For the starving student, frozen vegetables are an inevitable financial reality. They are, after all, significantly more affordable. Frozen at their peak, they also retain just as much nutritional value as their fresh counterparts. I too stomached the inferior flavour and texture of frozen veg for many years because of this. Tragically, I grew up in a household which viewed them as a form of garnish, to be boiled into resignation, sprinkled sparingly on the side of one’s plate beside the ketchup, and forgotten about until the last dreaded mouthful. However, as we glumly pull our Tesco Everyday Value pack from the icy depths, we should ask ourselves: do frozen vegetables deserve the cold shoulder?

No they do not, is the definitive answer. Our endurance of this insipid alternative has gone on long enough. Convinced that life and lunch did not have to be suffered in this way, I set myself the task of transforming frozen veggies into an appetising offering, worthy of my self-termed “discerning palate”. With a little extra effort, and observance of the guidelines detailed below, a satisfying from-frozen side dish is well within reach.

Don’t add water

Should you desire crispness, rather than the usual mushy fare, you need to keep a paranoid eye on the moisture content. Boiled frozen vegetables are, of course, an abomination, but even steaming can lead to woeful results. As they are usually blanched prior to freezing, the vegetables will already have taken on plenty of excess liquid, not to mention the ice crystals surrounding each individual piece. There is ample moisture, and any extra you lob onto your poor sodden veggies will do more harm than good. For a simple side, toss your veg into a lunchbox, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, and season to taste. No water necessary.

Keep different vegetables separate

If you can manage it, buy packs containing only one type of vegetable. Frozen or fresh, vegetables will have different cooking times depending on their size and density, making those bags of “farmhouse” and “country store” vegetable mixes particularly unappealing. As I discovered in my humble fresher’s beginnings, little is as soul-destroying as having to pick chunks of frozen broccoli out of your stir-fry mix to give them the extra cooking time needed. Bags of single vegetables, or at least ones with similar cooking requirements like cauliflower and broccoli, are a definite step up.

Try baking them

Though their 40 minute cooking time is something of a deterrent, baking frozen vegetables offers a significant improvement in both texture and taste. In a 220 degree oven, with a squirt of olive oil and a little seasoning, you can achieve a downright tasty offering. Be warned, though: the amount of water seeping off the vegetables must be dealt with in this method as with steaming. Cook on a wire rack above your roasting tin to allow the excess liquid to escape. You’ll more than likely need to drain the water from your tin after 20 minutes, leaving the oiling and seasoning until this point.

Don’t forget flavourings

However you choose to cook your vegetables, you will definitely need to add some seasonings. For this, your own tastes rule, and choosing whichever flavourings will complement the other foods you’re serving is key to creating a palatable offering. Parmesan, garlic powder and pepper as a combination has never steered me wrong in my microwaving adventures. I have also found that a little lemon zest bestows a lovely light freshness, while smoky paprika goes excellently with plainer veg like cauliflower when baked.

Combine fresh and frozen vegetables

Maybe this is cheating a little bit, but adding just a small amount of fresh vegetables to your dish is a simple and effective way of disguising the frozen origins of the other components. Check out which vegetables are on special offer each week. If you buy just one of these, while taking the bulk of your ingredients from the frozen food aisle, you should manage to keep down the cost and serve up a much more satisfying plateful.

Enrich your sauces

If you really can’t cope with frozen vegetables on their own, don’t throw your half-empty bag away just yet.The final, and perhaps the most fool-proof, method for dressing up your frozen veg is simply to load them into your ragu or curry a couple of minutes before you take it off the heat. The vegetables will add colour and appeal to your sauce, while the intensity of the other flavourings means you honestly won’t notice the deficits caused by freezing. It’s even easier if you’re planning to use your sauce in a bake, such as lasagne or cottage pie, as then there is no need to allow the frozen veg time to cook in the saucepan.

I would be lying if I maintained that frozen vegetables could ever reach the same ecstasies of flavour as those freshly cooked. However, the sad state of affairs in which they regularly exist is dispiriting and genuinely unnecessary. The tips listed should provide you with the necessary inspiration to lift your frozen offerings from their current doldrums to previously unrealised delectability. Enjoy!