Good morning. In today’s edition, we get into:
Using tahini
Mediterranean mezze style eating
Achieving perfectly crispy fried chicken
As always, reply to let us know what other content or cooking questions you want to see covered.
INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE 🍳
Tahini
📸 America's Test Kitchen
Tahini is a smooth paste made from ground sesame seeds. It’s a staple ingredient in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. Think hummus, baba ghanoush, halva, and lemon- tahini sauces served with falafel and grilled meats.
You’ll usually find it near nut butters or in the international foods aisle.
Note: In Asian cuisines, you’ll also see sesame paste, but it’s not the exact same product. Chinese and Korean sesame pastes, for example, are usually made from roasted sesame seeds, so they have a darker color and a more intense flavor.
What’s its flavor?
Aroma: Nutty, toasty, earthy
Texture: Thick and creamy with subtle graininess
Physical: Can act as an emulsifier and thickener in sauces or dishes
Why should you buy some?
Tahini is versatile: it works as a sauce base, dressing, dip, or binder, often in the place of dairy or eggs, so it’s a great vegetarian or vegan workhorse.
If you cook with peanut butter in savory applications (like stir-fry sauces), tahini can be used in the same way. Add a spoonful of water or lemon or soy sauce to transform it into a condiment, or add it to broths and dressings to make them thicker or creamy.
In sweet applications, it can add nuttiness to doughs and batters just like peanut butter would.
Buying tips
Look for short ingredient lists (just sesame seeds is ideal).
Lighter tahini = milder and more versatile. Darker tahini or sesame paste = bolder flavor.
Separation is normal. Stir aggressively before using.
What else can you make with it?
Classic tahini sauce (lemon, garlic, water, salt)
Creamy salad dressings or grain bowl sauces
Roasted vegetables finished with tahini + citrus
Swirled into yogurt or labneh for a savory dip
Desserts like halva, tahini cookies, or brownies
MEAL IDEA 🍴
Mezze style eating
Tahini is a dominant flavor in Mediterranean and mezze style eating, where you might encounter a spread of proteins, pickles, vegetables, and dips like hummus and baba ganoush, both of which get blended with tahini.
This is one of our favorite ways to eat at home. Assemble a mix of various items, grab some crackers or pita bread, and scoop everything up in a snacky meal where each bite is different.
Head over to our website for dip recipes, or check out the Cook Well App where we have a full framework on putting together a mezze table spread, which works great for hosting or feeding larger groups:
KITCHEN GEAR REC ✅
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Lifetime product: With maintenance, it's designed to last a lifetime and become a family heirloom. Care kits available.
Pick one up today, available only on Cook Well:
READER Q&A 🧠
Flour vs. cornstarch fried chicken
To maximize texture, use a combo of flour and cornstarch in your fried chicken.
Question: “Should I fry chicken with a flour or cornstarch dredge?” - Maggie W.
Answer: There’s no wrong answer here; it 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: Different cultures favor 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 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), such as in this chicken strip meal.
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.
WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆
Salmon bowl
This week’s dinner winner is Seth E., who made his version of our spicy salmon rice bowl, but with zucchini instead of cucumbers. Perfect example of adapting a recipe to what you have around.
Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!
EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️
A read: 38 best restaurants in Tokyo
In a minute or less: Bolognese framework
What we’re watching: Olive oil 101
Get cooking: All mentioned dishes are on the Cook Well App
