In general, how long does it take to cook vegetables?

[kenny1999]

1. in general how long does it take to cook vegetables before it is well cooked?　does it depend on the type of vegetables?

2. what is the average daily intake (in gram) of vegetables for health / balanced diet? I will stick to minimum because I hate vegetables but I want to be healthy.

3. There are many many kinds of vegetables but is it OK to only stick to one or two types of them I like? or is it MUCH better to take it all different types of vegetalbes

4. what is the English name for the following vegetable？ （I am not English speaker)

[GotGarlic]

Hi, Kenny. Yes, the time it takes depends on the density of the vegetable. Recipes usually specify how long to cook veggies. In a stir-fry, for example, you would cook dense veggies like broccoli and carrots first, then celery and onion, then bell peppers or zucchini. Potatoes can take 15-20 minutes to boil, or 45 minutes to an hour to bake.

Five to nine servings is the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables per day. Weight will vary depending on what it is. A serving is a single piece of fruit or about teacup full of veggies.

It's better to have a variety of veggies because different ones have different nutrients or different amounts of nutrients in them. I've found that I often like a mixture of veggies better than a single type. For example, I don't like zucchini much by itself, but if I sauté it with onions, garlic and red bell pepper, I enjoy it much more.

I believe that is bok choy, a Chinese vegetable. You can use the stalks like celery. Cook the leaves separately, or add them later in a stir-fry or sauté, because they will cook much faster.

[Rocklobster]

That's Choy Sum. Bok choy is darker with wider white stalks.....Same cooking method, though. Flavor is a bit more sharper with a slightly bitter taste. My favorite green....

[CWS4322]

Hi Kenny, I like to take a bunch of veggies and fruit (apples, carrots, beets, cucumber, celery, spinach or swiss chard leaves) and put them through my juicer. That way, I can get a whole lot of veggie and fruit servings in on glass. I will use the pulp in soup (or recycle it into eggs by feeding it to my chickens).

I like beans, pea pods, and broccoli on the al dente side.

Here are some links on how to get more veggies in your diet:

Eat Your Vegetables: 15 Tips for Veggie Haters

Hidden Vegetable Recipes - How to Hide Vegetables in Food - Redbook

Recipes That Hide Vegetables | Mom

What if I Don't Like Vegetables? | Paleo Leap

Recipes With Hidden Fruits and Veggies | Reader's Digest

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by Rocklobster

That's Choy Sum. Bok choy is darker with wider white stalks.....Same cooking method, though. Flavor is a bit more sharper with a slightly bitter taste. My favorite green....

Thanks. I had a feeling that wasn't right - I've grown bok choy - but couldn't think of another one.

[Rocklobster]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

Thanks. I had a feeling that wasn't right - I've grown bok choy - but couldn't think of another one.

Years ago, I had it a couple of times in a certain Chinese restaurant, and decided that it was my favorite green. I searched it out, found out the name, and where to get it. My local Wal mart has it, of all places...

[manilak1d]

These type of vege's don't take that long. 3 minutes at the most.

[CWS4322]

Sometimes, it takes me a couple of days to cook veggies...too many veggies from the garden, not enough hours in the day.

[taxlady]

Lots of vegis taste better raw. We get most of our vegis raw in salads. Also, as GG mentioned, some are better mixed with others. I really dislike eating a chunk of green pepper, but I like the flavour it adds to a salad, as long as it's julienned (cut into very thin strips).

Don't forget tomato/spaghetti sauce. First, lots of tomato, add onion, chopped celery, mushrooms zucchini, olives, or some other vegi.

Another way we get vegis is putting them on sandwiches. Lettuce, sprouts, tomato, cucumber are great as garnish on a sandwich. I also make tuna or chicken salad that's about 1/3 meat and 2/3 chopped scallions and celery.

[buckytom]

Originally Posted by CWS4322

Sometimes, it takes me a couple of days to cook veggies...too many veggies from the garden, not enough hours in the day.

lol.

[CraigC]

Don't forget that different parts of this country have very different ideas as to how the vegis should be after cooking. Green beans can be crisp tender (my choice) or cooked to pale green mush as many southern folks prefer.

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by CWS4322

Sometimes, it takes me a couple of days to cook veggies...too many veggies from the garden, not enough hours in the day.

I think the OP is asking about a meal's worth, not a winter's worth

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by CraigC

Don't forget that different parts of this country have very different ideas as to how the vegis should be after cooking. Green beans can be crisp tender (my choice) or cooked to pale green mush as many southern folks prefer.

The OP asked for well-cooked, so that's how I answered.

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by CWS4322

Hi Kenny, I like to take a bunch of veggies and fruit (apples, carrots, beets, cucumber, celery, spinach or swiss chard leaves) and put them through my juicer. That way, I can get a whole lot of veggie and fruit servings in on glass. I will use the pulp in soup (or recycle it into eggs by feeding it to my chickens).

For the OP's benefit - you don't get the fiber in the food by just consuming the juice.

[CWS4322]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

For the OP's benefit - you don't get the fiber in the food by just consuming the juice.

Agree--but the pulp goes in soup. I got the impression the OP isn't a big fan of veggies (whereas, I eat more veggies than meat or carbs). I haven't met a veggie yet that I don't like...bananas and starfruit, on the other hand...

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by CWS4322

Agree--but the pulp goes in soup. I got the impression the OP isn't a big fan of veggies (whereas, I eat more veggies than meat or carbs). I haven't met a veggie yet that I don't like...bananas and starfruit, on the other hand...

Like I said, that was for the OP's benefit. We know you eat 15 servings of veggies per day

[medtran49]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

The OP asked for well-cooked, so that's how I answered.

The OP also states that he/she is not an English speaker so it's not really safe to assume that "well cooked" means exactly that.

It's hard enough for those of us with English as a first language to keep all the verbs, adverbs, nouns, etc., straight, much less those that speak it as a second language. You wouldn't believe some of the things I hear every day from ESOLs that make me go "what was that?" and language is a HUGE part of my job. Just to clarify, not putting ESOLs down. I have a huge respect for anybody that is fluent or mostly fluent in more than 1 language since my Spanish and Italian are/were bare minimum necessities since I've forgotten nearly all of the Italian due to non-use.

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by medtran49

The OP also states that he/she is not an English speaker so it's not really safe to assume that "well cooked" means exactly that.

He won't die of food poisoning, so I think it's safe enough From hosting six exchange students, I learned lots about ESL. I just took him at his word. If he tries it and doesn't like it, he can certainly try other suggestions.

[Mad Cook]

Originally Posted by kenny1999

1. in general how long does it take to cook vegetables before it is well cooked?　does it depend on the type of vegetables?

2. what is the average daily intake (in gram) of vegetables for health / balanced diet? I will stick to minimum because I hate vegetables but I want to be healthy.

3. There are many many kinds of vegetables but is it OK to only stick to one or two types of them I like? or is it MUCH better to take it all different types of vegetalbes

4. what is the English name for the following vegetable？ （I am not English speaker)

"In general" isn't possible for vegetables. It depends on
a) the vegetable
and
b) how you are cooking it.

If I was boiling or steaming greens, such as members of the cabbage family only take a very few minutes. They are often best served still with a bit of a bite. And if boiling do so in a small amount of water and have the water boiling before you add the veg. Spinach is the exception. It's best cooked quickly in just the water that adheres to the leaves after washing (ie no water in the pan). Basically, you are steaming it in its own juices. I add a large lump of butter (w-e-ll - the spinach is good for you and you have to take the odd risk in life )

Root veg (potatoes, carrots, parsnips) require longer cooking than greens and longer if you are roasting them than if you boil them. Personally, I feel that steaming potatoes, etc., takes too long and I have a life so I usually boil small potatoes in their skins. I only usually want one potato so if I want a jacket potato I do it in the microwave (runs to hide behind the sofa to avoid the barrage of rolling pins and sharp knives flying through the air) as it's not worth having the oven on for the time it takes for cooking jackets.

I have not bothered to talk about kale as it's horrible and only fit for cattle food! Don't care if it has all sorts of nutritional value - let it do the cows good.

If you don't like veg it's possible that you've only had them boiled to death and served up soggy and overcooked - were you brought up on British school dinners?

[taxlady]

Lots of us do one or two potatoes in the microwave instead of the oven.