6 Cooking Tip Blow Your Mind
FREEZING BREADDo nutrient levels in bread decrease when it's frozen?
Barbara Van Kirk, Roxbury, CT
Jane Davis rep lies:
Proteins and carbohydrates in breads will not degrade by freezing, though the vitamin levels may be diminished. Freezing protects fatty elements in bre ad, like wheat germ, nuts, and cheese, keeping them from becoming rancid. Freezing also s lows bre ad's staling process. When baked goods leave the oven, the water trapped by the baking process continues to evaporate, but the speed at which this happens depends on the ambient temperature. Bread, especially a handmade yeast bread, will keep well at room temperature for days, but for longer keeping, the freezer is far better than a refrigerator. Refrigerators (at about 40°F) will quicken the staling process and your bread will dry out fast.
WHITE VS. BLACK PEPPER
I know black and white pepper have diffe rent flavors, but do they come from the same plant?
-Lynn Harris, Fort Worth, TX
Carol Ann Rinzler replies:
Peppercorns are berries from the tropical vine Piper nigrum. Black peppercorns are berries that are picked before ripening and then dried. White peppercorns are mature berries that are soaked in water and stripped of their dark outer covering before being dried. The two peppers have slight differences in taste and aroma. Beyond taste, however, the pepper you use also comes down to a matter of aesthetics. Many cooks think white pepper looks more attractive and less distracting than black pepper on light-colored dishes, such as poached fish or white sauces. Incidentally, all peppercorns are at their best when freshly ground in a metal pepper mill. Wooden mills absorb peppercorn oils, which may create a residue that is impossible to clean. Plastic mills also absorb oils but are somewhat easier to clean.
DAIRY-FREE COOKING
I have a severe allergy t o all milk products. Can you help me find recipes that are milk-fre e , but not ve getarian or meat-and-potatoes?
-Joan Tatum, Pike ton, OH
Nach Waxman replies :
Two useful dairy-free books are The Milk- Free Kitchen, by Beth Kidder, and The DairyFree Cookbook, by Jane Zukin. Each book has its own virtues. The Milk-Free Kitchen (H. Holt & Co., 1 99 1 . $ 1 6.95, softcover; 480 pp. ISBN 0-8050- 1 836-0) generally has stronger and more interesting recipes-some 450 of them, including many baking recipes. As a cookbook, Zukin's Dairy-Free Cookbook (Prima, 1991 . $ 1 4.95, softcover; 3 00 pp. ISBN 1 -55958-088-7) is not as satisfying, but it offers 75 pages of extremely helpful introductory material, including charts, suppliers, a discussion of causes and strategies, and so forth. I would suggest that either be used primarily as a guide to cooking methods. These books provide many tips, tricks, and substitutions that may be all you need to convert the recipes you already know and love . There's no reason to disregard many of your old favorites.
RE-LINING COPPER PANS
I have some heavy pans i n which the tin lining has worn away and the copper is showing through. Should I have them re-lined? Whe re can I have this done , and how much might it cost? Is it unhealthy to cook with copper exposed? -Grace Low, Eugene, OR
Judie Han sen replies :
Copper is unbeatable for cooking because it conducts heat so evenly. Tin-lined pans are wonderfu l , but the lining may be harmed by temperatures higher than 405°F, or by long use. You should have your pans re tinned because exposed copper can be toxic. The cost of retinning is about half the cost of a new pan. Any silversmith should be able to provide this service. Look in the Yellow Pages, or call the best cookware s tore in your area and see whom they recommend. In the future, you could buy stainless-steel-lined copper pans, which cost about twice as much, but don't wear out like tin-lined pans do.
RICOTTA SALATA
On restaurant menus and in some recipes, I keep seeing "ricotta salata." What is it and how do you use it?
-C. Bender, Culver City, CA
Paula Lambert replies:
Ricotta salata is a dry, firm ricotta that's good for grating over salads and pasta dishes. It's typically an I talian sheep's-milk ricotta that's salted, pressed, drained of most of its moisture, and aged until it is hard and develops a sharp, piquant flavor. It has a dry consistency, no rind, is very white, and cylindrical in shape. It has a distinctive sheep's-milk flavor somewhat similar to pecorino romano. The name " ricotta" comes from the I talian word that means " to recook . " Ricotta is made from whey that remains after cheese curds are either separated or drained. The whey is reheated (or "recooked") to become ricotta. When made from whey alone, true Italian ricotta is an excellent low-fat cheese. American ricotta, however, often made from cow's milk, and has a higher milkfat content.
HOW TO USE LEEK TOPS
Many recipes for leeks implore you to save the leek tops for soup. How should I use them?
-Peter Lindsay, Toronto, ON
Lucia Watson replies:
You can simmer and puree fresh leek tops with other vegetables for any smooth soup in which you'd like the leek's green color and mild onion flavor. You also can use chopped leek tops in soups such as chicken lemongrass or beef vegetable. Fresh leek tops also make a great addition to the stockpot. Add them to fresh aromatic vegetables (carrots, celery, onions) , some herbs, whole unpeeled garlic, and perhaps a handful of dried beans (for body) . Make the stock in any amount, but the water level should just cover the vegetables you're using. After the stock simmers for about an hour, strain it. The stock is ready to use. Unlike its source vegetables, the stock freezes very well-and it's much handier to have a freezer full of frozen stock than frozen vegetable scraps. While fresh leek tops can contribute to soup, either as an actual ingredient or when used in the stock, frozen leek tops will do you no good at all. A defrosted leek top is a slimy thing, which only can make for a slimy product.
