Frozen Vegetables

[MrEgo]

Quick question:

I've been on a frozen vegetable kick lately. It's convenient, I don't have to eat it right away, and the sodium levels appear to be very low in the bags that I buy, but are they anywhere near as healthy as the raw veggies?

 

[TheBDB]

I was under the impression they could be more healthy than raw because they are frozen so soon after picking. I also think the way you cook them has a lot to do with nutrient retention.

 

[Azraele]

I was under the impression they could be more healthy than raw because they are frozen so soon after picking. I also think the way you cook them has a lot to do with nutrient retention.

What's the best way to cook them?

 

[kalrith]

I was under the impression they could be more healthy than raw because they are frozen so soon after picking.

I've read this same thing.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Quick question:

I've been on a frozen vegetable kick lately. It's convenient, I don't have to eat it right away, and the sodium levels appear to be very low in the bags that I buy, but are they anywhere near as healthy as the raw veggies?

Technically, most frozen veggies are STILL raw. The debate on raw vs cooked really depends on what vegetables you're eating. Some people swear raw veggies are better for you, but cooking can sometimes break vitamins and minerals from undigestible compounds, allowing for better presentation and absorption through the gut. Eat them however is best for you.

 

[ElFenix]

What's the best way to cook them?

depends on the vegetable. tougher vegetables need more cooking, and different parts of vegetables may need different cooking (for example, broccoli stems need more cooking than the florets)
steaming or a quick stir fry keeps more of the nutrients than boiling. a quick blanche is also good, but you need tender vegetables for that. roasting is probably better than boiling as well.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I find microwaving them with a little water is best.

 

[MrEgo]

I just heat them up in the microwave so they're thawed and a little warm.

 

[skace]

Eat them however you enjoy them short of dipping them in chocolate. The key is to simply do it in a way that is tolerable to you. Because you might not start out eating plates full of steamed veggies, however any step in the right direction brings you further down the path.

For instance, I like canned green beans because when microwaved they become pretty mushy. And when I started out eating them I didn't like their natural texture. However I've been eating them so long now that while I still preferred my method preparation, I will get them any way I can since I actually enjoy eating them now.

 

[MrEgo]

I actually do eat the whole bag. I love the taste of vegetables.

 

[kalrith]

I find microwaving them with a little water is best.

If you put the veggies in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap with the corner turned back for venting, then you don't even have to add water. It's like steaming the veggies with their own liquid.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

If you put the veggies in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap with the corner turned back for venting, then you don't even have to add water. It's like steaming the veggies with their own liquid.

...Except you're microwaving plastic.

 

[bommy261]

use a big ceramic bowl and cover it with a ceramic plate. never steam anything in plastic, unless u like it melted all over your veggies.

 

[kalrith]

...Except you're microwaving plastic.

use a big ceramic bowl and cover it with a ceramic plate. never steam anything in plastic, unless u like it melted all over your veggies.

I know people say stuff like this all the time, but all the studies I've read say that it's only bad if the plastic comes in contact with the food (like plastic that falls down into a bowl of soup). With plastic away from the veggies and the corner turned for venting, this shouldn't be an issue.

Anyways, I don't actually cook my veggies like this. I was just offering it as a piece of advice, so take it or leave it.

 

[Jeffg010]

Best way is with a steamer

/thead

 

[darkxshade]

Ever since I switched to frozen, life has been so much easier. Can just buy a couple of weeks worth and jam it into the freezer and not have to worry about it.

 

[Kaido]

I have a cheap electric steamer, an older version of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-H...dp/B0007VZZNO/

20 minutes with water, fully automatic. I buy big 4-pound veggie bags at Sam's Club and cook about a pound a day. It sounds like a lot but it's not really.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I cook stuff in plastic in the microwave all the time and I.................

alsdhouajt

zcadslhjta
asdflj

Whoa what happened?

Oh yeah I'm fine.

 

[bommy261]

I cook stuff in plastic in the microwave all the time and I.................

alsdhouajt

zcadslhjta
asdflj

Whoa what happened?

Oh yeah I'm fine.

nothing like some tourettes with your veggies. lol

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I know people say stuff like this all the time, but all the studies I've read say that it's only bad if the plastic comes in contact with the food (like plastic that falls down into a bowl of soup). With plastic away from the veggies and the corner turned for venting, this shouldn't be an issue.

Anyways, I don't actually cook my veggies like this. I was just offering it as a piece of advice, so take it or leave it.

The problem is that the hyper-energetic steam is bound to leach some of the oils from the plastic as it condenses. Higher temperature/energy solutions are able to dissolve a greater amount of solvent. That will result in water on the plastic that, if dripped into the food, will be high in good ol' fashion petrol oils.

 

[eits]

frozen veggies are better... they're frozen within an hour of being picked.

however, if you boil them, you lose more nutrients than if you steam them. however, imo, it's negligible.

 

[TwinsenTacquito]

Best way is with a steamer

/thead

Thread has indeed ended.

Frozen veggies > canned veggies

Microwaving plastic is indeed dumber than in anything else. I know they make those steamer-pack thingies that supposedly won't harm you, but pretty much everything people say about plastic is BS. The molecules are like gigantic organic ones that partially break down very easily. They don't break down into anything useful for a very very long time though. But they do break down, and they do release stuff when heated or left to sit. This is why bottled water has an expiration date. Let a bottle of water warm in the sun sometime. Then taste it. TASTE THE PLASTICY BADNESS!

 

[kalrith]

Microwaving plastic is indeed dumber than in anything else.

The FDA seems to think it's OK as long you're using plastic that has been approved for the microwave: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/Cooking_Safely_in_the_Microwave/index.asp.

Cover the dish with a lid or plastic wrap; loosen or vent the lid or wrap to let steam escape.

Only use cookware that is specially manufactured for use in the microwave oven. Glass, ceramic containers, and all plastics should be labeled for microwave oven use.

 

[Kadarin]

I get the kind that come in a single-serving box that you steam in the microwave (i.e. open the box and place the bag on a plate in the microwave, and open the package once it comes out.) Pretty low in sodium, too, which I now have to watch out for since being diagnosed with high blood pressure.

By contrast, a Boston Market frozen turkey dinner with stuffing has something like 1700mg of sodium. Bleh....

 

[darkxshade]

I get the kind that come in a single-serving box that you steam in the microwave (i.e. open the box and place the bag on a plate in the microwave, and open the package once it comes out.) Pretty low in sodium, too, which I now have to watch out for since being diagnosed with high blood pressure.

By contrast, a Boston Market frozen turkey dinner with stuffing has something like 1700mg of sodium. Bleh....

You are by far the most interesting single serving friend I've ever met.