Broccoli is one of the richest green vegetables in micronutrients and vitamins.
How to take advantage of its many health benefits, while maintaining its delicious taste?
With these 5 cooking methods, you get delicious broccoli every time!
No more messed up cooking and pale green, soft, overcooked broccoli dishes.
Know that the easiest cooking methods are cooking with water and in the microwave.
They make it possible to obtain very melting broccoli and to tenderize their fibrous texture.
Here are 5 easy (and quick) ways to cook broccoli successfully every time . Watch:
At the market, choose broccoli with a very uniform green color , without too many brown or yellow spots.
Avoid broccoli that turns yellow, as it has less flavor and fewer vitamins.
The stem of the broccoli should be firm to the touch and the head compact.
Be careful, an overly tender foot or head is a sign of old broccoli.
You can store broccoli in the crisper drawer of your fridge until you're ready to use it.
It will keep for at least 1 week.
Better to taste it during its peak season, from September to April.
Nothing simpler!
Like its cousin cauliflower, broccoli is cut into small bouquets:"florettes".
And rest assured, because the technique for cutting broccoli into florets is very simple.
- Cut off the stem of the broccoli first, as close to the head as possible, leaving only the upper part.
- Place the broccoli upside down, with the green part on the cutting board.
- Look at the head of the broccoli:it's a string of small bouquets.
- Cut these small bouquets, one by one.
- Then, cut the stem of each bouquet, to keep only the green part.
There you go, you have broccoli florets , ready to be cooked.
It's easy, don't you think?
For all the cooking methods below, I cut my broccoli into florets about 5 cm .
I use a good sized broccoli, about 500g, which makes 4 nice servings.
Want the stem of the florets to be even more tender?
The trick is to peel the stiff part, using a vegetable peeler or a small paring knife, like this one.
The microwave is one of the best ways to cook broccoli from the inside.
This is because the microwave heat acts directly on the molecules inside the broccoli.
This means that with this method you also get much faster cooking .
By adding a little water and covering the container, you obtain steam cooking.
This process cooks and tenderizes broccoli quickly, in just 3 minutes.
For the container, I use my 1 liter Pyrex measuring jug.
But you can use any container, as long as it is suitable for microwave cooking.
And be very careful, the steam is extremely hot!
Do not burn yourself when removing the cling film or the plate.
- 500g broccoli, cut into small 5cm florets
- 60ml of water
- container that can go in the microwave
- food film suitable for microwave cooking
1. Place the broccoli florets in the microwave-safe container.
2. Add the water and cover the container tightly with cling film or a plate.
3. Microwave on high power, for 3 minutes .
4. Carefully lift the lid to check for doneness. The broccoli should be very bright green and slightly crunchy.
5. If necessary, microwave it 1-2 minutes longer.
Water vapor produces very high temperatures.
Thus, steaming allows you to cook your broccoli quickly and obtain a beautiful color, a very bright green.
This is one of the gentlest cooking methods, which allows them to retain all their nutritional qualities .
I also find that it is the best method to preserve the structure of the broccoli florets and keep them intact.
The steamer basket is effective in keeping the broccoli out of the water, which preserves all the nutritional qualities of the broccoli.
But above all, it allows you to obtain perfectly even cooking with each stroke.
And don't forget to watch the cooking time carefully!
It only takes 3 minutes to obtain slightly crunchy broccoli.
For a more melting texture, cook them for 5 minutes.
This cooking method also works in a pressure cooker of course.
- 500g broccoli, cut into small 5cm florets
- medium sized saucepan or pressure cooker
- steam basket
1. Put some water in the pan. The water level should be lower than the steamer basket.
2. Place the steamer basket inside the pan, then add the broccoli florets.
3. Put the lid on and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. After a few minutes, steam will build up in the pan.
4. Cook the broccoli, about 3 to 5 minutes, until very bright green and slightly crisp.
5. If you are using a pressure cooker, count the cooking time from the whistle of the valve.
Cooking broccoli in boiling salted water changes their color and texture in just 1-2 minutes.
By subsequently plunging them into a large bowl filled with water and ice cubes, you create a thermal shock.
This method, bleaching , stops the cooking and preserves the green color of the broccoli.
This cooking method also has the advantage of retaining the texture broccoli florets.
It is ideal for preparing your broccoli in advance, to serve as a garnish or to use in recipes.
In this case, all you have to do is sauté them with a drizzle of olive oil to warm them up.
- 500g broccoli, cut into small 5cm florets
- 2 liters of water
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- large saucepan
- large bowl of ice water (optional)
1. Add the water and salt to the pan.
2. Bring salted water to a boil over high heat.
3. Plunge the broccoli into boiling water. Cook them, about 1 to 2 minutes, until they are very bright green and slightly crunchy.
4. While they cook, prepare a bowl of cold water filled with ice cubes.
5. Drain the broccoli and immediately plunge them into ice water for about 5 minutes. Then, drain them again.
Good to know: the thermal shock will stop the cooking and preserve the color of the broccoli. But, if you're enjoying your broccoli right away, you can skip this step.
We often tend to prepare broccoli with steam or water.
However, thanks to their very firm texture , they are also delicious when sautéed in a pan or wok.
This is the perfect opportunity to use your large cast iron pan, sheet steel pan or wok.
There is a small challenge with this cooking method…
When you sauté broccoli in a skillet, they tend to brown nicely on the outside, but stay too firm on the inside.
To avoid this problem, the trick is to sauté your broccoli first.
Cook them for 2 minutes, until they begin to brown.
And onlyafter you brown them , that's the trick:you add a few tablespoons of water and cover the pan.
The steam from the water will perfectly cook your broccoli from the inside.
All you have to do is test the cooking.
It's easy:just insert the blade of a knife.
To tenderize your broccoli and enhance their flavor, you can also replace the water with an Asian sauce.
- 500g broccoli, cut into small 5cm florets
- 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch of coarse salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- 3 tablespoons of water
- medium size bowl
- large frying pan (or wok)
1. In the bowl, toss the broccoli with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Heat the large skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. In the skillet, carefully arrange the broccoli pieces in a single layer. Let them cook for 2 minutes, without stirring, until they begin to brown.
4. Pour three tablespoons of water and cover the pan. Cook the broccoli for 2 min.
5. Gently lift the lid and sauté the broccoli, 2 min, until tender-crisp and the water has evaporated.
6. Taste the broccoli and season to taste. Serve hot.
Why not change your habits and roast your broccoli in the oven?
This recipe is very easy to prepare.
And besides, it's surprising how much baking in the oven can transform the flavors of your broccoli.
Their slightly sulfur taste disappears completely, giving way to slightly sweet notes.
For perfect and faster browning, consider preheating the baking sheet before placing your broccoli on it.
Before cooking, I advise you to mix your broccoli in a large salad bowl with olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper.
It's the safe way to get golden brown and crispy florets and stems.
Add a squeeze of lemon juice before serving. A delight!
- 500g broccoli, cut into small 5cm florets
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- half a teaspoon of sugar (optional)
- half a teaspoon of coarse salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- medium size bowl
- baking tray or dripping pan
1. Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 250 ºC.
2. Also put the baking sheet in the oven to preheat it before cooking the broccoli.
3. Cut the broccoli into 5cm florets. Peel the stiffest part of the stems.
4. In the bowl, toss the broccoli with the olive oil, sugar (optional), salt and pepper.
5. Take the hot plate out of the oven. Add the broccoli.
6. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the green part and stems are golden brown and slightly crisp.
Do you think that only the green part of broccoli is eaten?
You are wrong!
After collecting the florets of your broccoli, do not discard the trunk or the fibrous stems .
Know that the foot and stems are not only edible, but also particularly rich in fiber and nutrients.
And under this tough skin hides a tender flesh full of vitamins!
Just use a paring knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the tough part of the foot.
Know that there are many amazing ways to use broccoli stalks in cooking:
- dice them and bake them in the oven
- cut them into strips to sauté them in the pan
- use them to make soups and purees (it would be a shame to waste the florets!)
- broccoli stalks can even be eaten raw! They can be grated and eaten in a salad, "coleslaw style ".
Click here to discover all the uses of broccoli stalks in the kitchen.
There are many recipes with broccoli, from the simplest to the most elaborate.
You can even blend them to make broccoli rice ! The recipe is here.
Here are some of my favorite broccoli recipes:
- chicken and broccoli gratin with cheese
- broccoli gratin
- slow cooker broccoli chicken
- broccoli salad
- Broccoli "Coleslaw"
- pan-fried and garnished with golden brown smoked lardons
- roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon
- tomato and broccoli quiche
- broccoli pasta with pine nuts, a hint of Espelette pepper and parmesan
Here are the cooking methods that preserve the nutritional qualities of broccoli whether fresh or frozen:
- steamed,
- in a pan or wok,
- in the microwave and
- in the oven.
Why ? Because with these methods, the cooking time is very short and exposure to water is minimal.
On the other hand, cooking broccoli in water reduces its calcium, iron and other mineral content by 5 to 10%.
Cooking in water also reduces their levels of vitamins C, B and other water-soluble vitamins by 5 to 25%.
