Cooking technique
 

I like to to serve good food that is according to the tastes and preferences
of my guests. If I am to cook vegetarian food without eggs I have some
problems with technique. This is probably due to my lack of experience in
vegetarian cooking so I am asking the more experienced for help.

Eggs are useful in binding foods as the protein coalgulates on cooking. For
example vegetable patties, rissoles and slices are going to be harder to
keep cohesive with no eggs.

Similarly eggs act as an emulsifying agent allowing one to bind oily and
watery components together in sauces and dressings (with or without
cooking). Dairy products can also bind sauces but such are also eschewed.
You can bind sauces in some cases using vegetable purees and with starches
but these rather limit your scope and will add flavours that may not be
desired in all situations.

Egg foams are also the basis of a number classes of foods, many (but not
all) are desserts and treats. One can give up such things altogether in the
name of health but even those who take great care with their diet may want
to have a small indulgence sometimes on special days.

Can I do these sorts of things without eggs or dairy (if so how) or does
cooking vegan mean certain techniques, and hence certain classes of foods,
are not possible? .


David

Cooking technique
 

David Hare-Scott wrote:
> I like to to serve good food that is according to the tastes and preferences
> of my guests. If I am to cook vegetarian food without eggs I have some
> problems with technique. This is probably due to my lack of experience in
> vegetarian cooking so I am asking the more experienced for help.
>
> Eggs are useful in binding foods as the protein coalgulates on cooking. For
> example vegetable patties, rissoles and slices are going to be harder to
> keep cohesive with no eggs.
>
> Similarly eggs act as an emulsifying agent allowing one to bind oily and
> watery components together in sauces and dressings (with or without
> cooking). Dairy products can also bind sauces but such are also eschewed.
> You can bind sauces in some cases using vegetable purees and with starches
> but these rather limit your scope and will add flavours that may not be
> desired in all situations.
>
> Egg foams are also the basis of a number classes of foods, many (but not
> all) are desserts and treats. One can give up such things altogether in the
> name of health but even those who take great care with their diet may want
> to have a small indulgence sometimes on special days.
>
> Can I do these sorts of things without eggs or dairy (if so how) or does
> cooking vegan mean certain techniques, and hence certain classes of foods,
> are not possible? .

In my (relatively limited experience) eggs are rarely necessary. I
have never had problems binding foods together without them. Most
dairy products, eg yoghurt, coleslaw, cream, mayo, ice cream can
happily be substituted for soya equivalents. Strangely most of those
taste more like the real deal than soya milk. Soya (or other
plant milks) taste somewhat different to cows milk but IMO
make perfectly adequate substitutes for most purposes. Coffee
is an exception in which soya milk curdles. Also I am not aware
of any vegan substitute for cheese that actually works in the same
way. I would be interested to see what those with more experiences
of veganism have to say on this topic.

> David

Cooking technique
 

Hi David.

When I stopped eating eggs, I also stopped eating foods which required eggs
to prepare. I no longer eat meringues for example. There are however many
good substitutes for eggs that work well in many (but not all) recipes. Egg
replacer powder can be purchased and used in many baked goods including
cheesecakes (made with tofu for the vegan). Yogurt can be used in falafel
and waffles. flax seeds make a very nutricious egg substitute. There are
directions for many of htese egg substitues on the web. You will find that
a lot of the time, an eg substitute may not work as well and if you are
making something like "veggie" burgers, then you jsut have to be very
careful when cooking and experiment.


"David Hare-Scott" > wrote in message
...
>I like to to serve good food that is according to the tastes and
>preferences
> of my guests. If I am to cook vegetarian food without eggs I have some
> problems with technique. This is probably due to my lack of experience in
> vegetarian cooking so I am asking the more experienced for help.
>
> Eggs are useful in binding foods as the protein coalgulates on cooking.
> For
> example vegetable patties, rissoles and slices are going to be harder to
> keep cohesive with no eggs.
>
> Similarly eggs act as an emulsifying agent allowing one to bind oily and
> watery components together in sauces and dressings (with or without
> cooking). Dairy products can also bind sauces but such are also eschewed.
> You can bind sauces in some cases using vegetable purees and with starches
> but these rather limit your scope and will add flavours that may not be
> desired in all situations.
>
> Egg foams are also the basis of a number classes of foods, many (but not
> all) are desserts and treats. One can give up such things altogether in
> the
> name of health but even those who take great care with their diet may want
> to have a small indulgence sometimes on special days.
>
> Can I do these sorts of things without eggs or dairy (if so how) or does
> cooking vegan mean certain techniques, and hence certain classes of foods,
> are not possible? .
>
>
> David
>
>

Cooking technique
 

Try using flour to bind things with - chick pea flour is excellent and is
the basis of Indian bajais, pakoras, etc.


"David Hare-Scott" > wrote in message
...
> I like to to serve good food that is according to the tastes and
preferences
> of my guests. If I am to cook vegetarian food without eggs I have some
> problems with technique. This is probably due to my lack of experience in
> vegetarian cooking so I am asking the more experienced for help.
>
> Eggs are useful in binding foods as the protein coalgulates on cooking.
For
> example vegetable patties, rissoles and slices are going to be harder to
> keep cohesive with no eggs.
>
> Similarly eggs act as an emulsifying agent allowing one to bind oily and
> watery components together in sauces and dressings (with or without
> cooking). Dairy products can also bind sauces but such are also eschewed.
> You can bind sauces in some cases using vegetable purees and with starches
> but these rather limit your scope and will add flavours that may not be
> desired in all situations.
>
> Egg foams are also the basis of a number classes of foods, many (but not
> all) are desserts and treats. One can give up such things altogether in
the
> name of health but even those who take great care with their diet may want
> to have a small indulgence sometimes on special days.
>
> Can I do these sorts of things without eggs or dairy (if so how) or does
> cooking vegan mean certain techniques, and hence certain classes of foods,
> are not possible? .
>
>
> David
>
>