Community Magazine September 2016

Shaatra DOES IT MIRIAM SASSON Forget about using utensils for both raw and cooked meat. Whether you are squeezing in one last summer BBQ or heatedly prepping for the upcoming holidays, be sure to heed this meaty warning: once food has touched raw meat or poultry, do not use utensils or plates for the cooked stuff without rinsing them first. The contamination can cause a most undesirable level of food poisoning, and you certainly want your loved ones to start off the school year feeling well. With all the processed, ready-made food items sprinkling almost every aisle in the supermarket, you’d think there’d be at least one safe nook for healthful shopping – the produce section. Alas, those fruits and veggies lose their nutrients quite quickly because of their soft exteriors and prolonged exposure to air, light and heat. So, what can you do to capitalize on the nutrients of your favorite fruits and veggies? Ideally, leave the produce in its whole form or in large pieces until it is ready to be eaten. The longer the surface areas are exposed, the more nutrients go out the window. In fact, the Vitamin C in some fruits can be totally “kaput” in less than one hour of exposure! This is not merely an item of the month; it more likely can go down as item of the year! Introducing… the stovetop grill pan! The grill pan simply brings out the best in your meats, poultry and vegetables as far as flavor is concerned. It spans two stovetop burners, which means you can grill lots and lots at a time (which is great for those enormous portions of onions, mushrooms and eggplants you need to yield a decent amount). Your family members will love grilled chicken or slider sans the salty, sugary sauces. The best part is that cooking time (as compared to baking in your oven) is significantly reduced. Now, if you really want to feel the bang for your buck, keep in mind the bonus that our grill pan reverses to reveal a griddle. For under $30, you can let the grill pan enter your life and you’ll be glad as ever that you did! 7 If you’re looking for a new kind of snack with the perfect crunch, the coconut might be for you. Choose one that seems heavier than it appears and listen for the sound of liquid as you shake. This fruit can last you quite a while – anywhere from 6 to 8 months, but have fun cracking it open when you finally decide to enjoy it. Why does my challah dough sometimes not rise properly? Once in a while, you may return to your bowl of rising challah dough after two hours to find that it has barely risen. You bake it anyhow and the bread just doesn’t have the usual fluffiness. Why? You’ve got to be sure to go “middle of the road” with your dough – if it is too hot or cold, your yeast just cannot do its job as efficiently. (The official temperature that you want to go for is below 140 degrees Fahrenheit.) Also, fresh is best; be sure your yeast hasn’t been lingering too long in your cabinet. Keep in mind, too, that whole wheat dough is usually denser than regular dough. “Put it in a brown paper bag,” you have most likely been told regarding your fruit. So, where’s the science in that? Amazingly, fruits contain a substance known as ethylene that allows them to ripen naturally. However, fruits may need a little help if they are plucked from their source prematurely. When you contain your fruits in that paper bag, the ethylene does its thing in that bag instead of dissipating off into the air. (I don’t know if the lunch bag industry promoted this concept or not, but the truth is that any closed container does the job, too.) (Source: 10,001 Food Facts, Chefs’ Secrets & Household Hints by Dr. Myles H. Bader) The average shelf-life of a whole coconut is seven months. Style SPIRIT & FORTHEWOMANOFTODAY 66 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE