Over half of Brits said they plan on cutting out hot meals due to rising energy costs. Iceland Foods works with TV nutritionist, Dale Pinnock, to reveal the science behind hot dinners and why they are crucial during the winter.

In October, Iceland revealed that 53% of Brits were planning on either reducing or cutting out hot meals completely due to rising energy costs. It also found that over one quarter (27%) don’t feel they have any other solution but to sacrifice hot meals to save on their energy bills.

The supermarket brought in the expert to show that having hot nutritious meals is possible on a budget, taking into consideration the products you buy, how you store them, the cooking methods and then making sure those cooked hot meals last you for as long as possible.

The best products to buy that are affordable and nutritious

Stock up on root vegetables to achieve thermogenesis.

Thermogenesis, a process in which your body produces heat from food metabolising. Foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots and onions take longer to digest making the body work harder and raising the body temperature.

Adding them into soups, roasting recipes and dishes such as chilli and pasta will keep you fuller and warmer for longer.

Shoppers should look to buy these vegetables frozen. Not only do you get a better deal on frozen fruit and veg, but it also avoids food waste and therefore allowing you to save unwanted leftovers for another hot meal.

Keep your foods frozen or freeze your foods so you can heat them up later

Freezing food is one of the best ways to store food. Firstly, a fuller freezer means that you spend less on energy consumption as there is less room for warm air to creep in. It also helps manage food waste as you only need to take out what you need and prevents any last-minute corner shop visits which are known for being more expensive in the long run.

In 2020, research commissioned by Iceland revealed that families can actually save up to 30% when buying frozen over fresh and although prices have risen generally over the last year, there are still some huge savings to be made.

Frozen is just good as fresh due to the way the food is picked and packed, locking in all of the nutrients so you won’t be compromising on taste or quality, it is easy to store and is already prepped for you to use right away, meaning less time in the kitchen and more time with the family.

Stock up on carbs, but know which ones are best and how much you should be eating

Ok not just any carbs, but complex carbohydrates. These foods are higher in fibre and digest more slowly which makes them more filling. They also raise blood glucose levels for longer, providing you with more energy for the day. When eating well-balanced meals, carbohydrates should be around one third of the plate, accompanied by a third of protein (meat or fish) and a third of vegetables.

Try starting the day with porridge for breakfast (you can get your hands on 1kg of Quaker Oats for just £2.75 at Iceland) and stock up on staples such as wholewheat bread (Iceland Thick Sliced Wholemeal Bread is only £1.00 for 800g), pulses and beans such as green peas (buy 800g of Frozen Garden Peas at Iceland for £1.00) and sweet potatoes (currently on 3 for £5.00 at Iceland). These will do the job and are all relatively purse friendly.

More nutrients are released when food is cooked

Some nutrients become much more available to the body once cooked. A couple of examples of this are carotene, the chemical that makes carrots and sweet potatoes orange and lycopene, a colour pigment in tomatoes. Both of these have benefits for the cardiovascular system and the skin and become several times easier for the body to use when foods containing them are cooked.

Cold food slows digestion down which can cause a number of gut-related problems and can have a negative impact on your immune system, especially in colder months.

Very cold foods can send shock waves throughout the nervous system

Our digestive system is extremely sensitive to the temperature of the food and liquids that we consume. Very cold foods can send shock waves throughout the nervous system so during colder months our bodies prefer the food we eat to be warm.

However, the body is naturally lazy, or at least will gravitate towards the path of least resistance, so naturally seeking out warmer foods in the winter months is a way to elevate core body temperature and keep warm.

A hot meal also takes longer for us to eat, which is much more beneficial for digestion as the body has more time to take in the nutrients.

Using the oven can be the most expensive and time-consuming way to cook and not always the healthiest

Research by Iceland recently revealed that households reliant on oven cooking could save up to £426 per year by switching to more energy-efficient cooking methods.

Air fryers are often misconstrued as being unhealthy, due to ‘fryer’ in the name, however the energy efficient appliance actually works by circulating hot air around the food. The food is heated by convection which creates a crunchy, crispy exterior. It requires minimal cooking oils and fats, and also takes less time to cook ingredients in comparison to an oven.

You can cook almost anything in an air fryer from a roast dinner to a birthday cake. You can also easily rustle up sauce-based meals that are extremely nutritious for you, such as a family favourite, the chilli con carne.

My ‘Chilli Con Carne in an Air Fryer’ recipe will save you money on your energy bills, provides an opportunity to transform it from one meal to another – lasting you the entire week – and gives you the right amount of nutrients you need from a hot meal. It also only costs £1.30 a portion to make.

Air Fryer Chilli Con Carne

Ingredients

• 1 Red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic – roughly chopped
• 500g Iceland Lean Beef Steak Mince
• 400g of chopped tomatoes
• 400g can of red kidney beans – drained
• 1 beef stock cube
• Iceland Mixed Peppers
• Iceland Whole Leaf Spinach
• 1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin

Method:

1. Pre heat the air fryer for 5 mins
2. Add the onion and garlic, along with a small amount of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the fryer and cook for 3-5 minutes until the onion is soft and both are turning aromatic
3. Then add the frozen Iceland Lean Beef Steak Mince and cook for 5-8 minutes
4. During this time, as it is frozen, you will need to open the drawer and stir a few times to break it up and ensure an even browning
5. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans and beef stock cube and cook for 15 minutes
6. Now add the frozen peppers and spinach and cook for another 5 minutes
7. Finally, add the smoked paprika, and ground cumin, stir well and cook for another 5-7 minutes before serving and enjoying

Finally, Dale Pinnock said: “Frozen food is brilliant value and tends to be cheaper than fresh or canned, helping the pennies stretch further. It also means people can store plenty of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables at home without worrying about short sell-by dates, preventing food waste and unnecessary expenditure on food that would otherwise go to waste. By cooking hot meals with frozen ingredients, shoppers can still cook tasty and healthy meals without breaking the bank or compromising on taste.”

For more affordable recipes, please visit: https://www.iceland.co.uk/blog/