Boiling is not often a recommended method of cooking vegetables. Water leaches water-soluble vitamins from vegetables and it is easy to overcook them, meaning they can be mushy and flavourless.
Blanching is an alternative cooking method similar to boiling that helps retain water-soluble vitamins. Blanching also preserves crispness, colour and nutrients. It involves quickly cooking vegetables in boiling water but removing after a minute or so.
Did you know you can soften up some hardy greens like kale by massaging their leaves? A few minutes later you’ll have darker, softer, more palatable leaves without losing any of the crispiness.