Although garlic is delicious and full of health-promoting nutrients, its lasting, pungent odor can make it a pain in the kitchen. When garlic is crushed or chopped, its essential oils are released and can be tough to wash off hands. These oils also permeate lung tissue, which is why garlic breath and sweat can last hours after eating.

Buying peeled or pre-minced garlic is one way to avoid garlicky hands, but why spend extra money and sacrifice flavor? Instead, use these tips:

Standard method: Cut the end of the clove and peel with your fingers from the cut part, starting at the woody ends (not the tapered tip). Often you can roll the skin right off without too much mess. Best if peeling only one clove.

Knife method: Place a garlic clove on a flat surface, then gently press (or smash, if minced garlic is your end goal) with the broad side of a knife. This should “crack” the woody exterior and make it easy to peel with your fingers. Best for peeling one or two cloves, as finger-peeling will eventually get messy.

Microwave method: By far the easiest and cleanest method, place any number of bulbs in the microwave and heat for 10 to 20 seconds. Carefully remove, since they will be hot, and the bulbs will slip right out of the skins. Best for recipes calling for multiple cloves.

Gadget method #1 – a silicone garlic peeler: Place a clove inside the tube, roll on a flat surface to gently loosen the peel, then tilt the tube to release the bald clove. The peel stays stuck to the inside of the peeler, which you can simply rinse away. Requires practice, as some cloves come out half-skinned. Best for peeling one or two cloves.

Gadget method #2 – a garlic press: You don’t always need to peel the garlic first. Simply take a clove of garlic and press it to mince. The garlic juices and flesh push through, but the skin is left behind. Best to use if crushing is your end goal. Some garlic presses are not well-suited for this method.

There’s no easy trick to stop garlic pieces from sticking to the side of the knife when chopping. To keep the mess at a minimum, chop, slide garlic off, then chop some more until pieces are the desired size.

Want more ways to use garlic in the kitchen? Check out “Healthy Kitchen Hacks: Garlicky Goodness”

To see the entire Healthy Kitchen Hacks series, click here. 

Scanning the stovetop, you may see sauce on the backsplash, oil on the countertop and grease on nearby appliances. Simple meals can evolve into a scrubbing nightmare without quick action or prior planning. Try these tips to avoid or reduce splattering:

Start with Dry Food

The water-and-oil dance that is so cute when testing a hot pan turns into a messy rave when tossing in frozen vegetables. The best bet: Pat dry food before placing it in the pan to saute.

Use a Large Enough Pan

Give food space to cook by choosing the right size pan with taller sides to help prevent splatter.

Stay Close

While a watched pot may never boil, a boiling pot may not cause to a mess if you stay nearby. Rice and other grains that require a lid when cooking can boil over, leading to sticky goo around the burner. Prevent it by staying close; occasionally lift the lid to release steam. When cooking thick liquids and sauces, bubble eruptions occur when the pan gets too hot. Before that happens, pick up the pan and hold it over the burner while stirring for a few seconds. Indirect heat and slow stirring helps calm boiling bubbles.

If You Can’t Fight it, Manage the Mess

1. Use a lid. If preparing food with wet heat, such as steaming, a lid can trap water droplets and prevent the pan’s contents from splattering. When removing the lid (lift away from your body to avoid steam burns), some splatter still may escape.

2. Put up a splatter shield. This contraption is like a mini voting booth. With a three-sided wall around the pan, splatter is contained to the pan and its most immediate surroundings. It doesn’t prevent splattering, but it can make cleanup easier.

3. Use a splatter screen. Like a cross between a lid and a strainer, a splatter screen fits on top of a pan and is designed to allow steam to escape while controlling some of the splatter. Vented dome-like covers are made for microwaves to help control splatter.

4. Cover neighboring burners. To keep the rest of your stove clean, place a baking sheet upside-down to cover one or two burners.

Healthy Kitchen Hacks: Cooking with Fats

Create a better pour. When first opening a new bottle of cooking oil, don’t remove the foil covering (if there is one). Instead, make a slit with a sharp knife. This will give you more flow control when measuring or pouring directly into a pot or sheet pan.

Use DIY cooking spray. Be earth-friendly and save money by making your own cooking spray. Mix 1 part oil with 3 to 4 parts water to distribute a thinner and less greasy coat to your cooking vessels. Pour the mixture into an aluminum or glass spray bottle and store in a cool, dry place. Before use, shake the bottle and use the “mist” setting.

Clean grease spills with ease. If an oil spill is still wet, dust it with cornstarch, flour or baking soda and let sit for 15 minutes before wiping it up with a cloth or paper towel. If a grease splatter has cooled and hardened, drizzle with dish soap and wait 10 minutes before scrubbing with a sponge. For tougher, caked-on grease, apply vinegar and let sit for another 20 minutes before wiping clean.

Recycle leftovers. Instead of dumping used oil into a container and throwing it away (never pour it down the drain), look for a local disposal center, drop-off bin or service that converts used cooking oil into cleaner-burning biodiesel. Avoid reusing cooking oil for future meals, as it may affect flavor and can become rancid.

To see the Healthy Kitchen Hacks series, click here. 

Sometimes, usually when my husband travels and it’s just the two kids and I, we throw a blanket down on our kitchen floor and eat dinner picnic-style. Although “picnicking” conjures up images of a leisurely meal eaten outdoors while sitting on the ground, I find that indoor picnics are just as fun, if not better — no ants, mosquitos or scratchy grass! It’s a fun way to break out of the ordinary routine and still have that special time of day where we all come together to talk about what we did at school or work.

And, even though our picnic blanket is set up on the floor directly next to our kitchen table, the small shift in location can make it feel like a major change of scenery. We even sit in different spots, with the kids next to each other instead of opposite one another at the table. We also might not look at the wall clock as much from our low perch.

The word “picnic” may have come from the French word piquer, which means “to pick” or “to peck” — makes sense given that most picnics include finger foods meant for nibbling. Though we have access to the stove, oven and microwave, our indoor picnics tend to feature foods we can easily eat with our hands or minimal utensils, like pizza or a salad.

For a quick, one-dish recipe that’s delicious and easily portable, try this salad with freekeh.

Product Reviewed:

I’ll admit, it took me a while to try out the Mauviel M’cook Stainless Steel Roasting Pan with Rösle Marinade Injector. I don’t host big holiday dinners requiring a full turkey or chicken, and my kids prefer pasta over pretty much any protein. Luckily, it was my family’s turn to host a monthly dinner group and Hanukkah celebration so we chose to make a brisket.

The Mauviel pan perfectly held the 7-pound brisket plus potatoes, onions and liquid.  The pan was surprisingly lightweight yet sturdy, making it easy to transfer from counter to stovetop and back again after cooking. And while our brisket recipe called for low, slow braising that would result in meat that doesn’t require a sharp knife to eat, we used the Rösle injector to ensure the marinade soaked into the thick meat versus depending solely on basting every few hours. Indeed, the meat just slid off the carving knife, and we could’ve easily used just our forks to eat the beef.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of this pan was how easy it was to clean. A few scrubs with a sponge was all it took to remove some of the meat and vegetables stuck to it. I don’t have a ton of faith in my hand-washing abilities to get things squeaky clean and sanitized, but luckily the pan is also dishwasher-safe. Even the injector can be disassembled and washed in the dishwasher, though a bottle brush can be used to get to the harder-to-reach areas.

Yes, you can get less expensive or larger pans, but this pan is just right for the cook who loves to roast.

1. Start with store-bought dough.

Cooking from scratch and making homemade dough is rewarding and not very difficult, but it can be time-consuming and messy. Besides, dough is just the canvas on which to create pizza art. Store-bought fresh dough does the trick and is often available in the deli section. Your favorite pizzeria may even sell raw dough balls — just ask.

2. Let the dough sit out for a bit.

Too-cold dough is very elastic and hard to roll out. Remove it from the refrigerator about one hour before you plan to roll it.

3. Preheat your pizza stone in the oven.

A hot stone cooks dough from the bottom, while the rest of the oven cooks the more delicate (and easier-to-burn) toppings. Preheat the oven with your pizza stone inside for at least one hour before you plan to cook a pizza.

4. Roll dough on aluminum foil covered in nonstick spray.

When rolling dough and assembling pizza, cover your countertop or flat surface with aluminum foil misted with nonstick cooking spray. Use a pizza peel (or any flat tool — an upside-down baking sheet works) to transfer the raw pizza on foil to your hot stone. Aluminum foil conducts heat from the stone to the pizza. After about five minutes, open the oven and gently slide the foil out, using a spatula if needed. Let the pizza finish cooking directly on top of the stone.

5. Use a pastry roller instead of a rolling pin.

A pastry roller gives you more control over shaping the dough and allows you to push the dough from the middle, where it should be thinner, to the edges to create a thicker crust.   

6. Sprinkle toppings evenly, but pay more attention to the edges.

As the pizza cooks, the toppings will “swim” toward the center. The center also takes the longest to cook, so avoid making it too heavy.

7. Brush the edges of the crust with olive oil.

It makes the crust crisp and delicious. 

8. Never use soap on your pizza stone.

Actually, try not to wash it at all. Just scrape off any food remnants and store it to use on another day. Water — and especially soap — can cause it to crack.

As they say in Italian, buon appetito!   

​Elana Natker, MS, RD, is a nutrition communications consultant in the Washington, D.C., area. She is a Stone Soup blogger and author of enlightennutrition.com.

Healthy Kitchen Hacks

Try these tips to perk up pizza leftovers.

Use a Skillet. To avoid soggy dough and recreate that melty cheese topping, place a skillet or cast iron pan on the stove over medium heat. Brush with a teaspoon of oil and, once heated, lay a pizza slice cheese-side down on the pan. Heat for two to
three minutes and then flip. Heat for two more minutes or until the crust and cheese is to your liking.

Grab Your Waffle Iron. Fold a pizza slice in half and place on a heated, oiled waffle iron. Close and heat for five to six minutes. Remove from iron, cut into strips and serve with tomato sauce for dipping.

Load Up With Extra Veggies. When reheating in the skillet, layer sauteed mushrooms, sliced tomatoes or diced onions on pizza after flipping the slice to be cheese-side up. When making a pizza waffle, add spinach, roasted red peppers or sliced olives before folding slice in half and placing in the iron.

Sprinkle On the Umami. Toss ½ teaspoon nutritional yeast over each slice after flipping in the skillet or before folding for the waffle iron method to add extra nutrients and a punch of savory flavor.

Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD, and Serena Ball, MS, RD, are moms and food-loving dietitians who share family recipes, healthy kitchen hacks and nutrition adventures at teaspoonofspice.com.

Take, for instance, the cafeteria. It’s a virtual learning lab, with MyPlate-perfect portions served by foodservice staff and offerings carefully curated by school nutrition directors and kids nudging their friends to try new foods by virtue of sheer peer pressure.

Nutrition lessons extend in other areas as well, with the advent of school gardens. Last spring, my daughter’s teacher brought red leaf lettuce from the garden for the class to try. My daughter raved about it and we bought some at the store on our next trip.

Physical education is an opportunity for kids to move their bodies, but it’s not the only time. Some schools incorporate activity breaks in the day — short bursts of stretching or wiggling around to refresh and refocus. Other schools are experimenting with standing desks, pedal desks or switching from standard chairs to stability balls — all in the hopes of helping to stimulate movement, which may help stimulate the brain.

These experimental programs are just that — experiments. But what we do know is that when students are healthy, the benefits are numerous: they perform better on tests, get better grades overall, have fewer missed days of school and behave better in class.

The America’s Healthiest Schools campaign, a program of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (of which the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a promotional partner), knows the healthiest school environments require involvement from parents, administrators and staff, students and community members. Indeed, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program is one of the nation’s largest school-based childhood obesity prevention initiatives, with 35,000 schools involved and reaching more than 20 million students.

The Alliance recently recognized 328 schools as America’s Healthiest Schools, representing 29 states and the District of Columbia. These schools may offer a running club before school, breakfast in the classroom, activity breaks throughout the day and water stations throughout the school for quick fill-ups. They may have eliminated sugary treats or food as rewards or celebrations and may offer a day with extra recess to celebrate that month’s class birthdays.

Whatever these schools are doing, it’s working. Get inspired and learn more about what’s happening at the winningest schools by going to this link and clicking the dots on the map. For this one time, copying is encouraged!

In fact, the true nutrition experts are registered dietitian nutritionists or registered dietitians. RDNs and RDs all have college degrees — and many have advanced degrees — and completed didactic coursework plus hundreds of hours in internship rotations (unpaid, for the most part) before sitting for and passing an exam to earn the privilege of putting those precious credentials after their names. Not only that, RDNs must complete at least 75 hours of continuing education every five years to maintain their credential.

What credentialing does a “nutritionist” need? Nothing, really. The truth is, while some states have laws on licenses for health professionals, practically anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. In many states, only licensed dietitians can administer medical nutrition therapy and have some of their services covered by insurance providers.

Where Can You Find RDNs?

Traditionally, RDNs can be found working in some kind of clinical setting, such as a hospital or outpatient clinic. They may be prescribing diets for those newly diagnosed with diabetes or celiac disease, or working alongside a cardiologist to help an at-risk patient adopt a heart-healthy diet. You may envision an RDN as the weight-loss specialist suggesting which foods to incorporate into your diet and which to save for special occasions.

But, hospitals and clinics aren’t the only places to find RDNs. Here’s where else you can find us.

• Schools
  Have you been to a school cafeteria lately? It may surprise you! Many school foodservice directors are registered dietitian nutritionists, and these folks do a tremendous job in feeding thousands of children, in a limited amount of time and on a limited budget. For some students, school lunch may be the most reliable, substantial meal of their day, so the foodservice director needs to make sure the lunch she serves is not only nutritious but also appealing so that it gets eaten and not tossed in the trash.
• Community Settings
  Many RDNs heed a calling to help underserved and underprivileged populations. These are the RDNs running programs for WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children), SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) and many more. They help individuals spend their food dollars wisely and learn basic cooking skills.
• Kitchens
  Some RDNs are chefs, working at major restaurants, spas or managing their own culinary businesses. Many have traditional culinary training in addition to their nutrition degrees.
• Research and Academia
  Nutrition research is ongoing, and who better to design and conduct studies than the food and nutrition experts? Not only do RDNs work in food science, many have expertise in behavioral nutrition, economics and other fields.
• Industry
  Call me biased, but RDNs who work with industry are unsung heroes. Talk about affecting change! These are the folks with actual seats at the actual table, helping companies reformulate products to make them more healthful and desirable to consumers. These folks have the ear of corporate leadership, telling them what issues they need to address today given the current policy and labeling landscapes. These are RDNs who take the research conducted by their colleagues in academia, and disseminate it to their front-line RDN peers working directly with consumers.
• Media
  In ever greater numbers, RDNs are being called upon to provide their expert insights to educate consumers on larger platforms. We see RDNs as commentators on news programs, writing articles in major newspapers and building audiences on social media. Heck, they’re even winning reality TV shows!

Want find an RD or RDN? Use eatright.org’s Find an Expert tool!

Today is Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day! It’s a time to celebrate the RDNs working every day to improve health and nutrition so that we can live longer and healthier lives.

So yes, your ballot might be several pages long — and yes, you’re busy — but that’s no reason to ignore it! Here are three reasons why you should vote in this year’s Academy elections.

We Face Many Very Important Issues

If you want to have your voice represented, the best way for to do that is to vote for the candidates you feel best represent your point of view. For the President-elect, you can watch the candidates’ two-minute videos and do additional online research to make an informed decision. Most other positions allow you to click on the candidate’s information so you can see, in the candidate’s words, what he or she believes.

If You Don’t Vote, You Can’t Complain

Sorry, but you lose that privilege by not casting a ballot. And, I know there are a lot of Academy members who take note of Academy decisions and actions. I know you have it in you to go online and check a few boxes. Which is why…

The Election Committee Has Made it Even Easier to Vote this Year.

Just go to eatrightPRO.org/elections, login and cast your vote. If you’re in a time crunch, you can even vote for a few positions, save your ballot and come back later to finish it up and submit it. Just be sure you submit your completed ballot before the final deadline on Monday, Feb. 22, 2016.

The Academy is only as strong as its member base, and we are 75,000-plus members strong. Show some pride in your profession and spend a few minutes voting in this year’s Academy election.

The American Heart Association encourages Americans to have at least two servings of seafood per week – preferably fatty fish for the omega-3 benefits – amounting to about eight ounces total. Yet, the average intake of seafood is a measly three-and-a-half ounces per week, less than half of the recommendation.

Why is that, and what do you need to know to strive for more seafood in your diet?

“Seafood is Too Expensive”

And, indeed, fresh varieties often can be listed at a price-per-pound that is more expensive than beef and chicken. Avoid the high prices by trying canned seafood, which can be inexpensive and pre-cooked and may contain more nutrients than fresh. For example, canned salmon contains its bones (which are nearly impossible to tease out) which provides a boost of calcium.

Or, look for sales and don’t be afraid to visit the frozen food section. Almost all fish sold in U.S. grocery stores is frozen or thawed from frozen. There is no real difference in nutritional quality or taste.

“I’m Worried about Sustainability and Farmed Fish”

Fish isn’t exactly a local food. Unless you are lucky enough to live near a fish market, most likely you will be purchasing fish that came from overseas. In fact, the United States imports most of its seafood (about 90 percent). But, because all seafood sold in the U.S. is required to have country-of-origin labels (COOL), it is easy to find out where the fish came from.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee did a comprehensive evidence-based review on farmed versus wild-caught fish and found that farm-raised fish is comparable in nutrient quality to wild-caught, and that farm-raised finfish, such as salmon, are more sustainable than animals raised on land in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and land and water use.

If you are worried about the sustainability of seafood, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program has printable consumer guides for all 50 states — good for home and travel. The three categories — “Best Choices,” “Good Alternatives” and “What to Avoid” — make finding ocean-friendly seafood choices based on the season and region easy.

“I’m Concerned about Mercury, Particularly for Pregnant Women”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a draft revised recommendation for pregnant women, encouraging them to eat eight to 12 ounces of seafood per week, or two to three servings. The benefits of fish consumption far outweigh any risks for mercury contamination, particularly if the top fish sources of mercury (including tilefish, shark, swordfish and king mackerel) are avoided.

“I Don’t Know How to Prepare Seafood”

Findings from USDA research published in 2014 found that inexperience with cooking seafood, coupled with the cost, may be a huge barrier to seafood consumption. In fact, more than two-thirds of seafood in America is eaten outside the home.

Of course, there are plenty of places to find excellent recipes for seafood. For instance, the National Fisheries Institute’s website, AboutSeafood.com, allows users to search for recipes by fish type, cuisine, meal type or cooking technique.

Whatever your reason for not eating enough seafood in the past, make 2016 the year you meet your dietary goals.

My story with pizza is personal. After I graduated from college, I needed to find innovative ways to get more vegetables in my diet. I honestly didn’t know what to do with vegetables other than steaming them (which sounded boring) and making a salad (which, at the time, seemed like a large — and expensive — undertaking for just one person). So I thought, “Why not cook veggies on a pizza?”

Homemade pizza is so good, and can be good for you since you control the ingredients. And, what I love most is that pizza is easily customizable based on food preferences. Often I’ve made a single pizza for family dinner with quadrants devoted to different toppings: one kid likes pepperoni, the other prefers only cheese, I can have goat cheese on my section and my husband can have mozzarella. We all eat the same pizza, but we eat it the way we want it.

Making a good pizza is really easy and includes items you likely already have in your pantry or refrigerator. Truly inspired chefs may want to make their own dough or sauces, but I prefer to use store-bought dough and spaghetti sauce.

Here are my six tips for a perfect homemade pizza.

Start with Raw Dough

Fancy retailers have some great pizza dough options, but chances are you can also find it in the deli section of your local grocery store. Or, if you have a favorite neighborhood pizza place, ask if you can buy a ball of fresh dough directly from them.

Let the Dough Come to Room Temperature First

Cold dough is very elastic and will contract when you try to roll it out, meaning you’ll have to keep fighting the dough to stretch it out.

Use Any Sauce You Want … But Not Too Much

Too much sauce can make the dough soggy and drippy. Leave about a ¾-inch space from the edge to make a pizza parlor-style crust.

Sprinkle Toppings Evenly

And, pay more attention to the edges than the center. As the pizza cooks, the toppings will gravitate toward the center. The center also takes the longest to cook.

Oil the Crust

Lightly brush olive oil on the crust before baking. It gives the crust a really tasty crispness.

Use a Pizza Stone if You Have One

This is not required, but this kitchen item helps replicate the effect of a pizza oven. Keep the stone in the oven as it preheats, about 30 to 60 minutes before you place a pizza on it. That way, it’ll make the bottom crispy while the oven cooks the cheese and toppings. Remember, never wash your pizza stone with soap!

But not the kid of this registered dietitian.

In our house, we nudge our school-age child toward buying a hot school lunch. If you haven’t been to a school lunch cafeteria in a while, I urge you to visit your child at lunch — you might be surprised.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 required, for the first time in more than 15 years, that school lunch standards conform to the latest dietary guidelines. This meant using only whole-grain ingredients, serving more fresh fruits and vegetables, providing only low-fat or fat-free milk, reducing sodium and setting calorie limits, among other changes.

The foods served at my child’s school may look like normal kid fare, but they are made with better-for-you ingredients. Chicken nuggets and buns are made with whole grains, hot dogs are actually turkey dogs, and pizza is made with a whole-wheat crust and low-fat cheese. All vegetables served on the side (and every child must take a vegetable) are either fresh or reduced-sodium, if canned. Dessert is not served, except on special occasions.

Yes, not everything on her tray gets eaten and some food ends up in the trash. However, more often than not, on the days I pack her lunch, her lunchbox comes home with untouched food, too.

Another thing I like about having my child eat school lunch is that it allows positive peer pressure to work. If other kids at her table are eating the same thing and her “good” friend is gobbling up the pea-and-carrot cup with gusto, my daughter may be inspired to give it a try, too. Exposure and modeling are powerful teaching tools, especially when it comes to trying new foods. It works great at my son’s preschool, where kids and teachers eat the same lunches and snacks. They even have paella on the menu, which, apparently, my son now likes!

So parents, when you get tired of having your “broccoli tree” and “celery boat” lunch diorama return home untouched, rethink school lunch — with the knowledge that your darling will get a healthy meal … served lovingly by someone else.