Should you cover or open the pot when boiling vegetables?

Many people say that opening the pot lid when boiling vegetables will cause nutrients to evaporate, which is not good for health. Is this true or false? (Thuong, 31 years old, Hanoi )

Reply:

Green vegetables provide a rich source of vitamins and minerals, however, when processed, this amount of nutrients is more or less lost. Many people, from the initial preparation to the processing stage, do not prepare them properly, causing a large amount of this valuable nutrient to be lost.

When boiling vegetables or making soup, do not open the pot lid. If you are afraid of the vegetables turning yellow, you can do the following: put the vegetables in boiling water, stir once, then cover the pot (lid). When the pot of vegetables boils again, open the lid, stir again, then cover again. Depending on the type of vegetable, adjust the time, only boil until cooked and then turn off the stove, the longer the vegetables are boiled, the more vitamins are lost.

Covering the pot is the way to minimize the loss of vitamins, and opening the pot and stirring twice will help the vegetables cook evenly and not turn yellow when boiled.

In fact, to keep the most nutrients in vegetables, you should steam them so that they do not come into direct contact with water. However, this method has the disadvantage of not having water to boil the vegetables, so it is rarely used.

If you boil, remember to add just enough water as needed and try to use it all up because during the cooking process, a lot of vitamins dissolve in water.

Dr. Tu Ngu
Vietnam Nutrition Association

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