Ingredient Information

Function

Vegetable broth is sold in grocery stores in cans and stay-fresh cartons. It is used in a variety of savory dishes and can be prepared from scratch at home. Vegetable broth is an economical base for stews, soups, gravies, mashed potatoes and sauces such as roux. Some say that freshly prepared vegetable broth is more flavorful and contains less sodium than canned and packaged versions. The vegetables used to make vegetable broth vary and can be used in different ratios to impart specific tastes. Commonly used vegetables are onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, parsnips, spinach, leeks, tomatoes, fennel, turnips and zucchini. Vegetable broth is used as an alternative to animal broths such as beef, turkey or chicken. It is a low-calorie base that can used instead of fatty flavorings like butter or fat-filled gravy. Broth can be frozen to use at a later date.

Other Use and Industries

Vegetable broth is often used as a home remedy to assist in relieving cold and flu symptoms.

Health Effects

Since vegetable broth may contain a variety of vegetables, using store-bought organic broth or organic vegetables for home preparation are recommended. This is because some vegetables are heavily treated with chemical pesticides, which may go into the broth. Homemade vegetable broth is usually better for health than canned or packaged broth because there is less sodium. Also, the vegetables are fresher and therefore may impart more nutritional value to the broth. Most vegetable broths are rich in Vitamins A and C, and some even have fair amounts of calcium and iron. Vegetable broth is a source of fat-free flavor, and does not have the health concerns that butter does. Care should be taken when purchasing canned or packaged broths to ensure that MSG is not an added ingredient.

The sometimes high sodium content in canned and packaged broths may be dangerous to those suffering from high blood pressure and pregnant women.

Origins

Vegetable broth is made by cooking a variety of vegetables in a pot of water. Commonly used vegetables include onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, parsnips, spinach, leeks, tomatoes, fennel, turnips and zucchini. Any combination of vegetables can be used with or without stems. The vegetables are boiled, salt and peper are added and the mixture is allowed to simmer. After cooking, the liquid is strained to remove solid matter; there is no need to chop the vegetables before adding them to the water. For more flavor, herbs or wine may be added before simmering.