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Using Leftover Bread

April 20, 2012 By

Money matters, and today’s tough economic times mean that many of us are watching the pennies and looking for new and inventive ways to budget. And this is especially the case when it comes to

cooking. With money a factor for many of us, we are starting to see a return to the ‘old-fashioned’ but vital cooking skills that seemed to get lost for a while.

Along with this, there is a return to thinking about how to reduce waste and make our purchases stretch further. Spending several pounds on non-nutritious microwave meals or fast food just doesn’t seem like the sensible option for many people anymore.

So, how to cook up a storm in the kitchen without spending a small fortune? Well it’s easier than you might think.

If you have a loaf of Hovis Bread that is starting to go stale, but of course is not mouldy, you can use this to make tasty bread and butter pudding. Although white bread is generally used in bread and butter puddings, you can ring the changes and make your dish that little bit more nutritious by using best of both bread.

Another great use for your bread that needs using up is as the base for a tasty Moroccan dish called Chicken Rfissa Medhoussa. This chicken and lentil dish is truly yummy and is traditionally served on a bed of day old bread.

Day old bread or bread that needs to be used up can also be used to make homemade breadcrumbs, wonderful for the coating on fried calamari, fish and anything else you fancy really!

As well as there being plenty you can do with day old bread, you can use other items in the kitchen once they are past their best but not spoilt. For example, tomatoes that have begun to go slightly soft, but are not off or mouldy, are perfect for making your own soups, passatas or other tomato-based sauces.

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A Healthy Kitchen is a Happy Kitchen

April 15, 2012 By

When you think about health and safety in the food industry it is easy to think of some of the more ridiculous warnings which appear on food and beverage packaging, such as a bag of nuts with ‘make contain nuts’ emblazoned across the side, or the disposable coffee cup which warns you that the contents are hot. Whilst they are momentarily amusing, their reason for being often stems from a serious incident where a consumer has been harmed and the law has ruled these warnings necessary.

In the restaurant business there are several levels of health and safety requirements to be aware of. Clearly, food handling is a big part of the job so all the applicable qualifications will be required. There are then rules relating to staff welfare to consider and then of course the safety of the customers themselves. Knowledge gained at fire safety courses is just as valuable as that gleaned from customer care workshops so make sure that you pay attention and even if the subject matter is dry you stay alert and concentrate.

For kitchen workers in restaurants their ambition might be to train for a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate once the basis course has been completed. Make sure you select a reputable training supplier and that the course is properly accredited before you part with any course fees. Request recommendations from trusted sources or look online for a reputable training facility to trust to look after your employees.

With any training, revising the course content is helpful on a regular basis to ensure best practice is being adhered to, and don’t be afraid to have reminders on display in the workplace. Reference aids for things like food storage temperatures are available in poster form and are a useful aide memoir for many people. A healthy kitchen is a happy kitchen after all!

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White or brown bread?

December 5, 2011 By

Oh, the great battle between white bread and brown bread. It is a widely held assumption that wholemeal bread is far, far healthier than white bread. This notion has left parents teetering over a metaphorical cliff-edge when it comes to trying to force feed their children some brown bread, but is it really true? Well, let’s try to compare them to see once and for all which one will win the battle!

Wheat flour is used to make white bread but it goes through a specific process that removes bran. Brown bread, meanwhile, uses wholemeal flour and doesn’t go through this process. It therefore retains all of its natural goodness. So, that’s one for brown bread and nil for white!

White bread has a high proportion of carbohydrates, which causes sugar to be realised quickly into your bloodstream. Type I diabetics suffer from insulin regulation problems and eating white bread can theoretically increase your chances of getting diabetes. Brown bread, meanwhile, has a low proportion of carbohydrates and encourages the slow realise of insulin in your body, reducing your chances of getting diabetes. So, again brown bread wins, and that’s 2-0!

Now, there are also the issues of waste removal, vitamins and nutrients, and cholesterol and, you’ve guessed it, brown bread wins there too! Not only is it much healthier, it also seems to help save the environment; since it does not go through the process that white bread does, it spends less time in production, helping you save the planet. The only thing that is on white bread’s side is the fact that because it is made of wheat flour and has been refined, it will last longer, which is good news if you’re a student and want your bread to last a whole week!

So, it seems that all the talk about brown bread is true; it is healthier… so carry on shoving that bread down your children’s throats. Eventually they’ll like it and one day (hopefully) they’ll thank you!

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