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?

trust me OP the Spanish love to boil their veg 🤣🤣 when my friend cooks for me its boiled to death but still I'll eat it because the thought was there.

Some people must be boiling their food otherwise why are boiling water taps a “game changer “ according to the kitchen must haves threads on here, I doubt they are solely used for making a cup of tea. I boil carrots, broccoli, green beans and potatoes, I don’t want my vegetables covered in salt, oil, herbs, garlic or whatever, I like vegetables to taste like vegetables and just because olive oil is good for you, drenching them in oil adds huge amounts of calories, if people actually measured their so called “drizzle” they would be shocked.

Your parents are over-steaming their veg if they're going like that!

No boiling here... Roast, air fry, or steam mostly. Your DH and his family are the exception, not the rule

I thought boiling water taps WERE largely for making hot drinks, so you don’t have to boil a kettle?

Exactly. The OP has lumped everyone into the same boat.

If you aint boiling your potatoes how are you getting a lovely creamy mash with your Sunday lunch? And the par-boiling them to before roasting to get lovely fluffy roasties? What about your swedes to mash with lovely cream and butter, are you toasting your peas? I par-boil carotts to roast with honey, if i dont have time i boil the carrots too and mash ‘em up as well 😂 I roast meat though… not boil..

I do love a boiled ham or Bodice(not the wearing kind) mmmmmmmm, the longer it stays boiling the more tender it is, delicious

Actually i take back my statement about not boiling meat, ham- yes. Also carrots boiled in star anise are the best 👌

Everyone keeps saying "boiled to within an inch of it's life" or "boiled to death".

Just lightly boil veg so it stays crisp and tastes like veg, not garlic.

Carrots and Cabbage boiled in with the ham, the ultimate seasoning 😌

My mum used to boil dumplings in with the ham, @MyMilchick - they were lovely with parsley sauce!

mmmmmmmmm dumplings

Brits, and other people who know how to cook, boil or poach some things because it is a good way to bring out their flavours and control the temperature and timing.

Honestly it is a permissable way of cooking vegetables/food.

Cooking everything in butter or oil (or adding it when serving) is not heart healthy. Boiling veg is fine so long as you don't over cook it so it becomes wet and mushy. You can also air fry, roast using an oil free marinade or saute in water or stock.

yum

Pressure cookers, so steaming, have been a household staple for many decades and that's always how my Mum has cooked vegetables.

Nothing wrong with boiling, although we do also roast them. You can teach your DH to other methods. Xx

That sounds like a ‘you’ problem

I live in Scotland where we are known to deep-fry everything (I don't).
I boil eggs, pasta, rice, new potatoes, and potatoes for potato salad or mash. Unless I am doing a stir-fry or a tray bake, almost all other veg is steamed either in the microwave or on top of a pot if my steamer fits the pot I am using (swede goes whole into the microwave for "singing swede"). I have never boiled meat other when I am cooking mince or stew when the cooking liquid is destined for the plate as part of the meal and I will poach fish in either milk (for fish pie, when the milk becomes part of the sauce) or water (when the water will be used to cook the rice for kedgeree).

I have only known two people who boiled chicken.
MIL's mum would boil a chicken on a Saturday. The resulting stock would be used with veg and some of the meat for soup for Sunday lunch and the rest of the meat was the main course for Sunday lunch
The second was someone whose parents were Chinese, although living in Scotland, and the thought of roasting a chicken was anathema to her and them.

Only time I ever boiled Chicken was to feed to a puppy. I boil ham, bodice, spiced beef and beef/lamb in stews so a fair amount of meat really

That’s possibly because of the change in poultry production. Years ago, old egg production hens were killed and sold as boiling chicken. Poor things. They were older, larger and had more flavour. There’s an art to cooking such a bird that’s well known across many countries, or used to be eg Poule au Pot, Pollo Bollito, Tavuk Haşlama; it’s a staple of every country that keeps chickens, which must be most of them.

So I can only assume that the OP if genuine, which I highly doubt, has limited culinary experience.

Ah interesting

We don't, but boradly speaking, Britain is blessed with a mild and lush climate that results in very high quality fresh produce that doesn't need embellishment. Steamed fresh veg with a little salted butter can't really be beaten.