To cut fat in cooking, first identify the fatty ingredients in your recipes, such as butter, oil, cheese, cream and meats. After you have identified the problem ingredients, there are four options to modifying your recipes and cutting fat.
1. Reduce the amount of the high-fat ingredient.2. Eliminate the high-fat ingredient completely.
3. Substitute a lower-fat ingredient for the high-fat one.
4. Use a low-fat cooking technique.
Which option you use to cut fat will depend on the type of food you are preparing and the recipe ingredients.
To cut the fat but retain palatability:
1. Eliminate or substitute fatty ingredients you won't miss (see substitution chart).
2. Reduce by 1/4 to 1/2 (but not eliminate) flavorful fatty ingredients like chocolate, nuts, coconut and bacon that are important flavor ingredients.
3. Use flavorful oil like virgin olive, dark sesame, hot oils or walnut as the fat. This way you need less of it.
4. When it is necessary to add fat to a recipe, choose unsaturated fats like canola, olive, safflower, sunflower or corn instead of cholesterol-raising saturated fats such as butter, lard or shortening.
5. Remove the skin from poultry before you eat it. Recent studies have shown that you can keep the skin on while cooking and the fat will not penetrate the meat. And it may be more desirable to leave the skin on when roasting, baking and grilling, as these cooking methods tend to dry out the meat.
Tip: Put your seasonings under the skin before roasting so you do not lose flavor when the skin is pulled off.
6. Chill soups, stews and broth to remove congealed fat.
7. Add pureed potatoes or vegetables to soups to thicken them instead of cream or butter and flour roux.
8. Use a nonstick pan instead of greasing a pan with oil.
9. Instead of oil, use water, juices or chicken broth to saute or prevent food from sticking. For example, try sauteing potatoes in a nonstick pan by adding small amounts of water or chicken broth (2 tablespoons at a time) to prevent sticking.
10. Choose a low-fat cooking method like steaming, poaching, stir-frying, broiling, grilling, baling, roasting or microwaving.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Substitute a healthier ingredient
To cut fat, sugar, salt or calories (but not taste) . . .
INSTEAD OF . . . TRY:
sour cream or mayonnaise . . . (1) fat-free or low-fat brands, (2) mix equal portions of reduced calorie mayo and plain yogurt, (3) a mixture of low-fat yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese (use a blender)
1 ounce hard cheese . . . (1) 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese (dry curd is better for cooked recipes), (2) one tablespoon of Romano or Parmesan cheese (25 calories and lots of flavor), (3) part-skim mozzarella or ricotta cheese, (4) reduced fat brands, (5) use 1/2 ounce sharp cheddar
ice cream . . . frozen yogurt, sorbet, fruit ices, sherbet, ice milk
one whole egg . . . 2 egg whites or 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon liquid
chocolate . . . 3 tablespoons of dry cocoa powder mixed with 3 tablespoons of water can be substituted for 1 ounce unsweetened
1/2 cup shortening . . . 1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup oil, margarine, or butter (for baking) . . . (1) 1/2 cup applesauce, (2) 1/4 cup applesauce + 1/4 cup buttermilk, (3) 1/2 cup pureed or baby food prunes, (4) 1/2 cup reduced calorie margarine
1/2 cup oil (for salad dressings) . . . 1/4 cup lemon or lime joice + flavorful oil (dark sesame, virgin olive)
1/2 cup oil (for marinades) . . . (1) 1/2 cup pineapple or orange juice, (2) cup chicken broth
margarine/butter (for frostings) . . . use marshmallow creme
whipping cream or condensed milk (in desserts) . . . (1) canned evaporated skim milk whole milk, (2) skim milk
whole milk or cream (in sauces, soups, gravies) . . . (1) canned evaporated skim milk, (2) buttermilk
salt . . . herbs, spices, garlic, onions, flavored vinegars, dried mustards, onion and garlic powder, horseradish sauce
sugar . . . vanilla extract, cinnamon, fruit puree, applesauce, fruit juice concentrate, flavoring extracts, dried fruits
From Teri Underwood R.D., M.S., C.D., Utah Dietetic Association