Low Fat Cooking Tips

• Steaming, broiling, boiling, and baking are healthier choices than frying.
• Use a rack to drain off the fat when broiling roasting or baking.  Instead of basting with drippings, keep meat moist with wine, fruit juices or an acceptable oil-based marinade.
• Cook a day ahead of time.  Stews, boiled meat, soup stock or other dishes in which fat cooks into the liquid can be refrigerated, then the harden fat can be removed from the top.
• Make gravies after the fat has harden and can be removed from the liquid.
• When a recipe calls for browning the meat first, try browning it under the broiler instead of in a pan.
• Use wine or broth to sauté foods.
• Microwaving is another quick and easy way to prepare food without adding fat.
• Trim all cuts of meat well before cooking.
• Removing the skin from chicken can take away half the fat calories.
• When cooking ground meat, pour off the excess fat after browning.  It is a good idea to drain the fat away when roasting meats also.
• You can get rid of the fat on broth by chilling it until the rat solidifies and can be spooned off.
• Use nonstick cookware or a little nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray.
• If you can, modify your favorite recipes.  Replace whole milk with skim in baked goods.  In many recipes, you can substitute two egg whites for one fatty egg yolk.
• Try seasoning vegetables with herbs and spices.  Try mint on peas, or nutmeg on carrots.
• Choose no-oil or low-fat salad dressings or experiment with flavored vinegars.
• Try baked potatoes topped with nonfat yogurt.  Be adventurous with potato toppings.
• Instead of butter, sprinkling parsley and chives just before serving enhance the flavor of many vegetables.
• Replace animal fats with appropriate substitutes.
• Serve moderate portions.

Vegetable Spice Match

• Rosemary with peas, cauliflower and squash.
• Oregano with zucchini.
• Dill with green beans.
• Marjoram with Brussels sprouts, carrots and spinach.
• Basil with tomatoes.

General Food Tips

• Thaw seafood, meat or poultry in refrigerator or use the defrost setting of your micro wave.  Never thaw these foods at room temperature because it will promote the growth of bacteria on the outside of the product even if the food remains frozen inside.
• If you can't find Italian-style stewed tomatoes, use the standard stewed tomatoes or plum tomatoes.
• Taste your paprika.  If it has been on the shelf for a while and has lost its flavor, replace it with a new can.
• For extra-special brownies without the extra effort of frosting, cover the brownies with pieces of thin chocolate candy bars during the last minute of baking time.  Allow the chocolate to soften, then remove from the oven and evenly spread the chocolate over the brownies.

Cooking Substitutions

• 1 cup of butter -> 7/8 cup polyunsaturated oil OR
• 1 cup of butter -> 1 cup margarine 
• 1 cup of heavy cream -> 1 cup evaporated skimmed milk
• 1 egg -> 2 egg whites
• 2 egg yolks -> 1 whole egg
• 1 ounce baking chocolate -> 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon polyunsaturated oil
• Sour Cream -> Low-fat yogurt
• Whole milk -> Skim milk
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk -> 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice stirred into 1 cup milk and allowed to stand for 5 minutes
• 1 cup milk -> 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon baking powder -> 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch -> 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour -> 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons

 Custards and Flans Tips

• Custards and flans should be cooled to room temperature before refrigerating.
• The minimum egg-to-milk ratio for a properly thickened custard is 1 egg and 2 tablespoons sugar to 1 cup milk.
• A firmer custard can be achieved by increasing the amount of whole eggs to milk.
• Two egg whites can be substituted for 1 whole egg.  (If you're doing this for health reasons, be aware that there will be a difference in flavor and color.)
• Lightly beat eggs with a whisk, egg beater or electric mixer just until blended, then lightly mix in milk.
• If froth has formed from over beating, skim it off before baking custard.

 Household Tips

• Wash dusty glass shelves, fruit bowls, vases, ashtrays and ceramic pieces in dishwasher to renew their sparkle.  Delicate objects should be washed by hand.
• Paint every other step of a staircase.  This will enable you to climb the unpainted steps as the wet surfaces dry; finish the rest of the stairs when the first phase of painting is dry.
• Mark canned goods with date before putting away.  Rotate the most recent canned items toward the back, moving the oldest purchases toward the front.
• Keep fabric-softener sheets in hamper, wastebaskets, dresser drawers and under humidifier vents to eliminate musty smells.
• Plastic grocery bags can be recycled as "diaper pails," rain bonnets and counter-top garbage bags for things like potato peels, eggshells and empty cat-food cans.

Equivalent Yields

• 1 lemon = 3 tablespoons
• 1 medium size orange = 1/4 cup orange juice
• 8 egg whites = 1 cup
• 4 ounces solid cheese (Cheddar, jack, Swiss) = 1 cup lightly shredded cheese
• 3 ounces hard cheese (Parmesan, Romano) = 1/2 cup grated cheese