Mr. Food-Fun Kitchen Tips

Mr. Food's culinary tricks and time savers, ranging from safe food storage to efficient refrigerator operation and including short-cut recipes (Fruit Trifle made with instant pudding and canned fruit; Quick and Easy Pizza, on English muffins), are mostly suited to novices. Some hints come with a caveat: suggesting that cooks protectively coat their hands with oil when handling hot peppers, Ginsburg must then warn them to be careful when chopping the peppers with a knife. Most of the advice here is, however, safety-minded and solid-if familiar. Some tips are stellar, e.g., the suggestion to freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays for use in iced coffee or to cool down a cup of too-hot brew. (July)