In these days when people are increasingly becoming obese despite the press spotlight being on healthy eating and healthy lifestyles, many are looking for a way to enjoy their favourite foods in a more health conscious way. It is important to remember that if food is eaten in moderation, with nothing being banned from the diet, we are much more likely to stick to a sensible eating plan. If we can do this while cooking our food in a more healthy fashion then we will be consuming much less fat and will be all the better for it.

Meat is often something people try to cut down on when looking to either lose weight or get healthier. However, meat contains a great deal of protein and, like everything else, if eaten in moderation can be good for us. The difference is the way we cook it.
Grilling will always be better than frying or baking as the melted fat from the meat has chance to drain away. Rotisseries are also another fat saving device to cook meat on and the old reputation of kebab being bad for you is not strictly true, all you late night revellers will be glad to hear.

Good cuts of meat that aren't marbled with fat can be cooked on a rotisserie to leave you with a healthy piece of food that is very tasty. When cooking meat on a rotisserie it is important to load the spit as evenly as possible to make for uniform cooking. With chicken, use wet string to secure the legs and wings close to the body to make sure that they cook at the same time as the body and do not burn.

Rotisserie foods can be flavoured with a choice of marinades, rubs or smoke. Use hardwood chips from the likes of oak, pecan, hickory, mesquite, alder, cherry, apple or grape vine. These all have a low resin content. High resin contents can create an unpleasant taste. Herbs can also be added to the wood chips but both should be soaked in water before use so as to create smoke and not simply burn up the wood. For a mild taste of herbs, add tarragon, basil or rosemary but for stronger flavours try thyme, bay or marjoram. Nut shells can also be used.

Marinades are an easy way to add flavour to meat cooked on a rotisserie. If an acidic ingredient, such as white wine, juices, vinegar or soy sauce are added to the marinade, the meat will also be tenderised as well as flavoured. Marinades are useful in that you can afford to use strongly flavoured ingredients like garlic, chilli powder, ginger or any other spice. You can also have fun experimenting with any mix of flavours. Meat does not need to be sitting in the marinade for very long before cooking, or you can inject the marinade into the meat for a slightly different flavour.

Rubs are slightly different in that they are usually dry. Use brown sugar, salt, black pepper and red pepper as a base and add to this any herbs or spices that you like. Onion powder, cinnamon, paprika, cumin and oregano are good starters but any combination can be used that takes your fancy.