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Going Low-Fat: Low-Fat Cooking Methods
- Grill or oven-roast for a delicious, low-fat alternative to deep-fried
foods.
- When oil is absolutely necessary to prevent sticking, apply a
light coating of nonstick vegetable oil spray.
- Instead of sautéing vegetables in oil, heat a small amount
of water, vegetable stock, wine, or other liquid in a large pan
or skillet. Add the ingredients to be sautéed and cook over
medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until tender (about five
minutes for onions and most other vegetables). Add more liquid
if needed.
- For cream soups, thicken soups with a potato instead. For soups
that will be puréed, simply cook and purée the potato
with the other soup ingredients. For other soups, cook a peeled
and diced potato in enough water to cover it. When the potato is
fork-tender, purée it in its cooking water in a blender
and add it to the soup. You can also make bean or pea soups creamy
by puréeing half the soup and mixing the purée back
into the remainder.
- For sauces and gravies usually prepared with fat, flour, and
liquid, eliminate the fat by toasting the flour in a dry pan until
lightly browned. Whisk in the liquid to remove lumps, then cook
over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
- Replace oil in salad-dressing recipes with rice vinegar or any
mild-flavored vinegar, vegetable cooking liquid, juice, or water.
Use puréed soft tofu for a creamy base. If desired, use
cornstarch to thicken the dressing.
- For baked goods, mashed banana, applesauce, cooked pumpkin, or
prune purée can often replace all or part of the butter,
vegetable oil, or shortening, with no change in taste or texture.
Experiment with your recipes, adding a bit less fat each time and
evaluating the results. When you cut the fat, you may need to add
extra liquid to achieve the desired consistency. Replacing
eggs with cholesterol-free, egg-free substitutes also cuts the fat significantly.
- Cooking without dairy products will also help to keep fat low.
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