Make cooking more fun by improving on your culinary skills. Aside from trying out different cooking styles and cuisines, you can add variety to your repertoire by mastering the various ways of preparing vegetables.

Vegetables are a food necessity, as they come with lots of nutritional value. But, don’t forget to make your meals flavorful, so you’ll enjoy the meals as much as you can! To start, here are five different methods of preparing vegetables.

1. Stir-frying

Often used in Asian cuisine, stir-frying is an easy way to cook a healthy meal. The main bonus: the entire stir-frying process is really quick! Most stir-fry recipes require high heat, which is why the total cooking time is shorter than others. Usually, you cook in a wok or a large pan, so you can maximize the surface area and allow more heat to get through the food.

If you want to do a vegetable stir-fry, here’s what you need to do. First, heat your pan. Then, add your oil—preferably those that can withstand high temperatures. Next, add the aromatics and the veggies based on how long they are cooked. Just stir everything until the vegetables turn brightly colored and crispy. Lastly, add the sauce and you’re good to go!

2. Grilling

If you’re in love with a layer of smoky flavor in your meals, grilling vegetables is the perfect method for you. Ideal for the days when you’re having a barbecue, grilling veggies is also ideal for indoor dining all year round.

When grilling veggies, all you have to do is marinate the veggies with your choice of seasonings and olive oil. Then, grill them as long as necessary and flip them around when they start to char on one side.

3. Steaming

Though steaming has developed a bad reputation due to bland results, it’s actually a good and healthy way to prepare vegetables. Contrary to what people think, steaming is a good pick because it keeps the nutrients in. In particular, steaming helps retain Vitamin C and other antioxidants because the cooking process is really quick.

To steam vegetables, use a steamer, whether made from bamboo or metal, over a pot of boiling water and just stop when the vegetables become a deeper and richer color.

If you’re the type of person who prefers more flavor, you can opt to add aromatics like ginger or garlic to the water. You can also season the veggies with salt, butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, herbs, or other sauces.

4. Frying

Though frying is not the healthiest option for preparing vegetables, it can be the perfect way to introduce picky eaters into trying healthier food. Plus, you don’t have to drown them with so much oil—pan-frying would be enough. Do it quickly, so you don’t burn the veggies; keeping them crisp and a light golden brown is more than enough.

As an alternative, you can also opt to fry your veggies in an air fryer. With this style, oil is optional, so it’s a very healthy option. Just make sure to read your manual to get the timing right!

Final Thoughts

Experimenting in the kitchen makes cooking and eating so much more fun. This goes with vegetables, too. You can play around with different techniques and methods until you discover the type of cooking that you like best. Just don’t forget to enjoy the process and improve as you go.

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