A colleague and I were recently at a business meeting where lunch was provided. I took a sandwich from the tray, only to be told that one of the lunch wraps was a healthier choice. Is that true? --Greg Since I don't know what was inside the wrap or the sandwich, it's hard to make a complete comparison, but I can comment on the choice... Read more →

I recently learned that all white salt is processed and devoid of some 80 minerals. Is that why iodine is added?--Name Withheld Salt, whether of the table salt variety or harvested by vestal virgins under a full moon in October contains almost no iodine, unless it is added. According to M. G. Venkatesh Mannar, Executive Director The... Read more →

Happy New Year. Some friends of ours just came back from a trip to Mexico and they brought us a bottle of vanilla concentrate. I’ve never used ‘concentrate’ before so decided to Google it. Some people are saying to not use it for it could cause liver damage if there’s a certain ingredient in it. Can you help clarify some of this... Read more →

I understand how the gluten in wheat flour works to capture the gas formed by either yeast or baking powder or soda, but what makes the non gluten containing flours rise? --Lynn In normal baking, the proteins glutenin and gliadin in flour bond with the water and with each other to form long strands and sheets of what we know as gluten.... Read more →

Are Cream of Tartar and Tartar Sauce the same thing?--Helen Seeing this question made me think of a Before and After category puzzle on Wheel of Fortune where the answer is "Cream of Tartar Sauce." No, they are not the same thing. Cream of tartar is a dry white powder that is actually finely ground tartaric acid. The chemical name is... Read more →

Lots of recipes for stews and braises say to brown the meat "being careful to not overcrowd the pan." What does this mean and why does it matter? --Lisbeth The basic idea of searing meat is to create a nice brown crust on the meat that adds flavor to the dish through a process called the Maillard Reaction. Note that searing... Read more →

I read your previous posting on Baker's Percentage. My question is, given that eggs contain a lot of water, should they be counted in the hydration percentage for bread? --Eric About 76% of the total weight of an egg is water. Of the rest, about 9.5% is fat, 12.5% is protein and 0.4% is glucose. Technically, that means that for a... Read more →

What is the difference between salsa and Pico de Gallo? They seem to be used interchangeably on restaurant menus. --Denise Salsa is the Mexican word for "sauce". It can include both cooked salsas, like those found on supermarket shelves across North America, or "Salsa Cruda", meaning uncooked sauce. A salsa cruda is typically prepared... Read more →

In response to my previous posting Breadmaker Jewish Rye Bread, SeaBee asked: Shouldn't there be some sugar involved somewhere? Now, I'm not sure if this is a specific questions because SeaBee thinks that Jewish Rye Bread should be sweet(er), or a more general question like: I notice in your posting on Breadmaker Jewish Rye Bread there... Read more →

Family is gathering at my house for Christmas supper this year. How big of a turkey do I need? There will be about 14 adults and 5 children. --Emily The size of turkey you need depends on three major questions. The first one you have answered -- how many people will there be. Next, you need to decide on portion size. Health adults... Read more →