Microwave veggies to keep beneficial nutrients
When you make dinner tonight, stop before you dump the peas or cauliflower into a pot of boiling water.
A new study published by the Chicago-based Institute of Food Technologists shows that for many vegetables microwave cooking or cooking on a flat metal surface with no oil (griddling) maintains the highest level of antioxidants. On the other hand, pressure-cooking and boiling led to the greatest antioxidant losses.
Antioxidants are those healthful compounds in fruits and vegetables that might slow or prevent cancer and other diseases and they're one of the reasons we're encouraged to eat several servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Spanish researchers examined how six cooking methods affected 20 vegetables. Their findings showed:
• The highest antioxidant loss in cauliflower was after boiling or microwaving, in peas after boiling, and in zucchini after boiling or frying.
• Green beans, beets and garlic were found to keep their antioxidant levels after most cooking treatments.
• The vegetables that increased their antioxidant levels after all cooking methods were celery, carrots and green beans (except green beans after boiling).
• Artichoke was the only vegetable that kept its high antioxidant level during all the cooking methods.
Dinner on a dime: OK, maybe not quite a dime, but chef David Kile of Coopers Hawk Winery and Restaurants will show you how to prepare an elegant three-course dinner that won't break your budget.
Kile will demonstrate a spring salad with cherry vinaigrette, seared tilapia with apple-rhubarb chutney and pork tenderloin with mustard cream sauce and sweet mashed potatoes.
This Cooking with the Best Chefs class runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, 798 W. Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights. The class costs $35 ($25 for Best Chefs members). Registration is required and recipes and samples are provided (cash bar available). Save your seat at BestChefs.com or (630) 359-4600.
Jammin' at the cellar: That jam in the fridge is good for more than just spreading on toast and chef Michael Niksic will prove it on Wednesday, May 20.
Niksic, aka the Food Mercenary, will demonstrate how wine-based jams and jellies can be used in sauces, marinades, desserts and other dishes. His class costs $39 and runs 7 to 9 p.m. at Vintner's Cellar Winery, 529 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. The price includes food samples and complementary wines.
Register at the Vintner's Cellar Winery, (847) 918-9463.
Enterprising menu: If you plan to boldly go where no man has gone before, you don't want to do it on an empty stomach.
Book your seats to see the latest movie adaptation of "Star Trek" at Gold Class Cinemas at The Arboretum in South Barrington and you can enjoy a "Star Fleet Baguette," at right, (camembert, prosciutto and arugula on a crisp baguette) or a "U.S.S. Enterprise Wrap" (fresh spinach, feta and roasted potatoes wrapped up) as you watch Capt, James Kirk and the fleet battle the Romulans.
The theater is at 100 W. Higgins Road. (224) 293-1001. The special menu will be offered throughout the movie's run.
- Deborah Pankey
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524 or food@dailyherald.com. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on "Restaurant Radio Chicago" from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560-AM.