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By JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 26, 2003
deconstructing: explanations from the inside out: chinese sauces
oyster sauce
This thick, concentrated sauce is the earthy combination of oysters, brine and soy sauce. Vegetarian versions often are made with tofu instead of oysters. Oyster sauce is common in Cantonese cooking, especially stir-fries. It brings a richness to dishes without overpowering other ingredients, thanks to the lack of sugar and sharp spices. Bottles of oyster sauce are often set on tables and the sauce used as a condiment.
plum sauce
The pink sauce in clear packets that accompanies Chinese takeout is also called duck sauce because it is commonly served with that fowl. Plum sauce is a sweet-and-sour condiment made with plums, apricots, sugar and seasonings that include toasted mustard seeds, garlic and ginger. Pork and spareribs are often accompanied with plum sauce, and a generous dipping adds sweetness and punch to egg rolls.
hoisin sauce
Hoisin (HOY-sihn) is a thick, reddish-brown sauce mostly used as a table condiment for dipping skewered, grilled meat and as a flavoring in meat, poultry and shellfish dishes. Hoisin, also called Peking sauce, is a Cantonese version of sweet bean sauce, predominantly found in northern China. Hoisin is made from fermented soy beans, salt, wheat flour, sugar, vinegar, garlic, chili and sesame oil. Depending on the manufacturer, it might include pumpkin.
constant comment
"It would be nice if the Food and Drug Administration stopped issuing warnings about toxic substances and just gave me the names of one or two things still safe to eat." -- Robert Fuoss, executive editor Saturday Evening Post, 1956-61
Frustrated that you can't find wood ear mushrooms at your grocery store? Or dried cabbage flakes? The folks at Spicesetc.com feel your pain and come to the rescue with an online store full of interesting and hard-to-find spices, dried vegetables and sauces. Pickled garlic? Just $4.25 a jar. Peanut flour? Only $2.70 for 1.6 ounces and great for thickening Thai sauces. Don't forget the battery-operated pepper mills, macadamia flavoring or black truffle oil.
cooking class
Once upon a time, rice, like dried beans, had to be sorted through and rinsed before cooking to get rid of twigs, stones and dirt. Today's rice is processed in a cleaner manner, so the need to rinse it to remove dirt is no longer necessary. Some cooks rinse long-grain white rice before cooking to remove excess starch and make it cook more evenly. There's a tradeoff, though. Rice in the United States is fortified with vitamins and minerals, including iron. If you rinse the rice, you wash away these enrichments as well.
what's that mean?
Simmering occurs when a liquid is heated just below boiling, about 185 degrees. The tiny bubbles at the bottom of the pan should float to the surface and break gently. When the bubbles are large and move rapidly to the surface, the liquid is boiling. Many sauces and cream soups require simmering because higher temperatures cause the ingredients to separate.
do a good deed
 If you're like us, you've bought cookies from several Girl Scouts even though you don't really need 10 boxes each of Thin Mints and Samoas. Taste columnist Anne Long suggests donating the cookies to your neighborhood firehouse, a residential charity such as Ronald McDonald House, a nursing home or a food bank. Call ahead to make sure the organization will accept the cookies. Other potentially grateful recipients: the police, nurses, teachers, mail carriers, receptionists at your doctors' offices and church staffs. Haven't been approached by a young girl with a sash or a vest full of badges? They'll be selling them outside grocery stores through March 16.
tiny bubbles
 Contrary to myth, dangling a metal spoon in the neck of a Champagne bottle will not preserve the bubbles for several days. Instead, you need a stopper designed for the neck of the bottle, which is slightly larger than most wine bottles. Lacking a proper stopper, refrigerate the bottle. Some bubbles will remain for a second day.
when sauce meets pasta
The Olive Garden offers these suggestions for pasta pairings:
-- Thin angel hair pasta works best with a rich broth or light sauce such as tomato pomodoro, marinara or pesto.
-- Spaghetti, linguine and tubular pastas such as penne and ziti are best matched with vibrant sauces that offer chunks of tomatoes, meats and vegetables.
-- Fettuccine, lasagna and other flat noodles should be paired with heavier meat or cream-based sauces such as Alfredo or Bolognese.
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