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Safe turkey, fluffy potatoes enhance feast Funny, isn't it, how answers only seem to spur more questions? That's especially true when the questions focus on cooking. Last week's column spurred a flurry of new inquiries about pressing kitchen dilemmas. With Thanksgiving approaching so fast, I thought it would be wise to offer another week of responses to reader worries. Your column (about Bisquick) reminded me that I need the recipe for homemade baking mix to fill up a canister. My sister has a friend who lives in England and they can't get it there. Do you have the recipe? Maybe others would be interested. -- Sandy A, Gold Hill Well, Sandy, despite my extensive experience with Bisquick, I've never come across a decent recipe for a homemade version. I'm hoping fellow Mail Tribune readers can help you out. I love Caesar salads, I love to make Caesar salads. I'm concerned about the raw egg yolk and I wonder if you could give me information on the safety of it. Does the salmonella occur in the body of the chicken so that even cleanly kept chickens have it? Or is it more so in environment? -- Jan W., Murphy You're right to be worried about the use of raw eggs in Caesar salad, Jan. And this is a fine time to remind readers about safe handling of in poultry such as the Thanksgiving turkey they're about to buy and roast. One of the potential dangers posed by raw eggs and raw poultry is Salmonella poisoning. Salmonella bacteria, like other food-borne bacteria strains, live in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals. The bacteria are transmitted to humans through ingestion of contaminated water or food and can cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dever and chills. Other foods can become contaminated by touching salmonella-bearing food or surfaces, such as counters and cutting boards. Eggs, for instance, can be contaminated through cracks in the shells or by salmonella bacteria present on the surface of the shells. The only way to destroy salmonella bacteria is by cooking food to 160 degrees F. The best way to prevent cross-contamination is to be vigilant about separating utensils used for meat, such as knives and cutting boards, from those used for other foods. As far as Caesar salad goes, to be safe, it's best to prepare it without including raw eggs. If you must include the egg, coddle it by cooking it briefly in boiling water, then add to the dressing. I ran a recipe for an egg-free Caesar salad in the Aug. 4 editions of the Mail Tribune, but most standard dressing recipes will work just as well without the egg. I'm hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner this year. I know how to cook a turkey, but what I really need help with is the mashed potatoes. Every time I make mashed potatoes, they come out gluey. What am I doing wrong? -- Cindy P., Medford For insight into the chemistry of properly mashed potatoes, I turned to Shirley Corriher, author of the 1997 book "CookWise," which is full of scientific explanations for food failures. According to Corriher, gluey mashed potatoes are caused by vigorous overmashing, as anyone who has tried to make the side dish in a food processor can attest. When potatoes are boiled, their starch granules swell. If those granules are broken too vigorously, the cells release copious quantities of starch, resulting in a potatoes with the consistency of wallpaper paste. The trick to making fluffy, tender mashed potatoes is to precook and then cool the spuds, allowing the starch to firm up again before mashing. After the starch has cooled, it will not break down again after mashing. To give Corriher's theory a whirl, try the recipe that follows below. Shallot Mashed Potatoes with Garlic will add a sophisticated spin to your holiday spuds. Shallot Mashed Potatoes with Garlic 4 to 5 medium Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/3 inch thick 3 medium shallots, crushed 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 teaspoons plus 2 teaspoons salt (4 teaspoons total) 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar* 5 shallots, finely minced 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 3 tablespoons butter 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1 cup heavy or whipping cream 1/2 to 1 cup half-and-half or milk Precook the potatoes by heating enough water to cover them in a large pot over high heat until hot but well below a simmer. Turn heat down to low and add the potato slices, crushed shallots and garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and cider vinegar. The potatoes will cool the water down to about 160 F. Cook at this temperature, well below a simmer, for about 20 minutes. Drain and run cool water over potato slices to cool them. Let stand in water in the pot until you're ready to cook them, or drain, cover and refrigerate. When ready to mash, saute the minced shallots and garlic in butter over medium heat until just soft in a heavy, medium saucepan. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and the white pepper. Add the cream and half-and-half and heat gently. Set aside. To finish cooking, add water to the cool potatoes if necessary. Bring to a boil and simmer until fork-tender, about 5 minutes at a simmer. Drain, remove the crushed shallots and garlic, put the potatoes back in the pot and heat for about a minute to dry them out. To mash, push the potatoes once through a ricer or large-holed strainer into a medium mixing bowl. Bring the shallot and cream mixture to a boil and stir into the hot mashed potatoes. Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings. From "CookWise" by Shirley O.Corriher, (Morrow 1997; $28.50). Send questions to a la carte, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501. Reach JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465 or by e-mail at [email protected] Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA