Best Cooking Methods and Should Food be Cooked at All
There has been much discussion about the various types of cooking methods and cookware. Unfortunately, more than half the nutrients in your food can be destroyed in cooking and storing. To help with this your food should be stored correctly and these food storage tips will point you in the right direction.
The main enemies of vitamins and minerals are heat, water, oxidation, light, acid, alkali and time. The action of enzymes in the foods can also be a culprit.
Should Food be Cooked?
Many whole food gurus believe that food should be eaten raw. On the other hand, the Ayurvedic cooks (Ayurveda is a practice that originated in India and is about 5,000 years old) believe that food should be cooked, as it is difficult to digest when it is eaten raw. They also believe that it is far more comforting and enjoyable when cooked.
As usual, I tend to take a middle road and eat cooked vegetables and plenty of fresh raw fruit and salads. Come to think of it, I quite often cook my fruit as well! Remember that, if you cannot shop often, frozen foods could be more nutritious than fresh.
So you can cut your losses and significantly increase your nutrient intake by the care you take in choosing, storing and cooking foods.
You see, it is all about what cooking methods you use to cook your food. So, now that you have got the best ingredients, let's talk about how you are going to cook them.
These are the Different Cooking Methods
Frying Food
For instance, one of the worst cooking methods is frying food in oil (especially deep frying). The resultant temperatures (in excess of 200 degrees centigrade) produce free radicals as well as destroy the nutrients, such as vitamins A and E, that protect us from these chemicals.
When frying meat at a high heat, carcinogenic substances are formed, especially if the meat is really well done. So the moral of the story is, if you are going to eat meat (sparingly) it should be medium or rare.
When oil is heated it oxidises and becomes harmful to the body. So, rather sauté food using a small amount of ghee (clarified butter), butter or olive oil and then add a little water and cover with a lid to steam fry at a much lower temperature. Take care to add only a sprinkling of water at a time.
Steaming
One of the healthiest cooking methods (especially for vegetables) is steaming, as boiling in water leaches out the nutrients and flavour. Steam for short periods so that the vegetables keep their colour.
Long-cooking vegetables like potatoes, beets and turnips, which can be cooked in their jackets, can be boiled without losing any value. Add salt (sparingly) to vegetables while cooking so that they stay firm and absorb the flavour. A dab of oil or ghee can also be added during cooking.
Roasting
Roasting vegetables, especially the long-cooking variety such as beets and carrots, in a little ghee or oil works well as the sugars caramelise, enhancing their flavour. The only vegetables that can’t be roasted are leafy greens such as spinach.
Grilling
The grilling of food is fine but, to cut down on carcinogens, don’t blacken or over-cook it. Grill only lean cuts of meat, removing the skin from chicken and the fat from steaks. To be really safe, rather grill fish and try to cut down on the meat! I use a small counter-top grill that I have had for many years.
Barbecuing as a Cooking Method
Barbecuing (the great South African tradition) is not the best cooking method when you are talking about healthy food.
Unfortunately, when you barbecue (or braai if you’re South African) meat, the fat that drips onto the coals produces carcinogenic (cancer forming) substances in the smoke.
When barbecuing, two types of carcinogens are formed. PAHs are formed in the smoke and coat the food, which we ingest.
HCAs are formed when extreme temperatures cause a reaction between the food's amino acids and creatine (a substance found in muscle). Follow these tips for safer barbecuing:
- Pre-cook your food to reduce time on the coals
- Oil the grid to prevent burnt particles from sticking to the food
- Increase the distance between the food and the hot coals
- Barbecue with charcoal or hardwoods that burn at lower temperatures. Take care that the wood has not been treated with chemicals or is not from poisonous plant material
- Clean the grill vigorously between barbecues to remove debris so that there is no build-up of carcinogenic substances
- Marinating meat prior to cooking may help to decrease carcinogenic compounds in the meat. A combination of cider vinegar, mustard, lemon juice and salt significantly reduces the HCAs in grilled chicken. Red wine or beer can also be added to marinades, but cut out sugars and oil. These can actually increase HCAs and PAHs.
- Cut down on the frequency of barbecues.
Microwaving
Now we get to the contentious issue of microwaved food! Since the first affordable microwaves arrived way back in 1967, they’ve become indispensable in the kitchen. That is for most people, but not for me. Many years ago, when my microwave started making a strange noise, I threw it out and have never looked back.
Microwaving Good or Bad?
I can’t say for sure whether cooking in a microwave is damaging to your food, or even to your DNA. Prestigious sites such as Harvard Health Publishing, The Health Sciences Academy and Kris Kresser are in favour of them. On the other hand, a site called Healthy Choices sites a number of studies warning against the use of microwaves.
Many of these studies were carried out years ago and you need to ask yourself whether the production of microwaves has improved over the years (I’m sure that it has). Another aspect that has improved is the way in which these studies are carried out. I’m sure that too has improved, and I wonder if those studies are still valid.
In ‘A Comparative Study of Food Prepared Conventionally and in the Microwave Oven’, published by Raum and Zelt (one of the studies mentioned on Health Choices), the following is stated:
‘A basic hypothesis of natural medicine states that the introduction to the human body of molecules and energies, to which it is not accustomed, is much more likely to cause harm than good.
Microwaved food contains both molecules and energies not present in food the way humans have been cooking food since the discovery of fire.’
I would entirely agree with that statement and, for that reason, I avoid microwaved foods. An interesting read is my article on the natural health controversy and food safety,
What to Use as an Alternative to the Microwave
But what to use as an alternative to the microwave? Since I disposed of my microwave I have used a small convection oven and would never use anything else.
It can be used for cooking, heating and defrosting and, once you have mastered the art, you can cook a roast chicken with potatoes and vegetables within a space of 45 minutes. You can also cook the most amazing low-fat chips. What a bonus!
Slow cooking in a crock pot is a wonderful cooking method for busy cooks. Prepare the food in the morning before you go out for the day, and your meal will be ready for you when you return in the evening!
The bread machine is another wonderful invention. Put the ingredients into the machine before you retire at night and wake up to the glorious aroma of (additive free) fresh bread in the morning.
By following these links you'll find more surprising facts about a balanced diet and health and a healthy diet that includes antioxidant foods .