FOOD NEWS
18 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Broccoli
BY MICHELLE BOTTALICO
Overcooking
Overcooked broccoli will be wet, mushy, and limp, with a dull color and an uninspiring taste. You’ll only want to overcook broccoli for certain recipes, such as soup.
Broccoli that is not overcooked retains its color, fresh taste, and a bit of crunch. To prevent overcooking, keep a close eye while it cooks and test it with a fork along the way.
Old Broccoli
For the best results, cook with fresh broccoli. When buying locally, it's best to purchase broccoli when it's in season to avoid any stored or transported produce.
The broccoli's stalk should be firm without discoloration and the florets should be green, not yellow. If the cut end is brown and dry, it's been around a while.
Ignoring Recipes
Feel free to experiment and stray from traditional recipes and cooking methods. With a little creativity, it's easy to make broccoli the star of the show.
When sliced thin and roasted in oil, salt, and optional spices until crispy and caramelized, broccoli can offer an incredible and surprising taste you may not have expected.
Not Roasting
When heated to high temperatures, the natural sugars in broccoli caramelize and transform into an extremely flavorful and slightly sweet version of itself.
To make roasted broccoli, you'll need a hot, preheated oven and a pinch of sugar to add to your broccoli seasoning if you're aiming for a touch more caramelization.
No Ice Bath
To avoid the effects of overboiling, quickly submerge boiled or blanched broccoli in a bowl of the coldest ice water you can make, which will stop the cooking process.
This is called shocking, and it can preserve the broccoli's delicious crispness and keep mushiness at bay when broccoli is cooked too long.