As an appetizer for entertaining at Easter, I was planning to serve Lox and Caviar on Blini. Now I wonder, "What is the difference between Lox and Gravlox?" Which one was I thinking of? --Ruth Lox is salmon that has been brined and then cold smoked. The brine contains salt and sometimes sugar. Smoking is done at temperatures ranging... Read more →

I am out of all-purpose flour however I do have self-rising flour. I am making Chocolate Chip cookies. Can I use the self-rising flour instead of the all-purpose flour?--Jo Ann Self-rising flour is regular flour that has baking powder and and salt added. Exact formulas, including the type of baking powder used, vary by manufacturer.... Read more →

We roasted a fresh turkey un-stuffed on Thanksgiving and the left-over pieces have been stored in the refrigerator in it's own container. How long is too long to safely consume the left-over turkey? Thank you. --Betty In our house, most of the leftover turkey is consumed for late night snacks or lunch the next day as Turkey Buns. In... Read more →

What is the best way to separate eggs into the whites and yolks?--Janet There are three ways to separate whites from yolks. The first way is using a commercially available egg separator. These devices have a cup supported by rigid spokes in the middle of a ring. You crack the egg and let the contents drop into the center of the separator... Read more →

Can you settle a question for us? I say that allspice is a blend of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. My wife says that it is an actual spice. Which is it?--Bert Allspice is the dried fruit of the evergreen myrtle plant Pimenta Dioica. It gets its name from the fact that it tastes, as you noticed, like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The... Read more →

A friend of mine brought some fresh vanilla beans back from a trip to Costa Rica. I have never used fresh vanilla beans before. What do I do?--Bev Vanilla is the pod of the Vanilla Orchid. Supposedly, it is the only edible fruit from an orchid plant. I am assuming that the beans you got have been treated and are not fresh off the plant.... Read more →

I recently heard a TV chef say that she prefers a certain kind of oil because it has a high smoke point. What is a smoke point, and why does it matter?--Sean The smoke point of any oil or fat is the temperature at which it begins to smoke. This is important because at or near the smoke point, the oil begins to also undergo chemical... Read more →

What is the difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk? Can I substitute one for the other?--Pat Evaporated milk is milk from which about 60% of the water has been evaporated. Condensed milk, or sweetened condensed milk, is milk and sugar which has been heated until about 60% of the water is cooked off. Evaporated milk is also... Read more →

How is instant rice made?--Lindsay Instant rice is also known as minute rice rice. It is made by fully cooking regular rice and then dehydrating it to remove most of the moisture. Because it has already been cooked, all that is necessary to prepare instant rice is to simply rehydrate it with hot water. Cup for cup of cooked product... Read more →

Is there something that I can substitute for Madeira wine? --Becky Madeira is a fortified wine from Portugal. By fortified, I mean a wine to which brandy or some other spirit has been added to increase the alcohol content. Although it may be served as a drink either before or after a meal, it also makes a great cooking wine in both... Read more →