Complete Oil-Free Guide: Clarifying Myths

While some may be skeptical about the flavor and texture of oil-free dishes. The truth is that cooking without oil can be healthy, delicious, and satisfying.

The first thing to note is that from a culinary point of view: shallow-frying, baking, roasting, sautéing, stir-frying, grilling, toasting and even deep-frying are all considered dry-heat cooking methods. Some techniques are easily replicated with traditional techniques just by omitting oil. While others require new thinking and new or re-imagined methods.

This article will explore the health benefits of oil-free cooking, debunk common myths, and share practical tips and recipes for easy cooking. All without oil and still using common whole food, plant-based ingredients.

Why Go Oil-Free

The Benefits & Burdens of Oil in Brief

• Minimal to no olive oil found greater weight loss and lower total and LDL cholesterol levels compared to the same Whole Food Plant-Based diet with four tablespoons of olive oil added daily according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
• Oil is very high in calories compared to all other food because it’s almost entirely made of fat and fat is the most calorie-dense macronutrient.
• One tablespoon of olive oil is about the same calories as 5 cups of spinach, a medium-sized sweet potato, or a large banana, or ½ cup of rice, oats, chickpeas, quinoa, etc.; or one large apple, or about an ounce or 30 grams of nuts or seeds.
• Oil also has 0% fiber, water, and only a few nutrients that can be obtained from other food sources, so oil won’t make you full or provide too much more than empty calories.

Addressing Common Oil-Free Misconceptions

Health – Fish Oil & Olive Oil-Free

Many people believe that olive oil and fish oil are essential for a healthy diet due to their touted nutrients and antioxidants.

While olive oil does contain some healthy fats and antioxidants, these can be found in abundance in whole plant foods that, unlike olive oil, aren’t processed, distilled with toxic solvents like hexane, or have other added chemicals or unwanted additives. For instance, nuts, seeds, avocados, and a variety of fruits and vegetables provide essential nutrients, including polyphenols and omega-3 fatty acids, without the drawbacks of extracted oils.

Similarly, fish oil is often recommended for its omega-3 content. However, plant-based sources such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts offer a rich supply of omega-3 fatty acids in their whole food forms, along with fiber and additional nutrients. Fish are also filled with mercury (the number one source of mercury poisoning in the USA is fish), micro-plastics, and other toxic pollutants—like the toxic waste of PFAS/PFOS from non-stick pan production plants—all of which probably negate any positive effects that fish may have once had.

By focusing on a diverse range of whole foods it’s possible to be healthy without relying on potentially unhealthy added oils and fats, which are calorie-dense and nutrient-poor compared to their whole-food counterparts.

Techniques – Both Oil-Free & Soggy-Free

Some techniques of oil-free cooking have tried to replicate tradition far too closely. Or maybe it’s like how cookbooks say things like “sauté your onions and garlic together.” But really, when you do sauté garlic at the same time as the onions then it’s usually too much cooking for garlic and it becomes acrid and bitter tasting instead of sweet and rounded, like when it’s added just before you add liquid to braise it more than caramelize it. An almost opposite issue is one that I see in recipes cooking without oil and using broth or water instead of oil.

Caramelization is like burning food interrupted.

Many recipes say to use water or broth just like you would use oil, but this makes it so your veggies will never caramelize, after all, caramelization is like burning interrupted or a precursor to burning to get browning on food without going so far as to avoid burning the food. You can’t burn water/broth, so using liquid from the get-go will just get you, well, boiled veggies, which is totally fine if that’s all you ever want from your veggies.

If instead, you want amazing golden buttery, ball-park-style, street cart hot-dog-smelling, juicy onions or mushrooms and red peppers, or crispy fries and other veggies then look at the Oil-Free Cooking Techniques for how to make it happen. But first, you need the right cookware.

Getting Started: Healthy & Safe Non-Stick Cookware

The best way to cook without oil is non-stick, but even the new non-stick cookware is under inspection by the EPA and is showing to be just as toxic as Teflon™ did decades ago on animal and lab tests from now going all the way back to the 1960s—I know animal tests are not solid data, but is it really worth the risk when considering what the past has already shown us with similar chemicals?

Quick & Safe Cooking Without Oil (expensive but easy oil-free tricks)

You can simply use parchment or silicon placed inside of your cookware or bakeware, that’s not ideal or a great long-term, cost or environmentally-friendly solution, but it is a quick one that allows safer non-stick cooking. It’s a lot safer than using traditional non-stick cookware so I recommend it if that’s your only alternative right now.

An even better, safer, and cheaper way to have non-stick cookware that will last for the long term and cost you pennies to do with items you still probably have in your cupboards.

Seasoning Steel or Cast Iron Cookware (cheap and easy oil-free tricks)

The best way to ensure a safe and healthy non-stick alternative is probably to use ceramic or glass cookware, but the most affordable solution is to season your regular-old steel or cast iron cookware, so that it’s just as non-stick, but also a safe alternative to non-stick cookware. Here’s how:

Equipment Needed

• 1 steel or cast iron pan or pot
• 1 heat-resistant rag/cloth or paper towel
• ¼ tsp oil (any kind)—don’t worry this oil will not end up in our food!

Directions for seasoning steel cookware

(written directions below)

1. Heat the Pan: Preheat your steel or cast iron pan until it’s hot enough that one or two water drops on the pan will bead up and dance around on the surface—as if it was already non-stick, this is similar to what our end result will be. Never mix hot oil and water!!!
2. Add Oil: Pour a small amount of oil into the dry hot pan. Wait until it starts to smoke slightly.
3. Wipe It All Out: Take the pan off the heat and use a cloth or paper towel to spread the oil all over the inside of the pan/pot while also wiping out the oil. Keep wiping the pan until all the oil has been absorbed by the towel.
4. Cool Down: Allow the pan to cool. This process creates a natural non-stick surface, free from harmful forever chemicals.

Not Non-stick Enough? If your pan is older and well-worn then more coatings will not only make it more non-stick, but it will make it last longer. Simple repeat steps 1-5 to add more layers. Each layer is about 2-3 weeks before you need to re-apply.

Not Convinced? Think it’s all just “residual oil?” Feel free to clean the pan with soap and water (as per the cleaning instructions below) to prove to yourself that it’s not just leftover oil. The process is explained, chemically, and briefly, in this 40-second video:

Cleaning Seasoned Steel or Cast Iron for Oil-Free Cooking

Use a wet cloth, sponge, or plastic scrubby or brush‒avoid steel wool or anything too abrasive. Most mild dish soaps should be fine since they don’t usually contain lye or too harsh of ingredients. Dishwashing liquids are usually too harsh so avoid washing in a dishwashing machine.

Dry your cast iron pans with a cloth after washing to avoid them rusting.

Fixing Old Rusty Cast Iron Cookware

If you forgot to dry it or you found or got gifted an old cast iron that looks like the last thing you’d ever put food on then let’s clean it up so it’s as good as or better than new!

Cast iron is incredibly durable and can often be found at very low prices—sometimes even at thrift stores, antique shops, and bargain outlets. While it may seem a bit unappealing to cook on an old pan, a properly cleaned pan will be just like new. In fact, you’ll be removing the layers of metal and seasoning left by previous owners, giving you a brand-new cooking surface!

To clean even the rustiest or dirtiest cast iron pan or pot, add 1-2 tablespoons of coarse salt or baking soda, along with half as much oil, and use a rag to scrub it. Use a circular motion, and when the salt becomes gritty and dirty, toss it out and add more salt and oil to continue scrubbing until all rust and dirt are removed.

After a minute or two of scrubbing—depending on the condition of your cast iron—wash the cookware with soap and water until the water runs clear. Finally, re-season your cookware, and it should be as good as new and ready for anything!

Oil-Free Cooking Techniques

The topics we’ll cover in this section include Sautéing and Stir-Frying, Stovetop Roasting & Baking, Regular Baking, Grilling, and even Frying without oil. All these dry heat methods can be adapted to be oil-free and free of all other added fats or other animal or heavily processed ingredients.

Oil-Free Sautéing and Stir-Frying

Sautéing and stir-frying are essential techniques to master for flavorful oil-free cooking. The biggest tip after using seasoned cookware is to never crowd the pan! If there is not enough space then the veggies will steam their nearby neighbors and they will become mushy.

Giving them room to breathe is the way—think of it as steam-free distancing, or if you’re feeling really silly try 7 degrees of evaporation, or toast-all distancing to remember it.

When cooking, use medium to high heat—you want to hear that rapid sizzle! Just like when cooking popcorn when you hear the pops slow down, or in this case the sizzle, you know it’s time to stir or stop cooking the food. Foods will naturally release from even regular (unseasoned) cookware once the food is properly caramelized or colored on the bottom.

Avoid the common mistake of stirring or flipping too frequently; give your food time to develop that delicious crust or color.

Once they begin to color, become translucent, or if they’re still stuck, you can deglaze the pan with:

• Acids: Use vinegars, lemon, or lime juice—Subscribe to be notified when the Seasoning Food Without Salt article is published.
• Water or Broth: If you have it broth can also enhance flavor and prevent sticking, but water is fine too—Subscribe to be notified when the Quick & Easy WFPB Stock from Scraps or Shakers article is published to learn how to make stock from a mix of dried herbs spices or from stuff you can and should eat but probably won’t since it’s “scraps.”

These techniques not only add flavor but also enhance the flavor by using acids as seasonings (flavor enhancers) and stocks to deglaze and concentrate flavors.

Stovetop Baking and Roasting Without Oil

Roasting is a simple dry cooking method, so we can generally keep much of the process the same. If you typically use oil, fat, or butter in the recipe you’re trying to make then check out the Regular Oven Baking & Roasting section for plant-based substitutes that can help.

Stovetop roasting can be made easy with seasoned cookware or bakeware. Ideally, you want to cook over medium-low to low heat, using a lid that has a small steam vent or is not fully closed, allowing some steam to escape while retaining hot air. A heavy-bottom pot or pan is recommended, as it distributes heat more evenly and reduces the risk of burning. You could also use a heat diffuser with a thinner bottom pan.

When baking in a pot or pan (like the stovetop bagels, blondies, buns or cookies, recipes), you’ll know it’s time or almost time to flip when the top of the item looks dry, and the edges have lifted slightly from the sides or bottom of the pan. This lifting occurs as the batter shrinks and forms a tight skin on the underside, pulling it away from the pan. Additionally, a change from a wet-looking top to a dry appearance can indicate that it’s time to flip an uncovered item, as the steam has penetrated enough to dry the surface.

• Wait to Stir or Flip: Allow food to caramelize and form a skin or crust that helps food release easily from the pan.
• Use Parchment or Silicone Mats: If you prefer not to season your cookware, line your pot or pan with parchment paper or use silicone mats to prevent sticking.

Regular Oven Baking & Roasting Oil-Free

The main idea is to substitute traditional oils and fats—often derived from refined oils, butter, eggs, or even lard—with healthier alternatives from whole plant foods. These traditional fats and oils typically provide moisture, lightness, density, texture, and qualities like crispiness, pliability, and bounce in baking.

Fruit and vegetable purees have small pieces evenly throughout when incorporated into batters or doughs. As the purees cook, some moisture evaporates, contributing to a lighter texture while the small fibrous pieces add a springy bounce.

Preheating to higher temperatures or using carbonated water is another excellent option for introducing air bubbles and pockets into batters, enhancing their lightness. Additionally, incorporating small amounts of acidic ingredients like citrus juice or vinegar, along with high-pH foods, can create even more bubbles through the reaction of acids with bases, further increasing lightness.

Nut and seed powders or butters, when used in the right amounts and combined with suitable ingredients, can enhance qualities such as pliability, crispiness, bounce, lightness, and density, while adding healthy fats and nutrients.

Oil-Free Substitutions for Tradtional Baking & Roasting

• Line Your Pans: Use parchment paper or silicone mats r cups oto prevent sticking when baking in the oven.
• Cool Before Removing: Allow baked goods to cool before loosening them from the pan to maintain their shapeand so they release more easily .
• Avocado Puree: Substitute an equal amount for oil or butter. Avocado has a very mild, almost unnoticeable, flavor so this is a good choice for many applications.
• Homemade Applesauce: Use the same amount of oil. Items will be denser baked goods so adding more levening will help. I suggest using carbonated water or adding a touch of baking soda and vinegar to add lift.
• Mashed Ripe Banana: Replace oil or butter with an equal amount for added flavor. Less ripe bananas will contribute less flavor but are easier to mash.
• Pumpkin or Squash Puree: Use ¾ cup for every cup of butter, or an equal amount for oil, great for denser baked goods.
• Zucchini: Is also a squash so the same 3:4 ratio applies to substitute for butter and 1:1 ratio for oil.
• Tahini: Tahini is just ground-up sesame seeds and it works well as an oil or butter substitute at a 1:1 ratio for replacing.
• Seed & Nut Butters: Can be used with acids to add lift and lightness. The fats can add a crispy texture, increase the pliability, and provide moisture and bounce.
• Flax & Chia: These are great binders and egg replacers that add pliability, retain moisture, and provide bounce. Grinding them first will improve their gelification properties and enhance the bioavailability and absorption of the nutrients.
• Vinegar: Adding small amounts of vinegar and base (high pH) foods like spinach, beans, beets, brussels sprouts, tahini, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, oats, lentils, cauliflower, asparagus, kale, peas, garlic etc. can create a reaction to create air bubbles in your dough or batter.

Grilling Oil-Free

• Choose Healthier Cooking Methods: Avoid charcoal, wood, propane, or other gases due to potential health risks including carcinogens that are released from partially combusted fuel sources.
• Griddle Pans: Indoor grills, grill pans, or my griddle pans are usually made of cast iron, so seasoning them like you would any cast iron or steel cookware and they should be a safe and healthy none-stick option with added iron!

Frying Without Oil

• Choose a Healthy Non-stick Pan: As mentioned above you can season your cookware so it’s a healthy and safe non-stick that will allow you to get crispy skins and textures similar to traditional shallow frying.
• Air Frying: Air fryers keep coming down in price and more and more brands hit the market each day. They are a healthy alternative to deep frying without the mess or the health and physical dangers of deep frying.
• Decanting Seed Oil: This last one is definitely a hacky workaround, but if you are still progressing to fully oil-free then it’s better than using refined oils. You can simply siphon/decant/skim the oil from the top surface of seed or nut butters like tahini or almond butter and reserve it for shallow frying. Again, this is not recommended for proper long-term WFPB eating without a lot of considerations.

How Can I Make French Fries & Other Oil Dependent Foods Oil-Free?

There are a lot of foods that are traditionally cooked with oil or other fats, usually fried foods, that we all get cravings for from time to time. Most of our guilty pleasures can be made oil-free with a few changes or less-known techniques.

You’ll want to still follow the general stiring and rotating/flipping instructions as listed in the Sautéing and Stir-Frying, Stovetop Baking & Roasting, or Regular Oven Baking & Roasting sections, since the same general stiring/flipping, and crowding techniques will apply here as well.

French Fries

See the full Easy Oil-Free French Fries on the Stovetop – No Baking recipe for full instructions and a video

Don’t bother soaking your cut potatoes to remove the starch unless they are Russets, Idaho potatoes, or Japanese sweet potatoes (white flesh purple skin) even then it’s all still optional, even discouraged since we want the starch to help brown.

Potato wedges are best because they only have three sides and are just generally awesome to eat, in my opinion.

First, take your cut fries and steam, boil, or even microwave your potatoes until they are fork-tender, then cool them down quickly in ice cold water to increase the resistant starch and lower the glycemic load. Once they are mostly dried, add the fries to a high to medium-high pre-heated seasoned pan or oven. Stir or flip when they are ready (the skin will tighten, and the top may sweat a bit, so the opposite of a dough or batter) then keep cooking until golden on all sides. When they are crispy they are ready, if they don’t release from the pan try waiting or turning up the heat a hair or two and giving the pot/pan a good couple of shakes.

With the potato wedges, I don’t cook the skin side since it gets cooked before and enough during the oil-less pan-frying and the pre-cooking but they still stay nice and soft on the skin and inside, which I like best.

Here are recipes for healthy WFPB Oil-Free condiments like ketchup, mustard, and relish (without potential dangers of pickling like colorectal cancer), or if you’re feeling adventurous there’s also Buffalo Hot Sauce, Cool Avocado Ranch, Cheese Powder, Cheese Sauce, Tzatziki, Sour Creamy Sauce or even Alfredo

An air fryer or convection oven are also great options, if you have them, for making almost every type of traditionally fried food.

Onion Rings

First, soften your onion slices in one of the ways suggested in the french fries above (steam, boil, or microwave).

For the batter, I suggest a similar technique as in the Mini Nuggets & Honey-less Mustard Salad recipe in which you toast the breading first, or you could try what I suggest for the tempura batter below, but I suggest pre-toasting the outer batter to save time.

With the toasting method I would dip my onion slices in vinegar (I like rice wine for breadings) and water mix (maybe with some nutritional yeast and garlic powder dissolved in it, and if you want a batter skin then a bit of ground up oat flour). Then toss the wet onions in the pan with the pre-toasted breading to get them all floured up.

Then add the vinegar and water mix, a few tablespoons at a time so it starts to clump while covering the rings so that the batter sticks to the onions, continuing to stir until the liquid is evaporated and all rings are coated in the breading and nice and crispy—you’ll need to lower the heat slowly to avoid overcooking the batter after all the liquid has been added.

Serve while warm. If you skipped over it the fries section has some suggested sauces and condiment suggestions that might interest you.

Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, or Peppers

Even without a seasoned pan or pot you can get some amazing dry-fried (no oil) mushrooms, ballpark onions, and bell peppers.

The main trick is high heat, not stiring too often, and deglazing as needed.

Mushrooms and onions/peppers are different as the mushrooms should be started first since they have so much liquid in them. I only add onions and/or peppers after the mushrooms all have some color on both sides and have cooked off a lot of the moisture in them.

Popcorn

Pop corn can be made just as good without oil, and just as fluffy‒I’ve had huge pillowy kernels from oil-free stovetop popcorn that are bigger than I’ve ever seen with oil.

The easiest way is to put the kernels in a paper bag, fold over the flap, and microwave until the popping stops—or until popcorn starts to spill out; use a larger bag just to be sure. But I know not everyone has or wants to use a microwave.

If the microwave is a no-go for you then the trick is to get as thick of a bottom pot as you have that has a lid and ideally a small vent hole in the lid but not a deal breaker if not. Put the covered pot on high heat and pre-heat it so it’s already very hot before adding your kernels.

Add your kernels and replace the lid while you keep shaking and swishing the pot every few seconds on the burner, do this the entire time while the poping ramps up until. When it finally slows back down to single pops every second or so. Then take the pot off the heat. That’s it, enjoy! It goes great with a movie!

Also make sure your kernels are fresh, if they are too old and dry they won’t have enough moisture inside to pop correctly.

Jalapeno Poppers and Mozza Sticks

See the Jalapeno Poppers Recipe on Substack

Tempura

Similar to the fries and onion rings recipe, we will again first soften our veggies by steaming, boiling, or microwaving, I’ll use sweet potato as an example.

After our sweet potatoes are fork tender we will create a wet batter and a dry batter. Both batters could consist of the same ingredients (see Mini Nuggets or Jalapeno Poppers for batter ideas) one with and one without the liquids. First, dampen your sweet potato with water or another liquid (acids) then into the dry mix, then the wet mix and into a seasoned pan or add additional coatings or dry then wet. Use a metal spatula to scoop up and flip the tempura when the first side is done. If the edges are still wet then lower the heat and partially cover with a lid until crispy.

Salad Dressings

Using ground oats, mustard seeds, other seeds, and things like tahini to create rich and creamy dressings in no time at all.

See some of the oil-free WFPB salads that I’ve made so far are Caesar (coming soon), Honey-less Mustard, Thousand Island Dressing, and Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Creamy Sauces & Soups

Use split peas, ground oats & seeds, and seed butter like tahini to make velvety thick, and satisfying sauces.

Check out the Quick & Creamy Split Pea Alfredo, Creamed Cabbage and Meatloaf, Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and 7 Minute Easy & Affordable Pesto By Hand

Flavored Oil Replacements (Sesame oil etc.)

Most of these should be good for at least 5 days in the fridge but probably longer. They are meant to replace the flavors of common oils, not the same properties. Using a sieve with any grinding will help to get a smoother texture by continuing to regrind anything that won’t pass through the sieve, but it’s not needed.

Sesame Oil

Lightly toast 4 tbsp of sesame seeds then grind them up into a powder. Add 2 tbsp tahini and add water, 1 tbsp at a time, while stiring until it is about the same consistency as sesame seed oil.

Unrefined Coconut Oil

A chef friend told me that ripe persimmons have a taste similar to coconut. I will inspect this and will report my findings and add a recipe if it works. I avoid coconut because it’s high in saturated fat which is a cause of heart disease (American Heart Association) and other diseases like diabetes (American Diabetes Association) and even dementia (National Health Service Meta Study, 2018). That being said, if you’re going to use it then use the actual coconut (not the oil or the milk, but the flesh) to cook with since it also has fiber and other nutrients that might help to offset some of the other less healthy aspects of it.

Olive Oil

Mix ¼ tsp tamarind with ⅛ tsp of tarragon with 1 tsp finely ground raw sunflower seeds (or sunflower butter in a pinch) and add water 1 tsp at a time while stiring until it resembles the consistency of olive oil.

Chili Oil

Cook 1 tbsp basil (2 tbsp fresh), ½ tsp chili flakes, ½ tbsp garlic, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, and 2 tbsp seed or a mild-tasting nut butter (I like tahini) with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tbsp white vinegar and 1.5 cups water, cook until it’s reduced and a similar consistency to a chili oil or a bit thinner.

Garlic Oil

Simply mix about a tablespoon of tahini or other seed or nut butter with 1 teaspoon or more of granulated garlic, and keep mixing with water. If you want something a lot better than that then roast—or even steam—garlic in a pot or the oven and use that instead. Just throw a whole head of garlic in a pot with a lid and cook on medium-low heat for about 20-25 minutes or until the cloves are very soft. Cut the top off—the opposite of the root end—and squeeze out the soft garlic and mix it with the tahini and water.

Truffle Oil

Truffles are expensive but if you can get your hands on them then I suggest using the real deal and just using shavings in whatever you’re cooking there, big spender. If you’re like the rest of us then real truffles are off the table. I suggest using ground-up dried mushrooms like shitake, then toasting the powder with a bit of cardamom powder, sage, and a hint of tarragon to mimic an artificial truffle oil.

Warning, this truffle oil recipe was “eyeballed” because I didn’t write it down or record the exact measurements when I first created it since it took me a few tries and I wasn’t sure I’d come up with anything. I will update when I’ve re-tested it and recorded it correctly, but for now, it’s roughly: 1 dried shitake mushroom, ⅛ tsp cardamom, ¼ tsp sage, ⅛ tsp tarragon. Grind all into a powder and toast until fragrant on a medium-low heat. Mix with 2-4 tablespoons tahini and mix in water slowly until it is the desired consistency and taste.

Additional or Important Tips, Tricks, and Hacks

Some extra tricks and hacks

• Stirring Timing: Most cooks stir the pot too soon before the food is ready to release. If your food sticks too frequently while cooking, then maybe try turning up the heat, just a hair, to counter this habit if you still can’t hold yourself back from trying to stir or flip food too frequently. That being said: don’t let the food burn either.
• Use Your Senses: Professional chefs on TV will tell you to always taste your food, but great chefs also always smell, touch, visually inspect, and listen to their food. The sound of a sizzle can tell you when it’s ready to stir, or the change from wet to dry looking can tell you when to flip the food, the smell can tell you if it’s ready to flip the food, and the touch can tell you all about the texture and a lot about what’s going on inside like if it’s cooked throughout.
• Prepare Mushrooms Wisely: Mushrooms should be washed before sautéing without oil. This adds additional liquid to them for sautéing and also allows them a quick steam, as the moisture quickly evaporates, before they are seared which pushes the liquid inside making them more tender and juicy on the inside. Mushrooms are different because even if we steam or boil the mushrooms we can always still brown them by cooking them longer.
• Ingredient Release: Ingredients like mushrooms, peppers, and even onions will release more and more liquid as they heat up, so avoid adding liquid until most of it is released, then you can add liquids to deglaze and they’ll sponge it all up.

Conclusion

Adopting oil-free cooking techniques can enhance your health without sacrificing flavor. By understanding the benefits of cooking without oil, debunking myths, and utilizing effective alternatives and cooking techniques, you can create wholesome, satisfying WFPB meals without ever missing oils again.

For Oil-Free recipe inspiration check out some of the other Oil-Free WFPB Recipes to see what else can be cooked without oil.