How to Prepare Brussels Sprouts for Cooking
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the Brussels sprouts in plenty of cold water.
Remove the outer leaves and drain the sprouts.
Cook
Place them in a saucepan with boiling water and add a pinch of coarse sea salt.
Cook on high heat until tender.
Cool and finish
Transfer the sprouts to cold water to cool, then drain and discard any fallen leaves.
If using as a garnish, cook for less time than if serving as a vegetable.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Brussels sprouts
- The main vegetable; boiling softens its fibres until tender and mildly sweet.
The step that matters
Cooking until tender. Brussels sprouts go from tender to mushy quickly in boiling water. Overcooking releases more sulfur compounds, giving a strong smell and bitter taste.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More brussels sprouts recipes
You might also like
Rice Gruel28 recipes
Peptoned Milk Gruel9 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.