A. Broiling: Foods are cooked under a direct heat source. This is often done in an oven or toaster oven. If you utilize a grate and a pan to catch the drippings, fat is cooked away.
B. Braising: “This is where food is cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid at low heat in a tightly covered pot...food can be browned beforehand...wine, broth, or water are good braising liquids. This is a great way to cook tougher cuts of meat.”
C. Grilling: Like broiling the fat drains away.
D. Steaming: Use of steamed water to cook foods. Not just for rice as it works well for many vegetables and fishes. Seasoning can be added directly to foods or to the water reservoir (depending on the steamer).
E. Sauteing: Food can be cooked with minimal amounts of oil provided the oil is hot.
F. Poaching: Food is gently simmered in a flavored liquid.
G. Roasting: Use a broth to baste instead of oil. Consider using a foil package as well to seal in moisture.
H. Microwave: Foods must be turned regularly to avoid uneven cooking.
I. Stir-frying: This can be a low-fat cooking method much in the way that sauteing can be as well. Low levels of oil but on higher heat. With the high heat and rapid cooking time, there is little time for the food to absorb the oil.
If you take out the fat, you also take out the flavor, right? Increase the flavor by adding some Seasoning.
A. Salt: Has been used for millennia to enhance the flavor of food. It is also well known for its preservation skill and so is found in nearly all commercially processed foods.
B. Pepper: Also been used for a very long time to season foods, in the west. Other countries will utilize hot peppers(Southeast Asia)or curries (India). These have no added calories and dramatically change the flavor of meats and vegetables.
C. Herbs: “Dried herbs are more strongly flavored than fresh. As a general rule, one teaspoon of dried herbs equals four teaspoons of fresh.” While some herbs are paired
frequently with some foods (i.e. Fish and dill or tomatoes and oregano)
creative combinations can add a whole new flavor. “Herbs can be added to
virtually any recipe including soups, breads, marinades,butters, sauces,salad dressings, stocks, vinegars, desserts, drinks.”
Adjusting a recipe can also alter the calories/fat/carbohydrates/protein with minimal change in taste. My family often uses a Vegetarian Chili recipe we obtained from the Food Network files. Using http://www.calorieking.com/, I have estimated below the calories/fat/carbohydrates/protein in a serving. I usually leave out the lima beans and substitute garbanzo for cannellini beans. If you leave out the couscous and cheese as well, you can save 83 calories, predominately due to decreased fat. You can decide where you prefer to cut calories or fat or carbohydrates or protein based on your likes and dislikes.
4. Web sites can be a great source of cooking inspiration. http://www.foodnetwork.com/ offers the ability to search the recipe box by ingredient as well as general food type. Another type of food-related web-site would be those sponsored by a specific ingredient such as: http://www.almondsarein.com/ or http://www.salmonrecipes.net/.
5. Web sites can also help you plan eating out. Most national chains post nutritional information about their fare. Some pre-planning and looking for key words in the description of something can make a big difference. Starbuck's Coffee for instance, offers sugar-free syrups and fat-free milk that can save a lot of calories/fat/carbohydrates.
The folks at Subway also publish the nutritional information for their sandwiches and salads. While the “Jared Low Fat Footlong Sandwiches may have only 6-12 grams of fat, they have 88-118 grams of carbohydrates and 18-52 grams of protein packed into 450-750 calories. They offer salads now as well that are 6 grams or less of fat, 11-26 grams of carbohydrates, and 3-20 grams of protein packed into 60-210 calories. There is quite a range present in these two product lines and this prompts a discussion about sauces. Many sauces are a hidden source of calories, fat, and carbohydrates. It is the Footlong Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki and the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki salad that are the highest in calories, second high in fat and highest in carbohydrates.
The other side of the coin is finding out that your “usual” order at a favorite restaurant should really be your “un-usual” order. At Romano's Macaroni Grill I usually order the Penne Rustica. This was in addition to the “Peasant Bread” that they serve with olive oil and ground pepper and admittedly I can eat a whole loaf. We then often share dessert. Here is the breakdown. I am also worried about the kid's meal that we usually order for the 3 year old.
Resources:
http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/lowfatbasics/a/cookmethods.htm
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/
http://www.almondsarein.com/
http://www.salmonrecipes.net/
http://www.calorieking.com/
http://www.starbucks.com/
http://www.subway.com/
http://www.macaronigrill.com/
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