A recent special guest was Washington writer Kristen Hartke. Here are edited excerpts from that online chat.
Recipes whose names are capitalized can be found in our Recipe Finder at washingtonpost.com/recipes or in other noted sources.
Q. I cook in quantity and freeze in reusable containers (opting for glass as often as possible), but I can't find a good way to label them so that the labels don't come off.
How do restaurants handle this? Do you know of a specialized kind of tape and marker?
A. Try the blue painter's tape that you can write on with a marker. It's meant to peel off smoothly. Just fold one corner under itself so you have an extra-handy tab to grab when you're ready to remove it.
- Becky Krystal
Q. We use Scotch Magic Tape. Easy to write on and easy to remove. We've never had the tape fall off in the freezer. You want to remove the tape while it's still cold, and do not soak or wash the container before you remove the tape.
I buy freezer tape from Amazon.com and use a Sharpie. It sticks to my plastic containers (I use them over and over) as well as the occasional zip-lock bag. But I like the idea of folding over one end to make it easier to remove later!
I use glass containers with plastic locking lids. I just write on the lids with a Sharpie. The writing usually comes off in the dishwasher, but if it doesn't, regular rubbing alcohol will remove the Sharpie writing.
A. Thanks!
- B.K.
Q. Are there any slow-cooker recipes that range between one and two hours of cooking time? I work full time and sometimes don't get home until 6:30 or 7 p.m. I need quick meals, and as of right now, my oven is being replaced, so I wanted to try the slow-cooker that is sitting in my cabinet.
A. Sounds like seafood would be good for you. Our Slow-Cooker Garlicky Shrimp takes 50 minutes, and it shows up fairly often on our Top Recipes This Week lists. And you'd have both a main and side in Slow-Cooker Salmon With Shallot and Green Beans, which stays quite moist.
- Bonnie S. Benwick
Q. Is there anything else I can do with tequila and Cointreau that isn't a margarita?
A. You mean with both of them together? Heck, yes, all sorts of things. If it's good tequila, it probably holds up on its own. If it's a nice reposado or anejo, you could try it old-fashioned style, using the Cointreau as a sweetener, which I think would be even better if you tried it in a variation of Death & Co's Oaxaca Old Fashioned. I also really like using agave spirits in Negroni-style concoctions, and I would think a standard three-way Negroni split (tequila in for gin/Campari/sweet vermouth) would be great with a dash of Cointreau, though you might want to dial back the Campari just a nudge to make sure it doesn't end up too sweet.
- M.Carrie Allan
Q. I'm thinking about making pizzas to serve at a volunteer event. I'd need to transport them about 20 minutes, and people will be in and out to eat on their own schedules while they work. Is pizza a bad idea?
A. If I were going to do it, I'd do white pizza, which is less saucy and wet. I think it would hold up better for transporting and then sitting around.
Also, think about the crust: You want something that is pretty sturdy. My suggestion would be to use the crust from the Quad Cities-Style Pizza, which is both flavorful and sturdy, then top it with pesto and cheese.
- Kristen Hartke
