I Asked 3 Farmers the Best Way To Cook Zucchini—They All Said the Same Thing
Three zucchini farmers agree that this is the key to cooking zucchini. They also agree that you should never boil it.
When my now-husband and I were first dating, he thought he’d appeal to my Italian roots by making a dinner of pasta and zucchini. It wasn’t very good—the zucchini was mushy—but I married him anyway.
Zucchini can be hard to cook. Often, it turns out rubbery, wet, or even spongy. However, zucchini farmers say there are so many great ways to prepare it—as long as you keep one thing in mind, which all three of the farmers I spoke to agree on.
The Farmers Agree: High Heat Is Key
Sautéing, roasting, and grilling—all high-heat cooking methods—are the best ways to cook zucchini, says Patrick Horan, co-owner of Waldingfield Farm, an organic farm in Washington, Connecticut. His favorite method is cooking it quickly on the grill or in a skillet at a high temperature with some oil or butter. “It’s simple,” Horan says. “Olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Let the zucchini shine.”
Heat is the key, says Jenna Cox Scott, manager of Cox Farms Inc., which is based in Gaston, Indiana. Her favorite way to cook zucchini is with high heat on a hot grill or hot sauté pan to get a good sear.
“Using a good amount of oil will help get the sear you need with the high heat and avoid sticking,” she says. “Also, don’t try to flip or turn the zucchini too early. Almost like a piece of steak, it will release from the pan when it has a good sear and is ready to flip.”
“I find zucchini to be great any way you want it: fried, baked, grilled, or stewed,” says April Robertson of Robertson Family Farm in King, North Carolina, where zucchini is among its annual crops.
Robertson says her favorite way to prepare the vegetable is to bake it in a hot oven. (The best temperature is 450°F.) She slices it and adds a little bit of butter, salt, pepper, veggie dust seasoning, and Parmesan cheese before putting it in a hot oven until tender. “You can add some veggie dust seasoning and it adds a great flavor if you don't like the taste of the zucchini.”
Both Horan and Scott say the only thing they avoid is boiling.
“The only reason I boil zucchini is when I’m freezing it for long storage in my deep freeze,” Scott says. “I always have an abundance from the garden, so a very quick boil and ice bath helps for long term freezing.”
Zucchini Cooking Tips From Farmers
For best results, always leave the skin on zucchini no matter how you cook it, says Robertson. “Keep an eye on it so it's not overcooked because overcooking can turn it into a mushy mess.”
Make sure all your pieces are about the same size so they cook at the same rate. “If you’re waiting on the larger pieces to cook, the smaller ones will overcook and break down and become the mushy texture that’s not as desirable,” Scott says.
When you’re selecting zucchini, size matters. “The best zucchinis are the small ones that are not filled with all the seeds,” Robertson says. “At our farm, we pick them small, tender, and young. The bigger they get, the bigger the seeds.”
Horan says he looks for zucchinis that are about six to eight inches long. They should be firm to the touch. “But if they are big, you can also stuff them and bake them or make zucchini fritters or bread.”
Scott also prefers smaller to medium-sized zucchini because they are more tender and usually have a more uniform shape. She uses the larger ones for stuffed zucchini recipes.
“Also, different varieties of zucchinis can impact flavor as well as add visual appeal,” she says. “Italian type zucchinis have a beautiful two-tone stripe and yellow or crookneck can be very tender and add nice color."
