Hi, I'm Heidi Billotto and I teach all of the cooking classes offeredthroughout the year at Reid's Fine Foods. Generally you'll see me cooking up a storm behind the wine bar at cooking classes on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons.

But for those who can't make a class or have lost your notes,you'll find me right here, ready to answer all of your cooking questions. Click Here to ASK HEIDI via email. Your questions will come directly to my personal email and I'll be  back in touch with an answer to your question right away. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for recent questions and answers.

Then, keep checking back to these pages as I will post all  of your questions and my answers  and will update the site with new recipes each week.

Here's our first ASK HEIDI question  from long time Reid's cooking class student Topsy Wallace -

What liquid is it you put fresh ginger in to preserve it?  Vinegar?  White wine?  What?  I can't remember what we did in class.    Thanks, Topsy

The liquid is dry vermouth. Just put the whole ginger root or pieces of ginger root  cut into chunks that fit your jar and then cover with dry vermouth. It keeps in the refrigerator like that – as long as the ginger root is completely covered – forever. When a recipe calls for fresh ginger root, just pull out a piece, cut off a quarter-inch slice, peel it and then mince or dice as directed. Placing the remainder of the piece back in the jar for later use.

If you have a recipe that calls for dry vermouth you can use the liquid ( which will be infused with the flavor of the fresh ginger) in the jar – as long as you add in more later to keep the gingerroot covered. Note: if there is not enough liquid in the jar to completely cover the root, the top of the ginger will start to mold. If this happens, you'll have to toss the whole thing and start again.

 Our next question is about making homemade vanilla...

I want to make bottles of homemade vanilla like the one you had in class to give to friends for the holidays. How do I do it and where can I buy the vanilla beans?