Cyber-Dining On the Internet

Along the information superhighway, a few truck stops have opened up--cyber-diners, where culinary travelers can drop in to ask a question, find a new recipe or recommend a restaurant.

The journey starts with the Internet, a global collection of interconnected computers that makes up a virtual community. A community with a healthy appetite. Databases have files with a wide range of recipes, and on-line news groups answer all types of questions.

For instance, “I’m posting to get some opinions on the various uses of different kinds of oils,” one man recently asked. “With so many different kinds of oils to choose from, one has to have a sense of why one oil is appropriate over another.”

Replies included: “A good cannola and vegetable oil blend, low in saturated fat, should meet nearly all your needs unless company is coming and you want to use a little olive oil. Such a simplistic approach is healthy, thrifty and saves space in the kitchen.”

And: “Peanut oil is also often used for stir-frying. Peanut oil’s high smoke-point makes it good for this.”

When a woman posted a message that she was at her wits end trying to clean her stainless-steel teapot, someone helpfully suggested a small amount of baking soda, a “nylon scrubbie” and elbow grease.

When a man wrote that he wanted to keep fresh pesto over the winter, he asked if it was possible to store basil, soaked in vinegar and topped with oil, in a jar in his refrigerator. Several people answering his post suggested freezing the pesto as “pesto cubes,” while others affirmed that it was possible to acidify the basil in vinegar and then set it in oil.

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In cyberspace, someone seems to have an answer for almost any question. Some cooks have found this out and now are using their keyboards almost as often as their cutting boards.

One of the best ways to start on the Internet is with an alt. or rec. news group. News groups, or users’ groups as they are sometimes called, are areas of the Internet used for posting messages. By first accessing a news service program such as NN--a program usually issued by an Internet access provider--a specific address can be used to get to the message list. Once there, the messages appear, usually with the name of the author and the subject of the message.

What’s most interesting about computer messages is that they’re not just dry questions and answers. Instead, the postings are lively and active--like sitting around a kitchen table with a group of friends. They can be caring, interesting, funny and intimate. There’s always a personal tone to them.

When one man asked where to buy 26 pounds of bacon, a woman responded with a cheery: “Say hey Ray! Well, there’s that pig meat palace at the Housewife’s Market in Oakland. Twenty-six pounds of bacon. What a lot of grease!!! Sooo-weee!”

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When he wrote back, he began with the greeting: “Bless your little cholesterol-impaired heart.”

Another woman, after posting a long list of her favorite foods, logged off with: “See you in alt.recovery.dieting .”

There is a news group on the Internet for almost any topic or hobby, but the groups can be very specialized, and that can be a problem to the uninitiated. For instance, rec.food.drink.beer is a group that covers ales and beers. Dropping in on their news group is like landing in a different country.

“GB is actually much more boring, and less imaginative than TH,” wrote one poster.

“Boring if you don’t like Exports and Dunkels and Doppels!” Came the reply from someone else.

Rec.crafts.brewing is a news group that focuses on home brewing. The group answers questions about yeast, making Trappist Ale or, as someone asked on a recent post: “What exactly happens to make beer acquire this unwelcome character of ‘skunkiness?’ Is this phenomenon specific to green bottles?”

A chemist wrote back: “The skunking reaction is photochemical, and it’s real.” He said that he only uses brown bottles and described his own experiment when he left a clear bottle out in direct sun for two weeks. “Whew! The odor was not subtle. It smelled like a dead cat.”

Rec.food.veg is a news group for vegetarians, and some are quite passionate about their life style. When one woman discovered she had accidentally bought a sausage-flavored vegetable protein round, she said “fifty hail-lentils as penance.”

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Other news groups include rec.food.sourdough , a group dedicated to baking the perfect loaf of bread; alt.coffee for coffee lovers; and both alt.bacchus and rec.food.drink for wine drinkers. Most groups have dozens of messages posted.

The rec.food.cooking group is a news group that answers questions about cooking . . . any question about cooking. “Has anyone accidentally (or even purposely) put metal in a microwave? What really happens?” One answer: “If the metal is near the side of the oven, the sparks can jump to the wall of the oven and cause damage.”

In this group, a series of messages on the same topic, called a “thread,” has been debating what is the most useless kitchen gadget. “A pineapple peeler and corer,” replied one woman. “Mine is shaped and colored like a pineapple. A John Waters film is the only place for this thing.”

Another woman had no use for a ginger grater. “I defy anyone to grate sensible quantities of ginger on one of these and not lose a knuckle,” she grumbled. “Mine is made of bamboo--how appropriate for a device that seems to be designed as an instrument of torture.”

Rec.food.recipes is a group where cooks freely post their favorite home recipes. The recipe selection is an eclectic mixed bag, with a recipe for escargot butter followed by a recipe for pasta e fagioli . Cooks are very open about sharing their recipes. Either someone will post their favorite recipe, or a request will be made for a specific dish. Usually within a few days, an answer for the request will be posted. Rec.food.recipes is one of the easiest ways to find recipes on the Internet.

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Also available on-line on the Internet is the USENET cookbook, a collection of recipes previously posted in the rec.food news groups. After you access the cookbook, a list of food titles appear. The titles are listed by subject--appetizers, barbecue, beef/veal and so on. Make a choice and you get a list of previously posted recipes. One of the most interesting topics from the USENET cookbook is “miscellaneous,” where you can get recipes for any type of celebration, and from various countries. A Mardi Gras menu is listed alongside recipes from Mexico and Thailand.

Because the Internet is so vast, several search programs, which help find files online, have been developed. The most-used search programs are Gopher and its sub-program Veronica. They both operate in roughly the same way. Depending on the Internet carrier used, you either call up the search program by name at the prompt, or choose it from the Internet menu. The program asks for a subject. After you type in a word or two, the program searches the computer databases for the files or titles.

When using the search programs, it definitely helps to be specific. When the word “food” was used as a topic search on Veronica, a list of more than 200 entries scrolled down, with an additional 3,852 entries available. Not only were there recipes, but articles that just happen to have “food” in the title. Some were quite obscure: “Effects of Different Types of Food on Fecundity of Predacious Mites,” and “Reaction of Young Carp to Food Flavors.”

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Food history is also covered on the Internet; simply access the news group rec.food.historic . “I have some 18th-Century English recipes that ask for a quarter-pint or a pint of ‘ale-yeast,’ ” said one message.

“I suspect what they mean is the sludge left in the bottom of the brewing vessel after the wort has been drawn off,” someone offered.

“A good friend of mine would like to do a banquet with a Byzantine theme,” asked another poster.

The only reply? “Me too!”

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If the Internet seems too complicated, then try using one of the more commercial computer networks such as Prodigy, CompuServe or America Online--which just recently added its own Internet gateway. Like the Internet, these networks have messages and files, but they’re not as vast and are easier to move around in.

Each network offers a distinctive service. America Online has a celebrity cookbook in which users find recipes such as “Petula Clark’s pots de creme au chocolat ,” or the diet hints of such stars as Lauren Hutton (she skips lunch) and Linda Evans (she has light beer with dinner).

Prodigy features a special guest chef whom users can message directly. This month, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of “The Mediterranean Diet,” is answering questions, as is Border Grill chef Mary Sue Milliken, who has been asked questions about black bean cake recipes and chiles verdes. Not all questions are so up-scale. Michael Roberts, then chef at Trumps, was once asked to supply the recipe for the “Bob’s Big Boy fudge cake.”

All three services offer a “chat” section, in which users can talk to each other in “real time”--directly typing messages to each other. It’s similar to talking on the phone, but all words are typed. Of the three services, only CompuServe has a chat line that is specifically set in the Cooks’ forum.

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With words such as “byte” and “menu” now common computer terms, it isn’t a surprise that the culinary and on-line worlds would meet. A byte in cyberspace is as likely to mean something to eat as it is a piece of information.

The following recipes were all downloaded from the Internet.

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This is a very mild salad dressing .

ROCKET SALAD DRESSING

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup vinegar

3/4 cup oil

In bottle, mix sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, pepper, garlic powder and vinegar and shake well. Add oil and shake again. Shake before using. Makes 1 cup.

Each 1-tablespoon serving contains about:

95 calories; 147 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

CHICKEN DIJON

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon bread crumbs

1/2 tablespoon melted butter

Place chicken on broiler pan. Spread with half mustard. Sprinkle with half bread crumbs. Turn breast over and repeat on other side. Drizzle with melted butter.

Broil until cooked through, turning once. Makes 1 serving.

Each serving contains about:

231 calories; 313 mg sodium; 95 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 32 grams protein; 0.03 gram fiber.

MARINATED MUSHROOMS

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup diced sweet red pepper

1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 pound small fresh mushrooms, trimmed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine wine, vinegar, sugar, garlic, green onions, sweet red pepper and red pepper flakes in 8-cup microwaveable casserole dish. Cover. Microwave on HIGH 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture is simmering. Add mushrooms. Cover. Microwave on HIGH 6 to 8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Stir halfway through cooking.

Stir in salt, oregano and pepper. Let stand, covered, 30 minutes. Transfer to covered jar or container. Can be refrigerated up to 1 week. Makes 8 appetizer servings.

Each serving contains about:

48 calories; 153 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.53 gram fiber.

PITA CRISPS WITH HERBS

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions

1/2 teaspoon pickling (coarse) salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

9 (about 7-inch) pita breads, each pita cut into eighths

In bowl combine green onions, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano and basil. Mix into butter. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Spread each pita piece with herb butter and place on baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees 5 minutes or until golden and crisped. Cool on baking racks before serving. Makes 72 crisps.

Each crisp contains about:

43 calories; 54 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.01 gram fiber.

PEAR HONEY

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

Grated zest 1/2 lemon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups shredded pears

In saucepan combine water, sugar, lemon zest, ginger and pears. Cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Add pears, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Serve as dessert or as sauce for cake. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

113 calories; 0 sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 1.16 grams fiber.

MY BEST GINGERBREAD

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup molasses

1 cup hot water

In bowl beat butter and sugar until pale in color and creamy. Add beaten egg.

In bowl sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. In bowl combine molasses and hot water. Add dry ingredients to first mixture alternately with liquid, small amount at time, beating after each addition until smooth.

Bake in wax-paper-lined 9-inch square pan at 350 degrees 30 to 45 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

386 calories; 289 mg sodium; 58 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.13 gram fiber.

* Cover design by TRACY CROWE.

* Food Styling by Donna Dean and Mayi Brady.