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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, September 11, 2002

'Test Kitchen' shares secrets to make your dish a success

 •  'America's Test Kitchen' brings on yummy results

By Linda Beaulieu
Associated Press

BOSTON — The taping is for a show that's all about really good fried rice. Christopher Kimball, publisher and editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine, is on camera as host of the magazine's companion TV show, "America's Test Kitchen."

Facing the cameras in the magazine's ultra-efficient test kitchen, Kimball promises viewers that the fried rice he is about to make will be light and flavorful rather than sodden and greasy. He recommends the ingredients be cooked in batches, and he tells the audience to forget their fear of frying.

Kimball enthusiastically weighs the pros and cons of woks vs. nonstick skillets. For this segment, he's assisted by test kitchen director Bridget Lancaster, who wears a lavender chef's jacket.

Lancaster knows everything there is to know about fried rice, including the right way to make the dish so clean and light you can distinguish the many different flavors in every bite.

The success of the dish, she says, will depend on four steps: what to add, how much to add, when to add it and when to leave it alone.

The very best fried rice, Lancaster explains for the cameras, is made with leftover rice that has been refrigerated overnight. Don't try to make fried rice with packaged rice that has been precooked, parboiled or converted. These processed rices become too soggy and wet, and the grains disintegrate during frying, she explains.

Lancaster also recommends flavoring the rice with oyster sauce rather than just soy sauce. Kimball admits he does not know what oyster sauce consists of, and he seems sincerely happy to learn that it is a highly concentrated combination of soy sauce, brine and oyster extract.

From extensive fried-rice recipe testing, Lancaster has found that adding the remaining ingredients in batches — eggs that are scrambled for just 1 minute and vegetables that are sauteed in advance — produces a drier, more appealing fried-rice dish.

After whipping together fried rice made with peeled and deveined shrimp, pork and peas, Lancaster and Kimball give it a taste and marvel at the layers of flavor they are able to detect. "Shrimp and scrambled eggs, what an odd combination," Kimball ad-libs.

"That smells great!" he comments, as Lancaster adds minced garlic to the dish toward the end of the cooking process.

"This is where most people make a mistake," Lancaster explains. "If you add garlic to a dish too early, it will burn and taste bitter. And you should cut up your scallions just before adding them to a dish. If you cut them too much in advance, scallions will have a soapy flavor."

As they again sample and analyze their completed dish, Kimball and Lancaster continue their fried-rice banter, trading food facts in between bites.

The director stops the action to ask for a close-up shot of the finished dish, then Kimball brings the segment to a close.

"By far, this is the best fried rice I've ever had. ... There you have it, from 'America's Test Kitchen.' "

The four cameras pull back, and the kitchen staff swoops down on the set for a taste of that fried rice.

Minutes later, the entire process begins again with a new set of ingredients, spotless cooking equipment and a new culinary expert, Matthew Card, one of the test cooks at Cook's Illustrated.

This time it's a segment on something to serve with that fried rice — kung pao shrimp.

"Quiet on the set!" the director orders, and taping goes on into the night.

Here are the "America's Test Kitchen" recipes for that "really good fried rice" and authentic kung pao shrimp.

Fried Rice With Shrimp, Pork and Peas

  • 1/2 cup oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
  • 8 ounces small shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 cup frozen peas, preferably baby ones, thawed
  • 1/2 ounce (5 to 6 medium) dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in 1 cup hot water until softened, about 15 minutes, then drained, trimmed of stems and sliced into 1/4-inch strips
  • 2 Chinese sausages (about 4 ounces), halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, or 8 ounces sliced smoked ham, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
  • 4 ounces Chinese roast pork, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 5 cups cold cooked white rice, large clumps broken up
  • 5 medium scallions, sliced thin (about 1/2 cup)

Combine oyster sauce and soy sauce in small bowl; set aside.

Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add eggs and cook without stirring, until they just begin to set, about 20 seconds, then scramble and break into small pieces with wooden spoon; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are cooked through but not browned, about 1 minute longer. Transfer eggs to small bowl and set aside.

Return skillet to medium heat and heat until hot, about 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, until opaque and just cooked through, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with eggs and set aside.

Return skillet to burner, increase heat to high and heat skillet until hot, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add peas, mushrooms, sausage or ham, and pork. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and oyster sauce mixture; cook, stirring constantly and breaking up rice clumps, until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs, shrimp and scallions; cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Makes about eight cups, serving four to six.

Kung Pao Shrimp

  • 1 pound jumbo shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry or rice wine
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 piece (1/2-inch) fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts (see note)
  • 6 small dried red chilies (each about 2 inches long), or 3 regular-size dried chilies, roughly crumbled, or 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (see note)
  • 3/4 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons black rice vinegar or plain rice vinegar (see note)
  • 2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon oyster-flavored sauce
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into
  • 1/2-inch dice
  • 3 medium scallions, sliced thin

Toss shrimp with sherry and soy sauce in medium bowl; marinate until shrimp have absorbed flavors, about 10 minutes. Mix garlic, ginger and 1 tablespoon oil in small bowl; set aside. Combine peanuts and chilies in small bowl; set aside. Mix chicken broth, vinegar, sesame oil, oyster-flavored sauce, hoisin sauce and cornstarch in small bowl or measuring cup; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add shrimp and cook, stirring about once every 10 seconds, until barely opaque, 30 to 40 seconds; add peanuts and chilies, stir into shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are almost completely opaque and peanuts have darkened slightly, 30 to 40 seconds longer. Transfer shrimp, peanuts and chilies to bowl; set aside.

Return skillet to burner and reheat briefly, 15 to 30 seconds. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, swirl to coat pan and add red bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 45 seconds.

Clear center of pan, add garlic-ginger mixture, mash into pan with spoon or spatula and cook until fragrant, 10 to 15 seconds; stir into peppers until combined.

Stir broth mixture to recombine, then add to skillet along with reserved shrimp, peanuts and chilies; cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan, until sauce has thickened to syrupy consistency, about 45 seconds. Stir in scallions; transfer to serving plate and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: You can substitute plain rice vinegar for black rice vinegar (available in Asian markets), but the latter is recommended for its fruity, salty complexity. If you prefer roasted, unsalted cashews over peanuts, substitute an equal amount. Do not eat the whole chilies in the finished dish.