Cook'n is the best selling recipe organizer

Stir-fry is a popular meal-making technique during the hotter weather. It's quick, filling, and takes advantage of those tasty garden ripened vegetables.

But for a tasty and successful dish, it's important to understand that some vegetables take longer to cook in the stir-fry process than others. So here's a break down of which veggies are fast cooing and which are slow.

You might want to keep this handy reference in your Cook'n Recipe Organizer. I've put it into a chapter titled "Cook'n How-To's."

FAST COOKING:

•  Spinach
•  Green onions
•  Nappa cabbage
•  Snow peas
•  Leafy greens
•  Zucchini
•  Corn
•  Water chestnuts

1-5 MINUTES:

•  Onions
•  Sweet peppers
•  Mushrooms
•  Asparagus
•  Bok choy
•  Carrots
•  Celery
•  Garlic
•  Edamame

LONG COOKING (more than 5 minutes):

•  Hard squash
•  Green or yellow beans
•  Broccoli
•  Broccoli rabe
•  Cauliflower
•  Hard cabbage varieties - green or purple

Finally, a stir-fry tip: Plan ahead by prepping your veggies ahead of time. I refrigerate my diced and sliced veggies - I keep them in water in individual cups with lids - for up to 2 days. This way I can put a stir-fry together in no time flat. This is a great way to "clean out the fridge" and deal with leftovers as well.