Animal Writings

Cooking and Preparing Fresh Vegetables

This is sort of a dividing line. Lots of people who rarely or never cook—grad students, workaholics, overtaxed managers, busy singles in small apartments, what have you—will still put together a quick salad (especially since you can basically dump it out of a bag) or pop some frozen vegetables in the microwave. But buying fresh vegetables and cooking them up, or—God forbid—chopping them is where they opt out. It seems like too much trouble or too much time or too much learning curve.

It's theoretically possible to have a healthy and reasonably satisfying diet without ever cooking fresh vegetables. You can have raw vegetables in salads and with dips. You can buy frozen vegetables. You can order cooked vegetable dishes at restaurants or pick them up from the deli counter.

But I highly, highly recommend incorporating home-cooked vegetables into your diet even if you never (up till now) cook. Your diet will almost certainly be much more diverse, healthful, and enjoyable. For one thing, only a small percentage of types of vegetables are sold as frozen. And most people can't afford to eat out every night. And even if you can afford it, it gets old after a while. It's nice to eat at home. In fact, eating at home is one of the things that makes the place you live a home.


• Lately, I've seen these "steam in the bag" packages of fresh vegetables you can buy. They're almost the best of both worlds: The flavor of fresh and the convenience of frozen. I say "almost" because there are only a few types of vegetables sold this way. But they're a great option for busy people and non-cooks who want the color and healthfulness of freshly cooked vegetables on their plates.


• If you're going to cook vegetables, there's no getting around peeling and chopping. Not to mention steaming, sauteing, simmering, and so forth. You may as well have some good tools; they'll make cooking that much easier and you'll get better results. You don't need too many of them.
  
  • You need a couple of good knives, for chopping, dicing, slicing, paring, and peeling. You can get by quite well with a good-sized chopping knife and a small paring knife. Don't get the cheapest. You don't have to buy the most expensive, either. Within your budget, try to buy quality. It's a long-term investment—just like your diet. Do a little research.
  
  
  • You want a couple of serrated knives, too. One large one for anything bread-like, and a smaller one for slicing tomatoes.
  
  
  • I recommend two cutting boards. One large one for general vegetable chopping, and one small one for when you only need two teaspoons of diced onion and you don't want to wash something that takes up your entire sink. Tip: If you place the cutting board on top of a damp rag, it won't slip.
  
  
  • Good quality skillets are indispensable. You want ones that are well-made so they'll last a long time; you want them to cook evenly—no "hot spots;" and the handles must be always comfortable to the touch. You definitely don't need top of the line (that would cost a fortune), but don't get the cheapest either—that's a devil's bargain.
    
    Continuing with the big-small pattern...At a minimum, I'd recommend one wide skillet, perhaps 12 inches, for when you're cooking hash browns or stir-fries, and one smaller skillet, perhaps 8 inches, for when you're just frying up a couple of veggie sausages or a single serving of Mexican-spiced corn. The big skillet should be at least a couple inches deep, with sloping sides. Doesn't hurt if the smaller skillet has some depth, too.
    
    True chefs may scoff at this, but I really like using non-stick pans, for convenience. You can also get by with less oil that way. Note that you should never get non-stick pans super-hot (500 degrees Fahrenheit) or they'll give off toxic fumes. For the same reason, you should never use metal spatulas or other tools with non-stick pans. Which leads us to our next item...
  
  
  • Put two hard plastic spatulas on your shopping list, if you don't already have them. Yes, large and small. The large one for flipping pancakes and veggie burgers and the small one for more delicate maneuvers.
    
    Next, some greatly underrated utensils...
  
  
  • I'm amazed at the handiness of tongs. They're great for flipping oven-baked sweet potato fries, separating frozen dumplings that are stuck to one another, serving cooked spinach from the pot or green salad from the communal salad bowl, and a million other things. They don't cost much and you can get by with one pair.
  
  
  • For my money, a potato masher is the best way to crumble tofu and other soft things, including canned tomatoes. Yes, tofu. It's such a versatile food, you can't afford not to use it. Unless you're allergic to soy. Of course, potato mashers are superb at their more traditional function of mashing potatoes. Personal preference: Don't get one that has a lattice pattern with tiny holes; I find those give me much less control then more open models.
  
  
  • Don't forget the humble vegetable peeler. I bought mine during the Ford administration and it's still going strong. It's the standard issue kind, where you hold the potato or cucumber in one hand and peel with the other, sort of like a wood carver. But you can buy something more deluxe and sturdy if you want, such as the multi-purpose unit in this picture:
    
    
    
    The start of a grand feast or a simple peasant meal
  
  
  • You need something in which to store leftovers. I like durable containers, like those made by Tupperware. I admit it—I'm a big Tupperware fan, even though the company is a little cult-like. Their stuff lasts forever and it keeps vegetables and leftovers fresh—which saves you money and enhances your eating enjoyment.
    
    I know it's tempting to store leftovers in the plastic containers that you get from the deli counter, but I advise against it. High-quality containers made for storing food are going to keep the contents fresher for a longer period. Plus, if you happen to drop the flimsy deli containers, the top will come off and you'll have a huge mess on your hands. You could drop a Tupperware container from an airplane and the lid would stay on.
    
    It's also tempting to put the cover on the pot of half-eaten rice or vegetables and stick the whole thing in the fridge. I do it myself sometimes. But it's a far better option to dump the leftovers into a container especially made for leftovers, and clean out the pot right then and there.
    
    I'll probably never completely trust the safety of microwaving foods in plastic containers, but FYI, can buy dual-purpose containers in which you can both store and microwave food. They have a handy chimney-like thing on the lid that you pop open to let steam out when you nuke the contents.
    
    I'd recommend a small set of various sized round and rectangular containers. That way, you'll always have the right container on hand. Even though you're buying plastic, I think overall it's an environmentally responsible choice, because it's a one time purchase that may drastically cut down on waste over the life of the product.
    
    Bonus: You can use the containers for mixing and serving, also; they work very well for both uses.
    
    Certainly you can buy any container to your liking—don't overlook second-hand stores and Freecycle—but come on, a Tupperware party!
  
  
  • Other stuff: Obviously you'll need pots. One big one, maybe 6 quarts, for Super Bowl chili, one small one, maybe 1.5 quarts, for cans of soup, rice, what have you. Of course, with pots and pans and so forth, it's nice to have in-between sizes to round out your collection. But you'll get them over time.
    
    A small wire whisk is worth it; it lets you mix liquid concoctions much more quickly and thoroughly than if you use a fork, but without the trouble of getting using a blender.
    
    Which reminds me, notice I didn't say anything about food processors. Yes, they're all the rage, but I hardly ever use them, because I don't have much counter or cabinet space and I don't feel like hauling the thing down from the upstairs closet, and I find that half the time, I can use a hand mixer or even the venerable potato masher to get the same effect, plus get some exercise at the same time. But if you want a food processor, I support you. It definitely expands the number of things you can make.
    
    I also like the pasta grabber or whatever they call it in this picture:
    
    
    
    Pasta grabber
    
    You'll also want some sort of colander to drain pasta. What else? Some measuring cups and measuring spoons. I'm sure I left out some things. Not to worry, there are plenty of books and web sites on the subject. You can always acquire more kitchen equipment down the road, as you need it. My intention here was to set you up with the minimum needed to make your veggie cooking experience pleasant and productive.
    

Next up: A couple more general tips for eating more vegetables of the cooked variety, then a look at super-easy but tasty ways to prepare specific vegetables.

Labels: cooking, vegetables