PLAYA DEL RAY, CA / May 5, 2020 / There are vegan and cruelty-free swaps you can make to turn any recipe into an animal-friendly one. Reichen Kuhl urges those quarantined to consider their ingredients carefully.
Animal rights proponent and long-time supporter of PETA, Reichen Kuhl, wants you to take a closer look at the ingredients of your food. “Often, the butter and milk you use – even your baking soda – comes at the cost of animal rights. Conditions on many dairy farms are deplorable – the focus is on production, not on the health and well-being of the animals, which are unfortunately not seen as a living, breathing beings who feel pain and fear exactly as humans do. Think about that. You’ll begin to see farms that raise animals for what they are–prisons for those who have done nothing wrong.”
Many foods are also tested on animals in labs in painful, unthinkable experiments most people are surprised to find out that even baking soda is often tested on animals. “Check out the PETA website for information on which brands you can safely and conscientiously buy,” Reichen suggests. Luckily, there are many animal-friendly options available today. There are dozens of varieties of high-quality vegan butter that you can use to replace dairy butter in your recipes. “Nut butters, coconut oil, applesauce, and mashed bananas are all excellent alternatives that don’t come with the guilt of supporting exploitative companies,” says Kuhl.
Reichen further reminds us that – “Dairy farms artificially inseminate their cows to keep them producing milk and then literally steal their babies away from them the moment they’re born. This is akin to intentionally afflicting mental torture on the mother and the calf. The only way to break the cycle is to stop using their products.”
Check your recipe for how eggs or butter are used, and compare this to the suggested use of the type of non-animal substitute you’ll be using. The best way to make animal-friendly ingredient substitutions work – and taste good – is to customize them to the recipe you’re using.
For instance, if butter is being used to saute vegetables, you can replace butter from tortured animals with almost any other kind of oil. Olive oil is a good, neutral choice while coconut oil or walnut oil can add a different flavor profile to your dish. Reichen Kuhl says he loves avocado oil, himself.
Reliable egg alternatives have also existed for decades, as people have long attempted to cut back on cholesterol. Commercial egg replacers, silken tofu, ground flaxseeds, and arrowroot powder can all act as binding agents in baking and replace eggs pretty comparably. “When you refuse to buy their products and support their systems, you’re sending a message,” says Reichen. “And if enough people send that message, that we’re not okay with the mass torture of living beings for food, we can make a real and lasting change.”
About cruelty-free cooking and baking Reichen Kuhl says, “It’s a challenge at first. You have to make it fun – make substituting a creative game. And if you get discouraged, remember that you’re doing it for your animal friends. Literally, every time you make a choice away from an animal product, you’re making a difference for at least one animal trapped in a prison in unthinkable conditions.”
In a closing statement, Reichen reminds us, “Animals are not ours. The earth is not ours. We should share it compassionately.”
