(00:00:00) Welcome to the second part of been day (00:00:03) today food is our topic and our guests here in the studio. Gene chodo home economist and manager of Byerly's cooking school jeans here to talk about the preparation of food Trends in Cuisine good food buys anything that you might want to ask say about menu ideas or information about special dishes. So we invite you to get your taste buds and imaginations working and maybe the recipe box is out from the corner of the kitchen and we'll be giving you the phone numbers to call in and ask Gene some questions in just a couple of minutes before we get to our phone calls today, Jean. What are you noticing about? The way Shoppers are buying food given the recession. I think they're buying a little more carefully and they're making sure that the use everything that they purchase their interested in how to use the you know, and good nutrition. They want variety and interest and good value for their food dollar what kind of food specifically are we seeing getting the big by Well currently I think it's the produce that's very prevalent in our markets while we certainly have a lot of marvelous things with shipping the way it is why you can eat fresh fish and fresh vegetables all year round in locally-grown things are extremely popular. All the fruits are coming in many many vegetables are commonplace. And then of course, you have to have your Staples your poultry your bread meat. Egg dishes eggs rather excuse me and milk and that type of thing, you know, you mentioned meat and I remember hearing a report a couple days ago that one of the biggest signs of the recession is of course people turning away from me to legumes of various kinds. Are you asking that? Yes, we do. We have a lot of interest in egg cookery vegetables things that will supply good nutrition and without using a lot of meats, maybe two or three meals a week for instance people will use meat and then they want something that's a well-balanced and fulfilling to their diets the rest of the meals. Do you get a sense that people are cutting back on their eating in general. I hope they are because they're certainly an overweight population. I hope that people there is a lot of interest in well-balanced meals in in nutrition and we get such a variety of information. And I hope that people can disseminate and find these the answers that they need for making well-balanced meals rather than just sticking strictly to candies and lots of sugars and so on. Well, maybe some of those people will be I calling it. Let me let me give you the numbers if you have a question about food and it can be any question about food. Gene has said that she's willing to answer or try to answer just about anything. You've got the numbers in the Twin Cities 2276 thousand 2276 thousand and if you're calling from out State call toll-free on one 865 to 9700 that number again toll-free one 800 695 100 give Gene chotto a call and let us in on what's cooking in your kitchen perhaps, you know, we always hear about other items during a recession that people still deal in high quality that despite the tight times. They want to go for a hike. Do you find that that applies to food definitely very differently, but they want to make sure that it's a good product that the menu is well planned that the dishes well prepared that it's tasty and interesting. They're willing to spend more time. I feel making two or three good meals a week if people work. Maybe it's on weekends. Maybe some people cook for the whole week. They'll make two or three big dishes on a Saturday or Sunday and then eat those during the week. But again, they want value for their food dollar. Hmm. Well, we have callers on the line already. And so let's take one. Good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:04:09) Good afternoon. I'm calling from st. Paul this title. I have a question that I've been curious about for quite some time. I have a salt Mill and the about the only salt I seem to be able to find for it is sea salt and I think that's kind of trendy and expensive and I'm sure that it has no more nutritional value than any other kind of salt if there's something less expensive that I can buy. For my salt Mill if I don't know kosher salt doesn't seem to be chunky enough. What about rock salt? Is that fit for human consumption? (00:04:40) You ask me something that I'm not really up on I would have to research that and get back to you and I'd certainly be glad to if you want to leave your time telephone number and I could return your call after I research it first one. I don't know all the answers. Uh, sorry. Well, that's what my let's try another one. Good afternoon. You're on the (00:05:02) air. I have another salt question. There was a report out just just recently just a few minutes ago. In fact, I think it was in regards to the amount of salt and processed foods. I was wondering if you have any clues as to how a person can avoid. These was the without completely not buying processed foods that there maybe there's some manufacturers or something that are have little salt. Processed foods (00:05:27) in our early grocery stores, we do have shopping guides that have been developed by a dietitian and these contain lists of foods that are salt-free or low in salt and then at the point of purchase in the stores, they are color coded. For instance. If the bulletin where are The Shopping Guide were blue than you would look for the things that had the blue tags on them. And if you'd stop at any of our stores why you could get that information we do try to keep up with things and our dietitian rights to food manufacturers and they provide her with Rady information, which we are we're very willing to share with our consumers. I also think that the USDA food and the FDA also provide pamphlets. Yes, they do processed foods that sure are low sodium. I don't know if it's possible if you can escape sodium in a processed product entirely. Well, so As a preservative and salt is a preservative and so consequently it is used in a lot of preform foods are ready to eat Foods, right? Thank you for your call. We'll take another caller. Good (00:06:38) afternoon. Hi, I have two questions one. I have a wonderful recipe for peaches or any fruit. That's frozen that I put in a food processor with skim milk. My question is this can I take and just sliced peaches and freeze them dry Frozen and will they last for a couple of months in a in a regular freezer? And the second one is are there any suggestions that she might have for nutritious lunches? I'm thinking ahead to September and my children pack lunches. Okay, (00:07:09) I would suggest obtaining a bulletin at the University that deals with freezer freezing products and food products, and I think that you would find a wealth of information over there. If you'd call a st. Paul campus they can direct you to that particular. Mutton it deals in depth and they have done research over there. So they're really up on it. As far as lunches for the fall on these warm days. We try not to think about that is going to come. Wow, lunch is to pack. Sure. Well, I guess that the sandwiches are the most popular and it depends on how far it's being carried or were if it has to be a cold lunch or a hot lunch and you can buy a lot of containers for Soups and chilies and that kind of thing and I try to be Innovative in that respect. A lot of places have a microwave that can were someone can put the food in and heat it up. So those kinds of things would be real helpful and pieces are whatever you think most schools have microwaves where well, I think the schools provide a very healthy this marvelous a collar those seem to think that she was heading for lunch boxes and lunch boxes. There are sandwiches. You're suggesting. Well, I think sandwiches are really the Mainstay of the diet. Why not? Try some varieties of breads like sourdough or maybe cinnamon toast or raisin bread. That type of thing and trying interest your youngsters are your eaters in some other kinds of things take your basic recipes and try and think of some new ways of presenting them and one way would be to use new kinds are different kinds of breads peanut butter can get awfully dull. Okay, we have some more callers on the line. Good afternoon to have a call for Gene (00:09:04) Shadow. Yes. My question is this in many supermarkets and so on specifically Tomatoes perhaps grapes and things they are being sold unwrapped and they're being handled by many many people. If you go to the supermarket will see people come over and feel tomato go on to the next one leave it or buy it then other people come feel it poured over. My question is this there's no problem on melons and things like that, but and grapes Tomatoes other things like that thin-skinned fruit vegetables are these good sanitation practices and do they conform with the sanitation? Since of the cities and (00:09:44) counties, okay, Gene. Well, I'm not sure about the regulations of the cities and counties but this is what the consumers in our stores are requesting is that instead of the prepackaged they want to select their own and I think that that is why the trend is where it is, I would suggest washing it carefully in a colander or running water and taking care of, you know, any other people's supposed germs or whatever that might be but as far as you know, the washing process is adequate. That's what we would suggest right? Okay. Good question. We have some more on the line. Good afternoon. (00:10:21) Hello, Jane. Yes, you know me very well. But as long as this is going out on the air, I'll confine myself to my question. I'm taking a diuretic to control hypertension and which I'm succeeding in doing but When you take a diuretic, you also have a loss of potassium. Hmm. Now my doctor feels that the best way for me to replenish this potassium is through natural sources rather than through chemicals and the best source of potassium according to him is chicken skins. I see now I've got quite a problem. I hope the gotta wait, I've got eat chicken skins and bananas. Are you familiar with this? I mean just coming to is you conversant with this quality of a chicken skin being (00:11:19) no, I wasn't aware that chicken skins were high in potassium, but then I don't know all the answers to every food question. But we do have a listing in The Barley stores and I'm one of our shopping guides that does list foods that are high in potassium you repeat that for me. We do have a Shopping Guide That's available at all of our Byerly stores. Yes the list. Okay, then the next time you're in stop at the home economists office and ask for the listing of foods that are high in potassium. Right? We should mention a number of stores in the Twin Cities area offers that offer that kind of service. So you might want to check in the next time you go to a grocery store. If you have a particular health problem and you need some help on food choices consult with them. I think they're only too glad to help you out you bet. Hmm. I want to mention the genus as head of the the cooking school at Byerly's also conversant in Cuisines and we may be getting on health topics which of course are acceptable, but you may have some questions about what's hot what's a Hot Cuisine number these days. I mean, I thought we were kind of through with Chinese, but maybe we're still in it. What's the deal? Well, we still see a lot of interest in ethnic cooking and what I read from the East New York Press and there was an article on Major magazine not long ago about pasta and that is very popular and we are offering a pasta class and we've got a lot of people that are interested in it. I think that more people are entertaining at home and they want some more menu ideas. They want some do ahead ideas. They want to know how to buy they want to add more interest in Flair and their menus that they prepare at home and we are menu classes are extremely popular. Hmm. Well if you've got questions about menus in that sense, so why don't you give us a call. We're at 2276 thousand in the Twin Cities, that's two two seven six thousand and if you're calling out State a reminder toll-free one 800 695 100. Let's take another call or good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:13:21) Thank you for calling from North Branch. And my question has to do with the use of sugar and sweeteners in prepared processed food these days last year Thanksgiving. I bought a turkey and I got a thought. And then I noticed on the label it says sugar added. And I bought us some kind of chicken soup that was supposed to be it had health in the label of some kind it was supposed to be a better chicken soup sugar added. Now the frozen bread is coming out and saying honey. We're making it with honey now. Mmm. And so and if you read labels closely and I do because I have a health condition. I'm a diabetic and you find sugar added dextrose added corn sweetener added. And as a dietitian for a large Metropolitan food chain, I want was wondering what input you have as far as manufacturers of these Foods (00:14:26) hmm, Jean. Well, we really don't have much input about or much to say to the manufacturer about these kinds of foods. We try to offer everything a little bit of everything in our stores and I guess as long as people are willing to buy them than the manufacturers will continue to produce them in that manner. Again. This listener is very wise to read the labels very closely and to understand what she's purchasing one way to avoid that if it were possible would it be to prepare your own foods and there are a lot of cookbooks that deal with specific health problems. You can get information at nutrition centers some of the hospital major hospitals have nutritionists that just deal specifically with these kinds of problems. You might ask your physician for some referrals or we do have some referrals to dietitian Association is very strong and very much alive in the Twin Cities area how responsive are major grocery chains two individuals coming into the store and saying look I found this on your shelf. It doesn't exactly fit my needs. I need something else. Can you help me out? I mean do you actually do purchasing on the basis of personal requests at times if you think that there are enough people who perhaps share that need? Oh, yes. We certainly would we consider it and no pass that information along to our buyers and if there's a high interest or we feel that there's a real need for that way. We will search them out and try and find a specialty food items that will answer our consumers needs. So again talk back to your grocery store better believe it. I think another caller. Good afternoon. (00:16:06) Hi. My question is about clams. I bought a bag of frozen clams in the shell and It doesn't say I got it from a fish market and it doesn't say if they're cooked or you know, how what has been done with them. So in order to make clam chowder, what do I have to do? (00:16:27) I would think that those would be raw clams. Were they in a solution water or no? They're just air dry and sold that way and I don't you'd probably have to ask the individuals where you purchase them. But I believe most of the clams are sold raw and then I think if you refer to any good cookbooks why you could find methods in there for Preparation and it would depend on the kind of clams that are available or the kind of clams that you purchased. But generally you scrub them well and then put them in water and cook them until they open and then the (00:17:06) cook them in the (00:17:06) Shell. Mmm. Oh, yes, and then as they cook then the shell opens might. Otherwise you have a very hard time exactly. Thank you for your call. We'll take another phone or (00:17:19) hello. Yes. Could you tell me the difference between the nutritional values of a standard Rye flour that I would buy in the grocery? store and a natural Rye flour that I would buy in a health food store (00:17:33) If the labels were the same and the listed all the nutrients in the flowers and you couldn't, you know, if they had as many vitamins and minerals, etc for each product. Then there wouldn't one is made manufactured and the other one is what is termed as growing naturally I think in a sometimes you pay a little bit more for the natural food item or the one that's advertises a natural food item. But basically they should be the same. There are (00:18:02) very cannot advertise on label from the health food stores. What is inside the (00:18:07) flower? I see hmm, then I'm sorry. I could I wouldn't know what they were either. It's quite expensive to do a sampling or to search that you know to do a chemical analysis of that determine what is in those kinds of things. So at the point of purchase again, you should those individuals should have the information and provide it for you if you (00:18:32) As for the natural flowers that always stone-ground does that make a difference in (00:18:36) nutritional value? No, it really doesn't. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. We have some more callers on the line. Let's take our next question for Gene Shadow. Good afternoon. (00:18:46) Good afternoon. I'm calling from South Minneapolis. You mentioned ethnic cooking a few minutes ago. I'm visitor here in the Twin Cities. Actually. I've been here quite a number of years. I'd like to know why there aren't more Scandinavian restaurants in town. I've been looking all over I see Italian ones and Chinese ones in Japanese ones was such a large Scandinavian population. Can you explain why that particular ethnic cooking is not visible (00:19:17) here because I feel because there are so many Scandinavians that are natives needed for or once or second generation down, whatever and you eat those things at home or you grow up with that type of I think cooking and basically know how or your friends our neighbors have information about it. We do offer them from time to time in our cooking school. And if they are popular than we try to repeat them, but currently we don't have any Scandinavian type classes that deal specifically with with those Foods. You have had it in the past. Yes, huh. Does it tend to be seasonal people want to know what to make it Christmas time? Right and we are offering a class on Scandinavian Delicacies Chrome, kekaha, demon and enable schemers and how to prevent how to prepare those rosettes. Mmm. We have Gene China with us today who is home economist and also manager of Byerly's cooking school. If you have a question for Gene call her a to 276 thousand 2276 thousand in the Twin Cities calling out State its toll-free one 800 695 100 and we have another caller on the line. Good afternoon. (00:20:28) Hello. Yes. I was wondering I was a student at Westminster Hotel School Back in 1970. And we used to make a lot of bubble are there and the way I know how to make it you need sheet gelatin or at least gelatin and I'm wondering if there's anywhere you could purchase this in this area at all. (00:20:50) There. I am I would have to research and if you care to leave your name and number I could get information and get it back to you. I'm intrigued if the caller still on the line. Would you describe that dish (00:21:03) Debra? It's something similar to be launched. I see (00:21:08) sounds intriguing I'd never heard of it. Is it difficult to make (00:21:14) well the basic the basic one, isn't that there's a lot of like this the Shell at the shallots are a member of that Family Charlotte Russe and things like that. Mmm. They'll remember that family and Professor. I was doing some cooking at home and I thought I think I'd like to make that. And I don't remember being told at college that the type we made you can't make with the powder type. You know, there's a there's something special about it comes it is the transparently for such. Mmm and all the recipes are pertain to that. (00:21:46) I see sounds intriguing good luck on your search. Let's take another caller. Good afternoon. You're on your own. Hello. (00:21:54) Oh recently. I was in Florida and I had some key lime pie when I was down there. I've been trying to find recipe up north here for key lime pie and I haven't been able to get one. That's like the pie we had down there. I was wondering if you would know where we could look for something like that. (00:22:20) What distinguished it (00:22:22) well, A lot of the recipes that we've tried up here are there more? like a pudding and this well, I don't know it wasn't quite as as (00:22:44) Merengue Merengue. Yeah. Well Gene any suggestions. Well, I'd certainly be happy to help him with his search and if again, if you'd care to leave your name and number I can delve in my vast collection of recipes and see if I can help you. You know, I've been aware that in some recipe magazines also some Cuisine magazines. They're very open to printing recipes from favorite restaurants and perhaps the person who called might have a particular restaurant in mind might even contact the restaurant yet surely at me the recipe I would be another way of doing it. Hmm. But then sometimes you lose things in transition from the south to the north and or maybe our lives aren't quite the same as here is a are down there or something. I don't know. There's maybe some basic procedures that they haven't (00:23:32) discovered any proportion of eggs. They use egg. Yolk to White and whether they mix the whites (00:23:39) in (00:23:41) some of them we've tried of use cornstarch and that doesn't seems to make it too thick and putting (00:23:48) like this was a light type of very light. And distinctive lime taste. Hmm. Okay. Well, right I'll be happy to look for that for you. Thank you for calling will take another caller. Good afternoon (00:24:03) and good afternoon. I was wondering why cake recipes don't say cake flour or all-purpose flour. Now, I have a recipe here that I cut out from from Byerly's home economics. I think it was last fall when I was there and I saved this recipe and it's a beer keg and it just says MonaVie rest among the ingredients. It's just three cups of flour. Why don't they say all-purpose or our cake flour anymore? (00:24:31) When we test our recipes we can't we use the all purpose flour at it is treated nowadays in it's different than years ago. When we had to use cake flour. It's sifted pre sifted so that if you use it as such in your recipes why your product should turn out very (00:24:52) well, is that why not? Hippies and I mean, it's just not yours. It's all recipes and very very seldom. Do you see them convert a farm when I was young? Of course, I'm 70 now, right but I when I was younger the always use that it be sure and have cake flour, but that's the differences. Well the flour (00:25:06) sifted right and you buy the you used to buy cake flour and then you had to sift the proportions three times before you added it to the other ingredients and we no longer have to do that because of the weight flower is treated and I think if you next time you're in a grocery store why I read the labels on the different kinds of flowers and they do provide quite a bit of information. I'm wondering though. I still see cake flowers specifically stocked. Yes on shelves. Are there any particular cake items that you use cake flour for? Well, I would think it's something that was very special and then if the recipe called for a cake flour, then I certainly would use that but a specific kind of reward or something like that that requires a very light and Airy. Texture to it. Mmm. Okay, and we have a node at Gene's been so good about saying that she would follow up. We kind of have a request that why don't the people who want to get further information from Gene simply write us at Minnesota Public Radio and then we will forward all of your questions dutifully to Gene that make it easier on our on our production assistants today. We have some more callers on the line. Hello. You're on the air. Hello. You're on the air to have a question for Jim. (00:26:26) I was wondering got you. I have to eat papaya R. I never had that and Jicama. (00:26:32) Yes, papaya, you (00:26:33) can add that jicama. You don't have to cook it then. Huh? (00:26:37) Jicama. What is (00:26:39) its up from Mexico? The (00:26:40) Mexico you all? Yes in its kind of like potatoes. Yeah, and it's very crisp and you can (00:26:45) neck at all you can use and sell them (00:26:47) right or substituted for water chestnuts recipes to hmm. (00:26:51) And then also ask you about escargot. Do you have to boil them or bake them or take them out of the shell first or (00:26:57) what? Why don't you let me look up a recipe to make sure for the answer for that? Hmm? Okay, thank you for your questions. If you have a question for Gene Shadow home economist and director of Barley's cooking school call us at two to seven six thousand in the Twin Cities 2276 thousand and the number out State toll-free one 800 695 700. We have some more callers on the line. So let's take our next call. Good afternoon. (00:27:27) I just had a comment to make on a key lime pie having had it in Florida this last winter and they said we couldn't make it up here because we don't have the right kind of Minds. (00:27:35) Oh, okay. Well there you (00:27:38) don't look like the lines we have that we buy up here. I (00:27:42) see maybe they're tree-ripened on there (00:27:44) something and they were (00:27:45) someone's in Florida and wants it bring it back. Let's take another question. Good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:27:59) Yes, I'm calling from Minneapolis. I'd like to know whether there are any special precautions that need to be taken with making beef tartare. And whether the beak you get at. The grocery store is adequate for that (00:28:13) course most meat or I'll meet chaps operate under USDA regulations. And thus they should be very good. I would not eat beef Tatar. I'm sorry, but I just feel that there's too many questions in my mind about eating a raw product around meat product and I'm just not happy. I guess maybe that's just my own person. Hmm But even if someone's if someone is wanting to make that do you go for the highest grade? I would buy the highest grade say it's tender more tender. Would you do like a I don't know filet mignon and and hmmm great. Mmm. Yes, I would well expensive dish I get let's take another call. Good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:29:00) Yes. I have a comment and a question. My comment is concerns the fellow who had gone to cooking school and was looking for jellied beef. I make a saltless broth both from chicken and from bees for my mother who has is on a low salt diet doesn't happen with the chicken. But every time I boil down a soup bone and beef I end up with jelly. No, you can tell him that my question concerns not necessarily specifically gazpacho but that type of thing where you would use your blender and grind up vegetables or fruits to serve either, you know, however, you want to serve them. I make tomatoes and cucumbers and all of that sort of thing and it seems to keep for quite some time in the refrigerator. Do you have to worry about loss of nutrients or spoiling when you're doing things? We're vegetables like that when you keep them refrigerated (00:30:03) certain vegetables certain vitamins will lose their potency or whatever by exposure to air. So things should be eaten as quickly as possible. We do get a lot of questions in our store but storage of foods and I think in specially in hot weather one has to be very very critical and not make more than you can consume or make it too far ahead. I think maybe that might be a better plan to follow. It's a lot (00:30:36) when you're talking about when I'm talking about low sodium diet, which is what I have to do for my mother are there vegetables that are higher in salts or is that the kind of salt that's natural that you don't have to worry about so much when you're doing those sodium (00:30:53) diets. I think you'd have to inquire of your physician. How strict he The Physician wants your mother's diet to be followed strictly and follow his suggestions. (00:31:07) Can you tell me which fruits or vegetables might be more higher and (00:31:10) salt and not off the top of my head. I'm sorry. You couldn't do any of that information. But again, I'd be glad to investigate it for you. Thank you very much. You're welcome. We'll take another caller. Good afternoon. You have a question for (00:31:22) Gene. Yes. Can you tell me what some of the differences are between northern and southern Italian cooking? I understand that. It's the current rage is Northern Italian (00:31:33) cooking. Hmm. Well, I think it's mostly a matter of the sauces and how heavy they are. Some are made with more of a red sauce. In other parts are more of a white sauce. What's termed a white sauce and somewhere later and some are heavier and there are a lot of good cook books available that deal just in one specific area versus another and if Listener we're really interested in that you could research it at the library and read their books free. And then if you found some that you liked and purchase them at a bookstore. Hmm, is it true? The rage is Northern as opposed to Southern Italian? Well, we have an Italian chef that does Italian cooking in our school and he doesn't really feel that there's a whole lot of difference one way or another I think if and then a very educated palate, yes, they would be but the by and large average person thinks of spaghetti and pasta and just all kind of goes together. But you know, you had mentioned earlier that people are getting into making making our own costumes, right? Are we talking about it major investment in equipment here if we're talking about making pasta. Well a pasta machine can run into quite a few dollars and if you do buy one then make sure that you're going to use it so they could get your money's worth out of it. These can be prepared by hand. But it is kind of a tedious task to roll the dough out and cut it and get it cut in uniform pieces and so forth and then I think with the pasta machine why your you have uniformity in it can be done more quickly. You can also do the more intricate shells you bet. I'm not there are I think attachments for various machines that show this kind of thing or how to do it. We have some more callers on the line. Good afternoon. Do you have a question for (00:33:24) Gene? What it is (00:33:34) it is thank you. Okay. Thank you for elucidating and elaborating. Let's take another question. Good (00:33:43) afternoon. Yes, I'm calling about in response to the young woman who asked about stone-ground flour. It's my understanding that there is a you know, a significant difference between that and ordinary flour because Ordinary flour the Machinery which grinds this Berry create so much friction and heat that it destroys the the E vitamin E in the wheat germ. And of course the wheat germ in the hall and all of that is thrown away in that kind of Milling whereas with stone ground. They keep the germ and everything is included in that so you get the nutrients from that and also you get the vitamin E in the wheat germ. So I'm under the impression that there is a difference between those two kinds of (00:34:33) flowers. Well there. Yes, and it's a difference in texture. Also, I (00:34:38) believe right as well as the (00:34:40) nutrients but then a lot of major manufacturers will reconstitute or add the nutrients back young to those particular flowers if they are removed in the Milling (00:34:50) process. Yeah, the summer some of the B vitamins they do add enriching. (00:34:56) Okay. Thank you for the comment. We'll take another. Or good afternoon. (00:35:00) Yes, I am curious about a recipe for a grasshopper pie. I've looked in a Betty Crocker cookbook and several French cookbooks for the crème de menthe and I haven't been able to find a thing. I was wondering if you could give me a (00:35:15) recipe. Oh sure. Okay. I have I don't remember all the ingredients but there it's very easy to make and it can be made ahead and stir in the refrigerator for if you're going to serve it for dinner Saturday night, then you could make it Friday. I think it needs to sit and congeal and become cold. And as I recall a use a pastry shell and then prepared the ingredients and pour them into the pastry shell and let it like solidify or jelly and it's very tasty quality and you don't have all the ingredients. No, I don't have recipes with me or you do actually use creme de menthe. No. Yes. Mmm, and I think white creme de cocao the recipe that I Use at home and like very much. Hmm. Okay, again, if you care to follow up and you want Gene to further follow-up give us or send us a note to Minnesota Public Radio 45 East 8th Street, St. Paul 45 East 8th Street Saint Paul 55101 the zip code again, five five 101 and we will forward all of the questions to Jean and she will get back to you some more callers on the line. Good afternoon. (00:36:30) Good afternoon. Amanda are yes, you are. Yes, I like to verify a previous question a papaya papaya is a tropical food and it can be eaten like a candle of you take yours your seeds out and your skin it you can also use it to fruit salad and you can eat it with or without sugar. (00:36:51) Okay. Thank you sweet and tasty. It is luxury of time good in the summer. (00:36:58) Ha (00:36:59) ha some more calls for Gene. If you have them call us at two to seven six thousand. And if you're calling from out of out State one 865 to 9701 865 to 9700 that's toll-free and and Gene. You have a comment about one thing that we've discovered a great interest in is in herbs and Herb cooking and cooking growing. Your own herbs has become very very popular in this area. And I don't know if you're any of your listeners are interested in that but we certainly get a lot of questions and a lot of inquiries and I have an herb teacher that doesn't marvelous job growing her own and she'll share all the different things about that. So that would is another new trend that I have seen recently in the Twin Cities. Some people have I guess terrariums enrichment growth year round and at the Arboretum the Minnesota herb Society has Large garden and that they tend and they share a lot of information with the public and by those herbs available to people I think they are you should call the Arboretum to inquire but I did hear someone make a comment that you could either sample them or find out more about them by going to the Arboretum more rights more callers on the line for Eugene. Good afternoon. You have a question. (00:38:21) Yes, whenever I make a dish that in which I use a whole lobster. I use the shells to make a really wonderful stock and I wondered if that's possible using crab shells like Dungeness. (00:38:34) I believe you. Can (00:38:36) I ask only because within Dungeness there are so many more on an edible parts than in a lobster, you know, there's the stomach and a lobster cetera, but (00:38:47) it's but the which ones are the I get mixed up with the Dungeness the large one the large ones then use the claws. We make a bouillabaisse where you break up the closet and add that and of course any time you're cooking with the shells, then you add more flavor and whatever to makes the dish much more tasty, I think. All right. Thank you. We have another caller on the line. Good afternoon. (00:39:14) Hello in some other parts of the country supermarkets are required to post information about the price per unit weight of the products and I really appreciated that. Can you tell me whether the Twin Cities will be following suit soon? (00:39:29) Jane I I think we do that I'd have to check that out with our particular store is but I have seen them have seen the price per unit. I think I'm shopping. I'm not sure about the rules and regulations in this particular area concerning that another interesting question. Let's take another caller. Good afternoon. (00:40:12) Many fruits and some vegetables that are ripened with gas. But this person can do is take a gallon of water and put in a couple of tablespoons of cracks and soak the whatever the vegetable or fruit is in there. And then for about 50 minutes and take it out and rinse it very well and this takes off any of the chemicals that have been used to ripened fruits or vegetables and all the germs. Well, that's an (00:40:38) intriguing process. What do you think about that? I hadn't heard of that before but I'd have to investigate a little further and it seems to me that something like Clorox getting into the the fruit itself might be a potential problem. Right if it is a thin skinned product white might present (00:40:58) more (00:41:00) I see (00:41:02) What is dangerous in the chemicals that are used I think. Mmm-hmm. (00:41:07) Okay. Well, thank you for the idea. If you are going to try that at home, you may tomb want to investigate a bit further just to feel comfortable doing it before you actually assume merge them in the bleach. Let's take another color. Good afternoon. (00:41:21) Hi, I've got an excess of spinach in my garden. I'd like to freeze some for later use this fall and winter. Could you outline the correct procedure? (00:41:30) I don't have the freezing recipes with me today. In fact, I didn't bring any of that type of information. But if you would call us at one of the home economists at one of our stores, I'm sure that they'd be glad to look it up for you and find out exactly what one does to freeze the spinach or again, you could pick up some literature at the University through their bulletin room, too. Hmm. Okay, another question. Good afternoon. (00:42:00) Good afternoon. I have another Of question for you. I have recently moved to Minnesota and I was very surprised to find how hard the water is and although I don't mind washing in it. I am finding that I don't want to drink this glass of water because it's it's does not have a good taste in my sink always has sort of a white layer on it. I know that most people have got water purifiers and I see these big sacks of salt a little over in the groceries to use in these purifiers. I not for health reasons, but but just for nutrition services do not cook with much sold by their bike have a hard time justifying putting salt into my water. Can you comment on that that does the salt that that is used in the water purifiers actually go into the sold or does the water to pass through it or what happens to one sodium level when they're using water (00:42:58) purifiers. I'm not sure what happens to one sodium level. That's a question for someone with far more knowledge about that than myself but I do know that those purifiers do add a certain amount of salt to the water. Most of them are put on the hot water system so that if you turned the tap the other way and used only the cold water you're probably drinking water right out of the from the street or from your natural source, and it does not go through the purifying the system that I have in my own home only purifies the warm water and it does not do that to the cold water. You should check with particular systems. If you're thinking of purchasing what if you have one in your home, (00:43:43) pardon me, what about these gadgets that people have right on their faucets? I don't think they require salt but there's some kind of a water purifier. Do you know anything (00:43:52) about no, I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with that are is that the thing that keeps it from spinning the water from spitting are you getting that confused with (00:44:00) the I think it's some kind of Filter that I've seen right on the faucet of some of my neighbors homes and I just haven't asked (00:44:08) them. Well, I'm afraid that you'll have to go over and ask one of them then because I don't I'm not familiar with it. Okay. Thank you for the call another caller on the line. Good afternoon. (00:44:18) Hi, I have another question about flower please. I'd like to know the difference between bleached flour and unbleached flour. And when is their property used the one as opposed to the other? (00:44:30) Mmm-hmm a brow time and the studio. I should have brought the flower book with me. That I would have to research before I could give you an honest answer. I have some information but I it's off the top of my head and I really want to look more deeply into that particular subject before I answered your question. Let's take another question. Good afternoon. No are cooking classes are only offered in at the st. Louis Park store and we do not plan to put a school in in st. Cloud. I do have several people that drive down from st. Cloud and perhaps you could meet some of those and catch a ride and or share a ride with some other people that are coming in. (00:45:28) Could I get this? You (00:45:30) certainly you know, as long as we're on the topic of cooking schools. They have been around for quite a while not just out of grocery stores. Oh, yes. Are we seeing an increase in popularity very much very much. So people want to learn new techniques. They want to learn moaning up on their basic techniques. There's more people that are living alone or with someone else family groups are smaller and they're more diverse and consequently instead of being a member of a very large family where there was one person that did all those chores each one of us individually now, he gets out and cooks and people want more variety and they want more ideas. They want to add to their nutrition and do things in a different way. Maybe they eat in a restaurant where they have an unusual dish which they like they like to learn how to prepare that and cooking school certainly try to answer these types of things. We found them in the adult education programs of most of the public schools for many many years. And that was probably those are probably the first cooking schools are the first ones that I'm aware of but you can find them all over and there certainly are a lot of them and then they vary from demonstration type classes to participation could type classes so you can basically choose how involved you want again. Hmm, and I assume the price ranges vary greatly. Yes. They do. They very very very much. Okay. We have some more callers on the line. Good afternoon (00:47:01) high when I was in the Army down south in Georgia about 12 years ago a friend of mine would take me home with him and he lived in Augusta and or Sandersville little town outside of Augusta. They had crew shop. Hi. I got the recipe for the pie was an excellent pie that his mother made, but I'm having trouble figuring out or buying for Shaw. Lens or squash or whatever. They are. I really don't know what what it is. Can I tell me what a Kershaw is? Is it a Crenshaw? (00:47:36) Is that what it is? I think song called it might be that's the mill on the comes closest to your pronunciation. I would think would be a (00:47:47) crunchy. You don't have to crawl. It was kind of hard to I see. Okay. When (00:47:51) did they did the the pie itself seemed to have a melon as a fruit melon type fruit base. (00:47:58) It was more textured. Hmm Ellen. (00:48:02) Yeah. Yeah, right and they're in season right now. Yes, they are find them in a lot of places Crenshaw, right Ryan Shaw is CH re and I think as a JW, perhaps (00:48:14) are you familiar with? (00:48:14) Yes, I am. No, I'm not familiar with that type of pie, but I'm familiar with the melon (00:48:20) is it normally used in a pie or (00:48:23) that's new to me, but then I haven't seen all the recipes but it sounds delightful what other ingredients did it have. (00:48:30) Well, I can't remember but it was kind of caramely. It turned out sort of (00:48:35) I see (00:48:37) okay almost wall nutty (00:48:41) flavor. I see okay, huh, maybe towards the Squash Family or the potato pie type of thing with him. Hmm using that type of melon instead. Thank you for calling. We'll take another caller. Good afternoon. (00:48:56) Good afternoon. I have some very specific questions. Please pertaining to Chicken Salad in checking my cookbook. I find the Quantity per person varies tremendously. Could you tell me how much cubed chicken to count on for one person? And then the second one along that same line is marinating the chicken after it's cooked What proportion of marinade should I use for one cup of cooked meat the third and final one is what would you suggest that I serve for a luncheon? In addition to the chicken salad? (00:49:41) The amount of cubed chicken is kind of up to you. I would suggest about three to four ounce about three ounces per serving and that would be a very generous serving of meat. Then you're going to add or extend that meet with other things maybe pastas or other vegetables such as salary or hard cooked eggs or whatever the recipe may call for. It depends on how much money You want to spend for the chicken or if you want to extend it with things that are less costly how many people you're going to serve how elaborate the lunch and maybe those kinds of things are be considered and is a proportion of marinade to the amount of cooked meat would vary with the recipe and again with your individual taste. If you like a particular thing and wanted it to taste very strongly why then you would use more I think references to specific recipes would probably be your best answer some people like Curry and some people don't like Curry and so our garlic or things that are strongly flavored some people like the soy sauce types of things. Some don´t (00:50:53) be idea is then just basically to get that meat coated. Yes. Okay. And then what would you suggest be served with (00:51:02) that with a chicken salad? I think fresh fruits are very nice this time of year and maybe a hot (00:51:09) Just the Bread and Wine and fresh fruit (00:51:12) sure, like blueberry muffins would be ideal and then maybe some selection of melons either in wedges or in a melon balls. You can buy three or four different kinds and that adds color and texture and a lightness in the coldness and it's very very very nice on a warm summer day, right? Thank you so much. You're welcome. I have always wondered when you're cooking safer a big group how best to get around the problem of everything finishing at the same time so that you can get it out to the group at the same time in quantities that you need. I guess that all falls under coordination. Yes planning planning. Is there a trick though? I mean, well it's experience and it's thinking it through and knowing your group that you're serving to how many you're serving and how much experience you've had in cooking if you were just used to cooking for small groups, and I would have a lot of experience with small. And then just go into a large group very very carefully and not plan to elaborate a meal so and make sure that these dishes are all things that you're familiar with and that you can accomplish them in the allotted time. And then it's a matter of timing which one takes the longest and maybe some things can be heated up. If you have a microwave oven pop them in there just before serving or how to keep the hot things hot and the cold things cold and it's nice. If you're serving a large group of you have some help maybe someone two or three other people can give you an assist there and make sure that everything comes out at the same time. We're seeing a whole lot more I think in terms of entertaining as the cooking becoming part of the entertainment. Yes. Yes kebabs are very popular this summer and you put the selection of meats and vegetables out and maybe make up two or three kebabs to show people how they might want to do them and then have your fires hot and your skewers and all your ingredients and let them Put them on the skewer is themselves and then you can furnish the other things the salads and the breads Etc. They go and allow each person to cook their own. Maybe they want it. Well done. Maybe they want it a little more on the rare side. And so that's kind of fun. And it's also convenient if you're dealing with an outdoor cooking situations that you've got enough room. I do Wonder though if people aren't starting to are you noticing bigger kitchens in a way so that it can Encompass that kind of social aspect. I've I thought I saw a recently an article on kitchen designs becoming more well larger and planned out so that you can have more people in the kitchen and some people like to do that or some people have facility to open their house. Maybe there's a dining area right next to the kitchen or part of a walk and be removed or some such plan done so that it would extend it and then a lot of people are not adverse to cooking all over the house, you know, they are buffets are very very popular for large groups and then make different seating and Benson in other rooms so that you've got it can accommodate a large group. We have a few more calls in a few more minutes. Let's take our next call or good afternoon to have a question for Gene shot. Oh, (00:54:18) well, I just want to add some information to some of your other callers people keep asking about where to get prepared foods that don't have sugar or don't have salt and we found our local food co-ops here in the Twin Cities are really good source of those kinds of things. I particularly have an interest in potato and tomato products kill can tomatoes or tomato paste that doesn't have salt and doesn't have sugar. I usually go crazy when I go to my food co-op, they always have it. So that's just a piece of information to pass on to other (00:54:46) people. Thank you for the information. We're finding more and more people opting to go to several places for their Foods rather than relying on just one Central facility. Not only out of Economics, but I guess concerns such as the one boys. We have a couple more callers on the line. If you have a fast question, give us a call at two to seven. Thousand two to seven six thousand in the Twin Cities. And if you're calling from out State, the number is toll-free one 800 695 100. Let's take our next caller. Good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:55:21) Yeah, I'm calling from st. Cloud. I had a comment on the week discussion that's been going on the flower decoration. And then I have a question as far as bleached and unbleached flour. The bleaching is purely cosmetic and you'd be wiser to stay away. All the things be equal because there is a residue left from the week in process and Jean mentioned the in the enrichment process. They replace the nutrients that are lost during Milling but actually of the 22 nutrients that are taken out only eight or replaced. So I thought I should pass that information on my question was how do you tell how different types of melons are ripe. I do pretty well with watermelon and cantaloupe but I'm not real familiar with things like Crenshaw as was mentioned before. (00:56:06) Well, I think that If you touch the mail on and if it's a yields a little bit, especially on the ends and the stem end then that's an indication of ripeness. And sometimes there's a fragrance of the mill and that will be apparent when you get your nose right up close and and sniff and that's another way of telling most of the time in our stories. Anyway, we try to put out produce it is just right or ready for use. Hmm. I also wonder if there's a situation where you hear seeds particularly honeydew melons, if you hear the seeds when you shake the melon, well sometimes if it's a really large melon, it would be hard to hear through the hole that I said throws the meat of the melon. Yeah, let's take another caller. Good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:56:56) Yeah. I just had a comment to add you had a lot of comments and questions about ingredients and last winter. I was Christmas shopping for my wife and found an excellent book, which is called the cooks book, which is a paperback and Explains the different kinds of flowers the different kinds of ingredients of all varieties all alphabetical and it has a very nice table in the back that gives salt content and everything else and nutrient value and calories per serving and so on. I thought people might like to know about that. (00:57:24) Okay. Well, thank you for the suggestion. We have just about 30 seconds left. So let's take our last caller if it is a short question. I hope hello (00:57:32) questions comment. Yes, basically two comments. You had a questioner that wanted know if Minnesota required the price to buy unit. Yes, that is a Minnesota state law that is required for if you buy something in a pound. It's got a if it's priced by the on that has to be there. Okay. Also, the woman who was asking about hard water. There's a difference between a water softener and a water purifier water softener can add up to 20 milligrams of salt per And water purifiers some use a ionization which requires the salt and they add a small amount of of salt to the water one. The example I've seen is it has an 8 ounce glass the same amount of salt as two slices of bread. Hmm interesting. The manufacturers are supposed to tell you about how much salt comes into it if you use the system on your water. (00:58:38) Okay? Thank you for the comment. I'm afraid we're going to have to cut things a bit short here because we're just out of time. We thank the caller's for their good questions. And we thank you Gene chide. Oh, thank you. It was my home economist. And with Byerly's cooking school again if you have questions for Gene, why don't you write us here at Minnesota Public Radio 45 East 8th Street, Saint Paul 55101 and we will forward those questions to Jean.