How to Cook Waterlessly

With waterless cooking pans you can cook without grease or oil.

Waterless cooking uses a special cookware designed to efficiently use very small amounts of moisture to cook vegetables. These cooking pans have very thick sides and bottoms to prevent the food from burning without the use of excess water or oil. The advantage of cooking without water, oil or butter is that nutrients are not lost to the cooking water and there is no added fat from the addition of oil or butter. Only try waterless cooking with the appropriate cooking pots and pans.

Things You'll Need

• Vegetable scrub brush
• Waterless cookware
• Vegetables
• White vinegar

Instructions

1. Wash the vegetables in clear water using a vegetable scrub brush. Cut the vegetables into whatever portions you desire. Do not peel off any of the skin.

2. Place the vegetables in the pot. Fill the pot with water and add one tablespoon of white vinegar. Soak the vegetables for 10 minutes. This allows the vegetables to soak up enough moisture to cook without water and it also eliminates some of the chemical bug spray that some vegetables have.

3. Drain the water from the pot. Rinse the vegetables with clean water and put them back in the pot.

4. Place the lid on the pot. Cook the vegetables on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes to seal the vapor seal. You will know that the vapor seal is in place when the pot lid starts to spin.

5. Turn the heat down to low. The lid should spin freely throughout the entire cooking time. If the lid does not spin, the heat is too low. If the pan spits out water and starts to make hissing sounds, then the heat is too low.

6. Cook the vegetables for the appropriate time. Firm vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, artichokes, turnips and beans, take about 30 minutes to cook. Medium hard vegetables, such as onions, parsnips, squash, tomatoes and broccoli, take 15 to 20 minutes to cook. Soft vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, peas, mushrooms and okra, take about 5 minutes to cook. All cooking times start after the vapor seal is complete.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not remove the lid during cooking or you will break the vapor seal. If you remove the lid, add 2 tbsp. water and replace the lid as soon as possible.

References

• Cook for Life: Kitchen Craft Use and Care
• Health Craft 1: Waterless Cooking