Cooking Well: Multiple Sclerosis Read Online Free PDF Page A

your overall well-being will be enhanced permanently and, consequently, you will be able to live a more pleasurable life. Patience, perseverance, discipline, self-esteem, self-confidence, faith, engaging in relaxation techniques, and eating right are all habits that will contribute to your well-being.

Chapter 6

Prepping Your
Kitchen
Cooking with the Right Tools
    Because you may find yourself tired, it is important for you to limit energy expenditure in the kitchen. There is no better way to do this than having the right tools to help you out. Having a food processor, electric mixer, blender, microwave, good quality knives, electric can opener, and utensils within easy reach while prepping and cooking will contribute to making your life easier. Other important tools in your kitchen are your pots and pans. A good quality pan distributes heat evenly over the entire surface and allows proper cooking. Though a heavy-gauge pan is better for cooking, it may be a problem to lift for some patients. When looking for lighter pans, it is important that the weight of the metal be on the bottom of the pan. This allows for better conductivity and consequently better, faster cooking. Different kinds of metals are available and you should be concerned with the conductivity of heat rather than appearance.
Copper is the best heat conductor, but rather expensive. Copper reacts chemically with some foods, which can have poisonous results. Lining it with another metal, such as stainless steel, avoids such problems.
Aluminum is a very good conductor and commonly used. Do not use aluminum cookware for storing strong acidic foods, since it will chemically react with the food, creating poisonous compounds.
Calphalon , which is made of anodized aluminum, is a better choice if you are concerned about any chemical reactions.
Stainless steel is a poor heat conductor and, therefore, not recommended.
Cast iron is a great conductor but can be very heavy. It holds heat for a long time, but has the disadvantage of cracking easily when hit or dropped. When you scratch and wash your pan, then dry it, you will notice a black stain on your cloth. This means that a small amount of iron can leak into your food presenting a health concern. Avoid using such pans.
Non-stick such as Teflon is ideal for low-fat cooking. Make sure the surface is always perfect. One little dent will allow the metal under the Teflon layer to come into contact with the food. This can be a serious health issue. Inspect regularly and replace immediately any pans that have even the smallest scratch.
Earthenware and glass are easily breakable. They are not good conductors, but resist corrosion and do not have chemical reactions with acidic foods like some metal pans do. These are good for baking casseroles, though.
Seasoning, Herbs, and Spices
    You may wonder what the difference is between seasonings and flavoring, and why this is important. It is important, particularly with low-fat cooking. Since fat provides flavor and you are going to limit fat in your cooking, you need to find other ways to compensate for it and enhance your cuisine. There is no better way than by using seasonings, herbs, and spices.
    Seasoning means enhancing and balancing the natural flavors of a dish by adding salt and pepper. You will notice that the recipes in this book use a very little amount of salt. The reason is that our foods are too salty these days, and you actually need very little to balance flavors and for your health. Various types of salt are available: table salt, granulated salt, coarse salt, sea salt, and mineral salt. I prefer sea salt because it is un-processed and contains important minerals and trace elements. It also gives a much better flavor to food in very small quantities. Peppers are available in many different forms: black, white, green, red, etc. It is best to freshly grind pepper to obtain a dish’s full flavor.
    Flavoring means adding one or more flavors to a dish without overpowering