Microwaving hard salomi

[barbs4by4]

does microwaving hard salomi reduce the calori count since the fat is left on the paper towel?

[aerofanatix]

YES but --- Not only are you destroying the "umami" of this charcuterie delicacy but also all the good pro-biotics, vitamins and minerals. My advice, don't....and that goes for all fermented products - yogurt too!

[Mother of four]

Have you ever tried baking it? Haven't made this in a long time,due to the fat content,but when I used to make it,it was gone as soon as I set the plate down.
http://www.recipekey.com/therecipes/B...

[sunshine842]

but doesn't cooking hard salami sort of ruin it?

I'd rather just eat less of something that was really good than screw it up just to save a few calories.

[barbs4by4]

If you are eating it as a cold cut sandwich, you don't want to fry or microwave it. However, I like it with cooked with hot mustard and dilll pickle, which is delicious to me. It removes the greasy taste (which you can feel when you pick up a slice).... so I've always fried mine even before I had a calorie concern - I think it actually tastes better - just don't over cook it - you don't want if brittle, just shrunk up a little bit.....its also great with eggs for breakfast (as opposed to using bacon). There are many recipes on-line for fried salomi...

[grampart]

I really like the smaller diameter Sicilian hard salami sliced very thin topping a puzza. Like pepperoni, but better.

[sunshine842]

I'll just limit the quantity, thanks.

(recipes for fried salami? like this one? http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pa...)

[biondanonima]

I actually love it fried - if you get it crispy enough, you can use it as a dipping chip (and replace the fat that way, LOL). If you fry it just enough to warm it and degrease it a little, it stays pliable and makes a most delicious sandwich or wrapper for vegetables or cheese cubes.

[MGZ]

I agree. I mean, why not boil bacon or foie? Why not take a pairing knife to a thick, prime porterhouse, remove all the visible fat, and cook it to an internal temp of 200 in an oven set to 325. . . . .

[sunshine842]

the thought of microwaving foie makes me weep.

[chileheadmike]

Can't imagine the foie gras would be too happy either.

[sunshine842]

No, I'm thinking it'd be wallpaper for your microwave in pretty short order.

[mrbigshotno.1]

That's right, why not fat free shredded american cheese subsistute on the spaghetti Bolognese

[grampart]

But that would be Spaghetti Americana.

[plf515]

Salami and eggs is wonderful, although I don't think you wind up leaving much fat in the pan.

[biondanonima]

I frequently fry salami and pepperoni and I promise, you lose WAY more than just water. These are cured sausages, so there's very little water in there anyway. The best way to estimate the reduction in fat/calories is to fry the sausage, then measure the fat left in the pan (and it will be FAT, not water, left behind - pour it into a separator if you don't believe me). Each tablespoon of fat in the pan represents 140 fat calories that you're not eating.

[barbs4by4]

Thanks - I actually weighed 6 slices before microwaving it this morning, and then weighed after microwaving (left a lot of greasy residue on the paper towel and poured some out of the cup formed by reshaping of the salami), and it reduced the oz by 1/3...I usually fry it, so will do that so I can actually measure the fat.

[grampart]

That would be like emptying the ashtrays in the Escalade in order to make it lighter.

[barbs4by4]

Well, thats a cute answer, but maybe not too good of a comparison... lol! Meat should be weighed after you cook it because it weighs less, thus less ounces, thus less total calories. So maybe I should weigh my salomi after its microwaved, ie. 29g is 99 calories, so if it reduces it to 20 g, then it would be less than 99 calories - whatcha think?

[grampart]

Sounds good on paper.

[barbs4by4]

Hmmmm! You do know its a scientific fact that meat weighs less after you cook it, this is not my personal conjecture.....health advisors suggest you weigh it after its cooked....

[grampart]

If you're trying to convince me of the science behind your theory, I'm convinced. If you're trying to convince yourself that this process will provide for a larger Weight Watcher portion for less points, you are on your own.

[Jacquilynne]

Much of what cooks out of raw meat is water, so it doesn't necessarily significantly reduce the calorie count proportional to the weight. Generally if you're looking up the calorie count for meat, you should look for information that matches the state you're measuring it in, as it does differ, but moreso because the lost of water means the cooked food is more calorie dense per ounce than the raw food was. You can sometimes pour off significant fat from, say, ground beef, but in most other cuts of meat the vast majority of the fat remains.

Here's a couple of examples from nutritiondata.com:

Cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, 46.2 calories per ounce: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2

Raw boneless skinless chicken breast, 30.8 calories per ounce: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/p...

When it comes to salami or other high fat foods, microwaving them and having some of the fat deposit on a paper towel does moderately reduce the calorie count, but not in a particularly predictable way (because again, some of what's being lost is water, not fat). So, if you're trying to save calories and you like it microwaved, that's great, every bit helps. But it won't magically turn salami into something that's genuinely low calorie, unfortunately.

[barbs4by4]

k - thanks for the helpful responses...

[letsindulge]

Love it!