No such thing in my house! I like to do a full roast whenever possible, including sauces, stuffing and yorkshire pudding where appropriate. Is it healthy home cooking? It can be.
This week, I roasted a silverside of beef, and added roast potatoes, carrot and swede mash, cauliflower, peas, yorkshire pudding and gravy.
I use spray cooking oil to roast my potatoes and it greatly reduces the fat you use. I use the whole potatoes to work out how many I need and then peel and chop them. I then put them in boiling water and bring it back up to the boil for two or three minutes.
I use olive oil cooking spray and squirt a few times into a pyrex dish. Then I tip in the hot potatoes and spray some more. Then they go in the oven. For me the temperature of the oven depends on what else is cooking. Usually the meat is still in there so the temperature of the oven is at about 190 degrees C. Having said that, if the meat is cooked and you want the potatoes sooner, then put it up to 220 for faster cooking.
Finally you can also use spray oil for parsnips although I don't usually parboil them first.
Happy home cooking!
Monday 9 November 2009
Wednesday 4 November 2009
Eight Reasons to Cook Tonight
Why cook your own food?
We all have pressures - the school run, the pick-up run, the husband run. Planning a list, shopping then preparing and cooking - sometimes it all seems too much effort!
Next time you're tempted to pick up that ready meal in the supermarket, think on these things:
1. When you cook a meal, you put a little of your own heart into it.
2. This can be a downside or an up (glass half full, anyone?) but you can cater for the family just as they want it.
3. You know how much salt and sugar you have put into a meal.
4. You know how fresh the ingredients are that you have used.
5. You know how long the meal has been made. (Lead times on pre-prepared food can be scary!)
6. You save money
7. You add ingredients or not according to your family's tastes. (Some people hate garlic!)
8. You're in control of your family's eating.
I'm sure there are more and there may be later...!
Enjoy your healthy home cooking and do add your own comments.
We all have pressures - the school run, the pick-up run, the husband run. Planning a list, shopping then preparing and cooking - sometimes it all seems too much effort!
Next time you're tempted to pick up that ready meal in the supermarket, think on these things:
1. When you cook a meal, you put a little of your own heart into it.
2. This can be a downside or an up (glass half full, anyone?) but you can cater for the family just as they want it.
3. You know how much salt and sugar you have put into a meal.
4. You know how fresh the ingredients are that you have used.
5. You know how long the meal has been made. (Lead times on pre-prepared food can be scary!)
6. You save money
7. You add ingredients or not according to your family's tastes. (Some people hate garlic!)
8. You're in control of your family's eating.
I'm sure there are more and there may be later...!
Enjoy your healthy home cooking and do add your own comments.
Monday 2 November 2009
Holiday Home Cooking
I've just been on holiday this week in Kent in the UK. We packed a whole lot of cooking stuff to take with us, but one of the best things we took was our slow cooker.
You go out for the day and come back to a home cooked meal. We used ours twice to do a casserole and a roast chicken. Yes, you heard that right - a roast chicken!
To roast a chicken you need to brown it in a frying pan first. This is the tricky bit and involves a bit of spitting fat (not something my husband likes) and juggling the bird with two spatulas.
When you are happy with the colour of the bird, add it to the pot along with some onion and carrot and seasoning. Some recipes add water, not not all. Then leave to cook.
We left ours with water and seven hours later, the meat fell from the bone. We had enough stock for chicken soup and enough meat for two meals. (We made a curry later in the week.)
Absolutely delicious and highly recommended.
You go out for the day and come back to a home cooked meal. We used ours twice to do a casserole and a roast chicken. Yes, you heard that right - a roast chicken!
To roast a chicken you need to brown it in a frying pan first. This is the tricky bit and involves a bit of spitting fat (not something my husband likes) and juggling the bird with two spatulas.
When you are happy with the colour of the bird, add it to the pot along with some onion and carrot and seasoning. Some recipes add water, not not all. Then leave to cook.
We left ours with water and seven hours later, the meat fell from the bone. We had enough stock for chicken soup and enough meat for two meals. (We made a curry later in the week.)
Absolutely delicious and highly recommended.
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