Got a crowd coming over for drinks? TableCraft’s Bar Caddy Set gives hosts a professionally styled container with four compartments to hold cocktail garnishes. Even better: The garnishes can be prepared ahead of time and stored safely in the refrigerator; a hinged plastic lid protects the contents. The stainless-steel caddy is 12 inches long and 6 inches wide, and the plastic compartments are removable, making cleanup a breeze. Tongs are included. The Bar Caddy is $25 at Bed Bath & Beyond stores or by mail (bedbathandbeyond.com or 800-462-3966).
Subbing suggestions
Cook’s Thesaurus offers an encyclopedic gander at thousands of ingredients and kitchen tools.
Entries are accompanied by photographs and explanations of uses, varieties, synonyms and substitutes.
We clicked on eggplant, just for the heck of it, and learned it’s also known as aubergine, berenjena, brinjal, garden egg, egg apple, patlican, melongene, melanzane and Guinea squash. See what we mean? The categories are vegetables, fruits, dairy, flavorings, liquids, grains, grain products, baked goods, legumes and nuts, meats, fish, vegetarian, baking supplies and on down the line.
The thesaurus is no pot-boiler. The plot is a one-liner, but the author has assembled an admirable reference for people who need to be savvy fast. Check it out at www.foodsubs.com.
Tamales 1-2-3
Tamales are a time-consuming enterprise (and completely worth it, of course) but the “express” version from Melissa’s pleased us on many counts. The tamale kit includes 12 ready-to-use corn husks, corn masa mix and very clear directions. Home cooks need to add butter and choice of filling (shredded beef or refried beans, for instance). The tamales still require an hour’s cooking time, but we were very pleased with the results. Each kit costs $4 in the produce section at select grocers; by mail, two kits are $12 (800-588-0151 or melissas.com).
Make 2005 a healthier year
Experts warn the combination of stress, fatigue and high-fat foods can increase your risk of cancer over time.
To reduce your cancer risk, follow these tips provided by the National Foundation for Cancer Research:
• Choose fruits over processed sugars. Instead of cakes and cookies, try ambrosia, a mixture of oranges, apples, bananas, pineapples and coconut. For a recipe, visit cookinglight.com.
• Use healthier cooking methods. Broiling, grilling, roasting or baking your meals reduces the amount of fat your food contains and allows the true taste of the food to come through.
• Cook with lower-fat dairy products. This will decrease the intake of fat that is later stored and used by cancer cells to grow. In most cases, you and your guests will not notice the difference in taste.
• Include fish. The omega-B oils in tuna steak, salmon, mackerel and even sardines appear to be protective of your cell linings in fighting off cancer growth. Avoid tuna packed in vegetable oil, however.
• Make a spinach salad. Spinach contains one of the top cancer-fighting enzymes, sulforaphane, where traditional iceberg lettuce is a nutritional weakling.
• Use tomato pasta sauces. The lycopene in tomatoes is a proven cancer fighter.
Adventures in curd
Creamy and versatile, fruit curds make themselves at home on breakfast breads and baked goods, including thumbprint cookies or any nibble that needs a jam filling. We especially liked two new flavors of curd — vanilla and passion fruit — from American Spoon Foods. An 8-ounce jar costs $6.80-$8 at specialty markets. They’re also available by mail at americanspoon.com or 800-222-5886.
Point, click, eat
Saute Wednesday (www.sautewednesday.com) is a juicy pomegranate of resources, each compartment more interesting than the next. Begin free associating (clicking wherever) and you may never make it back, so be sure to bookmark the home page.
San Francisco freelance writer/publisher Bruce Cole named his treasure for the day of the week on which most newspaper food sections are published and links to a number of them.
His magazine is hip, upbeat and teeming with news, issues, interviews, culinary inspiration and evolution, divine writing leading the parade.
Recipes are nestled within.
No-meat lasagna
Boca’s meatless lasagna (right) has a rich, sweet tomato sauce, generous cheese and good-textured noodles. The “meatless ground burger” offers more texture than flavor, but the other ingredients more than compensate. This 10.5-ounce single-serve product cooks relatively quickly in the microwave (about 7 minutes) and contains just 270 calories and 5 grams of fat. It’s $3.50 in the freezer case at select grocers.
Delightful brew
Java Delight coffee made a nice impression with its robust-but-mellow flavor. Though hardcore purists might prefer a stronger brew, it’s a nice perk for a supermarket brand. We tried the lightly roasted breakfast blend and the stronger French roast; other varieties include Sumatra and some flavored coffees. A 12-ounce bag of ground coffee costs $6; whole beans are $8.50 per pound at select grocers.
Sharp utensils
If you’re looking for high-end knives, the Internet probably is the best place to search, according to a recent article in The Los Angeles Times.
Times writer Russ Parsons’ most recommended sites are run by the New York knife shop Korin and the online-only World of Knives and Blade Gallery.
Korin, Parsons writes, is a small Japanese knife store in Manhattan that has become something of a mecca for chefs and has two Web sites. The main one for buying knives is www.Japanese-knife.com, a graphics-intense site loaded with chef biographies, interviews and testimonials. Strangely, though, Parsons notes, background information on specific knives is slim to none. More than a dozen brands are offered, including Suisin, Nenox, Glestain, Misono, Masamoto and MAC.
The plainer www.korin.com offers the same selection in a less graphics-intense version.
Also, the Web site www.bladegallery.com has a well-edited selection of mostly Japanese kitchen knives, ranging from affordable to pricey (the top-of-the-line Hattori “gyutou” costs more than $1,200). The site provides a wealth of background information.
For a more international feel, Parsons says to check out www.worldknives.com, where knives from France, Germany and Belgium, as well as Japan, are offered. In-depth information on each knife is available.
And added bonus: Because the choice of a knife depends so much on personal feel, all of these sites allow you to return a knife within seven days provided it hasn’t been used.
