Selection and storage
Fresh broccoli heads can be available year-round. In the market, choose fresh, bright, compact, firm-textured flower heads with rich flavor.
Avoid those with overmature florets featuring yellow flower buds, excessive branching, and hollow stem ones. Buy, if possible, from the nearby organic farm to get maximum health benefits.
Once at home, rinse the flower head by dipping it upside down in the salted water for up to 30 minutes and then wash again in running cold water before use in cooking to remove any pesticide residues and dirt. Clean broccoli greens in the same way as any other greens like spinach.
Eat broccoli while they are fresh. Otherwise, place it in the refrigerator wrapped in a zip pouch where it may keep well for a few days.
Preparation and serving methods
Fleshy floret heads, stalks, and leaves are edible. Tough stalks and thick leaves are trimmed away using a paring knife.
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| Broccoli recipe(photo: The essential vegetarian cook book) |
Here are some preparation tips:
- Young, tender broccoli heads may be eaten raw or as a salad.
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Its flower heads are much sought-after in stir-fries; either alone or with other vegetables, beans, and poultry, in mouth-watering recipes mixed with sauce, oil, onions, pepper, and garlic.
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Add broccoli florets to rice, pasta, and pizza dishes.
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Prolonged cooking, boiling, and microwaving of broccoli have been found to destroy heat-sensitive vitamins like folate, antioxidant vitamins like vitamin C, and some of its anti-cancer phytonutrients. Alternatively, employing a few other brief cooking techniques like steaming, and gentle braising may not alter much of the composition of these compounds.
Safety profile
In a way similar to other members of the Cruciferous family vegetables, broccoli also contains goitrogens that may cause swelling of the thyroid gland, and therefore, should be avoided in individuals with thyroid dysfunction. However, it may be consumed safely by healthy persons. (Medical disclaimer).
Also read ≻≻
≺≺Broccolini nutrition facts.
≺≺Chinese broccoli (Gai lan) nutrition facts.
≺≺Choy sum (Chinese flowering cabbage) nutrition facts.
≺≺Komatsuna nutrition facts.
≺≺Broccoli rabe nutrition facts.
≺≺Cauliflower nutrition facts.
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Stanford School of Medicine Cancer information Page- Nutrition to Reduce Cancer Risk (Link opens in new Window).
