‘Nutritive Value’ Book Now Available From U.S. Agency

Question: The May 11 You Asked About . . . column mentioned the book “Nutritive Value of American Foods, in Common Units.” Can you tell me how to get a copy?

Answer: We didn’t realize it was Feb. 5, 1987, when we last provided information on obtaining the book. “Nutritive Value of American Foods, in Common Units,” Agriculture Handbook No. 456, is published by the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Copies are available for $8.50 from the U.S. Government Printing Office Bookstore, Arco Plaza, Level C, 505 S. Flower St., Los Angeles 90071. The store is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Copies of the book may also be obtained by sending a check (there is no tax or shipping charge) to the above address.

Q: Where can I find very large pasta shells--about three inches in length? They’re ideal for stuffing, but supermarkets don’t seem to stock them.

A: We’ve purchased them at Sorrento Market in Culver City, but other Italian food stores probably also carry the oversized shells.

Q: I’d like to lower the amount of salt in my baking, especially in cookies and muffins. It seems like every recipe includes salt among the ingredients. Can I just leave out the salt entirely or is there a reason for using salt?

A: “More than most flavorings, salt used in the right proportions opens the taste buds,” explains author Charles Delmar in “The Essential Cook” (Hill House Publishing, 1989: $24.95). “It intensifies the natural flavor of foods and brings the tastes of all the individual ingredients together into a harmonious union. In short, salt makes foods taste good.”

Delmar goes on to write: “It is difficult to determine the amount of salt that should be used for cooking even when following a recipe. Most recipes call for more salt than is really needed. Salt is already present in many foods, especially if they are canned, prepackaged or frozen. For this reason, it is best to ignore amounts specified in recipes and let ‘salt to taste’ be your guide.

“Salt is a major source of sodium, and eating too much sodium can lead to overweight, high blood pressure and other health problems,” points out Delmar. “In most cases the amount of salt called for in a recipe can be cut by half if not eliminated altogether without diminishing the taste of the food.”

One exception, however, is pointed out by authors Sylvia Rosenthal and Fran Shinagel in “How Cooking Works” (Macmillan Publishing: 1981. They write: “Salt has a more important function in yeast dough than merely improving the taste of the baked product. Yeast produces carbon dioxide very rapidly in dough that contains no salt. The salt acts as a stabilizer, preventing the yeast from producing the gas too rapidly. Yeast dough without salt is sticky and hard to handle. People who must be on salt-free diets have no choice, but breads made without salt are inferior in grain and texture.”

In response to the May 4 You Asked About . . . column on steaming vegetables, M. Head reports there’s a steaming timetable for artichokes through zucchini in “Beyond Pritikin: The New Nutrition Diet” (Bantam, 1988: $16.95) by Ann L. Gittleman and John M. Desgrey.

Address questions on food preparation to You Asked About . . ., Food Section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Personal replies cannot be given.