Cook's Country

♪♪ -"Cook's Country" is about more than just getting dinner on the table.

We're also fascinated by the people and stories behind the dishes.

We go inside kitchens in every corner of the country to learn how real people cook, and we look back through time to see how history influences the way we eat today.

We bring that inspiration back to our test kitchen so we can share it with you.

This is "Cook's Country."

♪♪ Today on "Cook's Country," Ashley makes diner-style patty melts.

I share the story of Tiny Naylor's -- the birthplace of the patty melt.

Adam reviews automatic drip coffeemakers.

And Christie makes extra-crunchy onion rings.

That's all right here on "Cook's Country."

♪♪ -If you like cheeseburgers, but have never had a patty melt, you are seriously missing out.

Now, I'm relatively new to the patty melt scene.

I had my first one just a few years ago and it blew my mind.

It's a thin burger with some Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, on a griddled piece of rye.

You know, I've never made them.

I've only had them at my local burger place.

-Yeah, I mean, they are so easy to make at home.

It just is a matter of constructing.

It's one of those old-school favorites.

-Mm-hmm.

-But we are gonna take our diner-style patty melt to the next level.

-Ooh, I'm in.

-Strap on the seat belt.

So here I have four slices of seeded rye bread that are lightly toasted.

-Mmm.

Yeah, I have to say that lightly toasted is an understatement.

There is no browning on this whatsoever.

-Well, but that's intentional because I'm gonna be cooking it in a few different stages in the cast-iron skillet.

-That makes sense.

-Mm-hmm.

-So the browning happens in the skillet, but you want it dry.

-Yeah, nice and dry because you want it to absorb all that delicious beef fat and the burger fat... -Mm-hmm-hmm.

-...and a little bit of butter a little bit later on.

But first, I need to preheat our cast-iron skillet.

-All right.

-It's a 12-incher.

Next, I have four slices of Swiss cheese, and I'm actually only gonna need two of them right now.

I'm gonna put the cheese on two slices of bread.

So you'll see that some of it is hanging over the edges.

-Mm-hmm.

-Just go in and tear off any larger pieces.

-Okay.

-And then again, we've got two slices of American cheese.

-One for flavor, one for that creamy texture.

-Yes.

Yes.

All right.

So I have 80% lean ground beef.

I have 8 ounces.

-Okay.

-And that's gonna be for the two of us.

-Quarter-pound patties.

-Quarter-pound patties.

Now, you mentioned earlier the diner-style patties.

-Yeah.

-They're really thin.

-Mm-hmm.

-And they're crispy.

Now, I'm gonna press these onto these cute little pieces of parchment paper.

It's easy to put them into the skillet this way.

But what I'm gonna do is, I'm gonna make a patty no bigger than 1/4 inch.

I want them to be bigger than each piece of bread... -Okay.

-...because they're gonna shrink as they cook.

So I'm gonna go wash my hands and come back and then we're gonna get cooking our patties.

-Okay.

-I have a tablespoon of butter here.

I'm gonna add it to the cast-iron skillet.

Again, it's been preheating over medium high heat.

It's been about five minutes on there.

-Yeah.

-So while that goes around the pan, I'm gonna add some salt and pepper onto our beef patties.

-Okay.

-So this is a combination of 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, evenly, about 1/4 per side.

So I just want to swirl the skillet.

It's definitely a repeated technique throughout this recipe, and that's only just to ensure that you're getting butter all over that skillet.

We want that griddle, sort of like that flat top in the diners.

-Mm-hmm.

-All right.

Thanks to the parchment, I can easily lift this up.

-I love it.

Like you're a short order cook.

-Yeah.

Exactly.

And do each one with the salt and pepper side down.

-That is a clever trick.

-I know.

Right?

And then while those cook, I'm gonna add the rest of the salt.

These burgers need to cook for about a minute to a minute and a half until it's really brown and crisp on the bottom.

-Okay.

-All right.

It's been about a minute.

I want to go in and check just to see how we're doing on the first side.

-It is smelling good.

-Oh, yeah.

-[ Laughing ] Oh.

-I know, I know.

I'm gonna cook these for an additional 60 seconds.

You want it just to be well browned on the second side as well.

-Okay.

-All right, Julia, let's take our patties out.

Oh, yeah, those are gorgeous.

Now I'm gonna put the patties on the cheese-sided toast first.

-Mm.

-Next are caramelized onions.

-Yes!

-I'm gonna add another tablespoon of butter into the skillet.

So I thinly sliced this one onion.

It's just your basic yellow onion.

-Okay.

-So now I'm adding 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Finally 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

-Okay.

-I'm gonna go in there with a wooden spoon just to stir and pick up any of those brown bits, because those are some delicious bits, if I must say so myself.

So I'm gonna trap that steam in there with this lid.

I'm gonna cook them for about 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are softened.

But in the meantime, we're gonna make a really delicious, tangy, sour, flavorful sauce... -Oh.

-...for the onions.

I have a tablespoon of ketchup and I have a tablespoon of some cider vinegar.

-Mm.

-As you can imagine, it's gonna give you that acid from the ketchup, but it's also gonna give you the acid from the vinegar.

Salty, sweet, sourness going on.

Speaking of sweet, I have some packed brown sugar -- 1 teaspoon.

And finally some Worcestershire sauce just to bring out all those flavors in there.

And lastly, 1/4 cup of some water.

Also, we're gonna create another barrier on these other two pieces of toast.

So I have... -Mm-hmm.

-...a couple slices of Swiss cheese left.

Now, this is the larger one, the rectangular one.

You can also find at your deli, the smaller square ones.

Again, all you have to do is just ensure that they're not gonna be hanging over the pieces of bread.

Time to check on the onions.

[ Sizzling ] Oh, man.

-[ Laughing ] Oh.

-Yeah.

These need to cook a little bit longer without the lid on and before I put the sauce in, so 3 to 5 minutes.

♪♪ -Patty melts take me right back to my teens when we cruised the Hollywood streets with a map to the Hollywood stars' homes and gobbled down burgers and fries and shakes.

Unfortunately, we were too late to make the scene at the famous drive-ins like Tiny Naylor's and Du-par's, which were dying businesses by then.

Tiny Naylor's was founded by William Wallace Naylor, who opened his first restaurant in 1926.

By the 1940s, he had a chain of restaurants in the L.A. area.

Tiny Naylor's became known for fresh ingredients and dishes like corn on the cob, baked potatoes, and ribs, along with the usual drive-in fare.

Many people credit the restaurant with creating the patty melt.

Patty melts were featured on their menu starting in the early 1950s and stayed there until the last location closed in 1984.

At "Cook's Country," our patty melt gives new life to this California classic.

♪♪ -Mmm.

Those look good.

-Mm-hmm.

I'm gonna add our sauce.

It's helping to go into the bottom of the pan and get up all that fond and those brown bits.

I'll cook this for 1 to 2 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the onions are browned.

I'd say those are pretty brown.

-Oh, those are gorgeous.

-Mm-hmm.

Now I'm gonna divide them evenly between the two sandwiches.

I have to rinse out this skillet because as you can see, there is some of that sugary goodness left behind there.

-Mm-hmm.

-And although it's delicious, it wouldn't be good on our sandwiches.

-That's right.

-So I'm gonna rinse it off in the sink.

And I'm also then gonna wipe it off with a wad of paper towels just to make sure it's dry and just to also make sure nothing is left on the skillet.

-Okay.

-So now I'm gonna heat this over medium heat and I'm gonna add a tablespoon more of butter.

And like I mentioned earlier, you want to pick up the skillet and turn it all around just to make sure that it's coating the skillet really well.

Time to put our sandwiches in.

But what I'm gonna do obviously first is top our little onions and patties with the cheese and the toast.

All right, Julia, I'm gonna cook these for 3 to 5 minutes right now on the first side, burger side down.

-Mm-hmm.

-And you want to go in there and move it every once in a while just to make sure they're getting evenly browned, not too dark in some certain spots.

-Okay.

-Now, with this stage, I am gonna cover it, similar to the onions, so that it traps that steam in there.

It's gonna also help to soften the bread while it's browning in there.

So, again, 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat.

Let's check them out.

The suspense.

Oh, boy.

-Oh, those are gorgeous.

-Yes.

-Oh, goodness.

-Mm-hmm.

-That is an even toast.

-Yeah.

I'm gonna add one last tablespoon of buttery goodness.

-Mm-hmm.

-So as you can see, I'm just putting them in between the two patty melts.

-Oh, yeah.

-And then just kind of swirl it around the skillet a little bit if you can.

-Mm-hmm.

-And then kind of you can move the melts just to make sure that they're also in a little bit of that butter as well.

And then these are almost done.

These just need to cook 1 to 3 more minutes over medium heat.

And I'm just gonna put that lid right back on there.

All right.

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

That steamy, buttery goodness.

-Mm-hmm.

-Okay, Julia.

The time has come.

Notice I'm using a serrated knife.

Just make sure that it doesn't press down heavily on one part of the sandwich, which could make the patty kind of fly out.

-[ Laughing ] Oh!

-See that?

Oh, boy.

-Look at that!

-Yeah.

-You can see the burger, still pink in the middle... -Mm-hmm.

-...not overcooked.

The onions are nice and tidy, and there's a little melted cheese on each side.

And the bread, it's not soggy.

-Mnh-mnh.

-All right, I'm going in.

-Oh.

Buttery goodness.

All right, let's do it.

-[ Chuckles ] That's incredible.

-I just got goose bumps.

I swear.

I took one bite and I have goose bumps.

-It is patty melt perfection.

-Mm-hmm.

-You can taste the rye bread.

I like the American cheese on there.

You get that creamy hit.

-Mm-hmm.

And that sour tang.

It's not overly sour.

-Mnh-mnh.

-It's just, like, a really nice acidic tanginess.

It cuts through that cheese.

-Yeah.

Ashley, you have outdone yourself.

This is the best patty melt I've ever had.

-Mm!

-Thank you for showing me how to make it at home.

-You're welcome.

-If you want to make this incredible patty melt, start by toasting seeded rye bread.

Make quick caramelized onions with water, ketchup, and some seasonings.

Then assemble the patties and cook in a covered cast-iron skillet.

From "Cook's Country," the ultimate recipe for diner-style patty melts.

♪♪ -French press, cold brew.

Pour-over coffee.

They're all fine.

But first thing in the morning, when the brain isn't [Clicks tongue] you know, so active, I need an automatic drip coffee machine.

And Adam has gone out and bought every single one known to mankind and brought them here for us.

-We had 16 of these machines.

Brewing coffee should be pretty simple.

A cup of coffee seems simple enough.

-It should be.

-But you know what?

It is, like, this alchemy of key factors... -Mm.

-...including the coffee itself, the water, the brew time, the brew temperature.

We had 16 machines.

Some of them are back here, some that are here.

The price range was $19 to $365.

-[ Whistles ] -And we did a couple of things to level the playing field.

We used the same coffee ground in the same method to the same particle size, the same water in all of these things.

We also used the ratio of ground coffee to water that's recommended by the Specialty Coffee Association.

That's 55 grams of coffee to 1 liter of water.

So off the bat, one of the machines had a problem with brewing a full pot according to that SCA ratio.

That was this one.

The brew basket overflowed... -[ Groans ] -...because it was a lot more coffee than the manual recommended.

This one almost overflowed.

Cleaning that up was a bear.

When we reduced the amount of coffee grounds for a full pot to follow the directions in their instruction manuals, the coffee tasted weak.

-Right.

-It just wasn't -- It wasn't right.

-Gotcha.

-I mentioned earlier that the temperature of the water was important.

That should be 194 degrees to 205 degrees.

Timing is also important.

A full pot should brew somewhere in the 4-to-8-minute range.

Of course, we measured all that.

We measured the temperature, we measured the time.

A couple of these took about 12 minutes to brew a whole pot of coffee.

One of them took 17 minutes to brew a whole pot of coffee.

-That thing would go through the window.

-Tasters tried the coffee, of course, all along, random blind tasting, and they found flavor flaws in those coffees from those machines... -Mm-hmm.

-...because they just took too long to brew.

-And I don't have 17 minutes in the morning.

-No, absolutely not.

We wanted simple, clear controls.

This is a first-thing- in-the-morning operation.

-Yep.

-You know, this one, for instance, looks like it has one dial.

The learning curve was incredible.

You had to twist the dial and press the button and there were confusing symbols and they flashed or they didn't, depending on what you chose.

We just wanted a pared-down basic design that was really easy to follow.

-Yes.

Yes.

-Now, when you're brewing your coffee, it's got to go into something.

-True.

-The choices are a thermal carafe, like on this one... -Mm-hmm.

-...or a glass pot on a hot plate.

For ages, we've preferred thermal carafes because the glass pot on the hot plate, if it sits there for a while, it can begin to overcook the coffee.

You'll get some off flavors.

-Sure.

-In this testing, though, we found out that not every thermal carafe was created equal.

We tested the temperature over two hours and some of them lost a couple of degrees over those two hours, while others kept the coffee piping hot.

In the end, this was the overall winner.

This is the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT.

That should be a familiar name.

-Mm-hmm.

-It's great.

It has a copper heating element that heated up the water quickly.

It stayed in that target temperature range for 91% of its brew cycle.

It brewed quickly.

The thermal carafe has an unimpeachable design.

It was, however, among the more expensive at $329.

-Right.

-So there's a best buy.

That's this little guy in front of you.

-Huh.

-That's the Zojirushi Zutto.

It's $70, so it's a lot less expensive.

But you're gonna have some trade-offs.

You can see it's got the glass carafe and the hot plate.

It's also got a much smaller carafe.

It's 20 ounces.

So it's best suited for smaller households or if you're just doing a cup or two cups at once.

But this one was less expensive and it made good coffee.

It stayed in the target temperature zone for the right amount of time.

It brewed in the right amount of time.

So if you have a smaller household or just want a couple cups at a time and you're willing to drink it fast, you don't want it to sit on that hot plate, this is a good bet.

-There you go.

Frustration-free coffee can be yours in the morning if you pick up our winner.

That's the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT.

And it runs about $329.

Or for the best buy, it's the Zojirushi Zutto coffemaker.

And that'll run you only $70.

Now, where's my coffee?

-[ Laughs ] ♪♪ -So you might make a big batch of mashed potatoes to go with that steak or some French fries to go with that burger.

But how about making onion rings instead?

When they're great, they're sublime, really seasoned, super tasty, and very crunchy, but they can be a little bit of a hassle.

And Christie's here.

She's gonna show us how to make onion rings that are worth the work.

-You're right -- Onion rings can be a real challenge... -Mm-hmm.

-...to make at home.

-Right.

-You've got lots of bowls, you've got dirty dishes... -Right.

-...you have hot oil, and you've got a lot of cleanup.

-Sure.

-And if they're good, that's one thing.

But results are often 50-50.

-Right.

-So these extra-crunchy onion rings we're making today are gonna be worth the ordeal and actually a little easier on the cleanup.

To start our coating, I have 4 cups of all-purpose flour... -Okay.

-...which is a great start.

But we also found that adding 1/2 cup of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of baking powder gave us a coating with extra crunch and extra lift.

But we need great flavor, too.

-Sure.

-So this is kind of a blank, not-so-tasty canvas right now.

We're gonna change that with 2 tablespoons of Lawry's Seasoned Salt.

-Ah!

-It's lots of different spices... -Yeah.

-...and salt.

And so it's gonna make some really great flavor without pulling out the whole spice rack.

-Great.

-I also have 2 teaspoons of just plain old pepper... -Mm-hmm.

-...and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

-Okay.

-All right.

So I'm just gonna give this a little whisk to make sure everything's mixed together.

Now, to make sure that we get onion rings that are fully coated all around, inside, outside, all the nooks and crannies, we're gonna kick this old school.

I have a double paper bag... -Okay.

-...because we're gonna do all of our shaking in the bag... -Oh.

-...instead of getting the whole countertop messed up.

So if you hold this... -Yep.

Will do.

-...I will transfer my flour mixture.

Set that aside for now, and we can focus on onions.

Now, these are massive onions.

-Big onions.

-But we want to have nice big rings.

And to get nice big rings, you need big onions.

These are about a pound each.

-Okay.

-So I always like to look at my ruler and kind of remind myself... -Yeah.

-..."How big is half an inch?"

Because I think we lose sight of that.

So here we go.

I'll try to keep these as even as possible.

I said we want nice big onions.

So if we have any onions that are smaller than 2 inches in diameter... -Mm.

-...any rings, we're gonna get rid of those.

We'll save them.

We can use them for something else, but they're just not gonna work very well to fry and coat.

They'll probably burn.

-Mm.

Right.

-So we can get rid of those, and we'll separate the rings.

-Okay.

-All right.

We will save those for another life.

-All right.

-Okay.

The onions are all set.

Now we're ready for our method.

This takes a couple steps, and I like to remember it in terms of threes.

So I have 4 cups of buttermilk here.

So we're gonna start with a third of the onions into our buttermilk bath and swish them around and get them good and coated.

And then I'll take them and let some of the excess liquid drip off, and then they'll go right into the bag.

All right.

And the final third.

And now I'm just gonna shake it -- a lot.

-Gonna shake?

Shake and bake.

-I'm gonna shake.

Yeah.

All right.

So I'm shaking off the excess, trying to keep it in the bag and not all over the counter.

And then we'll just spread them out on this rimmed baking sheet for now.

Now the second phase.

We're going back into the buttermilk.

-Okay.

-In thirds again.

And then we're going back into the flour mixture... -Gotcha.

-...for a second dunking of each.

-Second dunking.

-Yes.

-Okay.

-So I don't want to overcrowd, but I'll do another third.

It builds up the crust.

It's going to get a little craggy.

-Mm-hmm.

-Thank you.

-All right.

-I'm gonna do another third.

You can feel the coating getting thicker... -Yeah.

-...and stickier.

Now we're really gonna give it a good shake.

-All right.

This is the test of the double bag.

-[ Laughing ] Yes.

Fingers crossed.

-I like how she's doing it towards me.

[ Both laugh ] Great.

-Sorry.

And this time, we're not fishing out the onions.

Everything is going back onto this tray.

-Okay.

-We're battered.

-Look at that.

-Mm-hmm.

These are craggy onions.

They're getting cozy in here.

But we don't want them cozy.

We want them separate.

So I'll clean up, and then we're gonna get ready to fry.

Bridget, I've been heating 3 quarts of peanut oil in this Dutch oven over medium high heat, getting it to 375 degrees, and 3 quarts is what we needed to get about a 2-inch depth of oil so that we could do all of these onion rings.

But while that's coming up to temperature, I'm gonna put together the quickest sauce.

I have 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and I'm adding 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, and then 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

-Little spice, little tang.

-And speaking of little, I have this little bowl.

I've got a little whisk.

-I love it.

I thought we'd, like, doubled in size.

[ Both laugh ] -The oil's nice and hot.

We're at 375.

So, once again, we're thinking in terms of thirds.

-Mm-hmm.

-I'll take a third of my onions and we'll add these very delicately to the oil.

And I'm not going to do anything to them for the first 30 to 60 seconds because we want that coating to kind of set.

-Right.

-All right.

We're a little over 30 seconds.

So now I'm going to go in and just carefully give it a stir, flip some of those onions on the top over.

I want to keep an eye on my oil temperature.

You want to keep it between 325 and 375.

Look at these.

So now we just want to let these go another 3 to 5 minutes.

We're looking for a dark golden-brown color.

-Okay.

-I'm all ready to go.

I have my rimmed baking sheet with a triple layer of paper towels ready to receive my hot onion rings.

And we are nigh on 3 minutes.

And these are looking really, really nice.

Look at that.

-That's gorgeous.

-Really, really pretty.

-It looks like an art piece.

-[ Laughs ] -Those are magnificent.

-We want to keep these nice and hot.

So while the oil is coming back up to temperature for the next batch, I'm gonna put these in a low oven, 200 degrees, middle rack, just to keep them warm.

-Great.

What?!

-And they're nice and hot, too.

They've just come out of the oven.

-Look how beautiful those are.

I mean, come on.

-Can I serve you some sauce?

-Oh, please.

Yes.

-A little dollop.

-Thank you.

I have a feeling I'll be coming back to that sauce.

I'm gonna go for a few here.

And one more.

Oh, I'm going right in there.

I gotta topple it.

-All right.

Oh, boy.

-Look at that.

-I know.

-That beautiful, crunchy, craggy coating.

[ Crunching ] That's a good sound.

-Mm-hmm.

And the onions are well cooked, too... -Oh, my goodness.

-...because, you know, you could take a bite out of the onion, not just suck the whole thing out.

-Mm-hmm.

It's true.

There's no onion pulling.

-Mnh-mnh.

-Where you get the strand of onion, but the onion is really nice and soft.

-Mm-hmm.

-It's not overcooked.

Sometimes onions can have that -- a little bit of that slithery texture.

-Mm-hmm.

-This is perfect.

Really super tender.

These are to die for.

Thanks, Christie.

-Thank you, Bridget.

-Why don't you give those French fries or mashed potatoes a little bit of a vacation and try some onion rings Christie-style?

It starts with dipping thick sliced onions into buttermilk, shake with a seasoned flour mixture in a paper bag, and then fry in three batches in hot peanut oil.

So from "Cook's Country," the ultimate extra-crunchy onion rings.

You can get this recipe and all the recipes from this season, along with product reviews and select episodes.

And those are all on our website -- CooksCountry.com/tv.

-Let us help with dinner tonight.

Visit our website anytime for fail-proof recipes, full episodes, ingredient advice, and equipment reviews.

CooksCountry.com/tv.

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With over 600 recipes, it's our most comprehensive collection of "Cook's Country TV" recipes ever.

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