Emily Siner

And then, to no one's surprise, Tamara starts rattling off a list of options.

In other words, you can use tomatoes in just about anything that calls for tomato paste and vice versa.

And this is such an important cooking technique that it's takeaway three.

You can substitute similar ingredients for each other.

For example, in the case of Tamar's leftover burrata salad, she looked at the cheese and thought, this is a creamy dairy product.

It's a similar consistency to a thick yogurt or sour cream.

I can make a dressing with sour cream, so why don't I make it with the burrata?

Another example, courtesy of Margaret, is coleslaw.

It's usually made with carrots and cabbage.

Carrots are a root vegetable.

Cabbage is a hearty, leafy green.

You might end up with a dish that is totally different than what you expected, but equally delicious.

One of the many ingredients that tends to hide in the back of my crisper drawer, uneaten, is lettuce.

Because as soon as it wilts, I find it unappetizing.

And then I'm relieved when it turns brown enough to just throw away.

And then I wonder why I bought it in the first place.

So I bring this stumper to Margaret.

Lettuces that are getting a little suspect.

How do I know if it's good to eat?

And what do I do with it if it's wilty?