8 Cooking Hacks: Vegetables

I’m always trying to pack more vegetables into my diet, but cooking them can be messy and time-consuming. Cooking vegetables can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a little bit daunting for beginners. So if you don't know where to start or are struggling to produce good results, don't worry. Here are 8 tips to help!

1. Sumptuous Skins

Vegetables and fruits have the most nutrients and fiber in the skin. So instead of peeling, eat the skins when possible.

2. Double Dicing

When a recipe calls for a small portion of onions or peppers, dice a whole one. Store the unneeded portion in a zipper plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer for future recipes.

3. Root Veggies

Cook root veggies like potatoes and carrots with the lid on for a quicker meal.

4. No More Tears

Reduce the tears from cutting onions. Place onions in the freezer for 5 minutes before cutting.

5. Great Greens

Cut fresh green beans quickly and easily by grasping a bunch in your hand and lining up the ends in your palm. Lay them on a cutting board and cut the knobby ends off. Turn them around and do the same with the other ends.

6. It’s In The Bag

Create a “scrap” bag in the freezer. Toss in leftover pieces of

freshly cut veggies to use later for soups and stir-frying.

7. Perfect Peas

Frozen peas don’t need to be cooked, only thawed. They can be used at the last minute for salads by thawing in a colander under cool running water.

8. Hold The Seeds

Need to seed a cucumber quickly and easily? Cut it lengthwise and run a spoon down the center to scrape out the seeds.