Pre-cutting your veggies

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badtastebetty
badtastebetty Posts: 326 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'd like to start cutting my veggies in advance so they are easy to grab all week long. I'm curious if anyone has experience doing this with yams, and squash. Do they dry out? Should I store them in a bit of water?

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  • badtastebetty
    badtastebetty Posts: 326 Member
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    bump
  • amyann2
    amyann2 Posts: 69 Member
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    I don't have anything to back this up, but I'm pretty sure I've read that cut veggies tend to lose some nutritional value over time. So I try to cut the night before for lunches, but no earlier than that.

    That said, when I do cut ahead (even if just the night before), I store in a tight container with a half paper towel (the non-bleached kind) to soak up excessive moisture. This keeps the veggies from getting that "slimy" feel.

    I don't usually have a problem with the veggies drying out too much.
  • Jchambers1130
    Jchambers1130 Posts: 173 Member
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    I don't have anything to back this up, but I'm pretty sure I've read that cut veggies tend to lose some nutritional value over time. So I try to cut the night before for lunches, but no earlier than that.

    That said, when I do cut ahead (even if just the night before), I store in a tight container with a half paper towel (the non-bleached kind) to soak up excessive moisture. This keeps the veggies from getting that "slimy" feel.

    I don't usually have a problem with the veggies drying out too much.

    Only thing to the paper towel deal is wouldn't you be losing the water from the veggies and fruits that help you feel fuller longer? I can't imagine them getting slimy after one night.
  • badtastebetty
    badtastebetty Posts: 326 Member
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    If you're worried about the nutitional value decreasing in food, the same can be said for cooking, travel time, and the soil they grow in. I'm more concerned with saving time :)

    I don't have a concern with many veggies, except starchy vegetables like yams, and potatoes as I know they do tend to dry out. I've cut some up and stored them in a bit of water, so we'll see how they are when I go to cook them up tonight.
  • amyann2
    amyann2 Posts: 69 Member
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    Only thing to the paper towel deal is wouldn't you be losing the water from the veggies and fruits that help you feel fuller longer? I can't imagine them getting slimy after one night.

    Cucumber is probably the one that can feel slimy the quickest, since it's mostly water anyway. But in any case, I don't think the paper towel absorbs much from the veggies -- just a little from the surface. The paper towel is damp but not sopping.
  • amyann2
    amyann2 Posts: 69 Member
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    If you're worried about the nutitional value decreasing in food, the same can be said for cooking, travel time, and the soil they grow in. I'm more concerned with saving time :)

    Fair enough! I have cut up some veggies in advance if I'm going to be cooking them anyway. I've never had a problem with any drying out particularly.
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
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    I do the paper towel trick with cut up vegetables and fresh herbs! I think it helps.

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