Ten Commandments of the Lockdown Kitchen

Last week I celebrated the festival of Passover from my family. We recall the days of oppression in ancient Egypt and experience the feelings of liberation. Now, we wait seven weeks to participate in Shavuot, the festival where we recreate the giving of the Torah.

Right now, we’re emerging from lockdown, waiting in anticipation for what life will look like as restrictions ease. It may truly be the season of our freedom.

It’s been exactly a year since I started my live video series, ‘Lunchtime in Lockdown’. I didn’t cook with you every day, but you saw me many times, especially during first lockdown, warts and all, cooking my meals and trying to bring easy, healthy, accessible food to stressed-out families and home workers while I was busy baking for those who had to go into work to care for the rest of us, in particular our wonderful hospital personnel.

It’s been quite a journey, and while I’m waiting to receive the original Ten Commandments, I’m taking a moment out to reflect on ten commandments gleaned from what I’ve learned in the lockdown kitchen.

1.      Thou shalt buy a tripod – propping up your phone on a pile of books may work fine for some videos, but it’s really not safe or helpful for food videos. A tripod is an absolute life saver – and you can still prop it up on books if it won’t extend far enough (done that). I probably dropped my phone in the food a couple of times before I discovered this.

2.      Thou shalt be adaptable – in the early days of lockdown some things weren’t available – not even for ready money. My very first recipe was baked beans, because there was a shortage. In later months, when I was living in Scotland, the nearest big shops were half an hour away. Adapting recipes to use what’s available saves expense and waste, and often produces delicious results.

3.      Thou shalt make strategic use of convenience foods. Nutritional therapists love to tell everyone to cook every last thing from scratch, but, while ultra-processed foods are not the best choices nutritionally, there are plenty of convenience foods which will minimise your cooking time without compromising on nutrition or flavour. As well as frozen vegetable and fruits and tinned tomatoes, which we all know about, pre-cooked vacuum packs of quinoa and lentils are a boon for the cook in a hurry. And I could probably name a dozen uses for coconut milk. That said, houmous is definitely better when made from home-cooked chickpeas.

4.      Thou shalt go nuts. You probably know that nuts are a great snack food, but they have so many more uses as crunchy toppings, pastes (think nut butter and curry pastes) and even sauces. My big revelation over the last few weeks has been tahini. I didn’t use it very much in the past, but now I use it regularly. If you’re allergic to nuts, you may be able to try certain seeds, which also have abundant nutritional value, and can be made into butters and sauces too. Nut sauces are very filling, so a little goes a long way, and nuts last a long time, so if you can’t get to the shops, they’re a useful store cupboard staple.

5.      Thou shalt not be lured by shiny object syndrome. It can be tempting to invest in every last gadget because you’re bored or want to try new things. But there are really only a handful of things I use every day. Aside from a good knife and chopping board, I’ll always use a vegetable peeler, a grater (mine is called Fifi) and a strong blender (in Scotland I’m using a smoothie maker I picked up in a sale, and it’s brilliant). After that, I’d look at a spiralizer, a balloon whisk and a zester. Those are my go-to gadgets; if you have a tiny kitchen, as I do in London, start with those before investing in other items.

6.      Thou shalt know thy spices. Again, it can be tempting to buy every herb and spice on the market, but you don’t need to. Onion powder and garlic salt have been a revelation. Other spices I use on most days are smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and curry powder. You may also like coriander, nutmeg, pepper and ground ginger. For fresh herbs, I buy them when I need them and freeze what I’ve got left in ice cube trays in the winter.  I don’t use a lot of chilli, but if you do it’s worth doing something similar with that. In summer, I grow herbs on the window sill. 

7.      Thou shalt salt thy onions. Cooking and talking at the same time can be a challenge, and it’s easy to take your eye off the ball. I’ve overcooked onions in this way on a good number of occasions. One remedy is to put a pinch of salt in the onions if you’re sauteing them. This causes the onions to release water, so they don’t burn as easily.

8.      Thou shalt plan. Planning a weekly menu as far as possible saves time, money and stress. I have a great self-study course to help you with that, and it was certainly a habit that served me well during lockdown.

9.      Thou shalt dress appropriately. Yes, I’ve cooked in PJs this past year (haven’t we all), and that’s fine, but there are bits of me that aren’t camera-ready, and it’s important not to show those by mistake. It might put someone off their food!

10.  MOST IMPORTANT: Thou shalt not make unnecessary food rules or restrictions. Instead, thou shalt pause to enjoy meals. The last year has been different, and for some people it’s been tough. Everyone does what they need to get through, and as long as it doesn’t involve abuse or violence, it’s all good. Trying to restrict food or put in place silly rules is a stress you don’t need. Many families have re-discovered the pleasure of eating together during lockdown. There’s nothing like a well-cooked meal, even a very quick and simple one, to lift the spirits. Let’s truly appreciate the gift of food and take time to enjoy it fully as and when we can.

Is there anything you’ve learned about food or cooking over lockdown? I’d love you to share your tips in the comments. I’m excited to read them.