How to cook healthier?
If you are always looking for new ways to cook healthier or better, then I can tell you about some of the ways that really help me. I want to show you some of the ways that I use to cook healthy food and what works for me when I am cooking.
As I don’t have a grill, I only have an oven and a hob, I can still cook in a similar style and get the most out of my food. If you are wondering how I can do this, it is very simple.
Grilling
When using the oven to cook, put meat on a wire rack over a baking tray, this will allow any fat to drip off and will make your food better for not being covered in fat.
Alternatively, you can also use a George Forman Grill, it does exactly what it says on the box, it grills well at an angle, allowing the fat to run away from the food and be caught in a little drip tray under the grill.
Not only do I grill as much as I can to make my food healthier, but I also look at alternative cooking methods to get the most out of what I cook. I don’t use oil, I use Frylight instead, this helps in making food a little healthier, especially as Frylight has a range of different oils that you can use, have a look here.
Steaming
When you start to think about different ways to cook your food to make it healthier, you don’t have to think about expensive equipment, it can be something as simple as an insert into a saucepan to turn it into a steamer it doesn’t have to cost a lot, around £8. Of course, you can get yourself a 3 tier steamer, This should be around £20 and this will allow you to steam more of your vegetables, especially if you are cooking for more than 2 people.
Because you can steam ALL vegetables, you just need to know what vegetables should go at what tier. To make it easier, I will demonstrate as shown in the picture of my own steamer.
- Tier 1 ~ this is for the hardest vegetables such as potatoes, swede, turnip.
- Tier 2 ~ this is for medium-level vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, runner beans.
- Tier 3 ~ This is for the softest of the vegetables such as asparagus, courgette/zucchini, green beans.
Aside from vegetables, you can also steam meat and fish in the steamer.
Stir-frying
Stir-frying is the method of cooking at very high heat and quickly, that is the basics of stir-frying. Most foods can be cooked really quickly as long as they are cut into small pieces that are all similar, this should ensure that the ingredients all take the same amount of time to cook through. Stir-frying needs your complete attention if you are cooking this way, as the food will need constant stirring and/or tossing so that the food doesn’t stick to the pan.
The best way to stir fry is by using a wok, you can get a wok for cheap or a lot of money, personally, I wouldn’t spend too much on one, here is one that I have. Now the sloping sides and the rounded bottom are designed specifically so that food can be cooked at the bottom of the pan and then moved up around the edges to cook slowly. If you have ever seen in a Chinese kitchen, then you will know that woks are the preferred cooking tool.
Pressure Cooking
Now another way to cook food in a healthier way, you can always use a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker is a way of cooking foods with very little water, meaning that all the good stuff like vitamins and minerals are all kept intact. Here is a good pressure cooker to get you started, again, not one that will break the bank.
The pressure cooker seals in steam which is created by the boiling of the liquid (water or stock), this then intensifies the flavours in the stock and meat. You can cook soups, stews or even a whole chicken, they usually take a long time, but with a pressure cooker, they can be ready in 15 minutes. If you are cooking rice, that will take around 5 minutes and most vegetables take around 3 minutes to cook, meaning good food, with all the goodness, in a short amount of time.
So these are just a couple of the ways in which you can cook healthier and better, all it means is changing a few cooking habits and you end up with some awesome meals. If you have any recipes that you love to make, why not share them.
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