Southern Cooking Tips for Vegetables

Southern cooking is something that people easily learn when they are born in the South, but is hard for other people to pick up on. It may be because Southern cooks never use recipes or because they seem to put more love into their cooking. Whatever the reason, I'm here to give you some easy tips to help you prepare wonderful Southern dishes. This week's lesson is about vegetables. Vegetables prepared in the South are unlike anything you will eat in other parts of the country. With these tips, you should be able to prepare vegetables that taste like they were prepared in one of the best Southern kitchens.

Southern Cooking Tips for Vegetables #1: Cook Them All Day

One of the keys to Southern cooking is cooking items all day long. This includes vegetables. In the South you won't find many steamed vegetables. Southerners prefer for their vegetables to cook all day until they have completely blended with the other flavors in the pot.

Southern Cooking Tips for Vegetables #2: Don't Be Afraid to Add Seasoning

Southern cooking doesn't involve low fat, low sodium, or low anything. Southern cooking is about preparing meals that appeal to the taste buds, heart, and soul. When you eat Southern cooking, you want to feel like your stomach and heart are both full. In order to prepare vegetables that are the perfect soul food, you must not be afraid to add salt and pepper. The salt will only intensify the natural flavors in corn, potatoes, green beans, and any other vegetables you may be cooking.

Southern Cooking Tips for Vegetables #3: Add Bacon Grease

Bacon grease is a must in Southern cooking. Failing to add bacon grease to your green beans will drastically cut the amount of flavor that they have. In order to prepare delicious vegetables on a moments notice, it is important to keep bacon grease on hand. Whenever you fry bacon, pour the excess grease into a heat proof mug, cover, and store in the fridge until needed.

Southern Cooking Tips for Vegetables #4: Try Combining Different Vegetables