Instructions: SEVEN WAYS TO CUT FAT

Maybe you think that cooking healthful, low-fat fare means settling for food thats bland and unsatisfying. But weve found new, clever ways to trim fat and calories from your meals without sacrificing flavor.

1. USE LESS OIL WHEN YOU SAUTE.

The trick: Heat the skillet before you add the oil. Since the pans heat
causes the oil to become runnier and spread, youll need less of it to coat the bottom of your skillet.

2. INSTEAD OF FRYING FISH, CHICKEN OR OTHER MEAT IN A POOL OF OIL, SEAR IT ON A CAST-IRON GRILL PAN.

This stove-top cooking method gives food a smoky, grilled flavor you just cant get from other dietetic cooking techniques, such as broiling and poaching. How it works: The meat rests on the raised ridges of the pan, so the fat runs down to the bottom, away from the food.

3. COOK WITH INGREDIENTS THAT ADD RICH TASTE AND TEXTURE (BUT NOT FAT) TO YOUR DISHES.

These include baked squash, sweet potatoes, mushrooms "sauteed" in broth (use any of these to replace half the meat in dishes such as lasagna, burritos, or chili), mashed roasted garlic (add it, instead of oil, to vegetable purees and pasta sauces), dark molasses (thin with soy sauce and brush on lean cuts of meat before roasting), chopped prunes or dried figs (stir them into low-fat muffin or quick- bread batters).

4. MAKE CREAMY MASHED POTATOES-MINUS THE WHOLE MILK AND BUTTER.

Mash 1 lb potatoes, cooked, with a whole head of peeled roasted garlic

(itll give the mixture a buttery texture) and 1/4 cup of the potatoes cooking water. Or blend potatoes with 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk (its actually thicker than whole milk but has just 1% fat) and slivered fresh basil.

5. PREPARE RICH, HEARTY (BUT LOW-FAT) SAUCES AND GRAVY.

Hold the cream, and instead mash one cooked, peeled potato with 2 Tbsp of its cooking liquid; stir into the pan juices and heat until thickened.

6. DONT COAT VEGETABLES WITH OIL OR BUTTER TO ADD FLAVOR.

A better idea: Sprinkle steamed or lightly sauteed vegetables with lemon,
lime, or orange zest (1 tsp zest per 1 lb vegetables) immediately after cooking; toss and season to taste with salt, pepper, fresh basil or tarragon and, if you like, minced garlic.

7. TO SERVE SOUPS THAT ARE LESS FATTENING, REMOVE OILS AND GREASE, WHICH RISE TO THE TOP, WITH A STRAINER LADLE.

The slotted utensil allows you to skim the fat from the broth.

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