Ten Tips for Easy Vegetable Preparation

Vegetables Made Quick and Easy

People on low carb diets should be (and usually are) eating more vegetables than people eating more "regular" diets. But honestly, it doesn’t have to be difficult or take a lot of time out of your day. You can get your veggies on the table in a hurry if you:

1. Have The Right Tools and Know How to Use Them

   Get a good chef’s knife, learn how to use it, and keep it sharp. This one tip has given our family many more vegetables over the years than we otherwise would have eaten. When you know you can cut up a big mound of vegetables in just a few minutes, you are much more likely to do it.

   You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good knife. The TV show America’s Test Kitchen recently they reviewed chef’s knives and recommended one that was about $25, and it will last the rest of your life. Learn how to use it by taking classes at a kitchen equipment store, or watching TV shows where they talk about technique such as America’s Test Kitchen. Chef Knife Testing Results (free registration required)

   Tip: Don’t try to cut too fast at first! Build up gradually. Soon you will be chopping like a pro.

   For some jobs, a food processor is also very helpful. It can shred a zucchini, or turn cauliflower into “cauli-rice” in a few seconds.

2. Set Up Your Work Space

   Running all over the kitchen is a time-waster. If possible, set up your kitchen so you have a work space for cutting right next to the stove. That way, you can just “chop and drop” as you go. I have a trash can next to me on the floor and a container for scraps for the compost (or garbage disposer) on the counter. A plate or bowl for veggies that aren’t ready to be cooked is also helpful.

3. Choose Vegetables that are Easy to Prepare

   Vegetables that don’t tend to be dirty, aren’t tricky to chop, and don’t need a lot of extra fuss are your best bets on those evenings where you don’t feel like cooking. Asparagus can be rinsed and the ends chopped off in seconds. Cabbage is already partway cut – when you run your knife through it you get lots of pieces. Zucchini is very easy to chop. Get the “seedless” or “English” cucumber, and you won’t have to peel it.

4. Chop Once, Eat Lots

   It doesn’t take twice the time to chop up twice the vegetables – do it once and eat for several meals. Once in awhile, chop up everything left in your vegetable drawer and sauté it all together in a big pan with olive oil. You can spice it up however you want to. Throw in a bunch of herbs. Or bacon. Or garlic. Or chopped nuts. Or all of the above. You can eat it as a side dish, or in a bowl with a couple of fried eggs on top, in an omelet or other egg dish, with cheese on top, or with dressing as a “cooked salad”.

5. Or Don’t Chop

   Roast or grill your veggies with salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. This concentrates the flavors in a wonderful way. It often works best with the vegetables whole or in larger pieces.

6. Order in the Pan

   When cooking up a bunch of veggies in a pan, start with your longest-cooking veggies, and work to the quickest. Roughly, this would be starting with aromatics such as onion, celery, and carrots, followed by dense ones such as broccoli or cauliflower (I sometimes give these two a head-start in the microwave, depending on what else I’m cooking), then peppers, then less-dense veggies such as zucchini and mushrooms, and ending with greens such as spinach and chard.

7. Or Just Cook Quick Ones

   It takes almost no time to sauté a little garlic in olive oil (just a few seconds, until aromatic, or it will be bitter), and dump in a sack of already-prepared spinach greens. Add a little lemon juice, and yum. (If you’re adventurous, trying adding some chopped anchovies to the olive oil. Chances are, no one will be able to identify them, but they really improve the dish!) And speaking of greens…

8. Let Someone Else Do the Prep

   Who doesn’t love that you can buy a bag of greens that someone else has washed and picked through? More and more you can buy already-prepped vegetables at the store. If your mushrooms are already sliced, it takes almost no time to cook them at home.

9. A New Attitude

   A few years ago, I decided to try to change my attitude towards chopping vegetables. Whereas I used to see it as an obstacle to get through in order to get dinner on the table, I decided to learn to enjoy it. I can now honestly say that preparing vegetables has become a relaxing part of my day. It can be almost meditative. Put on some music and chop away!

10. Canned or Frozen is Still Good for You!

    Some vegetables actually have more nutrition when frozen (or even canned) near the field in which they were grown, than when carted fresh for thousands of miles. Although I’ve focused on fresh vegetables because I think they taste better, there is no shame in nuking some frozen broccoli for dinner.

Considering organic vegetables? Check out this list of which fruits and vegetables have the most and least pesticides.