DEAR HELOISE: My husband insists on spraying nonstick spray in the nonstick skillet when he cooks eggs. They get soggy and fall apart. I say the nonstick skillet does not need any nonstick spray. What's the scoop?
-- Tina D.,
Lubbock, Texas
DEAR READER: I hate to get in the middle of this, but here goes. Nonstick pans are supposed to be just that -- nonstick. However, there are many brands, some better and some worse. They are not all alike.
A lot depends on when you use the spray. Spray a cold pan, then turn on the heat -- that's OK. You should not spray a nonstick pan while it's hot. If you do, the lecithin (which is in many aerosol-type sprays) pretty much melts and sticks to the pan. It's near impossible to get off. If the pan is not cleaned well each time the spray is used, it builds up, and then food sticks to the pan. Tell your husband to do a Heloise test: Use one nonstick pan without the spray, the other with the spray, and see how the eggs turn out.
P.S.: Read the instructions -- one light spray can be from 1/3 of a second to a minute. Not very long.
DEAR HELOISE: This past Easter, I had turkey for dinner, since my hubby doesn't like ham. I forgot to break up the breads for the stuffing and leave them out to dry early enough. I took my dehydrator and put all the bread in there. Twenty minutes later, I had perfectly dried bread cubes.
-- Lisa H.,
Watertown, Conn.
DEAR HELOISE: I save bacon grease after cooking bacon to flavor lots of different dishes. I'm never sure how long it will keep safely, and would it be OK to freeze it?
-- Janet S., Hockley, Texas
DEAR READER: In the South, we do love our bacon grease. Years ago, every kitchen probably had a container of grease sitting on the stove top without any problems of it going bad. Mostly because they used a lot of it, so the supply was fresh.
If you use only a small amount, it's better to keep the grease in the refrigerator, and it should last for months. If you are stockpiling, do freeze it. Let it cool -- some folks strain out the bits of meat -- and put in a freezer-safe container. Mark it clearly.
DEAR HELOISE: I make thumbprint cookies and use a rubber wine cork. Makes nice, uniform circles. Clean hands are just an added bonus.
-- K.E.D., via email
DEAR HELOISE: When I make banana nut bread, I use a fluted cake pan. It looks nice and is easier to slice.
-- M. Walter, via email
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Food on 07/01/2015