Useful Info
Melons: How can I select a good melon in the market?
In the middle of the summer a lot of e-mails arrive in my Kitchen Shrink inbox asking the same question, “is there a secret to finding a melon that is sweet and flavorful.” While that’s not so easy in the winter when melons come from far away as it is now that they are coming…
Olives: Substituting Ripe Olives
Jerry e-mailed the Kitchen Shrink that he couldn’t find the Kalamata olives called for in a recipe he wanted to try and wondered if you can substitute canned California ripe olives for Kalamata olives in a recipe? Canned California ripe olives and oil-cured European ripe olives are really very different…
Parmigiano-Reggiano: How can I tell that I am buying real Parmigiano-Reggiano?
Mary e-mailed the Kitchen Shrink that she would like to try Parmigiano-Reggiano but found the cheese department of her market confusing and wasn’t sure how she could tell she was getting the right cheese. There are several hard cheeses on the market that are similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano in color but…
Ramps: What are ramps and how do you cook them?
This week I got an e-mail from Cindy saying she had seen ramps in her local farmers’ market and she wondered what they were and how they are used. Ramps (Allium tricoccum), aka “wild leeks,” belong to the onion family. Their flavor is somewhere between that of onions and very…
Bananas: Are bananas good to eat after they have been refrigerated?
Marla e-mailed the Kitchen Shrink that she had accidentally put her bananas in the refrigerator in a bag of groceries and now the skins are black. She wondered if they are still good to use. Bananas are still just fine to use if they have been refrigerated and the skins…