How to Use Vegetable Broth Instead of Oil
Cooking with vegetable broth instead of butter or oil is a good way to cut down on your saturated fat intake. In fact, BreastCancer.org recommends it as one way to reduce your risk of breast and other cancers. However, cooking with vegetable broth instead of oil requires some adjustments to your cooking technique, especially when you're sauteing aromatic vegetables for soup. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Celery ribs
- Peeled carrots
- White or yellow onions
- Vegetable broth
- Nonstick skillet with lid
Instructions
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Dice Your Veggies. The first step in cooking aromatic vegetables such as carrots, celery and onions for soup or other recipes is to cut up the vegetables. Cooking in vegetable broth takes longer than cooking in fat, so you may want to dice your veggies a bit smaller than normal.
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Use twice as much vegetable broth. Vegetable broth doesn't spread out in your pan the same way that fats do, so you'll need to use about twice as much broth as the amount of oil your recipe calls for. For example, if the recipe calls for 2 tsp of oil, use 4 tsps. or 1 tbsp and 1 tsp, since there are 3 tsp in 1 tbsp.
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Use a nonstick pan. You'll need a nonstick pan when cooking with vegetable broth because it doesn't provide the same protection against sticking that fats do. Using a nonstick pan provides the extra protection.
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Cook covered over low heat. Once your broth is steaming hot, add your chopped vegetables, stir, and put the lid on your skillet. Cooking covered over low heat allows the vegetables to steam, extracting their flavor, which is why this technique is recommended by The Best Light Recipe cookbook.
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Cook veggies until tender. Stirring every few minutes, cook your veggies until they are tender. Onions should be translucent or very slightly brown. Dark brown on aromatics means the veggies are burned. Once the vegetables are ready, proceed with your recipe as written.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have problems with veggies sticking, a short spritz of nonstick spray can help, as can adding a little bit of water.
Don't leave an empty nonstick skillet over a hot burner; it can release toxic fumes.
References
Resources
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