Strategies For Cutting Fat

Here are some tricks for reducing the fat in recipes:

Drastically reduce or eliminate oil when sauteing. Use a nonstick skillet coated with vegetable oil spray; cover and sweat over medium-low heat.

Use skim milk instead of whole milk to save 64 calories and 8 grams of fat per cup.

Skin poultry before or after cooking to cut fat grams by more than half.

Make your own salad dressings, substituting equal parts white wine and water for all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.

Instead of flavoring vegetables with butter, simmer in chicken broth, drain and season with a pinch of dill or fresh, chopped basil.

Reduce the amount of meat in casseroles and stir-fries and add extra vegetables.

Except in recipes, such as custard, that use eggs as a thickening agent, substitute two egg whites for each whole egg to save 25 calories and 5 grams of fat.

In muffin and cake recipes, substitute applesauce for fat on 1-for-1 basis, adding just 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat for tenderness, if desired.