Nutrient-Rich Cooking Methods

Food is the fuel that keeps us all alive. It also ensures that your body functions optimally and you get all the required nutrients. But did you know that the cooking methods play a pivotal role here? How you cook ultimately decides how much nutrients you are saving and whether the food prepared is edible.

Various cooking methods are available. While some tend to save nutrients, others enhance the taste. Do you want to know more about which methods can help you save nutrients in food?

Types of Cooking Methods That Can Save Nutrients

The cooking methods you follow in your daily life directly impact your family’s health quotient. Some of the most impactful nutrient-rich cooking methods that you can follow include:

Grilling

Grilling is a popular nutrient-rich cooking method that can help you save on a lot of nutrient value for your food. A widespread name that people use for grilling is broiling. Both these methods use dry heat at its maximum. Usually, the heat is from above for grilling, while the heat source is placed at the bottom for broiling.

The best thing about this cooking method is that it helps you achieve unique flavours. However, it does not tamper with the nutritional value, which can be a blessing. 

Although you might lose some nutritional value when there is dripping, that can also be minimized. The best way to minimize the dripping is to reduce the temperature of the heat so that it does not affect your nutritional value.

Steaming

Steaming is a prevalent cooking method. This gentle method involves exposing the food item to steam. The hot steam cooks the item without compromising its nutritional value. Since there is no direct contact with the water, steaming can minimize nutrient loss. Steaming helps preserve the food item’s natural flavour and texture.

Even if there are water-soluble vitamins and minerals, you can also save them with this cooking method. Steaming is your best option if you are cooking vegetables, seafood, or even any kind of delicate protein. Not only will the item get cooked thoroughly, but you can also save on a lot of nutrient loss easily.

Boiling

Although less effective than steaming, boiling is also very popular among nutrient-saving cooking methods. Here, you will place the ingredient directly into bubbling water and wait until it is cooked. The most common item that you can cook with the help of boiling is an egg. Did you know that the protein from an egg becomes 180% more soluble when you boil it?

Boiling is a good method for softening vegetables or meat. However, the drawback is that if you add water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C or vitamin B, you will lose them. To curb this loss, you can start using less water. 

Also, boiling for a shorter period can be effective in this case. It is even suggested that boiling items at a lower temperature can significantly reduce nutrition.

Stir Fry

You must have seen that stir-frying is one of the most popular cooking methods. Even the top restaurants use it. Here, you use a minimum amount of grease and a flat pan, which helps stir-fry the item. 

Stir-frying is an excellent method for cooking plants and proteins of your choice, like meat or tofu. Since stir-fries are usually done quickly, the chances of losing nutritional value are relatively low.

Because of the short cooking time, you can save on the texture and colour of the item. If you compare this type of cooking to deep frying, the minimum usage of oil is a great way to save on nutrition. The stir-fry method can be highly effective if you know precisely the duration and do not stretch it, which can lead to loss of nutrition.

Baking and Roasting

When it comes to cooking methods that can help you preserve the nutrients of your food, baking is a standard option that people choose. 

Usually, for baking, you must use an oven that uses dry heat. When you cook non-vegetarian protein in the oven, it is called roasting. One of the significant reasons it is so famous for cooking meats is that it can help you save on moisture.

However, to preserve the nutritional value, knowing the time duration and temperature is imperative. Exposure to high temperatures, and that too for a prolonged period, can lead to a significant loss of nutritional value. 

Heat-sensitive vitamins like vitamin C and even vitamin B might get lost. Try to bake or roast at a lower temperature for short cooking durations. You can preheat the oven and marinate the item well in advance, speeding up the cooking process.

Practical Tips to Reduce Nutrient Loss While Cooking

Irrespective of what you are cooking and the method you follow, there will be a bit of nutrient loss. Some of the tips that you can keep in mind to reduce nutrient loss while cooking are:

● Always use high-quality ingredients as they cook faster. Thus reducing the chances of nutrient loss.

● Wash the vegetables first and then chop them, as doing the vice versa will result in the loss of several nutrients.

● Try to avoid reheating as much as possible, as it can reduce your food’s nutritional value.

● Experts suggest consuming food within four hours of it being cooked.

● Always boil root vegetables like potatoes with the skin on and then peel them. This will help preserve all the nutrients.

Conclusion

Over the years, various cooking methods have emerged, each with distinct flavours and properties. If you are looking for some of the most effective cooking methods to help you save on nutritional value, always choose those requiring less temperature. 

Avoid using a lot of oil or water while cooking, as these are the most common reasons your food loses its nutritional value.