I have a great gumbo recipe, except for the okra, which makes it slimy. Is there any way to prevent the sliminess? -Bob (& Kay) I haven't cooked with okra much, only a time or two, largely because it isn't that common in the produce markets I use, but I know what you mean about sliminess. In Ghostbusters II, singing neutralizes the... Read more →
Not that I have ever actually aspired to be a food writer for a mainstream newspaper or periodical, but occasionally I see an article that really brings home the truth that I could never cut it in that job. The most recent was an article just before Christmas in a national paper. It was a question from a reader who 'loves to bake for... Read more →
Despite its reputation as being the hallmark of a skilled chef, a beautiful cheese soufflé is surprisingly simple to do, takes very little effort, and wows dinner guests. And, contrary to popular myth, you don't need to tiptoe around the kitchen while it is baking. Just don't slam the oven door or choose then to practice your jumping... Read more →
Here is my first suggestion if you are thinking of buying Pâtisserie by William and Suzy Curley -- allow yourself at least an extra day to just look at the marvelous pastries pictured in this book. It seems nowadays that with competition from other media, book publishers have moved to lower grade paper and have overall reduced the... Read more →
Why is Cream of Tartar so expensive? Can I make my own? - Alice Cream of Tartar (AKA tartaric acid, chemical formula KC4H5O6, Potassium bitartrate) is formed during the production of wines made from grapes. For commercial production the crystals that precipitate out in industrial fermentation vats are collected and purified into the... Read more →
How can I remove the oil from the top of a jar of peanut butter? Also, can I use the oil for cooking?- Tony Like you, I suspect, I prefer so-called "natural" peanut butter with no added ingredients over those made with hydrogenated oils and sugar. I find the other stuff gives it an unpleaseant texture and a cloyingly sweet taste. Ground... Read more →
This post is a bit of a rant and a bit of a cooking lesson. Recently for lunch I grabbed a bowl of soup, as I usually do, from the Boffins Atrium Café at Innovation Place in Saskatoon (shameless plug for my wife's book of watercolor paintings of our beautiful city). My choices were Golden Chicken Rice or vegetarian Mushroom Barley. I... Read more →
I bought some round steak to make Hungarian Goulash. I realized I wasn’t going to get to making it in a timely manner and froze the meat. I took it out, defrosted it in the fridge only to have some things come up that made using it right away impossible. Knowing that meat can be refrozen if it is defrosted in the fridge I did just that... Read more →
How do I clean a seasoned fry pan in which I've cooked chicken?-Diane I'm not really sure what this question is getting at, but I'll hazard a guess that since chicken is notorious for contamination from salmonella, enterococcus or E. coli (among others), what you are concerned about is cross-contamination of other foods by a pan in which... Read more →
When you cook larger quantities of rice (say, more than three cups dry rice), you need proportionally less water. Can you provide a rule of thumb or a chart? I cook both white and brown rice.-- Marcia I can find no detailed reference for the amount of water needed to cook larger quantities of rice but I notice that the instructions for... Read more →