Five Ways of Cooking a Healthy Meal
Healthy cooking ensures that food is cooked correctly and retains the nutritional content. Also, the prepared meal should have low-fat content and great taste. Here are examples of such five ways to cook healthy meals;
- Steaming
Here only a small amount of water is needed. The food doesn’t have to be immersed in water. The food has to be covered in a container thus infused with steam. The method preserves the food’s color, texture and shape. The cooking process is faster due to the circulation of steam and no oil is needed. Besides, the nutrients are not leached away. Steaming is possible in the following ways; using electric steamers, steaming basket or bamboo steamers. Large steaming pots are preferable to hold and allow for easy circulation of steam. The best food to steam includes vegetables, chicken breasts, and seafood.
- Stir Frying
The method requires high heat over a short duration. Consequently, first cut the food into smaller and uniform portions. For example this method is suitable for preparing mixed vegetables, sliced beef, pork or shrimp. A little film of oil on the pan is however necessary. However this cooking process will demand your extra attention by continuously stirring and tossing to prevent the food from sticking to the pan.
Stir frying is best carried out on a red copper pan. The wok takes awhile to heat up and retains heat for a longer duration. Moreover its design; the sloppy sides sand the rounded bottom suits stir frying. Set the wok on the ring then the whole assembly on the oven. Once the pan gets extra hot pour little oil then food.
- Microwaving
The method requires little or no cooking oil at all. For best result splash your food with a little bit of water. It is also advisable to cover the food with a flat glass platter. That will ensure that the food retains moisture. For even cooking the food should be rotated midway through cooking. Microwaving best suits cooking vegetables as it ensures that maximum amount of vitamin C is retained. Make sure that the container used for cooking is microwave safe; stay away from using metal containers.
- Pressure Cooking
The method employs steam under high pressure – power pressure cooker xl reviews – to cook food after a short duration thus retaining most of the nutrients. Since the cooking is mainly due to steam, a minimal amount of water is needed. Examples of foods to cook using pressure cooking include grains, beef, and beans. It is, however, preferable to have a chart outlining the approximate time for cooking various foods through the pressure cooker.
- Grilling
Here the food is placed on a grill and subjected to direct source of heat. Each side takes the turn in receiving the heat. The method ensures that the food retains its nutrients and flavor. Meat, bread, and vegetables are good examples of food to be grilled. Moreover, excess fats will drip away during the grilling process. The best tip here is to choose lean meat and keep the meat from getting charred.