Successful Frying

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•The secret is using the right oil. Smoke point is the temperature at which fats and oils begin to smoke, indicating they’ve begun to break down. The higher the smoke point, the better it is for frying. Lard and some vegetable oils such as corn, canola, safflower, and peanut are good choices. Shortening is not suitable for high-temperature frying.
• Moisture and food particles break down oil, so don’t reuse it more than twice. If you see smoke, discard the oil, and start over.
• Achieving and maintaining proper oil temperature is a must. If it’s not hot enough (often caused by overcrowding), the food soaks up oil, leaving it greasy. Too hot, and the outside burns before the inside cooks, creating food that’s soggy.
• Use heavy-duty aluminum, stainless steel, or cast-iron cookware for even heat distribution and the retention of high temperatures. Iron speeds up the breakdown of oil, so when using cast-iron cookware, it’s best to use the oil only once.
• Choose cookware that’s large enough to leave at least 3 inches between the surface of the oil and the top of the skillet or Dutch oven.
• Always allow the oil to return to its proper temperature between batches. We like to use a candy thermometer, which can handle high temperatures and be attached to the side of a large skillet or Dutch oven for instant readings.
• Make sure food is dry. Adding moist food to hot oil will cause spattering and popping.

Perfect French Fries – EVERYTIME

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Choose low-moisture, high-starch potatoes such as russet or Idaho. For crisp fries, wash the cut, uncooked strips in several batches of cold water until the water is clear. However, for the crispiest fries, we found the double-fry method hard to beat. Frying strips twice in the same oil at different temperatures gives you fries like no others. This recipe, using the double-fry method, received our highest rating.

FRENCH FRIES
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
PREP: 30 MIN., FRY: 7 MIN. PER BATCH

Potatoes cut into strips are the crispiest of the potato shapes.

4 pounds russet or Idaho potatoes, peeled

Vegetable oil Salt to taste

CUT potatoes into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

POUR vegetable oil to a depth of 4 inches in a Dutch oven, and heat to 325°. Fry potato strips, in batches, until lightly golden, but not brown, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Drain strips on paper towels. HEAT oil to 375°. Fry strips, in small batches, until golden brown and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Drain on clean paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, and serve immediately.

CRINKLE-CUT FRIES: Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch-wide strips with a waffle cutter. Fry as directed.

WAFFLE CHIPS: Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a waffle cutter. Fry as directed.

Child Safety On The Way To School

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On any given day students board school buses to travel to schools. Statistically, school buses are the safest way for students to travel to school — even safer than riding in the family car.
Many students walk to school or to bus stops.
In either case, parents can help to make the trip to school as safe and easy as possible for their children just by discussing a few basic rules:

Walking or riding a bike to school or to a school bus stop:

– Parents should show their children the safe walk path to use and encourage them to fol
low that path.
– Obey all traffic signals, signs, and/or crossing guards. Use crosswalks where available. H Walk bikes through intersec­tions
ffl Walk with a buddy, if pos­sible, and be aware of the sur­roundings.
– Never talk to or respond to strangers. If a stranger ap­proaches or tries to get a child to come to him/her, the child should run home, to a neigh­bor’s house, or another safe place such as a business, and ask an adult for help.
–  Reflective material makes walkers and bicyclists more vis­ible to street traffic. B Always wear a helmet when riding a bike (grownups too).

At the bus stop:

– Know your school bus number.
– Get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Running to catch the bus is dangerous and can lead to injuries.
– While waiting for the bus, stand at least five giant steps (10 feet) away from the curb and line up away from the street.
– Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says it is OK to board before getting onto the bus.
– Students crossing the street in front of the bus should walk on the sidewalk or along the road to a point at least 10 giant steps ahead of the bus before crossing. (Better yet, cross at an intersection and use the cross­walk if one is available.) Be sure that the bus driver can see you and that you can see the driver when crossing the street, and watch for traffic com­ing both ways.
– When you are dropped off at school or at the bus stop, walk 10 giant steps away from the bus. If you need to cross the street, wait until the driver tells you its okay and cross in front of the bus. NEVER walk behind a bus.
– Use the handrail to enter and exit the bus.
– If you drop something near or under the bus, tell the bus driver. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PICK IT UP because the driver may not be able to see you.
– School buses are loaded or unloaded at established school bus stops only, unless an emergency dictates otherwise.

Gardening Tips

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•Most perennials stay in bloom for about three to six weeks. So, the secret to enjoying them to their fullest is to select plants with staggered bloom times for a bed full of color throughout the season.
•Carefully choose your color scheme. Red makes a flowerbed seem larger and closer, while blues will make it appear smaller and more distant. Pinks combine well with purple, and red with violet. White is a good complement for any color.
•Prepare planting beds by digging the soil to a depth of 12-18″. Work in plenty of peat moss, leaf mulch or compost to ensure good drainage. Space plants properly, as crowded plants grow less vigorously.
•Get your perennials off to a good start by fertilizing lightly when planting.
• Some easy-to-grow perennials for any area of the South include: phlox, candytuft, dianthus, daylily, rudbeckia, salvia, hosta, purple coneflower and verbena.
•Now is also a good time for harvesting a variety of vegetables. For that “homegrown” quality and taste, be sure to harvest at the best stage of maturity and carefully handle vegetables that will be eaten at any time later than the same day harvested.
•  Weeds—Pull as many invaders out of your flower and shrub beds as you can before they produce seeds (and therefore more weeds). You’ll find that they are easier to pull after a rain. If your forecast is dry, use a sprinkler the day before you plan to work in the garden. If you have a lot of weeds to pull, try using a long-handled scuffle or stirrup hoe to save your back and knees.
•  Slugs—These pests can be especially dam­aging to hosta foliage, leaving it marred for the entire growing season. To be sure the prob­lem is slugs, look for the dried slime trail on the leaves. Slugs feed at night, so you rarely see them during the day. Although effective, slug bait pellets can be poisonous to children, pets, and birds. You might find a saucer of beer or a sprinkling of fireplace ashes in the mulch around the plants just as effective, cheaper, and safer than commercial baits.
•  Water—As the weather gets hot, remember that new additions to your garden will need watering more often than established plants.
•  Lawns—This is a good time to patch warm-season lawns such as Zoysia, St. Augustine, improved Bermuda, and centipede with sod of the same type grass. You can also sow seeds of turf-type fescues or cool-season blends to thicken bare or thin areas of your lawn.
•  Shade—Protect new transplants from direct sun for about a week until the roots get
settled in their new location. A light lay­er of pine needles or hay will help, or you can construct a small shelter from a mesh plant tray sup­ported by sticks or dowels.
•  Petunias—Pinch back plants several inches to prevent long, stringy stems and to encourage repeated bloom through the summer. You may need to pinch a couple more times during the season. Fertilize with timed-release granules, such as 17-17-17, or water with liquid 20-20-20 every other week.

September 2010 Cover Artwork

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By: Frances Marie Harburn Trippensee