How to cook vegetables for salad - advice from professionals

It just seems that you don’t need to know how long to cook vegetables in order to be able to bring them to the desired state. Many housewives, out of habit, boil ingredients “by eye”, regularly checking their readiness. This approach does not always guarantee the desired result, especially if you have to deal with a vegetable mixture, for example, soup. The slightest violation of technology in this case can lead to damage or, at least, a change in the taste characteristics of the finished dish. On average, cooking time for vegetables ranges from 5 to 45 minutes . Indicators can vary significantly depending on the size of the product, its freshness and variety.

Recipe for the classic Olivier salad

Olivier is one of the most popular salads for any housewife and number one among the many dishes on the New Year's table. The salad recipe is simple and easy, and has many cooking options.

See also: What to do if you oversalt your salad... how to fix it: 5 ways

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 4-5 medium tubers,
Carrots – 2-3 medium pieces,
Eggs – 6 pieces (it is advisable not to skimp on eggs, as they make the salad tender and airy),
Boiled low-fat sausage – 350-400 grams,
Canned green peas – 1 jar,
Pickled cucumbers – 3 pcs.,
Onions - 1-2 bulbs,
Mayonnaise – 200 grams,
Dill, parsley and salt to taste.

Preparation:

We cook potatoes and carrots together in their skins to preserve the taste and nutrients.
Boil the eggs hard (cook for about 7 minutes after the water boils). Then remove from the stove and let cool, pouring cold water over it. Peel the eggs and finely chop.
Cut the pickles, carrots and potatoes into even, neat cubes. The pieces should preferably all be the same size in order to give an aesthetic appearance to the finished dish.
Cut the boiled sausage into cubes. To do this, first cut into circles no more than one centimeter thick. Then we lay them on top of each other and cut them into strips.
Add green peas to the salad, after pouring the liquid from the jar.
Finely chop the onion.
Mix all ingredients well.
Add mayonnaise, salt to taste and mix everything thoroughly.
To soak the salad and cool, put it in the refrigerator for one and a half to two hours.
The classic Olivier salad is ready. Decorate with dill, parsley, egg flower and serve.

Pour boiling water over the onions to prevent them from becoming bitter.

Doctor's sausage can be replaced with ham, chicken, turkey or beef.

Instead of pickled cucumbers, you can use fresh ones, this will add its own pleasant aroma.

How to properly cook vegetables for vinaigrette in their skins. Boiled vegetables: benefits and harms, recipes

Every person eats vegetables. Some eat them raw, while others prefer them only boiled. Raw fruits certainly contain a lot of nutrients, since many of them lose most of their beneficial properties when cooked. Scientists have proven the fact that cooking activates other substances and gives a certain vegetable additional value. However, not all fruits can be boiled: radishes and cucumbers, for example. And vice versa, you don’t want to eat pumpkin and potatoes raw either.

Features of boiled vegetables

You can determine what is healthier - raw green, yellow, red fruits or boiled in a saucepan. Boiled vegetables are characterized by several features, one of which can be attributed to the disadvantages of the process of cooking vegetables, and the other to the advantages. True, these benefits are not always needed by healthy people.

Cooking temperatures can break down plant walls at the cellular level and extract the nutrients contained in the cells.
The amount of vitamin C contained in them loses its properties depends on the cooking time and method of preparing vegetables. This figure varies from 55 to 100 percent.
During heat treatment, fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E are released.
When cooking, vegetables are often poured with hot water in order to lose a minimum of vitamins and beneficial microelements.
Decoctions of green and ripe vegetables contain many nutrients released during the cooking process.
People with digestive system ailments are contraindicated from consuming poorly digestible coarse fiber contained in raw root vegetables and legumes. If you boil them, this problem disappears.

Diet menu

An approximate menu of a protein-vegetable diet for seven days can be compiled based on the diet presented in the table:

breakfast: 1 hard-boiled egg, green tea;
second breakfast: 150 g of boiled chicken fillet;
lunch: steamed beef cutlets (80 g);
snack: baked cod fillet (150 g);
dinner: steamed beef cutlets (80 g);
glass of kefir

breakfast: vitamin salad, green tea;
second breakfast: boiled broccoli with egg;
lunch: tomato soup, warm boiled zucchini salad;
snack: beet salad with prunes;
dinner: vegetable stew;
glass of kefir

Cauliflower?

When thinking about how long to cook cauliflower, you first need to determine your preferences. Some people like their vegetables to be soft and crumble on the plate, while others prefer springy flowers.

Of course, you should start by freeing the cabbage from leaves. Then rinse under running water. After the water boils, you need to add the cabbage, after the second boil, add salt and add a little sugar.

Fully stewed cauliflower is cooked over medium heat for about 15 minutes, if divided into inflorescences for 10 minutes. Check its softness with a fork. To steam cauliflower, covered, it takes 8 to 12 minutes.

Vegetables that are not recommended to be boiled

To understand which vegetable is not cooked and why, you just need to boil the component once. Some products lose beneficial substances during such processing. In addition, their taste quality decreases and their texture changes unfavorably.

Arugula. Any heat treatment of lettuce, rich in vitamins and antioxidants, completely destroys its beneficial substances. At the same time, the product also acquires bitterness, which can spoil the taste of the dish.
Bell pepper. As a result of boiling, this component also loses an impressive part of its important components. In particular, vitamin C is almost completely destroyed, for which the vegetable is so valued by nutritionists. So it is better to eat pepper raw or stewed.

Brussels sprouts. While boiling turns the product into a useless mass, steaming allows you to achieve the desired result, preserving everything you need.
Cauliflower. If you do not boil the component, but blanch it, grill it or steam it, you will be able to preserve not only a set of important substances, but also emphasize the unique taste of the vegetable.
Broccoli. It is recommended to do the same with this cabbage as with cauliflower. As a last resort, it is recommended to limit treatment to 5-7 minutes. This will allow you to retain at least some usefulness in the component.

These time frames are provided as a guide only. In most cases, they allow you to achieve an optimal result and bring the final dish to the desired state. But you shouldn’t forget about personal preferences. Some people love thoroughly cooked vegetables that literally melt in your mouth. Others prefer products that have a slight crunch on the teeth, release fresh juice, or do not completely lose their texture.

Vegetable diet

Having found out which vegetables contribute to weight loss, it is important to decide on the type of diet. You can eat exclusively raw foods or fresh juices, but more often people prefer boiled root vegetables or tubers. A vegetable diet for weight loss can also be used as a preventive measure for many diseases: obesity, intestinal disease, and cardiovascular disease.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in essential antioxidants; they contain vitamins, minerals, micro- and macroelements that strengthen the immune system. If there is a lack of plant products in your daily diet, a person feels a loss of strength and apathy. Greens and other plant products keep the body healthy, improve skin color and help you look younger.