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5 ways to eat healthier
My top recommendation for people who want to improve their health is to cook most of their meals. However, this is just 1 of 5 ways to eat healthier. Keep in mind no one strategy works for everyone and there is no reason for you to marry to one strategy for the rest of your life. Circumstances change, and you should be able to change and adapt with them. As usual, my suggestion is to try different things and see what works for you at the present moment, and what may work for you under different circumstances. 5 ways to eat healthier 1. Cooking most of your meals This is…
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How to add heat to your food
If you like hot (spicy) food and/or want to get more adventurous with chillies, here is your guide on how to add heat to your food. Spicy vs hot Many people use the word spicy to describe food that is hot due to the addition of chillies. This term might get confusing if you consider there are foods that are heavily spiced sometimes get labelled as “spicy” as well. How to add heat to your food Heat is normally added by the addition of chillies, although some spices such as black pepper and ginger can also introduce a bit of heat to meals. However, this article will focus on chillies…
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What to do with leftovers
Cooking your own food is great for many reasons: saving money, eating healthy, ensuring your dietary requirements are met, etc. Cooking in bulk has extra benefits: leftovers. If you are of those people who don’t enjoy eating the same meal over and over again, you should learn what to do with leftovers. What to do with leftovers The obvious thing to do with leftovers is to eat them as the original dish. However, I prefer to save leftover food components to put them together as different meals afterward. Principles Food safety Other considerations Food categories Cooked vegetables Cooked vegetables are very versatile. They can be eaten as a side for…
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How to choose recipes
Cooking your own food is great for saving money and ensuring your meals are as healthy as they can be. Whether you are a seasoned cook or a beginner, it is useful to know how to choose recipes. Choosing a recipe to follow always involves a couple of risks: the risk that the recipe is bad and the risk that you don’t like the dish. There is no guarantee you will be 100% satisfied with a particular recipe, however the more recipes you try, the more you can make educated guesses of whether a new recipe will work for you or not. How to choose recipes 1. Look for a…
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How to make Mexican-style bowls
In this article we’ll look at how to make Mexican-style bowls as they can be a healthy, delicious and easy meal option for your repertoire. What are Mexican-style bowls? What I calling Mexican-style bowls include what are commonly known as burrito bowls and Mexican or taco salads. However, some burrito bowls have no vegetables and I like my bowls to be heavy on the veg. How to make Mexican-style bowls You can follow recipes but I don’t. You can also get inspiration from the menu of your favourite Mexican restaurant. I have a general structure and ingredients I gravitate toward, which I’ll explain below. However, it’s more important to use…
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Substituting ingredients
If you cook some or all of your food, you might have to substitute ingredients due to a variety of reasons. Lately, these reasons have been mainly bare supermarket shelves due to Covid or floods. This article explores the reasons and ways of substituting ingredients. Reasons for substituting ingredients There are many reasons why you would want or need to substitute a particular ingredient in a recipe. These include: You (or someone you are cooking for) don’t like it You don’t have it when you need it You have it in your fridge or pantry but it’s expired You went to the shops and couldn’t find it It’s too expensive…
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How to eat healthy when travelling
Travelling can be challenging for maintaining healthy habits. Whether you are relocating or visiting a new location, it is always handy to know how to eat healthy when travelling. Before travelling Before heading to your destination, do a little research. If you know someone who lives or has been to where you’re headed, ask for recommendations. Otherwise, search on the internet for highly-rated restaurants, markets, grocers and supermarkets. If you don’t speak the language, make sure you install Google Translate in your phone to translate menus, food labels, etc. At your destination Check out what kitchen facilities are available at your accommodation. This includes refrigeration, cooking facilities, small appliances and…
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Product review: Hart & Soul recipe bases
Hart & Soul recipe bases are one of the newest products from the manufacturers of my favourite shelf-stable soups. These recipe bases will help you get dinner on the table in record time. Hart & Soul recipe bases These are the current The Hart & Soul recipe base ranges: Butter Chicken, Green Curry, Moroccan Tagine, Pad Thai, Massaman Curry, Laksa, Nasi Goreng, Panang Curry, Rendang Curry, Tikka Massala, Red Curry, Satay Curry, Stroganoff, Teriyaki Stir Fry. All of them come in 80g sachets that make 3-4 servings, with the exception of the Laksa which makes 2-3 servings. All of the bases are refined sugar free (but not sugar free!), gluten…
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Book review: The Food Lab (J Kenji Lopez-Alt)
The Food Lab is J Kenji Lopez-Alt’s fantastic book that documents the results of his culinary experiments. If you like to cook and are science-minded, this is a must-read. The author J Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Culinary Advisor for Serious Eats and the chef and co-owner of the restaurant Wursthall in San Mateo, California. He has science in his genes (both his father and maternal grandfather are scientists) and studied Architecture at no less than the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). I first ran across his work through Serious Eats several years ago and have been a follower ever since. Kenji makes frequent guest appearances in food podcasts such…
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Book review: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (Samin Nosrat)
My introduction to the now celebrity chef Samin Nosrat was through Michael Pollan’s book Cooked. Soon after she started making appearances in several of the podcasts I listen to. She talked about her culinary story, which led to the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering The Elements Of Good Cooking and the Netflix show of the same name. The author Samin Nosrat is a writer, teacher and chef, born to Iranian parents who migrated to the US. Samin started her professional cooking career in the prestigious Californian restaurant Chez Panise without having done any formal culinary education. For more details on this story, listen to any of her interviews or…
