Healthy Cooking - Poked & Prodded

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Even Dietitians Break Their Own Rules

By Frances Largeman-Roth | January 15, 2008

Rules225 Like many responsible adults, I follow lots of rules. Some are for safety—look both ways before crossing the street; don’t leave perishable food out for more than two hours. Others are my own self-imposed, because-it’s-healthy-for-me and I-want-to-set-a-good-example limitations. These rules include the following.

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What’s That Smell? Burnt Gingerbread

By Mara Betsch | January 9, 2008

Mara250 I moved into my first Manhattan apartment last month and the kitchen is the size of my work cubicle. I have non-existent counter space, temperamental burners that don’t reach full heating potential if more than one is on, and an oven that hasn’t been properly cleaned since 1933. As you can see at left, the kitchen is approximately three feet wide, with every inch used for an appliance. And I share it with a roommate.

However, I made the vow to cook, so cook I did. I decided on gingerbread cookies, because we were in baking season. (Full disclosure: I used a boxed mix, but only to acclimate myself to cooking in close quarters.)

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Escape From Recipeville

By Frances Largeman-Roth | January 8, 2008

Recipe250 I’ve always been a strict recipe follower. Maybe it’s because I’m a dietitian (amounts of butter and sour cream matter) or because I’m pretty Type A. But I’ve never understood how some folks can just go forth and make a dish without knowing exactly what they’re going to put in it. Those people have always seemed like artists to me—able to riff on tradition and follow an innate culinary compass to greatness. I, on the other hand, have always felt like a chemist—if I didn’t add the correct amounts of compound A and B, my results would be less than satisfying. Plus, since my kitchen time is limited by a busy schedule (whose isn’t?), I believe it should be productive, and I don’t want to end up with a concoction that no one wants to eat. I’m happy to announce that I’ve finally left the land of the chemistry geeks and I’m flirting with the cool kids.

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Cooking 101

By Mara Betsch | December 26, 2007

Egg250 I am no domestic goddess. I am a doodler in an Italian family where cooking is an art. My family finds this hysterical, and conversations at holiday meals inevitably end with coffee, dessert, and tales of my culinary catastrophes. Here’s a taste from last year’s festivities.

“Remember the time Mara put baking soda instead of baking powder in the peach cobbler?” my dad asks the table. “It tasted like peach toothpaste.” Laughter erupts.

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Compliments to the Condiments

By Frances Largeman-Roth | December 25, 2007

Mustard250 I’m ashamed to call myself a food editor these days. My wine glasses are seeing far more use than my pots and pans, and I haven’t made a real trip to the grocery store in weeks. I’ll blame it on recent travels.

When my husband, Jon, is in town (he’s a consultant), I’m far more likely to spend time making dinner. But when it’s just little old me and Millie, our furry canine dictator, I’m just as bad as every other American. OK, not quite. I lean more on fast-yet-healthful foods than fast foods, enjoying Amy’s Kitchen organic, vegetarian frozen dinners and my own gussied up English muffin sandwiches (black olive tapenade really elevates them). I’m a firm believer that you can do almost anything with top-notch condiments. And though Jon growls at me for the wide assortment of half-full bottles and jars in the fridge, I keep them in stock. I think of them as accessories—you could go without them, but life just wouldn’t be as fabulous. Here’s my roundup of the essentials.

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