- Things you wish your mother had told you
- Your Basic Toolkit
- How to Clean and Tidy Your Room
- How to Clean a Toilet
- How to Clean a Sink or Bath
- How to Wash Dishes in a Shared Kitchen
- How to Make Your Bed
- How To Sort your Clothes Ready For Washing
- How to Wash Your Clothes
- How to Clean a Floor
- Guestbook
- good food bad food
- Help! I hate vegetables!
- Falling in love with Mr Potato
- Meat sauce
- Cooking for a Crowd
Falling in Love With Mr Potato
There are 2 words that should bring hope and joy to the heart of any student who isn't too confident about cooking. Here they are:
Baked Potatoes!
Baked (jacket) potatoes, when cooked with a little care, are cheap, dead easy, versatile, nutritious and absolutely delicious. Just put a potato in the oven to bake and you immediately have the basis for a tasty meal. Not only that, but you can cater for your flatmates, or for the entire rugby team, or throw a party and cook for everyone quite easily.
The secret to a great baked potato is that it should be oven baked for at least some of the time. The temptation these days is to microwave your potatoes, but although this is a quick option, it is not, alas, a very tasty one. Perfect baked potatoes have a crisp, slightly smoky tasting skin and a meltingly soft and fluffy inside. You can't get the same effect in a microwave. If you don't already love baked potato skins, perhaps you haven't eaten a perfectly oven baked potato. Most of the nutrients are just under the skin, so it really is a shame to only eat the middle bit.
If you are only cooking 1 potato, the problem is that it is not very fuel efficient to heat the oven for just a single potato. But don't worry, as you can part microwave your potato and cook it for a shorter time in the oven.
On the other hand, you can pop a potato in the oven when you (or someone else) are already cooking something else, or if you are cooking potatoes for a crowd, you can fill the oven with them which is very cost efficient fuel -wise.
For basic baked potatoes:
This is what you need:
The oven heated to 220C/Gas 7
1 large baking potato per person
Olive or sunflower oil
Salt
Kitchen towel
Baking tin
This is what you do:
Check the potatoes over and remove any blemishes.
Prick them all over with a sharp knife.
Put a little oil onto a sheet of kitchen towel and rub all over the potatoes.
Sprinkle some salt onto your hands and rub all over the potatoes.
Put them into a baking tin.
Put them into the hot oven and cook for 1 hour-1 hour 30 minutes, checking after 1 hour and turning them over.
You can tell if your potato is cooked if a knife slides in easily and the potato drops off when you hold it upside down.
If you are cooking a potato with something else in the oven, and it is set at a lower temperature, just leave it for longer. It might need 2 hours or more at 170C/Gas 3.
If you want to try the part microwave method, cook 1 large potato in the microwave for 3-5 minutes, then in the hot oven for 30 - 45 mins.
If you are cooking several potatoes, microwave them for 20 minutes, then bake in the oven for 30 - 45 mins.
Look at this video link for very clear instructions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgRrnst68x8
Baked Potato Fillings.
Baked potatoes are just great with a dollop of butter, but if you want to make a quick meal try:
Baked beans
Grated cheese
Tuna
Leftover bolognese/chilli con carne
To balance your meal, look again at Good Food, Bad Food.
If you are using baked beans, they can count towards your 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and they also provide protein and vitamins. So what do you need to make this a balanced meal? The potato itself is the "energy food" (carbohydrate) so you might just add a sprinkling of grated cheese and you have a great little meal!
If you use cheese as your main filling, you will see that you still need some fruit or vegetables, so a little salad would be the perfect accompaniment, or just some tomatoes if you are in a rush.
If you choose a tin of tuna, you again need some fruit/vegetables, so sweetcorn mixed in with the fish and a little salad would be just great.
The same is true of the meat sauce, although it may already contain some vegetables. Add a sprinkling of cheese and a little salad, or eat a piece of fruit for dessert.
You will soon get the hang of balancing your food and you will do it automatically!
Baked Potatoes!
Baked (jacket) potatoes, when cooked with a little care, are cheap, dead easy, versatile, nutritious and absolutely delicious. Just put a potato in the oven to bake and you immediately have the basis for a tasty meal. Not only that, but you can cater for your flatmates, or for the entire rugby team, or throw a party and cook for everyone quite easily.
The secret to a great baked potato is that it should be oven baked for at least some of the time. The temptation these days is to microwave your potatoes, but although this is a quick option, it is not, alas, a very tasty one. Perfect baked potatoes have a crisp, slightly smoky tasting skin and a meltingly soft and fluffy inside. You can't get the same effect in a microwave. If you don't already love baked potato skins, perhaps you haven't eaten a perfectly oven baked potato. Most of the nutrients are just under the skin, so it really is a shame to only eat the middle bit.
If you are only cooking 1 potato, the problem is that it is not very fuel efficient to heat the oven for just a single potato. But don't worry, as you can part microwave your potato and cook it for a shorter time in the oven.
On the other hand, you can pop a potato in the oven when you (or someone else) are already cooking something else, or if you are cooking potatoes for a crowd, you can fill the oven with them which is very cost efficient fuel -wise.
For basic baked potatoes:
This is what you need:
The oven heated to 220C/Gas 7
1 large baking potato per person
Olive or sunflower oil
Salt
Kitchen towel
Baking tin
This is what you do:
Check the potatoes over and remove any blemishes.
Prick them all over with a sharp knife.
Put a little oil onto a sheet of kitchen towel and rub all over the potatoes.
Sprinkle some salt onto your hands and rub all over the potatoes.
Put them into a baking tin.
Put them into the hot oven and cook for 1 hour-1 hour 30 minutes, checking after 1 hour and turning them over.
You can tell if your potato is cooked if a knife slides in easily and the potato drops off when you hold it upside down.
If you are cooking a potato with something else in the oven, and it is set at a lower temperature, just leave it for longer. It might need 2 hours or more at 170C/Gas 3.
If you want to try the part microwave method, cook 1 large potato in the microwave for 3-5 minutes, then in the hot oven for 30 - 45 mins.
If you are cooking several potatoes, microwave them for 20 minutes, then bake in the oven for 30 - 45 mins.
Look at this video link for very clear instructions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgRrnst68x8
Baked Potato Fillings.
Baked potatoes are just great with a dollop of butter, but if you want to make a quick meal try:
Baked beans
Grated cheese
Tuna
Leftover bolognese/chilli con carne
To balance your meal, look again at Good Food, Bad Food.
If you are using baked beans, they can count towards your 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and they also provide protein and vitamins. So what do you need to make this a balanced meal? The potato itself is the "energy food" (carbohydrate) so you might just add a sprinkling of grated cheese and you have a great little meal!
If you use cheese as your main filling, you will see that you still need some fruit or vegetables, so a little salad would be the perfect accompaniment, or just some tomatoes if you are in a rush.
If you choose a tin of tuna, you again need some fruit/vegetables, so sweetcorn mixed in with the fish and a little salad would be just great.
The same is true of the meat sauce, although it may already contain some vegetables. Add a sprinkling of cheese and a little salad, or eat a piece of fruit for dessert.
You will soon get the hang of balancing your food and you will do it automatically!