Create Healthy, Delicious Meals with a Rotisserie

By Stephen Daniels

Rotisseries are well known for producing tender, juicy meat and flavorful vegetables that have been slow cooked to perfection... but did you know that rotisserie cooked foods can be a very healthy choice? Without the added fat and calories of frying, or the potentially dangerous consequences of grilling, this cooking method is an excellent option for creating healthful meals.

Most people know that deep frying can have cholesterol-raising and artery-clogging side effects, but what could make grilling unhealthy? Grilling is certainly lower fat than frying; however, recent studies showed that particles called benz pyrenes found in charred food might lead to cancer. In other words, if you prefer your steak or hotdogs to be charbroiled black, take heed. Those charred black bits could contain carcinogens.

Another potential health hazard in grilling is the use of lighter fluid and some charcoal with additives to help start the fire. Overuse could make these unhealthy chemicals end up in your food. Grease dripping down into grills can also cause dangerous flare-ups that burn food (or even an unwary cook).

Rotisserie cooked food avoids all of these issues. When meat is cooked on a rotisserie, the fat and drippings from the meat baste the meat, while the excess is caught in a pan on the bottom of the rotisserie unit. The result is delicious, moist meat with less fat than other cooking methods. (You can also opt to make a delicious sauce or gravy out of the pan drippings if the fat isn't a concern.)

Chicken, turkeys and Cornish hens, as well as various beef, pork and even lamb roasts, are not difficult to prepare on the rotisserie. However, kitchen product innovations can allow you to cook a much wider variety of foods than you might expect using this delightful method. Rotisserie baskets can be used to cook store bought or freshly caught fish to add more variety to your meals.

Fruits and vegetables can also easily be skewered on a rotisserie. You can choose to cook them alone or alongside meats as a part of delectable kabobs. Peppers and onions are only the beginning of the many healthful, scrumptious vegetables that can be prepared with a rotisserie oven. Even vegetables that don't skewer well, such as Brussels sprouts, can be placed in rotisserie baskets for easy cooking.

Turkeys and other large roasts require a large conventional rotisserie oven. By necessity, they take up quite a bit of space. However, this is not the only option. Counter-top rotisseries allow single people and small families to enjoy the benefits of this excellent cooking method while taking up very little space in the kitchen. These smaller ovens are more energy efficient, and more affordable, than conventional size rotisseries. Of course, most of them can' t hold the large roasts that their bigger cousins specialize in.

If you or your loved ones feel that the majority of healthy cooking methods are flavorless and boring, a rotisserie could very well be the ideal solution. No matter if you are cooking for twenty people or just one, rotisserie cooking will assist you in preparing delicious, healthy foods. - 30289

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