I am hoping we have got past the days of believing that fat makes us fat and is responsible for ill health. Natural fat (i.e. not processed and damaged in any way) is an essential macronutrient that is a necessary part of a healthy diet and also makes food taste delicious.
But what about cooking with fat? Today I'm sharing how I use and enjoy fat in my cooking...
Frying - If I am making something like a frittata or scrambled egg I use fats that have a good heat tolerance such as butter or coconut oil
High heat stir frying - I often 'steam-fry', this means adding oil and a little water to the pan and cooking the veggies, the water slowly evaporates off and the oil remains coating the veggies. I may also add tamari sauce into the pan too with water and oil
Sweating (this is low heat frying) - occasionally I use a basic olive oil but generally I use butter or coconut oil.
Baking - olive oil is beautiful in cakes, you generally only need 3/4 of the volume compared to butter.
One pot meals - if I am cooking meat I use their own fat to brown it off. Usually my one-pot meals are veggie so I put everything in at once and then add some olive oil during the cooking process. This way you get all the flavour of the oil without damaging the integrity of it. I also add in nut and seed butters for extra flavour at the end, tahini is a favourite.
Sauces - nut and seed butters make great sauces, wonderful on stir-fries. One of my favourites is a simple satay sauce, I take a dessertspoon of peanut butter and mix with water, grated fresh ginger and about a teaspoon of tamarin, delicious and simple.
Dressings - I use olive oil or flax oil and keep them in the fridge.