March 2007 “Cooking Tips” Winner —
Doug Keele

Here's a quick and easy way to poach eggs.
Using a frying pan, I will place rings from the lids of wide mouth mason jars in the pan right side up. Next, I put in as much water as the pan will hold without covering the rings completely (if the rings are covered the whites will run over the edge). Crack the eggs inside of the rings as the water just begins to boil. When the eggs are done, use a spatula and lift the ring and the egg out together. I like the larger, flatter egg for Eggs Benedict. The quicker boiling time of the low water level and the amount of eggs poaching at one time is only limited by the size of the pan.

Doug Keele

Prize:

• Cooking tips:
  Pasta Sauce Blends
  Pasta Partners

March 2007 “Cooking Disasters” Winner —
Kim Carney

Once I was making Beef Stew for dinner with friends. I was running late and was rushing around the kitchen. The recipe called for simmering the beef and vegetables and just five minutes before serving adding in a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken the rich gravy. My guests arrived a bit early, sending me into a panic of cleaning up and setting the table. I realized I didn't thicken the gravy and reached into the cupboard to grab the cornstarch box. While chatting over my shoulder, I quickly spooned a few tablespoons of the powder into a cup and added just enough water to make the slurry. I stirred the mixture and dumped the contents into pot. To my surprise, the pot erupted into a thick foam that quickly rose to the top of the pot and up! I literally leapt back from the stove muffling a yelp of horror. I turned around and saw the box on the counter. I had added two tablespoons of BAKING SODA instead of cornstarch to the hot liquid. I had six guests in the other room and a chemical experiment on the stove. I was desperate. I yelled to my guest, “Just sit back, it not quite done.” Refusing offers of any help in the kitchen, I grabbed my biggest colander and threw the stew into it rinsing the entire contents while I quickly cleaned the pot. I tossed everything back in and concocted some gravy out of the contents of my pantry then very carefully thickened it. No one was the wiser about my ‘mock gravy’ but to this day, before I ever make the cornstarch slurry, I double check that I really am adding cornstarch and not baking soda.

Kim Carney

Prize:

• Cooking Disasters:
  Sicilian Selection
  Pasta Partners

Previous Winners

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