Baking Tips and Tricks

Expert Advice From Low-Fat Chef Mark Mogensen

Replace shortening or oils in baking with an equal volume of pureed fruit and 1/3 of the oil called for. For example, if your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of oil, try replacing it with 1/2 cup of apple sauce and 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of oil. Apple sauce is usually a good choice and its easy to keep on hand.

You can also replace a portion of the oil with buttermilk. You may have to play around a bit depending on the recipe, but if a recipe calls for milk, try replacing 1/3 of the oil called for with buttermilk. You should increase the baking powder by about 1/4 teaspoon, to replace lost volume.

Use good teflon baking pans -- they will help reduce the amount of oil needed in cooking.

Coat your baking pans with flour or corn meal to prevent sticking -- you won't have the added fat and calories of shortening or oil.

Replace some of the whole eggs called for with 2 egg whites. Each egg replaced with two egg whites will save 5 grams of fat. It's usually a good idea to keep at least one or two whole eggs to maintain the correct taste and consistency. For example, replace 3 whole eggs with 1 whole egg and 4 egg whites --you'll save 10 grams of fat.