Cooking Broccoli
While cooking broccoli is easy, this vegetable has gotten a bad rep over the years thanks to the many moms that tend to overcook it.
A long time ago, somebody somewhere got it into their head that the best method for cooking broccoli was to boil it until it became a lumpy green mass of mess. Thankfully, there are many other ways to prepare this veggie that will result in something tasty (promise!). The thing is that this type of vegetable is rather picky – it simply doesn’t like to be drowned. In short, skip that large pot of boiling water and you’ll be much better off.
If you don’t already have one, invest in a steamer. This simple contraption will turn boring veggies into crispy treats every time. Simply place some water in the bottom of the steamer, place the broccoli in the top, and let it steam – but not too long! Once it has turned a vibrant green color, it is done. Immediately remove the vegetable from the steamer and place it into a bowl of ice water (this will stop it from cooking any longer). After that, you can eat them any way you like (with butter, lemon juice, or olive oil).
All vegetables should have a bit of a snap to them when you bite into them, and this includes broccoli. Whatever you do, do not overcook these veggies in order to enjoy them every time. There are tons of recipes out there that star this great green vegetable, so go ahead and find one that piques your interest (you don’t have to steam them), just skip those that boil the vegetable. Why? Boiling tends to take away all those great nutrients.
You see, when a vegetable is boiled to death, those nutrients that you want to ingest tend to go out with the water that you boiled it in. When this happens, you may as well not eat any veggies at all. Instead, eat all of your veggies “al dente” (slightly crispy) to enjoy their unique flavor.
Now that you know about cooking broccoli, you won’t be tempted to overcook it again, right? Now that you know why you hate this vegetable so much (all those bad, soggy, memories), if you try the method mentioned above you are sure to find a new love for this tasty veggie.