WHAT IS THE BEST VEGETABLE: nomination thread

broccoli (steamed is my #1 green veggie, so quickly made and so good)
turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens
pole beans (real heads know these are the only true green beans)
summer squash
carrots, parsnips
radishes, turnips
spinach, arugula
onions get cooked into everything esp in the winter. see also scallions
okra!
eggplant

if we're talking starchy vegetables (unfair to the other veggies imo): POTATOES, sweet potatoes, winter squash

mushrooms are freaking gross

Big portabellos are the best non-animal thing for grilling unless you're a corn on the cob freak

xxpost I guess the problem could be my palate, because my reaction to drinking different varieties of wine is basically 'yep, tastes like wine'.

I consider myself a corn on the cob freak, unfortunately it's a grain & not eligible for nomination here if my understanding of this poll is correct

"mushrooms are freaking gross"

A bit of a shiitake imo

I just had a salad with corn in it last week so I think it's up for consideration.

Toadstool is apropos name for fungus why because it tastes like something that came out of a frog's butt that's why

ye mad puffin nominated corn upthread, i'm okay with including it in the poll

Does garlic count as a vegetable? Because y'all. Garlic.

garlic is aces but i dunno, strikes me more as an ingredient than a standalone foodstuff

You clearly have not indulged in the joy of scarfing an entire head of garlic and then watching everyone in your life maintain a wide berth from your reeking corpus for weeks afterward.

i don't need garlic for that tbh

mustardy greens - collards, kale, broccoli rabe

Brussels sprouts
Butter lettuce
Broccoli is so easy and good it's unextraordinary

with such a loose definition of vegetables, this discussion is going nowhere.

1. onions - the Main Ingredient, the finest smell in cooking

2. sprouts - wildly underrated, roasted they are immense

carrots, parsnips, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, asparagus, aubergine, spinach all valid contenders. mushrooms are joyous but off topic

with such a loose definition of vegetables, this discussion is going nowhere

you hurt me deeply in my heart

as a former greengrocer i respect the need for standards.

oakleaf lettuce can be amazing but if we're going for some practical/cooking-based taxonomy idk if it counts

best:
mushrooms
potatoes
cucumber
spinach
eggplant
asparagus
corn on the cob

worst:
broccoli
brussels sprouts
cauliflower

parsnips also the worst

albino garbage carrots

best:
Asparagus
Rhubarb
Potatoes
Mushy Peas
Peas
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Carrots
Parsnips

Worst:
Broccoli
Aubergine
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Spinach
Broccoli

You are all weird

Do fistfuls of grass and twigs count as vegetables?

the bad vegetables are presumably the ones no one eats, everything mentioned ITT is delicious

i imagine all broccoli-haters had too many bad experiences with overcooked mushy broccoli as kids

i don't think i dislike any vegetables except mushrooms

xpost Correct, I had to pour melted Velveeta all over my childhood broccoli in order to make it palatable. It wasn't until only a handful of years ago that I realized raw broccoli is just dandy to munch on.

oh man now i want some cauliflower cheese

if greens as a broad category are acceptable I would go with that cuz spinach, collards, chard, kale, etc are the best

parsnips also the worst

cosign this I have never found a decent way to prepare these that isn't specifically designed to completely obscure the taste and texture

100% true potato-related anecdote:

A few years ago I was seated on a Mayan pyramid, about to see a light show projected onto said Mayan pyramid. My wife and I were discussing the Columbian exchange(you know, as one does) and marveling that tomatoes are now considered a staple of Italian cuisine, yet are not a native food there. Ditto potatoes in Ireland, which are a non-native American import.

ANYWAY.

My wife asked, "What did Irish people eat before they had potatoes?"

At that time I thought I was very clever when I answered, "Leprechauns. They ate leprechauns, and that's why you almost never see them."

Unfortunately, the couple sitting next to us was from Actual Ireland. The guy turned to us and said, "Barley, mainly. Barley and oats."

Meanwhile I'm like "Fuck you Irish guy, did you really just fly 4,000 miles to ruin an offhand joke?"

BRUSSEL SPROUTS

damn that shit is good

celery hasn't been mentioned yet, because it is The Worst

my current fave is fresh sweet corn on the cob

*~CORN~*

xxposts to crut
overcooking wasn't my problem w broccoli as a kid - it was taste ie gross, and the texture ie a mouthful of tiny insects

Corn is good. Hominy, on the other hand, is garmonbozia (pain and sorrow).

love that insect mouthfeel

I always add celery to tomato based sauces, but am not entirely convinced with what it brings to the party. Probably need more research before trashing celery.

This will sound disgusting, but I cooked some oiled/seasoned veg in the oven last week as a late snack. I left it on a bit too long and the cabbage was all burnt, crispy and dark. But I especially enjoyed the burnt cabbage and was thinking: this is better than fugging crisps, is this burnt cabbage.

celery is part of the holy trinity of cajun/creole cooking so um no

and by "no" I mean ergo it is essential

I've always added the ol' celery to my Chilli Con Carne dishes, so have never done one without to know the difference.

can't have mirepoix w/o celery, therefore it is essential

otm

celery also gr8 in chicken salad, egg salad etc

celery works as an ingredient sure but for clarity's sake I'm approaching this in the spirit of 'in isolation, perhaps with mild seasoning'

What, why

cucumber

I'm not fond of the very green celery I've getting recently. It doesn't soften up as much as lighter celery and has an unpleasant taste sometimes. But, otherwise I respect the mofo for not pretending to be a fruit like those lying fake fucks, tomatoes and bell peppers!

eggplant is the most delicious and sensual vegetable. Maybe that's a fruit, though.

All vegetables pretty great.

broccoli number two
or spinach

yeah OK that approach is stupid

cucumber is a good answer but it lacks something - you don't really cook it

the probable answer btw is ROUND YELLOW COURGETTES and their flowers

aubergine also great yes