27 Tips You Need When Cooking With Vegetables

If we had a dollar every time someone told us to eat our vegetables, we'd all be able to afford private chefs who would free us from having to learn how to cook them well ourselves. But alas, most of us have to tackle this task on our own. Cooking with vegetables at home can certainly be daunting, with so many different textures, flavors, and techniques to consider. So whether you're a novice or a veteran plant-based eater, you can always benefit from a few tips to get the most out of your veggie-centric meals.

We've compiled some tips you need when cooking with vegetables — from understanding the importance of staples and how to store them to the basic techniques of cooking and seasoning, and finally, to some creative ideas for substituting, mixing, and roasting vegetables. Whether you're looking for ways to add flavor or make your meals healthier, these tips will help you create vibrant, nutritious plant-forward dishes. So don't be intimidated; get creative, and explore the world of vegetable cooking.

As delicious as fresh produce is, it's also highly perishable. To get the most out of your vegetables while cutting down on food waste, you need to avoid common storage mistakes. To do so, learn which vegetables are sensitive to temperature, humidity, and ethylene gas, and don't cramp them all up in your crisper drawer. Additionally, don't wash or cut your vegetables unless you intend to eat them soon to avoid spoilage. Finally, make sure to eat the oldest produce first and try to use up wilted or overripe vegetables instead of throwing them out.

Having a good set of knives and utilizing them correctly can make veggie prep quicker and more enjoyable. As a rule of thumb, use a paring knife for precision cuts and an all-purpose chef knife for the rest. Once you pick the right knife, don't make the dangerous mistake of letting it dull. While it might seem counterintuitive, a sharp knife is safer to use, as it slices through produce more effortlessly, minimizing cutting risk. To test the sharpness of your knife, cut a tomato or an onion and look for signs of resistance and skin pull.

The concept of root-to-stalk cooking celebrates components of vegetables that are usually discarded, like stalks, tops, ribs, and stems. By using whole vegetables instead of the most commonly eaten parts, you can lower food waste and tap into your culinary ingenuity. Among the foods you need to stop throwing out and start cooking with are herb and vegetable stems, peels and scraps, spent corn cobs, and root vegetable tops. All could be used to make sauces, stocks, pickles, and drinks; some can even be regrown!

Overcrowding the pan is one of the most common mistakes home cooks make with vegetables. You want them to cook quicker, so add a lot at once; they release fluids and steam instead of browning and getting crispy, and you get a soggy mess instead of a well-cooked meal. Sounds all too familiar? Then try cooking veggies in smaller batches. It might seem tedious, but it's worth it: this way, you ensure even cooking and proper caramelization. The same rule applies to steaming vegetables and roasting potatoes. Give them space, and the result will be much more enjoyable!

Another way to ensure your vegetables cook properly is to cut them into pieces of the same size. Of course, different vegetables have different cooking times, but dicing, slicing, or mincing them uniformly can help even those out. While it's tempting to wing it, especially if you don't have the knife skills that would allow you to prep all your veggies efficiently, paying attention to how you cut your vegetables will make them taste better. Surface area and cut size matter, as they will influence how quickly veggies cook and infuse the dish with flavor.

Oils play a big part in a dish's taste, so choosing the right oil for the job is crucial. With over a dozen types of cooking oil out there, the decision-making process can get overwhelming. However, the most important thing to consider after the oil's flavor is its smoke point.

Olive oil starts to smoke in the 375 F to 475 F range, while coconut oil has a smoke point of 450 F, making it ideal for frying. The more accessible vegetable oils (such as canola or sunflower) smoke at 400 F to 450 F and work well when you need large quantities for deep-frying.

When it comes to seasoning your vegetables, start simple: you'll be amazed at what the right amount of salt can do to a dish. Next, explore herbs and spices, which elevate vegetable flavors. "Blooming," or frying the spices in oil before using them, brings them to the next level.

However, seasoning veggies is all about timing. When steaming or boiling, add salt to the water first to flavor vegetables evenly. With other cooking methods, add it gradually and sample as you go. Tough herbs should be included early on, so their flavor has enough time to spread, while delicate ones should be added last.

Roasting is undoubtedly one of the best ways to cook vegetables. For one, it requires minimal effort and no equipment beyond a decently warmed-up oven and a sheet pan. With some oil and basic seasoning, you can turn bland raw vegetables into caramelized perfection. That is, of course, if you consider their positioning in the oven.

Let us introduce the hard roasting technique. Essentially that means placing your uniformly cut, well-seasoned vegetables to roast on the oven floor. Directly engaging with the oven's heating element will help them develop a browned crust while staying soft inside.

While seasonal produce is considered the healthiest and most flavorful, sometimes you find yourself craving tomatoes or green peas in the middle of winter. At times like this, canned and frozen vegetables should be your go-to options. Not only are they accessible and convenient to use, but their long shelf life is an undeniable advantage over perishable produce.

Regarding health benefits, frozen vegetables retain more nutrients than canned, as they are less processed. Nevertheless, you should always keep a can of tomatoes in your pantry, as they are superior in flavor to fresh tomatoes out of season.

Fresh vegetables are full of phytonutrients that lend them vibrant colors. Chlorophyll is one of them, responsible for all shades of green. Unfortunately, cooking often drains vegetables of color, but that's preventable.

Chlorophyll is sensitive to acid and exposure to heat and can be preserved by speedy cooking in alkaline conditions. So to avoid discoloration in your veggies, briefly blanch green vegetables in enough salted boiling water with a pinch of baking soda and give them an ice bath right after to stop the cooking. Using copper cookware could also be helpful, as it will hinder the breakdown of chlorophyll.

No matter what its name implies, baking soda is a uniquely versatile ingredient beyond dough and batter. Two common ways to apply it in your vegetable cooking rely on the chemical reactions it creates when interacting with other ingredients.

First, baking soda creates an alkaline environment when added to the cooking water, which helps your vegetables stay perfectly green. Secondly, it can speed up the Maillard reaction and help caramelized onions cook faster by changing the pH. Whichever way you use it, only add a pinch, or it might negatively affect the end flavor.

Unless you're a pro at the root-to-stalk method, cooking with vegetables inevitably results in leftover odds and ends that you might need to learn how to repurpose. For example, leftover kale stems can be used in multiple ways — pickled, sautéed, blended into smoothies, pesto, and dips, to name a few. Overripe tomatoes can be roasted to perfection, according to Jamie Oliver. If you ever cook too many vegetables and grow tired of the monotony of eating them as they are, repurpose them! For instance, try one of a dozen ways to use leftover mashed potatoes, like gnocchi or waffles.

Frozen produce is a low-maintenance way to include more vegetables into your diet, as it usually comes peeled, cut, and washed, meaning you can skip the prep. Using them in a soup or a stir-fry is a no-brainer, but what about roasting frozen vegetables? Turns out, you can treat them as fresh vegetables — there's no need to thaw beforehand; season them well and place them in a 450 F oven for about half an hour, flipping halfway. If you'd like frozen veggies to char, heat some oil in the pan first, and then add your frozen vegetable mix.