Cooking tips and queries

[Hope]

OK guys and gasl, I'm sure you've got cooking tips you'd like to share or cooking questions you'd like answers to.

I'll kick off with what could be either.

Have just bought a cauliflower from the greengrocers, and as I paid a customer in the queue mentioned that he uses cauliflower as an alternative (healthier?) to rice.

He grates it up, adds a small quantity of water and microwaves it for 3 minutes.

[L.A.]

Interesting use of the word 'alternative' - it's totally different in terms nutrition and I can't believe it would taste remotely like rice. I'd go for cauliflower cheese everytime - preferably cooked with some rashers of smokey bacon on the top so the vegetarians don't eat it all 

[Shaker]

Have just bought a cauliflower from the greengrocers, and as I paid a customer in the queue mentioned that he uses cauliflower as an alternative (healthier?) to rice.

He grates it up, adds a small quantity of water and microwaves it for 3 minutes.

Sounds utterly foul. I like cauliflower (cheese) but trying to make cauliflower a substitute for rice is madness. Just have your rice and enjoy it, for crying out loud.

[Rhiannon]

Using veg as fake carb is cool right now. You can get a thing called a spiraliser that turns stuff like courgette into pasta ribbons.

[L.A.]

Have just bought a cauliflower from the greengrocers, and as I paid a customer in the queue mentioned that he uses cauliflower as an alternative (healthier?) to rice.

He grates it up, adds a small quantity of water and microwaves it for 3 minutes.

Sounds utterly foul. I like cauliflower (cheese) but trying to make cauliflower a substitute for rice is madness. Just have your rice and enjoy it, for crying out loud.

If you want to make your rice a bit healthier - just use brown rice. It takes longer to cook but it contains more dietary fiber.

[Shaker]

Using veg as fake carb is cool right now. You can get a thing called a spiraliser that turns stuff like courgette into pasta ribbons.

Does not compute.

Why don't you just have pasta - the stuff that looks, smells and most important of all tastes like pasta?

[cyberman]

Interesting use of the word 'alternative' - it's totally different in terms nutrition and I can't believe it would taste remotely like rice.

Correct use of the word "alternative" - it doesn't mean "similar"! For example, consider "Try going to the gym as an alternative to sitting on your arse watching telly" or "I had scale the wall and run for it - the only alternative was to hang around and get nicked".

[Shaker]

Have just bought a cauliflower from the greengrocers, and as I paid a customer in the queue mentioned that he uses cauliflower as an alternative (healthier?) to rice.

He grates it up, adds a small quantity of water and microwaves it for 3 minutes.

Sounds utterly foul. I like cauliflower (cheese) but trying to make cauliflower a substitute for rice is madness. Just have your rice and enjoy it, for crying out loud.

If you want to make your rice a bit healthier - just use brown rice.

Oh sorry - wrong thread. I thought we were talking about food, i.e. that stuff which is supposed to taste nice and therefore be enjoyable and a positive pleasure to prepare, look at, smell and especially eat.

[Udayana]

...
Have just bought a cauliflower from the greengrocers, and as I paid a customer in the queue mentioned that he uses cauliflower as an alternative (healthier?) to rice.

He grates it up, adds a small quantity of water and microwaves it for 3 minutes.

Yes, can do the same with broccoli. Or instead of microwaving, saute for a few minutes. Good for veggies wanting to try low carb. Eg substitute for rice or pasta.

Anyone know what to do with curly kale?

[Shaker]

Anyone know what to do with curly kale?

After washing and a thorough drying lightly fry (or, if you watch too many cooking programmes, sauté) in a wide but fairly deep pan with a little olive oil + butter (butter for flavour but low burning temperature; oil for high burning temperature), then turn out onto scrunched-up kitchen paper, lightly season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper and then chuck straight into the bin as fit for cattle feed but not humans who eat nice things that taste nice.

[Rhiannon]

I genuinely love brown rice, and brown pasta - can't eat anything 'white' except baguette or ciabatta. I do a thing with peas, sweetcorn, lentils and brown rice that my kids live - they have it with grated cheese over the top.

I genuinely love kale too. I love it in stir fry with carrots, onions etc or sautéed as per Shaker's description (only not quite so poncy and missing out the binning bit) as a good veg to go with veg sausage, mash and gravy.

I think kale is the proper veg to use in champ.

[L.A.]

Interesting use of the word 'alternative' - it's totally different in terms nutrition and I can't believe it would taste remotely like rice.

Correct use of the word "alternative" - it doesn't mean "similar"! For example, consider "Try going to the gym as an alternative to sitting on your arse watching telly" or "I had scale the wall and run for it - the only alternative was to hang around and get nicked".

Hmm . . . you could say that sawdust is an alternative to rice I supose, but maybe not a useful cookery tip.

[Udayana]

...
I think kale is the proper veg to use in champ.

Champ .. hmm, good, could try with our new potatoes ... just let me get it back out from the bin

[cyberman]

Interesting use of the word 'alternative' - it's totally different in terms nutrition and I can't believe it would taste remotely like rice.

Correct use of the word "alternative" - it doesn't mean "similar"! For example, consider "Try going to the gym as an alternative to sitting on your arse watching telly" or "I had scale the wall and run for it - the only alternative was to hang around and get nicked".

Hmm . . . you could say that sawdust is an alternative to rice I supose, but maybe not a useful cookery tip.

Quite - I was making a language point, not a cooking point. Next time I do a curry I certainly won't be using mashed cauli instead of rice!! I'm with Shaker on this - food is to be enjoyed. Other than cases of actual intolerance or allergy, there's nothing you really need to avoid - carbs, sugar, salt, fat - none of them will do you any harm if you eat a sensible amount and enjoy a varied range of foods. Eating quarterpounders every day will be very bad for you, putting heaps of salt in every meal will be very bad for you, but that doesn't mean  never eat burgers or never add salt. If you eat a carb free high fibre diet day after day with no fat, salt or sugar, you don't so yourself much good either.

[Rhiannon]

Many low carb diets are low in fibre too, because most recommend limiting fruit and most veg as they tend to be carb heavy also due to natural sugars and starches. Even more so pulses etc.

[cyberman]

Many low carb diets are low in fibre too, because most recommend limiting fruit and most veg as they tend to be carb heavy also due to natural sugars and starches. Even more so pulses etc.

If you like, change the word "high" for "low" in what I wrote - it is completely beside the point and changes my meaning not one jot.

[Rhiannon]

Well only in a sense - there are high fibre diets that are also high carb. Carb free tends to be meat based, high protein. At least a diet high in fibre is reasonably good for the gut, providing it is the right kind - soluble rather than insoluble.

But you are completely right that too much of anything - or too little - isn't good for us. Research is actually backing up the basis of Paul Mckenna's 'I Can Make You Thin' program - eat mindfully, eat only when hungry, eat what you want, stop when full. I hate the division of food into 'good' and 'bad' and I could weep whenever a friend says 'I'm being really good at the moment' meaning, I'm calorie counting and eating cardboard.

[cyberman]

Well only in a sense - there are high fibre diets that are also high carb. Carb free tends to be meat based, high protein. At least a diet high in fibre is reasonably good for the gut, providing it is the right kind - soluble rather than insoluble.

But you are completely right that too much of anything - or too little - isn't good for us. Research is actually backing up the basis of Paul Mckenna's 'I Can Make You Thin' program - eat mindfully, eat only when hungry, eat what you want, stop when full. I hate the division of food into 'good' and 'bad' and I could weep whenever a friend says 'I'm being really good at the moment' meaning, I'm calorie counting and eating cardboard.

Quite so - there is nothing which needs to be avoided completely.

I hadn't heard of this McKenna thing, but it sounds absurd - a regime to tell people they don't need a regime.

[Rhiannon]

Apparently it's more successful than traditional weight watchers etc - the idea is that once you get used to it, it becomes second nature and you don't obsess about food.

Beyond Chocolate does something similar, only without the hypnosis/NLP angle.

[cyberman]

Apparently it's more successful than traditional weight watchers etc - the idea is that once you get used to it, it becomes second nature and you don't obsess about food.

Beyond Chocolate does something similar, only without the hypnosis/NLP angle.

But why not just enjoy food sensibly without subscribing to a programme?

[Rhiannon]

Apparently it's more successful than traditional weight watchers etc - the idea is that once you get used to it, it becomes second nature and you don't obsess about food.

Beyond Chocolate does something similar, only without the hypnosis/NLP angle.

But why not just enjoy food sensibly without subscribing to a programme?

Because many people - mostly women - are conditioned to believe that you lose weight by following one. Hang out with any random group of women for long enough and you'll soon find conversation turns to what diet they are 'doing', ranging from old school WeightWatchers, meal replacements like Jenny Craig, fads like 5:2, or bonkers ideas like the British Heart Foundation detox fast for emergency surgery (makes you pee and gives you a migraine but hey, you've shifted half a stone in time for the office party) or the Aloe Vera Detox (don't eat, pop expensive pills and drink Aloe Vera juice). And their kids pick this stuff in childhood without questioning it - my daughter's friends all count calories, label foods as 'good' and 'bad', and even follow the 5:2 diet at school - although they usually do 2:5. Of course schools encourage this in the 'war against obesity' by telling children how many calories they need to eat to be 'healthy' and encouraging the 'good/bad' mindset.

At least these 'programs' offer a path away from that to freedom to eat, as you so rightly say, in a sensible way. Once that is established there is no program to follow at all.

[cyberman]

Apparently it's more successful than traditional weight watchers etc - the idea is that once you get used to it, it becomes second nature and you don't obsess about food.

Beyond Chocolate does something similar, only without the hypnosis/NLP angle.

But why not just enjoy food sensibly without subscribing to a programme?

Because many people - mostly women - are conditioned to believe that you lose weight by following one. Hang out with any random group of women for long enough and you'll soon find conversation turns to what diet they are 'doing', ranging from old school WeightWatchers, meal replacements like Jenny Craig, fads like 5:2, or bonkers ideas like the British Heart Foundation detox fast for emergency surgery (makes you pee and gives you a migraine but hey, you've shifted half a stone in time for the office party) or the Aloe Vera Detox (don't eat, pop expensive pills and drink Aloe Vera juice). And their kids pick this stuff in childhood without questioning it - my daughter's friends all count calories, label foods as 'good' and 'bad', and even follow the 5:2 diet at school - although they usually do 2:5. Of course schools encourage this in the 'war against obesity' by telling children how many calories they need to eat to be 'healthy' and encouraging the 'good/bad' mindset.

At least these 'programs' offer a path away from that to freedom to eat, as you so rightly say, in a sensible way. Once that is established there is no program to follow at all.

Instead of publishing his lucrative "I can make you thin", why doesn't McKenna just release a less ucrative statement saying "don't worry about it - you can be happy, healthy and beautiful without being thin - fancy a bacon sarnie?"  If women are conditioned to want a "programme", then by producing another one he is simply both encouraging and exploiting that.

[Rhiannon]

You may well be right. The question is whether his 'don't worry about it' program is more successful than the others, and really does lead to a state of not worrying about it. I don't think any of us would dispute you feel better if you don't have too much excess weight.

Incidentally, his program does feature a section on self-acceptance - seeing yourself as beautiful regardless - because of the link between overeating and low self esteem.