Food questions? Ask me anything

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  • ketchup38
    ketchup38 Posts: 112 Member
    bump
  • laurenz2501
    laurenz2501 Posts: 839 Member
    Baked Sweet Potato Fries: I can't get my knife through the rock hard sweet potatoes, and when I eventually do (by literally hacking them apart), they aren't cut evenly, and therefore don't cook evenly.
  • AnjaZ89
    AnjaZ89 Posts: 235
    i would love to know how to make a gravy that is not as high fat as the standard ones.. any advice?
    brown or cream?

    would be brown. thank you so much for your effort I think everybody loves yur thread!
  • MikeyD1280
    MikeyD1280 Posts: 5,257
    how come we are taught to never play with our food but we can carve pumpkins and all that? I don't even eat pumpkins..
  • PuggleMama33
    PuggleMama33 Posts: 23 Member
    Should I weigh my meat frozen or cooked on my scale to obtain the correct calorie count? I have researched this topic, however I keep getting opposite opinions. I dont eat red meat much, but I am especially concerned with the correct calorie count on red meat. Thanks for your help!
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    Baked Sweet Potato Fries: I can't get my knife through the rock hard sweet potatoes, and when I eventually do (by literally hacking them apart), they aren't cut evenly, and therefore don't cook evenly.
    I don't eat sweet potatoes so I dont have a whole lot of experience with them, however two things I'd try are first off make sure the knife you're using is as thin as possible...blade width is determined by the back or spine of the blade (non cutting edge) the thicker the blade the harder to cut dense things like your sweet potato, no matter how sharp...for example I have a razor sharp high carbon stainless expensive French chefs knife which I love cutting large chunks of meat with, or chopping with, but to cut a potato I'd rather use a twelve dollar farberware French chefs knife from Walmart just because it has a thinner blade and gets through it easier...if you have a good filet knife that would be ideal. Personally I use my misono UX10 for just about everything lol. If that still doesn't work you may want to consider microwaving it for a couple minutes just to help soften some of the bonds for (hopefully) easier slicing.
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    i would love to know how to make a gravy that is not as high fat as the standard ones.. any advice?
    brown or cream?

    would be brown. thank you so much for your effort I think everybody loves yur thread!
    I make my brown gravy with relatively little fat at all...first off make sure that whatever meat you're cooking gets cooked in a not nonstick pan (no Teflon, or ceramic) cook it normally and when you take it out of the pan there should be all the little crusty awesome bits at the bottom...take about 1/2C of bourbon, or cognac and deglaze the pan (still hot, and watch for flare up when alcohol evaporates, and don't panic when/if it does) use a spoon to scrape up all the solids off of the bottom
    Of the pan, and simmer the liquid until reduced by half add in 2.75 cups of the appropriate low/no sodium stock (chicken or veggie if you're cooking chicken or pork, and beef stock for beef) take another quarter cup of stock and make a slurry with cornstarch and slowly stir it in, simmer until thick, and season to taste.
  • missdibs1
    missdibs1 Posts: 1,092 Member
    i need healthy dinner recipies

    my husband is a picky eater and tends to over eat.

    i am looking for flavorful and filling

    hopefully low carb
  • Thank you for offering this service to others. I am having a hard time trying to find exactly which foods I can eat and what I can not eat. I am trying to do a 2200 calories a day diet (pre-diabetic)...but since I started it...I have ate far less than that and run the risk of being in starvation mode. With the holidays coming up I would love to find some recipes for low calorie pumpkin pie and other goodies that are normally eaten during this time of year, that won't totally destroy everything I am trying to do. I don't want to feel that I am depriving myself ; or this will never work, for me.

    Thanks again.

    Lena Howell
    Stuart, VA
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    How would i bake with coarse oats/steel cut oats, as i know this is different from regular oats.. its tougher...

    Also do you have any recipe ideas? :)
    From way back on pg 2 but I finally picked some up and tried this recipe and it came out nicely.


    Steel Cut Oats with Blackberry Orange Sauce
     

    Print
    Prep time
    5 mins
    Cook time
    35 mins
    Total time
    40 mins
     
    Easy, creamy steel cut oats with a hint of orange topped with a fresh and tart blackberry orange sauce.
    Author: Gina Matsoukas
    Recipe type: breakfast
    Serves: 4
    Ingredients
    Steel Cut Oats
    1 cup steel cut oats
    1 tablespoon coconut oil
    3 cups water
    ½ cup coconut milk
    ½ cup 2% milk
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    zest of 1 orange
    juice of 1 orange
    ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    Blackberry Orange Sauce
    1¼ cup blackberries
    ¼ cup water
    1 tablespoon sugar
    1 teaspoon orange zest
    1 tablespoon orange juice
    1 teaspoon honey (or agave)
    1 teaspoon cornstarch
    Instructions
    Steel Cut Oats
    In a skillet over medium heat, toast oats in coconut oil for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant. Set aside.
    In a medium sauce pan, bring water and milk to a boil.
    Add toasted oats, reduce heat to low and cover for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    After 25 minutes, mixture should be considerably thicker. Add salt, orange juice, zest, vanilla and cinnamon.
    Cook and stir frequently for another 5-10 minutes until creamy.
    Remove from heat and serve.
    Blackberry Orange Sauce
    In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and simmer.
    Stir frequently until blackberries are broken down and mixture thickens to desired consistency, about 8-10 minutes.
    Stir into oatmeal.
     
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    i need healthy dinner recipies

    my husband is a picky eater and tends to over eat.

    i am looking for flavorful and filling

    hopefully low carb
    soups and stews are great ways to do that one of the easiest ways to get that full feeling is to drink milk...I drink almond milk, but regular is fine especially if you're not on a big time weight loss diet. If you can give me an idea of what he won't eat then I can give you a recipe or two.
  • girlykate143
    girlykate143 Posts: 220 Member
    When food gets reheated in a microwave and is covered with plastic wrap, what happens to the food? Does the plastic leach into it?
    i'm in a discussion with the boyfriend about this. I never cover my food with plastic, he always does. Wraps it like it's a bleeding wound.
    What's your overall theory on cooking in microwaves?

    I want to be right. :)
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    how come we are taught to never play with our food but we can carve pumpkins and all that? I don't even eat pumpkins..
    an excellent question lol...I'd say most of the pumpkin consumed is from pie pumpkins, which are drastically different from carving pumpkins, so I guess technically its not playing with your food since people don't eat carving pumpkins.
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    When food gets reheated in a microwave and is covered with plastic wrap, what happens to the food? Does the plastic leach into it?
    i'm in a discussion with the boyfriend about this. I never cover my food with plastic, he always does. Wraps it like it's a bleeding wound.
    What's your overall theory on cooking in microwaves?

    I want to be right. :)
    leaving it open can lead to drying out, so I certainly don't recommend that, and while I'd love to tell you that plastic wrap is bad too, the fact is that if you eat out at chain restaurants you've probably eaten a microwaved side with plastic wrap cover lol...sad but true, especially if you're a consumer of the infamous "mixed veg" side. So sadly I have to say he's correct (although my personal reheatings in the microwave I just use a hard plastic plate dome to avoid doing either lol.
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    Thank you for offering this service to others. I am having a hard time trying to find exactly which foods I can eat and what I can not eat. I am trying to do a 2200 calories a day diet (pre-diabetic)...but since I started it...I have ate far less than that and run the risk of being in starvation mode. With the holidays coming up I would love to find some recipes for low calorie pumpkin pie and other goodies that are normally eaten during this time of year, that won't totally destroy everything I am trying to do. I don't want to feel that I am depriving myself ; or this will never work, for me.

    Thanks again.

    Lena Howell
    Stuart, VA
    What is your lifestyle like? Stay at home? Work? Part time? Full time? Excessive time? How active? Etc...
  • Hello , you might be just the person I need :D

    I recently had amazing carrot and coriander soup at a resturant, went to asda bought their good for you version and it was sickeningly bitter from the lemon they'd put in it so now I want to make my own. Could you give me a good recipe with some amounts and any hints to make it tasty please.

    Many thanks :)
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    Should I weigh my meat frozen or cooked on my scale to obtain the correct calorie count? I have researched this topic, however I keep getting opposite opinions. I dont eat red meat much, but I am especially concerned with the correct calorie count on red meat. Thanks for your help!
    well since you aren't going to cook your meat from frozen (you aren't right? Lol) I'd thaw it, then pat it dry with a paper towel and weigh it that way...I'm pretty sure that's what they're doing in the measurements on here, and because if im wrong at worst you're overestimating your calories and thus you're less than you think...
  • not about food but about cooking....

    i got some calphalon stainless steel cookware as a gift. and althoyugh it boils water beautifully, i can't get it to stop sticking! seems like no matter what i cook. it sticks! sometimes it loosens up, othertimes it acts like it burns.
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    Hello , you might be just the person I need :D

    I recently had amazing carrot and coriander soup at a resturant, went to asda bought their good for you version and it was sickeningly bitter from the lemon they'd put in it so now I want to make my own. Could you give me a good recipe with some amounts and any hints to make it tasty please.

    Many thanks :)

    Not my recipe but by far my favorite.
    Ingredients
    knob of butter
    drizzle of rapeseed oil/olive oil
    1 onion, sliced
    450g/1lb carrots, sliced
    1 potato, sliced
    1 tsp ground coriander
    1 litres/2 pints vegetable stock
    50mls cream
    large bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
    salt and freshly ground black pepper


    Method
    Heat the butter and oil in a large pan and add the onions, potato and the carrots. Cook for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
    Stir in the ground coriander and season well. Cook for 1 minute.
    Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.
    Whizz with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth.Add the cream. Reheat in a clean pan, stir in the fresh coriander and serve.
  • bodyrollin
    bodyrollin Posts: 215 Member
    not about food but about cooking....

    i got some calphalon stainless steel cookware as a gift. and althoyugh it boils water beautifully, i can't get it to stop sticking! seems like no matter what i cook. it sticks! sometimes it loosens up, othertimes it acts like it burns.
    Ah ha! I was wondering when I'd get this lol...it's VERY common question, and there are a few things that I personally do to deal with this. First off get some "bartenders friend" it's a fine abrasive cleaner specifically designed to clean stainless, and you can get it at any mega mart...use as instructed, it helps keep the surface smooth...secondly be sure to preheat your pan (not over heat) the surface of the pan has tiny pores and when you add butter/oil to a cold pan it keeps those pores slightly open, as the pan heats the pores close and THEN add your oil/butter. Don't move it in the pan too much, if it needs a flip, flip it once...if you're tossing to sauté there should be enough oil for it to not stick. Lastly is don't cook too hot...stuff will stick to Teflon when it's too hot so needless to say it will do the same on stainless.