WASHINGTON 鈥� Gone are the days when a protein and two sides defined dinner in America.
Home cooks throughout the country are closing up old cookbooks and putting away their pot roasts in search of new techniques and bigger, bolder flavors.
The catalyst for this culinary change is not one thing, but a combination of many, said Christopher Kimball, founder of and co-founder of America’s Test Kitchen.
For starters, traditionally hard-to-find ingredients are becoming less so. Conventional grocery stores dedicate aisles to international products, and anything that isn鈥檛 available on the shelf is just a click away on Amazon.
Restaurants are another factor driving change in home kitchens.
鈥淵ou can go to any town in America and get a good meal,鈥� said Kimball, who is also the author of 鈥淢ilk Street: The New Home Cooking.鈥�
Now, diners are looking for ways to recreate the restaurant experience at home.
And finally, Americans are rethinking the traditional plate. Time-strapped cooks don鈥檛 have the luxury of preparing multiple dishes for one meal. Not to mention, minimizing meat consumption for financial, health and environmental reasons is becoming increasingly popular.
鈥淭he idea of a big piece of meat surrounded by some vegetables or grains 鈥� that鈥檚 definitely going,鈥� Kimball said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about to change, radically.聽And five years from now, you won鈥檛 recognize home cooking.”聽
Traveling away from Northern Europe
Kimball explains that traditional American cuisine is based heavily on Northern European cooking.
鈥淭hat concept was to take fairly bland foods 鈥� meat, fish, root vegetables 鈥� and then turn them into flavorful foods with time and heat and experience,鈥� Kimball explained.
Whereas most of the rest of the world starts with big flavors that require less time over a flame.
鈥淎 stir fry, for example, is very quick. But you start with big ingredients 鈥� you have chilies, you have herbs, you have spices, you have fermented sauces 鈥� And so when you start with big flavors, you get to big flavor quickly,鈥� Kimball said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where we鈥檙e seeing a lot of change. Instead of a lot of time and heat and technique, you鈥檒l simply use a better combination of ingredients. 鈥� This stuff is not harder; it鈥檚 simpler.鈥�
Less is more
The future is bright for fans of one-pot dinners. From stews, to frittatas, to noodle bowls, Kimball says keep the execution of the meal simple and let the ingredients speak for themselves.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 the number of things; it鈥檚 which things,鈥� said Kimball, who admits to spending too much time making too many things for dinner parties in the past. 聽
鈥淢y advice is make one thing 鈥� go out and buy some cheese or whatever 鈥� get some good wine and make thing, a soup or stew, and then you鈥檙e done with it.鈥�
The new American pantry
It鈥檚 amazing what a few new spices can do to an otherwise ordinary plate. Blends, such as za鈥檃tar, and pastes like tahini, harissa and miso, can be used in everything from stews to dressings and even desserts.
鈥淭ahini, we put it in brownies, for example, and it鈥檚 great. It has a little bit of bitterness to it, and so it offsets the sweetness of the chocolate 鈥� it鈥檚 a good combination,鈥� Kimball said.
Another favorite staple of his is pomegranate molasses, 鈥淲hich I thought I would never buy 10 years ago, but I use almost every day,鈥� he added.
鈥淚f you do a stew, put a tablespoon in at the end. Nobody will know what you did. Pomegranate molasses gives you depth; it鈥檚 sweet and sour. It鈥檚 got a really rich flavor to it.鈥�
In addition to dried herbs and spices, Kimball says it鈥檚 time to rethink how you use fresh herbs. While you may be used to adding a few basil leaves or a sprig of thyme to a recipe, other cultures and cuisines use handfuls of fresh herbs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just so exciting because we鈥檝e not been open to the world, and like the music and fashion industries, it鈥檚 all going to collapse. It鈥檚 all going to come together in some weird mix,” Kimball said.聽
