Low-Fat Cooking Tips

Consider some of these slimming tricks each time you fix a recipe.

Use less butter in your cooking.

• Use low-fat or nonfat dairy products. Lower-fat sour cream, yogurt, and cheese can be subtituted in recipes for a substantial fat and calorie savings. Reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese can be substituted in any recipe (cheesecakes, dips, sauces), but you may notice a difference in flavor or texture.
• Use small amounts of strong-flavored cheese rather than a lot of mild cheese.
• To mimic the flavor and creaminess of sour cream, use buttermilk instead. It's as low in calories and fat as 1-percent milk.
• Use evaporated skim milk in place of light or heavy cream in soups and sauces.
• Remove the skin from poultry. (You can do so after cooking, since the meat doesn't absorb much of the fat.)
• For the leanest option when preparing ground meat recipes, ask your butcher to grind skinned, boneless turkey or chicken breast.
• Use Canadian-style bacon. Ounce for ounce, it has 116 fewer calories than regular bacon.
• Use nuts sparingly; toast them to enhance their flavor.
• Use very little fat in cooking. Instead, use nonstick pans, spray coating, or a small amount of broth or water to saute or "fry" vegetables or meat.