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The podcast currently has 3 episodes available.
One of the many things I hear is that people get bored of the food they make, feeling like they eat the same things over and over again, with little flavour variation. And as they old adage goes, variety is the spice of life!
When it comes to cooking and meal prep, if you’re bored you won’t continue to do it. In this episode of the food and other bites podcast, I share how to keep your food interesting, week in week out.
Understand Your Meal Prep Style
Most people think meal prep looks one way, pick recipes, cook recipes, eat food - rinse repeat; but there is so much more to understand about meal prep. Understanding whether you are more rigid or more flex will change the game for you.
RIGID types should make composed meals, that simply require reheating. These are great for people who don’t mind eating the same thing all week long. I watch movies several times, listen to songs on repeat and, in that vein, I can eat the same thing days on end; I’m rigid.
FLEX types bore easily and eating the same thing over and over makes them want to order in lol. If this is you, your prep should look like this:
This prep will give you MEGA options throughout a week, because you can mix and match your heart out!
GET YOUR SAUCE GAME TOGETHER- download the sauce making guide here with 5 delicious sauce recipes.
On the topic of sauce...
Sauce is how you make very similar ingredients taste completely different, so if you require variation understanding saucery will save your meals EVERY TIME!
Speaking of variation...
Herbs are clutch when keeping your food interesting; but understanding where herbs belong is important, or you could disrupt the texture.
HERBY herbs like parsley (curly and Italian), mint, cilantro, basil, chives and dill are best used as a garnish or at the end of cooking. So think of making vinaigrette’s and raw sauces with these herbs.
WOODY herbs like thyme, rosemary and sage tend to be tougher in texture and can hold up to cooking, so use them in cooked sauces, or during the cooking process to take the edge off their bite.
I’ll say this ad nauseam, having your kitchen set up for success is the ONLY way to cook with ease, because there is nothing more frustrating than cooking in a kitchen that doesn’t have what you need. Cooking CAN BE simple, but you have to have your sh*t together.
I want to remind you that it is COMPLETELY possible to double the enjoyment of your food without doubling the effort and I hope this episode of the podcast showed you that!
As a chef I am always encouraging people to cook more at home, because it saves money and leads to a delicious life (IMO); but when it comes to cooking with ease- meaning you don’t want to throw a pot across the kitchen- you must first master the fundamentals. In cooking, as in life, one must walk before they can run.
Read Recipes All the Way Through
This is STEP ONE, and often the most overlooked aspect of recipe selection. When selecting recipes people generally read the ingredients and decide whether the recipe is a “make” or a “pass”, but this is only half the information.
Reading a recipe fully means you will know the equipment required, the process and more nuances that you only get reading the instructions of a recipe.
Pick Recipes You Understand
This should go without saying but if you read through a recipe and at any point wonder WTF they are talking about, this recipe is a pass- or a postpone for when you have more time on your hands!
STAY TUNED FOR AN UPCOMING EPISODE WHERE I CLEAR UP COMMON COOKING TERMINOLOGY
Find Similar Ingredients
If you are one of those people that gets overwhelmed at the prospect of buying a lot of different ingredients, you need to find, what we call in the industry, a hero ingredient, which you will build your meals around. This means, less ingredients, and less stress in the grocery store.
Reading recipes is a fundamental step in creating ease around the process of cooking and meal planning and if you didn’t know, now you know ;)
Today is an exciting day for me because my food podcast is finally launched. Though this podcast is new, I’m not new to podcasting game. I’ve started and abandoned two past podcasts but this time feels new and fresh; frankly because I know myself and my strengths better than I ever have before and I finally feel expert enough to podcast. Imposter syndrome is real people!
This food podcast has been a long time coming, because a) I love to talk, NO JOKE, take me on a road trip, you will not get bored and b) there is a gap in the food podcast space (no shade) and I want to fill it with information to help you with the day to day effort of cooking and meal planning for yourself and your family.
Why a Podcast? Why now?
What to expect from the food and other bites podcast
Expect to feel like you’re in a classroom with your favourite teacher, learning in a dynamic and entertaining way. You will laugh- I’m told I’m funny; and you’ll come away from every episode feeling like you know what’s up when it comes to cooking and feeding yourself.
Although this podcasts main focus is to empower you in the kitchen, from time to time I will interview inspiring people in the food/cooking space...but only the best. I’m not here to waste anyone’s time lol.
It’s also worth noting that I sometimes swear, but I’ll give you fair warning. I also love to invent words, you’ll come to understand the nuances of my created language; and lastly, of the words that already exist, I will certainly abbreviate them, but as with above, you’ll come to understand me juuuuust fine.
How to listen
This podcast is available to listen on all the biggies:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Stitcher
Google Play
Don’t sleep on it, and subscribe so you never miss an episode. On that note, you can expect a new episode every week.
Since I have zero issues being a shameless self promoter, I’m gonna ask that if you’re loving the Food and Other Bites Podcast please subscribe, rate and review; makes me feel good, helps people find the podcast- it’s win-win.
Enjoy the listen and thanks for your support!
The podcast currently has 3 episodes available.