All About Pears
Learn about the different types of pears, how they are best used and pear nutritional value. Follow our pear cooking and baking tips, and try out our easy pear recipes
Picked unripe, pears are allowed to slowly ripen and mellow, softening and becoming sweeter as they ripen. A favorite fall and winter fruit (but available year-round), pears are enjoyed for their juicy, sweet flavor and tender texture.
Different types of pears
Anjou pears come in a variety of autumnal colors, from light green to yellow-green to fiery red. Anjou pears, with their squat shape, are firm and have a mealy texture. They are juicy with a sweet-spicy flavor. These pears do not change color upon ripening. Eat fresh, and use in salads and desserts.
Nutrition 101 #2
Nutrition Guidelines
The United States Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid provides general guidelines on which food groups you can enjoy in abundance and which should be eaten sparingly. For more information, see www.mypyramid.gov. The serving suggestions below are for adults. Generally, kids should have the same type of diet, but serving sizes would be anywhere from a third to less than half, depending upon the child’s age. Check out the USDA’s children’s nutrition information at www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html for more specific guidelines.
Nutrition 101
Healthy Living Tips
Healthy eating tips, information, and resources
At Epicurious, we believe that food and cooking are two of life’s greatest pleasures. However, it’s important to maintain a balance and make the right choices about what you are eating.
“When it comes to diet, one size definitely does not fit all,” says Dana Lilienthal, a registered dietitian and holistic health counselor with a private practice on New York’s Long Island and in New York City. “It’s about finding out what works best for you and creating a diet based on your own personal desires and needs.” To that end, we have created a simple guide to the basic tenets of nutrition.
Taste Test: Healthy Store-Bought Snacks for Kids
Instead of the same tired old lunchbox snacks, why not send your kids off to school with healthy bites loaded with as many nutrients and vitamins as possible, with a minimum of preservatives, added fat, and calories? Here are our picks of some the healthiest prepackaged snacks, all taste-tested by the ultimate authorities: kids aged 3 to 16.
The munchies featured here are packaged to grab and go and are available widely in the U.S. Look for them at your local supermarket, health food store, or Whole Foods, and grab a few extras for your own lunch box—Epicurious’s grown-up editors loved these treats, too.
Taste Test: Pre-Made Chicken Noodle Soup
What comes to mind when you hear the words “chicken noodle soup”? How about “mom’s”? But getting mothers to make soup doesn’t always come so easily. That’s where the can or cup-o-noodles comes in.
We purchased 18 different chicken noodles soups—both canned and dried—in major supermarkets. The soups included those marketed as traditional/old-fashioned, low-fat, and lower-sodium. Our goal: to discover for once and for all if any packaged chicken noodle soups can pass for homemade.
Taste Test: Packaged Macaroni and Cheese
The saying “Cheddar makes everything better!” is indeed correct. Adding it as a garnish to a veggie or a hot bowl of chili can be dish-changing; adding it to pasta makes the perfect meal: macaroni and cheese. While it’s hard to beat homemade macaroni and cheese, on a hard day’s night, a box of store-bought mac ‘n’ cheese can be a real time-saver and family-pleaser.
Taste Test: Salsa
Our editors tasted 20 brands of salsa and found one clear winner, as well as three good party-pleasing options
Salsa—the condiment, not the music or dance style—spices up any party, tortilla chip, omelet, or taco. It’s the multipurpose sauce that keeps us dipping for more.
Store-bought salsa should be chunky enough that it dresses up a tortilla chip but does not run down the sides. It should be multidimensional, with the sweet flavor of summer tomatoes, some element of onions, and a subtle kick of hot chile peppers to top it off.
Taste Test: Tortilla Chips
chips and salsa are an essential dynamic duo, but we believe the ultimate tortilla chip should be able to stand alone. The best tortilla chip should have a good corn flavor and a slight saltiness. It must be sturdy and crunchy, not oily and dense. The perfect chip should be crispy and have a firm snap when you bite into it; it should not drape like a soft tortilla. Lastly, it should have a sensible shape, built for scooping salsa, guacamole, and dip.
A Simple Way to Slice Fruit
An egg slicer can perform more than one function in the kitchen. Use it to quickly and cleanly cut soft fruits, such as strawberries or bananas. The fruit slivers can be used to garnish waffles, pancakes, French toast, and oatmeal.
Reference: www.marthastewart.com
Trick for Squeezing Lemons
An unlikely kitchen tool can pitch in when it’s time to prepare lemonade and other summer refreshments. Use a pair of sturdy tongs to get more juice out of lemons, limes, and oranges. Cut the fruit in half, and place a piece between the prongs. (The inner lip on metal ones will minimize slippage.) Working over a pitcher, squeeze the open end of the tongs with both hands. When finished, pour the juice through a sieve.
Reference: www.marthastewart.com