, now dissolved, acts as a brining solution for the meat. The water molecules are reabsorbed into the flesh along with some of the salt, as there is further equilibriation (did I just invent a word? haha.)
Thus the admonition to salt early rather than late. McGee said somewhere that salting late, just before cooking, does nothing to seal in juices, either. I think this is also why traditional Pinoy marinades are best applied hours and hours before cooking, to give the meats a chance to plump up again after the initial “bleed” of salting.
Just my two pesos worth of musing aloud.

Cheers!

By: A tribute to Julia | Kitchen Musings

A tribute to Julia | Kitchen Musings — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:25:12 +0000

[...] strings.” At age 32, even boiling water struck fear in my heart – no kidding! (See here for the story of how I began to cook, which coincidentally, started also with a roast chicken.) So [...]

By: T.W. Barritt

T.W. Barritt — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Veron – this is an amazing story!! I love the insight into how you got started, and the chicken and bread salad could not be a more fitting start to an excellent career in the test kitchen! Bravo!

By: The "Hungry" Hubby

The "Hungry" Hubby — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I love this dish. First time we tried this in our new oven, it did not come out right and made a heck of a mess in the oven but I can eat this dish every day. It is such a refreshing dish!

By: Anh

Anh — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Veronica, you have done Judy Rodgers proud. I just received her book last week and was so amazed at the depth and length of her explanation. Very inspiring book indeed. Love this recipe. You really urge me to try my hand on trying it!

By: peabody

peabody — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

What a great story…and lucky you for finding that woman.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Did your mom grind rice for her kare-kare sauce? My family is Filipino, but I never grew up with that dish. When I first tried it in my mid-twenties I was floored. It's the only thing I order when I go to Filipino joints in the SF Bay Area.

By: Lydia

Lydia — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Veron, a great post. Makes me want to run out and find a copy of the Zuni Cafe Cookbook which, amazingly, I do not have in my cooking library. Mastering the art of a roast chicken is one of the fundamentals, like learning to cook eggs. Sounds like your folks are incredible cooks, too.