Whether you're whipping up risotto like a pro or struggle to nail a devon sandwich, our panel is here to help.
The ABC's Patricia Karvelas, renowned health expert (and foodie) Sandro Demaio, and special guests Nat's What I Reckon and Alice Zaslavsky dropped by to set you up with the tips and tricks you need to get cooking — and most importantly, have fun!
Catch up on the full Q&A:
Key events
- Does food taste better if you swear at it?
- We asked for your recipes and you sure delivered
- What's on the menu if you're hosting a dinner party?
- Do you have a recipe you want to share?
- I absolutely HATE cooking. What's a meal I can prepare that won't take forever?
- How do you find the confidence to cook for other people when it goes bad?
- How do you become a better cook?
- What's the best lesson you've learned about cooking?
- How can you get fussy eaters to be a little more open minded?
- What are the best meals to freeze to make the week easier?
- Learn to cook an overnight garden focaccia with Alice Zaslavsky
- With the rising cost of living, how can I cook on a budget?
- How do you cook for your family when everyone has different requirements?
- What’s something new I can try for Christmas lunch?
- I usually fry with peanut oil and extra virgin olive oil. Is that okay?
- What do you do for lunches at work?
- Life gets busy. What's a quick meal I can whip up after work?
- Jar sauce is like 'that person in your life who never believed you could amount to anything'
- Cooking doesn't really excite me. How do I change that?
- Meet the panel — Nat's What I Reckon
- Meet the panel — Alice Zaslavsky
- Meet the panel — Sandro Demaio
- Meet the panel — Patricia Karvelas
- Have you got a question about cooking? Come and join the conversation
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Live updates
By Bridget Judd
We'll wrap up our cooking Q&A here, but check back tomorrow for more
Thank you so much for joining our Q&A on cooking and nutrition, and for everyone who sent in a question.
And of course, a massive thank you to the ABC's Patricia Karvelas, renowned health expert Sandro Demaio, and special guests Nat's What I Reckon and Alice Zaslavsky for their insights.
We couldn't get to every single submission, but we hope you gained some tips and tricks along the way.
That's a wrap on the third of four sessions we're running as part of the ABC's Your Move project.
Join us again tomorrow at 11:30am AEDT as another panel of experts tackle all your questions and concerns about alcohol.
In the meantime, complete the ABC Your Move Health Quiz if you haven't already using the link below.
By Bridget Judd
How do I stop feeling so hopeless in the kitchen?
If you've ever managed to bugger up toast (guilty as charged), this is probably a conversation you've had with yourself at one time or another.
But according to Alice Zaslavsky, the kitchen should be a place where failure is not only welcomed, but encouraged.
Unfortunately this is the final question we have time for today, but we'll leave you with this sage advice:
Alice: We have so many pressures in our lives and so many goals that we feel like we need to get exactly right, otherwise we're a failure. And the kitchen should be a place where failure is not only welcomed, but encouraged, because that's how you learn.
Obviously you don't want to burn your kitchen down or cut a finger off, but when it comes to all these expectations that we set on ourselves for perfection, if you are cooking from that place where you're afraid of setting a foot wrong, that's probably where you are going to overthink something.
And so it's about letting loose and setting yourself free and knowing that everything can be fixed as well. For example, if you're worried about burning stuff, you control the heat, so don't crank the oven so high.
And if you know you're the sort of person that is doing a million things at once and worried that you're going to forget and burn something, set yourself up to win. Get yourself a little kitchen timer with a little alarm. That's what they do in professional kitchens and put it next to the stove and set it to five minute increments.
We've already got enough places in our lives where we need to live up to expectations — so why make the kitchen another one?
Alice: So it's just about kind of realising and recognising that no one is born knowing how to cook and being a perfect cook in the kitchen. Even professional chefs still make mistakes.
So we've got enough places in our lives where we feel like we need to stack up or live up to expectations. It would really behoove you to not make the kitchen another one of those places because actually there's nobody who is judging you in that place even. I have had like Michelin star chefs come for dinner and I've learned that I could make a cheese sandwich and they will just be happy that somebody has cooked for them.
By Bridget Judd
Does food taste better if you swear at it?
Does food taste better when you swear at it?
You all know who we're directing this one to...
Nat's What I Reckon: No, but it makes life easier sometimes.
Speaking of swearing, one of our audience members wants to know how they can hide veges in meals without their kids noticing.
Patricia Karvelas: Fine grate everything. Grate carrot and zucchini.
By Bridget Judd
We asked for your recipes and you sure delivered
I'd also like to contribute my own — it starts with bread and ends with devon.
It sounds like the audience might have some better suggestions, though. I'll let you decide:
Rachel: I never really grew out of disliking vegies but make myself eat them, but my hubby is even worse than me. My current go to side dish is zucchini fritters - 2 grated zucchini, salted & left to drain in sieve over sink then wrung out in tea towel, then I often add other vegies I've put through food processor, last night it was silverbeet & red cabbage. Then half block of feta cheese, garlic & onion powder & herbs to taste (usually I use dried parsley, dill & a small amount of mint, but u could also use oregano etc), & then mix in 2-3 eggs to bind, & u need a bit of flour to make not too wet (I use green banana flour but normal would be fine). Then generously spray olive oil on hot fry pan & spoon & flatten mixture into fritters & cook on each side until done! It's a bit of work but I make a few at once so I end up with enough to freeze for a few meals.
Dan: Easy replacement for jar sauce pasta! 500g of beef mince 1 brown onion 2-3 cloves of diced garlic 1 zucchini (grated) 1 carrot (grated) Balsamic vinegar to taste Can of tomato soup Tbsp tomato paste Can diced tomatoes Cook onion and garlic until soft. Add carrot and zucchini and add a dash of balsamic vinegar. Add beef mince and cook until brown. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato soup and bring to boil. Allow to simmer for 20-30 on a low heat and stir regularly. Easy prep and can be served with whatever pasta you prefer and always good with sour dough garlic bread!
Catherine: A simple meat casserole with vegies... Brown 750g mince, add onion and a tin of tomato soup, add mixed vegies as you wish Thinly slice some peeled potatoes Layer a casserole dish with meat mixture - potatoes - meat... until you've filled the dish, adding dollops of butter to top layer of potatoes Microwave on Medium High for 25 minutes - and you have Meal In A Dish!
Carol: When i make Mash, I make extra and crumb the leftovers to make Tuna or just plain potato croquettes.
And we couldn't leave out this gem... I'm with you, Ben — say no to shape purists!
Ben: Pesto is super easy and delish, with next to no cooking. Apologies to all those with Italian ancestry who this might offend: * 1/2 cup olive oil * 2 Tbsp parmesan * 1 bunch basil * 1-2 cloves of garlic * Pasta in the shape you like most (out of the way shape purists) 1. Put the pasta on to cook 2. Throw everything else in the food processor 3. Drain the pasta 4. Mix in the sauce 5. Eat
By Bridget Judd
You sound like excellent bakers. Can you send us some sourdough?
Lately I’ve taken to milling my own grains for my sourdough and baking. Any tips to improve my baking using home milled grains?
- Isobel Piper
Here's Patricia Karvelas:
Patricia: I don't bake so no, but can you send me a sourdough? Thanks in advance...
Beans, beans, the musical fruit...
Any tips for eating on a budget?
Patricia: I think beans – kidney beans, black beans, lentils, canned tuna, can al be made into delicious meals that are cheap and nutricous. Just find the right spice shop to make it all taste good.
For those that aren't a fan of tuna...
I think tinned fish is the devil, what other convenient protein options are there? (please don't say tinned chicken)
Patricia: Tofu tofu tofu
By Bridget Judd
What's on the menu if you're hosting a dinner party?
Who’s coming to your ideal dinner party, and what’s on the menu?
Thanks for your question! Here's Alice Zaslavsky:
Alice: My favourite kinds of dinner parties are actually not about the food at all. I like to think of the food at the dinner party, as the accoutrement around the conversation.
It helps to give people little nibbles. But it's more about being there at the table together, connecting as a community and sharing ideas as much as the plates.
And while we're talking dinner parties...
Who’s the one chef or person you would want to cook you a meal?
Here's Patricia Karvelas:
Patricia: Kylie Kwong obviously — and I would eat 300 duck pancakes.
By Bridget Judd
What's your cheat meal?
What's your cheat meal?
We've put this one to Patricia Karvelas and Sandro Demaio:
Patricia: Scrambled eggs. I will not accept that it’s just for breakfast! It’s a quick dinner too. And kidney beans cooked with passata sauce on the side.
Sandro: Pasta e piselli – a simple, peasant dish from southern Italy that is just frozen peas, parsley, onion, pasta and olive oil. So good.
By Bridget Judd
Do you have a recipe you want to share?
Now is your chance to send it in — the best part is, I can't cook to save my life, so I'll never know if it's edible or not!
Thanks to audience member Anna Rex for this one:
I have a fish dish recipe.
Lightly pantry 500g of monkfish in olive oil and seasoning such as Harris Farm fish seasoning!
Add garlic. Scatter half a shredded cabbage over the top.
Pour on a touch of oyster sauce, and some Japanese pickled ginger juice.
When cabbage looks cooked, add a bag of konjac rice .
Serve immediately and sprinkle Japanese pickled ginger over the top. Voilà! Bon appétit
By Bridget Judd
What's a vegetable you hated as a kid that you've come to enjoy as an adult?
Vegetables you hated as a kid that you've come to love?
Here's Sandro Demaio and Patricia Karvelas:
Sandro: That’s an easy one. I never liked eggplant but I’ve come around!
Patricia: Cauliflower
By Bridget Judd
Where can I buy the spaghetti bolognese herb mix that Patricia mentioned earlier?
Where can I buy spag bol herb mix ?
- Melanie
Here's Patricia Karvelas:
Patricia: Any herb shop that specialises in mixing herbs will do this, Google one locally. We also buy a butter chicken mix and there are a zillion others. All I then need to do is choose a protein and chuck it into the slow cooker.
By Bridget Judd
What's an easy meal to cook for one?
What's the best dish to cook for one? Doesn't have to be quick.
- LauraJ
Thanks for your question, Laura — we've put it to Sandro Demaio and Patricia Karvelas:
Sandro: I am pretty obsessed with pizza dough at the moment. You can even make them in a little tabletop pizza oven for one. But for something quicker, I love cannellini beans with rosemary and garlic on toast.
Patricia: A steak.
By Bridget Judd
Here's your checklist for living well and staying healthy
As we age and our bodies change, our health needs shift and evolve too — and while food plays a big role in staying fit, it's not the only component.
From rapidly growing bodies in our youth and the pitfalls and opportunities of those middle decades, to ageing well in our final years — each stage of our life is unique and each requires some special care.
Check out the checklist by Sandro Demaio!
By Bridget Judd
I absolutely HATE cooking. What's a meal I can prepare that won't take forever?
I hate cooking. Like seriously, I HATE, H.A.T.E. cooking. I'm not bad at it (thanks Mum, you taught me well), but I utterly detest doing it. Prep in particular; nothing makes me angrier than standing there chopping vegetables, although I love eating them. Any advice for someone who seriously doesn't want to spend more than 10 minutes at a time in the kitchen, but who wants to eat healthily and well?
- Elizabeth
Thanks for writing in, Elizabeth. Here's Patricia Karvelas:
Patricia: I don’t enjoy it much either. If you can afford it you can buy chopped veggie mixes. If you are cooking on the day you can buy the ones that are half price because they are on their last legs. Or frozen veggies too.
By Bridget Judd
How do you find the confidence to cook for other people when it goes bad?
I tried cooking for my in-laws and while they were very polite and appreciative and made an attempt to eat it, I’m reasonably certain it was terrible. How do you get back on the horse and find the confidence to cook for other people when it goes bad?
Thanks for your question. We put it to Alice Zaslavsky, who says it's helpful to try and get a sense of what exactly went wrong.
Alice: I think the first thing is to find out what it was in particular that people [didn't like], just for future reference. Maybe now is not the time though, when you're sitting around the table and you're already feeling pretty tender.
You could either set yourself the task of getting better at that dish, or you can try a completely different tact and you can go okay, well that that chicken cacciatore was a flop, but what can I do? What can I take from that as a learning?
For example, if it's 'don't crank the heat so much that the bottom of the pot burns' then make some fried rice where actually cranking the heat is a great idea. It's kind of like leaning on your strengths and playing to your strengths.
If you are the kind of person that likes to follow recipes, then maybe do a bit more baking and build up your kind of flying hours doing something where you're really comfortable, and then try again with the experimentation, a bit of this bit of that in the savory stakes and vice versa.
But I think getting back on the horse is just as much about knowing that that one time doesn't define you. You know, we've talked about labels with fussy eaters. The same goes for cooks don't let anybody else label you a bad cook because no, that's not your identity. Maybe that was not your best work but that's not you as a person.
And at the end of the day, food and taste are subjective, right?
Alice: Exactly, so you can also set yourself up to win you know. One of the biggest fears that people have is that the flavour of the food isn't going to be right. So have salt flakes on the table and cracked pepper and you know, a couple of condiments and maybe some garlic powder and then people can serve themselves and suit their own tastes because each person's taste buds are different.
By Bridget Judd
How do you become a better cook?
I've always loved cooking. Its been a family tradition for me. Now that I've moved interstate making Mum's old recipes has a nice nostalgia to it and connects me with home. I'm looking to become a bit of a better cook. Do you have any recommendations as the best steps to take? e.g., is it worth taking a knife skills course? Is there anything for the kitchen you think really helps your cooking (good pots/knives/...)?
- Jonah
Good question, Jonah! Here's Sandro Demaio:
Sandro: Coming from a big Italian family with a strong connection to food traditions – your question really resonates. Food is at the heart of family and I have deep connections between certain foods, and memories of my Nonna and folks.
The main advice I would give is that as with any skill – practice makes perfect… and in this case, practice also makes delicious food!
Keep learning the recipes and write them down, particularly those of your grandparents. Practice them and even jump on zoom for a tutorial with your family to perfect the intergenerational secrets.
Beyond practice, I’m a strong believer that quality tools make the process of cooking more fun, often safer (sharp knives are much safer than blunt ones) and you’ll get a tastier outcome. Over the years, I’ve invested in some good, sharp knives. I love my trusty and Victorian-made wooden spoons (found them on a drive in regional Vic at a Men’s Shed once), and my quality pots and pans. These all make the experience of cooking more enjoyable and meaningful.
Finally, even if you don’t have family close by at the moment – use the opportunity to invite friends, share your family traditions and make new memories. It’s a wonderful thing to share as you settle into a new city and home.
We've thrown this one to Patricia Karvelas for her thoughts, too:
Patricia: I am not a great cook but I think taking up courses is a great thing to do to learn new skills that you may not have learnt growing up. We all have some fav pots – for me they are ones I can’t burn…
By Bridget Judd
Does Patricia Karvelas eat on air?
Do you eat on air/on the radio?
Here's Patricia Karvelas:
Patricia: Great question. I’m a grazer and love nuts – I used to sneak some almonds or cashews in during the news but ummmm……. Nuts are a choking hazard and lad to weird coughing fits. So I leave the consumption until AFTER THE SHOW
By Bridget Judd
What's the best lesson you've learned about cooking?
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt about food and cooking throughout your career?
Thanks for your question. Here's Alice Zaslavsky:
Alice: Taste as you go is a very good lesson because if it tastes good while you're cooking it, it'll probably taste good when you serve it up.
A lot of people, especially if you're holding your breath while you're cooking out of fear or because you're nervous, you forget to forget to taste and it's actually really hard not to breathe as you taste.
So that might be a really nice way of loosening your shoulders as well, you taste and inhale.
By Bridget Judd
What are some tips to stop skipping breakfast?
I tend not to eat breakfast because of limitations in ingredients and I can't cook before class. But I want to break the habit of skipping breakfast - do you have any tips?
- Izzy
Thanks for your question, Izzy! Here's Patricia Karvelas and Sandro Demaio:
Patricia: Yes I love porridge. Warm and with a splash of honey and cinnamon.
Sandro: I’d recommend that you batch make muesli, or bircher. You can make a week’s worth at a time, and then grab it in the morning on the go. Even pop it in a jar and take it to eat on the road. Add frozen berries for a cheaper and quicker way to get fresh fruit in too.
By Bridget Judd
If I can only bribe my child into eating one vegetable a day, what should it be?
If I can only bribe my child into eating one vegetable a day, what should it be?
Thanks for your question! Here's Sandro Demaio and Patricia Karvelas:
Sandro: Tough one! Think green if you can. But honestly, whatever veg they are likely to eat is a win! Go with the path of least resistance.
Patricia: Broccoli is green and good
By Bridget Judd
To wash or not to wash? That is the question
What are your thoughts on washing mushrooms? So many people insist on only brushing them clean, but I think it’s weird that we wash all other veggies except the fungus that grows in manure and rotting logs.
- Jaron
Thanks for your question, Jaron. Here's Patricia Karvelas:
Patricia: I just brush them but I know that's contentious. I figure I can handle a bit of fungus
Sandro Demaio has weighed in on this one, too:
Sandro: As long as you cook them soon after, I don’t worry too much. But brushing them is safe, and does get a more caramelised flavour in cooking.
Well, there you go, Patricia — you get a passing mark from Sandro.
