March 2002 “Cooking Tips” Winner —
Arthur Stephens

Trying to get rid of small quantities of grease and oil following cooking bacon or sautéing meat or poultry is always a pain ..... it never seems like you have an empty tin can hanging around when you need it.

Rather then dumping the grease down the drain and ultimately clogging it, I let it cool and then place a couple of paper plates with 5 or 6 sheets of paper towel on top, in my sink. I pour the cooled grease on to the paper towel and let it absorb in. Then it is very easy to toss in the garbage without spilling on the floor or draining to the bottom of the trash bag.

Arthur Stephens
Vancouver, WA

Prize:

• Cooking tips: Baycliff Company - Sushi Chef Mirin

March 2002 “Cooking Disasters” Winner —
Diane Nemitz

Like any experienced cook, I have had my share of cooking disasters over the years. Countless burnt offerings, the lemon meringue left to cool on the counter that the cat walked in, the chicken so tough even the dog couldn't eat it, pie crusts you could have made footwear out of, and countless others. My dog, Teddy, accounted for a good share of kitchen grief. Teddy was a lovable, curly haired mutt who once won a pet contest prize for "best named dog." He was also a foodie - no gourmet, Teddy would eat anything he could get his paws on. Every year my kids and I looked forward to the state fair, and we entered everything from needlework to pet rabbits, but our best entries were always baked goods. Cakes, cookies, breads, and muffins were carefully packed and toted to the fairgrounds for judging, and I must say we took home an impressive number of ribbons. All baked goods had to be at the fair bright and early on a certain day for judging. The cookies were all packed up, there was just one more entry waiting to go, and that was the special apple coffeecake I left out on the countertop while I finished getting dressed. When I went back out to the kitchen, the coffeecake was gone. Thinking one of the kids had moved it, I called to them, but no, they hadn't seen it. That's when I spotted the plate under the table. Empty. Not a smidge left. Teddy was in the corner looking up at me with sad brown eyes and crumbs in his whiskers. It turned out that he was just tall enough, when standing on his hind legs, to reach whatever was close to the edge of the kitchen counter, and the smell of the coffeecake was too tempting for him to resist. Needless to say, I did not win the prize for best coffeecake that year. I also learned to keep anything edible pushed back far enough so Teddy would have had to learn to pull up a chair to the counter in order to reach it. Being a smart dog, I'm sure he would eventually have learned to do that, too but his natural curiosity got the best of him and he ran out into traffic once too often. We missed our mischievous dog terribly, and I never had the heart to make that apple coffeecake again.

Diane Nemitz
Ludington, MI

Prize:

• Cooking Disasters: Baycliff Company - Sushi Chef Rice Vinegar

Previous Winners

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