> if you start cooking the fennel and then are unable to prep the zucchini fast enough to add it at the right time then you're stuffed Not really, cooking is n

> if you start cooking the fennel and then are unable to prep the zucchini fast enough to add it at the right time then you're stuffed Not really, cooking is not baking (where you need to control the process tightly), you always have much more leeway (except for marginal conditions like things burning). Especially with harder vegetables, which have a long range from hard over al dente to soft but still nice. Unless you have to fulfill some Michelin style quality control, you won't have that problem.