Any helpful advice for someone learning how to cook organic food?

[Keziah]

Spooky don't waste your money. Organic means absolutely sweet Fanny Adams dietary wise. It is a way of ripping you off and taking your hard earned cash to stuff their over filled stuffed, pious, pompous pockets.

There are the same amount of vitamins and minerals in both. The thing is freshness. Organic may be better for the environment but that's all.

The best thing you can do, is don't add fats to food just because the recipe says so. Think about it, does it really need fats.

I very rarely use fats, gone are the days of making a rue, now I use corn flour and water for thickening, as every little helps.

If you cook it from scratch yourself you will know exactly what's in it

Just reducing fats and sugar in your meals will make a hell of a difference.

Save your money and buy yourself something nice to wear instead. best of luck and wishing you well with your new life style.

[diner46]

Hi Spookyjoann,
My tip would be to cook soups. Choose your favourite vegetables peel, chop roughly boil and blitz if you like a smooth soup once it's cooked and veg are soft. Most reciope books have a soup section and use only fresh vegetables, fish or meat.

[scubalaydee]

I totally agree that some items are definitely organic, mainly because of our seasons especially during winter you will be lucky if you buy anything fresh from the garden, so do the best you can and if you think it is organic then buy it.

[shipscook]

Reply to Keziah---

Yes, vitamins and mineral may be the same but I would rather not have the chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Also there are organic canned and frozen products that are nice. Here in Alaska most of what we get hasn't been fresh for a long time. I still buy "fresh" as much as possible, but also know that most frozen things are frozen at the peak of goodness and quite good.

Roux is not just a thickner but also gives flavor depending on the color it is cooked to. I do use olive oil in my roux.

[chubbyalaskagriz]

RE: "I still buy "fresh" as much as possible, but also know that most frozen things are frozen at the peak of goodness and quite good."

Being single, I actually prefer buying frozen over fresh- reason being, if I buy a large resealable bag of frozen broccoli, stir-fry veg, or Italian veg. blend, I can open and remove what I need for 1-2 portions, then throw the rest back in the freezer for another day. Whereas if I buy fresh, I have a few days only to get it all eaten, and I tend not to eat it fast enuf, so I have waste. And as Nan says- frozen veggies are usually frozen at their peak- so nothing is lost nutritionally. Frozen veggies rule!

[shipscook]

and Kevin, when you have a big bunch of bags in the freezer, you can make a rockin' soup.
I had several chicken carcass in the freezer. Make stock and had no idea where I was going--threw in chicken meat-- the many bits of vegiges, can of tomatoes and one of white beans--that led me to Italian mmmmmm! dinner tonight and a few freezer containers.

[chubbyalaskagriz]

and Kevin, when you have a big bunch of bags in the freezer, you can make a rockin' soup.
I had several chicken carcass in the freezer. Make stock and had no idea where I was going--threw in chicken meat-- the many bits of vegiges, can of tomatoes and one of white beans--that led me to Italian mmmmmm! dinner tonight and a few freezer containers.

Indeed, Nan! And your soup sounds yummy! By the way- "Kluski Noodles" are real popular here in the Mid-West. Have you ever had them? SO GOOD and they make a fantastic chicken noodle soup when tossed into broth w/ a few handfulls of frozen veggies... -YUM!

[scubalaydee]

In reality frozen food is no comparison to fresh food but because of the era and lifestyle we live in we have no choice

[SpicySweet]

thanks for the warm welcome!

oh noooo I didnt know that some things claiming to be organic are not really. Is there a way to tell the real from the fake? It kind of defeats the purpose of eating organic some of the time haha

thanks!

[Dilbert]

>>some things claiming to be organic are not really

first, toss out all the hyperbole.

once upon a time a centuries ago, there was "organic" gardening / farming.

then _everybody_ wanted to have that "label" - so eventually the Federal government had to set "standards" for things to be labeled "organic"

have you heard the story about the blind men describing an elephant?
same goes for committees and compromises.

at the supermarket level, "organic" has morphed into "less pesticide residue" - but that's about the end of the story, regrets.

if you go to usda.gov, look up "organic products" - check out the listings. there's stuff that is "approved" for organic
there's stuff that is "prohibited" for organic
and then there's two lists of "inert ingredients" curiously, streptomycin is lists as an "inert". for the life of me, I'm unable to find a naturally occurring "-mycin" anything; usage restriction or none....

some research required.