Ask Bittman Anything

Q: Is there a difference between rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar? I cannot find a product labeled rice wine vinegar, even in San Francisco.
A: There is no difference between rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar. Vinegar can be made from just about any fruit, vegetable or grain. It's a two-step process: first an alcoholic fermentation to covert sugars in the base material to alcohol; then an acetic fermentation to covert the resulting brew to (acetic) acid. Rice vinegar - which is lower in acid than many vinegars, is made from rice (obviously), and its subtle flavor is not only essential in East Asian cooking, it's great in salads.

Q: Do you think that a large blowtorch (such as a roofers variety) would do the same job as a salamander oven? Here in the Big Apple it's hard top fit a salamander into an apartment kitchen!
A: First I would advise you to befriend the Fire Department. Joking aside, a salamander is basically an industrial-strength broiler that is mounted above the oven range. It is useful for browning foods quickly, but is not very efficient for a home kitchen because it uses a tremendous amount of energy. Unless you are serving a couple dozen people an evening, I would suggest using your broiler and a hardware-store variety blowtorch for tasks like forming the sugar crust on a crème brulée.

Q: What is in the great dry rub used on the "Northern Style Spare Ribs" at P.F. Changs? Love your show!
A: I am not sure exactly how they prepare their ribs, but northern Chinese cooking tends to use a lot of black pepper, rice vinegar, and sugar. I'd recommend rubbing them with a generous amount of black pepper and cooking them over a low fire for a few hours. After they are cooked (this could take upwards of two hours), raise the heat and baste the ribs with a mixture of 3 parts honey, 2 parts rice vinegar, and 1 part soy sauce.

Q: On one of your shows someone reduced balsamic vinegar to make a sauce. Can you elaborate?
A: Yes, James Boyce used reduced balsamic vinegar as a sauce for his beef tenderloin. This is a very simple preparation: boil the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over moderately high heat until reduced by three-quarters or so. It will be thick and syrupy, perfect to drizzle over a piece of beef, chicken, pork, and so on. But start with decent balsamic vinegar, because any flaws will be accentuated by the reduction.

Q: There is plain, virgin, extra virgin olive oil. What is the difference? Is it really important?
A: The different grades of olive oil are defined by acidity, extra-virgin having the least acidity. Extra-virgin is also the oil gathered after the initial pressing of the olives. No chemicals are used during this pressing, resulting in a full-flavored, rich oil. If you can afford to use extra-virgin olive oil for all your cooking, I would recommend it. If it is too expensive for you, reserve it for dressing salads and vegetables and use a lesser grade for cooking.

Q: All the television chefs use extra-virgin olive oil. Doesn't the flavor just burn away?
A: I find the flavor of extra-virgin olive oil to be welcome in sautéing, stir-frying, even deep-frying. The flavor remains, but since cooking can require more oil than say dressing a salad, your relatively pricey oil supply will have to be replaced more frequently if you use it as an all-purpose oil. If you want a more neutral flavor and/or an inexpensive option, try grapeseed or corn oil for your cooking and extra-virgin olive oil for your salads.

Q: Can I use unbleached flour for wheat? Will it be the same measure?
A: All-purpose unbleached flour is actually plain wheat flour, whose processing removes the germ and bran and renders it white. Whole-wheat flour has the germ and bran intact. White flour does not have the flavor or beneficial nutrients that whole-wheat flour has, but it makes for a softer, loftier baked good. Since whole-wheat flour makes for a denser product, substituting it for white flour would mean adjusting liquids in a recipe. For the most part you can replace up to half the white flour in a recipe with whole-wheat flour with decent results. To go beyond that ratio, you would have to consult the specific recipe.

Q: When using a gas grill should the gas tank be fully opened? Thanks!
A: Yes. But close it when you're done.

Q: Is there any need to spend more than 15-20 minutes cooking a shrimp stock? I've made the shrimp stock in your book several times, but have also seen recipes calling for shrimp shells to be cooked for 30-45 minutes. Is there any appreciable difference between a shrimp stock simmered for 15 minutes and one simmered for 45? Thanks a lot.
A: I love shrimp stock for its light flavor, which makes it a versatile ingredient for soups, risotto, and so on. That said, the longer you spend cooking it, the stronger the flavor. If you want a stronger stock with more intense flavor, by all means cook it longer. If you find that it tastes "overdone" with longer cooking time, try cooking it for 15-20 minutes, straining it, and then reducing the stock to form a more concentrated version.

Q: This is one of the smartest shows around. I love the banter and the cooking ideas/techniques from the different chefs. I hope there is another season of this. But truthfully, isn't Bittman's secret to everything just butter and anchovies?
A: No. Olive oil and garlic.

Q: What is the secret to making a meringue for a pie nice and lofty and tall? What is the trick to NOT have it weap and leak over the pan later and in the crust?
A: Try beating the egg whites with a bit of cream of tartar, whose acidity helps the egg whites hold their shape. Also, do not overdo the beating. You want the meringue to have soft, full peaks. If they get very stiff, stop beating immediately- they are on the verge of becoming overbeaten, which results in droopy, wet meringue.

Q: Several years ago, I had tapioca soup at a Chinese restaurant. I haven't seen it since, and have never been able to find a recipe.
A: Tapioca is a useful thickener and is occaisionaly used in soups. Try mixing tapioca with some cold stock or water and then mixing it into hot stock for a thick soup. The ratio should be about one part tapioca to ten parts stock. You can also cook tapioca pearls in a big pot of boiling water, like pasta. These pearls can be served with soup as an interesting alternative to rice or pasta.

Q: To make matzo balls lighter, what ingredient(s) would you increase/decrease? How would you change the recipe to make them heavier?
A: To make lighter matzo balls, try separating the eggs, beating the yolks with the liquid and matzo meal, beating the whites separately until stiff, and then folding the eggs whites into the matzo meal mixture. You can also use seltzer instead of stock for light matzo balls. To make them heavier, eat at my Aunt Sharon's! (haha, you can take this line out?) To make them heavier, use the eggs whole and try adding a bit more matzo meal.

Q: My wife tries to make blueberry pie, but it always comes out super watery. What can she do?
A: I'd suggest missing two tablespoons of cornstarch or three tablespoons of instant tapioca to the berries before baking. Either of these ingredients will help to absorb the liquid and thicken the filling without contributing any flavor.

Q: I love monkfish but every single time I buy it and cook it at home, it's infested with little worms. Disgusting! Do chefs know something I don't about how to choose monkfish, or is it always worm-ridden and we just don't see it. Thanks!
A: First, don't eat it! Fish should never be worm-ridden, or for that matter ridden with anything. If you are buying the fish whole, look for red gills, bright reflective skin, firm flesh, an undamaged layer of scales, and no browning anywhere. Ask to smell the fish, its scent should be sweet and smell of fresh seawater. Trust your instincts and demand quality from your supplier.