Does Cooking in the Microwave Kill All My Food’s Nutrients? | Dr. Oz | S11 | Ep 21 | Full Episode
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We zap it, nuke it.
A meal in minutes.
But are we killing all the nutrients?
And just how safe are those microwave bags?
Some of the bags are made of plastic.
Then, 99 CBD questions.
What you need to know before you try or buy.
There may be no proof that it is safe.
Plus, Vanessa Williams joins the dish crew with five ingredient meals.
The croissant breakfast bake.
Coming up next...
Are you ready for season 11?
So whether it's a frozen meal or it's leftovers, we use microwaves to heat up our food fast.
But does nuking kill all the nutrients in your food?
Well, today, the food fact check that you need before your next meal.
We're gonna reveal the surprising results from our microwave experiments with the foods that you zap the most, like vegetables, including cauliflower, my favorite, and broccoli.
Ooh, look how good they are.
Or how about those frozen meals?
They heat up in 60 seconds, so convenient.
And then, yes, because you insisted, bacon.
That's right.
Bacon.
Well, if you found out, we'll surprise you about that one.
But joining me now is Chef Danny Boom and Nutritionist J.J. Smith.
Yes, nutritionists, chefs, even doctors use microwaves.
So explain a little bit about this, J.J. What worries you about microwaves?
What is the average, especially housemaker in America, worried about?
Well, many people think that microwaves are going to transmit radiation into their food, into their air, and when they hear, when they think radiation, they think it's going to increase their risk of cancer.
And so a lot of them also think that the heat is going to zap out all of the nutrients.
So why would a chef like you, of your caliber, I mean consider, I see microwaves in kitchens sometimes.
Well, everybody in this room has a microwave, right?
Yes.
Right, okay.
Yes, we all do.
Every kitchen, industrially or domestically, has a microwave, because it is still the fastest way to either reheat or cook something.
So let me show everyone what's really happening inside your microwave when you hit This start button.
You push start, what happens?
First, inside there's a microwave generator.
So when you hit start, boom, the generator takes electricity and converts it to high-powered microwaves.
As your food spins around and around on the turntable, these waves bounce off the reflective metal walls and then into your food.
The waves excite the food molecules, and the faster those molecules vibrate, the hotter the food becomes.
And before you know it, your food is ready to eat.
Remarkable, actually.
We've gotten very comfortable with this.
So when it comes to your go-to foods, how do the microwave options compare to the other forms of cooking?
Our first microwave experiment, we're gonna do it right now, right?
What's better, microwaving or cooking your veggies on the stove?
Any votes?
Who likes to microwave?
Who likes to cook it on the stove?
Everyone cooks it.
Susan's here, she does it, along with JJ. So, how do you cook your veggies, specifically?
How do you do it?
Well, now, I always cook my vegetables, boiling water, caveman way, fire over the stove.
Well, you mentioned caveman style.
Older is often better, so it makes intuitive sense, but JJ, you wanted to put this to the test.
Yes.
Okay, so this is exciting because, you know, my home can become a lab.
So I wanted to experiment.
What was the better way to cook vegetables?
Microwaving or boiling?
And it was pretty interesting what I found out.
Now, I put the broccoli in the microwave for the recommended amount of time, which is about two and a half minutes to five minutes, and then I put the broccoli in some water, the right amount of water.
Different broccoli.
Yes, different broccoli for about seven to ten minutes.
And it was interesting what I found.
Twice as long.
Twice as long.
It took twice as long.
So the veggies are already in there.
Let's pull that out.
Let's take a look.
And if you don't mind, Susan, probably just pour the water, not the broccoli, pour the water into this cup, okay?
Sure.
And when you microwaved it, I noticed that broccoli seems to be pretty crisp over there.
Yeah, and it's pretty crisp, and it doesn't have a lot of water.
Anytime you can use less water, it's the least amount of heat, and it's very quick, that's going to be the better option.
So microwaving is generally going to be the better option.
So what is going on here?
Why is that water green?
See, look at here.
See, therein lies the problem, Dr. Oz.
Are those all the nutrients?
Let me tell you, whenever you boil vegetables, the problem is a lot of the nutrients end up in the surrounding water.
So you can lose twice as much vitamin C content from the broccoli by boiling it.
Than if you microwaved it.
Is it true for cauliflower, for other vegetables?
Oh yeah, see I got real excited about this experiment.
I tried it with cauliflower, I tried it with spinach, and I found that for the cauliflower, it maintained the highest amount of protein content, and for the spinach, it maintained the highest amount of antioxidant content when I microwaved it.
And so I found that even for cauliflower and spinach, microwaving was still the better option.
So no more pots to wash?
That's a good point, too.
But it's half the time.
Half the time.
And double the benefit theory.
You got a hack, though.
Oh, yeah, I got a hack, because, you know, we got to make this stuff flavorful.
So if you were to do steaming, as an example, you could actually put in about three tablespoons of water.
Oh, I know that, Susan.
Okay, Susan is going to help us.
And you can put in a little garlic.
That's not much water.
Not a lot.
You don't need a lot because we're going to steam it.
See, whenever you steam, very little water is coming in contact with the vegetables.
So steaming is going to be the best option.
That whole butter?
The whole thing.
The whole thing.
Oh, come on now.
We've got to make it flavorful.
We need the whole butter.
We need all the butter.
Absolutely.
What a buzzkill.
And then when you put the lid on, you gotta put the lid on, and you put it in the microwave, you have a great steam option.
And how does it taste, Dr. House?
I think it's to die for.
It's perfect, it's crispy.
You like it?
It tastes not healthy, but it's healthy.
Take this whole contraction home with you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
All right, the next microwave experiment we're gonna do is, what's better, microwaving or frying?
So I'm gonna put this to the test with what you guys are always begging me for.
Bacon.
So, JJ, as soon as JJ heard bacon, as soon as she heard bacon, she left the broccoli, and she's right next to it.
Everybody just rushes to the bacon.
Irregardless of the topic.
So, you microwaved that.
Yes.
You fried that.
That's right.
And as you can see, there's a bit of a color differentiation, there's a different structure to it as well.
And what you see is here, so frying bacon is what you're doing is you're doing a high temperature and sometimes for a lengthy period of time.
Now, we're gonna go to the microwave version.
Now we can still fry or cook bacon in the microwave, okay?
But sometimes people go, well, what about the structure?
Because it gets all soggy.
Okay, I'm gonna show you a hack on how we can keep our bacon healthy and delicious in the microwave.
All right, but before you show me the hack, I'm still gonna be sold on this.
Okay.
I'm only bringing it up because it almost seems too good to be true that I can actually microwave bacon.
Is there a calorie difference, JJ? Yeah, so let me tell you, this is where I get excited because the calorie difference is when you microwave bacon, it's about 43 calories per slice.
When you pan fry it, it's about 54 calories.
You get a 20% discount?
Yes.
Guys, I want you to stop, snap, and share the calorie comparison for all your bacon-loving friends.
I know they're gonna indulge.
Everybody.
So give us the hack.
Okay, so here's the hack.
So what we're going to do is we always cook with porcelain or ceramics.
That's a plate, okay?
Let's try and keep away from the plastics.
Okay, then we're also going to use a glass bowl.
We lay over our raw bacon, okay?
And then what we do is we place over some paper towel.
Now what happens here is the fat then runs off as it's cooked, so it's released.
But then the paper towel, what that does is it absorbs the remainder of the fat, but also the condensation.
Got it, so the combination of letting the fat run off and soaking up the water keeps us crispy.
Absolutely.
You know what, they're gonna rush the stage.
Here.
Pass that around.
Pass it around.
I'm not gonna say anything, just watch their faces as we speak, all right?
Let's go to this next table here.
Well, I better taste the bacon.
I bet that doesn't come back.
It's gone already.
Made it halfway around.
All right, next up.
Frozen meals and leftovers, do they have any less nutrients after being microwaved?
Does it make a difference?
Does it hurt the nutritional value?
You know, food companies already know that there's going to be a rigorous process by the time the frozen meal actually ends up on your plate for dinner.
So they add in preservatives, they add in maybe a little bit more sodium, salt, just to maintain the flavor.
So if you use a frozen meal, if you reheat food, it's going to have nutritional content, so it's actually a very good option.
You agree?
Actually, you make a beautiful meal for me.
Yes.
I don't want to finish the slab that you've given me.
I take it home.
Am I sacrificing by reheating it?
Not really.
We did one study in my test kitchen.
What we actually found is you only really lose a tiny little bit.
That's it?
That's my cup.
Now, learn the healthy ways to enjoy microwave meals on DrRoz.com.
And do you have a favorite microwave hack?
How many have hacks here?
Some hacks, little ideas?
Every once in a while they'll come up.
They're important, share them.
Go to the Dr. Oz Facebook group and share your favorite microwave trick or recipe.
We might share them on our next show.
Up next, the Food Fact Check continues with what you need to know about the microwave in a bag trend. - I'm feeling the energy.
A house that holds secrets.
There's a lot of activity in the room.
And a visit that finally uncovered.
There's so much blood.
There's more than one murder here?
What really happened inside?
He was watching this crying about the desecration of his body.
They held him under.
He was killed.
This is his grave.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
You won't believe it, but yes, I do have a microwave in my house.
And this got me thinking.
There are foods like this grain and lentil blend, right?
It comes in a bag.
It seems so much easier than making it in a pot.
But what are you really microwaving?
And is this material actually safe?
Chef Danny Booman, nutritionist JJ Smith are back with what you need to know about the microwave in a bag food trend.
So explain the types of foods that come in these bags now.
Everything.
Every convenience food possible comes in a bag.
We've got a chicken dinner, we've got lentils, we've even got umami or sugar snap peas.
Everything comes in a bag because we're dying for convenience, okay?
Now, I appreciate the convenience of the bags, I really do, I get what you're saying, right?
There's nothing easier to do than just take the bag and throw it in the microwave, but I especially like it to make lentils, great source of protein, right?
20 minutes to make lentils normally, right?
Cook it on the stove and you might mess it up.
This is easy, 90 seconds we made this, right?
And how about rice, right?
Brown rice.
Boom, you're done.
So we wanted to find out what's in these bags, because without the bags, you don't have the ability to do all this stuff, right?
And it doesn't actually say that in the packaging.
I looked.
So my team actually called, we had to put the phone up, and we called a bunch of these food companies who sell these items.
Now, a few of these companies told us some of the bags were made of plastics, like nylon or cast polypropylene, which according to the FDA are considered safe when it comes to packaging and storing.
But we couldn't get all the answers from companies, so we reached out to the FDA directly about the bags, and here's what they said in part.
The FDA evaluates plastic under the most extreme conditions of use, including microwave use.
Once they determine what might migrate from the plastic and how much gets into the food, they determine whether that level of exposure is safe.
And if it's not safe, they do not permit the materials used.
So once again, they're not saying nothing gets in, but they're saying the amount that does get in, they believe is safe.
So Danny, what are the concerns you have about these bags, now that you've heard both of our experiment, plus the FDA's comment?
I think the deepest part for me is, is there a level that creeps in?
Is there still leaching?
And what do we miss?
Still to me, the best way to cook in the microwave is with a plate with ceramic or porcelain, and definitely using glass.
That's for my personal opinion.
Well you argue that companies give you the opportunity, alternatives.
You can take their product.
Yeah.
They really do.
All of them, if you look at the back of the packaging, they give you an alternative cooking method.
So in our family, it might reflect your experience, my wife will do that, and I'm okay with using the bags right now from what I've learned and what I've heard.
So you get it either way, but net net, I think the microwave is a good little tool for us all.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
We'll be right back.
Starting with my good friend, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, we are breaking down everything you need to know about these three letters, CBD, otherwise known as cannabidiol.
It's boomed onto the market.
It's become the hottest health craze in the country.
Can CBD help my chronic pain?
CBD make me skinny?
Can CBD help my arthritis?
CBD help my indigestion?
Cancer?
My skin problems?
Autism?
Epilepsy?
Help boost my energy?
Can CBD help me finally get a good night's sleep?
Today we're breaking down everything you need to know about these three letters.
CBD, otherwise known as cannabidiol.
This natural herb, boom, it came onto the market in 2018 as the hottest health craze in the country, and now it's on its way to becoming a billion dollar industry.
Now as a doctor, I'm getting more and more questions about it every day, so we're launching a season-long series all about CBD, To get you the answers that you're too afraid to ask.
Now last year, we investigated, right?
We started off looking at what CBD is doing.
And right here on the stage, we shared with you the latest info, and we can continue to do that as the industry grows.
So what's the true story behind CBD? And does it live up to its claims to relieve chronic pain and anxiety?
Here today helping us break down all you need to know about CBD is CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, always on the cutting edge.
You started this movement, you personally, by starting all the medical community, revisiting our thoughts about marijuana, medical marijuana in particular.
This is CBD. It's a little different.
What catalyzed your investigation?
We believe that CBD can definitely be a medicine.
We've seen it.
We've seen how it can help people when they did not have many options in the past.
What we're seeing now is something that has gone in a different direction.
Now you're seeing what is called the CBD craze, and I use that word very deliberately.
It's everywhere.
How do you want to understand the difference between CBD and marijuana?
So marijuana is a plant.
Hemp is a plant.
Both these plants have lots of ingredients including CBD. Cannabis has CBD and a fair amount of THC. Hemp has almost all CBD and just a very small amount of THC. So CBD is just a molecule, a component of the plant, either marijuana or hemp.
And we've talked about medical marijuana on the show.
I think most of the audience understands that.
This is not medical marijuana, folks.
The THC is the part that gets you high, has some medical benefits as well, theoretically.
We're talking about CBD, wherever it comes from.
Let's walk everyone through what CBD does and what the benefits might be, but what are the risks also?
So first off, The thing that's cool about CBD, a lot of the herbs, is these can affect the body in every place, right?
It can affect your intestines, your spine, and your brain, right?
And because it can affect many of our organs, because their receptors are bodies used to seeing it in different forms, it can treat insomnia and anxiety, right?
And it can also treat pain and seizures, right?
Different spectrums of the body's ailments can be addressed.
So, with so much happening in the body, how do you know if CBD is safe?
It's interesting as well because finding out the safety is hard.
We know that if you are taking CBD, if it's truly CBD, the side effects are really low.
The concern is, are you really getting CBD? And that's a hard question to answer in today's environment.
So far most states have permitted CBD use because it seems to be safe.
It's sold all over the place.
I think it's part of the risk here because People think it's safe, so they begin to put it everywhere, and there's various forms you can get it in.
It prompts the questions we're hearing, but it also makes me concerned that there might be fraud going out there.
So let's walk through what's being served with CBD. Start with the foods.
I mean, they're infusing CBD into just about everything as you can see here.
Chocolate's a big one.
The gummies, drinks.
And I should point out as you look at this table, I don't think probably in your entire career you've seen a medical product have that sort of trajectory of growth.
Not even close, but yet it attracts charlatans.
These topical creams, toothpaste, maybe they work, maybe they don't, but it's very hard to tell.
It's interesting, I spent a lot of time looking at these products and if you look at the medical, the FDA approved CBD products, you're starting to talk about hundreds of milligrams that you're taking in a single dose to get a benefit.
With these products, I mean, you know, you put some of the cream on, you're probably not even getting a milligram or maybe just a milligram worth.
So just from a dose standpoint, are you even getting enough for it to have some sort of effect in the body?
Probably not.
Look at these CBD liquid bottles, right?
They're often sold in this form.
They can range from $8 to $150, depending on the quality and how concentrated the CBD is.
What I was stunned, and I made a fair number of phone calls before this segment, is you're gonna have to spend real money to get enough to get benefit.
And they're all unregulated, right?
So the FDA has only approved one CBD product.
One medicine, and it's for a very rare type of seizures, Dravet syndrome.
There may be no proof that it is safe.
There may be no proof that it's even what they say it is.
So those are obviously big problems.
Best stated, both of us are hearing from many of you saying it's really changed our lives.
So up next, we're continuing our discussion on CBD. What are the biggest risks you need to know about right now?
Don't go away.
We're back with our new series, 99 CBD Questions.
What you need to know before buying the most popular health craze in the country right now.
Now, we've discussed how many people claim it alleviates pain, anxiety, even seizures.
But the question remains, is it safe?
And what are the long-term effects?
We're back with CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who's been helping us break it all down, everything you need to know about CBD. Now, he went on the case in his new CNN documentary, Weed 5. Take a look.
Weed 5. In life, everyone has days they wish they could just forget.
For Jay Jenkins, that day was May 8th, 2018. You're sitting there in the passenger seat just like you are now.
Right, just like I am now.
My buddy asks if I'd ever tried CBD oil.
So I said, no.
I wasn't really interested in it.
You know, why would I? And he asked a few more times and eventually I gave in and said, sure, you know, I'll try it.
They drove to a convenience store and bought a CBD product labeled YOLO. YOLO meaning you only live once.
Why did you do it?
I didn't think there was any risk in trying it.
I'd never heard about anybody having any negative effects from it.
So I thought that I had nothing to lose.
I took two puffs off of it.
Next thing I know, I'm feeling crazy, not thinking straight, not being able to move.
Within seconds, Jay lost consciousness and started to have frightening hallucinations.
His friend drove him to Lexington Medical Center, where he then started having seizures.
On the Glasgow Coma Scale, they said that I scored a 3. So 15 is basically normal, and 3 is brain dead, essentially.
Yes, sir.
Which basically means you really weren't responding, opening your eyes, speaking, doing anything.
You thought you might die?
Honestly, yeah.
Grabbing the J is shocking.
I mean, what made his body collapse so quickly?
Well, they did a full, you know, investigation.
What they found was that he had actually taken in a totally synthetic substance.
It was in that YOLO. They went and examined it.
They went and bought it at the store, examined it, and found that it basically had nothing remotely similar to what was on the label.
And what was in there was something that was incredibly toxic.
So, young, healthy guys, you saw.
You also saw how quickly that happened.
One puff of this stuff.
So that's one risk of the CBD change that's happened this year.
But the CBD itself, if it's really CBD, do you think that's safe?
I do.
I really do.
It's not psychoactive.
It's the contaminated products or stuff that's not CBD at all that really seems to be the problem here.
I've seen CBD. I've seen it work as a medicine.
I've seen it work without side effects.
Unfortunately, that's not what the public is seeing right now because the market has just become so flooded with all these different products out there.
What about the issue of emotional addiction?
Are you worried that a generation will think they have to be on CBDs to deal with their anxiety, their insomnia?
You know, this is the issue I think I think about the most.
And I think as a physician, but also as a parent, you know, on one hand, I think we are way over medicated a society as it is in the United States.
I mean, we take so much of the world's opioids, so much of the world's anti-anxiety and anti-depressants.
That's a problem.
On the other hand, you have a substance here, CBD, which may not have as many side effects as those other medications.
It can be a lot cheaper and can make people feel better.
I do worry about the emotional reliance on it.
What I think is interesting is that ultimately what we may find is that a lot of the benefit, 40 to 50 percent of the benefit of CBD when it comes to anxiety and things like that, could just be totally placebo.
Alright, so last year our investigation revealed that some CBD products being sold did not even have CBD in them.
You've shown that some products have things you don't want in them that are labeled as CBD. And a study found that more than two-thirds of CBD products in our work were not truthful in their labeling.
So if people are going to buy this, if they truly want to get involved and they want to avoid being scammed, how do they do it?
Let me just punctuate what you said.
They looked at this big study, 80-some products.
They found 75% of them either didn't have CBD at all, had stuff, you know, these synthetics that were mixed in, or sometimes very dangerous things like what happened to Jay.
There's something known as a certificate of analysis, COA. And if you're thinking about CBD, also remember COA. What that is is an independent laboratory inspection of the product.
What is this product?
What does it have in it?
Every store should have this.
If they don't have it, you should probably just put the money back in your pocket and walk out.
To add to that, I have one other concern I want to share with everybody.
The amount of CBD you're all taking worries me.
Some studies have found that an adequate dosage of CBD can vary tremendously depending on the ailment.
We don't know the exact dosage.
No one does.
We don't know what's going to be needed for anxiety or insomnia.
And I've spoken to the biggest manufacturers in the country.
And you know what they're saying?
Please regulate us.
Please, government, come.
This is an industry.
Come in and tell us what the rules are because we're trying to do it the right way and we're surrounded by three quarters of the bozos out there who are just trying to take people's money and they're destroying the real value of what we're trying to give to the American public.
Yes, the responsible people, they welcome the regulation.
There are perfectly good products out there.
I don't want to give people the impression that they're all bad.
There are perfectly good products out there.
Unfortunately, you as a consumer don't know.
You lump it in with the bad product over here.
Unfortunately, we get on the news and we talk about these terrible stories and you think, well, I'm just going to avoid CBD altogether.
Understandably, regulation would change that.
Alright, bottom line.
If you know you've got a reputable person giving you CBD, should they be using it?
You know, I don't advocate people taking things unnecessarily, but if there's a legitimate medical issue and you're being prescribed this and there is an FDA-approved drug already out there, I think it's fine.
The FDA has shown that this can be a medicine.
I believe, I know you have for some time, it can be a medicine.
It can work when nothing else has.
But our jobs make it safe.
Is that not a simple enough thing to ask, that if you're buying something, that it's not going to potentially kill you?
I mean, that is something that you, in this program, I think will advocate for.
We can do better.
So because I know many of you out there are going to try CBD, here's my guidelines on how to protect yourself.
Everyone, take your phones out right now.
I'm gonna put an image on the screen for all of you to stop, snap, and share it with someone who you may think is considering CBD. First off, make sure you get that certificate of analysis that Sanjay mentioned, right?
The COA. Number two, pay attention to the dosage, right?
Don't get some tiny little dosage that can make a difference.
You'll think it doesn't work, and it could have worked at the right dose.
Number three, be cautious of big health claims.
If they're gonna cure cancer, listen guys, if there was a cure for cancer, they wouldn't be selling it in a little store.
Everyone would be using it, right?
And number four, understand that you are an experiment when you do this.
You gotta ask yourself, did it really work for you?
If you really think it did, okay.
But challenge yourself to make sure that it really is having an impact so you're not wasting your money.
Send us your stories.
Let us know how the CBD affected you.
We're curious as well.
Dr. Gupta, I love having you on.
Anytime.
Thank you, sir.
Sanjay finished a fantastic documentary series.
I showed a bit of it here.
The new Weed Investigative documentary, Part 5, dives deeply into the CBD industry.
Weed 5 is airing on CNN Sunday, September 29th at 8 p.m.
Eastern Time.
And the catch-up on the whole series, which is worth watching, Visit go.cnn.com for episodes that are streaming right now.
And make sure you tune in all season long.
We'll be looking at CVD and answering all your questions as fast as you ask them.
Be right back.
The Dishon Oz is back, and they're cooking up five ingredient meals you have to see to believe.
See?
More like taste.
I'm making my slim, down salmon.
Nice.
I call it this because it keeps my figure and you know what that means at the odds.
We're all about it.
I'm very proud of you.
Thank you.
I knew you would be.
Stay tuned.
If there's one thing that brings us all together, it's food.
So we're calling everyone to the table to dish on everything.
From the latest food hacks and trends to everyday recipes you can make for dinner tonight.
It's simple, it's celebratory, and most of all, it's about having a great time in the kitchen.
What is going on?
I'm trying to help.
Let's Ditch!
We are back with the Dish on Oz and today we are showing you how to make five ingredient meals that you have to see to believe.
Please welcome the Emmy, Tony, and Grammy-nominated star of Stage and Stove, Vanessa Williams!
And she's a top chef, judge, a top-selling author, and on top of everything else, she's a culinary sensation, Gail Simmons.
And she's back with a whole new attitude in the kitchen, making comfort foods healthier and better, Gina Neely.
And as you know, the caterer to the stars, but a little bit spicy, a little bit sweet, and puts them together, Jamika Pessoa.
Come join us.
Hey, I'm gonna surprise everybody.
My daughter Daphne is joining us.
She's on maternity leave, as you know, but she wants to Skype in just to say hi to the foodies.
Hi, Daphne.
Hey guys, hi!
I'm so, first of all, you look beautiful.
You look so good.
I'm so sad that I don't get to play with you in the dish kitchen today.
I am home with our sweet little newborn Gigi.
And let me tell you, she is a girl after my own heart.
And I think all of our hearts, she loves to eat.
Oh, yeah.
But I have to tell you, I'm so excited for the theme of today's show because I know you guys are cooking up delicious five-ingredient meals, a.k.a.
Mom's best friend.
It keeps it simple and delicious in the kitchen.
So I'm going to be paying close attention here.
Vanessa, what are you guys cooking up today?
Well, it's a five-ingredient salmon dish that may help you slim down like we all need to.
We all need that.
I want to.
Yeah.
And a croissant ham and cheese breakfast bake that's so hot and bubbly, you'll jump out of bed.
What?
That means something.
That means something.
Delicious.
They sound amazing.
All right, send me some leftovers, please.
I promise I'll bring some over to your house.
All right, Vanessa, can I ask a quick question?
The way you described it got me thinking.
Are people surprised that you're such a big time cook?
I think they're surprised.
I was surprised.
Yeah, and then when you taste it, then you're...
I was like, she's my girlfriend.
Thank you.
Forever, forever, forever.
So, Gail, you gotta be harsh sometimes.
I like it.
Seriously, I watch you, it's intimidating.
I'm all bark, no bites.
Oh, please, I don't know if that's true.
We're gonna find out.
It's those wine ones that fool you.
You're not quiet.
No.
Have you ever burnt a dish?
I'm just curious about your mistakes.
What is the top chef judge you wrote?
Two weeks ago, I was making dinner for friends at home.
I got this new grill.
I was so excited to use it.
I got to talking, maybe drinking a little wine.
Oh, maybe.
And the chicken thighs were not exactly as I'd planned, let's just say.
So all the time.
Let me tell you, reality TV is different than reality.
Yes, yes.
It happens.
That is for sure.
That's for sure.
You know, we all know you from the Food Network days when you were just cooking up a storm, making it different, but five ingredients simplifies things, and you think that's pretty important.
Why is it so important to be simple when you cook it?
You know, I think because we can put too many things in too much.
When a dish is overwhelming, like eight, nine ingredients, you're like, do I have this?
Do I have that?
But everybody has these basic simplified ingredients, and it doesn't seem overwhelming at all.
It's a lot lighter.
I wanted my life to be lighter.
I want it to be lighter, so I lighten things up.
Yeah, we got to lighten it up.
Don't need all that in the kitchen, honey.
Lighten it up.
Turn the music up.
Crank up the wine.
Lighten it up.
But if you want to see how Gina lights it up, up next we are cooking, starting with that breakfast bake we promised.
Stay with us.
Yeah.
I'm back having a blast in the dish on Oz, and today's show is all about the number Five ingredient meals that were simple, but they're gonna steal the show.
So I'm going to the audience to deliver some coffee that will go perfectly with the breakfast bake you're about to make.
Vanessa, what do you got?
Well, let's get started with the croissant breakfast bake.
Croissant.
Five ingredients with these recipes.
Croissants, ham, cheese, egg, and milk.
Oh, beautiful.
Can you kick it off for us?
All right.
Every breakfast should start out with this pie.
This simple.
All right, so we're starting with store-bought croissants that we've sliced and put inside the bacon dish, just lay flat.
And I am topping with some Black Forest ham.
Of course, of course.
All right, so I've got the layers down, and I'm gonna hand it off to Gail.
Beautiful job.
Top it off for me, please.
What do you have?
So I'm gonna just sprinkle some cheese right on top.
Now there's gonna be two layers of cheese because cheese.
It should be.
You know, this is the key to a great grilled cheese is grating the cheese.
It melts it much faster.
It just melts faster and more evenly.
You get about half the amount on here and then you top it.
I'm gonna put some cheese on at the end.
Okay, so let's top it with croissants.
Now I am My weakness is baked goods.
And I love a good croissant.
So if you don't go to the market and get them fresh, you can also buy them and put them in the freezer.
That's croissants of the devil.
Thank you.
And buttery too.
They're really not my friend.
I just kind of take them in every now and then.
Okay, well then you take these in right here and what you gonna do with them?
So I'm gonna add in some...
Okay.
Gonna add in some whole milk.
I'm gonna mix it together to give it a more custardy kind of smoothness to it.
Nice.
To help it bind together.
And I'm gonna add in this all-everything bagel seasoning.
Now, I've never had this.
You guys say it's amazing.
Y'all know about it?
Y'all know about it?
Yes.
It's a New York staple?
Yes.
Well, I am a southern girl, so let's not be.
All right.
Everybody just take a deep breath.
It's all right.
It's okay.
She's a southern girl.
All right.
What do you think?
It's like, what?
Salty, savory, well-rounded.
It's like, almost like a, aw.
It's the bagel without the bagel.
That's what it is, right?
This seasoning is good on everything.
It's one of those things that if you have it in your family, it goes in eggs, it goes on roasted veggies.
And it's going to Memphis, Tennessee.
There we go.
How about that, ladies?
You gotta pour that right on top there.
And then this goes after you pour it, it goes in the oven.
Yeah.
Okay, look at that.
And it's all gonna get in all the nooks and crannies of the crisps.
So easy.
Do you put more cheese on top?
Yes.
Oh, you're ready to go.
Yes, you do.
And you know what?
And I'm just, like, dragging through.
Wait, let's get on another thing.
Let me get on that.
You can do this the night before, y'all, and you can let it sit, and it all just kind of soaks up all that eggs.
Oh, so then you can sleep in later.
Lovely.
Oh yes, definitely.
It's sort of like a savory bread pudding.
Don't be cute with the cheese.
Such a good, such a good, such a good.
Just put it in there, yeah.
Don't be cute, come on.
There we go.
Put it in there, too.
All right, so we're gonna put this in the oven?
Well, it's down for me, Vanessa.
I'm just a little short lady.
All right, big, tiny cake in the oven.
This is a big oven.
Well, while they're back there, can we kind of, look at this delicious.
Thank you.
Okay.
Man.
While y'all dawdle back there, we're gonna scoot, scoot, scoot.
Don't you just love the TV world when everything's already ready to go?
Oh, yes.
Perfection.
Perfection.
Shimmy, shimmy, shimmy.
Look at that ooey gooeyness.
Yum, yum, yum.
Give it this slow pull.
Come on, again.
Here you go.
This is the part that you're waiting for.
When you bring this to the table for breakfast, and you're like...
And everybody's like, oh my goodness.
There we go.
Can I play?
Can I play?
Oh my gosh.
You keep running off.
You keep running away.
I was hoping.
I was caffeinating the audience.
Just get in there.
This is how you eat.
It's in our house.
This is what we do.
Yes.
There we go.
You know, I'm taking one to Daphne, but I can guarantee she wanted me to get close to this.
The grandkids won't give it a shot.
Oh my gosh.
This is amazing.
Especially if you're entertaining and you want to be there for your guests.
You want to be in the kitchen all the time.
For brunch.
Just lay it right out with some mimosas and go at it.
It's a party in your mouth.
It's a party in your mouth.
Coming up, I'm gonna give you five reasons you won't want to miss the recipe coming up.
Number one, it's delicious.
Number two, healthy.
Number three, affordable.
Four, it's easy to make.
And five, it may help you, listen carefully, lose weight.
I'm in.
Don't miss it.
There you go.
I'm feeling the energy.
A house that holds secrets.
There's a lot of activity in the room.
And a visit that finally uncovered.
There's so much blood.
What really happened inside.
He was killed.
They held him under.
This is his grave.
That's coming up tomorrow.
We're back with five ingredient meals that you have to see to believe.
Now after losing 30 pounds and keeping it off, which is a big deal, Gina Neely says five is all you need.
So I trust her.
Now her new simple and clean approach to cooking has changed everything.
Can I show these photos?
It's okay?
All right.
Yeah, it's okay.
All right.
I want to show you a before and an after photo.
That's right.
Wow.
So Gina, when you look at the picture on the left there, what do you see?
What's going through your mind?
How is that woman different from the woman standing next to me right now?
Gosh, you know, just looking at it, it kind of reminds me of sadness, really.
Um, overwhelmness.
Why were you sad?
Just the transition I was in and going through.
And then to see this person, it's sort of like it's okay to feel like you can come out of anything and get through it and just embrace it.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm proud of you for what you've done.
One of the most difficult things is to change anyway, but the kind of change you made was massive.
Massive.
And publicly.
And publicly, of course.
You don't have any choice about that.
I know.
But that's okay, we're moving to a lighter place.
Now, here's the good thing for me.
You got newfound freedom, a new outlook on life.
How has that changed the way you're cooking?
The way you're changing the way we're gonna think about food?
Well, I think for the most part, a lot of times I ate through my sadness.
You know, food becomes like a crutch for some people.
And I just kept eating and eating and not even really realizing that I was expanding as I was eating.
And not really feeling good.
So how do you, I had to start figuring out how to put my pieces back together.
And I had to get control of my life and that's when I started exercising and changing my diet.
And you know, just walking myself out of my own darkness.
And turning on the light.
We were talking a little last night, and I appreciate you spending time with me.
It seemed like you were looking for love in the wrong places.
Yeah.
But you found love in God.
Absolutely.
And I'd love if you could share a little bit about your spiritual thoughts.
Man, I tell you, if it wasn't for God, I don't even think I would be standing here today.
Honestly.
And I tell you, I tell people all the time, if you just believe and stand on God's promise, that is the real MVP. And I thank God every day.
And so I try to be an inspiration to people who don't know that, who can't understand or can't figure a way out.
I try to show them this little light here.
Look at me.
You can get out.
You can change that.
You just gotta wanna change it.
And you have to fight it every day.
Because depression is something that you stay in the dark and the darkness becomes comfortable.
It's isolating.
It wanted me as a captive.
I said, no, no.
That's not what my God wants from me.
That's beautiful.
You're right.
Depression gets comfortable.
Isn't that cool?
Listen, the reason it's the dish is because we dish on stuff that matters, but ultimately we're here for each other.
And we teach.
So God bless you for sharing that.
I know it took a lot.
What you've done and where you're gonna go.
All right, now what are you gonna make for us?
So I'm gonna make a five-ingredient salmon situation.
Oh, a salmon situation?
Yes, with five ingredients.
But first off, I can put some olive oil in here.
Now, listen, but I gotta put you to work, and I know you like to run off.
Hold on.
Hold on, Tiger!
I just want the food!
Easy, Tiger!
I bet she's skinny, because she gotta run after you all the time.
Gosh, she does run after me, but she usually just catches me quickly.
She's very fast.
Mmm, I like that.
So we're gonna shuck some corn.
All right.
Can you do that for me?
I'm good at that.
You got it?
This feels like home.
Let's get it.
Where is it?
Enjoy yourselves.
I'm going.
I'm going.
Got it?
Okay.
All right.
You just put him to work.
I have to.
I have to.
And I needed...
Let me...
Hold on.
Let me just get a sip.
I just need a sip after that testimony.
I got a testimony.
All right.
I don't know if we should testify and then drink wine.
Maybe it's church.
I don't know.
God damn it.
I say to you, Jenna.
Thank you.
All right.
Now, take a sip of wine, and then I need you to explain to us, dish the details on this salmon situation.
You talked about this slimmed down salmon, okay?
Can you do that for us?
You know, salmon is full of omega-3s, and I love salmon.
But people cook salmon the same way, either wood grill, or just maybe just sauteing it.
But I want to kind of give it a southwestern feel to it.
So I want to add some black beans, some corn.
And the great thing about it is it's cooking on four, so that's what?
No clean up.
Toss it right out.
Love it.
Got that going?
Perfect, I got you.
Okay, I'm gonna add in a can of black beans.
Black beans are filled with antioxidants.
I've fallen in love with them.
You rinse them off, drain them and stick them right in here.
Okay.
And you're gonna chop up for me.
Thank you for some scallions and some diced tomatoes.
Chop it up over here.
I love that you're using these grape tomatoes, by the way.
Absolutely.
Because all year round, these are really much the only tomato across the country you can get that have flavor, that hold up when you're cooking them, burst into juice, so the grapes are the way to go.
While they're dishing on tomatoes, I want to get up in your dish.
Who are you dating, Miss Gina?
Yes, tell us.
You got a boo in the life?
What you doing over there?
See, that's how I got in trouble last time, having my boo out in the life.
I normally don't cook for men because I think men get a little turned on because they saw me cooking in the kitchen.
So how long does it take before you cook for men?
They take me out.
No, it's about wine and dine and machine.
I've cooked all I'm gonna cook.
I'm exhausted, but I'm done.
All the corn is back.
Oh my God, the corn made...
You know, I was thinking about this corn.
I actually shucked it.
I ate a couple, but I also got some of the curls off.
Thank you.
And my tomatoes.
Thank you.
You are my dear.
And my green onions.
Yep, yep, yep.
Got you, got you.
Thank you.
This smells very colorful, too.
And that's what I love about it, because salmon is kind of bland looking otherwise, so this gives it a little color.
So you look at it, because food should be visually into the eye before it comes to the tummy or the mouth.
Eat it up, eat it up.
Come on.
I just want to spoon it on here.
But I want it nice and solid taste.
I know, it's all about the presentation.
You're really teasing us with this slow pour, you know that, right?
There we go.
That looks so beautiful, Gina.
Oh, my gosh.
It's so fresh.
Like, that is to me what...
It's like out of the garden.
Does it not look like out of the garden?
You want some lime over here?
We're gonna put the lime on top of it as best and just open the flavors up.
Yeah.
All right.
Just a little squeeze.
Can I do that for you?
Thank you.
I see how we eat family stuff.
Just dig in.
All right.
Let's go.
Just dig in?
Yes.
I'm gonna make that look pretty right there.
Come on, little lady.
It tastes as fresh as it looks.
Yeah.
Barely so warm.
Vanessa, are you happy with this result?
It's delicious.
Top Chef, judge this for me.
It's all I need.
Fresh, simple, letting the ingredients speak for themselves.
Perfectly cooked.
And look how beautiful that is.
That's a great platter for dinner, for friends over, a glass of wine, happy hour.
Hanging out by yourself and having a glass of wine.
There you go.
I'm going to stop it with your feet up.
Anything you're doing is perfect.
You can find the recipe at DrOz.com slash The Dish and all of our shareable pics and step-by-steps on Instagram at The Dish on Oz.