There are already a few questions on cooked vegetables on Seasoned Advice. I want to know the best way to cook them straight from the freezer to maintain nutrients. I normally put lots of water in a cooking bowl and boil them for a long time. My wife thinks this loses the nutrients.
Is defrosting them on a pan with a small amount of butter and letting them slowly cook actually helping? Are there any other methods to maintain the nutrients as best as possible for frozen vegetables?
- For frozen asparagus I pan cook it very lightly once defrosted with salt and pepper.
- For broccoli I place it in a pan with water and boil it.
Is steam cooking better, or microwaving? I don't have a microwave as I don't believe in radiating food.
Best Answer
What you want to avoid is where you leave lots of liquid behind.
When you're boiling, water soluble nutrients (eg minerals, vitamins B) will be leached out.
If you cook it slowly in fat (oil, butter, etc.), but it's so much that it's a puddle left behind, you might be losing fat soluble vitamins (eg, vitamins A, D, E)
Cooking at too high of a heat can also break down nutrients into other compounds ... but it's a trade-off, as cooking breaks down cell walls and makes them more bio-available.
...
Personally, I tend to look at flavor, not just nutrients, as if it doesn't taste good, you're not going to eat it, and then you won't get any nutrients.
So, I'd recommend a 'steam-sauté' method:
For fresh vegetables, I'll sauté first, then steam. (and for brocolli, I saute the sliced up stems before adding the florets)