Low Fat Cooking
With No Splurges Of Oils And Fats!

Low Fat Cooking!

Yes, we're all so reluctant to try it out because we think the low fat or the absence of fat, makes the food bland and tasteless..... but I can tell you this - you won't lose out on the taste and flavor.....

OK, after you've planned out a low fat diet , isn't cooking, the low fat way, a darn perfect match to complete the whole theme on low fat?

You're quite skeptical about this, aren't you? Cooking food the low fat way?

"Won't the food taste "funny" and look listless?" You wonder.

I want to show you the wonders of several low fat cooking methods, to put your doubt at rest.

1. Broil

This method of cooking doesn't need oil so it's a super-healthy way of cooking food. If you've thin, lean cuts of meat, broil and cook them through before they dry out.

Thin cuts of pork, fish and chicken cutlets are best for broiling. Marinate your "choice" meats in your favorite marinade or a glaze, a spice paste or rice vinegar, to spice up the taste and flavor.

To bring out the flavor of the marinade or glaze, frequently baste the meat during broiling using a pastry brush.

Expect a surprised result! The broiling, just 10 minutes or so, gives a crispy crust to the meat, something that's usually "missing" in low fat cooking.

2. Steam

No oil or fat involved here too.

When you steam the food, it retains the highest amounts of nutrients, as it creates a closed environment that envelops the food's ingredients in moisture.

Additional nutritional advantage to you!

Fish, chicken, vegetables and rice are perfect ones to put on to steam.

Drizzle a few drops of sesame or olive oil over steamed food just before serving. It delivers such wonderful aroma and is definitely better than sauteing the ingredients in a whole tablespoon of fat!

3. Puree

Puree involves simmering say, the vegetables (broccoli, sweet potatoes or cauliflower) until they’re tender and blending them with broth until they’re smooth.

The result? Ooh! The vegetables go from ordinary to velvety in look and texture!

Pureeing involves two basic steps: simmering the vegetables (say, squash or broccoli, sweet potatoes or cauliflower) until they’re tender, and blending them with broth until they’re smooth.

(Note: Adjusting the amount of broth determines whether you end up with a soup or a side dish)

Venture a few drops of olive oil on the puree or add colorful garnishes like pumpkin seeds or fresh herbs. Your vegetables taste heavenly!

4. Poach

To poach, you need a saucepan that’s deep enough to submerge the food with water or broth and make sure only occasional bubble breaks the surface

(Note: Poaching is different from boiling, which makes the meat tough or the vegetables soggy and soft).

In poaching, the liquid gives an exceptionally tender texture to the food, which in turn infuses the liquid with its own flavor.

5. Wrap

This low fat cooking method combines steaming and baking which works superbly on fish and chicken (both dry out easily), as the paper wrapping or pouch traps the moisture and the juices.

Just place food (fish or chicken) on a piece of paper, wrap it up, and put it in the oven.

When it’s cooked, as you unwrap the crinkly, slightly burnished edges of the paper, you'll "reel over" the mouth-watering meat that's oozing with juices......

Add olives, fresh herbs and spices, garlic, freshly sliced gingers, asparagus, etc. for enhanced flavor and taste!

That's 5 low fat cooking methods.

How about the foods you cook?

Well, here are 5 ways to choose and prepare your food.

• Go for the leanest cuts of meat - for chicken or turkey, the breast meat. For beef, the round, chuck, sirloin or tenderloin. For pork, the tenderloin and loin chops.

  Choose meat with the least amount of visible fat. For instance, marbled meat is streaked with fat. Go for beef that's labeled "choice" or "select" instead of "prime" which usually has more fat.

  Trim off any visible, solid fat from meat and poultry

• Choose low fat marinades like mixtures of herbs or spices with wine, soy sauce, cider vinegar or lemon juice
• Use skim milk instead of whole milk. Replace heavy cream with evaporated skim milk or low fat yogurt
• Chill stocks, soups and stews, then remove the congealed fat and reheat
• Brown the meats, drain the excess fat by tilting the pan and spooning it out. After the fat's removed, rinse the meat with water and then reheat it

(Note: You can also use paper towels to soak up the fat)

Low fat cooking can become no-fuss, no-stress and best of all, the foods are tasty and delicious!

Can you believe it? Vegetables could be so creamy...without cream?

Think this page's cool? Bookmark it!Click one of the little buttons below and you're done.

ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: Blink Del.icio.us Digg
Furl Google Simpy Spurl Technorati Y! MyWeb

Back to top




Low Fat Cooking - back to body fat
Low Fat Cooking - back to home page