Annie Watson

Annie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Ask. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book 'Healthy Eating Through the Garden' will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Annie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.

Is a 9 quart Dutch oven too big?

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Large Dutch Oven If you’re often cooking for a big crowd, then a 9-quart is a good size for you. A large deep casserole, like this Le Creuset Dutch oven, is great for big batches of soup, making homemade chicken stock and dishes with a lot of liquid like this Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce.

How do you read a Celsius temperature?

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Temperatures in Celsius can be expressed as a number of degrees followed by the symbols ℃, or simply C. The Celsius scale has 100 degrees between water boiling and freezing, while Fahrenheit has 180 degrees. This means that a single degree Celsius equals 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do you cook stuffing before putting it in the chicken?

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Be sure any stuffing that has been cooked, or ingredient that is cooked, is cooled completely before inserting into the cavity of the chicken. The chicken should not be stuffed until just before it is to be cooked, so that the risk of bacterial growth is reduced.

How does a stress thermometer work?

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Your temperature is connected to your stress level. When you are tense, the blood circulation in your hands and feet is reduced. This reduced circulation causes a drop in temperature. Relaxing increases your peripheral blood circulation, warming your hands and feet.

Is it worth it to dehydrate your own food?

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Yes, dehydrating food can remove some nutrients, but no more than other preservation methods. It’s light and heat that cause vitamins to break down. That means preserving by canning destroys more nutrients than low heat, low humidity dehydrating.