• Discover our favorite yogurts.
• Find more yogurt serving ideas.

Photo by Jasper Golangco | SXC.

But these common misconceptions simply are not true. According to The Association for Dressings & Sauces, an international association of salad dressing, mayonnaise, mustard and other condiment manufacturers and their suppliers, commercial mayonnaise is one of the safest products you can eat.

Carefully prepared under strict quality controls, mayonnaise is made with pasteurized eggs that are free of Salmonella and other dangerous bacteria. Additional ingredients such as vinegar and lemon juice create a high-acid environment that slows, and even stops, bacterial growth. The salt in the recipe also contributes to an unfavorable environment for bacteria. In fact, hazardous bacteria die off if placed in a commercially prepared mayo!

While mayonnaise does contribute 100 calories a tablespoon and cholesterol from egg yolks (that’s the bad news), it is made with healthy oils such as soybean and canola. Both are natural sources of alpha-linolenic acid, an essential omega-3 fatty acid—no trans fat. Both are also a major source of vitamin E. Read the label of your favorite mayonnaise to see what healthy oils it contains (some have olive oil, for example).

• Check out Lemonaise, one of our favorites and a Top Pick Of The Week, also available in Lemonaise Light.
• See the mayonnaises available from San Francisco’s Restaurant Lulu, including the kickin’ garlic aïoli—all Top Picks Of The Week.
• Make Julia Child’s mayonnaise recipe from scratch, plus green mayonnaise with spinach and herbs.

Granola Girl keeps it simple: Currently there are just two flavors—Maple Pecan and Cranberry Almond—both with near-universal appeal (both have nuts). The flavor profiles are delicate—nothing overwhelming, yet everything in perfect balance. They are sweetened very lightly, as well. The granolas are baked with canola oil and are so moist that no milk or yogurt is needed. These are not “crunchy,” baked-until-crisp granolas, yet the texture of the oats is chewy and lovely. That’s why we find them so different and so much more appealing than many of the less distinctive granolas we try. While not certified organic, they’re made with organic oats and oat bran.

No need to add milk to this moist, yummy granola.

• Read the full review and learn how granola went from a doctor-prescribed health food to a mainstream cereal and snack.
• See more of our favorite cereals.

• See our favorite ice cube trays—we won’t use any others.
• What’s the scoop on bottled water versus your muncipal water from the tap? Check it out.

Beautiful, fragrant grains with an exquisite
taste, Thai Hom Mali rice is worth seeking
out. Photo by Emily Chang | THE NIBBLE.

The name Hom Mali has been trademarked for jasmine rice that is indigenous to Thailand. As with all organic products, each region gives its own special spin to the flavor based on terroir and microclimate, and rice is no different. As with other jasmine rice, Thailand’s rice crop had previously been labeled simply as jasmine rice or its synonyms: aromatic rice, scented rice or fragrant rice.

However, Thailand developed three proprietary varieties of its indigenous jasmine rice, which is grown in the lush tropical climate of northeast Thailand. In the process of producing strains that obtain higher yields with higher resistance to diseases and insect pests, Thailand has gained international recognition for its unique jasmine rice. And now you can impress the staff at Thai restaurants, by asking, “Is this Hom Mali?”

• See the many types of rice in our Rice Glossary.
• Try one of these delicious rice salad recipes for a lighter summer main course.