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Q: Where I live there are lots of coconuts. At the beach, the tops are chopped off in order to drink the liquid inside. I always thought that this watery, slightly cloudy liquid was the coconut milk. However, I have seen coconut milk used on several different TV cooking shows and it is always a white milky color with a creamy consistancy. What is the difference? --Rachel P.

A: This is one that confused me for years, too, Rachel! Coconut milk, as it turns out, is actually a blend of coconut pulp and water, sometimes sweetened. The coconut juice, the liquid which comes from the coconut when it's cut open, CAN be reduced and used in sauces, but I've always preferred drinking it off and pretending I'm on a deserted island.

Could you tell me if there is any significance to the amount of folds in a chef's hat? What do the folds indicate? Thank you! H. Thomas

A: According to chef lore, there are supposed to be 100 pleats or folds in a chef's hat, and they stand for the 100 ways a chef can cook an egg. I guess that makes as much sense as anything else!

Q: I am petrified of undercooking chicken so I usually end up overcooking. How can I make sure my boneless chicken breasts are cooked without cutting into them while baking and/or frying? --Mary

A: What you've hit upon here, Mary, is what makes chicken just about the easiest meat to cook, but the hardest to cook WELL. The average boneless chicken breast isn't thick enough to make using a probe thermometer feasible, so you're left with guesswork and timing.

Some cooks seem to develop a sixth sense for when chicken is perfectly done, but I suspect them of having cut deals with the netherworld for such abilities.

I generally use the highly scientific "smush" test to gauge doneness. Using the flat of your spring-loaded tongs, press on the fattest part of the cooking breast. If it resists the pressure, but is still about as springy as the tip of your nose, it's done. I borrowed the "nose" idea from one of the wackier, but more information-packed, intros to "Iron Chef" a few months back. It works!

Q: What is heavy cream? So many recipes call for it. However, I cannot find it in the grocery stores - only half and half and heavy whipping cream. From my experience, whipping cream is not for making ice cream. Where can I find heavy cream?

A: While you are correct that LIGHT whipping cream would not do much for your ice cream, I've got a quart of vanilla in my freezer right now made with heavy whipping cream, and it came out just fine. The fat content and stabilizers in heavy whipping cream are exactly what you need. The terms "heavy cream" and "heavy whipping cream" are basically interchangeable in today's supermarkets.

Q: Hi! I have a problem. I can cook almost anything with the exception of noodles. I either over- or undercook them. I have restaurant experience -- can you help me? I'm hopeless when it comes to noodles. Thanks! Dan F.

A: You've come to the right place, Dan. I've ruined enough pasta to fill a station wagon, and I've learned a few simple mistakes most pasta cooks make at least once.

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