I get questions periodically that surprise me. The answers to these questions are so much part of my cooking approach that I have forgotten that not everyone is as comfortable in the kitchen as I am. And lest you think I am saying I never make mistakes, jump back from THAT conclusion right away. I turn out some … well, if not inedible, certainly at times pallid-flavored dishes. But enough about my dark secrets. Here are five rules you can break in the kitchen without worry that the kitchen gods will be up in arms.
1. Go ahead, substitute low fat/no-fat for the full-fat version. I typically have skim milk in my fridge all the time. Whole milk, cream, half and half or 2%? Only on an as needed basis. So if I am baking, I use that skim milk. Need milk in an omelet? Use the skim. If I want a creamier soup, I might heat the skim milk in the microwave and stir it in at the end of cooking time, off the heat. (Warning: skim milk in sauces often breaks, so it can’t cook down the way cream can). Same goes for yogurts and sour cream—be careful with the heat.
2. You can always use stock (or non-alcoholic wine) for wine or any alcohol called for in a recipe. No, you won’t get the same flavor, and I would suggest you not make Beef Burgundy (beef stew with a burgundy wine sauce) if you don’t want to use red wine, but if you are deglazing a pan, for example, go ahead: use stock instead.
3. You don’t always have to measure. Okay, keep that one secret, or else what am I doing developing recipes, right? And measurements do guarantee success, especially in baking. But for the extra tablespoon of cilantro to garnish? Extra onion if you like it? More garlic? Have at it. My rule of thumb, especially when eating lean is that I bulk up vegetables, herbs and spices without worrying about calories. Don’t bulk up proteins, fats or dairy—or the scale will tell that tale.
4. Use less oil. While you’re better off NOT reducing the oil in our recipes at Laura’s Lean Beef (I’m sautéing in just about as little oil as possible already when I develop these recipes), DO reduce the oil in recipes from other sources. To keep oil to the barest minimum, I often even use a brush to coat the pan with the little bit of oil I do use.
5. Substitute vegetables. No red cabbage? Use green cabbage. No onion in the vegetable drawer but a bunch of scallions? Use those scallions. Lemons instead of limes? Your marinade will have a lemon base instead of a lime base. Hate broccoli? Try zucchini instead. Here’s the real rule: Don’t make recipes using ingredients that don’t appeal to you, and don’t be shy about making a recipe uniquely yours. And when you do? Let us know about it!
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