Stick to Nonstick for Healthy, Tasty Dishes

(NAPSI)-Here's some food for thought: generally speaking, the less fat you use in cooking, the healthier the dish is likely to be. That may be one reason that fifty years after nonstick cookware was first invented, these celebrated, easy-care pots and pans remain the healthiest, fastest and easiest way to prepare meals for the entire family. Since nothing sticks to nonstick, there's no need to add extra oils or fats in cooking.

Another reason is that cleanups are a snap in soap and water or in the dishwasher.

Recently, T-Fal, which saw in the 1950s the potential that nonstick offered in food preparation, introduced Thermo-Spotª, a unique visual heat indicator built into the T-Fal® nonstick that signals when a pan has been preheated to the right temperature for cooking.

As a pan is heated, Thermo-Spot-a 11/2"-diameter, patterned red circle in the center of the pan-gradually forms a solid red spot, indicating that the pan has reached the ideal temperature for best cooking results. This effectively takes the guesswork out of cooking.

Nonstick commands some 70 percent of the cookware market with T-Fal the largest selling nonstick cookware worldwide.

Here are two recipes that showcase how tasty and healthy cooking with nonstick cookware can be:

Mushroom Trio Stir Fry

2 teaspoons vegetable oil, if desired
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon of fresh gingerroot, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
6 oz. white mushrooms (3 to 4 large) sliced
6 oz. shiitake mushrooms (3 to 4 large) sliced
3 oz. oyster mushrooms (2 to 3 large) sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon slivered orange zest, if desired

Over medium heat, preheat a large T-Fal Thermo-Spot sauté pan until patterned spot turns a solid red. Add oil and heat for 1 minute. Add scallions, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry until scallions are softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add half of the white mushrooms and the shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry until mushroom liquid is almost evaporated, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms to a plate and keep warm. Place remaining white mushrooms in pan and stir-fry about 5 minutes until most of the mushroom liquid is evaporated. Add oyster mushrooms and stir-fry 3 minutes longer. Return cooked mushrooms to sauté pan. Add soy sauce and brown sugar; stir until heated through. Garnish with orange zest, if desired.

Rosemary & Hazelnut Crusted Chicken Breast

2 boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon chopped, fresh rosemary, leaves only
3/4 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts
Lemon wedges for serving

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a shallow dish, mix rosemary leaves and chopped hazelnuts. Place chicken in dish and press gently so nuts stick. Turn over and repeat. Preheat a T-Fal Thermo-Spot sauté pan over medium heat until the pattern turns solid red, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pan is now perfectly preheated and ready-to-cook. Place the chicken on the pan. Cook 8 to 12 minutes, or until chicken tests done, turning once. Serve with lemon wedges.

By making the optimum temperature simple to spot, this non-stick cookware can make it easier than ever to reduce calories while increasing convenience.

For more recipes and information on where Thermo-Spot is sold, see www.t-fal.com.

Photo: Lou Manna

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