Tips from celebrity chef Christian Henze

Mister Henzeconscious Nutrition is becoming increasingly important for many people. You are a best-selling author and have published numerous cookbooks Star restaurant operated. How do I eat healthy?

Christian Henze: I would like to say that upfront, I am not a nutritionist, but I am in contact with many of these recognized experts. So how does healthy eating work? It is important, first of all, to eat a varied diet. This simple advice has been around for many years and I can totally agree with it. There are no unhealthy foods either, only those that are slightly cheaper in terms of their ingredients. Strawberries have more vitamin C than raspberries, so raspberries are not unhealthy. Today we have to be careful not to get lost in the jungle of information when it comes to healthy eating.

Then you can at the Nutrition not doing much wrong?

Henze: An unprocessed food of good quality, ideally organic, even better regional, is the measure of all things. In my opinion, cooking normally with good products is healthy, sustainable and honest. If you eat a normal diet, you usually get enough Vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fiber. In my opinion, dietary rules that are too extreme are often a luxury problem of our time; you shouldn’t go too crazy.

If you value unprocessed Groceries dishes from cans or cardboard bowls are probably not the best?

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Henze: That’s correct. By unprocessed food I mean going to the supermarket, buying a pepper, a cucumber, a fresh piece of meat and making a healthy meal at home. Then it’s alright. However, I am an opponent of blanket judgments that pizza, hamburgers and kebabs are inherently unhealthy. That’s not true unless you eat the dishes every day. Because then you would become too fat because the fat content is probably too high. There are very few processed foods that are definitely unhealthy. These include smoked meat products that are also fried. For example, salami that is roasted too hot on the pizza. This is where nitrosamines are formed, which are toxins that are carcinogenic.

How do I manage a healthy one? Nutrition to implement in everyday life?

Henze: The most important thing is regular shopping. You also have to know that vitamins in vegetables and fruit have a certain half-life. The harvest loses a certain amount of its ingredients over the days and weeks. You also have to know that vegetables that cook for too long lose vitamins. You can gain a lot for your body with fresh food and short cooking times.

How many Ingredients have to go to a good one Court?

Henze: I firmly believe that a good dish needs a maximum of five ingredients, if we leave out spices, pepper and vinegar. Think about it: you have really good sourdough bread with a nice crust and you put a piece of butter and a slice of really good mountain cheese on this fresh, fragrant bread. Take a bite! That’s exactly three ingredients. And you will experience culinary happiness.

Especially when you were out in the fresh air…

Henze: Exactly. And maybe put a slice of tomato on top and add some fresh chives. Then you will have a taste experience like in a star restaurant.

But doesn’t butter in particular have a reputation for being unhealthy?

Henze: Fat, nutritionists confirm, is essential and necessary for the body to survive. Some people think that if they eat a piece of butter they will die sooner and become fat. That’s simply not true. I would never buy a reduced fat yogurt, I always buy Greek yogurt that is high in protein and fat.

It depends on the quantity…

Henze: It’s the quantity that counts! Of course you have to enjoy everything with moderation and purpose, but there is little better for your diet than a piece of butter. It’s the same with eggs: Of course, ten eggs a day is not advisable, but what speaks against one egg in a healthy person? The amino acids in the egg are the necessary building blocks for a chicken to emerge. There are only two ingredients that are truly unhealthy: alcohol and sugar. If you ask me which food is the scourge of humanity…

… then that would be?

Henze: …then those would be soft drinks. Because they contain way too much sugar. Sugar is the scourge of humanity, responsible for many diseases of civilization. A good friend of mine is a pediatrician who can tell dramatic stories about diabetes.

Some say they can’t cook. What to do?

Henze: Most of the time it’s men who say this. I then ask the counter question: “But do you like grilling? That’s cooking too. Just expand it a bit.”

What equipment does the chef need?

Henze: My credo is that cooking should be simple and uncomplicated, with few ingredients and a clear recipe. Then you don’t need an armada of pots for many dishes. A good, coated pan is sufficient. I worked with a good producer to develop a pan that can be used to fry fish, meat and vegetables, and I’m incredibly proud of it.

But do you have to bring time?

Henze: It doesn’t take much time to cook healthy and tasty. I like to cook at home in the evenings, but it has to be done quickly. Most of my recipes can be implemented in 15 minutes, and the food should be ready in half an hour at the latest.

What do you like to cook in your family?

Henze: Food is always a highlight for us. I like to fry a piece of meat or a piece of fish. Then there is always a good salad with it. And we also like to have a snack in the evening.

Do you have a recipe for us?

Henze: A simple, good recipe from my latest cookbook is sizzling meat with fried onions in tomato sauce: This is a pork fillet with Emmental cheese and fried onions. It’s made in one pan and is extremely tasty.

If you watch cooking shows we Kitchen Impossible with Tim Mälzer people like to, well, swear there. That won’t happen to you, will it?

Henze: For years I ran a star restaurant called Landhaus Henze in Probstried. Of course there is a completely different pressure there and it could get louder at times. But for me there are always “please” and “thank you”. We always have a very collegial and friendly relationship among our employees.

To person: Christian Henze, 55, cooked for Eckart Witzigmann and ran the star restaurant Landhaus Henze in Probstried near Kempten from 1995 to 2009. Today he runs his cooking school, cooks on TV and has written 41 books, including “Just in the Pan!”.

Intersana: You can experience Christian Henze live at the Intersana health trade fair, which takes place from Friday, May 3rd to Sunday, May 5th, at the Augsburg trade fair. Admission for adults 10 euros, reduced price 8 euros, children up to 12 years free.