How to Cook Healthy

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andreas_Huppert]Andreas Huppert
We all know, cooking is a way to prepare our food, we want to influence its taste and its nutritional value, some food doesn't necessarily have to be cooked, some food definitely must be cooked.
The main purposes of cooking are:
- the food shall take an appetizing colour and shape
- the taste shall be improved
- the appetite shall be stimulated through the formation of odours, flavours and fragrances
- the food shall take a softer consistence for better chewing and digestion
- Existing bacteria shall be killed
- Preservability of the food shall be ensured
- Increase of the nutritional value
We should not forget, the cooking can also have negative effects, for example the formation of harmful substances by the heat, just think about the charred meat from the last barbecue or the formation of polymeric compounds when deep-frying food.
Heat-sensitive vitamins can be destroyed (especially vitamin C and the vitamins of the B-group, all of which are vital for the human organism).
If we cook a meal too long, vital amino acids can be destroyed and some vitamins and mineral salts can escape the food.
There are plenty of cooking methods, each with its individual advantages and disadvantages, it's important to find the best one for your food to ensure quality, taste and of course the look.
Roasting and cooking in all their forms are the oldest and most traditional cooking methods, whereas stewing is the "moist" and low temperature way of preparing food, the original nutritional value almost doesn't get affected. Mineral salts and other water soluble ingredients don't escape the food, which is good.
My favourite way of cooking is pressure cooking, it's the healthiest and most diet conscious way of preparing a meal.
A quality pressure cooker makes a huge difference in the kitchen, nowadays I prepare almost all my meals with my pressure cooker, except of course when I'm baking a pie.
Apart from the health aspect it's also the most time and energy saving way of cooking. You save up to 70% of cooking time and therefore energy.
The lid of the pressure cooker seals the pot entirely which means that absolutely not a single ingredient can escape.
Another issue, especially for lazy people like me, is that I can prepare entire meals in just one pot, which means much less cleaning effort, but that's just a side note since we're talking about the health aspect here.
In conclusion, it's a proven and logical fact that there is no healthier way to prepare food than with a pressure cooker, you will never regret the purchase.
Andreas Huppert is a hardcore cooking enthusiast who always tries to find new ways to prepare a healthy meal as quick and easy as possible. Check out his website at [http://www.wmfpressurecooker.org]WMF Pressure Cooker where he reviews the great pressure cookers of WMF.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Cook-Healthy&id=6745171] How to Cook Healthy