It's all a matter of balance.

Balance; the equalizing of two items, whether the same or different, so that they are perfectly aligned on a scale.  While that is a simple concept when it comes to a tangible item, not so easy for emotions and feelings.  That's when you have to deal with good vs. bad/evil, light vs. dark, likes vs. dislikes; issues are either black or white.  Balance is a gray area, the mixing of the black and white to form a smooth, even concept.  Some folks are afraid of the negative aspects and try to live a life of "happy, happy, joy, joy"; ignoring the negativity and hoping it will just "go away".  It doesn't, it builds up till it explodes, so that is why we need balance in our lives; to keep from exploding.

So what has this to do with cooking?  Eating, while being a necessity, should be an enjoyment; taste and texture should be a pleasure for the mouth.  However, some folks like their food to be painful, and I often wonder if this is actually how they enjoy it, or is it more for showing off to their peers.  Take "hot wings"; the chiles that can be added to sauces to coat the wings have heat measured by mild, medium, hot, super hot and atomic.  Personally, I enjoy mild to medium; anything hotter puts my mouth in pain, and I cannot taste the item I'm eating.  To me, that is a loss, not a pleasure; the balance between the heat and taste of the sauce is important to me.

But that's me, and when it comes to "hot wings", it's whatever floats your boat.

Traditional Buffalo Wings

The origin of this recipe began in 1964, at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.

Ingredients

2 ½ lbs wings (12-16 whole wings)

½ cup Louisiana hot sauce ( Frank's is the brand when sticking to tradition )

½ cup unsalted butter or margarine

1 1/2 Tbsp[ white vinegar

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Dash of salt

Preparation:

Split wing at joint, pat dry.  Deep fry at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or bake in 425F oven for 45 minutes, until completely cooked and crispy; drain.  To make sauce, mix together hot sauce, butter, vinegar, cayenne, garlic powder, Worcestershire and salt.  Put wings in bowl, add sauce and toss till wings are completely coated.  Serve with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks.

The main ingredient, the wings, should always be crispy; mushy, fatty skin just doesn’t feel good when eating it.  Crispy wings also hold the sauce better.  Always toss the wings in the sauce after frying as the hot oil will only leech the sauce off the wings.

The traditional dressing served with wings is bleu cheese dressing, but nowadays, ranch is a popular choice.  While the dressing is used as an enhancement by some, most use it to tone down the heat of the hot sauce.

Popular alternative sauces for wings are barbecue, teriyaki, chipotle and honey mustard.

Barbecue

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. catsup
1 Tbsp. oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. ginger

Put all ingredients into small saucepan; bring to boil on high heat.  Lower heat to low and let sauce thicken; about 15 minutes.

Teriyaki

1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 (12 oz) bottle Teriyaki sauce

Put all ingredients into small saucepan; bring to boil on high heat.  Lower heat to low and let sauce thicken; about 15 minutes.

Chipotle

1/2 cup chipotle sauce

1/2 cup butter

2 Tbsp honey

Put all ingredients into small saucepan; bring to boil on high heat.  Lower heat to low and let sauce thicken; about 15 minutes.

Honey Mustard

1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup Dijon mustard

Mix two ingredients together.

Mary Cokenour

January 26, 2011