To prevent your potatoes from breaking up during cooking, drain the water until it is only about 4 cm (1-1/2 inch) from the bottom of the pan.

Refresh wilted vegetables, especially leafy ones, by soaking in ice cold water for a few minutes.

To keep lettuce from wilting, never use a steel blade to cut lettuce (this causes the leaves to brown faster). Instead, tear lettuce by hand or use a plastic knife. Also, after rinsing, work the lettuce in a little lemon juice to preserve its freshness.

To help vegetables retain their color, add a lump of sugar, a splash of vinegar, or a twist of lemon juice.

Cooked root crops like potatoes or onions are ready to eat when a knife slides through them easily, or if they feel soft when squeezed.

To remove dirt from leafy vegetables, simply wash them in a mixture of salt and water.

Wondering if your green beans are done? Break one in half and if it makes a quiet snap, they’re good to eat.

Cooked vegetables shouldn’t look dead and lifeless. You must still be able to tell what their original color was after cooking.

To remove the silk from corn on the cob, first pull off as much as you can by hand, then use a wet washcloth and stroke downwards to remove the rest of the silk.