Do I even need to fry vegetables for soup, sauce, gravy? This question is often asked by hostesses. Isn't it easier to put everything in a saucepan at once and not waste precious time on this process? Let's try to understand this issue.
What is the difference between frying and browning
Frying is the process of cooking (frying) vegetables and roots in a pan in fat using medium or high heat (t = 150-160 ° C), as well as the resulting product.
If this process takes place on low heat, then this is called sautéing ("white sautéing"). As a rule, the temperature during browning does not rise above 105-120 degrees, which increases the time, but allows you to preserve all the nutrients as much as possible. In addition to the first courses, it is used to prepare white sauces.
Sometimes frying is called "red sauté", since this particular variant is used to make red (dark) sauces and gravy.
What roasting gives
Roasting makes the budo tastier. This happens due to the fact that the fat contained in the oil "captures" the aromas, preventing them from decaying. If you just put everything in water and start cooking, the result is a mixture of cooked vegetables with a single, rather mild flavor, as most of the aromas will simply evaporate or disintegrate during cooking. This can be compared to the sounding of pure notes without overtones in music: you get a rather boring and unpleasant sound, but add overtones and you will hear a completely different piece!
Myths about the dangers of fried foods
The main argument against frying vegetables for soup is the myth that they are very harmful to health. In fact, if such products are prepared in accordance with the technology, they are not dangerous!
Another argument against frying is the opinion that the calorie content of the dish is greatly increased. Far from it! Much depends on the type of fat (oil) that you use, but in any case, the content of this ingredient is not so high that it would greatly increase the fat content and calorie content of the soup.
Moreover, with white sautéing, you don't need to use oil at all! This process is carried out at a relatively low temperature (~ 115 ° C), so ordinary broth is perfect as a fat component. When the broth stops boiling, drops of fat accumulate at the top, which are used for browning.
What products to use for frying
In addition to the "classic" onions and carrots, sweet "bell peppers" (preferably red), tomato paste or fresh tomatoes and roots are put into the roast.
Finely chop onions and bell peppers, grate carrots. You can use red onions, which will give a very light "nutty" flavor, but remember that this ingredient does not look very nice in the soup due to its greyish color.
Put the tomato paste towards the end, and fresh tomatoes at the very beginning, otherwise the soup can quickly deteriorate.
It is most convenient to wash the tomatoes, cut in half and grate so that the skin remains in your hands.
From the roots, the root of celery, parsnip and parsley is put into the roast. You can also use a celery stalk.
All kinds of spices and seasonings for maximum preservation of their taste should also be added to frying (sautéing).
What soups are not cooked for?
Not all first courses require pre-frying vegetables. For example, they put fresh onions in kharcho or meat hodgepodge, but this is due to the peculiarities of the preparation of these dishes; in addition, other vegetables are not used in these dishes (except for tomatoes and pickles).
