Reader's Digest 12.01 2022

How To

meaning that your clothes will be your clothes than a full cycle, helping
in warm water for only eight or so them last longer. After all, most of us
minutes—just long enough to get are not cleaning sewers, mining coal,
them clean but never so long as to do or having paintball fights. We’re just
them harm. living our lives and getting the odd bit
of mustard on our shirts now and then
NEW RULE #4: Wash everything (or every day, in my case). The express
wash delivers great results—and saves
on the express cycle. you lots of time and water.

Running for a total of roughly 28 min- NEW RULE #5: Skip the bleach.
utes, depending on your machine, the
express cycle (sometimes called the What if I told you that chlorine bleach
fast, quick, or super-speed cycle) takes is actually causing your whites to yel-
your clothes through an eight-minute low? Well, it’s true.
wash and an eight-minute rinse (plus
the rest and the spin)—plenty of time When you buy amazingly white tex-
to get your clothes clean. tiles, it’s because they’ve been treated
with optic white dye. So when you
This short cycle is much kinder to

Rd.com 99



How To Reader’s Digest

Ummi KalsUm Hassian/eyeem/Getty imaGes wash them with bleach, you’re actually mosquitoes. The first time you use
bleaching away that dye, turning the fabric softener on a load of clothes,
cotton back to its original ecru color. you’re coating your textiles with sili-
cone and cutting their absorbency by
So how do you keep your whites up to 80 percent. That means, for ex-
white? Wash them with a gentle soap ample, that your towels will no longer
and a tablespoon of chlorine-free do what they were made to do—soak
oxygen bleach, also known as sodium up water.
percarbonate. One caveat: Don’t use
it for washing silks or woolens. NEW RULE #8: Play ball!

NEW RULE #6: Try to line dry, When I dry my T-shirts, socks, under-
wear, sheets, and towels in the dryer,
at least sometimes. I toss in at least three wool dryer balls,
which reduce drying time by up to
One of my fondest childhood memo- 40 percent. If I’m feeling extra fancy, I
ries is keeping Granny Dude company add a couple of drops of essential oil
as she hung up laundry in the bright to the balls to scent my laundry. Along
sunshine. It was my duty to hand her with the sunshine and fresh air, scent-
laundry pins as she pinned up the ing my sheets with cool peppermint
wash to dry. I loved helping her, al- helps make my summer nights extra
though I’m guessing that my presence restful. Peppermint also clears the
underfoot actually made the chore head, so that I’m not dwelling on any
last a bit longer. worries from my day. In the winter, I
use lavender for relaxation or allspice
Late in the afternoon, we’d return for comfort.
to the backyard. Granny Dude would
fold each piece and drop it into the If I’m drying towels, I also toss in
basket. I remember her enjoying the bumpy dryer balls, which plump up
process, maybe the meditative quality the terry cloth. For down bedding,
of it, and so did I. I toss in at least three tennis balls,
which are the best for fluffing. Fi-
You might not have time to hang up nally, I place a tightly rolled ball of
every load of your wash. But you may aluminum foil (roughly the size of a
want to consider line-drying some of baseball) in every dryer load to dis-
your things as a goal to shoot for. It’ll charge any static from my laundry. It
save energy and your clothes, plus should last about 60 loads, getting in-
they’ll smell like sunshine. creasingly smaller with each. Once it
shrinks to the size of a golf ball, toss it
NEW RULE #7: Skip the fabric into your recycling container and start
over with a new ball of foil.
softeners.

I hate fabric softeners and dryer
sheets, and you should too. In fact,
I hate them more than squirrels and

Rd.com | dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 101



How To Reader’s Digest

MehMet hilMi Barcin/Getty iMaGes NEW RULE #9: Keep your blue on by many professional costum-
ers and hockey parents everywhere:
jeans blue. Simply pour some cheap vodka into
a spray bottle and spritz on the article
Mix a tablespoon of good old- in question. The vodka kills any bac-
fashioned bluing in a basin of warm teria and removes all scents; it also
water, and then let your jeans soak works on carpets for pet smells.
overnight. The denim will drink up
the bluing and presto! You’ve just sal- Or simply place clothes on hangers
vaged your jeans. Not blue enough and then hang them outside for an
yet? Just repeat the process, little by airing out.
little, until your jeans are just the way
you like them. New rule #11: Wash everything

How can you maintain that deep, in one day.
gorgeous blue? Here’s a simple how-
to: Add a quarter cup of salt to a sink I strongly encourage washing and dry-
or large bowl filled with hot water. ing all your household’s laundry in
Then place your jeans in it and leave a single day. Doing so means that all
overnight. The next day, wash and dry of your textiles, including your entire
as normal, and your denim should wardrobe, are ready to use. Having ac-
permanently hold its color. Easy! cess to all your garments allows you
to own fewer things and it better en-
NEW RULE #10: Do less laundry. ables you to keep track of the items
you own—perhaps helping you resist
Now doesn’t that sound like a treat? the itch to buy things you don’t really
I told you I was going to help you need. Finally, establishing a single
save time (and money and water and laundry day means that you don’t need
soap...). The truth is we launder our to think about laundry the rest of the
clothes far too much, often after a sin- week, and that is a gift to yourself. RD
gle wear, with not even the tiniest dot
of dirt on them. Instead, when your excerpted froM the Book laundry love By patric
clothes smell like smoke, french fries, richardson with karin B. Miller, copyriGht © 2021
or something else a bit off, you can patric richardson and karin B. Miller. reprinted
use one of my favorite tricks—relied with perMission of flatiron Books, a division of
MacMillan.

Must Be This Tall to Ride

If the helicopter pilot asks if you like roller coasters, maybe think
about why he’d ask that before you gleefully exclaim yes.
I know this now.

@archetypeanGel

Rd.com | dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 103

DRAMA IN REAL LIFE

30 MINUTES
LEFT TO
BREATHE

Caught in a massive avalanche and buried alive
under a blanket of snow, Ken Scott knew death
was just a matter of time

By Robert Kiener

104 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

Reader’s Digest

illustrations by Mark Smith Rd.com 105

Ken Scott kicked off the

covers and leapt out of bed at his
home in the Rocky Mountain town
of Mullan, Idaho. It was 6 a.m. on

January 7, 2020, and he was on a mission: He’d just
heard on the radio that the nearby Silver Mountain
Resort had been blessed with nearly a foot and a half
of new snow. A self-confessed ski addict who’d worked
in the industry for the past 30 years as a ski patroller
and equipment salesperson, he didn’t want to miss
this big dump of fresh powder. These conditions are
what skiers live for—even veterans like Scott, who,
at 55, still skied 100 days a year. His wife, Ruth Scott,
also loved hitting the slopes, but today she had other
plans, so he ventured off alone.

106 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

Drama in Real Life Reader’s Digest

From LeFt: rebecca HurLen-Patano, courtesy ken scott. courtesy rebecca HurLen-Patano  When Scott reached Silver Moun- Hurlen-Patano recognized other
tain’s locker room, he bumped into Silver Mountain regulars also head-
his friend Rebecca Hurlen-Patano, ing for the run. They waved to War-
58, a former ski instructor who had ren Kays, 67, Bill Fuzak, 62, and Carl
also been a regular on these slopes Humphreys, 58. Everyone was excited
for more than two decades. to be the first this season to ski the
steep, powder-rich run.
“Can you believe it?” she said as
they changed into their boots. “Six- When they reached the slope’s
teen inches! Are you ready?” crest, Hurlen-Patano excitedly
looked back at Scott. The huge,
As if she had to ask. toothy grin on his bearded face was
For the next hour the pair skied all the incentive she needed. She
on various runs under a lightly over-
cast sky, making fresh pointed her skis downhill and took off.
tracks. They were both Almost immediately, the snow
in a playful mood, ban-
tering as they tackled beneath her gave way. In a milli-
the steep runs. Once, second, she realized what was hap-
while heading up in the pening. “Avalanche!” she yelled to
lift, they noticed that Scott, who was not far behind.
the 6,200-foot Wardner
Peak, home to the chal- He responded, fear in his voice,
lenging expert-level trail “This is happening!”
named 16-to-1, was now
open. It had been closed Instantly, both were hit by heavy
all season over concerns slabs of snow that would pummel
that skiers might cause and carry them some 500 feet down
an avalanche. But that the mountain. Hurlen-Patano felt it
morning, patrols had set off 13 explo-
sive charges on the peak to clear loose
snow from its upper slopes, reducing
the chance of a snowslide.
“What do you think?” asked
Hurlen-Patano.
“Let’s go for it!” Scott replied.

T here’s no direct chairlift to
16-to-1, so skiers reached it by
traversing through deep snow
and trees. Along the way, Scott and

Rd.com 107

Reader’s Digest Drama in Real Life

enclose her, moving quickly up her Wardner Peak features steep runs,
back and over her shoulders, then including the expert course that was
heavy against her neck. Snow filled struck by two avalanches that day.
the space in front of her and piled up
around her thighs. She was engulfed. 10 feet away. She also called to fellow
skiers Fuzak and Kays. They were far-
Scott, too, was swept downhill when ther down the slope, partially buried,
his feet were ripped out from under but were able to respond to her. She
him. He remembered the avalanche had no idea where Humphreys was.
survival lessons he’d learned while
working ski patrol: Keep your head up. Scott couldn’t move much un-
Try to swim. Stay on top of the snow. der the weight of the snow. Still, he
But the snow was too powerful and it felt confident he could survive this:
tumbled him like a load of clothes in Hurlen-Patano now knew where he
a washing machine. was and rescue was just a matter of
waiting. With his free right hand he
When he finally came to rest, he
was lying on his left side and almost

“THERE’S BEEN AN AVALANCHE,
AND KEN IS IN IT. BRING HELP!”

completely buried, skis and poles still cleared about a foot and a half of snow
attached. But through the foot or so above his face, for breathing room.
of snow on top, he could see daylight, This was crucial; he knew that breath-
and he could move his right hand and ing his exhaled carbon dioxide for too
forearm. In his cocoon, he cleared long is poisonous. So, as he had been
snow from his face and told himself, taught back at ski patrol, he focused
Shallow burial. I can breathe. I am on oxygenating—taking small breaths
alive. Stay composed. to conserve oxygen—thinking positive
thoughts, and staying calm.
Hurlen-Patano had ended up par-
tially buried in a tight squatting po- As adrenaline coursed
sition. She scooped snow away, and through her body, Hurlen-
managed to pull herself out. Then her Patano knew she had to reach
rescue training kicked in. She looked the other skiers and uncover them
uphill to where she’d last seen Scott quickly so they could breathe. She
and shouted his name. She was re- focused on these thoughts: We are
lieved when his pole poked through alive. Be fast. And stay in control.
the snow in response. He was about

108 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

courtesy rebecca Hurlen-Patano It had been several minutes since Fuzak’s head and carried another
the avalanche had struck. Because she 20 feet downhill. Once again, she was
knew Scott was OK, Hurlen-Patano only partially buried; luckily, most of
first crawled downhill to help Fuzak, the snow had gone over her body and
who was buried up to his neck. As she continued down the hill.
knelt above him scooping snow from
his face, the air around her suddenly After she freed herself, she looked
exploded. up the mountain and was terrified
to realize that the landscape had
Whoomph! It was a sound that been completely transformed. There
nobody who has ever heard it can were massive new mounds of snow
forget: a massive avalanche. This one where before there had been none
was much bigger than the first. Tons at all. All her points of reference
more snow came tumbling down had disappeared. Worst of all, there
the mountain, and before Hurlen- were no signs of Scott, Fuzak, or Kay.
Patano could even turn around, she And Humphreys hadn’t reappeared.
was slammed in the back by a wall This time her friends had truly been
of white stuff. She was tossed over buried alive.

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Reader’s Digest Drama in Real Life

W hen Ken Scott heard the Some 50 rescuers, including ski
roar, he immediately knew patrollers and volunteers, search
the unthinkable was hap- the mountain for signs of life.
pening: a second avalanche. I’m dead,
he thought. While it didn’t budge him means there’s nothing on the surface
from where he’d been trapped, there for rescuers to see.
was so much more snow piled on
him—nine feet of it—that his world What about his friend Rebecca? Is
had gone completely black, com- she OK or is she buried too? He knew
pletely silent. the patrols had no idea where they’d
been skiing. She was the only person
That wasn’t the only difference. who could locate him.
Now he was totally immobile, and
the breathing space he’d cleared was He also knew his chances of sur-
gone. As he lay on his left side, tons vival were small. He’d have a 90 per-
of snow pressed on him so heavily cent chance of living if rescue came
that he couldn’t move anything but within 15  minutes, but only about
his eyelids beneath his goggles and 30 percent if he lay under the snow for

HE WAS SO DEEPLY BURIED THAT
HE COULD MOVE ONLY HIS EYELIDS.

his toes inside his boots. He couldn’t 30 minutes. About three-quarters of
even twitch a finger, let alone move avalanche victims die from asphyxia
his right arm as he’d been able to or suffocation.
before. It was as if he’d been para-
lyzed, cemented in snow. Even worse, He tried to fight back panic, but
he couldn’t expand his chest enough when he thought of his family—of his
to take a full breath. He gasped for wife, Ruth, and his daughter, Tash,
small gulps of air. and the grandkids—he felt helpless,
then doomed. This was not the way
Still, he knew what he had to do to he wanted to die.
try to survive a second time. First, he
shut his eyes—he preferred seeing His training had taught him
images in his mind to the empty dark- that panicking was not only use-
ness that surrounded him. He created less, but dangerous. It used up valu-
a mental checklist of what he was still able air. Yet he couldn’t control his
wearing, from head to toe. Hat, gog- fear. He let out a mighty, anguished
gles, poles, gloves, boots, skis. That scream that no one would hear:
“AHHHHHHHHH!”

110 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

hank lunsford H urlen-Patano unzipped clambered over piles of snow to where
her parka and pulled out her she thought she had seen Scott and
phone. She didn’t have the Fuzak before the second avalanche.
number for ski patrol headquarters Alone on the mountainside, she used
but she did know some staffers’ num- her gloved hands to dig frantically at
bers. She called Ernie Silva, who hap- the hard-packed snow. Her friends’
pened to be a friend of Scott’s. lives, she knew, depended on her.

“Hey! Ruby!” he answered, using his E ncased in the avalanche, Scott
nickname for her. “Long time, no see. drifted between terror and
How—” panic. His rib cage compressed,
he could take only tiny breaths, using
She cut him off. “There’s been an his diaphragm to help him force in air.
avalanche on 16-to-1, and Ken is in it. He fought to stay positive by focusing
Bring help!” on this breathing.

Word spread quickly, and soon Sil- But then he’d try to move his head
ver Mountain’s patrols and skiers were or a finger, and when he couldn’t, he’d
heading to the avalanche site with panic again. With so much more snow
shovels and ten-foot poles with which on top of him, he feared ski patrols
they could probe for buried skiers.
Not waiting for them, Hurlen-Patano

Rd.com 111

Reader’s Digest Drama in Real Life

wouldn’t be able to locate him. His better idea of where Scott might be
time was ticking away. He thought buried. She pointed to a spot some
of his tight-knit group of friends who ten feet farther up and, pumped up
called themselves “the boys”—three with adrenaline, screamed at the
of whom were world-class skiers who rescuers, “There! Move there! Faster!”
had lost their lives in a massive ava-
lanche at Tunnel Creek in Washing- S cott, struggling to breathe,
ton state in 2012. This is the end, he was frustrated. He knew that
thought. I’m going to join the boys. his 30-minute survival window
had come and gone, and he had
W ithin ten minutes after resigned himself to death. And, yet,
the second avalanche, the he wasn’t dying. Why is this dragging
slope was abuzz with some on so long? he wondered. But a new
50 rescuers including red-coated ski sensation reassured him. It was a feel-
patrols as well as volunteer skiers. ing of warmth that he knew was a sign
Like a commander marshalling her of hypothermia. I’ll be asleep soon,

HE FELT A PROBE. BUT THEN IT
WAS GONE, AND HOPE VANISHED.

troops, Hurlen-Patano stayed calm he thought, and this hell will be over.
and pointed out where she thought Then he felt a slight pressure on
her friends were buried. Rescuers
formed a horizontal line along the his right hip. A probe? He anxiously
slope, each standing just two feet prayed to feel it again. A minute
apart, and inserted their probes down passed, then two. Nothing. He’d been
into the deep, chunky snow, hoping trained how to use a rescue probe and
to hit and locate the buried skiers. he knew that if a rescuer hits some-
A first responder stood above the thing, they leave the probe in place as
probe line and repeatedly called out: a marker. But the probe was gone and
“Probe right! Probe center! Probe left! his flicker of hope vanished.
Step forward!”
They’ve moved along the grid, he
Forty minutes into the search, a thought. My one-in-a-million chance.
rescuer shouted, “A strike!” Bill Fuzak, He felt himself fading away.
unconscious but alive, was dug out of
more than nine feet of snow. Seeing Suddenly, a vibration. The pressure
his location, Hurlen-Patano had a on his body seemed to be changing.
Was that the sound of shovels hitting
snow? He started shouting, hoping that

112 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

The rescuers dig Ken Scott out of
what he had feared—not once but
twice—would be his snowy grave.

Photo by Rebecca huRlen-Patano, couRtesy Ken scott anyone standing above would hear. While Ken Scott, Bill Fuzak, and
It took rescuers five minutes to dig Warren Kays survived, three others,
including Carl Humphreys, lost their
through the nine feet of snow and lives. Scott suffered no major injuries,
uncover Scott’s face, goggles still on. although he and Hurlen-Patano have
He gulped in deep breaths of fresh suffered from a form of post-traumatic
air and saw the gray sky above, along stress syndrome and received coun-
with 30 or 40 people standing over seling to deal with it. His love of ski-
him smiling, while others continued ing undiminished, just nine days after
to dig him free. his rescue, Scott was back skiing on
Silver Mountain. RD
He couldn’t believe it. He had sur-
vived two avalanches.

As his arms were freed, he spotted
Hurlen-Patano among his rescuers
and pulled her down on top of him,
almost squeezing the breath out of
her. “Ken, you’ve got to let go,” she
told him as joy and relief filled her.
“We have to get you out of here and
get you help.”

He smiled and continued hugging
her. “I can’t let go.”

How Many Galileos Are in a Darwin Again?

Winning a Nobel Prize may be science’s ultimate claim to fame, but many giants
of the discipline are immortalized in another way: having units of measurement
named in their honor. There’s the einstein (used to measure energy and named

for Albert), the newton (for force, named for Isaac), and the watt (for power,
named for James). This form of tribute doesn’t always last forever, though. The

standard measurement for radioactivity used to be the curie (for Marie and
Pierre), but it was changed in the 1970s to the becquerel—named for Antoine-
Henri Becquerel, who shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with the Curies.

MeRRiaM-websteR.coM, nobelPRize.oRg, and bRitannica.coM

Rd.com 113

BRAIN GAMES

6 Pages to sharpen Your Mind

Fact or Fiction?

MEDIUM Determine whether each statement is fact or fiction. To reveal the solution
to the bonus question at the bottom, write the letters indicated by your responses
in the corresponding numbered blanks. Turn the page upside down for the answers.

1. Christmas Island is 2. Dr. Seuss had a 3. Oxygen is the most
in the Arctic Ocean. vanity license plate common element in
that read “GRINCH.” the human body.

FACT: A FICTION: C FACT: A FICTION: G FACT: V FICTION: O
6. Washington
4. Martin Luther King 5. Ice hockey was Crossing the
Jr. is the youngest the first winter sport Delaware was
Nobel Peace Prize to be included in the painted in Germany.
winner. Olympics. FACT: Y FICTION: A

FACT: N FICTION: I FACT: Y FICTION: T

7. “Mistletoe” comes 8. Female reindeer 9. There are more emily goodman (fact or fiction). noun project (4)
from Anglo-Saxon have antlers. than 100 different
words meaning covers of the song
“winterberry.” “Last Christmas.”

FACT: N FICTION: S FACT: A FICTION: N FACT: M FICTION: E

BONUs QUEsTION Who goes under the knife in the board game Operation? (Need
help? Turn to “13 Things” on page 22.)

123456789

Answers: 1. Fiction; it’s in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Australia. 2. Fact. 3. Fact. 4. Fiction; he was 35 when he
won, but Malala Yousafzai was 17. 5. Fiction; figure skating was. 6. Fact. 7. Fiction; the words roughly translate to “dung
twig.” 8. Fact; reindeer are the only deer species in which females have antlers. 9. Fact. Bonus Question: Cavity Sam.

114 Dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

Quick Crossword 1 Reader’s Digest

easy While you ponder your 3 2
own resolutions, place these 45
verbs—things people often
resolve to do more of in the 10
New Year—in the grid.

EXERCISE 6
READ 7
TRAVEL
COOK 8
MEDITATE 9
LEARN
emily goodman (quick crossword, secret santa, fill in the blanks). getty images (books, hat) VOLUNTEER
SLEEP
SAVE
ORGANIZE

Secret Santa Fill in the Blanks

easy Your book club is doing a Se- MediuM How many
cret Santa gift exchange. There common English
are six members, including you. words can you make
Each person will pick a name out by adding a letter to
of a hat, and you’re hoping to get each of the blanks below?
Kathie, your best friend in the club. It’s your turn to We found four. Proper
pick, and you’ve overheard that someone who picked nouns don’t count.
before you drew the name of your other friend, Paula.
M __ R __ Y
What are your chances of picking Kathie’s name?
For more Brain Games,
For answers, turn to page 119. go to rd.com/
crosswords.

Statement required by the Act of August 12, 1970, Section 3685, Title 39, United States Code, showing the ownership, management and circulation of READER’S

DIGEST, published 9 times a year at 44 South Broadway, Floor 7, White Plains, Westchester County, NY 10601, as filed on September 30, 2021.

The names and addresses of the publisher, editor-in-chief, and managing editor are: Publisher, Lora Gier, of 111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2210, Chicago, IL 60601;

Editor-in-Chief, Jason Buhrmester, of 1610 N. 2nd Street, Suite 102, Milwaukee, WI 53212; and Managing Editor, Jody Rohlena, of 44 South Broadway, Floor 7,

White Plains, Westchester County, NY 10601.

The owner is Trusted Media Brands, Inc., 750 Third Avenue, New York, New York County, NY 10017, and the names and addresses of Bondholders, Mortgagees

and other Security Holders owning one percent or more of the total amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities are RDA Holding Co., 750 Third Avenue, New

York, NY 10017.

Annual subscription price: $24.95.

Average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months, and of the single issue nearest to filing date, respectively, are as follows: Total number of

copies printed (net press run) 3,217,787—3,160,028; paid distribution—sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sales 94,311—87,190; paid

mail subscriptions 2,397,334—2,374,945; total paid distribution 2,491,645—2,462,135; free or nominal rate distribution 400,023—404,893; total distribution

2,891,668—2,867,028; copies not distributed 326,119—293,000; total 3,217,787—3,160,028; percent paid: 86.17%—85.88%; paid electronic copies 115,981—

158,000; total paid print distribution + paid electronic copies 2,607,626—2,620,135; total print distribution + paid electronic copies 3,007,649—3,025,028; per-

cent paid: 86.70%—86.62%. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. Jim Woods, VP, Magazine Planning

Rd.com 115

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Brain Games Reader’s Digest

WORD POWER 9. compote n.
('kam-poht)
What’s sweeter than sharing holiday A fruit cooked in syrup
treats with family and friends? To celebrate B vanilla buttercream
C graham cracker crumble
the season, we’ve whipped up a batch
of tasty terms related to baking. Will you 10. pâtissier n.
(pah-tiss-'yay)
take the cake, or eat humble pie? A piping bag
Once you’ve savored this quiz, B pastry chef
turn the page for the answers. C baking competition

By Sarah Chassé 11. dredge v.
(drej)
A coat by sprinkling
B flavor with tea
C whisk by hand

1. meringue n. 5. unleavened adj. 12. zest n.
(muh-'rang) (un-'leh-vind) (zest)

A lemon custard A made without yeast A cranberry relish
B whipped topping B preservative-free B cracked peppercorn
C spicy eggnog C unsweetened C citrus peel

2. sieve v. 6. cardamom n. 13. tandoor n.
(siv) ('kar-duh-mum) (tahn-'door)

A halve A almond paste A savory dumpling
B mix B flower garnish B clay oven
C sift C gingery spice C golden fig

3. bain-marie n. 7. infuse v. 14. minced adj.
(ban muh-'ree) (in-'fyooz) (minsed)

A water bath A light on fire A kneaded
B wedding cake B steep in liquid B drizzled
C steamed bun C heat gradually C chopped

4. galette n. 8. profiterole n. 15. ganache n.
(guh-'let) (proh-'fih-tuh-roll) (gah-'nahsh)

A rolled cookie A candied pecan A soggy crust
B flat pastry B plum pudding B cherry liqueur
C filled Danish C mini cream puff C chocolate frosting

Rd.com | dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 117

Reader’s Digest

Baker’s Math

With a dozen eggs or a dozen roses, you know how many items to
expect: 12. So why does a baker’s dozen mean 13? In medieval Eng-
land, there were strict laws about the prices bakers could charge for
bread by weight. Rather than risking shorting customers and facing
a flogging, careful bakers began including an extra loaf with orders
of 12—sometimes bumping up the total to 14, just to be safe.

Word Power 6. cardamom 11. dredge Mark Derse/TMB sTuDios
(C) gingery spice (A) coat by sprinkling
ANSWERS For this recipe, we’ll Sebastian dredged the
need cardamom and fish fillets with bread
1. meringue shredded coconut. crumbs before popping
(B) whipped topping them into the oven.
A classic meringue has 7. infuse
just two ingredients: (B) steep in liquid 12. zest (C) citrus peel
egg whites and sugar. To make oatmeal cookies I add orange zest to my
extra fancy, add raisins muffin mix for extra zip.
2. sieve (C) sift infused with rum.
“Don’t forget to sieve 13. tandoor (B) clay oven
the flour—we don’t want 8. profiterole Anika cooks her Christ-
lumpy batter,” Dad said. (C) mini cream puff mas goose in her tandoor.
My grandmother
3. bain-marie always made beautifully 14. minced (C) chopped
(A) water bath decorated bonbons Should we add some
To avoid a cracked and profiteroles. minced walnuts to this
cheesecake, try baking scone recipe?
it in a bain-marie. 9. compote
(A) fruit cooked in syrup 15. ganache
4. galette (B) flat pastry Would you like some (C) chocolate frosting
I hope Miriam brings her raspberry compote on Pour ganache over the
apple-topped galette to top of your ice cream? cooled cake, making sure
the Hanukkah party! to spread it evenly.
10. pâtissier
5. unleavened (B) pastry chef Vocabulary Ratings
(A) made without yeast After coming in second
Unleavened bread is flat on The Great British 9 & Below: daily bread
and comes in many vari- Baking Show, Omar be- 10–12: smart cookie
eties, including matzo, came a famous pâtissier 13–15: icing on the cake
tortillas, and crepes. and cookbook author.

118 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

Brain Games

Marco HeidericH-TriMborn/eyeeM/geTTy iMages ANSWERS Make
us
WHERE, OH WHERE?
Laugh!
(page 40)
Caption Contest
D. Alton Bay,
New Hampshire What’s your clever description for this
picture? Submit your funniest line at
BRAIN GAMES rd.com/captioncontest. Winners will
appear in a future Photo Finish (page 120).
(page 115)
Reader’s Digest (ISSN 0034-0375) (USPS 865-820), (CPM Agreement# 40031457), Vol. 198, No.
Quick Crossword 1176, December 2021/January 2022. © 2021. Published monthly, except bimonthly in March/
April, July/August, and December/January (subject to change without notice), by Trusted Media
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There were six names
in the hat to start. But
you know Paula’s name
has already been taken
out, and it wouldn’t make
sense for you to pick your
own name. That leaves
four names, and you’re
going to pick one.

Fill in the Blanks

Marry, mercy, merry,
and murky.

Rd.com 119

Reader’s Digest Brain Games endopack/Getty ImaGes

PHOTO FINISH

Your Funniest captions

Winner
“No, I said we have to sanitize the warehouse today.”

—Jodi Mailman Silver Spring, Maryland
Runners-Up

“Look, if Annie wants a forklift, she’s getting a forklift. Now put it in the bag!”
—Marvin Biver Port St. Lucie, Florida
Elves have left the building!

—C. Tom Howes Havertown, Pennsylvania
To enter an upcoming caption contest, see the photo on page 119.

120 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com

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