Key takeaways
• The best way to cook zucchini is fast and with high heat, either in a frying pan, on a grill or in the oven. Don’t cook it.
• Boil slices with a little olive oil or butter and some salt and pepper.
When my now husband and I were first together, he thought he would appeal to my Italian roots by making a dinner with pasta and zucchini. It wasn’t very good – Zucchini was mushy – but I married him anyway.
Zucchini can be hard to cook. Often it turns out rubbery, wet or even spongy. However, Zucchini Landmen say there are so many good ways to prepare it – as long as you keep one thing in mind that all three of the farmers I spoke to agree.
The farmers agree: High heat is the key
Sautoring, roasting and grilling-all cooking methods with high heat-are the best ways to cook Zucchini, says Patrick Horan, co-owner of Waldingfield Farm, an organic farm in Washington, Connecticut. His favorite method is quick to make it on the grill or in a frying pan At a high temperature with a little oil or butter. “It’s simple,” says Horan. “Olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Let the zucchini shine.”
Heat is key, says Jenna Cox Scott, manager of Cox Farms Inc., based in Gaston, Indiana. Her favorite way of preparing zucchini is with High heat on a hot grill or hot saute pan to get a good sear.
“Using a good amount of oil will help get the Sear you need with the high heat and avoid sticking,” she says. “Don’t try to turn or turn zucchini too early. Almost like a piece of steak it will release from the pan when it has a good Sear and is ready to turn.”
“I think Zucchini is great, no matter how you want it: fried, baked, grilled or staffed,” says April Robertson of Robertson Family Farm in King, North Carolina, where Zucchini is among her annual crops.
Robertson says her favorite way of preparing the vegetable is to Bake it in a hot oven. (The best temperature is 450 ° F.) She slices it and adds a little bit of butter, salt, pepper, veggie dust spices and parmesan cheese before putting it in a hot oven until tender. “You can add some veggie dust spices and it adds a good taste if you don’t like the taste of zucchini.”
Both Horan and Scott say that the only thing they avoid is boiling.
“The only The reason I cook zucchini is when I freeze it in long storage in my deep freezing, ”says Scott.” I always have an abundance from the garden, so a very quick boiling and ice bath helps with prolonged freezing. ”
Simply Recipes / Nick Evans
Zucchini cooking tips from farmers
For the best results, Always leave the skin on zucchini no matter how you cook itsays Robertson. “Keep an eye on it so it’s not overcooked because overcooking can make it a mushy mess.”
Make sure all your pieces are in the same size so they boil at the same speed. “If you wait for the larger pieces to cook, the less over -cooked and break down and become the ugly structure that is not so desirable,” says Scott.
When choosing Zucchini means size. “The best zucchini are the little ones that are not filled with all seeds“Says Robertson.” On our farm we choose them small, sore and young. The bigger they get, the bigger the seeds. ”
Horan says he looks after Zucchini, which is approx. six to eight inches long. They must be firm to touch. “But if they are big, you can also fill them and bake them or make zucchini fritters or bread.”
Scott also prefers less to medium zucchini because they are more sore and usually have a more uniform shape. She uses the larger for stuffed Zucchini recipes.
“Also different varieties of zucchini can affect taste as well as add visual appeal,” she says. “The Italian type of Zucchini has a beautiful two -color strip and yellow or villains can be very sore and add nice color.”