Vegetables: Fresh or Frozen or Canned

Which form of vegetables is best for you and yours? Fresh is considered best, of course: however, those fresh veggies lose a lot of their nutritional value if you boil them in water for long. Better to steam them.

It's all about the nutrients. Both Vitamin C and folic acid escape quickly: in raw vegetables, both will start vanishing after only a few days.

Research has found that canned apricots, spinach, and pumpkin provided more vitamin A per serving than those cooked while fresh. Canned asparagus, potatoes, and spinach also proved to outrank or equal fresh-cooked for vitamin C. However, freshly cooked tomatoes had higher vitamin C and fresh carrots, more vitamin A, than either canned or frozen.

The researchers explain that processed (canned and frozen) veggies can be nutritionally superior to fresh produce because the processed ones are chosen at optimal harvest, when nutrient content is at its peak. This is very important for finding vitamin C in green veggies.

Since processing seeks to maximize nutritional content, the debate becomes: frozen or canned?

Both are preserved when the vegetables are at their nutritional best, at the peak of their harvest. Canned vegetables do have a salt problem, unless you check the label and buy a "no-sodium" or "lo-sodium" variety. (Canned fruits, likewise, have that sugar issue.)

What's the difference? It's in the preparation...

Canned: cans (or glass jars), machine-filled with vegetables, as well as brine or liquid, are pre-heated and then automatically sealed. Then, they are cooked under standardized times and temperatures, assuring the veggies will store without refrigeration. Once cooled, they stay in warehouses until they reach the store shelf. You need only re-heat.

Frozen: Freshly harvested veggies are first slightly pre-cooked to keep their natural appearance and flavor during the long time they'll be stored. Otherwise, they'd brown. Then, they're placed into polyethylene bags or fiber cartons which are wrapped in marketing labels (veggie name, company logo, etc.) and placed in freezers. They still need some cooking time.

When you're at the store ...

If you buy vegetables in a can, make sure that the can isn't leaking or buckling anywhere. Swells mean spoiled. A little dent is okay.

As for vegetables from the freezer, their packages should be solid. Any package that's wet or weak means it's defrosting -- and any package that has a stain on the outside or that has an icy crust means the package was defrosted and refrozen. Doesn't mean they're toxic, but it does mean some taste has been lost. Choose something else.

Once you're home ...

Store your canned veggies at a temperature no higher than 75°F., and they'll keep for at least a year. Even after a couple of years, they'll still be safe to eat, but some taste will be lost. Open a can, put any unused portion in the fridge: they'll stay good for a couple of days. Frozen veggies need to be kept at 0°F. or lower. Open a package, put the remainder back on ice asap. If it defrosts, use it now.

Bottom line: Between the two processing options - frozen or canned - it apparently comes down to taste as a general rule. I like frozen peas better than canned, for example. Fresh remains the optimal choice: which means those Spring-time Farmer's Markets can't open a moment too soon.


Sources: allrefer.com, US Dept. of Agriculture, British Foodservice, Colorado State University Extension Service.

Free Online Tutorials for Popular Software

There's a nice collection of online tutorials for Microsoft products like Publisher, Word, Powerpoint, and Office provided by Kent School District in Washington.

Microcounsel has a nice list for WordPerfect users, too -- although it is focused for law firms and despite the fact that less and less people use WordPerfect these days.

How To Cook - 1

With newscoverage dealing with the American lifestyle, it's coming to light that one of the problems of change is that people never learned to cook, or they've forgotten how after years of buying processed food.

Lots of people don't cook from scratch - you know, go into the pantry, search through the kitchen, use a pot and a pan, and come out with a meal that tastes good. (Sandwiches don't count. Reheated takeout or premade frozen doesn't, either.)

And maybe they should, and maybe they'd like it. It's fun. And, it's part of simplifying life. A simple life involves cooking.

So, here's the first in a series of posts dealing with this basic task. Cooking's not hard, cooking's fun -- and there is something wonderful about setting down to a homecooked meal at a table with your family. It's therapeutic. It's fun. Heck, it's spiritual, man.

You do not need to be Julia Child, and you don't need tablescapes by Sandra Lee to do this.

First, there's a vocabulary for cooking - basting, panfry, parbroil: the folks at Crisco.com have a good, clear list for you. Don't memorize this, just go look up the words you don't know when you need them.

Second, you need to have the basic equipment. Here's a short, simple list - and you can find good quality stuff at places like TJ Maxx and DollarTree, with great finds to be had at garage or estate sales:

Pyrex measuring cup - 2 cup size. It will handle the microwave (until you get the gumption to get rid of that thing).

Measuring cups/spoons - one of those gizmos that combine measurements into one is cool.

Cooking Spoons - get big wooden ones, they usually come 3-4 in a package. Get one big scoop, too. DollarTree has great buys on GoodGrips for this stuff.

Spatula -- one. Start with one.

Strainer - get a big one, you can start a collection later.

Knives - don't get one of those collections; get a chef's knife, a serrated one (uneven edge), and a smaller one. Don't be intimated by what the fancy chefs tell you. The goal is to use the tool to cut the food and not yourself -- pick ones that fit your hand as well as the task. The chef's knife is big enough to handle an eggplant or a chicken, and the serrated one is a must for cutting thru bread, chocolate, etc. The small one is used when the big one is clumsy.

Cutting Boards - get a wooden one, plastic holds germs and knives can slip on glass. Big is good, too small and you wonder what to do with the food as you're chopping, etc. It needs to give you room to work. Let a collection grow over time.

Cookie Sheet - one.

Grater - one.

Cast Iron Skillet -- simple, perfect. You have to "cure" it. Do this by covering it with oil or shortening and baking it for one hour at 350 degrees. Don't immerse in water, or you'll have to recure. Wipe it clean. Yes, you read it right. Find one of these babies dark and well-used at a garage or estate sale, and boy howdy - you've found a treasure. Bake, broil, fry - fabulous.

Soup pot aka "Dutch oven" - 5 quart or more, round, has a lid.

Pots -- Two pots with lids. Pot differs from pan by having height and a lid.

Baking pan - start with a basic Pyrex 9" by 13" and get ready for Brownies.

Bowls - a basic set of three is fine, Pyrex is nice because it can handle heat and cold. Try Amazon - 3 for 9.99.

Sources: Ehow.com Kraft.com ; Aunt Clara's Kitchen, and my own experience.

To follow along with someone, check out FoodNetwork online videos, Cooking.com videos, and WorldCulinaryInstitute.

Great first cookbook: Pam Anderson's How To Cook Without A Book.