Is it better to steam or boil vegetables?
We all know that it’s important to eat lots of vegetables. What we talk about less often is how we prepare those vegetables. The preparation method influences both the taste and the nutritional value. But is it better to steam or boil it? We explain the difference.
Losing nutrients
You can either boil or steam most vegetables. Which of the two options is best? In short, when you cook vegetables, you lose vitamins and minerals. If you steam vegetables, this happens less quickly. This is because the nutrients are absorbed into the water, which you lose when you drain the vegetables after cooking. The longer you cook vegetables, the more nutrients are lost. Drainage is also the culprit when it comes to taste. The taste of vegetables remains in the water, just like the nutrients.
Things to watch out for
So while steaming is the better option, cooking vegetables is definitely not bad. There are a few things you can watch out for when cooking vegetables. First of all, make sure you never overcook vegetables. The longer you cook them, the more nutrients you lose. Cut the vegetables as little as possible, because you also lose important nutrients by doing so. Also, try to use as much of the cooking water as possible in your dish, since that water absorbs vitamins and minerals during cooking. Aha!
Source: Kookfans, Radar | Image: Pixabay