Last updated on 01/09/2024
In my previous article, I looked at the kind of ingredients that would be found in most kitchens. In this article, I want to consider vegetables and how we can do more with less. Health experts tell us that our diets should contain ‘five a day’ by which I assume that means five portions of either fresh vegetables or pieces of fruit. In this article, I want to look at ways in which we can obtain, store and use fresh vegetables and to make better use of our equipment at home to ensure that we never run out of basic essentials.
Fresh Vegetables
Some vegetables are best purchased frozen. Peas offer the best example. Potatoes might also be bought frozen and in certain cases this is a convenient way way to get them. Potatoes are best bought raw. They can be cooked in a variety of ways: boiled, roasted, fried … there are so many ways in which they can be added to our cooked dishes. Peas are not generally a problem since bags of frozen peas are widely available at nearly all stores and supermarkets. Buying peas from the market and shelling them is a time-intensive and laborious procedure and I do not think this would provide any better, or even cheaper, a product than we would get from a bag of frozen peas. On the farm, peas are harvested and frozen within minutes. They are often fresher when frozen than if they were purchased still in their shells. I also keep a bag of sweetcorn in the freezer or will get corn-on-the-cob to boil up as an alternative. Peas and beans are known as ‘pulses.’ They should form part of our daily diet because they contain fibre and other beneficial elements.
Likewise, raw carrots are widely available and can be boiled for main meals or used in other forms of cooking and even in baking cakes. They can be used to make soup. They are invariably used along with other vegetables in stews and casseroles. Most peas, beans and root vegetables can be cut up and frozen for later use. Other vegetables that might lend themselves to the cook/freeze method are parsnips, sweet potatoes and onions. Most meals should have some freshly cooked vegetables or those taken from the freezer. Menus today assume that a main plate of food contains meat or fish and some vegetables. Of course, not all readers will eat meat or even fish. There are alternative sources of protein that are not derived from animals, birds or fish.
Knives
One final thought and that is to do with knives. Food preparation (with raw materials) requires a lot of cutting, slicing and chopping. To do this well, it is necessary to have good knives. I suggest you have one big knife for cutting up large items (either of meat or vegetables) and one smaller knife for dicing small items. I also have a serrated bread knife which I use for slicing uncut loaves. Other than that I have some small kitchen knives which are useful for a variety of preparation tasks. But, the bottom line is two knives.
Chips
I love chips. I was brought up on them. Many food ‘experts’ regard them as being unhealthy. I disagree. But with some provisos. There are good ways to fry chips and there are bad ways. Take oven chips, for example. My experience with oven chips had largely been unsatisfactory. Too often they come out still white. Deep-fried chips should be brown all over. Perhaps I cannot get my oven hot enough. My deep-fat fryer is no problem; it has a wire basket that can be cleaned and ready for its next use.
Which Potatoes?
Which potatoes make the best chips? The best potatoes for making chips are Maris Piper. I have seen that on foody websites many times. I agree because this particular type of potato has always given me the best results. They are not always easy to get from some supermarkets. They tend to be more expensive than the more commonly available whites or reds (russets or Desiree.) Some sources say that the King Edward is also suitable for chips. These days, people who shop at supermarkets often only see ‘potatoes’ without there being any description of the kind of vegetables they are. Certain kinds of potatoes are not good for frying. If you like chunky chips (as I do) it is necessary to select those that are large enough. Those with a high starch content tend to give the best results. Desiree is said to make good chips. Whereas the Jersey Royal is waxy and more suited to boiling. Maris Piper potatoes are also said to be good for roasting. In my view, the best way to cook chips is in a deep-fat fryer. That is my preferred choice. Not of course using ‘fat’. I use vegetable oil, although sunflower oil is also acceptable. I use a pan with a basket; having tried electrical deep-fat fryers, I found them very difficult to clean and they soon became encrusted with solidified fat. The simpler pan used on the hob is much easier to keep clean. That is what my mother used all those years ago when I was a boy.
Large potatoes are often available only in bags; in my case, that is too many. I prefer to buy them two or three at a time. These days, I peel them and slice them and put them in the freezer, in single portions – just enough in the bag for one serving. Before chips can be frozen, they must first be parboiled for a few minutes.
Healthy or Not?
Are chips healthy, or not? I sense that any answer to this question will be hotly contested. Firstly, the value of chips, like any other food, depends on how often they are eaten. If you are one of those people who has chips with everything, then yes, they might be unhealthy. Me, I have chips once a week. This makes having chips with a meal, more of a treat than a staple. In the old days, we always used to put salt and vinegar on chips; nowadays it is more likely to be only vinegar. Sometimes, only tomato ketchup.
Next: Cooking Vegetables.