A short heat process known as blanching is generally recommended before freezing of vegetables.  Some canning recipes also call for a short blanching, or heating, step prior to placing vegetables into the jar.  Blanching helps to stabilize the color, especially of peas and other green vegetables, and it protects flavor and texture.  Blanching also helps to cleanse […]

The majority of Americans do not consume enough fruits and vegetables.  In fact, only 33% of Americans consume the recommended amount of fruits and only 27% consume the recommended amount of vegetables.  A study shows that canned fruits and vegetables can help bridge the dietary gap. Popular media often emphasizes the point that only fresh fruits and […]

It’s the season for holiday baking, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) warns consumers not to consume raw dough this holiday season or at any other time of the year.  When you prepare homemade cookie dough, cake mixes, or even bread, you may be tempted to taste a bite before it is fully cooked.  Steer […]

Edible glitter cake balls Baking fancy cookies and cakes for the holidays?  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants you to know that some glitters and dusts promoted for use in foods may, in fact, contain materials that should not be eaten.  Many decorative glitters and dusts are sold over the Internet and in craft and bakery […]

Lorre Kolb’s interview with Barb Ingham, UW-Extension Food Scientist with the Department of Food Science at the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. TRANSCRIPT Lorre Kolb: Eating healthy; including more fruits and vegetables in your diet. We’re visiting today with Barb Ingham, Extension Food Safety Specialist, Department of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension, in the College […]

Barb Ingham, UW-Extension Food Scientist Department of Food Science UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences bhingham@wisc.edu TRANSCRIPT Lorre Kolb: Outbreaks linked to fresh produce. We’re visiting today with Barb Ingham, Extension Food Safety Specialist, Department of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension, in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and I’m Lorre Kolb. Barb, why are […]

Flavored vinegars are very easy to prepare and delicious with summer-time salads.  They are favored by chefs for adding excitement to special dishes.  Cooking at home is also enlivened by the blended flavor of vinegar and herbs, fruits, vegetables, and/or spices.  And because they are naturally so high in acid, flavored vinegars allow more creativity than […]

Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) and other meat should NOT be washed before cooking.  Washing poultry and other meat spreads germs to other areas of the kitchen, and is not effective at removing bacteria that may be present.  A study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology illustrates why it’s a bad idea to wash meat and poultry.  […]