CHOW Tips

Kathy FitzHenry, founder of Juliet Mae Fine Spices & Herbs, says it's OK to buy certain spices in the supermarket, while others should be purchased from dealers or independent merchants. Supermarket spices often sit around for a long time, so consider shelf life when buying. Safer bets are nutmeg, clove, allspice, cardamom, and black and white pepper. For spices like coriander, paprika, cumin, and cinnamon, go to a spice merchant with high turnover and a consistent supply, or else you'll end up with stale spices.

Top Chef Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard uses Greek yogurt, chopped chives, and a splash of milk to make a versatile, light sauce to be used on chicken, shrimp, scallops, or grilled fish.

Robert Camuto, author of Corkscrewed, dispels some of the myths about those demons of the wine world, sulfites. Your red-wine headache could be caused by any number of ingredients.

A professional bartender probably needs a few types of strainers; you only need one. Michael Cecconi is the mixologist at New York's Back Forty; he also works at the Savoy and teaches at the Institute of Culinary Education. He describes the different cocktail strainers available and weighs in on which is most versatile: the julep strainer.

Wine is delicate, and heat from your hands can radiate through a glass and change flavor, aroma, and texture. Our favorite wine guy, Matt Skinner, demonstrates the proper way to hold a wineglass to keep the heat away. He also demonstrates proper digit placement if you've gone stemless. To learn more from Matt, check out his new book, Heard It Through the Grapevine.

Anne Le, co-owner of Tamarine restaurant in Palo Alto, California (and former co-owner of Bong Su in San Francisco), warns against over- or understuffing Vietnamese spring rolls. And be sure to bury the pointy bean sprouts in the middle so they don't tear your rice paper. (Here's Le's shrimp spring roll recipe for you to try.) Le also counsels spring-roll-makers on softening the rice paper, how to keep the rolls fresh, and what to dip them in.

Spitting gracefully seems oxymoronic, but wine guy Matt Skinner does it with a sweet purse of the lips. He demonstrates a professional spit, and suggests that spitters swallow about a quarter of the wine in order to get a true sense of the texture and taste. To learn more from Matt, check out his new book, Heard It Through the Grapevine.

Kathy FitzHenry, founder of Juliet Mae Fine Spices & Herbs, adds salt to her Italian herb mix to create a flavorful rub for pork or chicken.

Like sulfites in wine, the health implications of nitrites in cured meat trigger a lot of discussion. Scott Kveton, founder of Bacn.com, shares this tip: If you drink orange juice while eating bacon, the vitamin C helps neutralize some of the ill effects of nitrites on your system. (But please, we're not doctors. If you want to eat bacon all day every day, you should talk to a physician.)

Danielle Svetcov, author of The Un-Constipated Gourmet, urges you to reconsider sherry. It is not just a British gent's sipping drink, she says. Dry sherry is great for deglazing pans, and sweet sherry is delicious on ice cream.

Michael Cecconi is the mixologist at New York's Back Forty; he also works at the Savoy and teaches at the Institute of Culinary Education. He shares a quick summertime drink idea, called a Scotch Blossom: 2 ounces of Scotch, 1 ounce of honey simple syrup, 1 ounce of lime juice, 4 to 8 mint leaves, and ice. Shake vigorously, add soda water, and enjoy.

When you've made risotto, you may have leftovers. Amy Sherman of Cookingwithamy.com has a solution by which one delicious treat is transformed into another with the mere addition of breading and hot oil-the full recipe for these fried risotto cakes can be found here.

Amy Sherman of Cookingwithamy.com shares a quick marinating tip: Cut up that big hunk of meat into thinner slices, then toss these into a resealable plastic bag. More meat-to-marinade contact means less waiting.

Jamie Purviance, author and grillmaster , thinks that a combination of lump and briquette charcoal is best, since lump burns hotter but briquette burns longer.

Strawberries at their peak are sweet, but sometimes they need a little extra sugar. Emily Luchetti, executive pastry chef of Waterbar and Farallon, outlines when the berries should get a kick. She also recommends using a little lemon or salt to make their flavors even more intense in desserts.