DEAR DAME EVELYN , Thanks for your great column.

Microwave ovens are great for warming sake. However, almost all good sake should be consumed slightly chilled anyway. I also like whiskey and hot water, half and half, in the winter. The microwave is handy for that, particularly if you drop a clove or two in the water before you heat it. Always put the whisky in last, after the water has been heated.

My favorite use of the radar range is to cook corn on the cob. Leave it unshucked and undercook it. The cob will retain heat and continue to cook the corn after you take it out. Shuck under cold running water to keep from burning your hands. The cob will keep the corn warm despite the short run of cold water. Eat soon.

Lentils should be soaked if you intend on pureeing them after cooking.

Radar Ranger

Dearest,

Thank you for your kind and informative letter. Dame Evelyn is not, needless to say, much of a whiskey drinker – Sir Evelyn, God rest his soul, was quite another kettle of fish in that regard – nor has she extensive experience with sake, warm or chilled, but she does hope your tips will enrich the lives of others whose desires run in those directions.

I have never microwaved corn, but the method you describe does sound bulletproof. An added benefit of microwaving any vegetable is that, because no water is added beyond that contained in the vegetable itself, there is less loss of vitamins and other nutrients in the escaping steam. Hence (and of course I am whispering the following, in case small children are about), it is better for you. Also, a microwave starts to cook food almost instantaneously; there is no need to bring a pot of water to a boil or wait for steam to be generated.

And I have never soaked lentils, whether red, green, Beluga, or Puy. It has made no difference that I can tell in pureeing them. But if soaking helps at all, I favor it, and I don't see how it could do any harm.

Steamily,

E.G.-S.

Are you soaking in it?