Tearing vegetables may affect their appearance, but it helps preserve their nutritional value, as vitamin C is not only sensitive to heat but also to metals. Besides cabbage, other crisp and tender vegetables like bok choy, garlic scapes, romaine lettuce, and spinach are suitable for tearing.
When cooking at home, if a vegetable can be broken or torn by hand, try to avoid cutting it with a knife.
If you are not preparing for a banquet where appearance is important, tearing vegetables is the best method. This is because the rich vitamin C in vegetables is a nutrient that is very easily lost, and this nutrient is found in relatively small amounts in other foods.
Vitamin C is not only sensitive to heat but also to metals. When cutting vegetables, the cell walls are damaged, and the metal blade comes into direct contact with the vitamin C inside the cells. This causes the metal to accelerate the oxidation of vitamin C, destroying its activity.
Therefore, tearing vegetables can better protect nutrients. Besides cabbage, other crisp and tender vegetables like bok choy, garlic scapes, romaine lettuce, and spinach are suitable for tearing.
Torn Cabbage