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Wednesday, August 29, 2001
Outside the box

Food tips
   Peeling tomatoes
   To peel a lot of tomatoes at once, make a small, shallow “x” on the bottom of the tomato and remove the tough top core. Drop the prepared tomatoes into boiling water, a few at a time, and cook them just long enough for the skins to loosen. Take care not to overcook them. Transfer the tomatoes to ice water, and drain them before slipping off the skins.

   Ask food network
   Q. I can't make rice. Help!
   - Ruined rice
   A. Rice can be tricky; try one of these methods:
   For 4 servings of white rice (long or short grain), measure out 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of cold water and a sprinkle of salt into a small saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, stir once, reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pan, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the water has evaporated.
   You can tell the water has evaporated two ways. First, there are little holes that separate the rice. Second, the water changes from sounding like boiling to sounding like popping.
   Remove rice from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Now it's ready to serve.
   To cook 4 servings of brown rice, use the same procedure but increase the water amount to 3 cups for every 1 cup of brown rice, and check it after 27 minutes.
   Or, you could try the "spaghetti method" suggested by "Cooking Live" host Sara Moulton. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, adding the rice (either kind) and boiling it for approximately the same amount of time as above, or until it is done to your taste. Then drain the rice, as you would pasta, through a fine sieve.
   Either way, it's better to use regular rice, not the par-boiled "quick" kind. It has a better texture and more nutrients
   - SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE

   SNACK-ATTACK STRATEGIES
   Next time the midday munchies attack, be prepared with this handy acronym provided by Cheryl Tegarden, a clinical dietician at Driscoll Children's Hospital. Tegarden's S.N.A.C.K.S. checklist helps grazers make sure they're getting a wholesome morsel, not a diet wrecker.
   Small serving (not a whole meal)
   Nutritious
   Appetizing, appealing (something you like)
   Cares for your teeth (not a candy bar)
   Keeps hunger in check
   Safe and sanitary

   NOT-SO-SPECIAL SPECIAL K RED BERRIES

   We were skeptical about a cereal that claims to fill you with nutritious berries at the shake of a box, but we were willing to venture into new breakfast territory. Our tester was pleasantly surprised to find several berries per spoonful; it sure didn't look like boring old cereal. Imagine her surprise when she bit into one of the berries and it was hard, as if all the juice had been sucked out and it was just dry, compacted berry. We had hoped the berries would be revived by the milk, but we were wrong.
   - Written and compiled by staff writer Leanne Libby



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