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Food Trends You Need to Know About Now
Miele’s cooking experts share their top foodie trends and tell us how to rustle them up at home
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Here in Australia, there’s no doubt we have a passion for food, but many of us don’t have the confidence to tap into the new, fun, and consistently healthy new food trends we’re seeing popping up on our shores. Whether you decide to brew yourself a fine, fermented tea du jour or embrace the latest ‘sous vide’ cooking fad, we’ll show you how to get the job done at home.
Preserving and Fermenting
Pickling, drying, bottling and fermenting are hot words right now, as foodies embrace the trend for preserving ingredients. Our favourite restaurants are producing delicious preserved food, and according to top chef Michael Meredith it’s easy to do it at home. “Preserving and pickling have been around for centuries and can easily be done at home using a steam oven, which is great for preserving fruit, vegetables and even meat,” he says.
Get healthy. With the words ‘gut health’ being at the top of the health charts, fermenting is big news in the food world at the moment. Gut-friendly foods such as kefir, kimchi and kumbucha tea are said to help IBS, bloating, fertility and the list goes on. How? Fermentation occurs when the natural bacteria in and on our food feed on sugars and starch, creating lactic acid. It’s not only a wonderful preservation technique, but the by-products of this process include probiotics, beneficial enzymes, vitamins and fatty acids, all essential for gut health.
Follow this recipe for preserved lemons
Pickling, drying, bottling and fermenting are hot words right now, as foodies embrace the trend for preserving ingredients. Our favourite restaurants are producing delicious preserved food, and according to top chef Michael Meredith it’s easy to do it at home. “Preserving and pickling have been around for centuries and can easily be done at home using a steam oven, which is great for preserving fruit, vegetables and even meat,” he says.
Get healthy. With the words ‘gut health’ being at the top of the health charts, fermenting is big news in the food world at the moment. Gut-friendly foods such as kefir, kimchi and kumbucha tea are said to help IBS, bloating, fertility and the list goes on. How? Fermentation occurs when the natural bacteria in and on our food feed on sugars and starch, creating lactic acid. It’s not only a wonderful preservation technique, but the by-products of this process include probiotics, beneficial enzymes, vitamins and fatty acids, all essential for gut health.
Follow this recipe for preserved lemons
Sous Vide
Low-fat cooking methods have evolved and sous vide, from the French “under vacuum” is taking the lead. Sous vide is a method of cooking in which you vacuum seal the product in a bag for an extended period of time, no butter or oil necessary, locking the the flavour and nutrients in and often transforming the texture remarkably in the process. It’s also a cinch to do. “This great technique essentially guarantees perfection, it is easy to portion food correctly and it’s fool proof,” says Loughlin Hunter, Miele’s Home Economist. Many steam ovens now feature a dedicated vacuum sealing drawer to make it even easier. “Just ‘set and forget,’ come back, quickly sear the meat off and dinner is done,“ he says.
There are incredible ways to transform food using sous vide, from enhancing fish to influencing new flavours for your veg. Practice makes perfect though and if you want to learn from the pros, book in at Miele’s Experience Centre for live demos, cooking courses and tasting sessions.
Low-fat cooking methods have evolved and sous vide, from the French “under vacuum” is taking the lead. Sous vide is a method of cooking in which you vacuum seal the product in a bag for an extended period of time, no butter or oil necessary, locking the the flavour and nutrients in and often transforming the texture remarkably in the process. It’s also a cinch to do. “This great technique essentially guarantees perfection, it is easy to portion food correctly and it’s fool proof,” says Loughlin Hunter, Miele’s Home Economist. Many steam ovens now feature a dedicated vacuum sealing drawer to make it even easier. “Just ‘set and forget,’ come back, quickly sear the meat off and dinner is done,“ he says.
There are incredible ways to transform food using sous vide, from enhancing fish to influencing new flavours for your veg. Practice makes perfect though and if you want to learn from the pros, book in at Miele’s Experience Centre for live demos, cooking courses and tasting sessions.
Waste Not Want Not
The war against waste will continue. Recent sources suggest Australians waste over $8 billion worth of food a year. Homeowners are encouraged to take a leaf out of professional chefs’ books in keeping tight control over it, from budget and menu planning to buying in season and choosing appliances that help you avoid cooking blunders.
If you’re clumsy in the kitchen, or even if you’re not, consider an induction hob that lends itself to precise heating. Miele’s TempControl sensor technology keeps the pan and its contents at a precise, consistent temperature, which reduces monitoring and eliminates guesswork during cooking. “For example, you can fry eggs perfectly, removing the guesswork around whether the egg yolk and white are fully cooked,” Hunter says.
The war against waste will continue. Recent sources suggest Australians waste over $8 billion worth of food a year. Homeowners are encouraged to take a leaf out of professional chefs’ books in keeping tight control over it, from budget and menu planning to buying in season and choosing appliances that help you avoid cooking blunders.
If you’re clumsy in the kitchen, or even if you’re not, consider an induction hob that lends itself to precise heating. Miele’s TempControl sensor technology keeps the pan and its contents at a precise, consistent temperature, which reduces monitoring and eliminates guesswork during cooking. “For example, you can fry eggs perfectly, removing the guesswork around whether the egg yolk and white are fully cooked,” Hunter says.
Secrets to Success
Don’t overcomplicate it. For our experts, good food is all about getting the best ingredients and cooking them to perfection. Meredith urges you to “keep it simple” and for Hunter that’s about going back to the basics and sourcing great produce. “I was always told to respect food and know where the food was produced,” he says. “Respect is so important in food, somewhere a farmer has worked very hard to produce fantastic ingredients, all food needs is a bit of respect and it can really shine.”
One of the best ways to get the most from your ingredients is to heat them gently in a steam oven, in which food is gently enveloped in hot steam, to retain every morsel of flavour.
Invest in good tools. “Silicone spatulas are the best,” Hunter says, “I have about 10 at home, all different shapes and sizes. I much prefer these over wooden spoons; in my opinion they are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment and the best $10 you’ll ever spend.” For Meredith, it’s all about choosing quality appliances to help you bring your food to life. Technology is evolving to enable you to achieve the best results you can, from regulating the temperature to keeping food cool for longer.
Don’t overcomplicate it. For our experts, good food is all about getting the best ingredients and cooking them to perfection. Meredith urges you to “keep it simple” and for Hunter that’s about going back to the basics and sourcing great produce. “I was always told to respect food and know where the food was produced,” he says. “Respect is so important in food, somewhere a farmer has worked very hard to produce fantastic ingredients, all food needs is a bit of respect and it can really shine.”
One of the best ways to get the most from your ingredients is to heat them gently in a steam oven, in which food is gently enveloped in hot steam, to retain every morsel of flavour.
Invest in good tools. “Silicone spatulas are the best,” Hunter says, “I have about 10 at home, all different shapes and sizes. I much prefer these over wooden spoons; in my opinion they are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment and the best $10 you’ll ever spend.” For Meredith, it’s all about choosing quality appliances to help you bring your food to life. Technology is evolving to enable you to achieve the best results you can, from regulating the temperature to keeping food cool for longer.
Prep is essential. When it comes to cooking, organisation is key. “Before approaching a recipe or dish make sure all your ingredients are ready and prepped (weighed, cut etc.) before starting,” says Meredith. Hunter (pictured hosting a demo) agrees: “The only reason restaurants can turn over so much food during service is by being organised. It may feel like it takes a while to weigh and measure everything out, but if you do it beforehand, [the process] will flow a lot better and you’ll spend more time cooking, and less time continuously checking the recipe,” he says.
Educate yourself. Help is at hand with online tutorials and easy recipe instructions, but if you want something more interactive and informative, head to Miele’s Experience Centre where you can watch live cooking demos from top celebrity chefs, try out new appliances and even enjoy some tasting sessions!
Tell us
Have you tried one of these new foodie fads already?
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team
Educate yourself. Help is at hand with online tutorials and easy recipe instructions, but if you want something more interactive and informative, head to Miele’s Experience Centre where you can watch live cooking demos from top celebrity chefs, try out new appliances and even enjoy some tasting sessions!
Tell us
Have you tried one of these new foodie fads already?
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team
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