One way to cook with less fat is to change your cooking technique. Here are some cooking techniques to lower fat.
- Select nonstick cookware. With nonstick cook ware, you won’t need to use as much fat. Often, you won’t need to use any fat, especially if you start cooking at a low temperature.
- Saute or stir-fry with a tablespoon or less of an unsaturated oil.
- Saute or stir-fry with nonstick vegetable oil spray, wine, or nonfat or low-fat broth instead of oil.
- Top baked potatoes, air-popped popcorn, or roast turkey or chicken with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray instead of butter or margarine.
- Microwave onions, garlic, peppers, and other vegetables in a bit of water instead of sauteing them in oil.
- Trim fat from meat either before or after cooking.
- Take skin off poultry after cooking.
- Brown meat in a nonstick pan with little or no oil.
- Avoid deep-frying, pan-frying, or sauteing in lots of oil or other fats.
- Roast, grill, or broil on a rack so the fat drains off and away from the food.
- Drain the fat as it cooks out when pan-frying
- Baste with broth, vegetable or fruit juice, or wine rather than with pan drippings.
- Marinate meats and vegetables in lemon juice, lime juice, sherry, wine, vinegar, low-fat or nonfat broth, or vegetable juice instead of oil. Marinate in herbs and spices, which add flavor with little or no fat or calories.
- Skim the fat from soups, stews, broths, gravies, and sauces. Chilling the food in the refrigerator until the fat floats on top and hardens makes the fat easier to remove.
- Another way to cook with less fat is to substitute a lower-fat ingredient for a higher-fat one in a recipe. Here are some sample ingredients and healthier substitutes for cooking and baking.
- Butter – Butter and applesauce or other mashed fruit.
- Cheese – Low-fat or nonfat cheese, or use less of a sharper regular cheese
- Chocolate – Cocoa and vegetable oil or cocoa and strained prunes
- Cream, heavy – Evaporated skim milk or skim milk and vegetable oil
- Sour cream – Plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt, pureed low-fat cottage cheese with a little lemon juice, light or nonfat sour cream, or yogurt cheese
