Potato Perfection

A quick reminder: if you're asking about a recipe you saw on-air, please don't forget to include the station and/or Web site in your e-mail. If you're asking about a Mr. Food recipe, it can most likely be found at www.mrfood.com.

Q: What is the difference between green onions, shallots and leeks? Thanks. --Jane

A: While all these plants are related, there are differences in the flavors and uses. Green onions, or scallions, are just as you'd think, white or yellow onions that haven't matured yet. They generally have a very strong oniony flavor in the white part, and the green part can be chopped and used as a mildly oniony garnish on top of soups, etc.

Shallots will remind you strongly of garlic, with their head formed of multiple "cloves" covered in papery skin. They have a smooth, almost buttery onion flavor. They're used a LOT in French cooking, but I highly recommend experimenting with them in sauces, dressings or anywhere a subtle flavor can be appreciated.

Leeks look like large green onions. They have a much lighter flavor than their smaller cousins, though, and are widely used in soups.

As with any vegetable, the best way to learn how you like them is to USE them! None of these three are especially expensive, so buy a few and experiment.

Q: I have two questions. How am I supposed to store coconut that comes in a bag? I put it in the refrigerator after I open it. Is that right? The second question is. How do I keep olive oil from going bad? I don't use it very often. --Susie Ramsey

A: Bagged, or baker's, coconut will keep just about forever if you keep it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Moisture is your worst enemy here, as an excess of it will encourage mold growth. Moldy coconut does NOT make good macaroons.

Olive oil is one of the more durable oils, and can live up to two years if you keep it in a glass or ceramic container in a cool place out of direct sunlight. Your pantry should be fine. If the oil came in a plastic bottle, get it out of there as soon as you can, as over time the oil can pick up some of the compounds in the plastic. Plastic-flavored olive oil does NOT made a good bread dip.

Q: What is the best way to stop the cooking process? --Anonymous

A: This is an excellent question, but one with several answers. Residual heat can be the enemy of many dishes, and the best way to avoid problems is to act ahead of time. Remember, for instance, the rule of thumb with scrambled egg cookery: if they're done in the pan, they'll be overdone on the plate. Pull things like scrambled or poached eggs, cornbread, cooked pudding and just about any dish that goes from runny to "set" just before it's completely done and you'll get excellent results.

Stopping the cooking process is perhaps most important with foods that have a very short cooking time. Ever notice that when you make shrimp alfredo, the recipe calls for the shrimp to be added just before the sauce is taken off the heat? That's because shrimp, like most seafood, cooks VERY quickly. If you're boiling shrimp, the best way to bring the cooking to a screeching halt is to take them straight from the hot pot to a bed of ice. This will also make your diners happy, as it'll give them cooler morsels of shrimpy goodness to eat.

Cold water, rather than ice, is your best tool when it comes to another quick cooker that will go from done to overdone in the space of a minute: pasta. Pour your pasta into a colander (watch out for the steam!) and run cool water over it for just a few seconds, until it cools down by about half.

A final tip: If you've got a big pot of something like chili or soup and you want to cool it quickly (which is highly recommended to get it out of the bacterial danger zone), use a sink full of ice and water. Take the pot from the stove and plunge it into the ice bath. Stir the cooling product frequently to cool quicker. Make sure, of course, that you don't let the water get over the top of the pot into your food ... cold water does NOT make good chili.

Q: I was wondering if there's a way to make a perfect baked potato. --Michelle

A: Michelle, my friend, you're asking about a topic near and dear to my heart. There is no finer blank canvas upon which to write your taste signature than a hot, fluffy baked 'tater. Do you go traditional, with butter and sour cream? Add cheese and bacon? Barbecue? Grilled chicken? Rabbit?

My personal favorite is about half a stick of butter, a generous dollop of sour cream, a big handful of freshly grated sharp cheddar, a spoonful of minced garlic in oil, about 10 shakes of Tabasco and some of Annie Dubois' fine Tejano salsa.

But there I go putting the toppings on before the potato is done. Are you ready for the ultimate method? The highly technical, unbearably arcane and top-secret method which will produce the perfect baked spud?

Here goes: Pierce the spud liberally and deeply with a fork or skewer, coat the skin lightly with canola or vegetable oil, and bake at 350° F. for 60 to 90 minutes, until a fork slides into it easily.

That's it! No foil wrapping, no premicrowaving, no seasoning on the skin. Follow the procedure and you'll get a wonderfully fluffy, butter-drinking platform for whatever toppings you choose.