Pounding Chicken Breasts, Smashed Potatoes, Egg Expiration

Cooking Questions & Answers

I always get emails from you guys asking me about various cooking topics. The questions come from all over and I do my best to answer them. If I can't give you a good response, I recruit the help of one of my many professional chef friends. Here are a few questions I bet many of you would like answers to.

Pounding Chicken Breasts

What is the correct way to pound chicken breasts in chicken piccata? Do I start with thin slices, or if I already have "normal" sized chicken breasts, do I slice them thinner before pounding? How hard should I pound?

You do not need to slice full breasts any thinner to pound them out.  I would use the smooth side of a meat mallet or even a fairly heavy, smooth-bottomed frying pan.  Spray a little oil on the meat).

Continue pounding, sliding off in a slightly different direction each time (or, conversely, turning the meat between each blow) to create an even thickness.  I've also seen this done with the meat between two pieces of plastic wrap, and I have used wax paper.  Keep pounding until the meat is roughly ¼" thick, and all your frustrations disappear. Another great reason for learning how to cook.

Take your time; this isn't a test of strength.  You want to do this as gently as possible (if pounding can ever be considered gentle) because you don't want to tear the meat.  This same technique can also be used on any other type of lean meat--turkey, pork or beef.

Smashed Potatoes

I want to know how to make restaurant-style smashed potatoes....the kind that are chunky.

Okay, here's what you do:  use red bliss potatoes or some other type with lovely red skin.  If they are very small, boil them whole in well-salted water until easily pierced with a fork.  Cut larger potatoes in half or quarters.

When tender, drain well, then put back on the heat and let them dry for a few minutes.  This will keep them fluffier--the dryer, the better.  Leave the skins on.  Since you want to keep them chunky, add all your add-ins before you start smashing:  some warmed dairy--either milk, half and half, cream, sour cream (don't let the sour cream boil), etc.

Salt and pepper to taste, butter to taste, and perhaps some roasted garlic.  Then, smash away with a potato masher with large openings - the kind with one thick metal tube that curves back and forth is good for this.  Smash to your particular smashiness and enjoy.

For garnish, try sprinkling with fresh chives or parsley.

Egg Expiration

How do you tell if your eggs are expired and not good to use?

That is an "eggcellent" question, and no, I couldn't help myself!

Eggs stay usable for a surprisingly long time as they are refrigerated.  The best way to tell if an egg is still usable without cracking it open is to put it in water--at least 4 inches.  If it stays on the bottom, you're good to go.  If it's a floater, toss it away.

Why this works: All eggs have a membrane between the shell and the albumin (the clear, viscous liquid inside).  There is no air between the membrane and the shell in a freshly laid egg, but as the egg ages, the air pocket inside gets larger and larger due to osmosis through the permeable shell. Once the egg has enough air pockets to float, it has passed its prime.

An egg farmer has also told me that if you hold an egg with the pointy side down and shine a flashlight on the top of the egg, you can see a space between the egg and the shell with older eggs. I've tried this, and either it doesn't work or my eggs were all very fresh.

Prolong egg life by storing eggs in their original containers on the bottom shelf of your fridge. Don't store them in those cute little egg holders that come with some refrigerator doors. The doors are warmer because of all the opening and closing.