Sauté and Brown

Often times, people think that you need oil or cooking spray to sauté and/or brown meats and vegetables. However, if you are on a restricted diet, or just trying to be a bit healthier, other options are chicken, beef, or vegetable stock (depending on what you are making) or water. Cooking sprays have many more calories than most people think. On the labels, they seem to be relatively neutral. However, the serving size on the label equates to a 1/3 of a second spray (approximately) and to coat a pan, you need to spray for 1-2 seconds. This amount of spray contains about 60 calories some of which are then transferred to your food as empty, fat calories. Alternatively, if you use some form of stock (just a thin layer in the pan to keep food from sticking) you are adding nutrient rich calories. If calories or fat are an issue for you (specifically those with high cholesterol), you can brown and sauté in a thin layer of water. Food comes out just as tasty and a bit more moist.