Tasty Diaries » My top kitchen and cooking tips

How do you fix a dish that has too much salt in it? (Alexa)

Anne-Laure — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:47:46 +0000

7 easy tips to make your refrigerator and freezer more eco-friendly (and lighter on your energy bill)

Anne-Laure — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:14:09 +0000

How bad for the environment is buying Kenyan green (French) beans?

Anne-Laure — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:55:25 +0000

How do you prevent fish from sticking to the BBQ grill? (James)

Anne-Laure — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:40:53 +0000

Know your bananas from your bananas – buy organic or fairtrade, or both if you find them!

Anne-Laure — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:18:19 +0000

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

Anne-Laure — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:47:36 +0000

Freshen up your recycling habits on recycling week (21-27 June 2010)!

Anne-Laure — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:33:56 +0000

How to increase the life of bought fresh herbs such as parsely, mint, basil or coriander

Anne-Laure — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:15:06 +0000

A quick, healthy and fabulously tasty way to salvage bananas that are going to waste

Anne-Laure — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:03:02 +0000

How can you prevent a short crust pastry in a tart from becoming soggy when using a moist or slightly juicy filling?

Anne-Laure — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:49:22 +0000

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!