Food Preparation Choices

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• Scratch • Convenience foods
– Preparing a – Partly prepared or
homemade dish from ready-to-eat
unprepared foods – Quicker and less effort
– You control what is in – No control over
it ingredients
– How it is made
– Costs less

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• Speed-scratch cooking
– Uses partly prepared foods for homemade
dishes
– Store-bought unbaked pizza with pre made
sauce, shredded cheese
– Tastes like homemade
– Saves time and energy

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 Paths to Quick & Easy Meals
• Do some steps ahead
• “double batch” prepare 2 and freeze rest
• Timesaving equipment (micro wave and
food processor
• Learn management skills to work
efficiently

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 Which Cooking Method?
• 3 cooking methods:
• Dry heat – cooking food uncovered
without added liquid

• Moist heat – involves liquid or steam

• Frying –cooking in fat

• See page 194
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 Which Recipe?
• Recipe- list of ingredients and a complete
set of instructions for preparing a certain
dish

• Newspapers, magazines, friends, Internet,

family

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 Choosing Recipes
• Are the directions clear?
• Do I have the skills I’ll need?
• Do I have the equipment?
• Which ingredients do I already have?
– Do I have the time?
– How long will it take to prepare
• How does this dish fit into my meal and
eating plan?
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 Nutrition-wise Recipe Makeovers
• Use variety, balance and moderation
• If one dish has higher fat, serve with other
lower fat dishes

• Soups, salads, stir fries and casseroles

are flexible

• Baked goods are not flexible

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• For more vitamins:
– Add more veggies
– To casseroles, pasta and other dishes
– Shredded carrots and zucchini are great in
mashed potatoes

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• For more Calcium:
– Add dry milk to mashed potatoes, meat loaf
– Add grated cheese to casseroles and mashed
potatoes
– Add calcium-fortified tofu to salads, stir fries
and other mixed dishes

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• For less Fat:
– Use reduced or low-fat ingredients
– Use smaller amounts of high-fat ingredients
such as butter, margarine, salad dressing and
peanut butter
– Skim fat from soups, stews, pan juices,
gravies (fat is lighter than water)
– Make one or more substitutions listed on page
198
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• For more Fiber:
– Use whole-grain pasta and brown rice in
recipes
– Add fiber-rich dry beans, peas to soups and
mixed dishes
– Mix bran into casseroles

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• For less Added Sugar:
– Use vanilla, cinnamon, spices to bring out
natural sweetness of many foods

• For less Sodium:

– Cut down on salt in recipes –use herbs and
spices to enhance
– Use low-sodium versions of broth, soy sauce
and canned foods

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 Summary
• You can cook from scratch or use partly or
fully prepared foods, depending on your
time, energy, kitchen skills and the amount
of money you want to spend.

• Choose a cooking method based on

available time and the nutritional effect.

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• Recipes are available from many sources.
Always read the recipe carefully before
you decide to use it.

• You can modify many recipes to improve

nutritional value without giving up flavor.

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 Assignment
• Do the questions on page 200
• 1 through 5

• Bring examples of some scratch and

convenience cooking you have done at
home, bring them in tomorrow.

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