My Top kitchen and cooking tips
The environmental impact and ethics of beef production and what we can do about it
Friday, November 12th, 2010
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Did you know that producing 1 Kg (2.2lb) of beef releases as much carbon dioxide as driving a car for three hours? Global demand for beef has exploded in recent years and huge, confined animal feeding operations have proliferated around the world. These consume enormous amounts of energy, pollute water supplies, generate significant greenhouse gases and require ever-increasing amounts of corn, soy and other grains. Eating meat is indeed much less energy-efficient than having a vegetarian diet, as about two to five times more grain is required to produce the same amount of calories through livestock as through direct grain consumption. As a result, livestock production is now estimated to generate nearly a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases — more than transportation. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 30% of ice-free land around the world is now directly or indirectly linked to meat production, which is also responsible for large-scale deforestation. In addition to its environmental impact, intensive cattle farming often means poor welfare conditions for the animals, who live stressful lives in very crowded space and are fed exclusively on grains and supplemented feeds to enable cheap, year round meat production and quick fattening. Now what can we do about all this? If, like me, you cannot consider becoming a complete vegetarian, there are still various ways you can adjust your consumption to be more environmentally friendly and encourage the respect of animal welfare: 1. Eat less meat. There are plenty of other sources of proteins to draw from, including pulses, eggs, fish and legumes. 2. Eat British meat. This means less energy spent in transportation and most likely better welfare standards, as UK beef production is less intensive than in the rest of Europe, with only 15 to 20% coming from intensively farmed cattle 3. Look for the Freedom Food label. This label was set up by RSPCA in 1994 and its welfare standards are far above the UK legal minimum requirements and other standard quality assurance schemes. 4. Favour grass-fed meat: animals are allowed to grow at a natural pace, live natural low stress lives, and are less susceptible to diseases, hence less likely to have received antibiotic treatment. As a bonus, the meat also has a more intense flavour and is leaner. 5. If you can fork the price, consider buying organic meat: the organic label means no routine drugs, growth promoters, GMO, animal offal or any other additives fed to animals; At least 70% of animal feed must he grown to organic standards; and no artificial fertilisers or pesticides can be used on feed crops or grass. |
Is whole, crushed, or chopped garlic all the same?
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
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Did you notice some recipes call for whole garlic, some for crushed garlic, while others require chopped garlic? Do you think it is all the same? Well, not really. Garlic is made of thousands of tiny cells containing a compound called alliin. When the walls of these cells are ruptured by cutting into a clove for instance, alliin reacts with oxygen in the air and enzymes located outside the cells to produce the pungent taste and aroma so characteristic of garlic. The more ruptured cell walls, the more reactions are triggered and the stronger the taste. For this reason the strength spectrum of garlic follows this order, from subtle to strong: whole clove, chopped, crushed, puréed. Also note that heat has an impact on the taste and pungency of garlic. Cooked garlic is mellower than raw garlic, and burnt garlic develops a strong bitter taste which can ruin a dish. This is why, when sautéing food, you should always add garlic toward the end of cooking rather than at the beginning to prevent any burning in hot oil. As I am a garlic fanatic I tend to use a lot of it, crushed with my garlic press for maximum flavour and added at the end of cooking so it keeps all its piquant. If you don't have a garlic press and like me enjoy a strong flavour, crush your garlic by hand. It is very easy and much faster than chopping. Home economist and friend Cathrin Cochrane taught me the technique on how to do this, which I am sharing with you here: 1.Place an unpeeled garlic clove on a chopping board. Using the flat edge of a wide knife blade press down with the palm of your hand to loosen the skin 2.Discard the skin and roughly chop the garlic into small pieces 3.Sprinkle the garlic with a pinch of salt and place the knife blade flat on top of one edge of the chopped garlic 4.Press down with the blade and make short, sharp scraping motions against the board to crush the garlic. Continue until all the garlic is crushed. After you have transferred the garlic to the dish, add a bit more salt on the chopping board to recuperate any remaining garlic juice, and sprinkle into the dish. Voilà !! |
do meet your microwave again for greener cooking
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
| A microwave oven can reduce energy use by roughly two thirds compared to a conventional oven, so if you have one, think of using it in other ways than for simply reheating food or making popcorn. Use it to melt food when baking such as butter or chocolate. Play with the wattage. Just because your microwave goes up to 1200 watts doesn't mean you have to leave it on high power. (If you only used your oven at 260°C, it wouldn't always cook too well, either.) Some foods respond better to lower wattage, for longer times. Think about steaming. Anything you can steam, you can microwave. Squash, artichokes, and spinach are all pretty safe bets.Go halfway. Microwaves cook efficiently, but food tends to remain limp. For anything that needs a bit of crisping--say, the skin on baked potatoes, start it in the microwave, then finish it under a broiler. This will save both time and energy, while retaining a great taste (adapted from Serous Eats, Saving Energy By Using The Microwave |
Why should homemade shortcrust pastry be allowed to rest in the fridge before being used?
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
| Ha ha, time for a bit of organic chemistry! Shortcrust pastry is made of flour, fat (butter) and liquids (egg, egg yolk and sometimes a bit of milk or water). When the gluten proteins in the flour are mixed and worked with the other ingredients, they get stretched and end up forming a strong, elastic network. If you bake the pastry at this stage it will turn out tough and elastic. Resting the dough allows the proteins to slowly loosen. This will make rolling it down easier, the pastry softer, and reduce its contraction when it bakes (although the jury is still out on this one). |
Save energy when cooking your pasta and get that perfect al dente finish
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
| Here is a quick tip to save energy and remove nearly all risk of overcooking your dry pasta. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and toss the pasta into it. Once water has resumed boiling, turn the heat off, cover the saucepan with a lid with a folded tea towel in between and leave the pasta to cook in the water for 15 -20 minutes (time varies according to the size of the pasta). The pasta won't be sticky, keep more of its vitamins, and is much less likely to get overcooked with this method as the water cools down with time. Once the pasta is ready, use some of the starchy water to "bind" the pasta sauce and let the remaining water cool down before throwing it on your house or garden plants, who will love the nutrients in it. |
Avoid wasting your vegetables
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
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Wrap your vegetables in kitchen paper then put them in the salad compartment of the fridge. The paper stops the condensation from softening the veg and stops mould, extending their lifespan. Special vegetable storing bags are even better, these can be bought at Whole Foods Market in London or at Lakeland (Stayfresh longer bags). They come in various sizes and are impregnated with a stone powder that absorbs ageing agents in fruit and veg, thereby increasing their storage life. Make a habit of scanning your fridge once a week before you go grocery shopping and make a soup with all the leftover vegetables. Add plenty of spices, herbs, stock and canned tomatoes for extra flavour. If you have too much, freeze it, it will keep up to three months. |
For how long can I keep using my jars of dried herbs and spices?
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
| Kept in an airtight container and away from direct sunlight, whole spices will keep for up to 4 years and ground spices up to 2 to 3 years. Herbs on the other hand lose their flavour faster, count about 6 months for dried chopped herbs and one year for more leafy ones. Obviously these guidelines are very general. Herbs and spices don't really go bad, they just loose flavour and scent. The best is to smell your spices before using them, if the smell is gone, toss them. Dried herbs crushed between your fingers should regain some flagrance, if you cannot revive their smell then throw them away. The critical factor in maximizing the shelf life of your herbs and spices is to store them well. Avoid the heat of the stove, humidity and direct sunlight. Don't shake herbs or spices out of the bottle directly into something you're cooking — the steam coming from the dish would spoil them. The common trick of putting them in the freezer to prolong their life comes with its own set of issues, as condensation each time the bottle comes out of the freezer is likely to introduce moisture in the spices and herbs. So best is to keep them in a dark cupboard or drawer. |
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. |
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