Healthy Cooking by Vusumzi Matomane

Cook Healthy — Without Buying a Thing

There's no need to shop for special tools or costly appliances to make healthier meals — your kitchen is likely already stocked with the necessary tools to whip up lower-fat, lower-calorie dishes.

Keep in mind these seven no-gimmick guidelines. In addition to eating healthfully, check out gear and gadgets that help you shed those extra pounds.

·         Use your blender to make creamy vegetable soups without a drop of cream. Cook four cups of any vegetable along with a small potato, an onion, salt, pepper, and two cups of water until very tender. Then puree until smooth with a cup of low-fat milk and return to stove to bring back up to temperature. Heavenly!

·         Steam veggies in your microwave — don't buy a special steamer. Broccoli, green beans, and carrots actually come out better — tender and never brown or withered. Even sturdy and nutrient-dense greens like collards, chard, and broccoli rabe (which are generally boiled, drained, and sautéed) can be cooked in one step in the microwave. Combine about a pound of cut-up leaves and stems with a tablespoon of oil, and chopped onion or garlic. Cook for about five minutes or until softened and tender, stirring once or twice during cooking; Season with salt, hot pepper flakes, and vinegar or lemon juice.

·         Cook meat and fish in the microwave, too. Boneless chicken breasts and fish fillets will steam evenly and taste great with no oil, and won't shred or flake. Rule of thumb: Add a tablespoon or so of water and a dash of salt, cover, and then zap for five minutes for every pound. For a flavor boost, substitute lemon juice or white wine for the water and/or sprinkle with dried or fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, tarragon, or a spice blend.

·         Heat up a heavy cast-iron skillet instead of investing in an indoor grill or special stovetop grill pan. Turn the burner to medium-high for 3 to 5 minutes, and then add lean sirloin or sliced veggies. They'll come out just as browned as if they were cooked outdoors. While a ridged pan will yield appealing grill marks, in Cookrite Al Dente Research Institute tests, it didn't reduce the amount of fat that winds up on your plate any more than a flat-bottomed one.

·         Don't purchase a rice cooker to make brown rice. To be sure it comes out right every time; choose a saucepan with a heavy bottom. Next, measure (don't eyeball) the amount of water specified on the package. Rig up a tight-fitting cover by topping the pan with a piece of aluminum foil, wrapping it tightly around the rim, then placing the pan lid on top of the foil.

·         Make lower-fat grilled cheese sandwiches in a nonstick skillet — no Panini grill necessary. Start with whole wheat bread, reduced-fat cheese, and juicy tomato slices. Very lightly grease the pan with olive oil — a teaspoon should be enough — and preheat on a medium setting for about 3 minutes. Place sandwich in the skillet with a dinner plate on top to lightly press it down. Cook sandwich one side until golden brown, and then flip over to brown the second side.

·         Think smashed (not mashed) potatoes. To whip up everyone's favorite side dish, you don't need a mixer, blender, food mill, ricer, or even potato masher. After boiling potatoes with their skins on (bonus: you've eliminated the potato peeler), smash and stir with a regular fork. If you chose red-skinned spuds, you get a colorful garnish with no extra work. Yukon Golds produce a buttery flavor without adding butter. If you do need a touch of seasoning beyond salt and pepper, drizzle in a good peppery olive oil.

Choose the Best Cookware

Choosing and Buying the Best Cookware

With all of the different brands, shapes, materials and price points out there, buying cookware can be a confusing proposition. But it doesn't have to be. With a little bit of knowledge of cookware shapes and terms, and a little thinking about your own cooking style, you will be able to outfit your kitchen with a selection of pots and pans that will be most useful to you.
There are dozens of different cookware shapes, from everyday workhorses like a skillet to specially shaped fish poachers. Familiarize yourself with the different cookware shapes and their names, and then decide which ones you'll actually need.
Although buying 7- or 10-piece sets often seem like a good deal, don't buy one unless you're sure you will use all the pieces regularly. Often there will be a few essential pieces, combined with odd shapes or sizes that you'll never use, which wastes both money and cabinet space. Instead, build up a collection over time as your budget and kitchen allows.
A few basics to start with:

• A medium- to large-sized skillet (10 to 12 inches) for sautéing and stir-frying
• A nonstick skillet for cooking eggs (8 to 10 inches)
• A 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven for cooking stews and soups, and for boiling water for pasta or potatoes
• A saucepan or saucier for cooking smaller batches of soup, as well as sauces, rice and grains, and vegetables.

Once you have the basics, build upon your collection with other pieces that make sense for your cooking style.

Other useful cookware pieces include:

• A small saucepan (1 or 2 quarts) for melting butter, boiling an egg or heating a can of soup
• A wok if you do a lot of stir-frying
• Additional sizes of nonstick or uncoated stainless steel skillet, depending on how many people you cook for. A small nonstick skillet is great for cooking 2 scrambled eggs or an omelet, while a very large one can be used to cook a big batch of eggs, pancakes or bacon.
• A cast-iron skillet (10 to 12 inches) for searing meat, making cornbread and more.
• A grill pan for indoor grilling
• An inexpensive stock pot for boiling water for pasta or potatoes, or for making stock
• Additional sizes of saucepan
• If you don't have one already, a or saucier for cooking risotto and grains, or for making custards and delicate sauces
• A steamer insert
• A double boiler for melting chocolate or making delicate egg-based sauces.

• Learning About Metals

The type of metal or combinations of metal used to make a piece of cookware is key to having a pot that works effectively, whether you'll looking for a piece of cookware that will retain heat for a slow, steady cooking process, or you need a pan that will conduct heat quickly but also allow you to adjust the temperature quickly.

You'll often see references to the gauge of the metal used for the cookware. This refers to the thickness of the metal, and the smaller the number, the thicker and heavier the piece will be.

These are the metals most commonly used in cookware, and their properties:

• Aluminum: Conducts heat quickly and evenly, and is sensitive to temperature changes, so it cools nearly as quickly as it heats. Aluminum is also lightweight and durable, but it can adversely react with acidic or alkaline foods so it's often coated with another material, such as stainless steel or nonstick finish.
• Anodized Aluminum: An electrochemical process makes aluminum nonreactive and resistant to scratches. It also gives the cooking surface nonstick properties. The anodization process also seals in the aluminum so that it is less likely to corrode into food.
• Cast-Iron: Produces heavy, thick, durable pans that are slow to heat but are excellent at retaining and distributing heat. Regular cast iron, or enamel-coated cast iron, are good for deep frying and dishes requiring long cooking periods like braises or stews.
• Copper: Excellent at conducting, distributing and retaining heat, but copper tarnishes and dents easily. Because it is an expensive metal, it's often used in combination with other metals, such as in only the base or a pan or in a thin layer in the construction.
• Stainless Steel: Durable, non-porous, nonreactive and resistant to rust, corrosion and pitting. Because stainless steel is not very conductive, it is often combined with other metals, such as copper or aluminum.

Knowing what pieces you'll need, and the best materials to choose, will go a long way in helping you outfit your kitchen with the best cookware for your needs.