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How to Cook Broccoli

Cooking broccoli seems like a simple thing to do and can’t possibly be difficult. However,

surprisingly it tends to be overcooked and mushy. Who wants brown or green paste? Not me. If you like to have a nice green vegetable that looks and tastes good enough to eat, then follow

these simple steps. Broccoli is not difficult to cook, and you can prep it in advance to be used a few days later.

Items needed:

Large Pot of water

Head of broccoli

Cutting board

Ice

Large bowl

Strainer or Colander

Timer

Steamer if available or Steamer basket

Step 1.

Wash and trim your broccoli. You are wanting to trim it into as uniform of pieces that you can to insure equivalent cooking times for all pieces.

Step 2.

Gather a bowl of ice water, preferably 70% ice and 30% cold water. Grab a colander or a strainer. Now place a large pot of water on high heat and allow it to boil. Boiling water is not

needed if you own a steamer or a steamer basket. Follow the same process with the steamer as you would with the boiling water method.

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Step 3.

Let the water come to a rolling boil. Next set a timer for 3 min. Drop the broccoli into the boiling

water. Start the timer. Allow the broccoli to boil for 3 minutes. As soon as your broccoli reaches the 3-minute mark remove it from the water or steamer setup and place into the bowl of ice and

water mixture. Stir it around and allow it to cool. This process shocks the broccoli and stops the cooking process. Once it has cooled, remove it from the ice water and place it into a colander and

let the excess water drain from it for 5minutes. After this you can package up the broccoli for later use or set aside for use.

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Once you have bright green blanched broccoli pieces it can be used in many ways. First if you

decide to finish cooking it do not cook it longer than for minutes. Broccoli only has a 7 min cook time. By blanching it you shorten the cook time by 3 minutes, but also create a nice looking

product because it stays green. If you cook longer than 7 minutes, it will become mushy and brown.

Methods of use:

Use immediately

Individually freeze and then bag up for a customized frozen vegetable.

Bag and hold for later usage.

Add directly to a cream based soup after it is made

Use directly in a stir fry

Example of Broccoli used in a dish after being blanched.