Ovenproof dish – effortless and healthy dinners
An ovenproof dish is the most affordable option among the recommended kitchen tools supporting healthier eating. Baking meals in the oven using heatproof dishes allows you to get rid of the frying habit, which is an important step towards a more balanced diet. Additional benefits include the ability to preserve many nutrients and avoid excessive burning (which can produce carcinogenic compounds).
However, the greatest advantage of ovenproof cookware is its versatility. You can use it to prepare a variety of dishes, including vegetable casseroles, groat-based meals, meat dishes, baked fish, and more. Cooking in ovenproof dishes typically involves simply placing the dish in the oven, eliminating the need for constant monitoring. Therefore, despite how it may seem, it’s actually a very simple cooking process. Oven dishes are perfect for preparing a healthy lunch or dinner, as well as for creating various meals using the meal prep technique.
Cooking in an ovenproof dish often doesn’t need a strict recipe, just a touch of culinary creativity. The popular ‘sheet pan dinner’ trend – where entire meals are cooked on a single sheet pan or in one ovenproof dish – perfectly exemplifies this approach. Here are some ideas for a healthy and nutritious lunch or dinner:
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salmon + broccoli + sweet potatoes,
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chickpeas + bell peppers + cream cheese,
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boiled rice + grated zucchini + chicken legs and spices,
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onions + bell peppers + strips of turkey breast,
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potatoes + mushrooms + beans.
Drizzle olive oil over the ingredients, season generously, and bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 45 minutes (depending on the dish).
Baking triggers the so-called Maillard reactions, which enhance the palatability of the food by creating browned and roasted dishes. When cooking, it’s crucial to ensure that the meals prepared are not only healthy but also delicious. Baking definitely makes it easier.
Which ovenproof dish is the best? It’s best to choose glassware, which is made of special glass that is resistant to high temperatures. Heatproof glassware is versatile, being suitable for both the freezer and the oven, and it’s also dishwasher safe. Ceramic cookware is another good possibility. Ceramic ovenproof dishes stay warm longer but are more fragile. Stoneware, ideal for slow-cooking meats or casseroles, is another excellent choice. Steel, enamel-coated, or silicone bakeware are also viable options.
Whether to use an ovenproof dish with or without a lid depends on the type of meal being prepared. Baking uncovered achieves the desired crispiness, but it can also lead to the dish drying out. Covered food cooks more evenly and stays moist, but it may lack the desired crispness. Sometimes, it can be beneficial to bake the food covered for the first half of the cooking time and then uncover it for the second half.
Blender – the all-rounder
While a blender isn’t strictly necessary for healthy cooking, it definitely expands your culinary repertoire, allowing you to whip up a variety of nutritious dishes quickly. You have a minimum of seven different types of blenders to choose from:
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Cup blender. It comprises a motorized base and a blending container, usually made of glass or plastic, with blades at the bottom. It’s suitable for blending smoothies, soups, and sauces.
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Stick blender. It has a long, narrow design, allowing it to be immersed directly into dishes, such as pots. While perfect for soups, purees, and small batches, its power and efficiency might not match those of high-speed blenders.
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Blender for smoothies (personal blender). It typically comprises a base unit and a detachable cup that functions as both a blending container and a convenient travel mug. It’s user-friendly and primarily designed for making single servings of smoothies, shakes, and protein drinks. Personal blenders are also available in an ultra-portable version, conveniently powered via USB.
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High-speed blender. It’s typically smaller, yet more powerful and faster than regular cup blenders. It effortlessly handles tough ingredients like nuts, ice, raw vegetables, and frozen fruit. It offers the highest power but comes in the smallest size.
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Vacuum blender. At first glance, a vacuum blender looks much like a regular cup blender, but it blends in a vacuum rather than in air. Before the blender begins blending, the vacuum function activates to remove the air from the blender. This solution minimizes the typically undesirable oxidation of ingredients during mixing. This is especially important when preparing shakes from fresh fruit and vegetables, as it preserves valuable antioxidants in their most pristine and effective form.
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Thermal blender. In addition to its blending function, it features a heating function, allowing you to prepare soups and sauces directly in the blender without needing extra utensils.
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Multi-functional blender. It can integrate blender functions with other appliances, like a food processor. It may include various tips and attachments for shredding, slicing, or kneading dough. Blending is only one of the functions of this appliance.
A stick blender seems to be the most versatile option, but it might struggle with harder textures, and it’s unlikely to handle making homemade peanut butter. For that, you’ll need a high-speed blender. If you’re a fan of smoothies and shakes, a personal blender could be your best bet – it’s compact and great for quickly making a single serving. If you frequently prepare shakes and soups for the whole family, a cup blender, with its larger capacity, will probably be the most efficient option.
A blender can help you create a wide variety of healthy meals. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of this kitchen appliance:
1. Shakes and smoothies
Incorporating fruit and vegetable smoothies into your routine is a great way to boost your intake of essential vitamins. To prepare a nutritious smoothie with a blender, take:
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any fruit (banana, mango, apple),
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greens or other nutrient-dense supplements (e.g., spinach, parsley, kale, celery),
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liquid base (milk, buttermilk, plant-based beverages),
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enhancements: spices, superfoods, seeds, grains.
There’s no shortage of healthy recipes and smoothie ideas – experiment with different ingredients to discover your favorite combinations.
Using a blender to make a shake, you can also create a smoothie bowl – a complete meal perfect for breakfast. It’s a smoothie served in a bowl, topped with granola, fruit, and other healthy sprinkles.
Using a blender, you can prepare protein shakes (with or without added protein supplements). Blending them will increase their volume and make them creamier.
Tip: When using a less powerful blender – like a compact smoothie blender, it’s important to add ingredients in the correct order to ensure a smooth blend. Place the toughest ingredients (leafy greens, nuts, frozen fruit) closest to the blades.
2. Sandwich spreads and hummus
Replacing butter and margarine with lower-calorie but nutritious sandwich spreads is a great move towards a healthier diet. While ready-made spreads with quality ingredients are available, a more budget-friendly option is to make your own spreads for bread and tortillas, and dips. Homemade hummus? Smooth cottage cheese? Sandwich spread of bell peppers and feta cheese? The possibilities for flavor combinations are endless, and a blender can whip them up in a flash.
3. Homemade ice cream
With a quality high-speed blender, you can prepare homemade ice cream in under five minutes. All you need is frozen fruit and your preferred creamy base, such as yogurt, milk, peanut butter, or avocado. Simply toss your frozen fruit into the blender, blend until smooth, and adjust the consistency to your liking by adding other ingredients. Here are some ideas for making your own ‘fit’ ice cream at home:
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frozen banana + peanut butter,
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frozen raspberries + skyr,
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frozen banana + cocoa + avocado,
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frozen mango + yogurt,
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frozen strawberries + mint + coconut cream.
4. Fit desserts
Preparing many delicious fit desserts can be challenging without a blender. Blending:
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emulsifies the ingredients to create a creamy texture without adding extra calories (e.g. in fit creams made from skyr and peanut butter),
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enables you to cleverly ‘sneak’ protein-boosting ingredients into fit desserts (e.g. tofu-based chocolate mousse, bean brownies),
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it enables achieving a naturally sweet flavor without relying on refined sugar or substitutes – for example by incorporating blended soaked dates or bananas into your recipes.
Read also: 7 ideas for homemade desserts
5. Homemade nut-based butters
A powerful blender is also essential for making homemade nut-based butters and seed and grain spreads. With minimal effort and ingredients, you can prepare your own classic peanut butter, almond butter, homemade tahini, and even the highly sought-after pistachio paste. Making your own nut pastes at home is a more budget-friendly option compared to store-bought alternatives, reducing the cost of a healthy diet.
6. Healthy cream soups
Creamy soups offer a delicious way to incorporate a generous amount of vegetables and essential fiber into your diet. Cream soups are easiest to prepare using either a cup blender or a stick blender.
7. Healthy sauces and dressings
A quick sauce for pasta, groats or salad? A blender makes these dishes super easy to prepare. Using a blender, you can easily create a delicious sauce from roasted vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, pumpkin, or mushrooms. Quickly blending the ingredients for a dressing – even a simple vinaigrette – enhances its flavor and elevates your salads to the next level.
Air fryer – enjoy crispy, healthy meals without excess fat.
The air fryer, also known as a fat-free fryer, is another tool that can make healthy cooking and eating easier. The appliance lets you create delicious, crispy dishes without relying on excessive amounts of fat, which contributes to a healthier and lower-calorie menu.
The air fryer operates by circulating hot air around the food. Hot air surrounds the dish, cooking the food thoroughly while making it crispy. This is the key distinction between an air fryer and an oven: dishes from a fat-free air fryer stand out for their crispiness.
The biggest advantage of the air fryer is that it helps you reduce calories without sacrificing taste. While air fryer fries might not taste exactly like deep-fried ones, they will still be delightfully crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. From a taste perspective, air-fried fries often come closer to satisfying the cravings of French fry enthusiasts compared to oven-baked fries.
The air fryer is more than just an alternative to the traditional deep fryer. You can use it to prepare a variety of dishes, including snacks, vegetables, meats, fish, and tofu. They don’t absorb fat, which makes them healthier and easier to digest. Here are a few tips:
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fries made from sweet potatoes, carrots, or zucchini – just cut the vegetables into thin strips, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning, and fry for about 20 minutes.
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crispy air fryer tofu – drain and slice the tofu, mix the slices with your favorite spices, dust them with potato flour, and drizzle with olive oil. In just 15 minutes at 190 degrees, you’ll have the perfect snack or side dish ready for lunch!
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air fryer meatballs – combine minced meat with your favorite spices, shape the mixture into meatballs, and cook them in your air fryer at 180°C for approximately 20 minutes.
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air fryer chickpeas – drain the chickpeas, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with your favorite seasoning. Cook at 190°C for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You can also use the air fryer to prepare healthy cakes, cookies, granola, and even make your own bread.
Another benefit of the air fryer, in addition to its versatility, is that it significantly reduces meal preparation time – from preheating to cooking. Some air fryers have a drying function alongside their cooking capabilities, allowing you to dry mushrooms, fruit, or greens.
Tip: When using an air fryer, regularly shaking the contents of the pull-out basket helps achieve maximum crispness and even cooking of the ingredients.