How Long To Bake Zucchini (And Why)?

How Long To Bake Zucchini (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 8 To 20 Minutes

Zucchini is a summer squash and part of the Cucurbitaceae plant family, otherwise known as gourds. While most people refer to it as a vegetable, in actuality, zucchini is a fruit. 

Zucchini has a delicate flavour. It requires more than butter and salt. Zucchini can also be eaten raw or shredded. One can add them to cold and hot salads if following a Thai or Vietnamese recipe. Zucchini cut with a spiralizer make zucchini noodles that act as a spaghetti substitute for low-carb recipes.

One can cook zucchini in a variety of ways. These include boiled, grilled, steamed, baked and barbecued zucchini. Furthermore, one can also incorporate the fruit in bread and souffles.  Of all these methods, baking zucchini is the easiest to do. The duration of cooking the vegetable depends on factors like size and temperature. Overall, the fruit cooks in 8 to 20 minutes depending on the temperature used.

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How Long To Bake Zucchini?

Temperature of ovenTime taken
325 degrees Fahrenheit20 minutes
350 degrees Fahrenheit15 minutes
375 degrees Fahrenheit13 minutes
400 degrees Fahrenheit12 minutes
425 degrees Fahrenheit10 minutes
450 degrees Fahrenheit8 minutes
Broil zucchiniminus 1 or 2 minutes

Firstly, the roasting time of zucchini depends on the way one cuts it. It may be halved, sliced or quartered into sticks. The time also depends on the thickness of the pieces. Thinner pieces cook faster than thicker ones, and slices cook faster than sticks. 

Zucchini bakes faster at higher temperatures. At 450 degrees Fahrenheit, the fruit cooks in 8 minutes. At 425 degrees Fahrenheit, it cooks in 10 minutes and 12 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Zucchini cooks slowly at temperatures less than 400 degrees Fahrenheit. At 325 degrees Fahrenheit, it takes 20 minutes. At 350 degrees Fahrenheit, it takes 15 minutes, and at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, it takes 13 minutes.

One can broil the slices to reduce cooking time by a minute or 2. 

Why Does Baking Zucchini Take So Long?

Cooking Zucchini by baking is easy. Although there is no flame, the heating coils in the oven can cook them fast. Zucchinis structure causes it to cook for so long. It has a firm interior that takes time to tenderize. Therefore, one needs to cook it for longer periods.

Additionally, smaller pieces cook faster than larger ones. Therefore, one must ensure that all slices or sticks are equal in size, no matter the cut.  

Another factor, the temperature, primarily decides the cooking time. Heat transfer is not linear. Therefore, cooking at a higher temperature does not slightly decrease the temperature. Instead, increasing the temperature, meaning one is going twice as fast. Hence, the cooking time reduces to half.

This characteristic is why the fruit cooks in 10 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit but takes 20 minutes to bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The recipe used also plays a role in deciding the time taken. Some recipes that require marination take longer than plain salted baking. 

Another chemical change that occurs during the baking process is the Maillard reaction. The reaction refers to the browning of foods, giving them a mouth-watering aroma. The reaction occurs when an amino acid and certain sugars break down due to heat. The products recombine into hundreds of compounds and result in aromatic smells. 

Conclusion

Zucchini contains essential vitamins and minerals like Potassium, Magnesium, Folate, Copper, Phosphorous, Thiamine, vitamin B6, vitamin A and vitamin K. The fruit is also rich in antioxidants that protect the body from free radicals. 

Zucchini is a high fibre and low-calorie food that improves digestion and prevents a variety of GI issues. 

Baking zucchini is simple. One must keep in mind the time required to cook the perfect dish. Generally, zucchini takes 8 to 20 minutes to bake. The time depends on the temperature, the thickness of the pieces and the recipe used. The variation occurs as smaller pieces cook faster than larger ones. Furthermore, an increase in temperature, half the cooking time as heat transfer is not linear. Additionally, complex recipes call for marination time, which adds to the overall time taken. 

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030881461530296X
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