Read Online Uncle John's Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader by Bathroom Readers’ Institute - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Bathroom Readers’ Institute
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new toilet seemed to work fine at first…but Taddei didn’t know that a pipe underneath it was leaking. A few days later, the bathroom floor gave out and the commode crashed down into the living room below. In Taddei’s rush to get the hardware store for repair supplies, her car clipped a pole in the garage, dislodging the bumper and sending several shelves of flower pots crashing down. Total cost for repairs: $3,000.
“My theory on housework is, if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?”
— Erma Bombeck
KITCHEN Q&A
The top chefs at the Bathroom Readers’ Institute are here to answer
some basic questions about our second-favorite room in the house.
What is “freezer burn”? Is it bad for you?
You put your pound of hamburger or chicken breasts into a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer. When you take it out a few months later, it has dry-looking patches all over it. That’s “freezer burn.” It occurs when the water molecules in the food form ice crystals and migrate out of the food. The loss of water dehydrates the surface of the frozen food, creating those dry patches. Best way to avoid freezer burn: Wrap foods tightly in moisture-resistant packaging and keep the freezer temperature at a constant 0°F. (Tight packaging will also prevent oxygen molecules from creeping in and altering the food’s flavor.) Freezer burn can make food (especially meat) look unappetizing and even taste a bit stale, but don’t worry—it isn’t harmful.
What’s the reason for boiling live lobsters?
Any dead (but uncooked) crustacean will begin to deteriorate very quickly, so we’ve gotten into the habit of protecting ourselves from potential food poisoning by putting the live lobsters directly into boiling water. Seems like a good solution, since lobsters don’t feel pain, right? Wrong. Scientific evidence shows the opposite: They actually suffer severely. A more humane way to deal with a live lobster is to freeze it for several hours to reduce nerve function and pain sensitivity before dropping it into the pot, or to practice the quick-kill technique of inserting a knife point into the back of the lobster’s head, an inch below the eyes, in the middle of the back—and then put it immediately into the boiling water.
Why do they put wax (or whatever that stuff is) on cucumbers?
It is wax—edible food-grade wax. Growers apply it to retain moisture and protect against damage during shipping. For reasons of taste and aesthetics, most chefs recommend peeling waxed cukes before you eat them. If you don’t want to peel it, a good scrub with soapy water will make an unpeeled waxed cucumber more
palatable…but it won’t remove all the wax. Don’t like wax on your cucumbers? Avoid it by buying local produce.
Is it true that you have to cook pork until it’s well done?
No. Before 1980 it was legal in the U.S. to feed pigs garbage containing raw meat, which sometimes included animal parts infected with the trichina spiralis parasite, the cause of a deadly disease called trichinosis . It was thought that pork had to be cooked to 180°F (very well done) in order to kill the parasite. Two things have changed: First, in 1980 uncooked garbage was outlawed as pig food. And second, it was discovered that cooking pork to only 137°F will destroy the parasite. To be completely safe, the USDA recommends 160°F, which is medium doneness. Since 1980, cases of trichinosis have declined to about 10 per year in the U.S., most of which have been traced to undercooked game meats such as bear and boar.
There’s mold on my cheese. Can I eat it anyway?
It depends. With most soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, mozzarella, chèvre, Monterey Jack, Muenster, and ricotta, any unfamiliar mold growth means toss it—do not eat. But you can eat hard cheeses if you cut out the mold to a depth of one inch on all sides of it. Molds form threadlike roots
“My theory on housework is, if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?”
— Erma Bombeck
KITCHEN Q&A
The top chefs at the Bathroom Readers’ Institute are here to answer
some basic questions about our second-favorite room in the house.
What is “freezer burn”? Is it bad for you?
You put your pound of hamburger or chicken breasts into a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer. When you take it out a few months later, it has dry-looking patches all over it. That’s “freezer burn.” It occurs when the water molecules in the food form ice crystals and migrate out of the food. The loss of water dehydrates the surface of the frozen food, creating those dry patches. Best way to avoid freezer burn: Wrap foods tightly in moisture-resistant packaging and keep the freezer temperature at a constant 0°F. (Tight packaging will also prevent oxygen molecules from creeping in and altering the food’s flavor.) Freezer burn can make food (especially meat) look unappetizing and even taste a bit stale, but don’t worry—it isn’t harmful.
What’s the reason for boiling live lobsters?
Any dead (but uncooked) crustacean will begin to deteriorate very quickly, so we’ve gotten into the habit of protecting ourselves from potential food poisoning by putting the live lobsters directly into boiling water. Seems like a good solution, since lobsters don’t feel pain, right? Wrong. Scientific evidence shows the opposite: They actually suffer severely. A more humane way to deal with a live lobster is to freeze it for several hours to reduce nerve function and pain sensitivity before dropping it into the pot, or to practice the quick-kill technique of inserting a knife point into the back of the lobster’s head, an inch below the eyes, in the middle of the back—and then put it immediately into the boiling water.
Why do they put wax (or whatever that stuff is) on cucumbers?
It is wax—edible food-grade wax. Growers apply it to retain moisture and protect against damage during shipping. For reasons of taste and aesthetics, most chefs recommend peeling waxed cukes before you eat them. If you don’t want to peel it, a good scrub with soapy water will make an unpeeled waxed cucumber more
palatable…but it won’t remove all the wax. Don’t like wax on your cucumbers? Avoid it by buying local produce.
Is it true that you have to cook pork until it’s well done?
No. Before 1980 it was legal in the U.S. to feed pigs garbage containing raw meat, which sometimes included animal parts infected with the trichina spiralis parasite, the cause of a deadly disease called trichinosis . It was thought that pork had to be cooked to 180°F (very well done) in order to kill the parasite. Two things have changed: First, in 1980 uncooked garbage was outlawed as pig food. And second, it was discovered that cooking pork to only 137°F will destroy the parasite. To be completely safe, the USDA recommends 160°F, which is medium doneness. Since 1980, cases of trichinosis have declined to about 10 per year in the U.S., most of which have been traced to undercooked game meats such as bear and boar.
There’s mold on my cheese. Can I eat it anyway?
It depends. With most soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, mozzarella, chèvre, Monterey Jack, Muenster, and ricotta, any unfamiliar mold growth means toss it—do not eat. But you can eat hard cheeses if you cut out the mold to a depth of one inch on all sides of it. Molds form threadlike roots
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