Design your diet
13. What’s Cooking?
Energy in food IS complicated, but there is a simple measure to remember.
On EVERY food package there are energy numbers for 100gms.
The sweetness of Tomato sauce is 100,
compare energy with that number.
The reason to know the energy figure is that
if you take in more than you use, your body will try to store it –
so you get fat.
Take in less than you use and
you will begin to slim – simple.
Let’s take a break from all those numbers in the last few episodes
and do a bit of cooking.
COOKING!
Yes, if you are prepared to cook there are many extra options open to you
to save weight and to save-loadsa-money.
If you already cook, you might skip the 'practical'?
(But read it anyway)
If you NEVER cook, then this is for you.
You CAN press a microwave button.
You need to cook something very simple.
We can learn stuff whilst cooking.
Please, please, non-cooks, give it try.
It’s not cordon-bleu and you can do it.
It’s about breakfast again.
Alpen, the well-known muesli breakfast cereal is mainly Oats.
Oats get a good ‘Press’ from most nutritionists. Oats are also cheap and filling. It could be the only cereal where one 50gms serving will be sufficient, but it has to be cooked and the additives of milk, salt and a sweetener, will change its final energy number. As a breakfast cereal, we call it porridge. It is very flexible with what you can add to it, so (Warning!) it offers you some bad chances to totally over-indulge, but also it gives you a chance to eat something that will do you good (Hurrah!). So be warned.
Could cooking be a problem?
Cooking can be a bit of an issue with
Fast-foodies,
Mobile Eat-App-ers
Direct-delivery addicts.
Is this you?
Cooking is too much effort and then there’s the washing up.
Is this you?
You need to cook something very simple.
We can learn stuff whilst cooking.
Please, please, non-cooks, give it try.
It’s not cordon-bleu and you can do it.
It’s about breakfast again.
Even Fast-food people will press microwave buttons for ready meals in plastic containers.
If this is you or close-to-you, can I encourage you to start with the simplest recipe with no real washing-up at the end?
If you can press a microwave button, you CAN do this.
I am hoping that this might make you think about ‘cooking’ other stuff, because it opens up a wider range of food for you to help get some change into your diet and your life. I'll tell you some other stuff you can cook later, but for now ... porridge has a dull name and it isn’t a romantic dish, but you’ll like it, so if you are:
‘Can’t cook - Won’t cook!’
this is your EASY chance to change.
You can only skip this if you have cooked porridge before.
If you have never cooked porridge -
You fail the exemption test, so now
You HAVE to do this ...
Cooking porridge
It has to be cooked, but if you follow my instructions you WILL succeed.
The hardest thing is that you need to have already bought some normal porridge oats. NOT the expensive ones with the man with the funny hat on the front. NOT the 'instant' ones. Just the cheap bottom-shelf ones will do fine. You need milk and a pinch of salt.
First instruction.
Do NOT cook it in a pan on the hob.
It will stick to the bottom of the pan and you will NEVER cook it again.
How do I know this?
You have to find a bigger, DEEPER dish than you normally eat your breakfast cereal in.
left = cereal right = porridge
Oats
Get a small glass or really small cup, put it in the bowl and pour some oats into it. You need 40 – 50 grams and that is about half the cup, or a bit less. This is an amazingly small amount and you’ll think that there will not be enough for your breakfast.
Oh yes there is!
Are you sure?
Yes!
Remember where the oats come up to, inside the cup.
Tip them into the bowl.
Milk
Now you add the liquid.
You need 2 - 2½ times the amount of oats.
You use the same cup/glass and you only fill it to the exact level of the oats.
You can use milk for the first 2 fillings, but then use water for the ½, to wash any milk from the cup. It looks as though there is far too much liquid for the small amount of oats, but it is correct. Believe me. More liquid will make it runny. Less liquid will make it more solid. You can experiment later.
Salt
The pinch of salt is exactly that.
Too much and you will taste it, but that’s not what it is for.
It is worth explaining at this point, that traditionally, porridge is regarded as being as Scottish as Hogmanay and Auld Lang Syne. BUT, if you go to Scotland and you are offered porridge, take extreme care and beware of their ‘tradition’. In Scotland they did not use sugar to sweeten porridge, they used salt. One mouthful will be more than enough for you. It tastes like seawater or a bit stronger. You will be looking for the nearest potted plant.
How do I know this?
You might have to adjust microwave cooking times to suit your machine.
You cook it in the bowl.
Start with 2 mins?
Keep an eye on it towards the end. Let it stand a bit. Take it out and give it a stir to even it up. If you just leave it at this point it will swell up and set, but not be smooth. Most people will continue with the cooking without waiting.
Now set the timer for 1 min?
AND
You MUST watch it for the last 30 secs.
This is because the porridge will BOIL.
As it starts to boil, it will rise up the sides of the bowl.
It is the edges of the porridge that boil first, as it rotates.
This is why you are using a deeper bowl than previously. If it looks as though it will boil over,
STOP
the cooking by clicking the door and the porridge will subside.
It is dangerously HOT at this point. Take care!
Stir it again.
If you don’t watch it and it boils over it makes a mess of the inside of your microwave.
How do I know this?
Safety.
The porridge and the bowl are now VERY HOT. Be sensible.
Watch out for yourself if you are thinking of getting it out of the microwave.
You must NEVER allow it near to children in this state.
It is not ready yet anyway.
You will now recall Goldilocks.
Where were the Three Bears when she found their porridge?
Yes! They had gone for a walk in the woods until their porridge cooled down. You must leave it a bit longer, as it will continue to cook with its own heat. As it cooks it thickens, because the oats are absorbing the moisture and swelling up. The longer you leave it the thicker it becomes. It also becomes smoother. I don’t like it too smooth. I prefer it to have some ‘texture’. If you have it in hotels, it is always smooth. 'Instant' porridge is smooth, because they use oats that are ground to very fine flour – Instant Oats. (They are not really 'instant' anyway.)
Sweetener
The next great danger for you, is the sweetener that is to be added.
For me, only Golden Syrup will do, but of course there has to be a
Rule. No more than the equivalent of HALF a level desert spoonful
(Rules will get explained later)
You might try to not stir it in completely to get an even consistency throughout. Just stir to get a streaky effect that will give it uneven sweetness. You might also pour a slug of milk into the middle to try to cool it down some more. Do be careful of the heat, Skim round the edges with your spoon to find the coolest porridge.
It is liquid Flapjack and great for cold Winter days.
Although I prefer Golden Syrup it is possible to use quite a lot of alternatives that include various sweet fruits as on the TV adverts. I confess, I have used jam and chocolate and bananas and sultanas, but these are high on your danger list. I am just being honest. The idea is that it doesn't always have to taste the same. It can be very varied. Fruit is the safest and you should aim to move onto it, if you can, by reducing the use of the Golden Syrup. Also Note. Not all golden syrups are equal. Some are more 'dense' than others. Read the labels. According to the bottles, Tesco's Golden Syrup comes in a 680g pack and does approx. 45 servings. Energy per tablespoon = 50cal. Lidl's Golden Syrup comes in a larger 750g bottle and does approx. 35 servings. Energy per tablespoon = 67cal. The consistency is quite different.
Fibre.
Before leaving oats it’s worth knowing that cooking any food does not reduce the amount of fibre.
Fibre?
It’s NOT something that I knew about and I guess you’ll not know about, but the 'experts' say it is good for you. We’ll hear more about it a bit later. It is a major topic.
If you do this 'cooking', you’ll find that ‘Cooking’ isn’t always a problem.
‘Washing-up’ means rinsing the dish and spoon under the tap.
Come-on! It’s easy – even bears can do it.
Get some cooking oats -
you could always make Flapjack.
There could be more cooking later ...
To read more, check previous episodes
in 'Introduction'
or 'Eat Less'
or 'Ingredients'
at the top of the page