Vegetable Cooking TimeTable

Test for doneness after minimum given time. Cubed and sliced vegetables will cook faster than whole. Parboiled (blanched) vegetables that will be cooked in sauces or butter should be slightly undercooked. All vegetables are best when they are still slightly crunchy.
Boil vegetables in lightly salted water to cover. Steam vegetables in steaming rack or basket over 1-inch lightly salted boiling water. All boiling (B) and steaming (S) times are in minutes. If there is no time listed for a given method, then it is not recommended.
Vegetable	B (boil)	S (steam)
Artichoke	20 - 30	25 - 35
Asparagus:
Spears	10 - 12	12 - 15
Pieces (add tips last 5 minutes)	5 - 10	10 - 15
Beans:
Green	8 - 15	10 - 15
Lima (fresh)	20 - 25
Beets	25 - 45
Broccoli	5 - 10	12 - 15
Cabbage (simmer - do not boil)
Sliced	15	18
Whole	20 - 30	25 - 30
Cauliflower:
Florets	9 - 12	12 - 15
Whole	20 - 30	25 - 35
Corn-on-the-Cob	3 - 5
Eggplant (cubed)	5 - 8
Leeks (whole or halved)	5 - 10	10 - 15
Okra	5 - 10
Parsnips (whole or halved)	25 - 30
Peas	4 - 10
Potatoes
Quartered	20 - 30
Sliced	15
Snow Peas	2 - 3	3 - 5
Spinach		5 - 7
Squash (simmer - do not boil)
Summer	8 - 15
Winter	10 - 20	10 - 20
Sweet Potatoes
Peeled	15
Unpeeled	25
Turnips & Rutabagas
Sliced	10 - 15	12 - 18
Whole	20 - 30	25 - 35