Rachael Ray

Popovers are like magic. You take a few simple ingredients - all of which you probably have on hand - and poof, out comes puffed golden airy beautiful buttery deliciousness. When it comes to popovers, it’s all about timing. You have to eat them quickly (honestly, it’s mandatory)  before they collapse like a souffle so have the softened butter and jam handy.  I had a childhood friend whose grandmother would make popovers for a casual weeknight dinner and I was blown away. I figured they must be so difficult when in fact now I know how easy they actually are. Popover pans are about $15-$30 for 6 or 12 cup pans but if  you don’t own a popover pan, you [...]...

For the past ten plus years my husband and I have taken a weekend afternoon in late summer and made pesto, assembly line style. Depending on how much basil we have (from plants in our yards, pilfered from his mother’s, or if our plants had a bad year, local basil from the grocery store), we make anywhere from 12-20 bags of pesto with one bag saucing one pound of pasta or two pizzas. It has become a tradition, and last Sunday was Pesto Day 2011. Here is how we do it. My pesto recipe is from the first cookbook I ever had - The Silver Palate by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins (still one of my favorites). While most pestos have pine [...]...

Dear Cooks: Is it safe to eat potatoes when the eyes have sprouted? I have heard that they can be poisonous but have a hard time believing it - what’s the scoop? Thanks, Bob A. Dear Bob: A sprout of any size can be toxic, but you’d have to eat many sprouts to get sick. Potato sprouts are considered toxic due to their potentially high concentration of glycoalkaloids, which can exert their toxic effects on the nervous system by interfering with the body’s ability to regulate acetylcholine, a chemical responsible for conducting nerve impulses. Phew - got that? In addition, when potatoes sprout, the starch in the potatoes is converted into sugar. If the potato is firm, it has most of the nutrients intact and can be [...]...

Grease happens. Whether you are frying bacon or chicken, you are left with a hot mess. Do you ever wonder what exactly you are supposed to do with it? Save it? Toss it? Freeze it? Here is the scoop on disposing leftover cooking fat or oil: Do not pour down the drain. I repeat, do not pour down the drain. It will eventually solidify and clog your pipes and drain. Yuck. You can let the grease cool and pour into an old mason jar or coffee can and toss in the trash. If you don’t want to waste an old container, place it in a bowl or other container, freeze or let harden in the fridge, and then scoop out the grease into a [...]...

Dear Cooks: This may sound like a silly question, but can nectarines always be used as a substitute for peaches? They seem interchangeable. Thanks! Sue A. Dear Sue: You are correct - they are interchangeable. A nectarine is basically a bald peach and can be used as a substitution for peaches in recipes. Many people prefer nectarines because they don’t like the fuzzy texture of a peach. Also nectarines tend to be firmer, sweeter and more aromatic than their fuzzy cousins. Here are some facts about peaches and nectarines from the University of Rhode Island Landscape and Horticultural Program website: Peaches provide antioxidant vitamins A and C along with potassium and fiber. Nectarines provide twice the amount of vitamin A and slightly more vitamin C [...]...

Dear Cooks: I love watermelon but so many times I bring one home only to cut it open and it’s mushy and tasteless. How do I pick the perfect watermelon? Thanks, Nancy in New Jersey Dear Nancy: There is nothing more frustrating than cutting open a bad piece of produce. Here are some tips on picking the perfect watermelon: Pick a symmetrical watermelon - round or oval, as long as it is symmetrical. Press the skin of the watermelon in many different spots to test for firmness - good watermelons will not have soft spots. Dark green melons tend to be sweeter than those that are lighter in color. Watermelons do not continue to ripen after you bring them home, so what you see is what you get! Go heavy. Watermelons [...]...

This past weekend was a weekend full of guacamole - what could be better? Friday night we went to a local Mexican restaurant famous for its table-side guacamole - an official “guacamole sommelier” rolls up a cart to your table and makes your guac to order. He asks your preference on cilantro or not, heat or no heat, etc., and voila, fresh delicious guac. I like my guacamole pretty basic - I mash up some avocados with minced red onion, some diced plum tomato, lemon juice and salt. Sometimes I will throw in a minced garlic clove and a few dashes of Tabasco. On Saturday night we were treated to a friend’s “famous guacamole” - pictured above. She likes her without heat or [...]...

Dear Cooks: I love to make home-made ice cream in the summer - especially with summer fruits like peaches and blackberries. My husband went to the grocery store for me and I asked him to get heavy cream for ice cream and he got 6 liters - way too much! Can I freeze it? Thanks! Nena in Canada Dear Nena - Heavy cream (at least 40% fat) freezes well - lighter creams and half and half do not hold up in the freezer. You can freeze the entire unopened carton, just double wrap in freezer bags. Thaw cream in the fridge, and shake the carton prior to opening - do not refreeze! Here are some tips on freezing other dairy products - all items should [...]...

Phew! Most of the United States is experiencing an intense heatwave right about now. I am sitting in my third floor office with no air conditioning, no fan, in 90 degree temperatures. My dog is so hot and tired, he is barely panting. The thought of turning an oven on is making me sweat even more, but that is actually a good thing as sweating is your body’s way of cooling itself down. Wondering  what some good food choices are when you want to beat the heat? Here are the best foods to cool you down in hot weather: Fruits and vegetables with a high water content like watermelon (nearly 90% water), peaches, oranges, apples, grapes, cucumber, and radishes. They actually thin the blood, and assist [...]...