While delicious and nutritious, broccoli has, quite rightly, a reputation for being rather difficult to keep fresh. If you store them improperly, in a day or two they can go from a crunchy, fresh vegetable to something very unappetizing. However, with some proper technique, you can keep all the taste of them for up to 5-7 days (and if you decide to freeze them, even more). To start getting the most out of your broccoli and reducing waste in the kitchen, read on!
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Short Term Storage
Step 1. Prepare a bouquet
An unconventional and surprisingly effective way to keep broccoli fresh is similar to the technique used to preserve flower bouquets. Simply put the stem with the stem down in a bowl with a couple of inches of water at the bottom. Store in the fridge. The "bushy" part of the vegetable must face upwards and protrude from the bowl. This allows you to keep the broccoli fresh for 5-7 days.
For maximum freshness, cover the broccoli (without sealing) with a plastic bag on which you will have drilled holes to allow air to pass through. Change the water every day
Step 2. Wrap the vegetables in moistened kitchen paper
This method mimics the effect of the automatic nebulizers that you may have seen in the supermarket, in the fruit & vegetables section. Fill a clean spray bottle (which has never been filled with bleach or other household cleaners) with cold water and gently spray the greens. Wrap the top of the broccoli with kitchen paper so that it absorbs moisture. Keep the broccoli in the refrigerator, it should stay fresh for three days.
Do not wrap vegetables too tightly with paper and do not use an airtight container, broccoli needs to breathe
Step 3. Store them in ventilated bags
If you don't have the time or patience for the methods described above, don't worry; you can keep broccoli reasonably fresh with just a regular plastic bag. Simply seal the broccoli in the bag and then drill numerous holes near the head of the vegetable to ensure adequate ventilation. Store in the refrigerator. With this technique, the broccoli stays fresh for 2 days.
Step 4. Wash the broccoli you grow in your garden but not the ones you buy at the supermarket
During the storage process, a little moisture can help but, if too much, it could prove to be a damage. The humidity favors the growth of mold in a few days making the vegetables completely inedible. For this reason, do not wash the fresh broccoli you bought at the store, as they have already been washed, dried and need no further cleaning. However, you must clean the ones you grow, to eliminate small insects and garden debris. Once washed, dry them thoroughly to avoid mold.
To wash them, mix a few tablespoons of white vinegar with warm (not hot) water in a large bowl. Soak the broccoli for 15 minutes to kill any small bugs and remove the dirt nestled between the tufts that grow tightly together. Drain them from the water and dry them thoroughly before transferring them to the refrigerator
Step 5. Put them in the fridge as soon as possible
Regardless of the storage technique, the main rule always remains the same: store them in the cold as soon as you can. Some argue that once purchased in the store, they must be transferred to the refrigerator within 30 minutes. The sooner the broccoli gets into the fridge, the less likely it is to lose its crunchy texture, and it will last longer.
Method 2 of 3: Long-Term Freeze
Step 1. Prepare both boiling water and an ice bath
The methods explained in the previous section are excellent for storing broccoli in the short term but, if you really have a lot of them, you are not sure you will be able to consume them in time or you want to eat them later, then consider freezing them. Frozen broccoli will keep for a year, so you'll have plenty of time to add it to various recipes and preparations. However, you cannot just put the vegetables as they are in the freezer, you must first blanch them. To begin, prepare a large pot of boiling water and another similar vessel filled with water and ice.
Step 2. Cut the broccoli into small pieces
While you wait for the water to boil, take the opportunity to cut the vegetables into pieces of equal size. For this, use a kitchen knife or scissors. The various pieces should not be larger than about 2, 5 cm. This step is very important, if you skip it, boiling water will not be able to bleach them evenly: the outside will be "more cooked" than the inside.
You can also chop the vegetable with your bare hands. Simply grab each flower and detach it from the rest so that you get several separate "flowers" and stem. If these portions are still larger than 2.5 cm, divide them further
Step 3. Boil the broccoli for 3 minutes
Once you have divided them into mouthfuls, throw them in boiling water to bleach them. They don't have to boil for too long, three minutes is more than enough. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.
The purpose of this operation is to preserve the vegetables before freezing them. All vegetables contain enzymes and bacteria that cause their color, texture and flavor to degrade even when frozen. This short cooking kills bacteria and neutralizes enzymes, which means broccoli will better retain its delicious properties even when frozen
Step 4. Chill the vegetables for three minutes
As soon as the broccoli has boiled for 3 minutes, drain it with a colander or skimmer. When the excess water has flowed back and there is no danger of burns, put the vegetables in the ice bath. Leave them to soak for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow for uniform cooling.
The purpose of the ice bath is to cool the vegetables immediately to stop cooking. In fact, broccoli is boiled for blanching not for cooking; if you let the heat continue its action, the vegetables will become too soft and unpleasant on the palate. Putting boiling broccoli directly into the freezer is not as quick a method as direct contact with ice water
Step 5. Drain and dry
Once the broccoli has become cool to the touch, pour it into a colander and let it rest briefly. During this period of time, shake them every now and then to drain all the water that may be trapped.
Step 6. Place the vegetables in sealable bags
Label them to know the freezing date. Remove excess air from the containers, close the bags and place them in the freezer. Done! Once frozen, broccoli can be stored for a year.
- To maximize the life of your frozen vegetables, use a freezer at low temperatures and not a "zero degree fridge" that reaches temperatures close to zero because the latter periodically defrosts automatically and this fluctuation interferes with the preservation of the broccoli.
- Also rely on a vacuum machine to store frozen vegetables. Eliminating the air from the bags extends the life of the vegetables and keeps them fresher than traditional methods. However, these devices can cost more than 100 euros.
- For many recipes, especially baked ones, it is not necessary to defrost the vegetables before cooking them, since this process would drain all the moisture. However, if your recipe calls for defrosted broccoli, you need to soak it in room temperature water for a few minutes.
Method 3 of 3: Choose Fresh Broccoli
Step 1. Choose the dark green ones
If you want a fresh, crunchy and delicious head that keeps as it is, you have to start with a very fresh raw material. Whether you have decided to buy it from the supermarket or to harvest it from your garden, you need to know how to distinguish fresh and healthy specimens to get the best. To begin, examine the small flowers that make up the entire clump. The best should be a deep, dark green.
Check for any spots or yellowed flowers, this is a sign that the vegetable is not fresh and that it will be hard and woody
Step 2. Look for match-head sized flowers
Another thing to take into consideration when buying broccoli is the size of the individual flowers. Are they small and practically indistinguishable from each other or are they large and full? Theoretically you should see flowers that are just a little smaller than the match head; this means that they have been picked from a mature plant but not too much.
This does not mean that you have to fear the tufts with small flowers. These vegetables will not hurt you and the taste is not bad, for example the frozen broccoli you can buy at the supermarket usually have small flowers
Step 3. Feel the vegetables for a firm, compact head
The consistency of broccoli is essential, there is nothing more satisfying than a head of crunchy broccoli on a hot summer day and nothing more depressing than a mushy and chewy one. Don't be afraid to use your hands when choosing your vegetables. Squeeze it lightly or twist it, a good head must be firm and hard but a little flexible.
Step 4. If they come from your garden, try to harvest them in the morning and cool them right away
When you buy them at the store, the vegetables are ready-made and therefore you are not in control of the time in which they were picked. However, the ones you have grown guarantee that you have maximum control over the times and methods of harvesting so take advantage of these opportunities. As a general rule, for a better and fresher flavor, broccoli should be harvested in the coolest part of the day (in the morning). Cut the vegetable from the stem of the plant and immediately transfer it to the fridge.
