Watch Those Pounds Disappear

In case you haven’t heard, the recently signed American Technology Pre-Eminence Act requires most food items to be labeled in metric measurements by 1994; if pints or pounds are mentioned on a label at all, they’ll have to come after the metric information, and if there’s only room for one measurement it’ll have to be in liters and kilograms only. So just remember: a pound of beef at $3.09 a pound equals a kilogram at $6.81 and toothpaste at 31 cents an ounce equals toothpaste at $1.09 per 100 grams.

The America’s Bottle

You may not know that the organizing committee of the America’s Cup sailing race has an official wine. Or rather two, a ’90 Chardonnay and an ’89 Cabernet, both produced by Callaway Winery, which happens to be located near San Diego, the site of this year’s race. They’re available in wine stores and supermarket wine sections during the race, viz. until May or so (the $12 Cab is Callaway’s first since 1981).

Honesty in Mooching

“Sure, I mooch off other cooks; every good teacher is a thief,” said Jeff “Frugal Gourmet” Smith to a reporter recently. “But I always try to give credit when I do it.”

Quick, Watson--the Apple Pie

Agriculture Department researchers in Maryland have concluded that cinnamaldehyde, a component of cinnamon, boosts the effectiveness of insulin (good news for diabetics), appears to have some ulcer-fighting properties and may stimulate the brain. And it isn’t destroyed by cooking; cinnamon-spiced apple pie “was just as effective” as raw cinnamon, says Richard Anderson of the Human Nutrition Research Center.

Everybody Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes and Then Feel Hungry Again

The Carnegie Deli in Los Angeles has immortalized TV’s Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert by naming a sandwich after them. The Siskel & Ebert is a knock-wurst (get it?) on a roll (get it?).

Warning: Non-Cookbook

If you see a book entitled “The Willie Nelson ‘Cooked Goose’ Cookbook” (Longstreet Press: $5.95), don’t expect to read about biscuits and gravy. It’s basically joke recipes referring to the C&W star’s tax troubles (e.g., “Bloodless Turnips,” “Seizure Salad”). The authors, Sherman and Kent Wildman, claim each recipe “will produce an edible substance,” but don’t count on it.

Hot Stuffs

Shake ‘n Bake now has a Hot & Spicy version, available at most markets for both chicken and pork (suggested retail: $1.59). If it’s not hot enough, you can dip your meat in half a cup of water dosed with a tablespoon of pepper sauce before coating it. Or on the other hand, you could just wash it down with Ed’s Original Cave Creek Chili Beer--one of the few brews with a whole pepper floating in it. It will be in Vons Pavilion stores by Cinco de Mayo.