What vegetables do you buy fresh, versus frozen, versus cannned?

[thatchairlady]

First fridge I can remember had a SMALL box inside... big enough for a few trays of ice cubes. Veggies were mostly fresh, but obviously some canned. Next fridge I remember actually HAD a freezer... by then those rectabgular boxes of frozen evggies were the main stay... but still mostly fresh.

What FRESH stuff is ALWAYS in your fridge? For me... celery & carrots... they last MUCH longer than "they" say. Always potatoes and onions... NOT in fridge.

Canned stuff?? IMNSHO, if someone says they HATE some veggie... might be cuz they've only had it canned?? Like mushrooms, asparagus, peas... they dont remotely resemble fresh or even frozen. Only canned veggie I can think of that's worth eating might be beets.

Frozen stuff?? Bags of frozen mixed veggies work for soup/stew. Have a feeling frozen spinach may be a MAJOR bargain?

[GlorifiedRice]

Okay, this is the deal...

Things in cans like beets, Le Seur peas, Niblets, Blue Lake green beans, and zucchini in tomato sauce are things a lot of people grew up with.

No they may not be the healthiest for you, BUT they have a unique taste that you cannot reproduce in fresh or frozen.

So basically the question you are asking is entirely up to you and the taste you want.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Fresh in the crisper at the moment: celery, mushrooms, lettuce, zucchini, avocados that are ripe and that I will not eat today, beets, red and green peppers, asparagus, peas, garlic and shallots, Romanesco and broccoli and cauliflower, green beans, cucumbers, and probably a couple of other more esoteric veggies that I'm not recalling at the moment. I've also got carrots and potatoes, *edit* and a few kinds of onions, but they are not fridge items.

Canned veg, apart from perhaps creamed corn, is an abomination. Same goes for frozen, with the very possible exception of peas (although I still prefer fresh) is in the same boat. IMHO, at least.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[Shel_B]

Fresh in Fridge: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Corn (in season), Kale and other leafy greens, Zucchini and Summer Squash, Beets(in season), Leeks, Scallions, Various Lettuces, sometimes Spinach, a little Celery, Peppers, Peas, Radish ... Carrots, Eggplant ... probably more, plus those that are not in the fridge, like tomatoes, avocado, citrus, etc.

Frozen: Assorted frozen vegetables and beans, corn, peas, spinach, broccoli ...

Canned: There's always a can or two of TJ's corn around for use in a specific dish Toots and I make a few times a year, and there's always some canned tomatoes - do beans count?

Edited November 8, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[judiu]

I'll eat canned corn, in a pinch, but I always want to doctor it up with onions and stuff. Canned tomstoes are ok, as are jarred roasted peppers. Other than that, I'll eat frozen, buy fresh is WAY better!

[Shel_B]

Fresh in the crisper at the moment: garlic and shallots

Do you keep those items in the fridge because of weather in your area. Around these parts, those are non refrigerated items.

[liuzhou]

All my veg are fresh. They don't do frozen or canned here. I would buy frozen peas and a good brand of tinned tomatoes, if I could.

[LizD518]

I always keep frozen peas and corn on hand - they are easy to toss into things like soup, or to use in some specific dishes I like to make (spicy gingered peas, sauteed corn with mint). I like fresh peas, but the season is short and they can get pricey. And I prefer just to eat fresh corn on the cob - feozen works well for dishes. I also buy frozen spinach for saag paneer.

Canned - just tomatoes

Everything else, fresh. I always try and keep garlic & onions on hand. Everything else depends on what I'm making that week.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Fresh in the crisper at the moment: garlic and shallots

Do you keep those items in the fridge because of weather in your area. Around these parts, those are non refrigerated items.

In tropical heat, they accumulate rather *ahem* interesting moulds faster than I can use them if I don't keep them refrigerated.

[gfweb]

Frozen? Emergency cauliflower.

Canned? Emergency kernel corn. Baby corns. Tomatoes. Chipotle in adobo.

Jarred? Diced Jalapenos, emergency red peppers

Fresh? Everything else.

[Syzygies]

http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/SAV-100-2011-Frozen-Peas

A wise old chef once told me: Wait till peas are in season, then use frozen.—Fergus Henderson, St. JOHN, London

[Hassouni]

In my fridge right now:

(Always try to keep these stocked):

carrots

celery

various kinds of japanese mushrooms (some combo of enoki, shimeji, maitake, and oyster)

larger, milder green chiles. Not jalapeños, but the ones labeled as "Korean pepper" at H mart, or shishitos, or something of that nature

napa cabbage

daikon

scallions

negi or what i believe is negi

Other stuff I buy fresh, exclusively, that I may or may not have right now:

Any kind of leafy green

lotus root

broccoli

cauliflower

other cabbage

beets (pre-cooked vacuum sealed, if that counts)

burdock

all kinds of squash (summer and winter)

bell peppers

radishes

(this list could go on for a while...)

Canned (nothing right now but what I would and do buy):

bamboo shoots

water chestnuts

various beans, esp chick peas

diced tomatoes, though right now those are in a jar

artichoke hearts

Frozen (again, nothing at the moment):

sweet peas

corn

chopped spinach (for Perso-Iraqi spinach stew)

very hot chiles (habanero, Thai, Indian finger chiles)

[Pierogi]

Routine frozen:

corn

peas

green beans

pearl onions

Routine canned:
Tomatoes (diced and whole) (this includes the awesomeness that is Rot*el)

Ortegas (mild chiles)

Corn (Green Giant's "MexiCorn" and creamed)

Various beans

Everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING else, in the veg realm is fresh.

When I need them, because of convenience/seasonality, I will buy canned artichoke hearts (although I prefer frozen), bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Although, lately, I've found that the canned bamboo shoots have such a metallic "off" flavor, I'd either leave them out entirely, or sub something like jicama.

SOMETIMES, frozen spinach when I don't want to deal with the mass and cleaning that fresh presents when you just want to cook it down to a manicotti filling.

Frankly, I can't tell the difference between frozen corn and frozen peas and the fresh in cooked dishes. In raw applications, then, yeah, fresh is best.

[huiray]

Does the topic include dried vegetables and packaged/preserved vegetables?

[huiray]

.....

Everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING else, in the veg realm is fresh.

When I need them, because of convenience/seasonality, I will buy canned artichoke hearts (although I prefer frozen), bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Although, lately, I've found that the canned bamboo shoots have such a metallic "off" flavor, I'd either leave them out entirely, or sub something like jicama.

.....

There are many brands and types of packaged bamboo shoots of various sizes etc, OTHER than canned brands. Have you tried those? Fresh bamboo shoots are also available but those are a PITA to prepare. Jicama is not, IMO, a substitute for bamboo shoots.

It is an error to think that fresh vegetables are always better. Many dried or preserved or salted vegetables are ingredients in their own right and are valued for the distinct taste and/or texture they acquire. They are not just replacements for the fresh. There are many such examples in Chinese cuisine, for example.

[Vlcatko]

The only things I buy canned/jarred:

• sweet corn (kernels)
• pickled pearl onions
• pickled ginger
• pickled red beets
• pickled cabbage
• gherkins/cornichons (I don't care much for brine pickles, but those made with vinegar - I could eat a whole jar by myself )
• pears (mainly as a garnish for pear brandy and an ingredient for chocolate-pear cake I sometimes make)
• peaches (I love the fresh ones but when I feel like sour cream trifle in the winter I will buy a can)
• pineapple
• olives

Things I buy frozen:

• edamame (I have never seen fresh ones in my life)
• corn (both on the cob and kernels)
• some herbs and chilli
• berries (sometimes other fruits - mango etc. - usually used in smoothies or already mentioned trifles)

Everything else I pretty much buy only fresh (or dried if it is stuff like lentils, peas...).

[Pierogi]

.....

Everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING else, in the veg realm is fresh.

When I need them, because of convenience/seasonality, I will buy canned artichoke hearts (although I prefer frozen), bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Although, lately, I've found that the canned bamboo shoots have such a metallic "off" flavor, I'd either leave them out entirely, or sub something like jicama.

.....

There are many brands and types of packaged bamboo shoots of various sizes etc, OTHER than canned brands. Have you tried those? Fresh bamboo shoots are also available but those are a PITA to prepare. Jicama is not, IMO, a substitute for bamboo shoots.

It is an error to think that fresh vegetables are always better. Many dried or preserved or salted vegetables are ingredients in their own right and are valued for the distinct taste and/or texture they acquire. They are not just replacements for the fresh. There are many such examples in Chinese cuisine, for example

As I said...due to convenience/limited supply, canned bamboo shoots/water chestnuts are what is available to me most often. For a bastardized stir-fry of leftovers, they do, sort of.

I also mispoke, and I apologize for that. I use jicama as a sub for water chestnuts, not bamboo shoots. Those I actually don't find too dreadful in the canned form. It's the water chestnuts that I can't take. Canned bamboo shoots are actually fine.

And....I mostly cook American/Southwest/Mexican/European food because that's what I grew up with and am most familiar with. I know that Asian cuisines make great use of dried/preserved vegetables and that they can be amazing. But that is not what is usually on my dinner table. However, when I do make an excursion into those cuisines, and want to do it as *authentically* as a Southern California, Polish/Norwegian girl can, I make every effort to source the appropriate ingredients specified by the recipe.

Edited November 8, 2013 by Pierogi (log)

[annachan]

Frozen: peas, corn, spinach

Canned/jarred: tomatoes, pickled vegs

Freah: whatever looks good at the market

[Porthos]

Typical selections:

Cans/Jars: Artichoke hearts, whole-kernel corn, various beans, green and black olives, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green beans. I like the taste of canned green beans but I do also buy fresh for a specific recipe.

Frozen: Broccoli, cauliflower, pearl onions, sliced carrots, spinach, Brussel Sprouts, green peas.

Fresh: Carrots, green/yellow/red peppers, celery, sugar snap peas, salad greens, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, onions, sometimes potatoes, the occasional avocado. I will be doing a little marketing for fresh veggies today.

I do also buy dried beans.

Never to be seen in my home: canned peas.

For those who are familiar with the fact that my DW and I lead a team of volunteer cooks cooking for a renaissance faire guild we buy all fresh veggies for that.

[huiray]

Pierogi, ah - I see. Thanks for the elaboration.

[huiray]

For myself, it depends on what it is, what the season is, what I want to make, and what is appropriate for the dish or preparation in mind. All have an influence in what I get.

Following on from my posts above - as an example, if I wanted to make Teochew-style steamed fish I would need preserved/pickled plums, NOT fresh plums. If I were to make Szechuan-style dry-fried green beans - even according to Fuchsia Dunlop - I would need a certain kind of preserved, salted, spiced mustard greens (Szechuanese "yacai"), NOT fresh mustard greens. Dried Chinese-type (shiitalke-like) mushrooms cannot be replaced with fresh mushrooms of the same type if one is aiming for a certain flavor profile. And so it goes.

Even in something like Italian cuisine with something like Marcella Hazan's simple tomato sauce the use of fresh tomatoes versus canned tomatoes (a good grade) gives sauces with different characteristics and it depends on what one wishes for on that particular occasion, as an example. I also like jarred marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts, as another example, or "marinated artichoke salad" much more over their fresh counterparts, when I am looking for a certain taste or am in the mood for them.

Oh, what about dried porcini and dried chanterelle mushrooms, in the Western idiom? I think they are great when used appropriately, at least in part due to the concentration (and subtle change) of the flavors with decent dried stuff.

So - I buy fresh and dry and canned and jarred vegetables, many sorts, and do not consider that only fresh vegetables are to be the be-all-and-end-all of vegetable shopping. ;-)

Frozen - definitely frozen peas. Frequently frozen green beans as well. They're great in Chinese-style fried rice. :-)

p.s. There is a lot of other ground covered if one considers foodstuffs other than vegetables. ;-) Bacon is not thought to be a poor substitute for fresh pork, is it? :-)

Edited November 8, 2013 by huiray (log)