photo by southern foodways alliance
DEAR SARA: I bought a bunch of wooden spoons at the thrift store the other day, but I’m not sure how safe it is to use them. I mean, if I run them through the dishwasher, they should be OK, right? Or should I just toss them? — Nishu, Washington
DEAR NISHU: I would use them to stir nonfood items, such as paint. Wood is porous and prone to carrying germs below the surface. My point is that you don’t really know how they were used before you brought them home. If you’d still like to use them, I suggest soaking them for a bit in water and then microwaving them on high for about five minutes.
DEAR SARA: How do you store your fresh bread after it’s baked? Do you use old bread bags or what? I’m going to make a sandwich-bread recipe that makes three loaves. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. — Gail, Ohio
DEAR GAIL: I would cut it into slices and freeze the amount I wouldn’t consume in a day. For the bread that you don’t freeze and plan to eat the same day, you can place it in a paper bag or simply wrap a kitchen towel around it.
DEAR SARA: Other than reusing baggies and foil, how do you cut down on the cost of these items? I feel as if I am nickeled and dimed to death with these products. I can’t stand another plastic container in my house, so that won’t work. –Sandy, e-mail
DEAR SANDY: I have containers that are versatile. They can go from oven, stove top, or microwave to refrigerator or freezer. I have a set of Nouveau cookware by Princess House that I’ve had for over 10 years. They are easy to clean. Anchor Hocking makes Bake ‘N Keep containers that are similar to the refrigerator sets from the 1930s. CorningWare makes excellent glass bakeware such as their Pop-ins line, too. Check individual packaging for the temperature guidelines to fit your storage needs.
DEAR SARA: Weird question. Can I freeze celery? — Holly, New York
DEAR HOLLY: Yes, you can freeze it. You can slice into smaller sections, blanch it for three minutes and place it into a freezer storage bag or container. Because celery contains a lot of moisture, consider freezing it on a tray and then transferring it to your freezer container. Blanching isn’t absolutely necessary. You can place it into the freezer raw. It will lose its crispness whichever freezing method you choose, but it will still be good for cooking.
DEAR SARA: I have a salad-dressing question. My neighbor just gave us a gallon of Thousand Island Dressing. What the heck can I do with Thousand Island Dressing besides salads? I really don’t want to eat that much salad in the near future. — Kimberly, Oklahoma
DEAR KIMBERLY: It’s great on burgers, Reubens, seafood and for chicken and turkey sandwiches. Or divide it up into smaller containers and share it with friends and family. A gallon is an awful lot to try to consume without wasting any.
译文:
木匙的非食物性用处
图片来自南方饮食联盟
亲爱的萨拉:一天，我在旧货店买了一捆木匙，但是我不确定它是否可以安全的使用。我的意思是，如果我把它们放在洗碗机里洗过，那么它们就可以安全的使用了，对吗？或者是我应该把它们扔掉？——尼休，华盛顿
亲爱的尼休：我会用它们来搅拌非食品，比如说油漆。木材能够被渗透，表层容易携带细菌。我的意思是，在你把它们带回家之前，你不知道它们曾是用来做什么的。如果你仍想使用它们的话，那么我建议你把它们泡在水里一小段时间，然后用微波消毒高约5分钟。
亲爱的萨拉：你如何储存刚烤出来的新鲜面包？是使用旧面包袋或是什么？我想准备三个面包来做三明治。有什么方法可以分享吗？谢谢——盖尔，俄亥俄州
亲爱的盖尔：我会把它们切成薄片，然后把一天内不吃的面包片冷冻起来。那些没有冷冻过的你打算一天之内吃的面包你就可以把它们放在一个纸袋里或者用厨房里的毛巾简单地把它们包裹住。
亲爱的萨拉：除了重新使用宽松的衣物和金属薄片之外，你如何降低这些东西的开支？我感觉似乎丢弃这些产品对我来说也是微不足道的。我无法忍受我的家里有塑料容器，这让我无法工作。——桑迪，电子邮件
亲爱的桑迪：我有通用的集装箱。从烤箱，火炉盖，或微波炉到冰箱或冷冻器。我有一套公主之家的Nouveau 餐具已经超过十年了。它们容易清洁。美国玻璃制造公司Anchor Hocking生产的Bake‘N集装箱和20世纪30年代的冰箱很相似。CorningWare制造的极好的玻璃器皿也如此，比如他们的Pop-ins line 。检查个别包装温度准则，以满足您的存储需求。
亲爱的萨拉：我想问一个古怪的问题，我可以冷冻芹菜吗？——霍莉，纽约
亲爱的霍莉：是的，你可以冷冻它。你可以把它切成一小节一小节的，烫至3分钟，然后放置到冷藏袋或冷藏箱中。因为芹菜含有很多水分，所以冷冻时先要把它放在盘子里，然后再放到冷藏箱中去。但不也一定要烫它，你也可以生放在冰箱里。无论你选择哪个冷冻的方法它都会失去其脆性，但它仍然适于烹调。
亲爱的萨拉：我有一个关于沙拉酱的问题。我的邻居给了我一加仑的千岛沙拉酱。除了做色拉之外，我还可以用千岛沙拉酱来做什么呢？我真的不想再吃那么多的色拉了。——金柏莉，俄克拉荷马州
亲爱的金柏莉：还可以是汉堡，雷宾斯三明治，海鲜，鸡肉和火鸡三明治啊。或者把色拉分到更小一些的容器里，和朋友家人一起分享。如果一点都不浪费的话，一加仑的沙拉酱确实很难吃完。