CHOW » The Perfect http://www.chow.com Recipes, cooking tips, resources, and stories for people who love food Latest News from CHOW.com http://www.chow.com/images/logo_chow.gif http://www.chow.com Wed, 30 May 2012 19:33:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 The Perfect Jucy Lucy http://www.chow.com/food-news/108435/the-perfect-jucy-lucy/ /food-news/108435/the-perfect-jucy-lucy/#comments Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:10:53 +0000 Meredith Arthur /?p=108435

Who makes the perfect Jucy Lucy (also sometimes spelled Juicy Lucy), an iconic Minnesota burger stuffed with cheese? CHOW.com contributing editor and host of Supertaster Daily James Norton is convinced it's the Blue Door Pub in St. Paul. He takes us there, and describes the nuances that separate Blue Door's Jucy Lucy from run-of-the-mill stuffed hamburgers.

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The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/108435/the-perfect-jucy-lucy/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Prawns http://www.chow.com/food-news/54537/the-perfect-prawns/ /food-news/54537/the-perfect-prawns/#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:42:59 +0000 Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith http://www.chow.com/blog?p=54537 LA Times's Russ Parsons lauds the salt-roasted spot prawns at Providence restaurant.]]>

When asked for his perfect dish, LA Times food writer Russ Parsons knew his answer immediately: the salt-roasted Santa Barbara spot prawns at Providence restaurant. Here he describes what makes this dish so sublime. (And in the June 4, 2008, edition of the Times he took a closer look at these crustaceans.)

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This video was originally published in June 2008.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54537/the-perfect-prawns/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Ricotta Cheese http://www.chow.com/food-news/75544/the-perfect-ricotta-cheese/ /food-news/75544/the-perfect-ricotta-cheese/#comments Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:30:41 +0000 Meredith Arthur /?p=75544

food52 cofounders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs were nearly stumped when asked for their example of a perfect food for this video. Then they realized that Betsy Devine and Rachel Mark's Salvatore Bklyn ricotta was flawless in every way. Amanda and Merrill were filmed in Bklyn Larder, a great New York store where you can find Salvatore ricotta cheese. And be sure to visit food52.com to enter their best ricotta recipe contest.

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The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/75544/the-perfect-ricotta-cheese/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Soup Dumpling http://www.chow.com/food-news/55409/the-perfect-soup-dumpling/ /food-news/55409/the-perfect-soup-dumpling/#comments Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:43:09 +0000 Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin http://www.chow.com/blog?p=55409
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The Perfect Soup Dumpling

By Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin

Andrea Nguyen, chef and author of Asian Dumplings, takes CHOW to Shanghai Dumpling King in San Francisco for what she considers the perfect xiao long bao, or Shanghai soup dumpling. Chef and owner Lu Kuang has been making them for 25 years. Andrea chats with him in the kitchen, then explains how Lu gets the soup on the inside of the dumplings. Plus, the most important information: how to eat them without losing all the soup.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/55409/the-perfect-soup-dumpling/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Risotto http://www.chow.com/food-news/64552/the-perfect-risotto/ /food-news/64552/the-perfect-risotto/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:10:37 +0000 Lauren Winsor Stenmoe /?p=64552

Food blogger Pim Techamuanvivit is a longtime fan of Michael Tusk's risotto. Here she describes what makes it perfect. Tusk's restaurant, Quince, is located in San Francisco.

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The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/64552/the-perfect-risotto/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Salad http://www.chow.com/food-news/62947/the-perfect-salad/ /food-news/62947/the-perfect-salad/#comments Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:22:47 +0000 Blake Smith /?p=62947

New York Times writer Kim Severson has chosen her perfect thing in San Francisco—drumroll please—the goat cheese salad at Chez Panisse.

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The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/62947/the-perfect-salad/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Canelé http://www.chow.com/food-news/55541/the-perfect-canel/ /food-news/55541/the-perfect-canel/#comments Tue, 04 May 2010 20:05:48 +0000 Leslie Jonath, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith http://www.chow.com/blog?p=55541
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The Perfect Canelé

By Leslie Jonath, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith

You’ve got your croissants, your éclairs, your macarons. Maybe a madeleine if you’re Proust-y. They’re good, yes. But consider the canelé. On assignment for Afar magazine, Tasting Table San Francisco editor Scott Hocker traveled throughout France in search of the best. Stateside, his canelé of choice is at Boulettes Larder. Chef Amaryll Schwertner’s dedication to these custard-cake hybrids is unparalleled: She only makes a dozen a day, so each one has to be perfect. Hocker gathers some of her secrets, including an unexpected use of beeswax.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way. Image of the silicone canelé mold courtesy of Flickr member grongar.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/55541/the-perfect-canel/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Tortilla http://www.chow.com/food-news/55224/the-perfect-tortilla/ /food-news/55224/the-perfect-tortilla/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:43:19 +0000 Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith http://www.chow.com/blog?p=55224 Good Food falls for flowers.]]>
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The Perfect Tortilla

By Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith

Evan Kleiman, host of the KCRW radio program Good Food, grew up eating tortillas in LA. She describes the moment when she came across the perfect tortilla, made by Rivera Restaurant chef John Rivera Sedlar. His tortillas are special not only for their beauty, but also for the great care that Sedlar takes with every step of the preparation. You don’t get tortillas like this at the store; you don’t even get homemade tortillas like this, says Kleiman.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/55224/the-perfect-tortilla/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Beer http://www.chow.com/food-news/55162/the-perfect-beer/ /food-news/55162/the-perfect-beer/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:40:21 +0000 Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin http://www.chow.com/blog?p=55162
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The Perfect Beer

By Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin

Lessley Anderson, CHOW’s senior editor, has been following the beers made by brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company, and has written about the wild yeast used in them, called Brettanomyces. Here, she explains why she appoints Cilurzo’s Supplication ale as the perfect beer, and CHOW follows as Cilurzo talks about how the beer is made. (Note: Supplication is extremely difficult to find. Your best bet is through trading on sites like RateBeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com. You could also try easier-to-find Russian River sour beers like Consecration and Temptation. For other beers in this style, check out Lessley’s story on funky wild ales.)

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/55162/the-perfect-beer/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Fried Chicken http://www.chow.com/food-news/55112/the-perfect-fried-chicken/ /food-news/55112/the-perfect-fried-chicken/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:20:08 +0000 Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith http://www.chow.com/blog?p=55112
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The Perfect Fried Chicken

By Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith

When Southern food experts Matt and Ted Lee announced that Chef Charles Gabriel’s fried chicken from Rack & Soul in Manhattan was perfect, we knew we needed to investigate. The brothers—James Beard Award–winning food writers, New York Times contributors, and cookbook authors (The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook)—explore the secrets of Chef Gabriel’s thrice-seasoned, skillet-fried delicacy. Look for the Lee brothers’ newest book, Simple Fresh Southern, in November.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/55112/the-perfect-fried-chicken/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Sazerac http://www.chow.com/food-news/54912/the-perfect-sazerac/ /food-news/54912/the-perfect-sazerac/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:58:04 +0000 Meredith Arthur, Blake Smith, and Roxanne Webber http://www.chow.com/blog?p=54912
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The Perfect Sazerac

By Meredith Arthur, Blake Smith, and Roxanne Webber

The Sazerac is a classic New Orleans cocktail, easy drinking the whole year round (not just during Mardi Gras). H. Joseph Ehrmann, owner of Elixir, and Jonny Raglin, bar manager of Absinthe, both in San Francisco, describe what makes the perfect Sazerac: the right whiskey, bitters, and absinthe mixed in just the right balance. If any of the ingredients overpower the others, you’ll be left with a too-sweet or alcohol-heavy drink. Optional, though recommended: Watch the video while sipping your own Sazerac.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54912/the-perfect-sazerac/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Pesto http://www.chow.com/food-news/54901/the-perfect-pesto/ /food-news/54901/the-perfect-pesto/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:23:36 +0000 Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith http://www.chow.com/blog?p=54901
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The Perfect Pesto

By Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith

We assume that San Francisco’s Tablehopper, Marcia Gagliardi, must eat out every night to be able to write such up-to-date information for her weekly newsletter. So when Marcia says that something stands out, it’s worth an examination. Nothing is more perfect according to the Tablehopper than Farina’s mandilli al pesto, presented here by Chef Paolo Laboa.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54901/the-perfect-pesto/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Martini http://www.chow.com/food-news/54603/the-perfect-martini/ /food-news/54603/the-perfect-martini/#comments Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:49:02 +0000 Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith http://www.chow.com/blog?p=54603 Esquire's David Wondrich makes a surprising choice with the Fitty Fitty at the Pegu Club.]]>
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The Perfect Martini

By Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith

Esquire drinks correspondent (and Beard Award–winning author) David Wondrich profiles his perfect martini, the Pegu Club’s Fitty Fitty, which features equal parts vermouth and gin. Pegu Club co-owner Audrey Saunders adds her thoughts as she pours.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54603/the-perfect-martini/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Hamburger http://www.chow.com/food-news/54414/the-perfect-hamburger/ /food-news/54414/the-perfect-hamburger/#comments Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:10:29 +0000 Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith http://www.chow.com/blog?p=54414
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The Perfect Hamburger

By Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith

CHOW wades into shark-infested waters of perfection: the burger. Josh Ozersky, author of The Hamburger: A History and former editor of New York magazine’s Grub Street blog (he’s now editor of The Feedbag blog), confers with Gail Simmons of Top Chef and Food & Wine magazine. For Ozersky, it’s the burger at Veselka in New York.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54414/the-perfect-hamburger/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Mandoline http://www.chow.com/food-news/54394/the-perfect-mandoline/ /food-news/54394/the-perfect-mandoline/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:13:23 +0000 Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith http://www.chow.com/blog?p=54394
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The Perfect Mandoline

By Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith

It’s high drama at OXO headquarters when the perfect slicing tool is the goal, and cheap blades with nonadjustable heights are the norm. Here, Dean DiPietro, who spearheaded the design of OXO’s v-blade mandoline, explains the process, from diced soup to sliced nuts.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way. Dean DiPietro was not paid, nor did OXO in any way compensate CHOW, for his participation in this video. We just thought the OXO mandoline was a good product.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54394/the-perfect-mandoline/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Olive Oil http://www.chow.com/food-news/54310/the-perfect-olive-oil/ /food-news/54310/the-perfect-olive-oil/#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:16:40 +0000 Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin http://www.chow.com/blog?p=54310
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The Perfect Olive Oil

By Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin

Round Pond makes a variety of oils from olives grown at its Rutherford, California, estate. From the picking to the pressing and bottling, every step is carefully calibrated to get the best out of the fruit. Ryan MacDonnell explains the process—and what it takes for olive oil to be considered perfect.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54310/the-perfect-olive-oil/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie http://www.chow.com/food-news/54201/the-perfect-chocolate-chip-cookie/ /food-news/54201/the-perfect-chocolate-chip-cookie/#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:28:24 +0000 Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin http://www.chow.com/blog?p=54201
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The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

By Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin

Tia Harrison, owner of the Lucky Cooky Company, takes simple ingredients and creates a soft, sweet, crisp-crusted cookie, full of melty Guittard milk chocolate drops. It is, indeed, the superior-est chocolate chip cookie.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54201/the-perfect-chocolate-chip-cookie/#comments_container Chow Header Image The Perfect Ice Cream Flavor http://www.chow.com/food-news/54154/the-perfect-ice-cream-flavor/ /food-news/54154/the-perfect-ice-cream-flavor/#comments Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:42:12 +0000 Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin http://www.chow.com/blog?p=54154
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The Perfect Ice Cream Flavor

By Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin

The salted caramel ice cream at San Francisco’s Bi-Rite Creamery has charm. It has personality. It is delicious. The co-owners get us a few steps closer to understanding perfection, in the form of ice cream.

The unparalleled. The best in show. We call it The Perfect: our video series on how something so very good gets to be that way.

]]> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54154/the-perfect-ice-cream-flavor/#comments_container Chow Header Image