Frozen chicken breasts (photo courtesy The Spruce).

[3] Frozen salmon (photo courtesy Frozen Tuna Fish).

Frozen shrimp (photo courtesy Chef Julie Yoon).

Going through a pile of articles we tore out to read “later,” we found one that was well worth sharing.

It’s about refreezing thawed foods. What other articles, and mom, told you about it may not be accurate.

Here’s what the Ask Well column in The New York Times has to say about it, starting with the “easily refreezable” foods.

Tina Hanes, a registered dietitian with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, confirms:

“You can refreeze anything as long as it’s been handled properly.” It is safe to thaw and then refreeze frozen breads, cakes, fruits, vegetables and processed foods.

Particularly with fruits and vegetables, however, re-freezing and then re-thawing may affect the texture, taste and color. But they’re still safe to eat.

Now for the main course:

REFREEZING THAWED PROTEINS

In general, says Ms. Hanes, the danger of refreezing thawed proteins (meat, poultry, fish, seafood) are myth, with a couple of caveats.

“It’s one of the most popular questions we get on our hotline,” said Ms. Haines. The scoop:

Any raw or cooked food that has been thawed can be refrozen as long as it was thawed properly—in the refrigerator, not on the counter—and hasn’t spoiled.

This includes raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood.

The way to best way defrost a frozen protein is in the fridge, overnight or a day in advance, as required. This is “safe defrosting,” and you can refreeze the protein if you decide not to use it—as long as it’s newly defrosted.

Don’t expect good results if the thawed food is in the fridge for 3 days, it may be spoiled. Spoiled food often smells bad or “off,” and may be sticky or slimy.

The U.S.D.A. food safety site, at FoodSafety.gov, has a chart with recommendations on how long specific foods can be kept in the fridge. For example:

 
Here are defrosting techniques to avoid.

Defrosting: What Not To Do

 
COOKING FROZEN MEAT & SEAFOOD

Certain cooking methods, such as braising, slow cooking, stewing and making soups can be done with frozen meat.

Here’s how to cook a frozen steak in less than 30 minutes.

Simply search online for how to cook other proteins in their frozen state.

Here’s our list of Thanksgiving leftovers:

 
We’ve been deluged with leftover recipes for pizza, pot pie, sliders, and other foods that are as heavy as yesterday’s meal. So our tip today is:

Give your stomach a break: Eat lighter.

To us, that means salad. Here are two suggestions:
 
 
RECIPE 1. LAYERED SALAD WITH TURKEY LEFTOVERS

It’s an easy recipe: Take whatever you have and make a layered salad. If you don’t have enough salad greens:

[1] Make a layered salad with Thanksgiving leftovers (photo courtesy Taste Of Home).

 
A simple vinaigrette keeps things light, but here’s the creamy dressing shown in the photo, from Taste Of Home:

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients. Let the flavors meld for 30 minutes before serving.

This recipe from Gordon Ramsay Restaurant Group adapts a Szechuan classic, Bang-Bang Chicken (photo below).

[3] A version of the “original,” Bang-Bang Chicken. Here’s the recipe from Kitchen Nine.

RECIPE 2: BANG-BANG TURKEY SALAD

This recipe for Bang-Bang Turkey Salad was developed by the head chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen restaurant. Prep time is 15 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 2 Servings

For The Salad

 
For The Garnish

 
For The Sauce

1. WASH all the salad ingredients and finely slice the radishes, spring onions and daikon.

2. MAKE the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium. Add the onion, sriracha, red pepper flakes and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients to the onion mixture; cook and stir until smooth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

2. MIX the watercress, bean sprouts, radishes, daikon, ginger and chili and season with salt and olive oil. Place them in the serving bowl.

3. PLACE the turkey on top of the salad, then add the sauce. Garnish with the spring onions, coriander and radishes and place on top. Finish with the toasted peanuts and sesame seeds.
 
WHAT DOES BANG-BANG MEAN?

You may see dishes called Bang-Bang Chicken on Chinese and other restaurant menus (photo #3). Usually an appetizer in Chinese restaurants, it’s popular enough to be a main course salad at non-Asian restaurants such as Bonefish Grill and Cheesecake Factory.

According to CulinaryLore.com, Bang-Bang Chicken is a traditional Szechuan Chinese recipe of cold chicken drizzled with a spicy and nutty sauce (e.g. peanut sauce). It’s a street food, sold as a snack by street vendors in the Szechuan (Sichuan) province.

The dish can be found on menus as “shredded chicken with sesame sauce.” It is also called bon bon, pon pon, or pang bang chicken.

The chicken is tenderized and shredded by pounding with a heavy wooden stick. The word bàng in Mandarin means stick (and is pronounced somewhere between bong and pong).

November 23rd is National Cashew Day. This year, take a step away from the snack nuts and take a look into the newest cashew product: cashew milk.

WHAT IS NUT MILK?

Nut milks are non-dairy milks made from ground nuts. The liquid looks like cow’s milk, hence the name.

Basic nut milk comprises nuts crushed into a paste and blended with water. Nut milk dates back centuries, if not millennia, particularly in nut-rich areas like the Mediterranean and much later, the southern U.S.

Nut milks are usually quite nutritious, protein- and nutrient-packed: another reason why people who could opt for dairy milk are attracted to them. And yet another reason: sustainability, the desire to eat more plant-based foods for not just health reasons, but environmental ones.

Many people use nut milks as a cow’s milk replacement, whether in coffee or tea, cereal, shakes, cooking, or simply as a refreshing glass of “milk.”

Nut milks are a boon for people who are dairy-allergic, lactose-intolerant, vegan or kosher. They also have fewer calories than dairy milks.

Types Of Nut Milks

After decades of soy milk as the only non-dairy milk on the shelf, the market has exploded.

Now, there are three nut milks, plus non-dairy milks that are made other plant sources. The category is called non-dairy milk, and includes:

 
Each option has its own unique nutritional benefits, flavor, and consistency.

Nut milks are shelf stable: They require no refrigeration until the package is open.

Flavored Non-Dairy Milks

In the U.S., most nut milks are available in Original (plain), chocolate and vanilla. Original and vanilla are typically available in sweetened or unsweetened.
 
 
PACIFIC FOODS’ NUT MILK

The latest nut milk on the shelves is cashew milk.

The people we know who consume only dairy milk find cashew milk to be creamier than most other non-dairy milks, and neutral in flavor, i.e., closer in flavor to cow’s milk*.

We loved the samples sent to us by Pacific Foods. Their cashew milk is:

[3] A warm fruit and granola dessert with cashew milk. Here’s the recipe from Nutrition Stripped.

 
The company has a portfolio of non-dairy milks, including almond, cashew, coconut, hemp, hazelnut, oat, rice and soy milks.

Make Your Own Cashew Milk

Some consumers don’t like the fact that shelf-stable milks contain preservatives and stabilizers†. They make their own nut milk from scratch.

If the idea appeals to you (it’s an interesting for kids to experience), here’s a recipe this recipe. Look for less expensive bulk cashews.

________________

*Some non-dairy milks taste like their source material, e.g., almond milk has a subtle flavor of almonds. Those who prefer almond milk find this feature to be a bonus; i.e., you get a cup of almond-accented coffee or a chocolate-almond drink.

†Pacific Foods cashew milk contains water, cashew butter (made from cashews and sunflower oil), cane sugar and less than 1% of gellan gum (a natural gelling agent made from the lily plant), guar gum (a natural thickener made from guar beans), sea salt, sodium citrate (a preservative, the salt of citric acid, derived from citrus fruits), tricalcium phosphate (a calcium salt) and xanthan gum (a thickener derived from simple sugars).

[1] Cranberry-orange relish is one of our favorite Thanksgiving sides (photo © Ocean Spray).

[2] This recipe, from Healthy Seasonal Recipes, substitutes raspberry jam for some of the sugar (photo © Healthy Seasonal Recipes).

[3] Whole fresh cranberries last for months in the fridge. We pop them into the freezer to make this relish year-round (photo © Ocean Spray).

November 22nd is National Cranberry Relish Day. Tomorrow, November 23rd, is National Eat a Cranberry Day.

In terms of National Cranberry Day: There is none. Not yet. Nor is there a National Cranberry Sauce Day.

But this is as good a time as any to state the difference between the two:

 
On to the relish. This classic cranberry-orange relish recipe from Ocean Spray is simple and delicious—and there’s no cooking required!

We make it year-round*, and enjoy it as a condiment with grilled meats and fish, sandwiches, and as a yogurt and mayo mix-in. You can use it to top ice cream, sorbet, waffles—it’s a very flexible condiment.

We’ve appended our own list of optional mix-ins to Ocean Spray’s recipe.

For a formal dinner, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, we add Grand Marnier for a subtle touch of elegance.

Check out all of these uses for cranberry relish.
 
 
RECIPE: OCEAN SPRAY CRANBERRY-ORANGE RELISH

Ingredients For 3 Cups

 
Optional Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PLACE half of the cranberries and half of the orange slices in the food processor bowl. If using the apple, add half of it as well. Process until the mixture is evenly chopped, then transfer to a bowl (we pulse it 5-6 times because we like a chunky relish).

2. REPEAT with the remaining cranberries and orange slices (and optional apple). Stir in the sugar and optional ingredient(s). If using nuts, wait until just before serving to stir them in.

3. LET the bowl sit for 30 minutes or more to let the flavors meld. You can store the relish in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, covered; or in the freezer.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CRANBERRIES
 
 
________________

*Bags of whole cranberries last a long time in the fridge. We keep half of our stock in the freezer. Some markets carry frozen cranberries year-round.

Yesterday we offered seven tips to fix gravy that was too thick, too thin, too salty, etc.

So now that you have your perfect gravy, how can you keep it warm?

It’s simple: Use your thermos!

This tip works with gravy made in advance, as well as gravy whipped up just before serving…and the extra gravy in the pot on the stove, that you’re keeping to refill the gravy boat.

Once your gravy is smooth and tasty as you want it, pre-warm the thermos by rinsing it with hot water. Then add the gravy.

It will stay warm for hours!

You can use any thermos that you have—or borrow one.

If you have a thermos carafe that is nice enough to bring to the table, so much the better.

An attractive thermos carafe can come to the table to keep gravy hot throughout the meal (photo Keynis | Amazon).