The carrots are cooked…. Yes, but how? Steamed, stewed, in the oven? If you too are getting your spatulas tangled, take stock!
By Alexandra Raillan
Of course, not all foods pose this dilemma. Some are necessarily eaten cooked, and others, like fruit for example, are preferably eaten raw. But there are still a wide variety of dishes that play on both sides. Delicious in salads, crunchy in gratins. Perfect in a gazpacho or in vegetable slices. In short, we no longer really know what is best, in terms of nutritional balance.
Preserve vitamins as much as possible
This is the great hobby of naturopaths. It is preferable to eat raw vegetables in order to best preserve vitamins and minerals. Indeed, from 60°C, vitamin C disappears, from 90°C, it is the vitamins of group B that go away and, from 110°C, all the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, K). Yes but… it is not so simple because if cooking alters the nutritional compounds of our green friends, raw food can upset some fragile stomachs and intestines.
Moral: alternate as much as possible and listen to yourself in order to respect your body. One of the tips for eating more raw foods is to reintroduce starters into our menus. For example, in the spring, you can rediscover: zucchini gazpacho, beetroot salad or radish salad. Do you really have trouble digesting raw vegetables? Reverse the order and finish with the starter after the main course. As a full-course meal, you can try poke bowls, a very nice Hawaiian dish with lots of vegetables, raw or marinated fish (tuna or salmon for example) and a base of rice or legumes. Also remember not to buy too many fruits and vegetables on Sunday at the market and leave them lying around in the vegetable drawer. It is better to buy less, but more often. Finally, to benefit from a perfectly balanced plate, also remember to vary the oils (olive, walnut or grape seed, etc.).
Discover other cooking methods
There are different cooking methods that preserve nutrients.
Steam cooking:
If possible, opt for steam cooking, which is the best way to preserve vitamins. The temperature of the food should not exceed 90°C. Choose glass or stainless steel steam cookers.
And, above all, keep an eye on the timer. Don't cook them for too long in order to keep the vegetables crisp. For example, 5 minutes for new carrots, 10 for asparagus, 15 for cauliflower, etc. Cut your vegetables roughly and not into small pieces to preserve the micronutrients even more. And above all, wait until the last minute to peel and prepare them, otherwise bye bye vitamins.
Braising:
This slow cooking, which does not exceed 95°C, is done without fat with a lid.
Baking:
Choose the long version but at a low temperature or in a steam oven if your model allows it. Followers of Traditional Chinese Medicine will tell you: never excess, neither too hot nor too cold. The best cooking method for them? The wok which had its moment of glory in Europe.
The point? Just brown the vegetables a little so as not to eat them completely raw. Note, if you had to remember only one thing from this ancestral medicine: avoid eating foods that are too cold (just out of the fridge for example) or too hot. As with cheese, let the food sit at room temperature for a while before serving. This is, for example, a very good idea for Sunday brunches at home. Ayurvedic medicine, on the other hand, favors cooked foods for the digestive comfort that this provides.
Follow the basic rules
Consume local and seasonal products, it's the best way to preserve the vitamins in food! The skin of fruits, preferably organic, is full of benefits. Rinse them well (with a little baking soda) before eating them without peeling them. For vegetables, if they are a little stale, don't hesitate to add a dash of lemon juice to give them a boost (and some Vitamin C) at the same time. As for plunging food into a pan of water, boiling or cold, it all depends on the nature of the vegetables. It is said that vegetables that grow in the ground, such as potatoes, beets and carrots, should start cooking in cold water. Other vegetables, which therefore grow at ground level, such as green beans, corn, cabbage, prefer boiling water.
What about raw meat and fish?
Not all foods of animal origin can be eaten raw for health and hygiene reasons (risk of salmonellosis, for example). Which ones should be eaten raw? Some fish, such as tuna, salmon and swordfish, can easily be eaten raw. For meats, it is more likely to be cuts of beef: carpaccio and steak tartare are a delight for some guests.
A word of advice: find a trusted craftsman to get excellent quality cuts if you ever make your own raw dishes. And above all, prepare them straight away. Or reserve these cravings for your restaurant outings!
