how do you cook your vegetables?

[samy23]

I usually boil them in a pan on the hob, but I have tried cooking it in the microwave and have found only peas and sweetcorn seem to do well in there. Everything else seems too hard...

How do you cook yours?

[riaketty]

Stir-fry things like green beans. We do candied carrots a lot with brown sugar and butter. Losts of roasting/broiling. Salads, wilted spinach...

[velochic]

Vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, carrots, parsnips, squash (like butternut), etc. I roast in the oven. Just a little bit of S&P and olive oil (not extra-virgin) and a high oven. I do some starches this way, too (potatoes, for example).

Peas and corn might do well in the microwave because they're not vegetables.

Peas are legumes and they get a little bit of water with a lid. I do this with any bean that is cooked already (as opposed to dried). The water steams them and then when the lid is taken off, it evaporates. The only legume I do a bit differently is green beans. I saute those in olive oil with garlic and shallots.

Corn is a grain (so if we have corn, we won't have a starch, like potatoes, or other carbohydrate). I do the same thing with corn as I do peas if it is alone as a side dish (not very often here).

[sophiesgrandma]

I cook (steam) my broccoli and cauliflower in the microwave in a covered glass pyrex with a few tablespoons of water for 4 minutes and it comes out just the way I like it-a little firm. Of course do it longer if you like it softer. I also do kale, spinach and other veggies in there. Trial and error and you'll get it right.

[KristyDi]

Hard things like broccoli, asparagus and carrots can be steamed.

I also like to roast mushrooms, asparagus, potatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes in the oven with salt, pepper, olive oil and maybe some minced garlic or an herb (thyme and rosemary are favorites)

I saute summer squash, and zucchini with olive oil salt and pepper w/ a bit of paprika and minced garlic. Same for green beans, but no paprika.

I also grill peppers, onions, asparagus, and mushrooms. Again with olive oil, salt and pepper.

[Alyantavid]

Let's see...

potatoes - roasted, fries (baked in the oven), mashed, baked or any type of casserole-ish thing.

broccoli/cauliflower - either steamed or roasted

corn - canned corn, I microwave; corn on the cob I just boil until it's done

green beans - canned, in the microwave again; fresh or frozen I roast either with or without bacon and onions

zucchini - fried, baked, stir fried with onions

asparagus - roasted

carrots - roasted or baked with honey and butter

You can stir fry or grill almost any veggie.

[BetsyS]

I don't microwave any food--ours if for reheating only. Sort of odd now that I think about it. But, it is what it is.

I roast a lot of veggies, if we're grilling, then I throw stuff on the grill. I stir-fry a lot of veggies. I especially like greens stir-fried in a bit of oil with garlic and red pepper flakes. I steam some occasionally. Sometimes I like greens slow cooked (boiled) when we can then drink the pot likker from them. I like green beans really slow cooked as well (though I'll eat them squeaky or roasted).

I add a lot of veggies to one-dish meals. Curries, soups, stews, that sort of thing. Last night, we had burritos with roasted potatoes, stir-fried collards, and then some raw stuff (onions, cilantro, jalapenos). I usually add a jar of tomatoes and/or frozen spinach to everything we eat.

We eat a fair amount raw, especially in the summer, when everything is beautiful and fresh.

I fry fry (as opposed to stir fry) a few things as a special treat once every summer--a huge fatty meal of fried okra, fried eggplant, and fried green tomatoes. Yum!

[lakeruby]

I do lots of stir-frying and sauteeing. But steaming on the stove or in a bamboo steamer is also great! Roasting is my favorite way to eat veggies but it's too hot here in the summer to use the oven like that...

[Ola_]

Some veggies get stir-fried in a pan (usually only if we're actually making a stir-fry though). We do some on the stove with a steamer insert. But mostly it's seasonal - in hot weather we grill them, in cold weather we roast them.

[riaketty]

Originally Posted by velochic

Vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, carrots, parsnips, squash (like butternut), etc. I roast in the oven. Just a little bit of S&P and olive oil (not extra-virgin) and a high oven. I do some starches this way, too (potatoes, for example).
..

Curious, why not? That's all we use...

[samy23]

When you say steam do you mean in the mircowave?

Things like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower I try in the microwave but they are always too hard...or if I do them even longer than recommended, they go all dried out.

The only veg I have roasted is potatoes...I didn't realise it was so common for others to be roasted, guess I should try that.

[Alyantavid]

Originally Posted by samy23

When you say steam do you mean in the mircowave?

Things like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower I try in the microwave but they are always too hard...or if I do them even longer than recommended, they go all dried out.

The only veg I have roasted is potatoes...I didn't realise it was so common for others to be roasted, guess I should try that.

I steam broccoli and cauliflower in the microwave. Just put in a bowl, add some water and plastic wrap it. Cook until it's just soft and drain the water.

I like veggies roasted much better than steamed, but if I'm short on time, I do steam in the microwave.

[cristeen]

I roast, steam or sautee/stir fry. That's it. And I don't have/use a microwave. So when I say steam, I have a steam pan that I use.

I don't boil any vegetable, even potatoes, unless I'm planning on preserving them (pickling, freezing, canning, etc.).

[velochic]

Originally Posted by riaketty

Curious, why not? That's all we use...

The smoke point of extra virgin olive oil (depending on the exact oil) starts at about 350*F. I roast higher than that. When oil reaches its smoke point, it starts decomposing and as the temperature increases, it's flavor also deteriorates. Olive oil has a higher smoke point (above 400*F... I can't remember exactly).

[samy23]

Originally Posted by cristeen

I don't boil any vegetable, even potatoes, unless I'm planning on preserving them (pickling, freezing, canning, etc.).

So you don't eat mashed potatoes?

velochic I don't put olive oil in with things that are cooking, I definately noticed the oil started tasting bad when it was heated.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by samy23

So you don't eat mashed potatoes?

Sure. Love em. But I steam my potatoes first. Or pan fry them. Or roast them. Or bake them. That way I'm not boiling away my nutrients, nor am I water-logging my potatoes. They're also harder to overcook with steaming.

[riaketty]

Originally Posted by velochic

The smoke point of extra virgin olive oil (depending on the exact oil) starts at about 350*F. I roast higher than that. When oil reaches its smoke point, it starts decomposing and as the temperature increases, it's flavor also deteriorates. Olive oil has a higher smoke point (above 400*F... I can't remember exactly).

Hm. Good to know.

[ollyoxenfree]

I use a few different techniques

Steam - I use a steam basket in a saucepan.

Saute - with a little olive oil, and some seasoning

Stir Fry - I think stir fry is different than saute, because I usually use a sauce too - soy and black bean sauce or hoisin or something similar.

Roast

Grill

Crudite - often I don't cook veg. at all - just cut them up and serve them raw.

[artemis33]

I toss them with fat (usually bacon fat or butter/ghee, sometimes olive oil) and either roast them in the oven or saute/pan fry. Harder veggies like potatoes and carrots I parboil first.

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by samy23

When you say steam do you mean in the mircowave?

Things like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower I try in the microwave but they are always too hard...or if I do them even longer than recommended, they go all dried out.

I use one of these: steamer insert, in a pot on the stove with a bit of water under it (not so much that it touches the steamer insert, but enough that it doesn't boil dry). I've done broccoli in there often, the key IMO is to take it out when they turn a very bright green and before they overcook.

The only veg I have roasted is potatoes...I didn't realise it was so common for others to be roasted, guess I should try that.

I think all root veg are yummy roasted because it brings out the sugars in them. Onions are excellent roasted (cut them into medium size chunks), potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, etc. I usually toss the cut up veggies in a bowl, mix with a bit of olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and a dried spice (say basil or rosemary). Yummy!