Show lynn says protective cooking milk cheese butter and eggs are perishable refrigerate them carefully and cook slowly to get the most out of your food cut carrots and other long vegetables lengthwise their cells are long and less of their nourishment will disappear if prepared this way add dressing to fruits and vegetables as soon as they are cut or cubed the dressing coats the cut surfaces and helps prevent vitamin destruction shell peas pea or beans just before cooking to prevent air from destroying ying the vitamin C use as little water as possible when cooking leafy vegetables after washing vegetables such as spinach and cabbage let water cling to the leaves and do not add any more when cooking hands off when caring for vegetables bruising causes rapid vitamin loss i |