Category: News

The quest for the best chicken wings recipe continues! Last week, I attempted to test the best chicken wing recipes on the internet and see if I could improve them. I thought I made a pretty valiant effort and even got my new and improved recipe(s) up in time for “the big game.”

Fried wings are hard to beat and fairly straightforward to make, provided you feel like doing all that setup and cleanup. The trick for home cooks and recipe writers is trying to come up with a recipe that combines the crispy skin and juicy meat of fried wings with the simplicity and scale of baked ones (“scale” here means the ability to make a bunch at one time on standard cooking equipment).

Like I said up top, I think I did a decent job accomplishing that with last week’s recipe, combining a pan sear with a shorter bake on a rack. I did, however, run into one problem during testing. Sharp-eyed readers might have noted that I didn’t really have a clear fix for it at the time. Basically, if you’re baking wings on a sheet pan over aluminum foil or parchment paper as I suggested, the fat from the wings has a tendency to drip down into the sheet pan and burn, smoking up the oven and/or the house/dwelling in the process. In my house, this sets off the smoke alarm a lot.

While I didn’t really have a fix for that beyond a better oven, higher ceilings, and less intense baking, one of my readers came through with a proposed solution:

A layer of baking soda on the sheet pan, very interesting… This tip supposedly comes via the Anova Precision Oven subreddit, so thanks to those folks. Naturally, I had to try it out. I made another batch of wings (again, just in time for the “big game”), and SPOILER ALERT: it worked.

And when I say it worked, I don’t just mean that the chicken smoked less, or that my smoke alarm only went off half as many times, I mean there was no smoke at all, that I could detect. I was able to crank the oven as hot and hard as I wanted (heh) without having to wave a terrible towel at my crying wolf-ass smoke alarm every seven minutes.

Clearly, this warranted a rewrite. So here it is, my updated recipe for crispy baked wings.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds chicken wings
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt*
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder*
• 2 teaspoons onion powder*
• Pinch black pepper* (*OR, just use your favorite, pre-mixed seasoned salt blend)
• A little oil (olive, peanut, canola, ghee, whatever)
• About 1/2 cup baking soda

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup of Frank’s Red Hot
• Stick of butter

Equipment

• A sheet pan with a wire rack that fits over it.
• A pan
• A pot (though you could just reuse the pan)
• Tongs
• Whisk
• Mixing bowl

Time: About 80 minutes.

Directions

Combine your dry spices, baking powder and cornstarch (but NOT the baking soda), and pour it over your chicken. Massage it over your meat. Go ahead, I know you love massaging your meat.

Now, tear off some aluminum foil or parchment paper and use it to cover the bottom of your sheet pan. Take your baking soda and spread it in an even layer over the foil or paper, and then cover that with your wire rack. Now arrange the raw meat on your wire rack. I know how you love arranging your meat over a rack– sorry I’ll stop now.

This step you can do ahead of time and it actually improves the product. Ideally, leave this spiced and lightly coated chicken uncovered overnight in the fridge, though it doesn’t take that long. You just want the skin to dry out a little — probably 30 or 40 minutes would be sufficient.

Now, preheat your oven to 475F. Get your pan on the stove going at medium-high heat. Add a little oil to your pan, enough to coat the bottom. Once it’s almost to smoking, start dropping in your chicken in batches. Heat them in the pan until the skin starts to brown and the skin visibly tightens, and then remove them back to the sheet pan.

Once your meat is all browned and arranged on a rack, cram that meat back into your oven and bake hot and hard for 15 minutes. Then flip it over and cook for 15 more minutes. Note: your chicken drying time, as well as oven type, wing size, and altitude will all affect your cook time. So use your eyeballs (and your nose).

You want your skin nice and crispy but not blackening.

Now make your sauce. Take a pot (or your pan) and heat the hot sauce on low heat. When it juuust starts to bubble, start adding in cubes of cold butter while whisking. When all the butter is incorporated, remove it from the heat.

Once the wings are cooked until crispy, toss them with your sauce, then re-arrange on your rack and bake for five more minutes. (I like the re-baking-with-the-sauce step because it makes the wings slightly less messy. They’re still going to be messy, just slightly less so. You can also re-sauce after for saucier wings).

This was what my foil looked like afterwards:

I rode it hard, cooking the wings at high heat, and partly with sauce on them, which burns even more easily. And still, no smoke. It’s a miracle.

And yes, the wings were pretty good too. Crispy, but still juice, saucy, but not to the point that it was dripping down to your elbows. They were so good that I almost didn’t mind that I’ve eaten wings probably eight different times in the course of the past week. These wings were so good that it was a perfect place to begin my wing fast. It’s going to be a month before I even want to look at a chicken wing again.

Or at least until the next reader comes through with a really good chicken wing recipe tip.

Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can read more of his recipes here.

As Donald Trump mulls over how best to run for president again in 2024, the potential Republican nominee is reportedly laser-focused on giving Americans what they truly need during these trying times of pandemics, inflation, and train disasters:

Public executions.

According to sources, the former president has allegedly been asking associates what they think of firing squads as he mulls a new tough-on-crime initiative that will reportedly go big on public executions that could also could include guillotines, hangings, and group killings by the state. Trump reportedly believes going full dictator on criminals will distinguish him from President Joe Biden, who has notably not tried to behead people in a concerning effort to look badass. Via Rolling Stone:

In at least one instance late last year, according to the third source, who has direct knowledge of the matter, Trump privately mused about the possibility of creating a flashy, government-backed video-ad campaign that would accompany a federal revival of these execution methods. In Trump’s vision, these videos would include footage from these new executions, if not from the exact moments of death. “The [former] president believes this would help put the fear of God into violent criminals,” this source says. “He wanted to do some of these [things] when he was in office, but for whatever reasons didn’t have the chance.”

For the record, an anonymous spokesman for Trump has denied that the former president is trying to bring back firing squads.

“More ridiculous and fake news from idiots who have no idea what they’re talking about,” the spokesman said. “Either these people are fabricating lies out of thin air, or Rolling Stone is allowing themselves to be duped by these morons.”

(Via Rolling Stone)

Last year, UK post-punk group Dry Cleaning unveiled their new album Stumpwork after releasing bewildering music videos and giving hypnotic late-night television performances. They’re back today with the announcement of their new EP called Swampy.

Swampy contains two lost tracks from Stumpwork, “Swampy” and “Sombre Two,” both of which are out now. There’s also a demo of “Peanuts,” as well as remixes of “Hot Penny Day” by Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, and “Gary Ashby” by Nourished By Time.

About the EP, the band said, “These two songs (‘Swampy’ and ‘Sombre Two’) were recorded in the Stumpwork sessions and they feel like good companions to us. They share a dusty, desolate and spacey atmosphere. On the eve of this release we have been touring through the southwest US, where these songs feel at home in the arid, Mars-like landscape of the Arizona desert.”

Florence Shaw told Uproxx in our interview that Stumpwork was a way for the band to experiment with things they hadn’t before: “We’re roaming around and trying out our as-yet unexplored interests. There are wider landscapes of sound on Stumpwork. It’s more romantic at times, maybe more emotional, more vulnerable. It’s also poppier in places.”

Listen to “Swampy” above and “Sombre Two” below.

Swampy is out 3/1 via 4AD. Pre-order it here.

Social media can be a great promotional tool for an up-and-coming rapper, and Maryland’s Foggieraw is proving to be one of the best at using it to its full potential. Over the past few months, his Instagram Reels, consisting of super short, high-concept “music videos,” have gone viral for all the right reasons: The music is distinctive, the cinematography is excellent, and the overall quality is consistent. Foggieraw himself appears to be a charming, laid-back figure, finding an appealing lane outside of the usual bounds of rap archetypes.

Here are a few of those videos:

So, who is Foggieraw?

Foggieraw moved to Maryland from Ghana at just five years old and began rapping at 18. Although he was initially more of a backpack rapper according to one early profile, he soon began to develop a more unique style, somewhere between the cerebral, “everything-must-rhyme” style normally exhibited by adherents to the more traditional genre and the freewheeling style of then-nascent “SoundCloud” or “mumble” rap.

He released an EP, The Foggie Pound, in 2016, and a full-length debut, Fogtavius Vandross, in 2018. Like many young artists, it appears that the pandemic slowed his output, but then came back strong in 2021 with The Foggie Pound 2 and spent 2022 releasing singles such as “Back Home,” “HVNSNT,” “Nothing Usual,” and “Independent Like Webbie.” Throughout the latter half of the year, he shifted focus to his visual rollout on Instagram, garnering supporters like R&B star Ari Lennox along the way.

Foggie’s a rapper on the comeup and it looks very much like he’s due to blow up at any moment. Get on the bandwagon now because it’s only a matter of time.

Whether you loved it or not, people can’t stop talking about Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, which might go down in history as the most watched public pregnancy announcement in the history of the world. While Donald Trump wasn’t impressed by what he called an “EPIC FAIL” of a performance, RiRi somehow managed to overcome the former president’s review and dethrone Taylor Swift as Spotify’s top artist.

Amongst detractors, two of the biggest complaints seemed to be Rihanna’s decision to not turn the halftime spectacle into a who’s who of former collaborators. Yet she was also criticized for “honoring” Kanye West by including “All of the Lights” in her medley of hits — a song she performed with Ye, which appeared on his 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Which only goes to prove that you can’t please everyone — though Sarah Silverman has a pretty solid theory as to why the artist formerly known as Kanye wasn’t invited by Rihanna to participate. As the comedian explained during her first night as The Daily Show’s newest guest host:

Some people were surprised that Rihanna didn’t bring out Kanye West during “All of the Lights.” But when you think about it, it makes sense. Because there wasn’t enough space for her dancers to form a swastika.

While the comment was met with some surprise by the audience, Silverman assured viewers that “I can say that because I’m a Nazi.”

You can watch Silverman’s full review of Rihanna’s performance — and how she upped the bar for pregnant women everywhere — above.

After what feels like eons of retooling and money-pit construction, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are finally on the cusp of their Casa Bonita grand reopening near Denver, Colorado. Let the sopapillas begin, not to mention the “eatertainment” that was always the biggest draw, back in the day. However, Stone and Parker (operating under their “The Beautiful Opco, LLC” umbrella) did recruit renowned chef Dana “Loco” Rodriguez in a quest to bring actual “good food” to the table, and May 2023 has been set as target opening month.

Before that happens — and before people can relive Cartman acting like an ass amid the spectacle, as he did in South Park Season 7 — the dynamic duo needs to fully staff up. Granted, the pair maintained existing payroll in the meantime while providing bilingual classes to front-and-back end workers, who also volunteered at organizations like Habitat for Humanity. So what positions, exactly, do Parker and Stone need to fill?

Well, only about 550 spots, including servers, bartenders, and overall entertainers, along with the nostalgia-driving, all-important cliff divers. Those volcanos can’t stand alone, man. As local news station KDVR reports, not everyone can fit this bill. The physical and mental qualifications are substantial. Here’s a sampling of cliff-diver duties:

Creating a magical experience through interactions with roughly 1,500 guests, aged 2-100 a day, with an upbeat and pleasant attitude
Diving from platform heights of 16-25 feet
Consistently perform the following dives from 16 feet: Front (half, twist, pike, flip); back (half, twist, flip,); inward dive (tuck/pike/straight) – include them in your video clips for audition
Being in character for 3-6 consecutive hours at a time (with appropriate breaks).
Performing shows on time and being in place for all cues.
Meeting and interacting with guests at the guest meet and greet locations.
Speaking loudly, articulately and clearly to roughly 1,500 guests.
Meeting guests from ages 2-100 and conversing age-appropriately in character
Wearing company-approved costuming created for performer
Memorizing scripts, learning cues, and associated activities
Staged stunts, staged romance, or choreographed combat
Light improv and approved character interactions

That’s only the beginning (you can read more here). Rest assured that Casa Bonita’s new owners do mention that cliff divers will be provided with health insurance along with up to $25 per hour, which isn’t too shabby for a going rate in the Denver area. All candidates must provide five-minute clips of their various diving stunts to date, and auditions will be in order. You know, May isn’t too far away.

(Via KDVR)

Even though Ted Lasso has had a bumpy road since its acclaimed first season, the crew will be heading back to the field for a third season this spring, although some of them have turned over to the dark side. March will be a huge month for fans of tension-filled television!

Ted Lasso follows the titular coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, as he attempts to wrangle his eclectic football team. The series has won a series of awards and will return for a third, and possibly final, season this spring on AppleTV+. Despite the wave of “you either hate it or you love it” conversations the show seems to have inspired, the series will hopefully make a swing in the right direction for its third season. Here’s what we know.

Plot

Since we last saw AFC Richmond, formerly good guy Nate left to work for Rebecca’s ex Rupert, abandoning Lasso and the gang. Season three will deal with the aftermath of the tumultuous season. Here is the official synopsis:

[T]he newly-promoted AFC Richmond faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them as last in the Premier League and Nate, now hailed as the “wonder kid,” has gone to work for Rupert (Anthony Head) at West Ham United. In the wake of Nate’s contentious departure from Richmond, Roy Kent steps up as assistant coach, alongside Beard. Meanwhile, while Ted deals with pressures at work, he continues to wrestle with his own personal issues back home, Rebecca is focused on defeating Rupert and Keeley navigates being the boss of her own PR agency. Things seem to be falling apart both on and off the pitch, but Team Lasso is set to give it their best shot anyway.

Release Date

The 12-episode season will premiere on March 15th on AppleTV+.

Cast

The whole gang is back for the third round, including Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Anthony Head, Juno Temple, Hanna Waddingham, and Nick Mohammed, in addition to Sudeikis.

Trailer

You can check out the teaser below, featuring all of your favorite players crafting.

Celine Dion is one of the greatest vocalists ever, no matter what Rolling Stone thinks. Now, with all due respect to Muppets Most Wanted, she’ll try her hand at acting.

In Love Again, Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays Mira Ray, who copes with the loss of her fiancé by texting his old number — a number that, in romance movie fashion, now belongs to a stranger, Rob (Sam Heughan). He’s a journalist assigned to write a profile of Dion, although based on the trailer, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer takes on the role of the supportive best friend that these kind of movies are required to have.

Love Again has a wild plot (will he tell her about the dead fiancé’s number???). But it also features Chopra Jonas walking down the stairs in a lovely yellow dress in slow motion while “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” plays, so I’ll be seeing it opening night.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

What if a random text message led to the love of your life? In this romantic comedy, dealing with the loss of her fiancé, Mira Ray sends a series of romantic texts to his old cell phone number… not realizing the number was reassigned to Rob Burns’ new work phone. A journalist, Rob is captivated by the honesty in the beautifully confessional texts. When he’s assigned to write a profile of megastar Celine Dion, he enlists her help in figuring out how to meet Mira in person… and win her heart.

Love Again, which also features new songs from Dion, opens in theaters on May 12.

(SPOILERS for BMF will be found below.)

At the top of the year, the second season of BMF made its return to screens worldwide for its second season. The show, created by Randy Huggins and 50 Cent and led by actors Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr. and Da’Vinchi, is based on the infamous story of Detroit’s Black Mafia Family. The group, more commonly known as BMF, was founded in 1985, and by the 2000s, it was a nationwide operation with bases in Los Angeles and Atlanta. STARZ’s BMF recounts the story of BMF’s rise and fall, and in its second season, we watch Meech and Terry, the character played by Da’Vinchi, build the foundation that we now know as BMF.

When Is The Next Episode Of ‘BMF?’

Episode six of BMF, titled “Homecoming,” will be available this Friday, February 17. The episode will be available on the STARZ app at 12:00 am EST and it will air on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm EST. Here is the official synopsis of the episode according to STARZ:

Meech and Terry return to Detroit from Atlanta with a product and a new technique to flood the streets with BMF product. Meech links up with Sterling and the PA Boys to continue his quest to kill Lamar.

“Homecoming” airs after a one-week break that followed the fifth episode of the current BMF season, which was titled “Moment Of Truth.” In that episode, Meech and Terry escape to Atlanta in search of new product to bring back to Detroit. During their trip, Terry accepts his true calling in life, Charles makes a life-changing decision, and Meech and Terry’s relentless enemy takes things to a new level in order to torment their lives.

You can read our recap of episode five here.

New episodes of ‘BMF’ are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am EST and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm EST.

Rihanna’s halftime show at Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the victorious Kansas City Chiefs was already a massive draw, even with the two teams having incredibly eager fan bases. As she took the suspended stage over Arizona’s State Farm Arena, Rihanna used just minutes to announce her second pregnancy and perform her biggest hits, including “Umbrella,” “Diamonds,” and the powerful opener, “B*tch Better Have My Money.”

According to Fox Sports (via Bleacher Report), Rihanna’s halftime show drew in 118.7 million viewers, while the Super Bowl game itself only got 113 million. And, as someone who switched the channel after her performance ended, it seems I wasn’t alone.

She also reportedly had the second most-watched halftime show in the Super Bowl’s history, trailing right behind Katy Perry (remember left shark?) at 121 million in viewership numbers.

Before her performance, Rihanna sat down for a press conference and noted that she had changed her setlist over 30 times. “You’re trying to cram seventeen years of work into thirteen minutes so it’s difficult,” she said.

“Some songs we have to lose because of that, and that’s going to be okay,” Rihanna added. “We did a pretty good job at narrowing it down. There’s probably been about 39 versions of the setlist right now. We’re on our 39th. Every little change counts.”