Boiling foods instead of frying them.

Hello,

I'm new, and I must say this is a great site! I want to know when you boil foods instead of frying them, are you boiling some of the fat and sodium content out of the food? I have asked quite a few people, but they didn't exactly know the answer.

All advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Boil what?  meat?

Yes, meat and poultry...

I have no idea... but baked meat tastes a lot better than boiled meat...

Prolyl about as much, but boling loses nutrients. Steamng is better. As is baking in a sauce. You cant really reduce the fat from many meats, unless tehy already have fat and you trim it, or drain/rinse mince meat.

Ewwww...boiled meat can't taste very good and you do lose a lot of nutrients when boiling.  I would suggest maybe broiling or baking instead.

Thanks!

I think you may be confused, what people are probably telling you is to avoid frying as that requires an addition of fat.  So if you bake or broil something you can do it without added fat, which would add calories.  Make sense?

Here's a thought:

I cook everything in water.  hamburgers, stir fry's etc, basically just replacing the oil.  The trick is not to use a ton, but also to make sure it never all evaporates (or you'll burn whatever you're cooking)

If it's fatty meat, yes, the fat will come out and can be strained off.  It doesn't just disappear by itself though - you have to remove it.

But the taste is left in the water, so don't drain off too much :)

Well, what I do is cook my meat in a nonstick pan.  Sometimes I may add some cooking spray as well.  If it dries up, and looks like it might start to stick or something, I'll add a little bit of water.  Since it's only a little, it doesn't boil the meat, but it works.  Sometimes it even makes a nice gravy to go along with it.

Boiling is almost never the best cooking method. Even pasta and eggs are better simmered. To answer your specific question,  no, boiling will not significantly reduce the fat content of meat. The meat cooks before the fat has a chance to render. It will lessen the sodium content of the outer layer of the meat, but the leaching effect does not extend very deep. Boiling also ruins the taste, texture, and appearance of most (maybe all) meats.

On the other hand, braising (think pot roast) DOES reduce the amount of fat in a piece of meat by a modest, but significant, amount. Braising also improves the texture of the tougher cuts of meat typically used in these recipes. It does not affect the appearance much, either, apart from making it appear "stringy".

The "trap" in this is that the fat that is rendered from the meat ends up in the braising liquid, which is often used to moisten the dish. This isn't so bad if you do a thorough job of defatting it, first, but that's tough to do immediately after cooking. Freezing/refrigerating it is the easiest method, but it takes time.

And here's an ironic tidbit for you; frying can actually reduce the amount of fat in some foods, such as chicken wings. Cooked long enough at the proper temperature, the fat renders and is squeezed out of the meat as it contracts due to cooking. (This happens to some extent if you roast or bake them, too, but far less efficiently and effectively.) They probably still don't qualify as health food, but they're less deadly than you might think.

Why is everyone so scared of fat?  Fat is good for you and your body needs it.  Food tastes like crap when cooked in a pan completely dry or in water.  Just a teaspoon of olive oil or canola oil makes a huge difference in taste and texture and has only 40 calories.  Your diet should consist of at least 15% fat.

The only meat that's good boiled is corned beef.

are we distinguishing between a truly boiled piece of meat and a poached piece of meat?

Poaching is delish!

I occasionally boil chicken legs or thighs, but its only in the interest of time.  To give them some flavor, I keep the water used to boil them as low as possible, and flavor it in soup-fashion.  In fat, if you have time, make a soup or dish out of it. 

I've spent a lot of time in Central and South America and their recipes often involve something like this and they are amazingly tasty. 

No, boiling doesn't reduce the fat, but it does allow you a way to make a great dish using one pan. 

YOu are better off baking it on a broiler pan or a rack so the fat can drip down, but you still get that nice baked /roasted flavor.withc out any added fat for cooking.

boiling does take out some fat, though I couldnt' say how much, probably not a huge or signifigant amount. the main differnece is frying adds fat.  It also takes out some of teh nutritents.

Microwaving is a nother good option.

though I haven't eaten meat for months now.