Cooking complaint

[wshaffer]

Why is it that when a recipe instructs me to put a vegetable in a saucepan, add water just to cover, bring to a boil and cook until almost all the water is gone, the vegetable is always cooked long before the water goes? Do I like my vegetables more al dente than average? Do I not bring things to a vigorous enough boil? Am I living in a pocket universe where water evaporates at a different rate?

The recipes always turn out fine, so I suppose I shouldn't complain. It's just that whenever I have to toss out that leftover cooking water that shouldn't be there, I feel like I must be throwing away flavor or vitamins or something.

(I made a Moroccan carrot salad to take to brunch tomorrow, and a Turkish eggplant and yogurt salad that will probably be part of dinner tomorrow. If they're tasty, I'll post recipes.)