Ask the Expert

Eggnog may be frozen for up to six months. For best results, freeze eggnog in a container with a little extra room (about 1/2-inch of space from the top) to allow for expansion during freezing. Frozen egg nog should be good for about 6 months, whether it is store bought or home made.

Homemade eggnog has a shorter shelf life than commercial in the refrigerator, however. It keeps well for only one day; commercially prepared eggnog, which is pasteurized, keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Recipe: Egg Nog

Most cookies freeze well. (Meringues do not). My colleague Carole Walter, a James Beard award winning baker, recommends layering cookies with sheets of wax paper in airtight containers. Wrap the container in foil and slide it into a plastic bag to make it even more airtight. The less air that gets in the package, the “fresher” the cookies will stay. Cookies can often retain their flavor and texture for up to 6 months.

Carole refreshes thawed cookies on a baking sheet in a 325F for anywhere from 5 minutes to 10, depending on the size and texture of the cookie.  

See Bake-and-Freeze Cookies for make-ahead cookie recipes.

Recipe: Frosted Sugar-'n'-Spice Cookies

Peel your potatoes up to two hours ahead and keep them submerged in cold water to retain their creamy white color. The potato flesh turns brown when exposed to air—but they are still just as safe—and tasty.

Can I make latkes (potato pancakes) for our Chanukah party in advance and freeze or refrigerate them?  

There is nothing quite like a latke right out of the frying pan. Having said that, unless you want to spend your entire party at the stove (with your shirt likely covered with little oil splatters), you’ll want to make at least some of the latkes in advance.

The closer you make them to serving time, the better they will be. The best do-ahead scenario is this:  shred the potatoes one day ahead and store them submerged in water in the refrigerator. Drain them really well and make the “batter” (combine the potato with flour, onion, etc) up to two hours before frying. Don’t worry if it discolors—the flavor and texture are not affected and the potatoes turn a lovely golden brown when you cook them, anyway. Fry the latkes an hour or two ahead, place them on baking sheets in a single layer, then re-heat them in the oven.

Frozen latkes, or those made a day ahead and refrigerated, will be heavier but still tasty. To freeze latkes, be sure they are completely cool; place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and cover with plastic wrap. Once frozen, the latkes may be transferred to a heavy-duty plastic freezer bag. Similarly, latkes should be refrigerated in a single layer. Latkes should always be re-heated and crisped in the oven in a single layer as well.

Recipe: Classic Potato Latkes

See our collection of Hanukkah recipes if you need more recipe ideas for the holiday.

I have an old family recipe that calls for suet.  What can I substitute?

Suet is a solid white animal fat with a high melting point that is used in old recipes for deep frying, certain pastries and—most relevant at this time of year—mincemeat and British Christmas pudding. In puddings, suet’s high melting point allows small air bubbles to form and stay stable, which results in a light texture.

You can use vegetable suet, which you can purchase on Amazon. You may also substitute vegetable shortening, which has a similar melting point: the flavor and texture of a pudding will not be quite the same, but it will be closer than with, say, butter.

For more holiday substitutions, see our Ingredient Substitutions chart.

As with food cooked any other way, cooked slow-cooker foods should not be left at room temperature any more than an absolute maximum of 2 hours.

For those of you hosting holiday get-togethers buffet style, bear this in mind. All food should be refrigerated after two hours.

There are three basic types of paprika, which happens to be one of the most consumed spices in the world. You can get sweet, spicy or smoked paprika. If a recipe doesn’t specify, chances are it is calling for “sweet” Hungarian paprika.

Smoked paprika, a Spanish ingredient, is a wonderful way to add deep smoky flavor to food, and spicy paprika, obviously, carries a kick.

Recipe: Chickpeas and Spinach with Smoky Paprika

Absolutely! The recommended time for freezing butter is 6 months. I’ve never been able to keep butter on hand that long, so I haven’t seen first hand what the result looks like. Roisin Hennerty, Vice President of Kerrygold, says that because home freezers are opened and closed so often, she recommends using your butter within three months.

For more information on storing foods in the freezer, see our Fill-Up-Your-Freezer Storage Guide.

Farro is an ancient wheat grain with a chewy texture and mellow nuttiness. Because it is a kind of wheat, it should not be served to anyone who has celiac disease or is gluten intolerant.

Contrary to popular belief, farro is not the same thing as spelt. Most of the farro we buy has been pearled or semi-pearled, which makes it faster and easier to cook. Pearled farro cooks in about 20-30 minutes; whole farro takes closer to an hour.

Recipe: Farro, Caramelized Onion, and Wild Mushroom Stuffing

Believe it or not, whole frozen turkeys should retain their quality for up to a year, so you’re good to go for your Thanksgiving Day feast.

If you need ideas for cooking that turkey, see our collection of Turkey Recipes.