Proofing dough in the colder months can be a bit of a challenge, you could be in for a long slow rise as opposed to the time that cookery books specify, forty five minutes or thereabouts.

I had read about proofing boxes; a box that essentially keeps a warm even temperature whilst the dough rises. Having a small kitchen and not much storage space to keep a proofing box even if I had one, I found something that most of us have in our kitchens that can be used as a substitute… the microwave!

It goes without saying that you don’t actually turn the microwave on, merely using the inside of the microwave as a draught-free box to proof the dough.

I have been freezing cookies for years.

Whenever the oven is on I always feel I should make full use of it, so I’ve started to open-freeze shaped cookie dough. This way, I just have to place the shaped cookie dough straight on to an oven tray and bake. It’s also very handy if you need a batch of cookies in a hurry.

To open freeze the cookie dough: Line a freezer proof tray ( I use a baking tray) with some non-stick paper, shape the cookies and place on the tray. Freeze until the dough is hard, then transfer them into a bag or container.

I’ve found by baking from them straight from the freezer, the cookies hold their shape better and spread less.

Cooking recipes with lots of different types of spices can often put you off even before you’ve started, not to mention all the different jars and bags you have to delve through.

If I’m making a recipe that involves quite a few spices that have to be added to the pan at different times, I collect the groups of spices and put them in small containers (egg cups are quite good for this). This way when I start the cooking, it’s just a matter of tipping the contents in without worrying whether I’ve left anything out.

I came across this tip about eight years ago whilst working with a girl whose father had a restaurant that served laksa, he used this method to reduce the cost.

Personally, I don’t like lite coconut milk because much of what you pay for is the addition of water and thickening agents. Instead of using the full amount of coconut milk/cream specified in the recipe, I replace two thirds of it with full fat cow’s milk (I have tried using low fat milk, it tastes fine but it does tend to curdle).

This method allows you to have the rich coconut flavour without the heaviness, it also lowers the saturated fats that are in coconut milk. Any left over coconut milk/cream can be successfully frozen in small portions using an ice cube tray.

When you make hot chocolate with cocoa, you always have to mix the cocoa with a little water in order to lessen the lumps that will appear before adding the hot water/milk.

If you mix the cocoa with water and then zap it in the microwave for 20 – 30 seconds, it will dissolve any remaining lumps. If you don’t have a microwave then it’s back to pressing with the back of a spoon and potentially lumpy cocoa, I’m afraid.

Now that my lunch box obession is out there, I thought I would detail how I make the rice balls for those who are interested.

Rice

The previous two posts show the type of rice use and how to cook one cup of rice successfully in the microwave. If you have a rice cooker set it to cook before you go to bed and it will keep it warm until it’s ready to be used. I prepare my rice the night before, washing and measuring the correct amount of water and leave it in the container. First thing in the morning I put the rice onto cook before hopping into the shower, by the time I finish it has had time to rest and is ready to be vinegared.

Adding Sushi Vinegar

Add some sushi vinegar to the cooked rice, I use about 1tbsp per cup of rice but feel free to use more or less. Sushi vinegar is pretty easy to come by in supermarkets, so far I’ve been making my own using this recipe.

Spread the vinegared rice out onto a large plate to cool it quickly. You are supposed to fan the rice as it cools but there are no volunteers in my house at 7 am on a weekday morning, besides I don’t think the rice suffers as a result.

Shapes

Next you need to wet your hands or the mold/cookie cutter, this stops the rice sticking enabling a smooth release. You then need to shape the rice, its surprising how many things you can create out of one basic round cutter, an ice-cream scoop and a pair of scissors.

Nori Cutters

They are really cutters for scrapbooking but they work really well on sheets of nori. It certainly makes little dots of seaweed for eyes a little easier, not to mention the smiles. As obsessed as I am, I don’t think even I could stand cutting little fiddly bits out with a pair of scissors!

Inspiration

These sites are an inspiration; e-obento, Cooking Cute, Minmin’s Obento and Bento Corner, then just let your imagination take over.

My kids are not that enthused about eating sandwiches in their lunch box and I can’t say I blame them, so one day I decided to make them rice balls (onigiri, as it’s officially known as) for a change after visiting this site. What started out innocently has turned into an obsession, I have since read that this is normal for anyone who goes down this route.

How it all started

Here, in Byron Bay (Australia), we don’t have access to rice molds that press out Hello Kitty faces, bear or flower shapes, so I started off pressing cooked rice into a deep cookie cutter and decorating it with nori sheets (seaweed).

Before long I was purchasing paper cutters to punch out butterflies, love hearts, dog paw shapes and using them on the nori sheets. I’ve even raided the kid’s craft box for their wavy edged scissors and I have to admit that I now have tweezers for picking up the tiny dots of nori for eyes!

Which rice?

Sushi rice is expensive but I’ve found Calrose rice to work just as well. Whatever you decide to use, make sure it is a short or medium grain rice otherwise you will have trouble getting the rice to stick together.

A friend, whose kids are gluten intolerant, has started to make these rice balls for her children. Like me she has started to hunt for different cookie cutters and trust me, she will be purchasing tweezers soon too!

What to serve on the side?

These rice balls can be stuffed or you can choose to put the fillings on the side as I do because my kids like it that way. Amongst other things, I have put in cooked chicken, ham, smoked salmon, fish cakes, cabana, cherry tomato, cucumber lettuce and fruit. You can use pretty well anything you have left over from dinner as long as it’s not covered in sauce.

Since making these for my kids, I’ve noticed they don’t come home ravenous and needing to eat to the point where their appetite for dinner is ruined. They also enjoy having a panda for lunch one day and a pig the next.

Cooking one cup of rice in the microwave has never been successful, having spoken to friends who also cook rice on a regular basis, I know I’m not the only person who has this problem.

I saw this little gadget on line and thought I would try their cooking method using a regular microwave rice cooker.

1. Fill washed rice cooker or container with one cup of rice
2. Add appropriate amount of water (I used 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water)
3. Close lid
4. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes
5. Microwave for 15 minutes using low power (I used 50% power)
6. Let sit for 10 minutes before eating

*You may have to adjust the amount of water to rice depending on the type of rice you use

I tried it this morning and out came one cup of perfectly cooked rice.

Most people come home from work too tired to cook a meal from scratch, anything that takes longer than half an hour causes most of us to pick up the phone and dial-a-something to be delivered instead.

In Australia it is relatively cheap to eat out as compared to parts of Europe. The sale of chilled food in English supermarkets are worth millions due to the fact that most people think chilled food is fresher with less additives than it’s frozen counterpart. Here is an article from the Guardian that will make you think twice about chilled food being more superior.

I like the therapeutic effect of baking and as a plus you get to eat the end product, a win-win situation, though not for my waistline! Freezing cookies also removes the “Oh I better have another one otherwise they’ll go stale” temptation.

In case you are wondering frozen cookies straight of the freezer will not break your teeth, I think the butter and sugar in them prevents them from going rock hard. Instead, you will be sinking your teeth into a chewy crunchy texture of a fresh cookie that’s a little bit cold.

For lunchboxes, I make small cookies about 2-3cm in diameter and store them in the freezer. My kids then get a treat, albeit a small one rather than one of those pre-packaged bags and I know what ingredients are in them.