#cooking101

Not all pasta recipes are made equal, but this viral TikTok-inspired recipe comes pretty close to perfection. Here’s our spin on how you can recreate the Tiktok Baked Feta Pastadish for an easy midweek dinner that hits the spot, especially after a long day.

What’s this pasta dish all about?

Popular on TikTok, this baked pasta dish originated from Finland – not Italy, surprisingly! – and features just six must-have ingredients. It takes just under an hour to throw together, and we find smashing the cheese and tomatoes near the end really good for de-stressing, too! Finding it hard to perfect it? Read our article on how to bring this dish to the next level!

What is milk anyway, and why is it white?

Milk is fundamental to mammals. In fact, it’s one of our defining characteristics; “mammal” comes from the same root as “mammary,” i.e. the gland that produces milk. It is composed of water, butterfat globules (the white, “milky” part) plus carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, B vitamins. With carbs, protein, fat and micronutrients, it’s the perfect cocktail for a young mammal to grow and survive, and an excellent pan-nutritional food for adult humans.

Whole or skimmed?

Low fat or skimmed milk (in which the fat content has been separated and “skimmed” from the solution) has been marketed as a sort of diet milk, with fewer calories and fats. However, whole milk is not exactly swimming in fat to begin with. It usually has 3.5 to 4 percent fat content. (Even the fattiest milks, from, for example, Jersey cattle, only have around 5 percent fat content.) But fat (like protein and carbohydrates) is a necessary macronutrient, and it helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamin A and D, which means skimmed milk may actually provide fewer of those vitamins though the content is technically the same. Furthermore, new research suggests fat has wrongly taken the blame for obesity and heart disease. Sugar is a much bigger culprit, and it is often added to low fat milk to make it taste better, which might be one reason why children who grow up drinking skimmed milk actually seem to be more obese, some studies suggest.

Is it OK to drink skimmed milk if I am lactose intolerant?

Unfortunately, no. Lactose, or milk sugar, is broken down by lact

Food trends evolve as fast as fashion trends, and the spicy, mouth-numbing Sichuan mala sauce is the latest addition to a growing list of popular food items to try out. Technomic, a consultancy studying food trends, found that this Chinese sauce is the next big thing where spicy condiments are concerned, as it moves from being a restaurant favourite to the home kitchen. But first let's find out what is in this sauce. From the sounds of it, the fact that it has chilli may turn some people off though others who are hooked on the chilli's “feel good” factor may be more adventurous to give it a go. Endorphins, our body’s natural painkillers, are released when you eat chillis, leading to a sense of “high” as the body defends itself against the chilli’s heat. Hang on, what we do know is that the main ingredient in a Sichuan mala sauce is not chilli, but the Sichuan peppercorn. Forming the crux of the Sichuan mala sauce, this type of peppercorn is popularly used in the Sichuan and Chongqing provinces. Historically, Sichuan peppercorns and ginger were two main ingredients used to add heat to dishes, much needed during cold wintry months. But

Keep those little fingers (and mouths) busy with this recipe! Children love to be involved in group activities and the kitchen is full of curious things to play with. Cooking with your kids also educates them on healthy food choices and introduces them to food preparation, so that they may grow up to be independent adults. Here's an easy recipe to try with your kids, and they'll love devouring the sticky-sweet wings too!

Honey-glazed chicken wings

These sweet and sticky chicken wings are baked in the oven and are a less fatty alternative to fried wings. The honey marinade takes just minutes to prepare and is made with kitchen staples, so you don’t have to make the trip down to the supermarket. Smaller wingettes and drumettes soak up the marinade better and they are well-suited to children’s hands. Get your kids to lay the marinated wings onto the oven baking sheet and brush the honey glaze on them before putting them in the oven. Optional - you can add sesame seeds and chopped spring onions as a garnish before serving.

This classic Burrata and Anchovy Pizza carries a hearty portion of anchovies and creamy burrata, with a hint of spice to excite the palate. Making pizza in your kitchen is easy with a food processor to help you knead the dough!

Say goodbye to your regular french toast recipe of frying bread in eggs and milk. This is how you level up your french toast recipe - with a humble box of cornflakes! Yes, that's right. Just one simple step to coat your toast in cornflake crumbs and frying it in a generous amount of butter results in a delightfully crisped, crunchy outside and a warm filling within. The perfect thing about this is that you can fill your french toast with any filling you like - so peanut butter and jelly is a great combination, or peanut butter and banana, nutella and banana... the list goes on. Give this decadent stack a swirl of maple syrup and some powdered sugar, and you have yourself an Instagram-worthy breakfast. Is Tiktok your new recipe guide? We've been taking some inspiration too. See our recipes for frozen prata egg tarts, baked milk treats and perfect scrambled eggs.  

Stand mixer, bread maker, food processor, and more. Since embarking on your journey as a home chef or baker, you’ve probably encountered at least one of the above appliances. We get it: it might be daunting not knowing where to start, deciding what appliance suits you best and which deserves to be your go-to equipment on your kitchen countertop. While we’ve done a side-by-side comparison of the two most versatile kitchen tools we have to offer, it’s a moot point if we don’t show you just how flexible and amazing they can be. To start with, here’s an in-depth review of one of our favourites - the food processor. This everyday kitchen workhorse is capable of whipping you an entire meal from bread to dessert, and even sauces. Don’t believe us? Our friends at ShareFood have come up with some ways you can get the most out of your Kenwood Multipro Sense Food Processor 810.

Get creative, and let your food processor do the heavy lifting

Love sambal chilli but hate having to tear up when chopping onions and feeling the burn from the spicy chilli padi? Take the large chunks of ingredients, toss it in the food processor and let it do the chopping. For the paste variation of the well-loved local dip, go for an additional step of popping the chilli into the blender attachment, add in lime juice, and bob’s your uncle! Not a fan of the sambal’s spiciness? We’ve got you. This food processor can easily whip up fresh peanut butter, baby puree, or even eggless mayonnaise for special diets.

Shred it, slice it, have it any way you want it

With 5 creative shredding and slicing discs, the food processor also helps with quickening up your food preparation. For instance, use the thinnest blade to shred carrots, zucchini and other ingredients neatly and quickly. Or choose to flip the blade and use the slicing disc for a nice and thin cut of your cucumbers. With this nifty

Your wife, husband or family will thank you if you make this for breakfast! What kind of scrambled egg is this, you ask? It's definitely not the Gordon Ramsay sort (i.e. fluffy, French-style, firmer, sits well on sourdough toast). This style of cooking scrambled eggs leans towards the Chinese/Cantonese style of making eggs. According to this video here by YouTube cooking channel 'Chinese Cooking Demystified', this results in more curdled, silky smooth, just-slightly-runny eggs. Yum! Let's explain some key steps that go into this.

1. First, to go about this the traditional way, take 4 - 5 room temperature eggs. You can use less if you're just making it for one person! Separate the egg white and yolks.
2. You then have to grab your egg whites and whisk until its foamy. Don't over whisk! Whisk it until it starts forming big bubbles.
3. Then, pour your foamy egg whites into your yolks and give it a good mix.
4. Seasoning for the egg mixture, amongst other things, will include a little mixture of cornstarch and water. Why cornstarch? Cornstarch keeps your scrambled eggs moist and prevents overcooking.
5. When frying your egg, use a liberal amount of butter/oil (or lard, if you prefer) that is piping hot before the egg mixture even hits the pan.
6. As your egg cooks, alternate the pan or wok on and off the heat while letting the uncooked egg fry. This gives your scrambled eggs that layered silkiness you see in the photo. You have to do this, otherwise your egg will just set in one piece!

Tortilla, pita, potato chips, or even papadoms - it’s fair to say that these delicious carb-filled slices are usually made tastier when paired with their flavour-filled dip counterparts. A frequent centrepiece at parties and weekend movie nights, the right dip is quite important! Cheesy, crunchy, spicy or tangy, it’s really up to you. The only thing you need is the right chip, a strong food processor, and an appetite for yummy treats. Here are 5 fuss-free party chip dips that you can whip up in no time!

Avocado Dip

“Hold up,” you say, “isn’t this just Guacamole?” Well, close enough! This dip is a smoother, tangier version of the classic dip, and its refreshing flavour cuts through the saltiness of your chip. With only four main ingredients, a quick blitz in your food processor, this dip is easy breezy lime squeezy. Ingredients: 2 large avocados, halved and pitted ½ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro (some stems are okay) ⅓ cup lime juice (from about 2 ½ limes) 1 small jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons water, more as needed to thin ½ teaspoon fine sea salt Method:

1. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh of the avocados into a food processor or blender. Add the cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, water, and salt.
2. Process, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary, until the sauce is smooth and creamy. (If the mixture refuses to blend, add additional water in 1-tablespoon increments, as necessary.)
3. If you would like a thinner, more drizzly sauce, add water in 1-tablespoon increments until it reaches your desired consistency. Taste, and add more salt if it’s not quite flavorful enough.
4. Transfer the avocado sauce to a small serving bowl. This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days.

Dessert Dip

Who said dips had to be savoury? Your house, your rules! How does a s'mores dip sound? Absolutely heavenly? We think so too. Choc

Leftover wine that’s too bad to drink, but too wasteful to dump? No fear, you don’t have to brave the dull taste of an old bottle of cabernet sauvignon or riesling sitting at the back of your fridge. Neither do you have to empty its contents down the sink. As a fellow LoveWholesome home chef, you know what the best option is - make a meal (or a cocktail) out of it. Here are some simple recipes that you can use with your leftover wine. Pro tip: for recipes that call for 1 bottle of wine, feel free to scale the recipe based on how much wine you have left!

Classic beef stew

Beef stew is the go-to dish for lots of leftover red wine. This sumptuous meal will be perfect for a leftover bottle of red. Use a pressure cooker if you want to reduce cooking time. Beef stock is optional in this recipe. *Makes 4 servings Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of red wine
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 500 grams of chuck or shoulder beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium brown onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs of thyme