How to Use Healthier Cooking Methods for Meat
Meat is known for its protein and healthy nutrients. However, if you fry your organically-raised, hormone-free cut of lean meat in lots of butter, you'll destroy a lot of vital nutrients and raise the fat content as well. Frying also increases the carcinogens in meat. Here are some suggestions for some healthy but tasty cooking methods.
Things You'll Need
- Cut of beet, pork or poultry
- Broiler
- Broiler pan
- Wok
- Indoor or outdoor grill or grill pan
- Pot
- Stove top
Instructions
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Use the broiler. Usually located beneath the oven, the broiler cooks your meat quickly, so this is great if you are pressed for time. It also is a great way for preserving the tenderness and juiciness of your meat because the heat is radiating from below instead of above. Make a quick and easy meat loaf using the broiler. See the Resources section below for a link.
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Invest in a wok. Choose one with a flat bottom and made out of carbon steel rather than stainless steel or aluminum. Woks cook meat quickly and require only a little oil (1 to 3 tbsp). Woks are also versatile; for example, you can use them to steam vegetables and certain kinds of fish. Woks work best with sliced pieces of meats for even cooking.
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Grill. If this weather is nice outside, you can use an outdoor grill, but now you can buy indoor grills as well. If these are out of your budget, try a grill pan. There is one precaution with outdoor grilling: meats high in fat can blacken and burn easily, and their drippings can cause flames to flare, so stick to leaner cuts of meat, poultry and pork. Fish also grills well. Try a simple marinade of olive oil, garlic and lemon, and lightly brush it directly onto the fish.
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Try braising. First, brown your meat in a little butter or oil in a large pot, and then cover it and cook over low heat for an extended period of time. Rather than using meat tenderizers (which can contain a lot of chemicals), this method tenderizes the meat for you. Braising works exceptionally well for larger, tough cuts of meat like ribs and brisket, chicken thighs and legs, and pork chops. This really isn't recommended for fish unless it's a firm fish like swordfish or shark, but unfortunately those fish can also be very high in mercury.
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Tips & Warnings
*If you are braising meat, remember that it can take a while. Most people go about their household chores while the meat is cooking, but don't forget to keep an eye on the stove.
*If your meat does get a little charred in some areas, cut it off to avoid eating any possible carcinogens.
