Blog Post 6: Mieke and Scott Share their Kitchen Hacks

Published May 2, 2018

We are in the home-stretch of wedding planning. We have a number of upcoming celebrations include our bachelor and bachelorette parties and my bridal shower, so we set out to register for our wedding at Hudson’s Bay.

Since Scott is a Chef, he has a number of great insights on what to have in your kitchen to ensure you bring out the best in your cooking. Since I have been a Weight Watchers member for so many years I have a number of tips that make staying on track easier.

Registering was a fun experience and based on what we chose we’ll be able to continue to entertain for years to come using WW FreestyleTM recipes and snacks. We also decided to have some fun while registering and get some extra steps. Malls are great places to be in the winter to get your activity in!

Here, we share some of our top tips for cooking and staying on track.

Top 5 kitchen tips from Chef Scott:

Choose pots with full metal construction

  • These types of pots will be more durable but more importantly you can put them directly into the oven to complete cooking or to keep things warm.

Use a probe thermometer to check the temperature of your meat

  • Not only is it important for you to make sure your food is cooked properly, it is arguably even more important to make sure things aren’t overcooked.

Make sure to invest in good knives and learn how to sharpen them

  • A quality set of knives can last you your lifetime and sharpening makes it easier and safer to cook with. We know this sounds counterintuitive but you’re less likely to cut yourself with a sharp knife, as you are using less pressure to make a cut – a sharp knife will slice easily, reducing the amount of force needed.

Know how long things last in the freezer

  • The freezer is a great way to keep food to eat later but make sure you’re aware of how longs things last. You don’t want to end up eating spoiled food or throwing away food that is still good.

Mieke’s tips in the kitchen:

Use a kitchen scale to weigh out your food

  • I learned this tip later on my Weight Watchers journey, but by weighing out your meats or dried goods you almost always get a more accurate account of what you’re eating and you get more for the points.

Keep leftovers in reusable glass storage containers

  • Leftovers and meal prep are great but if you don’t have enough storage containers on hand you’ll find yourself not being as prepared. Opt for glass instead of disposable, as they hold up well in the freezer, clean easily, and don’t take on smells or colours of foods stored within.

Have multiple measuring spoons and cups at hand

  • By having more than one set of measuring spoons and cups at hand you’ll never be eyeballing. It’s easy to add multiple servings of salad dressing without even realizing it. These are also great to leave in the packages of your dried goods.

Spices are your friend!

  • Before meeting Scott cooking meat was scary but he’s taught me easy ways to cook it (always using a probe thermometer, check out his tip) but also by adding spices. There are so many fun ones and the majority of them are 0 SmartPoints. Check them out and get creative.