Chef Dean Edwards puts us right on the benefits of two cooking ingredients that are becoming increasingly popular across the globe and about his new involvement with the Groovy Food Company.
Chef Dean Edwards
1: What is coconut oil and why is it such a good cooking ingredient?
Coconut oil is a bit of a wonder product because it's great for so
Many things - it has a really high smoke point so it's ideal for
cooking at high heats.
2: What are its best uses and why has it taken the world by storm?
It's great for roasting, frying, and baking - I like to pop a teaspoon into my breakfast smoothie or my coffee for an instant energy hit, the best way to kick start my day. I believe it's also a staple beauty product for a lot of people too - and not just ladies! It makes a great natural moisturiser, make up remover, and my favourite use is to tame my daughter Indie's hair if she's having a frizzy hair day, plus it smells amazing too, bonus!!
3: What is agave nectar and why is it such a good sweet replacement?
Agave is a natural substitute for synthetic sweeteners - it is extracted from the Blue Webber agave plant, found in Mexico, and is filtered then left to turn into agave nectar concentrate. It's just pure agave plant nectar, which is why everyone loves it so much - no nasties! It's got a low GI of 27 so it means you don't get a sugar rush/dip - the energy is released slowly. And because it's so sweet, you can use less agave than you would sugar. Most people would associate agave with dessert but my favourite use is to balance out a punchy hot sweet and sour dressing like in my mango prawn salad recipe showcased on the Groovy Food website.
4: Why is it important to you to encourage people to cook at home for their family and friends rather than eating out?
We all love to eat out now and then but it's not practical to do so too often. By cooking from scratch we can see exactly what is going into our food, start to look at what sort of ingredients you are using, jarred sauces etc. often carry large amounts of salt and refined sugar, by making your own you know exactly what is going into your food. I also love the social side of cooking at home then enjoying the meal round the table with family and friends and you can achieve this at the fraction of the price of going out for a meal.
5: What drew you to working with the Groovy Food Company?
I was a fan of their products even before working with them so when I was offered the opportunity to develop some recipes for them I jumped at the chance. It's important to me to inspire people to get back into the kitchen and that means not only coming up with inspiring recipes but showcasing fantastic ingredients too. I was cooking with coconut oil long before I teamed up with The Groovy Food Company, it's so versatile.
6: What is your favorite dish using one of the above ingredients?
Even though I love to eat healthily I'm a sucker for dessert, especially a cheesecake. So as a treat I make a crunchy base with nuts and coconut oil, then a creamy yoghurt based topping sweetened with agave and some fresh berries, wow!!
7: Please tell us about your time on Lorraine and how it all began.
I have been lucky enough to have worked on ITV's Lorraine for the past 6 years, I love it, the show gives my the opportunity to showcase the sort of food I love cooking, real family inspired food that I genuinely believe even the most basic of cooks could have success with. Of course it's a massive bonus to work along side a TV legend like Lorraine, she's the ultimate professional so it's hard not to relax and have fun cooking for her. I get to meet some amazing people too and even got to cook for David Jason recently. Lovely Jubbly!
8: What are your top tips for those who are just starting out with cooking?
It's all about confidence, find an easy to follow recipe and just give it a go. What I love about food is there are no hard and fast rules, if you don't like something in a recipe leave it out or replace it with something you do like, eventually the recipe becomes your interpretation and becomes a family favourite.
9: What is next for you?
My new book called 'Feel Good Family Food' comes out in July, I'm really excited and proud of it; it was quite a selfish project for me. Around three years ago I decided to turn my life around in regards to the sort of food I was fueling my body with, I used to eat and drink what I wanted but was out of shape and didn't feel great. I didn't want to compromise on taste or flavour by eating healthy but bland meals. I took it upon myself to develop great tasting recipes to feed my family and myself; I think I've succeeded!
Tagged in Lorraine Kelly