What Pots, Frying Pans and Saucepans I Use & How I Keep Them Clean

To my surprise I am very frequently asked what pots, frying pans and saucepans I use. And to my even greater surprise I am also frequently asked how I keep them so clean (my mum would scoff at this because to her excessively clean “you could eat off the floor” Greek standards, my cookware fails miserably her mirror reflective standards. Though I always thought that more attention should be devoted to quality of what’s IN the pan than the sparkly factor of the OUTSIDE of the pan). Nevertheless, I oblige my followers:

I use STAINLESS STEEL saucepans and frying pans. I like the ones with the stainless steel handles as the plastic handles often get too hot if positioned on top of a flame and toxins start spewing out into your home environment. Also plastic handles mean that you can't put the frying pan under the grill when making omelettes, and pancakes as the plastic may start to melt. Avoid aluminium cookware as aluminium is a light metal and a neurotoxin.

Ideally (although don’t lose sleep over this), if you can afford it, opt for stainless steel frying pans made with minimal nickel like the nöni™ range of Solidtenkics. Nickel is found in most stainless steel cookware which may release nickel into food. While small amounts of nickel are not an issue for most people, large amounts may be toxic and even carcinogenic. Other cheaper reputable brands include Scan Pan and Acro Steel. (And no I don’t get any kickbacks from these companies. I just dig their stuff).

I’m a traditional cook, so I avoid all non stick cookware. Period. However natural they say the non stick surface is, its not going to be as natural and non toxic as stainless steel. “But what about things sticking to the surface?!?!?” I hear you cry. Well my answer to that is FAT. And a lot of it.

Here’s my 5 TIPS on how I keep frying pans and saucepans clean:

1. I cook with lots of NATURAL FATS which go a long way to prevent things from sticking. The low fat, non stick frying pan movement peaking in the 1980s has a LOT to answer for as people (myself included) reduced their natural fat intake and started using cookware that potentially leaches chemicals into their food😤😷. Using stainless steel cookware practically forces you to revert back to using fats to cook with and provided you’re using only traditional natural fats (like butter, beef tallow, pork lard, duck fat or ghee), you’ve got a Win Win! When reheating food in saucepans (instead of microwaving!) I simply add a little bone broth to the bottom of the saucepan to prevent the food from sticking.
   
   2. I soak cookware in hot soapy water STRAIGHT AFTER I use them so food matter just slides off when I get around to washing them after eating. 
   
   3. I use a 100% natural eco friendly coconut husk kitchen scrubber to clean my frying pans and pot (combined with a bit of elbow grease – let’s face it brut force is sometimes needed). Granted, the conventional wire scourers are very effective but I eventually (and somewhat begrudgingly) gave them up as they are indeed an ecological disaster (the bits of wire break off, end up down our drain, into the mouths of fish and then we eat the fish 😷). Future generations and environmental sustainability takes precedence (in my mind anyway) over any aspirations for my pans to have mirror-like reflective surfaces. My mum would disagree. With all due respect, she’s of a different generation. 
   
   4. I use Young Living dishwashing liquid because it’s non toxic, all natural, and SUPER CONCENTRATED so works out to be very economical (I dilute it by a third with water). I don’t wear washing up gloves so its super important that my dishwashing liquid is non drying and non toxic on the skin because whatever we immerse our hands in gets absorbed into our system. To purchase YL products you need an existing YL wholesale account holder like myself to set up a wholesale account for you and then it’s just online shopping for you. Email me to set up a wholesale account for you or read this page of my website and fill out the contact form.   I’d love to set up a wholesale account for you and give you access to our comprehensive online resources, educational events and personalised support.
   
   5. For stubborn stains I use:

   • A few drops of Young Living lemon essential oil because of its unparalleled cleaning power to cut through grease and grime (plus it makes my kitchen smell divine! And/or

   • A sprinkle of Young Living Thieves kitchen & bath scrub which provides the power of a granular surface scrub free of harmful chemical smells and residue. It contains the mineral nepheline syenite (responsibly sourced), plus baking soda that gently absorbs odours plus sodium percarbonate that releases oxygen when combined with water. (I also use it to clean my bath.)

   Once again, to purchase YL products you need an existing YL wholesale account holder like myself to set up a wholesale account for you as per point 4 above.

For slow cooking I love using cast iron pots made by Le Creuset or Le Chasseur (you can certainly use cast iron frying pans and saucepans but I find them way too heavy for day to day use). Cast iron is not cheap, but a valuable investment that will last a lifetime (or longer). 

People with haemochromatosis (excessive iron) should avoid using cast iron.  I also own a non-lead Sunbeam slow cooker but much prefer the cast iron pots as I’m a traditional cook and prefer the more intense flavour they provide…plus they look so much prettier…I’m a girl after all ;-). If you do use a slow cooker ensure that the insert is non-lead.  

Hope you thought this little post was helpful. Wishing you Kali Orexi (that’s Greek for good appetite!).

P.S. if you’re keen to make your own slow cooks, bone broths, organ meat dishes, and gluten free nutrient-dense cakes, check out my game-changing online workshops (solid individually or as a bundle). 

Halloween healthy trick or treat bags!!

Any parent on a conscious consumption path shudders at the thought of Halloween, or more specifically at the part where strangers  thrust stupendous amounts of junk /artificial crap/ "non-food"/ rubbish /toxic treats  (insert your word of choice) into our darling little monsters. I first started blogging about how to tackle the Halloween issue a few years back here. Not wanting to deprive my kids entirely from the Halloween trick or treating experience (just the junk food part), I had to come up with some creative solutions. 

The solution….healthy swapping!

The solution is a realization that this is not about deprivation! This is about providing a healthy alternative to every piece of junk.

So instead of humiliating my kids by holding up a placard emblazed with “Dear fellow residents, can you stop poisoning my kids pleeeeeeeeeeease!!!", a few years ago I decided to take matters into my own hands and provide my community with a healthy Halloween trick or treat bag. Why? Because none exist in the market and it's high time we start a ripple effect that demonstrates:

1. As parents we care what goes into our children's bodies as we know full well the effect that refined sugar and artificial ingredients have on children’s IQ, behaviour, growth, and their emotional and physical health in general;

2. We are fed up with what passes as treats for our kids – junk food is called precisely that for a reason! Allowing them junk food even occasionally is sending them the message that “Its ok to put rubbish in your body”. Is it really ok?

3. Healthy treats are just as, or even more, delicious than the junk food that gets handed out at Halloween without all the toxic ingredients. So why not healthy swap?!?!

Our healthy treat bags have been a massive hit in past years and we could barely keep up with the demand. Parents came out of the woodwork expressing how grateful they were that healthy alternatives to junk food exists and that they no longer have to deal with the Halloween nightmare and the associated learning, behavioural and skin issues that often result when junk food is consumed.

What’s in our healthy treat bags?

Our healthy treat bags contain some of our best selling kiddie treats at Broth Bar & Larder:

🎃 1x raspberry gummie made with certified organic raspberries, GelPro grass fed gelatin powder and the teeniest amount of pure Canadian maple syrup (less than 1/10 teaspoon per gummy)
🎃 1 x mango gummie made with certified organic mangos, GelPro grass fed gelatin powder and an even smaller amount of maple syrup as mangos are naturally sweet
🎃 1x mint carob bears made with certified organic carob powder, certified organic raw cacao butter and therapeutic-grade food-grade Young Living peppermint essential oil (the most pure essential oils on the planet) .... With NO ADDED SWEETENER WHATSOEVER!!! 
🎃 1x raw cacao bliss ball made with certified organic raw cacao butter, certified organic raw cacao butter, certified organic coconut oil, and certified organic medjool dates. 
🎃1x choc orange bliss ball made wiuth the same ingredients as above but with added therapeutic-grade food-grade Young Living orange essential oil (the most pure essential oils on the planet)

All ingredients are hand made on the premises at Broth Bar & Larder and free of nuts, grains, gluten, and dairy. 

The above have all been road tested on kids and every single one gave them the big  "I want more please?!" 🙌🙌🏻

How to use our healthy treat bags?

You can use our bags in three different ways:

1. Take them with you when going trick or treating and let your kids munch on some of the healthy snacks rather than the crappy confectionary they will be given (which you can accept graciously then turf at home). If you have no healthy alternatives with you, I can assure you that the temptation to eat junk is just too great for kids.

2. When you get back home use the treats in the healthy teat bag as a healthy swap for all of the crap that they will be given.

3. Use the treats when a little ghost or Dracula comes knocking on YOUR door.  You'll feel good knowing that you have provided a little soul with something actually good for them.

How to purchase

Our treat bags are available from Broth Bar & Larder in Bronte or you can email us at orders@staraniseorganic.com and we can courier them to you for those who live in Sydney and Wollongong. 

As gummies have a 2 week expiry date if you intend to use the bags for Halloween I strongly recommend that you collect them or arrange for them to be couriered in the last week of October. Please store our treat bags in fridge. 

Limited quantities are available so to avoid disappointment we encourage you to pre-order and pre-pay on 0421 786 009.  

HAPPY TRICK OR TREATING (without breaking out into a cold sweat)!!!!! 👻👹😈🎃👽💀

I would love to know what you think of these healthy treat bags. Please share your thoughts below!

2 *FREE* Melbourne Healthy Home / Healthy Swap Information Sessions!

I am super excited to be returning to Melbourne to run 2 identical FREE jam-packed information sessions on 10 and 11 November on swapping out conventional personal care products and household cleaning products with non-toxic, eco-friendly, economical (yet super powerful) versions so that you can create a toxic free home environment for you and your family – the ONE environment that you CAN control! 

We know that our hard coded genes are only responsible for a very small fraction of our health and that our health is largely dependent upon or influenced by a number of different environmental or lifestyle factors. The 2 broad categories of environmental or lifestyle factors that influence our health are:

• Nourishment; and

• Toxins.

These 2 factors have such a profound effect on our health that they actually switch our genes on and off for better or for worse and can thus change the expression of our and our loved ones’ genes (read more about epigenetics in my blog post here). This is why we need to be concerned about increasing nourishment and decreasing toxicity whenever it’s within our control. 

One of our lifestyle choices is what we choose to eat (our diet). That food can either be well-sourced, properly prepared and nutrient-dense (nourishing) or processed (toxic) and thus has a profound effect on our health (which is why I’m so damn passionate about it!). But food is only one component of health. The personal care products that we put on our skin and the household cleaning products that we breathe into our lungs are just as if not more important than the food we eat, because our skin and lungs have no digestive filter. Most of the ingredients contained in conventional personal care products and household cleaning products (and even dare I say some of the organic ones) are questionable at best or toxic at worse. We know that toxins cause inflammation and are the root cause of all modern disease. And here we are slathering and spraying them onto our and our kids’ skin, hair and nails, and inhaling them in.  

In my free healthy home information sessions I provide a very elegant solution to the problem and show you how easy, simple and cost effective it is to use the world’s most pure, potent and therapeutic-grade essential oils and oil infused products to:

• turbo charge or enhance the 8 Foundations of Health to take your and your family’s health to the next level; 

• healthy swap ALL your conventional personal care products and household cleaning products to create a toxic-free home environment for your family;

• healthy swap conventional pharmaceuticals with safe, yet powerfully effective, alternatives (this is very empowering as a parent!);

• add a beautiful energy and spirit to your home making it a safe, inviting and comforting sanctuary. 

There’s no time like the present to start increasing nourishment and reducing toxins in your home environment- the one environment that you CAN control. 

To book click here and scroll down to book into the date that best suits you between Saturday 10th Nov in Abbortsford or Sunday 11th Nov in Sassafras in the Dandenongs. Places are limited and will book fast!

These information sessions are also ideal for those who came to one of my previous gatherings to refresh their knowledge and deepen their journey of leading a less toxic, more nourishing life.

I can’t wait to see you there!

Testimonials!

“I have been following your Instagram for over 12 months now and I love the daily uses of the essential oils ... but it wasn’t until your workshop that I truly understand the power that the young living oils have to offer”

— Paris

“Hi Soulla. I just wanted to share my essential oils journey so far. I use them everyday, for baths, diffusing, eating and topically. I can’t see my life without them now and the list of other oils I want to try is growing. I have smashed your booklet, that thing is my bible!!!! I refer to it for everything (I’ve placed it in a plastic folder for extra protection). My husband and kids have embraced the journey. Thieves is the next range I’d like to try (EXIT MOULD has left the house)! I made your chocolate bulletproof with a drop of peppermint, OMG tasted like a mint slice! Soulla, I can’t thank you enough. Your passion has made a beautiful impact on my life, I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me. Many thanks and love”

— Giovanna

“I loved the workshop and very much enjoyed learning about the uses and ways in which to use and apply the oils to my life, and incorporate them in nearly every aspect of life. I will definitely be signing up. I really thought there was a massive difference between young living and other leading brands. It is a testament to Young Living, because I can already smell and notice the quality difference. I loved hearing about your journey because I am obsessed with your products and philosophy on eating...”

— Madeline