Beyond The Decorations: Cooking With Microgreens

Are you new to microgreens and wondering, “Can you cook microgreens?”

Are you tired of using microgreens to “enhance” salads or as edible garnishes to embellish a wide variety of other dishes?

I created this post to give you everything you need on how to cook microgreens.

Can you cook microgreens? Scientific studies show microgreens have more than 20 times the nutrients of mature plants. Cooking microgreens for 15 minutes at 140-180°F will yield at least 75% of their nutrients. Vegetables lose less than 50% of their nutrients when cooked for more than 30 minutes or less.

You can certainly eat microgreens raw or cooked.

They are easy to add raw to any meal.

But I promise you will know how to cook microgreens by the time you finish reading this post.

Can Microgreens Be Cooked?

Before I show you how and when, let’s take a quick look at why you would want to cook microgreens.

So, we know a few things about mighty microgreens.

• Research in the past five years has tripled.
• Demand is increasing, and supermarkets and food establishments are making them available locally.
• There is no question that they are the “latest thing” in the culinary world.

Furthermore, a very recent study⁽³⁾ in the Journal of Food Science indicates that consumers new to microgreens are fascinated by the flavors and appearance.

And they are willing to include them more often in their meals.

Congratulations!

The fact that you are reading this post puts you with the five percent of people in the world who are leading a trend toward better nutrition and locally sourced food.

The fact is that scientists consider microgreens to be live food.

They contain a wide range of vital life force nutrients (e.g., vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and oxygen) and live enzymes.

They also contain more significant amounts of nutrients and health-promoting micronutrients than their mature counterparts.

Between 5 and 40 times more, according to the most cited scientific study⁽⁵⁾.

The Great Debate: To Heat or Not to Heat Microgreens

Humans have been using fire and heat to cook food for thousands of years.

Fire and heat do change the chemical composition of the food.

And yes, there is some loss of nutrients.

But we’re all still here, no?

There is really no reason for us all to go on a completely raw diet, is there?

And lest we forget, cooking does kill bacteria and viruses that can make you sick.

Cooking food at 167°F (75°C) or hotter will kill most bacteria that cause food poisoning.

Sure, cooking destroys plant enzymes.

But if you remember 6^th or 7^th grade (1st form), so does the hydrochloric acid that digests food in your stomach.

I don’t think you want to be too concerned about cooking microgreens.

Scour the Internet, and everybody discourages “cooking” microgreens because they say they “lose their nutritional value.”

But no one seems to have quantified just “how much nutritional value do you lose?”

So, I set out to find out.

What Science Says

An International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research study⁽²⁾ looked at the effects of heat on different vegetables.

The scientists measured the percentage of vitamin C lost at 5, 15, and 30 minutes in the water while exposed to a constant temperature of 140°F (60°C).

Table 1. % loss in concentration of Vitamin C as heating time varies.

By the way, the pain threshold for your tongue is about 153°F (67.2°C), according to this study. ⁽¹⁾

The most thermolabile (definition: readily destroyed or deactivated by heat) vitamins are

• folate (vitamin B9),
• followed by vitamin B1 (thiamin),
• B6 (pyridoxine), and
• vitamin C.

Still, most vitamins are thermolabile to some extent.

As the authors state: “Vitamin C is water-soluble and, as such, is easily leached into the water and then degraded by heat.”

But what does that mean for you and me?

Read on.

What Are Microgreens Good For?

If you compared microgreens to their mature vegetables when cooked, microgreens have three times more nutrients.

Now, I must admit that there is no published work on the effect of temperature or heat on microgreens nutrition.

“Cooking” these same microgreens for 5 minutes in a 140-180°F soup pot will still yield you at least 80-85% of the nutrient value.

No matter. I believe that there is enough evidence that cooking microgreens gets you 200% more than cooked green vegetables!

Microgreens are a rich food source for a demanding consumer like you.

Someone who can diversify and enrich your diet using a large variety of available microgreens.

How to Make Microgreens

So just how do you cook microgreens without losing much of the nutrients?

Look no further than the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).

They have compiled a detailed table of nutrient losses in their USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors: Release 6⁽⁴⁾ based on how vegetables are cooked.

This is the best resource I could find.

The good news? Minerals are unaffected by cooking!

Only vitamin C, folate, and folic acid lose the most nutrients.

But then, only legumes drop below 50%.

And if you don’t already know, beans and lentils are a foundation of vegetarian, Japanese, and Mediterranean diets.

In fact, bean diets help prevent chronic diseases: obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Microgreens How To Cook

If you take a close look at the chart, you will have a good idea of when to use microgreens.

You will see that baking, boiling (and using the broth), and stir-frying are the best for cooking microgreens.

At home, you can learn how to cook microgreens Indian Style like any other vegetable.

I always wanted to know how to make microgreens Methi (fenugreek) Dal.

My next-door neighbor taught me how to make microgreens in Malayalam.

Or you can find a recipe on how to cook mustard microgreens, just like regular mustard greens.

How to Make Microgreens at Home

So, how do you make sure your microgreens keep the highest amount of nutrients when you cook them?

The three keys are water, temperature, and time.

Try also cooking at lower temperatures where possible – sauté or bake.

Or use a higher temperature for a shorter time – stir fry.

Try steaming rather than boiling.

Or, if you do boil, try and reuse the water in the dish.

Soup’s up!

Florida Fish Tea and Kale Microgreens

Soups are a favorite dish the world over.

Here is one of my favorites from the state of Florida in the United States,

Related Questions

How do I get more microgreens recipes?

Get your copy of my soup recipe book, Eat Now! Microgreen Soups: 15 Savory Pocket Recipes. Available on Amazon for only $0.99:

Eat Now! 15 Savory Microgreen Pocket Recipes (The Easy Guide to Microgreens Book 1)

(47)

Eat Now! Microgreen Soups: 15 Savory Low Fat Pocket Recipes (The Easy Guide to Microgreens Book 2)

(6)

CHILDREN OF THE SOIL: Nine Days To Growing Nutritious Microgreens At Home (The Easy Guide to Microgreens)

(5)

Eat Now! Microgreen Juices: 25 Savory Pocket Recipes (The Easy Guide to Microgreens)

(3)

Verdant Delights: A Global Journey Through 25 Plant-Based Microgreen Sandwiches (The Easy Guide to Microgreens Book 4)

What are other uses for microgreens?

Did you know you can dehydrate microgreens to preserve them for up to six months and make tea? Learn more, including how to make microgreens powers. Read my post Microgreens Can Be Dehydrated: The Easiest and Most Economical Method for Drying and Preserving (Electric Dehydration).

How do I start incorporating the health benefits of microgreens into my nutrition?

I’ve learned a lot about microgreens, how good they are for you, and what you can do with them. Check out my guide, “The Beginner’s Nutritional Guide to Incredible Microgreens.”

Wrap-Up: You can Cook Microgreens

While microgreens are traditionally consumed raw to preserve their delicate textures and robust flavors, cooking them is certainly an option that can be explored.

Gentle cooking methods such as steaming, sautéing, and incorporating into warm dishes are preferable to maintain some of their nutritional integrity while potentially enhancing their taste and digestibility. However, it’s important to consider that high-temperature or prolonged cooking might lead to a significant reduction in their nutrient content.

Thus, raw consumption remains the best approach for those looking to benefit fully from the nutritional value of microgreens. Experimenting with both raw and cooked microgreens can provide a variety of culinary experiences, offering both health benefits and delightful flavors to a range of dishes.

References

1. Dirler, Julia, et al. “What Temperature of Coffee Exceeds the Pain Threshold? Pilot Study of a Sensory Analysis Method as Basis for Cancer Risk Assessment.” Foods, vol. 7, no. 6, June 2018, p. 83, https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7060083.

2. Igwemmar, N., et al. Effect of Heating on Vitamin C Content of Some Selected Vegetables. Nov. 2013, www.ijstr.org/final-print/nov2013/Effect-Of-Heating-On-Vitamin-C-Content-Of-Some-Selected-Vegetables.pdf.

3. Michell, Kiri A., et al. “Microgreens: Consumer Sensory Perception and Acceptance of an Emerging Functional Food Crop.” Journal of Food Science, vol. 85, no. 4, Mar. 2020, pp. 926–35, https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15075.

4. USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors Release 6. 2007, www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/retn/retn06.pdf.

5. Xiao, Zhenlei, et al. “Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations of Emerging Food Products: Edible Microgreens.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 60, no. 31, July 2012, pp. 7644–51, https://doi.org/10.1021/jf300459b.