Friends, hello.

Last Saturday, I wrote about my Great Aunt Rene's chicken recipe and hoped many of you would give it a go for its ease and deliciousness. I noted that I always serve it with rice made in my rice cooker, and this past week, I received several emails about that rice cooker.

It's this Cuckoo Rice Cooker, and before buying it, I had embraced my Instant Pot for cooking rice. I love that the Instant Pot shuts off when the rice is done and keeps it warm (as opposed to a stovetop that requires manual attention). But I hate the experience of using an Instant Pot: it's so massive.

So I bought a rice cooker, thinking it might replace the cumbersome appliance I use primarily for rice. So far, I have liked it, but let me share some thoughts:

• It has worked great for 2 cups of dried rice, which is what I typically cook for my family of six. The machine says it can cook 3 cups of dried rice, but I have not had great success using 3 cups — it takes forever, and the rice does not cook as well.
• The interface is simple but not intuitive: unlike the IP, which requires you to select a time and pressure, with the rice cooker, you just hit start! It somehow just knows what to do.
• The one time I tried to cook brown rice, it didn't turn out well, though that was likely user error, and I should try again.
• The inner canister is nonstick, which I know many of you dislike.

So, while I like my rice cooker, I would love to know if any of you have a better suggestion, particularly one that maybe can cook larger quantities of rice and one that is not nonstick. If you do have a suggestion, please leave it on Rene's chicken post so everyone can benefit. Thank you 🙏

PS: This week I added a video to the Jim Lahey No-Knead bread recipe. I hope it helps! 🍞🍞

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Review of the Week

​⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️​

​Perfect Roast Chicken​

"Roasted 2 birds last night for dinner with friends. Outstanding and so easy! I’ll never use another roasting method for chicken again. Salting the evening before changes the game – moist delectable flesh! And the roasting method – perfectly golden crispy skin! Thank you so much!"

— Sharon

7 Recipes to Make Right Now

This time last year, I shared this recipe for Miraculously Delicious Turkey Burgers, which were unlike any I had made before. The turkey meat is seasoned with a purée of apples, cilantro, scallions, mango chutney, soy sauce, and spices — no eggs, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, or oil, ingredients often used in turkey burger recipes to prevent the patties from drying out. My kids love these ...

... aside Homemade Oven Fries​

​Leblebi (North African Chickpea Soup): Made from all pantry staples, delicious with homemade naan.

​Vegetarian Broccoli-Cheddar Soup: a one-pot, prep-as-you-go job! Delicious with croutons or...

... No-Knead Dinner Rolls made in a muffin tin (so easy!):

​Curried Lentils with Kale and Coconut Milk: another one-pot wonder, seasoned with fresh ginger, toasted mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, and more:

​Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower: a favorite winter side dish.

Popular Right Now

You Are Loving These 3 Recipes...

• ​Great Aunt Rene's Honey Mustard Baked Chicken​
• ​How to Make Rye Bread 🍞
• ​Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal​

PS: ALL the popular recipes right here → Popular Recipes​

Thank You

Thank you to all who have ordered Pizza Night. If you haven't left a review yet, I would be so grateful if you did! 🙏🙏🍕🍕🥗🥗

5 Free Resources Available to You

• ​8-Video Chopping Tutorial​
• ​5 Secrets to Foolproof Bread Baking 🍞🍞 (email course)
• ​Sourdough Demystified 🍞🍞 (email course)
• ​How to Build a Sourdough Starter from Scratch (email course)
• ​Pizza School 🍕🍕 (email course)

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PS: All previous editions of this newsletter are available here.