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?

I dont HTH.

I have not boiled anything in years.

Roast, flash fry or microwave.

Mashed potatoes, swede and carrot mash

YUM

Yup this is a very outdated view. And I’ve lived in France for 30 years. The French cook their green and peas beans until their are khaki.

I don't boil anything. Well, other than meat for the dog. And I parboil potatoes because that makes for better roast potatoes. Parboil, shake in a sieve to rough up the outside, then into hot oil. I've never had decent roast potatoes outside Britain, is that because people don't parboil? Veg are steamed, roasted, sauteed or stir-fried, which as far as I know is usual. Maybe it's just your family.

Yeah yeah great.

Now what country are you from? 🤣🤣

‘Brits’ don’t boil everything..
I roast my veg

I have never poached a chicken.

Vegetables get steamed in this house, or stir-fried, sauteed, or roasted in the oven (but only when the oven is on for something else anyway).

I've lived in the UK for more than 20 years and apart from my MIL and the occasional bad restaurant, I don't think I've had boiled veg that weren't potatoes or peas.

That said, different countries do have very different palates. Having lived in a few countries, my observation is that British people overall like to centre the natural flavours of their ingredients more; other countries I've lived in prefer a cuisine where the base ingredients are more of a base for a herb/spice profile. Neither is wrong, it's just different.

One of the great things about living in different places is the opportunity to be open to different ways of eating food. Lightly boiled fresh new potatoes prepared properly are a delight. My roast potatoes have been vastly improved by parboiling compared to how I cooked them when I was younger. There are some I can't get used to, like mint with roast lamb, which I think ruins it. That's fine, it's not for me.

I boil all my veg, it’s what my mum did and her mum, I know there’s other ways to cook veg and occaisionally I steam or roast them if I’m having Mediterranean veg or something.

i have a very small kitchen, a very small oven and I haven’t got the time, and physical and mental health to be faffing around roasting shit for a big posh dinner when I know there’s only going to be me eating it because my very fussy unadventurous, ND teens will only eat meat and 2 veg type dinners. 😭

nothing worse than over done boiled peas though, like little bullets of misery.

Green veg sautéed in butter is horrible - why taint lovely green vegetables with dairy?

The best ever roast potatoes should be parboiled before roasting.

Fact.

I love boiled veg as I prefer the taste without anything added. I do carrots, broccoli and corn regularly. I don't boil them to death like my parents did in the 70s/80s though so the broccoli isn't mushy. I do refuse to boil zucchini and brussels sprouts as I like them much better pan fried, roasted or barbecued.

And anyone decrying poached chicken has never had a good Hainanese chicken rice.

We have steamed all our veg for years
Don't know that we've ever boiled meats
I boil eggs pasta rice

I do most veg in the air fryer

I don't and I'm British. Much prefer to throw things in the oven.

IME many European nations are a bit sniffy about parsnips. Which in my considered view means that their opinions about vegetables are null and void.🙂

We have steamed all our veg for years
Don't know that we've ever boiled meats
I boil eggs pasta rice

I boil new potatoes to eat with butter and parsley - delicious! Also I boil green vegetables and parboil potatoes for making roast or saute potatoes. I also hate olive oil (or any vegetable oil) so would never use that for cooking - the taste - ugh!

That's very old fashioned now though.

Is it possible your DH just grew up copying his DM (or grandmother even)? Because in the 80's and 90s there was a huge push that you should steam not boil (or just par boil) vegetable to keep the nutrients. Soggy boiled veg are very much a thing of the past generally.

I have to say if I cook vegetables in water, many of them are almost just blanched - especially broccoli, green beans and asparagus. Certainly not soggy, but with a bite, and with a squirt of lemon juice and some chopped herbs (for me chopped nuts too), I find that every bit as tasty as sauteed.

Roasted are lovely but they take forever.

Yes, I have a friend recently diagnosed with gall bladder issues. She's not boiling everything but olive oil, butter and spices are off the menu at the moment.

As many previous posters have said, boiling is quicker, easier, less calorific, and requires less energy use. This reveals the cultural difference: the British have quite a utilitarian attitude to food.

Because we are disgusting and have no taste. Of course.

The real question is why do French people not wear deodorant?
Why are Spanish people so lazy?

😂😂

Yes a very 1970s view. British cuisine has come a long way and if that's not to your taste, you can find cuisine from all over the world in any major city. The OP should try it some time, if you ever actually visits Britain.