Q.
What is arugula?
A.
Also called rocket, roquette,
rugula and rucola, arugula is a slightly bitter,
aromatic salad green with a peppery mustard flavor.
Though it has long been extremely popular with Italians,
American palates often find its flavor too assertive.
Arugula (which resembles radish leaves) can be found in
specialty produce markets and in some supermarkets. It's
sold in small bunches with roots attached. The leaves
should be bright green and fresh looking. Arugula is
very perishable and should be tightly wrapped in a
plastic bag and refrigerated for no more than 2 days.
Its leaves hold a tremendous amount of grit and must be
thoroughly washed just before using. Arugula makes a
lively addition to salads, soups and sautéed vegetable
dishes. It's a rich source of iron as well as vitamins A
and C.
More definitions for cooking terms can be found in
the Allrecipes.com
Encyclopedia.
Q.
What is the secret
to making a good, homemade vinaigrette?
A.
Start with two parts oil for every
one part vinegar. Taste, and adjust the proportions to
satisfy your taste buds. Extra-virgin olive oil, toasted
sesame oil, hazelnut oil, and walnut oil are all
power-players in the world of taste, and you can get by
with using much less oil while still adding superior
flavor if you choose a bold one. To add that
all-important zing to the dressing, try cider vinegar,
balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar,
raspberry vinegar, or even lime or lemon juice. Whatever
you use as the basis of your dressing, be sure to round
it out with salt and pepper, and perhaps a dash of red
pepper flakes, a little bit of crushed garlic, a dab of
mustard, or anything else you think will make your
vinaigrette distinctly divine.
To read more about making your own fantastic salad
dressings, read our Cooking Basics article,
Salad Days are Here!
Looking for
salad dressing recipes?
Q.
How can I prevent
the fruit in my gelatin salad from sinking to the bottom
of the mold?
A.
Add texture, flavor and visual appeal to any gelatin
dessert by mixing in fruit, vegetables, nuts or
marshmallows. Some of these things like to float, and
some like to sink. However, it's possible to tame those
morsels and make them stay put. Patience is the key! You
must wait until the gelatin is semi-firm - about the
consistency of cold egg whites -- before pushing in the
fruit. It will stay right where you put it, waiting in
suspended animation to be slurped up by your
enthusiastic dinner guests.
Everything you ever wanted to know about gelatin
salads can be found in our Cooking Basics article,
The Jiggling Joy of Gelatin Salads.
Q.
What kind of salad
can I make in the winter?
A.
When deciding upon what type of salad to make, it's best
to use produce that is as fresh and seasonal as
possible. Whether your ingredients are picked from your
garden or bought from the market, foods that are
harvested closest to home will offer the best value for
your money, palate, and health. A few seasonal salad
ingredients to look for in markets around your home
include fruits such as apples, pears, cranberries and
grapes; or vegetables such as fennel, cabbage,
cauliflower, and broccoli.
Our feature on
Super Duper Fall and Winter Salads is chock
full of winter salad ideas. Take a peek at our other
salad articles for even more recipes, meal
ideas and cooking advice.
Q.
Can I grow my own
sprouts?
A.
To grow your own sprouts, all you need is a mason-type
jar, a piece of cheesecloth or other breathable fabric,
and the seeds, beans, grains, or nuts you wish to
sprout. If you don't have a mason jar, any other jar
will do; just make sure it's totally clean first. Also,
without a mason jar lid, you'll need a rubber band to
hold the cheesecloth tight over the jar. Seeds used for
sprouting can be found at either a grocery or health
food store, or through an online distributor -- try a
search for 'sprout seed' using your favorite search
engine; this should bring up a bunch of online sprouting
seed retailers.
Tips for growing your own sprouts can be found in our
Cooking Basics article,
Sprouts!
Q.
I want to take
pasta salad to a picnic. Is this safe?
A.
Pasta salad made with dairy produc will give you a
reliable framework for successful recipe scaling: It
offers detailed guidelines for recipe scaling and easy
instructions for using the handy recipe scaling tool on
our site. You can always find this tool and a link to
our recipe scaling tips from any recipe at
Allrecipes.com.
More Answers to
Common Questions
You may want to see our
Q. I often
find myself adjusting recipes in order to make enough
for my family, but it doesn't quite work for some
recipes. Do you have any advice for me?
A.
Changing recipes in order to make more or less servings
is called "recipe scaling." Whenever you alter the
amounts of ingredients for a given recipe, you may also
need to adjust the cooking temperature, cooking time,
pan size and seasonings. But for food chemistry reasons,
recipe scaling simply does not work well for some
dishes: delicate foods such as soufflés, baked items
requiring yeast such as breads, and recipes for a single
large item that is meant to be later divided into
smaller portions such as cakes, pies, breads and whole
turkey.
Our
Recipe Scaling Pagef/convert/conversions.asp"
class="wnlink">Measurement Conversions page for
answers to any of your measurement-related questions.
For even more recipes, meal ideas and cooking advice,
visit the
Cooking Basics area of Allrecipes. If you
still have questions or would like to share some
feedback with the staff here at Allrecipes, please send
us your question via the
Feedback Page. We’ll be sure to get back to
you as soon as we can! |
