Shopping today.

While doing a little shopping today, I looked in at the supermarket food hall and smiled when I saw courgette noodles alongside carrot noodles and butternut squash noodles. I know they are very tasty

I smiled because my father used to serve up carrot and courgette noodles as an accompaniment to the Sunday roast. He made the "noodles" using a julienne peeler.

I didn't buy the so called "veg noodles", instead I went home and ordered a julienne peeler online.

On boxing day, my wife was cooking a huge beef joint for a number of visitors and was horrified when the bottom oven on the cooker did not work. We have a top oven, but as is often the case with top ovens, the temperature settings are next to useless. No problem, I had a very inexpensive meat thermometer which has a probe that goes into the meat that is attached to a visual display by a wire, which sits outside the oven. I put the oven on full and timed how long it took to raise the meats temperature by 1 degree. I was then able to calculate the cooking time to within 5 mins. A very useful tool.

Because my thermometer has seen better days, I've reordered one off the net, with a wireless display that can be placed in the living room if required.

My grandson has pinched my measuring cup set, so I've ordered a new set of those too. They are great for ensuring portion sizes don't creep upwards over time.

The reason for this post, is that there have been a number of posts regarding equipment to monitor calories and exercise. I understand that fitbit and others are very popular and valued. This post is about creating a balance and focuses on food preparation and allowing calories to be measured before consumption. I hope it emphasises the importance of having the equipment to prepare healthily prepared and portioned food.

I would be very interested in hearing of other cooking and serving aids which people find indispensable.

[Hidden]

I nearly bought a julienne peeler the other day. I will get one now. I fancy veg noodles

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Don't rush out just yet. I'm now looking at spiral cutters too

I was quite impressed by this and will research further

youtube.com/watch?v=YP-eOs2...(Not working as expected?)

youtu.be/UoDTNRW-wqE(Not working as expected?)

[Carolee13 in reply to Hidden]

I'm not looking to get any more gadgets for my tiny kitchen but if anyone's got an Aldi near them and is interested, they have spiralisers on offer next week.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Carolee13]

Great tip Carolee, thanks

[Hidden in reply to Carolee13]

Thank you, that is useful to know

[Cooper27 in reply to Hidden]

I bought the smaller gefu hand-held spiralizer last year - it cut my fingers every time! I recently bought this one, which is a lot more finger friendly: m.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/...

Julienne peelers are good if you want a bit at a time, but if you're looking to make a lot of noodles, use a spiralizer. Fresh beetroot is another good one to spiralizer! I also suffer from a tiny kitchen, but the hand-held spiralizer is fine, about the size of a mug.

[Hidden in reply to Cooper27]

That's really good information. Unfortunately I've already ordered a julienne peeler, but will definitely get a spiralizer too.

My grandchildren often help me prepare the vegetables and I just know they will have great fun with these. Although safety is a big factor, as three of them are just 5 1/2 yrs old.

Thank you for posting

[nhs2015 in reply to Hidden]

Towson, I have never seen one of those. How do you cook your vegetables?

[Hidden in reply to nhs2015]

That's a good question Most of the time I simply boil or steam the veg until just cooked, but recently I've taken to stir frying the veg. I particularly like the chunky veg packs containing brokerly, cauliflower and carrots, but also use green beans, asparagus and baby sweetcorn in the wok.

Part of the reason for wanting a julienne peeler/ spiralizer, is to encourage the grandchildren to eat more veg. The more they're involved, the more likely they are to eat it.

With the veg noodles, I shall do as my father done and simply blanch them in boiling water for a minute and serve with a small knob of butter and a light dusting of nutmeg I shall try stir frying them, but suspect they will lose some of the firm texture I like so much

[Elissy 3kg]

I use my cup measures a lot, but I love my mandolin thingy. It's a German make, börner, and it works fantastic. I make veg-pasta with one attachment, prepare stir fry in finest strands or slices, oven chips, salads,.... The only problem is, it's SHARP !!!!!! Have to keep it hidden from kids and hubby 😁 When I bought it I also got their slicer which cut wavy slices, kids love it, and if you use it a certain way, you can make a "waffle" pattern, but I don't really use that much

[Hidden in reply to Elissy]

Yes I've used a mandolin years ago and I know they have to be handled with care, but they're so useful.

Thanks for reminding me. I'm going to think on that one. The good thing is, they don't take up a lot of room

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi Tewson,

I have 2 sets of measuring cups i.e. a UK and an American version - which is useful when I come across an American recipe book for example, and it advises measuring in 'cups'.

I also rely on my digital kitchen 'scales' for measuring my portion sizes: I always measure out 30g or porridge per person in the morning for example, and never leave the portion size to chance, as it can be easy to over or under-estimate such things.

Lowcal

[Hidden in reply to Zest]

Two sets of cups is a great idea ( hmmmm, just wondering whether I ordered uk or us cups now. Hey-ho). I also need to get another couple of measuring jugs, as I only have one and I often need one for dry and one for wet measures. Plus the one I have always winds up on the ironing board, because apparently irons need water too.

[Hidden in reply to Zest]

I'm a little lethargic at the moment, but I got the answer I wanted. The cups I ordered are 60ml, 80ml, 125ml & 250ml. The 80ml cup will measure 31.68grams of rolled oats.

That's near enough for me. I use this site amongst others convert-to.com/249/rolled-o...

My preference is always to use volume where possible, because my scales are not accessible enough

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

I have a mandolin that's over 40 yrs old and still works perfectly, a wand blender that's considerably younger, but still at least 20yrs old and a scoop that measures 30g of porridge

[Hidden in reply to moreless]

I like the sound of the scoop, that sounds really useful.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Hidden]

It is and it lives in my porridge container, because I'd be devastated if I lost it

[Hidden in reply to moreless]

It would definitely disapear if I visited your house

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Hidden]

Remind me never to invite you

[Grannybwell in reply to moreless]

Yep. Same here. These days it sits in the jar on top of the oats. Whoo, I'm doing what moreless does! Yeah me.

🌸

[LessToLose 4lbs]

I have a renewed interest in cooking these days and I too, have been getting a few new gadgets for the kitchen.

On its way to me is a Super Slicer (sorry no idea how to insert a photo). I also have a digital pressure cooker on order.

Both should help food prep now that I am enjoying so many lovely vegetables and whole foods like pulses etc.

Sounds like I will also be haunting Aldi for a spiraliser too!

[Hidden in reply to LessToLose]

I love the pressure cooker. It seems to work best with the least expensive cuts of meat. I used it for chili con carne recently, also Irish stew

Cooking and preparing your own meals is the best way to go and anything that helps is a plus. Providing you have enough room

I'm not fond of gadgets that are electric such as bread makers, ice cream makers, soup makers, smoothie makers etc. I often see these in our local charity shop, cast out and unloved

[LessToLose 4lbs in reply to Hidden]

The last time I used a pressure cooker was in the 70s, they seem to have come a long way since then. My son has one and it convinced me!

I still use my breadmaker regularly, I can make something similar to Dr Floyd bread for a fraction of the shop-bought price.

But I agree about the other gadgets, they are a bit superfluous to requirements here too.

Oh, just remembered my salad spinner - that is hugely helpful for drying lettuce!

[Hidden in reply to LessToLose]

I must say, I find the pressure cooker invaluable ☺I use a cooker top one and am able to get a good healthy meal on the table with in 30 mins easy, or within 20 nins if I've already done the prep. They are ideal for making the best out of inexpensive cuts of meat.

I also use it as an extra big saucepan for spuds if I'm catering for a lot of visitors.

I've often been tempted by the bread makers and worked with a couple of people who use them regularly. I've tried the bread and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. The draw back for me is the amount of space they take up. Also, the common remark was that, "once the bread is cooked, I can't leave it alone" and this is the thing that bothers me the most. If I cooked a loaf, I would just have to try it and then just a little more to make sure

My most recent purchase was a vacuum sealer, which allows me to freeze and seal excess portions in "boil in the bag" type bags. This takes a little planning though and I've not used it for a month, which is quite telling as to how useful it is.

When I use the pressure cooker for stews etc., I freeze any excess in Tupperware containers. Once they are frozen, I tip them out and bag them off with the vacuum sealer.

[LessToLose 4lbs in reply to Hidden]

My kitchen is tiny so I have to be careful about buying too many gadgets.

I save myself from temptation with lovely warm bread by cutting it up and freezing it asap!

The vacuum sealer sounds a great idea, I do a lot of batch cooking too and often run out of Tupperware containers, tipping the contents into the bags is genius!

[Hidden in reply to LessToLose]

The thing about vacuum sealers is that they draw all the air out of the bag and if the food is still wet, it will draw the juices into the machine and brake it. So it's a good idea to freeze first. I stick labels on the bags or write on them with indelible felt tip pen the date and content of the bag.

If I have unexpected visitors, I can say, "do you want, beef stew, curry, chili con carne or chicken cassoulet?"

Because they are bagged, it's possible to put them all in the same saucepan/pressure cooker and heat simultaneously.

They are excellent when used, but the jury is still out, as I've not used mine for over a month. It takes a long time for me to decide whether it was a good buy or not.

My mum uses hers and it's useful if you're on your own, as the types of meals she likes are simply too big for one person and not worth going to the effort. Freezing though does allow for greater choice of food, whether it be in Tupperware boxes or in bags. You don't need to bag the food if you are managing with boxing it

[Hidden]

I use my tala dry measures cone for things like rice, flour, sultanas, lentils. I judge proportions of tins e.g. chick peas, tinned tomatoes by eye (e.g. 1/2, 1/3 etc), and measure cooking oil with a tablespoon. I have a very old electric coffee grinder which I use to grind spices, nuts and oats to make fine flours. This is useful as I can't have wheat flour, so it enables me to be creative, e.g. I made a great nut roast the other day with peanuts, cumin, oats, aubergine, onion, parsnip and one egg, all measured without any actual weighing scales

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Now that's what I call being organised. I'm interested in the tala in particular and will probably get one in preference to a second measuring jug.

Thanks. That's a real help

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I love my tala cone, it looks stylish and you don't have to wash it everytime as things like rice don't leave a residue. It's helped to get me into more wholegrain cooking e.g. with barley, buckwheat, polenta, all things I used to buy but rarely cook with but now they actually get used. Hope you enjoy yours if you get one. It's no good for measuring liquids though... I use pint glasses and mugs (approx 200ml) and an old shot glass (20ml) for that, as well as teaspoons, tablespoons etc. Most of my habits result from being on a low budget rather than any particular dislike of specialist equipment, but it seems to all work

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I've often seen inloved breadmakers, smoothie makers, ice cream makers and the like in our local charity shop, but I've never seen a tala there. This to me is a good sign. Yes I shall have one before the month is out. It's my birthday this month and it would be an ideal present from the grandchildren

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Interesting observation that they're never in charity shops. They do have them in Robert Dyas however

[Hidden]

Hi Tewson,

I've just mastered cauliflower rice !! Have bought a couple of spirilisers but have found they don't work( got the one in your second picture, it did not work, unless it's me !!! )

I'm not one for gadgets I struggled to follow a Fitbit/jawbone so bought a middle range pedometer and love it 😃. For me it does what I need, measure steps/aerobic steps/miles and cals used.

I've got a rice cooker that you put in the microwave but have never used it lol, but will !!

😇

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks flossie, yes, I've looked at the second vid a few times and have noticed the amount of pressure the guy places on his thumbs when doing the demo. I get arthritis in my thumbs in particular and think I may have made the better choice for me, in buying the simple julienne peeler. It's safe for my grandchildren to use also.

I try not to have any obvious dietary or fitness aids or obvious records of measurement in the house because I have someone with anorexia/bulimia within our extended family and it could cause issues.

The pedometer sounds really sensible though and would be exactly what I would like to use.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I've got arthritis I thumbs so maybe that's my problem!! (Light bulb moment !! Lol)

Too right not to have any dietary/fitness stuff around there is enough pressure from media without having reminders in the home( hope your relative is doing ok)

Pedometer was from Argos and was £30 but can get on eBay for £25 it's an omron walking style iv, it's got a strap but I just stick down my bra ( sorry if too much info !! Lol) but it stays safe !

Best wishes for 2016

😇

[libbydaniels88]

My favourite gadget is a terracotta "tagine" shaped pot, only mini size. Its for the microwave, I got it from wilco cos its a JML product. Cost 9.99. It makes brilliant eggs in 20 secs, all fluffed up, and you can put in veg, beans etc. Just a handy little pan, and it looks nice too. I want a spiralizer, I'm going to aldi tomorrow 😊

[Hidden in reply to libbydaniels88]

The tagine sounds good, although I turfed out the microwave two deades ago lol. We were only using it for defrosting and for vegetables I prefered to have the extra space freed up Our cooking is very low tech now

[Grannybwell]

I'm with you, reprogram portion size and make the veg interesting. I gave the family courgette and carrot ribbons with a little lemon juice dressing. They all ate it, told me how fab... And all with the old fashioned peeler. I'm using my measuring cups more and more, and despite a bump in the road last week, my weight is slowly dropping. Great post! Keep it simple! 🌸