Scratch Cooking

Methods for Healthier Cooking

Tips & Techniques

The methods used across cultures to prepare food are rich with heritage and tradition. Add to your unique lifestyle by implementing healthier cooking techniques to benefit your family and community.

What is Scratch Cooking?

The core of scratch cooking is the use of “basic ingredients.” This means different things to different people, but to put it simply: Use the least processed and highest quality version of ingredients that are practical and affordable. Scratch cooking is the key to healthy cooking.

Good cooking takes prior planning and preparation.

Plan your meals, and ensure you have all needed equipment and ingredients before you begin to cook.

Culinary Safety

If you are cooking indoors, ensure that your cookstove has ventilation. Cooking on indoor stoves while inhaling the smoke can be detrimental to your and your family's health.

Knife Safety

Sharper knives make it easier to chop food. Ensure that your cooking knifes are sharpened and use proper knife holding techniques to avoid unnecessary accidents. (See 'How to Cut an Onion' video for proper knife technique).

Choose healthy ingredients

Implement a style of cooking and eating that emphasizes plant-based foods. Plant-based foods include: fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, soy foods, nuts and seeds, plant oils, herbs and spices. Work to include ingredients that are healthy and sustainable.

Cut the Sugar & Cut the Fat

Don't add sugar to the meals you cook. Instead, try to use high quality produce to release the natural flavors and sugars. Use plenty of fresh herbs and spices to enhance the flavor of your food.

Try to limit the amount of fat you use while cooking. If you are cooking with fat, use a fat that is plant based such as olive oil, coconut oil, or canola oil.

Use lower heat in cooking, or vary your cooking methods from meal to meal. Consistently cooking at high heat can produce a chemical reaction between the fat and the protein in meat. This reaction may create toxins that are linked to bodily inflammation and an imbalance of antioxidants. This can increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Stick with lean cuts of meat that require less cooking time. Keep dark meats on the rarer side. Minimal cooking times = Minimal nutrient density (ALWAYS be sure to cook meat to a safe temperature).

Chop vegetables and proteins (such as meat) around the same size. This helps to ensure equal cooking rates for vegetables and proteins. It also helps to reduce the amount of fuel that is used.

Preffered Cooking Methods

Grilling is a way to max out the nutrition of a given item without sacrificing its flavor. Grilling adds a smoky flavor and does not require you to add a lot of fat. Grilling also keeps meat and veggies tender.Avoid charring the food while grilling. Consistently eating charred food may increase the risk of some cancers.

Steaming foods, including fresh veggies and fish fillets, allows them to cook in their own juices and retain all their flavor (So, there is no need to add extra fat). Steaming foods such as broccoli can release important agents to keep you healthy.

Poaching is a cooking method that cooks food in water slightly below the boiling point. This method can decrease nutrient retention, however it is a good way to cook delicate foods like fish, eggs, or fruit.

Boiling can reduce water soluble vitamins. In some vegetables however, nutrients and antioxidants are more available when cooked (such as Lycopene in tomatoes and Beta-carotene in carrots).

Worst Cooking Methods

Don't thaw food in the microwave. Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator overnight. Minimal microwave cooking can be a healthy option. Cooking with the microwave does not require you to add extra fat. The faster cooking time also means a comparatively lower exposure to heat. To avoid dried out food: splash item with water, or place a wet paper towel over it when microwaving.

Deep Frying- kills nutrients and adds unnecessary calories. Consistently eating deep fried foods can lead to poor cholesterol levels, unhealthy hearts, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Good alternative: Air Frying

Watch & Learn

Click on a link to see some culinary demonstrations

How to Quarter a Chicken:

How to Fillet a Fresh Fish:

How to Fillet a Cooked Fish:

How to De-stem Greens:

How to Dice an Onion:

Works Cited

"The Best Cooking Methods to Keep Nutrients Intact.", -11-01T18:28:59.000Z, 2017a, https://greatist.com/health/healthy-cooking-methods. Boston, 677 H. A., and Ma 0. +1495 1000. "The Nutrition Source.", https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/. Fabbri, Adriana D. T., and Guy A. Crosby. "A Review of the Impact of Preparation and Cooking on the Nutritional Quality of Vegetables and Legumes." International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, vol. 3, 2016, pp. 2-11. CrossRef, https://search.datacite.org/works/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2015.11.001, doi:10.1016/j.ijgfs.2015.11.001. Lim, Stephen S., et al. "A Comparative Risk Assessment of Burden of Disease and Injury Attributable to 67 Risk Factors and Risk Factor Clusters in 21 Regions, 1990–2010: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010." The Lancet, vol. 380, no. 9859, 2012, pp. 2224-2260, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)61766-8/abstract, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61766-8. Nast, Condé. "Watch Every Kitchen Technique You'll Ever Need—In Under Two Minutes | how to Fillet a Fresh, Whole Fish | Bon Appétit Video | CNE | Bonappetit.Com.", https://www.bonappetit.com/video/watch/how-to-fillet-a-fresh-whole-fish.

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