Slow cooking is a great way to keep more nutrients in our food compared to regular boiling. Let’s break down how these two cooking methods affect the nutrition of our meals:
Water-Soluble Vitamins: Boiling can cause a lot of water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C and some B vitamins, to disappear. For example, boiling can make you lose about 50-70% of vitamin C!
Minerals: When we boil vegetables, around 20-25% of their minerals can go into the water, which we usually throw away. With slow cooking, the food cooks in its own juices, so there’s much less loss of nutrients.
Low Heat: Slow cooking happens at low temperatures (about 170°F to 280°F). This gentle heat helps keep delicate nutrients, like antioxidants, that can break down with higher heat.
Long Cooking Times: Slow cooking usually takes a longer time (often 4 to 10 hours). But during this long cooking at lower temperatures, nutrients don’t break down as much as they do when boiling at high heat.
Vitamin C: Vegetables that are slow-cooked can keep about 50% more vitamin C than those that are boiled for the same amount of time.
Antioxidants: Studies show that slow-cooked tomatoes have about 20% more lycopene (an antioxidant) than boiled ones.
To sum it up, slow cooking helps to keep nutrients safe because of its lower temperatures and longer cooking times. It also helps to keep helpful compounds in our food, making it a better choice for keeping nutritional value compared to regular boiling.
Slow cooking is a great way to keep more nutrients in our food compared to regular boiling. Let’s break down how these two cooking methods affect the nutrition of our meals:
Water-Soluble Vitamins: Boiling can cause a lot of water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C and some B vitamins, to disappear. For example, boiling can make you lose about 50-70% of vitamin C!
Minerals: When we boil vegetables, around 20-25% of their minerals can go into the water, which we usually throw away. With slow cooking, the food cooks in its own juices, so there’s much less loss of nutrients.
Low Heat: Slow cooking happens at low temperatures (about 170°F to 280°F). This gentle heat helps keep delicate nutrients, like antioxidants, that can break down with higher heat.
Long Cooking Times: Slow cooking usually takes a longer time (often 4 to 10 hours). But during this long cooking at lower temperatures, nutrients don’t break down as much as they do when boiling at high heat.
Vitamin C: Vegetables that are slow-cooked can keep about 50% more vitamin C than those that are boiled for the same amount of time.
Antioxidants: Studies show that slow-cooked tomatoes have about 20% more lycopene (an antioxidant) than boiled ones.
To sum it up, slow cooking helps to keep nutrients safe because of its lower temperatures and longer cooking times. It also helps to keep helpful compounds in our food, making it a better choice for keeping nutritional value compared to regular boiling.