Bon Appetit June-July 2020

the way we grilled

LAST SUMMER, back when you would do things like have people over to your house, my wife got the idea that we should throw a big Fourth of July party. Invite anyone and everyone who happened to be around. We pushed a couple of long tables together. We hung up string lights and, sure, I may have broken a few while balancing on a painter’s ladder. We threw a tablecloth over a rickety, rusty side table and deemed it our spritz station, stocking it with Aperol and Prosecco and seltzer and whatever other bottles people rolled up with. When friends started arriving at 6 p.m., it was still blazingly hot out. I always forget just how late the sun sets in early July. We wore sunglasses, not to look cool, but because…

the ba social starter pack

Sun Safely I could rub in standard face sunscreen for five minutes and still see its chalky white residue. That’s why I added Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen ($34; supergoop.com) to my skincare routine. It’s clear, scentless, and so light I feel like I’m wearing nothing. Turn It Up I recently got my first Sonos speaker and I am never looking back. It makes everyone from Frank Ocean to Michael Barbaro sound better. Now I need the weatherproof and portable Move speaker ($400; sonos.com) to round out my collection. The Do-It-All Condiment If you MTV Cribs’d my fridge, you’d find citrusy, spicy Kishida yuzu-kosho ($24; toirokitchen.com). I put it in stir-fries and on top of grilled steak and swirl it into soups and tofu marinades. It’s the Inspector Gadget trench coat of condiments. Food-ish Art I have a habit…

everything you ever wanted to know about: eggplant

The 101 HOW TO BUY Pick heavy eggplant with smooth, shiny taut skin (if they’re dull or bruised, they’re likely old). Find them summer through fall, or year-round from warmer places like Mexico and Florida. HOW TO STORE Eggplant is best the day you buy it, but you can store it for a few days either at room temperature out of direct sunlight or in the warmest part of your fridge wrapped in a towel. Pro Tip: Score Your Eggplant Use the tip of a small knife to score the cut faces of halved eggplants in a shallow crosshatch pattern before roasting them. This encourages browning and creates lots of crannies for salt and other seasonings to soak in. Why are people always salting eggplant? When you’re making, say, eggplant parm, salting the slices first draws out moisture…

i’m a medium

THERE ARE A LOT of things I love about grilling, which for me is the culinary equivalent of staring into a glowing fireplace. My husband and I even had a brick hearth built in my backyard a few years ago to facilitate my live-fire pursuits. This is cooking you get to do outside under the sun and/or stars, but unlike a campsite firepit, your house is right there. Best of both worlds! When the grilling is good, nothing is better—the glazed ribs, the fat steaks, the cheesy sausage wheels! But ensuring that everything is perfectly cooked can be stressful and elusive, especially for novice grillers. Seemingly easy recipes are harder than you think, as anyone who has frantically poked at a grate full of blazing patties or carbonized barbecue chicken knows.…

family meal

WHEN OUR TEST kitchen editors develop noodle recipes these days, there’s a good chance they’ll call for fresh ramen noodles. They’re rich, chewy, and closer in DNA to just-made pasta than instant ramen. The fresh stuff is also easier to find than ever before, either at Asian markets or your favorite specialty grocer. We now eat ramen noodles with everything from a spicy sambal-flecked Bolognese to a big rawveg bowl tossed with a bracing dressing (see the Salad Ramen on page 27). Our go-to is Sun Noodle Kaedama No. 20 noodles ($4 for 10 oz.) They keep for weeks in the fridge, though if you want to stock up, stash a few packs in the freezer too.…

grilled carrots with avocado and mint

1. Prepare a grill for medium heat. Toast cumin seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool. 2. Coarsely crush cumin seeds with a mortar and pestle (or on a cutting board with the flat side of a chef’s knife). Transfer to a large bowl. Add lemon juice and honey. Whisk in ¼ cup oil, then add chile and ginger. Season dressing with salt. Let sit while you grill carrots (this will give chile and ginger time to infuse into dressing). 3. Toss carrots and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet to coat; season with salt. Grill carrots, turning occasionally, until lightly charred in spots and tender, 14–18 minutes. Transfer carrots to bowl with dressing and toss to coat.…