Best Way To Peel An Onion

I've got a question about flour -- how long should it last before it goes bad? It seems like my standard unbleached white gets rancid or old-tasting fairly quickly in the canister. Should I store it differently? Are some types of flour longer-lasting? --Phil

A: Fresh flour will last six to eight months if properly stored. Keep it in a dark, dry and cool place. Your best bet is to empty the flour into a large plastic bag, then force all the air out and store the bag in a metal container. NEVER mix new flour with old. If the old goes rancid, it will take the new along with it very quickly.

There may be some slight differences in shelf life due to protein content, but not enough to worry about.

Q: Can you explain the difference in the vast varieties of oils (olive, extra virgin olive, vegetable, safflower, canola, grape seed, etc.) that are on the grocers shelves today? Also, how is each one used? Do they have a shelf life? What kinds are recommended to have on hand in a standard pantry? --Sam

A: Bella Online has an excellent list of the major cooking oils and their uses, which you can find right here.

As far as which ones to have on hand, I always keep peanut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, dark sesame oil and pure vegetable oil on hand. The peanut is a near-indestructible oil I use for high-heat cooking, such as stir-frying. The olive and sesame I use primarily for their flavors, and the vegetable is a good "invisible" oil for use in recipes where the oil is needed for its fat, not its flavor.

Q: I'm new to your column ... I found the information on spices very enlightening ... sort of an "aha" moment. I thought I would let you know about my recent attempt at working with dried rosemary. (Should I add failed or abysmal?) I'm partly convinced that I should try fresh and experiment some, but I'm equally resolved that my family is, well, not adventurous. Do you have any suggestions on how I can, excuse the pun, spice things up? Thanks, Mary

A: By all means, go to the grocery store and get one of everything! Get some boneless chicken breast or thigh meat, whichever you prefer, and experiment with the different herbs. Get five different herbs and cook five pieces of chicken, one with each herb. Rub them liberally on the outside and sprinkle some chopped leaves on before cooking. See which one your audience prefers and work from there. Repeat the experiment with bits of beef, fish, and samples of vegetables. You'll have the family eating like gourmets in no time.

Is there any easy way to peel white onions? Thank you in advance for your help. -- Joseph

A. I learned the quickest way to peel an onion in my first short-order cook job, when one of my prep tasks was peeling and slicing 10 gallons of onions a day.

First, chop the base and top off the onion to about ½ inch. Then score the onion from top to bottom to roughly ¼ inch deep. Stick your fingernails into the score and pull. The outer layer will come off instantly, leaving you with a nicely skinned, ready-to-chop onion.

Yes, this DOES "waste" one layer of the onion, but would you rather spend all day trying to pull off each papery layer individually? It's a vegetable, not a hobby.

My question is about instant meat thermometers. I avoid cooking roasts because I can never get them done correctly even using a meat thermometer. Are the newer instant ones accurate and is there a place on the Internet or elsewhere to find good estimates for pork, beef roasts. Also, some recipes call for browning first, is that really useful? -- Joanne

A: For roasts, your best bet is a probe thermometer, which has a metal shank which remains in the roast and connects by wire (there are also some snazzy new wireless ones) to a base monitoring unit. Polder makes a great one, and it usually runs less than $20. It comes with a comprehensive guide book giving recommended roast temperatures.

Bear in mind that there is carryover heat when roasting. If you, for instance, want your roast to an internal temperature of 160° Fahrenheit, pull it at 152° or so and let the carryover heat do the rest.

There are differing opinions on whether or not browning meat is absolutely necessary. To me, it's a taste issue: I like that browned crust on my meat!

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