Tips and Tricks

Ways to Cut Calories While Preparing Foods

• Trim all the fat from meat before cooking.

• For pan-frying, use a pan with a nonstick finish to eliminate or reduce the need for fat.

• If frying in a regular pan, sprinkle the bottom with salt or use very little fat.

• To render more than fat by frying, broil meat that you normally would pan-fry, even as a first step to stews. If meat is browned in a pan, drain off all fat before adding other ingredients.

• When preparing soups, stews, or meat in sauces, allow time to refrigerate the mixture until the fat congeals and can be entirely removed and discarded.

• Rather than sauteing vegetables in butter, margarine or oil, cook them in a small amount of water with herbs or in bouillon.

• For meat glazes and other uses, choose juice packed canned fruits instead of those packed in heavy syrup. You can also use unsweetened juices and applesauce.

• Use tuna fish that has been packed in water rather than in oil or wash oil off packed tuna.

• For salads and marinating or basting poultry or meats, use a bottled low-calorie dressing. Marinating before cooking also eliminates the need for using fat.

• When broiling or baking fish, use wine, bouillon, or lemon juice instead of butter.