GOOD TASTES.

CULINARY CAPERS: The Food Network's newest addition, British-born Robert Irvine, 41, who has cooked in kitchens around the world, will be premiering the first episode in his series, ``Dinner: Impossible,'' 10 p.m. Wednesday. After that, the half-hour series will air at 10:30 p.m on Wednesdays.

Irvine arrives in unfamiliar kitchens minutes after he has found out his assignment and must overcome impossible culinary obstacles to deliver a delicious meal before time runs out -- all without a script. He refers to himself as a ``culinary James Bond.''

The first hour-long episode follows Irvine's 10-hour challenge to create a new menu for a wedding and prepare 1,000 hors d'oeuvres and 200 dinners. He had just met the couple, who would get married later that day in Princeton, N.J., and celebrate with a reception at the Knowlton Mansion in Philadelphia.

On future shows, Irvine and his two sous chefs will face challenges on a train (dinner for 150), a desert island, at a Philadelphia Eagles football game and in an 18th-century-era kitchen in historic Williamsburg.

-- Daily News

GIRL SCOUT COOKIE TIME: Girl Scout cookie sales began last weekend in the San Fernando Valley. Good news for cookie buyers this year -- the cookies all have been reformulated and contain zero trans fats. However they still have the same delicious taste we're familiar with. Baked by Little Brownie Bakers, the cookies are available in eight flavors -- Samoas (the most popular flavor in this area), Thin Mints (the most popular flavor nationwide), Trefoils, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, All Abouts, Cafe Cookies and Sugar Free Little Brownies, which are new this year. Cookies are $4 a box; place your order now for delivery in February.

-- Natalie Haughton

CELEBRATE PIE DAY: Celebrate National Pie Day today, created by the American Pie Council, with a big slice of pie. If you need a little pie-making help, call the Crisco Pie Hotline at [phone] from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. to talk to experts about baking tips and time saving hints.

-- Daily News

COOL KNIFE: Kuhn Rikon's colorful, compact, 7 1/2-inch long paring knives tackle chopping and slicing tasks with ease. The nonstick surfaces on the high-carbon stainless steel blades make for good performance and easy cleaning.

The knives are available in red, green, orange, blue, pink and yellow. A matching plastic cover provides safety and protects the blade. These are ideal to take along on a picnic, keep in your car for cutting up food or just to use everyday in the kitchen. Suggested retail is $8 at specialty stores and by mail order at www.kitchenkapers.com or [phone]. For more information, contact Kuhn Rikon at [phone] or visit www.kuhnrikon.com.

-- N.H.

MORE SOUTH BEACH PRODUCTS: Kraft has expanded its South Beach Diet bar line to include new Snack Bar Delights. The bars -- with 100 calories each -- come in Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate Mint and Peanut Butter flavors -- and are designed for snacking, not as meal replacements. A box of six bars retails for $5.99. We liked the raspberry the best -- the peanut butter had a pronounced fake taste and aftertaste, and the mint was just OK. At least these were better than the 100-calorie South Beach Diet cookie and cracker packs -- which we thought tasted like cardboard.

Each bar has 3 to 4 grams total fat (2.5 to 3 grams saturated; no trans fat), 14 to 15 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fiber and 5 to 6 grams protein.

Also new in the South Beach Diet frozen wrap line are Chicken Monterey, Herb Chicken and Teriyaki Steak. While the wraps are convenient and easily prepared in the microwave oven, we found the whole wheat tortilla wrapper in the Chicken Monterey a little tough -- and it didn't contain much filling. But for around 200 calories per wrap, what did we expect? Each wrap contains 15 to 17 grams protein, 22 to 26 grams carbohydrate, 6 to 7 grams total fat and 6 to 7 grams dietary fiber. Each package, containing two wraps, has a suggested retail of $3.79.

-- N.H.

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(1) no caption (Robert Irvine)

(2) no caption (Girl Scout cookie)

(3) no caption (slice of pie)

(4) no caption (Kuhn Rikon's paring knife)

(5) no caption (South Beach Diet Snack Bar Delights)