More and more we choose a healthy diet. But before launching ourselves to buy a thousand and one devices, we have to ask ourselves certain questions.
Healthy cooking is based on the consumption of living food. These are fresh products, organically grown or natural, and not manipulated. In this way, they preserve their flavor and all the nutrients.
We must also take into account the cooking methods. A very aggressive method that uses high temperatures will reduce the life of the food.
The material of the utensils in which we are going to cook or preserve must be those that do not release toxic substances that pass into the food.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST KITCHEN UTENSIL
To practice a healthy kitchen it is not mandatory to renew all the utensils. Some of them will be suitable and we can continue using them.
On the other hand, there are other less common devices that we incorporate into healthy cooking and that will make everything easier for us. We are talking about germination, steamers, spiralizers, or dehydrators.
The previous and decisive question is whether we commit to using them with some frequency or they will end up being forgotten in the bottom of the wardrobe. Evaluate it in each case: germinator, bread maker, grinder, dehydrator, spiralizer, vegetable “milk” machine.
- IS THIS APPLIANCE USED TO COOK OR EAT HEALTHY FOOD?
Always choose non-toxic materials, free of bisphenols and PFOA, certified without heavy metals and without nanoparticles.
A piece of basic equipment in the healthy kitchen will be composed of:
- Juice extractor or high-power blender to make good smoothies and smoothies with a fine texture
- One or two pans of different sizes
- small saucepan
- Large casserole to prepare vegetable broths and stews
- steamer
- DOES THIS COOKING METHOD RETAIN NUTRIENTS?
As a general rule, we must opt for non-aggressive cooking methods and with moderate use of heat.
There are cold preparations, which are not limited to the preparation of salads. We can also spiralize, germinate, ferment, grind, macerate or prepare smoothies, shakes, and vegetable “milk” from nuts.
To make vegetable drinks from cereals and legumes, it is necessary to apply moderate heat.
In dehydration, water is extracted from food with gentle heat. It is another form of healthy cooking because, at temperatures of 42-45ºC, the enzymes and nutrients maintain their properties.
Within healthy cuisine, steam cooking and traditional stews over low heat in a casserole (not in a pressure cooker) are also included, since they do not exceed 100ºC.
- IS THE MATERIAL HEALTHY FOR ME AND RESPECTFUL OF THE PLANET?
Safe materials for cooking are glass, titanium, ceramic (without flaking) and iron certified without heavy metals, clay (lead-free), quality wood, bamboo, and stainless steel.
Those not recommended are aluminum (due to the toxicity of aluminum salts), copper and Teflon with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a compound that behaves as an endocrine disruptor and has been linked to hormone-dependent tumors.