Skip to main content

Keep Meals Simple

After having watched various shows on channels devoted to cooking and after having endured endless food or cooking segments on other shows, I've come to the conclusion that the celebrities who present these segments/shows are trying to sell the idea (although indirectly), of going to restaurants for food, rather than prepare it oneself.  Look - cooks (aka "chefs") don't make money by helping you to cook at home.  They make money by getting you to dine out (or take out).  Restaurants, likewise, make money by getting you to visit them, NOT to prepare their favorite dishes at home.

The result has been, sadly, that American TV viewers have become almost convinced that the preparation of a meal at home must be complicated, with sauces, reductions, prep stations and a huge pile of tiny glass bowls to hold the 1/8 tsp of turmeric or the 1/4 tsp of oregano.  Also benefiting from this cultural phenomenon are the appliance manufacturers, who now are more than happy to fill our kitchens, with air fryers, appliances that make restaurant-style grill marks, pressure cookers, rotisseries, and more.  Goodness!  What did America do decades ago, when we were a lot healthier, obesity wasn't rampant, and we didn't consume more than 60% of our meals outside the home?

Old Wisdom says that it was SIMPLICITY.  We've forgotten how to simply beat two eggs and place them in a pan, to make an omelet.  We've forgotten how to take some leftover pasta, add some broth and veggies, to make a bowl of soup.  And we overlook the simplicity of buying a plain, rotisserie chicken, adding a microwave-baked potato and some salad mix, to make a great dinner.

Instead of simplicity, we seem to be seeking out some kind of restaurant-supplied sophistication that need not exist.  After retro-watching the original French Chef shows, starring Julia Childs, I realized that this overcomplication came AFTER that era, not because of it.  Ms. Childs made the most wonderful meals, many of which could be assembled from items currently in the pantry or refrigerator.  Her salade Niçoise was one simple example.  The simple lunch shown here is sliced zucchini, with a bit of mozzarella melted on top, over a "crust" of egg whites.

One of the secrets of simplicity is keeping a well stocked pantry.  My mother always had the basic supplies, from tinned tuna, to canned beans, pasta, tomatoes, etc.  There was never a time, when Mom couldn't make a simple meal - one that didn't require an odd spice or some complicated means of preparation.  Old Wisdom says that we need to do the same.

Keeping meals simple give a greater likelihood of making meals more healthful.  Try it!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The "Nondiet Diet?"

At the ripe old age of 74, I've certainly seen and most likely participated in any number of diets. Including fad diets. Many fad diets. Lately, there's a lot of talk about something called intuitive eating. I still don't know very much about it, but it seems to be guided by logic, rather than mere number crunching. While most fad diets rely upon some measurement or distorted measurement of some nutrient or calories, intuitive eating depends more on good, healthful choices, eaten in moderate portions, guided to a great extent by mindfulness or slow eating, as well as a measure of hunger versus fullness. This last attribute is, perhaps, the most important. Many of us of my generation were taught to clean the plate. Much of that, of course, was generated by parents who did not have reliable refrigeration open to them. Food was prepared freshly, served quickly, and anything else needed to be thrown away. Nowadays, of course, we have reliable refrigeration, as well ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The World Was Not Prepared

When I look back, over the last few months, I see nothing but a global screwup, of astronomical proportions.  If the world's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic isn't the quintessential example of  Murphy's Law, I don't know what is.  From the early mischaracterization of the virus as not being a global threat, to nations and local areas not having the resources, it's been a mess. To make all this worse, it's clear that no one has set a long term communications plan, to report updates.  For example, here in the NY-NJ area, we typically get three, lengthy press conference style updates every day.  Each lasts anywhere from an hour, to an hour and a half.  Much of it is meant to be gracious, thanking the almost endless list of front-line personnel, to other government agencies, to individual patients.  A truly effective, long term communications plan would do three things: Set a reasonable, bite-size time limit, for each daily presser. Set standard ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Organ Meats

Before  You make a face, consider that organ meats are never eaten in large quantities. Not only that, but they're also mixed in with potatoes and vegetables and other things.. Lastly, the way organ meats are prepared before cooking can make all the difference in the world. I'm not urging you to eat organ meats, but I am suggesting that you give them a try, if possible.Although I have always liked kidneys, I hadn't had them until recently at a local sichuan restaurant. That same restaurant also prepares things like tongue and tripe, pork intestines and beef tendon.They're all highly seasoned and absolutely elicious, in small quantities and only occasionally.
Post a Comment
Read more