Poll: When do you go full-fat?

[Jessica]

I don't even think of myself as a light cook any more. It is just the way I prepare most foods and I don't use recipes with lots of butter, cream, etc.
But I have a couple full-fat things that I make: my special cinnamon brownies and my grandmother's chocolate cookies (which actually are not terrible, but are not low fat, either).
My question? What recipes do you keep around even though they do not fit the low-fat , healthy lifestyle?

[roadtoast]

My mother-in-law's banana bread. I know there are a ton of great low-fat recipies out there for banana bread, but hers is just too good to substitute for.

Also, I tend to use real butter and cream cheese for spreads. I just don't think that anything else compares.

[alice*]

Jessica, I know what you mean about not thinking about cooking light anymore. It's just second nature to me. However, there are certain desserts that are just so good I don't want to mess with them. A caramilized pear tart for one. We also make spanikopita and baklava the traditional way and they are so amazing, I don't want to change. However, I think I will try a low fat recipe for spanikopita as I have seen many...

[roadtoast]

alice...

i used to have a great recipe for baklava, but i have long since lost it. would you be willing to post it or fax it or mail it to me? i would love nothing more than to make it again!!

[emilycat]

Hmm... Almost never, I think!

It truly pains me to use real butter, and I don't even think I've ever bought any...however, I do refuse to use anything other than real cheese. And I love imported cheeses so much, there's no way I would give those up!

[Leslie w]

I find many low fat desserts, with the exception of a fruit dessert, are usually loaded w/ sugar. Low fat ice cream or frozen yogurt seems to have a lot more carbohydrates than their full fat counterparts. Too much sugar is just as bad for you as too much fat. So I usually go with the real McCoy when it comes to dessert. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif I also will not use fat free cream cheese in a recipe. I find it lacking in flavor and consistency. Low fat cheese to me doesn't melt very well either, unless someone knows of a good low fat cheese they'd love to recommend I'll stick w/ the full fat versions and use less of it. Butter is a must, no margarine. The flavor just can't be beat.

[This message has been edited by Leslie w (edited 02-07-2001).]

[BarbaraL]

My (now) traditional Christmas dessert is a chocolate truffle loaf with raspberry sauce. It must be a zillion calories, but it's soooo good; my family looks forward to it months before the holidays! If you can't splurge on Christmas . . .

I really prefer full-fat sour cream (sigh), although reduced fat has worked fine in recipes (I haven't tried no-fat, even when the recipe calls for it). Diet margarine is too vile to even consider; it doesn't melt - just sits like a lump on the food. Yech!

[lindrusso]

I go full fat when I'm cooking for other people (except for my family who also eats low-fat) or when it's a special occasion. The other place I find very hard to compromise is cookies - they're just not the same without all that butter! We also don't skimp when we have REALLY special ingredients like lump crab - butter just goes with crab so well!

[AndreaU]

Basically I go full fat when I'm baking, especially cookies. I don't know why, though. I've never tried cookies with anything but butter, so it's not like I don't like them- I just don't know what they're like. Certain cakes, though, I have experimented with lower fat ingredients. We don't eat too many baked goodies, so I don't worry all that much. We consider them our splurge!

[BosunsWife]

I can go low fat on just about anything but mayonnaise. I cannot stomach lite mayonnaise - its something about the sugar they put in as a replacement. Reminds me of Miracle Whip - yech! I'd rather use less than forego real mayo.

[alice*]

Hey Roadtoast (and anyone else who is interested in a wickedly delicious treat...) Here is the amazing baklava recipe...

Baklava

Syrup
3/4 cup sugar
11/2 cups honey
2 inch cinnamon sticks
4 lemon slices
4 orange slices

1 pkg (1 lb) filo dough
2 cups finely chopped or ground walnuts
1 cup finely chopped or ground blanched almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
About 11/2 cups butter or margarine, melted

1)Make syrup: In a meduim saucepan, combine sugar and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar, add honey, cinnamon stick and lemon and orange slices. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 10 min. Strain and cool. Should measure 21/2 cups.
2)Preheat oven to 325. Remove pastry leaves from package. In a small bowl, mix walnuts, almonds, 3/4 cups sugar, the cinnamon and the nutmeg. Place 2 filo sheets in a 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inch jelly roll pan, brush top leave with some melted butter.
3)Contine stacking leaves, 14 in all, buttering every other leaf. (Keep rest covered with damp cloth to prevent drying.) Sprinkle with 1/3 of nut mixture. Add 6 more leaves, brushing every other one with butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 nut mixture.
4)Layer 6 more leaves (again brushing every other one with butter) and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 nut mixture. Stack any remaining pastry sheets on top, brushing every other one with butter and brush the last one with butter. Trim edges, if necessary. (we don't do this, we just fold the pastry over or under)
5)With sharp knife, cut through top layer on long side. Make 8 diagonal cuts at 11/2 inch intervals. Then, starting at one corner, make 9 cuts, on diagonal at 11/2 inch interval, to form diamonds. (cut through top layer only.)
6)Bake 60 minutes, or until golden and puffy. Turn off heat and leave in oven another 60 minutes, remove. Pour cooled syrup over hot baklava. Following diamond pattern, cut all the way through the baklava. Cool in pan to absorb syrup, on wire rack. Makes about 35 pieces.

[JHolcomb]

I never use fake butter. I just don't like to use a lot of products with ingredients that I can't pronounce. Plus, I think a lot of the substitutes taste like chemicals. I know I'm not imagining this. And, oh, gross, have you ever tried fat-free Cool Whip. I bought it for a CL recipe and, thankfully tasted it before I used it. Ugh! Of course, I don't really like Cool Whip in any form anyway, maybe it's just me.

That being said, I don't cook with very much butter-like some of you guys, I try to substitute olive oil where I can. I hardly ever bake any more, so this is easy most of the time.

There are two things that I make that are not at all low fat. One is a "Million Dollar Pound Cake." It's really, really good, but I only make it twice a year, once for my b-day and once for my dad's. It really uses a whole pound of butter. The other one is country ham and biscuits, which I almost never, ever make (like once a year, maybe). Anyway, I have no desire to lighten either of these-I don't think it's possible with the ham and biscuits. Anyway, the rest of the time, I cook healthfully as a force of habit. It's easy once you get the hang of it.

[pipely]

I go "full-fat" when I make homemade ice cream. Cream, whole milk, eggs, and real vanilla beans. Yum!

[lorilei]

Although I'm conscious of making healthy changes in my life, I must admit that there are definitely some things that take a beating when they're lightened. Most are desserts, but there are a few key things that I don't lighten for quality reasons.

I never make lowfat substitutions for butter, unless I can use olive oil in its place.

I will not use fat-free cheeses; I haven't found one yet that satisfies me.

Cream sauces for company are worth using real cream. I might cheat for a weeknight, but never for a special occasion.

and... chocolate desserts http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Overall, my philosophy about high fat items is this: I'd rather eat a pittance and enjoy every bite, than scrimp on taste for the sake of being low fat.

[GayeC]

Overall, my philosophy about high fat items is this: I'd rather eat a pittance and enjoy every bite, than scrimp on taste for the sake of being low fat.[/B][/QUOTE]

I agree with this philosophy. One of my relatives would rather have a lot of diet margarine than a little butter -- I find that to be very strange!

I have a full fat cheesecake recipe that everyone in my family adores, so when I make it I just go ahead and enjoy a few small slices. Same with full fat carrot cake and chocolate cake with cream cheese icing.

[Natasha]

When do I go full-fat?

Often. Well, to be more accurate, not that often, but there are many recipes for brownies, cookies, and squares (especially holiday ones) that I don't want to give up or adapt. My cooking is lighter than my baking is, though there are exceptions (special dinners, etc.) when I will use the real thing. I actually prefer lower-fat cheeses sometimes, and usually am satisfied with the reduced-fat version of things (though often not fat-free).

[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 02-07-2001).]

[MrsReber]

It's hard for me to bake anything lowfat, except for the CL recipes. When cooking, I cut out fat wherever I can and I don't tell anyone! They usually can't tell anyway. I mostly find that baked goods, especially cookies, are not the same without the full fat ingredients.

[BeckyM]

I think the only things I would consider cooking full-fat anymore are desserts! I make the traditional Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies and another recipe from my mother for Chocolate Chunk cookies with spices. I use real butter in both of those, because I think that tastes best. I also sometimes make full-fat brownies and full-fat sugar cookies. And I have a great Pumpkin Pie recipe (from Bon Appetit) that is full of whipping cream.

I just try not to make these desserts all that often -- mostly around the holidays or for a very special occasion. I do have one cake recipe that I have lightened that tastes just as good as full-fat, so that has become the traditional birthday cake for adults in the family. Everyone loves it and I don't think most of them know I use fat-free ingredients!

[pammy]

Good cheese. I don't think there is such a thing as low-fat Asiago or Maytag blue. And beer. What is the point in drinking a watery light beer with no taste? Give me a Guiness. (I know it doesn't have fat calories, but I am sure it gets converted somewhere in the digestive process).

[claire]

I go "full-fat" when making desserts for birthdays or other special occasions. I also use full-fat ingredients in my cheesecake as it never seemed to turn out right when I used reduced-fat cream cheese and/or sour cream.

[venus]

I, like so many others, cannot give up the joys of real cheese. But I've been eating less of it. It turns out I was calcium deficient, which was why I was craving cheese and butter. I never use butter anymore, only olive oil or sesame oil for cooking.

I make full fat meals on special occasions. Baby back ribs, mac and cheese, imported salami, brioche, ice cream cake...yum http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[emptyspool]

Chili cheese fries. At Camellia Grill in New Orleans. Just add Tabasco. Best in the world. Will get a craving every now and then and fight it for a while. Monthly lapses in willpower I guess.

[karenv]

I go full fat when making cookies and desserts. I figure, you are going to all the work to enjoy something really special after the "light" meal, so why not indulge?

We have to reward ourselves sometimes.
Karen

[luv2cook]

I'm very picky about what things are full fat - wouldn't know it by looking at me, tho! 99% of the time I take a recipe and adapt it to lowfat. If a baking receipe says no substitutions, I will make it twice to see the difference. Fortunately I can pawn off the high fat stuff to my hubby's office staff. They love the stuff. Oh, incidentally, I made some of my mocha cherry cookies for them and they said they weren't high fat enough! I actually made them with real butter just for them. I couldn't believe it because I know of about 5 other people that would have greatly appreciated them. Ingrates! :O

I will say, tho, that sometimes the fat does make the difference. I made this roasted red bell chix sauce for years with half half and half and skim milk. Then the article about whipping cream/heavy cream came out in CL. The next time I made it, I used the full 1/4 or 1/2 cream. WOW! what a huge difference...

[This message has been edited by luv2cook (edited 02-09-2001).]

[sal]

I recently purchased another magazine's annual cookbook and as I was looking thru it today I had a true dose of reality - one cheesecake recipe had a "regular" version and a light version - 51 g of fat vs. 14.6 g.
for one serving!! Thank goodness for CL!!

I go full-fat when making a cake from a mix (hanging my head in shame here), I've tried the lowfat instructions and don't prefer the texture,etc. sally

[luv2cook]

I can actually taste oil in the cake mix from one of those box cake mixes...that's why i use applesauce...

[Don]

The one dish that I always make full fat (and I mean FULL FAT) is Fort Knox Pie. Basically its a crust of chocolate cookie wafers and pecans, topped with caramel, followed by chocolate mousse, and then topped with whipped cream. You can feel your veins clogging as you eat it, but it's worth every bite. Even my family members who normally eat low-fat beg me to bring a Fort Knox Pie to family gatherings. Then we all sit around and listen to the groaning!

[Lynn B]

Interesting topic - thanks!

I "splurge" and go "full fat" (love that term!) on our favorite Fettucine Alfredo (have YET to find a "light" version ANYWHERE that truly compares! If any of you have one you recommend, I would certainly try again!) -and- on brownie souffles... VERY rich, VERY chocolate-y and VERY decadent! (Have also tried to find a comparable "light" recipe w/o success)

My philosophy is, it's not what you do once in awhile that matters... it's what you do day-in and day-out! Light and healthy cooking is a wonderful way to cook everyday, but THERE are those FEW times when only "FULL FAT" will satisfy that craving!

PS I submitted a suggestion to CL recently re: their possibly including ONE recipe each issue that is NOT light... just one extraordinary, exquisite recipe. Since it is obvious that we ALL do splurge occasionally - why not be able to turn to CL for those recipes, too? What do you guys think of that idea?

Lynn

[julia]

I go full fat when I make enchilladas - I may not make them often, but when I do, I don't cut back on fat. They just aren't the same done low fat.

[BevP]

Count me in on the desserts. I have some of my Grandmother's treasured recipes and can't imagine lowering the fat (much) on those. 1 1/2 cups of oil in a cake! A stick of butter in the frosting! Add nuts and coconut, yikes! But they are treats. Most desserts I try to compromise between fat and flavor, making sure flavor wins.