TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Spinach is known to be rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. With such content, spinach has various benefits such as reducing oxidative stress, improving eye health and blood pressure, reducing the risk of cancer, and much more.
However, the nutrition and benefits of spinach greatly depend on how it is cooked. Many people are not aware that they may be making mistakes while cooking spinach that could ruin its nutrients.
According to Times of India, here are 5 mistakes to avoid when cooking spinach.
1. Overcooking
One of the worst mistakes is overcooking spinach. This applies not only to spinach but also to other vegetables. Overcooking vegetables will deplete some of their nutrients. Vitamin C, folate, and many antioxidants will be lost when the vegetables are cooked for too long. A quick way to recognize that the leaves are overcooked is when they appear dull, limp, and lose their color. It is best to cook spinach for 1-3 minutes only.
2. Adding salt too early
It is a common habit to add salt before the vegetables are fully cooked. Salt should be added to the spinach after it is cooked and removed from the heat. By adding salt at the beginning of the cooking process, the spinach leaves will lose their moisture content, requiring more time to cook, becoming more limp, and losing their healthy components.
3. Using too much water
Spinach is rich in water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin B, folate, and others. If the leaves are boiled for too long or too much water is used, the nutritional content of vitamin C, vitamin B, folate, and others will dissolve into the water. It is better to use a small amount of water, such as steaming or sauting.
4. Discarding the cooking water
The nutrients in spinach leaves will dissolve into the cooking water. Therefore, it is best to cook it properly to take advantage of this nutrient-rich cooking water.
5. Not cooking in stages
When sauting spinach, it is recommended to cook it in stages rather than adding all of it at once to the pan. This causes the leaves to steam, making them limp and soggy. Cook evenly over medium heat so that the spinach wilts evenly.
