Like all nuts with a high fat content, pistachios should be kept in a cool, dark place.
When stored at room temperature, they should be kept in a sealed bag, glass or plastic container to avoid contact with air and eaten within a few weeks.
Pistachios will last a few months in the refrigerator and up to a year in the freezer.
Gelato is Italian for ice cream.
The difference between most American and Italian ice creams is that gelato has less air (usually less than 35 percent), making it dense and rich. Like ice cream, gelato can be made with milk, sugar and things like fruit, nuts (hazelnut gelato is a Northern Italian specialty) or chocolate.
Unlike ice cream, traditional gelato is not homogenized, meaning that it melts faster. Gelato is kept frozen in a special forced-air freezer that keeps it at a firm but not rock-solid temperature that means it can be eaten straight out of the freezer. Putting gelato in a traditional ice cream freezer overfreezes it.
Milk-based gelato is traditional in Northern Italy. Water-based fruit sorbetto is more common in the South of Italy.
What's the safest way to defrost food?
What's the safest way to defrost food?
Defrosting food by running it under hot water or leaving it out on the counter is not recommended by the USDA, which advocates three safe methods.
The first way to defrost food is in the refrigerator. This requires forethought and patience, but it means that your food will defrost slowly (it usually takes about 24 hours depending on the size) and that it is safe to cook it within a few days. It also doesn't require any extra effort or energy.
Another safe defrosting method that's a bit quicker than the refrigerator method is to soak the frozen food in cold water. To defrost food in this way, make sure it's sealed in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge the bag in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes until defrosted. Another method is to defrost food under a stream of running cold water. Both methods obviously waste quite a bit of water.
If you have a microwave, you already know that it is a quick defrosting tool. But be sure to cook the food you've defrosted promptly since it may have partially cooked during the defrosting process and can produce unwanted bacteria if left sitting around.
In all cases, be sure to cook defrosted food thoroughly if you plan to refreeze it.
Salt cod -- which is salted and dried and must be rehydrated by soaking for 24 hours before cooking -- was invented hundreds of years ago as a method of preserving fish (and boosting its flavor). Dried salt cod can be safely stored in a refrigerator for 2 to 3 years in its original packaging, protected from heat and light.
If you purchase frozen salt cod -- which is salt cod that has been rehydrated and then frozen -- it can be held in the freezer for up to 1 year.
The Baked Alaska is a beguiling dessert made of ice cream enveloped in a hot meringue and liqueur-soaked Genoese sponge cake. It was invented by an American and perfected in Paris (possibly thanks to a Chinese chef).
The trick is that rock hard ice cream is enveloped with the Genoese sponge and meringue so that it doesn't melt when briefly baked to color the meringue. The Baked Alaska is served straight from the oven, sometimes flamed with Cointreau or Grand Marnier for effect.
Granita is a semi-frozen Sicilian ice dessert made from a lightly sweetened syrup. As the name suggests, granita tends to have a granular texture that is created by scraping the syrup as it freezes with the prongs of a fork. How much you manipulate the mixture results in a texture ranging from coarse to smooth and sorbet-like.
Granita can be made from a sweetened syrup flavored with coffee or fruit juice. Lemons, limes, oranges, mango, grapefruit, tangerines, passion fruit and almonds are some common flavorings. Granita makes a refreshing dessert or snack and is sometimes served between courses.
