Cooking at home is a great way to control the ingredients and nutrients in your meals. However, traditional cooking methods can at times be high in fat and calories. Using healthy healthy cooking techniques with the right cookware can help you prepare delicious and nutritious meals. Some of the best cookware, to practice healthy cooking techniques include, roasting pans, baking trays, saute pans, non-stick frying pans and non-stick saucepans.

Stir-frying is a quick and simple method for cooking meat and veggies. Use a non-stick wok or non-stick frying pans to quickly cook food over extremely high heat in a minimal amount of liquid or oil to make it healthier. To avoid burning or sticking, stir often.

Grilling is a great way to cook lean meats and vegetables. It adds flavour without the need for added fats or oils. Try marinating your vegetables and meats before grilling to add a more dash of flavour.

Steaming food preserves the nutrients and flavour of the food, and it is a quick and easy cooking method. Steaming is a great way to cook vegetables, fish as well as meat.  Steaming meats removes the fat from the meat so it can be easily discarded whereas conventional cooking methods cooks the fat into the meat.

Poaching is a nutritious cooking technique that that involves cooking food delicate foods like eggs, fish or fruit by submerging them into a liquid such as water, stock, milk or wine. Poaching is useful for home cooks to prepare heart-healthy meals. A handy kitchen tool is the Joseph Joseph M-Poach™ Microwave Egg Poacher which replicates the egg poaching technique in the microwave for perfectly poached eggs in a jiffy.

Roasting is another healthy cooking method that allows you to cook with little or no added fats. Lay out some vegetables, chicken or fish on a roasting pan with a sprinkle of herbs and lemon and roast off for a delicious and healthy meal.

Baking is a dry-heat cooking method in which food is ‘roasted’ at high temperatures in the oven. During baking, moisture within the food on the baking tray is converted to steam that combines with the dry heat of the oven to cook the food. It requires little or no added fat and can be a great substitute to frying.

Cook a stew in non-stick cookware or stock pot for a longer amount of time at a low temperature to get a delicious flavour. If you are using meat in your stew then trim the fat of the meat before cooking and serve alongside vegetables and lentils or beans for an added nutritional boost.

By using these healthy cooking techniques, you can prepare delicious and nutritious meals that are low in fat and calories. Remember to include whole, unprocessed ingredients into your meals and to watch your portion sizes. Happy cooking and eating!