| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| bramble |
Posted - Oct 26 2005 : 8:30:11 PM
At 45 , I have been vegetarian, and returned to part time carnivore but I have also altered the way I cook to a more healthy balance. While doing a major cabinet and cupboard inventory/purge I found a can of Crisco that had about 2 TBsp removed. The expiration date was April 1997! It had gotten pushed way to the far back where I can't even reach but the point I'm making is that I have found healthy alternatives to this and haven't needed or (obviously!) missed it!
Is there something you used to cook with that you have given up for a healthier alternative?
with a happy heart |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - Nov 11 2005 : 5:22:42 PM
for those of you that don't use "buisquick" anymore you can make your own generic brand of baking mix and use all organic products to make it if you like. If anyone is interested in the recipe, let me know and I will post it.
"I wanna touch the earth, I want to break it in my hands, I want to grow something wild and unruly" |
| Horseyrider |
Posted - Nov 11 2005 : 2:21:46 PM
Hmmm.... My holistic vet/chiropractor has me feeding coconut oils to my dogs because they're medium chain fatty acids. Also flax oil, but only if I can get it from a source where they keep it refrigerated all the time.
I've tasted it, and I think it's gross. I'm an unsalted butter/olive oil kind of girl. |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Nov 08 2005 : 4:02:04 PM
Hmmmmm...I always have that on hand (for soap making) and will just have to do some popcorn with it. I keep going back and re reading stuff from the book..I had to have skimmed that part..shame on me!!!
Jenny in Utah
Put all your eggs in one basket..and then watch that basket!! Mark Twain |
| Carol |
Posted - Nov 08 2005 : 3:57:21 PM
Hi girls. MaryJane talks about oils in her book (Farm Kitchen section, p. 87). She clears up some myths about coconut oil, and tells why that is her favorite oil. I can tell you that she makes the best popcorn, hands-down, using organic coconut oil!
Carol 
she laughed and laughed ... |
| KJD |
Posted - Nov 08 2005 : 3:40:10 PM
Well, I do agree with you - natural all the way. Only use butter here, and olive oil - don't use margarine or anything artificial. Thanks for the info! |
| ivmeer |
Posted - Nov 08 2005 : 1:06:22 PM
KJD, there are a lot of fats people used to believe were really bad for you, until we realized that the substitutes for those fats were as bad or worse. For instance, margarine and crisco are really, really bad for you. Butter and lard are not the greatest, but not as bad as margarine and crisco. Soybean and canola oil are okay, but the best oils for you are olive, avocado and flax oil.
It's kind of complicated. The worst kind of fats are trans fatty acids, which are in lab-created stuff like vegetable shortenings and margarines. After that are saturated fats, which are in animal fats and tropical oils like palm and coconut.
Unsaturated fats are divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Monounsaturated are oils like olive and avocado, and they're the best. Polyunsaturated oils are most other vegetable oils like soybean, canola, grapeseed, flax, walnut, etc. Some polyunsaturated oils are heavy in Omega-3 fatty acids, while some are heavy in Omega-6. We need to get a balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 for optimum health, but the problem is that most people get more Omega-6 than Omega-3. Flax oil is loaded with Omega-3, but canola and soybean oils are Omega-6.
I hope that helps. I know it's confusing. |
| KJD |
Posted - Nov 08 2005 : 12:40:23 PM
Sorry - not a link - Food and Wine...I'll check it out. |
| KJD |
Posted - Nov 08 2005 : 12:39:22 PM
A guest asked Martha Stewart this morning, what lard is. Martha explained and said it's not bad for you, as long as it's organic. I was under the impression that it IS bad for you...? Haven't read your link yet, Meadowlark. I'm sure I'll learn something new! |
| MeadowLark |
Posted - Nov 08 2005 : 10:54:48 AM
There is an excellent article in Food&Wine magazine about lard and how it is making a comeback in cooking...The December '05 issue.
If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come. |
| bramble |
Posted - Nov 07 2005 : 1:20:41 PM
Sharon_ In answer to your question about substitutions... For things like cakes I have started using a small amount of butter and applesauce(not chunky!). In chocolate recipes for cakes and brownies I also sometimes use a small amount of butter and prune puree. (I know ..sounds yucky but actually enhances the chocolate with no prune taste!)If the recipe calls for 1 cup shortening try 3/4 fruit , 1/4 butter. For recipes where the cake/brownie is moist and chewy I have seen no difference except they are healthier. For cookies I am an all butter cookie maker so I don't skimp but I never liked the taste of cookies made with crisco anyway. I have always used butter for pie crust though my Mom made heavenly crusts with Crisco! My latest trend is to try making pies with alternative crusts to reduce fat and calories, etc. In the "What's For Dinner?" section I mentioned a recipe for quiche that has a mushroom , bread crumb and 2 Tbs butter crust. That's a big difference just in calories! If you have any questions just email me, hope that helped!
with a happy heart |
| thehouseminder |
Posted - Nov 07 2005 : 1:05:18 PM
I can't eat anything cooked in lard because I am allergic to anything that comes from a pig. I didn't know until recently that my paternal grandfather was the same way and he was a pig farmer! Mom said it got to the point where they were begging him to retire because every time they tried to take the hogs to market, he would start sneezing and his nose and eyes would be streaming before they could get them all on the truck. Then someone else would have to drive them.
On a lighter note: when I was little, I used to have my parents convulsing with laughter when I would refer to the famous book by Alexandre Dumas as "The Count of Monte Crisco"
When we were young, there were moments of such perfectly crystallized happiness that we stood stock still and silently promised ourselves that we would remember them always. And we did. --Holly J. Burkhalter , "Four Midwestern Sisters' Christmas Book"
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| ivmeer |
Posted - Nov 07 2005 : 11:48:15 AM
Ellen, the only thing keeping me from trying lard is that it's not kosher. I would totally try it otherwise. |
| Eileen |
Posted - Nov 01 2005 : 4:29:52 PM
Here Here Ellen!!! And I bet you bake from scratch too!
Eileen
Songbird; singing joy to the earth |
| Fabulous Farm Femmes |
Posted - Oct 30 2005 : 11:19:27 AM
Ellen, you are so brutally honest and so funny and dear all at the same time,I just love you! If I ever get down your way again, I am comin over for a feed and a song... darn tootin! |
| ByHzGrace |
Posted - Oct 30 2005 : 08:10:40 AM
o do I feel like the girl in brown shoes in a room full of suits. I praise the Lard now pass me my biscuits! |
| therusticcottage |
Posted - Oct 28 2005 : 9:01:24 PM
My mother used to bake pies to sell to the local restaurants in town. She only used lard in her pie crust and it was the best I've ever had.
I keep a very small can of Crisco that I use once in a while if I need it for a recipe. But mostly use butter, olive oil, and canola oil.
http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/ |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Oct 28 2005 : 7:49:59 PM
Oreos have always tasted like charcoal to me...and crisco and sugar is how I would describe the filling too. My husband just loves them and always has some stashed somewhere.
I love my juices as one flavor too...especially grapefruit.
One of my favorite oils is toasted sesame oil, which is expensive but gives fried rice or stir fry veggies just the right taste.
Jenny in Utah
Put all your eggs in one basket..and then watch that basket!! Mark Twain |
| Eileen |
Posted - Oct 28 2005 : 4:53:51 PM
I quit the crisco 20 years ago, I use lard in pie crusts but also use about half real organic unsalted butter in it to. Had a party a couple of weeks ago and did a pie social where I made 8 pies, I knew one of my friends was most fond of cherry pie but also does not eat pork or any pork products so I made the cherry pie crust with half butter and the other half coconut oil.It was better than the one with the lard.
We make everything from scratch here because we cannot have wheat, corn, high fructose corn syrup and a few other common foods found in everything store bought mass produced. I buy spelt and grind my own. I avoid canola because it is all a genetically engineered version of rape seed. I have walnut oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil , safflower oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, and peanut oil in my house. I use maple syrup, honey and molasses for sweetener. We don't do cow milk except for butter, so use goat or rice milk. I find goat butter when I can but it is very expensive so I get the best organic cow butter I can find. I grow my own chickens and get my eggs from them. We raised a diabetic child so food at my house is mostly simple, low on salt and moderately sweetened. I bake all of my breads, cookies and cakes. Oreos taste to me like sawdust flavored with chocolate and spread with crisco and sugar. EEEwww!
The hardest thing that I have found to shop for lately is fruit juice. It is difficult to find juice that is purely one juice. If I want grapefruit juice I want grapefruit and not white grape juice with some grapefruit juice added. White grape juice is very high in sugar so satisfies the super sweet tooth that our american diets have been trained to accept. I look for things that are not a coctail of different juices and find it hard to get.
Judes I liked your version of raaman noodles. We do something similar with buckwheat soba noodles and I also add a little miso.
Eileen
Songbird; singing joy to the earth |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Oct 28 2005 : 09:53:17 AM
I very rarely use crisco..except in soap!!! I use real butter and olive oil and keep a little veg oil on hand..don't use it much either.
I have never been a big soda drinker and that is easy for me to give up..I sort of backslide in the summer when it is really hot sometimes, but enjoy lemonade and just plain water so much more that I dont' often have a soda. Husband, on the other hand drinks at least three a day!! (at work mostly) we don't allow the kids soda or sugary drinks so I try to never drink that sort of thing in front of them..so not to be a hypocrite I suppose.
We still eat red meat, but not as much as we used to, and grow as many of our own veggies as possible. I try to avoid boxed prepared junk and stay with basics..so much more flavor as well as the knowing what is in it!! It does make shopping take longer...all the label reading and getting the good stuff..but sure is worth it.
Jenny in Utah
Put all your eggs in one basket..and then watch that basket!! Mark Twain |
| Horseyrider |
Posted - Oct 28 2005 : 09:29:27 AM
LOL! I love the Crisco story! I haven't used Crisco in at least thirty years. We spent quite a few years vegetarian, and always kept a very large organic garden. We used to buy many things in bulk, and for a long time our only sweetener was honey. When we started raising our own meat, we rendered our own lard. It was made from backfat only, and made exquisite pie crusts.
These days I use only real unsalted butter, or different grades of olive oil for my fats. I will admit to some bacon fat in some green beans once in awhile, though!
The most difficult thing I'm trying to get rid of is high fructose corn syrup. It's freaking everywhere!!! It's a weird molecule that prevents the brain from producing the substances that trigger satiation, and that's too creepy, IMHO.
We're pretty much whole wheat, try to get as much organic as we can out here in the middle of White Bread America, but it's hard. And now I don't garden anymore; I spend all my time in the barn.
I really loved the Crisco story though!
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| Judes |
Posted - Oct 28 2005 : 08:51:24 AM
When I was little I used to eat the cookie dough before the flower & eggs were added.....and my mom used Crisco instead of butter. Get a little queezy at the thought of my little self eating crisco and refined sugar as a treat! I'm so different now. It all began when I had a debate with a roomate. We lived with another couple and had very different tastes. She used to come home, with loads and loads of groceries and a grocery bill (for 2) that seemed it was for an entire family. When I would come home from the farmers market, with $10 of veggies & produce, she would always tell me that she could never afford to shop the way I do. The debate began about whether it is more expensive, or less expensive to eat fresh. Ever since, I have been committed to eating fresh, local, as much as possible....and I still stand by my argument that it is less expensive. The hardest thing for me to give up, believe it or not, has been Ramen noodles! I survived on them for years...by choice! But that powdered packet gave me the creeps after a while. Now, whenever I'm craving them, I made a more grown up version with whole wheat soba noodles, fresh veggies, chicken stock & a dash of soy sauce.
While we're talking about Crisco...premade frosting has also left my cupboards. But its so sugary and good.
Judes |
| greyghost |
Posted - Oct 28 2005 : 08:02:30 AM
I make my own soups and broth - but many of the recipes I have still ask for boullion cubes. I found that if I just cook the chicken or beef longer, there is plenty of flavor in the broth and no need for the boullion.
I haven't used Crisco in years. I use butter. If I can, I use olive oil a lot, very rarely use veggie oil.
I'm trying to cut back on sugar. I've successfully (unless company is coming for a party) gotten DH to stop buying pre-made cookies and potato chips (YUCK!!!).
I am still looking for a source for more organic foods. Right now organic chicken is a hit-or-miss thing at the store, I can get milk or creamer and sometimes carrots and a few other veggies, but not with any regularity.
My dogs gave up dog food. Now they eat raw meat... so instead of a large container full of smelly dry food, I have a freezer full of meat! |
| asnedecor |
Posted - Oct 27 2005 : 3:40:25 PM
Amanda -
No, we're not on a low salt diet. I just found that with other seasonings you just don't need it. Figured it wouldn't hurt me to give that up. Sugar will be the next thing - that might take some time. Out of all of the sugar substitutes, I find Splenda to taste the best. So I thought at least in some baking recipes I can use 1/2 Splenda and 1/2 sugar to start cutting down calories - God knows it wouldn't hurt us. Always trying to eat better.
Anne
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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| ivmeer |
Posted - Oct 27 2005 : 3:28:46 PM
Meadowlark, I read an article from Saveur magazine a year or two ago where an elderly southern cook swore that lard was by far the best thing to use for biscuits. No, I've never tried it.
My aunt lived in Mexico for a while and was married to a Mexican man before she married my uncle. She cooks with lard when she makes Mexican food. |
| MeadowLark |
Posted - Oct 27 2005 : 3:22:44 PM
JP...EWWWWWWW! Hey, Does anyone on the planet still use lard to cook with besides my dear old Aunt Neva Jean? She was a farmer's wife in Western Kansas and I used to hang out in her kitchen in the summer and watch her bring out huge vats of lard (they raised hogs) and bake up tons of pies with it...and everything else. When I was little I used to help roll out her crusts and they were very flaky and moist. The entire table would be full of pies. Her rhubarb pie was the BEST! But that lard was gross...and she never told me what and where it came from.
If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come. |
