Broccoli appears to be a straightforward vegetable to prepare, yet it seems most of us have been getting it wrong all along. Despite years of experience in the kitchen, you might be surprised to learn that you shouldn’t chop it up before boiling or steaming it.
Sidney, a father who shares household tips on social media, was astonished to find that cooking the whole broccoli in a pan makes the florets incredibly simple to separate once they’re done. In a TikTok video, Sidney revealed: “Here’s something I didn’t know until I was in my 30s: broccoli should be chopped after it’s boiled?” He simply submerges the broccoli floret-side down in a pan of boiling water, and after 10 minutes, he lifts it out using tongs.
Sidney then slices through the whole broccoli with a single effortless movement as the florets have become wonderfully soft. He remarked: “It’s already falling off! Look at that, perfect.”
This straightforward cooking technique is not only speedy but reduces preparation time and means less washing up afterwards.
In the comments beneath Sidney’s post, viewers expressed their amazement at the simple approach, with many admitting they’d never considered it.
One viewer wrote: “This has made my life so much easier.” Another commented: “I went to culinary school and didn’t know this!” A third added: “Remember to eat the stem, it is more nutritious than the florets.”
MyRealFood, a nutritious recipe application, has likewise endorsed this technique as a game-changer in the kitchen.
In a clip shared on their social media platforms, one of the app’s chefs demonstrated: “Did you know about this trick for cooking broccoli? All you need to do is submerge the head of the broccoli in boiling water and then you can cut it off super-easy and super-quick.”
The app also suggests preserving the broccoli stalk and preparing it separately to incorporate into a delicious dish.
The chef added: “You can also use the [stem] to make something really delicious as a side for your meal. Just slice [the stem] into little slices, put it in the frying pan with some soy sauce, and there you have it.”
