Cooking Questions

MarineBugler
MarineBugler Posts: 34
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
My hubbies and I moved into our new apartment! Our first food trip will be on Tuesday. I've never cooked much so I just had a few ___ vs. ___ questions.

Olive Oil vs. Pam (or any brand) cooking spray
(any other better suggestions?)

Stick butter vs. tub butter
(which brands do you suggest?)

bagged salad vs. head of lettuce
(any other better suggestions?)

brown rice vs. long grain rice
(any other better suggestions?)

sea salt vs. 'regular' salt
(any other better suggestions?)



Also, feel free to add any other little bits of advice!

:flowerforyou: Thank You! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • MarineBugler
    MarineBugler Posts: 34
    My hubbies and I moved into our new apartment! Our first food trip will be on Tuesday. I've never cooked much so I just had a few ___ vs. ___ questions.

    Olive Oil vs. Pam (or any brand) cooking spray
    (any other better suggestions?)

    Stick butter vs. tub butter
    (which brands do you suggest?)

    bagged salad vs. head of lettuce
    (any other better suggestions?)

    brown rice vs. long grain rice
    (any other better suggestions?)

    sea salt vs. 'regular' salt
    (any other better suggestions?)



    Also, feel free to add any other little bits of advice!

    :flowerforyou: Thank You! :flowerforyou:
  • krystalmoore1986
    krystalmoore1986 Posts: 216 Member
    Okay I am not a pro, but heres my opinion.

    For cooking spray, Dollar tree sells a spray that has no calories and no fat for one serving and its cheap instead of so spendy like other sprays

    I use country crock shedds spread light its 50 cals for 1 tbs

    No opinion of bag salad vs lettuce but I prefer bagged spring mix because it has spinach so it has higher iron in the dark greens in the bag. but head lettuce is way cheaper so it depends on my budget.

    I like brown rices especially brown basmati its very aromatic and delicious but I have no idea which is better for you

    I believe sea salt is a little better but I am not sure why. I would assume maybe because its less processed.
  • susan62
    susan62 Posts: 59
    I think sea salt or Kosher salt is better, but that's just a personal opinion.

    I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (it's low fat, low cholesterol, great taste) also comes in stick. I cook with the stick, use the tub for spread

    Olive oil or canola if you need to have a thin layer of oil in a pan, otherwise, Pam spray has little to no calories and it also comes in Canola, olive, etc. Olive oil is also good for vinegrette dressings.

    Bag salads are easy to use, realitively cheap and have a pretty good base of ingredients, iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, shredded carrots, etc. Plus you can find a variety of salads, romaine, spinach, etc.

    Hope this helped.:smile:
  • BrandNewLaura
    BrandNewLaura Posts: 1,650 Member
    I believe sea salt is a little better but I am not sure why. I would assume maybe because its less processed.

    I think the sea salt has much less sodium and that's why it's a bit better...I found a non-sodium salt substitute at my grocery store that I love. I am not sure about the health benefits of it since it's made from chemicals, but it has a lot of potassium and no-sodium which really helps me stay within my sodium limits.
  • Cjjhnson11
    Cjjhnson11 Posts: 9
    Well,
    as for olive oil vs. cooking spray: cooking spray still has calories if you use it for more than 1/4 of a second (which is the serving size), so I use just a splash of olive oil. That way you get the health benefits. But for eggs and the such, I just use some spray.

    I ALWAYS eat Brummel and Brown yogurt butter. You can't use it in cooking, but just on top of things there is nothing better. It has MUCH lower fat, no trans fat, and mono/poly unsaturated fat.

    I usually buy a head of red leaf lettuce, clean it, tear it up, and then put what I don't use into plastic bags with paper towels (the paper towels prevent it from spoiling too fast). This is a lot more cost effective and then you have little individual bags of lettuce for later.

    I like brown rice in things (a great recipe is to use brown rice, crushed tomatoes, black beans, and salsa. Mix together and serve!) But, on the side of things, I like long grain rice. It has a better flavor to it.

    I always use sea salt in cooking. You get enough sodium per day by eating pre-packaged anything. Sea salt has a bit of a crunch to it and has a fresher flavor, and you don't go overboard on sodium.

    Hope that helps!!! :happy:
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    My hubbies and I moved into our new apartment! Our first food trip will be on Tuesday. I've never cooked much so I just had a few ___ vs. ___ questions.

    Olive Oil vs. Pam (or any brand) cooking spray
    (any other better suggestions?)

    Stick butter vs. tub butter
    (which brands do you suggest?)

    bagged salad vs. head of lettuce
    (any other better suggestions?)

    brown rice vs. long grain rice
    (any other better suggestions?)

    sea salt vs. 'regular' salt
    (any other better suggestions?)



    Also, feel free to add any other little bits of advice!

    :flowerforyou: Thank You! :flowerforyou:


    I'm not a huge cook, but I do all the cooking and have definitely branched out some since moving in with my boyfriend so I will add my two cents. I use both cooking spray and olive oil, just depends on what I am making. For frying eggs or anything that goes in the oven and the bakeware needs something I use spray, but when cooking chicken in a pan I use oil. For the spray I just use the store brand or whatever is the cheapest.

    For butter I love "I can't believe it's not butter" spray. I pretty much use it for anything I need butter for (except when cooking I use whatever stick butter I happened to buy) but the spray stuff has zero calories.

    I always use bag lettuce just because it is so much more convenient. Its already washed and chopped and ready to go. I just remember the pain of trying to make a salad out of the head of lettuce my parents always had when I was growing up and it was such a pain to use and the outer layer usually got gross and wilted within a day. The bag just seems fresher and way more convenient.

    I don't have an opinion on the rice because I eat mostly white despite how bad it might be since I don't eat it often, and the salt....I know sea salt is better in some way, but I forget how....my advice is to google it and see what the experts say. Good luck!
  • MarineBugler
    MarineBugler Posts: 34
    Thanks for all of the suggestions and tips!

    :flowerforyou:
  • Mufasa0331
    Mufasa0331 Posts: 334 Member
    My hubbies and I moved into our new apartment! Our first food trip will be on Tuesday. I've never cooked much so I just had a few ___ vs. ___ questions.

    Olive Oil vs. Pam (or any brand) cooking spray
    (any other better suggestions?)

    Stick butter vs. tub butter
    (which brands do you suggest?)

    bagged salad vs. head of lettuce
    (any other better suggestions?)

    brown rice vs. long grain rice
    (any other better suggestions?)

    sea salt vs. 'regular' salt
    (any other better suggestions?)



    Also, feel free to add any other little bits of advice!

    :flowerforyou: Thank You! :flowerforyou:

    ok so here goes my theories on this stuff :)

    Pam for just a non stick coating, olive oil for anything more than the coating

    REAL butter all the way... margarine and all that stuff umm yeah its what one molecule away from being plastic and the stuff it does to your body....i put it in the backyard for a day and the flies wouldn't even touch it nor the dogs..what does that tell you?

    I do bagged salads/lettuce because I am lazy and mostly romaine because they say iceberg gets stuck in your intestines at some point in time and builds up.. *gag*

    Sea salt my mom swears by not sure why, but I don't put salt on anything literally... I am an onion powder and black pepper girl... last thing I put salt on was collard greens I ate 5 months ago lol

    I love basmatic rice and you can get it in brown so its "healthier"

    Hope it helps and again these are just my thoughts on this stuff..
  • Eve23
    Eve23 Posts: 2,352 Member
    Well I am no cooking expert but I can tell you what I do.

    Personally I keep a spray olive oil that I use when I bake or broil or just need to season a pan. If you have to season a pan olive oil works best. I also keep olive oil for sauteeing. I do keep other oils in the house for baking purposes.

    I generally have stick butter. Not margarine but real butter. I think thats a personal choice but I prefer products that are as close to natural as I can.

    For quick and easy the bagged lettuce is great. However I usually end up adding things.

    Rice is simply a preference I think. I know brown rice is healthier but I really don't care for it.

    Sea salt is good but I generally buy regular salt.

    Be willing to try new things and take a look in the health food section of your grocery store. You might be surprised by all the interesting and good products.
  • elliott062907
    elliott062907 Posts: 1,508 Member
    My hubbies and I moved into our new apartment! Our first food trip will be on Tuesday. I've never cooked much so I just had a few ___ vs. ___ questions.

    Olive Oil vs. Pam (or any brand) cooking spray
    (any other better suggestions?) I use the omega 3 oils and olive oil and the spray olive oil.

    Stick butter vs. tub butter
    (which brands do you suggest?) I use both, I use the yogurt butter with cream stick and the tub with the olive oil and omega 3

    bagged salad vs. head of lettuce
    (any other better suggestions?) the original head of lettuce has no nutritional value. I love the hearts of romaine, the butter crisp and mix it with the purples and reads!!!

    brown rice vs. long grain rice
    (any other better suggestions?) both, long grain is more raw, but goes great with everything

    sea salt vs. 'regular' salt
    (any other better suggestions?) sea salt, you don't use as much.



    Also, feel free to add any other little bits of advice!

    :flowerforyou: Thank You! :flowerforyou:
  • themetra
    themetra Posts: 174 Member
    I use mostly olive oil when cooking, bagged salad for convience, plus I live alone, so i find if i buy stuff for salads, it goes bad before I use it all, and as for butter, I only use real butter, I believe i just read an article or something about marg, i cant believe its not butter, and those types of "healthy" products having high amounts of trans fats in them

    Is anybody concerned about this type of stuff? Like nutri-sweet, and trans fats? And how all of these sugar free, low-fat types of things really arent that good for you?
  • mtpage04
    mtpage04 Posts: 41 Member
    Hello to all! It is my opinion, if you read the ingredients and cannot pronounce what is listed, it is probably not good for you. Try to choose foods that come naturally and are not created by people in a laboratory. Real butter is healthier for you than any margarine or blend. Sea salt has less sodium, but packs more flavor. Olive oil or safflower oil is healthier for you because it is low in saturated fat, but higher in polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat, which is heart healthy. Brown rice is healthier for you than white rice. Sometimes it can seem bland, but I prepare mine with chicken broth instead of just plain water and it really helps give it a pep! Good luck in the kitchen!!!
  • jenn10
    jenn10 Posts: 161
    defenetly sea salt -- better flavor and less sodium

    cooking spray comes in olive oil! And the taste is very close and you won't use toooooo much like you can when pouring out of a bottle

    bag lettuce is a hard one cuz on one hand you don't have to clean it your self but on the other the price is better and come to find out the cemicals they use to clean bag lettuce is close to bleach! so you decide

    stick butter in my opinion for no reason but I like to back with stick butter

    rice is rice to me I only like the white bad for you kind:tongue:
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    My two cents...

    Olive Oil vs. Pam (or any brand) cooking spray
    It really depends on what you are cooking. For eggs I use Pam Olive Oil Spray. For things like fish, veggies, etc. I use 1-2 tbsp of either extra virgin olive oil OR extra virgin coconut oil.

    Stick butter vs. tub butter
    All natural butter... stay away from margerine, it's really not all that good for you. I enjoy the Smart Balance Omega 3 butters.

    bagged salad vs. head of lettuce
    How's about NO iceburg lettuce... hehe... go for the greens instead... baby spinach, argugula, spring mix, etc. Be sure to rinse them in water, even if they say "pre-rinsed"

    brown rice vs. long grain rice
    Brown rice... OR, even better... try some Quinoa or whole wheat cous cous

    sea salt vs. 'regular' salt
    Sea salt
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