Buffalo Wings

Buffalo Wings were invented in 1964 in Buffalo, New York at the Anchor Bar — owner Teressa Bellissimo fried chicken wings and coated them in a mixture of Frank's RedHot sauce and butter. Buffalo sauce is primarily about balance: heat (vinegar-based hot sauce), richness (butter), acidity (vinegar). Butter is what distinguishes it from plain hot sauce — it makes wings juicy and lets the sauce cling.

The secret is baking powder, not flour. Baking powder raises the skin's pH and accelerates the Maillard reaction at lower temperatures, creating a crispy crust. Technique: pat wings dry with paper towels, toss in a mix of salt and baking powder (1 tsp per 500 g wings), place on a rack (not on the pan bottom) and bake at 230°C, turning once. The result is nearly as crispy as deep-fried.

Frank's RedHot is cayenne pepper plus vinegar plus garlic, mild in heat (450 Scoville units) with pronounced acidity. That vinegar note is what makes Buffalo sauce distinctive. Substitutes: Tabasco (hotter, less vinegar — add apple cider vinegar), sriracha (sweeter, lacks vinegar acidity — needs adjusting), any vinegar-based hot sauce. The key to Buffalo sauce: butter plus tangy hot sauce roughly 1:1.

Celery is functional, not decorative. First, its cool crunch contrasts with the hot fatty wings and 'resets' the heat. Second, in 1960s Buffalo celery was a cheap available garnish — the tradition stuck. The blue cheese dip alongside is also functional: the fat of the blue cheese neutralizes capsaicin more effectively than water or beer.

A wing has three parts. The drumette is meatier and easier to hold. The flat (wingette) has less meat but more skin — meaning more crispy coating and sauce. Many prefer the flat for maximum flavor with less meat. The tip is trimmed and not used. In the oven both cook at the same rate, though the flat is done slightly faster.