we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday. it's the 24th day of october, 2012. nice view of the streets of manhattan and our corner on the world. our window on the world. 49th street and rockefeller plaza. nice people outside. a little dreary, a little drizzly, buthat's okay because we're warm and dry inside the studio kitchen upstairs where we have just learned how to make pumpkin pie from scratch courtesy of mark bittman. all it takes is three hours and 15 minutes. we showed you every step of the way. >> we have a three-hour show. >> and how we demolished the crust? when it comes down to it, these were great and the graham cracker crust is what makes it. >> just serve the crust and

these baked -- >> we're going to figure it out. >> the pie filling was good, too. >> new pumpkin pie. >> anyway, coming up, one of our most popular segments, "steals and deals," exclusive discounts for "today" viewers. >> from luxury watches, to handbags, something for everyone, some up to 80% off. >> jill martin with your bargains. money problems can cause a lot of stretch so just have some pie crust. in today's "money 911," men making some smart financial decisions from paying tuition to loaning a relative money. >> and in "today's kitchen," how to be a better cook. >> that has nothing to do with me, does it? >> you have a book "how to cook everything". >> and chris kimball is here and takes us to the kicking school all the time. just have to master some concepts. he's good people, that chris campbell. >> first, let's get a check of the top stories of the morning. natalie is downstairs at the news desk.

natalie. >> good morning to you guys, once again. good morning, everyone. on the home stretch of the campaign trail, both candidates are covering as much ground as possible. this is said to be the busiest single day of president obama's bid for re-election as he covers a marathon 5,300 miles today traveling from iowa, to colorado, to ohio. meantime today at cleveland state university, republican vice presidential nominee paul ryan set to urge low-wage voters that they are guaranteed better safety social nets with mitt romney and meanwhile mitt romney is distancing himself from a comment made by indiana senate hopeful richard mourdock who was asked about abortion if a pregnancy results from rape. he answered, quote, even if life begins in that horrible situation of rape that is something god intended to happen. romney's campaign said he disagrees with mourdock's comments, and they do not reflect his views. a preliminary investigation into the massachusetts company at the heart of that deadly

meningitis outbreak has found visible fungus, standing water and other cleanliness problems at that facility. the ongoing state investigation into the now shuttered company has governor devalue patrick tightening regulations statewide. a shocking arrest in the murder of a 12-year-old girl from southern new jersey. a pair of teenage brothers from autumn pasquale's neighborhood have been charged with her murder after a two-day search found her body stuffed in a recycling container. the boys' mother apparently alerted police about her own 15 and 17-year-olds saying a facebook posting by one of them concerned her. authorities say the younger boy lured autumn to his home to steal her bike before the two then killed her. her bike and other belongings were found in the boys' home. officials near a vandenberg

air force base after a shark killed a 39-year-old surfer. attacks are consistent with that of a great white shark. two years ago a 19-year-old surfer was attacked and killed by a great white at that same beach. kennedy cousin and convicted murderer michael skakel has his first parole hearing today. skakel was convicted ten years ago for the 1975 murder of his neighbor martha moxley when they were both teenagers. she was fatally beaten with a golf club. skakel is serving 20 years to life in a connecticut prison but could be released as early as april if parole officials approve it. ever wonder how to get your kids interested in classical music? cdza offers this video as a suggestion. have your kids mash up the classics to the lyrics of their favorite pop song. ♪ we could have had it all going in ♪ ♪ hey i just met you and this is crazy ♪

♪ so call me maybe >> cute. beethoven meets "rolling in the deep" and another overture meets "call me maybe." the '90s sitcom "full house" proves to be a mousse for tom hanks. last night he performed a very avant garde slam poet about the classic show. >> uncle jesse, whose hair is never messy, watch the hair, huh. d.j. tanner, oh, mylanta. stephanie, how rude. little michelle, you got it, dude. >> multi-talented hanks also jammed out on a guy tar, and he talked about how he wishes he could rock out with bruce springsteen. i'm sure he will get that chance. it's five minutes past the hour right now. back over to al with another check of the weather. multi-talented. i'm sure bruce would like to have him. >> and he's rocking the mustache, too. >> i like it on him. >> thanks so much, natalie. let's see what we've got.

this is the latest right now on sandy, tropical storm sandy. 95 miles south of kingston, james camp 75-mile-per-hour winds. it's moving north at 14. right now as you take a look, this is the latest on the hurricane warnings from jamaica into eastern cuba, port-au-prince. we've also got hurricane warnings to the central bahamas. also looking at tropical storm watches for much of the florida keys on to the jupiter inlet, so, again, florida may be feeling some of its effects. can you see the track of the storm. basically brings it across jamaica later today as a category 1 storm. still a category 1 as it moves over eastern cuba and then friday it's into the bahamas. the central bahamas. now here's where it gets very interesting. the paths may diverge. these are two different models we talk about, the american mod nell blue and then i should say the american model in yellow and the european model in green, and that comes up the coast and then into the northeast late monday into early tuesday. so one of the two models of

paths, which one will it take? have to keep an eye on this. could be potentially a dangerous situation as we get into the weekend and the early par >> time now for today's "take 3" where three of us give our take on the three stories catching our attention and yours and adding his take today, willie geist, who was very interested in your forecast when you start talking about american and european models.

>> those are weather terms. >> oh. >> not really models. >> you said they smoke too much. i prefer the american models. >> we've missed you. >> oh, boy. >> well, okay. our take one, halloween goes gangnam. remember this last year, the party rock anthem house, shut down because of noise. ♪ always rocking to the house tonight ♪ >> too much, do you think? >> some of it. okay. they said, okay, we're going to start from scratch. this year in leesberg, virginia, 8,500 bubbles to go "gangnam style." check it out. ♪ ♪ oppa, gangnam style >> nice, nice, i like that effect. >> the designer will join us by

phone. brandon, thanks for joining us. so, okay, last year, "party rock." this year, why did you like "gangnam style"? >> "gangnam style" was actually an after thought for my show this year. i was on an lor forum, and someone posted the lyrics to the sequence to it, and i kind of took it from there and had a little fun with it. >> it's a real advance in the again receipt. you've got the lights lip synching there in korea. >> i took a sequence that was done that i obtained and we worked a little bit with it to make it a little bit more in our preference and add the -- >> i love the little window chorus. >> the backup singers. >> last year that house was shut down, so are you worried at all, and what are you doing to make sure the neighbors are okay? >> of course i'm a little bit worried. my neighbors are really great people, and they have been really supportive. where i'm friends with kevin

judd, the -- in riverside, and he reached out to me a little bit and we've had a little conversation so hopefully we can avoid what happened last year. >> he's the guy who started the "party rock" anthem house. >> what's your electric bill? >> probably spend less on the electric bill than we do on candy. >> wow. >> okay. >> great. >> i want to come to your house. >> you better hand out cannedy if you're going to do that to the neighbors. >> congratulations, brandon. >> happy halloween. >> we're impressed. take two, cheap dates. new dating trend, 26 people of people say they have used a coupon on the first date. nearly three-quarters say using a coupon would not turn them from the date. 26% would walk out on a date. why would someone walk out on a date. >> groupon, all these things have made it great for people to be able to go out to some of the high-end restaurants and be able to take advantage. >> it's great. >> what do you think about that? >> a coupon is not what it used to be. not opening up the wallet and taking out the clip from the personal shopper that your

grandmother used to take out, on your iphone, like using a gift card for dinner. by the way, ladies, taking you to a nice restaurant because now he can afford? >> or maybe she's concerned. >> the only time you're concerned when they are taking us to happy hour and there's dinner, honey. >> sounds like somebody is speaking from experience. >> you know. >> hey, joe, you'll have to step up your game, my brother. >> never, never. >> we did a poll on our website and 83% of our viewers said they would never walk out just because someone used a coupon. good for you, viewers. >> do you think they are just saying that to the pollsters. >> what it became like an every time thing, then you'd be like okay. >> unless you're into that. some people find that sexy. >> absolutely. >> can't get enough of ryan gosling so how about this. got some video in our take three of a 12-year-old equally as adorable, a young ryan gosling interviewed on the show "canada aime" and they were able to bring out this footage, apparently, as they were

celebrating their 40th anniversary. >> is that macauley culkin? >> it does look like macauley culkin. >> you had to go through three sort of days of audition and the workout, what was that like? >> that was so neat. the people of disney are so incredibly amazing. they are so nice. they treated us -- >> he had just been, as you're hearing there, just been made a cast member of the disney's mickey mouse club. we know what happened to ryan and his incredible career. but what happened to that -- whatever happened to the reporter who actually is talia asourias and joining us on skype. >> hi, good morning. good to see you. >> do you remember the interview with ryan gosling back then? >> no. >> didn't even remember how big he was going to be. >> hate to tell you, i have absolutely very little recollection. hi to watch it yesterday. i've been traveling, and i was just surprised. love the hair, don't you think? >> oh, yeah. >> isn't he adorable.

>> your hair was looking pretty good, too. you went on to have a really great career of your own. >> well, i moved to the united states. let me tell you something though. ryan gosling is from my hometown of london, ontario, so we both moved to the united states, and i have been a broadcaster with abc and cbs, the networks, and you and all three of us have crossed paths many, many times, lived in new york, so we were competitors. oops. >> that's right. >> i remember. >> but now we're friends. so good to see you. >> great, great stuff. >> great to see you. >> he may have interviewed with talia, but he lifted me up. >> yes, he did. >> that's true. >> famously. >> i wasn't here that day. >> i was about to say natalie, that's the worst thing that happened. natalie missed that day of work. i knew you were going to bring that up. loves her some ryan gosling. >> yeah, he's dreamy. >> he is. >> goesling, by the way, is he the coolest guy going right now, him or clooney? >> i -- i'd go clooney. she would go ryan gosling.

>> unless george is going to pick me up. >> i think a movie with ryan gosling and george clooney. >> and maybe a little felix baumgartner. we were talking, he has like a little -- >> ladies were taken by the daredevil. >> they are telling us we've got to go. >> we could keep talking all day. >> all right, willie, thanks. >> see you. >> up next, exclusive steals and deals more than 80% off. that's right after this. i got this snapshot thing from progressive, plugged it into my car, and got a discount just for being the good driver i've always been. i'm just out here, snap-shooting it forward. you don't want to have to pay for other people's bad driving, do you? no. with progressive snapshot, you don't have to. i'm going to snap it right now. bam, there it is. goes underneath your dash. keep safe, and keep saving. you know, i won't always be around to save you money. that's why you should get snapshot from progressive. all right, dude! thanks! to the safe go the savings. ...and now...

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time for jill's "steals and deals," from perfume to watches at deeply discounted prices. today for you, "us weekly" contributor jill martin is here with all the bargains. you found some great things for us again. if you haven't done this yet, people, here's how to do it. >> today is a great one. you agreed, too. >> amazing. >> for 24 hours you will get these deals. we'll link you to the retailers' websites but we've been selling out in seconds. so if you want something, go on right now. >> hopefully at a computer right now, great shawls from april marin. tell me about them. >> april marin shawls, the retail is $89. you see how versatile these are. one size fits all. throw them over a jacket or dress. great colors for fall and a great holiday gift. i can't even believe we're talking holiday yet.

>> great features. >> comes in six colors. the retail 89. retail $26. that's 70% off. >> super soft. great for travel, too, by the way. okay, next. book sets from random house. these are great books. i think third, fourth grade levels. my son is reading the magic treehouse set, "junie b. jones." >> always do well, retail 13-139. a special collection featuring some of their most beloved characters and stories for kids. let me go over the three sets. the first set is the first 28 adventures from the magic treehouse which i know everyone is a big fan of. the second collection, everyone's favorite kindergartner, junie b. jones and the third collection cat in the hat retail. the deal is 39 for each of the sets. up to 72% off. >> that's great. teachers really love these series, by the way. over here, perfumeys and

basically perfume stick sets, as i understand, right? >> retails. travel on the go, all natural ingredients. it comes in this little kit so it's a great actual gift so it arrives like that. five solid pocket perfume sets. five different sets. the retail is $30. the deal is $9. >> fantastic. >> a great gift or load up on stocking stuffers, different great scents. >> now to these gorgeous watches from sterling. take a look at them all different kinds of models and colors. something for everyone here. retail 445 to 525. this is an investment. the choice of seven men's and women's watch styles in a variety of colors, and you see all the different bands. stainless steel changes, crystals on the face, corc and boss leather bands. sold at fine retailers. the company's best-sellers, and they come in this beautiful box

so another amazing gift. retails 445-525. >> here's the deal. this is a real steal. 69.99. that's up to 87% off. >> that's amazing. >> so for any of these 69.99. >> that's a great gift. >> this is also a huge one for us because everybody loves, especially if you travel a lot, these tote bags from brics. >> the retail 125. so excited to get these. this is such a big brand. the three-way shopper converts to a cross-body bag, a shoulder bag and then you see here it has a removable pocket. >> that's great. >> i like to sometimes carry something around, especially when you're travel. lightweight nilon and comes in black, olive and navy blue. the retail 125. the deal 43.75. that's 65% off. >> fantastic for traveling. as i said, jill martin, as always. great stuff for your "steals and deals." let's just again review what the products, are the shawls from

april marin, the random house book sets, the perfume stick sets from perfumies, sterling watches and finally the handbags from brics. any questions about these products or past orders go, to our website today.com/stealsanddeals. coming up, answering your family questions about money. first, these messages. ve said ♪ ♪ 'cause at the pump it's miles ahead ♪ ♪ let's hum, hum, hum, hum ♪ let's hum ♪ a prius for everyone ♪ the perfect match, electric and gas ♪ ♪ mile after mile its tank could last ♪ ♪ we made three more for all to use ♪ ♪ big, small, and plug in, it's yours to choose ♪ ♪ and let's hum, hum, hum, hum, let's hum ♪ ♪ a prius for everyone ♪ and let's hum, hum, hum, hum, let's hum ♪ you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains.

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>> good morning, everyone. it is going to be another mild day. average high temperature of the time of year is 64 and it will make it into the upper 70's this afternoon. just a 20 percent chance you will see a passing shower. it will be dry but a little cooler the next few days. high temperatures near 70 near thursday and friday and into the 60's on saturday.

>> that is adam lavigne of maroon 5, one of the hottest rock acts of the decade and tomorrow they will bring their swagger to studio 1a for a live performance. then friday on "today," we're turning the plaza into a dance party when five finalists from our show us your moves contest boogie on down. >> this little girl is amazing right here, and mr. break dancer. we've narrowed it down to five finalists. a panel of celebrity judges to join in all the fun. that's friday here on "today." looking forward to that. i'm natalie morales along with

al roker and savannah guthrie as well. >> got something that's not so much fun, money problems, especially when it involves other family members that. can make it a little more complicated and emotional so our money 911 team has advice to make your money matters work. >> all right. and then we'll take a turn and talk about halloween decor, that time of year and to help you set the spooky move treats from the bar to the living room. many of these items can be used all year round. we like the sound of that, and then in today's kitchen, myths and facts about cooking so your recipes will turn out perfectly every time. maybe i'll just lead that segment. >> don't even need chris kimball. >> you've graduated. >> now let's turn it over to al for a check of the weather. >> starting with today, beautiful day in the new england area. plenty of sunshine through the gulf coast. risk of strong storms in the upper mississippi river valley, showers along the pacific northwest coast with windy conditions and mountain west

snows there. tomorrow more rain from the central great lakes all the way down to the lower mississippi. look for plenty of sunshine in the southwest, east coast looking pretty good. a few clouds hanging around in the northeast, and then more rain and thunderstorms moving into southern florida. that's what's going on around >> overall a pretty nice day today. a 20% chance for a brief rain shower. most of you will love the >> that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. halloween is just a week from today which means it's time for unicef's trick-or-treat campaign and carol stern is the president and ceo of the u.s. fund for unicef, and deana kay is the

daughter of unicef's first goodwill ambassador danny kay. good to have you here. thanks for coming back. this is obviously something so meaningful to your father danny kay, who as we mentioned was the first goodwill ambassador for 25 years, and also a multi-performer on so many levels. what did it mean to him? >> you know, today, thanks to "today," we're launching a year long centennial celebration. it's not just about the artist who was successful on screen, on radio and television, but the centennial is really about his humanitarian efforts that meant the world to him. he would walk a mile for a kid, and as his daughter i'm just fiercely proud and inspired by his world outreach for children. it wasn't just figurative because he would go under their world instinctively and laugh and play and roll on the floor and rub noses, and so danny kay's legacy is an entertainer who had a responsibility but, he was my father, but he was the father to the world's children. >> and the world's children

responded and the trick-or-treat for unicef is such a tradition now, carol. >> it's great. it's the original kids helping kids campaign. it's a chance as a mom to get my own kids to understand that they can give back and obviously on behalf of unicef to actually see those dollars go to the causes they are supposed to. >> and very quickly, caryl, you have a new unicef ambassador. >> a number of different unicef ambassadors at the moment, and for me danny's the ultimate ambassador. that's what brought me to unicef as a child. he got me to trick-or-treat, so it's pretty exciting. >> encourage kids to do it and get involved. thank you so much. nice to have you both here. coming up next, we'll have some answers to your money questions right after this. at jennie-o we think some things are worth getting up early for like a better breakfast so on august eighth we woke up a sleepy town to show that eating well can be easy and delicious with jennie-o turkey bacon and sausage cooked thoroughly to 165 definitely very good

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good morning. on "today's money 911," finances and family. money issues are tough enough, but then throw in relatives, and, boy, that could be a big problem. here with great advice is jean chats key, and shapperson, and courtney reagan. >> nice to be here. >> we've got a call in from lee who is calling in from texas. lee, good morning, and what's your question? >> hi, good morning. my question is we recently moved out of state for work and would like to complete a short sale of our home. however, our banker decided that in order to proceed with the short sale they would require $22,000 from us and an increase of 20% in the purchase price from the buyer. my husband's decided he would rather let the bank foreclose than hand over money to be

allowed to set house, but my parents are upset and think we're ruining our live. they are worried the bank will come after us, take our cars and take our savings and garnish our wages. our lawyer is not advising us what to do and i'm on the fence and worried about our future so who is right? >> wow. jean, parents, spouses. short sale, foreclosure. >> wow. let's break it down here and let's talk about the money and then let's talk about the family. as far as the finances go a short sale is just as bad for your credit as a foreclosure is and that's something you and your husband both need to understand. i would go back and see if i could get an additional appraisal on the house to try to get the values up and get the bank to work with me. your parents are wrong about taking your cars. they would have to see you and win in order to garnish your wages. what i want you and your husband to do, this is how i want you to handle your parents, go find a certified housing counsellor. get one through the nfcc at

debtadvice.org. you two sit down and get on the same page and you go together and you tell your parents what you're going to do because this is you and your marriage, and i know you love your parents but this is your life. you're a grownup and they need to move aside. >> good luck. i know that's a tough situation. thanks for sharing it. >> thanks. >> let's go back to another viewer on the call. we've got from west virginia. hi, victoria. >> caller: good morning. >> hi. what's your question? >> caller: my mother is 85 years old, and four years ago she inherited approximately $90,000, and she is a hoarder, and now she's gone through all of her money, and she expects me to loan her more money to repair her car. >> oh, okay. >> it's about $1,000 and she's borrowed from me before and not repaid the loan. >> okay. which wasn't a loan as it turns out, it was a gift. >> it was a gift. >> she's in a very tough spot. of course, victoria, you do not want your mother to be

destitute. you want to help your mer and you don't want to be in financial ruin yourself. this is the key point. sounds like you have a tough time talking to your mom. bring in a third party. get an impartial credit counsellor to help you and help your mom figure out what her spending is. how did she blow through that amount of money in that period of time? >> should she lend her any more? >> make sure if she gives her any money that it is on the condition that she meets with this housing counsellor because this is going to be a gift to your mother. this is not going to be a loan if you give her any money, and the real gift that she needs is to get back on track, and you need to help her do that. >> victoria, thank you so much. good luck. we got an e-mail. it says my son was born we brought one semester of a pre-paid tuition program. we have since learned it is not guaranteed by the state. should we take the money out and put it in his 529 account? with the cost of tuition, it could be a huge savings if the plan was fully funded but we don't want to lose any money. >> she's reich.

nothing is guaranteed, unfortunately. it's only as -- the guarantee is only as strong as the institution that's backing this which in this case is more than likely a state or an educational institution. they work a little different with pre-paid tuition. you are pre-paying tuition, putting that money aside at today's rates for an in-state public education. however, that 529 savings plan, you are investing that money in the stock market. are you choosing different funds that are available. so there are different risks there. we know that's not guaranteed either. thinking about the switch, number one, look at any penalties or costs associated with that switch or rollover, and then you want to look at your risk profile. those pre-paid plans could be a little better for the conservative saver here while the 529 could be better if you're willing to take on more risk. you'll also get more flexibility and control and the potential for a higher return. >> all right. jean chatzky, sharon epperson, courtney reagan, thanks so much. >> just ahead, decorating ideas for your halloween entertaining right after these messages. oh the kids would love this hot wheels wall tracks

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this morning on "today celebrates halloween," spooktacular decker, for the home or for trick-or-treaters we

have some terrific ideas. good morning. >> good morning, natalie. >> hearing that scary music. >> i know. like to decorate but it can be really expensive. you have items you can kind of use the year round, right? >> absolutely. >> a lot of them you really can. you guys as obsessed with halloween as you are. >> yes, we are. >> good decorating and entertaining. setting the mood, candlelight, spooky and flattering. >> right. >> so were got these great skull candles. >> still in. >> they are back. >> so skull-obsessed people, haul out the skulls. they start at $40 for a set of the miniature skulls, and they look so fantastic when you light them and they melt down. >> okay. if skulls aren't your thing, why not glamorous candelabras. >> this one is battery operated. >> from a from grandin road, sort of "familiar tom of the opera." this you can use really year round, $0 and try different

colored tapered candles. >> black and white scene, that's gorgeous. face masks, always festive as well. >> you know. try using masks as decor. you know, we love these venetan masks and normally so expensive so you don't have to just wear them. found them at party oasis starting at just $8. these are very glamorous. as a center piece or on a door or wall. >> speaking about on a door. >> good great wreaths here and one of them is the dui project. >> wreaths aren't just for christmas. also love this mini pumpkin wreath from williams sonoma. you put it up at halloween. leave it up past thanksgiving. >> okay. >> and then -- >> this one on the door, which i love, the black feathers. >> a huge trend in home decor and fashion so these are from crafts feather floral and $38 so they are super light. >> very elegant looking. >> and i like the whole black-and-white theme including the crows. >> another huge trend in

halloween decor starting at 2.99. they have little wire on the feet. >> you can position them wherever you want. >> can go anywhere. >> tell me about the funkins, right? >> we are obsessed with these, sort of a secret of stylists, a and these are artificial pumpkins. >> look so real. >> but you car ef-them still. >> carvable, no mess and use them again year after year and they start at $18 and pop in a battery candle. >> can't roast those pumpkin seeds. setting our little table here. great drinks. >> raising the bar. this is a great skeleton hand drink dispenser from pottery barn, starts at $69. a great way to encourage people to serve themselves, and these fun drank labels from martha stewart, $9. >> okay. >> eye of newt, brains. >> really great. >> perfect on any wine bottle. >> and the frankenstein, iconic black and white love it, $5, so that's an easy way to decorate.

>> and great for your kids to get involved and get in the spirit. >> haunted house gingerbread kit. it comes pre-baked from chasing fire flies, $30 and a great crafternoon idea. >> kathy post, great ideas. >> coming up next, how to be a better home chef, but first this is "today" on nbc. stephanie rawlings-blake: voting for question seven is an...

incredible opportunity for baltimore. jim smith: question seven will bring table games like... blackjack and poker to baltimore. stephanie rawlings-blake: you're talking about 500 new jobs. ken ulman: and increased tourism will mean more business...

for maryland's small businesses. jim smith: and instead of marylanders spending... five hundred and fifty million in other states... ken ulman: question seven will keep that money right here. stephanie rawlings-blake: more jobs, millions for schools. jim smith: i'm voting for question seven. ken ulman: i'm voting for question seven. stephanie rawlings-blake: and i'm voting for question seven. >> this morning in today's kitchen" step by step, busting some common myths. we've created 400 recipes guaranteed to satisfy all in the new book "cook's illustrated, the science of good cooking." the founder and publisher joins me. the science of good cooking. >> the first book was "the science of bad cooking." >> more people probably want the good cooking. so the hotter the oil, the better the frying. >> that's the myth, and actually it turns out you can starve

french fries and get less greasy french fries in cold oil. put them in and put the heat on high. in 25 minutes you get really crispy fries. the reason is the oil doesn't go into the fry until some of the moisture comes out. less moisture comes out this way and the two-step method of frying fries, when they sit for twice, the oil gets into the fry. this way they only sit once. >> recipes it's always fry them try. >> fry them once, it's gentle and they end up with less oil. >> it's a gentle fry. >> it's a gentle fry. >> now in baking, they say never bake with cold eggs. >> going to mick a yellow cake, one that uses whole eggs, baking powder and baking soda, done with cold eggs and this done with arm eggs, absolutely no difference. >> what's the difference? >> this is -- turn it this way. >> yeah. >> that one's a little bigger than that one. >> no difference. >> angel food cake, chiffon cake, egg white cakes, yes, but not whole egg cakes.

>> are some potatoes better in cooking than others depending on what you're cooking. >> the russet, the basic baked potato, mashed potato, high in starch, about 23%, and that means it will be a little denser when it goes down. this red potato, new potato, 16% less starch and that's actually going to float. >> oh, okay. >> i was worried. >> which is better for which? >> well, it turns out that that's not the only issue. the other issue is what kind of starch? this has more of amylose which means when you cook it? >> it turns blue. >> it turns blue, yes, that's exactly right. you're a quick study, sir. you can see that the blue gets in more. do mashed potatoes, you absorb liquid like butter or milk or cream. mashed potatoes, do a russet, potato salad where you don't want to use so much, use that. >> the old myth is you should be able to throw a steak cold into the frying pan. >> here's the problem. when you heat up a fan. heat up a pan, a little oil, first starts to smoke.

can you see this is kind of wet and when you put it in, okay, going to take a long time for this to get up to 300 degrees because of the water. you don't get the browning. this one was put in when it was nice and dry, and you get the browning this. will steam, this will brown. >> we want that. >> and then finally, brownies. >> finally, they always say in recipes when you're making brownies, stir until streaks of flour are left in, so if you overstir it, you really stir it because you don't want to see the streaks of flour, you get a very caky brownie, okay, it gets overdone. less chocolatey because you're developing gluten. you do it this way it's much moister. >> really. >> willant, wow. >> kathie lee and hoda coming up after your local news and weather. teacher: this is west virginia, pennsylvania, delaware.

and this is maryland. every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty million gaming at casinos in these other states. question seven will build a new casino and bring table games to baltimore... generating hundreds of millions for schools. and that money has to go to education. it's the law. so vote for question seven. so we can stop spending

all that money here, and keep maryland money in classrooms like mine.