News Blog | Food in a Minute

Toasting Nuts

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:53:08 +0000

To toast nuts place on a baking tray and toast in the oven at 180ºC until golden or toast them in a frypan or under the grill. Take care as nuts release oil when cooking and can turn from golden to burnt very quickly.
Send in your tip

Crockpot / Slow Cooker Tips

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:49:42 +0000

Slow cooker, crockpot and meal maker are all different names for an appliance which cooks food safely, slowly and unattended for hours, provided you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your make and model.

Here are some general tips:

Prepare the food before leaving in the morning or prepare the evening before and refrigerate in the cooker bowl insert overnight. If refridgerating, the slow cooker bowl will be cold so ensure you cook for an extra ½ to 1 hour.
Preheating the cooker insert for 10- 20 minutes while preparing the dish also helps reduce cooking times.
It is not safe to cook meat from frozen in the slow cooker.
Try not to lift the lid too often as this reduces the heat and the food will need more time for cooking.
Only ¾ fill the cooker, overloading reduces cooking temperatures and the food may not cook through.
Cool and pack any leftovers into the refrigerator within 2 hours. Always reheat well and don’t use the slow cooker for reheating food.
Browning meat and onions is not necessary but definitely makes a better flavoured result.
Slow cooker recipes rarely dry out and in fact produce steam creating a lot of liquid. Therefore, most recipes require less or no liquid compared to cooking on the stove top or in the oven.

To thicken the sauce / gravy:

Spoon off any excess fat

Mix 2-3 tsp cornflour with just enough cold water to make a smooth paste, pour into the slow cooker sauce and continue cooking for a further 10-15 minutes or until sauce thickens. This quantity will vary depending on the amount of liquid there is to thicken.
Rub 1 Tbsp flour with 1 Tbsp butter to create a smooth paste. Drop balls of this into the slow cooker until you have the desired thickness.
Before placing in the slow cooker, coat meat pieces with seasoned flour and brown in a pan. This helps thicken later without any starchy flavours.
Alternately remove sauce and place in a saucepan and simmer to reduce it on the stovetop.

For more slow cooker safety tips or to know how to check the temperature of your slow cooker visit the NZ Food safety site.

Cooking Meat

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:13:41 +0000

When cooking meat, check the colour of the juice which runs out when the meat is pressed. Clear juice and the meat is cooked through while pink juices indicate the meat will be rare.
Send in your tip

Watch those Chillies

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:29:00 +0000

When cooking with chillies, make sure you wash hands thoroughly after touching them. The ‘heat’ of the chilli is in the pith and seeds so remove if a milder flavoured dish is required.
Send in your tip

Meet our NEW Food Editor

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:59:49 +0000

Food in a Minute would like to introduce and welcome Di Swann, our new Food Editor. Well, she’s not entirely new. Di had been with the team since Food in a Minute started in 1994 – she knows the program inside and out. Three years ago Di left us to embark on a culinary adventure. Most of her time was spent in the UK studying, cooking and finally teaching for 18 months at a private cooking school in Yorkshire.

The thought of another cold northern winter was too much so she decided it was time to return home, and Food in a Minute was incredibly lucky to get her back. Di’s cooking skills, recipes and personality warm the hearts of all involved with Food in a Minute and we are excited to share her passion for food and people with you.

Di spends her time here developing and testing recipes, as well as being involved in the overall running of Food in a Minute. Her recipes are easy, tasty and something even the fussiest eaters will enjoy.

Freezing Food Safety

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:45:26 +0000

Never re-freeze thawed food and only heat cooked food once after thawing.
Send in your tip

Getting the most out of your egg whites and cream

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:18:54 +0000

Thank you to Joy for this weeks tip: Egg whites should always be at room temperature before whipping. Be certain there is no yolk in the whites and that the bowl and beaters are perfectly clean. Cream, on the other hand, should be well-chilled. For the largest volume, chill the bowl and beaters before whipping.
Send in your tip

Protecting pantry foods from spoilage

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:49:13 +0000

This weeks tip was sent in by Beverley. “I dehydrate much of the surplus fruits and vegetables I have access to in season. To deter weevil from laying eggs and spoiling the produce, I place several dehydrated bay leaves in each of the jars. This also works with foods in the store cupboard”.
Send in your tip

Make Wattie’s Soup Your Own

admin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 01:08:38 +0000

There’s nothing nicer than a bowl of steaming hot soup and toast, while curled up in front of the fire on a chilly winter’s day. When I was growing up soup was always on the menu at our place and especially welcome after the Saturday morning sports events. Leek and Potato was a real favourite of mine.

Soups can also be a great base for many recipes and meal ideas such as risottos, casseroles and stews. Adding a Creamy Corn Soup created an easy, great tasting sauce for our delicious Smoked Fish Pie.
We have plenty of other fantastic recipe ideas using soups on our website.

For those of us that lead busy lives, Wattie’s soups are great and when I’m feeling creative I like to jazz them up and put a little extra twist into the soup. My favourite is to add a swirl of pesto into tomato soup, colourful and delicious. See some other great ideas.

It’s great to share ideas – so as it’s National Soup Month I thought, “let’s do some sharing!”

Share your idea and win!

If you have a great idea to make Wattie’s soup your own, we’d love to hear it. The best 10 ideas will each win a Wattie’s soup pack including two t- shirts, two tea towels, two soup bowls and six cans of Wattie’s Soup.

So just submit your idea, along with your name and telephone number, via the form below and be in to win.

Good Luck!

The Competition is now closed.

View terms and conditions.

To make an easy vegetable stock

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:04:52 +0000

Chop 1 small onion, 1 carrot and 1 stick celery into small dice. Place in a saucepan. Add 3 cups cold water, 1 bayleaf, a few parsley stalks and a sprig of thyme. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Strain through a sieve. Use as required. Stock will keep in the fridge in a covered container for 2-3 days. Alternatively freeze in covered containers.
Send in your tip