Grain

As with toasting spices and nuts , toasting grains before cooking can enhance the nutty depth of the grains, lending an extra layer of flavor to a final dish. Toast grains in a dry saucepan over moderate heat, just until they become aromatic and color a little. Rice can be toasted in a dry pan, or sauteed with butter and a little flavoring before the liquid is added to cook (as with risotto). If cooking a large batch, you can toast grains in the oven. Spread them out on a sheet pan and toast at 350 degrees just until aromatic, 5 to 7 minutes depending on the heat and quantity of grains.

Dried persimmons, called hoshigaki , are an Asian winter delicacy, peeled and dehydrated whole by hanging the Hachiya fruit for several weeks and regularly hand-massaging them until their natural sugars form a delicate, dusty bloom on the surface that looks like snowy frost. Inside, the dried persimmons are tender and moist, their flavor concentrated. Japanese American farmers brought the traditional Japanese hoshigaki method to the U.S., but because the process is so labor-intensive, commercial production wasn't feasible.

Storing flour may not be something we tend to think about often in the kitchen, but it can get stale or go rancid if not kept properly, potentially ruining a recipe. Here are some tips for storage: -- Basic flours (including all-purpose, cake, pastry and bread flours): These are generally more stable for storage than whole grain or alternative flours. Before grinding, the grains are stripped of the bran and germ, leaving only the endosperm to be processed. The stripping (and optional "bleaching," or oxidizing)

A global pork shortage is on the horizon, according to Britain's National Pig Assn. , which has foodies and bacon geeks fearing an "aporkalypse. " Thankfully for the Chinese, there's a pork reserve in China to accommodate such a crisis, but whatever will we do in the U.S., where bacon has become as trendy as designer cupcakes? Kidding. It's not as though bacon-wrapped hot dogs will suddenly vanish from the Earth in 2013. You will, however, have to a pay more for your artery-clogging indulgence, though it's doubtful prices will become so exorbitant that danger dogs become a brag-worthy delicacy on Rich Kids of Instagram . The eventual price hike is in part a result of this year's severe drought, which ravaged corn and soy crops across the Midwest, subsequently increasing the cost of feed.

The drought that descended on the United States this summer will translate into higher prices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The inevitability of this scenario introduces an old question that has become new: When weather strikes, what can curb food inflation? Recent suggestions cover a wide range of complicated approaches, from GPS-guided drip irrigation techniques to genetically engineered crops and from new federal biofuel standards to new farm insurance programs to new commodity-markets regulations.

JERUSALEM - If there's anything that inhabitants of the Promised Land are familiar with, it's the quadrennial promises of American presidential candidates who show up to affirm the "unbreakable" bond between Israel and the United States. As candidates, former Presidents George W. Bushand Bill Clinton pledged to movetheU.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, only to change their minds after taking office. Four years ago, before making his visit, then-candidate Barack Obama voiced support for accepting Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital.

On May 27, Vicente Vasquez was digging into the bed of Echo Park Lake with his backhoe when he scraped a solid object buried under 4 feet of muck. What could it be? During the city's months-long dredging and rebuilding of the lake, workers have found lots of old bottles and assorted junk, but nothing sexy or sensational. No bodies, no bones, no rusted weapons used in unsolved crimes. Vasquez cleared a space around his discovery and saw the outlines of the buried treasure.

Apple has begun preparing to launch an iPhone with a larger screen than its previous models, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The tech giant has ordered screens that measure at least 4 inches diagonally from its Asian suppliers, the Journal reported early Wednesday, attributing its information to "people familiar with the situation. " Production for the larger screens is expected to begin next month, according to the report. If the report is accurate, the sixth-generation iPhone would be the first in Apple's phone line to have a screen larger than 3.5 inches.

With U.S. farmers planting the largest crop of corn in 75 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects the resulting harvest to reach new records. And that could mean cheaper food for consumers. Assuming the weather cooperates, the country could produce 48 million tons of corn, up 4.5 million tons. Globally, corn production will grow by 75 million tons, or 10%, to 946 million tons due to record crops in the U.S., China, Brazil and Ukraine, according to the USDA . Calculated another way, 1.9 billion bushes of corn are expected to be produced from September through August 2013 - more than double the 851 million bushels the previous year and a record 166 bushels per acre.

Pour yourself a nice big bowl of whole-grain cereal. A study finds that diets high in fiber, particularly from cereal and whole grains, may reduce the risk of colon cancer. The study, released online today in the British Medical Journal , is a meta-analysis of 25 studies that examined the relationship between dietary fiber and colorectal cancer, the third most common type of cancer diagnosed among men and women in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. Previous studies have shown that dietary fiber may decrease colorectal cancer risk, but the authors of this study said it's not apparent whether certain types of fiber are key. After analyzing these papers they found that for every 10 grams of dietary fiber and cereal fiber there was a 10% reduced risk of colorectal cancer.