August Round Up

Cooking with EVOO, Stainless Steel Pans, Links, Recs, and More

Hey, everyone!

I can’t believe the summer is already coming to a close! I just celebrated my birthday, and I’ve repeatedly reflected this year on how grateful I am to be able to share cool content related to food and cooking with such a wide range of people. If you’re subscribed to this newsletter, I appreciate you greatly!

I’m off to Bend, Oregon for a few weeks soon, so please let me know if you have any recommendations for Bend or Portland. I’ve got lots of cool things in the works around my next cohort of 80/20 Cooking, as well as some other fun content I’ll share soon!

Myles

Cooking with Olive Oil

Recently I was asked about whether it’s safe to cook with olive oil and a lot of heat, and I wanted to take some time to dispel the myth.

To be clear, you can definitely cook with olive oil. I even cook with it over high heat— roasting, sauteing, pan frying, even deep frying occasionally. As long as you're buying high-quality extra virgin olive oil, it's completely safe and also delicious.

Good-quality olive oil has a high smoke point— usually around 375℉ and often up to 410℉. Even if you’re deep frying something, you’re unlikely to need to get the oil that hot. But the other thing about olive oil is that it’s chock-full of antioxidants that protect against oxidation and degradation. Some brands (like Zimms Organics, which I love) even list polyphenol count right on the bottle.

The key here is simply buying high-quality olive oil. If the olive oil isn’t good— or even worse if it’s blended with other oils— it won’t stand up well to heat. But the good stuff will. Overall, it’s actually a very stable oil compared to alternatives. If you want more info, Zimms put together a cool article showing some of the studies that have proven this.

There are other great oils that I prefer for really high-heat cooking (see my Fats & Oils Guide for a full breakdown). For example, if I want to sear meat (which means I’m using heat above the smoke point of olive oil), then I’ll usually opt for tallow or ghee. But olive oil is great for a lot of cooking and the fear around it is unnecessary if you're buying good product.

Case in point— this olive oil-fried chicken parm, which is one of my all-time favorite dishes.

Podcasts

Yotam Ottolenghi is one of my all-time favorite chefs and recipe developers. His books are incredible, his recipes are always super well-tested and reliable, and his book Flavor is one of my favorite resources for learning about the high-level theory of building and balancing flavor.

Recently I came across this interview where he dives a bit more into his background and philosophy, and I really enjoyed it.

Vera Salt

If you read this newsletter frequently, you’ll know that I’m somewhat obsessed with salt. Salt is the most important ingredient in cooking, and it’s one of the only ingredients that touches just about everything you eat. So I believe it makes sense to seek out the highest-quality salt available. I know this is niche, nerdy stuff, but bear with me.

I’ve been on a mission to find the best salt for cooking. For pure performance, I’ve always like Diamond Crystal. But I’ve become increasingly concerned about microplastics and contaminants in salts sourced from modern oceans. Redmond Real Salt is sourced from ancient salt mines and is thus free of microplastics, but I’ve found that it leaves a gritty texture in food, and some studies show concerning levels of heavy metals in that salt. I love Only Salt, but it’s coarse texture makes it unsuitable for everyday use.

Thus far, Vera Salt is the best I’ve found for everyday cooking salt. It has a nice texture, clean taste, performs well, doesn’t have any grittiness, and is third-party tested for microplastics, heavy metals, and mineral content. I’ve been using this as my everday cooking salt for the past month or so, and I’m really loving it.

The Best Stainless Steel Pans

If you had asked me 6 months ago if I could only keep one piece of cookware, I probably would have said my Made In carbon steel skillet. I still love that pan, but recently I’ve really fallen in love with my stainless steel pans. I think that all things considered, stainless steel pans are the most versatile out there. While they don’t benefit from the same seasoning that builds up over time with carbon steel, they perform incredibly well if used properly, and they are even more versatile than carbon steel because you never have to worry about stripping the seasoning.

I’ve long used Made In’s stainless steel pans, and I’m a big fan of them. But I’ve been curious about whether there are even better options out ther.

I conducted a Twitter poll, and All-Clad came out on top. But I got some highly opinionated (and informed) responses, and Heritage Steel and Demeyere came very well recommended.

If anyone has opinions here, please let me know! Otherwise I might have to eventually purchase all of these and test them myself.

NYC Restaurant Recs

I’ve been living in NYC this summer, and I wanted to share some of my favorite spots I’ve dined. If you’re in NYC or visiting any time soon, don’t miss these.

• Nura - New American with Indian influence. My favorite place I’ve eaten this summer.

• Sofreh - Fantastic Persian food.

• Fini Pizza - My favorite slice shop. Classic NY-style pizza with great ingredients.

• Casa Enrique - Really great Modern Mexican.

• Chez Ma Tante - New American / French-influenced. Probably my second-favorite meal this summer, behind Nura.

• Los Tacos No 1 - Still the best tacos in NYC.

• Milkflower - A hidden gem in Astoria. Amazing wood-fired pizzas and vegetables dishes.

Suncraft Knife

My mom bought me this Suncraft Knife, and at first I wasn’t quite sure how to use it. It’s like a cross between a bread knife, a paring knife, and a steak knife. But it’s turned out to be incredibly versatile— I use it all the time for everything from cutting bread to slicing tomatoes to cutting steak.

It’s really well-designed and stays incredibly sharp. I highly recommend.

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If you enjoyed this newsletter, you can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more cooking content.

If you’re interested in diving deeper into cooking, I teach a 4-week course called 80/20 Cooking. Cohort #2 kicks off in October of this year. There’s more info on the website if you’re interested!