Learn how to cook frozen vegetables so that they retain their nutrients and pack the flavor. The microwave does both. Despite the rumours, steaming vegetables, either in the microwave or in a saucepan, is a great way to retain the nutrients in your food.Microwaving is also a healthy option as you don’t need to add any kind of fat (unlike when frying with oil). Nothing ruins a main course like a bland vegetable side dish. In the case of vegetables it literally couldn’t be easier, simply microwave for the desired time, with the absolute minimum of water. Although fresh veggies straight from the farmers' market are always preferred, frozen vegetables are better than no vegetables, and in many recipes, you never know the difference.Frozen vegetables are easy on the wallet, and they often save precious time in the kitchen, especially when you can pop them in the microwave … Learn how to cook frozen vegetables so that they retain their nutrients and pack the flavor. Frozen vegetables are extremely useful to have on hand in a pinch. Microwave the veggies in 90-second intervals, stirring and checking for desired doneness after each interval. Steam frozen vegetables by pouring them into a microwave-safe glass dish and adding just a few tablespoons of water. “Steaming in the microwave is the best method for many fruits and vegetables because it cooks very quickly,” says investigative journalist Jo Robinson, who spent a decade researching the nutrients in vegetables and fruits for her book, Eating on the Wild Side.She points out that unlike other quick-cooking methods, microwaving doesn’t expose the vegetables … EatingWell test kitchen manager Breana Killeen does sometimes boil frozen vegetables, but only very briefly: "I've been adding frozen veggies—broccoli, peas, green beans—to the pasta cooking water during the last minute or so of cooking, then draining the veg with the pasta and adding it to sauce," she says. This is probably more obvious with things that are steam cooked as it's going to take longer for the extra mass to heat up. This allows the vegetables to steam cook from the inside out, in a fraction of the time, it would take to boil away all those vitamins and minerals in … Nutrients like vitamin C can be leeched out into cooked water, so the minimal amount of water needed to steam in the microwave is another … If you prefer soft and tender veggies, they’ll probably need a few minutes in the microwave. Remember that temperature can be a factor, and getting to that temperature may take a significant amount of the cooking time to reach. Microwaving vegetables is a great way to cook them when you’re pinched for time. “The microwave is best for foods with a smaller surface area—I would never take the extra time to defrost bagged frozen veg like green beans, corn, peas, and carrots on the stovetop when I can just pop them in the microwave,” says White. When I was naming things you shouldn't microwave, I didn't list frozen vegetables.However, WSCH in Portland is running a news story (complete with video) about frozen vegetables sparking when being microwaved. Vegetables tend to cook at a temperature between 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit; use the same temperature for frozen as you would for fresh (check the air fryer cooking chart linked above for the exact temperature we recommend for each type of vegetable). So cooking 2 of the same item together might take longer than doing one after the other. There are methods to steam vegetables on the stove or in the microwave, and if you get started with already boiling water, vegetables can steam through in a few minutes.