One of those "wish I could do it better" items that has sat on my cooking To-Do list for years is beans. I prefer for taste, nutrition and cost to work with dried beans, but I'm forever plagued by inconsistent results. Well, two books that I recently got seem to have removed most if not all of my worries. The books are Harold McGee's Keys... Read more →

Hi. My wife keeps telling me that I shouldn't mix the last leftovers, say from a container of hummus, with the new one. I say there is no reason not to. What do you think?- Jake There is good reason behind your wife's concern, and that is that you are mixing food that has already had a chance for bacterial growth into new food, thus... Read more →

If a diet calls for 9 ounces of protein daily, how many grams would that be? - Kitty Nine ounces equals 255 grams, but if a diet calls for nine ounces of protein, the first thing I would recommend is checking out just exactly what the author meant by the word 'protein'. Technically, proteins are organic molecules made up of amino acids... Read more →

My oldest daughter is a vegetarian, so visits home can be a challenge and a learning opportunity for the 'head cook'. On her last visit, I wanted to try something new. I had read that dried mushrooms ground into a fine powder was one way to add flavor depth to food. Some refer to this meatiness as Umami. To test the idea, I made the... Read more →

In our local newspaper recently was an article titled Italian twist lightens up classic French onion soup1. The author is a well known and respected chef, author and TV personality. The lead in says, "In my quest to slim down this French classic, I turned to Italy. I swapped out Gruyere in favour of Parmigiano-Reggiano and moved the... Read more →

I am reading your article about the baking powder. Mine contains monocalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate and cornstarch. Since the monocalcium phosphate is listed in your article as available for both the fast and slow acting components, is this particular brand I am using (Rumford, aluminum-free) considered 'Double'? It bubbled up... Read more →

I got a new quick read probe thermometer, but I'm not sure it is reading accurately. Is there an easy way to check it?-- Dan There are two temperatures that are very easy to check a thermometer for in the home kitchen -- the freezing point of water, and its boiling point. Water freezes at 32°F (0°C). If your thermometer will read... Read more →

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 →

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 →