Subtleties In The Preparation Of Spinach

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Spinach is a favorite healthy food. Who doesn't love spaghetti with spinach or spinach pizza. But before we include it in our menu, we need to know how to use it. What are the subtleties of cooking spinach?

In order to preserve the valuable mineral salts and vitamins in spinach, several rules must be followed during its processing.

You need to know that the stems and roots of spinach can also be used because they have a large amount of vitamin C. From the roots of spinach is usually prepared salad.

To preserve the nutritional qualities of spinach, after washing you should not soak it in water, because it will absorb water-soluble useful vitamins and minerals, which will eventually go to the sink.

The steaming of leafy vegetables should be done without water, and whole leaves can be stewed in oil.

In this way carotene, the useful vitamin C is preserved and assimilated better. Cooking spinach it must be done in a tightly closed container. The maximum cooking time is 10 to 15 minutes. Very important advice when cooking spinach.

For the healthiest cooking, steam the spinach. Put the leaves on a kitchen rack or in a gauze bag.

If you mash or pound spinach, you "kill" a large part of the vitamin C content. This is because this type of treatment disrupts the integrity of the cells, and the oxygen in the room destroys the substance.

Experts recommend the best way to prepare to use stewing whole leaves in fat. To do this, add a little fat to the pan, put the spinach leaves, then cover the dish with a lid.

Raw spinach is naturally delicious. It can be added to salads or as a juice added to vegetable soups. Some even add finely chopped spinach to the minced meatballs. If you don't like meat, whole spinach meatballs are a good option for vegetarians.

Here's what else you need to know when you start cooking spinach.

Selection and storage of spinach

- is located all year round, but the best time is between April and September;

- spinach with strongly colored leaves is older, and that with lighter leaves is younger;

- spinach with a lighter aroma can be eaten raw in salads (for example, prepare a spinach salad with tuna. Instead, if you have old spinach with a strong aroma, it should be cooked;

- choose spinach with lighter, fresh leaves and a fresh smell;

- Avoid dried, colored spinach;

- Spinach should not be washed before placing it in the refrigerator.

Culinary use of spinach

Step 1: Prepare the spinach. Use a sharp knife to remove the leaves from the thick stem.

Step 2: Keep the spinach in warm water for a few minutes to remove sand and other particles. Then change the water, rinse it again and drain it in a strainer.

Step 3: Cut the spinach leaves to the desired size.

Step 4: Cook it according to the desired recipe with spinach.

Boiled spinach

Put it in a large saucepan, cover it with water, add 1-2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, count the time. Cook spinach for about 3-5 minutes. After the time has elapsed, squeeze it well and immediately place it in a container with ice-cold water. After a maximum of 1 minute, remove it (so that it does not change color). Squeeze it once more. You can use a strainer for pasta.

Sauteed spinach

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a larger pan with higher walls. When hot enough, add 3 cloves of chopped garlic. Bake them for less than a minute, then add the spinach. Use a wooden spatula to stir.

Turn the spinach leaves several times, then put the lid on and hold the spinach without turning it for about a minute. Finally, remove it from the pan so that it does not absorb oil. You can add a little more olive oil before serving.

Spinach snack

You need: 1 tbsp. butter, about 60 g chopped onion, 1 clove chopped garlic, 125 ml sour cream, 1 g nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste. Follow the instructions for cooking spinach, squeeze it well and place it on absorbent kitchen towels. When you notice that it is dry, cut it into small pieces.

Melt 1 tbsp. oil over medium heat in a pan and sauté onions and garlic. After about 5 minutes, during which time they caramelize and acquire flavor, add sour cream. Mix and sprinkle with nutmeg and pepper and salt. Stir well. Let it boil and thicken, but without covering the pan.

Then put the chopped spinach, stir, make sure that the cream covers the vegetables, reduce the heat to a minimum and bring to a boil, also without a lid, for about 2 minutes. The food should thicken a little. Serve immediately, with black pepper and salt to taste. The finished snack with cream.

Why is spinach more useful when cooked?

Contrary to popular belief that all vegetables are better for the body when eaten raw, spinach is more useful cooked. Or so scientists say.

Thermal preparation can increase the amount of nutrients, but also their absorption. This is noticeable with spinach, but also with carrots or tomatoes. that's why cooked spinach is healthier than raw spinach.

1. Increases the amount of beta-carotene

According to studies, when consuming cooked spinach, the level of beta-carotene (an antioxidant that helps prevent cardiovascular disease and lung cancer) is assimilated higher than in the case of raw spinach.

2. More lutein

In addition, the thermal preparation of spinach increases the amount of lutein present in spinach, which is a phytonutrient that prevents cataracts and macular degeneration.

3. More calcium, less oxalates

Another argument in favor of eating cooked spinach is to reduce the amount of oxalic acid. Many green vegetables, such as spinach, are rich in calcium and oxalic acid. Three cups of raw spinach, for example, contain 90 milligrams of calcium, while a glass of cooked spinach contains 260 milligrams.

If you cook spinach in water, do not use the liquid for broth.

4. More magnesium and iron

In addition, heat treatment of spinach also increases the amount of magnesium and iron that can be absorbed by the body.

But water is the enemy of thermally cooked vegetables. Cooking vegetables causes a significant amount of nutrients to dissolve in water - vitamin C, folate and thiamine (vitamin B1). Steaming vegetables is a better method.

See more delicious and useful recipes for:

- pie with spinach;

- spinach pie;

- spinach cake;

- spinach soups.