Commentary

Plate

For a non-cook, I love Plate. The photography is lovely -- though some of the entrees are as big as my head. But maybe that's the point. Food is a large part of our existence, never mind a hugely lucrative industry. And for creative chefs -- and the bigger-is-better gourmet -- there are no small parts.



So let's celebrate the chicken wiener schnitzel that ate Chicago. Its accompanying headline, "Batter Up," is a paean to frying -- from ancient Greece to modern-day Milan. In fact, and here's where 5-year-old Plate gets tasty -- each issue covers a single food subject in-depth. In this one, it's frying, capital F. The focus, per its Web site, is "the creative, culinary side of the business, the chef's craft."

And this month, Plate sizzles.

The mag may focus on the chef-to-chef market, but if this is a trade pub, it's remarkably elegant. Yet it also speaks to the sophisticated food reader, combining a dollop of history and culture with each story, as well as a recipe index that breaks down starters, main courses, sides and desserts. In short, Plate is tres user-friendly.

So while it may seem counterintuitive to slap fried foods on the cover, given the trans-fat battles in cities nationwide, I'm sold on the mac and cheese bites with blackberry-jalapeno jam. And so is culinary editor Chandra Ram, who says the industry has one overarching goal: "to entice people to eat." Let's face it -- man cannot live by tofu and shiitake alone. Even if I think cholesterol is our friend, she doesn't. At least, not entirely.

The cooking methods outlined here suggest how to fry with less greasy results, what oils produce the crispiest crunch (some even with nutritional bennies) and when to par-cook for better results. To paraphrase that 1950s jazzy blues tune: "Fry me a river."

Each issue of Plate serves up "First Impressions," quick-hit front-of-the-book appetizers. This round, fritters. And guess what? Every ethnic group has a variation on the theme. In India, it's pakoras. In Japan, tempura. The Deep South is proud of its hush puppies, while crab cakes are a byword in New England. Say what you will about the value of health; wrap anything in cornmeal and pop it into a vat of hot oil. Here's betting it outsells organic seaweed snaps 100 to 1.

Next up, "Plate Expectations." Yes, it's a steal from Dickens -- and if he were here, he'd Oliver Twist his way to the table. And ask, as his lovable tyke did, for seconds. I'm not sure if Kentucky fried chicken was part of 19th-century English cuisine, but I suspect everyone would have been happier if it had been.

One British consolation -- fish and chips -- which dates back nearly 150 years. One theory of its genesis, among many, comes from Prof. Panikos Panayi of England's De Montfort University. He suggests the dish is a multi-culti marriage between Portuguese Jewish immigrants' pescado frito and French pommes frites. Though who decided to wrap it in newspaper is anybody's guess.

Admittedly, the chefs here are versatile -- green tea doughnuts to corn dogs, blue cheese beignets to sweet potato fritters. This is striking the motherlode in the some-like-it-hot department. The rest can look forward to the September/October issue, devoted to "Liquid Assets." Stories address vodka sauces, bourbon glazes, cooking with beer and wine and spiked sorbet - an intoxicating brew. Well-written, beautifully shot and wholly indulgent, Plate is a delicious reminder that the pleasures of the table are endless. Pull up a chair.

MAG STATS

Frequency: Bimonthly

Published by: Marketing & Technology Group, Inc.

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