House rules
Larry-isms
The same phrases turn up in every recipe on this site. Here is what each one means and why it is there.
- Time is a guess, temperature is the truth
- Cook to an internal temperature, not to a clock. Pan thickness, link size and starting temperature all move the timing. 160°F does not move. When sausage is done →
- 160 and out
- Pull pork sausage the moment the center reads 160°F (71°C). At 160 it is juicy. At 175 it is a chew toy. Larry has made both. Why sausage goes dry →
- Don't crowd the pan
- Leave space between the pieces; cook in batches if you have to. A crowded pan traps steam, and steamed sausage never browns. Browning is the flavor.
- Cold pan start
- Sausage goes into a cold pan over medium heat, not a screaming hot one. The fat renders gradually instead of burning, and the casings stop splitting. Why sausage splits →
- Tongs, never a fork
- Turn sausage with tongs. Every fork hole is a drain for the juice you are trying to keep inside.
- The second-day rule
- Sausage and peppers, gravy and braises are better the next day. Fat and acid keep mingling overnight. Cook ahead on purpose. Reheating properly →
- Cook it twice
- Brown first, then finish in liquid. Crust and moisture are two different jobs, and one pan pass cannot do both.
- Salt the water like the sea
- About a tablespoon of salt per quart of pasta water. It is the only chance to season the pasta itself. Sauce on the outside cannot fix it.
- Save a cup
- Keep a cup of starchy pasta water before draining. It is the emulsifier that turns oil and cheese into sauce instead of a puddle. Glossary: acqua di cottura →
- Finish in the pan, not on the plate
- Drain the pasta early and let it finish cooking in the sauce for a minute. The pasta drinks the sauce. That is the whole difference between home and restaurant.
- A pinch of carrot, not a spoon of sugar
- Balance sharp tomatoes with grated carrot. Sugar tastes like sugar. Carrot just tastes like the sauce came out right. Fixing acidic sauce →
- Rest it like a steak
- Three minutes on the board before slicing anything. Cut it straight off the heat and the juice ends up on the cutting board.
- Buy the whole coil
- Ask the butcher for the unlinked spiral rather than pre-cut links. Cheaper per pound, better grind, and it grills in one piece.
- Two zones, always
- Set the grill up with a hot side and a cool side. Indirect heat cooks the middle; the hot side is for the last ninety seconds. Grill times →
- Bread goes on last
- Toast the rolls at the end, never in advance. Bread that waits an hour is a coaster.
Questions people ask
- What temperature does Uncle Larry cook sausage to?
- 160°F (71°C) for pork sausage and 165°F (74°C) for chicken or turkey sausage — the rule he calls '160 and out.'
- Why not prick sausages before cooking?
- Pricking releases the pressure and the fat with it. Lower heat and a cold-pan start solve splitting without draining the juice.
- Why save pasta water?
- The starch in the water emulsifies fat and cheese into a sauce that clings to the pasta instead of sliding off.