Easy ways to reduce fat content in some foods and other tips....

Definitely Archimedes

Jeni I think that was Atlas. Although, Archimedes did have his principles.

I have both the ricer is fine so long as it has long handles. Was it Archimedes who said " I'll move the world if you give me a long enough lever and a place to stand!

www.CooksKitchenware.co.uk/OXOProPotatoMasher.htm

tcha!

http://www.CooksKitchenware.co.uk/OXOProPotatoMasher.htm

Are ricers those things that work on a lever principle? Quite hard on arthritic hands, I would have thought. I'm not sure I could use one. My masher is the old fashioned kind of potato masher but with a horizontal handle that is big enough for you to apply downward pressure with both hands. So, imagine the mashing end, that then has two sturdy uprights which lead up to the horizontal gripper handle which is parallel with the mashing bit. The make is OXO. Just off to google it and will add a link if I find one.

A ricer not a river!

I use a river with both hands.

bagitha yes please. I also have one in my fridge. My haggis is in the freezer as my brother bought it down from Scotland for me as my birthday present.( he lives just out side Perth) kits waiting for burns night. I always pipe it in with my recorder!

Could you deal with a swede if you cooked it whole first, jeni? Am thinking that would soften the skin and make it easier to deal with. I have a couple in the house, alongside a haggis, so what if I try it tomorrow and report back. Wouldn't do the mashing for you though.... Have you got a two-handed masher? I find that makes a big difference. Until I got that, dh was good for mashin' neeps as well as computer stuff.

I adore turnip (orange things in England) but I find with my arthritis they're impossible to prepare . Nobody seems to ready prepared swede, onlycombined with carrot. Does anyone know any different?

"Mrs JamJam* we often top our shepherds pie with a mix of potato, swede and leek, but never thought about cauliflower. Althought at the moment cauliflowers seem to be not a cheap vegetable, so we tend to have them a la mode Mr Phoenix, i.e. a cauliflower cheese made with onion, bacon and mushrooms (not exactly low fat or particularly slimming, but we kid ourselves by using very lean bacon and half fat cheddar!)

Low fat or reduced fat soft cheese, added to mashed potatoes gives the illusion of cream if you don't think about it too hard.

If you want a mash topping, like for shepherd's pie, try doing half and half with potato and cauliflower. Delicious and a lot less calories.

And we now do fish pie with lots of chopped leeks instead of a white sauce. Yummy.

Cooking turnip/swede cut top off and pop on a plate then cook in microwave saves the pan and the chopping and peeling, then when cooked (depends on size) just scoop out middle and mix with whatever you prefer and serve.