How to Cook without Adding Fat

We’ve all seen the cooking shows. The first thing to hit every chef’s pan is a few big swirls of oil or a couple pats of butter. Adding fat to the pan serves a few functions including keeping foods from sticking, adding flavor and encouraging browning. 

But did you know that each tablespoon of oil contains about 120 Calories?  The good news – there’s other ways to achieve the functions of fat without actually using it!

Recommended Kitchen Equipment

A few things I highly recommend you add to your kitchen equipment if you don’t already have them are either a non-stick or a well-seasoned cast iron pan and silicone baking mats.  Both keep food from sticking without adding any fat. The pans actually also encourage browning as long as they are cleaned and stored properly. The silicone mats are an easy way to line baking sheets without greasing them.

Browning with Salt

If you’re having a hard time achieving the browning you desire in a dry pan, add sprinkle of salt to the pan, let the pan heat up and then add the food. The salt helps to pull out the moisture from the food item lending to additional browning. To make sure you’re not increasing the sodium content of the meal, make sure to decrease the amount of salt you use later in the recipe when it calls for it. If you really can’t live without the oil in the pan, pour a little bit onto a paper towel and spread a thin layer as opposed to just pouring and swirling.

Adding Flavor

Experiment with low-sodium broths, juice, wine or a mixture of water and a flavored vinegar. Some of my favorite combos are white wine with lemon juice or red wine with low-sodium beef broth. All will add a different layer of flavor to your dish. These liquids can be added for stove-top cooking or roasting in the oven. 

So there you have it my healthy chefs! You can successfully make dinner without going over your fat servings for the day. I can't wait to hear what you make and how it turns out!