Information

Easy Tips for Healthy Cooking

By: Michael Russell
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:17:43
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

We all know we should be eating healthier. But it's not just changing our eating habits in restaurants that needs to be done. We can also change how we cook our food at home. Healthy cooking at home doesn't need to be bland or boring! In fact, you may find some of these tips will add more flavor to your dishes!

The first thing to do is choose leaner cuts of meat. The obvious choices for low fat cooking are chicken and fish, but other meats can be lower in fat as well. When shopping for red meat, the words 'sirloin' and 'round' are cuts which are naturally lower in fat. Check the meat and choose the one with the least amount of marbling and trim off any excess fat before cooking. Look for ground beef that is 95% lean. Pork is also another great lean meat.

The problem most people have with lean meats is that they will dry out easily when cooking. To avoid this, try a marinade. Marinades aren't just for flavor (although that is a great benefit!). Using acidic liquids will actually help break down the tougher connective tissue in the meat. Try one of the many low fat marinades available in your grocery store, or make up your own with ingredients such as balsamic or red wine vinegar, herbs and spices. Depending on the size of the meat portion, you can marinade from 20 minutes to several hours. A great marinade for chicken is yogurt. Mix fat free yogurt with some lemon juice, salt, pepper and any other spices you like and coat your chicken breasts. Yogurt marinades are best after 8 hours or overnight.

Tired of bland vegetables? Try saut?ing your vegetables in a little chicken broth (or vegetable broth) instead of oil. Then sprinkle on herbs. Even just a sprinkling of chopped chives can add a zesty new taste to your vegetables. Another great option is roasting vegetables. This works wonderfully with root vegetables or other very firm ones such as cauliflower and squashes. Simply cut the vegetables into large chunks, spray with cooking spray and toss on seasoning. Curry powders, cajun blends or Italian seasonings are great. Roast in a 450 degree oven until the vegetables are tender. You can also place the vegetable pieces on a skewer and roast on your grill!

You don't have to give up dessert when eating healthily, either! Fruit makes a wonderful dessert, or even a side dish with your regular meal. Try a bowl of mixed berries topped with a low fat or fat free vanilla yogurt. Or saut? bananas in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle on cinnamon and a touch of vanilla extract. Serve with frozen yogurt. Even kids will think they are getting an indulgent treat!

Have a favorite recipe that isn't so healthy? You can try modifying it. Remove any skin from meats, use half the amount of oil asked for in cooking. For baked goods, substitute applesauce for oil - your cakes will still be moist and flavorful! In recipes asking for cream, try using evaporated skim milk. With these substitutions, many times you won't even notice the difference.

Healthy living is important and it is easy. Just a few quick changes and your home cooking will be better and healthier for your family!

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Cooking

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Cooking Tips category

  • A Quick Guide - Garlic - By: Sudhir Kumar
    Garlic, there's nothing like the smell of garlic. It's great in soups and sauces, roasted with meats or on its own, and it's wonderful mixed with butter and slathered on bread and then baked.
  • Food Catering is Always an Essential for Party - By: Sudhir Sharma
    Food catering is always an essential ingredient for any party, corporate event, wedding event, family reunions or baby showers. When your guests attend your event, they will expect to be served with delicious and good food.
  • The Secret Ingredient is YOU! - By: Himanshu Sharma
    Discovered: The Secret Ingredient to Happiness is Ourselves! As many of you know I am a positive psychologist and happiness coach-I encourage finding out what's good about ourselves (rather than what's bad), and seeing ourselves in a positive light. I teach how to understand your own needs and your talents, and how to do the work necessary to create a life full of happiness.
  • Vegetarian Recipes are a Pleasurable and Interesting Way - By: Sukhjeet Saini
    Vegetarian cooking made simple for you. Do you find this hard to believe? Well, more and more companies are discovering innovative and more exceptional ways to provide people excellent food with no health risks involved.
  • Learning to Cook In Cyber Style - By: Gurpreet Singh
    You can often learn what you need to know by using technology that's been around for years - such as magazines, books and TV. But sometimes, it would be a bit easier to use newer technology, such as the Internet, to get the job done more efficiently. Such is the case in learning how to cook.
  • Low Calorie and Vegetarian Recipes - The Mouthwatering One - By: Gurpreet Singh
    Many people tend to sit on the fence when it comes to a decision to switch to healthy diet. This is because they believe that they will have to give up their demand for palate to go for low calorie and vegetarian recipes.
  • The Best Cooking Techniques - By: Avtar Khan
    Healthy food does not ever have to mean that your meals will be boring, either because there are many healthy cooking tips which will actually enhance the flavors while improving your health.
  • Cuban Cuisine Summery - By: Kavita B
    The East Caribbean island of Cuba has a rich cultural heritage from which has arisen culinary traditions that are as vibrant and varied as the variety of cultures that have contributed to the development of this distinct and delicious cuisine.
  • Cookbook 2008- Few Cooking Tips - By: Parmod Bansal
    Almost every family has a treasured recipe, handed down through generations, that is not only beloved because it's delicious, but because it evokes memories of favorite family get-togethers
  • Cooking schools, Benefits , Skills and Practice - By: Manoj Kumar
    Meal and about finding the right balance of ingredients to create a succulent meal, which will leave your taste buds craving for more gourmet meals. If you have always dreamed of becoming a culinary chef there are endless possibilities in making your dreams come true.