May 2001 “Cooking Tips” Winner — Marcie Blackton

“This is not exactly a cooking tip but some interesting information I received at the supermarket deli counter last week. I like to have some turkey breast for lunch but can't go through a pound of it before it gets "slimy". The woman at the deli counter wanted to sell me a pound since it was on sale. I explained why I only wanted a ½ pound. She said to just throw out the paper that the turkey is on within the deli zip-lock bag. When they slice the meat, they have to place the cold cuts on the paper for sanitary reasons. She said if you removed the paper, the meat would stay fresher longer and not get slimy. I wasn't sure I believed her but ordered a pound to try out my little experiment - SHE WAS RIGHT!”

Marcie Blackton

Prize:

• Cooking tips: Dean Jacobs Smoke Natural Flavors

May 2001 “Cooking Disasters” Winner — Violet Allard

“This is a BBQ disaster from our earliest cooking years. We were expecting guests for dinner so we were grilling chicken quarters on an old lightweight BBQ grill in the backyard. Our hyper Boxer puppy became completely goofy when she smelled the chicken cooking. She circled the grill with her nose nudging it - eventually it fell over, scattering chicken quarters across the lawn. Chaos reigned as our family of four scrambled for the chicken parts. Unfortunately, the Boxer grabbed one of the chicken parts and disappeared into the shrubbery. We gathered the chicken onto a tray, took it into the kitchen and carefully washed each quarter. We righted the grill, scooped the hot coals mixed with burnt grass and replaced the chicken on the grill. We also slathered the chicken very thickly with BBQ sauce to disguise any evidence of the disaster. So, there we sat, sipping our drinks, carefully not looking at one another, waiting for our guests to arrive. A perfect picture! The first person to crack was Dad. He stood up, jingling his car keys and announced that he was heading for KFC. When we explained this fiasco to our guests, they were grateful that we had ditched the original chicken!”

Violet Allard

Prize:

• Cooking Disasters: Dean Jacobs Pasta Seasonings

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