Healthy Cooking Techniques - Healthy Kitchen

Lighter Cooking Techniques

By Jessica Hulett
Braising

Braising is searing food, usually a meat, and then slow-cooking it in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. It's great for making inexpensive, tougher cuts of meat fork-tender, so it's both wallet and waistline friendly. It's also a great time saver -- once it goes into the oven, you it doesn't need attention for a couple of hours. The stock, broth or wine picks up juices from the meat and makes delicious gravy to pour on top later.

Try the Coffee-Braised Pork with Caramelized Onions recipe

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Baking / Roasting

These terms are often used interchangeably to describe cooking in the dry heat of an oven -- though roasting generally implies cooking at a higher temperature. These methods usually require very little added fat, and they're a great way to bring delicious caramelization to meat, fish, poultry or vegetables.
Tip: Use a roasting rack for meat. The fat will drip off during cooking.

Try these Standing Rib Roast recipes

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Poaching

This is simply cooking food -- usually eggs, chicken, fish or fruit -- in a simmering liquid. It's ideal for preparing cold dishes like chicken salad in advance. You can poach with water, but stock, broth and wine infuse food with extra flavor.
Tip: Save chicken poaching liquid to freeze and use it as a stock to add richness to soups and sauces.

Try this recipe for Poached Eggs

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Stir-Frying

All frying is not created equal. In the case of stir-frying, it's definitely not a bad thing. This means cooking ingredients in a small amount of fat over very high heat. The food retains its natural crispness, flavor and nutrients, and you're left with a colorful, low-fat meal.

Try this Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry recipe

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Steaming

This the gentlest way to cook food -- both the actual technique and its retention of nutrients. Steaming is placing ingredients -- usually shellfish or vegetables -- in a basket over a liquid, covering and allowing the steam to cook the food as it rises. Water is the most common steaming liquid, but broth, wine or stock will infuse food with more flavor.
Tip: Check the water level periodically to make sure it hasn't all evaporated. And when you take off the lid, stand back -- it's easy to get a steam burn.
Try this Asian Steamed Salmon recipe

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