Getting the Most Out of Stir Fry Pans

If you have the right pan and ingredients, a stir fry is probably one of the healthiest meals you can make.

A good stir fry pan will disperse oil evenly, meaning you can get great results out of using far less fat and calories. It will also ensure your ingredients do not stick to the bottom which requires you to constantly pour in more oil until your dinner is virtually deep fried. This is why it is important to look out for a non stick stir fry pan which can cope on very small top ups of oil, or even just a splash of water in some cases.

It is also good to remember that when it comes to stir fry pans, bigger is better - a large pan and a flat, rounded base will ensure the ingredients are evenly cooked all the way through.

I use Prestige pans when making stir fries and find that they tick all the boxes. Choosing a classic cooking brand such as this is a good way to ensure your pans are long lasting, which makes the meals the best they can be.

It is also important to check that the handle won’t heat up too much during cooking, and although it seems like an obvious thing to say it is easy to get caught up in a bargain and buy a pan with a mental handle. I learned that the hard way– safety first!

At the end of the day, if you buy a good quality pan you will need less oil and be able to cook your ingredients much quicker. And isn’t that the whole point of a stir fry?

Are Cupcake Makers Worth the Money?

As you all know, cupcakes are the fashionable cake of choice, even if getting the sponge base perfect is a bit tricky.

The thing about cupcakes is that they need to be made in batches, which takes a lot of time if you are making them for a big event. This can lead to an array of sizes, shapes and tastes as you whiz from oven to icing and back again. In my experience it is very hard to ensure all the bases match.

This is what led me to buy a cupcake maker after much deliberation. I know you might think this is cheating, but I justified it craftily by arguing that it doesn't matter what you use to bake the batter, as long as you put it together yourself.

I have to admit I didn't expect it to work but it was surprisingly useful - you simply pour the batter into the cupcake shaped dips in the machine, close the lid and exactly seven minutes later you have perfectly baked cupcakes. No opening and closing the oven required. I am usually a little unsure of so called time savers but this one seemed to do the trick.

So if you have been considering one it's definitely worth a shot - it gives you a lot more time to get the icing perfect.

Le Creuset Cookware (Video)

We've often spoken of our adoration for the Le Creuset range of cookware. This is an excellent little YouTube video showing the manufacturing process inside the Le Creuset foundry, enjoy :)