A Dash of Healthy Cooking

Are the words “healthy cooking” foreign to you? Words that only spa gurus, health-food devotees and marathon runners know? Are they words that, um, leave a bad taste in your mouth? Yes, French-fry breath, you can have your cake and eat it too. By making a few changes in the way you cook--including reducing fat and salt--you can enjoy good taste while helping to control your weight and reducing your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.

If any of the following sound like you, read, don’t skim, the suggestions afterward.

Your Way:

* You don’t need nonstick pans because nothing could stick in all the butter or oil you use.

* It’s never occurred to you that you can use two egg whites in place of one whole egg.

* The dish wouldn’t taste as good if you didn’t use as much fat as a recipe calls for.

* You think a steamer is just a kind of ship.

* The only time you use foil is to wrap leftovers.

Our Way:

* Become best friends with your oven or barbecue, and broil, grill or bake poultry, fish and meat. Remove the skin and trim all visible fat before cooking. Or saute in broth, wine or water instead of frying in oil, or use veggie cooking sprays.

* Marinades don’t have to contain all of your daily requirement of sodium. Try low-sodium teriyaki sauce or soy sauce, ginger, lemon juice, wine or salsa.

* Lose the gravies and cream sauces. Instead, spoon natural cooking juices over meat and poultry.

* Chill soups and stews before reheating and serving. It’s much easier this way to skim off that layer of white, thick, gooey fat.

* Microwave or steam vegetables without adding fat or salt. Try it, you’ll like it.

* Wrap foods in foil (a golden opportunity to practice making those foil animals that restaurant wait staff are expert at) instead of using fat to keep in moisture and flavor.

* To add flavor, try salt-free seasonings and herbs instead of fat and salt. On vegetables, add flavored vinegars.

* Salt only after cooking--you’ll need less for flavor.

* Replace high-fat cream with nonfat milk or evaporated skim milk in desserts and creamed soups.

* OK, if you really think you couldn’t stomach a dish without fat, at least use less than the recipe calls for.

* You have a freezer--use it. Cook favorite low-fat recipes in batches and freeze extra portions to have ready when you’re in a hurry.