Addictive Food

[Deleted]

Chipping away at an addiction

By HADYN JONES - The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Saturday, 29 September 2012


DANGEROUS SNACK: Potato chips rank among the most
addictive foods on the planet.

WE ALL have weaknesses, something or someone we can't say no to. I have many. The one I have tried hardest to conquer is my love of potato chips.

It's silly and ridiculous, being addicted to potato chips. It's just as absurd to write a column about it, but here goes ...

I love chips and I don't discriminate, I'll eat any flavour, shape, temperature or colour. Even those big cheese-flavoured things that taste like cardboard. Like any addict, I feel guilt and shame afterwards. Usually I stop myself just before the bottom of a big bag. I put it back in the pantry so someone else can finish the crumbs. It makes me feel less like I've got a problem.

A front page lead in the Dominion Post last week confirmed to me what I already knew. I've got a food addiction and the good news is I'm not alone. One in three New Zealanders is just like me. And of the top 10 foods we get hooked on, I'm addicted to numbers three and five, chips and hot chips. I am consistent in my weaknesses.

When I was a kid, I would steal to feed my urges. It started with Mum's top cupboard, where she always hid the chips. I once lifted $10 from my sister's purse. Blew most of it on chips, hot and cold. The rest on Space Invaders. Ten dollars was a fortune when your pocket money was 50c a week. When I got caught, it took half a year to pay my sister back.

I've got all the classic symptoms of an addict. When I'm alone, I sneak in a quick bag. I hide chips at the back of the pantry, and on those long solo car trips for work, a family bag is my travel companion of choice. Yes, when it comes to eating, I'm a family unit all on my own.

Part of the problem is I have a sprinter's metabolism. It's lulled me into a false sense of thinness. You see, no matter how much junk I eat, I remain at 75 kilograms. The only time I got to 80kg was when my wife was pregnant with our first child. I called that 5kg explosion my "stress weight". It soon evaporated when Marley was born and has never come back.

However, a fast metabolism doesn't last forever, I'm told. I imagine if I keep this up I'll be that old guy with the skinny shoulders and bloated stomach at the bowling club. The one who can rest a beer on his belly but hardly lift a bowl. It's not a sight I'm looking forward to.

I have tried to quit potato chips. The first 17 days of 2002 I went cold turkey. It ended badly when after a few too many drinks I woke up with a family bag of chips beside my bed. It was like I'd woken up with another woman. What a shambles. I now save myself the shame and give in to my weakness.

When you really think about it, all addictions are ridiculous. Tell me what's logical about putting money in a machine which randomly spins, and is programmed to, over time, take all your money. Or drinking a liquid that makes you do crazy things that can harm all aspects of your life and leaves you feeling sick the next day.

So, in a way, I feel lucky. I've dodged alcohol, drug and pokie addiction and ended up with potato chips. It doesn't affect my work or family life, although I watch my chip consumption in front of my kids. The bad news is that this addiction could one day prove my undoing. There's a lot of saturated fat in potato chips, enough to clog an artery or two.

Potatoes could kill me one day, but like any addict, I know I'm going to quit. Just not yet.

• Hadyn Jones is a journalist and a chipoholic. He writes a fortnightly column.

www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/7743392/Chipping-away-at-an-addiction

[Deleted]

The scoop on hot chips

By BRIDGET JONES - Auckland Now | Thursday, 18 August 2011


One basket of french fries at the Swashbucklers Restaurant costs $4. — JOHN SELKIRK/Auckland Now.

THEY'RE right up there in the national psyche with the Sunday roast and Pavlova — no rugby game, pub visit or piece of fish is quite right without them.

But when it comes to the humble hot chip, are New Zealanders getting a good deal? Or are we paying more and getting less potato than ever?

Kiwis eat about seven million servings of hot chips each week, but with prices in many pubs nudging double figures for an average size bowl of fries, consumer watchdogs say the real value for money comes in takeaway chips.

Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin says the key is to shop around and take note of not only the price and scoop size, but also the size of the chip itself for best value for money.


A bowl of thick fries served up by Sale Street can set you back $10. — JOHN SELKIRK/Auckland Now.

A bowl of chunky chips costs $10 at Sale Street and $9.50 at new North Wharf bar Jack Tar in Auckland. At Squid Row, they'll set you back $7.

But there are bargains to be had.

The biggest bowl of fries in the Auckland Now survey was served at Swashbucklers for a comparatively cheap $4. (And there's always the $2.80 scoop of chips to take away at award-winning chippie Auckland Fish Market).


For $2.80, you can get a box of french fries served up at the Auckland Fish market.
— JOHN SELKIRK/Auckland Now.

Only one thing is certain: inconsistent portion size.

The Chip Group, an industry organisation made up of growers, chip manufacturers and oil suppliers, says a recommended serving size, or scoop, is approximately 330g. But it seems this isn't always the case.

Chairman of The Chip Group, Glenda Gourley, says hot chips are unique in their difference.

"We believe it's the only food in New Zealand that you go and buy and you've got no idea what you're buying."

"You go and buy a kilogram of apples, you get a kilogram of apples. You go and buy chips, you've got no idea what you're getting until you get it," she says.

"The range of serving sizes is just so extreme."

Gourley says by having a set size, it makes it easier for restaurants to work out their costings and consumers can have some certainty about what they are getting.

She says the cost of hot chips, however, is up to the seller.

"What sells in some environments is different in others."

"We just want consumers to have a good deal, we want it fair."

Gourley has a few tips for home cooks wanting to take the guess work out of things:

• A larger surface area means healthier chips, so cut potatoes into thicker chunks.

• Keep the skin on — that's where a lot of the nutrients are.

• Use polyunsaturated oil, like sunflower oil, when cooking them.

______________________________________

Here is Gourley's favourite at-home, healthy chip recipe:

Basic crunchy chips

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 large, floury potatoes
• 1-2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• ¼ cup flour
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200°C.

• Scrub potatoes, do not peel. Cut into wedges.

• Place potatoes, paprika, mustard powder, flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Shake well to evenly coat potatoes.

• Heat oil in baking dish for 2-3 minutes before adding wedges.

• Bake in preheated oven, uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until wedges are golden brown and crunchy.

• Turn once during cooking.

• Serve with light sour cream or tomato salsa.

www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/5467916/The-scoop-on-hot-chips

[jody]

I am getting hungrier reading these recipes.

[matt]

I remember when I used to take Ritalin, and when I had a few mates over, I used to drop 1 x 10mg Ritalin tablet in each of their drinks of coke.

They were clueless and did not suspect anything, but they were a lot happier and chattier those days.

I no longer take that medication, but those were the days.

[slartibartfast]

You drugged others and joke about it?

You need help!

[matt]

Oct 7, 2012 17:54:46 GMT 10 slartibartfast said:

You drugged others and joke about it?

You need help!

I was 14 at the time and not saved by Jesus.

I am not joking about it, just making mention of it.

We were all stoners anyway so in the whole scheme of things it didn't matter.

[jody]

when my nephew was in his teens his friends would ask him to give them some of his Dex.....my mother had control of the medication however and there was no chance that was going to happen.

[slartibartfast]

Oct 7, 2012 18:12:22 GMT 10 @matt said:

I was 14 at the time and not saved by Jesus.
.

And you never will be. He isn't around to save anyone.

And what were you doing at 14 being stoned? Didn't you have parents o\r didn't they care?

[Deleted]

The time is white

By ELIZABETH LATHAM - Fairfax NZ News | 1:04PM - Friday, 19 October 2012


DON'T BE STINGY: The key to cooking whitebait is to use
plenty, and to not overwhelm its delicate fish flavor.

THERE ARE many cultures in the world in which people eat small whole fish. In New Zealand, eating whitebait has deeply ritualised roots in our food culture.

I love to watch the slow rhythm of the whitebait fishermen, with their nets in the mouth of a river or up a creek. The concentration on their faces is obvious, and what a sense of exhilaration they must feel when they pull up the net to find lots of small wriggling translucent fish.

I was told the most fabulous whitebait story the other day by Noel Kennedy, a local tourism operator. Noel was driving in a stream of traffic when he saw a car waiting at a side road to enter the traffic. He slowed down and waved the car in front of him. He carried on to Motueka, where he was motioned to stop by a man on the side of the road.

He pulled over to find it was the man he had allowed into the traffic. For his generosity, Noel was presented with a kilogram of freshly caught whitebait. What a wonderful gift!

I will be letting everyone in front of me from side roads from now on, on the off-chance that I might meet the same fisherman, obviously more intent on the fishing process than the eating if he was happy to give away such a big haul.

If you want to learn more about these wonderful small fish, take a trip some time to the South Westland Visitor Centre in Haast, where the entire physiological, geographical and social history that surrounds whitebait fishing is interpreted in this mecca of whitebaiting, the West Coast of the South Island.

The museum points out, among many other things, that there are five species of fish that make up what we commonly call whitebait. They are inanga, koaro, banded kokopu, giant kokopu and short-jawed kokopu. Inanga is the most common.

As I write this, I have the taste of whitebait in my mouth (for which I paid the going price of $120 a kg) and I hope that I can continue to marvel at the delicate fish taste of fine South Island whitebait every season forever.

Maybe it is the result of their combined life in freshwater and seawater that gives them that taste that is so distinctive and delicious.

The trick with whitebait is to cook them in a way that enhances yet doesn't overpower them, but that does not mean that you can't combine other flavours with them.

The biggest mistake people make is to not use enough whitebait and maybe it is the price that dictates this, but it is better to have them en masse, less often, than to be stingy with them.

There are certain flavours that really enhance whitebait and my two favourites that may surprise you are jalapeno pepper and coriander. Garlic is great too.

I use all these in very small quantities with the whitebait. My rule of thumb also is one egg to 100 grams of whitebait, never more.

Here are three recipes that I think work really well.

______________________________________

Fluffy whitebait patties with jalapeno and coriander

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 200g whitebait
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp chickpea flour
• clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp chopped coriander
• 4-5 sliced pickled jalapeno or fresh jalapeno
• tsp salt

Method:

• Combine one egg plus one yolk (reserve the white), garlic, jalapeno, coriander and salt.

• Beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Add the whitebait and chickpea flour to the egg-yolk mixture, then fold through the egg white.

• Heat a little butter in a pan and cook two tablespoon-sized patties with lots of whitebait in. Turn when golden. Keep patties warm while cooking the rest. Serve with a big chunk of lime or lemon.

______________________________________

Sauteed whitebait

Serves 4 as an entree.

Ingredients:

• 200-300g whitebait
• 4-5 Tbsp chickpea or regular flour
• 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp oil
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Dry the whitebait on paper towels. Place the flour and salt and pepper on a flat plate and add the whitebait. Coat thoroughly.

• Heat the butter and oil and, when hot, add the whitebait. Cook quickly, turning once or twice until each whitebait is golden. Serve mounded on a plate with a wedge of lemon.

______________________________________

Whitebait frittata

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 300-400g whitebait
• 3 eggs
• 1 shallot
• 2 Tbsp chopped chives
• 3 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• Grated parmigiano reggiano
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

• In a bowl lightly beat the eggs and add the herbs and whitebait. Season well with salt and pepper.

• In a small frypan with high sides saute the shallot in oil, add the garlic. Pour in the egg and whitebait mixture and turn the heat down to very low. Grate at least 3 Tbsp of cheese over the top of the frittata.

• Cover the pan and cook gently until the eggs are cooked through. Serve thick slices with steamed asparagus.

www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/7839424/The-time-is-white

[caskur]

this or silverbeet... I can never get enough....lol or caulflower in cheesey white sauce...

[Deleted]

I have never understood putting cheesy sauce over fresh vegetables, though cauliflower to me is tasteless and probably does need help in the flavour department!

[Deleted]

I don't like creamy or white sauces at all. I agree that cauliflower hasn't got much going for it tastewise but it has a lot of healthy nutritional benefits - it's an antioxidant, has cardio, cerebrovascular and digestive properties and heaps of vitamins and minerals.

You just can't have more than 4 servings a week because it generates puric acid which causes gout.

To get around the tastelessness, I grate some tasty cheese and sprinkle this over it as soon as it comes out of the microwave. I prefer microwaving it because it doesn't get soggy. Replace the lid and the cheese melts nicely over the cauli. Add a lot of pepper and a little salt.

[Deleted]

I am addicted to mashed potato. I could eat it every night. Unfortunately the other night, the potatoes turned out a gelatinous, gluggy, lumpy congealed mess and totally inedible. They were supposed to be old floury potatoes but obviously weren't. Thanks a lot Coles.

I had to make a quick trip down to Harris Farm markets yesterday to get proper spuds - at least they always have the best quality at HFM and no dearer than the supermarkets, in fact a lot cheaper on many lines.

[Deleted]

Back when I used to do a lot of serious alpine tramping and climbing, one of the comfort foods I used to carry was potato flakes & instant gravy. Sometimes, when the weather is crap and you have hit the wall, you want something filling and hot in your stomach and fast. Mixing instant gravy with potato flakes and pouring in boiling water gave one instant mashed potatos with gravy stirred into it. It really did the trick, and up in the alpine world of permanent snow and glaciers, even if you had no water, you could still knock up some instant spuds by simply melting ice or snow, so long as you had plenty of stove fuel.

However, normally I'd never touch potato flakes with a barge pole, except for when I put them into bread mixture for bread I am baking.

But when you are way out in the wilderness, instant mashed spuds & gravy is a real comfort food.

[Deleted]

That reminds me ... bangers and mash and gravy!! Yummy comfort food. But then I don't eat bangers .... haven't for years. I have a real aversion to fatty food - except hot chips.

[caskur]

Nov 23, 2012 6:59:09 GMT 10 Stellar said:

I am addicted to mashed potato. I could eat it every night. Unfortunately the other night, the potatoes turned out a gelatinous, gluggy, lumpy congealed mess and totally inedible. They were supposed to be old floury potatoes but obviously weren't. Thanks a lot Coles.

I had to make a quick trip down to Harris Farm markets yesterday to get proper spuds - at least they always have the best quality at HFM and no dearer than the supermarkets, in fact a lot cheaper on many lines.

We have mashed potato every night, or every time we cook a main meal..

[caskur]

Nov 23, 2012 7:20:16 GMT 10 kiwithrottlejockey said:

Back when I used to do a lot of serious alpine tramping and climbing, one of the comfort foods I used to carry was potato flakes & instant gravy. Sometimes, when the weather is crap and you have hit the wall, you want something filling and hot in your stomach and fast. Mixing instant gravy with potato flakes and pouring in boiling water gave one instant mashed potatos with gravy stirred into it. It really did the trick, and up in the alpine world of permanent snow and glaciers, even if you had no water, you could still knock up some instant spuds by simply melting ice or snow, so long as you had plenty of stove fuel.

However, normally I'd never touch potato flakes with a barge pole, except for when I put them into bread mixture for bread I am baking.

But when you are way out in the wilderness, instant mashed spuds & gravy is a real comfort food.

Way back before jar baby food, I am pretty sure, mashed pumpkin, potato and gravy is what all babies got weened on....



I'm glad you reminded me about potato flakes.. for people allergic to flour and stuff, they're an alternative to thickening stews or whatever.. I might buy some and try some different things with them.

Buzz should buy some for his bunker..... lol

[caskur]

Nov 22, 2012 7:21:02 GMT 10 @grim said:

I have never understood putting cheesy sauce over fresh vegetables, though cauliflower to me is tasteless and probably does need help in the flavour department!

That is how granny trained us to eat Cauliflower cheese... its how you train little kids to eat veggies they don't like... when one of my cousins was 12 and away with me, she refused to eat cauliflower until I forced her to eat it in the sauce of course.. she did and what is more, she ate it the second day too... when she returned home and her mother was serving up dinner and cauliflower cheese was on the menu, she said, "I'll have some mum".... her mum said, "but you don't like cauliflower" and she said, "I do now, Cathy made me eat it and I like it."

But nanna was a great cook and we learned to like everything...

[Deleted]

[Deleted]

Nov 23, 2012 9:28:32 GMT 10 Stellar said:

That reminds me ... bangers and mash and gravy!! Yummy comfort food. But then I don't eat bangers .... haven't for years. I have a real aversion to fatty food - except hot chips.

I hear you Stellar! I would happily sit down to just a plate of mashed spuds, peas and gravy...and indeed, have done so when the meat options on site have been less than appealing.

[Deleted]

Way back before jar baby food, I am pretty sure, mashed pumpkin, potato and gravy is what all babies got weened on....

Must explain my addiction because I also love to mash pumpkin with potatoes. But I don't add gravy - more likely to add heaps of parsley and chives. And did I mention loads of black pepper!

And yep - that's what I fed my kids on when they were babies - mashed potato, pumpkin, peas, carrot, cabbage etc with some very finely minced steak, lamb, chicken or fish. We only had gravy with a roast. Unlike mothers today most of us made all our bubs' meals ourself - nothing from a tin or jar was good enough! They ate what we ate - with the exception of curries and highly spiced food of course.

[Deleted]

Nov 23, 2012 17:13:12 GMT 10 @grim said:

Nov 23, 2012 9:28:32 GMT 10 Stellar said:

That reminds me ... bangers and mash and gravy!! Yummy comfort food. But then I don't eat bangers .... haven't for years. I have a real aversion to fatty food - except hot chips.

I hear you Stellar! I would happily sit down to just a plate of mashed spuds, peas and gravy...and indeed, have done so when the meat options on site have been less than appealing.

I know the exact revulsion towards work meals Grim. There is a particular evening meal they have at the asylum that makes me want to gag. It's tuna pasta with white sauce. Yuk ... ugh .... spew!!

On those days I stand in my kitchen in the morning and think what'll I take for dinner. And then it comes to me ... mash!!

[Deleted]

[Deleted]

That bottom banger is just how I like them ... really browned up and slightly burnt.

Look, I'm just gonna have to go out and buy some bangers. < sigh >

[Deleted]

Ha ha. But how typical of you with your one track mind.

Anyway, I didn't buy any. Just can't get around the fat content of snags! I guess that's what makes them so tasty though.