Perfect Broccoli
Perfect Steamed Broccoli
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Pot (with a lid)
- Vegetable Steamer or Metal Strainer
- Stove Top
- Timer
Ingredients
- 1 Head Broccoli (raw)
Instructions
- Cut the raw broccoli into pieces
- Place the metal strainer into the pot and fill it to just below where the strainer starts
- Add the broccoli to the strainer inside the pot
- Cook for 5-6 minutes*
- Remove from the heat immediately
- Run cold water over the broccoli and dump out the water used to steam
- Sever or let cool for use in cold dishes
Notes
Getting The Perfect Broccoli, Simply
Being able to properly prepare vegetables, like broccoli, is rarely discussed. That is incredibly disappointing. Doing it right is simple, practical, and useful for everyday cooking. When I started living on my own, I realized that I didn’t know much about how to cook vegetables properly. Growing up, we had a lot of frozen vegetables. Frozen food should be a last resort. If you have access to fresh food, that should always be your choice, even if means paying a little more at check out. As you can probably tell, we shunned most everything in the frozen section at the grocery store. Fresh makes such a big difference, not just in taste but also texture and appearance. The later matters more that most people think.
Let’s get down to brass tax. Boiling your broccoli is the wrong way to do it. Steaming is the way to go, for a number of reasons. For starters, it locks in more flavor and a higher percentage of the vitamins and minerals. Steaming allows more crispness to be retained, so no more soggy broccoli. It produces a more vibrate and appealing green in the finished version. Lastly, steaming does not require much that most home kitchens already equipped with. The exception would be in the egg timer and metal strainer.
Getting The Right Tools
The one thing most people probably don’t have is a vegetable steamer or metal strainer that fits into a pot for easy steaming. It’s worth it to invest the time to get one. Honestly, they are pretty cheap. The one we’re using was picked up at a 100 yen shop, which similar to the Dollar Store you would find in the US. So, if you’re in Japan head over there to get one.
If you’re in the US, you find some adequate choices for a vegetable steamer or metal strainer here:
or
Before buying a strainer, make sure it will fit inside your pot. Also, you want to make there will be space in the bottom for water. None of your broccoli should be fully or even partial submerged. If you find a strainer that meets those requirements, you’ll be good to go.
Look at how nicely our $1 strainer fits our pot. It sits right on the lip of the pot, leaving plenty of room in the base for water.
If you don’t have an egg timer, don’t bother buying one. Just use the alarm feature on your Smartphone.
This perfect steamed broccoli pairs amazing well with these luscious Pork Chops.
Finally, if you’re going to be choppin’ broccoli, you’ll need some music to accompany you.