Cooking Techniques: The important features of food are taste and aroma. But vitamins and minerals are much more than these. By the healthy way of cooking techniques, both flavors and nutrients are retained.
The important things to do for nutrient preservation while cooking the food are:
- Reduce the cooking time
- Reduce the amount of water usage in cooking
- Reduce the exposed surface area of food
Steaming, waterless cooking, pressure cooking, stir-frying, and microwaving are the least destructive of nutrients. Cooking methods like over-heating or frying adds empty calories and more fats that are bad for health.
Some simple rules have to be followed while cooking food. Always wash vegetables before chopping them. Washing the chopped vegetables wastes the nutrients. One must think about the best methods of cooking to retain peak immunity.
Pressure cooking:
The higher temperature and longer cooking time destroy more nutrients. Most of the vitamins are sensitive to air exposure and heat. Using a cooker, preheated pressure pan to cook food is the best way.
Stir-frying:
It is the method for everyday frying. In this way, you can cook vegetables, meat, etc. with very little oil, within a short time, but on high flame.
Steaming:
Steam uses gentle heat and prevents food from drying out. Steam-cooked food is rich in nutrition, flavor. In comparison with dry-heat cooking, fewer minerals, vitamins, and nutrients are lost in this method of cooking. Steaming at a low temperature helps to retain anti-cancer compounds found in many vegetables.
Dry-roasting:
In this cooking technique, heat is applied to dry food without the use of water or oil as a carrier. The fat and flavor are absorbed better in dry roasting.
Broiling:
In this method, food is exposed directly to the radiant heat, either on an electric coil, or a grill over live coals.
