Rachel Brownstein
Jim Moore 0:15
Hello, my name is Jim, this is my podcast the bloody vegans. You're very welcome to it. Each week I'll be travelling ever deeper into the world of veganism, discovering along the way a multitude of viewpoints from the political and ethical to the practical. I'll be doing this through a series of conversations, each aiming to further illuminate my understanding, and hopefully yours of all things plant centric, and this week is no different. I'm going to be chatting with former adult performer, public speaker and the face of a brand new, relatively brand new YouTube vegan cooking channel. Rachel Brownstein. Rachel is the host of Auntie Rachel's chaotic kitchen, which is like a food based YouTube channel in which Rachel shares all kinds of incredibly creative recipes. I think what's really unique about Rachel is she doesn't follow any kind of particular rules around cookery. She's an incredibly creative person, and pours all of that energy and passion that she has for food and creativity into into our channel and into a cooking. So you genuinely do feel like you're learning something brand new that you may not have seen elsewhere. So, without further ado, here's a conversation between me and Rachel Brownstein.
Rachel would be awesome to get started with a little bit of your personal journey into the world of veganism what's kind of brought you here
Rachel Brownstein 1:52
so I suppose we you start seeing these TV programmes Hugh's chicken roll, I think and Jamie saves our bacon or whichever one it was. And yeah, you know, these people is showing you what's been done to animals so I can put bacon in my face. And I was like, Okay, this started to feel a bit uneasy about this. So you know, I'd start trying to buy British you know, the tractor stuff. So then it's British farms, because that's better. And then free range chicken, because that's better. And then a friend of mine actually became vegan. And she was started posting things on Facebook, and became associated with an animal sanctuary who rescues farm animals. And I watched land of hope and glory. And I was traumatised, afterwards, I felt awful, I can really feel really shitty about myself and the choices that I've been making. And obviously, the more you interact with things on Facebook, the more it shows you like the algorithms like you want animal abuse videos, this is great, we'll show you more he go. And, and I remember one. This was it was like a news clip of a woman in was either America or Canada. And it was 40 degrees outside and it was a big traffic jam, and there was a slaughter truck full of pigs. And you could see her with a smartphone camera recording it and these pigs are gasping on the floor cuz it's so hot, and she squirted water through the bars and got arrested for criminal damage. And I just, I think that's the one that hit me the hardest of how, you know, we rail against people who put dogs in hot cars. So why is it okay for pigs to be in hot trucks, you know, and I just the dissonance will get harder and harder to balance. So I decided, as I always do, because I don't do half measures where I'm going vegan. So I went from everything to nothing, you know, and I was very much the sort of person that would go to an all you can eat steak buffet, and eat all of it. And then suddenly, I was like, Oh shit, I need to radically change my approach to cooking what I'm going to buy. So I cooked my last sort of meat meal in December is Christmas dinner. 2017. Right, that's going to be the last time I eat meat as much as I can. And then started buying, you know, like soy milk and soy Yaga and trying to find ways of replacing it. And then yeah, just sort of nose dived into or, you know, dived headfirst into the world of plants. And it's kind of I've always loved food and I've quite enjoyed cooking, but I think this is reinvigorated that love and born a curiosity of, Okay, well if I can't get the chewy juiciness from a steak, what can I get that's going to kind of satisfy the textual things that I'm craving. And how can I get that from plants? You know, and it's it's just made me very experimental and a bit kind of creative and yeah adventurous, which is fun. It's a lot of fun.
Jim Moore 5:03
And what was the what were the reactions like from friends or family? So I imagine lots of people if they, if they knew you was, you know, the Rachel who goes to the all you can eat steak buffet, and and you know, is there there for the night like and then you've transitioned to this, you know, what was their reaction? Like?
Rachel Brownstein 5:23
There was some a lot of shock, but I think, you know, I think a lot of my friends, you know, I've known you know, I love animals and, you know, I've always tried to be caring and compassionate sort of person. So I think there was a bit of really Oh, okay, all right. Yeah. Okay. You know, and, and like my mom, she because we, when we eat together, we used to typically vegetarian, you know, it wasn't always we were never a sort of meat and two veg kind of family. So she was like, Well, yeah, you know, whenever, whenever you cook for me, I'm happy to eat vegan food. So it'll be interesting to see what what you can make and recommended some, like auto Auto landgate yotam Ottolenghi, I've got his cookbooks if you want to read them, he does a lot of vegan stuff. So yeah, I think it was a little bit of shakun. Okay, didn't have you down for a tofu eater. But yeah, and then kind of a lot of support, I think as well. And people, you know, for who've I haven't seen them for a year or so like, you still vegan, like, Oh, well done a nice one. It's great.
Jim Moore 6:27
Having kind of got into it, you know, from an animal ethic ethics point of view, you know very much with that, you know, that video of that, that save and the pig was, you know, receiving a, you know, a drink in those awful moments in his in his life. You know, did you? Did you kind of have any, any sort of feelings around the health side? Did you kind of Was there any concern in you that you was like, well, I've just made made this decision ethically, but, you know, my health might have to suffer as a result of it, or were you fairly confident in the knowledge?
Rachel Brownstein 7:00
Yeah, I don't think that ever, I think, if anything, I thought I'd probably do a bit of benefit, right, because I can't eat Haribo, chocolate and stuff. And I've always kind of, or, in recent years, I've become more aware that we're being sold this you need more protein, and it's a load of bollocks. So it's the word there was never that sort of barrier for me really. And, and then there's been because I have a medical condition, I've got something called eilers danlos syndrome, which is like a connective tissue disorder. And it's gotten worse in the last few years. And I'm like, Is this because of my diary? I don't know. And then I'm like, What do I do about that? If it is, you know, and I don't know what what it is I have these 2am You know, when you're on the toilet, like what would I do if I have to eat my Well, I'd have to go hunting, I suppose. Because I don't I couldn't see myself ever going back to buying plastic tubs full of meat. Yeah, so what's the most ethical way of consuming meat? Will it be going out and catching it, wouldn't it or shooting a pigeon in my backyard, something like that. But I don't know it's one of these things. Again, I need to explore a bit more and find out because it's all you know, you end up on Google having a look and you just end up down rabbit holes and misinformation. So it's and it's one of these things you get left with you get the diagnosis and then out the door. Go on off the farm sort out yourself. So it's gonna take money to get nutritionists and people who, who know veganism unknown, ala has done loss to kind of get that intersection I would say, so they can do both really.
Jim Moore 8:41
And I imagine that's a pretty niche group of people who know that condition really well. And our vegan nutritionist,
Rachel Brownstein 8:49
NASA it's gonna be because I've met a load of nutritionists and vegans but you know, at a note of people with Ehlers danlos but it's yeah getting the somebody who knows because very little is known about the disorder. Yeah, you know, and they say oh, it's quite rare and it's like it's not it's just rarely diagnosed because especially in the UK, you know, the NHS has been put under these ridiculous constraints of you've got 10 minutes for an appointment. So if you've got someone like me who walks in with multi system issues, he knows that they have to treat symptomatically rather than taking a step back and say, right let's look at your body. Let's look at your mind. Let's look at everything that's going wrong and seeing if there's something because oh yeah, there is there something that would check every box that you've just walked in with. So but you know, hopefully the more time that passes and the more funding that's given to these areas, and the more you know, this Twitter is great for finding other people like you. So chronic illness, Twitter, I've learned so much and found so many people that have the exact same experiences and it's led me to kind of realise all that isn't nothing that's actually a medical disorder that I have and when I stand up and fall over That's because of pots, you know. So it's really interesting how these little changes you make in your life and the lifestyle, you suddenly end up finding this world of information. And for me, it's helped me kind of grow as a person as woowoo as that sounds, but being able to understand my body and understand my limits physically, it has helped me to become the kind of with myself instead of you're a lazy bastard Get up, it's like, yeah, I'm gonna die. Rest for a couple of days, because I'm in a lot of pain right now. You know, it's kind of finding balances.
Jim Moore 10:33
It's interesting and good to hear I think that you've you've found like minded and people going through similar experiences on social media has your you know, experience of social media either in the vegan community or outside of it? You know, is it is it generally been that positive? Because I suppose for most people, it's probably not Oh, I'm wondering, like, you know, moving into the vegan community, have you found that a more positive space? or, or, or there's just as many problems as sort of non vegan social media if you like,
Rachel Brownstein 11:08
Yeah, do I mean, I joined a couple of Facebook groups, like ones for aquafaba once for say, Tom. And you know, you read through a few posts, like, Oh, this is really nice. Everyone's Hello. Oh, there we go. There's the bitching. It's just like, I don't know, I guess it's this kind of shield that computers give us or social media gives us like, I can say anything I want because they can't see me. And so I think, yeah, sort of our social compassion and perhaps our common decency is being slowly eroded online, because with the things you say online, for a lot of people, they just wouldn't say to your face, but they suddenly feel empowered because they've got a device there. You know, so it's like a bit of anonymity. Yeah, there's enough there's plenty is as many assholes in the vegan community in real real life
Jim Moore 12:05
sadly, I'll probably have to agree. Thinking about you know, the the inspiration behind the channel, because you know, and coming at it from the angle of what we've just talked about there and the presence on social media, what has struck me about it apart from the, the, you know, the great cooking and the tips and tricks and so on, is that the feeling it creates is one of getting to hang out with you in a pretty relaxed space. And, and it feels sort of slower, in a good way karma in a good way more or more at home, then I see a lot of sort of other vegan influencer type cooking channels and things like that, which are much more showy, if you like, if they for want of a better word, much more kind of about the presenter, rather than about the relationship between the presenter and the audience, which I think is really unique about yours, and something I really enjoy. Was that was that was that kind of something that you were keen to create? When when thinking about it? You know, what was the inspiration behind it?
Rachel Brownstein 13:17
COVID Yeah, so I, I had to save self isolate from the 16th of March last year. Okay. So two weeks in my bedroom, and then and then full lockdown happen at once. And, you know, I got to the point, it must have been, I guess, mid April's, okay, I've watched Tiger King.
Jim Moore 13:40
I've watched all the Netflix, I've made a banana bread.
Rachel Brownstein 13:44
I've got a sourdough starter, everything is cool. And I'm just you know, and I needed and I could I, so I have depression, anxiety. And I could feel myself circling the drain of a major episode, as I write, I need something to focus on. And I'm an actor, and a writer, public speaker. And all of my creative outlets typically require other people or waiting patients, these kinds of things, whereas cooking, so I just started going in the kitchen and baking or cooking and, and I post some, you know, take a picture. And people on Twitter were like, why don't you, you know, have a YouTube channel. I was like, why don't I have a YouTube? Yeah, all right, okay, why not? So and it was literally as easy as that. And because I thought as well. Creating a kind of not passive income, but creating a revenue stream that didn't rely on me leaving the house was going to be invaluable, because I don't think this is the last time we're going to see this kind of thing. Until we start radically changing our eating choices. I think this kind of thing is suddenly going to keep happening, maybe not to this extent, but I think, you know, certainly the way we travel the world and the way we you know, anyway, so I thought it's great. It's a great time to build something and start creating A little brand for myself a little business and the thing I find annoying for me like TV chefs in particular is not as tele to you something but they don't say why they're doing it but why are you putting that in there what what does it do? So I made a sort of decision right anytime I put something in that's not obvious I want to try and explain why I'm doing it and if and if I don't know I'll say I don't know but I'm going to find out you know and kind of show people my working out as it were. Yeah, you know, and I don't practice anything typically. Uh, you know, I just turn the camera on I have a rough idea in my head I've got ingredients and right right let's see what happens stop brushing things in a pan and people seem to really be enjoying that and like you say it's that in formality I suppose it's just me in the kitchen in that and the kind of Auntie Rachel very much the chaotic kitchen jazza even started as I was editing. It was like there is that sort of kind of I'd like people to think that I don't know where to go for advice I'm gonna go ask our Auntie Rachel you know and I'm not a parent and I don't think I ever will be a parent but I'd love to have little you and I'm not I don't have any siblings. So you know and I guess it's that from other cultures that you know call Uncle and Auntie to sort of you know older people or or just any other people that they see I kind of like that I like I think it builds a really nice connection in a way so yeah, this channel is very much just me experimenting. And I don't I try not to hide my failures. When people are on YouTube you can see all of your analytics and I know this is wrong because I know a few women watch it but according to YouTube 100% of my view is a man i think is hysterical for a cooking show. But you know so I've had like meeting guys say you're the only woman that can make me go vegan. really enjoying what you're doing you know and I've had someone said I made my wife the apple butter the other days you loved it or you know I made the grits cake and it's incredible so just getting these guys cooking you know and I it's unfortunate that this is special to me that men cooking is such as great shouldn't be that way but it is so and if I can help normalise that, you know, encouraging guys to get into the kitchen and nourish themselves and entertain themselves in a non destructive manner. Yeah, that's great, you know,
Jim Moore 17:34
and fascinating. There's lots of non vegan folks as well coming to the channel okay that's what that's exciting.
Rachel Brownstein 17:41
Yeah, I mean I think so guy a lot of the guys know me from my past work as an adult film star Yeah, so they you know, and then I was doxxed so that's how they know my real name. So they obviously come to Google and then oh, well she got a new job that's not what I expected But hang on. She's making fun out of it. Is this and if that helps create you know, vegans stealth stealth veganizing I think that's all wonderful.
Jim Moore 18:11
Well it's an angle have not come across yet but why not? You know I think like it's like this sort of Trojan horse of bringing people into the community what's the reaction been like from you know, perhaps those folks from that from who know you from that past industry have they generally like like you say they've taken to vegan cooking and accepted this is this is where Rachel's eyes great
Rachel Brownstein 18:38
Yes, I did a podcast interview a couple of weeks ago and I after retiring it like 10 plus years ago I was kind of like I'm done with that it doesn't serve any purpose I don't make any money from it so I'm just gonna walk away and then you know, people harass and Hound and everything I just you know, tried to kind of keep my head down a bit. But recently I've started doing public speaking and I've written a book on this kind of stuff and I did this podcast as well I'd like to share this with my followers but a kind of I suppose need to out myself so I put something on face while on all my social media and said you know used to do porn and now I do this you know? And the amount of comments and the support and the love of guys saying I know you from your past work and I i love that you've reinvented yourself and I love watching everything you're doing now I think it's incredible yes it's really beautiful like I was crying reading these comments just like oh my god this is so touching.
Jim Moore 19:39
Yeah, no it is it is brilliant that you've that you found this you know a different career and and moved into this space and like I say if you if it takes some people who were fans before and moves them into a new space and get some cooking and you know what, why not I say it's a great a great shout. I'm interested You know, this this project of, you've come up with this idea you want to you want to create this YouTube channel, obviously you've got a creative past, you know, public speaker, actor, all of these all of these kinds of different creative streams. But taking on the kind of technical challenges of ambition we talked about before we started recording a little bit but taking on the technical was that was that a learning curve for you? Or were these skills he kind of brought from the past?
Rachel Brownstein 20:26
I don't have curves the right word it was like so I had so with when you as an actor, you have to do self tapes. Right? So I had editing software, I use Filmora. But my experience of editing was titled card clip title card sent. So suddenly, I had to take four hours of cooking 10 minutes, and then you know, and work around all of these many issues that doing this kind of stuff throws up, you know, suddenly like, Oh, I can't use that because it took a while. because everything's, I do everything myself. So I would be talking and explaining something and then I'd have like, Oh, shit, I forgot to do this. And then I, and then I forget and turn my back to the camera and stop talking and just going off in my head, like, oh my god. So but it's like, as I'm relaxing into x, I guess I've been filming since joy. So I don't know what, six, seven months now. You know, and as I'm relaxing into it, I can get my B cam and I can pull it in and out of shot. Because at the beginning I kept forgetting it. So it's an A now I'm getting better with the Edit like the Jamaican ginger cake, we were talking about, like a few people. So I think that's the best one yet just the way that you're editing it and moving things around is just really skillful. Like you taught yourself how to do that. So it's but again, I boss off it, you know, being able to like seeing a problem and then thinking okay, how can I get around this and then so the, the ident thing where you see the the crosses come up, I was like, you can't do really animation in this in the software. I got like a screen recording app, drew the crosses, and I put them over like a green picture. And then Chroma keyed it back out again and just sat down afterwards. Like, I cannot believe I've just figured out how to do that, like, proper buzzing off it. You know, so it's just, it's wonderful to teach yourself things and to explore and throw yourself in really hot, like wholeheartedly just leaping towards the unknown. I think he's incredibly empowering.
Jim Moore 22:49
Is there is there an element of you having found this kind of creative outlet in this that is I suppose potentially a little bit apprehensive about sort of us going back you know if it's June 21 and everything kind of you know, we're all out in the open again. And everything's you know, as it was before not there probably will be but you know, in that imaginary world if it if it is and you know, we go back to the the treadmill that we were all on before, how would you feel about that?
Rachel Brownstein 23:22
I don't know it's a way because I've tend to spend most of my time on my own anyway, so I was ready for this isn't such a shock to me. I might know. Okay, you all floundering and I'm here Yeah. Okay, bring it out. I think it's gonna be a real struggle for some people who have especially people who are very social, then they're suddenly very isolated and then suddenly going back out into the wild again, I think because I certainly noticed when I'm speaking to people, you know, if you're chatting to a shop assistant, you just get some very tired afterwards so I think we've all become slightly institutionalised and I think we've got this you know having to maintain to me to distance I get back from the supermarket and I'm exhausted in because it's you just have to be on on your guard like oh my God, this old lady right here. Get your shopping Barger out the way. So I think it's going to take a long period of readjustment to get I don't know if we ever will get back to normal. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. In some ways, obviously. And there are other parts of me that grieve, maybe is the right word, you know, for the world that we had. But I am trying to live in hope that we're going to learn some stuff from this and we're going to realise these things aren't necessarily as important as we thought they were. But these things are much more precious than we realised. You know, and teaching us skills and how to navigate the online world. You know, an embrace technology but then really treasure those kind of in person interactions that we have and nature hopefully because we've all you know we've all gone on daily walks and we go outside and I think the first lockdown in particular I wish I'd spent more time outside listening because the sound of human silence was just phenomenal like hearing birds doing this call and call and respond to the call you know, he could hear one group of birds and then and just the Muslim 1000s of them making this noise and I was just mesmerised but then I was like all right, yeah, we'll come back tomorrow and then and then suddenly was like what restrictions are lifted? Well there are the cars again and the planes Okay, I've missed an opportunity haven't I?
Jim Moore 25:45
Yeah, I'm totally with you. But particularly that first lock down it was there was that sense? And there was a real reconnection I think with things that are important you know, whether it's you know, you've appreciated the time you have when with family or appreciating you know, your your surroundings in nature and so I think those were were really important I do have a bit of a fear or concern or most that we will be we're racing to get back and we'll be you know, so excited to do all the things that we did before that we will see an explosion in international travel and it will be worse than it was before and I hope not but there's sort of that as a counter to your optimism there's probably a little pessimistic side of me that says is that gonna happen but I don't know. I don't know.
Rachel Brownstein 26:40
I mean the thing that's and this has been on my mind since you know very early on like we were already had really bad plastic waste problems I just dread to think you know, because within a couple of months there were just masks all over and I don't live in a particularly busy neighbourhood even there it was just you know, I'm like you dirty bastards Why would you know why? Why are we doing this? So those places in the ocean where there is just like these islands of trash What are they made of now? That's for them don't think about it just eat some cake crawl into a hole and never come out?
Jim Moore 27:19
Well that that's the that's the scary thing. But yeah, I think probably will be okay if we think about Jamaican ginger cake it's also something that's going back to the channel it'd be great to sort of understand a little bit about where you got you get and have got the inspiration for your recipes on because there is a real sense of for me of like you know, really kind of comforting home cooking a lot as well but as well as it feeling creative and and kind of often things that I wouldn't necessarily have thought to try. So we're saying wait, where they come from?
Rachel Brownstein 28:04
Am I honestly most of the time I don't know I just I'll see something and then I'll add it I don't know I don't know how it works and I wish I had a better answer than that. But so I think like I made sweet potato forge and I think that started because I'd made I made a I think I made a patty from sweet potato and then I thought I could use that process and it's quite sticky and gooey in unwired wants some fudge and I just I have these like I have that I want this end result and this is what I got. What can I pull you know what can I do? Yeah is very I have a very active brain late at night my very much a night owl. And the more tired and stressed I am the more creative I get. I think my brains trying to escape the darkness that's in there like what's nice, what can you feed yourself that's gonna make you feel better. But it is it's about this kind of Yeah, the more experimental it is, the more fun I find it, you know, and so last weekend, I made a creme brulee and I was just like, well I'm gonna use silken tofu because that's kind of a bit wobbly, and coconut cream and condensed milk and let's just see what happens. So it is just very experimental. And I and when I made the Jamaican ginger cake when I did the Dolce de Lecce, I thought you know wonder what happened because I pressure cook that for 15 minutes and I thought at the time, I wonder what would happen if I made this really dark? If I put it in for an hour? Would he go black? What would happen? So I thought I'll do that for the creme brulee. It doesn't go much darker. That's gonna need more experimentation. But yeah, I just, you know, I have a little notepad. Next My bed was just little ideas that I'll jot down and then and then each time I do a recipe, it kind of sparks off ideas for another three or four. And, you know, techniques that I learned. Or I'll watch the two ones I watch on YouTube are source stash and Connie's rawsome kitchen. Those will come on to first channels. I started watching as I transitioned, why didn't even transition, but I went big. And sort of unnecessary. Because that's the kind of cook I've always been just experiments, throw things in a pan, see what happens. And then seeing them do that with plants. I was like, Okay, yeah, there's some fun in that, and especially with with sore stash, he's just got this little kid kind of vibe to him, like, Oh my god, he just gets so excited. I want to be blown away by ingredients.
Jim Moore 30:52
So there was, there was no cooking history, like formally no training. This is all for activity.
Rachel Brownstein 31:00
Yeah, I mean, I've worked in restaurants, but front of house since I don't know age 13 I suppose. So some of the techniques like I know how to Quinn owl, like do some scoops. So there's, there is a little bits of cooking knowledge, I suppose. But it's I'm very much a home, you know, self taught home cook, learn from my mom. But when I started filming, Mom said to me, like I remember you as a kid experimenting while we were baking like you do. Instead of putting milk in a cake, you put orange juice, because you wanted to see what would happen when you were like eight. So I and she said I guess this is where you're always meant to be. I guess everything you've done in your life was always kind of going to pull you back in this direction. It's Yeah, I just I love I like putting boundaries, I suppose in a way. Yeah, like what can you do with this food that's going to be unexpected and, and I love being surprised.
Jim Moore 32:02
Have you had weird folks kind of starting to request the recipes be put into some sort of other form, you know, into book form or a blog or?
Rachel Brownstein 32:11
Yeah, people keep asking me if I'm going to do a book. And I would love to do that. Excuse me, I'd love to do like. So my mom got me a book for my birthday, which is the Food Lab. I want to say k Kenji j alto and it's the most ridiculous book I've ever seen. It's amazing it's 700 odd pages. And it's each page is like a magazine kind of thickness so you can Yeah, it's that thick and isn't that big you know it's beastly to read it in bed. That's so heavy this thing is but he just gets very geeky into the science of food but as a meat eater so there's very little in there about vege it's all about the cooking temperatures and a mild reaction and you know should you salt beef before or after cooking this kind of stuff which is great and I do kind of learn a little bit about food that way by would very much like Sue to do something that detailed but do it for plants you know and because I've got all these powders in my cupboard The only starches and gums and all sorts and I don't really know anything about them so to you know to get a publishing deal or however it happens you know and then be like okay, I'm getting paid to find out about this stuff and go and speak to food scientists and you know really start understanding why I'm putting these things in my food you know, cuz I do it a little bit but it's just guesswork. So to be able to have a more informed guess would be great. And you know, I've thought about doing a course as well like an online course. I do some very you know, I did one video was trying to create the perfect gammon steak, because so I put I was trying to make snacks and I mixed potato starch and a load of spices and some water, chucked it in the air fryer and when I opened it I pulled it out it was like jelly like it looked like bacon. Oh my god. It was mild like I mean I'll email it if you like the pictures I took I was like back looks like raw bacon. Okay, what can I do with this? So then I spent an hour nine hours in the kitchen filmed it all and just doing different different starches with oil, different starches with water, different starches with yoghurt you know what's all this gonna do? So I guess I was subconsciously building up course material potentially, you know, so I've just got a hard drive full of stuff that I wouldn't want to put on YouTube because it's not my best you know, it's it's stuff that would be better in a kind of core setting. You know, something that doesn't need to be quite as polished or you know switched on and it's okay I've got my back to the camera because I'm depressed
Jim Moore 35:10
I love this almost like scientific approach to your creativity you know I'll keep trying and testing and trying and testing and how did that work and then noting that down you know is that that seems like quite a unique style to you I'm not sort of a patient of that I think it's quite fascinating
Rachel Brownstein 35:28
Yeah, it was sort of I mean and that's it that isn't typically how I cook I rarely rehearse anything practice anything but I think especially after seeing this potato starch bacon I was intrigued like I need to do a bit of okay and you know, I keep having these ideas of Oh, I should do that and maybe do a multi step thing and do a kind of almost experiment lab setting. Kind of deep dive into it. I mean, I've made so I made gummies out of Apple, like I have an apple tree in my garden. So many apples last year. So I made gummies out of that that made licorice the apple puree and it's yeah it's kind of fascinating these random powders get from special ingredients these are special
Jim Moore 36:20
I can't even imagine like having the almost the what's the word they're sort of courage to buy them you know? Because I just think I would I don't know where the first thing to do I love it's just such a joy of creativity lol just buy them and see what happens
Rachel Brownstein 36:37
it typically happens because I'll be either on eBay or Amazon at two in the morning like oh yeah I need so the other day I bought a smoker made vegan cheese and now I need to smoke it but you know so I'll be like all what this thing is our biosimilar and try it and then it's a you might also like I'm like yeah I need some more I've got two pots and it's a current board it is like calcium something and sodium something else and it's what they use for molecular gastronomy to make you know like the little pearls of stuff. Yeah, make sausage casings they've been in there for a year I haven't touched it but you know one day But yeah, I do kind of like I like doing something and then it not being quite right and then I think you know what, what do you know what might work in that that random thing about six months ago that I haven't touched that that'll do that job and I love that
Jim Moore 37:37
the another thing that's kind of fascinating about it and your approach to it is you don't sort of shy away from trying to make meat substitutes and cheese substitutes and things like that you know, like whereas I think most sort of vegan cooks particularly kind of home cooks wouldn't probably attempt that kind of stuff they would buy that stuff shop or and then kind of make you know stuff purely out of like you know make carrots out of carrots kind of thing What can I do with this and make something has the kind of like appealing particularly to maybe your own you know, former tastes, taste profiles, the things you used to enjoy as well as the omnivorous folks now that you're kind of interacting with it is appealing to that palate important to you as part of the channel and and part of your cooking
Rachel Brownstein 38:31
Yeah, so it's I mean the meat substitutes are expensive and they generate a lot of plastic waste as well so this part of it is trying to eliminate some of that and also I because I never really ate prepackaged food. So now it seems mad to be vegan and eating processed food line, you know, suppose that kind of, but I still haven't got it right so that fucking wheat gluten flavour so yeah, it's that I think my palate woke up when I stopped eating animal products and I was like, What is it? Okay, so what is it I'm missing? What do I want to and crunch became very important and hot sauce I started eating what I think because you because you don't have to chew, you start looking for other sensations or for me I did anyway. And I just yeah, I find it. It reassuring maybe that I can go in the cupboard and make meat. You know, some very high protein. Right? This is the perfect apocalypse food. When the zombies Come, I'll be alright, you know, there's no cows, I'll still be able to feed myself protein, you know, but it's that, again, just this joyous exploration of different sensations and textures and what can I put in here and that's missing something I've chosen to Keillor in it because that tastes gamey like it's mad the way the sirt the things you suddenly discover and it's like you know those What do they call them exploded views you see especially in yeah in like in product
Jim Moore 40:18
marketing and yeah I know what you mean yeah
Rachel Brownstein 40:21
that is what my palate has become it's like and then suddenly I'm like oh it's this this this and this these are the elements that I'm missing from rice steak you know it has that kind of rancid off vibe the venison house and then it's got this sweetness and you know, how do I get that into what I'm trying to make? So it's yes it's so interesting you know, trying to better I guess you you develop or I've developed a language almost or a wider vocabulary of what it is that I'm looking for. Whereas before as audio I just want something meaty so yeah, but what does that mean? What does what is it that you want from meat so now I'm much more able to better specify I want to buy into something in a burst blows a juice into my mouth or you know I want something that feels good between my molars or you know, able to pinpoint things
Jim Moore 41:21
well where do you stand on the on the meat substitute stuff you know, because like we you talked about they're you know, they're they're often expensive, the plastic packaging not great, etc. But as somebody you know, who's transitioned into the world of veganism? Did you find you initially you relied quite heavily upon them? Do you think they still have a place or do you think there's a slightly dangerous element of potential for putting people off veganism because they might not be that as healthy if they you know, eat a lot of meat substitutes and also that they won't feel any cost savings of not buying meat because they're buying quite expensive substitute? Where do you think they sit? Do they have a role?
Rachel Brownstein 42:02
Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I think Excuse me, I think it's it's all well and good having these ideologies of you should just eat whole food and you know, just keen Wah or whatever. It's just not practical, you know, and I think you know, for people who have who are transitioning or who were even just wanting to have like one meat fried meal a week, I think meat substitutes, they provide a bit of familiarity. And I think when you have familiarity if you have a sort of relatively stable foundation you can then start being a become a bit more experimental or adventurous you know, if you you know, plants aren't the most exciting thing to eat sometimes unless you really know what you're doing. So to expect somebody to go from eating meat and all animal products to then suddenly just eating food plants without giving them any tools or anything that's familiar it's just gonna I think it's very difficult especially for people in the UK because the you know, the palette the spices is you know, it's a cuisine that's not packed full of herbs and spices. Well, it's becoming more so I suppose, but comparatively compared to something like Middle Eastern food or Indian food, they're very you know, potent in their aromatics and flavourings. So it's, I think, easier to okay we'll call out the mince lamb and just put chickpeas you know, because you've got all this other stuff going on. Whereas I think meat substitutes Yeah, they're not the most healthful thing to be eating you know what I certainly don't eat them every day of the week. But sometimes you just want a burger once Yeah, and it's just filthy and you know just taste good and like I had the I want to say rebel Whopper the plant based and you know what, it's delicious and I didn't have that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach like guys to get with beef burgers, you know, it's just taken ages to digest I was like, I'm full, but I don't feel heavy, which was nice. And I could see other people eating it and just and you know, and they were like having this thing with their mates like oh my God, this actually tastes All right. And that's so exciting. You know, when you hear stories, how KFC are selling out of the plant based chicken, like la are seeing that's wonderful. You know, anything that contributes to eating and abusing less animals for me is is something that should be embraced and shouted about.
Jim Moore 44:40
Yeah, 100% talking about the because you mentioned in there about, you know, having the either ideology around whole food plant based or being raw vegan, and you know, the way that we you know, the way we share a lot of information as you and I both do is through social media, and you You know, the platforms that we that we build and etc. But there's certainly been in the last few years, I'm sure you've seen in the, in the, you know, three, four years since becoming vegan, that there's a rise in that kind of lifestyle veganism on social media particularly on platforms like Instagram and so on the kind of, you know, the the version of the, the yogi who eats chemo three times a day and so on and so forth. And there's a certain look that is associated with that and all that kind of thing. Do you think that's potentially you know, not particularly conducive to bringing folks along into the vegan community? is a probably a diplomatic way for you. I don't mean to ask a leading question. I'm just I'm just intrigued as to your particular perspective on it.
Rachel Brownstein 45:51
Yeah, I think there is definitely a stereotype isn't there of either because people will find out I'm vegan and like, I didn't know you were vegan. I'm really sorry that I said all that shit. All right. Some of them bring it on themselves don't really. But you know, I think I suppose for me, I had the capacity to become less preachy vegans when I started finding out what was happening in terms of animal agriculture. And it was because I didn't know but then once I didn't know I could make changes so then I guess there's a thought pattern of perhaps they don't know. So if I tell them that might help, and then not everybody wants to know, because then you have to make changes. So I guess when there's certain lifestyle vegans, you know, and the ones who are less understanding that not everybody feels the same way. That's why I don't really talk about veganism on the channel. I you know, I call it I rarely say vegan in the videos I title it vegan because that helps with the SEO part. It's not I don't make a big point about it being vegan vegan. You know, just because I know that can be a bit off putting for people and I guess maybe they worry is this woman going to show me animal abuse videos that I really don't want to see? You know, because some of them do. But yeah, I think especially with men I reckon, because quite often you see people like what's his name like Earthling Ed? I suppose like to me I think very handsome chap but then he's very slender in frame so then your big Lancer like well I don't want to look like him because he's you know, there's like is that causing this boundary? I don't know. But yeah, there is a certain aesthetic I think that people stereotypically think of and not all of us fit that brief you know i i look pretty much the same. My face has gotten a lot thinner but I still eat like a pig you know I am not shocked to me really that I lost weight despite a lot of fat without trying like Earth there is clearly some health you know health benefits to the vegan diet without even trying to vote Yeah, yeah.
Jim Moore 48:08
on that subject, did you because we didn't really touch on it too much but did you did you feel a tonne of health benefits as you went through the the journey
Rachel Brownstein 48:18
No. And I suppose maybe that's in part because I did he kind of vegetarian a lot you know so I had meat maybe two three times a week and the rest are just you know have something like a shark shoe course personally you know with eggs or whatever I maybe did think oh maybe I'll start feeling a bit healthier and yeah, if I didn't have the medical condition maybe I would you know maybe it's because it's there's a chronic fatigue element to it. So I'm knackered a lot the time I need to stop saying knackered shattered we'll be right away. So it's it was difficult to say oh yeah, I feel better and that's because right of going vegan but yeah, I've certainly noticed around here as much smaller and much slimmer and in the collarbones as well. And when I after maybe I suppose six months after changing. I'd lost weight but my clothes fit the same. So I wonder if I was losing the fat that sits around your organs. I'd have a visceral fat Nicola Yeah. So yeah, I've wondered if if I'm losing fat that I can't really see as such, which is kind of interesting but yeah, it was never the the reason for it was more of a bonus. kind of make some
Jim Moore 49:40
nice byproduct. Yeah. Yeah. Just for folks who've not seen the channel yet. Where would you recommend they start? Is there a favourite recipe for you Is there one that really stands out for you as maybe you enjoyed making it or you just think it's the best thing to try to start
Rachel Brownstein 50:00
So I think so my personal favourite video is the chocolate and chestnuts sweet potato tart with spice cherry, ginger, spiced ginger cherry butter. And it's my favourite because the oven died making it and this was on Christmas Eve just gone. And the fact that I kept going and I kind of sidestepped and I adapt is okay, how am I going to do this thing because inside was like just suck this off and go back to bed ratio. And I didn't. And I kept and it came out amazingly and I was so proud of myself that I was proud of it anyway, but then on top of everything else was just brilliant. But I think that one's good. Because it's there's like three, no four different components. So there's the fruit butter, which I've made a few different fruit butters. So that kind of gives you ideas and the technique of how to do it. Then there's the sweet potato filling. So again, you can use that for multiple different recipes and then some pastry and as a ganache on top. So I think it could be a good one for sparking off other ideas of Oh, maybe I could try that but with something else, you know. Yeah, I suppose or the not shepherd's pie. If some if people are you know, like a sort of people who are thinking maybe do I want to go a bit plant based, that's a great one because it's, you wouldn't necessarily know there's not meat in it because he doesn't really have that meat sort of thing. And I've I use lentils and mushrooms to compensate, and a bit of Seta but that and polenta on top instead of mashed potatoes. Revelation, nice cheesy polenta on top of everything. But yeah, I think that's another good one to spark off some ideas and think oh, okay, yeah, you can kind of just put loads of things in and surround it in gravy and then put it under a do ray of corn. And it will be amazing.
Jim Moore 52:05
I love is kind of if anything, sort of showing people the creativity that you've applied is applicable to them so like you say it sparks off 100 ideas that you could do yourself when once you start getting out of the idea that in that in that sort of Shepherd less pie if you like that there's there's that you don't have to put mashed potato on top. I think just even even that notion then makes people think well actually, I don't need to put anything I'm supposed to put anywhere. I could try loads of different things. Yeah, that's great.
Rachel Brownstein 52:38
That's it's because that's how it keeps happening. For me. I'm like, because I was I think I set out initially to do a mashed potato and I was like, a baby. Did I have no potatoes? I remember how it happened. I was like no polite, because you know, and it's Yeah, it just yeah, once I do something as of the action of doing it then creates, I guess a pathway. And then my brain is like Yeah, but what about that? Just, it's, it really just start firing off creativity where I didn't expect it.
Jim Moore 53:11
I love it. I love it. That's so great. I think reason to get involved in the channel amongst many, many others say it does create a warm feeling of of hanging out with somebody familiar, it's great. It's really nice. It's one that know where would folks go about finding you the channel, obviously put some links in the show notes, etc for people to find that'd be good for them to hear to
Rachel Brownstein 53:35
hear. So I'm on week I can predominantly found on Twitter, which is RT Rachel with an eight instead of the A, but we can link up properly. And then the YouTube is Auntie Rachel's chaotic kitchen. Because it's very chaotic. And then yeah, I keep I'd like to do a website at some point and get the recipes up there but it's just I need to sleep at some point.
Jim Moore 54:08
Well, I'll put I'll make sure that folks get some links in there and I thoroughly recommend people check out the YouTube channel things things you anomalous, great work. Thank you. Thanks so much, Rachel. Thanks very much.