Healthy and Low-fat Cooking Tips

Many modern cooks are concerned about preparing healthy, low-fat meals. Here are a few simple ways to reduce the fat content of the recipes in this book. Specific suggestions for individual recipes appear throughout the book. Don’t worry, they’ll still taste delicious!

Many recipes call for butter or oil to fry meats, vegetables, or other ingredients. Using oil lowers fat right away, but you can also reduce the amount of oil you use. You can substitute a low-fat or nonfat cooking spray. Sprinkling a little salt on the vegetables brings out their natural juices, so you need less oil. Use a nonstick frying pan if you decide to use less butter or oil than the recipe calls for.

Substitute margarine for butter. Before making this substitution, consider the recipe. If it is a dessert, it’s often best to use butter. Margarine may change the taste or consistency of the food.

Dairy products can be a source of unwanted fat. Replace heavy cream with half-and-half. Use fat-free evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk. Many cheeses are available in reduced fat or nonfat varieties, but these often don’t melt as well. Reduce fat by using low-fat or nonfat yogurt in place of sour cream. Another easy way to reduce the fat from cheese is simply to use less of it. To avoid losing flavor, try using a stronger-tasting cheese.

Meat is an essential part of many Austrian meals. Some cooks replace ground beef with ground turkey, tofu, or chicken to lower fat. This changes the flavor, so you may need to experiment a bit. Using extra-lean ground beef is also an easy way to reduce fat.

When recipes call for chicken broth, use low-fat varieties or vegetable broth. Lower the cholesterol in dishes containing eggs by using an egg substitute.

Meals can be good for you and still taste great. As you become more experienced, try experimenting with recipes and substitutions to find the methods that work best for you.

This tip was published in 'Cooking The Austrian Way, revised and expanded to include new low-fat and vegetarian recipes by "Helga Hughes" - p22'