healthy eating

Panfrying is exactly as the name implies — frying food in a pan atop a stove. While the name might be a no-brainer, the technique of mastering that coveted crisp exterior and moist, steamy interior is a little trickier. Typically used for larger proteins like chicken, fish, or veggie burgers, the food is partially submerged in the oil and must be flipped halfway through the cooking time so that both sides brown.

To try panfrying at home, place a large, thick skillet with a flat bottom atop a stove. Fill the pan a third of the way full with a high-heat oil like canola, refined peanut, or safflower. Heat the oil on a medium-high flame until it shimmers (about 325°F to 350°F). Transfer your protein to the pan, carefully positioning the food in the pan away from your body, to prevent any hot oil from splashing on you. Leave a few inches between each piece, to make it easier to flip the food and to ensure that plenty of hot oil circulates evenly throughout the pan.

Keep a watchful eye on the flame and food. Keep in mind that every time you add new food to the pan, the temperature of the oil will drop, and if the temperature's too cool, items can become soggy and oil-logged; adjust the flame accordingly to keep the oil hot and shimmery. Once the items are cooked on both sides, transfer them to a wire rack lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil and to cool the food slightly before serving. Toss any remaining oil or save it in a container to return to a health food store (most have recycling bins for used oil).

Ready to try panfrying for yourself? Fry up a batch of breaded pork cutlets or salmon cakes. Or tell us in the comments below what you love to panfry.

Oatmeal may never have the magnetic allure of luscious chocolate cake or breakfast brethren like lofty dutch babies or loaded breakfast burritos. Still, one need not resign to a bland or gloppy bowl: I start almost every day with a bowl full to the brim and have yet to grow bored. Here are a few tips that are too good not to share.

1. Don't forget the salt: While the instructions on the tub of oats might imply that salt is optional, quite frankly it's not. Your bowl of oatmeal shouldn't taste salty (unless, of course, you're trying a savory iteration, like the one below), but adding a hefty pinch will help enhance flavors whether nutty, sweet, or creamy. Just make sure to season to taste after it's done cooking; if you add it at the start, the oats will release less of their starch, and the resulting texture won't be as creamy.
2. Skip instant oats: These flaky par-cooked fragments might simmer up quicker, but with a catch: the resulting bowl of oatmeal will be reminiscent of wallpaper paste. Instead, try rolled (old-fashioned) oats or steel-cut groats. Not only are these options more toothsome and robustly flavored, they'll stave off hunger longer.
3. Swap out water for other liquids: Boost flavor by experimenting with other liquids. For a creamier bowl, try milk or nondairy alternatives like almond or soy milk. For zestier flavor, replace up to half of the water with juices like pomegranate or orange.

Keep reading for three more tips.

Many recipes will call for a 15-ounce can of cooked beans, but dried beans are not only lower in sodium, but they're also more economical. If you have dried beans on hand, try this simple ratio for an easy kitchen hack.

Since a 15-ounce can typically yields about 1-1/2 cups of cooked and drained beans, soak 3/4 cup of dried beans in water for eight hours or overnight, then boil the beans in a pot of fresh water until the beans are tender (25-45 minutes, depending on the bean). This should yield about the same amount of beans as the can.

Whenever fresh herbs aren't on hand, know that you can turn to your dried stash; just adjust your measurements. Dehydrated herbs actually have more concentrated flavor, meaning you'll need less than if you're using fresh varieties. Use the 1:3 ratio when substituting dried herbs for fresh ones. For instance, one teaspoon of dried oregano equates to three teaspoons (or one tablespoon) of fresh oregano. It should also be noted that it's better to add dried herbs at the beginning of the cook time, so they have time to infuse flavors in a dish. Have you ever substituted dried herbs for their fresh counterparts in a pinch?

Looking for a quick, easy, and enticing way to incorporate more vegetables into your life? Roasting may very well be just the solution you need. Not only does the blast of high heat cook vegetables to fork-tender in next to no time, but it also magically caramelizes the edges, making each bite slightly sweet and all the more enticing.

Little more than a bit of prep work and roughly 20-30 minutes of cook time separates your meal from the addition of a brightly colored, mouth-watering, and rather healthy side. And while methods vary slightly from vegetable to vegetable, follow these general guidelines:

1. Preheat the oven: Aside from tomatoes and other delicate produce, which shine when slow-roasted at a lower temperature (try 200°F), most vegetables benefit from a blast of high heat, as it promotes browning and caramelization; generally, 400-450°F is a good place to start.
2. Prep the vegetables: Usually this just means a quick scrub with a vegetable brush and a rough chop (1-inch cubes is pretty standard), but some produce like Winter squash requires a bit of peeling and even the removal of seeds but is still very easy to prep. For oddballs like brussels sprouts, trim off the woody stems, peel away any dried-out and tough outer leaves and halve the tiny cabbages so that they have a flat surface to rest on (flat surfaces allow the most pan contact and browning). Smaller root vegetables like carrots can be left whole (just trim off excess carrot tops).

Keep reading for the rest of the quick and easy procedure.

For many of us, today marks the first workday of 2013. But that's not all: it also happens to mark the beginning of our brand-new series, Six Weeks of Culinary Resolutions, in which, in an effort to improve ourselves over the course of the New Year, we master a different gastronomic goal each week.

To kick things off, we'll be focusing on eating lighter this week. Sure, holiday merrymaking brings to mind menorahs, tree lights, sleigh bells, and stockings — but it also conjures up images of yule logs, cookie swaps, standing rib roast, and way too much eggnog. It may not be possible to erase December's overindulgences, but healthier cooking in January is as close as we'll ever get.

Stay tuned all week to learn about lighter cooking techniques, wholesome grains, and of course, our favorite healthy recipes.

Cooking
Know your techniques: roasting vegetables
Know your techniques: poaching
Know your techniques: cooking en papillote
Know your techniques: panfrying
Substituting fresh herbs for dried ones
An easy way to swap canned beans for their dried counterparts
6 tips to try for a better bowl of oatmeal
Get you grains: a guide to cooking everything from oats to rice

Recipes
See how Evolution's Sweet Greens Juice compares to a homemade version
Elevate your salmon with a soy glaze
Update your lunch with a Wintry wrap sandwich
Wholesome dessert: oatmeal and brown sugar-stuffed apples
5 dinner salads that guarantee you'll get your fill of greens
A light dinner party menu that looks and tastes indulgent
9 inventive recipes for the kale-curious
Salt and vinegar kale chips
Roasted carrots with scallion-ginger glaze