How to successfully cook broccoli step by step?

Often shunned by children, broccoli is vegetables with many health benefits. So to avoid making an odd mistake when cooking them, and to reveal all their flavor, follow our advice!

The health benefits of broccoli are no longer to be proven. But to get the most out of this tasty vegetable, it's best to know how to cook it ... Learn how to choose, prepare and store broccoli by following these tips. You can serve the broccoli with roast pork or in a gratin.

To give you inspiration, discover our best broccoli recipes.

Fresh, how to choose and prepare broccoli?

Broccoli would reduce glucose production in addition to effectively fighting the onset of other diseases. The real gold mine of fibers, vitamins, and nutrients, it is too often shunned because of its strong odor. To choose it, favor compact broccoli buds, with a very firm stem and a fairly dark and uniform color. Broccoli, which turn yellow in color, are often already old. Their flowers begin to open and their taste, nutritional properties, and texture are altered. Check the base of the stem carefully: the stem should still be damp. If it is dry, it means that the vegetable was picked too long ago. If in doubt, you can seek advice from your scoop, who will guide you as best as possible.

To prepare a good little dish like a velouté of pear and broccoli, simply place the bouquets under water, dry them delicately in a clean cloth, then detail each bouquet by creating small "sous-bouquets".

In water, in a pan, roasts, fresh or frozen ... How to cook broccoli?

The cooking of broccoli plays a decisive role in the nutritional and taste qualities offered by the product. You can cook your broccoli in different ways:

steam for 5 minutes to make crisp, nicely green broccoli;

in boiling and salted water for 8 to 10 minutes to obtain tender broccoli;

in the microwave for 6 to 8 minutes if you are in a hurry, but this technique tends to alter the nutritional and taste qualities of the vegetable;

in the pan with a clove of garlic and olive oil for about 5 minutes to obtain a real pan-fried fresh broccoli;

in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 ° C for absolutely delicious and original roasted broccoli.

If you choose frozen broccoli, keep in mind that they have already been blanched before being packaged. This means that their cooking time will be slightly shorter. Frozen broccoli can be cooked in both water and steam, in the microwave, in the frying pan or in the oven.

Prepare the broccoli in advance

Broccoli can be stored relatively long in the refrigerator, and can, therefore, be prepared up to three days in advance. If you like to cook for several meals at the same time or if you don't have time to cook on the way home from work, preparing your broccoli a few days before eating them can be an excellent solution to continue eating healthy without getting tired.

Wash the broccoli, make small bouquets, and cook them using one of the methods described above. Season them with salt or pepper, then place them in an airtight container. Then keep them in the refrigerator for up to three days.

At the time of tasting, all you have to do is take the broccoli out of their box and reheat them in the pan or in the microwave.

How to store cooked broccoli?

Do you want to keep your cooked broccoli to eat in any season, or simply because you have prepared more than you need? Good news, several methods will allow you to keep them:

freezing: once cooked, dry your broccoli perfectly, then place them in a freezer bag for up to six months in the freezer;

Lacto-fermentation: just like cabbage, broccoli can be made into sauerkraut using mainly the stems;

in jars using only the tightest flowers: place the broccoli in a jar, add a spoonful of wine vinegar and 10 grams of salt, then sterilize.

Broccoli recipe