Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman · NYT Cooking

This superb style of fried chicken, found in southeastern Indiana, relies on a heavy use of black pepper. Wagner’s Village Inn, a bar and restaurant in Oldenburg, stays true to the old-school method of skillet-frying in lard, and makes some of the best fried chicken in the area. The use of lard results in a very rich flavor, but canola oil is an acceptable substitute. At Wagner’s, the cooks add two tablespoons of water to the skillet just before removing the fried chicken, believing it “seals in the flavor.” Maybe, maybe not, but it’s a festive finish to this exquisitely simple dish. Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman · NYT Cooking

This recipe, adapted from Nathan Myhrvold's multivolume "Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking,” produces a clear, clean and flavorful stock in a fraction of the time required for traditional ones. Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman · NYT Cooking

Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman · NYT Cooking

Michael Ruhlman