Buying and Cooking Spinach

Kids and others may say “yuck” when it comes to spinach but spinach has versatility. Spinach may be eaten alone but it’s best when mixed with other food. Raw baby spinach leaves are excellent, however, in salads. Here’s how to buy and cook spinach.

Buying Spinach

Spinach comes in many different forms. In it’s canned form, spinach is already cooked and only needs warmed up. Frozen spinach, like canned spinach, only needs warmed up although a little longer. Fresh spinach is available bagged or bought in bunches. Choose spinach that hasn’t started to wilt. It should also be a vibrant green.

Wash spinach just before you use it. The bagged spinach usually comes washed. Use a chef’s knife to cut the spinach into smaller pieces if the recipe calls for it. Baby spinach is immature spinach and will have the best taste especially for salads. It’s less bitter than its adult counterpart.

Cooking Spinach

The key to cooking spinach is the cooking time. Don’t cook spinach too long or it becomes bitter and stringy. If you fry the spinach, add oil or butter and heat on medium. You can also cook onions, garlic and other vegetables before you add the spinach. Once you add the spinach, turn down the heat to low and let it cook for two to three minutes. Stir and continue until the spinach starts to wilt. Turn off the heat and let it sit for an additional minute.

Frozen and canned spinach only needs to be heated. Cook any other vegetables such as garlic and onions before you add the canned or frozen spinach.