Brie Larson plays chemist-turned-TV cooking host Elizabeth Zott in Apple TV’s “Lessons in Chemistry.” Zott makes a great crispy chicken, thanks to the addition of baking powder in the coating.
Brie Larson plays chemist-turned-TV cooking host Elizabeth Zott in Apple TV’s “Lessons in Chemistry.” Zott makes a great crispy chicken, thanks to the addition of baking powder in the coating.
Finding interesting television shows to watch can be a challenge, just like finding interesting recipes to make. Sometimes, the worlds of TV and cooking collide, resulting in a must-watch show for anyone who loves to cook.
I’ve been watching such a show on Apple TV: “Lessons in Chemistry.” The show is set in the 1960s near a college campus where the main character, Elizabeth Zott, played by Brie Larson, works as a lab assistant. Zott is a brilliant, trained chemist whose skill set is underutilized.
She struggles to advance her career and is instead asked to fetch coffee for the male chemists, who often ask her advice on the experiments they’re conducting. Zott finds the experience frustrating and demeaning until her brilliance is recognized by a tenured chemist whose ground-breaking research consistently brings funding to the university.
Chemistry is not Zott’s only interest — she’s also a great cook who applies scientific principles to her cooking and creates incredible food. Without revealing too much of the plot, at some point during the series, Zott is fired from her beloved chemistry lab job. She finds herself a single mother and in need of an income and is eventually offered an opportunity to host her own cooking show called “Supper at Six.”
But instead of going along with the studio executive’s idea of how a show host should look, Zott hits the airwaves in her favorite lab coat and notes that protective eye googles are woefully absent in 1960s cookware sets. She applies her chemistry skills while cooking to explain how baking powder causes a reaction with chicken skin, resulting in perfectly crunchy wings.
That little tidbit was news to me. I’ve probably cooked hundreds of pieces of chicken over the years and had not heard of the baking powder hack before. I decided it was time to put the baking powder hack to the test and see for myself if it worked.
I mixed some in with a ranch seasoning mix I often use when I’m roasting chopped potatoes. I’m pleased to report the baking powder did, in fact, make the chicken wing skin nice and crispy. And now that I’m thinking of it, I’m going to try the same mixture on the oven-roasted potatoes next time I make them to see if it makes those extra crispy too.
I nodded in agreement when Zott described potatoes as “the workhorse of the kitchen,” and her chili-stuffed potatoes inspired me to create my own version.
Another interesting dish she made appeared to be bananas flambé, which looked delicious. Lacking the rum typically used in creating bananas Foster, I came up with my own version, minus the combustion, which came out just as delicious, especially served with a scoop of ice cream.
Baking powder is the secret to the great skin on these Crispy Ranch Wings.
JANINE LADEMAN
2 pounds chicken wings, room temperature
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste
Remove the chicken wings from their package, use paper towels to pat them dry and set them in a bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then set a baking rack on top of the baking sheet and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
In a separate bowl, mix together the baking powder, ranch seasoning and cornstarch. Sprinkle wings with the seasoning mixture, then toss to coat.
Transfer the wings to the prepared baking rack and set them in an oven preheated to 425 degrees. Bake the wings until the skin is golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Chili Stuffed Potatoes
Chili-stuffed potatoes, inspired by Apple TV’s “Lessons in Chemistry.”
JANINE LADEMAN
2 potatoes, baked
2 cups of chili (homemade or store-bought)
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, sliced
2 tablespoons Oaxaca white cheese, crumbled
Use a spoon to scoop out the potato so about 1/3 of the potato is left. Spoon the chili into the potato, then add one tablespoon of sour cream to each. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and add sliced jalapeños on each potato. Divide the cheese and sprinkle half on each potato.
Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the brown sugar, grated orange rind, cinnamon and orange juice and stir together. Add the bananas and cook for three minutes or until softened and browned. Serve with a cup of vanilla ice cream and garnish with toasted pecans before serving.
