how do you cook your vegetables?

[etwahl]

i feel like i don't know what i'm doing when it comes to vegetables. sure i can stir-fry veggies, otherwise i end up cooking them in the microwave with water. but i know that's not the ideal way to cook them (to retain the maximum vitamins).

but i swear i don't know how to steam veggies. do i need a special pot?

what are the best/different ways to cook vegetables?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[Jacksonvol]

I got a plug in steamer as a wedding present and have used it twice. I use a combo steamer/pasta pot I got at Williams-Sonoma for most of the steaming. My biggest discovery is that my grocery, Krogers, is now selling veggies in plastic bags. You can pierce the bags with a fork and microwave for 4-5 mins. a little more expensive, but what a time saver. It shaved a considerable amount of my favorite lemon-dill green bean dish. I like Southern Living for veggie ideas. I also like to grill cut up veggies (peppers, squash, etc.) ala kababs.
Frankly, I am not a veggie fan and I am just not as motivated to cook them and when I was growing up Mom deep fried everything! Now that i have a child, I feel like I need to model better eating habits!

[egoldber]

You need a steamer insert. You can get an inexpensive one like this:

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=159354
(you can get them for around $5 at Bed Bath & Beyond)

or you can get a steamer insert that matches with one of your sauce pans. I have this one (that I got free once as a bonus):

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=100267

Just fill the saucepan with an inch or so of water, add the insert, then add the veggies. Bring the water to a boil, cover and steam until desired degree of doneness. Its actually very quick and easy.

HTH,

[sadie427]

A steamer inset is cheaper and fine, but I found I steam more often when I got a pot with a glass lid and a steamer insert--something like $25 at Crate and Barrel. You can watch it cook while you're cooking other dishes on the stove. Almost anything tastes good steamed with a little lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper--baby carrots from the bag are easy, green beans are good, broccoli etc. Just steam until it looks bright and is tender, dump the water out of the bottom of the pot, put the veggies back w/ the lemon, salt pepper and butter and stir!

A good veggie cookbook (also kind of expensive, but I use it every week even though I'm not a vegetarian) is Deborah Madison's "World of Vegetarian Cooking"--it has a short chapter for almost every veggie, with a few recipe ideas, general tips on what to look for in selecting the veggie, and ideas for different ways to cook it. It has regular vegetarian main course dishes too, but the chapters on how to cook each veggie is what I use the most. HTH!

[vpalmer]

My favorite way to eat veggies in roasted in the oven. Any combo works great, but I especially love asparagus, red bell pepper, squash and zucchini. Drizzle with a little olive oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and bake for about 15 minutes at about 400 degrees (or to the doneness you prefer and you have an easy and yummy veggie. ;)

Veronica
Mom to Eva
Born on 6-12-03

[August Mom]

I have a Black & Decker electric vegetable steamer that I use all the time. It's one of my favorite kitchen appliances. You simply put a small amount of water in the bottom, put the vegetables that you want to steam in the main compartment, add the lid and set the timer for the amount of time for your vegetable suggested by the manual or the chart on the side of the steamer. I almost always get perfect results.

I also like to roast vegetables in the oven. You can either toss them in olive oil and herbs and roast on a jelly roll pan or smaller pan at 425 - 450 degrees until they start to blister a bit. Or, if you have a cedar plank, vegetables are great roasted at 350 degrees on that.

[sweetbasil]

I got a tupperware steamer for a wedding present and didn't use it for the first 5 years...once I took it out of the box, though, I love it! Same deal as the others- fill the bottom w/some water, put the strainer on top, add veggies, then season.

I drizzle a little olive oil over the top, crush some black pepper, slice a clove of garlic or so, maybe add some italian seasoning, microwave for 6-10 min (depending on servings, etc.) and voila- yummy!