Daniel Gritzer
Editorial director of Serious Eats. Develops recipes by testing every variable side by side.
Speaks to 6 threads
Cited in 8 places
- Carbonara/ Commentary
“It occurred to me while I was working on this that I had everything I needed to set up a makeshift double boiler: a pot of boiling water and a large mixing bowl that I can nest on top. … Since carbonara is essentially a savory custard sauce, it's a trick that works just as well here.”
Spaghetti With Carbonara Sauce Recipe — Serious Eats (2015) - Carbonara/ Commentary
“Pecorino Romano alone has an assertive flavor, which is why I and many others like to cut it with the sweeter, fruitier flavor of Parmigiano-Reggiano. I use equal parts of each and whisk them into the eggs and yolks in a mixing bowl, along with plenty of coarsely ground black pepper.”
Spaghetti With Carbonara Sauce Recipe — Serious Eats (2015) - Carbonara/ Counterpoint
“American bacon, as you can imagine, added a hint of smoke, which is pretty darned tasty in its own right and definitely worth considering. … If smoked bacon is all you can get, there's no reason to let authenticity stand between you and a filling bowl of carbonara.”
Spaghetti With Carbonara Sauce Recipe — Serious Eats (2015) - Carbonara/ Argument
“Pecorino Romano alone is assertive; cutting it with equal-parts Parmigiano-Reggiano gives a sweeter, fruitier balance without losing the Roman character. (Serious Eats, 2015.)”
The Cheese Question — argued for "Fifty-Fifty Blend" - Carbonara/ Argument
“Side-by-side tests with guanciale, pancetta, and American bacon all produced a worthy carbonara. Pancetta gives the cleanest pork flavour; bacon adds a smoke note. Authenticity should not stand between a cook and dinner. (Serious Eats, 2015.)”
The Pork Question — argued for "Use What You Have" - Carbonara/ Argument
“In side-by-side tests at the same egg mass, yolks alone produced a tighter sauce; whole eggs ran watery. The published Serious Eats recipe uses 6 yolks plus 2 whole eggs for a sauce that is rich without being heavy. (Serious Eats, 2015.)”
The Egg Composition — argued for "Mostly Yolks, Some Whole" - Scrambled Eggs/ Commentary
“If anything, the eggs that sat with salt for the longest were more moist and tender than the eggs that were exposed to salt for less time.”
Gordon Ramsay Was Wrong About Salting Scrambled Eggs — We Tested It — Serious Eats (2019) - Scrambled Eggs/ Argument
“Gritzer's Serious Eats side-by-side test (5 batches, 0–60 minutes of pre-salting): the longer the salt sits with the beaten eggs, the more tender and moist the result. The kitchen lore that pre-salting toughens eggs is wrong.”
Salt Timing — argued for "Salt Early"