Defrosting food? Keep these tips in mind

Dear Readers: There is a right way to safely defrost frozen food before cooking or reheating. Foods must be kept at a safe temperature during this process -- if not, dangerous bacteria can develop, which can cause food poisoning or worse. Here are some defrosting do's and don'ts from the United States Department of Agriculture that I would like to share with you:
Do's
UFoods can be cooked without being defrosted, but you need to use a thermometer to make sure the center is done as well.
UTo thaw food in airtight packaging quickly, submerge in cold water. Be sure to change the water every 30 minutes.
UFor really fast defrosting of foods that you will be cooking right away, use the & quot;defrost & quot; setting of your microwave.
UAlthough this is the slowest, defrosting food in the refrigerator is the safest.
Don'ts
UDon't keep food at unsafe temperatures -- between 40 and 140 degrees F.
UDon't thaw food by placing it on a countertop. Leaving food to defrost at normal room temperature for longer than two hours makes it unsafe to eat.
UDon't defrost food in hot water. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Here is a kitchen hint that I find very useful: I keep recipes that I cut out of magazines and others I download from the computer in a large three-ring binder. I insert the recipes into & quot;top-loading & quot; sheet protectors and tape smaller recipes on plain sheets of paper to insert into the plastic sleeves more easily.
These sheets also come in assorted colors in case you want to separate the recipes into different food groups. Corinne Ramos, via e-mail
Tasty tidbits
Dear Readers: It is the season of the cranberry. Whether you use it in recipes or to string as a garland, this unique berry adds that something special. Most of the world's cranberries are grown in five states in the United States and two provinces in Canada -- can you name the five states?
Wisconsin is the top-producing state with 36 percent, and then comes Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. FYI: The two Canadian provinces are Quebec and British Columbia.
Test Your Heloise Hint IQ: Does white cranberry juice come from white cranberries? If you said yes, you don't know your berries! It's made from mature cranberries before they turn red. So now you know! Heloise
Dear Heloise: My daughter loves to eat Chinese stir-fry, but cutting up all those vegetables can be very tedious and time-consuming after a long day at work. So, what I do is visit a great salad bar on my way home, purchase a & quot;one-trip, & quot; get a takeout container and load up on all the great veggies (no lettuce, of course) I want for the stir-fry. I get a variety and save time and work in the kitchen, all for a very low price. I could not buy these veggies for that price at a grocery store, plus I'd still have to clean and cut them up myself. Happy stir-frying! Tonya Coty, via e-mail
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate