Ingredients
These are the ingredients that we've used so far in our CookingNerds recipes. The first ones listed are our Queal products. Below that you can find the other ingredients, listed in alphabetical order.
Learn
CookingNerds.com is about more than great recipes. You can also learn about the ingredients that are used in, and with, Queal products. Get insights about the need for different nutrients. And enjoy the background stories about some of our recipes and their inventors.
Ready
Ready is a new type of complete food. It's a complete instant oat meal. Meaning it has oats as its base and it's nutritionally complete, like you can expect from Queal. Not in a shake or bar, but in a bowl and with real pieces of fruit. So you can be ready for your day.
Steady
Steady is a complete meal in a shake. It's made with Scottish oats, isomaltulose (beets), maltodextrin (corn), whey protein (or rice and pea protein), soy flour, sunflower & linseed oil. Just scoop, shake, and go.
Go
One meal, for every moment. Queal Go is your meal for on the go. Never go out the door unprepared again! Surprisingly tasty, with an even more delicious bite.
Flow
The Flow can be the perfect start of the day. Be your most creative self, make something meaningful, enjoy being in the zone. Flow is a nutritional supplement (nootropic) that combines four ingredients: Guarana, L-Theanine, Cdp-Choline, and Ashwagandha. These carefully chosen ingredients will productively help you create meaningful work.
Apple
Did you know that apple trees have quite beautiful white flowers? Apple is a sweet fruit that grows on a tree and can be found almost anywhere on the world. China makes about half of the 85 tonnes of apples each year.
Applesauce
Mix together some apples, cinnamon, honey, and maybe sugar and you got yourself some applesauce. First made to enjoy apples through the winter, now still very popular in America and Europe.
Avocado
Cut your avocado in half (from top to bottom) and twist, that is how you remove the seed (yes that is a huge seed). Perfect for making delicious guacamole mixes.
Baking Powder
You can use baking powder to increase the volume and lighten your baked goods. There are a few different ways of making baking powder. It was first invented in the 1860s.
Banana
One fun 'fact' that many people know about banana's is that they are radio-active. And this is true, but of course the level of radiation is still very low (potassium is the main reason for this). There are many pests that endanger the production of banana's but so far so good.
Beans
Beans can be used in many recipes and are a good source of protein. They are most well-known for Mexican recipes, but also find their way in the traditional Dutch kitchen.
Basil
Use basil to really finish a great recipe. Keep a plant in your kitchen (not outside if it's freezing) and always know you have some ready. Perfect to mix with mozarella and tomatoes.
Blueberries
Who doesn't remember walking around in the summer and collecting blueberries along a forest path. Most blueberries can be found in America and some parts of Europe.
Butter
If a recipe includes baking, there is a high chance that butter is involved. It's a dairy product with almost exclusively fat (vs carbs/proteins). The French eat the most butter per capita, 8kg per year.
Cheese
You can't imagine The Netherlands without cheese. To go from milk to cheese an enzyme called 'rennet' is added to cause coagulation. There may be a million types of cheese out there. (listen to a fun story about a Swiss Cheese Cartel and Fondue)
Chocolate
Roast and ground cocoa to get yourself some chocolate. Then add milk and or sugar to get milk or white chocolate. Although chocolate is delicious, there is still child labour involved which needs to be stopped.
Cider
Here we don't mean the lightly alcoholic drink but vinegar. For instance apple cider vinegar which is made by squeezing the juice from crushed apples, adding yeast and bacteria.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon comes from the bark of several species of tree. It's an ingredient that might take you back to the golden age when it was a valuable commodity. Today still 75% of it comes from Indonesia.
Cocoa
Also known as cacao is a bean that can find its origins in the Amazon Basin. Although many people prescribe health benefits to it (of which some may be true), aren't we all just eating it because it's really delicious!?
Coconut Water
A lot has been said about coconut water, but not many of these claims can be sustantiated. What has stood the test of time/trends is the flavour, who doesn't agree that it's not refreshing and sparks some joy and summer feelings in all of us.
Coffee
CAFFEINE!!! do I need say more? Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world and if you're not drinking it you are among the minority who doesn't. Also here, studies into long-term health benefits are mixed and the number one reasons for drinking it is?? CAFFEINE!
Cookies
Some say that the name of cookies comes from the Dutch 'koekje'. Unlike the ingredients mentioned before, cookies are not good for you. Well, good for flavour and happiness, so maybe they are good.
Egg
Guess how many eggs each plant (and it is a plant) ships per week? About 12 million! Eggs are one of the most common ingredients both in baking and as eaten by themselves. The colour of the egg doesn't have any influence on the quality of the egg.
Flax Eggs
Looking for a vegan alternative to eggs when baking? Then flax eggs can be your saviour. Just mix ground flax seeds with water (1 to 3).
Flour
Flour finds its origins in the word Flower and in some languages it's still that exact same word (e.g. "bloem" in Dutch). Flour can be made from wheat, corn, rice, etc. Some variants are gluten-free.
Food Colouring
Sometimes food colouring is added to products you buy, but the most fun way to use it is when you add it yourself. One example of the use of food colouring is in margarine, where beta-carotene gives it the yellow colour.
Frozen Fruit
Why buy frozen fruit? Because it stay good for a long time, can be bought/eaten in winter, and no preservatives have to be added for it to stay good.
Ginger
Did you know that ginger is actually a root of a plant with small, yet beautiful, yellow flowers. Tumeric and cardemon are cousins of ginger. India produces about 1/3rd of the world-wide ginger.
Herbs
Herbs are used for flavouring and garnishing of food. Some of the most commonly used ones are lavender, thyme, parsley, basil, etc. Many religious and traditions use herbs.
Honey
Talk about 'many hands make light work', the average bee only makes about 1/12th of a tea!spoon of honey in its lifetime. The oldest jar of honey found was over 2000 years old, and still tasted good.
Jam
Jam is only one variation of fruit preserves, other examples are chutney, jelly, and marmalade. In the EU, jam should at least contain 35% fruit.
Kiwi
Kiwi is a flightless bird... ohhh weight. Kiwi(fruit) is a berry the size of an egg. And yes, it comes from New Zealand, but most of it is made in China nowadays.
Lemon
A lemon is a hybrid between a sour orange and a citron. The leaves of the lemon tree can be used to make tea. And because of the high acidity, lemons have been used as cleaning aids.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is one of those (homemade) drinks that people ascribe many health benefits to. Although not all of them are true, it is tasty and full of vitamin C.
Lime
Just like the lemon, lime is a hybrid, this time between the citron/citrus, orange, and pomelo. You can probably incorporate some lime in your food, but to be honest, they do their best work in a drink.
Milk
One cow produces about 350,000 glasses of milk over her lifetime. But of course you can't only get great protein rich drinks only from cows. Other 'milks' like oats, soy, rice are many times a great alternative.
Mushroom
Mushrooms are rich in protein and can add some great flavours to your recipe. There are about 1.5 million different species of fungi.
Nutella
What if you combine sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa solids and milk powder? You get something delicious. Enjoy with moderation.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg is a spice that is made from ground seeds of the fragrant nutmeg. Perfect for confections, sauces and vegetables.
Nuts
Of the many variations of nuts, we are mostly familiar with peanuts, wallnuts, cashews, pecan. All but the last are not considered 'true' nuts. Squirrels lose about half the nuts they hide.
Oat Flakes
Oat flakes are dried, steamed and flattened oats. You can use them in bread, muffins, and cereals.
Oil
Vegetable oils can come from many sources. In most cases the fats come from the seeds of the plants.
Peanut Butter
Where peanut butter used to have multiple helper-ingredients, nowadays the 100% (all-natural) peanut butter variation has become the most popular one in many countries.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin literally means large melon. And although we all call them vegetables, they are actually a fruit (because they contain seeds).
Quark
Quark (or as the Dutch like to call it 'kwark') is made by curding (warming soured milk). Just like wiht milk there are alternatives like those made with soy.
Raspberry
The Raspberry is a tiny and affordable computer... oh wait, not that raspberry. It's a delicious fruit that is also one that you can find in the frozen section.
Rice
Rice has conquered the world and can be found in almost any household. Although it's one of the most common crops, corn and wheat are about 2x and 1.5x larger (in tonnes produced).
Salt
Everybody needs salt to stay alive. Unfortunately there is too much salt in most of the Western diets and we're more likely to have too much than too little.
Sour Cream
Add sour cream to a dip and you can guarantee deliciousness. You can use it for baking cakes, cookies, and scones.
Spices
Some of our recipes contain different spices. Some really make it hot, others make the flavours pop.
Spinach
Spinach is best know for the high iron content (anyone remember Popeye). Next to being low in calories it's high in vitamins A, B, C, E and K.
Strawberry
Each strawberry (not a real berry) has about 200 seeds (on the outside). They are one of the first fruits to ripen in the spring.
Sugar
Sugar can be added to products but is also naturally present in many foods like fruits. Just like salt we nowadays get too much of it in our (average) diet.
Sweetener
Instead of sugar, a sweetener is usually low in calories and can greatly help make a product taste (even) sweet(er).
Vanilla
Did you know that vanilla is an orchid. It's the second most expensive spice in the world (after saffron). To date it's the most popular ice cream flavour.
Walnuts
In the wild you wouldn't recognize a walnut if you saw it (it's a small green, apple-like, nut). But inside is the brain-like shape that is full of protein and essential fats.
Water
Dehydration instead of drinking too much water (hyponatremia) has never been documented during a marathon. But be sure to drink enough during the day.
Yoghurt
Add together milk and bacteria, let it ferment, and you have yourself some yoghurt. Great for smoothie recipes
Nutrients
Queal, and all the recipes here, contain nutritional values that are listed per recipe. But, you may ask, what does each of these nutrients mean. Here is some explanation, from sugars to salts, from fats to carbs.
Energy
The body needs energy to sustain itself. It gets this by metabolising various nutrients, subdivided into Proteins, Fats, and Carbohydrates. Energy from food is often measured in kilocalories, or kcal (when people say 'calories', they mean kcal). The government-mandated “average” amount of kcal needed is 2000kcal, though in reality, the number is often higher (2100kcal to 2600kcal).
Fat
Fats, or fatty acids, are a type of lipid and are essential to the body. They are metabolised for energy or to build cells. Some essential vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and require fat in order to be transported and absorbed by the body. Queal’s sources of fat include Oats, Soy, Whey, and Sunflower- and Linseed-oil.
Saturated Fat
Saturated fat is also known as “solid fat”. That’s because it is solid at room temperature. It is mostly in animal foods (meat, milk, and cheese) and tropical oils (coconut oil, palm oil). Saturated fats are generally recognized as bad because they cause your LDL-level to rise. (LDL was the bad kind of lipoprotein!) This means more risk of your arteries clogging up. The advice given by governmental guidelines for saturated fat is: Make sure at most 10% of your caloric intake is from saturated fats. That comes down to 23 grams of saturated fat for a 2100kcal diet.
Monounsaturated Fat
This fat is in nuts and olive-, canola-, and peanut-oil. It deals a double health whammy of lowering your LDL-level (the bad kind) whilst simultaneously increasing your HDL-level (the good kind).
Monounsaturated Fat
This fat is in nuts and olive-, canola-, and peanut-oil. It deals a double health whammy of lowering your LDL-level (the bad kind) whilst simultaneously increasing your HDL-level (the good kind).
Polyunsaturated Fat
This fat is mostly in sunflower-, flaxseed-, and fish-oil. Eating Polyunsaturated fats instead of Saturated fats will lower you LDL-levels (the bad kind). Polyunsaturated fat can be sub-divided into Omega-3 fatty acids, and Omega-6 fatty acids.
Omega-3
Omega-3 fatty acids come in two types: Short-chain (ALA) and long-chain (EPA, DHA). Humans need both types and can convert short-chain to long-chain forms, but not very efficiently. ALA is proven to contribute to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, and EPA and DHA are linked to contributing to the normal functioning of the heart. Queal’s sources of Omega-3 are linseed- and sunflower-oil, both micro coated into the powder.
Omega-6
Part of the group of polyunsaturated fats, Omega-6 fatty acids contribute to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. Queal sources it’s Omega-6 from sufnlower- and linseed-Oil, which is incorporated into the powder using a micro coating technique.
Trans-unsaturated Fat
Trans fats, also known as (partially) hydrogenated fat is “the ugly”. It takes everything that’s bad about saturated fats and makes it worse. There is really no good reason to eat any trans fats. Why then is it in our food? Well, for one, it makes things super tasty! The process of hydrogenation makes the fat harder at room temperature. It makes snack foods such as chips nice and crispy, and gives that satisfying crunch to your fast-food French fries. The advice given by governmental guidelines for trans fats is: Don’t eat them. Just don’t… Which is why there are no trans-fats in Queal.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body. There are fast and slow types of carbohydrates, depending on the speed with which they are absorbed by the body. Queal’s recipe is designed to create a balance between the two. The main sources of carbohydrates in Queal are Oat Flour, Isomaltulose, Maltodextrin, and Soy.
Sugar
Sugar is a subgroup of Carbohydrates, divided into Monosaccharides and Disaccharides. It’s broken down in the body to glucose, fructose, and in the case of lactose to galactose. They provide fast energy. A part of Queal products is labelled as supgar but be assured that there is no added or table sugar in the products.
Polyols
Another subgroup of carbohydrates. Also known as sugar alcohol (not to be confused with what we commonly think of as alcohol), they are a different shape than sugar. Less sweet, and less fast carbohydrates.
Starch
Your bog-standard Polysaccharide. It’s slow carbohydrates.
Fibre
Fibre is essential for the overall health of the body and specifically the digestive system. Intestinal microflora which aid in your digestion thrives on fibres such as cellulose, which cannot be broken down by the natural enzymes in your system. The fibre content in Queal comes from Oats in the form of beta-glucans, which the EFSA says reduces disease risk. Additional fibre content is provided from Soy.
Protein
Protein is necessary for the body’s ability to grow and repair itself, especially muscles. Proteins are broken down into base amino acids by the metabolism. All human proteins are made up of the same 20 amino acids, 9 of which must be consumed through diet, in different amounts. Queal’s source of protein comes from whey, soy, and oats, and contains all the essential amino acids. Our latest vegan products have a balance of rice and pea proteins to achieve the same balance.
Background Stories
This section will be updated in the future