deconstructing

explanations from the inside out

baguette

No other food might epitomize Parisian cuisine more than the baguette. Many times we have seen the image of the long, skinny loaf of bread poking from a bag attached to the back of a bicycle. Often the bike rider is wearing a beret.

The iconic baguette, however, probably originated in Vienna, just like the croissant, and was introduced to France by Austrian bakers.

It is mostly the crispy, thin crust that differentiates the baguette from other French breads. The creamy-colored inside is soft, with large, irregular air holes. A proper baguette should be slightly chewy with a subtle, nutty flavor.

Baguette means "little rod" in French and refers to a conductor's baton or, some say, a fairy's wand, say Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno, co-authors of Ultimate Bread (DK Publishing, $17.50). "The French say that it is always best to buy two baguettes because one is always half eaten by the time it arrives home," they wrote.

Known well to the jewelers and jewelry-lovers among you is the baguette-cut gemstone. A baguette cut leaves a narrow, oblong stone.

these web sites cook

Resolved to help others more in the new year? You can get involved by learning more about national and global food issues or by supporting hunger-fighting ideas, campaigns and initiatives on these Web sites.

-- www.foodfirst.org: Institute for Food and Development Policy, a think tank co-founded by Frances Moore Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet.

-- www.frac.org: Food Research and Action Center, a nonpartisan center to which members of Congress often refer.

-- www.secondharvest.org: America's Second Harvest collects and distributes food nationally.

-- www.strength.org: Share Our Strength is an antihunger, antipoverty group.

-- www.bread.org: Bread for the World is a religion-based hunger relief effort.

constant comment

"Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good." -- Alice May Brock (of Alice's Restaurant fame)

cooking class

When roasting red-skinned or other waxy-style potatoes, take a moment to place a cut side of the potatoes directly in contact with the pan. This way the flat side browns and crisps beautifully, while the inside stays nice and tender.

how to tame a coconut

To crack open a coconut, first use a kitchen mallet to gently tap an ice pick into the soft eyes (the shallow indentations on the surface), then drain the liquid into a bowl. Wrap the coconut in a kitchen towel, place it on a sturdy surface such as a heavy cutting board and hit it smartly with the mallet. It should not be necessary to give the coconut a hard whack, but you may need to hit it several times to break it into pieces.

food, automatically

These days, the drive-through window is the path to fast food for many Americans. But from the late 1920s through the late 1950s, even faster food choices sat at the ready behind windowed vending machine slots at Horn & Hardart (aka the automat) in New York City. Individual plates of Salisbury steak with fluffy mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach, coconut cream pie, all easily washed down with 5-cent cups of coffee. Automat (Clarkson Potter, 2002) by Lorraine B. Diehl and Marianne Hardart, granddaughter of co-founder Frank Hardart, recalls the institution, its elegant art deco architecture and its affordable comfort foods.

dinner tonight

Uncluttered, simple food sounds appetizing after all the lush (over)eating of the holiday season. To satisfy the need for downsizing, serve Shrimp or Crab Louis tonight. This San Francisco treat is simple to adapt for an at-home meal. Dress lump crab meat or salad shrimp, or a combination, with ice-cold Thousand Island dressing. Arrange on a bed of lettuce or stuff into a juicy tomato and serve with quartered hard-boiled eggs. Crackers or a hunk of sourdough bread complete the meal.

winter cleaning

Forget spring, start pantry cleaning now. Toss out or replace:

-- Spices that are more than 3 years old. Spice manufacturers recommend discarding them after a year, but we think many of them have a longer shelf life. Give them a good whiff; if the oregano smells more like mulch than spaghetti sauce, chuck it.

-- Empty boxes or boxes with a quarter cup or less in them. If you can use the remainder at the bottom, use it. Soon. Otherwise, throw it out. Likewise the tiny bit of liquid at the bottom of vinegar, molasses, syrup, honey and oil containers.

-- Cans with bulges; the contents are probably rancid. If you have nonperishable food you don't think you'll use, donate it to a food bank. Just because the holidays are over doesn't mean there aren't people who need help.

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