Cooking without oil is both achievable and beneficial, offering a way to reduce calories and saturated fats while still enjoying flavorful, satisfying meals. There are several effective techniques and alternatives you can use to prepare a wide range of dishes without a drop of oil.
Some people experience quite poor health conditions. Therefore, doctors recommend reducing oil use and consumption of oily foods. This includes people with obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, digestive disorders, and liver disease.
Too much oil in the food consumed will inhibit nutrient absorption and increase cholesterol levels. An unhealthy body condition is certainly very dangerous and disrupts daily activities. Cooking healthy tips can be one way to control the body’s oil supply. Consuming healthy food, vegetables and fruits is also very beneficial.
Is Food Still Delicious Even If Cooking Without Oil?
The answer is yes, food will still be cooked and delicious even if cooked without oil. What about foods that must be fried? With today’s technological advances, it’s possible to do so without oil. For example, when frying fish, you can use a device called an air fryer. This device operates on electricity, which produces hot steam. At a certain boiling point, this steam dries the food, making it cooked like fried food, but without oil. The food will still be cooked, crispy, and low in fat because it’s oil-free.
Other Methods for Cooking
In our daily lives, we often cook without oil. However, if we do it continuously and for a long period of time, it can feel a little strange and require some getting used to. When cooking soup, for example, some people don’t use cooking oil at all, just to cook the spices. Some cooking methods without using cooking oil are:
- Steaming, which is the process of cooking food using very hot steam. Examples include steaming steamed buns, tubers, bread, and so on.
- Roasting, which is the process of cooking food by placing it over hot coals or a hot griddle on the stovetop. Examples include making bread, pizza, and so on.
- Baking/roasting, which is similar to grilling. Both methods involve cooking food using a flame or hot coals directly above it. Examples include grilled fish, grilled chicken, satay, and several other dishes.
- Boiling is a cooking method that uses boiling water to cook ingredients. Examples include pasta, vegetables, soup, and more.
Healthy Oil-Free Cooking Inspiration at Home
Cooking without oil is a great option for a healthier lifestyle while still maintaining delicious flavors. One example is gulash meat, which you can boil with coriander, black pepper, ginger, galangal, and cardamom until tender without a drop of oil. Another alternative is steamed salted egg tofu pepes, which combines white tofu, salted egg, basil leaves, and ground spices. Then, wrap it in banana leaves and steam it, keeping it delicious even without oil.
You can also make spicy soy sauce chicken in a healthy way by cooking the sliced chicken and spices with just a little water in a non-stick pan. Button mushrooms are also delicious even when cooked with just onions, garlic, oyster sauce, salt, and pepper without oil.
Clear carrot and sausage soup is a light option, while stir-fried baby kale can be cooked with a little sesame oil and water to keep it crispy.
As a side dish, karedok offers the freshness of raw vegetables combined with peanut sauce without adding oil. These dishes are not only easy to make, but also delicious. But it is also rich in nutrition and suitable for anyone who wants to serve a healthier home menu.
The YouTube channel Show Me MO Vegan presents a video titled “How to Cook Without Oil,” which discusses various oil-free cooking techniques. In this video, they show how to sauté using water or broth, bake without oil using parchment paper or a device like an air fryer, and tips for making sauces and salad dressings without oil. They also share a trick for using aquafaba (bean cooking water) as an oil substitute in several recipes, including vegan toast and French toast. These tips are perfect for those who want to reduce or eliminate oil in their cooking without sacrificing flavor and texture.
Grilling is a popular oil-free cooking method in many regions. Excessive use of cooking oil in food is quite dangerous because it can increase cholesterol and blood fat levels. High blood fat levels can impede blood circulation. Cooking without oil can be a method for maintaining health and weight loss. /afa
