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Cooking advice can help preserve vitamins, minerals
If you're not careful when preparing vegetables, you could be sending valuable nutrients down the drain.
Important vitamins and minerals may leach (seep) into cooking water and be discarded, say CNRC nutritionists. The amount of nutrients lost depends on the freshness of the food to begin with and the method of cooking.
To help you get the biggest nutritional bang for you vegetable buck, they offer these suggestions:
- To get the most from fresh produce, shop frequently and buy only as much as you'll need in a few days. Avoid buying precut produce. If vegetables look wilted or limp, opt for frozen. Store vegetables in the refrigerator.
- Cook foods in the shortest time possible. Microwaving, steaming and stir frying (in minimal oil) are the quickest methods. Covering a pot or pan also cuts cooking time.
- Wash all vegetables thoroughly, but avoid soaking them. Nutrients can be lost in the water.
- Cook vegetables whole and unpeeled whenever possible or serve them raw.
- Cook foods as close to serving time as possible.
- When boiling vegetables, use as little water as possible. To cut down on cooking time, place vegetables in water that is at a full boil. Instead of wasting nutrients that have leached away during cooking with cooking advice, save the water and use in soups and gravies.
- Avoid deep fat frying. Conventional frying at high temperatures destroys heat sensitive vitamins.
Other cooking advice 
Country Style Ribs
A meating rib - almost a chop, really - cut from the shoulder of the pig.
Cooking: Good for smoking and barbecueing.
Pork Rib Chops
A chop cut from the front end of the pig.
Cooking: Good for stuffing and pan frying, or grilling.
Pork Loin Chops
A boneless cut from the loin. This is the chop to use of you're watching your fat intake. A pork T-bone is a loin chop with some of the backbone attached.
Cooking: Good for stuffing, pany-frying and grilling.
Pork Steak
A steak-like cut taken from the leg.
Cooking: Good for grilling.
Cooking Hints
Bison meat is wonderfully lean, tender, and low-fat. This does require minor cooking advice adjustments in comparison to fattier meats like beef or pork, however.
The most common error is over-cooking. The best way to prepare bison (as well as other low-fat, wild meats such as venison) is quickly! You should use a slightly higher temperature than you would with domestic meats, to sear and seal in moisture, and then remove the item from heat sooner than you might think. Also, some additional oil will likely be necessary, with the amount becoming more critical as the thickness and hence cooking time increases. For burgers, if grilling I find no oil or basting necessary. If frying, a dab of olive or canola oil in the pan will suffice, or even a quick shot of non-stick spray. For steaks, a light application of those same oils briefly prior to cooking will suffice, although if you are using steaks cut much over 1¡± thick, it may be wise to baste with oil and refrigerate for an hour or two beforehand. With roasts, one should really baste with oil at least twelve hours prior to cooking (the day before is ideal).
Some specific suggestions for cooking temperatures and duration;
- Burgers; approximately three minutes per side over medium-high heat will yield a medium-rare to medium burger. We do not add beef or pork tallow to our burger, and if you¡¯re having a bison you¡¯ve harvested processed, specify that your butcher do likewise. Bison is moist enough (unlike most venison) that little additional fat is necessary, and that is best added through healthy cooking oils like olive, safflower, or canola. That way, it is completely safe (and in our opinion preferable) to eat your bison somewhat on the rare side. If one does add beef or pork fat, then you have no alternative but to cook your burgers well-done, which will result in an unnecessarily dry and less flavorful product.
- Steaks; a half hour to an hour before cooking lightly baste with oil and season as you prefer. It¡¯s fine to do this at a longer interval prior to cooking, such as the day before, but in our experience little additional benefit is gained, unless you are getting into the 1.5¡± and up thickness range. Then, for steaks approximately 1¡± thick, grille or fry over medium-high to high heat for approximately four minutes per side for a medium-rare steak (and please, please¡ don¡¯t cook them well done!) For steaks in the 1.5¡± range; medium-high heat for five to six minutes per side will yield the same results. Basically, the thinner your steaks, the higher temperature and shorter duration you should use.
If you need more info about cooking advice, please visit Montana Buffalo Meat.
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