My Top 5 Kitchen Tools to Tackle Food Inflation

Well, let’s make no bones about this. Inflation is indeed here. I predicted massive price hikes last January and told my kids to batten down the hatches because it was coming in all forms.

Now, even mainstream media is reporting on this nasty fiscal reality.

I realize I can’t fix inflation but there is a lot I can do to ride the wave. One of my best tactics? Cook and cook more at home, relying on basic items such as dried beans, frozen and canned vegetables, an array of dried herbs and spices and a freezer stocked with meats and seafood. With a well-stocked arsenal and a little creativity, I’m finding I can safeguard the budget to a certain degree and still enjoy a nice entrée at the end of the day.

That said, there are many kitchen items that make an inflation fighting home cook more efficient and successful. Here’s are my top five tools:

High Quality Chef’s Knife

                Do NOT cut corners here, folks! A dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one because it’s more likely to slip under pressure and cut you when you are trying to force that dull blade through something like a bagel or dense vegetable. I’ve had my 10-inch Dick’s Chef Knife since I purchased it at Peter Kump’s Cooking School in 1989 and I’ve used it every day since. Other great knife options? Wusthof Classic. When choosing a knife, go to the store and ask to hold it in your hand to see if it’s a good fit. Once you’ve found the knife, take care of it, and DON’T put it in the dishwasher!

Good Saucepans with Fitting Lids

                Invest in a few good saucepans in varying sizes. You’ll use them for everything from steaming those frozen vegetables to cooking a box of pasta dragged out from the pantry after a long day of work. I have a few decent Farber ware pans, but admittedly I love my Le Creuset saucepans which I use daily. Yes, they are pricey and can be hard to source given the global supply chain issues, but if you can get your hands on one or two, do it. They last forever.

Le Creuset Dutch Ovens

                Another versatile and indispensable piece of cookware? My Le Creuset Dutch ovens. These are the true workhorses in my house. Made in France, they come in a range of sizes and colors and work equally as well on the stovetop as they do in the oven. They are the perfect tool for stews, soups, braises, and even baking breads. An investment that will return delicious dividends for decades. There are less expensive Dutch ovens available, and they could work fine for your budget but I’m just partial to Le Creuset. They heat evenly and stand up to so much. In the end, quality and investments pay off. Plus they last for generations. Truly.

Instant Pots

                Instant Pots! Many folks shy away from these electric cookers because they find the electronic dashboard and options a bit intimidating to navigate. That said, it’s worth reading the instruction manual and giving it a shot. These versatile cookers are priceless because the pressure-cooking feature cooks foods in a fraction of the time and magically maintains pressure to handle the task with little input from the cook. I use mine, the original Duo for making bone broths, cooking economical dried beans, vegetable soups and tomato sauce. I use the pressure steam feature to cook items like potatoes, salmon and even artichokes and hard-boiled eggs. The yogurt feature is also amazing at cranking out deliciously decadent yogurt from a basic quart of milk! (The price of one quart of Chobani Greek Yogurt is now tipping  $7 a quart out here in Seattle so it’s a valuable feature indeed. Do the math on that one!) So, to put it simply don’t overlook the power of this wonderful pot! If you need a little extra support or inspiration, check out the 1000 tested recipes on their website.

The Cuisinart Food Processor

Of all the items listed here, I have to say my Cuisinart Food Processors are perhaps my favorite inflation busting tool! I have three that sit on my counter and indeed they get used all the time. My mini chopper is the one that gets pulled forth nearly every day now that we are empty nesters and it’s the one that gets called into action for thrifty homemade vinaigrettes crafted from kitchen staples such as mustard, oil, vinegar, and herbs. The mini also cranks out a super cilantro chimichurri that dresses up a simple piece of Alaska cod pulled from the fish drawer in the freezer. My Cuisinart Pro Custom 11 Cup processor is the tool I use to make lemony chicken salad from leftover roast chicken or a creamy shawarma hummus. When the shredding and slicing blades are clicked into place on my Pro Custom, I process an endless array of cabbage, carrots and onions in a flash which lets me sidestep the pricey prepared veggies section in the product department. (Here in Seattle, we pay a 10% tax on prepared food items so that adds an extra layer of expense to an already pricey item!) This mid-size processor is also the one I use to make my No Rise Pizza Dough.

So, with food inflation here to stay, it’s time to gear up and act! What is your tool?

Next up? Fighting inflation one seed at a time…in my little urban kitchen garden!

A Quick Gingery Salmon Pho

The Emerald City is living up to its reputation this week. Cold. Rainy. Dark. Ugh.

Yesterday, I was craving a light and lean salmon lunch but I couldn’t bear to make a salad so I decided to shift gears and focus on using some king salmon in soup. Chowder was too heavy so I started to explore pho as a reasonable option.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea and began to wonder if I could devise a simple technique that would cook the salmon but simultaneously safeguard the fish’s buttery texture and telltale flavor.

Working quickly, I loaded my InstantPot with some chicken and vegetables, set it to high pressure for 25 minutes and headed to the Asian market in my neighborhood for some cilantro, Thai basil, fresh rice noodles, and Napa cabbage.

At home shortly thereafter, my soup came together in mere minutes. The hot simmering InstantPot broth was a ladled into a Le Creuset saucepan with finely shredded cabbage, a few slices of ginger, and about an ounce of rice noodles. That simmered for about two minutes and was poured into a pho bowl. I then added about two ounces of finely sliced skinless salmon into the steamy broth and let the salmon cook gently in the residual heat of the broth. I then added a final garnish of herbs and sliced jalapenos and my light and lean Gingery Salmon Pho was ready for slurping!

IMG_2763So, here is the basic and easily adaptable method for making a quick pho at home:

Step One:

Put about two cups of chicken broth into a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat.

Step Two:

Add about a half cup of finely sliced Napa cabbage , a few slices of fresh ginger, and about one ounce of rice noodles. Simmer for about two minutes, stirring once or twice.

Step Three:

Pour the steaming broth carefully into a  deep bowl, top with about two ounces of thinly sliced and skinned fresh salmon. Using chopsticks, gently poke the salmon into the hot broth to submerge it and to help it cook in the hot broth.

Step Four:

Garnish with finely chopped fresh cilantro, Thai basil if available, and thinly sliced jalapenos. Serve!

Instant Pot Anxiety? Make Yogurt

On February 1, The Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled, “Instant Pot Anxiety? ‘I said a Prayer and Stayed the Hell Away.'”

In the piece, the author,  Ellen Byron,  interviewed various pot owners who had mishaps and struggled with operating the all in one appliance. I chuckled at some of the stories but admittedly the author was on to something. Every day when I peruse the Instant Pot Facebook feed, I see photos of Instant Pots in sealed boxes and cries for help and advice on how to take that first step to use the appliance. The posts weave into an interactive digital therapy session where fellow Instant Potters exclaim, “You can do it.”  “Just start.”  “My favorite easiest recipe is….” “Wear goggles and keep the kids outta the kitchen.”

As for me, I love my two Instant pots (6-quart duo and 3-quart mini) and use them daily without fail. Personally, I have never had pressure cooker anxiety because I started using the Kuhn Rikon stove top pressure cookers over twenty years ago. That being said, I can understand why some people hesitate. There are lots of buttons, The manual isn’t great. And, once you lock and load, commit to pressure and things start to rumble. there’s no turning back and you can’t open the lid and check the contents. It is indeed a leap of faith.

My solution for those folks who fret? Take the Instant pot out of the box, run the simple water test per the manufacturer’s instructions and make YOGURT!

Both of my machines have yogurt buttons and this cycle does NOT require putting anything under pressure. It simply creates a low heat that incubates your milk and starter and turns it into the rich luscious yogurt over the course of 8 hours. A miracle cycle in my mind!

I’ve tried various yogurt recipes but my favorites have come from This Old Gal and the only recipe I use now is her Instant Pot No Boil Yogurt Recipe which uses the whole Fairlife Milk found in many mainstream grocery stores such as Target, Safeway, QFC, and Winco. This particular milk does not require any preheating before making the yogurt so all I have to do is pour my half a gallon of whole milk into my 3 quart Instant Pot and whisk in two packets of YoGourmet starter. I then put on the lid, press the Yogurt Cycle and leave it alone for 8 hours.  There is no pressure. No noise. No steam. No wiggles or jiggles. Just a quiet incubation on the counter.

At the end of the cycle, the mixture has transformed into thick luscious creaminess. I then put my all natural yogurt, still in the Instant Pot’s inner container, into my fridge, covered and let it sit, undisturbed, overnight.

I use my yogurt on everything from granola and citrus segments to baked potatoes and kale salads. And, I’ve discovered that it makes a great tartar sauce to dollop on Alaska halibut or salmon.

So, if you want to buy an Instant Pot but are feeling, well, pressured…skip “manual” button and go for Yogurt.

Even if you never make anything else, the savings from making your own yogurt will pay for the pot in no time.

 

Hacking the Starbucks Egg Bites

Mobile breakfasts are a challenge at my house. It simply isn’t easy to get out the door and power everyone up with a nutritious high protein start to the day. Trust me. I’ve struggled with this one for two decades.

As the proud owner of two Instant Pots (3 quart mini and 6 quart duo), I recently joined the Instant Pot Facebook community online and have noticed countless folks going gaga over their versions of the Starbucks Sous Vide Egg Bites.  Prior to reading these glowing posts, I had never had one of these bitty bites but on Saturday I decided to see for myself.

While at Starbucks, I ordered a round of the Bacon Gruyere bites. Priced at $5 plus 10% tax, they rang up a $5.50 and I was handed two very small egg disks that arrived warm and savory. The texture was intriguing. It was light and fluffy, kind of like a cross between a soufflé and a quiche. The nutrition facts per serving indicated 19 grams of protein.

Starbucks egg biteOverall, I found the egg bites to be very good but personally, I wouldn’t rely on them myself. Without a doubt, they would get pricey ($30 bucks per work week) and frankly, I hate going to Starbucks and standing in line because that’s a huge time suck. So later that day, I did some googling and found numerous variations on how to make them.

This version from Foodie and Wine was the one I printed off and used as a basic guideline in terms of ingredient proportions and cooking times. Her recipe called for heavy cream, cottage cheese, hot sauce, and a significantly higher quantity of shredded cheese, so I tweaked the basic ingredients and improvised on a tool. For cooking the egg bites in the Instant Pot, I used my vintage Wedgwood ramekins instead of the silicone molds or small canning jars that everyone seems to use. I reasoned that my four-ounce ramekins would work just fine and they did.

Basically, I took four large eggs, about 1 loosely packed cup of shredded cheese, ¼ cup of milk, about two tablespoons of sour cream and a pinch of salt and whizzed that in my Vitamix. I then put one cup of water in my 6-quart Instant Pot, added the cooking rack and set the ramekins, which had been sprayed with oil and sprinkled with bacon bits, on the rack. I divided the egg mixture evenly between each ramekin. I sprinkled the tops with a little dehydrated onion and chive and covered with foil.

I set the Instant Pot to STEAM for 8 minutes. At the end of eight minutes, I let the pressure release naturally and after about seven minutes the button popped down and my egg bites were ready. When I removed the lid, the foil had crept up and when I removed the foil I found big puffy egg bites that within a minute or two deflated but remained very hot and steamy. I removed them with tongs and turned out the egg bites which were gorgeous and velvety…just like the ones I tried at Starbucks.  They were great on toast, out of hand on the go, or set on a bed of arugula.

Starbucks Puffy Egg BitesAside from being high in protein and easy to make, the best part is that the eggs bites can be kept refrigerated for five days and reheated each morning. The reheated eggs still taste fresh and they don’t have any of that nasty overcooked egg taste either. They’d be great bagged up and tucked into a purse to be reheated at the office or they’d make a great breakfast for a teenager dashing out the door hoping to beat the clock.

So, all in all, my sous vide egg adventure was a success and it’s something I will make again and again.  Here’s my version:

 

Missy’s Easy Instant Pot Egg Bites

Ingredients:

Cooking spray for preparing the ramekins

4 teaspoons Costco bacon bits, or to taste

4 large eggs

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

¼ cup 2% milk

2 to 3 tablespoons sour cream

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dried red onion or chives if desired

1 cup water

 

Tools

four ¼ cup heatproof ramekins

6 Quart Instant Pot Duo

Instant Pot Rack

Aluminum foil for covering ramekins

Tongs

 

Technique:

Prepare the ramekins: Spray the ramekins thoroughly with the cooking spray. Divide the bacon bits evenly between the ramekins.

In a blender blend the eggs, Cheddar cheese, milk, sour cream, and salt for about thirty seconds.

Divide the egg mixture evenly amongst the four ramekins.

Divide the onion or chives evenly over the tops of each ramekin

Set the cooking rack into the instant pot and pour the one cup of water into the pot.

Set the ramekins carefully on the racks and cover lightly with a piece of foil.

Put the lid on the Instant pot and set the valve to SEAL

Set the Instant Pot to  STEAM and adjust the cooking time to 8 minutes.

At the end of eight minutes, the Instant Pot will beep. Allow an NPR, Natural Pressure Release, which means you are just letting the pot pressure come down slowly on its own. This should take about seven minutes. Once the valve has gone down, remove the lid and the foil.

Using tongs, transfer each ramekin to a cutting board and let rest for a minute or so. The egg bites will be puffy at first and then deflate a bit. Unmold and serve or let cool and store in fridge, reheating for about 30 seconds when desired.

Makes 4 Egg Bites.

 

Tartar Sauce: Slash the Fat with Yogurt

IMG_5754Tartar Sauce. It’s a classic accompaniment to fish. It’s great on a fish sandwich or with a piece of fried halibut or cod or baked salmon.

That being said, it isn’t a great accompaniment to the waistline. My favorite brand, Marina Tartar sauce, packs a walloping 180 calories and 20 grams of fat in two tablespoons. Two tablespoons? Let’s face it. Who really sticks to serving sizes? So, I bet it’s safe to say the calorie count on a tartar sauce accompaniment to a fish sandwich can run far higher than 180.

IMG_5758.JPGTackling this juggernaut has been on my recipe bucket list for some time but it was only recently that I nailed a real solution. I bought an Instant Pot back in August and have been making some really gorgeous yogurt in it every week. (I use the recipe from This Old Gal.) I generally have two quarts of homemade yogurt on hand each week and as a result, I have been finding all sorts of amazing ways to add this creamy protein-packed ingredient into my everyday meals.

That’s where my low-fat tartar sauce comes in. On Saturday, I had a piece of defrosted Alaska halibut in the fridge and some white hamburger buns on the counter. Both needed to be used up and I was in recipe development mode. So, I decided to make a halibut sandwich and that’s when the idea for yogurt tartar sauce was born

Admittedly, I was a bit doubtful. I tossed the idea out to my husband. He was really doubtful. Nonetheless, I went at it, substituting my yogurt for the mayonnaise and adding Western Family dill relish, some diced Walla Walla onion, the juice of half a lemon and some salt. A quick stir resulted in a luscious tartar with all the flavor of the classic and far less fat. Dolloped on a piece of cooked panko coated halibut it was a revelation.

IMG_5734The recipe that follows is ridiculously simple. If you don’t have homemade yogurt, storebought is fine. If you use Greek yogurt, you might need to thin it with a bit of milk to get that dollopy texture. Thin it a bit in the beginning, then add your relish, onion, and lemon juice, and if the texture needs adjusting, add a bit more milk or lemon if desired

Yogurt-Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup homemade plain yogurt, or store-bought plain Greek yogurt

2 to 3 teaspoons prepared dill relish, I used Western Family

1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped sweet onion

juice of half a lemon

salt to taste

In a small bowl, whisk or stir the yogurt to loosen and smooth out. Add the relish, the chopped onion, the lemon and salt to taste. Stir to combine and if using Greek yogurt, add a little milk or more lemon juice to adjust the texture.  Make 1/2 cup.