Is it OK to make ahead and freeze dips that have a cream cheese base? -- Penny To some extent, the answer depends on the recipe and ingredients that you are using, as well as the length of time that the dip is being frozen. When frozen, cream cheese can become crumbly and some of the water in the cheese may separate out. Blending... Read more →

I want to make potato pancakes for the holiday, but don't want to be slaving over a hot frying pan when my guest come. How can I prepare them ahead of time, store them, and reheat them?-- Eileen You can make the pancakes ahead of time and either refrigerate or freeze them. When it is time to serve them, place the pancakes in a single... Read more →

Why do onions sting your eyes and make you cry when you dice them? Is there anything that can be done to prevent this?-- Josh Whenever you cut an onion, you slice through the cells, allowing certain sulfur-based chemicals to come into direct contact with an enzyme which breaks them into smaller molecules. Some of those molecules are... Read more →

This summer we canned mango jam. Now, about two months later, we noticed that all the jars have discolored fruit at the top. We followed instructions for the recipe and filled the jars 1/4 inch from the top and placed them in a water bath canner for a full ten minutes. The fruit has settled a bit and now there seems to be more space... Read more →

Someone on the food channel stated that all baked goods that call for butter should use unsalted butter rather than regular. If this is the case, why don't the recipes state that in their directions? When I see a recipe call for butter, I have never seen it state a preference for unsalted butter. Should unsalted be used instead, and if... Read more →

What do you know about preserving lemons? Your favorite way to preserve them? Interesting ways to use them?-- Dani I, myself, have never made preserved lemons, but here is what I have been able to find out. According to The New Food Lover's Companion, the lemons are "preserved in a salt-lemon juice mixture (sometimes with spices such as... Read more →

Q: I have a wonderful spice cookie recipe that I would love to modify to allow me to make gingerbread shaped cookies instead of round, drop cookies. The dough spreads too much during rising to keep the shape. It also is very hard to work with. Is there a simple way to modify the recipe while keeping the same taste?-- Laura There are a few... Read more →

Which Potato to use for which purpose? On Friday my wife and I went to a new bistro in town to check it out. Generally, the meal was good, but there was one notable disappointment. For the starch with my main course, I ordered Potatoes Dauphinoise, a dish similar to scalloped potatoes topped with melted cheese. In this case, the potatoes... Read more →

Tonight we had a nice pork tenderloin for supper, served with a popular brand of unsweetened applesauce. After the plastic bottle in which the applesauce was sold was cleaned out using a soup spoon, I noted that a fair amount was still left behind, hiding in the irregular contours of the container. It's one of those ones with ridges... Read more →

At least three times now I have seen responses to the question, "What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?" answered with something like, "Baking powder makes baked goods rise up rather than spread, while baking soda does the opposite."1 To test this, I performed a simple experiment. I made two mixtures. Both... Read more →