Overcooking Vegetables
A common mistake that many home cooks make is cooking food at high temperatures for too long. This will cause the loss of a significant amount of important nutrients. In particular, when vegetables are overcooked, eating them becomes pointless as they lose their nutritional value. Additionally, the loss of vitamins over time will result in a less flavorful dish.
Cooking Vegetables and Not Eating Them Right Away
Many home cooks have the habit of boiling food or cooking vegetables but not eating them right away. Instead, they let them sit for 1-2 hours before consuming. This makes the vegetables lose their freshness and flavor. Eating cold food not only makes it less appetizing, but it can also be harmful to your body.
According to research, if vegetables are stir-fried or boiled, they only lose about 15% of their vitamin content. However, if they are left for 1 hour, the loss can reach up to 25%. This loss can go up to 34-57% after 2 hours. If vegetables are cooked in advance, reheating them can result in a loss of up to 90% of the vitamins. Moreover, leaving cooked vegetables for too long can lead to the growth of harmful bacteria. Therefore, it is best to consume vegetables while they are still hot, avoiding leftover food and reheating.
Eating Overnight Vegetables
A common habit in Vietnam is to not waste food and save leftovers in the refrigerator for the next day. However, this habit can be harmful to health and even lead to long-term cancer risks. Green vegetables contain a high amount of nitrate, and when left overnight, bacteria can convert nitrate into nitrite, a cancer-causing substance. Even if you reheat or cook the vegetables again, the harmful nitrite content cannot be reduced.
Using Too Little Water to Boil Vegetables
4 Mistakes That Can Strip Vegetables of Vitamins and Nutrients: 10 Common Errors That Cause Vegetables to Lose Their Natural Sweetness
The following mistakes when boiling vegetables below make your dish lose all its vitamins, nutrients, and the inherent sweetness it should have.