How do you cook veg etc?

[ouch321]

Following on some random news article I was reading, how do you cook your veg (and possibly rice / pasta)?

1. Just boil it in a saucepan and strain off excess water when done

1. Use a steamer basket over a boiling saucepan. I guess a colander would probably do a reasonable job instead of buying a special steamer basket to save a few pennies.

1. Use a designated steamer as a separate kitchen appliance in it's own right.

I've always done no1 and just wondered if worth moving to another method...

1. Put in a bowl with a bit of water, cover with cling film and microwave

I used to do 1 but am weaning so have dug out my electric steamer, so doing 3.
I prefer the results of steaming the vegetables are supposed to hold more nutrients.
A few more pieces to wash up, but no issue if you have a dishwasher.

Depends on the veg. Probably my microwave steamer as it's very quick. Or put them on a tray with a bit of olive oil and roast them.

Assuming we are just talking about veg you can do on the hob so discounting roasting.

Veg in a steamer over a saucepan. It wasn’t expensive, got it from sainsburys about 5 years ago.

Rice and pasta just boil in a pan.

I use the microwave for frozen veg or those prepackaged ones designed for microwave cooking.

@MakkaPakkas I'm with you!! For steamed veg it's the quickest, easiest and least messy. I love roast veggies too though, yum.

I hate boiled veg. Par boil and roast or grill

Boil (not for too long) or steam then dress with olive oil or other oil/butter and season.

Fry or sauté.

Roast.

I don’t tend to use the microwave much but once in a while I might cook petit pois or frozen Brussels sprouts that way.

Pasta, I cook on the hob. Rice too. I’d like a rice cooker one day just for the convenience (esp. when cooking Japanese/Korean) but we need to get a pressure cooker first as that’s a bigger priority.

I steam or roast

2. Use a steamer basket over a boiling saucepan.

This one, I have a steamer pan with two baskets.
I don't really love boiled-in-water veg now. It tastes very … water logged ?
Steamed veg keeps more of its flavour, ime.

Maybe because I’m vegetarian, but I rarely have vegetables as a side, they tend to be incorporated into my meals. If I’m making a roast dinner though, I’d roast them. Or I’d cook cabbage in butter and maybe garlic. I can’t remember the last time I made plain boiled/steamed vegetables.

I cook rice in the rice cooker and boil and drain pasta, though I have seen recipes for pasta cooked like risotto which I’d be interested to try.

If I'm doing boiled veg as a side for something I've cooked in the oven, I put it plus water in a casserole dish at the bottom of the oven. If I stack it right I get carrots and peas below the water line and coliflower and brocoli above, so it gets cooked by the steamed held in by the pot lid. Saves the energy of running a ring or other appliance.

I would never just steam or boil veg (with the exception of peas or potatoes to later become mash). How boring!

I roast/air fry/pan fry all my veg.

2. but just as frequently roasted, sauted, stir-fried, dry-fried, baked.
3. for new potatoes before adding butter and seasoning.

I generally just (lightly) boil mine, so they still have a bit of bite. I don't like the flavour of steamed veg and it never looks very attractive.

It depends how many types of veg and how I'm cooking them.

If I was just doing carrots I'd simmer in a pan, sometimes I'll add a clip in steamer basket to do some broccoli as I'm the only one who eats it here. If I'm doing several veg I'll use a hob-top steamer with eg carrots in the base and then cabbage and then broccoli (for example) in the top 2 layers).

I use my air fryer now for 'roast' carrots, parsnips and courgettes.

If I've spent time & effort making the centrepiece, steamed or roasted/airfried veg will do.

If it's a simple piece of meat or fish, I'll faff around to make the veg more interesting.
A microwave rice-cooker is brilliant; measure out rice, water & aromatics. Stir once during cooking - easy-peasy & foolproof.

Steamer pan for veg if we’re having it simple, microwave rice cooker is my favourite kitchen item that I’ve bought

Gosh, depends on the vegetable.

• braise in stock/buttery salty water with herbs: celery, fennel, asparagus, carrots
• slowly caramelise on hob: onions, fennel, tomatoes
• roast: cauliflour, carrot, onion, butternut squash sweet potato, kale, Brussels sprouts, beetroot, aubergine
• pickle: cucumber, cauliflour, onion, beetroot
• sauté - spinach, sliced courgette, kale and other brassicas, mange tout, sugar snap peas, cubed aubergine, peppers, mushrooms, bean sprouts

Boil: green beans, broccoli Steam: beetroot Grill: hispi cabbage, sliced courgette, sliced aubergine, peppers, portobello mushrooms

Rice and risotto is cooked in a pressure cooker and pasta boiled on very salty water.