By Melissa Walker
Making your own healthy meals is one of the easiest ways to ditch pounds. But if grilling, roasting, and sauteing often turn into a kitchen nightmare, use these no-fail tricks to go from flop chef to top chef.
Related: 6 Fall Recipes to Whip Up
How to Bake the Perfect Chicken Breast
"Baked chicken breast is always either raw or dry when I cut into it."
A common mistake is to cook it for a set period of time (say, 30 minutes), regardless of size or thickness. For a moist, perfectly cooked breast, Natalia Hancock, RD, culinary nutritionist at Rouge Tomate restaurant in New York City, recommends purchasing bone-in chicken breasts with skin. "Baking chicken with the skin on locks in moisture and helps prevent the flesh from shrinking and drying. The bone adds flavor and promotes even cooking," she says. Hancock suggests seasoning a breast with salt, black pepper, and your favorite spice (try poultry seasoning or a Cajun spice blend), then cooking it in a 9-by-9-inch glass baking dish -- metal or cast-iron pans, earthenware, and Dutch ovens work too -- at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. (If you have a chicken breast that's one pound or bigger, give it 55 minutes.) After it cools for 15 minutes, cut it from the bone and remove the skin to slash fat.
Related: 6 Quickie Chicken Recipes
How to Cook Steak
"When I cook steak on the stove, it never tastes right."
Often people don't start with a high enough heat, and that leads to overcooked meat. "The key is having an even, high heat to caramelize the steak through searing," explains Tyler Florence, host of Tyler's Ultimate and several other Food Network shows. He recommends choosing a thick cut of meat for juiciness -- like a one-and-a-half-inch New York strip steak -- and using a cast-iron pan or ovenproof skillet. First, dry the surface of the meat (excess water leads to stewing instead of searing) and season with salt and black pepper. Pour a little canola oil in the pan and turn the heat to high. Once the pan is hot, cook the steak for six minutes on each side. Then put the pan into the oven at 375 degrees for about five minutes.
For a thinner cut (less than one and a half inches), the final step in the oven isn't necessary, says Stephanie Izard, the only female winner of Top Chef to date and owner of Girl & The Goat restaurant in Chicago. Just make sure the pan is hot, sear the meat for a minute, turn the heat down to medium high and cook for two to three minutes more. Then peek at the underside; once it's brown, flip it over and cook for a couple of minutes more. "A classic mistake is flipping too often, which can make the meat stick or develop an odd color," Izard says. "Two to three minutes a side is all it takes."
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How to Cook Scallops
"My scallops taste like rubber."
The culprit: prolonged exposure to heat. Another common mistake? Tossing the scallops into the pan without drying them off with a paper towel (if they aren't dry, they'll steam instead of developing that yummy caramelization). Season them with salt and black pepper, put a splash of canola oil in a superhot nonstick pan, and cook. "Don't overcrowd them," says Devin Alexander, author of The Biggest Loser Flavors of the World Cookbook. If you see any excess moisture (look for telltale bubbles), remove the scallops with a slotted spoon and dump out the liquid; then immediately return them to the pan. After two to three minutes, when the scallops are golden brown, flip them and cook until their middles are turning opaque. Remove them from the heat (they'll continue to cook for a minute or so) and add fresh lemon juice.
Related: The Lazy Girl's Guide to No-Cook Meals
How to Cook the Perfect Scrambled Eggs
"My scrambled eggs are overcooked."
Most people cook them too long and dry them out. The trick is to take the eggs off the burner when they've set but are still slightly wet and just starting to thicken, Krieger says. Keep folding them with the spatula; they'll continue to steam and cook without drying. Try Izard's tried-and-true recipe for an egg-white-and-veggie scramble: Whisk four egg whites until they're fluffy. Then saute onions and garlic with diced fresh or canned tomatoes and a handful of spinach. As soon as the spinach wilts, pour the egg whites over the top. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 seconds; then stir it for a minute. When the eggs change from clear to white and the ingredients begin to hold together, put them on a plate and top with a pinch of grated Parmesan.
Related: 8 Egg Recipes to Start Your Morning
How to Cook Whole Grain Pasta
"Whole-grain pasta ends up either tough or a mushy mess."
The cardinal sin when preparing whole-grain pasta is overcooking. It needs to be al dente, meaning the noodles are not hard, but still firm. Hancock's rule of thumb is to use one gallon of salted water for each pound of pasta. "I add a teaspoon of olive oil to help prevent the pasta from sticking together," she says. "You should drop in the pasta only after the water has reached a rapid boil and give it a few stirs to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom." Start checking it two minutes before the suggested cooking time on the box to be sure you catch it al dente, which you can test by biting into a noodle. It should be not quite fully cooked -- a little firm yet tender.
Related: Quality Quinoa: 13 Tasty Meals to Make
More from FITNESS Magazine:
Dinner in 20: Easy, Healthy Recipes
Breakfast Ideas Under 300 Calories
Lunch on the Go: Healthy Wrap and Sandwiches to Try
Weekend-Proof Your Diet
Diet-Friendly Vegetarian Meals
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