Shelf Life

Reality TV star Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl Margarita was recently yanked from the shelves of Whole Foods markets for purportedly having a non-natural preservative thought to be sodium benzoate. Though the bottle reads "all natural," the grocery chain wasn't OK with it. TMZ reports that a class action lawsuit has also been filed against the parent company alleging misleading claims about the product being natural. What is sodium benzoate, and should you be worried about ingesting it?

In gorgeously striped Panachee figs, which are being harvested commercially for the first time this month, the beauty is more than skin deep. Ripe specimens have super-sweet, jam-like pulp, with a counterbalancing acidity uncommon in other varieties and an intense berry flavor. The spotlight on Panachée has been a long time coming. The variety was first described by that name, which means "variegated," in France in 1826, but similar types were noted as far back as the 17th century.

Most of us could use more kitchen storage space. The two most common ways to accomplish this are to add an island or peninsula or enlarge the kitchen. Both are effective, though they require the extra space and a healthy savings account. A more efficient approach is to upgrade existing cabinetry to make better use of space. One cure is to build full-extension, glide-out shelves for base cabinets. Why? Most base cabinets are used for storing pots, pans, mixing bowls and other bulky items.

The latest batch of Stone Brewing's "devastatingly fresh" Enjoy By 4.01.13 IPA hits shelves this week, and the brewers are so serious about the freshness of their beer that they've built an April 1 deadline into the beer's name. But why is it so important for this beer to be consumed within the 35-day freshness window?  Stone packs so much hops into their Enjoy By beer that they will pull it from retailer's shelves 35 days after the beer was bottled to prevent anyone from buying a past-its-prime bottle.

A little dab of sugar may double the shelf life of blood platelets, a lifesaving clotting component that is in chronic short supply because of spoilage. Harvard University researchers reported last week in the journal Science that laboratory tests show that putting a small amount of galactose, a type of sugar, into isolated platelets allows the blood components to be refrigerated and usefully preserved for at least 12 days.

In the colder parts of this country, veteran cook-gardeners know about stocking up. And while not the life and death matter they once were for farm families, the frantic fall sessions of produce preservation--pickling, jamming, jellying, drying, canning, pressing and juicing--still puts food on the shelf for the long winter months. Except maybe in Los Angeles. There are no life-threatening winters here (unless you count mud slides).

Question: How long can we keep imitation crab in the refrigerator? How much sodium does it have? Is there any sugar in it? Answer: Like most simulated shell fish or surimi (processed fish with improved shelf life) products, imitation crab is definitely not a low-sodium food item. According to Terri Kishimoto, general manager of JAC Creative Foods Inc., a 3-ounce serving of imitation crab contains 1,050 milligrams of sodium.

The rule for airline miles is use 'em or lose 'em. Or is it? This may not be news for all the frequent-flier fanatics out there ? you know who you are ? but it turns out there are lots of nifty ways to extend the life of your miles for virtually limitless periods. You just need to do a little homework to learn your options. "Ninety percent of people in frequent-flier programs are poor managers of their miles," said Randy Peterson, editor of Inside Flyer magazine and an expert on all matters of miles.

Viagra can be used to extend shelf life, says an Israeli researcher quoted in The Packer, a produce industry newspaper. Bar-Ilan University professor Yaacov Leshemsays Viagra, the drug for male impotence, mimics nitric oxide gas in plant ripening. "Both chemicals could provide the food industry with entirely new, dramatically improved processes for preserving agricultural produce."

Sulfite compounds have changed the food business. Salad-bar fixings, dipped in colorless and odorless sulfite solutions, are almost immortal. Raw potatoes, sliced or shredded or peeled and ready for the cook stove, can be kept for weeks without refrigeration after sulfite treatment. Supermarkets get new shelf life from fruits and vegetables. Wine and beer last longer. But treated food can be deadly for the sulfite-sensitive person.

Steven Spielberg was inspired by Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. Ben Affleck was provoked by a Middle Eastern hostage tale. Adam Pesapane wanted to transform a hand grenade into an avocado. All three directors will walk the red carpet at Sunday's Academy Awards, but for Pesapane, 39, the shot at Oscar gold for his 1 minute, 46-second stop-motion animated film represents more than a chance to add a fancy statuette to his mantelpiece. The English major-turned-commercial director, who goes by the professional moniker Pes, is hoping the Oscar attention for his "Fresh Guacamole" movie, made for less than $100,000 by Showtime Networks, can help him climb the show business ladder and give him a chance to direct his first full-length feature film.

If you're interested in seeing whether eating probiotic-infused foods might improve your digestive health, look for foods (or supplements) with one of many species of lactobacillus or bifidobacterium. "There are something like 400 different probiotics, so it's hard to recommend a specific one, but these two have been widely studied," says Bethany Thayer, a registered dietitian at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. There isn't a recommended daily amount for probiotics, either, but supplements generally contain 10 billion to 20 billion active cultures per dose.

A waffle is a wafer--historically speaking, that is. So is an ice cream cone. The original wafer was the oblatum , the unleavened Communion wafer (unleavened because the bread at the Last Supper was a matzo). The idea of cooking oblata between sheets of metal to make them as thin as possible goes back at least 1,300 years; a wafer iron has been found at a 7th-century site in Carthage, Tunisia. In the 13th century, bakers in France and the Netherlands started producing secular versions of oblata with a honeycomb pattern, probably so that there would be no confusion with consecrated wafers.

Easily offended readers take note, because this isn't going to go well for everyone. I already know I should probably apologize before applying a sense of humor while mentioning Kershaw the kid, wives and Jesus. But if he wants to be accepted for who he is, and I'm talking Clayton Kershaw here, then being me, I'm going to want to know why anyone should read a book written by a blessed 24-year-old kid who really hasn't lived yet? As it is, I'm thinking a book that begins with a foreword written by A.J. Ellis isn't going to have much of a shelf life, but then that's just me trying to crack funny.

Quarterback Kevin Prince took one last snap, and took a knee. UCLA fans cheered. Prince had been on the shelf -- where many fans preferred him to be -- the previous three weeks. He had been watching since Texas intercepted three of his passes Sept. 17, two after he'd separated his left shoulder. The Bruins lurched along without him. By late Saturday evening, Prince's shoulder seemed fine and his standing with Bruins fans rehabilitated. Prince led a frantic fourth-quarter rally that may have salvaged UCLA's season.

Reality TV star Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl Margarita was recently yanked from the shelves of Whole Foods markets for purportedly having a non-natural preservative thought to be sodium benzoate. Though the bottle reads "all natural," the grocery chain wasn't OK with it. TMZ reports that a class action lawsuit has also been filed against the parent company alleging misleading claims about the product being natural. What is sodium benzoate, and should you be worried about ingesting it?

Recently I went on a really good first date. All of the key components were there: He was smart, funny, attractive and interesting and, most of all, interested. We had a great time, or so I thought. We haven't been out since. It's not that he hasn't called -- he has. We've had plenty of contact, with the exception of human contact. After several weeks of phone and e-mail conversations, there has been no second date. So what is an acceptable duration between dates 1 and 2?

Question: I am 65 years old and I was always told that any kind of rice had an almost unlimited shelf life. In one food article, I read that brown rice has a slightly shorter shelf life than white rice. What does this mean? We were always taught that rice is one of the major items to be kept for years on the shelf for major disasters. Answer: It's true that white rice generally keeps almost indefinitely. However, if not properly sealed in containers, rice could be subjected to bug infestation.

During the men's European runway shows this summer, I overheard a fashion editor describing a military history book he'd read. "The commanding officers in the British army at the time of the Crimean War were dandy aristocrats who were more concerned with one-upping each other with over-the-top uniforms and military regalia than they were with military strategy," he said. With the cardinal-red military jacket, blue sash and chest full of medals worn by Prince William during his April nuptials to Kate Middleton fresh in my mind, I was intrigued and inquired further.

Jeffrey Mantor, who has a sizable tattoo of Rita Hayworth on his left bicep and one of Anita Ekberg from "La Dolce Vita" on his right, is standing by a long row of beat-up filing cabinets containing thousands of headshots. When he begins pulling out pictures, it's as if he's reaching straight into the heart of Hollywood's golden age. Photos of beauties including Dorothy Dandridge, Kim Novak, Mae West and Lauren Bacall are all signed. There's even an autographed Bette Davis headshot dated Oct. 15, 1937, that bears the photographer's Warner Bros.