Giving veggies a bad name.

[CivicFan]

Today at work they had food catered and I guess they wanted to go a little healthier. So there was a bowl of cooked green beans and another bowl of cooked mixed veggies (cauliflower, zucchini, etc).

Needless to say, these bowls were not touched much. The reason: the veggies were overcooked.

I have noticed that, except for high end restaurants, there is no respect for veggies. They are almost always overcooked. No wonder kids grow up hating cooked vegetables and end up as veggie haters as adults.

So, what could have they done to make sure that food is produced instead of garbage and all these veggies are consumed?

1. Steam them veggies for 5-6 minutes until cooked but still crispy.
2. Place them in ice water to stop the cooking and give a vibrant color.
3. Add some lime juice/vinegar and olive/veggie oil.
4. Serve.

 

[John_K]

I always hated spinach (I called it seaweed). Then I discovered if you don't cook the he!! out of it, spinach is pretty good.

John

 

[moribundman]

In the case of spinach there's another reason why so many people don't like it at first, but don't mind it later in life. Children do not tolerate oxalic acid well, because it irritates the stomach lining easily. This may just be why kids often refuse to eat spinach; it makes them literally ill. High in oxalic acid are also chard and rhubarb. Also, the older we get, the less sensitive our palates become. What tastes a little tart to a 30 year old, may taste outright bitter to a little kid and bland to a senior.

Some veggies become outright bad when overcooked, most notably Brussels sprouts, which become very quickly bitter.

 

[Pablo]

I tend to agree. Every veggie like other cooked items has it's perfect doneness, and this does not mean cook the [censored] out of it. Gray peas, death broccoli, etc....some things like collard greens and Italian lumpy chard need longer cooking, but still....

 

[NYEngineer]

I eat most vegetables raw.

 

[oilnoob425]

I don't realy like steamed veggies but I love steamed green beans and cauliflower!!! It's mild but good tasting. Put some olive oil, lemon juice and salt or just dressing on it and it's a great salad! Goes well with meat. Steamed veggies are easier on the stomach than raw ones too.

I do hate celery however

 

[sprintman]

Organic vegetables have changed my life and my families. Real food tastes like it should. Guys give the wankermarket the flick and get to your local farmers market, but again people as usual are bl00dy lazy. I gues you'll continue to eat wankermarket rubbish. hy do your families do thos??

 

[sprintman]

Organic vegetables have changed my life and my families. Real food tastes like it should. Guys give the wankermarket the flick and get to your local farmers market, but then again people as usual are bl00dy lazy. I gues you'll continue to eat wankermarket rubbish. Why do your families do this??

 

[benjamming]

Originally Posted By: sprintman
Organic vegetables have changed my life and my families. Real food tastes like it should. Guys give the wankermarket the flick and get to your local farmers market, but then again people as usual are bl00dy lazy. I gues you'll continue to eat wankermarket rubbish. Why do your families do this?


You are correct. I should drive 90 miles each way to go to the farmers' market.

We do have a garden though. The corn isn't doing well, but the bush beans, tomatoes, & peppers are coming on fine. We may even have some pink eye peas.

 

[CivicFan]

I am partial about organic food found in supermarkets like Whole Foods. Although they taste marginally better than the non-organic food in supermarkets, they are still mass produced items and do not compare in taste with veggies grown at home or veggies sold at farmers markets.

Even with farmers' markets you have to choose which vendor to buy from. Some have good offerings and some do not.

 

[nthach]

There's an abundance of them in California. I usually grow our own tomatoes in the summer, they taste way better than supermarket stuff - Costco's produce is acutally good for what it is.

And we have our own fruit trees: lemons, apples, pears, and persimmons. All grown without the need for pesticides, although I hit each tree in the winter time with a mix of lime-sulfur spray and Volck oil.

 

[moribundman]

I think I just saw a brown apple moth.

 

[nthach]

Meh, the Bay Area will get clouded with pheromones if the libbies don't have their way.

I already have a cache of Diazinon from 8 years ago in the garage on standby if does boil down to drastic measures which I hope it doesn't...

 

[moribundman]

That might make all the moth people horny...

 

[sciphi]

Have to know how to cook them properly. Broccoli especially gets really, really bad when you overcook it. Have to know not to let it go too long. That especially seems to be a problem with catered food where they cook everything way too much.