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Kitchen
Ade
Fat
Substitutions in Recipes |
BigMama
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Key
things to keep in mind:
There are many tasty ways to
reduce fat in your foods.
The trick is to replace fats
with items that have a "good mouth feel" - and add that
creamy-ness to your meals without the cholesterol!
Adding flavor with juices,
stocks, pureed or chopped fruits and vegetables also let you cut
down on fat and maintain "good taste".
Below is a
quick
substitution chart and tips, followed by a collection of
baking
substitutions. So dig in!
Quick
Low-fat Cooking Tips
-
Use
evaporated skim milk as a substitute for cream in recipes. A
half-cup of cream has 400 calories, almost all from fat; the
evaporated skim milk has about 100 calories with only a trace of
fat.
-
For
reducing fat and cholesterol in baking, two egg whites can be
substituted for one whole egg.
-
For
a low-fat alternative to thick, creamy soup, puree the ingredients
with cooked potato instead of cream.
-
You
can usually reduce the fat in a recipe by a third if you replace it
with equal parts of a liquid, such as fruit juice.
-
For
most recipes, you can substitute 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg.
-
A
great cream sauce substitute: 1 cup low fat butter milk, 1
tablespoon cornstarch and tomato sauce or mustard.
-
For
a low-fat alternative to sour cream, use drained non-fat yogurt with
just a little sour cream mixed in.
-
Instead
of frosting a cake, try dusting it with cinnamon and cocoa or
confectioner's sugar.
-
In
baking, applesauce can be substituted for oil. Or try pureed
carrots!
-
Instead
of butter, try dipping bread in olive oil for dinner. The fats in
olive oil are much healthier, and it tastes delicious!
-
Vegetable
spray works even better than butter for no-stick eggs and has no
fat!
-
For
a quick fat-free homemade dressing, follow directions on a Good
Seasons packet, but substitute non-fat yogurt for the oil.
-
For
fat free cooking, marinate or baste meat, fish or chicken with
concentrated fruit juice, fresh fruit juice or vegetable juices, or
tamari or teriyaki sauce, or wine, instead of oils.
-
Use
salsa or low-fat yogurt for baked potatoes instead of traditional
butter and sour cream.
| Instead
Of |
Use |
| 1 cup of butter in baking |
1/3 cup applesauce or fruit juice,
and 2/3 cup butter |
| 8 ounces of cream cheese |
8 ounces of yogurt cheese |
| 1 cup crème fraiche |
1 cup yogurt cheese made from
low-fat or nonfat yogurt |
| 1 cup heavy cream (in recipes, not
for whipping) |
2 teaspoons cornstarch or 1
tablespoon flour whisked into 1 cup nonfat milk or use
evaporated skim milk |
| 1 cup sour cream |
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese + 2
tablespoons skim milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice |
| 1 cup fat for sautéing |
4 cups low fat stock, fruit juice
or wine and sauté until liquid evaporates |
| 1 egg |
2 egg whites |
| 1 cup oil or fat for basting |
1 cup fruit juice or low fat stock
or wine |
| 1 cup butter, shortening or lard |
Use 3/4 cup vegetable oil or 3/4
cup reduced-fat tub margarine |
Fat
Substitutes in Home Baking
Fats
(shortening, oil, butter, margarine, lard) acts as a barrier making the
flour less likely to absorb water. This gives the moist, tender
baked product that seems to melt in your mouth. Much of the fat in
recipes can be replaced with fruit or vegetable purees, low-fat cottage
cheese, tofu, or non-fat yogurt. It won't result in quite the same
texture as the fat-full product, but it will be close. Start out
by substituting one-third of the fat called for in a recipe with one of
the options below, and then experiment with different levels of
substitutions to see which gives you the product you most prefer.
-
Applesauce
- causes the least flavor and color change to baked products.
Works well in light-colored cakes, cookies and muffins.
Substitute applesauce for equal amounts of fat or oil. Measure in a
standard measuring cup designed for liquid ingredients.
Applesauce leaves products very moist, so you may have to reduce the
amount of other liquid ingredients in the recipe.
-
Bananas
- substitute for equal amounts of fat or oil. Mash first, then
measure into a standard measuring cup designed for dry
ingredients. Bananas are best in chocolate cakes or brownies, as
well as muffins, cookies and spice cakes.
-
Prunes
- puree before using - add 2 tablespoons water or prune juice to 1/2
cup of prunes to blender and puree until smooth. Substitute
for equal amounts of fat using a standard dry measuring
cup. Prunes tend to leave baked products drier, so add a
little more moisture in the form of prune juice, milk or
water. Use prunes in dark colored products such as spice or
chocolate baked goods.
-
Pumpkin
- heavy pigment imparts an orange color to baked goods. Use in
chocolate or spice flavored recipes, and any others where the
pumpkin color and flavor might be desirable. Measure cooked,
mashed pumpkin in a standard dry measuring cup and substitute
for equal amounts of fat or oil.
-
Zucchini
- grate when added in raw form. If cooked, mash and remove
seeds. Measure raw, grated zucchini in a standard dry
measuring cup. Measure cooked zucchini in a standard liquid
measuring cup. Zucchini works well in quick breads and coffee
cakes. It does not change the flavor or color of products.
-
Low-fat
cottage cheese - bland in a food processor or blender
until smooth. Measure in a standard dry measuring
cup. Substitute only for half of the fat called for in a
recipe. Cottage cheese works well in muffins, but can give a
bit of a rubbery texture. Use in cheesecake as a substitute
for cream cheese.
-
Tofu
- blend in a food process or blender till until smooth.
Measure in a standard liquid measuring cup. Substitute
for up to half of the fat called for in a recipe. Tofu works
well in muffins, but you may find it gives a rubbery texture and a
"beany" flavor.
-
Non-fat
yogurt - substitute for equal amounts of fat.
Yogurt makes the product moist, so sometimes a reduction of other
liquids in the product may be necessary. Drain yogurt (paper
coffee filters work well for this) first to remove some of the
moisture. Yogurt works well in muffins, cakes, cookies, and
brownies.
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