When I finished a glass of wine recently, I noticed little grains of some sort in my glass. When I looked at the bottle, there were grains of sand or something inside the bottle too. Where did these come from and are they safe? --Pat What you saw are likely tartaric acid crystals that precipitated out of the wine. Tartaric acid is... Read more →

Help! My recipe calls for a sprig of fresh parsley, chopped. How big is a sprig?--Danielle Technically, a sprig is a small branch or shoot of a plant. Unfortunately, that's pretty much useless knowledge in the kitchen. The problem though, is that a lot of cooking is about inexact measures such as sprigs, pinches, dashes, handsfull and... Read more →

Red onion vs Spanish onion, what is the difference between the two. Its is said that the red is sweet, but I don't find that true. I find the Walla Walla onion and Vidalia are sweet. The red to me is strong onion flavor and I notice it goes sour if you cut them ahead.--Steve Actually, all of the onions you mention are varieties from... Read more →

For Easter, I am planning to make an Easter Bunny cake. My problem is that I can never get bright, vibrant color in my icing. It always turns out a pale pastel color instead. How can I get brighter colors?--Tony Your problem is likely that you are using the liquid food coloring that is available at most supermarkets and grocery stores... Read more →

Hi, Can you tell me if the 2 : 1 : 1 ratio of onions to carrots to celery in a mirepoix is by weight or volume? Thank You.--Pat C Interesting question! The Culinary Institute of America gives a ratio of 8 ounces of chopped onions to 4 ounces each of chopped carrots and celery for a basic Mirepoix, so they are using a 2 : 1 : 1... Read more →

I have a cookie formula that calls for baking ammonia. What are the proportions to replace the baking ammonia with baking soda or baking powder. I know that baking powder is a mixture of soda and Cream of tartar. I will appreciate your help. --Ted Baking ammonia, also known as ammonium bicarbonate, is a white powder or crystal that... Read more →

What is the difference between a brunoise and a mirepoix?--Sylvia Both brunoise (pronounced "broon-WAHZ") and mirepoix (pronounced "meer-PWAH") are preparations of vegetables used in cooking. A mirepoix is a dice or rough chop of carrots, onions and celery used as a flavor base in cooking. The dice is usually around 1/4 inch (6 mm)... Read more →

Here's my problem. I love tzatziki but every time I make some, it ends up so runny you could almost drink it with a straw. It is too runny for dipping pita or vegetables in. How can I make it thicker? --Gail Tzatziki is a traditional Greek dish made by combining yogurt, crated cucumber and other ingredients. There are two things... Read more →

Hi I substituted white whole wheat flour in a Challah recipe that says to use just whole wheat flour. I found that it tasted and smelled like play dough. Is there a difference in white whole wheat flour and whole wheat flour. If so what is the difference? Do you have any good idea for a whole grain healthy Challah?--Julie By... Read more →

Isn't it true that 16 oz of dry goods is different than 16 oz of liquid measure. If a recipe calls for 8oz of flour, you should measure it using a scale rather than using a cup (which is a liquid measure, no matter what kind of cup you use). I'm confused. --SM The confusion comes from the fact that in English we use the word "ounce"... Read more →