Zoneful cooking - is this healthy??

[scubakate]

Hello all-

I recently completed a 3 class basic cooking class - which was awesome! However, the recipes that we learned - were not exactly zoneful (I think we used 1 qt of heavy cream among the recipes in one menu!!).

I realize that you can't really replace the heavy cream w/ a substitute and still have the same results - but my question is this - when the chef cooked the chicken or tilapia - he pan seared it first - then finished it off baking it. He used about 1-2 T of cooking oil (he said not to used E-virgin olive oil) So-- how bad is this to do? 1-2 T between 5 chicken breasts didnt seem that bad to me. Do you count the 1-2 T??

Can anyone advise?

Thanks alot-

Kate

[AdamH]

Congrats on your class!

Is the oil 'bad'? Not at all.

Extra virgin oil has too low a smoking point, so your instructor had you brown the meat in regular oil. There is a thread of ours out there somewhere describing the molecular destruction that occurs to EV oil when it gets too hot. As it breaks down, its health benefits go up in smoke, literally.

Any version of olive oil will be equally good for you, be it regular or 'lite', virgin, extra-virgin, or even the rare extra-extra-virgin.

(Bonus Question: How do they make 'extra-extra-virgin' olive oil?)

But it's better to use plain olive oil for browning and saute-ing, as it can take more heat. Peanut oil is great with high heat too. But I would never recommend any kind of generic vegetable or 'canola' oil, (your teacher's "cooking oil") which is squeezed out of who knows what seeds and is sometimes hydrogenated. Stick with the known.

The ratio of 2 T of oil to 5 chicken breasts is like, what, 18 F max to 20 P or so. But most of that oil will stay in the pan. While there will remain a trace of oil on the cooked chicken, I wouldn't "count" the 1 to 2 spoons of oil you start with as Zone Fat blocks; I would count it, maybe, as 1 block (1/3 teaspoon) per serving, and then add fresh EV oil (or sesame or almond oil or some other tasty dietary fat) to the finished dish.

Remember that small additions of mono-fat are 'neutral' blocks, will keep you feeling full longer, and add flavor. And what, we ask, is life without flavor?

When are sharing the recipe?

[robert_Thomson]

Adam, Adam, Adam! Tsk! Tsk! I thought I'd taught you better. After your excellent commendations of her culinary prowess, and your insightful offerings of pertinent information, you should be asking her for the *already cooked* food, not for how to make it yourself...

[marshmallowcreme]

Hello all-

I recently completed a 3 class basic cooking class - which was awesome! However, the recipes that we learned - were not exactly zoneful (I think we used 1 qt of heavy cream among the recipes in one menu!!).

I realize that you can't really replace the heavy cream w/ a substitute and still have the same results - but my question is this - when the chef cooked the chicken or tilapia - he pan seared it first - then finished it off baking it. He used about 1-2 T of cooking oil (he said not to used E-virgin olive oil) So-- how bad is this to do? 1-2 T between 5 chicken breasts didnt seem that bad to me. Do you count the 1-2 T??

Can anyone advise?

Thanks alot-

Kate

Howdy Kate,

I've also heard you shouldn't use extra virgin olive oil because of its really low smoking point. However, I have found an EV olive oil that doesn't smoke when heated to "Medium." This is the highest heat you're suppose to use with Teflon cookware (which is what I have) due to toxic fumes released at higher heats. It's Lucini brand and it has the peppery finish that Dr. Sears says is caused by high levels of hydroxytyrosol, one of the most powerful antioxidants known to man:

http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/hydroxytyrosol.php

This particular brand boasts several distinctions from several other olive oils, like low acidity, pressed within 24 hours, no pesticides:

http://www.lucini.com/cornerstones/index.asp

I buy it at Whole Foods and Publix, but I found it for sale online too. With shipping, its only a few dollars more than what I pay for it locally:

http://store.yahoo.com/dcimports/lu01500.html

Highly recommended!

[AdamH]

Thanks for the tip, Marshall. I'll have to try it.