HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR READERS: Do you know the grades of beef? Is it worth paying more for the best quality? The United States Department of Agriculture (www.USDA.gov) has standards for meat grading.

The most common grades of beef are prime, choice and select. Let’s take a look at these:

■ Prime has lots of fat marbling for juiciness and flavor. Highend steakhouses usually serve prime. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for broiling, roasting and grilling.

■ Choice is high quality beef but has less marbling. Roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be tender and flavorful, but cuts from the rump, round or chuck will be most tender if braised.

m Select is still fairly tender, but could lack some of the flavor and juiciness because of less marbling.

Always read the label, visit the USDA website for more information, or check with your butcher to make sure you’re getting the quality grade of meat you desire.

DEAR HELOISE: I’d like to have a recipe for cream of mushroom soup that doesn’t contain as much salt as canned soup. Do you have one?

— Terry in New York

DEAR READER: Yes, I do. This generic cream soup recipe can be the base for any cream soup you make, including mushroom.

Cream Soup Base

1 cup nonfat dried milk powder

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon

powder

½ teaspoon dried basil,

crushed

½ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

¼ teaspoon black pepper Mix all of these ingredients together.

To make the soup base, add 2 cups cold water to the mix in a large saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat until thick. Then, add your main ingredient, such as butter, mushrooms, potatoes, broccoli or celery and cook for a few minutes longer. Salt can be added if desired. Soup is great for lunch or dinner, especially on chilly, fall days.

FYI: You can mix up the dry ingredients for the cream soup base in an airtight container to be used whenever you crave a nice, hot bowl of homemade soup.

DEAR HELOISE: An old teacher’s trick to remove permanent marker from a whiteboard is to carefully go over the permanent mark with a non-permanent marker, wiping immediately as you go over the stain. — Doug C, via email