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Whipped Toppings

Published August 1, 2005. From Cook’s Country.

We didn’t think prepared whipping toppings could beat real whipped cream—but could we find one good enough to keep on hand for emergencies?

list of products tested

• Cool Whip
• Dream Whip
• Reddi-wip
• The Real Thing (home-whipped heavy cream)

Either you grew up eating prepared whipped toppings or you didn’t. That’s what we learned when we held a blind tasting of the three most common brands. Tasters who grew up on these toppings had no trouble picking out their childhood favorite: “The fact that I know this one tells me I eat too much whipped cream.” “I know my childhood favorite when I see (and taste) it!” “It is what it is.” Moreover, if you’re familiar with these whips, tasting them side-by-side is equivalent to comparing apples and oranges: you just can’t do it. That’s why, despite clear preferences among individual tasters, the overall scores for the three toppings were very close.
We held a second tasting and this time included homemade whipped cream, which handily beat the packaged substitutes. In fact, the other contenders in this tasting took such a whipping that many tasters said they would sooner skip whipped cream than swallow a supermarket substitute. For the rest of us, keeping a prepared topping on hand for emergencies (hot fudge sundae—we need whipped cream, stat!) isn’t a bad idea. One brand lasts indefinitely in the cupboard, while the other two will keep for several months in the freezer and refrigerator, respectively.

Winner

The Real Thing

Home-whipped real cream is simply "perfect".

Best Substitute

Dream Whip

"Certainly not dreamy," wrote one taster of this topping; its "light, fluffy texture" won some fans despite its "strange aftertaste."

Boxed Brownie Mixes

Published December 1, 2008. From Cook’s Country.

Do any come close to homemade?

list of products tested

• Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownie Mix
• Betty Crocker Hershey’s Ultimate Fudge Supreme Brownie Mix
• Cherrybrook Kitchen Fudge Brownie Mix with Chocolate Chips
• Duncan Hines Family-Style Chewy Fudge Brownies
• Ghirardelli Chocolate Syrup Brownie Mix
• King Arthur Flour All-American Fudge Brownie Mix
• Pillsbury Brownie Classics Traditional Fudge Premium Brownie Mix

There are times, like a last-minute bake sale or Cub Scout meeting, when the convenience of a boxed brownie mix is appealing. To find out which of these mixes are any good, we rounded up seven national brands of boxed brownie mixes, did extensive pretasting to determine a sole contender from brands that offer different styles, baked them according to package instructions, and called our tasters to the table.
As expected, the majority of the brownies were awful, featuring “chemical” flavors, cloying sweetness, and a distinct lack of chocolate flavor. There were, however, two bright spots. A pair of brownie mixes from chocolate manufacturers were actually pretty good—not as good as homemade, but surprisingly close.
What separated these brands from the pack? For one, they were the only mixes to include additional sources of chocolate (other than chips). One mix comes with a packet of chocolate syrup; another mix has both semisweet chocolate chunks and mini chocolate chips. Tasters also praised the “rich,” “balanced” chocolate flavor of these mixes, which comes in part from their inclusion of both natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. (Our third-place also contains both types of cocoa.) We often find natural cocoa powder bitter, but used in conjunction with milder Dutch-processed cocoa, plenty of sugar, and another source of chocolate, it can make for richer, more chocolaty brownies.
Most mixes call for vegetable oil; one of our winning mixes calls for butter, which contributes richness and flavor and gave this brand a significant leg up in our tasting.

Winner

Ghirardelli Chocolate Syrup Brownie Mix

"Balanced chocolate (flavor) and sweetness" was tasters’ assessment of these "moist, chewy" brownies, which were also praised for their "perfect texture."

Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownie Mix

Most tasters lauded the "very rich," "real," and "natural" chocolate flavor of this upscale brand.

Cranberry Apple Crisp

If you can’t find Braeburn apples, Golden Delicious will work. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Serves 8 to 10

Topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

12 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

Filling

1 pound cranberries , fresh or frozen

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apple (6 to 8 apples), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 1/2 pounds Braeburn apples (6 to 8 apples), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca

1. For the topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse flour, sugars, cinnamon, and butter in food processor until mixture has texture of coarse crumbs (some pea-sized pieces of butter will remain), about 12 one-second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl, stir in oats, and use fingers to pinch topping into peanut-sized clumps. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
2. For the filling: Bring fresh cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, and water to simmer in Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook until cranberries are completely softened and mixture is jam-like, about 10 minutes. Scrape mixture into bowl. Add apples, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and dried cranberries to Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until apples begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes.
3. Off heat, stir cranberry mixture and tapioca into apple mixture. Pour into 13 by 9-inch baking dish set over rimmed baking sheet and smooth surface evenly with spatula.
4. To assemble: Scatter topping evenly over filling and bake until juices are bubbling and topping is deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. (If topping is browning too quickly, loosely cover with piece of aluminum foil.) Transfer to wire rack to cool. Serve warm.
Make Ahead: While this crisp is best eaten the day it is cooked, the topping and filling can be made ahead. After pinching the topping into small clumps in step 1, transfer the mixture to a zipper-lock bag and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month. The cooked filling can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. To bake, sprinkle the chilled topping evenly over the chilled filling, loosely cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the juices are bubbling and the topping is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

Pumpkin Cranberry Christmas Cake

Serves: 12 to 16
Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 50 to 55 minutes
Cool: 40 to 45 minutes

For the cake
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan
Flour, for dusting the pan
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix (see Note)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin, about 2 cups
2⁄3 cup vegetable oil
1⁄3 cup bourbon or water
4 large eggs
For the glaze
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup bourbon or apple juice

1. Make the cake: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the pecans in a baking pan and toast them in the oven while it preheats until they are fragrant and deep brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.
3. Remove the toasted pecans from the oven and let them cool, then set aside 1/2 cup of pecans for the cake batter and 1/4 cup for the topping. Leave the oven on.
4. Place the raisins and cranberries on a cutting board and chop them in thirds.
5. Place the cake mix, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, pumpkin, oil, 1⁄3 cup of bourbon or water, and the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 11/2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look smooth and thick. Fold in the reserved 1/2 cup of toasted pecans. Then, fold the raisins and cranberries into the batter and pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.
6. Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the Bundt pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 15 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely, 25 to 30 minutes longer.
7. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Place the butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of bourbon or apple juice in a small pan over medium-high heat. Bring just to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer until slightly thickened, 2 minutes, stirring. Set the glaze aside.
8. Slide the cake onto a serving plate. Using a long wooden skewer, poke 12 to 16 holes in the top of the cake. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake and garnish it with the reserved 1/4 cup of toasted pecans. Slice and serve the cake or wrap it and serve the next day.
Keep It Fresh! Store this cake, in a cake saver or in a tin lined with cheesecloth, at room temperature for up to five days or for up to ten days in the refrigerator.
Note: In a hurry? Substitute a spice cake mix for the yellow and omit the spices. And, forgo the glaze. Dust confectioners’ sugar on the top before slicing.
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Cocoa Powder

Published January 1, 2005. From Cook’s Illustrated.

How is Dutch-processed cocoa different from "natural" cocoa? Does the home cook need both? After weeks of testing, we discovered a simple, surprising answer.

list of products tested

• Callebaut Cocoa Powder
• Droste Cocoa
• Ghirardelli Premium Baking Cocoa
• Hershey’s Cocoa
• Merckens Natural Cocoa
• Nestlé Toll House Cocoa
• Scharffen Berger Natural Cocoa Powder
• Schokinag Gourmet Cocoa Powder
• Valrhona Cacao

The very name “Dutch-processed” presents a problem when choosing a cocoa powder. The idea that a product treated chemically to remove characteristic flavors might taste better than the original simply runs counter to the basic tenets of ingredient selection. Especially when that original is called "natural." To narrow the field, we tested five Dutched and five natural cocoas separately, first in hot chocolate and then in chocolate shortbread. The top two Dutched cocoas and the top two natural cocoas moved on to compete in a final showdown—an expanded series of tests that included not only hot chocolate and shortbread but also low-fat chocolate pudding, devil’s food cake, and chocolate pudding cake.
We also added one additional element–we decided to cover the cups of hot chocolate with sip tops (like the ones used for takeout coffee) to keep tasters from seeing each sample. The logic was simple. The Dutching process–treating cacao beans with alkaline chemicals–has a striking effect on color: Natural cocoa looks beige; Dutch-processed cocoa boasts a deep, dark, rich-looking brown. That kept our testing all about taste.
The winning shortbread? Dutched. The devil’s food cake? Dutched. The pudding, the pudding cake, the hot chocolate tasted through a sip top? Dutched, Dutched, Dutched. Not quite ready to award Dutched cocoa the undisputed crown, we considered explanations other than Dutching itself.

Fudge Factors

Because makers of upscale cocoa powders often tout their product’s high fat content, we first compared cocoa-butter percentages. But our results convinced us that fat had little to do with cocoa preference. Next we considered price. Once again, the data belied that hypothesis. The price ranges for the Dutched cocoas ($0.36 to $1.08 per ounce) and the natural cocoas ($0.29 to $1.37 per ounce) were very close. What’s more, the only two cocoas priced at more than a dollar an ounce came in dead last in their respective categories. A call to the only manufacturer represented by both Dutched and natural cocoas in our tasting also put to rest the possibility that Dutched cocoas simply begin with higher-quality beans. According to the company spokesperson, the only difference between the company’s Dutched and natural cocoas is the Dutching.

Basic Solution

That left Dutching itself as the source of preferred flavor. To figure out why, we brushed up on cocoa-making basics. Chocolate and cocoa come from chocolate liquor, a paste made from beans scooped from the pods of the tropical cacao tree. The beans are fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground into a paste. Half fat (cocoa butter) and half cocoa solids, the paste is hardened in molds. Some is sold as unsweetened baking chocolate. The rest is fed into hydraulic presses to remove up to three-quarters of its fat, then pulverized and called cocoa powder.
Beans destined for life as Dutched cocoa have one extra stop between shelling and grinding. The shelled beans (or nibs) are soaked in an alkaline (low-acid) solution, usually potassium carbonate. They’re pressed, pulverized, and dried–and Dutch-processed cocoa powder is born.
There’s nothing particularly Dutch about the Dutching process except for the person who thought it up: a 19th-century Dutchman named Coenraad J. van Houten. Van Houten had pioneered the use of the hydraulic press to defat chocolate liquor, prompted by his aversion to the greasy scum that rose to the top of his favorite beverage, hot chocolate. But van Houten still wasn’t satisfied. The drink, now made with cocoa powder, tasted harsh and had an insipid color.
Van Houten’s remedy lay in simple chemistry. Cocoa in its natural state is slightly acidic, as indicated by its pH value of around 5.4. By soaking the cocoa nibs in a basic (or alkaline) solution, he found he could raise the pH to 7 (neutral) or even higher. The higher the pH, the darker the color. What’s more, the acids present in natural cocoa were neutralized, reducing its harshness.

The Bitter End

If tasters had described the Dutched samples as more mellow than the natural samples, all would be explained. But that wasn’t the case. Tasters consistently perceived the Dutched cocoas as having a stronger chocolate flavor. How could neutralizing part of the cocoa flavor profile result in a more chocolatey taste? What flavor remained?
Like wine, chocolate has a complex flavor profile that consists of hundreds of attributes. The most common notes are sour, bitter, astringent, fruity, figgy, raisiny, floral, nutty, smoky, hammy, and even "chocolatey," the essence of cacao beans themselves. Dutching eliminates only the fundamentally acidic components–sour, bitter, astringent, fruity. The others remain intact. Tasters’ comments on the natural cocoas reflected that supposition. Bitterness and sourness were common complaints, as was an unexpected fruitiness. Two alert tasters even picked up on astringency in a few samples. The Dutched cocoas, by contrast, seldom lost points for bitter, sour, fruity, or astringent notes.
More intriguing was a phenomenon called flavor masking. The removal of a cocoa’s harshest notes lets us better appreciate the remaining flavors–the notes that recede into the background when forced to compete with acidic notes
The only case remaining for choosing natural cocoa concerned leavening. Getting a baked good to rise properly depends on a delicate balance of acids and bases. Conventional wisdom thus dictates that Dutched cocoa and natural cocoa cannot be used interchangeably. Many cookbooks include cautionary notes about the dangers of substitution. With these caveats in mind, we chose two recipes (for devil’s food cake and hot pudding cake) that call for a particular type of cocoa–one Dutched, one natural. We noticed no difference in leavening among the four samples in either of these applications. And, across the board, the two Dutched cocoas beat out the two natural cocoas in terms of both flavor and texture.
So does the home cook need both Dutched and natural cocoas? Not based on our findings. But buyer beware, too much “dutching” is not a good thing. Our tasters found that while moderate Dutching helps alleviate harsh notes, the overzealously Dutched cocoa we tasted took on a taste and consistency reminiscent of talcum powder.

Best Overall Cocoa

Callebaut Cocoa Powder

Our top performer won raves for balance and rich chocolate flavor.

Published September 1, 2005. From Cook’s Illustrated.

Here are our tips to determining when cookies and brownies are done.

Cookies

We think most cookies are best when they are chewy. This means taking them out of the oven when they are slightly underdone—in fact, the cookies are often so soft they will droop over the end of a spatula. Bake cookies on parchment and cool on baking sheet for a few minutes; after they have set up slightly, slide the parchment onto a cooling rack. if the cookies have crevices, the crevices should appear moist. When baking smooth cookies, look at the edges, which should be lightly browned; the center should be set but not fully dry.

Brownies

Overbaked brownies are dry and chalky and the chocolate flavor is diminished. Use the skewer test to determine doneness, but look for moist sticky crumbs.
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