The tip of a ripe strawberry spread with a speck of spun honey virtually exploded in my mouth. The juice of the fruit mingling with just a hint of the creamy confection made it a split-second treat; one that was even more flavorful and distinct than other former favorites like chocolate-dipped strawberries.

That no-work-involved surprise taught me a time-treasured lesson: Cooks looking to save time shouldn't do more than change up the texture of their ingredients. In this case it was honey. Magnificent wonders occurred just by buying spun honey rather than the usual variety. However, results can be just as outstanding in virtually any ingredient category, from meats, to vegetables, to breads — the sky is really the limit.

My epicurean epiphany began after a recent return trip to England. In Bath, in the shadows of the ancient Roman tubs, I stumbled into the tiny Hands Tearoom, which I quickly saw was filled with regular locals, like the tottering woman celebrating her 90th birthday while asking about the waitress's ailing mother. Among other delights (just 9 pounds for full high tea service), my taste buds were jolted by the best creamy, spreadable honey I had ever tasted, which also catapulted my tea to best-ever status.

At home, never before a tea or honey junkie, I quickly began to try and emulate the texture and flavor, even purchasing an inexpensive electric tea kettle like the one in my Kensington Gardens hotel room that had boiled water for tea in seconds flat. Before I even journeyed to English import markets, I tried spun honey from the supermarket. More so than in tea, the creamy texture astounded me when spread on warm pastries, bread or juicy fruit, such as strawberries, cantaloupe or apples.

Spun honey (also known as whipped, creamed, churned, candied or honey fondant) is nothing more than pure honey, however tiny crystals are added to it during processing — actually to avoid larger ones from forming, as they do in unprocessed honey. The result is smooth and spreadable, but much sweeter, too, with a texture that's a cross between the filling that is piped into fine-boxed chocolates and caramel.

Soon, I was scouring my favorite chefs' cookbooks for ideas, too. I found plenty of simple ones like award-winning, Chicago-based chef Rick Tramonto's in "Fantastico!" (Broadway, $35) for pears (roasted or plain). Simply drape them with the honey and serve alongside candied walnuts or pecans and gorgonzola dolce — a sweeter, milder version of the cheese for a European dessert/cheese course.

Seeing how much of a difference just a dollop of the uniquely textured honey made, I experimented with other quick-change texture alterations that could pack a real wallop in my dishes. I've been happily munching ever since. Here are some other ideas:

— Meat and poultry. Simply grinding your own meat or poultry by tossing it into a food processor or blender releases a burst of freshness unlike processed ground products. It allows you to use finer cuts than most commercial houses do. One of my favorite examples of this is the Italian-style chicken sausage that follows, made in seconds from chicken breasts or tenderloins.

— Cheese. We all know the seduction of melted cheese versus hard. It's an immediate pleaser. Why not try it in unexpected spots, such as a mild blue cheese melted sauce drizzled over savory pancakes, in which you've added a few fresh herbs like rosemary or basil to the usual batter?

— Vegetables. A five-second puree changes everything, turning them into the freshest soups and sauces ever. Just add your favorite herbs and spices.

— Nuts. These nutritional powerhouses don't just have to be eaten by the handful. Add a tiny amount of water and milk (or even stock or brewed coffee or tea, depending on the flavor you would like), and toss them into a food processor or blender, plain or with spices. You will taste some of the best mock pates ever as well as create a wonderful paste to use in additional recipes.

— Bread. Croutons and bread crumbs immediately make bread the focus of countless other dishes. It can be as easy as chopping up store-bought garlic bread or crostini (small Italian-flavored topped toasts sold at Italian restaurants or emulated easily at home) and tossing them into salads or soups. Or try this:

TUSCAN PANZANELLA BREAD SALAD

4 cups torn pieces of sourdough or rustic peasant bread, 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide

3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Cracked black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon drained capers

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

5 assorted ripe heirloom tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size and shape

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 yellow bell pepper, julienned

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced, fronds reserved

1/2 cup pitted and halved Nicoise olives

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Yields 4 servings.

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In a large bowl, toss bread with olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Spread bread on a baking sheet and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until slightly crisp. (The pieces should not be as crispy as croutons.)

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, capers, zest and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, add extra virgin olive oil in a stream until well incorporated.

Add onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, fennel and olives and toss with vinaigrette. Adjust the salt and pepper.

Tear fennel fronds and add them to the bowl along with the basil and bread. Toss to coat. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Divide salad among 4 plates. Garnish each plate with shaved cheese and serve. If you prefer a moister salad, drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil.

— "Fantastico! Little Italian Plates from Rick Tramonto's Kitchen" by Rick Tramonto with Mary Goodbody (Broadway, $35).

ITALIAN-STYLE CHICKEN SAUSAGE

1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenderloin (see Note 1)

1/4 of a small sweet onion, cut in half

1 clove garlic, cut in half

1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seed

Kosher salt, to taste

Cracked black pepper, to taste

Yields about 1/2 pound of sausage.

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor (or see Note 2) and pulse until it looks like ground chicken or hamburger meat.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. When hot, add mock sausage mix and cook, stirring often until crumbly and cooked through, about 7 to 9 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Note 1: Feel free to use tenderloin in this recipe, which is usually cheaper than boneless breasts. You'll have to trim the vein, but it's easy —- like unzipping a zipper with your knife, or ask your butcher to do it for you.

Note 2: Ideally, use a food processor. However, you can instead use garlic and onion powders. Then place all ingredients in a strong blender, to which you have first added about 1 tablespoon of water.

— "Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen" by Kathleen Daelemans (Houghton Mifflin, $15).

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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