Boiled Cabbages
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the cabbages well in cold water and trim off any faded leaves.
Cut a cross in the stalk and soak the cabbages in salt water for a few minutes to draw out insects.
Boil
Drain the cabbages and place them in a saucepan of boiling water with a tiny piece of baking soda and a little salt.
Boil uncovered until tender; young cabbages take about 20 minutes, while large winter cabbages or savoys take 30 to 45 minutes.
Serve
Drain thoroughly and place on a strainer over a hot dish, then cut into squares.
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
- Cabbages
- Main vegetable; boiling softens its tough fibres until tender.
- Baking soda
- Raises the water's pH, which helps the cabbage stay bright green while cooking.
The step that matters
Boil uncovered until tender. Cabbage needs enough time to soften, but overcooking breaks down its cell walls and produces sulfurous smells and a limp, grey texture. Check for tenderness rather than relying only on the time range, since cabbage size and type vary.
“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 boiled cabbage recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 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.