Q–I would like to know if there is any nutritional difference between baby-food fruit in jars and canned fruit in natural juice. For economy`s sake, I would like to use the canned fruit, but not if I were sacrificing quality.
A–Sue Sharp, a graduate assistant at the Penn State Nutrition Center, says, ”This is hard to answer since it depends on many factors such as brand of baby food and canned food. Things such as added sugar, starches, salt and additives will vary. I would say that fruit canned without sugar added (packed in water) and with little salt is comparable to a baby food.”
If you prefer to make your own strained fruits, put 3/4 cup of cooked fruit and 2 tablespoons of water or fruit juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Do not add sugar, honey or artificial sweeteners. If you want to make baby food from fresh fruit, be careful to remove all pits, skins and seeds.
Be sure all cookware is well-scrubbed and rinsed. Bring the fruit or vegetables to a full boil and cook only until tender. Mashed ripe bananas don`t have to be cooked. Choose bananas with brown spots on the skin and be sure all the fiber is peeled off.
If you want to feed your baby applesauce canned for adults, stick to products put out by Mott`s or Tree Top. These manufacturers have said they will not accept apples treated with daminozide, a controversial chemical. Otherwise, stick to baby-food applesauce and apple juice. The baby-food industry has been especially concerned with avoiding daminozide residue in its products.
Q–So many recipes call for scallions. Would substituting green onions affect the flavor of the dish, or are scallions just another name for green onions?
A–Barbara Klein, professor of foods and nutrition at the University of Illinois, advises us that for cooking purposes, scallions and green onions are the same and may be substituted for one another.
”From a horticultural standpoint,” explains Klein, ”they are somewhat different. Scallions are also known as spring onions or Welsh onions and are botanically Allium fistolosum, a bulbous onion. However, the term `scallion`
is popularly applied to seedlings of the common onion, Allium cepa, that are pulled before bulbing, and are sometimes called `green onions.”`
To add to the confusion, the term ”scallion” is often applied to the shallot, particularly in Louisiana where most shallots are grown in the U.S. and where shallots are sold and used in their green form. The word
”scallion” is used then in Creole and Acadian cooking to mean the green shallot.
Q–I had an unopened plastic dish of Cool Whip in my freezer. When I took the lid off after thawing, I stirred it like the directions say, and the topping went flat and thin. This is the second time it has happened. Why?
A–There are several possibilities. Michele Dreiblatt, a communications associate with General Foods, informs us that liquefying may result if the topping was thawed at room temperature instead of in the refrigerator, or if the topping has been left too long at room temperature.
Another possibility is that the topping was thawed and refrozen during shipping. This isn`t supposed to happen but occasionally does, a condition Dreiblatt says is beyond General Foods` control. Also, if you beat the topping too roughly when you`re adding it to a mixture, it could liquefy. To avoid air and volume loss, it should only be folded in at the end of a recipe.
Next time, try thawing your Cool Whip unopened in the refrigerator. Thaw it for at least 3 1/2 hours for the 4-ounce container, at least 6 hours for the 8- and 12-ounce containers, and 7 hours or overnight for the 16-ounce container. Defrosting Cool Whip in the microwave is not recommended.
Q–I thought the name Ramen Noodles was a trade name, but I notice that various manufacturers are using it. Is this a generic term? George Goyer, Clearwater, Fla.
A–A representative of Nissin Foods informs us that ”ramen” is a generic term for Oriental-type noodles.
READER RESPONSE
The response to a reader`s request for information on where to buy funnel cake mix was overwhelming. Thanks to everybody who wrote.
For a catalogue containing Mrs. Wilson`s Funnel Cake Mix and pitcher, write to Colonial Garden Kitchens, Unique Merchandise Mart, Bld. 66, Hanover, Penn. 17333.
The makers of Mrs. Wilson`s Funnel Cake mix will take orders for the mix and also provide professional advice on how to set up a funnel cake stand. Write to the Funnel Cake Factory, Inc., P.O. Box 3562, Princeton, N.J. 08543. The toll-free number is (800) 354-0033.
Mrs. Wilson`s Funnel Cake Mix is also available in many stores.
Do you have a question on shopping or food storage? Write Curious Shopper, The Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611.
