Wednesday, July 20, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Food briefsFig infatuationFig balsamic vinegar and black mission fig syrup bring the deep, complex sweetness of figs to two familiar condiments. These are from The Girl & the Fig, a popular Sonoma, Calif., restaurant that also sells food products. Each 8.45-ounce jar is sold online at thegirlandthefig.com Meaty issuesDont know a tri-tip from a skirt steak, how to buy a guinea fowl or how to grill bison burgers? Aliza Green helps unravel these mysteries and more in Field Guide to Meat (Quirk, $14.95). This pocket-sized compendium of all things carnivore will help you, as its subtitle says, identify, select and prepare virtually every meat, poultry and game cut. More than 200 color photos help too. The book is sold at some Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores and online at amazon.com. Pizza for your dietKrafts line of South Beach Diet products includes frozen pizzas with wheat crust; tasters opinions ranged from gung-ho to so-so on the deluxe, but everybody was impressed with the good flavor, given that the 6-inch, 6.8-ounce pie contains just 280 calories and offers 29 grams of protein and 14 grams of fiber. Four flavors are offered for $3.60-$4.20 in the frozen food aisle in supermarkets. Picnic perfectIn time for outdoor entertaining, picnics and potlucks, a new plate from Hefty helps simplify transporting, storing and microwaving meals and leftovers. Hefty Serve n Store disposable plates and bowls have interlocking rims that snap together to create a storage container. Whats cool about these disposable serving and storing plates and bowls is that there is no hunting around for lids because every plate and bowl does double duty as a lid. The only downer is that they can be heated only once. The plates come in a 9-inch size that also connects to the 24-ounce bowls for deeper storage; there are also 10-inch plates for $2.69 a pack. Also available are party plates and bowls in red and blue in various pack counts for $2.69. The party plates are not microwaveable. You grill, girlThe 16th annual Weber GrillWatch Survey found 20 percent more women now are grilling outdoors than five years ago. In honor of the increase, the Weber Stephen Products Co. has reissued its Webers Girls Guide to Grilling. With an introduction by Jennifer Bushman, author of the Kitchen Coach series of cookbooks and owner of Nothing To It! Culinary Center in Reno, Nev., the free booklet is a quick guide to the basics how a grill works, gas versus charcoal, what accessories you need for the grill, direct and indirect heat, and approximate grilling times for a variety of foods and recipes. To order the free booklet call the Weber Grill-Line, a year-round (except Dec. 25) consumer information grilling line at 800-474-5568. Dry spring brings plentiful watermelon harvest in TexasTwo things mark the true beginning of summer in Texas the heat and roadside stands selling refreshing, homegrown watermelons. Texas has plenty of the fruit this year. A dry spring has resulted in one of the best harvests in memory, and may put Texas ahead of Florida and California this year as the nations top watermelon producer. About 20 percent of the watermelons sold in the United States come from Texas, according to the state Department of Agriculture. Texas bumper harvest comes just as nutritionists are giving the summertime favorite new respect. It really is more nutrient-packed than people realize, said Tara Gidus, a dietitian in Orlando, Fla. Its high in vitamin A, vitamin E, and lycopene. The thing I like about it too is its kid-friendly. Slather it onYou want to barbecue on Sunday, but you dont have time to make your own sauce? Heres a bottle to the rescue. Tasters liked the savory flavor of Cattlemens. The corn syrup is balanced with ample tomato and bold seasonings. Three flavors are offered: classic, smoke house and golden honey. An 18-ounce bottle is less than $3.00 at www.peapod.com. USDA gives hops free reignThe U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would halt consideration of a proposal to limit the sale of hops small flowers that give beer its bitter taste. A coalition of hops growers had asked the agency to establish a federal marketing agreement to regulate the quantity of hops that could be brought to market by growers. It was an attempt to boost prices and compensate for an oversupply of the alpha acid extracted from hops and used to flavor beer. Agency officials determined there was no demonstrated need for limits on the amount of U.S.-produced hops released into the world market, and that there would be no positive economic benefit on the hop industry from such an order. Health the focus of new fast-food jointGary Hirshberg isnt the first parent to become frustrated by the lack of healthy fast-food options for his kids during a road trip. But as president of Stonyfield Farm yogurt company, Hirshberg was in a position to do something about it. Now, six years after that fateful vacation in northern California, Hirshberg is overseeing a project he hopes will spark a revolution in the fast-food industry. Its called ONaturals, a small chain of fast-food restaurants in the Northeast that offers everything from carrot ginger soup and organic smoked tofu to bison meatloaf sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese, much of it made with organic or natural ingredients. ONaturals opened its fourth store in April in a former bakery at the edge of the trendy Davis Square neighborhood in Somerville, Mass., a Boston suburb, and plans are under way to expand the chain across the nation through franchises. We call it fast food with a mission, said Hirshberg, who envisions his restaurants shaking up the restaurant business in much the same way that Whole Foods Market shook up the grocery trade. Topping things offThese attractive, well-designed toppers from OXO can complement any gift of wine. Three toppers, three functions: a stopper ($4.99), a pourer ($4.99) and a dual-function, easy-to-use pourer-stopper ($9.99). They all fit easily into bottles and poured neatly without drips. All are dishwasher-safe too. Find them at Linens n Things and other kitchen item outlets or visit www.oxo.com. Tips for summerKeeping food safe and energy consumption low during the summer is helped with a few wise moves in the care of your refrigerator and freezer. Here are some tips from Mr. Appliance, an appliance repair company: Check the refrigerator seal to see if it needs to be cleaned or replaced. A door leak lets cool air escape, forcing your refrigerator to use more energy to keep food cold and costing you more in electrical bills. Use a brush or vacuum to clean the condenser coils in the back or bottom of the refrigerator to make the most of its efficiency. Make sure you unplug the refrigerator before you start cleaning. Increase your freezers efficiency by keeping its compartment full. Be careful not to block the fan that allows cold air to circulate. Consider buying a manual defrost refrigerator, which typically uses 36 percent less energy than an automatic defrost refrigerator. Check temperature settings for the most efficient appliance operation. Refrigerator temperature should be 36 to 38 F, and freezer temperature should be from 0 to 5 F. Keep the refrigerator away from heating appliances (ovens and dishwashers), windows and heating ducts. Direct exposure to heat forces the unit to work harder and use more energy. Consider buying a high-efficiency refrigerator. Compare yellow energy guide labels and choose the unit that uses the least amount of electricity. (Source: Mr. Appliance, a full-service appliance service and repair franchise.) Cooking in SpainCulinary Adventures has added to its programs a series of hands-on avant-garde cooking classes that the Spain-based company says focus on Spains Nueva Cocina. The classes teach about the dishes and techniques of some of Spains most influential chefs. Sessions are available in Madrid and Pamplona. Culinary Adventures also arranges culinary tours, regional excursions and food and wine tastings around Spain. The company is a member of the International Association of Food Professionals and the Slow Food movement. On the Web at: www.atasteofspain.com Old-fashioned funWe got a sweet kick from the Big Tips Candy Collection. Each box contains 15 candy bars that are famous in different regions of the country, including Goo Goo Cluster, Clark Bar, Mallo Cup, and the less familiar Twin Bing (cherry-cream center covered in chocolate and peanuts) and Nut Goodie (peanuts and maple center covered in milk chocolate). Its available by mail only for $20 plus shipping. Visit www.bigtipscandy.com or call 212-979-2323 to order. Eat your healthful way around the U.S.Travelers who want to enjoy vacation traveling and eat nourishing food along the way may wish to check out a new reference book. Healthy Highways: The Travelers Guide to Healthy Eating (Ceres, $18.95), by Nikki and David Goldbeck, features more than 1,900 health-oriented eateries and natural-food stores, covering a wide range of tastes, in all 50 states. Every listing is keyed to state maps, so travelers can plan a detour to somewhere special, or know to look out for one thats already within reach on their itinerary. Entries include phone numbers, hours, dining style, wheelchair access and a host of other details. Enjoy iced tea with an edgeIced tea in a box? We love the picnic- and party-friendly Republic of Tea Iced Tea Squares, ready-to-drink beverages in two of its classic flavors: ginger peach decaffeinated and passion-fruit green tea. The no-calorie teas are fruity, organic and unsweetened. We had a little trouble figuring out how the spout worked, but once that was mastered, the tea flowed freely. Each 96-ounce box costs $10 at Cost Plus World Markets; theyre also sold by mail: 800-298-4832 or www.republicoftea.com, where youll also find a third flavor: raspberry quince black tea. Americans sweet on sweet teaA recent survey about sweet tea conducted by Turner South, Turner Broadcastings 24-hour regional entertainment network, found that: Sixty-one percent of respondents serve iced tea as the primary beverage to guests when entertaining. About 55 percent prefer iced tea with lemon and 25 percent feel that unsweetened tea isnt truly tea. Forty-five percent strongly associate sweet tea with the South And more than half of Southerners consume one to two glasses of iced tea daily, followed by 20 percent who consume three to four glasses daily. Survey respondents included 353 people, ages 18 to 50, who live in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Ten-minute DashMrs. Dash 10-Minute Marinades impressed us in terms of convenience (super-easy), flavor (lots of it) and the fact that theyre sodium-free. Four flavors are offered: Southwestern chipotle, lemon herb peppercorn, mesquite and garlic herb. A 12-ounce bottle costs $2.60-$3.30. New way to eat RomaineWeve all enjoyed grilled chicken on Caesar salads made with crispy romaine lettuce, but what about grilling the lettuce itself? Thats the newest trend in salads, according to Ocean Mist Farms of Coachella, Calif. To try it yourself: Brush split romaine hearts with olive oil, flavored olive oil or a favorite oil-based salad dressing. Arrange on a grill over medium-hot coals and cook until the lettuce just begins to brown about 3-5 minutes. Turn to cook other side. Serve warm. Portable pickupsYouve been running, playing tennis or biking across town in the steamy heat. You are sweaty. Your energy is down. You need a quick, healthy snack. Just pop a jellybean. Time magazine says Jelly Belly will soon offer new lime-green Sport Beans, which promise 120 milligrams of electrolytes, vitamins C and E and carbohydrates that sustain energy and prevent dehydration. Its apparently part of a trend toward easy-to-carry boosts. Blitz Energy Gum, made with the sweetener Splenda, offers a quick lift. Fruit-flavored Quench Gum is said to pump up your salivary glands. Herbs in a tube?A new line of squeezable herbs and spices may be the answer to the dilemma that arises when herbs you buy go bad before you can use them. Gourmet Gardens herbs are picked at the height of the growing season and packed into a squeezable tube. Theyre available in the fresh-produce section of local groceries. You can store them in the refrigerator for three months. Available herbs include garlic, basil, chili peppers, lemongrass, ginger and cilantro. The four-ounce tubes retail for $3.99 each. To find out more, visit gourmetgarden.com. | |
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