I know that a lot of the time, frozen veggies have more nutrients than fresh ones because they were frozen as soon as they were picked instead of waiting in the store for days.
What is the best way to cook them so that they retain the most nutrients?
I roast in a hot oven(425?) for 5 mins with NOTHING on them, to let the moisture evaporate. Then toss with olive oil and whatever seasoning you want (garlic powder, onion powder, spices - or even just salt and peps) then toss to coat, throw back on the baking sheet for another 10-15 mins and boom it’s delicious, crispy edges and max flavour. If you have an air fryer the same concept works well. Works especially well for broccoli and cauliflower. If you want the easiest, microwave is good too.
Air fry or roast is the tastiest with very little loss of nutrient if you don’t burn. If it’s in a bag, microwaving for half/.75 the time to keep it crunchy, a pseudo steam. Steaming with undercook preserves nutrients the most.
I love air frying frozen vegetables. I’ve only been doing it for the last few months but it’s so good. I just spray broccoli or whatever with almond oil, throw it in the air fryer and do 390 for 30 min or so, depending on how crispy you like.
I like to put them in a pan with infused olive oil or butter. Add some salt/pepper, optional herbs/garlic, other fresh chopped veggies (like onion) and use med/high heat until all the water content of the frozen veggies evaporates and they get slightly browned. They turn out perfect every time I do this.
Alternatively, they are perfect for soups or stews. Use a little less water/broth (without sacrificing flavor, otherwise supplement flavor) when constructing your soup, and dump the veggies in and let it simmer until heated through.
I also put them in my rice cooker when cooking rice. Just use a little less water. Some veggies get mushier this way like cauliflower or broccoli, but veggies like peas/carrots/corn take to this method very well.
I love adding them to 15 minute rice! They steam perfectly in the amount of time the rice takes to cook and I always love something added to my rice.
If you want less mushy I would highly recommend using a little steamer basket
So i pour my frozen veggies into a colander (sp?) and run cold water over them to get all the freeze off of them otherwise when you cook them you’re basically boiling them. I let them dry a little in the sink for 10 min or so then warm up a pan, pour the veggies in cook them on med high heat til they start to brown a little, then pour like a half a cup of water in and cover the pot so they steam. I know it seems tedious but if you do it like that, mixing them up frequently throughout, they come out super crunchy and delicious
Def the easiest way is microwave, but when I have time I cook them as I mentioned above and they come out way better.