Friday Foodables For MenU

AHA! Something new this way comes. Newish, anyway. Intermittently, I have produced a series of MenU posts, which have generally been well-received. More recently, there were a couple of vids of YAM in the Kitchen. Several folk expressed a desire to see more. My intention is to do more. However, we are into the second month of twelve, and I am not started yet! Mainly I have been blaming the light levels; remember the greys? Mostly, though, it is just that I am usually cooking with the need to feed and tend to forget about turning on the camera!

Sigh...

However, if I start out with at least a monthly offering, I might be able to meet my own deadline. The remit is simply to give you insights into my way of working, what shortcuts I might take, the basics of home-cookery Indian style, and lots of variations and themes on vegetarian eating based upon Sattvika principles. There will be a fair amount of cheap and cheerful stuff too, I have no doubt - and sometimes there will be movies...

Today though, I thought I might share with you some top-notch cookware for use in the microwave. Why? Well, because I do use the nuker quite a bit these days. Mainly due to the fact that to use the conventional oven that sits in the Hutch is to double my 'light' bill immediately. It's a monster-sized, poorly installed item that guzzles...GUZZLES... the power. When I decide to use it, there needs to be multiple stuff going into it. So maybe once a year. As much as possible, I stick to hob meals, but some things do just as well, occasionally better, in the nuker. That includes toasted cheese - there is a grill function on it. When moving into the Hutch, one of our big supermarkets was having a post-Christmas sale, and I got the nuker for a ridiculous price, and it has served me well (despite the disconcerting fact the [electric] clock on it gains time...). It is starting to demonstrate its age, though, with some slightly odd creaks and crackles and a rattle or two. (The same can be said for the bread machine, I fear - and as for the deep fryer - I do like it, but it takes up a lot of space for something I use maybe once a quarter. I'm starting to eye up one of the multifunction instant pot things on the market now... but I digress. A nasty habit that!)

Even if I opt for one of those, I would still replace the nuker. As much as I admire the instapots, nothing beats the convenience or, indeed, the cost-effectiveness of the microwave for quick warm throughs and defrosting and such. The draw on power is much less and lasts considerably less time. I think about this a lot for sustainability matters and, increasingly, for budgetary matters. 

Okay, so what is this fantastic cookware? I had some storage containers from Sistema in OZ... but at that time did not know about this part of their range. They are very high-quality plastics free of the two main nasties and are pretty much lifetime guaranteed.

This is the saute and steam plate. A small casserole size. I use this to "blanch" veges ready for freezing - actually better than doing them in boiling water, as they seem to hold their fibre integrity better this way. I also fully prepare veg for eating - clearly, this size and shape suits things like asparagus, beans, leeks, broccoli. 

I would point out that these items are also fully freezer friendly and can be used as containers for stews or soups or other leftovers to freeze. They can be taken straight from the freezer to the nuker, and you have a meal ready in
a whizz and a bang!

Here we have the egg poacher. Now, I will tell you, if doing only for myself, I will still tend to go the traditional route of pan and water - because I am almost always only going to have one egg. But when I have company or am going the two or more eggs route, this little tray works very well. That said, not all eggs are equal, so one does have to play around with it a bit. I also confess that the cups might make lifting the eggs out quite handy, but I am not convinced they are that much of a boon - I intend to try without them when I get a chance.

I am also going to experiment with using this divided tray for other things...

Now this one is a winner. It can be used with or without the colander insert. This is for your entire steaming situation, and I LOVE it! Without the colander portion, one could make sauces and soups. I am yet to explore that side of things.

We are coming to my most-used items now. These 'noodle bowls' I use for just about everything! They are a standard bowl size, so perfect for one person. I have prepared not just noodles, but veges and soups, and have also baked potatoes in them... which could be done in the other dishes too, it's just that the size of these suits me perfectly.

I have been using nuker rice makers for a long time, but this is far and away the Rolls Royce version! I would need to replace the nuker just for this alone!!!

If not using the four-cup egg poacher or wishing to use a hob pot, this little thing is magic... I can prepare an egg as a whole, and it falls between poached and fried - just right for a nice seed roll for lunch. For brekky, the egg can be scrambled or made into an omelette. I also use this one for heating up my baked beans! 

There you have it my dears, an introduction to some of the equipment in the YAMster's Hutch's Kitchen!!! I shall endeavour to create some dishes showing these in use. 

I know there are those who hold the use of microwaves with some disdain. Be assured, all commercial kitchens and some of the top chefs in the world make use of nukers in one form or other during their food prep. The tech for these, as with so many things has come forward leaps and bounds since the original models. 

D'ya like the new badge to go with this refreshed series? I got tricksy in PixlR 😄

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