Blair Stover Cooking Tips – Learn How to Cook the Healthy Way

Nowadays, people choose fast food over home-cooked meals as the former is more convenient, tastes good and you don’t need to wait for too long to savor your favorite meal. However, doing so also compromises the health of your family. Home-cooked meals are a healthier and much cheaper option. You also know that it’s safe since you prepared it yourself. Cooking your own food together with your family even helps create a stronger bond. So, reduce your fast food consumption and begin cooking delicious and healthy food right in your kitchen. If you love cooking for your family, you may want to know some healthy cooking tips that will help you and your family in avoiding the practice of eating outside. Follow these Blair Stover cooking tips and start saving money and living a healthy lifestyle today.

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #1. Steam vs. boiling. Which is better?

Steaming offers a lot of benefits. One of these is that cooking without utilizing oil can lessen your fat consumption. Steaming can lock in nutrients required by your active body. This process also retains the

flavor and color of the food, a factor that usually entices one to eat. You can try steaming with a bamboo steamer. The organic steamer does not affect the flavor of the food. Aside from this, it reduces cooking time, so you can also save money.

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #2. What should you do when preparing poultry meat?

When you prepare poultry meats like pork and chicken, you may want to remove the fat and skin that hold unwanted cholesterol, which isn’t good for the body. Taking away the fat and skin will also leave you with the healthier and tastier part of the meat.

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #3. Why is it important to choose your cooking oil properly?

Cooking oil plays an important role in cooking as well as to your health. Picking oils that consist of

unsaturated fats like sesame, canola, olive and safflower can help lower cholesterol levels, which is good for the heart. On the other hand, using these oils in a huge amount can also pack lots of calories, so you should cut your consumption by quarter or half if possible.

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #4. What can you do to ensure that the vegetables are safe and healthy to eat?

If you are given the option – a cabbage with blemishes or one without it – which would you prefer? Ofcourse, you will go with the one without any blemishes. However, your option is treated with insecticides and it is dangerous to the health. So, it is important to soak vegetables in a basin with clean water and 2 tablespoons of salt before cooking them. Doing so will help lessen the insecticides’ chemical compounds, leaving you with safer and organic veggies.

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #5. How should you cook veggies?

Keep in mind that green leafy veggies need shorter cooking time. Thus, rather than cooking it together with the other ingredients and meat, wait until the ingredients are nearly done and add the vegetables on the last minute. This is already enough to cook the veggies, but it will keep the flavor, nutrients and color of it.

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #6. How do you achieve better tasting foods with lesser amounts of salt?

Instead of making foods tasty by putting in salt, try some fresh spices as a substitute. Doing so will give you better tasting foods with a lesser amount of salt. It is also important to avoid utilizing packed seasoning mixes that are loaded with MSG and harmful amounts of salt.

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #7. You want to cook chicken, but how can you prevent it from being dry?

Tough or dry chicken is usually caused by overcooking. Recipes frequently provide cooking times, but these are actually guidelines. Some things can affect cooking time. For instance, thick pieces of meat will require more cooking time than thin ones. Heat settings can also differ from one stove to another. Even the shape and size of the pan can have an effect on the cooking time. Checking the chicken often as it cooks is the best way to prevent overcooking.

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #8. How long can you keep cooked or raw chicken?

You can keep a whole cooked chicken in the refrigerator for three days. Cut-up cooked chicken can be kept in the refrigerator for two days. Remember that you should not leave a cooked chicken at room temperature for over two hours. 

Frozen chicken can be kept in the freezer for up to 1 year without sacrificing its quality. Raw chicken, on the other hand, must be kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator and utilized within two days.

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #9. How do you thaw a turkey?

The best method to thaw a turkey is inside the refrigerator, which will take one day for every 5 pounds of the bird. A faster way to do this is in a cold water bath that will take around half an hour for every pound. The water must be running or changed often to prevent freezing. You can also combine these methods, but keep in mind that you should never thaw turkeys at room temperature. 

Blair Stover Cooking Tip #10. How do you cook a turkey?

Get rid of the giblets and then rinse the turkey inside and out. Pat it dry using paper towels. If you’re stuffing the bird, you have to stuff loosely, letting around 1/2 to 3/4 cup for every pound of bird. Use oil or melted butter when brushing the skin. Tuck the drumsticks under the skin folds or tie together using a string. Insert a meat thermometer in the thickest portion of the thigh. The thermometer must point toward the body and shouldn’t touch the bone. Put the turkey on a rack in a clean roasting pan and into a preheated 175⁰C or 350⁰F oven. When the thermometer displays 180⁰F, the turkey is ready.

These simple, but healthy cooking tips will definitely help you achieve a healthier diet and improve your cooking skills at the same time.

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