Cook Freestyle with Gregg's Tonight

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Freestyle cooking is about letting go in the kitchen. It's about learning to trust your own taste buds and not relying on recipes. It's about experimenting, improvising and liberating your inner chef. It's about tasting your food as you cook, adding flavours with some herbs or spices, tasting again, then throwing in some more seasoning until it's just right. Freestyle cooking is about becoming brave and fearless in the kitchen.

Have you ever caught yourself staring in the fridge with absolutely no idea of what you are going to cook for dinner tonight? The kids and/or your significant other are going to be home soon and ready to be fed. Freestyle cooking will help you reinvent your old faithfuls

When you cook with your senses your everyday favourites will be even more delicious and exciting.

Introducing Gregg's Freestyle Cooking Spokeperson - Alison Robert

When it comes to Freestyle Cooking, Alison Robert knows her stuff. From rural UK to New Zealand, to setting up her own cook school business, selling it, and setting up a new project, Alison's vibrant life epitomises everything Gregg's Freestyle Cooking is about.

Alison swapped wellies for stilettos at the age of 19 and hightailed it to London. To subsidise a meagre salary in design, she found part time work as a commis chef. The head chef took a liking to the way she worked and decided to impart to her his knowledge in the art of cool, creative cooking. Since then, Alison has enjoyed feeding people from all walks of life, in all sorts of places, finally landing on our shores in 1999.

The love she felt for New Zealand and its beauty was instantaneous. To her, it felt like she had returned home.  Setting up business in Auckland, her vivacious, cheeky and hospitable character lead her to launch Main Course - a fully hands-on cooking school for those who shy from the austerity of traditional cooking classes. In 2009 she sold the business and moved to the Waikato, keen to return to her agrarian roots.

Alison still inspires and motivates her friends and family  to use a free hand when cooking at home. Committed to building confidence and creativity she has a fresh and relaxed attitude to food and entertaining.

She believes that the quality of our busy lives is greatly improved when we can cook, share, entertain and relax confidently.

Freestyling Tips

Here's a few of our favourite Freestyle Cooking tips to help you get started!

• Keep summer salad dressing in a jar the fridge - 3 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp  vinegar or lemon juice, a dash of Gregg's Crushed Garlic and a tsp of dijon mustard. Sprinkle with your favourite dried herb - oregano works well.
• Don't give up on roasts now that it's getting warmer; just lighten up the spices you use. Change Garlic seasoning for dried chives, or try a more fragrant Tuscan style.
• Place a couple of bay leaves in the pantry to help keep ants & bugs out of your dry goods - they hate the smell.
• Fish is a good protein source and can be jazzed up with this crust: Mix fresh breadcrumbs with olive oil, sesame seeds and Gregg's Dill & Lemon Seafood Seasoning - pack onto fish fillets and bake or roast.
• Don't be afraid to use dried & fresh herbs together - such as fresh basil on a pizza with Gregg's Oregano.
• Mix Gregg's Crushed Garlic, Gregg's Crushed Ginger and honey together, add soy sauce and Gregg's Sesame Seeds and you have a versatile Asian marinade/dip/dressing or glaze.
• Why not make a batch of garlic butter ready to take to a BBQ? Soften butter to room temperature, stir in Gregg's Crushed Garlic, freshly ground Gregg's Natural Sea Salt and Coloured Peppercorns and Gregg's Parsley. Spice it up with some chilli flakes!