Why do Brits boil everything ?

[Lotc]

I’m European but not British. I have to say the way you guys cook (vegetables in particular) ie boiling everything) really isn’t for me. It just makes everything so bland even if you add butter and salt after. Carrots especially. Why not roast or lightly sautee in a pan with some olive oil? My husband boils everything. I’ve never seen anything like it. Why boil carrots? Same as ILs. The first time I met ILs we had poached chicken. It’s so weird to me. Is it a health thing?

Cold-pressed olive oil is very good for you, I think?

The only thing boiled here is salad potatoes, which are then salted and buttered and herbed... And black tea. Oh, and boiled eggs, lol.

I disagree. Steaming takes longer so it’s easier to end up with mush. With most veg a minute after they boil they are ready.

Well... you clearly over steam them then.

Ours are al dente, like I said. We wouldn't eat mushy veg. 😂 I've seen a lot of random bickering on Mumsnet but never had someone try to tell me how I cook and consume my veg before.

Where it takes longer it makes them easier to forget about. I also hate mush but get it more often from steaming than boiling personally. That said I prefer having them all over one pan. Boiled veg can also be al dente….. if they aren’t left in too long.

Fresh Jersey royals boiled with mint in with butter melted over them are delicious, roasting fresh new potatoes spoils them. It takes the fresh taste away

If you want ridiculously fast cauliflower cheese, buy frozen cauliflower. The only downside is that you don't get to munch on raw florets and there are no lovely crisp leaves to slice and add for extra freshness and a different texture.

Swede.

I mean, I am sure you can roast it if you want to and it would be quite nice. But mashed swede is a lovely thing. As is mashed potato

Said no one ever!

The first time I met ILs we had poached chicken. It’s so weird to me. Is it a health thing?
I don't know because people don't really eat poached meat in Britain. Just your weird family.
What country are you from?

My Mother used to boil up my Dad's hankies in a pan on top of the gas cooker ! YUCK 🤢

Why is everyone being so defensive. We do boil a lot of vegetables in the UK. Im not that keen either, OP. I always try to roast veg rather than boil it but my husband prefers it boiled, as in the default should be boiled. It makes veg mushy and watery in my opinion. Having said that, how else do you cook peas?

But nobody poaches meat in the UK. That's always roasted.

I steam mine. I don't want my vegetables roasted or cooked in butter/oil. I like them to taste of what they are and nothing else. And I'm not even in the UK!

I steam or roast. The only veg I boil are peas , older broad beans ( young fresh broad beans and indeed peas, are delicious raw) and sweet corn. But broadly I would say you are right, especially of the older generation.

The only thing I would disagree with is poached chicken ( or fish) . Done in stock with aromatics and gentle spices, it can be absolutely delicious.

It’s a very interesting question. The same complaint was made of British cooking in the 19th c !

More recently, olive oil for cooking was unheard of in this country until the 50s when people started to travel abroad again post war, and the 60s with the influence of Elizabeth David and the Roux brothers. It was largely used for medicinal purposes only before that. And butter of course was very expensive, and rationed well into the 50s. In contrast to say France, the population of England was and is, largely urban with the historical lack of access to good fresh food. Now of course anything is available from anywhere, which is both good and bad.

Generalising wildly I would say the traditional British palate was somewhat unadventurous with a preference for the bland. Possibly influenced, as someone pointed out by the very basic and often shared and limited cooking facilities in urban slums. This is of course changing radically with immigration and globalisation, worldwide travel bringing influences from all corners of the globe, and the popularity of food programmes on TV.

I vividly remember my first taste of good French food in Brittany aged about six, in the early 70s. An absolute revelation for all the senses. I have been a food lover and Francophile ever since.

The British palate is not bland. We have been using spices in our food for centuries.

It's disagreement more than defensiveness, I think. Pointing out that her opinion is a nonsense.

Yes, I forgot to include steaming in my list of normal cooking methods.

I'm curious about OP's origins.
Is it a country that boils a flour & water paste that tastes of nothing until it's smothered in a sauce that actually has a flavour ?
Or a country that makes famous casseroles - called stews where I come from - i.e. slowly boiled meat & veg ? 😀

The scorn for boiled potatoes reminded me of some aspiring-posh Americans who are so keen to stress that they have no Irish blood that they repudiate the spud.

But it seems unlikely that they'd attack the British on that basis.

Me too. Retains the flavour and nutrients. I would only roast if I had lots of time....more on a weekend

I sometimes parboil vegetables because i dont like them too undercooked. If I'm making mashed potatoes I definitely boil them as its easier to mash. I think some people just over cook. Ive eaten boiled vegetables that are really nice. Cooked just right.

We have boiled puddings too op. And steamed, too, if we really want variety. Yum.

Absolutely right.
Don't generalise. We aren't all the same.
I steam my veg. It's much tastier

My husband is Dutch, so European. He doesn't cook much but his family boil all their veg to oblivion. Everything completely overcooked, mush. Not good.