By 100 Days of Real Food, on February 14th, 2012 As soon as I published my first list of “common food misconceptions” I thought of a few more, so here they are…
- If it’s “gluten-free” then it is good for you…wrong (for most people).
Unless you have an allergy or intolerance we do not believe people should avoid gluten…or any grains for that matter. And like I’ve said about organic packaged food, just because a product is “gluten-free” doesn’t mean it’s a “whole food.” There are lots of highly processed “organic” and “gluten-free” products out there and when buying grains – whether it has gluten or not – it’s best to select those products made with the whole-grain (check the ingredients to be sure). And to back this up, in a recent New York Times FAQMichael Pollan said, “People who eat lots of whole grains are generally healthier and live longer than those who don’t.” In the same article Pollan also addressed gluten-free diets saying, “They are very important if you have celiac disease or can’t tolerate gluten. But it’s hard to believe that the number of people suffering from these conditions has grown as fast as this product category. Gluten has become the bad nutrient of the moment, the evil twin of Omega 3 fatty acids. Could it really be that bread, a staple of Western civilization for 6,000 years, is suddenly making millions of us sick? I’m dubious.”
 Unedited photo of eggs from "pastured" chickens
- Brown eggs are better for you than white ones…wrong!
Brown eggs simply come from a different breed of chicken than white eggs. We personally don’t worry about the color of the shell and instead pay attention to the color of the yolk on the inside. We believe that the best and most nutritious eggs come from pastured chickens (pastured = animals that graze on grass), and you can see the difference in the color of the yolk because it’s usually bright orange as opposed to pale yellow, which you’ll find inside most supermarket eggs. Continue Reading »
By 100 Days of Real Food, on February 9th, 2012 There’s no better title than “random” for this list. These tips and tricks are all over the board, but these are the things you learn and collect after so many years of cooking. First are some tricks that I use regularly, then at the bottom you’ll find a long list of tips from our readers. Enjoy!
 Freezing Pesto in Ice Cube Trays
- If an egg is spoiled it will float in a bowl of water rather than sink.
- To avoid dulling the blade of your knife, turn it upside down before scraping items off your cutting board.
- Use ice cube trays to freeze small portions of pesto, broth, applesauce and pizza sauce. Transfer the cubes to a Ziplock bag or other freezer-proof container and it will be easy to pull out exactly how much you need.
- The PLU code for organic produce starts with the number 9 and is five digits long (conventional produce is only 4 digits). Continue Reading »
By 100 Days of Real Food, on February 3rd, 2012 I used to exclusively be a white bread girl. Before our switch to real food I would have rather skipped bread all together (and did on many occasions) than eat store-bought “whole-wheat” bread. So the point is I understand it’s not easy to transition from the taste and texture of white bread to whole-wheat, which is exactly why I want to share these tips with you. If you have any other advice please share it in the comments below!
- Don’t settle for mediocre whole-grain products.
One of the reasons I used to despise whole-wheat sandwich bread was because I’d never tried “good” bread before. Even today I would not like the taste of packaged grocery store whole-grain bread that can contain as many as 40 ingredients (including lots of unnecessary additives). This type of bread was designed to have a long shelf life…not to taste good. Continue Reading »
By 100 Days of Real Food, on January 5th, 2012 Don’t be fooled by these misleading food myths:
- A healthy diet means eating “low-fat” and “fat-free” food products…wrong!
Michael Pollan basically abolishes this myth in his book In Defense of Food, and you can check out our mini-pledge post from week 6 for some detail.
- Mutli-grain crackers are better than crackers made from white flour…wrong!
“Mutli-grain” is a misleading buzzword because unless those grains are actually “whole grain” the product is really no better than those made from refined grains (like white flour).
- It’s “natural” so it must be a good choice…wrong!
If a product is natural it simply means it wasn’t made from any artificial ingredients, which is certainly desirable, but don’t forget that white flour, sugar, and even high-fructose corn syrup are all derived from “natural” ingredients and they are also all highly refined.
- Organic packaged food is better than conventional…okay, mostly true. Continue Reading »
By 100 Days of Real Food, on December 9th, 2011 Since I’ve been an avid cook for more than a decade my kitchen is pretty well stocked so I thought I’d share the tools and appliances I use – and love – the most! Hopefully the timing of this post will be good for all those holiday shoppers (and list makers) and also for those who are lucky enough to be registering for gifts for an upcoming wedding. If I left any of your favorite kitchen tools off the list please share them in the comments below.
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Food Processor
This appliance is at the top of the list for a reason…I use it all of the time! I have the Cuisinart Food Processor, and this is definitely an appliance where “you get what you pay for.” We got ours as a wedding gift over 11 years ago and aside from replacing the bowl twice (one time was user error…apparently you aren’t supposed to grate mozzarella in it!) our machine is still going strong. I use our food processor for all sorts of things like making dough (for pizza, pasta, and tortillas), pesto, powerballs, and for shredding cheeses…other than mozzarella of course.
Recommended: Cuisinart Food Processor
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Mini Chopper / Food Processor
A miniature food processor is a very affordable appliance for shredding small items like fresh ginger, garlic, or a few carrots (to go in your meatballs) and also to make small batches of pesto. The last thing I want to do is clean my big food processor and all its parts if I just need to grind up one quick thing. This certainly won’t replace the need for a big one, but if you are on a budget it would certainly be a good place to start.
Recommended: Black & Decker Mini Chopper
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High Quality Pots and Pans
This is another area where “you get what you pay for” as far as durability goes. Continue Reading »
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