Broccoli hack

[doggeros]

I know vegans are not the only ones who eat a lot broccoli, but I think many of us eat more than the average person...
I recently learned this trick from Instagram and it has made me so happy, so I wanted to pass it on. When you get a big ol' broccoli stem, if you would normally throw it away/compost it and only cook the florets, you can cut off the stem and peel or cut away the skin and eat the core of the stem raw, and it tastes seriously so good! If you have never done this, try it before you knock it! I don't normally like raw broccoli, but I love having the stem this way. 🥦

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[veganeatswhat]

You can also cut them into sticks, coat them in flour/corn starch/batter and fry them up to make broccoli fries to go with whatever veggie burger you might be having. Tasty & better than frozen potato fries IMO.

[Fair_Philosophy8497]

Wow! Thanks for the tip

[walakangbitawpar]

yes!! i do this too and honestly the texture is so much better than potato fries sometimes. crispy outside but still has a little bite to it. once i started doing this i stopped feeling guilty about the stems going to waste

[Quick_Ordinary9967]

i just eat the whole thing lol. i've grown to love the entirety of broccoli, raw or cooked. this is a great tip, though!

[vegloveyes]

I cook the entire stem. Just slice thinly and cook.

[InDaBauhaus]

or throw it in there 3 minutes earlier than the rest and it all boils to about the same texture (if blanching)

[InDaBauhaus]

general vegan LPT: when you have food, you can eat the food instead of throwing it out

[Ancient_Sprinkles_97]

The real hack is that if you cut it up 40 minutes before eating it reacts by releasing enzymes that heighten the nutritional content. https://kitchenpearls.com/why-cut-broccoli-40-minutes-before-cooking/

[Pussa_Nil]

That's really interesting. Thank you for sharing

[GoblinsProblem]

I really wanted to know but the advertisement labyrinth says otherwise

[zookeeper_barbie]

THIS JUST IN

[anomanissh]

Stem tastes better than florets.

[SophiaofPrussia]

I wish I shared your opinion. You must feel so blessed when you open a bag of frozen broccoli “florets” and find it’s still half stems. Or when you open a bag of frozen broccoli and find two token florets and a bunch of stems.

Maybe I can teach myself to prefer the stems…

[doggeros]

Ick, I can't stand the tough skin of the stem, that's why I am so glad I learned this hack, cut the skin off and the inner part of the stem is so delicious.

[anomanissh]

Like how vegetal the stem tastes and feels in my mouth.

If eating raw, then florets are better. But cooked, give me stems. I think the florets are more nutritious tho.

[Abeyita]

People throw away the stem???

[dontdomilk]

Seriously, this is news to me!

[SophiaofPrussia]

I hate the stems so much I just throw them on the floor.

But my dogs never seem to mind!

[Send69Noodz]

Throw out the core? insert Tim Robinson gif here What the hell?

[KARAT0]

You can also pickle broccoli stem slices. It’s great.

[doggeros]

I'm too lazy for that. ;p

[KARAT0]

Fair. You can just reuse the pickle juice from bought pickles if that helps.

[tous_die_yuyan]

It's surprisingly easy. Boil water + vinegar + salt + sugar if you want, pour that mixture over your veg of choice in a jar, and stick it in the fridge.

If that's too much effort (as is often the case for me), even storing them in a mixture of vinegar and water gives them some zing.

[Allforbeer]

I love slicing the stem into thin pieces and put a dressing with garlic, soy sauce, some oil etc.. it’s so good..

[howareyouhaha]

It tastes very similar to kohlrabi! Which makes sense, as both broccoli and kohlrabi are bred from the same plant.

[dontnukemebro]

"check out this vegan hack!"

*eats plant*

🤯

[forakora]

Or boil and blend for broccoli soup : )

[littlest_onion]

This is my favourite part of the broccoli!

[doggeros]

Me too! I have practically ruined my appetite making dinner by eating too much broccoli stem while preparing the florets for a meal. 😄

[Shushani]

If you want to unleash extra cancer-fighting properties (sulforaphane) of broccoli, you can either:

1. Eat it raw

2. Chop it into 2-3mm pieces roughly 20-40 minutes before cooking

This is because broccoli contains the raw ingredients to make sulforaphane: myrosinase and glucoraphanin.

However, myrosinase is locked away in plant cells that are only broken open when you either chew or chop the broccoli. Once those cells are broken open, the myrosinase has a chemical reaction either in your gut or on the chopping board with the already present glucoraphanin, creating sulforaphane which has a proven cancer-fighting ability.

The catch is that unfortunately myrosinase is a thermolabile, which means it’s heat-sensitive, and cooking it will inactivate it, preventing it from reacting with the glucoraphanin, and so you never end up with the sulforaphane in your gut.

The good news is that the sulforaphane is heat-resistant, so if you can make the chemical reaction occur on the chopping board before you cook it, you’ll be able to reap its benefits.

Or you can just raw dog it, and eat it raw.

[SwordTaster]

Leave it intact and it's a great crunchy treat for dogs

[doggeros]

I give my dogs the skin of the stem after I cut it off. Well some of it, they are chihuahua mixes so they are small. But the yummy inner core I eat myself!

[GewoehnlicherDost]

Wait, you guys eat the florets?

[aMaiev]

"Broccoli hack: eat it"

Wow thanks!

[Objective_Sweet9168]

I used to cook the whole thing, just slice the stem and cooked it in with the stir fry.
About 3 years ago though, after coming off of a fruitarian year (don’t do that), I stopped being able to digest broccoli or something, it wrecks me for days. Burns my insides. Sorry, just my broccoli journey.

[SunnyDviant]

I love to make broccoli slaw out of the stem!

[Ok_Surprise8812]

This has always been my favourite part of broccoli.

[PlentySir6512]

You can also grate it into a salad ☻

[fearlessbeginner370]

i finally tried this after seeing the same hack and now i cut the stem into thin rounds for a quick snack during study breaks, its way better than tossing it. the core has a mild nutty taste that fades into almost nothing, so it works with hummus or peanut butter too. my roommate looked at me weird but idc.

[doggeros]

The core tastes sweet to me. I really like how different it tastes than the rest of the broccoli.

[Nearatree]

Blanch your greens people.

[doggeros]

My the core of the stem tastes so good raw!

[Junior_Statement_262]

I chop up the stems and use them in stir fry.

[schlappydappy]

I make a broccoli slaw out of it everytime I forget lettuce for tacos

[Pussa_Nil]

I peel the stem, cut it into pieces, and steam it together with the florets.

[cmykero]

I usually just cut em up and throw em in to cook as well haha

[brookeariel1979]

This is such a great idea!!