How do you substitute prune puree for fat when making baked products?

It’s easy to cut fat from baked products by substituting prune puree for butter or shortening in brownie, cake and cookie recipes. Prunes slash the fat by 75 to 90 percent and they add a nutrition boost of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Prune puree can be used in a one-for-one substitution (1 cup puree for 1 cup butter).

To make one cup of puree, combine 1-1/3 cups (8 ounces) of pitted prunes and 6 tablespoons hot water in container of food processor. Pulse on and off until prunes are pureed.

Here is an example of a recipe using prune puree to decrease the total amount of fat used:

Lowfat Carrot Cake

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4 cups grated carrots (spooned, not packed into cup)

2 cups sugar

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1 cup prune puree

4 large egg whites

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons each baking soda and cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan with vegetable cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl combine carrots, sugar, pineapple, prune puree, egg whites and vanilla; stir to blend thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients; mix completely. Spread batter in pan; bake about 45 minutes until pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on rack. Cut into squares. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 280 calories, 70 grams carbohydrates, 0.5 grams fat, 270 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

Is it true that the smaller the chile, the hotter it is?

Yes. The general rule is that the smaller ones are hotter. That’s because the capsaicin — the heat-producing chemical in chilies — is in the ribs of the fruit, and smaller chilies have a higher rib-to-meat ratio.

What is the best way to squelch the fire in my mouth when I try a dish that is too spicy hot?

When your mouth is on fire from eating a super spicy dish, it is recommended that you drink a glass of milk or other dairy products such as ice cream. In fact, many Indian curry dishes offer yogurt on the side for that simple reason. Although many people may think an icy beer might be a great side for Mexican food, it really does nothing to cool your scorching palate. Instead, the alcohol in the beer reacts with the capsaicin to spread it around more.

I’ve heard that you should not refrigerate tomatoes. Is that true?

You definitely do not refrigerate under-ripe tomatoes. Cold arrests the ripening process so they won’t finish ripening. It is best to place under-ripe tomatoes on the kitchen counter or in a fruit bowl for a few days, leaving them at room temperature. Ripening tomatoes give off a natural gas called ethylene, which does the ripening. As a result, some people believe in placing tomatoes in a closed paper bag or in a ripening bowl in order to trap the ethylene and hasten the ripening. Research test kitchens show that all of these methods work, but simply leaving them out on the counter works as well as any other method for ripening.

Whenever you place tomatoes on the counter to ripen, make sure they’re stem end is up. The stem end of a tomato is where it was separated from the vine. The bumps surrounding the stem are the shoulders of the tomato and they’re the tenderest part. If you leave them on their shoulders for a few days even their own weight is enough to bruise them. Once bruises appear, spoilage eventually will follow.

Because cold kills the flavor of tomatoes, it is better to keep ripe tomatoes at room temperature if you are planning to use them within a few days. However, if you know it will be at least three or four days before you need them, they should be refrigerated to keep them from spoiling.

My son is attending a college that is only a four-hour drive from home. How can I safely pack leftovers for him to take back to school?

For a four-hour drive, food must be handled properly to keep it safe from spoilage and food-borne bacteria.

Leftover foods should be divided into small, shallow containers and cooled to at least 40 degrees in the refrigerator before the trip.

To transport the food, pack a cooler with ice or a frozen gel pack. Add the cold containers of food from the refrigerator just before departure. Freezing foods before the return trip also is an option. During the drive, the cooler should be kept in the passenger area of the car, which is cooler than the trunk.

What is mascarpone?

Mascarpone is a soft, Italian cream cheese with a mild, acidic, buttery flavor. Often eaten fresh, mascarpone is made in Lombardy during the winter and marketed in four-ounce cylinders often wrapped in muslin.

Mascarpone has a consistency similar to cottage cheese and is the basis for a classic cheese cake. It is often served with chocolate cake, fresh fruit or bread. Like a whipped cream topping, it also can be beaten into a liqueur or brandy and sprinkled with sugar.