The secret to good hot chocolate mixes: adding milk
Consumer Reports magazine recently uncovered my hot chocolate secret. It didn't credit me, but the report found out what I've known for years: If you're not thrilled with your hot chocolate mix, make it with milk instead of water.
During testing of 10 brands of instant hot chocolate, Consumer Reports found that milk covered some of the defects of hot chocolate mixes that otherwise got less-favorable ratings.
Overall, the magazine gave the highest ratings to Ghirardelli Double Chocolate mix and Cacao Reserve Mayan Blend by Hershey's, costing 63 cents and 53 cents per serving, respectively.
Rated "Very Good" were Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation and Hershey's Cocoa.
The magazine's testers prepared the hot chocolate according to package directions, which meant mixing it with water for all except Ghirardelli, which called for milk.
The magazine also found that calories count. The varieties with the fewest calories -- Nestle Rich Chocolate and Nestle Milk Chocolate, each with 80 calories per serving -- also were the lowest ranked. Top-rated Ghirardelli had 262 calories.
Here's another secret from my haute chocolate recipe file: Stir some French vanilla creamer into the cup or add a splash of Dooley's Toffee Crème Liqueur.
Political crumbs: You know where they stand on taxes and the war in Iraq, but how about their cookie platform?
Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls are following the campaign trail into the kitchen as part of a competition by Yankee Magazine to let Americans cast votes for the candidate with the best cookie recipe.
The magazine asked the candidates to submit recipes, which will be posted at www.yankeemagazine.com for voters to try. The voters can log on and cast a ballot (or two or 10). The magazine also will have culinary students prepare the recipes to be tested by a panel of judges.
One thing many candidates seem to agree on: Oats make for good cookies.
Submissions include oatmeal raisin cookies from Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, and an oat-based, three-minute, no-bake cookie from Cindy McCain, wife of Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Clinton might have the psychological advantage in this race. Her recipe is the same she used to beat former first lady Barbara Bush in Family Circle magazine's 1992 cookie competition.
Cookbook culture: What trends in American society have been mirrored in cookbooks? If you can get into the Loop this evening you can find out as authors Penelope Bingham and Connie Fairbanks explore how cookbooks have changed over the last 75 years. Their talk is set for 6:15 p.m. today at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago. A reception begins at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $9 and include drinks and light appetizers. A book signing will follow the presentation. Find details at www.newberry.org/friends/chapter.html.
Southern style: Wilbert Jones, food entrepreneur and author of "Smothered Southern Foods," will share his perspective on the South's culinary legacy during a Culinary Historians of Chicago meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Chicago History Museum, 1600 N. Clark St., Chicago.
Cost of the lecture program is $5, $3 for students and free for culinary historian members. Samples of recipes from his book will be served.
To reserve, please call Barbara Olson at (708) 788-0338. Or e-mail your reservation to rsvpchc@yahoo.com.
Kosher correction: Last week's column featured Speedy Coq au Vin from "Quick and Kosher" by Jamie Geller. The recipe should be made with kosher margarine, not butter, to adhere to kosher guidelines.