While the vast majority of commercial (instant) vegetable broths contain far too much salt, this extra low-salt vegetable broth does not. This allows other flavors to stand out better and is much healthier.
Culinary uses:
Extra low-salt vegetable broth is used by health-conscious cooks in the same way as ordinary vegetable broth. It is used to season sauces, casseroles, stews, and soups, as well as bread and pizza dough and is also a common ingredient in salad dressings. Side dishes cooked in vegetable broth such as rice, quinoa, and couscous have a full, well-balanced flavor.
The salt contained in extra low-salt vegetable broth comes naturally from the ingredients used (100 % vegetables). The advantage of making homemade low-salt vegetable broth is that you can decided how much, if any, extra salt you would like to add.
| Important information for everyone (not only for vegans and vegetarians): A Vegan Diet Can Be Unhealthy. Nutrition Mistakes. |
Purchasing:
Low-salt vegetable broth is available in health food stores and organic grocery stores. Since there are only a few manufacturers who offer a vegetable broth without any added salt, it is easiest to purchase these varieties online (e.g., Veggiepur and Sonnentor). Store-bought low-salt vegetable broths have the advantage that they can be stored for quite a long time and are practical to use.
Making homemade low-salt vegetable broth:
It is easy to make liquid, granular, or powder vegetable broth without added salt at home. It works best to prepare a large batch and then store the broth to use as needed.
The simplest option is to buy freeze-dried mixed vegetables for soup (Suppengrün) and grind them to the desired consistency in a high-speed blender.
However, vegetable broth made from fresh vegetables (e.g., tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, celeriac, onions, parsnips, and garlic), herbs (parsley and lovage), and spices (peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves) has a significantly better flavor. Clean and dice the vegetables and add to a high-speed blender or multi-chopper. Alternatively, you can finely grate or chop the ingredients. Dry the mixture in the oven or dehydrator at 100 °C for several hours and then let cool. The dehydrator is a good choice as heating at lower temperature allows heat-sensitive vitamins to be retained. When cool, blend well again. Make sure that the powder is completely dried and then transfer to a screw-top jar to store.
Here is one recipe that you can use: Instant Vegetable Broth with Carrots, Celery, and Leeks.
If you prefer a liquid broth, you can cover vegetables with water in a pot, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer gently on low for one to three hours. Make sure the pot is covered in order to preserve as much flavor as possible. Then strain the broth and pour hot into screw-top jars or cooled into ice cube trays. Strictly speaking, a vegetable broth that has been boiled down and doesn't contain added salt is called vegetable stock. Stock can serve as the base for vegetable broth.
Here is a recipe to make liquid vegetable broth: Vegan broth.
Storing:
If the powder or granulate for vegetable broth is kept in an air-tight container in a dry place protected from light, it can be stored for several months. Store homemade liquid vegetable broth as you would other canned foods.
Nutritional information:
This low-salt vegetable broth is low in calories and contains almost no fat.
Health aspects:
Extra low-salt vegetable broth made entirely from vegetables boasts a very low sugar and sodium content (occurs naturally in vegetables) and has no added flavors, flavor enhancers (e.g., glutamate or yeast extract), preservatives, fillers, or salt and sugar additives.
By cutting out other processed products and indulgence foods, your taste buds can become more sensitive, allowing you to discover completely new flavors.
Consuming too much salt can have serious health consequences. An excessive intake of sodium plays a large role in the development and treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension), particularly in the case of genetic predisposition. Since it is unclear who is salt-sensitive, to prevent high blood pressure it is generally recommended that you consume less than six grams of table salt per day.1
Dangers / Intolerances:
Celery, an ingredient in most vegetable broths, is one of the fourteen main allergens. If you have a sensitivity to celery, make sure to check the ingredient list when you buy store-bought vegetable broth and don’t include it in your homemade broth.
General information:
Store-bought vegetable broth contains mainly salt, fat, flavor enhancers, and seasonings, but very few vegetables. The addition of salt makes it possible for vegetable broth to be stored longer. The salt content in store-bought varieties varies greatly depending on the brand.
Low-salt vegetable broth contains significantly less salt than regular vegetable broth. However, our homemade extra low-salt vegetable broth contains no added salt and only the sodium found in the vegetables themselves.
Literature / Sources:
- Biesalski K H, Grimm Peter, and Nowitzki-Grimm, Susanne. Taschenatlas Ernährung (Pocket atlas: nutrition). Sixth edition. Stuttgart; 2015. Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart.
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