7 good reasons to go oil free in your recipes

My recipes posted so far are complete oil free ways of cooking.
Well, do we need to be so strict on ourselves?..... the answer is no, not always.
we can possibly use the healthy oils.
In this post I put forward my good reasons to go for oil free recipes, even in Indian cooking.
They come out a tad less in taste, but much healthier. For some you don't even notice the difference.
Infact for long, I had a misconception that olive oil is healthy so I can use it in & out.
I have been using olive oil only for all my cooking. But cooking process was usual frying.. etc.
Yes, extra virgin olive oil is healthy, when used raw(drizzling over salads etc.)
The type of cholestrol in Olive oil is the good one which helps lower the bad one.
Frying process turns the healthy unsaturated fat into saturated fat, whatever oil it is. Read these discussions for a better view--
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/779243

One another important fact I came across, while used for frying, chose a oil with high smoke point.Olive oil has a low smoke point, so takes longer to heat and hence food absorbs more oil in the process of frying. A good review for oils for frying can be found in
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/cookingfaqs/f/stirfryoil.htm
This was an eye-opener for me, and now I store canola oil as well for my one off usage when cooking traditionally.
Why Canola see
http://www.healthycookingrecipes.com/cookinghealthyarticles/canola-cooking-oil.htm


If you are struggling hard with the stickiness problem without oil, a better way would be to use spray oils.
They can help. It will not be oil-free anymore, but you'll be using the bare minimum oil/ fats.
These are low calorie, low cholestrol versions. It is not only for people who were on a diet but also for people just want to have a healther life style.

So to summarize.....

1.All fats have calories and have more calories per gram than proteins or carbohydrates.(Dr. Gourmet)


2.A teaspoon of any fat has about 45 calories so even frying in olive oil can add a lot of calories.(Dr. Gourmet)

3.People who eat diets high in fried foods are 35 per cent more likely than "prudent" eaters to suffer acute heart attacks.(Canadian research).

4.Trans fats are formed during the refining of liquid vegetable oils (e.g., canola and soybean oil).
Trans fats are also created when manufacturers use a process called "partial hydrogenation.", used to turn liquid oil into a semi-solid form, such as shortening or margarine. So why use these oils at all?

5.Frying process turns unsaturated fat to saturated fat. Saturated fats also raise blood levels of "bad" cholesterol. However, at the same time, they also raise blood levels of "good" cholesterol.

6. Frying can increase cancer risk
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-382571/Frying-increase-cancer-risk.html

7. Frying in oil makes your kitchen surfaces sticky, and hard to clean.Basically frying in oil gets in grease in your body & home!!

8. http://www.udoerasmus.com/articles/udo/hbaco.htm -- a good research article on oil in food.

Hence my attempts to avoid frying/using minimal oil(spray oil) and turn to alternate methods of grilling/microwaving or steaming foods.
My recipes in this blog will reflect that.
Fry foods less often. If you do have to fry foods, use healthier oils that contain a higher proportion of monounsaturated fats, and have a relatively high smoke point. Do not re-use the frying oil.