My Top kitchen and cooking tips
How do you fix a dish that has too much salt in it? (Alexa)
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
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Hi Alexa, I trawled the Net and the most common suggestions to solve this problem were to add either of the following to your dish while it is still cooking, and let it simmer for a few minutes: (1) a piece of dry bread, (2) a peeled potato cut in pieces, or (3) an egg white. The underlying principle is that all are expected to suck the salt in (the egg white will do this while coagulating). Dedicated to answering your question and finding the truth, I made an experiment: I boiled 3 g of salt in 500ml water in 3 saucepans. I then added in one a quartered potato, in the other a dry piece of bread of the same weight as the potato, and in the third one an egg white. I boiled the water 5 more mins and tasted the result in each saucepan. Verdict: the potato and bread did not make any noticeable difference, but the egg white did so I would go with the latter as the best solution. I also read that adding sugar (brown is best) could mask salty taste. I tried it on my potato water and it worked wonders. My conclusion is that if your dish has enough liquid, use the egg white and possibly a bit of brown sugar. If you dish is on the dry end, only add sugar. |
7 easy tips to make your refrigerator and freezer more eco-friendly (and lighter on your energy bill)
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
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Out of all the appliances around your home, refrigerators are among the major usurpers of household electricity - and often they're the prime energy user, estimated to be responsible for an average 14 percent of a given household's energy. This consumption rises drastically with inefficient fridges but can also be reduced with a few easy adjustments. Below are the top tips to make your refrigerate and freezer more eco-friendly (courtesy of the Electrolux website and a bit of additional research): - Set the thermostat to around +4 to +5 degrees C for the fridge and -18 degrees C in the freezer. These are the optimal temperatures for ensuring good running costs and the best preservation of your food. Do not set temperatures too low because 1 degree of difference results in a 6-8% average increase in energy consumption. - Keep your fridge and freezer full. If there is a larger volume of cold items inside, the refrigerator is better able to maintain its temperature, since there is less cold air to escape when the door opens. If you are running low on items, fill empty space in your freezer with crumpled newspapers or 3/4 full water bottles. - Never hold the door open for an extended period of time: think before opening your fridge door, not after. It will be good for your brain function too! - Do not put warm food in your fridge or freezer. This raises the internal temperature, consuming more energy, and can also warm up other foods. On the other hand, defrosting frozen food in the fridge compartment can be a smart move, because it gives your fridge “free” coldness. - accumulation of ice leads to higher energy bills so defrost your freezer regularly. - Keep the door seal clean and check its health once a year. The flexible seal prevents cold air from leaking out of the refrigerator/freezer when the door is closed. If it does not work properly, your appliance will have to work harder to maintain the low temperature. To test the seal, place a piece of paper between the seal and the refrigerator and close the door. Now pull the paper out. You should feel tension as you pull. If you don't or the paper falls off, you need to replace the seal. Do this test at various points along the entire door seal. - If you own a freestanding appliance, make sure you regularly clean the condenser grid and keep the appliance a few centimetres away from the back wall to ensure adequate ventilation around it. Insufficient ventilation can increase energy consumption up to 10%. |
How bad for the environment is buying Kenyan green (French) beans?
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
| We love green beans in our family. Because it is a firm favourite of Adele's and Jules', it has become a staple food in our household. British green beans are not always easy to find even during the height of the local season (July-August) while air-freighted Kenyan or Tanzanian beans are prominent all year round in supermarkets and fruit stalls. This made me wonder: are we making such a bad environmental choice when buying African French beans as opposed to their locally produced counterparts? I investigated and the answer is, surprisingly, not clear-cut. Sure, air-freighting emits a great deal of carbon dioxide, which contributes to warming up the planet. Most Kenyan beans however are grown the old fashioned way, using manual labour as opposed to diesel-fuelled tractors in European industrial farms. In Kenya, cow muck is the main fertiliser while most European farmers use fossil oil-based ones, which are harmful to the environment. Kenyan low-tech irrigation systems also consume much less energy and water than European sophisticated methods. Finally, to put things in perspective, "driving 6.5 miles to buy your shopping emits more carbon than flying a pack of Kenyan green beans to the UK." (Gareth Thomas, 2008 Minister for Trade and Development, quoted in the Observer, 23 March 2008). On the ethical front, French bean production is a large part of the economic output of Kenya and Tanzania and provides employment and income to many people in the developing world. Buying Kenyan may therefore do more good than protecting the subsidized UK industry. Taste wise, in season the freshness of local production is an obvious advantage, but this has to be compounded with the fact that manually tended vegetables are always better than industrially produced ones. So to conclude, the choice remains yours but as for me, I will buy during their short season fresh beans from small UK producers at farmers markets for their premium taste. When I can't, I will jeep consuming African French beans - in and out of local season - guiltfree. |
How do you prevent fish from sticking to the BBQ grill? (James)
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
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Aha. I can read so much frustration in your question. Here you are, watching with ravishment your beautifully grilled fish. You then delicately try to take it off the grid and your beauty disintegrates before your very eyes, its head and half its bottom stuck on the grill. So gory, yet so true. Here are a few tips that will make this nightmare a distant memory: 1. Choose the right fish: the thicker and firmer the better. A whole fish or 1 inch thick fillets/slices are ideal, thin fish fillets are best fried or broiled under the oven grill. 2. For a whole fish it is worth investing into a two sided fish grilling basket. Easy to clean and oil, it will allow you to turn the fish around without breaking it apart 3. Ask your fishmonger to keep the scales on the skin of the fish, it will be less prone to sticking when grilling 4. Make sure the grill (or basket) is sparkly clean before grilling, this will make the fish less likely to stick 5. Oil both the fish and the grill well beforehand 6. For fillets on the thin end, only cook them skin side down,slightly removed from the heat 7. You can prepare straight on the grill a bed of herbs, e.g. rosemary sprigs, and grill your oiled fish on top. Not only will it prevent the fish from sticking but it will also give it a wonderful flavour 8. You can also cook your fish wrapped in an aluminum foil papillote with a bit of olive oil and herbs, removing any sticking problem. With this method the fish is steamed rather than grilled, but the barbecue flavour will still permeate its taste. Enjoy! |
Know your bananas from your bananas – buy organic or fairtrade, or both if you find them!
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
| As it turns out eating bananas imported from the other end of the world is not so bad on the carbon foot print calculator. Although they are refrigerated during transportation and this consumes energy, bananas are shipped from one place to the other unlike many other foods that are air freighted, and this is 100 times less polluting than going by air. Bananas are also, however, the second most sprayed crop in the world after cotton. As well as getting regular doses of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, the bunches are often wrapped in pesticide-coated plastic bags while still on the tree. Five of the chemicals used on bananas are classified as extremely hazardous by the World Health Organisation, and three are not approved for use in the UK. On large plantations, which are mostly run by the four corporations that manage 80 per cent of world banana trade, more money is spent on agrochemicals than on workers’ wages (Times Online, 27 Dec 2007). The health hazards to workers of using these chemicals have been proven (higher cancer rates, infertility, etc.), and the intensive mono-culture of bananas on a large scale deplete large areas of soil from their nutrients in less than two years, requiring plantations to expand continuously and contributing to deforestation. You got it, banana is not the greenest fruit on earth. So as a consumer, what should you do? The answer is to buy fairtrade and/or organic bananas. Organic banana production is chemical free and in most cases done in a sustainable way. Fairtrade bananas are sourced from small producers and ensure living-standard wages are paid to workers. Small plantations are also much more likely to involve sustainable planting and lower pesticide use. Best of course is to buy bananas that are both fairtrade and organic if you can find them, thereby protecting the environment and helping workers make a better living. Banana are a cheap good, making the extra cost of going fairtrade and/or organic rather small. Next time you shop, remember this. |
How to extract more juice from citrus fruits
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
| To extract more juice from a lemon, orange or grapefruit, roll it first backward and forward between a flat surface and the palm of your hand, pressed firmly against the fruit. This will break the fibre inside the flesh and help it release more juice. You can also microwave it (or dip in hot water) for 20 seconds, the heat will soften the fibre and help the juices out. If the fruit is already halved and appears to be on the dry end, or if you are using an old lemon half that stared at you for the past three weeks on a door shelf in your fridge, run the cut side under water (pierce it with a fork first if it has dried out) and microwave the fruit half for 20 seconds. You will be amazed at the results! |
Freshen up your recycling habits on recycling week (21-27 June 2010)!
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
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Recycling week is a great opportunity to freshen up our recycling habits. Below is a short list of the things we can do and that make a difference: - Make space next to your bin for a recycling container – then it’s as simple to recycle as it is to throw it away - If your local council offers a kerbside recycling scheme, take advantage and use it. To find your nearest recycling centre or more information about what your kerbside collection scheme collects, use the very handy postcode locator on the Recycle Now website or contact your council. - Make a visit to a bottle, can or other type of recycling bank part of your routine – most supermarkets have recycling facilities so don’t forget to drop before you shop! - Glass is a 100% recyclable, so recycle it! From jam, marmalade and baby food jars to spice, pasta sauce and coffee jars – just give them a rinse in your left over dish washing water and recycle them with your other glass. Don't worry about removing labels, they will come off in the recycling process. - Don't throw away cans and used aluminum foil, aluminum is 100% recyclable too. Wipe them and place them in your recycling bin. Don't worry about remaining food traces, they will be burnt when the metal is reprocessed. - Lots of items from the bathroom can be recycled too. Shampoo and shower gel bottles are often forgotten, so start multi-tasking and rinse out those empty bottles whilst you're in the shower! Putting a recycling bin in your bathroom to collect all those empty bottles and cardboard tubes from inside the toilet rolls is a great idea.Only buy things you really need. Most of what we throw away could be used again. Think twice before you put something in the bin. Try and cut down on the amount you buy new and then throw away. - Reuse containers - buy food, drinks and toiletries in returnable containers and ask local shops to stock them. Ask your school or workplace to provide reusable cups, plates, cutlery etc. - Give away or sell second hand clothes and old kitchenware to charity and nearly new shops, jumble sales and community schemes. The British Heart Foundation also welcomes donation of electrical items that are still in good working condition, so if you're toaster is no longer up to your standards donate it to your nearest British Heart Foundation shop (find it here) - The best environmental choice is to repair, restore or adapt a product you already have. You may need professional help but it could still be cheaper than something new - half of electrical goods left at dumps work or require only very basic repairs. - The amount of plastic packaging waste from UK households is about one million tonnes. Buying fruit and vegetables loose could cut your waste drastically. Take a shopping bag with you and try not to buy drinks in plastic bottles. - Recycle things yourself, buy recycled products and shop at second hand outlets. This will be good on your purse too! *information taken from http://www.recyclenow.com/ |
How to increase the life of bought fresh herbs such as parsely, mint, basil or coriander
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
| Here is a really simple and incredibly effective tip: place them in a tall glass filled with water like you would with flowers, and cover them with a pierced plastic bag. I place the glass with the bag on in the door of my fridge and it works wonders. For instance, mint preserved that way will easily keep for a full week without wilting, perfect for a non-stop week of Pimm's! |
A quick, healthy and fabulously tasty way to salvage bananas that are going to waste
Friday, June 18th, 2010
| Do you have a bunch of bananas sitting there on the verge of going bad? Just peel them, slice them and freeze the slices on a board. Once they are frozen, store them in a container or freezing bag in your freezer. Then the next time a hot day comes, take a bunch of slices out, toss them into a blender with a bit of honey and a tablespoon of yogurt (or double cream or mascarpone if you feel naughty), and blend the mixture until smooth. You will get a most delicious soft frozen yogurt! If you want a slightly firmer texture, prepare the mix before your dinner, serve it in individual cups and place them back into the freezer. By dessert time, the banana blend will feel ice-cream like. For a fancier version, mix it with frozen berries or stir at the last minute some chocolate sauce into ribbons... So delicious! |
How can you prevent a short crust pastry in a tart from becoming soggy when using a moist or slightly juicy filling?
Friday, June 18th, 2010
| This question was asked this week by Lucie after she tried my strawberry tart recipe. The tart looked and tasted great on the day but the next morning it felt watery (Lucie, how could you have leftovers? You will need to enlighten me on this one!). The soggy crust problem extends to all tarts and quiches with a moist and juicy filling, overtime the moisture penetrates the pastry and makes it soggy. There are two easy ways to prevent this from happening and keep a nicely crispy crust, even after one or two days in the fridge. The first one is to brush the pastry with a bit of beaten egg in the last 5-6 minutes of baking it (even with quiches, you can pre-bake the pastry 6-7 minutes in a medium heat oven to waterproof it before adding the filling). The cooked egg will create a waterproof film that will form a barrier between the moisture of the filling and the pastry. Another way, only suitable for desserts, is to melt chocolate and brush the bottom of your cooked pastry with it. This not only adds a lovely taste (it would do wonders on the strawberry tart!) but it also acts the same way as the egg, forming a film that will protect your pastry from sogginess. Voila, another secret to enjoy your tarts for longer! |
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