Please give me the beginner guide to spinach

[Anonymous]

I have never eaten spinach before, and would like to try it, but don't know how. Please do not say "it's so easy!" because it's not easy for me. I googled and read and researched and there's no information on the basic level I need. I always see videos of people taking a handful out of a bag and dumping it into a frying pan with eggs. Are they nuts, or it's okay not to wash it first? Do I tear/cut it up into small pieces? I vaguely recall people talking about massaging it - is that a real thing?

I want to try it with eggs, and also a shrimp and pasta stir fry thing I make. Do I put the spinach in the pan before or after the shrimp? (If it matters, I buy pre-cooked shrimp so really am just warming and seasoning it in the pan.) I'd also like to put it in baked pasta dishes, like stuffed shells - do I cook it in a frying pan first or just toss it in the shell with the cheese and then it cooks in the oven?

[Anonymous]

First, there's baby spinach, which is often tossed into salads or made a salad on its own (with hard boiled eggs and bacon is a classic) and it usually comes in a bag that says pre-washed. Personally I always wash even pre-washed greens. You don't need to chop up baby spinach either to eat it raw or to toss into your stir fry. because the leaves are so small.

Then there's the more "mature" spinach that comes in big clumps that look like they were just pulled up from the ground. These you have to wash thoroughly to get the dirt off them. You chop these up to saute.

Spinach cooks really fast, like you can cook it up in a couple of minutes or less.

Lots of things to do with spinach - simple saute with garlic, lemon or soy sauce, cream it, maybe with some pearl onions, put it into a quiche or fritata.

I never cook with frozen or canned spinach so can't give you any tips on those except I know you really need to drain them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, there's baby spinach, which is often tossed into salads or made a salad on its own (with hard boiled eggs and bacon is a classic) and it usually comes in a bag that says pre-washed. Personally I always wash even pre-washed greens. You don't need to chop up baby spinach either to eat it raw or to toss into your stir fry. because the leaves are so small.

Then there's the more "mature" spinach that comes in big clumps that look like they were just pulled up from the ground. These you have to wash thoroughly to get the dirt off them. You chop these up to saute.

Spinach cooks really fast, like you can cook it up in a couple of minutes or less.

Lots of things to do with spinach - simple saute with garlic, lemon or soy sauce, cream it, maybe with some pearl onions, put it into a quiche or fritata.

I never cook with frozen or canned spinach so can't give you any tips on those except I know you really need to drain them.

Thanks - I think I want to buy spinach that comes in a bag.

[Anonymous]

Fresh spinach is good sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and salt - maybe onions, too. Use several times more than you think you want, because it cooks down to almost nothing.

Personally, I think I’d throw the spinach in the shells with the cheese. I don’t normally cook shrimp, but spinach cooks very quickly, so I’d suggest adding it after the shrimp.

I buy the prewashed and use it from the bag without any additional washes. I haven’t had any problems, but occasionally I’ve heard of recalls, so if you worry, washing it again couldn’t hurt.

[Anonymous]

Just walk into a cava and order a bowl with spinach leaves and rice. Add the protein and other toppings you like. Simples.

[Anonymous]

I buy the bagged baby spinach. I don’t wash it, I melt butter in small frying pan, add about a handful of spinach until it wilts down, then add egg. I add cheese to egg when I flip it over. Whole thing takes 5 mins approx.

[Anonymous]

Often you add spinach to a dish in the last seconds, even turning the heat off, because it cooks so fast. Often recipes will talk about “wilting” spinach, and that means adding it to a hot pan or hot pot of pasta and just letting it cook for a few seconds.

Just try, OP. What’s the worst that can happen? You get overcooked spinach.

So you don’t worry about ruining a whole dinner, try spinach sauted in olive oil with a little garlic. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan. When it is hot add a finely diced clove of garlic. A few seconds later add half of one of those bags of baby spinach. It will mound up over the pan. Add salt and pepper. Give it 20 seconds, then stir it around so the stuff on top hits the hot pan. Do that again a couple times till it’s all deflated. Turn off the heat and squeeze a lemon half over it. Done!

[Anonymous]

I just started eating spinach a year ago.

I buy the bags usually, occasionally the plastic shell but try to avoid that. It’s pre washed I’ve never washed it again at home and it’s always been okay.

So far I’ve used it in a quiche recipe I created that is baby spinach and sundried tomatoes and garlic. For that recipe I sautéed the spinach with the tomatoes and garlic before putting in the pie shell and it takes not even 3 minutes for the spinach to cook/wilt.

I also dump a bag of baby spinach into my curry in the last 10 minutes before I stop simmering the curry - it wilts into the curry super fast and I don’t want it to disintegrate entirely.

I think sautéed spinach with eggs or in an omelette would be lovely.

I’ve had spinach salad at restaurants in the past and have been contemplating making one at home but from the nutritional biochemistry I’ve been studying this last year it seems best bang for buck with spinach is to cook it gently rather than eat it raw.

[Anonymous]

If you buy baby spinach it cooks in seconds, even faster than shrimp. So you add the spinach last, when everything else is pretty much done. You stir it in and it is basically cooked.

Even if you buy regular spinach, it cooks almost as fast.

Be aware that it cooks way down -- I can put an entire bag of baby spinach into a pan and cook it and only have a serving for myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just started eating spinach a year ago.

I buy the bags usually, occasionally the plastic shell but try to avoid that. It’s pre washed I’ve never washed it again at home and it’s always been okay.

So far I’ve used it in a quiche recipe I created that is baby spinach and sundried tomatoes and garlic. For that recipe I sautéed the spinach with the tomatoes and garlic before putting in the pie shell and it takes not even 3 minutes for the spinach to cook/wilt.

I also dump a bag of baby spinach into my curry in the last 10 minutes before I stop simmering the curry - it wilts into the curry super fast and I don’t want it to disintegrate entirely.

I think sautéed spinach with eggs or in an omelette would be lovely.

I’ve had spinach salad at restaurants in the past and have been contemplating making one at home but from the nutritional biochemistry I’ve been studying this last year it seems best bang for buck with spinach is to cook it gently rather than eat it raw.

Look up wilted spinach salad. The traditional recipes have a hot bacon dressing that is amazing.

[Anonymous]

Always salt and pepper it well! And if it tastes bitter, add a teensy pinch of nutmeg. I learned this from the chart on my mom’s old spice cabinet and it is magic. Totally changes the flavor.

[Anonymous]

These spinach virgins are hard to believe!

[Anonymous]

You can also throw a few handfuls of baby spinach into a bowl of any broth-based soup and it will wilt. Just stir it in and enjoy the soup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These spinach virgins are hard to believe!

I've also never had avocado.

[Anonymous]

You can use spinach in pesto, substitute half of basil with baby spinach that comes prewashed in bags.

Another way you can add it to your pasta is adding it to boiling pasta for last 1-2 minutes. It will wilt and you can drain in colander with the rest of pasta and add sauce as usual.

When you order pizza take a slice and put few leaves on top. If you want them wilted put the slice into a microwave for 20 seconds or so. You’ll be able to figure out what form is most pleasant to you. Trial and error. Good luck.