Many of the ingredients used in traditional home cooking add masses of fat and calories to otherwise healthy recipes. People who choose a healthy lifestyle but still want to cook for themselves can replace most of these ingredients with low-fat or fat-free variations when they cook or bake. Because fat adds moisture and smoothness to most recipes, cooking without it demands a few modifications to the process. Use low-fat ingredients rather than fat-free ones to keep the food creamy, flavorful and moist.
Step 1
Replace whole-fat dairy products with reduced-fat versions. Low-fat cream cheese, sour cream, milk, buttermilk and yogurt are all available. Replace whole cream with evaporated skim milk.
Step 2
Substitute solid fats in baking recipes with half as much applesauce, pureed prunes, mashed banana, low-fat buttermilk, yogurt, milk or fruit juice. Substitute oils in baking with three-fourths as much of these replacements. If the batter is too dry, add more fat substitute.
Step 3
Replace solid fats in spiced muffins and breads with three-fourths as much cooked pumpkin or sweet potato. Replace oil with an equal amount of pumpkin or sweet potato. Add more if the batter is too dry.
Step 4
Use egg whites or fat-free egg substitute instead of whole eggs. Replace each egg with two egg whites or 1/4 cup of egg substitute.
Step 5
Use lean beef, turkey or chicken instead of full-fat cuts. Trim excess fat from meat before cooking it for a lower-fat result or after cooking it for a higher-fat result.
Step 6
Marinate in wine, balsamic vinegar or fruit juice instead of oils. Dress salads similarly.
Step 7
Spray pans and tins with cooking spray instead of coating them with butter or oil. Brown the tops of broiled or baked items the same way.
Step 8
Reduce the cooking temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and shorten the cooking time by five to 10 minutes when using low-fat ingredients.
Step 9
Alter the proportions of your ingredients for items such as pizza toppings, pasta sauce and casseroles. Instead of using mostly meat, use mostly vegetables. A small amount of meat gives a strong flavor.
Tips and Warnings
- Start by replacing only half of the fat in recipes with substitutes until you acclimate to the differences in taste and texture.
References
- University of Missouri Extension: How to Modify Recipes to Reduce Fat
- MayoClinic: Healthy Recipes: A Guide to Ingredient Substitutions
- "Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking"; Sandra Woodruff, R.D.; 1995
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