It’s been estimated that 50% of vitamins are lost in cooking. There are things you can do to lessen the loss.
Microwaving is the kindest to vitamins – short cooking time, moderate heat and little water. Steaming is a close second. Stir-frying is also gentler on vitamins because it cuts down on water and vegetables cook quicker. The downside is you need to add some fat to your normally fat-free vegetable. Boiling is the most destructive. You can recycle some of the lost vitamins by using the vegetable water in soups, sauces and other recipes.
For maximum nutrition and taste – use fresh vegetables within 3 days of purchase, keep frozen vegetables frozen, and cook all vegetables quickly, using as little water as possible and keep the lid on for faster cooking. There is no such thing as a bad vegetable because all provide some vitamins, even when handled and cooked poorly, and nothing you can do in storage or cooking destroys minerals.
