Helpful Hints

DEAR READERS: Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and many turkeys will be cooked. Here are some turkey-cooking hints:

• If you have not already pulled it out of the freezer, do so now! For every 4 pounds of turkey, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours on a tray. Or use the cold-water sink method: Place the still-wrapped turkey in a sink of cool tap water and change the water every 30 or so minutes. Do not let the water get warm.

• For juicy meat, don't cook at too high a temperature, or for too long. Follow the suggested cooking times. Don't do what Uncle Bob or Aunt Betty used to do. Be sure the inside temp is 165 degrees (breast) and 180 degrees (thigh), respectively. Juices should run clear, not pink.

• Once out of the oven, let the turkey "rest" for 20 minutes or so before cutting into it so the turkey reabsorbs the juices.

DEAR HELOISE: I only make gravy from scratch around the holidays. Is there a substitute for cornstarch (the one ingredient that goes bad before I use it all)?

-- Does Not Cook

Much in Pennsylvania

DEAR READER: Yes, there are many, but cornstarch does not really go "bad" at all. You can use the same amount of all-purpose flour or instant potatoes, and arrowroot thickens, too. A lot of cooking problems can be solved with simple substitutions. Cornstarch works best with cold water mixed in.

DEAR HELOISE: You can "water down" most commercial fruit or vegetable juices, and most people would be hard put to notice the difference. Simply mix store-bought juice one-to-one with water and enjoy.

-- Jack in Hutchinson, Kan.

DEAR READER: This is a taste preference. Some people would taste the difference, especially in fruit juice because of the sugar content. This cuts down on calories from sugar, too. I say give it a try.

DEAR HELOISE: I was refilling the kitchen sugar bowl and noticed that what was left in the bowl was getting lumpy. With the recent humidity, even the sugar in the large (nearly airtight) container was lumpy.

I hit upon a solution: Run a fork through it. Most lumps get broken up by the fork as it passes through.

-- Mark H., Milford, N.H.

DEAR HELOISE: I don't know if someone else has thought of this, but I use an egg container in my refrigerator and don't know the old eggs from the new ones. So I buy white eggs one week and brown eggs the next week. That way, I know which are fresher.

-- Elaine, 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

[email protected]

Food on 11/25/2015

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