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Women.com presents

Tamara Holt, Food Editor for Redbook Magazine
Creative Cooking Ideas

February 29, 2000

Tamara Holt, Redbook Magazine's food editor, shares tips on how to enhance recipes and answers questions about healthy cooking and how to choose the best foods for everyday meals.

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HomeArts: Welcome to our chat with Tamara Holt, the food editor at Redbook magazine. Today this cookbook author and teacher will answer your questions and talk with you about your cooking ideas and needs. Welcome, Tamara!

Tamara Holt: Thanks! It's great to be here, and glad you can join me to celebrate Leap Day. The thing about this time of year is that you are through the Christmas holidays, have had a month to recover, and you've downed lots of sweets on Valentine's Day and enjoyed all the hearty stews that the cold winter weather cries for. So while the next big food occasion isn't 'till Easter, and spring's new crops haven't sprung, now's a great time to try unusual and exotic recipes that are a thrill to your taste buds and your sense of adventure. Wake up the last of the cold months with recipes from cuisines from all around the globe. That's what I do at this time of year. Does anybody have any questions?

Grillbaby: I'm about ready to pull out my barbecue for the summer, but have a question. Which fish are best for grilling? Would they be the same ones that are good for smoking, like salmon?

Tamara Holt: Grillbaby - Glad to hear you're starting the grill so early in the season. You know, you are not alone; 60 percent of Americans actually grill year-round. You're right about the fish to choose for grilling. The best fish have firmer flesh and are cut thick so that they don't fall apart and fall through the grill rack. The ones to look for are tuna, swordfish, salmon, mahi-mahi, mako shark. But if you want a complete list the best thing to do is to ask your fishmonger when you buy the fish. If a clean and stink-free kitchen is what you are after you can cook any fish on your outdoor grill. Just wrap the more tender fish in aluminum foil, or place them in a foil cooking bag such as Reynold's Hot Bags, along with a little bit of oil and some fresh herbs. Place the packet on the grill and they'll steam inside the foil. No mess, no smell. And you can cook any kind of fish. Down Under Wonder - Are there any foods that are "soothing?" Perhaps certain foods or nutrients that alleviate stress? Down Under Wonder - Personally, I find all foods soothing and I bet I'm not alone. However there are certain foods that will help you to reduce stress, some for different reasons. - some psychological, some physiological. You may find that your favorite childhood food becomes a comfort food as you grow, whether that's macaroni and cheese, chicken soup, or meatloaf. Then there are certain foods that have a physiological effect. I'm not an expert in the area - read up on the nutrients that help to calm the nervous system (I think calcium and potassium are two) - then you can look for foods that are rich in those substances. Another way to look at it is as aroma-therapy. Certain smells help to calm our nerves. Some might say just the smell of food cooking. The classic book on how food affects your mood is called "FOOD &" by Elizabeth Somer (Henry Holt Publishing, 1995). In general, a well-balanced diet - getting all the nutrients your body needs - exercising, and sleeping right should reduce the feeling of stress.

Worried Wife: My husband has been recently diagnosed with diabetes, and he is to eat a lot of fish and chicken. Any ideas how to make fish especially interesting? And they types of fish to buy?

Tamara Holt: Worried Wife - You'll have to check with your doctor or nutritionist as to which fish are best for your husband's medical condition. But if all fish are equally beneficial, you've got a great opportunity open to you. The first thing I recommend to you is find yourself a fish shop that sells very high quality fish. I believe that the thing that turns people off fish most is having had a bad experience with less than fresh fish in the past. Once you find a great shop go ahead and experiment. Some fish have a rich fish flavor, like Salmon, Bluefish and Mackerel, and there are milder-tasting fish like Cod, Halibut and Flounder. As with all other foods, I recommend you experiment and try a variety, and cook them in a variety of different ways. I love grilled fish with simple fruit salsas and roasted fish sprinkled with strong spices like curry, chili powder, or Cajun spice. One of my favorite ways to prepare fish is in a foil packet, as I described earlier. Remember, you can do that in the oven as well, at 450 degrees F. If you want some more great ideas on how to cook fish, pick up Shirley King's "FISH, THE BASICS" (Chapters/Houghton-Mifflin).

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