Help Us, Mr. Popeil!

Got a question of your own? Just drop me a line and I'll get right to work!

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

Q: I wanted to ask, what is the difference between waxed paper and parchment paper?
I have a recipe that calls for parchment paper. What happens if I don't use it and just go with the cookie on the actual tray?

A: Both waxed and parchment paper are primarily used to keep food from sticking to surfaces, but whereas waxed paper is coated with, well, wax, parchment paper is coated with silicone. This gives it MUCH greater heat resistance, durability and nonstick characteristics.

Parchment paper is more expensive than waxed paper, but it's worth the extra expense. You can use one sheet for several batches of cookies. I've used the same sheet for a triple batch of my world-famous chewy chocolate chip cookies. Midway through, when one side is getting a bit worn, I just flip the sheet over and use the other side.

If a recipe recommends using parchment and you don't use it, I'd advise at the very least using nonstick spray.

Q: I live in Los Angeles, Calif., and am married to a man whose family comes from Oklahoma. For the last 17 years, I have been trying to make the perfect chicken or country fried steak for my husband and have never quite captured the "perfect" recipe for him. Just what is the secret? Is there one special ingredient that I seem to be missing? HELP! --Anne Sherwood

A: There are as many opinions on the "right" chicken fried steak as there are stars in the sky. Some folks demand that it be breaded ... others say a batter is the ONLY way to go, and then there are the hundreds of different kinds of batters.

I've even had it served breaded with corn meal, like a catfish fillet.

My personal favorite is the "double-dredge" method you'll find on this link: http://www.texascooking.com/recipes/Texascfs.htm

Important: Drain these on a RACK, not on paper towels as the recipe recommends. Put 'em on paper towels and they just sit in their own grease and get nasty. As you get them done, put them on a rack set on a baking sheet in a warm oven.

Q: I keep brown sugar in a glass container and it turns solid over time. My question is how do I keep the sugar from turning solid? If it turns solid, how do I turn it into granules again? -- Jo Nystrom

A: Moisture penetration, which is what caused your brown sugar to turn into the world's sweetest meteorite, is just about inevitable unless you live in Death Valley or some other location where water is considered a luxury. When, not if, your brown sugar solidifies, put an apple slice or slice of bread in the container.

If the sugar has achieved a truly rocklike consistency, give it 30 seconds in a covered dish in the microwave on high.

You may see the recommendation some places that you keep your brown sugar in the freezer to prevent the solidification, but the first time you add zero-degree sugar to a sauce or batter and expect it to cook properly, you may be in for a nasty surprise.

Q: What is the difference between sautéing and frying food? Aren't both done with some kind of grease, usually? The result the same? -- Shirl

A: While the "book" definition of sautéeing and pan-frying are not far different (cook in fat over a relatively high direct heat), the practical applications are very different.

If you are sautéeing a chicken breast, for example, you're going to use a heavy skillet. Heat the skillet, then add a small amount of oil (no more than 2 tbsp.) and cook the chicken quickly.

If you're pan-frying, you'd start with a cold skillet and fill it with enough oil to cover the bottom to at least ¼ inch depth, then heat the oil and cook the chicken. Frying will generally be faster, but you'll end up with a LOT more fat content.

Deep-frying, of course, is a creature unto itself.

Q: I have a question about fresh pasta. Can you make fresh pasta and put it in the freezer for about two weeks until you're ready to use it? Will the texture of the pasta still be good enough to serve? Someone I know thinks it will be just fine and I think that it would be gummy and not very good in taste. Please let me know. -- Sheral Schwartz

A: You can freeze fresh pasta for up to six weeks with no problem. Be sure the bag is sealed airtight, and thaw in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.

Q: I am trying to cook healthier. I was thinking of buying a rotisserie. Is this a healthier way of cooking? There are several on the market. Do you have any suggestions? -- V.D Moten

A: Rotisseries DO allow you to cook with a lot less fat than most conventional methods, but you're going to sacrifice a fair chunk of counter space for the popular models.

That said, if I had the room for one, I'd have one in a heartbeat, if only to make shawarma.

And if you're going to buy one, then why not go whole-hog and write a check to one of my personal idols, Ron Popeil? His Ronco Showtime Rotisserie is packed with goodies and, hey, you have the status of having a genuine Ronco product in your kitchen! Catch some trout with your Pocket Fisherman and make a day of it.

MICROWAVE UPDATE: Well, no sooner do I cite a study than it gets debunked. In last week's column, I answered a reader who was asking about microwave cooking destroying nutrients in vegetables. It turns out that the Spanish study I referred to may not have been done under completely kosher conditions. For one thing, the vegetables were cooked in large amounts of water for up to five minutes at a time. Anyone who's ever put broccoli in the Amana can tell you that is FAR longer than necessary.

Basically: it's better to eat veggies, however they're cooked, than not eat them at all. If the microwave is your friend, by all means use it!

Got a question for Ask The Cook? A quandary? A poser, even? Drop me a line and we'll find the answers together!