In these months when travel is limited, we spend much more time at home and, consequently, we also eat more frequently at home. Struggling with smartworking, we often have a quick and even unhealthy lunch. With a few more precautions we can better organize our weekly diet and develop virtuous eating habits.
Not only that: we can regain familiarity with traditional culinary practices that we have lost among these preserves. Knowing the cooking techniques can make the difference,
Now more than ever, vacuum packing and jar cooking can be valid allies in the kitchen: two different but very useful techniques for preserving food and replenishing our pantry with many healthy and tasty specialties always at hand.
In fact, vacuum packing extends the shelf life of fresh foods, reducing oxidation and preventing microbial proliferation. We can summarize the importance of vacuum packing in five points: it allows you to cook without burning and therefore the formation of toxic substances; reduces the dispersion of nutrients and therefore enhances the nutritional characteristics of the food; concentrates the aromas, allows you to precisely control the cooking temperature and cook food to perfection.
Finally, the most important function from a nutritional point of view: it preserves the naturally present water and the vitamins dissolved in it, in particular the B vitamins, which have very useful properties for the human body, playing an essential role for the normal functioning of the nervous system, for the muscle tone of the gastrointestinal area and for the liver especially vitamin B3 essential for cell respiration which promotes blood circulation, and vitamin B 12 which contributes to the growth of red blood cells but also a role in the formation of white blood cells that defend our body from infectious microorganisms that are extremely useful these days.
Then there is the aspect of cooking food at low temperatures, in a vacuum, which concerns meat, fish, vegetables and even fruit. Few know it but fruit should only be cooked with this method, to preserve its properties and protect it from oxidation, reducing the risk of contamination.
Equally important is the cooking pot which allows you to cook directly in glass jars, a bit like the grandmothers did when they prepared the preserves.
In this regard, the microwave oven can be useful which, when used correctly, gives excellent results. The myth of its harmfulness has long since been debunked, while on the contrary it proves to be a comfortable, practical tool capable of reducing energy waste in the kitchen.
Knowing the techniques has become an even more pressing necessity now that many work from home in smartworking and have little time for their lunch break". The microwave allows you to structure a weekly cooking plan quickly.
There are many recipes that can be made with these two techniques, such as prawns with sweet and sour vegetables, heart of cod in tomato water, loin of lamb with chard and potatoes in sous vide and, dulcis in fundo, even a Christmas one Cooked cream with hazelnuts, cinnamon and star anise.
Microwave pickled vegetables recipe.
Ingredients
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 carrots
1 stick of celery
130 g White vinegar
130 g of white wine
5 g salt
Preparation of the vinegar base:
Mix the wine, vinegar and salt and heat in the microwave or in a pan until the alcohol evaporates and the salt dissolves.
Cut the peppers into strips, the carrots the same length, as well as the celery so that they can be placed vertically in a glass jar.
Cover the vegetables with the vinegar base and close the jar. Cook in a bain-marie for at least an hour.
With specific jars suitable for the microwave, cooking times are reduced to 3 minutes with a considerable saving of time and money.
Vaso-cooking can be kept for up to 6 months and allows us to always have something to eat in the pantry so as not to resort to the first thing that happens. Once opened, the jars can be kept in the fridge for up to 20 days.
Nutritional note: Carotenoids from carrots and peppers become more bioavailable over time. It is with preserves such as pickled vegetables that we can best benefit from these precious nutrients.
