Healthy Cooking Techniques
A big part of eating healthy isn't just about the foods you eat, it's also about how you cook your food. What's the point of being a vegetarian if all of your food is going to be deep fried or whats the point of going Paleo if all of your food will be sauteed in teflon coated pans with canola oil? Each food has it's own way of beig cooked that will make it more nutritious than other ways. Below are a few cooking techniques that are healthier ways of cooking you may never have realized.
1. En Papillote. En papillote is French for in parchment, and is basically just cooking your food in a tightly sealed parchment package in the oven. Cooking en papillote is a great way to cook vegetables and fish. The best thing about cooking this way is that you don't have to use any oil, because it is being cooked from the natural steam that will occur while baking it in the oven. You can get a great flavor combination by cooking this way. I often times have done my fish, veggies and herbs in one parchment package with a little broth and I get a wonderful aromatic combination.
2. Steam. Growing up, one of my favorite dishes that my grandmother would make was what she called boiled dinner. It consisted of ham, brussle sprouts, cabbage and potatoes that she would just simply cook in a steamer. The outcome was a wonderfully moist and tender piece of ham with perfectly cooked vegetables. A lot of people may be unaware of this, but if you want to preserve the antioxidants in your vegetables, than steaming is ultimately the best way to go. You have to be careful not to over steam them though, as over steaming can cook the antioxidants right out. On the flipside, boiling your vegetables in hot water is actually one of the least nutritious ways to prepare your vegetables. The hot water draws out all of the antioxidants, so what you are left with is a really nutritious water that you probably end up throwing out and a vegetable thats been depleated of most of it's nutrients.
3. Poaching. Poaching your food means that you are simply cooking it submerged in a liquid. Typical foods that people poach are eggs, poultry, fish or fruit. Eggs Benedict is a classic dish that is made by poaching eggs. Or how about pears poached in red wine for a more healthy dessert option? By poaching your food, you are again eliminating the use of fat in your cooking which is an overall healthier choice. Plus, some things really do taste better when cooked in water, broth or even red wine, yum!
4. Grilling. I think one of the best ways to eat asparagus is grilled. You get the great flavor with a little bit of that crunch from the grill marks, delicious. Grilling is a great way to cook a lot of your food. You don't have to use oil depending on what you are cooking but some people prefer to do so anyway. A word of caution is that not all food is best when grilled. Vegetables, fish and poultry are all fine to grill as often as you want. Beef and Pork a little different. While I will admit, that a grilled hamburger tastes pretty great, there is often concern about the carcinogens that naturally occur in beef and pork. Some studies have shown that cooking all meat rapidly at high temperatures, but especially beef and pork rapidly releases their naturally occuring carcinogens, which you then ingest. Some experts suggest that marinating your meat before hand protects it a little bit from the heat and alters how it cooks. I personally would not recommend grilling any cured meats as well, since cured meats are often times cured with pink salt also known as curing salts which are very high in carcinogens.
5. Marinating. Now, some of you might be confused when I say marinating but its true, yes you can cook by just marinating. A popular South American dish called Ceviche is a dish consisting of raw fish and other vegetables that is marinated in citrus juices. The naturally occuring acid in the citrus juices are what actually cook the meat. Now, I probably would not be cooking poultry or pork this way but if you want to become a little adventurous and try some fresh high quality steak or fish in this fashion, I say go for it. However, whenever consuming meat cooked in this method I would eat it as soon as it is done being cooked in the citrus or vinegar or whatever form of marinating you choose. The longer you let it sit, the higher your risk for contracting a food borne illness. A much safer way of eating in this manner is to simply stick to preparing fruits and vegetables in this method.
6. Sous vide. Don't you just love all of these French words I am throwing at you today? Unless you have worked in a professional kitchen, odds are you probably have never heard of sous vide before since it isn't a very common method of cooking. Sous vide is a method of cooking food in a vacuum sealed package completely submerged under hot water for long periods of time. As you read that you were probably thinking "Um, that sounds gross", but quite the contrary. Cooking sous vide is an excellent way to cook beef, poultry or pork for two reasons. First, by cooking it at low-medium temperature over a long period of time gives you an extremly tender piece of meat. Second, is that if you are cooking it in some sort of marinade, your meat is going to really take on the rich flavor of your marinade because it is cooking for so long. Cooking sous vide can really give you a delicious meal.
