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 pan-fried pork chops with milk gravy for Julia, Adam reviews disposable utensils, Jack talks all about jarred peppers, I share the real story of pimento cheese, and Morgan makes pimento mac and cheese for Bridget.

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

-The combination of crisp, tender pork chops and milk gravy is a comforting one, but it's not one I grew up with in Upstate New York, so I'm excited that Ashley's going to show me how to make it.

-Yep, and also, what can happen sometimes is that you get that milk gravy, which is so creamy, and it can kind of sog out that crispy crust from the pork chops.

-Mm-hmm.

-So the recipe I'm going to show you today fixes that one problem.

-Okay.

-So I'm going to start here with the coating for our pork chops.

So, we're not going to be doing your standard breaded procedure.

We're actually going to be doing a triple dry, wet, dry method.

-Okay.

-'Cause we want a really nice, thick, crunchy coating.

-Okay.

-I have 1 cup of all-purpose flour here, and I'm going to add 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of some salt, good amount of pepper here, 1 teaspoon, and finally, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

-Ooh!

-Mmm.

-Alright.

You're not holding back.

-Nope, not today, Julia.

Alright, we're going to give this a whisk just to make sure everything is nice and combined.

Now, I've got two eggs over here.

-Mm-hmm.

-Break those yolks.

Give these a good whisk.

These are going to be the glue that holds our crispy, crunchy coating onto the pork chops.

And you'll notice one last ingredient.

It's some milk.

-Mm-hmm.

Right.

-I've got 2 tablespoons here.

-Mm-hmm.

-And I'm not going to add it to the wet.

I'm actually going to add it to our dry flour mixture.

Now, we found a few years ago when developing a fried chicken recipe that we loved the last few pieces of chicken that were fried.

-Mm-hmm.

Yep.

-And that's because they got those bigger clumps of the flour mixture.

They really had, you know, a big amount of that crunchy coating that you could really sink your teeth into.

-Mm-hmm.

-So what I'm doing is I'm just trying to make some good craggy bits here.

You can see all that cayenne... -Yeah.

-...and the black pepper in there.

-Yeah, well, you can also see those chunks that are going to stick to the pork chops and make craggy bits.

-Mm-hmm.

Yep.

Before we do anything else, I'm just going to wash up real quick.

Let's head on down to our pork chops.

-Those are beautiful.

-They are.

So, these are four 5- to 7-ounce bone-in rib chops.

-Mm-hmm.

-And they are absolutely gorgeous.

-Mm-hmm.

-They're about 1/2 inch apiece.

If you do find pork chops that are, you know, between 5 and 7 ounces, and they're thicker than 1/2 inch, go ahead and just pound them just so that they meet the right spec.

-Okay.

-I'm just going to pat these pork chops dry with some paper towels.

'Cause that would definitely not hold onto a really nice coating.

It would kind of get steamy and soggy.

And now I need to season both sides with some salt and pepper.

And some pepper.

So, as I mentioned earlier, we're going to be doing flour, then egg, and then flour again, 'cause we want that thick, crispy, crunchy coating.

-Okay.

-So, I'll just use my hands again, and I'm just going to use one hand for my dry, one hand for my wet.

Make sure you're getting all that egg on there.

Again, it's the glue.

And then it's going to go back in.

Oh, boy.

Look at that.

-Yeah.

-So after this step here, I want to just shake off any excess, 'cause that would end up in the frying oil, and we don't want that.

-Okay.

-So, I'm going to repeat with the remaining three chops.

So, I'm actually not going to cook the chops quite yet.

I want them to hang out in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, but you can let them stay in there for up to two hours.

And it's an important step, because it's going to help to ensure that the coating stays on to the pork when cooking it.

The oil is up to temp.

It's at 375 degrees and I have 1 cup of vegetable oil in there.

We're going to shallow fry the pork chops today.

It's a weeknight.

There's no need to pull out the deep fryer and set up that whole station.

-Love it.

-So, I'm going to do the chops two at a time.

I'm going to cook these until they register 140 degrees, which should be about two to three minutes per side.

Let's take a look.

Oh.

-Oh!

-Right.

Oh, yeah.

-Goodness, Ashley.

Those are gorgeous.

-They do look good.

So, again, two more minutes until they register 140 degrees.

So, these are done cooking.

I went ahead and just lined a sheet pan just with some paper towels.

It's just going to help to absorb any extra grease.

I'm going to bring the oil back to temperature, 375 degrees.

Perfect.

We are there.

We're going to cook the remaining two chops just like the first batch, about two minutes per side.

Okay.

-Gorgeous.

-Aren't they beautiful?

Now, what I'm going to do is I'm going to turn off the heat.

-Mm-hmm.

-And I'm going to pour off all the fat, but I'm going to return 2 tablespoons back to the skillet for our gravy.

Okay.

So as I said, I'm going to return 2 tablespoons of that perfectly seasoned and cooked fat.

-Aha.

And I love that you left the drippings in the pan, because that's just good flavoring, too.

-Oh, yeah.

Those little bits?

-Yeah.

-Now I'm going to add some flour.

I have 2 tablespoons of flour.

So essentially, we're making a roux right now.

And a little bit of pepper.

That is 1 teaspoon.

-"A little bit."

[ Both laugh ] -I was going to see if you noticed.

You did.

And 1/2 teaspoon of some salt.

Now, this is over medium heat.

And you can see everything is bubbling now, so I'm going to add our milk.

I have 1 1/2 cups of milk.

Mmm.

Alright.

So I'm going to just whisk to combine, and then this just needs to boil and just cook for two minutes until slightly thickened.

Look at that.

-That's gorgeous.

-Mm-hmm.

Pork chop time.

-Yes.

Don't hold back.

-I won't.

Look at that.

-Oh, man.

-Ooh, boy.

-I can't wait to dig in.

-Right.

-Ohh.

Right off the end.

Mmm.

-Yeah?

-There's so much flavor.

You put all those seasonings into the flour, and you can really taste them in the coating.

-Absolutely.

-Almost like they bloomed in the oil so they don't taste raw.

-Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

-Mmm.

-And the coating is so crunchy.

-Mm-hmm.

My husband loves pork chops to the point where I-I nicknamed him Pork Chop.

-Oh.

-I can't wait to make these for him.

He is going to lose his mind.

-Oh, my gosh.

I can't wait to see him again so I can be like, "Hey, Pork Chop!"

-Thank you for showing me how to make these.

-You're welcome.

-If you want to make this crunchy, comforting dish of fried pork chops, start by coating the chops with flour, then egg, then flour again, pan fry the chops in a skillet, and make a milk gravy using a few tablespoons of the fry oil.

From "Cook's Country," a terrific recipe for pan-fried pork chops with milk gravy.

I am in love with this.

-Can't wait for Pork Chop to try it.

[ Both laugh ] -No matter whether you're cooking for a party or a picnic, you want to use a set of cutlery that will match the level of the food you just cooked.

So, Adam is here, and he's going to talk to us all about disposable cutlery.

Wait a minute.

[ Both laugh ] -Have you ever given any thought to your disposable cutlery?

-Not a lot.

-After this test, though, I found out that it's really worth thinking about.

-Okay.

-We tested seven different sets of disposable cutlery.

They're all really strong sellers.

The price per utensil was from 5 cents to 30 cents.

-Mm.

-A lot of them were plastic, all these ones here.

Three of them were plant-based materials that are marketed as being a little more gentle on the environment.

One was bamboo.

These two were crystallized polylactic acid or CPLA.

-Oh, okay.

-100% compostable.

The tests included eating roasted chicken thighs, and that taught us about the knives.

Most of them did a fine job.

The bamboo knife struggled a little bit.

It got through the chicken just fine.

But because these serrations are kind of blunt and squared at the bottom, it tended to shred the chicken as it cut through.

So that wasn't perfect.

In terms of the forks, we tried eating green salad and pasta salad, and, you know, both of those things can get fairly slick, 'cause there's a lot of dressing involved.

-Sure.

-So you wanted sharp tines that would spear the food so you can pick it up.

-Yep.

-Again, the bamboo was the only one to struggle, and that's because you can see the bottom of these tines -- kind of squared off, kind of blunt.

Some of them slid off the food.

The really fun test was with the spoons, 'cause we ate ice cream, frozen hard, dense, nice and firm.

And this showed us which spoons were flimsier and bendier, which spoons were a little more rigid.

I want you to try that ice cream right there with this plastic spoon right here.

Okay.

Let's try this out.

Yes.

Oh, my goodness.

I think I'm going to flick it on you.

-Whoa.

-Almost.

-That was close.

-Danger for you.

-Yeah, the ones that bent were a real pain.

They were flimsy.

Testers had to end up choking up on the spoon... -Yeah, I can see that.

-...putting their hands closer to the bowl of the spoon, which then got their hands perilously close to their ice cream.

Not ideal.

Now I want you to try this one.

-Alright.

This one's going to flick it back on me, huh?

-No way.

-Oh, this feels like a regular spoon.

-Yeah.

-And you get a much bigger piece of ice cream.

-Testers actually forgot that they were eating with disposable utensils.

-Mm-hmm.

-That's the CPLA.

It's nice and rigid.

So that's the best spoon that you can get.

In terms of the handles, they wanted handles that were a little wider and smooth and just comfortable to grip.

Some of them were thinner, had distinct ridges that dug into their fingers.

And they even paid attention to the bowl of the spoon.

The ones that were the least comfortable to eat from were either too deep or too shallow.

The most comfortable were in the middle that held about 1 1/2 teaspoons of material in the bowl.

The winning disposable utensils was this set right here.

It's the Ecovita 100% Compostable Cutlery Combo Set, 380 pieces, lot of disposable cutlery.

-Yep.

-It was about 14 cents per utensil or a little under 55 bucks for the whole set.

Testers thought that the price or the number of utensils might put some people off.

They also chose a best set that was under 100 pieces.

That's the Diamond Entertaining Combo Set.

It's 96 pieces.

It was 18 cents per utensil or about $17 for the whole set.

-Excellent.

Well, Adam's got us all fitted out for our next big party.

Just have to go out and buy the Ecovita 100% Compostable Cutlery Combo Set.

It's about $55, and that's for 380 pieces.

If you're going for a smaller soiree, then maybe you want to go for the Diamond Entertaining Combo Set.

That's about $17, and it'll get you 96 pieces.

-I like ingredients that work hard for me, and jarred peppers certainly do that.

They're not only sweet from the peppers themselves, but they pick up briny and pickly notes from the salt and the vinegar in that liquid.

So they're really complex.

I've got five of my favorites here on this table, and let's start with the pimento down here at the end.

Now, they're used in pimento cheese, that famous spread.

They're also inside your olive, or they could be dried to make paprika.

They're the sweetest variety here on the table, and they're also the softest, really a little bit mushy.

Next up, the Peppadew.

Now, these were discovered in a backyard garden in South Africa in the 1990s.

The variety is actually called Juanita, but they're branded Peppadew.

Now, the peppers themselves are pretty spicy, so the liquid inside this jar has sugar in it to temper all of that heat.

You can find mild or hot versions of these, as well as a golden variety that's pretty mild.

I like to stuff them with cheese and put them on an antipasto board.

They're kind of expensive, so I wouldn't use them in cooking.

Next up are the cherry peppers.

Now, these also come in hot and regular or mild varieties.

Hot cherry peppers are pretty similar to hot Peppadew, except you're not going to get any sweetness, 'cause there's no sugar in this jar.

I like them in a antipasto board, as well.

But I've got to say the Peppadew are my favorites rather than the Italian cherry peppers.

Sorry, Nonna.

Next up, another pepper from Italy, this one from Tuscany.

Now, I use the peperoncini sliced on a pizza bianco.

I think the acidity of the pepper cuts all of the richness of those cheeses.

These are a little vegetal, almost a little metallic or bitter in the same way that a green bell pepper can be a little bitter, but delicious.

And finally, banana peppers.

And you guessed it, how they got their name.

They're fruity with a little kick.

They're the classic in Rhode Island fried calamari.

Again, these pickly, briny, sweet peppers contrast the richness of the fried seafood.

I'm going to leave you with one final pro tip, 'cause remember, I like ingredients that work hard for me.

When the jar is empty, don't throw out the liquid.

You can use it in sauces like a remoulade.

It's great in a potato salad, or you can put it in a martini.

Now, that's a good idea.

-Pimento cheese has been popular ever since it was first created at the turn of the 20th century.

The combination of cream cheese and chopped pimentos was packaged and sold nationally and got a boost from the domestic science movement.

Domestic scientists applied the latest discoveries to the task of running a home efficiently.

Its teachers encouraged housewives to stick with simple recipes and use packaged goods in their cooking.

They weren't big on strong flavors, so mild cream cheese and not-spicy peppers fit the bill.

Pimento cheese was also a common sandwich ingredient throughout the early 1900s, showing up in plenty of creative mash-ups.

One recipe from a cookbook published in Ohio in 1915 featured cottage cheese sandwiches with olives or pickles, canned pimentos, and salad dressing.

Another sandwich from the College Woman's Cook Book, published in 1934, called for grated cheese, pimentos, hard boiled eggs, and nuts mixed with a white sauce made of vinegar and eggs.

Eventually, most modern recipes for pimento cheese moved away from the cream cheese variation and started calling for cheddar or American cheese mixed with pimentos and mayonnaise.

Here at "Cook's Country," we love pimento cheese baked into another American favorite, macaroni and cheese.

-No self-respecting Southerner would ever be caught dead without a good recipe for pimento cheese, or "pimenta" cheese.

Now, you can put that stuff on anything.

But today I've got a special treat here, because Morgan is going to show me how to put mac and cheese together with pimento cheese.

-Well, I love pimento cheese, and I love mac and cheese.

-Yes.

-So what could be better than combining them into one glorious thing?

So, it starts by cooking the macaroni part.

-Okay.

-So here I have 4 quarts of boiling water, and to that I'm going to add a pound of macaroni and 1 tablespoon of salt.

Let's give it a little stir to make sure nothing's sticking together.

-Alright.

-So I'm only going to cook this five minutes.

It's not going to be fully cooked now, but it's going to finish cooking in the sauce.

So I just want to give it a little jump start so I don't have crunchy pasta in my mac.

Here I have three 4-ounce jars of pimentos that I've drained and patted dry.

Now, you can see they're already pretty fine, but I care a lot about getting some good pimento action in this mac and cheese.

-Mmm.

-So I want to mince them so there's a lot -- a lot spread throughout my mac and cheese.

-Now, Morgan is using real pimentos here.

She's not subbing in jarred roasted red peppers.

Those are actually bell peppers.

Pimentos are sweeter and come from a little, tiny pepper.

It's kind of heart-shaped.

Nice, sweet flavor, worth seeking out for this recipe.

Otherwise, it's just mac and cheese with old peppers.

-So, here I have a pound of extra sharp cheddar.

So, I really like grating my own just because it actually makes for a creamier mac and cheese.

There are no preservatives in here that keep it grainy.

-Right.

-And then, I'm using extra sharp, which is more prone to breaking, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve to keep this mac and cheese nice and creamy.

-Yeah.

-It also packs lots of good cheese flavor.

I'm actually going to save 1 cup of this cheese to top my macaroni.

I have a tendency to forget this sort of stuff, so if I set it aside now, I'll remember.

-Very smart.

-I think it's been about five minutes, so let's give this a good look.

I'm not actually going to even bother testing it just because it doesn't -- It's really going to finish cooking in the sauce.

-Okay.

-So as long as it's got that jump start, we're good.

So time to drain.

So, here I'm actually going to make a Bchamel.

So this is going to be one of the things that helps keep that cheese from breaking.

-Okay.

-And I'm going to turn this up to medium high and add 3 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon of dry mustard powder, which helps drive home that nice, cheesy flavor.

-Yes.

-3/4 teaspoon of pepper.

I feel like a lot of good Southern food has a good hit of pepper and this is no different.

-There you go.

-1/2 teaspoon of salt.

And I'm just going to cook this until it's bubbling and fragrant.

Really only going to cook it about 30 seconds.

So now I'm going to slowly whisk in 2 cups of whole milk.

And it's really important to go slow when you first start, to avoid those lumps.

Once you have a good amount in here, you don't have to be as precious about it.

This is how you avoid the lumpy cheese sauce, the lumpy gravy.

-This is the place for patience.

-Yes.

-Let it settle out, and then, like you said, you can add more.

Now, how much milk is that?

-So, this is 2 cups of milk, and I'm also going to add 2 cups of heavy cream.

-Gotcha.

-And I'm using whole milk.

I feel like this is not a place to go low-fat.

-Who would do that?

-Who would do that?

We're making mac and cheese.

We're supposed to be having fun here.

I'm actually -- Like I said, I'm adding 2 cups of heavy cream, as well.

-Mm-hmm.

-And this will also help keep that cheese from breaking.

So the high fat content here really does protect that cheese.

-Ohh, yes.

-Now I'm going to bring this to a boil, and then I'm going to turn it down to medium low and let it simmer for two minutes just until it coats the back of a spoon.

-Okay.

-Yeah, so I always just like to check it on a dark-colored spoon, and then -- Looks pretty good.

Coats it nicely.

-That has tightened up just enough.

-Exactly.

That flour did its work.

So now I'm going to pull it off heat or just turn off the heat, and I'm going to add in a few more things.

So, I've got 2 ounces of cream cheese.

I'm also going to add 2 tablespoons of hot sauce, so little bit of heat.

It's not going to actually taste spicy, but it's going to have a little more going on.

-Is this kind of a medium hot sauce?

-Yeah, medium hot sauce, nice -- a nice hit of vinegar, but not one of those super vinegary ones.

-Right.

-And then 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce here, another little hit of flavor.

We want some -- -Nice.

Umami hit.

-Umami hit.

Exactly.

I feel like these are the sort of things that make the difference between, like, good and great macaroni and cheese.

-Agreed.

-Now it's time to add that cheese.

-Okay.

-So we'll add the 3 cups of cheese here.

Like I said, I'm holding aside 1 cup.

And I'm doing this off heat.

Again, it's a little, extra safety measure for that cheese.

If it gets too much heat going to it, it can be prone to break.

And it'll still get nice and melty, because there is so much heat coming from that milk and cream.

-Mmm.

-Okay.

So, let's just -- I'll take this out, and we'll add these in.

-And you are not skimping.

-Not skimping, and I minced them so they go extra far.

I really wanted to think about, like, how to make this eat like pimento mac and cheese.

-Yes.

-Like, I want people to think of pimento cheese when they eat this.

Okay, and then my pound of undercooked pasta that will eventually be fully cooked.

-Hey.

There you go.

There's all three parts.

You've got pimento, mac, cheese.

-Yes.

That's how it comes together, our trifecta of goodness.

Okay.

Now I'm going to give it a nice stir, get everything nice and incorporated, that cheese starts soaking into those noodles.

-Yes.

-So, then, I have a 13x9 baking dish here, and I'm just going to pour it on in.

-Ohh, yes.

-I know, right?

Now I'm just going to give this a nice, little smooth over.

I'm going to sprinkle with that 1 cup of extra sharp cheddar.

-Making it extra special.

There are stovetop mac and cheeses that I love, and you do have to cook the pasta all the way through.

But something about it coming out of the oven -- -With that cheese crust, too?

-Yes.

-It's so nice.

So now that we've sprinkled it with this last little bit of cheese, you could stop, refrigerate.

And make-ahead instructions are on our website, but I want mac and cheese today.

So now I'm going to bake this in a 375-degree oven.

I'm going to bake it for about 20 minutes.

-Okay.

-So that way, it's going to be bubbling around the edges.

That cheese on top's going to be melted.

-Ohh!

-Now check that out.

Okay.

-Very exciting.

-So you can see how it's nice and golden brown around the edges.

The filling is bubbling.

I'll let it set another 20 minutes.

That'll help the sauce tighten up.

That'll help it cool off just a little bit.

It'll be prime-time eating then.

Bridget, it's been 20 minutes.

-The volcanic activity has quieted down.

Yes.

-So, I feel like mac and cheese is like brownies.

You either like an edge piece or a center piece.

-I like edges.

-Okay.

Edges are great.

I think you get that little, extra crusty bit.

It's nice.

-I agree.

And then after the edge, I like the center.

-Great!

So we'll just do both!

[ Both laugh ] Get you a little bit of both up in here.

-Oh, my gosh.

Look at that.

I mean, the sauce really did tighten up.

-Yeah, I feel like it's a perfect balance of not quite sliceable, but not soupy.

-Yes.

-It is like exactly what you want for mac and cheese.

-Mmm.

-Oh, it's so creamy.

It's got that nice tang from the cream cheese.

-It really does.

The mustard, the Worcestershire, the hot sauce, but you do get that little bit of tang from the cream cheese.

But the extra sharp cheddar, it really does have that tangy, extra sharp cheddar cheese.

I think if you used sharp, it might get lost here.

-Yeah, you get a nice hit of cheese, but you are competing with those pimentos, so you want everything to be ultra flavorful.

-Every bite gets better than the last.

Crackers, sandwiches, burgers, mac and cheese.

-Mm-hmm.

-Pimento cheese goes on everything.

-Pimento cheese should go on everything.

-It should go on anything!

Listen to this lady, and definitely make this beautiful mac and cheese in your own kitchen.

Parcook the pasta to reduce oven time, make a seasoned Bchamel, and add heavy cream and cream cheese to avoid breaking the sauce.

So from "Cook's Country," a scrumptious and oh, so Southern pimento mac and cheese.

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

And those are all on our website, cookscountry.com/TV.

-What else do you think we can pimento-cheese-ify?

-Well, I'm thinking leftovers.

-Uh-huh.

-Fried pimento mac and cheese balls.

-Oh, that sounds delicious.

-Visit our website, where you can sign up for the free "Cook's Country" e-mail newsletter for even more of the recipes and stories you love from the magazine and the TV show, cookscountry.com/cooks.

Want more "Cook's Country"?

Subscribe to Cook's Country magazine.

Every issue includes guaranteed fail-proof recipes, "On the Road" stories, eight "Dinner Tonight" recipe cards, trusted reviews, and more.

Get one year of Cook's Country for $19.95.

To subscribe, scan the QR code on your screen or visit cookscountry.com/TVsubscribe.