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Vegetable Cooking Tips

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Vegetable Cooking Tips

It's nice knowing some vegetable cooking tips. Tips can save time, improve flavor, improve shelf life time, and more.

Here you'll find some tips on preparing, storing, and cooking vegetables.

Contents at a Glance

To cook Carrots faster, provide a larger...
Burpless Cucumbers
Ceramic knives can cut thin slices in mo...
An easy way to keep lettuce fresh
Onions
Potatoes - Mashed
Potatoes - Fries
The Crinkle Cutter adds a decorative edg...
Potato Peeler
Another quick way to peel potatoes:
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Peeling Tomatoes
A small pairing knife is handy for slici...
Fresh Herbs in Pesto taste so much bette...
A timer comes in so handy;
An immersion hand blender can be used in...
Cuisinart Hand Blender Review
Vegetables are Good For You Designs

To cook Carrots faster, provide a larger cooking surface -

Carrots can cook a little faster by having a larger surface area. How to do this is to slice the carrot diagonally at a 45 degree angle instead of straight across.

They also cook faster by being cut thin, and both can be achieved by cutting them in thin (julienne) strips.

Diced carrots make a nice addition to pasta sauce.

Baby carrots in the store may not be babies; they may be full grown carrots that have been cut and trimmed.

Burpless Cucumbers

How to take the burp out of cucumbers

Some people have said that cucumbers made them burp. One day I was watching my aunt, and she said that she was getting the bitter out, taking away the substance that caused the burping.

How to take the bitter out of the cucumber, is first you wash the cucumber and then slice the stem end off, about 1/2 inch in from the end. Then take the two cut edges of the cucumber and rub then together in a circular motion against each other. A milky white substance will start to appear. Do this for around a minute and then rinse it off.

Ceramic knives can cut thin slices in most vegetables.

Kyocera Revolution Series Paring and Santoku Knife Set, White Blade

Amazon Price: $58.45 (as of 05/27/2012)

Usually ships in 24 hours

An easy way to keep lettuce fresh

and other green leafy vegetables

To keep green leafy vegetables fresh longer, add a paper towel to the bag they're stored in.

Onions

There are several tips for onions.

There are less tears if you chill them first before cutting.

If you don't have a chopper or food processor, use the pattern of the onion to help chopping and dicing to go faster. Also, leave the root end attached and just slice almost to that side of the onion, but not quite. It will give you something to help hold and it keeps the onion more secure.

If not using the whole onion, slice off the part you need, leaving the top and root end intact on the remaining part. Partial onions stored with their root still attached will keep longer.

Potatoes - Mashed

When cooking mashed potatoes, you can cook the potatoes with or without their skin. Most of the potatoes nutrition is found right underneath the skin, so they will have more nutrients if you leave the skins on. When leaving the skin on, scrub them real well first with a vegetable brush and remove any eyes. Then chop and boil as normal. My favorite additions are some butter, milk, and a little salt and pepper.

Potatoes - Fries

I've seen various method for french fries. A new one that I'm going to try out is to partically cook your fresh cut fries for a couple of minutes. Then get them out and let them drain til cooled. Then let them set in evaporated milk for several minutes. Then dip in an egg and water mixture, then into a seasoned flour mixture. Then deep fry agin till done. I saw this on tv and they look very good. The fries in this reciped were made by slicing them into wedges.

Another common french fry is the crinkle cut method.

The Crinkle Cutter adds a decorative edge to potatoes, carrots, and cucumbers.

Cut your own crinkle edge fries and more.

Pampered Chef Crinkle Cutter

Amazon Price: $8.97 (as of 05/27/2012)

My favorite crinkle cutter, to make a decorative edge on potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, etc, is the one by Pampered Chef. The cutting edge has a curve to it, giving the ability to slice in a rocking motion instead of cutting straight down. I find this much easier.

Potato Peeler

I've used the old metal handle potato peelers before, and love the comfort of using the Y handle by OXO.

When using the potato peeler, it is best to peel away from your body.

OXO Good Grips Y Peeler

Amazon Price: $6.61 (as of 05/27/2012)

"The OXO rubber comfort grip is what distinguishes this peeler from others with similar designs. I can easily prepare enough russet and sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc. for a large holiday dinner without getting a cramp and without the tool slipping from my wet hands." Salena Roper

Another quick way to peel potatoes:

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes can be cooked in the microwave, follow manufacturer's instructions. They can also be peeled and chopped and cooked on the stove top like white potatoes.

The mashed sweet potato, without the seasonings, makes a great dish for the baby that is starting to eat foods. Mash it with some water or milk for baby, then add your cinnamon, etc. to the rest for the older ones.

Peeling Tomatoes

Blanch them in boiling water, but first -

Yes, tomatoes peel faster and easier when they've been blanched. But a little quick step will also make it that much quicker.

Before placing the washed tomatoes in the boiling water, slice an X at the bottom of the tomato, just below the skin. Then when you're waiting for the tomatoes skins to loosen in the water, it will only take about a minute.

Then set them aside and let them cool a bit before handling.

A small pairing knife is handy for slicing the X on tomatoes:

J.A. Henckels Twin Four Star 3-Inch High Carbon Stainless-Steel Paring Knife

Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 05/27/2012)

Usually ships in 24 hours

Fresh Herbs in Pesto taste so much better than dried.

I got a tiered garden bed and planted fresh basil. I used the basil from the garden and fresh parsley from the market, and the recipe came out so much tastier than any pesto that I had ever made before.

Click on the postcard for the recipe, and or to order the pesto recipe:

Pesto Recipe Post Cards by Cherylsart

See more Recipe Postcards on Zazzle.com.

A timer comes in so handy;

Sometimes I need more than one!

There is a timer on the microwave and another one on the stove. But sometimes, there is a need for another one. An Extra Large Big Digit Timer is convenient to see with it's extra large numbers.

An immersion hand blender can be used in a variety of containers,

making preparation time shorter.

It comes in handy for making mashed sweet potatoes.

Cuisinart CSB-76BC SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender, Brushed Chrome

Amazon Price: $29.00 (as of 05/27/2012)

Click on the blender to choose from 7 color choices.

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Cuisinart Hand Blender Review

For blending your fruits and veggies

Using a hand blender can reduce the amount of dishes used. An immersion hand blender lets you blend right in the pot, pitcher, etc.

Vegetables are Good For You Designs

Eat your veggies.

I love this carrot design.

Did you know that carrots came in so many different colors?

Rainbow Multicolored Carrots by Sandyspider

Browse more Vegetable Cards on Zazzle.com.

The most important vegetable tip is to eat a variety of colors.

In most cases, raw is also best.

Different colored vegetables offer different vitamins and nutrients. Make sure to include a variety of color in your diet.

Cooking can sometimes enhance vitamin absorption and benefits, like when eating spinach.

However, most vegetables retain their best nutrition when eaten in their raw state.

Here's a fun colorful reminder on a plate to eat colors.