How to slash fat from any meal: 25 tips to eliminate the lard from larder your so you can lose fat, gain muscle, and keep your heart and other parts in prime working order

Men's Fitness, Jan, 2003 by Vince Steinman

If you're a single guy--or still think like one, which covers virtually the entire male population--the thought of cooking is never as appealing as grabbing a quick something from the Golden Arches. But with the amount of sodium, fat and cholesterol in so many commercial foods, you need to begin making cooking a routine part of your lifestyle. Try this: When you're pan-frying, replace a tablespoon of oil with reduced-fat chicken or vegetable broth. That small move just saved you 14 grams of fat (and your heart and penile function down the road). Do you think chef Jean-Georges down at the bistro frets over such things? Not a chance.

"Low-fat cooking has never been easier, especially with the increasing number of specialty foods introduced into the market each year," says Gustav Mauler, a certified master chef and president and chief executive officer of Gustav International Chartered, a restaurant-consulting firm based in-Las Vegas.

With Mauler's help, we present some of our best low-fat cooking tips to help keep you a lean-cuisine kind of guy.

LEVEL I: DUMMY-PROOF COOKING

Your version of a homemade meal is a Hungry Man thrown in the microwave, but you're willing to learn. Here's a list of beginner techniques that will cut the fat from basic dishes.

1 First things first: Use cooking techniques that require no added fat, such as broiling, grilling, poaching, steaming of baking.

2 One of the keys to low-fat cooking is flavoring your food. Keep a condiment tray in the refrigerator stocked with your favorite nonfat hot-and-spicy fixings: fresh herbs, hot sauce, mustard, salsas, chutneys and spices.

3 By pouring olive oil or other flavorful oils in a pump spray bottle and cooking with a nonstick skillet, you can successfully saute meats of vegetables in less than one tablespoon of oil. Three pumps equals approximately one teaspoon of oil. Use a paper towel of pastry brush to evenly distribute the oil in the pan.

4 Rinse and drain canned meats and vegetables before cooking to remove the salt and fat that may have congealed on the surface.

5 You can remove most of the fat from a can of soup by putting it in the freezer for 10 minutes, removing it, then scooping the fat off the top.

6 For maximum nutrient retention, microwave vegetables in a small amount of water or broth. Place one cup of broccoli into a microwave-safe bowl with one-third cup of liquid, and cover with plastic wrap (poke a few holes in the plastic for the steam to escape). Microwave at 50 percent power for three to five minutes.

7 To get the leanest, freshest ground beef, buy round of sirloin steak and have the butcher trim off the visible fat and grind the meat fresh.

8 Removing the skin from chicken reduces the calories by up to 50 percent. To retain flavor and moisture, leave the skin on during cooking (don't worry, the fat from the skin won't leach into the meat) and remove it before serving. In a recipe such as a stir-fry, which calls for skinless chicken breasts, place the chicken in the freezer for 15 minutes so the skin can be easily cut or pulled away.

9 For a quick and easy low-fat dessert, purchase an angel food cake fresh from your local supermarket bakery, puree fresh or frozen seasonal berries, and float the cake on an ocean of fruit.

10 Instead of spreading a pat of butter on your dinner roll, try dipping the roll in a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Unlike butter, olive oil contains very little saturated fat and is loaded with healthy monounsaturated fats.

LEVEL II: SHORT-ORDER SPECIALIZES

You have your basic moves down: the omelet, a few pasta dishes and most things done on a grill. Take your culinary chops a little further by applying these taste-enhancing, fat-busting hints.

11 When cooking ground beef for spaghetti sauce, chili or other dishes, microwave the beef in a colander and let the fat drain into a bowl underneath it. To eliminate even more fat, when the meat is completely cooked rinse it under hot running water, then use it in the recipe as directed. This process will cut the fat in the ground beef by 50 percent.

12 Substitute egg whites for some of the whole eggs. Replacing each egg with two egg whites will save five grams of fat. For example, when making an omelet, if you replace three whole eggs with one whole egg and four egg whites, you'll save yourself 10 grams of fat. (It's usually a good idea to use at least one or two whole eggs to maintain the correct taste and consistency.)

13 To reduce the fat in guacamole, replace one-fourth of the avocado with an equal amount of pureed, canned or fresh tomatillos.

14 Use pure starches (such as arrowroot of cornstarch) to thicken sauces and gravies. Unlike flour, they require no added fat. To thicken one cup of gravy or stock, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch into one cup of cold water. Bring the gravy to a boil and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Continue to stir until thick and translucent.

15 Evaporated skim milk makes a great low-fat substitution for the heavy cream some recipes demand.

16 To make low-fat tortilla chips, cut up whole-wheat tortillas into wedges. Spray the wedges lightly with olive-oil cooking spray and sprinkle with half a teaspoon of salt. Bake for 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven until crisp.