Cabbage, Boiled
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove all dead outer leaves from the cabbages and cut off as much of the stalk as possible.
Cut the cabbages across twice at the stalk end; if very large, quarter them.
Wash the cabbages well in cold water and drain in a colander.
Boil and serve
Bring a large pot of water to a fast boil and add salt and baking soda.
Add the cabbages to the boiling water, stirring once or twice, and keep the pot uncovered.
Boil until tender: small young cabbages for 15-20 minutes, large cabbages and savoys for 30-40 minutes.
Once done, transfer the cabbages to a colander, cover with a plate, and let them drain thoroughly.
Cut the cabbages into squares before serving.
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
- Form the dish itself; boiling softens their fibrous leaves until tender.
- Baking soda
- Raises the water's alkalinity, which helps cabbage stay green and soften faster.
The step that matters
Boil with the pot uncovered. Cabbage releases sulfur compounds that cause a strong smell when cooked. Keeping the pot uncovered lets these volatile compounds escape, while the fast boil keeps the cabbage cooking evenly and tender.
“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.
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