Cooking Skills. Home Healthy Living Healthy Eating Cooking Skills Cooking Techniques Don't fry! Give Healthy Cooking Methods a Try. Instead of smothering them in flour, salt and fat, try one of these easy, better-for-you cooking techniques: Bake: Cook foods slowly in dry heat like an oven.

Poach: Cook by immersing food in simmering liquid like water, broth or wine. First Name required. Last Name required. Email required. Zip Code required. I agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Last Reviewed: Feb 9, Nationally Supported by.

Steaming food isn't too difficult, but you need to purchase a freestanding vegetable steamer or a steaming basket. Pressure cooking involves the use of a special pressure cooker that allows for higher temperatures. The cooking time is much shorter than boiling, and fewer nutrients are lost in the process.

While the amount of nutrient loss is high in most cooking methods using liquids, they don't require the use of any extra fats, so none of these methods will increase the calorie content of foods. Steaming is often the best of these methods because it also keeps most of the nutrients intact. Roasting involves cooking your food in the oven with or without added fat, at a temperature between and degrees Fahrenheit.

Roasting is often used to cook meats, fish, vegetables, and eggs. Roasting damages vitamin C and most B-complex vitamins due to the heat, and vitamins A and E may also be destroyed if extra fat is added. In addition, over-roasting can result in the formation of acrylamide, a compound which may be linked to cancer, but more research is needed.

Despite the name, air fryers are technically countertop convection ovens and roast food rather than frying it, making them a healthier way of preparing frozen potatoes or chicken. Sautéing is a dry-heat method that usually requires a small amount of fat to keep food from sticking to the pan.

It's often used for vegetables and some types of tender or marinated meats. Very little fat is added and the cooking time is shorter, so fewer nutrients are lost. Grilling or broiling involves cooking over charcoals, flames, or heating elements with or without added fats.

Heat-sensitive vitamins are lost but some fat is also lost as it drains out. A wide variety of foods can be cooked on a grill including fish, meat vegetables, potatoes , and some fruit. Baking is mostly used for bread, cookies, pastries and other foods made with dough, such as pizza.

But you can also bake casseroles and potatoes. The heat damages vitamin C and many of the B-complex vitamins but what really makes or breaks baking as a healthy cooking method is the ingredients in your dish.

One plus is that baking makes grains a little easier to digest, but it can also cause the formation of acrylamides in grains and potatoes. Microwave ovens are often used to reheat leftovers, but microwaving is also a good way to cook some vegetables.

The short cooking time means there's only a minimal loss of nutrients, which is good. The biggest difficulty with using a microwave is heating foods all the way through to a temperature hot enough to kill bacteria, so it's not a good way to cook meats and poultry.

Deep-frying is when you fully submerge your food in oil that's heated to between to degrees Fahrenheit. You'll typically need a standalone deep-fryer or a large pot for deep-frying. Since it's a fairly quick way to cook foods, it doesn't cause as much nutrient loss as boiling and other water methods, but since the foods absorb some of the oil, the calorie count and fat content of the food can go way up.

Pan-frying is similar to deep-frying in that the food is cooked in hot oil, but less oil is used in the frying pan. Depending on the foods you're pan-frying, the calorie count and fat absorption can be high.

Stir-frying relies on hot temperatures and a small amount of oil. Due to the short cooking time, not much of the nutritional content is lost. Since only a small amount of oil is used, stir-fried dishes can be both nutritious and low in calories. According to Nestle Professional, some of these cooking methods can be ranked by vitamin loss, from worst to best:.

No matter which cooking method you choose, there are a few steps you can take to preserve nutrients and improve the health benefits:. The cooking methods you choose are important for the texture and flavor of your foods but also affect the nutritional value.

Choose methods that allow for less nutrient loss but don't require the addition of large amounts of fat. No cooking method is perfect, so be sure to get an ample amount of fresh fruits and veggies every day as part of a healthy balanced diet.

National Cancer Institute. Acrylamide and cancer risk. Nestle Professional. Cooking methods. Fabbri ADT, Crosby GA. A review of the impact of preparation and cooking on the nutritional quality of vegetables and legumes. Healthy Lifestyle Nutrition and healthy eating.

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Products and services. Healthy cooking By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Show references Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Department of Health and Human Services and U. Department of Agriculture. Accessed June 13, Zeratsky KA expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. June 21, Hensrud DD, ed. Add 5 habits. In: The Mayo Clinic Diet. Mayo Clinic Press; Dietary supplements: What you need to know.

Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamins, minerals and supplements: Do you need to take them? Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Accessed June 22, Products and Services Available Health Products from Mayo Clinic Store A Book: Cook Smart, Eat Well Nutritional Supplements at Mayo Clinic Store The Mayo Clinic Diet Online A Book: The Mayo Clinic Diet Bundle A Book: Live Younger Longer A Book: Mayo Clinic on High Blood Pressure A Book: Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies A Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, 5th Edition Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital Edition A Book: Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health.

See also Alcohol use Alkaline water Artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes Autism spectrum disorder and digestive symptoms Breastfeeding nutrition: Tips for moms Butter vs. margarine Caffeine content Caffeine: How much is too much? Is caffeine dehydrating? Calcium Timing calcium supplements Calorie calculator COVID and vitamin D Can vitamins help prevent a heart attack?

Can whole-grain foods lower blood pressure? Can zinc supplements help treat hidradenitis suppurativa? Carbohydrates Chart of high-fiber foods Cholesterol: Top foods to improve your numbers Clear liquid diet Coconut water: Is it super hydrating?

Coffee and health Cuts of beef DASH diet DASH diet: Recommended servings Sample DASH menus Diet soda: How much is too much? Dietary fats Dietary fiber Diverticulitis attack triggers Diverticulitis diet Vitamin C and mood Prickly pear cactus Does soy really affect breast cancer risk?

Don't get tricked by these 3 heart-health myths Eggs and cholesterol Enlarged prostate: Does diet play a role?

Finally, flip the food on the pan to avoid drying them out, and cook for another three to four minutes. Prepare these Simple Grilled Vegetable Skewers for an easy grilled side.

Join this free balanced eating masterclass to learn how. Learn the proven method to feel confident, calm, and in control with food without obsessing or stressing. Start your journey now to experience the freedom and peace that comes with a healthy relationship with food.

Written By: McKel Hill Kooienga. Steaming Steaming retains the nutrients in vegetables better than stir-frying or sautéing can. Stir-Frying Need a weeknight meal, STAT? Roasting From crunchy Brussels sprouts to crispy sweet potato wedges, roasting is one of my all-time favorite dry cooking methods for vegetables because it tenderizes their texture and enhances their flavor.

Poaching Poaching is one of the most versatile cooking options. Blanching If you enjoy a little crunch in your veggies, blanching is one of the best basic cooking techniques to make them crisp yet tender at the same time. Are you feeling stressed about food?

Watch The Free Masterclass. Tagged: batch cooking cooking meal prep nutrition. You May Also Like. Which Cooking Oils Should You Use? Ways to Keep Nutrients Intact When Cooking. How to Make a Smoothie Bowl. How To Play With Seasonings and Spices.

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October 17 healthy cooking tips. Previous Article. Next Article. October : 17 healthy cooking tips. If you cook at home you can ensure that your meal is healthy. Cooking at home can also save you money. Cook with basic ingredients. This means starting with whole foods like raw vegetables and fruits , proteins , and whole grains , and making food from scratch.

Avoid cooking at high temperatures. If you grill or pan-fry meat at high temperatures, chemicals called heterocyclic amines HCAs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs can form on the meat.

These chemicals can cause changes in your DNA and have been linked to cancer. Avoid deep frying. Deep frying also causes carcinogens to form on your food.

For example, French fries and potato chips have acrylamide, which has been linked to cancer. Use low-fat cooking methods like boiling or steaming. If you boil or steam food, you avoid the chemicals created by high temperatures and cut out extra fat, which helps you stay at a healthy weight.

Measure your ingredients accurately. Eating the correct serving size of meat and carbohydrates like pasta and rice keeps calorie levels down. Make sure you also measure ingredients like oil and salt. Avoid cooking meat or fish to well-done or browned. Overcooking and browning meat creates the same chemicals as cooking at high temperature.

These chemicals have been linked to cancer. Minimize added sugars and sweeteners. Sugar adds empty calories. That means it can increase your weight without giving you any useful nutrients. Minimize animal fats. If you reduce the amount of foods like cheese or butter, your meal will be healthier because you have reduced the amount of saturated fat.

Consider replacing half of the butter you typically use with olive oil, or using super-fine grated cheese, which lets you use less while seeming like more. Products and services.

Healthy cooking By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Show references Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Department of Health and Human Services and U.

Department of Agriculture. Accessed June 13, Zeratsky KA expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. June 21, Hensrud DD, ed. Add 5 habits. In: The Mayo Clinic Diet. Mayo Clinic Press; Dietary supplements: What you need to know. Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamins, minerals and supplements: Do you need to take them?

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Accessed June 22, Products and Services Available Health Products from Mayo Clinic Store A Book: Cook Smart, Eat Well Nutritional Supplements at Mayo Clinic Store The Mayo Clinic Diet Online A Book: The Mayo Clinic Diet Bundle A Book: Live Younger Longer A Book: Mayo Clinic on High Blood Pressure A Book: Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies A Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, 5th Edition Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital Edition A Book: Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health.

See also Alcohol use Alkaline water Artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes Autism spectrum disorder and digestive symptoms Breastfeeding nutrition: Tips for moms Butter vs. margarine Caffeine content Caffeine: How much is too much? Is caffeine dehydrating? Calcium Timing calcium supplements Calorie calculator COVID and vitamin D Can vitamins help prevent a heart attack?

Can whole-grain foods lower blood pressure? Can zinc supplements help treat hidradenitis suppurativa? Carbohydrates Chart of high-fiber foods Cholesterol: Top foods to improve your numbers Clear liquid diet Coconut water: Is it super hydrating?

Coffee and health Cuts of beef DASH diet DASH diet: Recommended servings Sample DASH menus Diet soda: How much is too much? Dietary fats Dietary fiber Diverticulitis attack triggers Diverticulitis diet Vitamin C and mood Prickly pear cactus Does soy really affect breast cancer risk?

Don't get tricked by these 3 heart-health myths Eggs and cholesterol Enlarged prostate: Does diet play a role? Fasting diet: Can it improve my heart health? Fiber supplements Ground flaxseed Food safety Foodborne illness Gluten sensitivity and psoriasis: What's the connection? Gluten-free diet Gout diet: What's allowed, what's not Grass-fed beef Heartburn medicines and B deficiency High-protein diets How to track saturated fat Intermittent fasting Is there a special diet for Crohn's disease?

Broiling and Grilling : Expose fairly thin pieces of food to direct heat either above charcoal or flames when outdoors and directly below the heat element in the oven when indoors. Avoid charring or overcooking. Use our tip sheet on safe grilling techniques. Braising : Brown the ingredient first in a pan on top of the stove, then cook it covered with a small amount of liquid water or broth.

Microwaving : Place food in microwave safe dish. This cooks food quickly and with no extra fat. Avoid using plastic in the microwave. Roasting : Similar to baking but with higher temperatures, roasting uses the oven's dry heat to cook the food.

A baking sheet or roasting pan is best. Steaming : Place a basket over simmering liquid. If you want to add flavor to your food, use a broth for the liquid or season the water. Poaching : Gently simmer ingredients in water or a flavorful liquid broth, vinegar or juice until tender.

For example, roasting butternut squash caramelizes it and accentuates its sweetness to make it less bitter. Even the pickiest eaters can appreciate a bowl of butternut squash mac and cheese! Stir until the ingredients are well-combined and the vegetables are coated with the oil and spices.

Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease it. Check out this Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and Red Grapes recipe! Poaching is one of the most versatile cooking options. In fact, from eggs to fruits to chicken to fish, you can poach literally just about anything. This moist-heat cooking technique involves submerging food in the water at a low temperature, usually between °F and °F.

Bring the water to a boil, and then take it down to a low simmer. Crack an egg into a ramekin or small cup. You can also add a dash of vinegar to the water so the egg whites stay in a more compact shape.

Allow the egg to poach for three to four minutes before removing it with a slotted spoon. Take a crack at my Poached Egg Plate With Castelvetrano Olive Butter recipe.

If you enjoy a little crunch in your veggies, blanching is one of the best basic cooking techniques to make them crisp yet tender at the same time.

With this method, you submerge the veggies in a boiling pot of water for about seven minutes. Then, you stop the cooking process by putting them in an ice bath. Research suggests that the antioxidant activity in some veggies, such as beetroot, peppers, green beans, and spinach, can increase during the boiling process because the oxidative enzymes which cause inflammation are deactivated.

How to do it: Fill a large pot with water, add a tablespoon of sea salt and bring it to a boil. Add the vegetables to the pot and allow them to cook for a few minutes until their colors brighten.

Then, immediately remove the veggies from the pot and run them under ice-cold water! October 17 healthy cooking tips. Previous Article. Next Article. October : 17 healthy cooking tips.

If you cook at home you can ensure that your meal is healthy. Cooking at home can also save you money. Cook with basic ingredients. This means starting with whole foods like raw vegetables and fruits , proteins , and whole grains , and making food from scratch.

Avoid cooking at high temperatures. If you grill or pan-fry meat at high temperatures, chemicals called heterocyclic amines HCAs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs can form on the meat.

These chemicals can cause changes in your DNA and have been linked to cancer. Avoid deep frying. Deep frying also causes carcinogens to form on your food.

For example, French fries and potato chips have acrylamide, which has been linked to cancer. Use low-fat cooking methods like boiling or steaming.

If you boil or steam food, you avoid the chemicals created by high temperatures and cut out extra fat, which helps you stay at a healthy weight. Measure your ingredients accurately. Eating the correct serving size of meat and carbohydrates like pasta and rice keeps calorie levels down.

Make sure you also measure ingredients like oil and salt. Avoid cooking meat or fish to well-done or browned. Overcooking and browning meat creates the same chemicals as cooking at high temperature. These chemicals have been linked to cancer.

Minimize added sugars and sweeteners. Sugar adds empty calories. That means it can increase your weight without giving you any useful nutrients. Minimize animal fats. If you reduce the amount of foods like cheese or butter, your meal will be healthier because you have reduced the amount of saturated fat.

Consider replacing half of the butter you typically use with olive oil, or using super-fine grated cheese, which lets you use less while seeming like more. Minimize processed foods. Processed and packaged foods, like frozen meals or jars of pasta sauce, usually have more salt and sugar.

Packaged foods also often have other chemical preservatives and additives. Add vegetables and fruits. If you use more fresh, or even frozen produce, you immediately increase the amount of healthy nutrients in your food.

Antioxidants and phytochemicals in plants help your body fight diseases like cancer. Canned vegetables should be purchased carefully, go for the low-sodium and no-added-sugar varieties.

Use olive or canola oil.