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Boiling

Warned that boiling water will leach out valuable nutrients, I used to steam every vegetable. But it was Julia Child on television, plunging green beans into a large pot of boiling salted water, who liberated me from this rut. Boiling salted water softens the fibers of many vegetables, making them more succulent.

Broccoli: 3 to 5 minutes for florets; 4 to 6 minutes for broccoli with stems, depending on thickness.

Green beans: 3 to 5 minutes for young tender beans; 6 to 8 minutes for large, mature beans.

Snow peas and sugar snap peas: 1 minute. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to "shock" or halt cooking.

High-Temperature Oven-Roasting

Almost any vegetable can be oven-roasted. To cut roasting time in half, preheat the baking sheet and the oven simultaneously. Cut the vegetables in 1-inch pieces or ½-inch-thick slices, toss with olive oil and seasonings and spread on the hot baking sheet. Turn the vegetables halfway through the roasting time and move the vegetables from the center of the pan to the hotter outside edges.

Asparagus: 10 to 12 minutes

Cauliflower (florets or "steaks"): 20 to 25 minutes

Bell pepper wedges: 30 minutes

Sweet potatoes and potatoes: ⅓- to ½-inch thickness, 30 minutes; ¼- to ½-inch dice, 20 to 25 minutes

Braising

Use the rinse water clinging to the leaves as the only moisture when cooking greens. In a large heavy pot or skillet, sauté garlic or onion in olive oil first, if desired, and add the leaves, packing them into the hot pan. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat until the leaves are wilted, 3 to 8 minutes, depending on the type of green.

Swiss chard, tender beet greens and Asian greens: 3 to 5 minutes

Tuscan (lacinato) kale, collards and mustard greens: 5 to 8 minutes

Spinach: Tender spinach leaves are best steamed in a collapsible vegetable steamer set over 1 inch of boiling water, 1 to 2 minutes

Pan-Searing

Different from sautéing in olive oil—as you would for sliced or chopped onions, carrots, zucchini, celery, mushrooms and other vegetables—pan-searing gives a blistered surface or browned color to the vegetable. This is a good way to quickly cook beets, winter squash, potatoes, red bell pepper strips or mini bell peppers or cherry or plum tomatoes. First brown or blister them on both sides in olive oil over medium-high to high heat. Next, cover and cook over low heat, turning the vegetables, until tender.

Sautéing and Stir-Frying

Whereas pan-searing concentrates flavor on the surface through browning, in sautéing, chopped or thin-sliced vegetables are stirred so that they cook evenly. To sauté, heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the vegetables and cook, stirring, over medium heat, until they reach the desired doneness. Stir-frying is similar but done over higher heat, generally to achieve crisp tenderness. To stir-fry, heat the oil in a wok, skillet or stir-fry pan until it is hot enough to evaporate a drop of water. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, over high heat.

QUICK-COOKING ARTICHOKES WITH LEMON, MINT AND FETA

Because I've been an artichoke fan since childhood, I'm always amazed at the number of people who find them mysterious. Select small to medium artichokes instead of the big showstoppers. The smaller ones are tender, juicier and quicker to cook. The outside leaves are too precious to discard. Boil them in salted water until tender (about 10 minutes) and eat them hot or cold as a snack, dipping the tender, fleshy part of each leaf into lemon dressing, red wine vinaigrette or a garlicky mayonnaise.

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

4 medium (4–5 ounces each) artichokes

2 garlic cloves

1 leafy celery top

1½ teaspoons coarse salt

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)

To prepare the artichokes, pull off one or two layers of the dark green outside leaves and reserve for another use (see headnote). Place each artichoke on its side and cut about ½ inch from the pointed