Thai-style pork patties

Based on a recipe from the SW book Extra Easy Express

For the pork patties : 
500g extra-lean pork mince (0.5 syns / 100g)
6-8 shallots (sf)
3 homegrown chillies (or 1 tsp chilli powder) (f)
2 tbsp dried spring onions (f)
1 tbsp coriander (f)
Juice of 1 lemon (f)
2 eggs (f)
1 stock cube (f)
1/2 tsp salt (f)

to serve:
Boiled rice (f)
Shredded cabbage (sf)
Shredded carrot (sf)
soy sauce (f)
(optional) 5-spice powder (f)

red/green/yellow peppers (sf)

Put rice on to boil.
Spray two baking sheets with frylight.
In a separate bowl, finely chop the shallots, very finely chop fresh chillis (if using), add all other patty ingredients and mix well with fingers. Take small handfuls, roll into balls and flatten slightly on the baking tray.
Place under a hot grill for 5 minutes, flip over, and cook for another 5 minutes. It may come out slightly unappetising in appearance (leaking juice) but give it a taste - delicious!

Dry Stir-fry the cabbage, and carrot, adding soy sauce and seasoning.
Chop the peppers and dry-fry.

25 minutes start to finish!

We split 5 ways so 0.5 syns per portion

Super-speedy tomato soup

This tomato soup is incredibly quick and easy to make, while also incredibly nice! It's so simple, I challenge anyone to make it and say it's too hard!


I'm keeping a set of ingredients in my tin cupboard, for one of those 'too tired to cook' days - when you get in late, rubbish day at work, and you really can't be arsed - literally 2 minutes preparation and it's on the table in 15.



1 tin carrots in water (f)
1 tin baked beans (f)
2 tins chopped tomatoes (sf)
1 silversweet pickled onion (f)
200ml hot water
stock cubes/pots (f)
salt and pepper (f)
1-2 tsp sweetner (sucralose, f)
(optional) basil (f)
(optional) garlic (f)

(optional) umami powder or worcester sauce (f)

Open tins and tip into blender.
Whizz for a minute.

Tip into saucepan and warm on medium for 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Pour into bowls and sprinkle with basil.
If you're feeling really posh (or taking photos) swirl in a tablespoon of fat-free fromage frais and add a fresh basil leaf.

If you have plenty of syns of a hexB, add a slice of bread or I had a box of croutons in the cupboard from Lidl (20g of croutons is 4.5 syns according to the SW calculator).

Made a good 3-4 generous portions.

SW Chilli

3 large onions (sf)
3 sticks celery (sf)
1/2 tsp bicarb (0.5 syns)
1/2 tsp of chilli powder (or 2 home-grown chillis)
1/2 tsp cumin (f)
1/2 tsp marjoram (f)
2 stock cubes (f)
2 tsp bovril (f)
250g extra lean mince (f)
2 tins chopped tomatoes (sf)
2 large carrots, shredded or grated (sf)
1 tin kidney beans, drained (f)

Chop onions, celery, and add to pan with 1/4 cup water and bicarb. Cook on high, stirring until mush.
Add seasonings and mince, and brown the mince. Add tomatoes and reduce heat to medium. Shred or grate carrots and add, stirring well.

Cook gently for 20-30 mins. 5 minutes from end, add beans.

Serve on boiled rice.

The Skinny Fork

Nice blog at the Skinny Fork! some good ideas that can be adapted...
http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-chocolate-pbb-parfait
I reckon this one is 8 syns per glass! but sounds very nice!













My daughter cooked the skinny-lemon-bars which came out really nice! I haven't calculated the points yet, but I'm guessing about 4ish - the top is free, but the base isn't.
More as I find (and calculate)...

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/crispy-kale-chips

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-loaded-twice-baked-potatoes

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/3-ingredient-pizza-dough

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/cheeseburger-salad

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-vanilla-bean-donuts

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-crock-pot-chicken-tikka-masala

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-maple-bacon-cinnamon-rolls

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-spinach-bacon-alfredo-spaghetti-squash-boats

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-red-velvet-cinnamon-rolls

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-crustless-quiche

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-buffalo-chicken-spring-rolls

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/skinny-turkey-wild-rice-soup

http://www.theskinnyfork.com/blog/easy-skinny-chicken-cordon-bleu

Slimming World Alternative White Sauce (béchamel sauce)

I've been searching for a while to find a good white sauce equivalent on slimming world. It's a bit tricky, since the main ingredients are milk, butter and flour - all synned on SW.
With a bit of experimentation, I have found the following to be a very good alternative - it forms the basis of my spaghetti carbonara recipe and is highly rated by ND's (Non-Dieters) too!

1.5 tubs of cottage cheese (450g) (f)
150g Fat-free fromage frais (f)
1 mug of hot water (-)
1/2 tsp salt (f)
1/4 tsp ground pepper (f)
2 level tsps cornflour (+2 syns)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 large egg

Place cottage cheese, fromage frais, and 1/2 mug of water into a blender. Blend until all lumps are gone, then scrape into a saucepan. Add the other 1/2 mug of hot water to the blender, give it a pulse, and tip in (this should be easier than trying to scrape out the blades).

Warm gently on a medium heat, and add salt and pepper. It will start to thin a little. Pour a small amount into a mug, mix with the cornflour, and pour back into the saucepan. Repeat with the xanthan gum. Stir frequently with a whisk, to try and avoid lumps.
Crack an egg into the saucepan and whisk quickly until well mixed - we don't want lumps of egg. Keep stirring and warming until thickened enough for your purposes or boiling. If it becomes too thick, add some hot water to thin a little.
It seems pretty stable - stands up to boiling and quickly reforms with a quick whisk.
Taste is good, fairly neutral and slightly cheesy. Very smooth and creamy, ideal as a base for any savoury sauce.

The combination of the three thickeners (egg proteins, cornflour and xanthan gum) work better than any one alone. I was able to get xanthan gum from the baking section at Waitrose - it's used in gluten-free baking (also available on ebay and online). If you can't get hold of some, it should work with cornflour instead, but be careful to add the extra syns.

This made enough for 4 generous portions (about 0.5 syns each).

Used in Spaghetti Carbonara

Meatballs and tomato sauce

Sauce:
3 sticks celery (sf)
1 bulb garlic (f)
2 large onions (sf)
2-3 shredded carrots (sf)
1 box passata (f)
1 tin chopped tomatoes (sf)
1 beef stock cube (f)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (+1 syn)
basil (f)
oregano (f)


Meatballs
500g lean mince (f)
1 large finely chopped onion (sf)
1 stock cube (f)
salt and pepper (f)
1 egg (f)

Pasta (f)

Chop celery, garlic, and one and a half onions and add to pan with small amount of hot water and bicarb. Cook down until water all evapourates, and onion becomes mushy and slightly brown. Add another splash of hot water, deglaze (scrape the pan with a wooden spoon) and add carrots,
and remaining half an onion chopped.

The first onions mush act as flavouring and help thicken, and the second half adds texture to the sauce.
Cook for a couple of minutes and then add
tomatoes, passata, and flavourings (basil, oregano, stock, etc. Turn down to low and gently cook through (cover pan if already thick sauce).

In a separate bowl, add the finely chopped onion, ground up stock cubes, mince and generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Mix together thoroughly, then add the egg and mix again. Grab a small handful and form into small balls.

Spray your balls with frylight and place gently in a pan over a high heat. Either gently shake the pan, or use a spatula to turn them over, so they start to brown on all sides (2-3 mins). This will help hold them together, and add some nice flavour. When done, add to the tomato sauce and *gently* stir.

I did this in a few batches as we had lots of meatballs. Probably, 250g mince would be enough for 4.




Cook the sauce through on low for at least 20-30 minutes to make sure the meatballs are cooked through. Just before serving. grab one and cut in half - if the centre is still red, continue cooking.
Serve with pasta or noodles.

We had enough for 2 meals for 4.  About 0.25 syns/portion.

Chocolate Orange Mousse

3 gelatin leaves (f)
2 Muller light orange yoghurts (f)
4 tbsp fromage frais (f)
2 level tbsp cocoa (4 syns)
2 tsps stevia sweetner (f) equivalent to about 4-6 tsp sugar
fresh fruit to decorate




Soak gelatin leaves in cold water for 5 minutes while boiling the kettle.
In half a mug of boiling water, dissolve the gelatin leaves, and mix in the cocoa.

In a mixing bowl, tip in the orange muller lights and the fromage frais, sugar, and then add the hot water. Beat with an electric whisk for a few minutes - it will seem to be not working, but as the gelatin starts to set it will suddenly double or triple in volume and become much thicker.

Pour into 4 small bowls and add some fruit. Keep in fridge for 20 mins to set fully.

This turned out surprisingly well for my first try! Both ND's (non-dieters) approved and mine was very tasty too!  It's quite thick, somewhere between a jelly and a mousse - I'd probably add a bit more yoghurt next time, I was just afraid of it not setting!

served 4 - 1 syn each.
Would probably work with fruit yoghurts, and leaving out the cocoa would make it syn-free!

Works with toffee muller lights too. If it fails to set, place in the fridge for 10 minutes and then try again. The gelatin only starts to set when cold, so repeat (10 mins cooling, whip) until you get mousse.

Bami Goreng (Indonesian noodles)

1 Leek (sf)

half a box of mushrooms (sf)

stock cube (f)

soy sauce (f)

1 layer noodles (f)

2 ham slices (shredded) (f)

Not quite authentic, but I can throw this together in 10 minutes. Fantastic for a half-hour lunchbreak!

Boil a kettle and half-fill a small saucepan. throw in the noodles and put on low heat.

Slice leeks.Grab non-stick pan and put on high heat, then throw in leeks and stock cube, and a small splash of boiling water. Stir occasionally.

Wash and slice mushrooms, and add to pan, stirring ocasionally. Slice ham into thin strips and add, cooking until water is driven off and pan is nearly dry. 

Shove mix to one side and clear a space, then crack an egg in and give it a quick mix. allow to cook through and then cut up into strips 

SW Sweet & sour chicken

3 large onions (sf)
750ml Diet Orangeade (f)
(just under half a bottle)
1 stock cube (f)
2 tsp cornflour (2 syns)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (f)
(optional) red food colouring (f)
(optional) peppers or other veg (sf)

3 chicken breasts (f)
1 stock cube (f)
chinese 5-spice seasoning (f)
(optional) soy sauce

3 cups basmati rice (f)
handful of frozen peas (sf)
handful of shredded carrots (sf)


Cut onions into largeish chunks and dry-fry until softened and a little brown.
Add diced other veg if using.
Turn heat to max and add the diet orangeade. Boil furiously until reduced by half or more.

I used 'freeway' diet orangeade - cheap'n'cheerful from Lidl.

Add the crumbled stock cube and mix the cornflour with a little orangeade and mix in thoroughly. Sprinkle in the xanthan gum. The xanthan multiplies the effect of the cornflour - it thickens much more than just cornflour alone. If you don't have xanthan, you can use more cornflour, but add the syns appropriately. My sauce was slightly brown due to the browned onions, but if you prefer add 1/2 capful of red food colouring for a 'genuine' bright orange sauce.

Wash and cook the rice in a rice cooker or a big saucepan, and add a handful of peas and shredded carrot to add texture and jazz up the rice a bit. Cook some extra veg to make it 1/3 sf.

I cooked the chicken sous vide - sealed in a plastic bag with the spices and stock cube - for a few hours at 62.5C, but you could easily dice the chicken, coat in spices and ground stock cube and soy sauce, and dry-fry the outside.
Put the sauce onto low to keep warm (below boiling) and add the chicken. When rice and veg are done, dish up. Add soy sauce and/or extra seasoning to taste.

We split this between 4 and had some left over.

About 1/2 syn per portion, depending on how much cornflour added.

Spaghetti Carbonara

I was a bit worried about this dish, but it turned out great! Universal acceptance by the NDs (non-dieters) of the house and definitely one to cook again. It tastes so good I have to make sure it's allowed! Maybe one for friday nights only.

wholemeal pasta spaghetti (f)
1 box 250g? of Mushrooms (sf)
6-8 spring onions (sf)
Several slices of lean ham (f)
1 stock cube (f)

SW White Sauce
1.5 tubs fat-free cottage cheese (f)
100ml fat-free fromage frais (f)
1 mug hot water
1 large egg
salt, pepper (f)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (f)
2 tsp cornflour (+2 syns)

Boil water and cook pasta as normal.

Slice mushrooms and throw in non-stick pan on medium-high heat.
Slice spring onions and cut ham into this strips. Add both to mushrooms and dry-fry for a few minutes. Crumble stock cube completely and add to pan. Stir occasionally and keep warm.
If it starts to stick, add a splash of hot water and scrape bottom with wooden spoon to loosen.

For white sauce - Blend cottage cheese, fromage frais, and hot water. Heat on medium, stirring with a whisk.
Add a generous amount of salt and pepper to the pan and taste - maybe add more (season well). Whisk in xanthan gum and/or cornflour, and whisk in a large egg.
Add more hot water if too thick.

Mix mushrooms and ham into the white sauce. Dish up pasta and add a dollop of sauce on top. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and serve.

Served 5

Serve with some salad and or other veg to make it 1/3 superfree - the mushrooms reduce down so much that it's only 2% superfree.

Cottage pie

3 large onions (sf)
3 sticks celery (sf)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (0.25 syns)
500g extra-lean beef mince (f)
2 stock cubes (f)
1 tbsp Bovril (f)
1 tin chopped tomatoes (sf)
1 box (500ml) passata (sieved tomatoes)
4 large carrots (sf)
6-8 potatoes (f)
Chop celery and onions, add half-cup of water and bicarb, and cook over high heat until brown. Add mince and brown.
Add stock cubes, bovril, and any other flavourings.
Add passata and chopped tomatoes and turn down to low.
Shred or grate carrots and add to pan.
Cook gently (simmering) for at least 20-30 minutes.

Peel and slice potatoes into 1cm slices. Cook in boiling water for 20min, then mash or use potato ricer to create mash. Add salt to taste.

Tip mince into a pyrex dish and top with potato. Cook in hot oven for 15  mins until top is browning.

Pancake stack

EXPERIMENTAL recipe in progress

1/2 tsp Baking powder (0.25 syns)
1/2 tsp Salt (f)
1/4 tsp Stevia sweetner (equv. to 1tsp sugar) (f)
35g oats (hexB or 6 syns)
1/8 tsp Xanthan gum (f)

2 eggs (f)
3 tbsp Quark (f)
5 tbsp Fat-free yoghurt (f)

Topping
Muller light vanilla yoghurt or
Fat free yoghurt
Fresh fruit 


Place dry ingredients into blender and give it a good whizz. May need to tip or move the belnder to get all the oats blended.
*warning* I used 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum and it was too much - almost went solid. Had to add a cup of water to get it liquid again.

too thick

The xanthan gum acts as a stabiliser for the oat flour in the wet mixture. It does a similar job to the gluten in wheat flour, allowing the mixture to form bubbles without flopping, particularly important when 'proving' and cooking.

Mix all the wet ingredients in a small bowl, then thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in. it should form a gloopy porridge-like mixture. Mine was a bit too stiff due to too much xanthan gum.
Put in the fridge for an hour (or overnight) to allow the baking powder to form lots of tiny bubbles, which help form the airy structure for pancakes.

too thick to cook properly

Using a non-stick pan and a spray of frylight, heat up the pan on a medium heat for a couple of minutes, and then add three large tablespoons of mixture to the pan.

(my first attempt the mixture was too thick and bubbles were unable to form properly. I added another egg and the mixture became a lot softer)

This is a better consistency. Liquid enough to self-round, and after a couple of minutes cooking, bubbles form on the top. Ready to flip over...

Well, two out of three ain't bad. They are quite fragile, but light and definite pancake texture.

Final result : added a Muller light vanilla and a large handful of fresh raspberries.
One portion of oats (35g) for a healthy extra B made 12 pancakes! (3 missing due to experimental failures).
Definitely a recipe for a lazy sunday brunch :)

Initial tasting - a bit eggy, but definite pancake structure. However, by half-way through was really enjoying them and had forgotten it was a SW meal!

I think I will be repeating this experiment to find the perfect balance of ingredients. I'll update the recipe as I refine it.


Total : 6 syns OR healthy extra B

*****
Inspired by  Joanna Oxley from our facebook group!

"Just made some really nice pancakes for breakfast using 35g oats as heb, 70g fat free cottage cheese, 2 eggs and bit cinnamon. Mix altogether and fry in fry light. I had berries and a tbsp maple syrup for 2 syns with mine. Tasted like a real treat! Will post a photo x"

Great idea to add some cinnamon next time.

Basic potato and leek soup in soupmaker

5 shallots (sf)

1 large potato (f)
2 leeks (sf)
2 stock cubes  (f)





Chop up ingredients.

Put in Morphy Richards Soupmaker.
Add water to line.











Wait 21 minutes
Eat :)

Chicken Korma

Korma
3 chicken breasts (f)
5 large onions (sf)
3 sticks celery (sf)
1 whole garlic (sf)
     500ml fat free youghurt (f)
     Alternative : 2 cups boiling water and 3 tbsp fat-free fromage frais
2 chicken stock cubes (f)
1 tsp cumin (f)
1 tsp tumeric (f)
1/2 tsp mild chilli powder (f)
12 cardamon pods (f) seeds ground

Mix spices and 1/4 of the yoghurt. cut up the chicken and mix in the yoghurt. (optional leave overnight)

Chop onions, celery, garlic and add to non-stick pan with splash of water.
Brown and caramelise onions.  Grab chicken, shake off (only need a thin coating) and add the spiced yoghurt and the rest of the yoghurt to the onions. Stir well and put on a low heat.
Cook chicken in small loads in another very hot pan to brown the edges. When browned, add to the main sauce and leave to cook gently.
Make sure chicken is cooked through before serving.

Saffron rice
1 chicken stock cube (f)
2 pinches saffron (f)
2 cups basmati rice (f)
1 browned caramelized onion (sf)

Serve with broccoli and spinach, or other veg

Pasta with chunky Tomato and onion sauce with chargrilled chicken

3 large onions (sf)
4 shallots (sf) (or another onion)
Garlic (sf)
1 leek (sf)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (0.25 syns)
1 tin chopped tomatoes (sf)
1 tin plum tomatoes (sf)
1/2 tsp mild chilli powder (f)
1 tsp coriander (f)
1/4 tsp of xanthan gum (optional, to thicken) (f...?)

1 chicken stock cube (f)
2 tsp Schwartz chargrilled chicken seasoning (f)
3 trimmed chicken breasts (or 2 large) (f)
2 trimmed medallions of bacon (f)

2 cups wholewheat pasta (f)

Place the ground up stock cube, seasoning, chicken and bacon in a bag and cook for several hours at 62.5 degrees C.
Alternatively grind up stock cube and mix with seasoning, and coat both sides of trimmed chicken in the mix. Gently cook chicken (medium or low heat) in a frylight/nonstick pan for 10-15 minutes till done (white all the way through).

Chop garlic, onions, shallots, leek into small chunks and place in non-stick pan.



Add a splash of hot water and the bicarb of soda. This will turn the
water alkali and make the onions yellow. It may also bubble a bit. This will speed up the breakdown of the onion proteins into sugars.

Boil all water off, and let it go a bit brown. Then splash a bit more water in, and dissolve the brown stuff.

Cook a bit longer, until it's all mushy. Taste a bit with a teaspoon - it should have gone slightly sweet and will not taste like onions. The brown colour comes from the maillard reaction - proteins breaking down into sugars. This is the same reaction that makes the crispy bits of meat on the outside so nice.

Tip out the tomato juice into the pan, and then tip out the tomatoes with your fingers (mind can edges!). You can then cut the tomatoes into big chunks (and remove any skins or end-bits for fussy eaters!)

Add the chopped tomatoes, and chunks of plum tomatoes , and sprinkle in the chilli powder and coriander. Add and liquid from cooking the chicken, and any stock cube / seasoning remaining.

Turn onto a low heat and let it gently simmer for 15 minutes while boiling the pasta.

A minute before serving, add the xanthan gum and give it a stir. This will thicken the sauce a bit, and bring it together (less watery). It will also make it stick to the pasta.



Chop up the chicken and arrange few strips of bacon on top.

We split the sauce into 3, and had spare chicken for the fridge (free snacks!)

My calculations say it should be free. YMMV. Let me know if I've got anything wrong.
:)

Slow-cooked beef stew

2 sticks of celery (sf)
4 large onions (sf)
5-7 mushrooms (about half a supermarket box) (sf)
3 carrots (sf)
1 potato (f)
1/4 tsp of umami powder (optional) (f)
1 tbsp bovril (f)
2 beef stock cubes (f)
400g of lean steak (f)

1/4 tsp of Xanthan gum (f...?)

Warm up the slow cooker (turn it on and add half a kettle of boiling water). Add the crumbled stock cubes, bovril, and optional umami powder (or thai fish sauce) for extra flavour! (you can also add any other flavourings)
Chop the celery and onion into small pieces and add to a non-stick frying pan. Add about half a cup of water, and turn on the heat.  Cook the onion /celery for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until soft.
Chop up the mushrooms and slice the carrots and add to the pan. Chop the potato into small cubes and toss in. If it dries out, add another splash or two of water, and give it a good stir. Heat through completely and then add to the slow cooker. Any brown stuff that has stuck to the bottom of the pan - this is called 'fond' and contains lots of flavour - add a splash of hot water, and try and dissolve / scrape off this lovely stuff with a wooden spoon, and tip into the slow cooker.
Chop up the lean meat into small cubes.
With the clean(ish) pan, heat it up till quite hot (boil off any water so it's dry) and throw in the meat. Don't stir! try and avoid the temptation! you want to crisp up the meat touching the pan to get some lovely crusty bits. Cook on high for a couple of minutes, and only when it's stuck and going a nice deep brown, scrape off the meat and into the slow cooker. Add another splash of boiling water, and scrape off any nice brown crusty bits with the wooden spoon. You may have to repeat if it's well stuck on.
Don't worry if the top of the meat is red. You don't have to 'seal' the meat - it's going to be cooking for hours anyway - we are just trying to develop lots of flavour using the maillard reaction (the crispy brown bits).

Add all the flavour to the slow cooker, and top up with water to make sure everything is covered. Put the lid back on the slow cooker and leave it for several hours. I usually make it late evening (after the kids used to be in bed), and leave overnight - give it a quick stir in the morning - and then go to work.

After 18 hours or so, any stringy bits in the meat (connective tissue) has changed into gelatin, and the meat should be practically falling apart. It will smell gorgeous - and the gravy will be a dark brown colour and may have thickened. The vegetables will have softened through - they may have mostly dissapeared. The potato will probably have disintegrated and will be thickening the gravy.

I missed the potato the first time and the gravy was a bit thin. However, 1/4 tsp of xanthian gum thickened the gravy perfectly!

I'd suggest cooking some extra veg - maybe throw on some frozen peas and carrots - they will go great in your bowl to provide a bit of texture. This also works really well as a family meal - you'll get no complaints from any 'non-dieters' - simply ladle out a big bowl and give them a couple of bread rolls to mop up the unctuous gravy. You can either use a hexB or syn some bread - we actually boiled some rice for a free side dish.

Pics to follow (sorry - disappeared too quickly! I'll take some next time)

Getting started

If you're starting out cooking a bit more, my view on essential kitchen equipment is:
*  a sharp knife and a decent chopping board (plastic or wood). Don't worry about buying a new one, you can sharpen an old one - all it takes is a bit of practice and effort, and you can sharpen it with plain old sandpaper (check our youtube videos on sharpening). Once sharp, be careful : it's easier to keep it sharp - don't use it for stirring, opening tins, cutting frozen stuff - JUST cutting meat and veg and fruit.

* heavy pans. In scientific tests, the thickness of the bottom of the pan affected things far more than whether it was aluminium, copper, iron or cast iron. As a quick rule of thumb, the heavier, the better - the thicker the base, the better heat gets transferred (i.e. no hot and burnt spots). Thin (and expensive) copper pans performed worse than cheap and cheerful (but thicker) stainless steel pans. More important for frying pans than saucepans.

All the posh stuff can wait until later.

Yet another slimming blog

It's not all recipes, just a place for me to post the occasional recipe and maybe discuss cooking and/or slimming world and rant about cooking stuff.
Started today, 17st 7.5lb. Changing to a healthier eating lifestyle (more veg, less butter and cakes).
Planning to post about sous vide, cooking experiments, and some of the better healthier recipes.