Transcripts

In the refrigerator, does it really matter if you put produce in the crisper or meat in the meat drawer?

Robert Wolke:
There is some logic. Cold air settles down, so the bottom of the fridge will be the coldest spot. That's where the meat container is because meat requires the coldest temperature.

Robert Wolke, author of the book What Einstein Told His Cook.

The crisper is for lettuce and vegetables and so on. You want to keep humidity in to keep them from drying out, so that's a box that keeps moisture in.

And is there a difference between different kinds of salt, like sea salt or table salt? Robert says, not at all.

Salt is salt, no matter where it came from. It's all about 99% pure. In fact, the FDA requires it to be at least 97½% pure. The difference among all the salts is in crystal size and shape, but when you use sea salt versus table salt in cooking, it's nonsense because they dissolve. The crystal effects are all gone and all salts are the same, as far as cooking is concerned.

Ever wonder what MSG is and exactly what it does?

MSG is monosodium glu-TAN-nate, which most people mispronounce as GLU-ta-mate, and it does have the property of making flavors a little bit more noticeable than without it. It doesn't make foods taste better, it just makes them taste a little bit stronger.

For transcripts or to hear this program again, visit our website, somethingyoushouldknow.net I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.