The most practical and healthy cooking tips

1. Coat with batter and fry

Fried dishes have a strong aroma and a crispy texture, such as fried chicken legs, fried fish, and fried steak. When frying this type of food, the protein is exposed to high temperatures and can produce a large amount of strong carcinogens such as heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. To reduce the production of carcinogens, you can coat the raw materials with a layer of batter of appropriate thickness (you can mix starch and egg white) and then fry them in a pan. These batters are like a "protective coat" for the raw materials, preventing them from being heated directly in high-temperature oil, thereby minimizing the production of carcinogens. When coating the batter, try to spread it as evenly and to a moderate thickness so that it heats evenly.

In addition, when frying food, the oil temperature should be controlled below 200 degrees Celsius (heated over medium heat), and the frying time should not exceed two minutes.

2. Add vinegar when cooking

Reduce carcinogenic factors during the cooking process and absorb as much vitamin C as possible. Because vitamin C can block the formation of nitroso compounds (a substance that can cause digestive tract cancer).

Adding vinegar has two benefits. The first is to protect the vitamin C in food because vitamin C is more stable in an acidic environment. Second, adding vinegar can promote the absorption of vitamin C. Because vitamin C is absorbed in the digestive tract by a type of selective absorption cell. A characteristic of this type of cell is that it likes acid. The acetic acid in vinegar will stimulate this type of cell and allow it to absorb a large amount of vitamin C.

3. Thicken before serving

When cooking, the minerals, vitamins and other nutrients in the ingredients will be lost into the soup. The starch sauce is like a "protective coat" that can retain more vitamin C. Usually the timing of thickening the dish should be well controlled and should be done when the dish is 90% cooked. If you cook it too early, the sauce will burn; if you cook it too late, the dish will be heated for a long time and will easily lose its crispy and tender taste.