DIY -- Basic Cooking Vegetables

Most people who "don't like vegetables" never ate them properly cooked.

Close your microwaves.  You can cook vegetables right, FASTER, in some boiling water.

The trick is that you use no more than 1/2 cup of water per serving of vegetables.  1/3 cup is probably better.

1 serving of frozen vegetables
1/3 cup water
small saucepan with a lid

Put the water in the saucepan, set the burner on high.
When the water boils, put the vegetables in and turn the burner down to 2 1/2.  Put the lid on.
Do something for no more than 10 minutes and then dish up the vegetables.

What most people know is, fill the saucepan with water leaving enough room for the vegetables, then boil for 20 minutes or something.  The vegetables turn out a dead-ish color and mushy. 

The way I'm telling you, the vegetables are somewhat bright colored and al dente.

You can't do this in the microwave.  It takes at least 15 minutes.  Read the instructions on the bag of frozen vegetables.  They admit it.  This is why vegetables in restaurants are so often woody.  The color may be bright, but they are woody because the vegetable chef throws them in the microwave 10 minutes before the plate is brought to the table.  That's not long enough. 

If this happens to you, send the vegetables back and tell the server why you're doing it.  If enough people do this, the restaurants will catch on.  If they serve vegetables.  Which most of them don't, except for salad.  Which isn't good enough.  All the experts in eating right say so.  Rant over.

© Patricia Jo Heil, 2013-2018 All Rights Reserved