Vegan Cooking Techniques for American Kitchens
27 essential vegan cooking technique guides - from building flavour and handling tofu to making silky sauces and perfect pastry. All explained for American home cooks.
Sweating Aromatics
Sweating is the foundation of nearly every savoury vegan dish. It means cooking … Blooming Spices
Blooming - also called tempering or 'tadka' in Indian cooking - is the techn… Caramelising Onions
True caramelised onions require time, patience and low heat - it cannot be rus… Deglazing a Pan
Deglazing is the technique of adding liquid to a hot pan to dissolve the browned… Roasting Vegetables
Roasting is the single technique most likely to convert a vegetable sceptic into… Blanching Greens
Blanching - briefly submerging vegetables in boiling salted water then immedia… Pressing Tofu
Pressing tofu removes the excess water locked inside the block, resulting in a f… Salt and Pepper Tofu
Salt and pepper tofu is a technique from Chinese Cantonese cooking - firm tofu… Making Cashew Cream
Cashew cream is the most versatile dairy-free cream in vegan cooking. Soaked raw… Making Vegan Cheese Sauce
A good vegan cheese sauce requires understanding the elements that make real che… Making a Vegan Roux
A roux - equal parts fat and flour cooked together - is the classical thicke… Making Vegan Gravy
A rich vegan gravy relies on the same depth-building elements as meat gravies: c… Making Vegan Stock
Homemade vegetable stock is one of the most cost-effective flavour investments i… Stir-Frying
Stir-frying requires the highest heat your hob can produce and complete preparat… Toasting Nuts and Seeds
Toasting raw nuts and seeds in a dry pan deepens their flavour substantially thr… Making Tahini Dressing
Tahini dressing is one of the most versatile and forgiving dressings in vegan co… Blending Smooth Soups
A beautifully smooth, creamy vegan soup requires technique at two stages: proper… Whipping Aquafaba
Aquafaba - the liquid from tinned chickpeas - is a miraculous egg-white subs… Making a Flax Egg
A flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water) is one of the si… Batch Cooking Grains
Batch cooking whole grains - brown rice, quinoa, farro, barley, bulgur - is … Soaking and Cooking Dried Legumes
Dried chickpeas, beans and lentils are far cheaper and often tastier than tinned… Making Vegan Shortcrust Pastry
Vegan shortcrust pastry is made with cold vegan block butter and plain flour - … Making Tahini Sauce
A rich tahini sauce is a staple of Middle Eastern vegan cooking - drizzled ove… Proving Bread Dough
Proving (proofing in the US) is the stage in bread-making where yeast ferments t… Folding Batter
Folding is a gentle mixing technique used when you need to combine a light, airy… Tempering Chocolate
Tempering is the process of melting and cooling chocolate through specific tempe… Building Flavour in Layers
Layering flavour is the fundamental skill that separates accomplished vegan cook…
Sweating is the foundation of nearly every savoury vegan dish. It means cooking … Blooming Spices
Blooming - also called tempering or 'tadka' in Indian cooking - is the techn… Caramelising Onions
True caramelised onions require time, patience and low heat - it cannot be rus… Deglazing a Pan
Deglazing is the technique of adding liquid to a hot pan to dissolve the browned… Roasting Vegetables
Roasting is the single technique most likely to convert a vegetable sceptic into… Blanching Greens
Blanching - briefly submerging vegetables in boiling salted water then immedia… Pressing Tofu
Pressing tofu removes the excess water locked inside the block, resulting in a f… Salt and Pepper Tofu
Salt and pepper tofu is a technique from Chinese Cantonese cooking - firm tofu… Making Cashew Cream
Cashew cream is the most versatile dairy-free cream in vegan cooking. Soaked raw… Making Vegan Cheese Sauce
A good vegan cheese sauce requires understanding the elements that make real che… Making a Vegan Roux
A roux - equal parts fat and flour cooked together - is the classical thicke… Making Vegan Gravy
A rich vegan gravy relies on the same depth-building elements as meat gravies: c… Making Vegan Stock
Homemade vegetable stock is one of the most cost-effective flavour investments i… Stir-Frying
Stir-frying requires the highest heat your hob can produce and complete preparat… Toasting Nuts and Seeds
Toasting raw nuts and seeds in a dry pan deepens their flavour substantially thr… Making Tahini Dressing
Tahini dressing is one of the most versatile and forgiving dressings in vegan co… Blending Smooth Soups
A beautifully smooth, creamy vegan soup requires technique at two stages: proper… Whipping Aquafaba
Aquafaba - the liquid from tinned chickpeas - is a miraculous egg-white subs… Making a Flax Egg
A flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water) is one of the si… Batch Cooking Grains
Batch cooking whole grains - brown rice, quinoa, farro, barley, bulgur - is … Soaking and Cooking Dried Legumes
Dried chickpeas, beans and lentils are far cheaper and often tastier than tinned… Making Vegan Shortcrust Pastry
Vegan shortcrust pastry is made with cold vegan block butter and plain flour - … Making Tahini Sauce
A rich tahini sauce is a staple of Middle Eastern vegan cooking - drizzled ove… Proving Bread Dough
Proving (proofing in the US) is the stage in bread-making where yeast ferments t… Folding Batter
Folding is a gentle mixing technique used when you need to combine a light, airy… Tempering Chocolate
Tempering is the process of melting and cooling chocolate through specific tempe… Building Flavour in Layers
Layering flavour is the fundamental skill that separates accomplished vegan cook…