while others survive more by good luck than good judgment, and many simply haven't a clue.

For all of them, author Barbara Hill has the perfect answer: "The Cook's Book of Indispensable Ideas -- a kitchen sourcebook,'' which is now available at the Bermuda Library.

Its 236 pages are filled with the widest variety of lore -- making sense of seasonings and which ones to use in what dishes; foreign names for spices; what supplies are needed for parties, picnics and camping; party planning; flavour descriptions of liqueurs (e.g. Benedictine: herbs and citrus); choosing wines; vegetable planting and harvesting schedule; a wine pronunciation guide, and even how to help weight-losers.

Easy to understand, it makes fascinating reading and is hard to put down. Here are just a few examples of what this book contains: Use the washing machine as an oversize ice bucket to chill bottles. How? Fill the machine a quarter full with cold water. Add bottles to be chilled and then ice. To drain, when all bottles have been removed and ice is melted, put the setting on spin to empty.

Psychologists say we eat less if the food is served on grey, green, brown or light blue plates. Bright colours like red, yellow and orange tend to stimulate the appetite.

Use a waffle iron, opened fully, set at the lowest temperature and covered with several sheets of heavy-duty foil, for an improvised warming tray.

Wines: Generally, red is best with beef and other red meats, wild game and birds, entrees with spicy tomato-based sauces, pasta and cheese dishes. Rose and blush wines can be served with any food but are most compatible with more flavourful, light dishes (shrimp, oysters, lobster, fish, turkey, chicken dishes, curries), and are nice for picnics as well as appetiser wines.

Sparkling wines may be served with any kind of food, and are elegant additions to picnics. White wines are best with lightly flavoured entrees: fish, seafood, chicken, turkey, egg-based dishes, port and veal. Dessert wines are good with fruits, semi-sweet dry cookies, nuts and dessert cheeses.

To avoid soggy sandwiches: Make sure that butter, margarine, mayonnaise or peanut butter extends to the edges of the bread. Oils will insulate bread from the moisture of the sandwich filling. Wrap tomato slices, lettuce, and similar separately. Add just before eating.

Cut two pieces of waxed paper larger than bread slices. Put down first slice of bread, add spread, then piece of waxed paper, then filling, another waxed paper sheet, and finally the last bread slice. When ready to eat, pull out waxed paper sheets and cut slices.

Forget about freezing whole sandwiches. Instead, freeze components only in portion-sized containers, which will thaw quicker, and taste better.

Don't fertilise fresh herbs. Pungent flavours come from the concentration of oils in the plant leaves. If the plant has excess nutrition it will produce an abundance of leaves which won't be as flavourful as those from a plant whose leaves are on the sparse side.

Make ice cubes from leftover brewed tea of same strength as tea you use to make fresh iced tea. This way, as the cubes melt, they won't dilute your drink. Same applies for iced coffee.

To spice up bland ketchup, mix half and half with taco sauce.

Want a healthy plant from an avocado seed? Cut a very thin sliver with sharp knife from top and bottom. Plant, large end down, in soil to cover two-thirds of it. Put glass over top third to create humidity. Be patient while waiting for seed to split. When it does, cover with soil and let grow. At six inches high, cut off top two inches. This keeps plant from growing tall and spindly, and forces it to put out other branches. Ignore initial forlorn look, it will soon be beautiful! NEW ADDITION -- Barbara Hill's latest offering, "The Cook's Book Indispensable Ideas'' is now available at the Bermuda Library.