"blanching" news and stories

Peeling small onions can be a little tricky because of their stubborn exteriors. Follow this tip to peel them with ease.

Last weekend, The Washington Post featured an article about the movement toward dumbing down recipes to meet the skills of home cooks in the U.S. Words like dredge, saute, blanch, fold and cream have left the vocabulary of many would-be cooks and, as a result, such words appear less frequently in recipes from the likes of Kraft Foods and The Joy of Cooking. (A new edition of the latter will include a glossary of cooking terms.) The WaPo article cites some particularly funny anecdotes by General Mills, Inc. chairman Stephen W. Sanger, who spoke of emails and calls from confused home cooks. One wondered if they could substitute peaches for eggs, another started a fire by literally greasing the bottom of a pan before putting it in the oven.