Let's learn how to cook spinach, three ways - steaming, sautéing, and blanching. This superfood is not only loaded with health benefits, but also cooks in a jiffy.
Add leaves to a pot of boiling water, and let it sit for approx a minute or two. The spinach is ready when it turns a bright green colour and the leaves have wilted. Scoop out the spinach and dunk it in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the spinach, squeeze out excess water and use.
Steamed Spinach
Bring a pot of water to boil. Keep a colander on top of it and place the raw spinach in the colander. Cover and cook for two to three minutes depending on the quantity of spinach till the leaves wilt completely.
Sauteed Spinach
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and add a bunch of cleaned and dried spinach leaves. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes till the leaves wilt and leave out some moisture.
Notes
Washing Spinach: Its essential to wash spinach well before cooking or using it. There is usually a lot of dirt stuck between the stems and leaves. Wash it a few times under running water till all the dirt washes away.
Storing cooked spinach: Cooked spinach can be cooled and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days
Freezing Spinach: You can fill ice cubes with cooked spinach and freeze for 3 hours. Then pop out the cubes and transfer them to a ziplock for use later. Frozen spinach can be added to smoothies or thawed to be used in soups, curries, stir fries etc