Q: Can you tell me about any upcoming classes with Douglas County Extension?

A: At 9:30 a.m. Friday, I’m going to lead a workshop on “Cooking with Recipes.” As I’ve been teaching nutrition and cooking classes throughout the past year, I’ve started asking the participants, “In the last two weeks, how many of you have used a recipe to prepare a meal?” I’ve been shocked at the low number that have raised their hands. So, I thought it would be fun, yet educational, to offer a class on cooking without a recipe in hand. In fall 2006, I trained approximately 25 Cottonwood Inc. staff on how to prepare meals without using recipes. It was great fun to see their creativity and the scrumptious dishes that they prepared. Now, anyone interested in this concept is welcome to attend this workshop, which is sponsored by K-State Research and Extension and the Douglas County Family and Community Education Council.

Come and learn to cook simply, without recipes. With some key methods and ingredients you can improvise and create fabulous, everyday dishes by mixing and matching.

Learning to cook without cookbooks teaches you to make use of whatever odds and ends you happen to have on hand. It saves money, it saves time, and it’s just plain fun.

To participate in this workshop, pre-register by calling 843-7058 before Friday. A minimal fee of $3 will be charged at the door.

Q: How many different kinds of pepper are there?

A: Pepper used today primarily comes from India, Indonesia and Brazil. The botanical name for pepper is piper nigrum. There are many different species of piper that go into flavorings. The plant is a climbing vine that produces a small, dried berry. As berries mature, their pungency increases. The aroma, however, reaches a peak and then declines. Therefore, fully ripe, dark berries may have reduced aroma than the late green stage. The inside of the berry contains starch and some oil. The oil includes 3 percent to 9 percent piperine and 2 percent to 3 percent volatile oil.

There are four basic colors of peppercorns that are typically found on store shelves:

¢ Black: This is the most common pepper. The berry is mature but unripe, still green and full of aroma. Berries are harvested from berry spikes, and then blanched to clean them and activate browning enzymes. They are dried to darken them.

¢ White: This is the pepper seed. Fully ripe berries are soaked in water to remove the outer fruit layer, and then dried. White pepper is pungent and used to light-colored sauces or dishes where it can be hidden yet add pepper flavor.

¢ Green: These berries are harvested one week before they start to mature. They are preserved in three different ways. One is to treat them with sulfur dioxide and dehydrate them. A second method is to can or bottle them in brine. The third method is to freeze-dry them. Flavor varies by the preservation method.

¢ Pink: Pink pepper is very rare. It is made from just-ripened red berries that are preserved in brine and vinegar. This type of pepper is not pink peppercorns. True pink peppercorns come from an invasive Brazilian pepper tree that is in the same family as poison ivy and poison oak. The peppercorns are useless in foods.

Pepper pungency is directly related to the piperine oil compound in the berry. Piperine is 100 times less pungent than capsaicin in chili peppers.

Pepper is used either whole or ground. Grinding releases the aromatic aromas. So for the best pepper aroma, use freshly ground peppercorns. Whole peppercorns will also lose aroma over time. Store pepper in a cool and dark location in a tightly sealed container. Light will reduce the pungency in pepper.

Q: How do I remove a lingering odor in my refrigerator?

A: Here are four solutions to removing strong odors that linger in refrigerators and

freezers:

¢ Unplug the appliance and clean the inside, as well as all shelves, drawers, gaskets, etc., with a solution of 1 quart warm water and 2 tablespoons baking soda. Let dry completely.

¢ Place activated charcoal or carbon in a shallow dish and place in a running appliance for several days. The charcoal or carbon may get saturated but can be reactivated by baking in a 300-degree oven for one hour.

¢ Place cream toothpaste on foil in several areas of the appliance.

¢ Loosely pack the running appliance with crumpled newspapers. Sprinkle with water, close the door, and let run a couple days. Replace if necessary until odors are absorbed.

If none of these solutions are successful, food juices may have seeped into the appliance insulation. If cost-effective, a professional may need to be contacted to replace the insulation.

– Susan Krumm is an Extension agent in family and consumer sciences with K-State Research and Extension-Douglas County, 2110 Harper St. She can be reached at 843-7058.