Cabbage, Boiled
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove all dead outer leaves from the cabbage and cut off as much of the stalk as possible.
Cut the cabbage across twice at the stalk end; if large, quarter it.
Wash the cabbage well in cold water and drain in a colander.
Boil and drain
Bring a large pot of water to a fast boil and add salt and baking soda.
Stir the cabbage in the boiling water and keep the pot uncovered.
Boil until tender: small cabbages for 15-20 minutes, large cabbages for 30-40 minutes.
Remove the cabbage to a colander, cover with a plate, and let drain thoroughly 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
- Cabbage
- Is the main vegetable; boiling softens its fibrous leaves until tender.
- Baking soda
- Raises the water's alkalinity, which helps keep the cabbage's green colour bright during boiling.
The step that matters
Keep the pot uncovered while boiling. Cabbage releases acidic compounds that turn it dull and give off a strong sulphur smell when cooked in a closed pot. Leaving the lid off lets these volatile compounds escape.
“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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