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Home >> Lifestyle: Cooking
Basics:
Converting
Recipes to Lowfat
by
RACHEL PAXTON
The fat content
in recipes can be reduced in a variety of ways:
When buying
hamburger, look for extra lean hamburger. This type has much
less fat than regular hamburger. You can also substitute ground
turkey for hamburger. Turkey has a slightly different taste,
but it is good and generally costs less than hamburger. Ground
turkey is generally very low in fat.
For chicken,
white meat contains less fat than dark meat. Try to buy boneless,
skinless, chicken breasts. These contain relatively little fat.
Turkey can be substituted for chicken. Boneless turkey breast
is cheaper than chicken breast, and it is a little lower in fat
(although chicken breast is low in fat also).Trim as much fat
as possible from pork before you cook it. Turkey ham can be substituted
for real ham. Turkey ham, of course, is really turkey. It really
does taste like ham, though, and can be used wherever a recipe
calls for ham. Some people can't tell the difference between
the two. Turkey ham has very little fat compared to regular ham.
If you've never
tried turkey bacon, you're missing out! Regular bacon is made
entirely of fat, with no nutritional value whatsoever. Turkey
bacon is not a pork product, it is made from turkey meat. Turkey
bacon contains little fat (it is usually about 97 percent fat
free). It still doesn't have a lot of nutritional value, but
it is relatively low in fat and will give you a little protein.
It tastes considerably different from regular bacon, but it is
very good!
Tuna can be
purchased packed in oil or water. Tuna packed in water contains
almost no fat. Tuna packed in oil contains considerably more
fat. Lowfat cream of mushroom and chicken soups are now available
at your grocery store. Check the labels to see which one is lowest
in total fat grams per serving.
For the recipes
that require milk, skim milk can be used without sacrificing
flavor. For recipes call for cheddar cheese, there are low-fat
and non-fat varieties of cheddar cheese. The lowfat variety work
well in these types of recipes. The nonfat cheeses usually do
not melt very well and aren't great for cooking. Lowfat or nonfat
sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and mayonnaise can
be used without sacrificing any flavor.
Butter can
be eliminated from some recipes. When browning onions, hamburger,
etc., you can spray your skillet with nonstick spray or use chicken
or beef broth instead of butter to cook with. When baking, you
can use reduced-calorie margarine instead of butter, but the
texture will not always come out right. You've got to experiment
a little. Nonfat margarines currently on the market do not bake
well at all. Just remember...with baked goods, it's not always
the calorie content per cookie or piece of cake, it's how many
you eat! Remembering that has helped me maintain my weight better
than any reduced calorie diet.
Author:
© Copyright 2001
Rachel Paxton is a freelance
writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook
containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes,
gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and
more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.
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