It's time for some Reader Rescues:

-- Terri Cook of Vista writes: "My grown son eats the 'whole' potato chips and then leaves about 1/4 to 1/3 of the bag. I crush them and use in meatballs and meatloaves. Does some reader have a recipe that would 'start' with the crumbs?" Readers, if you have some ideas for Terri, please send them to the address at the end of this column.

-- Sandy of Solana Beach e-mails with an interesting question: "Every time I use the flour sifter, I wonder whether I should rinse it out or just leave it alone. If I wash it in soapy water, the flour particles remain in the tiny grooves and parts of the sifter become rusty. What to do?" Sandy's right: If a sifter isn't carefully dried, the metal can rust. Readers, how do you solve this problem?

-- Leo Muller of Valley Center was looking for the recipe for the rice pudding at Escondido's Spires Restaurant. "I have tried several other recipes from the Internet for rice pudding, but they are not as good as Spires. Can you help?" he e-mailed. Leo, I tried twice but unfortunately, I couldn't get it. But he is willing to try other recipes, so if you have a great rice pudding recipe, please send it on in!

Giving Us the Air? Harney Sushi recently introduced new sushi rolls and entrees at its restaurants, located in Oceanside and San Diego. One new dish was eye-catching indeed: "Lobster fried rice revised with crispy egg and soy air." OK, I've seen infusions and scents on menus, I've heard of foams and froths. But an "air"? That's a new one. How exactly would that work? Would soy-scented air be wafted over your meal in the kitchen? Or would it be puffed directly at your plate by a waiter bearing a soy-air-filled atomizer? And how on earth would you keep it on your food?

Chef Anthony Sinsay graciously explained. "Soy 'air' is essentially soy sauce with the addition of lecithin, lightened by blending it with an immersion blender, creating a froth that will coat your palate with the essence of soy sauce when inhaled," he wrote in an e-mail. "Sounds more complicated than it actually is, but it's quite fun."

It's called an air, he continued, because "It actually is a bit lighter than a foam, but it is just another synonym for similar techniques. This is actually able to stand up to a peak as opposed to just being a loose froth."

Rest assured, Sinsay added, "We don't sell 'air.' We sell an experience!"

Speaking of experiences: March 14-20, 2010, is National Agriculture Week, and the Wheat Foods Council wants you to celebrate by using their Web site to create your own wheat food, advancing wheat kernels from the farm all the way through to the store shelf at www.HowWheatWorks.com. Of course, it will also tell you why wheat foods are important to a healthy diet. But what's different is that for each participant at the Web site, the council will donate two pounds of flour, up to 90,000 pounds, to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that provides assistance to needy U.S. troops and their families. Once you register, the site will prompt you daily for four days to "visit" your wheat field and continue the process.

You can also find lots of recipes at the site, like this one using bulgur ---- parcooked whole wheat kernels ---- which makes a healthful, whole-grain substitute for rice. You can find bulgur in the bulk foods section at your grocery store:

Mushrooms & Bulgur Side Dish

1 1/2 cups dry bulgur

3 cups water

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 bunch green onions, chopped, including 1/2 inch of tops

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons dry white wine

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, or 1/8 cup dried parsley leaves

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a medium pan, combine bulgur and water; cover and simmer, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, for 5 more minutes. Drain.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute mushrooms, onions and pepper until onions are translucent and soft. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice, wine, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Combine with bulgur and serve immediately. Serves 8.

Per serving: 145 calories; 4 g protein; 23 g carbohydrates; 6 g fiber; 5 g fat (3 g saturated); 12 mg cholesterol; 20 mcg folate; 1 mg iron; 342 mg sodium.

Got a food question? Missing a recipe? Write to North County Times staff writer Laura Groch at Bites and Pieces, North County Times, 207 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Escondido, CA 92025 or e-mail to bites@nctimes.com