I appreciated the extensive research and instruction. No, really. But well into the second hour of Cook’s Illustrated salad prep and I really envied/didn’t recognize myself in the pages of the magazine. As I chopped and drained, L. made chicken on the charcoal grill, and it came off with grill marks like you see at Burger King. I’ve had some practice, said L. We ate under a hot sun, dry even for the moment, and it was like summer. The greens in the salad and the green beans too came from the garden in that same backyard, a miracle every time.