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Waterless Cookware Review – September 2010
Posts come and go, no different than the seasons. Nonetheless, Good News remains and we like to tally up what we’ve learned. Here’s a brief summary of posts of September past.
Sep 6 > A Perfect Wedding Gift: at the wedding reception of Marci & Chad, we were touched by these hand-written words on a card and lovingly placed on the gift table next to a beautiful set of stainless steel waterless cookware.
Sep 8 > Proper Care and Cleaning of Stainless Steel Cookware: having taken the time to research and make an investment in a quality set of Maxam cookware, it makes sense to take steps to ensure you’re caring for your pots and pans properly.
Sep 17 > Value Beyond Price: nutrient retention isn’t hype. Waterless cooking is proven to preserve at least 40% more vitamin, mineral and essential fiber than any other cooking method (see Vegetables: the Minerals of Health)
Sep 20 > Harvest the Nutrition of Fall Squash: soups, dressings, pies, puddings, smoothies, pulp for breads and spreads—squash is wondrously versatile, easily prepared and tastefully stored (frozen), in wait of winter’s more lean tidings. Butternut squash is especially nutritious:
Sep 21 > Cookware Lids: coated steel, plain aluminum, hard anodized aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, glass. Is a Waterless Lid any different?
Sep 23 > Navigating the Waterless Blog: perhaps you missed our Press Release. Check our purpose out.
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Sep 24 > First Step, Fresh Start: some folks would like to test performance before plunging in. Consider this: experience the cook-friendly food-friendly differences of waterless cookware first hand, on your own stove, cooking your own familiar meals > for less than $50. Chef’s Secret two-pan set for example…
Sep 30 > Cooks on the GO: Leslie Cole, armed with new books promising fast, flavorful and nutritious meals, sets out to beat the tired, the bland and mundane. Discover some novel and time-saving cooking strategies that help reduce and relieve the rush of weeknight family dining. Quick link to The Tick-Tock Express
Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive.
Giving Thanks Never Tasted So Good
A scrumptious Video Recipe from our good friends at LalaCooks:
What says fall more than pumpkin? And of course, the beloved pumpkin pie.
We decided to do things a little bit differently this year and make a pumpkin cheesecake. Because, let’s face it, who doesn’t love cheesecake? …and pumpkin cheesecake? Well, we couldn’t resist.
We promise this pumpkin cheesecake will not disappoint, and it’s likely you’ll be putting your pumpkin pie recipe aside for a rainy day, once you make it. We’re certain it’ll become your go to pumpkin dessert for Thanksgiving. That’s definitely true for us!
This cheesecake is so simple to make and can even be done by hand – so don’t let the kitchen aid fool you. You can do this!
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving and lots of delicious food shared with your nearest and dearest.
Mangez bien!
We at the Waterless Cookware Blog also thank Chef Leslie Newton (Lala Cooks) for partnering with us re: our Healthy Cooking Holiday GIVE AWAY! If you have yet to enter, you can do so here or Lala Cooks. A quality set of surgical stainless steel waterless cookware (KT915) goes to the lucky winner–which just might be you. Drawing our winner on December 10, 2010. Entry is just a mouse click away–& just that easy.
Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive.
Turkey Prep: Dry Brine Rub or Brine Bath…?
As well as it could be said, FOODday home cook Katherine Miller offers some sound advice on preparing your Thanksgiving bird. Here’s a brief appetizer (with link to Katherine’s full story to follow up).
“…For years we’ve been telling readers to brine their turkey. Anyone who’s done it will tell you that it really does give you moist, tender meat. But let’s admit it: Bagging a 14-pound boulder in salt water is like trying to bathe a tantruming 2-year-old. Then you’ve got to keep the unwieldy parcel cold for 12 to 24 hours, all the while hoping the bag doesn’t leak.
But about two years ago I came across the dry-brine method, which is no more than rubbing the poultry with salt and bagging it up for three days, massaging it once a day.
This technique sounded too good to be true. But after I tried it last year, I became a convert.” (…link to ‘The Rest of the Story’ with cooking tips and how-to recipes for Dry-Brine Rub Turkey, Smoky Spiced Salt with Orange, Sage & Bay Salt, Rosemary-lemon Salt. Yummmm!)
As noted in our blog post featuring the Barefoot Contessa, once the bird is ready to cook, learn to trust and enjoy the moist, savory, tender difference achieved when cooking your bird stove top—save time, energy and room in your oven schedule for baking those awesome pies.
Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive
Waterless Cookware Review – September
In a blush of autumn leaves comes some spooky pumpkins & good news from the blog. Let’s take a look back to better understand the future.
Our September review offers a host of nutritional recipes for on-the-go weeknights & more relaxed weekend fare:
–There’s useful tips on waterless cookware care and performance along with the usual nutritional information on veggies.
–There’s even a note to newly weds that we found on a gift table next to a beautiful stainless steel cookware set. It’s all healthy good. If you’ve missed one or more of these brief posts along the way, check ‘em out!
Sep 30 > Cooks on the GO! Armed with a few new cookbooks promising fast, flavorful and nutritious meals, Leslie Cole sets out to beat the tired, the bland and mundane of weeknight meal fare.
Sep 28 > Eat Your Veggies: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports on fruit and vegetable consumption–the good & not so good.
Sep 24 > First Step / Fresh Start: Habits are hard to break / Change is never easy / take small steps / for example…
Sep 23 > Navigating the Waterless Blog: Register to leave comment. Subscribe to receive new posts automatically.
Sep 22 > On a Roll with Casserole: Cooking Tips and a basic Recipe
Sep 21 > Cookware Lids: What’s the BIG difference between a waterless and a conventional lid?
Sep 20 > Harvest the Nutrition of Fall Squash: Easily serve and preserve the vital nutrients of autumn’s abundant squash.
Sep 17 > Waterless Cookware Basics: There’s more to a waterless utensil that meets the eye
Sep 8 > Caring for your Cookware: Keep that brilliant sheen and unmatched performance for life–nothing to it.
Sep 6 > A perfect Wedding Gift: …a genuine note from a proud mom & dad
Roasted Turkey – a la the Barefoot Contessa
Many of you may be familiar with Ina Garten. We’ve always appreciated the wonderful flavors she folds into her simple recipes, easily yet tastefully prepared using common ingredients available in most American kitchens.
In our kitchen, Garten’s 6th book (Barefoot Contessa – Back to Basics) is a favorite. A quick skim can easily snatch a flavor-filled new meal from handy spices and common cooking methods. Our copy of “Back to Basics” is one of a few cookbooks on the cupboard shelf next to Irma’s Joy of Cooking. Here’s a basic recipe to follow; barefoot quick, healthy & lasting.
In a recent interview, Garten shares a succulent Roasted Breast of Turkey recipe (see page two of the interview). Truly back to basics, the kind of cooking that can’t go wrong.
With Thanksgiving upcoming, the Barefoot Contessa’s fresh recipe may please, but consider a whole turkey breast roasted with fresh rosemary, sage and thyme as a great weeknight dinner as well, with plenty of leftovers for delicious sandwiches for several days thereafter. ENJOY!
btw, you know cookware makes a difference as does the method of cooking. Here’s the ideal for a turkey roast (whole breast or whole turkey) – cook stove top to retain the exquisite flavors, aromas, natural moisture and tenderness of fowl. Discover for yourself the unequaled ease, succulence and tenderness of roasting stove top using quality stainless steel waterless cookware.
Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive.
Will the Kids Notice?
Try it and see…but don’t tell the kids it’s cauliflower. From a fresh organic crown of cauliflower, cut and steam the florets until tender–including a length of stem . Once cooked, cut off stem then mash florets until smooth. (TIP: melt a dollop of brisk cheese on each cooked stem—a tasty finger-food appetizer).
Add a shake of salt & pepper (light on the butter if you must)…again, don’t tell the kids.
Mashed Cauliflower looks and smells much like mashed potatoes, similar in taste, texture, nutrient rich, with one important difference; cauliflower avoids the glycemic onslaught of potato. Baking a potato destroys the cell wall (which would otherwise inhibit rapid absorption of starch by our body). Without this natural defense, starchy carbohydrates are immediately and suddenly absorbed causing harmful spikes in blood sugar.
Compare the Glycemic Load of these four cooked vegetables (eGL—a measure of a food’s effect on blood-sugar levels):
eGL = 29 > potato
eGL = 8 > butternut squash
eGL = 1 > cauliflower
eGL = 0 > carrot
…glycemic Load (eGL) and glycemic Index (Gi) are related but different measures of a body’s blood sugar response to various foods. The Gi of an 8 oz baked potato is 95—extremely high.
What’s the harm? In an effort to manage the sudden blood sugar shock, a body releases an intense insulin bolus. There are many side effects to excessive spikes of insulin levels in the blood—a few to consider:
- Physical agitation, anxiety, stress, headaches (especially in children)
- Cravings for sweets and more empty carbohydrates–a vicious spiral
- Increased cortisol levels in the brain (“…cortisol is an acid bath for young brain cells”—Dr. Lee Polus)
- Mental Distractedness and Shortened Attention Span. ADHD/ADH or ‘hyperactivity’ isn’t a disease but symptoms of a young body trying to cope with the modern cocktail: toxin & chemical allergies combined with excessive daily sugar/carbohydrate-induced insulin spikes. Most physicians refuse to treat ADHD/ADH with Ritalin or other drugs because it’s now recognized as external etiology. See Carbohydrate Addicted Kids by Drs. Richard and Rachael Heller, MDs.)
Mollify the glycemic eruptions of potatoes by doing simple things:
> small servings combined with other vegetables, fruits and grains rich in fiber
> real lemonade is an antidote that naturally slows carbohydrate absorption
> include the potato skin—it’s nature’s own self-contained glycemic moderator
> explore alternatives—cauliflower for example
> use unrefined whole health sweeteners too
Mashed Cauliflower…will your kids notice?
Our boys did…but surprise surprise–they really liked it.
Will your kids notice the difference in the way they feel? Absolutely! Especially when whole carbohydrates are served with a balance meal (40% natural carbohydrate, 30% protein, 30% fat).
Treat the body to foods it has naturally adapted to over eons. Today’s highly processed boxed, canned & frozen foods just can’t help us experience real, sustainable, joyful health and vigor.
Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive
The Ubiquitous Potato
Pound for pound, potatoes are the most cost-effective choice for our nutritional dollar. Long growing season, easily stored, relatively long shelf life, menu variety—the potato serves us well.
The United Nations declared 2008 International Year of the Potato to focus attention on this special food staple as a dietary boon to world population while achieving food security and eradicating poverty. High Praise for a humble Irish Tuber.
Here in America, National Potato Month is September. Many of us may still have 5 lbs or so in an open bin awaiting a quick side dish for dinner tonight. Let’s explore some basic menu options this month using waterless cooking and waterless cookware methods but first—
A Few Notable Facts:
- Henry Spalding planted the first Idaho potatoes in 1837
- Today, the average American consumes 140 pounds of potatoes annually (200 lbs in Germany)
- One in Ten potatoes grown in America ends up as French Fries (over 200 million tons)
- Americans spend more on potato chips annually than on Presidential year elections (local, city, county, state and national election dollars combined)
- A potato is 80% water; of the remaining fiber, 35% is carbohydrate.
- A potato skin holds roughly 50% of the tuber’s nutrients, fiber and critical trace minerals; the skin naturally mitigates carbohydrate absorption–without the skin, a tuber can be very harsh (see Not So Yum below).
Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt once complained his fried potatoes were too thick and sent them back to the kitchen. Chef George Crum, in a fit of spite, sliced some potatoes paper thin, fried them in hot oil, added a sprinkle of salt and sent them back. Vanderbilt loved his “Saratoga Crunch Chips” and the rest is history.
A small baked potato contains 760 milligrams of potassium, nearly twice as much as a banana. Great for those potassium deficient head aches following a night of imbibing. A word of caution though before baking a potato to cure the morning-after:
Not So Yum: …an 8 ounce baked potato has a glycemic index of 95. It would take 118 grams of processed sugar to have the same impact on a body’s blood sugar level as a baked potato. Understand the equivalency this way: an 8 oz baked potato necessitates the same glycemic response as digesting 29-1/2 teaspoons of sugar. Not good for the body—especially not good for tens of millions of Americans with diabetic issues, or the 1-in-4 children diagnosed today with Type II diabetes. (French Fries are even worse.)
Moderation is a sound and healthy practice. Let’s refine our understanding of how best to retain the good & moderate the not-so-good of America’s favorite veggie. Potato based Soups are a great way. For example, a basic Leek and Potato Soup Video Recipe featuring Chef Leslie Newton.
Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive.
Waterless Cookware Review – August 2010
Trees are turning, as are the pages of the blog. But let’s not lose sight of the good news of our summer season past.
Cooking tips, Cookware insights, Recipes, comments—all are archived on the blog. Use the ‘search’ feature by keyword for topics of interest (top right corner of blog) or use our convenient reviews—monthly summaries of our most popular articles and links to complete posts.
August’s review includes a variety of topics—cooking rice to searing meats, sauté & basic stir fry to exotic fajitas—oodles of waterless cooking tips and recipes. We hope you enjoy looking back because current & yet to come posts rely on past tips & tidbits for perspective and how-to’s.
Aug 28 Black Rice—the New Brown: …for the ultimate in flavor and nutrition
Aug 27 Monday Mornings: …always a story behind the numbers and these numbers ought to give us pause.
Aug 23 Saute—Sear in the Flavor: …the nature of Stainless Steel offers an ideal cooking surface for sauté.
Aug 19 Stir Fry Basics: … cookware fundamentals and a basic recipe
Aug 17 Rice—the long and the short: …if your rice isn’t turning out the way you want, it isn’t you. The type of rice you use determines outcome—clumpy or fluffy kernels.
Aug 15 Summer Fajitas: …links to a variety of flavorful recipes—latin, cajun, greek—and a video on making flat bread from scratch—perfect for grilling. Retire the old burger & dog and experience a scrumptious backyard change in attitude and latitude.
Aug 11 Debunking the Bunk: …in response to a Chef’s unschooled & tasteless opinions about cooking and nutrition.
Aug 10 Is Waterless Cooking Really Waterless? …Yes, & No. A brief chat about Pasta and Waterless Cooking
Aug 4 Waterless Revival: …why the waterless buzz? …old news is good news for a healthy change.
Aug 2 Waterless Cooking—Corn on the Cob: …retain the natural nutrient value of fresh corn; don’t boil it away.
Aug 1 Searing Meats: …easy, practical tips for the perfect sear every time.
July Previous Waterless Cookware Review(s)
For Quality Stainless Steel Waterless Cookware > Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive
Cooks on the GO!
In the 75th Anniversary edition of The Joy of Cooking, Irma Rombauer reminded us that joy is a worthy partner when facing the stove. But joy is in short supply during the rush hour of weeknight family dining.
So Oregonian FOODday staff writer Leslie Cole looked elsewhere for tips and practical solutions. Armed with some new books promising fast, flavorful and nutritious meals, Leslie set out to beat the tired, the bland and mundane.
Check out her book reviews, nutritiously quick recipes, cookware recommendations, and see how Leslie fared when putting to use what she learned. You’ll discover some novel and time-saving cooking strategies that help reduce and relieve the rush of weeknight family dining.
Quick link to The Tick-Tock Express
Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive.
Harvest the Nutrition of Fall Squash
Squash season is in full array. Pumpkins colorfully announce the onset of autumn. Gaggles of butternut squash rest on their bulbous haunches, full of complex nutrients, textures and tastes. If yet to enjoy the bountiful squash harvest, there’s still time to capture the freshness.
Soups, dressings, pies, puddings, smoothies, pulp for breads and spreads—squash is wondrously versatile, easily prepared and tastefully stored (frozen), in wait of winter’s more lean tidings. Butternut squash is especially nutritious:
- very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium
- high in Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium and Magnesium
- a robust source of Omega-3, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese–more Nutritional Data
Try this easily prepared, wholesome and tasty soup:
Ingredients:
6 tbsp chopped onion
4 tbsp margarine (or stock)
6 cups peeled/cubed butternut squash
3 cups water
4 cubes chicken bouillon
½ tsp dried marjoram
¼ tsp ground black pepper
dash ground cayenne pepper
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
(makes 6 servings)
Directions:
In large saucepan, sauté onions in margarine (or stock) until tender.
Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black and cayenne pepper.
Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes or until squash is tender.
Puree squash and cream cheese in batches until smooth.
Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.
For cooking ease, use 1) cookware ideally suited for precise low heat management, 2) cookware capable of retaining nature’s honest efforts.
NOTE: in the recipe video below notice that the nutrient-rich stock is not used. A waterless pot cooks squash in its own natural fluids without excess water–thus no waste water–so 98% of the nutrient value of foods remains in the food (compared to 50% or less when foods are boiled).
Stainless Steel Waterless cookware is uniquely designed to honor and retain nature’s whole complex of goodness. Take advantage of this natural benefit every time you cook and serve your family the healthy difference.
Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive.
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