Advice on how to cook food more healthily in the oven

elsmandino

Morning.

I am trying to get my family to be a bit more healthy with their eating habits and was after some advice on any techniques/devices to help with that.

When cooking anything like chips, burgers, sausages etc. I tend to put everything on a metal tray and then put that directly on the oven shelf.

I really want to get away from that, now, and find a way to have the fat naturally drip away from the foods.

I at first thought about using my roasting tray but the gaps on the top are too wide - fine for burgers but sausages and chips are going to fall through.

A few other options that I have thought about:

Silicon mat - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0876J8JN4/ref=ewc_pr_img_7?smid=AZHV2J5H4MUH&psc=1

Barbecue Mesh - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08MQ86KCX/ref=ewc_pr_img_4?smid=A2FHZ819VF9WNI&psc=1

Oven Air Fryer - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L4VY2NX/ref=ewc_pr_img_3?smid=A3S2OA3HOTXY5G&psc=1

Do you think any of these would work or should I consider anything else?

Thanks very much.

-taff

A metal mesh stand, like the one people use for cooling cakes will so in a tray. However, if you wnt them to be a bit healthier, and if your budget can stretch, why not make your own burgers?

elsmandino

Thank you for that - really good idea.  I shall have to make sure that I get one that is stainless steel, just in case there are any nasty non-stick coatings that might react in the heat.

To be honest, it never occurred to me to do my own burgers - could just buy some mince, with the lowest possible fat content and shape them myself.

-taff

Yep, pretty much,add in yoir own flavourings, add something to bind, something o bulk, the possibilities are endless. You can add breadcrumbs, bread soaked in milk and squeezed out, smashed up chickpeas, lentils to bulk up, egg to bind..I saw this one yesterday, looked pretty good and it's not even a burger...

bouicca21

I’m not sure there is any way a sausage can be regarded as healthy!  But I suspect supermarket ones are bulked out with stuff you don’t really want to eat.

i get mine here
https://www.englishsausages.com/

and PS burgers are dead easy to make.

joedenise

I make my own oven chips.  Cut your potatoes into chips in the normal way and par boil for 4-5 minutes; drain well and then tip into a bowl and use a oil spray to coat the chips, toss to ensure everything gets some oil on.  Spread out onto a baking sheet and cook at about 200 degrees.

I cook for about 30-35 minutes turning the tray 1/4 turn every 10 minutes which helps to cook them ore evenly.

I use 5% fat mince which all the SMs sell for everything needing mince.  I'm lucky that my local butcher makes his own low fat sausages so always use those.

goldfinches

If you have a grill pan with a metal insert that would be ideal for using over a metal tray in the oven as it's designed for high temperatures.

BBC Good Food has a loads of variations on oven chips and the comments from other people who've made the recipes can be invaluable. I've made this version more than once and it is delectable Celeriac oven chips recipe | BBC Good Food. I've also made it with butternut squash, rapeseed oil and smoked paprika and that is just as good IMHO.

I have a couple of suggestions that might be helpful with your trying to get your family to eat more healthily. I suggest buying smaller portions of better quality meats so that the flavour is much better when your family members are eating them and then adding an extra spoonful of a vegetable that's high in fibre to their plates. My second suggestion is to consider making a sauce to go with the meats so that the lower fat content is compensated for.

Rosa_Damascena

I am neither meat eater nor cook but from what I understand from afficionados of both, the flavour of the meat sits within the fat? So a low-fat hamburger might as well be replaced with a piece of cardboard? Am I misguided?

Brie

Rosa_Damascena said:

I am neither meat eater nor cook but from what I understand from afficionados of both, the flavour of the meat sits within the fat? So a low-fat hamburger might as well be replaced with a piece of cardboard? Am I misguided?

In my opinion the fat isn't what helps a burger it's the things you add to the meat that help as well as ensuring that you don't overcook it.  I like to add soy sauce which can make a low fat burger mighty tasty.  I've made some that are essentially 98% meat and really enjoyed them.  

Fat in a cut of meat is needed to help with the flavour but even then you want the majority to drain away as it cooks.

maman

I'd agree that it's the amount of meat compared to fat and other fillers in the meat products you choose to cook that makes it healthier.

You could bake fish in the oven (I do mine in a foil parcel) as a change from meat. 

Also for a balanced healthy way of eating you should be bulking out the meals with plenty of fresh vegetables. I often add mushrooms and tomatoes to the baking tray about 15 minutes before the end plus the greens or salad. 

theoretica

Rosa_Damascena said:

I am neither meat eater nor cook but from what I understand from afficionados of both, the flavour of the meat sits within the fat? So a low-fat hamburger might as well be replaced with a piece of cardboard? Am I misguided?

Yes and no - I have eaten meat with about 1% fat and didn't like it much - it tasted very dry - but there is a lot of reduction possible in a 30% fat hamburger before you get to that level.