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I am new to a whole foods plant based lifestyle. Since we don’t use oil- what would be the best way to get soft Kale?

Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

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This event was on January 30, 2024

Join Chef Eric Wynkoop in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to course-specific questions, to how to turn your cooking passion into profit or simply hearing the perspective of a professional chef, Chef Eric is ready to answer them all.

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Question

Jenna Burkman

I am new to a whole foods plant based lifestyle. Since we don’t use oil- what would be the best way to get soft Kale?

Answer

Um, so, uh, I guess it, uh, you know, you mentioned oil. Um, what comes to mind perhaps as being okay then is a whole f uh, food fat like avocado. Uh, avocado is, um, sometimes used to massage kale. That works very, very well. Of course, you want a nice ripe avocado. Uh, you're gonna, you're gonna jump in there and it's going to come squeezing through your fingers, and it's gonna be, uh, um, you know, a very fun experience in a different sort of way. Uh, but that's what comes to mind for me. Okay? And if you didn't wanna do that, uh, you can always just sort of gently rub the kale, you know, if you add a little bit of salt in there, that'll help agitate. Um, the, uh, the cut kale, uh, or the torn kale, just depends, you know, on how you wanna prep that. Um, but, uh, those are a couple of methods that come to mind. Uh, mashed avocado or a dry sort of gentle massage through the hands.

Eric Wynkoop

Director of Culinary Instruction

Eric Wynkoop previously served as a founding faculty member at The International Culinary School, instructor in anthropology at Portland State University, and Senior Instructor at the Le Cordon Bleu program at Western Culinary Institute, in Portland, Oregon. He holds Master’s Degrees in postsecondary education and cultural anthropology, as well as credentials in Ayurveda wellness and cooking. Eric has spent more than twenty years in the food and beverage industry. His experiences include banquet management, catering, personal chef, winery cellar hand, educator, textbook contributor, consultant, and ethnographer. He also brings food and cultural insight from nearly a decade of residence in Japan, studies in Mexico, and research in India as a Fulbright Scholar. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a dual degree in Japanese and Asian Studies, he went on to receive his formal culinary training at Western Culinary Institute, in Portland, Oregon. Eric’s role with Rouxbe is central to enhancing the student experience through quality course content and new course development at Rouxbe. Eric is also the lead instructor in Rouxbe courses, a role which he has enjoyed since 2016.