Steamed Vegetables

Name: Steamed Vegetables
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 pounds any vegetable; Salt; 2 tablespoons butter, olive oil, or good-quality vegetable oil (optional); Juice of 1 lemon (optional); Pepper (optional)

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

Scale

Ingredients

1/2 pounds any vegetable
Salt
2 tablespoons butter, olive oil, or good-quality vegetable oil (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon (optional)
Pepper (optional)

Instructions

If you have a pot with a steaming insert, lucky you—use that and add enough water to almost reach the insert. Or set up a steamer by choosing a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. If you’ve got a collapsible steamer basket, put it in the pot and open it up. If you don’t have a basket or liner, rig a steamer with two heatproof plates: Put one upside down in the water, the other right side up on top of the first. Add enough water to the pot so that it almost reaches the basket or submerges the upside-down plate.
Trim the vegetables and peel them if necessary.
For greens, chop them if you like, especially any sturdy stems. For vegetables, cut them into chunks or slices no more than 1 inch thick.
Bring the water in the pot to a boil. Put the vegetables in the insert or basket or on the plate, and adjust the heat so the water bubbles vigorously without splashing onto the food. Cover the pot.
Start checking for doneness after 2 minutes by piercing with the tip of a knife. Since the egetables will continue to cook even when they’re out of the steamer, take them out when they’re slightly firmer than you ultimately want them. The tenderest greens and smallest chunks will be ready in as little as 2 minutes; root vegetables might take up to 15. So just check until you get the hang of estimating.
Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and transfer them to a serving bowl with tongs. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter or drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil if you like. Or to reserve the vegetables for another use, stop the cooking by shocking them; let the vegetables cool, drain them, then store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a week.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

Boiled Vegetables I don’t recommend this cooking method for peppers, chiles, eggplant, or mushrooms—or anything else you don’t want to absorb water. Before preparing the vegetables, fill a large pot halfway with water, add a big pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. To boil sturdy greens, first add only the stems to the boiling water; when the stems are almost tender, 3 to 4 minutes, add the leaves. For everything else, drop all the pieces in the pot at once. Cooking times and finishing directions are the same as in the main recipe.

Microwaved Vegetables Put the vegetables on a microwave-safe plate or in a shallow bowl along with a splash of water; don’t drown them. Cover loosely with a paper towel, a vented microwave cooking lid, or another microwave-safe plate. Since timing will depend on your oven’s power, cook in 2-minute bursts on high until you’re comfortable. Every minute or two, stop the machine and—being careful of wafting steam—check for doneness. Finish the vegetables as described in the main recipe.

Roasted Vegetables Heat the oven to 425°F. Instead of using a pot, put the prepared vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil or good-quality vegetable oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss. Put the baking sheet in the oven. Roast, occasionally turning the vegetables with a spatula and checking for doneness, until the vegetables are browned in places and as tender as you like. If they are browning too quickly, lower the temperature to 400°F and stir more frequently. Doneness is a continuum: Delicate greens will be ready in 5 minutes; start checking hard vegetables, cut in chunks or sliced as described in the Prep, after 20 minutes. Everything else falls somewhere in between, so checking after 10 minutes is a good rule of thumb. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot or at room temperature.