Healthy Cooking Methods

How to prepare food in healthy ways using basic cooking techniques

Healthy eating is not just about choosing the right foods to eat, it is also important how they are being prepared.  By using healthy cooking methods, you can capture the flavour and retain more nutrients of your favourite dishes without adding excessive amounts of fat and salt.

There are 3 main different types of cooking methods: Moist-heat cooking methods (boiling, poaching, steaming, stewing, pressure cooking and microwave cooking), Dry-heat cooking methods (roasting, sautéing, grilling and baking) and Fry-cooking methods (deep-frying, pan frying and stir-frying).  Rather avoid cooking methods that add unhealthy fats or let food cook in its own fat (deep-frying and pan frying are two examples).

Let’s look at some of the different cooking methods and their techniques:

Moist-heat cooking methods: These methods are particularly suitable for prepar­ing pasta, rice, pulses and vegeta­bles.

Boiling: cooking food in a lot of liquid (water, stock, milk) at boiling point (liquid is bubbling vigorously), no fat or oil is needed for this cooking method.

Poaching: cooking food in liquid just below boiling point (simmering) over direct heat.

Steaming: cooking foods over boiling water in a covered pan by using the steam from the boiling water. The food is completely separated from the cooking liquid.

Stewing: long, slow-cooking method where the food is cooked in liquid, water, stock or sauce in a covered pan or casserole dish. The food and liquid are often served together.

Pressure cooking: cooking food in an airtight pressure cooker. Comparable with steaming and stewing.

Microwave cooking: cooking or reheating food by activating the water molecules or particles of food, causing heat by friction which cooks or reheats food.

Dry-heat cooking methods: Suitable for foods rich in proteins, like meat, fish and seafood and where a crust is needed

Roasting: cooking food uncovered using dry heat in the oven or on a spit, using fat or oil.

Sautéing: cooking food quickly in a small amount of fat over direct heat, moving the food frequently.

Grilling/ Braaing: cooking food fast with radiant heat or contact heat, with or without adding fat. For example, on a griddle pan or on a braai (charcoal or gas). Dry meat browns better than moist meat.

Baking: cooking in the oven slowly with gentle, dry heat, causing the natural moisture to evaporate slowly.

Fry-cooking methods:

Deep frying: cooking food in pre-heated deep oil or fat, which leads to a high absorption of fat making the food energy dense.

Pan fry or shallow fry: cooking food in a small amount of pre-heated fat or oil in a shallow pan or flat surface, usually used for crumbed or breaded food items.

Stir-fry: cooking food quickly over very high heat with continual stirring, usually in a wok in little fat or oil.

Good to remember:

Healthy Cooking Methods
	Food	How to make this method healthier
Boiling	Vegetables (food for soups), Starches such as rice, potatoes and pasta	A greater loss of nutrients can be seen with using this method. To minimize the loss of vitamins and minerals try to use as little water as possible or save the cooking liquid for use in stocks, sauces or casseroles instead of discarding it.
Poaching	Meat with little connective tissue, eggs, fish, poultry, small sausages	A greater loss of nutrients can be seen with using this long cooking method. If possible, rather add herbs or spices to the poaching liquid instead of salt or sugar and save the cooking liquid for use in stocks and sauces or casseroles.
Steaming	Vegetables, fish, potato	Locks in nutrients therefore makes this method a nutrient-friendly method with minimal loss of vitamins.
Stewing	Vegetables, fruits, fish, meats (with more connective tissue), potato	Nutrient friendly method, minimal loss of vitamins if cooking liquid is kept for further use. If some fat is used for cooking or released from meat during cooking it could be absorbed by the sauce, therefore try to use as little oil as possible and use leaner meats
Pressure Cooking	Vegetables, fruits, fish, meats (with more connective tissue), potato	Locks in nutrients, therefore makes this method a nutrient-friendly method with minimal loss of vitamins
Microwave Cooking	Any kind of food, but only in small quantities	Minimal loss of vitamins and minerals. Use glass containers when cooking or reheating food in the microwave.
Roasting	Meat, fish, vegetables, potatoes, eggs	Heat-sensitive vitamins are par­tially destroyed using this method and some loss of water/fat vitamins might occur if cooking liquid is not used further.  Use leaner meats and a minimum amount of fat or oil to prevent fat absorption during cooking. Avoid burning the food to avoid the formation of chemicals, which may cause cancer. Cover food to preserve moisture and brush healthy olive or canola oil on vegetables or seafood before cooking.
Sautéing	Use for tender cuts of meat and vegetables.	Aim to use a minimum amount of fat or oil.
Grilling/ Braaing	Fish, meat (food with not much connective tissue), vegetables, potato, fruit	Make sure the grill is hot before the food is added to seal the meat, retaining the juices, vitamins and minerals in the meat. Heat-sensitive vitamins are partially destroyed during this cooking method. Don’t salt the meat before grilling as this can draw out the juices leading to a loss of vitamins and minerals from the meat. Avoid burning the food to avoid the formation of chemicals, which may cause cancer.
Baking	Dough products, potatoes	Heat-sensitive vitamins are partially destroyed. Avoid burning the food to avoid the formation of chemicals, which may cause cancer
Stir-fry	Any kind of food	Aim to use a minimum amount of fat or oil. If food sticks to the pan during cooking, rather add a little water or stock to loosen the food instead of fat or oil.
Unhealthy Cooking Methods
	Food	How to make this method healthier
Deep-Fry	Meat, fish, shellfish, vegetables, potatoes, poultry	Fry as quickly as possible as fat absorption increases as the cooking time increase.
Shallow Fry	Meat, fish, shellfish, vegetables, potatoes, poultry	Cook at the correct temperature and make sure the food item is breaded properly to decrease fat absorption.