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Healthy cooking methods
How you cook food can have a big impact on how healthy the meal is. For example, deep frying adds unnecessary energy (kilojoules) and fat to foods, while boiling or braising can lead to nutrient loss.
If you can, cook foods the following ways:
- grilling
- stir frying
- air frying
- roasting or baking with minimal oil (e.g. use spray or lightly brush with oil)
- steam or blanch in boiling water
- microwave.
Remember – all deep fried foods and meals containing deep fried ingredients are classified as red.
Some practical swaps you could try:
Swap this | For this |
Baking trays greased with butter/oil | Baking trays lined with baking paper |
Extra fat (butter or oil) to prevent food from sticking to cookware | Non-stick cookware or a light spray of oil |
Pastry cases for pies | Ramekins (individual crockery pie dishes) with a pastry lid for pies |
Quiches (with pastry) | Frittatas (without pastry) |
Deep frying commercial crumbed and coated products | Oven baking commercial crumbed and coated products |
Large amounts of sugar, fat or salt in recipes | Reduced amounts of sugar, fat and salt in recipes.
|
All white flour in recipes | Half wholemeal flour and half white flour recipes. |
Copyright © State of Victoria, Australia. Used with permission of the Victorian Department of Health. Reproduction and other uses comprised in the copyright are prohibited without permission.
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