Q: Which veggies should I buy prepped or precut?
Even if you have expert knife skills, chopping veggies is a thing. Either you don’t have time, or your toddler is precariously under foot. We find cauliflower and broccoli especially tedious to break down, as the little florets go everywhere. We know, we know - microplastics are real and we should try to limit packaging. But since we’re all already doomed, might as well save yourself the clean up. Below are the prepped veggies we rely on the most to help us get through the week.
Note: one thing we’re not a fan of is pre-diced onion - starts to smell real funky, real soon. We do, however love frozen, peeled pearl onions for stews and roasts if you can find them. Also, we know its time-saver, but we’re wary of pre-minced garlic, which is often packed in citric acid and has a metallic taste. In a pinch, we much prefer garlic granules (not powder - there’s a difference!) for imparting garlic flavor.
Cauliflower florets: see above - florets go EVERYWHERE. Our household (and clients!) eat a ton of cauliflower and we could spend countless hours digging those tiny florets out of counter crevices, but instead we let other people do the majority of the chopping for us.
Broccoli florets: again, see above.
Baby carrots: We’re not talking about the baby cut carrots or carrot sticks your kids munch on - we’re referring to those tiny yet full-grown peeled carrots you find next to the pea pods and snap peas. You can also look for slender bunches of long-stem carrots, which just need a good rinse before roasting. Everyone in the fam loves them; on a sheet pan, toss your carrots with a little olive oil, some salt and pepper, maybe a little paprika and pop in a 425 oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Another winner: matchstick carrots which are an easy addition to salads, grain bowls, and stir fries.
Shelled edamame: Some kids love sucking the beans from salted pods (fyi: edamame are just young soybean pods), but our little girl hasn’t mastered that skill yet. She will, however, happily eat the beans at any temperature, salted or not. They can be eaten on their own as a snack, and are great added to salads and stir fries.
Peeled garlic: While we don’t love pre-minced garlic, we do love the pre-peeled cloves, which saves us from having to dig garlic skin out of fingernails. Pre-peeled garlic isn’t as potent as fresh cloves so adjust accordingly.
Baby cukes: Technically these aren’t prepped, but they’re so easy to use we feel like they’re a cheat. We keep them on hand at all times, since they don’t require any peeling or cooking (though the can be!), everyone loves them, and they can be served myriad ways - cut into sticks for munch, ribboned or sliced for sandwiches, chopped into a salad, etc. They’re also available from local sources year round since they’re greenhouse grown.