Catherine asks: I found a few bugs in my just purchased bag of flour? Should I throw it out or can the bag be salvaged? Pastry Chef Steve Song: There is an old restaurant saying and I truly live by it: "If ever in doubt, throw it out!" First of all, I would be a good consumer and bring back the bag of flour to the supermarket where you bought it from and inform the store manager about the little beasties in your newly purchased bag. If you encountered unwanted bugs in your bag of flour, I am sure other people are facing the same dilemma. It is not uncommon to find unwanted bugs in your flour. It does happen. What probably happened is that the bugs got into the bags during the packaging process at the mill and began nesting. It is just a matter of time before the bugs start to hatch their eggs and multiply. Can you salvage the bag of flour? You can by sifting your flour to get rid of the annoying little creatures but why take a chance when more than likely the bugs have hatched their eggs and you will find more bugs in the future. I know that most of us hate to waste but in this case "If ever in doubt throw it out" is very applicable. You do not want your love ones to get sick from eating the bugs and unhatched eggs. In fact “If ever in doubt, throw it out" can be applied to all foods that seem a bit "funky." I hope this answered your question and happy baking! Steve Song is an accomplished pastry chef with 18 years of experience. He has worked at such acclaimed restaurants as Ultra Supper Club, Senses, Mildred Pierce, Oro, and Canoe in Toronto, as well as Restaurant Daniel, Mesa Grill, and La Cote Basque in New York. Do you have a question for our Pastry Chef? Ask below. Ask an Expert feature appears Wednesdays. Join the conversation on the foodnetwork.ca Community : share your baking advice in the forums Related: Ask a Pastry Chef: Can You Substitute Whole Wheat Flour for White Flour? Ask a Pastry Chef: Do You Really Need to Sift Your Dry Ingredients? Visit our Ask an Expert blog Naturopath vs. Dietitian: What Can I Eat to Combat Fatigue? Ask a Naturopath: What Are Essential Fatty Acids?

Julia asks: Can you substitute whole wheat flour when the recipe calls for white flour? If so, what is the ratio? Pastry Chef Steve Song: Whole wheat flour is nothing more than all purpose or white flour with added wheat bran. Yes, believe it or not, you can MAKE your own whole-wheat flour! It is a straight 1 to 1 ratio. For every cup of all-purpose flour, you add the same amount of wheat bran. But keep in mind because whole flour has different structure and taste, not all baked goods should be substituted for whole wheat flour. For example, from a professional point of view, if you are making delicate sponge or chiffon cakes, I would not recommend using whole wheat flour. However, less delicate baked items such as muffins, coffee cakes, biscuits,scones and breads are very whole wheat flour friendly. In the category of quick breads (ie. scones and biscuits), I like to use 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour. For breads, I like to use a 1 to 1 ratio for whole wheat to white flour. Also, because whole-wheat flour has less protein(gluten) you may want to add either gluten or bread flour which has a higher protein level to give your bread some lift and structure. Here are some very important things to keep in mind when using whole wheat flour: Whole wheat flour is more dense than white flour, so you should sift, or if you are too lazy to sift, quickly aerate your whole wheat flour with a whisk. If you are substituting whole wheat flour, you must increase your wet ingredients ever so slightly. Why you may ask? The bran in the whole wheat flour acts like a sponge, therefore absorbes more than the required moisture in your recipe. Lastly, avoid over mixing when you use whole-wheat all-purpose flour in baked goods such as cookies and muffins because the denser flour mixture will create unwanted gluten and make your baked goods tougher and chewier. I hope this answers your question and happy baking. Steve Song is an accomplished pastry chef with 18 years of experience. He has worked at such acclaimed restaurants as Ultra Supper Club, Senses, Mildred Pierce, Oro, and Canoe in Toronto, as well as Restaurant Daniel, Mesa Grill, and La Cote Basque in New York. Do you have a question for our Pastry Chef? Ask below. Ask an Expert feature appears Wednesdays. Join the conversation on the foodnetwork.ca Community : share your baking advice in the forums Related: Ask a Pastry Chef: Do You Really Need to Sift Your Dry Ingredients? Visit our Ask an Expert...

Here's the lovely Anna Olson in the Ask a Host spotlight. I met up with the host of Fresh with Anna Olson at an adorable little South American-influenced cafe, La Merceria, in Toronto. Over empanadas and coffee , we had a blast going through your questions . She really enjoyed answering them. This week's question comes from mammag who asked: I only used part of a can of sweetened condensed milk. Can I freeze the remainder? See Anna's answer below. If you have questions for any of our hosts, please post them below. Ask a Host is featured Tuesdays. Disclaimer: This page and all comments are maintained and moderated by Foodnetwork.ca. We encourage your comments and opinions; however, please note that questions directed to Anna Olson will not be responded to by the foodnetwork.ca team or Anna Olson. Please do not post personal information including email or home addresses and phone numbers. If you have questions relating to this feature, Food Network Canada or this website, please visit our Contact Us page. Related: Ask a Host with Anna Olson: What's Your Favourite Dessert? Ask a Host with Bob Blumer: Does the Type of Grape Matter When Cooking with Wine? Ask a Host with Bob Blumer: How Do You Store Your Herbs? Ask a Host with Bob Blumer: How Do You Like Your Eggs? Question of the Week: Do You Have Questions for Anna Olson?