Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
2E: Quick Takes
Briefs and news of note.
By Times staff and wire
Published December 27, 2006
If one of your New Year's resolutions is to eat healthier, you will probably be thinking about cooking more at home. How will you find the time? How about cooking once or twice, then stocking the freezer with food for an entire month? The Internet is bursting with sites dedicated to what in do-ahead parlance is known as OAMC (once-a-month cooking). Some sites, such as www.cookofthemonth.com, will even send shopping lists to your cell phone. Use your favorite search engine and type in "once a month cooking" to unearth dozens more. In the meantime, here's advice for making a success out of do-ahead dining. - Though experts disagree about whether cooked pasta should be frozen at all, most say slightly undercooking will help prevent it from getting too soggy during reheating. - Be careful with sauces. Those thickened with cornstarch or flour can separate when thawed, as can sauces that contain yogurt and mayonnaise. Save those for the refrigerator. - Watch your salt. Tim Cebula, associate food editor for Cooking Light magazine, says salt can go flat in the freezer, making diners likely to add more at the table. To avoid turning your food into sodium bombs, hold the salt until after reheating. - Ditto for other seasonings. Waiting until food is reheated to add fresh herbs, lemon juice or grated Parmesan cheese allows the cook to stir in a bit of freshness. - Pay attention to food safety. Make sure your freezer is set to zero. And always cool foods before freezing. - Baked goods, including undecorated cake layers, freeze well. Muffins and cupcakes can be frozen and reheated in foil. Freeze items as they will be eaten, in single or family-sized servings. Associated Press Rachael Ray coins a phrase Prolific Rachael Ray - with 13 cookbooks, a lifestyle magazine, three television programs, and branded cookware, appliances and cutlery - has officially become a wordsmith. One of her catch phrases has made it into the 2007 edition of the Oxford American College Dictionary, the Washington Post reports. That would be EVOO, short for extra-virgin olive oil. Hear her say it on back-to-back 30 Minute Meals episodes at 6 and 6:30 p.m. weekdays on the Food Network and on her daily chat fest at 3 p.m. on WFLA-Ch. 8.
[Last modified December 26, 2006, 11:11:50]
Share your thoughts on this story
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor