FIVE HEALTHIEST METHODS OF COOKING

Olipriya Deb

Deb Villa, 148/6 Mali Bagan,

Lane no. 7, Kaikhali, Kolkata- 700052

Food can be prepared in many ways. From the simplest ingredients to the most complicated, one can prepare a delicious meal using any of these healthy cooking methods. Some of the most healthiest cooking methods are poaching, steaming, boiling, baking, braising, grilling, sauteeing, stir-frying, etc.

Out of these, here are the five healthiest cooking methods-

Boiling- Boiling is a moist-heat cooking method that happens when the liquid’s temperature reaches 212 degrees. Food is completely submerged in water for even heat distribution. The full boil is a vigorous one, where bubbles rapidly and violently break over the entire surface of the water.

Boiled food retains its natural flavor, without the addition of fats or oils in sautéing or frying. Boiling also makes flavors more concentrated by reducing sauces. Boiling makes grains, beans and starchy vegetables palatable and edible by breaking them down and making them soft. Boiling is the best way to make delicious and highly nutritious stocks out of meat and vegetables.

Foods like legumes, beans, eggs, etc can be easily boiled in hot water. Boiling food in water does not require any oil to cook. We can simply add food to hot water and boil until its cooked. Instead of having fried eggs, we can opt for boiled eggs as they are a much healthier option. Delicious meals can be made with boiled kidney beans and chickpeas too.

Steaming– Steaming is basically a cooking method that employs hot steam to conduct the heat to the food, without disturbing it in a boiling liquid, leaving us with tender, moist results—when done correctly. Once water is heated past the 212 F mark, it stops being water and turns into steam. Steaming has an advantage over methods such as boiling or even simmering in that there is no agitation involved, so it’s gentler on delicate items like seafood. And because it doesn’t require the food to be submerged, it avoids the loss of nutrients through leaching. It also cooks relatively quickly.

Seafood is particularly well suited for steaming. With compartment steaming, the cooking liquid (usually a broth, stock, or wine to add flavor) along with aromatic herbs, are gently simmered, creating flavourful steam. The moist environment inside the steamer compartment helps keep the fish tender and juicy.

 Baking- Baking, process of cooking by dry heat, especially in some kind of oven. It is probably the oldest cooking method. Bakery products, which include bread, rolls, cookies, pies, pastries, and muffins, are usually prepared from flour or meal derived from some form of grain. Bread, already a common staple in prehistoric times, provides many nutrients in the human diet. Flour, water, and leavening agents are the ingredients primarily responsible for the characteristic appearance, texture, and flavour of most bakery products. Eggs, milk, salt, shortening, and sugar are effective in modifying these qualities, and various minor ingredients may also be used.

Grilling- The smoked flavour and aroma of grilled food is hard to resist. All around the world, people enjoy barbequed meats and vegetables. In India, people prefer tandoor-made food which is similar to grilled foods. Some tasty and healthy grilled dishes we can eat are tandoori chicken, paneer tikka, grilled pork, etc. Meat, when grilled, gets cooked in its own fat and excessive fats drip out. This makes grilling a very healthy cooking method.

This is a fast cooking method as grilling temperatures can exceed upto 260 degree celcius and therefore one must be careful while cooking using this method.

En Papillote- Attribute the slim figures of the French to the way they cook. Many of them prepare food using a method known as En Papillote, a cousin of steaming. En Papillote is French for ‘parchment,” or wrapping food before cooking it.

Wrapping of food helps to retain both its nutrients and flavours. The result is almost always a healthy, flavourful meal.

When cooking en papillote, there are usually vegetables, herbs, and seasonings included in the packet along with the main item, such as a fish filet. These additional ingredients, along with the main item, give off steam, which is what actually cooks the food. Therefore, en papillote cooking is basically a technique for cooking with steam.

Because it is delicate and cooks quickly, fish is often a choice for cooking in this way. Salmon en papillote is a popular dish.