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What do you use to saute with?

SJVZEE
SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
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Hi everyone-I'm currently transitioning to a whole foods, plant based diet with the goal to eventually eat a vegan diet :) Right now I'm working on cutting out the dairy and I'm having trouble with butter-I use it almost every day to saute mushrooms and veggies. I have used olive oil, but then I read about this in Eat to Live, by Dr. Fuhrman and he puts down olive oil pretty thoroughly :tongue: So now I don't know what to saute my veggies in ugh. Any non-butter/oil options? Has anyone tried just plain water/spices? Or do you all still use a bit of olive oil?

Replies

  • jennarue
    jennarue Posts: 11 Member
    I try not to use anything unless the food is really sticking to the pan, and then I just add a few tablespoons of water. Before I would use coconut oil, because I loved caramelized onions in scrambled eggs.

    A lot of if depends on what kind of pans you have. Mine are stainless steel so it can be a pain sometimes. You have to know what heat to cook the food at for you pots and pans. (took me a while and I still guess sometimes).
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    I try not to use anything unless the food is really sticking to the pan, and then I just add a few tablespoons of water. Before I would use coconut oil, because I loved caramelized onions in scrambled eggs.

    A lot of if depends on what kind of pans you have. Mine are stainless steel so it can be a pain sometimes. You have to know what heat to cook the food at for you pots and pans. (took me a while and I still guess sometimes).

    thanks for the info-I think I have those poisonous non-stick pans, so maybe water would actually work well :tongue: :laugh: I'm going to try it tomorrow and see how it goes-my usual mix is mushrooms, bell pepper and then onion :)
  • SurfyFriend
    SurfyFriend Posts: 362 Member
    Hi, when I do cook, I heat up my saucepan and then pour in enough water to cover the base and once it starts to bubble, I add my onion, carrot (hard veggies first) then zucchini, etc. add diced tomato last mixed with sundried tomato and basil if you want like a tomatoey sauce.

    Water all the way :)
  • nleighp
    nleighp Posts: 117 Member
    A lot of people use water but I tend to use my homemade veggie broth. I hate losing flavor by watering my foods down so the broth (which is low sodium) brings a nice depth without bringing in too many calories or sodium.
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    Update:

    tried water with salt, pepper and garlic powder and it worked great! I'll do it this way from now on :)
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    I don't know what Dr. Fuhrman has said about olive oil but I would be skeptical of any claim that it is as unhealthy as butter.
    Of course, there are olive oils and there are better olive oils. Go for a cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from a reputable brand.
    I also use canola oil, roasted sesame oil and more recently, rice bran oil. You don't need to use much.
    kind regards,

    Ben
  • kristenherrera
    kristenherrera Posts: 37 Member
    I also use veggie broth, I keep an opened carton in my fridge and use it anytime I'm sautéing in a pan. I believe the Happy Herbivore has a blog post about it as well :)
  • ChrisMundie
    ChrisMundie Posts: 18 Member
    I will often sauté veggies in fresh squeezed lime juice.
  • nleighp
    nleighp Posts: 117 Member
    I will often sauté veggies in fresh squeezed lime juice.

    Same. Depending on my veg and the recipe I'm making I'll often use lemon or lime.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    I use either water or low sodium veggie broth. I never realized it would be so easy to cook without oil! I went plant based a little over a year and a half ago, and I am loving it!

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