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Cooking Tip

No matter how much fresh food youuse in your cooking, you will alwaysrely on a well-stocked store cupboard(pantry) for a ready supply of dry andcanned ingredients. In addition to thestaples of flour, sugar, jams and pickles,a stock of nutritious ingredients such aspulses and wholegrains will ensure youalways have sufficient resources withwhich to produce wholesome dishes.

Storing canned and dry foods

Full cupboard shelves are a boon for abusy cook, but canned and dry foodscan deteriorate it not stored properlyor if left too long on the shelf. Kitchencupboards should he cool (no morethan I8°C./65°F) and dry. Staples suchas flour, salt, sugar, pasta and grains arebest stored in moisture-proofcontainers. If necessary, remove themfrom their wrappings and decant theminto canisters or jars. Whole-grainproducts (wholemeal flour and pasta,brown rice, etc.) cannot he kept aslong as refined ones.

Breakfast cereals: Wholewheat orwhole grain arc the best choice forfibre - preferably those that are alsolow in fat and sugar. Try using wholewheat cereals when makinghome-made bakes and breads; forcrumble toppings and cheesecakebases; for coating foods; in meatloavesor burgers.

Brown rice: There are many varietiesof brown rice available including longgrain, hasmati, jasmine and risotto, aswell as canned brown rice and boil-in-the bag brown rice for convenience.

The flavour of brown rice is quitenutty and because the rice undergoesonly minor milling, the bran layer isretained, making it higher in fibre,vitamins and minerals than white rice.Rice is also low in fat. Cooking timefor brown rice is 35 minutes, duringwhich time it expands by up to threetimes the volume. Allow at least 50 g/2oz/V3 cup uncooked rice per person.

Beans and other pulses: These aregood sources of protein, starchcarbohydrates, fibre, B vitamins andminerals and are low in fat. Whenbuying dried pulses choose ones thatare plump, bright and clear in colourand avoid broken, shrivelled or dustybeans. Pulses should he stored in acool, dry place in an airtight containerand used within one year.

Many dried pulses need soaking inwater before cooking and to be boiledfor a period, until render. The olderthe beans are, the longer they will taketo cook, and salt should be added atthe end of the cooking time. Somebeans, such as red kidney beans,contain a harmful, toxic substanceknown as haemaglutinin which canlead to acute gastroenteritis if it is notdestroyed by adequate cooking. Thesebeans need to be boiled vigorously forat least 10 minutes to destroy thehaemaglutinin, then simmered untilthey are tender.

High-fibre foods include, clockwise fromleft, split peas, green and red lentils, wholegrainrice, pinto beans, red kidney beans and nuts.

If you haven't got time to soak driedpulses, canned varieties are just asgood. Add beans and pulses to soups,stews and salads, and experiment. withdishes based on beans, lentils and tofu(soya bean curd). Try recipes fromaround the world for authentictraditional ways with beans and pulses.Dried fruit: A good selection of driedfruit and ready-to-eat dried fruit isavailable including apples, apricots,bananas, currants, figs, kiwi fruit,lychees, mangoes, papayas, peaches,pears, pineapple, prunes, raisins andsultanas (golden raisins). They are veryversatile and can he used in both sweetand savoury dishes. Dried fruit is low infat, So it makes a delicious healthysnack. Add dried fruit to your breakfastcereals, muesli or porridge and use it incake, scone, biscuit, dessert andwholemeal muffin recipes

Nuts: Nuts have many uses in a wideselection of sweet and savoury dishes.They also make a tasty snack, but asthey are high in fat and calories, eatthem only in small quantities. Addnuts to salads, cakes and bakes, biscuits, desserts, stuffings, coatingsand stir-fries.

Oats and oatmeal: Oats and oatmealare valuable sources of soluble fibrewhich is absorbed into the body and isthought to help reduce high levels ofblood cholesterol. Oats and oatmealcome in a variety of types includingporridge oats, quick-cook oats, jumbooats, fine and medium oatmeal. Usethem in muesli, oatcakes, mixed withflour for breads and rolls, cakes andbakes such as gingerbread and flapjacks,and crumble toppings. Fine oatmealalso makes a good thickener for soupsand sauces.

Seeds: Very versatile, seeds, such assesame, sunflower and pumpkin can heeaten on their own as a snack or addedto recipes such as salads, stir-fries,stuffings, cakes and bakes, coatings,muesli, biscuits and crackers. Seeds alsocontain vitamins and minerals but arehigh in fat and calories, so should beeaten in small quantities.

Sugars and honey: There is nocalorific difkl.ence between white(refined) and brown (unrefined) sugarbut the flavours do vary.

Honey can be used in sweet andsavoury dishes. It is a little sweeterthan sugar so often a smaller amountis needed in a recipe.

Wheat bran: Natural wheat bran is the hard outer layer or casing thatsurrounds the wheat grain and it istherefore high in fibre. It is a usefulingredient and can be added to manyrecipes to enrich breads, muffins, cakes,puddings, bakes and cereals.

Wholemeal (whole wheat) biscuits and crackers: Whole wheat orwholemeal biscuits and high fibrecrackers make good store cupboard standbys for a healthy, high fibre snack.When crushed, sweet wholemealbiscuits are good for cheesecake basesand crunchy toppings for fruity desserts.Wholemeal (whole wheat) flour:`Whole' means that the grain has nothad the bran, vitamins and mineralsrefined out, so it contains all thenutrients. Wholemeal flour is coarserthan white flour and is available inseveral types including plain, self-raising and strong.

Flour can he used in many dishes thattraditionally specify white flour,including cakes, bakes, breads, pastryand biscuits. It makes a good thickener for sauces and can be used to coatfoods. A mixture of half wholemealand half white flour can he used fora lighter mix.

Wholewheat pasta: Dried wholewheator wholemeal pasta is a good source ofdietary fibre, is low in far and containssome B vitamins. It can he used inmany dishes including salads, pastabakes and filled pasta which can betopped with low fat sauces. Allow115-225 g/4-8 oz/1-2 cups pasta perserving for a main course and 50-115 oz/1/2-1 cup per person for astarter. Dried wholewheat pasta takesabout 12 minutes to cook.