Home cooking vs going out.
What are the advantages of home cooking vs going out? The first thing to consider is cleanliness. When you’re at home you know how many times you wash your hands before, during, and after cooking. Can we say the same for the cooks of any particular restaurant? No, no we can’t.
Another thing to consider is pricing, let’s say you want chicken parmesan tonight, and you have to buy the ingredients. Chicken (on sale) $2.99 lbs. breadcrumbs $1.77 for an 8oz container, mozzarella cheese $2.22 for a 16oz package, parmesan cheese $2.98 for an 8oz package, eggs 12 count $1.76, let’s add bread sticks $2.24 10.5 oz box. (All Walmart pricing). That is a total of $13.96 not including tax. (Advantage, you get to keep the leftover ingredients.)
Now if you go out to a restaurant for chicken parmesan, you’re looking to spend anywhere from $13 to $27 dollars, hoping it is made properly, tastes good, and the service is worth the price you’re paying. Not to mention how crowded the restaurant might be.
I know it’s nice to go out every once in a while, enjoy the town, and have some fun. Not really having to worry about cooking. And that’s great if you’re single, but when you have a family going out just a few times gets a bit spendy.
Nutritional value is another thing to consider, do you know all of the ingredients that are going into your food at restaurants? What does the cook in the back replace certain ingredients they don’t have on hand with? At least at home, you know exactly what you’re putting in your meal. You know what is healthy and what is not, and if you’re like me you want the healthiest meal you can make for your family.
I hate bashing places, but getting back to good service, and cleanliness. My family and I went to a pretty popular establishment in Chicago thinking this is going to be a nice surprise for my wife that just graduated from culinary school (Corden Bleu in Chicago), and we were going to have a good time.
Nope! First off there was a 35-minute wait, which we waited. They gave us a device that flashes when a table is ready for you. Finally, the device flashed, and the hostess came to seat us. We sat and sat, and sat. 10 Minutes later the waitress comes by and asked, “What are you drinking?” Well, excuse me whatever happened to “What may I get you to drink.”
We ordered our drinks, and my wife said, “She’s probably really busy, and that’s why she sounds cranky.” A few minutes later a different waitress comes to our table to take our order, this waitress was nice but was covered in animal hair, I mean we had pets and it’s understandable, but not in a restaurant.
Needless to say, the food took forever to get to the table, and the waitress kept coming by and apologizing for the delay. Finally, the food came, and guess what? It was wrong. I ordered the chicken marsala and got chicken cordon bleu. My wife ordered shrimp scampi with linguini and received shrimp alfredo. The only one that got the correct dinner was our 9-year-old son, chicken tenders, and fries imagine that.
My wife and I looked at each other, and I had to apologize to her. All I wanted was a nice dinner out, that way neither one of us had to worry about cooking. I felt so bad, because I checked and double-checked the reviews of the place, and they were fantastic. Now mind you we did eat what came, and it was good, but for $128 dollars including a few non-alcoholic drinks and a tip. Yes, I was still nice enough to leave a tip.
I chalked it up to it being a bad night for everyone including the kitchen staff. Honestly, we could have gone to the Mexican place down the street from the house, not dealt with downtown traffic spent less, and probably receive better service.
But what’s done is done. After that, we both decided when we do go out, we’ll limit our eating out to dives and hole-in-the-wall places. I was never disappointed with that decision even today.
Sorry, but I had to share that with everyone.
Getting back to healthy eating, let's look at the health value of the different cooking oils? This information is provided for you to learn and determine which oil is better suited for you and your family.
(Below is information on cooking oils and their properties obtained from WebMD)
Types of Fats in Cooking Oils information for home cooking.
Oil has healthy or unhealthy fats. Some oils have a mix of these fats, so get familiar with them to find the best option for you.
Saturated fats. These typically aren’t healthy. They’re mostly found in dairy products, fatty meats, or coconut and palm oils.
Trans fats. These are commonly found in processed food. Stay away from trans fats, or eat them sparingly. Check grocery labels to find out how much trans fats are in packaged food.
Monounsaturated fats. You can find these healthy fats in raw nuts, olives, and avocados. Monounsaturated fats can also be found in extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil, and avocado oil.
Polyunsaturated fats. These fats, which include omega-6 and omega-3s, are healthy fatty acids. You can get them from oily fish like salmon and mackerel, as well as chia seeds and walnuts. They’re especially good for your brain.
Canola oil. This common oil is extracted from the rapeseed plant. Its neutral taste and high smoke point make it a good choice for frying, sauteing, and baking. It’s also used to make margarine. It doesn’t have as much blood pressure-lowering omega-3 as extra-virgin olive oil, but canola oil boasts one of the lowest levels of saturated fats. That can make it a good choice to help your heart health. It also has alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which your body converts to essential fatty acids. That makes it a great supplement to a vegetarian diet.
Olive oil. Olive fruit and pits are crushed to make this fragrant, fruity-tasting oil that’s green or yellow in color. Extra virgin olive oil -- the least refined of all types of olive oil -- has the lowest smoke point. It’s also healthy for the heart. Bottles simply labeled “olive oil” are a mixture of refined and extra virgin oils.
Coconut oil. The buzz on this tasty, trendy oil is that it may have disease-preventing properties, but the blood pressure-conscious should beware: This oil packs the highest amount of saturated fat. It’s easy to be tempted by a great flavor boost, but too much-saturated fat is a health no-no. Stick with traditional, non-tropical vegetable oils. Olive and canola are better options.
If you want to give coconut oil a try, use it sparingly for light sauteing or low-heat baking and in sauces. It has a medium smoke point.
Vegetable oil. This is typically a mixed, neutral-tasting oil. Its nutrition varies depending on the particular blend. It’s often a mix of soybean, palm, sunflower, safflower, and canola oils. It usually has a medium-high smoke point and is quite versatile.
Avocado oil. This oil has a sweet aroma and is quite healthy for you. It contains mainly monounsaturated fatty acids that can help lower inflammation. It also has a high smoke point, making it good for frying and searing.
Sunflower oil. This comes from sunflower seeds. It’s a refined oil high in omega-6 fatty acids. It’s good for your heart health and it can lower inflammation. It mainly has monounsaturated fats, and its smoke point is high. Look for its high-oleic versions to reap all the benefits.
Peanut oil. It’s heart-healthy and tastes neutral. Refined peanut oil has a medium-high smoke point and is commonly used for frying. You can find unrefined peanut oil, too, though it’s quite rare.
Almond oil. If you’re looking for a distinctive, nutty flavor to add to a recipe, almond oil is tasty and typically low in saturated fat. Recent studies show that a diet rich in almonds may help reduce blood pressure.
With its high smoke point, almond oil is good for searing and browning as well as on salads.
Other nut oils
Walnuts, pumpkins, pecans, and other nutty oils are showing up on fine dining menus and even grocery shelves. All of them have healthy fats for heart health benefits, including lowering blood pressure.
These are no-heat oils that aren’t great for cooking. Use them moderately in dressings.
Flaxseed and wheat germ oils are rich in omega-3 and omega-6, which may help lower blood pressure. These are also no-heat oils, making them good choices for salad dressings and dips. Just be sure to watch your portions.
Storing Cooking Oil
It’s best to buy cooking oils in amounts you’ll use within a month or two after opening them. Otherwise, they can go bad. If you’ve stored oil for a few months, check to see if the smell has changed.
Also, keep cooking oils in a cool and dark place because heat and light can damage them.
The Salt discussion war.
Who’s right, and who’s wrong? It is said that too much salt is bad for the heart, but how much is too much?
The below article is from the Food and Drug Administration (.gov)
Americans eat on average about 3,400 mg of sodium per day. However, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends adults limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day—that's equal to about 1 teaspoon of table salt!
Now how can those numbers be determined on a daily basis, pretty much everything we eat has salt. How can the average person know how much is too much? If you eat a donut and have coffee, are you done with salt for the day? Don’t be fooled, coffee has salt 5mg (Sodium) in 1 cup of coffee.
A donut? A medium donut contains 230mg (Sodium), and if you like donuts as much as I then we’re in trouble. Yes, that consists of eating 10 donuts to be at the 2,300-per-day mark. But let’s say that’s just breakfast, what about lunch and dinner?
I understand adding more salt “To taste,” can explain a little of the excessiveness, but what about restaurants that don’t add salt to let’s say fries? Can we determine if we added too much? I myself am not much of a salt person, I don’t add extra salt than what certain foods would already have.
And it has nothing to do with the heart disease factor, I just don’t like the extra salt. And I know I’m not alone. You have your salt lovers, and you have your not-so-much lovers. The word is out there, people know the risks, and everyone is going to do what they want anyway. I say do what you like, but do what you can to minimize the salt effect. Just remember not only are you keeping yourself healthy, but keeping your family healthy as well.
And always remember if you love to cook both indoors and outdoors, and don’t want to deal with pots and pans. A flattop is what you need to convert your stove or grill into an easy clean one-stop cooking spot, cook your whole meal right on the griddle. How can you do that? Here is my affiliate link for STEELMADE USA. Stop in and invest in a “Make your life easier product.”
Have a great day everyone.
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