Free Range on Food: Guest Chatter Spike Mendelsohn, Rice Cookers, Stock Tips, Buying Pies, Favorite Vegetarian Cookbooks and more

A chat with the Washington Post Food Section staff is a forum for discussion of all things culinary: food trends, recipes, ingredients, menus, gadgets and more. You can share your thoughts on the latest Food section, get suggestions from fellow cooks and food lovers, or swap old-fashioned recipes the new-fashioned way. The Food section staff goes Free Range on Food every Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.

A transcript follows.

Transcripts of past chats

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Joe Yonan: Welcome, nation, to Free Range, the chat that brings you recipes and tips with a side of humor and maybe a little snark, if warranted.

What's on your mind? We have two guests helping us today: Spike Mendelsohn, the fedora-wearing, burger-joint-opening, Vietnamese-cooking ex-Top Cheffer who played teacher for our Chef on Call installment today; and David Hagedorn, who wrote about him, fellow chef Mike Colletti and student Ophira Bansal.

So any and all questions are welcome, of course, but don't miss the chance to ask about Vietnamese food, burger techniques and, of course, all things T.C.

We'll have giveaways for our favorite post or posts, but those books' identity will remain a closely guarded secret until the chat's end.

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Polenta: Thanks for the polenta and swiss chard recipe, which sounds wonderful. Could you tell me what the purpose of the sour cream is? Does it add moisture, or can it be omitted? Thanks.

Jane Black: You could certainly make it without the sour cream. But it adds a touch of richness. Unless you have dietary restrictions, I'd just say go for it. It's 1/3 of a cup of sour cream divided by 6 or more!

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Arlington, VA S: Just read your article "Chef on Call". It was interesting, though I have a minor quibble. I know that what is meant by "meatless" has been debated on these chats. In the article the husband was called a vegetarian, but then fish was prepared and fish sauce was used. Vegetarian doesn't include fish according to my Merriam Webster dictionary. Yes, there are a lot of people who say they are vegetarian and then actually eat fish, but it is inaccurate.

So... I don't suppose the food crew there was taking bets as to when the first comment about this was coming in, did ya? (wish your site accepted smileys!)

David Hagedorn: Thanks, Arlington. I think that everyone involved in the lesson understood that fish is not vegetarian. The definition we were going by that day was the reader's, Ophira Bansal's, not Merriam Webster's.

Joe Yonan: ((sound of veggie-police siren))

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Del Ray, Va.: The Clear Chicken Soup with Ginger looks great--a little time and effort intensive, but worth it on a cold fall day.

I have a couple of questions--I'm pregnant, so I'd rather not cook with the rice wine. Is there a substitute, or should I just use water?

Also, why does this dish have soooo much salt, cholesterol and fat? I can kind of understand the cholesterol and fat, since you're using a whole chicken, but half a day's worth? And where is the sodium coming from? Thanks!

Joe Yonan: It's worth it, absolutely. And it's not really effort-intensive. Very simple.

As for the rice wine, the best subs are sherry or perhaps sake or mirin, but those all have alcohol, too. You might try a splash of rice wine vinegar, or a little stock.

The high sodium is coming from that rice wine, so if you leave it out you'll solve that issue. As for the cholesterol and fat, indeed it's cause the whole chicken's used. But note my variation -- I completely defatten the soup by refrigerating, and I take out the chicken pieces and pull them off the bone, discarding the skin. It was impossible for us to estimate how that would affect the nutritional information, but trust me, those numbers would be plenty lower if you did that, too.

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Comment and question: Comment first - I'm kind of glad the original chef for the Chef On Call piece couldn't make it. As a fan of Top Chef it was interesting to see a different side of Spike. The article makes the food preparation look doable, but then again I don't have "Mendelsohn did most of the talking and cooking with Bansal by his side, while Colletti acted as sous-chef, washing, peeling, chopping, slicing, dicing, shredding, blanching and cubing next to them." happening in my kitchen! Can I have a sous-chef for Christmas?

Now the question. Last night I made some (a lot actually) pasta dough, but I got about half of it rolled out and cut before I got too hungry to continue. I didn't want to waste the rest of the dough so I wrapped it up well and put it in the freezer. Do you think it will turn out ok for the pasta machine after thawing? Anything I should keep in mind when working with it again?

Spike Mendelsohn: hey - a lot of the recipes from chef on call, you can make. We were having a great time with Ophira so we were doing some work while she watched but the recipes are really easy to make. that's a great Christmas wish! haha

Defrosted dough is a little damp/wetter than when it went into the freezer. It's still really good to use, you should have no problem.

When you freeze it, wrap in Saran tightly and put in the fridge the night before you want to use it, let it defrost slowly in the fridge.

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Alexandria: I like to buy whole chickens and cut them up for cooking. Two questions. First, I use my sturdy chef's knife to cut up the chicken. Am I doing any harm to it, pounding on it to get through the tougher parts? I know there are kitchen shears for this, but I like using the knife, unless I'm doing untold damage. And second, I use the chicken backs to make stock. I also save ends from cut up veggies for the stock (carrot, onions). What other veggie parts go best in making stock, or are there certain veggies to stay away from? Thanks so much!

David Hagedorn: Well, Alexandria, you may want to think about poultry shears, which are different than kitchen shears (thicker blades, curved, sharper.) They make short work of breaking apart a chicken and save on wear-and-tear to knives.

That being said, a chef's knife can withstand this kind of butchering, but I wonder about you "pounding" to get through tougher parts. The wing and thigh joints should be popped out and the flesh sliced through to separate them from the body. To get through the backbone, the blade of the knife should go through the bone fairly easily by placing the edge on the bone and using the palm of your other hand to press down on the blade from above. It's never a good idea to hack at bones with a knife; a cleaver is better suited to that if you must.

The usual trilogy of aromatic vegetables used for stock is carrot, celery, onion. Some don't care for carrots because of the sweetness; others don't care for celery. It's really a matter of taste and you can use different things depending on what you are going to use the stock for. If it's a general purpose, don't use anything that would dominate; the idea is to complement. I just made some chicken stock this morning and added a garlic clove to it since I know I will use it for gravy to go with a bird I plan to rotiss (?) tonight. If I had a bit of parsnip to put in the stock, why not? Parsley stems? Sure.

But if you plan to make soup, you'd want to avoid discoloration. That's why, for instance, you would peel an onion for stock for soup, but not necessarily for stock for a gravy that would not suffer from being brownish.

The basic formula I use for flavoring chicken stock: carrot, celery, onion, thyme, bay leaf. Oh, and chicken.

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Alexandria, VA: Do grocers cut steaks by weight or price? It is very difficult to find any steaks that are thick-cut at Giant or Safeway or Shoppers. Even sales price cuts are thinly cut - say one-half inch. They seem to be trying to produce a $5 steak. This seems mistaken as a thin steak is harder to cook properly and won't taste as good as a thicker one. Which means they will sell fewer steaks in the future. Why is it I have to ask the store's butcher to cut a steak whenever I want one that is an inch and a half thick or thicker?

Spike Mendelsohn: People that shop for their meats in the stores that you mentioned are looking for a $5-7 steak which will be thinner. My grandfather who was a butcher used to say that people, when describing a great steak, would make a sign with their thumb and index finger that was 2 inches - that was how people related what is a great steak! Whole Foods cuts beautiful thick steaks that are delicious but pricey.

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Rockville: I made a garlic chicken pizza Sunday night. Instead of a sauce, I used ricotta cheese, but felt it was too dry. What can I do next time to make it less so? Thanks.

David Hagedorn: Use sauce?

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Is it True?: I heard a rumor that the Pfaltzgraff outlet stores are closing at the end of this year. Please say it isn't so. I love those stores!

Joe Yonan: It's so. News reports, though, had the company saying it would continue to operate its web businesses, which would seem to include Pfaltzgraff. So you might be able to still score some deals online.

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Vienna, VA: Does anyone have a good recipe for raspberry buttercream frosting (to use to frost chocolate cupcakes)? Can I just blend raspberry preserves (seedless), butter and powdered sugar? Amounts?

Spike Mendelsohn: do a classic recipe for buttercream frosting then add seedless jam to that, it's awesome on a cupcake.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1.5 cups sifted icing sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup boiling water

1/4 raspberry jam

To make icing, cream together butter, icing sugar and whipping cream with an electric mixer until well blended.

Add boiling water, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating constantly until all water is incorporated and icing is light and airy.

then add 1/4 cup of jam

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Philadelphia, Pa.: What am I going to do with the fillet of Rockfish I bought yesterday?? I thought it would be easy to find a recipe, but it's not. And it's still got the skin on. How about brushing it with olive oil and butter, season with salt and pepper and bake skin side down? And related -- what does it mean to have skin still on the fish? Is it edible? I never eat it, but maybe I should start.

Spike Mendelsohn: the fish oil in the skin is very healthy so you can def. eat it. Start with the skin side down, drizzle with olive oil, oregano, kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. bake is at 400 until the fish looks opaque, then turn the fish over, repeat the same treatment and lightly broil until the skin is crispy.

for 2 fillets of fish, beat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 1/2 lemon juice and pour over dish.

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Maryland: Great food section today (as always!)

I have a question about eggs used in baking...why do some recipes include extra large eggs versus large eggs? Should I expect any difference if I use large when extra large are called for???

THANKS for your help!

Bonnie Benwick: Absolutely expect a difference. Depends on the recipe...you may need more lift from the extra bit of beaten egg white, or you may get more protein or binder from the yolk. (There are more involved reasons, too.) If a recipe author has specified one over the other, it's really best to follow the directions.

Joe Yonan: Also, expect the difference to multiply depending on how many eggs are called for. (If it's just 1 or 2, you're probably fine subbing -- but more than a few and you're probably not.)

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Slow Cooker Land: Hi Free Rangers! Posting early due to a meeting...I'm making a slow cooker lasagna tonight, and the recipe calls for 1/4 cup fresh oregano. However, I couldn't find fresh oregano at the Safeway. I do have dried oregano in my cabinet - is it okay to substitute? And how much should I use? Thank you for any insight you can give!

Spike Mendelsohn: sounds awesome...I kinda want to come over!

use 1 heaping teaspoon of dried oregano and you'll get the same taste. enjoy

Joe Yonan: I'm fascinated by the idea of a slow-cooker lasagna. How do you layer the noodles -- just drape them in a curve to match the shape of the cooker?

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Washington, D.C.: Trying to eat more vegetables, I meant to buy kale at the farmer's market, but I bought collards instead. I want to make a side dish out of them... I've had stewed, soul-food-style collards, but I was hoping for something a little lighter. Any recommendations? Can I roast, or saute with garlic and olive oil?

Jane Black: You can saute any green with garlic and olive oil. It's a good fallback. With collards, be prepared to cook them longer than you would spinach. Or you can blanch the leaves in boiling water for a minute or two, drain them, then saute.

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Baltimore, MD: Hi! Would you happen to know of a recipe for onion soup that doesn't call for red wine? For several different reasons, I don't cook with alcohol, and finding an onion soup recipe that doesn't call for a half cup of wine has been extremely difficult. Thanks!

Spike Mendelsohn: replace the red wine with beef bouillion.

here's a good recipe, for 4

2 large Onions, chopped fine

4 cubes beef bouillion + 6 cups of water

2 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp fresh garlic

2 baguette slices

4 tbl Parmesan Cheese

Buttter Buds

Sautee onions in a non stick pan,until soft.

Add next 3 items. Then, simmer for 30 minutes.

Cut baguette and toast. Place into 4 bowls. Add soup.

Sprinkle with cheese and butter buds.

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Vegetarian Cookbooks: Hey guys,

My girlfriend is newly vegetarian and her birthday is coming up next week. I'm looking for a good cookbook for her that has menus and doesn't rely on tofu because she isn't eating soy products either. Any recommendations? Thanks.

David Hagedorn: It was published twenty years ago, but it is still one of my favorites: The Greens Cook Book by Deborah Madison. Seasonal menus, wine pairing recommendations, a glossary...and the recipes remain current.

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The Palisades: Since busy days and complex schedules do not always allow enough time for both the preparation time and cooking time for some recipes, I am always looking for those that I can do the prep work the night before. Last weekend I made a variation of Stephanie's Herb crusted Butternut squash,peeling the squash and cutting into 1 inch chunks and adding same size onions and carrots. I put it together on Saturday, ready to go into the oven for Sunday. Yum... Have you any other ideas for prepping tomorrow's dinner while tonight's is cooking? I'm going to try the Creamy Polenta and Chard for this weekend.

Spike Mendelsohn: How about a pasta primavera? slice some good veggies, drizzle with olive oil, season with kosher salt & pepper and roast in the oven, while boiling some pasta with a heaping tablespoon of salt, when al dente run cold water over the pasta.

Put Pasta in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil top with veggies.

Refrigerate covered with Saran, and tomorrow zap in microwave for 5 minutes or until hot. Enjoy

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Farm Stand Wonders: I bought turnips from a farm stand (purple globe--small) and want to roast them. How do I do this?

I also got sweet potatoes and apples.

Jane Black: Wash them. Cut them into the size you want. Put them in a roasting pan with whatever seasonings you want (Butter and thyme? With shallots, garlic and rosemary?). Roast until tender at 400. Eat.

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Arlington, VA S: On rice...

Did you try techniques for cooking rice without a rice cooker? If so, what's the verdict?

I've never tried a rice cooker, but the last couple of years has had me making perfect white rice (long grain, jasmine) every time. Following the quantities of rice and liquid on the bag, I bring to a boil in a heavy pan (I have all-clad), cover for a few seconds, and then let sit off the heat for the time stated on the bag, then fluff. You need to be sure that the pan isn't too wide I think (I use a 1 quart sauce pan for 1 to 2 cups of uncooked rice), but this is pretty foolproof.

I also use rice in soups (added raw) and for risotto, but I don't think that's doable for a rice cooker.

Joe Yonan: We didn't -- too many variables, too complicated, and worthy of an entire book. ("Seductions of Rice"?) We both are plenty adept at cooking rice on the stovetop using various methods, but wanted to see if we would appreciate the set-it-and-forget-it quality that makes rice cookers so popular.

Thanks for your method; I do like recipes that let things cook off the heat...

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Cupcake question: Hi! I want to vote in your cupcake poll, but my fave--Best Buns, which I'm so glad you included--isn't on the ballot? OMG is this some kind of election fraud? Just kidding. Can they be added?

Joe Yonan: You have to write 'em in! Sorry, we selected the bakeries for the balloting at the very beginning, and while we extended Cupcake Wars for two weeks to try some places that then crossed our radar, we can't change the poll...

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Freezing chili?: Is this a bad idea? I'm wondering what will happen to the beans (usually kidney beans). A pot of chili goes a very long way around here, and I've been eyeing the current batch and wondering about tossing some into the freezer. What do you think?

thanks

Joe Yonan: Freeze, freeze away. Make your chili chilly. It will love you for it.

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Arlington, VA: Not exactly a cooking question, but similar. I am looking for some kind of recipe book to add in all the recipes I've found online and from friends. Do you know of a good one or some place that might carry what I'm looking for? Would a normal bookstore have this? I'm not looking for anything fancy, just practical. I'm getting tired of having to use the computer to pull up a recipe when I could just print it out and have them at my fingertips all in one place. Thanks!

Jane Black: There are a number of programs that let you add in your recipes and pull in ones from the Web to make a custom cookbook. In fact, we are looking into reviewing them for the holidays. Any one have one they like for our chatter -- or that we should definitely test?

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Washington, DC: I am having a dinner party for 10 - 14 people the weekend before Thanksgiving and am at a bit of a loss about what to serve.

Given that most people will be eating turkey, ham, etc. that week, what can I serve that would enable me to feed this number of people but use a different assortment of foods and flavors? I would like to prepare as much as possible ahead of time so that I can enjoy being with my guests. I have one vegetarian guest.

Also, I bake, so dessert will be an assortment of cakes.

Do you or any chatters have a "go to" menu for a large dinner party that is unlike Thanksgiving dinner? I am a pretty good cook, and I would like to do something warm, comforting, but a little bit fancy or unusual. We don't get to entertain this group of people often, so I am happy to put a lot of effort into this.

Thanks for your help. Love the chats.

Joe Yonan: I'd be tempted to go for this luscious Mushroom Lasagna Bolognese, which David wrote about for a veggie Easter spread. It's indeed a little involved, but comforting and rich enough to serve for a special dinner party. It serves 12, so you should be all set for quantity.

Actually, his whole Easter menu looks pretty appealing right about now... It also includes Slow-Cooker Greens, Smoky Roman Beans and Carrot Corn Cakes.

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Fairfax: Spike's raspberry frosting sounds fabulous. How about doing the same for chocolate frosting? All the ones I've tried never seem quite chocolatey enough.

Joe Yonan: For that, you should wait for our big Cupcake Wars wrapup, planned for Nov. 5. In addition to unveiling our grand cupcake winner and slicing and dicing the numbers on the hundreds of cupcakes that we've tasted over the last eight weeks, we're going to have some great recipes for you, including a chocolate/chocolate one you'll die for...

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Storing vegetable stock: This is my 1st year signing up with a CSA and have been loving the variety of veggies. With the onion ends, potato peels, chard ribs, carrots etc. I have been making vegetable stock for the 1st time. It makes a big difference in my soups.

I've been making a ton of it and have questions about storage. Not having a lot of freezer space, I put it in ziplock bags, then stack those. How long is the stock good for and will the complexion of taste change at all due to the method I'm using when unthawed? And do I have to let it defrost in the fridge, or can I dump it into a hot pan and let it melt?

Thank you!

Jane Black: Just dump it frozen in the pan if you like. No problem.

Jane Black: Whoops. And as for how long to store it. It will last for about six months.

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Boston, MA: Hi! I'm vegetarian and now that I don't live at home with mom's cooking, getting enough protein into my diet can be a challege. I'd like to try out quinoa because I believe it's a protein-rich grain. Know any really tasty quinoa recipes?

Joe Yonan: Yep, we do. Check them out here.

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Washington, DC: Can you help me? If I understood better how a rice cooker works, I would use it more. For example, how does it know the difference between brown rice and white rice, since one takes twice as long to cook as the other?

This explanation I found on Wikipedia doesn't do the trick for me.

Basic principle of operation: The bowl in the rice cooker is usually removable, and beneath it lie a heater and a thermostat. These form the main components of the rice cooker. A spring pushes the thermostat against the bottom of the bowl, for good thermal contact to ensure accurate temperature measurement. During cooking the rice/water mixture is heated at full power. The temperature cannot go above the boiling point of water - 100 degrees C (212 degrees F) - as any heat put into the rice/water mixture at that point will only cause the water to boil. At the end of cooking some of the water will have been absorbed by the rice and the rest is boiled off. Once the heating continues past that point, the temperature exceeds the boiling point. The thermostat then trips, switching the rice cooker to low power "warming" mode, keeping the rice no cooler than approximately 65 degreesC (150 degrees F). Simple rice cookers, like the one below, may simply turn off at that point.

Joe Yonan: This explanation fits with the difference between brown and white rice, actually, if you think about it a little more. The cooker trips to warming mode when the water finishes boiling off, and it does that only once the rice absorbs most of it. With brown rice, it takes longer for that absorption to happen.

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Bethesda, MD: Hi Rangers - I have a recipe for a red curry soup that calls for 2 cups of cream and 2 cans of coconut milk. That's quite a bit of fat. I'm considering swapping out the cream with fat-free half and half and/or the coconut milk with light coconut milk. Would you recommend I do one or the other or a combination of low-fat/full-fat for each? I'd like to lighten up the recipe without completely compromising the intended flavor and texture. Thanks!!

Joe Yonan: I'd lose the cream altogether, and sub in chicken stock instead. Most red curry soup recipes I see out there use a combination of the two -- and for good reason. I think all that cream would obscure the other tastes.

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Washington DC: I'm hoping you can suggest some cookbooks, recipes or inexpensive classes in DC that might help a seriously overweight 11 year-old girl learn to like healthy food and eat smaller portions. She has borderline high cholesterol which may be genetic since she is adopted. She says eating is her favorite activity -- especially cheese sauces, fried foods and desserts -- and she keeps getting heavier and wider. Right now she weighs 145 pounds on a 5-3 frame and has to wear adult X-large clothing. Thanks so much!

Spike Mendelsohn: First of all have her drink a diet carbonated drink before meals, and then select some healthy easy meals from Epicurious.com that she can cook by herself or help prepare.

Don't forget a non food reward!

Joe Yonan: I'd add that you should read David H's recent Chef on Call with Todd/Ellen Gray helping a mom whose son has cholesterol issues.

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More stock comments: I submitted one already about storing stock, but had a comment for the poster wanted to know what to put in stock - it does depend on what you are doing with it, but I've been putting in ribs from rainbow chard and like the flavor. Also, a bunch of black peppercorns. Roasting the vegetables beforehand can really deepen the flavor, but it will be a brown stock.

Joe Yonan: Thanks!

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Arlington, VA: With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I'm started to think about the bird preparation. Have you ever pre-salted your turkey instead of brining it? Does it work as well? I've salted chickens before (following the instructions from Zuni) with good results, so I'm intrigued about trying the same with turkey. It's always a fiasco to find a way to fit a brining turkey in the fridge!

Joe Yonan: We have -- as has Gastronomer Andreas Viestad, who will be weighing in with a treatise on this issue for our big Thanksgiving issue on Nov. 19.

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Arlington, VA S: Any thoughts from beer man Greg Kitsock on the news release from Old Dominion yesterday on moving all their brewing to the Coastal Dover facilities next year? Seems a shame that the closest (debatable? Clipper City in Baltimore, Wild Goose in Frederick) brewery to town is moving. I know there are several good brew pubs, but they don't see their beers in the store...

I love Saison's by the way. Kinda wish they came in smaller bottles for the live alone crowd.

Joe Yonan: Greg is going to tackle this subject in his next column. He's worried about it, too!

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Knife sharpener (DC): Hi. Would you please post a link to the article on knife sharpeners you ran some months back? I want to buy a sharpener as a birthday gift for a friend but since the article didn't have recipes, I'm not sure I'll be able to find it again. Many thanks!

Joe Yonan: God love Google. Here it is.

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washingtonpost.com: storing recipes - I use old-style "magnetic page" photo albums to store recipes (the kind that have a plastic film you lift up from the sticky page and then lay back down). They are a little hard to find these days, but one thing that's great about them is you can take out just the page you want, and it has a plastic coating so if you spatter it with stuff it can be wiped clean. - Elizabeth

Jane Black: Another good idea. And, you can definitely buy those old-style photo albums online. Here's Google's first link but there are dozens.

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For vegetarians: Seems like there are a lot of vegetarians lurking on the chat today. I wanted to attest to the Greens cookbook. I used to live in SF and the restaurant and cookbook are great. Also her Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone has simple recipes and I tend to use it a lot more.

I also love websites for recipes: 101cookbooks.com and molliekatzen.com are both great.

Joe Yonan: I'm a huge 101cookbooks fan.

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Blacksburg, VA: I just wanted to mention how much I love my (yes, expensive) Zojirushi fuzzy logic rice cooker. We've had it for 4 years and used it almost every day. We make oatmeal for breakfast-- since it's on a timer, we can have it ready when we wake up. We have even taken it on road trips so that we can have 2 meals a day from it: oatmeal for breakfast, rice with sauce (usually Indian or other pre-packaged sauces) for dinner. It's paid for itself many times over!

Bonnie Benwick: Good for you. Does yours have an oatmeal setting?

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Silver Spring, MD: That raspberry buttercream frosting sounds delicious. Any suggested recipes for a tried and true cream cheese frosting?

Joe Yonan: Again, wait for Nov. 5. We'll have a coconut cupcake recipe with a fab cream cheese frosting...

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To bean or not to bean: My BF says hotdog chili should have beans in it but I say it should only consist of meat and seasonings? What say you?

Bonnie Benwick: That speaks to the larger question of whether chili should contain beans or not. I say it's okay. Editor Joe might say no way.

Joe Yonan: No way.

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Summer rolls in Spring Valley: Thanks so much for the summer rolls recipe -- my stomach knows no season, as Blondie once said of Dagwood. But I'm hoping you can recommend a supermarket substitute for pickled daikon, like maybe regular radishes? I don't have a car and prefer not to haul myself back to an Asian market on public transportation for one ingredient (and we only get bus service around here so any trip takes a lot of time). Either way, it sure looks yummy. Thanks.

Spike Mendelsohn: the best subsitute for pickled daikon is cucumber.

but you can make it at home:

5 carrots, grated in long thin strips

2 daikon radishes, grated in long thin strips

1 cup of white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

boil sugar into vinegar until it dissolves.

remove from heat and let it cool. then put in jar with radishes and carrots and put in the fridge.

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Homemade recipe book: I print out the recipes on 8.5x11 paper, then hole punch them and put them in a large 3-ring binder. I have tabs that separate out categories, such as Asian food, breakfast, veg entrees, etc. About twice a year I go through it and rip out things that sounded good at the time but I know I won't ever make. And yes, it does require a little bit of upkeep, but I only file the new printouts about twice a year also. The rest of the time they accumulate in the front of the binder. I also have those pocket sleeves for small recipe cards people give me, or other things from the sides of boxes or whatever.

Jane Black: Ah the old fashioned way. This is what I do too. Though, I confess, I rarely take out the things I will never make. I should do that...

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Could you tell me what the purpose of the sour cream is?: If you have to ask... This reminds me of an unnamed relative who says "I made a new recipe today, of course, I didn't FOLLOW the recipe, I left out ABC and I substituted XYZ" and then her family sighs because everything she cooks tastes the same.

Jane Black: This made me laugh because it reminds me of something I always see on recipe sites. People say, "What a terrible recipe. Granted, I took out all the bacon and didn't add salt..."

I mess around with recipes all the time, of course. It's what makes cooking creative. But I do think it's funny when people get mad after they've doctored it.

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Take two: Thanks for the snark on the garlic pizza question. But I'd like to try something other than a red sauce and am not familiar with white, garlicky sauces. Is there one that would be good for pizza?

David Hagedorn: Didn't really mean to be snarky, but c'mon...! A quick garlicky sauce: heat some heavy cream and whisk in some Boursin cheese over low heat, until you get the consistency you want. I'm guessing a half cup of cream to a package of Boursin (the black pepper variety would be good, too, huh?) would make enough for a large pizza.

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Washington, DC: I was kinda perturbed by your comment on the small size of the rice cup and it not being the same as an "American" cup. The water lines on the bowl are calibrated for however many little cups of rice you put in. If you have a recipe for an "American" cup of rice, pour the cup of rice into the little rice cups so you know how much water to add.

Joe Yonan: Perturbed? Really?

It would be much better if all these machines used a universal measure.

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For Arlington's cookbook question: I really like the Tastebook website. You can pick from many beautiful covers and add an already prepared selection of recipes, or you can add your own to their collection, or you can add ones you've found online. It's a great site.

Jane Black: Yes, this is one I definitely have set my sights on. Thanks.

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Washington, D.C.: I brined and roasted a chicken this weekend, and I absolutely loved the flavor and juiciness of the meat! I want to recommend this to my parents, but they keep kosher - so their chickens are already salted. How do I alter the brine to take that into account? Or, is brining just not possible for them? Thanks!

Bonnie Benwick: No brining for a kosher chicken, sorry. But you may want to try encasing the chicken in a salt-dough crust. We've been testing turkey breast this way and it sure keeps the meat juicy (ruins the chance for crisp skin, though).

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Richmond, VA: I'm more of a savory person, so I'm always trying to get my greater family to support a less sweet Sweet Potato recipe for T-day. (I never get why folks add more sweetener to a veg that's already naturally sweet.) But they'd always balk and want it with brown sugar galore. Found the perfect compromise last year! Sweet Potatoes sliced and baked with dark apple butter!

Bonnie Benwick: Boy that sounds good.

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Washington, DC: I'm hosting a baby shower in a few weeks, and I'd like to make some of the food well ahead and freeze it. Any suggestions for make-ahead nibbles? (It's a late-afternoon party)

Spike Mendelsohn: you can freeze all of these well in advance, defrost the night before and put in your fridge the morning of.

mini quiches (any type)

Greek spanakopita (spinach pie)

artichoke dip

scones (raisins, cranberries or cherries)

cupcakes you can make ahead of time and just frost a few hours before

sandwich mixes (chopped egg, tuna etc) DO NOT FREEZE. they don't turn out well at all.

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I'm hoping you can suggest some cookbooks, recipes or inexpensive classes in DC that might help a seriously overweight 11 year-old girl learn to like healthy food and eat smaller portions.: Show her sparkpeople.com or mypyramid.gov where she can track what she eats. Seeing it graphically helped me see where my worst choices were, how a little change had a positive effect, and how I WAS CONTROLLING everything. Once it was clearly MY choices, MY impact, it was so much easier to make the right choices.

Joe Yonan: Thanks!

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For the person with the overweight 11 year old: I'm on board with Spike's suggestion that she be involved in the cooking process. I struggled with weight issues at that age and learning how to cook and getting involved in making healthy choices made a big difference. I will disagree with the suggestion to drink a diet carbonated beverage - all the latest health and nutrition studies discourage this.

Joe Yonan: I think getting people to enjoy the taste of good old water can go a long way toward reducing all those liquid calories. So I'd agree with you there.

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Raspberry buttercream frosting?: What exactly is icing sugar? I've always used powdered sugar to make frostings.

Bonnie Benwick: Have you got your hands on a recipe from across the herring pond? I think a British cook's icing sugar is confectioner's (powdered) sugar here.

Spike Mendelsohn: I meant powdered sugar, sorry for the mistake

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More on stock...: The best stock-making advice (in my opinion) comes from Michael Ruhlman is his Elements of Cooking. He recommends cooking stock at around 190 degrees F, which means that it should barely simmer. Boiling or vigorously simmering stock compromises the clarity and flavor. When I started making stock this way, the result was so much better. I use a candy thermometer to monitor the temp.

Bonnie Benwick: That's a good rule.

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egg noodles: Hi Spike, Ophira here. How's my favorite Top Chef? I have a quick question about the noodles. When I soaked them in the hot water, they came out a bit glutinousy. They weren't springy to the touch, like those you brought. What is the trick to the noodles so that they are full and light, rather than feeling mushy and soggy?

Spike Mendelsohn: hi Ophira... how much fun is the article!

you have to rinse the noodles in cold water and keep them at room temperature, do not refrigerate them.

also make sure you just dip them in for a quick flash, don't keep them in the water for too long. great to hear from you!

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PA: Thanks for testing rice cookers! I simply for the life of me -- don't ask me why -- cannot make rice (same goes for coffee). For just this reason, I have thought about getting a cooker. Would you say that your staff felt the rice from the cooker, compared to the stovetop, was worth the cost of the cooker? Also, my Korean friend uses a Sony (or was it Sanyo?) cooker. Do you know if either of these was tested? Thanks!

Bonnie Benwick: We didnt test Sony/Sanyo. Honestly, I'd be surprised to find out that the basic engineering involved in all the models made in Japan and China was really all that different.

I'm convinced it's nice to have around, provided you have the space to store it. I think I'll get some for my young-men cooks this year (don't tell!).

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Chef on call: Hi Rangers! Have you ever done a chef-on-call feature for someone who has lots of food allergies? I haven't seen one, but I didn't scour the archives either. I have tons of food allergies (but love to try new things if they don't break the rules) so while I would love love to have chef-on-call visit my apartment, do you avoid cases like mine because they are so limiting? For example - I am supposed to avoid wheat, gluten, cow's milk, eggs, yeast, tomatoes, etc. For lunch today I had spicy baked chicken and cabbage (from Madhur Jaffrey) and lentil soup. Is it worth writing to chef-on-call???

Joe Yonan: Sure, write in! Send to food@washpost.com, with lots of details and color about your story, and we'll consider it.

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Dinner Party for 10 - 14 People: Salmon with a nice cherry sauce, rice, and an assortment of veggies is a plesant change from the T-day fare.

Joe Yonan: OK.

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Vegetarian onion soup: I know the poster didn't ask for vegetarian and only wanted an onion soup recipe without red wine, but this one was a HUGE hit when I threw an engagement party for my best friend and his now wife.

I made mushroom stock using standard mirepoix and dried shiitake mushrooms. I added some leeks, parsnips and herbs (I know basil, but maybe something else). Then I sauteed Vidalia onions in olive oil, then slowly added the mushroom stock and seasoned with salt and pepper since I hadn't used much salt in the stock. I made small bread bowls by getting crusty dinner rolls in the refrigerator section and baking them in muffin tins to flatten the bottoms and then cut open the tops. I wanted smaller ones because it was mostly a stand and mingle, finger food event and it was extremely popular. Good luck!

Joe Yonan: Thanks!

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Madras curry powder: I want to make Singapore noodles, which calls for a teaspoons of Madras curry powder. Can I substitute something else, or could I make it myself out of turmeric, cumin, etc.? Any idea what's in the curry powder?

Jane Black: Madras curry has saffron in it, plus the usual turmeric, ginger, chili, coriander etc etc. There are recipes for it a click away and if you have everything, great. If not, I'd substitute any curry powder you have (regular, garam masala). It won't be identical but it will work.

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Reston: Wise foodies: My neighbor is having surgery and I want to help stock up her freezer with ready-to-cook dinners. I remember way back when one of your reporters did a story on those dinner assembly places. Can you recommend one?

Bonnie Benwick: We ranked Thyme Out in the Kentlands (Gaithersburg) at the top of the heap.

But if you really think about what goes into prepping those kinds of meals, you could do the packaging. Salmon, with a sauce packet or a rub. Blanched vegetables. Rice that's cooked and frozen. Soups/stews in individual portion containers. Meatballs made and cooked, then packaged with a separate sauce. Take a look at some menus online; you'd be surprised.

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Washington, DC: Hi everyone. Where can I get a good pie -- I mean a REALLY good pie -- around here? What bakeries/pie shops would you recommend? Personally, I think Baked & Wired in G'Town bakes the best I've ever tasted, but you practically have to mortgage your house to get one. Many of the outlying orchards, I've found, have only mediocre offerings. Any suggestions welcome! Thank you.

Joe Yonan: It's true, we loved the apple cranberry in last year's taste test of bakery pies for the holidays. And it was $32 (plus $8 deposit for the baking dish). But we also liked the sweet potato pie at Buzz quite a bit, and it was just $10.95. (We haven't checked these prices for this year, btw.)

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personal cookbook: I have recipes stored on a computer file but also print off full size pages and put them in plastic sheets in a ring binder. Like the photo sheets, they can be pulled out individually when cooking.

But, because it's our own collection, many of the recipes are followed by a short family story relating to the food. It's a great way to keep the history going.

Jane Black: Another good idea. More on the way.

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South Dakota: Personalized cookbooks.

I purchased a spiral bound, blank cookbook (has all of the dividers, sections, and a table of contents) from one of the large chain bookstores a few years ago. I could paste recipes in the book, but I don't as I really prefer longhand for this pet project. I also include notes and reviews from family and friends. The recipe has got to be great to make it into the book.

I also tend to write in my regular cookbooks, and wow! I love my huge cookbook collection. My hope is that my food loving son (a creative young cook), friends, or even some garage sale junkie will look at these books many years from now, and enjoy 'my' recipes.

Jane Black: Another.

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Washington, DC: To the recipe keeper person, I copy and paste all recipes I want to keep into my Palm Pilot. I can do a search if I want to use a particular ingredient. It is just a matter of printing out that recipe. Right now I have 700 recipes in my Palm and still have room for many, many more. Works well for me.

P.S. Loving the food section these days more and more - keep up the excellent work!

Jane Black: And another.

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Rice Cookers: The old and kicking rice cooker you featured is like the one my mom gave me. She bought it in 1978; yes, 30 years ago. OK, ten years younger, but it's also National and still kicking. I sometimes mix frozen vegetables such as spinach or peas or broccoli into the rice. Push the button, and presto, perfect rice and veggies. Our three-year old never scrunches her nose to this healthy mix. Also, the NYT (yes, the other newspaper) had a feature on October 1st using rice cookers to cook a whole meal.

Bonnie Benwick: I've done subsequent recipe testing with rice/vegetables, and you're right, it works nicely as a one-pot experience.

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Re Overweight 11 year old: I'm going to suggest that Spike's suggestion be modified. Not a diet soda before dinner, but water or juice. Diet soda messes with the blood sugar in what for many are unhelpful ways, often making the person hungrier later. Have you consulted a nutritionist, to look at her overall diet and things to try to manage it better?

I hope that together you can explore things to find activities that interest her as much as eating, that you can enjoy together.

Spike Mendelsohn: i think a diet carbonated drink is still the best way to go. it will help her digest food better and fill her up much quicker than water or juice. plus a juice would be very sweet. you can make crystal light with soda water but that also has aspartame

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soups on: Can I buy a rotisserie chicken and use the bones to make either of those comfort food chicken soups (ginger or pho)?

David Hagedorn: For a quick meal, it's not a bad idea to buy a rotisserie chicken, pull the meat off and use the bones to make some soup, but keep in mind that becasue the bones have already been cooked, most, but not all, of the flavor has been cooked off. Think of it as a second-pressing. So use store-bought chicken broth or stock as the base liquid instead of water.

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101cookbooks.com: Have to throw in some love, since they were mentioned. My favorite food blog - it always makes me want to cook.

This probably isn't the right recommendation for the diabetic girl, but what do the Food Gurus think of Julia Child's The Way to Cook? It's still my go-to cookbook for learning the mastery of techniques. I also like the encouragement to learn a method and use what's fresh and local, vs. being tied to a specific ingredient list. It's very freeing.

Joe Yonan: I love TWTC.

Bonnie Benwick: I'm a little off it. The explanations are pretty darn wordy.

Joe Yonan: Skim, Bonnie, skim!

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20016: Please advise! I am having people over for a happy hour on Friday starting at 5. I'll be able to sneak home a bit early, but will be pressed for time. I'm making ricotta-spinach calzones using refrigerated pizza dough (the kind in a tube).

Is there any way to bake these the night before, and reheat them in the oven? I'd rather not be standing in the kitchen during the party. Thanks for your help!

Bonnie Benwick: Sure. Wrap them in foil and reheat at 350 for 20 mins or so. You can open the foil and let them crisp/brown if necessary for the last 5 minutes of reheating.

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Wait! Before this ends: Can you post a link to the oatmeal in a rice cooker recipe? I can't find it online.

Joe Yonan: That's because we didn't have one.

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Cooking with wine: People - preggers or not -- cooking with wine is not a bad thing. The vast majority of the alcohol evaporates. All you are left with is the flavor. I have a parmesan mushroom risotto recipe that calls for a cup of white wine, and I have never gotten tipsy eating it! Really, nothing bad will happen to you or your unborn child.

Joe Yonan: People!

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kosher chicken again: So, how do I get a kosher chicken to have flavor and moistness, if I can't use a brine full of spices (but without salt)?

Bonnie Benwick: I think kosher chicken has more flavor than regular chicken already! Have you tried loosening the skin above the breast by inching your fingers between the skin and flesh, then inserting a pareve mixture of spice rub or flavored oil or a kosher butter substitute?

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Blacksburg, VA: Ever since I became a vegetarian cook 15 years ago, vegetarian cookbooks have been the favored gift for folks to give me. I have at least 30 of them, and many more have been given away.

The ones I always turn to: Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (simple, delicious recipes), Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (has lots of suggestions for generally preparing each vegetable as well as recipes), and Carol Gelles' 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes. Also consider getting her a pressure cooker and the book Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass if she likes beans, brown rice, or quinoa. It will make cooking these items SO much easier.

Joe Yonan: Thanks!

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Oops--left out something off of the onion soup recipe: I also had a bowl of grated smoked gruyere on the side for people to choose if they wanted cheese on the onion soup. The smoked gruyere worked great with the mushroom based stock.

Joe Yonan: Crucial. Excellent.

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Sweet potatoes at The Source: I tried the sweet potatoes, or maybe they were yams - I don't know, at the The Source a few nights ago and they were AMAZING. It was probably the first time I've ever liked them before. Do you have any idea what they do to make them taste so good?

Bonnie Benwick: We'll try to find out!

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Brunch conundrum: I'm going to a pumpkin-carving brunch potluck this weekend, but can't decide what to bring. A lot of the other food people are bringing is on the sweet side, so I'm looking for something more savory. Ideas? Thank you!

Spike Mendelsohn: you can make a nice egg frittata dish. red peppers, spinach, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese. put in whatever you like but it's a nice savory dish for brunch.

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Sterling, VA: This isn't a question or comment. This is a brag message. My husband is making fresh sausage for the first time this year and it is coming out GREAT! The meat is a combination of venison and pork and spices. He is filling the casings and smoking them. They look very professional. I am very proud of his project and wanted to brag.

I love this chat very much and have printed many recipes and hints. Thanks for doing this.

Jane Black: Hurrah for the adventurous chef! And thanks for the kind words. We appreciate it.

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Vietnamese Food Q: How do you make fried spinach? I don't have a decent recipe. Thank you.

Spike Mendelsohn: 1 (12 ounce) can spinach, drained

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp olive oil

Place spinach in a large skillet.

Whisk egg, milk, garlic together in a small bowl, then pour mixture into the skillet of hot olive oil with spinach. Cook over high heat; stirring frequently until most of the moisture is absorbed into the spinach. Serve warm.

if you want deep fried

4 cups peanut oil for frying

1 (10 ounce) package washed fresh spinach

1 garlic clove, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) or if you have a deep pan put 2 inches of oil with garlic.

Place a large handful of fresh spinach in fryer basket, and submerge to cook for about thirty seconds.

If you're doing this in a pan place spinach on a stainless steel spoon and drop into oil.

Drain spinach on paper towels, and repeat with remaining batches. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

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Arlington, VA: Wegman's has thicker and thickest steaks including prime and aged.

Joe Yonan: Thanks!

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Turkey pre-run: I was going to say Turkey Dry Run, but since no one likes dry turkey...

I am hosting T-giving this year, and want to do a test run on a bird this weekend.

Usually when I host, I take Wednesday off and make and carve the bird then, and reheat gently in chicken broth on Thursday.

However, my husband really wants not only the visual but the cooking-turkey-smells this year. I agreed, with the condition that we do a test run, so he could learn how to carve the turkey.

So now my 2 part question: 1. Is there a good How To Carve a Turkey link I can share with him? 2. Can I freeze the turkey from this weekend, and how best should I store it?

MANY THANKS!

Bonnie Benwick: I admire your advance tactics, but honestly, a turkey's just a big chicken. If you can roast one of those successfully, I'm sure you'll be fine.

Here's the carving video link.

You could freeze the turkey, wrapped first in plastic wrap and then in foil, as tightly as possible. I think it'd be good for including in casseroles and soups, but not for eating the slices straight up.

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McLean: Pie Gourmet in Vienna has pretty good pies

Joe Yonan: Thanks. We also liked the apple tart at Stella's in Rockville quite a bit.

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Sheesh: So how do you make oatmeal in a rice cooker?

Bonnie Benwick: Sorry! We added water and steel-cut oats and let the rice cookers do their work (on a sushi-/short-grain rice setting).

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Annandale, VA: I liked the rice cooker article, but was wondering about cooking oatmeal in one. My Panasonic rice cooker doesn't have a porridge setting. Would I use "white rice," "brown rice," "steam," "soup," "slow cook," or "cake"?

Yes, my rice cooker has a "cake" setting. The lab techs at Panasonic must have poured cake batter in a rice cooker after the they had a few too many beers at the office party. My convection oven need not tremble in fear; after 60 minutes, the cake was still wet in the center. I've wondered about trying it with a steamed pudding.

Bonnie Benwick: Try using the slow cook option. We used steel-cut oats, as I told the previous chatter.

Cake. We wouldn't go there.

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Boulder, CO: Hi gang. It's nice to have Spike on as a guest - I really enjoyed watching you on Top Chef. How was your experience on TC and what was your favorite challenge?

Spike Mendelsohn: thanks a lot. I loved being on the show, it was a great experience. it's let me do so much more with my career than i ever thought and it's just the beginning! I also made a lot of great friends, we still talk and do events together and go back and forth on restaurant ideas so it's nice to have that network... kinda like a fraternity type thing because you just go through so much. nerves, not sleeping, challenges ups and down, personalities etc.

favorite challenge was the tomahawk steak. One, because I won it, haha, but seriously, I surprised myself. I couldn't believe how I handled that piece of meat, it was amazing even to me so that was really cool

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Pies.: Firehook has great pies. I bought pumpkin and cherry lattice pies from them last Thanksgiving. Were about $15 apiece. Delicious! And I don't even like cherry pie!

Joe Yonan: Good to know.

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Washington DC: Spike- Are you entertaining any new restaurant ventures in the near future?

Spike Mendelsohn: I'm hoping to open more Good Stuff eateries around the DC, Va and Md area. but yes, I have an awesome Greek restaurant idea that my family has worked on for years, my chef at Good Stuff is Mike Colletti and his Italian food is amazing so we're thinking of that and of course the dream is to open up a Vietnamese place. that's my passion too and I'd love to do that here in DC.

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Centreville, VA: Do the rice cookers really work that much better than a microwave? I've been cooking my rice in the microwave for years and years and that also qualifies as set it and forget it and it turns out perfect every time. I made sure the last microwave I bought had a rice button.

Bonnie Benwick: Our microwave rice cooker testing was incomplete, I'm afraid. Which kind do you have? I think it depends on whether your microwave can cook at 50 percent power...

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Joe Yonan: Well, we're fairly tightly rolled and not overstuffed (yet), so you know what that means -- we're done.

Thanks for the great questions today, and thanks to Spike and David for helping us handle them.

And now, for the giveaway books. The Palisades chatter asking for make-ahead ideas will get "Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking" by Beth Hensperger. And the DC chatter who asked about ideas to help the 11-year-old overweight girl will get a resource that should help: "The Best of Cooking Light Everyday Favorites." Send your mailing info to food@washpost.com, and we'll get you your books.

Until next week, happy cooking, eating and reading.

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