by Ann Miller

Created on: October 23, 2010   Last Updated: October 25, 2010

When I was young, my mother would prepare all the vegetables early in the day.  She would fill a bowl with water, put the vegetables in, peel them, wash them in the water, then transfer them to a pot filled with fresh cold water where they sat until it was time to cook them for the evening meal.  Little did she know she was also washing out most of the nutritional value.  Soaking and boiling in water allows essential vitamins and minerals to leach out into the water.  Instead, to get the maximum nutrients from vegetables it is preferred to prepare them carefully and then steam, bake or roast the vegetables if they are not being used in a casserole or in soup and stews.

The most nutritional value of vegetables lies within millimeters of the skin so where ever possible, simply wash or scrub the vegetable under running cold water.  Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots and parsnips lend themselves well to this and it is only conventional that dictates that the skins should be removed.

Incidentally, all of these can be cooked together for the same amount of time in the same steamer, no need for separate ones. For all other vegetables, peel or scrap the skin off while they are dry.  Rinse only under a little running cold water and cook them immediately.  For vegetables such as broccoli with stalks, use the stalks for making soup.  Similarly, there is no need to completely discard the green tops of leeks, these are perfectly good for using in soups.

For optimum nutritional value for cooked vegetables, (obviously raw vegetables hold the most nutrients), steam them.  This need not be complicated or involve the purchase of expensive steamers.  A metal sieve placed over a pan of boiling water with the lid on top of the vegetables works well.  Alternatively, you can buy a ‘steamer fan’, a small metal inset that fits any saucepan.  It has small feet to lift the base above the water for steaming.  Vegetables are best when they still feel slightly firm when tested.

Another healthy option for cooking vegetables is to bake them, especially as you can leave the skins intact.  Many vegetables taste great baked.  Potatoes and sweet potatoes are obvious but also try baking parsnips, carrots and other root vegetables.  To roast, rinse the vegetables under cold running water or scrub the skins; wrap individually in baking foil and bake in a hot oven for 45-60 minutes until soft. 

Roasting vegetables also offers good nutritional value and there is no limit to which vegetables you can cook this way.  Prepare vegetables and note they should all be roughly the same size.  Place on a roasting tin or tray, coat with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mixed dried herbs using your hands to ensure they are all covered with oil.  Bake in a hot oven for around 30 minutes turning them frequently.  Roast vegetables are wonderful on their own or used in casseroles and curries.

With the latest research showing we all need to eat at least 3 portions of fruit and 3 portions of vegetable per day for optimum health it also makes sense to ensure we get the optimum nutritional value from the vegetable we cook. 

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