I promise, knowing how to cook broccoli will change dinner forever! For every broccoli lover you meet, you’ll probably meet two or three people with dreadful childhood memories of the stuff. What did this poor Brassica vegetable ever do to earn this love-how do you cook couscous in the microwave relationship?
It’s what we did to it. Cooking broccoli not only unlocks key nutrients, but it also brings out its ultra-bright color. If you overcook it, though, that beautiful green quickly fades to an unappetizing brown, and the broccoli itself becomes a pile of mush. Save your broccoli from this sad fate by cooking it using one of the methods below. Since it doesn’t cook the broccoli all the way through—just until it’s tender-crisp—this method is ideal for preparing broccoli for the freezer if you bought too much. It’s also perfect for veggie platters, salads or casseroles.
How to make it: The key to using this cooking technique is to have an ice bath at the ready to stop the cooking process. After chopping your broccoli into florets, bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Depending on how much broccoli you have, you shouldn’t need more than a gallon of water. Add a pinch of salt and add your florets in batches, not adding so much that the water stops boiling.
