We’ve gotten a few inquiries about waxed paper versus parchment paper. The easiest way to remember which to use is that wax melts when it’s near heat. So:

 
For some tasks you can use either.

WHEN TO USE PARCHMENT PAPER

 
Don’t use parchment in the broiler: It can catch fire. Use foil instead.

Parchment paper can be purchased in rolls or in precut sheets that fit different size baking pans. There are two “grades”: the original silicon-treated parchment and a newer, much cheaper variety treated with Quilon. The Quilon parchment has a lower heat tolerance, but is fine for most baking needs.

Some bakers use Silpat: washable, reusable silicon pan liners. They’re great for some needs, but don’t give cookies the crispiness they need on the bottom.

Wax paper was designed to repel moisture. It was first invented to keep bags of potato chips from getting soggy.

WHEN TO USE EITHER

Caramel apples on wax paper. Photo by Karcich | IST.

 
WAXED PAPER VS. WAX PAPER

Since the product is made from unbleached paper that’s coated with wax, the proper name is waxed paper.

“Wax paper” would imply that the sheet is made of wax.
  

We focus on specialty foods, so rarely name a mass-marketed supermarket product as a Top Pick.

But Jif’s new Whipped Peanut Butter & Chocolate spread is just so yummy, special and, well, welcome, that it takes this week’s top honors.

Everyone who loves peanut butter cups should run out and buy a tub, possibly several.

The whipped PB spread, which also includes an unsweetened Creamy Peanut Butter variety, is spreadable, dippable, mixable, pipeable, frostable and topable.

If you don’t want to do any of those things, just dip a spoon into the tub and enjoy!

Read the full review.

 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE PEANUT BUTTER BRANDS.

We found this owl on the Facebook page of Euforia Cake, but there was no attribution. If you know who should be credited, let us know!

If only we had the talent to sculpt fruit and vegetables into fantastic creatures! Instead, we’ll take pleasure in sharing the ones we find.

We’ve counted up the ingredients:

Yukon Gold Potatoes (photo © Bonnie Plants).

If you haven’t yet selected a potato salad recipe for Labor Day weekend, we’d like to suggest this Greek Potato Salad. One way to make a potato salad recipe even better is to cross it with another favorite recipe—in this case, the Greek salad.

This recipe is courtesy Mooney Farms, which makes the Bella Sun Luci brand of sundried tomato products.

There’s more about sundried tomatoes below.
 
 
RECIPE: GREEK POTATO SALAD

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
For The Dressing

1. PLACE potatoes in a 2-quart saucepan with 2 teaspoons of salt. Add water to approximately 2 inches above the potatoes.

Cook, covered until tender, approximately 12 minutes. Do not overcook or the potatoes will fall apart in the salad.

2. COMBINE the potatoes, sundried tomatoes and cucumber in bowl. Toss gently with hands. Arrange the onion, cheese, olives and basil leaves atop potato mixture.

3. WHISK together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

The olive oil and lemon juice are in a 3:1 ratio. For one cup of dressing, use 3/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lemon juice.

You can use the olive oil drained from the tomatoes as part of the olive oil measure.

4. DRIZZLE the dressing over the potato salad.

Sun-dried tomatoes are ripe tomatoes that have been sun-dried or oven-dried, causing most of the moisture to evaporate. The larger the tomato, the more moisture evaporates—up to 93%. As a result, it takes from 8 to 14 kilos of fresh tomatoes to make a single kilo of sundried tomatoes.

Originally made from red plum tomatoes, today sundried tomatoes are available in a assorted tomato varieties, colors and shapes (halves and julienne-cut, for example).

Naturally sundried tomatoes spend 4-10 days in the sun, and are usually pre-treated with sulfur dioxide, which prevents spoilage by bacteria and oxidation. No nutrition is lost in the drying process.

Sundried tomatoes may also be preserved in olive oil, along with other ingredients such as rosemary, basil, dried paprika, and garlic.

Sundried tomatoes are a boon when vine-ripened tomatoes are out of season. But they also work year-round in recipes where ripe, raw tomatoes don’t fit as well.

Bella Sun Lucie has a robust line of sundried products, made from California-grown tomatoes:

 
Purées and sundried tomato sauces are available from other manufacturers.
 
 
SUN-DRIED VS. SUNDRIED

The original, hyphenated, form of the word has evolved into a compound word (similar to web-site and website). Take your choice.

THE NIBBLE uses “sundried,” except when referring to products that are spelled “sun-dried” by their manufacturers.

BERRY CUSTARD COCKTAIL RECIPE

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PLACE 3 tablespoons of custard in the bottom of a Martini glass.

3. GARNISH with optional mint sprig and serve.
 
WHAT IS CUSTARD?

Custard is semisoft preparation of milk or cream and eggs, thickened with heat. It can be cooked on top of the stove or baked in the oven.

Custards can be sweet or savory, spanning desserts and dessert sauces to quiche and savory custard tarts.

Check out the different types of custard in our Custard Glossary.