Latest news with #veggies
Vogue
10-07-2025
- Health
- Vogue
14 Beta-Carotene-Rich Foods for Glowing Skin and Eyes
When temperatures rise, all we want to eat are light, fresh foods. Luckily, many of those foods—like raw fruits and veggies—are hydrating, detoxifying, and delicious. The best of them contain beta-carotene, which has the added bonus of benefiting the skin. Carrot salad, anyone? 'Numerous studies have shown that a diet rich in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and specific minerals can prevent premature aging of the skin, improve its luminosity and texture, and reduce the appearance of inflammatory diseases,' explains nutritionist Carmen Mera. 'Amongst the most relevant nutrients is beta-carotene.' What is beta-carotene? Beta-carotene is the naturally-occurring, orange-yellow pigment found in many fruits and vegetables. As the name suggests, it is a type of carotenoid, which is a type of antioxidant. Beta-carotene is responsible for the intense warm hues of many fruits and vegetables. Think: carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, and red bell peppers. According to Mera, the nutrient stands out for 'acting as a precursor of vitamin A.' When consumed, your body converts beta-carotene into retinol, essential for eye health, the immune system, mucous membranes, and cell reproduction and development. And, as we all know, retinol is incredibly beneficial to the skin. This is because beta-carotene acts as an antioxidant, helping to neutralize free radicals, the unstable molecules that damage cells that cause inflammation. Beta-carotene prevents oxidative cell damage and supports the skin's photoprotective properties to slow aging. 'The regular consumption of beta-carotene contributes to preventing sunburn, dryness, and the formation of wrinkles,' adds Mera. Foods high in beta-carotene It's easy to spot fruits and veggies that contain beta-carotene: They often have orange or red flesh or skin. But don't let color limit your options; leafy green vegetables also contain large amounts of beta-carotene. The usual tell-tale orange pigment is just camouflaged by the dark green color of chlorophyll. Carrot Sweet potato Pumpkin Mango Apricot Tomato Papaya Cantaloupe Persimmon Spinach Swiss chard Broccoli Kale Oranges How to improve the absorption of beta-carotene? Beta-carotene is fat-soluble and is thus better absorbed when fat is present, so to make the most of the beta-carotene you consume, eat it with healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, oily fish, and eggs. This is important: If there is no fat in the diet, your body cannot absorb carotenoids, including beta-carotene.
New York Times
16-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Your Grilled Veggies Deserve Better. You Just Need the Right Tools.
The basket's large perforations allow veggies to get sufficient contact with grill grates, so they're charred to perfection. Kitchen editor Marilyn Ong and writer Lesley Stockton, the author of our guide to the best grill tools and accessories, recently conducted a side-by-side test comparing a grill basket and a sheet pan. And the results were notably in favor of the basket. They discovered that the broccoli in the grill basket browned beautifully, while the florets on the sheet pan remained vibrantly green. 'Food steams on a sheet pan, whereas it cooks much faster on a grill basket due to the perforations and better contact with the heat,' Lesley explained. So even though it's a bit clunky, the Grillaholics Grill Basket is best for grilling chopped veggies that could easily fall through the grates, such as rounds of zucchini or squash. Our testing confirmed that broccoli cooked in a grill basket browns far better than broccoli cooked atop a sheet pan. Marilyn Ong/ NYT Wirecutter The basket's perforations are big enough that steam can escape while the veggies cook on the hot metal — creating that nice browning we saw in our tests — but they're not so large that food will fall through the holes. This stainless steel grill basket can also withstand the rigors of high-heat grilling, and it's dishwasher-safe (ideal for easy post-grilling cleanup). If burnt-on grease does build up on your stainless steel veggie basket, cleaning writer Caroline Mullen recommends treating it as you would any other stainless steel piece of cookware. 'Give it a sprinkle of Bar Keeper's Friend, and scrub it with a wet sponge in circular motions until all the grime is gone,' she said. If you have trouble getting into small crevices and holes with a sponge, Caroline suggests using a little scrub brush, with a simple mixture of Bar Keeper's Friend and water. Then wipe the whole thing down with dish soap and water, and let it dry before you start grilling. Cast iron's superior heat retention is ideal for searing and caramelizing veggies, including asparagus, onions, and more. Maki Yazawa/NYT Wirecutter This affordable pan is lighter than a traditional cast iron skillet as well as a little shallower. It's an ideal shape for searing, roasting, sautéing, and even grilling veggies. If you don't have a grill basket, a cast iron skillet can produce similar browning results, thanks to its superior ability to retain heat. It can also help contain loose veggies so they don't slip into your grill's grates. However, you may encounter steaming issues due to the restricted airflow (like you would if you used a sheet pan). You should also be wary of thermal shock when you're grilling with cast iron. This easy-to-find, multipurpose material doubles as a disposable alternative for a grill basket. Writer Abigail Bailey, a native Texan raised on barbecue who wrote our guide to the best barbecue sauces, said she grew up using heavy-duty aluminum foil instead of a grill basket. 'I swear by some good butter, preferably Kerrygold, and I slather it onto cauliflower florets, along with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, before wrapping it all up in foil to put in a smoker or grill,' she explained. The result is beautifully smoky, buttery cauliflower. You won't achieve good charring with this method, since the foil keeps the vegetables from directly coming in contact with the hot grates and flame. But the veggies will be infused with flavor because this method traps both moisture and aromatic smoke. Although a sheet pan might not be ideal for cooking on the grill, it's great for transferring prepped veggies (or grilling tools) to and from your outdoor cooking station. We like the multipurpose Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet because it has plenty of room to hold chopped veggies, and its 1-inch rim is tall enough to keep veggies safely contained as you toss them in cooking oil and seasonings before heading to the grill. If space is a concern, these sheet pans come in smaller quarter- and eighth-sheet sizes, which can fit better on top of a smaller side table or shelf. Transporting prepped asparagus spears from the kitchen to the outdoor grill using a sheet pan. Maki Yazawa/ NYT Wirecutter Foods that are less prone to sogginess, such as sliced onions or diced sweet potatoes, can be grilled atop a sheet pan (instead of in a grill basket or a cast-iron skillet). But you'll need to toss them occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. A sheet pan can also double as a serving tray after all of the cooking is done. Sturdy skewers help achieve even browning as you can rotate them 360 degrees to ensure heat reaches the food on all sides. This is especially important for vegetables to ensure even heat exposure and develop a smoky and slightly bitter charred flavor. While we haven't tested this specific model, we recommend stainless steel skewers, like this OXO 6-Piece Grilling Skewer Set. Unlike bamboo skewers, they don't require pre-soaking and are reusable. The flat design of the OXO skewers likely helps keep tender veggies, like zucchini and mushrooms, from rolling away or slipping off, and the pointed edge appears sharp enough to pierce through tougher ingredients, like potatoes and onions. Although staking veggies in a rainbow-like assortment on each skewer is visually enticing, Lesley recommends dedicating one skewer to each ingredient. For example, red onions, zucchini, and mushrooms each on their own ingredient-specific skewer. That way, she can easily pluck each skewer off the grill once the veggies are cooked to the appropriate doneness. Extra-long grilling spatulas can be stiff and clunky, and that can make maneuvering veggies around a grill difficult. Instead, we recommend the Mercer Hell's Handle Large Fish Spatula. This tool has a long, highly flexible, stainless steel blade with a tapered edge, and its wide, heat-resistant polypropylene handle can withstand temperatures up to 450 °F. And even though the blade is flexible, it's sturdy enough to dislodge delicate, charred eggplant slices from a grill's hot grates. The wide blade also comes in handy when you're handling veggie burgers, portobello mushroom caps, and other large, round ingredients on a grill. For these reasons, our team considers the Mercer spatula the best one for grilling, but it does have some limitations in everyday functionality. During long-term testing, our kitchen team discovered that this spatula's wide handle can be slightly uncomfortable for navigating everyday tasks, like flipping delicate fish fillets or heavy pancakes. And that's why it isn't the top-pick spatula in our guide to the best spatulas. For all-purpose cooking needs, consider the Victorinox Swiss Army Slotted Fish Turner instead. This silicone basting brush is heat-resistant up to 600 °F, so it's ideal for dabbing veggies with oil or barbecue sauce. Coating veggies with a thin, even layer of cooking oil helps promote even browning and keeps food from sticking to the grates. We recommend using the OXO Good Grips Large Silicone Basting Brush for getting into the nooks and crannies of irregularly shaped chopped vegetables. This brush's silicone bristles are heat-resistant up to 600 °F, and they won't shed, as most natural-fiber pastry brushes tend to do. It also has a two-bristle–type design (round outer bristles and a set of flat, perforated bristles in the core), which helps this brush transfer liquids better than other silicone ones we've tried. It's also dishwasher-safe, unlike boar bristle brushes that gunk up over time and can be tricky to clean. Once your grilled veggies are off the heat, you can use the basting brush to coat them with finishing sauces, such as barbecue sauce, homemade chimichurri, and miso butter. With these grilling tools in tow, your veggies won't be boring, after-thought side dishes. Instead, they'll be the main attraction of your next summertime cookout. This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Builder. We've fired up dizzying amounts of food on 18 grills over the years, and Weber still reigns. It makes the sturdiest gas grills with the most consistent cooking. The Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″ has been our pick since 2017. It's solidly constructed and easy to control, offering great value. After testing more than 90 tools from grill brushes to chimney starters, we have recommendations for everything you need to barbecue with ease. Everything you'll need to host a memorable barbecue this summer, from our favorite grilling gear to bug-battling essentials. What I Cover I'm a writer covering kitchen topics.
