Sriracha: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Start the year off with a taste bud bang with this super-spicy hot sauce.  Popularized by David Tran, a Vietnamese refugee who emigrated to the U.S. in 1979, Sriracha Hot Sauce is the most in-demand condiment Tran created in his Southern California factory.  No one knows exactly what else is in this sauce, but sugar, salt, vinegar and garlic are likely ingredients.

How Big Is Julia Child’s Shadow in My Kitchen?

French Onion Soup

Every once in a while I think about Julie Child and wonder how much she influenced me.  She began her world domination before I started dabbling in the kitchen.  And when I did start, I was so intimidated by her reputation that I avoided her famous 1961 opus, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”

Mom Cooking Tip 155

Don’t rinse pasta after you cook it.  Yes, water will cool it down so you don't burn your mouth, but it will also remove the layer of starch that helps the sauce adhere to the noodles.  

There are two exceptions to this rule. 

If you’re making a cold pasta salad, do rinse away that layer of starch.  Otherwise your noodles will stick together.

If you’re making an Asian stir-fry with cooked noodles, rinse those noodles too or they will stick together in the wok.

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Are You an Old-Fashioned Cook?

I am an old-fashioned cook.  Many of us are when holiday dining is involved.  I’ve eaten turkey on Christmas all my life, and even though it’s a big, messy meal I would feel terrible eating anything else.

If I want to add something new to the holiday menu, I might choose a new side dish—maybe Honeyed Sweet Potatoes along with the mashed potatoes.

The Dangers of Autopiloting in the Kitchen

I have made hundreds of loaves of whole wheat bread over the years, and the ingredients/directions are tattooed on my brain – or so I thought until this morning.  We were running out of bread so I decided to make some more.

Easy peasy, as my kids used to say.  Out came the yeast, water, sugar, flour and all the other ingredients I keep on hand just for bread-making.  At least a decade ago I stopped looking at the recipe because I knew it by heart.  

What Is Panko and How Do I Use It?

Crab Cakes Coated in Panko Crumbs

Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs, which are larger than cornmeal and normal breadcrumbs and are crunchier than either.  Panko crumbs are made from plain white bread which has been baked in a special procedure to dry them out and keep a bread crust from forming. 

Why bother getting panko crumbs?

When I Learned to Love Spaghetti and Meatballs

Growing up in a coal-mining town in Pennsylvania meant different foods served at dinner, depending on where your parents came from.  My little town, about 15 miles Northeast of Pittsburgh, included many nationalities, drawn to the coal mining and steel working opportunities.

Thus was I introduced to Syrian sandwiches, made on bread much thicker and fresher than today’s packaged and often tasteless pita bread.  Or I might have been served that Polish classic, sauerkraut and kielbasa (sausage), or sticks of Greek souvlakia (aka shish kebab).  Or if I were eating at my grandmother’s house, I could count on boiled chicken.

I loved them all, but my favorite food from that time was Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Eggplant: Love It or Hate It

Eggplant Parmesan

Nobody is neutral about eggplant.  Some people actually tense up when they hear the word.  Others apparently start to salivate.

For most of my life I’ve been in the tense-up category.  When I was a beginning cook, I tried to keep an open mind.  When a recipe directed me to salt slices of eggplant and let them sit for an hour in a colander to take away the bitterness, I did as told.  When the recipe then said to fry the eggplant on both sides in 1/2 cup oil, I did that too.  The end result was unpleasant and oily.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 100

If you have stale French bread, slice it into 1-inch pieces and heat the slices for 30 seconds in a microwave.  They will soften up, although they probably won’t taste very good. Lay the softened slices on a baking sheet and top with olive oil, chopped garlic, oregano and other spices.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes and serve as garlic bread slices.

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Boiling Onions: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Boiling onions look just like regular onions, but they are only about 1-to 1½ inches in diameter.  They are harvested very early in the growing process.  In their raw state, they are often just as strong in taste as regular onions.  They mellow out when cooked.

Use boiling onions whole in casseroles, soups and in a tray of roasted vegetables.  Or they can simply be a side dish.  Boil them for about 30 minutes, or until they have softened and can be easily pierced with a sharp knife.  Toss with butter, salt, black pepper and a teaspoon of sugar.

Peeling these little onions

No More Turkey, Please!

Ahi Tuna Slices

Thanksgiving is in my rear-view mirror, but leftover turkey lingers.  I didn’t mind it for lunch the day after Thanksgiving, and I was equally happy to eat more leftovers on Saturday night. 

That was then.  This morning I woke up and checked out space in my freezer.  Yup!  Just enough room for those lonely turkey legs that no one wanted to eat.  In a few weeks they will look a lot more delicious.

Now what? 

Cheese Fries Finally Come to My Table

Where have I been for the last 20 years?  I had never eaten a Cheese Fry.  In fact, I hate to admit it but I’d never heard of Cheese Fries.

Cornmeal: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

If you’ve ever eaten cornbread, you’ve eaten cornmeal.  Cornmeal is simply ground corn, available in three sizes: fine, medium and coarse.  It’s normally not ground as fine as flour and thus is not a substitute for flour.  It’s more like an addition.

Egg Noodles: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

My grandmother put egg noodles in chicken soup, but I didn’t know they were different from spaghetti or other noodles until well after I left home and started cooking for myself. 

Mom Cooking Tip 154

Do you have a lot of garlic cloves to peel?  Separate them from the bulb and microwave them for 20 seconds.  The bigger cloves will almost peel themselves.  The smaller ones are a bit more fiddly, but the skins will slip off without too much effort.

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When Best Intentions Aren’t Enough

I had been thinking about roasted, spicy chicken legs for dinner ever since I read a favorable review of a local chicken restaurant.   ‘I should be able to make something similar,’ I said to myself while roaming around the supermarket. 

When I spotted a large plastic-wrapped package of chicken legs on sale, I knew my dream dinner was about to come true.  I’ve roasted chicken parts before so I just followed my instincts, mixing together a few spices with some olive oil, coating the legs and baking them for about 45 minutes.   Then I popped them briefly under the broiler to get crispy.

Major disappointment!

Liquid Smoke: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Liquid smoke sounds like something film crews use to create special effects.  In a way that’s exactly right, although it’s cooks rather than film crews who work the magic.  

A Springform Pan: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Unless you like to bake, it’s unlikely that you would own a springform pan.  I bought one when I was planning to make a chocolate cheesecake with a cookie crumb crust and worried: 1) a regular cake pan wouldn’t be deep enough to hold all the cheesecake batter, and 2) if I used a deep dish casserole, how would I get the baked cheesecake out of it without making a mess?

Eggs, Bread, Cheese and Pasta

If I were alone on a desert Island for a week, I’d want eggs, bread, cheese and pasta, plus some olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper, if possible.  Whenever I’m cooking just for myself, these are the foods I turn to.  I may supplement them with salad and chocolate, but I could survive just on these four basics.

Question for Mom

Angel Hair Pasta (left), Vermicelli (right)

What’s the difference between angel hair pasta and vermicelli?—Julie P.

The thinness of the noodles.  Vermicelli is a skinny version of spaghetti and cooks in 6-to-7 minutes.  Angel hair pasta, which is known as Capelli d'Angelo in Italy, is even skinnier and cooks in 4-5 minutes.  Using a pasta measuring device, I found that 1 serving of vermicelli is made up of 130 dry noodles, while 1 serving of angel hair pasta is made up of 200 dry noodles.

Orange May Be the Best Color at the Table

I’m not just saying that because Halloween is coming up.  I do like pumpkins just fine—as long as I’m looking at them and not eating them. 

I’d rather fill my plate with carrots, orange bell peppers, cantaloupe slices, oranges, tangerines, apricots, mangoes or my latest discovery--honeyed sweet potatoes. 

Mom Cooking Tip 153

Sometimes a recipe calls for thickening a soup, sauce, pudding or other liquid.  You can do this easily with flour or cornstarch.  But you can’t just add it directly to a hot mixture or it will clump rather than thicken.  Instead, measure out a spoonful of flour or cornstarch and stir it into 1/4 cup cold water.  When it is completely dissolved, then add it to the hot liquid and stir until it is mixed in.  Bring the mixture to a boil and keep stirring until it thickens.

                                                   See all my Cooking Tips!

A New Use for Mozzarella String Cheese

Looking back I think my first mouthful of mozzarella cheese came from pizza.  Then I was introduced to lasagna and other Italian dishes that featured this somewhat bland cheese. 

Mozzarella string cheese recently entered my life when a nutritionist recommended it as a snack.

Salmon Spread Is Now a Family Classic

I started thinking about the Christmas holidays this morning for some reason, and the first image to pop into my head was Salmon Spread.  For the past few decades we have served this appetizer in the living room while those of us in the kitchen put the final touches on dinner.

By the time we popped in for a quick taste, there was usually nothing left.  It’s always been a win/lose situation.  We kitchen slaves won the chance to have the first bite of the turkey as we were doing the carving, but seldom did we get a mouthful of Salmon Spread.

Tangelos: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Tangelos are a citrus fruit—half tangerine and half grapefruit.  They have a funny knob at the stem end, which sets them apart from an orange.  They are easy to peel and make a wonderful snack.  If you’re into fresh orange juice, try squeezing tangelos.  They produce a lot of juice. 

Surprising Ingredient in These Mashed Potatoes

Lobster and Mashed Potatoes are two items I never expected to see served in the same bowl.  But there I was, standing in a buffet line, and in front of me was a big dish of mashed potatoes and a sign: Lobster Mashed Potatoes.  I couldn’t see any lobster in the potatoes, but it was 10 pm and the lighting was poor. 

Make Your Own Chocolate Pudding

Back in the dinosaur age, when Hershey Bars were just about the only chocolate bars available, my favorite dessert was Royal Instant Chocolate Pudding.  It was basically brown powder in a box.  You poured it into a large bowl, added cold milk, stirred a while and then refrigerated it until needed. 

Years passed and I moved to London. That’s where I discovered Chocolate Mousse,

Too Much Sliced French Bread?

I like my carbohydrates, so whenever I see French bread on sale I buy a loaf.  I tend to ignore the probability that I have three uneaten loaves in the freezer.

The Joy of Greek Salad

When I was a teenager, I spent the summer in Greece as an American Field Service Exchange Student.  I drank goat’s milk (not my favorite beverage) and picked fresh figs off trees (don’t eat too many at once because there are consequences).

The one thing I didn’t do was eat a Greek Salad.

Mom Cooking Tip 152

If you have trouble opening a jar, try this.  Instead of whacking the lid at an angle, which will leave a dent, take a slender but heavy object and gently but firmly hit the flat part of the lid in several places.  This process releases the lid’s grip on the glass underneath.  I use a long metal bottle opener but you could use the handle of a hammer or other tool. 

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Mom Cooking Tip 151

When pre-baking a homemade piecrust, holes and cracks may appear in the crust when it comes out of the oven.  You can fill these holes and cracks with flour “glue.”  Put a teaspoon of flour in the bowl of a spoon and stir in 2-3 drops water.  You want to create a shiny, thick mixture you can press into the hole or crack and then smooth out.  Add more water if it’s too dry or a bit more flour if it’s too runny.  If the piecrust and filling will be going back in the oven, the “glue” will simply be absorbed.  If it will not be going back into the oven after being filled, bake the unfilled piecrust for 1 minute more and let cool.

                                                 See all my Cooking Tips!

Mom Money-Saving Tip 99

The concept of ‘reverse engineering,’ which means taking something apart to see how it works, came in handy recently when someone brought a dish of glazed carrots to a potluck I attended.  The carrots were delicious and looked easy to make.

I thought, ‘Here’s how I can use up that bag of mini carrots I had bought as a snack but sits untouched in the fridge.’  I like roasting vegetables so I roasted my carrots in a little olive oil for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then just before serving I stirred in a teaspoon of honey.  Healthy and frugal at the same time!

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Lemon and Chocolate? Why Not?

You might not think lemon and chocolate belong together. You would be wrong.  A chocolate brownie-type base topped with a firm lemon custard is just what the dessert doctor ordered—especially if that doctor is Mom.

These Chocolate Lemon Bars started out as plain Lemon Bars, and they were good.  But they weren’t memorable.  Also, they were chocolate-free.  I don’t make many desserts without a smigeon of chocolate, so eventually I began experimenting.  Why not substitute a chocolate crust for the traditional shortbread crust used for Lemon Bars?

Question for Mom

Dark Brown Sugar (upper left), Light Brown Sugar (bottom right)

What’s the difference between light brown and dark brown sugar? Edwin H.

Not a lot.  When rushing through the grocery store, many people just grab the first package of brown sugar they see.  They may not realize there are different choices, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. Light brown and dark brown sugars are easily substituted for each other.   Basically the difference is molasses.  Light brown sugar has about half the amount of molasses that’s in dark brown sugar.

                                                           See all Questions for Mom

Nostalgia When the School Bell Rings

One of the greatest joys of my childhood occurred when I got home from school and smelled homemade chocolate chip cookies in the oven.  My mother was not a great cook, but she knew the ins and outs of making chocolate chip cookies.

Now that school is back in session, I am reminded of those homework-filled afternoons sustained by seeing how many chocolate chip cookies I could get into my mouth at one sitting.  For some reason my mother liked making small cookies.  Seldom were they more than 2 inches across, and often they were smaller.

Quiche Lorraine Sounds So Sophisticated

Back when I was a new cook, I didn’t know much of anything.  Every recipe I looked at impressed me.  When one of my sophisticated friends invited me to dinner and made Spaghetti with Garlic Sauce, I was enthralled.  Only when I dared make it myself did I realize how easy it was.

My first taste of Quiche Lorraine came at a cocktail party.  By then I was slightly more ambitious in the kitchen.  I liked the bacon-y flavor of the quiche but had no idea what was in it.  There was no Internet then, so I went to a bookstore and searched through cookbooks.  That may be when I bought my first copy of “Joy of Cooking,” which included a Quiche Lorraine recipe. 

Candied Walnuts: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Candied walnuts are an extra-special treat added to salads.  They provide crunch and sweetness—something a little extra that even the crispest radishes or cucumbers can’t give you.  You can also add them to cookie batter, knead them into a homemade coffee cake or press them into the icing on a cake. 

Candied walnuts are also a satisfying snack.  They’re easy to make, and they keep for months in the fridge.  If you don't have any walnuts, pecans are a good substitute.

Question for Mom

Regular Peach (left), White Peach (right)

What’s the difference between regular peaches and white peaches? – Claire Z.

Price and flavor.  White peaches are rarely found in supermarkets.  When they are, they’re usually priced at a premium.  The skin of a white peach is rosy pink and white, much paler than the yellow/orange/red hues on the skin of a regular peach.  The flesh is white, not deep yellow, and the taste is a bit sweeter.  White peaches are more delicate and don’t bake as well as regular peaches, so don't use them for pies.  Instead, slice them and eat them raw for dessert or as a snack.

                                               See all Questions for Mom

Leftovers and Tortillas: A Marriage Made in Heaven

No matter how carefully I plan a meal, I almost always wind up with leftovers.  I used to hate the little parcels of wrapped-up food in the fridge, thinking, ‘If I’d liked it so much when I made it, why didn’t I eat it all?’

I can’t bear to throw food away unless it’s moldy.  That does happen when food parcels get pushed to the back of the shelf, but NOT ANY LONGER if I can help it.

Tandoori Spice: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

A popular spice used to flavor such Indian dishes as Tandoori Chicken, Tandoori Shrimp, Tandoori Fish, Chicken Tikka, Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Kebabs and Seekh Kebabs, tandoori spice is actually a combination of spices.  The mix varies, depending on who made it, but it most likely includes cardamom, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, ginger, paprika, turmeric and perhaps a pinch of saffron.  It is dark orange in color and packs quite a taste wallop.  But it’s not burning to the tongue unless it’s overloaded with cayenne pepper.

 If you like your food richly flavored,

Finding a Vegetarian Main Dish Everyone Likes

Some mealtimes I welcome the opportunity to make a vegetarian dish the whole family will eat and not cry out, “Where’s the meat?”  Other times I seem to develop brain freeze and can’t think beyond Greek Salad.

That was my state of mind yesterday, and then I remembered lentils.  “We all like lentils,” I said to myself while hunting for the lentil and potato dish recipe my friend Gloria once served us.  Eventually it turned up as a marker in one of my cookbooks—in the two-page lentil section.  Luckily I had all the ingredients.

How Many Ways Are There to Eat Chocolate?

Too many.  The easiest, of course, are chocolate bars and handfuls of chocolate chips, but that generally won’t work if you’re serving anyone but yourself.  Fudge can be a good choice, but that often involves a candy thermometer.  I have had numerous disasters with this “helpful” kitchen tool.

Then I discovered Fudge Pie.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 98

Here’s how to recycle leftover mashed potatoes:

* Add them to soup as a thickener

* Use them as an ingredient in Clover Leaf Potato Rolls  - click for recipe!

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Question for Mom

Someone told me that if you use a glass pie pan instead of a metal one, you have to lower the oven temperature when you’re baking a pie. Is that true? –Shannon K.

Yes, it’s a good idea to bake the pie at a slightly lower temperature.  Glass conducts heat more evenly and stays hot once it has reached oven temperature.  So keeping the oven 25 degrees lower than the recipe calls for is a good idea. But if you forget to adjust the temperature, your pie will most likely come out fine.  Just keep an eye on it during the last few minutes of baking so that the crust doesn’t get too brown.

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How Much Meat Is Too Much?

I remember the rare occasions when my family would eat out.  If we were traveling, my father would always pull up to a Howard Johnson’s and order Veal Parmesan.  It was almost like he was a taste-tester, going from restaurant to restaurant, making sure the food was identical.

When we were at home, though, he switched his eating-out preference to Roast Prime Rib of Beef. That’s a cut of meat we all loved, and on those rare occasions when we ate out that’s what we all ordered. 

Looking back, I can’t believe how much meat arrived on my plate and how little remained when the wait staff took my plate away.  Today 1 slice of prime rib would probably serve 4 people at my house.

Peas in a Summer Salad?

Salads often feature the color green, be it lettuce, cucumber, arugula, kale, fresh spinach or bell pepper.  Here’s another green vegetable to add: peas. 

I toss frozen peas into numerous rice dishes, mostly for a bit of color.  But I never considered them to be the basis for a salad until my neighbor Mary brought her Summer Pea Salad over for a recent barbecue.

Mom Cooking Tip 150

Here’s a new use for Boursin, the soft, flavored cheese that people love to spread on crackers.  I had about 1-2 tablespoons left from a dinner party.  Instead of gobbling it down, I mixed the leftover Boursin into a pasta sauce, where it provided extra creaminess and a delicate flavor.
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Seriously Chocolate Brownies

I love going to potluck brunches because there’s always a chance I will discover something new and delicious. That’s how I came across a brownie recipe that has a deeper chocolate flavor than any I’ve tasted before.  My friend Rhea brought the whole pan of brownies to share, and she took very few of them home with her.

The Perfect Fruit Salad

It’s long been a family tradition to serve a tossed salad with dinner.  It’s easy to make, and you can get away with lettuce and tomatoes if need be.  I can’t count how many iceberg lettuces I cut up over the years before bagged greens came along. 

In my mind fruit salad is entirely different.  It requires planning.  If you don’t have at least five kinds of fruit, it looks anemic.  And it can’t really be just some cut-up apples, bananas and oranges.  Well, it can but no one eating at my table thrills to that selection.

Rescuing a Mistake

When I’m making a chicken dish, I always worry that I won’t cook it long enough and we’ll get salmonella poisoning.  I’m sure that sounds a bit neurotic, but it’s happened to several of my friends.  That’s why chicken should never be served rare. 

That’s also why I over-grilled some boneless chicken thighs the other night.  We each managed to choke down one thigh.  Unfortunately there were 8 left. 

For dinner the next night I decided to slice the thighs thinly, add a little water and lots of barbecue sauce and cook them for about 10 minutes more.  The chicken pieces softened right up, and I served them in heated buns.  Problem solved!

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