when using oils to make food

tonight i am making a chicken breast patty and i have found that i like to use oil in a frying pan better than i like using the foreman grill. i was checking the calories for EVOO and it said 120 calories for 1tbsp! kind of bums me out when i am just using it to cook with, not even as an ingredient.

what are some good alternatives?

Good alternative calorie wise? The George Foreman grill.
Most oils have very similar calorie counts as olive oil.

Sometimes if I am just using oil for the purpose of moisture, for example if I'm braising leafy greens, sauteeing mushrooms, etc. I will mix chicken or beef broth in with just a tiny bit of oil. I'll do this with cut-up chicken breast sometimes too. Heat up some minced garlic and onion in a pan with a tiny bit of oil, then once it's aromatic, brown the chicken in the pan and then deglaze with the stock. Works very well and makes a nice sauce.

If I want to cook up a juicy chicken breast without the calories from oil, and I don't feel like grilling, I'll marinate the chicken in fat free plain yogurt and some spices for at least a couple of hours and then bake it. It's the juiciest chicken breast I've ever had, and the yogurt is low in calories and high in protein. The flavor will not go with everything, but it tastes great with lemon juice, paprika, ranch-like flavoring, Indian spices... I'm still experimenting with it.

If I want chicken that tastes like fried chicken, unfortunately I don't know of any substitutes! Just plan ahead and make sure it fits your calorie and macro targets for the day.

Another option I've been using lately significantly cuts down on the oil you need: Put whatever you are frying into a ziploc bag and put oil in a teaspoon at a time (I normally only need one), close the bag, and then use your hands to rub the oil over what you are cooking. This is a great non-messy way to use just a little bit of oil, and it's worked really well for me frying anything from mushrooms to fish.

yea, i figured there wasn't. i suppose i could use my foreman, but it dries out the chicken so bad. i have cooked other things on it, no problem, but the chicken just dies more than it is already dead.

anyway, THANKS.

i think i will still use my EVOO, but not the whole tablespoon. ha.

Wrap the chicken in aluminum foil before putting on the George Foreman. Problem solved!

Sometimes if I am just using oil for the purpose of moisture, for example if I'm braising leafy greens, sauteeing mushrooms, etc. I will mix chicken or beef broth in with just a tiny bit of oil. I'll do this with cut-up chicken breast sometimes too. Heat up some minced garlic and onion in a pan with a tiny bit of oil, then once it's aromatic, brown the chicken in the pan and then deglaze with the stock. Works very well and makes a nice sauce.

If I want to cook up a juicy chicken breast without the calories from oil, and I don't feel like grilling, I'll marinate the chicken in fat free plain yogurt and some spices for at least a couple of hours and then bake it. It's the juiciest chicken breast I've ever had, and the yogurt is low in calories and high in protein. The flavor will not go with everything, but it tastes great with lemon juice, paprika, ranch-like flavoring, Indian spices... I'm still experimenting with it.

If I want chicken that tastes like fried chicken, unfortunately I don't know of any substitutes! Just plan ahead and make sure it fits your calorie and macro targets for the day.

I don't often cook for myself but that yogurt marinade sounds awesome.

OP, you could marinate in any number of things and bake your chicken that way! You can even still bread your chicken, it just won't come out quite the same. Btw - look out for whole grain bread crumbs.

Rule of thumb for counting fry oil calories is if there's oil in the pan when you're done, count half.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/23/coconut-oil-good-for-you

I use coconut oil in most of meals and am losing weight. It's different.

What's wrong with using EVOO? I bet you are probably needing a little bump in your essential fatty acid profile. Personally I am a canola oil wh-re because it has a higher ratio of polyunsaturated fats like the omega-3 found in fish oil, but sometimes you need that wonderful rich EVOO flavor. I'm on the bad kid peer pressure side...use it! Honestly going over 100 calories in your calories on unprocessed oil is not going to harm you and may benefit you.

My personal opinion.

most of your oils are going to be close to that. But I've gotten by with frying my chicken in less than 1 TBS. Just use enough to coat the pan. plus either way, the entire TBS of oil probably isn't going to end up in you chicken breast.

If you're on a super restricted diet, then cooking with oils just might not be an option that you can really fit into your day. But I really like taking in some good fats via oils. Coconut oil is awesome to cook in, but has about the same calories I believe.

Agreed. There really aren't any good alternatives :grumble:

No they arent low in calorie but I dont understand why they cant be part of diet. I mean you arent going to eat all of that oil. Sometimes you cant make a decent piece of fried chicken without oil, and fat helps to satiate. MMMM my tummy is so full, warm and happy I dont feel like snacking later at night. I love fat so much I'd marry it if I could.

Oh you being an indefinite you not actually directed at you per se. I was just going off on my love of fat rant.

Try using cooking spray, olive oil based. You'll only need a little spritz to oil up your pan. You can also buy a pumping type of spray bottle (Pampered Chef sells one) that you can use any oils/liquids you want, then spray that into the pan (again not using too much). SmartBalance Buttery spread will give your chicken a nice taste, too. Last alternative, use half or one quarter of the amount of whatever you use. You'll still get the moisture, healthy fat and good taste, but less calories. Hope this helps.