Simple Kitchen Hacks for Cooking During Covid
By Kate Love
How to Get the Most Out of Iso Meals
We’re all going a bit stir crazy during lockdown but one of the things that is bringing happiness is rediscovering the joy of home cooking.
Whether it’s whipping up old favourites or discovering something new, people are enjoying the time we’ve all got to slow down and explore the simple joys of cooking. Making bread from scratch. Trying new recipes. Tasting delicious flavours. From sweet baked delights to tasty savoury treats, there are endless ways to cook nourishing meals during lockdown.
We spoke to Byron-based nutritionist Corinne Nash from Goodness Me Nutrition about starting up the ‘Coping with Covid Kitchen Hacks’ group and her top tips for cooking during lock down.
What do you love about being a nutritionist in Byron Bay?
Being a nutritionist anywhere is awesome because it is primarily about helping people to overcome barriers to better health throughout their lives. The lovely thing about this area is that so many people are already keen to look after their health and are willing to make changes and to try new things. It’s not easy changing your diet, even in a minor way, because food is very close to people’s hearts and is all tangled up in our memories and our perceptions of comfort, fun, reward and happiness.
Why is cooking important particularly during this time of lockdown?
Cooking is important right now for several reasons. With my nutritionist hat on I would say that healthy eating is an important part of keeping your immune system strong and resilient. On a grander scale though, cooking is a beautiful way to connect with your family and to spend time together learning age-old life skills which will hold them in good stead for years. Many people are suddenly finding themselves with the time to spend in the kitchen cooking in a much less hurried and more enjoyable way.
What are some coping with covid kitchen hacks you can tell us?
Where should I start?! The response to the Facebook group that I created has been phenomenal. People have been coming up with some great ideas for swapping unavailable ingredients for other things, for using up what they have, swapping tips on making bread (hey, we’re at home all day to do all that kneading, resting and rising!) and giving gardening tips. My favourite hacks are:
Explore previously unfamiliar grains instead of rice – quinoa, freekeh, barley, cous cous;
Make your own seedling pots and get some veggies going; and,
Check out all the roadside stalls for super finds like eggs, citrus fruit, pumpkins, sweet potato, bananas, leafy greens, herbs and tomatoes (and no supermarket crowds).
What has been your favourite thing to make while in isolation?
There’s a two pronged answer to that one. I love making curries and soups – especially now that the nights are getting cooler. I usually cook vegetarian (I leave the meat to my boys to cook!). There are quite a few of my favourite recipes on my website.
The second part of my answer is that I have loved not cooking but eating my husband’s sourdough bread. He has had to really ramp up production with two growing boys in the house too, but he has really honed his skills and is turning out very professional loaves now!
Who are you inspired by with your cooking?
I have a number of favourite cookery authors whom I love because their recipes work. Amongst them are Delia Smith, Belinda Jeffrey and Madhur Jaffrey. Otherwise I am always inspired by a trip to the weekly Byron Farmers Market where the goods on offer are fantastic. I go without a list and come home with ideas for three or four meals based around what I have bought. I always buy fresh fish or seafood from John and Julie Joblin and their spotted mackerel has been exceptional recently. Last week I picked up some quinces and they made a gorgeous dessert cooked long and slowly with sugar, water, a little wine and some spices.
What are your tips for staying healthy during this challenging time?
There is no magical ingredient to overhaul your immune system overnight. The best recipe is to eat a well balanced diet and to exercise, preferably getting outdoors, regularly. Sleep is super important too. Vitamin D is an important player in the immune system and so being out in the sun most days, or increasing your intake of foods rich in vitamin D such as oily fish, eggs and mushrooms will help a lot. Interestingly, mushrooms become a good source of vitamin D by leaving them out in the sun for half an hour or so. The exposure to UV light enables them to manufacture vitamin D using ergosterol which is found more predominantly in their gills, so place them gill side up.
And is there anything else you’d like to add?
I know there are people under enormous stress at the moment. Perhaps they have lost their jobs, or are feeling very vulnerable to infection. Healthy eating and exercise are a great way to maintain good mental health. Taking control of those aspects of your life can make you feel that you have control over other aspects too.
Being in this region at this time and not in a big city or a cold rainy country, we have to count our blessings. What the Coping with Covid group and my general experience with friends and neighbours has taught me, is that the Byron Bay area is a caring and positive place to be. Meanwhile many of us are embracing this chance to slow down, walk, cook, breathe. It could be worse.
Corinne Nash, M. Hum. Nutr.