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Hi, My wife has a gluten allergy and I was puzzled when I saw both "starch" as well as "wheat starch" and "corn starch" listed on labels. If it said just plain "starch", could it, in fact, be wheat starch? I live in France, so I wrote to the European Food Safety Authority in Parma and was...

Hi, I love risotto, but am unfortunately rarely successful cooking it at home. I cannot seem to imitate the creamy consistency I find in good Italian restaurants. I'm not referring so much to the sauce here as to the rice itself. I generally brown the rice in butter for 3 minutes or so and...

Hi, I'm planning a dinner for 8 on Friday and have bought three beautiful aged ribs of beef. I should explain that this is a wine dinner so any cooking must not overwhelm some fine old Bordeaux. I only have a standard oven grill to work with and it will not be possible to barbecue. Any...

Hi, I've had lucious meat cooked this way in restaurants and so considered buying a steam oven, or some sort of hybrid, for my new kitchen, but did not do so in the end. Do any of you have such an animal? Is it awfully expensive? Are you satisfied with the results? Is there any waye those...

I have a new kitchen and am delighted with it. I am getting used to induction and find it mostly good news. We have a new oven now too, one with a self-cleaning program (pyrolysis) that works well. However, it is annoying that when the oven is looking like a million dollars, the grills...

Hi, We had a new kitchen put in, and the range uses induction, so we need to replace some pots and pans. We want to buy a new wide (min. 35 cm, and up to 40 cm.) frying pan suitable for induction, but the only one we could finds is a carbon steel one. Seeing as we use this sort of pan to...

I've often wondered how many nutriments are lost during processing and cooking... Ideally we'd all eat raw feeds and be healthy, long-lived, ecological, etc. Of course, this is not for most people... However, it would help to know if buying fresh rather than canned or frozen, for instance...

Hi, This was one of those "gadget gifts" popular about 20 years ago, but I see they have made a resurgence. It was also the kind of appliance people tended to leave in the cupboard and use about once a year... if. Still, I quite like the idea of the crock pot because: - They can be...

Le Figaro - Socits : La baguette fait son entre chez McDonald's Best regards, Alex R.

I've just had a new kitchen put in and it's looking *great*! I'd like to maintain it in this shape as long as possible. It has induction heating. I know I need special pots and pans for that! I've been told that so long as a magnet sticks to a pan, it's OK to use. Some (but not all) cookware...

Hi, We are putting in a new kitchen, and I'd dearly love it to last for many years. I've never had an induction range before, but everyone sings its praises... Fine. But, I'm worried about maintaining the top in good condition. Everywhere I go, I see tops that have been abraded, dulled...

Hi, I have been very frustrated trying to cook Chinese food with a standard stove. I'm pretty convinced that the weak flame is the main reason. I was wondering: would a large Camping Gas heater do the trick? Campingaz - Gas Best regards, Alex R.

Hi, I wasn't sure which forum to post this question in... I have two boxes of crystal (not crystalized) sugar. This is like tiny bits of rock candy. I can't even remember why I bought it, but it has been hanging around for a while... I have tried using it to sweeten hot drinks, but it...

Hi, I just love Parmesan (the real stuff, Parmigiano-Reggiano), but find the really hard stuff a nuisance to grate. I once had a hand-held battery-operated machine, but it was fragile and complicated to clean, and I'm not sure this is the best solution. So I use a grater that looks like this...

This may be an old wive's tale, but I was recently told that the best way to give a good sparkle to crystal (I'm thinking about wine glasses in particular here) is to rinse them in cold, rather than hot water. Is this true? Best regards, Alex R.

I just love risotto, and do an "OK" job at home, even though I don't somehow manage to do as well as in a decent restaurant. Anyway, I am amazed to see recipe after recipe calling for the use of a wooden spoon. Fine. You need to stir the risotto frequently. But what qualities does wood have...

We all know how capricious espresso machines are... A friend of mine told me "I have no problems, I always use demineralized water". This makes sense, but I have heard that such water is not healthy to consume Is this true? Or perhaps the equivalent of 3 or 4 espresso-cups' worth doesn't make...

How do people make "truffle flavored olive oil"? Is the truffle, in fact, an artificial flavor? How rare is it to find a natural product? How can you tell from the label? TIA, Alex R. (confused):ermm:

I don't. Would my recipes really gain something if I did? Best regards, Alex R.

Hi, I generally go food shopping (big shop) once a week. I often find that I'm using vegetables up to a week or 10 days after I've bought them. This led me to wondering: how much of the nutritional value of fresh fruit - and especially - vegetables is lost if they are not consumed shortly...

Hi, I have wondered this for a while... If you Google "Is diet soda bad for you," you get quite a number of hits thinking this is so, including from institutions like the Mayo Clinic. It's simple: when I'm thirsty, sipping a sugarless soda is a way of "cheating" compared to a soft drink with...

Hello, Having finally paid off our house (whoppie !) we are planning on building an extension and putting in our "dream kitchen". Of course, we have seen several people about what sort of appliances to put in. One suggested 2 ovens: a traditional one and a vapor one. Does anyone have...

I've tried different brands of rice, and stirred regularly (why do some recipes recommend a wooden spoon as opposed to any other sort?), but I've never suceeded in making a risotto as creamy as the ones I've had in restaurants. Is it simply because they add cream? I follow the recipes, adding...

Hi, The New York Times just had a series of articles on Polenta: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/08/health/nutrition/08recipehealth.html?em http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/health/nutrition/11recipehealth.html?em http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/health/nutrition/12recipehealth.html?em This...

Hi, Before bothering you all, I did a little Web searching, but most sites seem to focus on weddings and large receptions. My problem lies with dinners for just 6 or 8 people and how to seat people at a rectangular table. A case in point is the following: next month I am planning a special...