This lesson is 442 words, a 1 min 46 sec reading time. It is the (newly updated) final lesson of 🥚 How to Boil Water. It is also part of the collection ⚡️ MaxF Meal Prep. 

📺 Link to YouTube

📍 Introduction

Requiring few ingredients, little gear, & minimal active work, Cooking Continuously is one of our absolute favorite meal prep hacks. The term refers to preparing a series of ingredients, one after the next, while using the same pot of seasoned water. The method can produce a tremendous amount of food in one big push, making it quite high leverage. 

Whether a staple of weekend meal prep, or snuck into a weeknight cooking session, the cooking continuously technique can be used (and personalized) again and again. Go ahead and get creative. As you experiment with different items, you may find a routine that sticks! 

🧂 Ingredients 

• Items for boiling (see Reference Guide👇)

• Kosher salt

• Ice

⚙️ Gear:

• Large stockpot

• Large bowl

• Food storage containers

• Colander, slotted spoon, or spider

✅ Instructions:

1. Set water to boil in a stockpot.

2. Clean & prep ingredients (as necessary).

3. Season to taste (seawater flavor recommended).

4. Prepare ice bath in a large bowl.

5. Cook & blanch vegetables one after the next.  

6. Store in airtight containers or zip bags.

📝 Notes, Tips, Tricks

• If two items have similar cooking times, you can boil them together. 

• Work from least starchy (e.g., vegetables) to most starchy (e.g., pasta, potatoes).

• End with the eggs to prevent shell residue from infusing your veggies. 

• Maintain clean cooking water by washing items first. Scrub veggies with a brush or damp cloth if necessary. 

• Add more hot water as needed. Remember to taste & season. 

• Consider saving ~30-60 min for this activity after returning home from the grocery store or farmer’s market. By knocking it out in one big push, you’ll save hours of prep & cleaning time later in the week.

• Blanched veggies can be spruced up later with a quick sauté or roast. Remove when slightly underdone if you plan to cook the item further.   

• Popular toppings for boiled vegetables: butter, olive oil, herbs, cheese, lemon zest, garlic, nuts, salad dressing. 

• For next-level veggie boiling, try seasoning the water with herbs (e.g., parsley, thyme, dill) or other tasty flavorings (e.g., garlic, ginger, lemon). 

🛍 Purchasing Recommendations: 

• Glass food storage containers

• Re-usable silicon zip bags

• Wide-mouth jars 

• Spider

📓 Cooking Continuously Reference Guide:

• Short (3-10 min): Broccoli, Carrots, Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Asparagus

• Medium (10-15 min): Eggs, Pasta, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Squash

• Long (15+ min): Artichokes, Beets, Potatoes, Sweet Potato

🎓 Further Studies:

• Veggie Cooking Cheat Sheet

• How to Blanch & Shock [Life School]

• Pasta Al Dente [Life School]

• Boiled & Mashed Sweet Potato [Life School]

• Perfect, Peelable, Medium-Boiled Eggs [Life School]

• An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy & Grace [Tamara Adler]

Give a gift subscription

———

✏️ Did you like this lesson?  Loved it! ⭐️ · Pretty good 🤷‍♂️ · Could be better 😐

🎧 Prefer to listen? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, or Overcast.

🗝 New/Beta: Premium Member’s Corner. For access, subscribe here.