Every time I cook these they come out mushy and gross. Particularly the broccoli. What do you do to get them crispy and tasty?

>>21450028 (OP)
>What do you do to get them crispy and tasty?
I buy fresh broccoli.
I pretty much only use frozen broccoli for soup.

>>21450028 (OP)
When I make stir fries I blanch my broccoli for two or three minutes then put in in the pan for a couple more. It never cooks for more than five minutes. But that's always using fresh broccoli, I don't know what would happen if you tried it with frozen.

>>21450028 (OP)
Frozen veggies are more nutritious than "fresh" veggies(days old when they are sold) but lose in texture upon thawing

>>21450074
>Frozen veggies are more nutritious than "fresh" veggies
That's a lie that (((they)) try to use in order to sell you on their frozen garbage

>>21450077
Learn from scooby

>>21450071
>I blanch my broccoli for two or three minutes then put in in the pan for a couple more.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to try that tonight. I have a couple of bags of frozen broccoli.

you cant get them crispy because the cell walls are burst when theyre frozen and leach their water everywhere. besides, crispy broccoli is mid. its best when its lightly steamed and then tossed in some kind of fat and then something fragrant like garlic or sesame. if you want crispy breassicas either do fresh broccolini or cauliflower in a hot pan with oil/butter.

>>21450089
make cream of broccoli soup

>>21450077
i mean even if they were less nutritious they are objectively way cheaper for the same amount of weight and more convenient so i dont think that the jewish dark frozen broccoli cabal really needs to go that far to convince me

>Every time I cook these...

You can achieve crispiness from frozen broccoli by letting it thaw rather than nuking it. Thawing them preserves the tender, yet crispy consistency the florets achieved from being boiled. Applying more heat is most likely ruining that.

>>21450028 (OP)
>What do you do to get them crispy and tasty?
they wont get crispy unless you put them in an air fryer.
If broccoli is getting mushy, that means it's overcooked.
You can microwave frozen broccoli, or put it in a steamer basket, in your rice cooker. Only let it cook until it's done

>>21450028 (OP)
They're basically already cooked they just need to be warmed up. A quick steam or microwave for a couple minutes is all it needs.

>>21450081
>>21450081
>>21450081
>eating bricks of spinach cooked down until the vitamins are all concentrated in a small amount of food.
enjoy your oxalate kidney stones

>>21450129
do you just eat a single ingredient until youre full? normal people make food by compounding multiple ingredients.

>>21450129
I don't think that's what he said at all, just that he cooks it in a manner that doesn't require draining any water. A fast, hot saute is usually good enough to evaporate excess water in frozen spinach if you don't crowd the pan too much.

>>21450133
>>21450130

go ahead and eat a brick of spinach every day. cook it however you want. let me know how you feel when you're pissing out jagged rocks.

>>21450134
go ahead and finish fifth grade. read any childrens book you want. let me know what hes saying when youve developed a shred of reading comprehension.

>>21450143
i think you're the one lacking in reading comprehension. he said he eats 10 oz of broccoli, 1 brick of broccoli is 10 oz.

>>21450134
huh? is 10oz of spinach scary to you or something?

>>21450178
>huh? is 10oz of spinach scary to you or something?

>>21450028 (OP)
Could try roasting them. I prefer fresh cuz if you shave the stems, theyre nice and tender and everything is delicious amd nicer presentation. Even when I roast that instead of blanch and finish in pan. Whatever your needs are
But yeah, maybe branch. Roast. Oil, salt, pepper, Lil garlic if you like, finish with a squeeze of lemon. Maybe toss on a slice of cheddar of scamorza (its like a smoked mozzarella, but different) if youre into that and melt it on

>this entire thread saying to steam already frozen water logged vegetables
>>21450089
>blanching frozen broccoli

does no one here oven roast vegetables? op, i buy frozen broccoli almost exclusively. just so you know, its not possible to get frozen vegetables "crispy". but if you oven roast these, put them frozen in a bowl mix it with olive oil, salt, pepper, powder seasonings, cookie sheet on parchment paper, throw that shit in 450 degree oven, usually takes around 40-45 minutes, flipping halfway. they wont be crispy but they do get roasted and will be very good, just soft

>>21450028 (OP)
Only peas, corn, kale, spinach, and edamame freeze well
The rest you should buy fresh
Farmers markets are usually once per week, and pretty much everything will keep in the fridge for a week if you know how to use a fridge
>there is no farmers market where i live, or any independent grocers
move out of suburban hell

>>21450134
>let me know how you feel when you're pissing out jagged rocks.
this is my fetish though

>>21450134
>>21450187
Maybe I'm retarded, but I don't think spinach is gonna give you kidney stones, anon.

>>21450187
just drink more water bro

>>21450028 (OP)
I just keep my raw broccoli in a fresh saver box and use it whenever I need it. I don't really bother with frozen. I have some freeze dried in case I want to throw some in to cooked dishes, which is only when I don't have fresh.

>>21450081
Broccoli doesn't shrink at all like spinach does when cooked. I eat identical amounts of both regardless of raw or cooked.

>>21450103
I dunno, I am partial to the stir fry broccoli where it's been browned a bit and is midway from crunchy to mush.

>>21450187
I'm a versatile switch in a gay relationship. Kidney stones from spinach is the least of my worries.

>>21450028 (OP)
Thaw em out then fry em in veggie oil

>>21450149
10 oz/280g by weight is nothing for a single meal, particularly if youre active. you genuinely cannot believe that he is eating nnothing but spinach for his meals. i refuse to believe youre that fucking stupid..

Buy non frozen broc you fucking retard

>>21450426
>how do you cook frozen broccoli
>buy fresh broccoli
thats not an answer to ops question retard

My frozen spinach and kale always has rocks and paper in it. Okra has inedible stems.

>>21450028 (OP)
in boiling water for a couple minutes
you could also thaw them beforehand
then they go in the pan with olive oil and garlic

>>21450121
>way cheaper
lmao no they're fucking not
I can get fresh broccoli for 50¢/lb. Frozen is never much cheaper than $1/lb and it's rarely even a pound anymore these days, anyway

the real question is why would you ever buy frozen broccoli when its going to be 90% stem and 10% florettes

Cook covered in a pan at low-med heat (4 on my stove) with a tablespoon of water until they're thawed (~5 mins), then uncover and crank the heat up to med-high (7 for me) and cook until the tips are dark brown/slightly burnt. Not as good as fresh, but this gets rid of the mushy texture. Just cook it hotter to drive the water out basically. Use a high heat oil when cooking and drizzle a little olive oil after you plate it.

>>21450482
>what's 2+2? And dont give me some bullshit answer like 4, I want a real one!

is broccoli not cheap as piss and available year round?
DAR?

>>21450546
Not possible because there really isn't much stem on a broccoli.

I usually get mixed veggies with carrot, peas and corn. The key is to have a bit of oil on a pan and cook it on HIGH heat. It will be perfect with zero mush. I like to do it till the corn is a bit browned.

>>21450687
>cooking on high with a non stick.

Shiggy diggy

>>21450077
>read frozen veg nutritional data
>where the fuck are the vitamins?

>>21450028 (OP)
First off fuck frozen veggies.
Either buy the precut prewashed ones from your grocery store or buy them fresh.

Then all you need is a little extra virgin olive oil in the skillet, maybe throw in a little roasted garlic but it isn't necessary. Then just use kosher salt and ground pepper. Don't cook it for too long.

>>21450658
>I've never seen real broccoli in my entire life
Dude, what the fuck??

For broccoli and cauliflower, I've found the steamer bags to always be overly squishy. Steaming fresh gives you the best chance at getting something that's still somewhat firm but even the bags of frozen florets (but not the steamer bags) can steam up nicely. The Instant Pot is really good for this as the conditions are easy to control and replicate.

>>21450028 (OP)
They'd probably turn out okay if you put them in an air fryer. It would defrost them, then crisp them up.

The big problem with the "Steam in Bag" vegetables is that they're coated with ice to create the steam but this can make the veggies soggy and also leads to the weight of the ice being part of the product weight so you get somewhat less than you expected.

>>21450028 (OP)
air fryer

The only way to make frozen broccoli edible imo is to fritter dem bitches. I the them in the nukebox, snip open the bag and add flours, seasoning and starch directly. Massage it into the brocc while still in the bag then spoon out into hot oil and fry crisp.

>>21450081
>If you are cooking the spinach in a pan until it is dry like I am, very little vitamin C is lost
The vitamin C doesn't stick around and reabsorb, Scoobs. It's water soluble. When the water's cooked out, the vitamin C is destroyed.
All frozen vegetables are blanched before freezing, often for quite a long time, so it's already cooked, and then you'll cook it again and lose more nutrients.

>>21450187
Typical case of a fatass making up logic loops to avoid eating greens

>>21450028 (OP)
>Every time I cook these they come out mushy and gross. Particularly the broccoli.
honestly just buy real broccoli. its cheaper, actually has nutritional value and doesnt take long to cook.
frozen veggies are awful cuz they always go mushy when you heat them and they have almost no nutritional value.

>>21450738
>>21452554
Frozen veggies have MORE nutritional value

>>21453164
They're certainly more "safe" due to the blanching process. Different people have different reactions to raw vegetables. If anything is added, then it has to be listed in the ingredients.

>>21453164
being frozen then defrosted ruins most of their nutrition along with its taste.
with how stupidly cheap carrots, onions, broccoli and potatoes are there's no reason not to just use fresh ones or grow them yourself which is piss fucking easy.

Frozen broccoli is fine for stir fry or steamed with butter. The only other frozen veg I tolerate are peas (green, snow, snap).
Canned, obviously tomatoes for sauces and stews, but out the can as a side dish only corn and green beans.
Other than specialty items that jarring adds a distinctive flavor through the preservation process like olives, artichokes, and mushrooms, pretty much everything else must be fresh. I can't stand canned/frozen potatoes, carrots, onions (that I didn't hand prep). That anyone would ever buy let alone prepare and consume picrel is baffling to me

>>21454056
>canned veggies
finna throw up

>>21450187
The thing people do to not eat their vegetables.

>>21455047
Never heard anyone saying that they got kidney stones from eating too much spinach lol

>>21454018
>or grow them yourself which is piss fucking easy.
Maybe for you. Where I live, the worst pests straight out of the gate of hell, descend upon anything I grow and eat it. Hell, I don't even have anything growing right now, but I was outside the other night and a goddamn fatass possum went snooping through the area where I normally grow veggies. Just thinks there's a fucking pantry there or something. Fucking niggers.

>>21455127
>Possums
You have it lucky. Where I live, a fucking bear stole all my berries and veggies!! Then it broke into my house and raided my refrigerator. Fucking NIGGERS

>>21450028 (OP)
Those specifically are simple. Put the unopened bag in the microwave for 6 minutes (for 1000w or so) and let stand for a minute. If you can't do steamer bags, you're a special kind of retarded.

>>21455139
Is that the bear that raids all the picnic baskets?

>>21455147
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hALkds3ymZ0

Something like that!

>>21455145
Op doesn't want them mushy.

>>21450028 (OP)

I take them directly from the freezer, toss with oil and steak seasoning, then roast them in the oven on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 25 minutes at 425F.

>>21455163
They don't come out mushy if you follow the directions.

>>21455117
Not him, but it's legit a thing. You do have to eat very large quantities for it to actually be a problem, but the possibility is real. Fun fact, if you've ever heard that rhubarb leaves are poisonous, the oxalic acid is the reason for that. It became a problem in World War 2 in Brtiain when food was in short supply and people started eating masses of it because it's so prolific. That's where the thought of them being poisonous caught on, but in moderation they're fine. Indeed, fun fact #2, spinach has more oxalic acid than rhubarb leaves.

>>21450123
>You can achieve crispiness from frozen broccoli by letting it thaw
I never tried this but always wondered if it worked.

>>21455184
Frozen broccoli is always mushy compared to fresh. Just having been put in a freezer fucks up the cell structure.

>>21450028 (OP)
Don't buy frozen broccolli.
Don't cut them into tiny pieces.
Don't overcook them.

>>21455367
Learn something new every day

>>21455367
>>21455117
There was a summer where I got a kidney stone from eating tons of steamed swiss chard and a ton of cocoa powder every day, and drinking tea more than water. I cut out the chard and never got another one.
Now I eat blanched chard and spinach a few times a week and don't eat the retarded amounts of cocoa powder I did then, and I haven't had any trouble.

>>21455367
We got Adam Ragusea posting here now

>>21450028 (OP)
I can only find them in steamable bags these days. They give you half the broccoli for twice the price.

>>21455690
Glad to inform! This plant is a common weed in many places and is like a heartier spinach with no hint of bitter. But you have to be more careful because it's got oxalates out the ass.

>>21455738
In moderation they're super good, but unfortunately too much of a good thing...

>>21450074
Yeah, that’s not strictly true. People use this argument because of frozen peas, which defrost quickly, but not all vegetables are the same. Freezing causes some nutrients to be lost, plus frozen vegetables have to be cooked longer, which again causes even more loss. Plus you have to take into consideration the damage freezing does to the fibrous material of the vegetable and the impact this has on digestion. You should try to judge vegetables on taste, texture and appearance and fresh vegetables taste better, are far more vibrant and maintain their texture better.

>>21455367
I used to eat spinach every day, along with two chicken leg quarters and 4 oz of cream cheese. It was an inexpensive way to eat and I was poor. Eventually I got a job again and used some of my about to expire FSA money to get a Dexa scan. Unpleasant surprise was that my bones were thinning. The woman who ran the place said it looked like I had early osteoporosis. After some research, it looks like it was probably due to the spinach I had been eating. Lesson learned and not in a good way. But at least no kidney stone.

>>21450081
>Do you have time to go to the farmers market every day for your fresh spinach? I thought not.
Do Americans really have no spinach at the store?

>>21455908
Idk what these anons are babbling on about. I got fresh spinach at my local Stew Leonard's.

>>21455867
What do you think happened? The minerals?

>>21455997
Marie! Jesus Christ.

>>21455997
Spinach is full of oxalates, which bind to calcium, preventing the body from being able to use it. While spinach does contain some calcium itself, the oxalates bind to all of that plus calcium from other sources. That's not a big deal if you eat it once in a while but if you eat it every day, eventually it binds all the free calcium and possibly starts leeching it from your bones.

>>21455795
Oh no... all I eat is spinach! I eat even more than Popeye

>>21450028 (OP)
just buy fresh and freeze yourself you lazy cunt

the most useful concept i learned from marco pierre white is that cooking involves removing moisture. the issue with frozen veggies is that the moisture AKA water content is locked into it, with lots of little fibers keeping it there. whereas with a thin frozen meat like burger, the water content can be quickly evaporated out while on a hot pan. this is why frozen burgers now say you can cook from frozen. many didn't know.

have you tried air frying? that extra fan action might help. and spraying the brocc with lots of oil. look up "air fryed broccoli" or oven-baked. you have to let it cook until it's near burnt.

by the way air frying a burger turns out gross and mushy too.

>>21450028 (OP)
Broccoli doesn't work well frozen. Peas and green beans are alright.

>>21455867
I heard that spinach fucks you up the same way tuna fucks you up. Just a slow build of some ailment that you won't even realise is coming.

>>21455754
Order the streamable bags from Amazon

>>21456321
This anon has the right idea, but I have a method for oven roasting frozen vegetables:

>preheat oven 450°F
>place veg on cooking sheet
>ensure space between pieces, they gotta sweat without steaming each other
>place in oven, let ice melt and water evaporate (doesn't have to be completely dry, just get rid of most of the moisture)
>open oven after 5-7 minutes, remove tray
>add a bit of oil/fat to cover bottom of tray and mix the veg around to cover.
>remove excess oil/fat with paper towel, season veg with salt.
>tray goes back into oven another 7 minutes
>tray comes back out, flip veg and season again with salt and preferred spices
>tray goes back in and roast the veg to your preferred texture (as anon said, nearly burnt is best but the timing can be tricky)
>remove tray, add salt if your cholesterol can handle it

Feel free to play around with the roasting time, amounts of oil/fat and seasonings; Using an oil spritzer can prevent excessive oil usage but I do prefer to have the bottom of the tray greased to assist browning. My described method won't give you the same results as you'd get for fresh, but it's great for anyone that likes to stretch their buck and doesn't mind a bit of extra handling for a good result.

>>21458448
Finna try this tonight

I like to microwave frozen broccoli and brussel sprouts and then eat the soggy green mush out of the bowl plain. You eat them because they are healthy. They are not supposed to taste good.

>>21459531
Microwaves kill all the nutrients anon!

>>21456320
Why would you do that? That's not going to solve the problem that arrises when you cook it

Steam those things using a proper steamer on a stove top. Microwaves don't work well in this instance.

>>21460472
because it's cheaper and not processed
it doesn't solve the issue of it being frozen

>>21460529
>processed
You mean just washed and frozen?

>>21450028 (OP)
For frozen stuff, i steam them for about ten minutes and they come out with soft buds, but a crispy stem. For fresh broccoli, I eat it raw. More nutritional content.

>>21461329
Not him, but I assume what he's referring to is that vegetables that get frozen for sale in stores are typically pasteurized to a degree, whereas if you do it yourself you can just rinse and put taw veggies in there.