How to cook veg?

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crevtion
crevtion Posts: 72 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Seriously. Take carrots and brocolli for example. Should they be covered with a lid? Does the heat size matter? If they are soft does that mean I've cooked vitamins out of them? I don't want to eat them and not have the full benefits!!

Also any veggie recipes welcome :) I'm vegetarian :)

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    There are so many ways to prepare vegetables. Cooking style will enhance availability of some nutrients but mean you lose others and vice versa. I get around this by preparing things in various ways.

    There are many fantastic vegie based recipe sites and books that might benefit you.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
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    Don't overthink it. Prepare vegetables in a manner that you think tastes good - you'll eat them more. I like to gently sautee broccoli in some EVOO, garlic, ginger, and a splash of soy sauce. Cover it for a few minutes to steam.

    Have you just recently started a vegetarian diet?
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited May 2017
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    Boiling leaches nutrients from veggies, avoid it unless you are making something like a soup where you consume the liquid from the cooked vegetables. As far as preserving nutrients, the best technique is usually steaming. Soft vegetables are pretty gross, you probably should cook them until they are a nice firm texture.

    As far as your two specific examples are concerned, I like raw carrots, carrots in chicken soup, carrots in stir fry, and roasted carrots in the oven. To stir fry, cut them into strips, and cook over medium high heat with a little oil while stirring often enough to prevent burning, until they are the texture you prefer, usually about five minutes. Roasted carrots take longer: in a 400 degree oven, they take about thirty minutes. Put them on a baking sheet with a little oil (I use spray olive oil because it coats evenly) and some salt. I also use a touch of garam masala, which is an Indian spice mix. Check them occasionally and remove when they are starting to brown and get crispy/soft.

    Broccoli can be steamed by putting just a little water in a lidded pan and putting the broccoli in for about seven minutes. Or use a vegetable steamer. Or broccoli also steams well in the microwave - just wash it and don't remove the water from the florets and it will self-steam in about five minutes for a large bunch. Microwaving doesn't harm nutrient levels. It can also be stir-fried - just cut in smaller pieces so it cooks more quickly - or roasted, just toss with a little oil and put on a baking sheet.

    Most veggies can be stir-fried or sautéed, steamed, or roasted.
  • crevtion
    crevtion Posts: 72 Member
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    CorneliusPhoton wrote: »
    Don't overthink it. Prepare vegetables in a manner that you think tastes good - you'll eat them more. I like to gently sautee broccoli in some EVOO, garlic, ginger, and a splash of soy sauce. Cover it for a few minutes to steam.

    Have you just recently started a vegetarian diet?

    I eat loads of them and have been vegetarian for a while. I was at my aunt's though making myself some veggie soup and I didn't cover with a lid and she said im 'letting all the nutrients out'. So it made me want to check the facts haha
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
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    crevtion wrote: »
    CorneliusPhoton wrote: »
    Don't overthink it. Prepare vegetables in a manner that you think tastes good - you'll eat them more. I like to gently sautee broccoli in some EVOO, garlic, ginger, and a splash of soy sauce. Cover it for a few minutes to steam.

    Have you just recently started a vegetarian diet?

    I eat loads of them and have been vegetarian for a while. I was at my aunt's though making myself some veggie soup and I didn't cover with a lid and she said im 'letting all the nutrients out'. So it made me want to check the facts haha

    What was coming out was mostly water vapor. You'd have to look up the boiling point of each vitamin to know if they were being boiled off -- and THAT is assuming that they had actually somehow come out of the vegetable.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,969 Member
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    crevtion wrote: »
    CorneliusPhoton wrote: »
    Don't overthink it. Prepare vegetables in a manner that you think tastes good - you'll eat them more. I like to gently sautee broccoli in some EVOO, garlic, ginger, and a splash of soy sauce. Cover it for a few minutes to steam.

    Have you just recently started a vegetarian diet?

    I eat loads of them and have been vegetarian for a while. I was at my aunt's though making myself some veggie soup and I didn't cover with a lid and she said im 'letting all the nutrients out'. So it made me want to check the facts haha

    I would put a lid on when cooking soup or cooking veggies in water or steaming because it's more efficient (you're wasting energy and often time by letting the heat escape without a lid).

    If you like your veggies cooked in water (for most veggies, I prefer other methods), you can save the cooking water for making soup, or if it's a small amount, let it cool and drink it straight (traditionally known as pot liquor/likker) or mixed with tomato juice or V-8 style vegetable juice, if you're worried about wasting vitamins.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    crevtion wrote: »
    Seriously. Take carrots and brocolli for example. Should they be covered with a lid? Does the heat size matter? If they are soft does that mean I've cooked vitamins out of them? I don't want to eat them and not have the full benefits!!

    Also any veggie recipes welcome :) I'm vegetarian :)

    Broccoli and carrots are both good roasted. Mist with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with spices and put in the oven at 350 until tender.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    edited May 2017
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    All have their place.

    https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/oct/29/raw-carrots-good-cooked-bad-food-tastes

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/14673607/

    And take an auntie's advice with a grain of salt. Aunties like these are responsible for old wives tales.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    the last couple of years, in the warmer months, i've increasingly been tossing a bigger variety of veg onto the backyard grill.

    usually, they're in an open grill pan or foil grill platter with some minimum prep fuss such as EVOO or coconut oil (spray), salt and pepper, other or no spices as the mood suits; i then work them into a nice browned state.

    tonight, did something a little different ... made up "boy scout packets" (foil packets) with marinated cubed chicken breast (lemon-lime juice/zest with montreal seasoning and a dash of cayenne, EVOO) and assorted cut plain fresh veg (broccoli, asparagus. zucchini, green pepper, white onion, mushrooms) and got a nice steamed/grilled mix as a result. low-glycemic dinner and pretty low in calories. Made up separate packets for steak-fry-sized cut sweet potato to add a little bulk substance to the meal (separate due to presumed cooking time differences). tomato-cuke salad on the side. with the exception of the chicken, you can see there's a substantial plant-based component to this meal, if you're a vegetarian.

    i have to thank another mfp user who posted about "hobo packs" or "boy scout packs" on another thread the other day to remind me of this cooking technique. hadn't done it in a few years. forgot how easy and versatile it can be.
  • Macy9336
    Macy9336 Posts: 694 Member
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    mjbnj0001 wrote: »
    the last couple of years, in the warmer months, i've increasingly been tossing a bigger variety of veg onto the backyard grill.

    usually, they're in an open grill pan or foil grill platter with some minimum prep fuss such as EVOO or coconut oil (spray), salt and pepper, other or no spices as the mood suits; i then work them into a nice browned state.

    tonight, did something a little different ... made up "boy scout packets" (foil packets) with marinated cubed chicken breast (lemon-lime juice/zest with montreal seasoning and a dash of cayenne, EVOO) and assorted cut plain fresh veg (broccoli, asparagus. zucchini, green pepper, white onion, mushrooms) and got a nice steamed/grilled mix as a result. low-glycemic dinner and pretty low in calories. Made up separate packets for steak-fry-sized cut sweet potato to add a little bulk substance to the meal (separate due to presumed cooking time differences). tomato-cuke salad on the side. with the exception of the chicken, you can see there's a substantial plant-based component to this meal, if you're a vegetarian.

    i have to thank another mfp user who posted about "hobo packs" or "boy scout packs" on another thread the other day to remind me of this cooking technique. hadn't done it in a few years. forgot how easy and versatile it can be.

    There is a health hazard to wrapping your food in aluminium foil before cooking it. Some of the aluminium leaches into your food. They've found most people are over exposed to aluminium and that it is linked to Alzheimer's.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-conversation-africa/why-you-shouldnt-wrap-you_b_9622502.html
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/top-10-healthy-ways-to-cook-fruits-and-vegetables
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    Wrapping food in aluminum - no, its ok.

    http://www.alzheimer.ca/en/About-dementia/Alzheimer-s-disease/Risk-factors/Aluminum
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    Macy9336 and cross2bear:

    Thanks for your replies. I appreciate your time, effort and concern. Being over 60, I am certainly concerned about potential impacts or onset of Alzheimer's.

    I've worried about Aluminum in the past, and am now in the "most research shows a dubious correlation between Al and AD" camp based on my continuing review of the publications in this area. That being said, for "prudent insurance" purposes, I've previously gotten rid of most/all Al-surface cookware in the house. For the relatively few times per year I use foil-in-prolonged-intimate-contact-with-food cooking methods, I don't fret too much. The world is full of things much more likely to "get" me and my family and which require an active defense, including "cleaner" or better food choices/eating, especially "upping our game" with more plant foods in the diet.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Try baking or grilling in parchment (maybe wetted down) with a pat of butter. Then you won't have to worry about Alzheimer's but rather setting off the smoke detector.

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