Cooking Vegetables in Water

Edible Exercises

To really understand how salt plays such an important role in vegetable cookery, cook about 5 small, same-size pieces of broccoli (florets) in unsalted, boiling water until tender. Once done, chill in an ice bath, then remove and set aside. Next, season the water with about 1 teaspoon of table salt per liter and cook 5 more broccoli florets until tender. Chill in the ice bath. Once cool, remove and do a taste test. Notice how the flavor is enhanced.

Now, let’s move on to understanding length of cooking time and how it tremendously affects vegetables (especially green vegetables). Add a handful of green beans (10-15) to the salted, boiling water and set a timer. After about 3 minutes, remove one bean and shock it in the ice bath. Continue to cook the beans, removing one bean as each minute passes. Chill in the ice bath and line up the beans from the shortest cooking time to the longest. Once done, have a look at the color of the beans. You’ll notice how prolonged cooking greatly affects the color of the beans. Go through the line up and taste each bean, noting the flavor and texture of each. Once you know what to look for and the texture you prefer, you’ll know how to cook and test many types of vegetables.

Try a few of the recipes below. Pay particular attention to the cooking methods. Harder vegetables are usually simmered if they are being cooked through. Some vegetables are parboiled and finished with another cooking method. Once you understand how to apply each cooking method, you’ll be more organized in the kitchen as there are some preparations that can be done well in advance and finished later.

Practice Recipes