Don't cook vegetables and fruits together! A guide to four common mistakes in cooking produce
As we all know, the vitamins in fruits and vegetables are beneficial for health and beauty. However, many people unknowingly destroy these nutrients during cooking. What should you pay attention to, and what pitfalls should you avoid when cooking produce? Let's see what a Japanese cuisine expert has to say.
1. Don't use a blender or food processor to make juice. Many people use blenders or food processors to make fresh juice, believing this allows for complete absorption of the fruit's nutrients. In reality, the vitamin C in the fruit is constantly oxidized and destroyed during the blending process. It's recommended to use a juicer instead, which quickly separates the liquid from the pulp, significantly reducing the oxidation of vitamin C.
2. Don't cook vegetables containing "vitamin C decomposing enzymes" together with fruits. Many families enjoy mixing fresh vegetables and fruits to make salads. However, be aware that produce like carrots, cucumbers, apples, and bananas contain "vitamin C decomposing enzymes," which can break down the vitamin C in other fruits and vegetables when mixed. Fortunately, these enzymes are heat-sensitive. For salads, you can briefly blanch carrots first. For fruits that are not easily heated, like apples and bananas, you can drizzle them with lemon juice, which also helps to neutralize the enzymes.
3. Don't discard the cooking water for leafy greens and root vegetables. Vitamin C is not heat-stable. When boiling leafy greens and root vegetables, it easily leaches into the cooking water, but it isn't destroyed itself. Therefore, these vegetables are perfect for making soups. After eating the vegetables, drinking the soup allows you to fully intake the vitamin C. When making the soup, it's best to keep the lid on, as the vitamin C that evaporates with the steam will condense and drip back into the soup, preventing waste.
4. Don't soak vegetables for salads for too long. After washing and cutting leafy greens for a salad, soaking them in cold water for a short while can help them absorb moisture and remain crisp. However, if soaked for too long, the vegetables will become saturated with water, and vitamins will then start to leach from the vegetables into the water.