Cooking vegetables: which one to choose to make the best use of the benefits?

Cooking vegetables has many benefits. In fact, cooking alters the structure of the fiber, allowing carrots and other zucchini to be more digestible and less irritating to the digestive system.

It also makes it possible to break down potential toxins present in food, to feed in complete safety. But cooking also has some drawbacks: depending on its nature, it can destroy a good part or all of the nutrients in the vegetable.

“generally, To avoid attacking the food, it is best to favor short cooking times and low temperaturessays Claudia Arganini, a nutritionist at Palace Merano, a luxury establishment in South Tyrol famous for its treats. True.

To shorten the cooking time, the expert advises chopping the vegetables finely so they cook more quickly. “You also have to learn to eat more al dentItalian recommends. This is the best way to preserve the maximum benefit of vegetables.

Cooking vegetables in a vacuum: the royal way

It’s not just the preservation of food that’s the interesting thing about a vacuum. According to our expert, who used it in the sophisticated kitchens of the Palazzo Merano, this technique would also be ideal for cooking vegetables.

To adopt it on a daily basis, however, there is a small necessity: equipping yourself with a vacuum packing device. Then, the principle is very simple: after you seal the vegetables in a suitable bag, all you have to do is immerse them in a pot of water heated to a low temperature (that is, less than 100 degrees Celsius). “Best of all, sous vide cooking in a steam oven“, says Claudia Arganini. Unfortunately, this type of equipment is still very expensive and not everyone can use it.

From a health point of view, “vacuum cooking is the royal method,” the professional assures. On the one hand, All nutritional properties are preservedOn the other hand, sous vide cooking preserves the flavor, color, and texture of vegetables.”

Without direct contact with water, water-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin C and Vitamin B are retained. Moreover, in the absence of evaporation, the vegetables remain very juicy: an excellent point for the taste buds! Without forgetting it Cooking sous vide requires no additional fat.

A note before you begin: It is important to use bags specifically designed for sous vide cooking. Other bags (freezing, adhesive, etc.) are not heat resistant. Using improper bags can lead to transfers during cooking: In addition to distorting the flavor of vegetables (hello “plastic taste”), toxic ingredients (fine particles, plasticizers, etc.) can transfer to the food. Even with sous-vide bags, it’s important to respect a low cooking temperature to avoid any unwanted reaction.

Steaming vegetables: an excellent technique

Misjudged as incompatible with a savory diet, steam cooking is on the contrary a great source of delight for the taste buds! It preserves all the aromas of vegetables without the need to add fat.

“There is a slight loss of minerals but most of the nutritional qualities are preserved,” confirms the nutritionist.

As with the video cooking, Vitamins are not dispersed in another mediumWhether it is water or fat. “When it is recommended to cook with steam, it is gentle steam (steam pot) and not pressurized steam (pressure cooker), specifies Claudia Arganini. With this latter type of cooking, the temperature is higher, around 120 ° C, which deteriorates the nutritional quality for food “.

Cooking and cooking papillary vegetables: good options

When cooking in foil, the vegetables are wrapped in the paper. “Aluminum foil should be avoided because fine toxic particles can leach into food during cooking,” warns Claudia Arganini.

Therefore, it is preferable to use papillae made of parchment paper. It is possible to add aromatic substances to give more taste and to dispense with any added fat. In this way, vegetables are cooked in their own juices, which concentrate maximum aromas and avoid losing too many nutrients.

Stewed cooking consists of cooking the vegetables over a very low heat (no more than 90°C), in a closed vessel (a closed casserole, a closed saucepan, etc.), with a little water. By heating, the water produces steam, which cooks the food, which still retains a lot of nutrients. As with papillote cooking, vegetables cook in their own juices. result ? Delicious authentic taste with little needed spice on the plate.

Cooking vegetables in a wok: fun under certain conditions

Ah, the sweet music of vegetables crunching in the pan or in the wok! But in order for this type of cooking to remain pleasant to the body, some conditions must be met: “Reduce cooking time to a minimumFinely chop your vegetables and enjoy them crispy, says Claudia Arganini. Thus, the control vegetables retain a large part of their nutritional assets.”

A small additional subtlety: for a healthy and balanced diet, it is best to avoid cooking with butter. Cooking in oil is much more interesting From a nutritional point of view, however, not all oils are heat tolerant and some, like walnut oil, can release toxic compounds when heated.

“Olive oil is a safe and stable bet when you cook with it,” he told a nutritionist. So make sure you always have a bottle in your kitchen cupboards.