One of the best ways to reduce fat and calories that you consume is to prepare the food yourself.  That way you know exactly what ingredients have gone into the food.  And, you have the option to select lower fat, lower calorie ingredients.  Remember there are two ways to reduce the fat in your recipe: remove the fat ingredients and substitute non-fat ones or replace the fat ingredient with a lower fat option. 

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Healthy Cooking Methods

This session starts with a comparison of cooking methods highlighting the lowest fat methods.  It also provides specific suggestions on substituting fatty ingredients in recipes and over 100 healthy recipes that have been taste-tested and developed by a registered dietitian.

When it comes to cutting fat and calories, some methods of cooking definitely stand out over others. Here's a glossary of cooking methods with some calorie-cutting tips, starting with the best ones.

Baking. Marinate with tea or juice, not oil.  Always cover the pan to keep the food moist.
Broiling.  Don't use extra butter or oil.  Use juice or water if making a sauce.
Fireplace Cooking. This method, whether used indoors or out, is ideal for stews or soups needing a long cooking time.  Make sure you keep skimming off excess fat during cooking or remove the fat that comes to the top of the soup container after the soup has been cooled.  Try not to use added fat or oil while cooking, even if the recipe call for it -- you don't need it!
Poaching. This method is hard to match. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not realize that it's ideal for more than eggs. It's often the tastiest, leanest and moistest way to prepare fish, poultry and other foods. Season the poaching liquids with herbs for extra flavor. Prevent destroying your food during poaching by poaching in liquid at "just less than a rolling boil."
Pressure Cooking. Don't add any fat during cooking. Chill and skim off any fat when making stews.
Roasting. Trim meat well before roasting and always set the roast on the rack so the fat can drain off the meat.
Spit Roasting. Another slow-cooking method that allows the meat to expel much of its fat. Don't coat meat with high-calorie sauces. Rather, marinate the meats in its own juices.
Steaming. A great way to cook. This method does not require any added fat, and it's the method that maintains the most nutrients. Always use a steaming basket and skip adding butter to the food. You'll find it doesn't really need it.
Stewing. Also known as braising, this method is ideal because the slow cooking allows the meat to give off its fat. You can get rid of the fat by chilling the stew and skimming off the fat.

Boiling.  What you gain in reduced calories using this method can be offset by lost nutrients.  You can avoid this by boiling potatoes and other vegetables in their skins, by boiling larger pieces of food and by boiling vegetables in boilable bags.
Outdoor Grilling.  The marinades and sauces commonly used in outdoor grilling tend to be high in calories and sodium.  The healthiest and leanest way to grill is to grill the plain food, wrapped in foil to keep it moist.  If you choose to use sauces or marinades, avoid oil-based marinades and white creamy sauces.  Good choices are BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and other juice or water-based sauces.
Stir-frying.  This method requires a little fat and can be a good cooking method if fat is controlled.  However, when dining out, too much fat is usually used.  Be careful when ordering, and ask that you food be prepared with minimal fat or oil.

Deep Fat Frying.  Foods cooked by this method really gobble up the fat and calories.  It's best to avoid deep fat frying food altogether, even when unsaturated fats are used for frying.  If you do deep fry, you can cut the fat by patting the food with paper towels right after lifting the food from the fat to absorb as much excess fat as possible.
Pan Frying.  This method also offers you unwanted fat.  You can cut fat by using spray coating or nonstick pans.
Sautéing. This method is often used for vegetables and shell seafood. However, this method of cooking is done so in a pan with fat, usually saturated butter.

Be willing to try some of these new methods of cooking.  "Just because you've always cooked the dish that way" doesn't mean it can't taste good and be much healthier if cooked a lower fat way.  This may be the time to purchase a steamer, pressure cooker or wok if you don't already have one.

The links below provide extensive tips on substitutions for fatty ingredients in your existing recipes and over 100 healthy recipes for you to try.  Use the back button on your browser to come back to this spot.