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Despite the benefits of Brussels sprouts, some people refuse to eat them. The reason for this is the unpleasant aftertaste. Not everyone likes it when Brussels sprouts taste bitter. Experts say that if you know the secrets of cooking, you can easily get rid of the bitter taste.
Why are Brussels sprouts bitter?
Brussels sprouts belong to the cruciferous family. Vegetables in this group have a bitter taste. For example, radishes and radishes, which belong to the subspecies, have a distinct flavor. When cultivating a plant on your site or purchasing seedlings, you need to study the characteristics of the variety.
Brussels sprouts do not cause flatulence or upset stomach
What are the benefits of newly bred Brussels varieties:
- are well absorbed by the body and are considered a dietary product;
- rich in vitamins B and C;
- contain amino acids and many trace elements, vegetable protein in large quantities.
When buying a product in a supermarket, it is impossible to determine whether the bitterness will remain in it after cooking.
Causes of bitter taste:
- Chemical composition. Namely, a bunch of free amino acids that are not destroyed by heat treatment.
- An unpleasant bitter taste appears in the product when storage conditions are violated. If the heads of cabbage are kept in the refrigerator, their contact with the environment should be minimized. Most often, the effect is secondary freezing of cabbage, which is unacceptable.
- When raw materials begin to deteriorate, the taste and smell of rot is added to the natural bitterness. When choosing a product, you should pay attention to the appearance of the cabbage. There should be no dark spots on the upper leaves.
- A bitter taste is observed when cooking an unripe vegetable. It is recommended to harvest late-ripening varieties after the first frost.
- To get the first harvest faster, unscrupulous gardeners abuse nitrogen fertilizers. Chemical growth stimulants (nitrates) accumulate in the heads of cabbage. It is impossible to remove this bitterness even with heat treatment.
- The vegetable has a bitter taste in fruits in dry summers if agricultural practices are disrupted during cultivation.
Therefore, many gardeners grow later varieties.
How to remove bitterness from Brussels sprouts
To prevent Brussels sprouts from becoming bitter, you need to listen to the advice of gourmets. They constantly cook the vegetable, providing the body with useful microelements and vitamins.
Boil
Many housewives complain that even after cooking Brussels sprouts are bitter.
The easiest way to get rid of the bitter taste is to boil it properly
Algorithm of actions:
- The Brussels vegetable is peeled from the top leaves and washed.
- A deep cross-shaped incision is made on the stalk.
- Fresh heads of cabbage are immersed in boiling salted water.
- When the water boils again, boil for 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the forks from the pan and place them in a container with ice water.
- At the same time, another pan with salted boiling liquid should be on the stove.
- The heads of cabbage are taken out of cold water and transferred to boiling water.
After boiling, the Brussels vegetable is boiled until tender.
Add lemon juice
The bitter wormwood taste of cabbage is overcome by the pleasant one.
A common way to remove bitterness when cooking a vegetable is to add lemon juice during cooking or after cooking. For greater efficiency and flavor development, olive oil is added along with the juice.
Lemon juice solves the problem without fail, but it is not always appropriate to get rid of the bitterness of Brussels vegetables using this method. There are times when it does not harmonize with the taste of the dish being prepared.
Soak before cooking
You can get rid of bitterness by soaking
Radishes and radishes are direct relatives of Brussels sprouts. Therefore, some housewives use the method they use to remove the bitter taste from these root vegetables.
For example, it is recommended to soak radish for 12 hours in cold water, placing it on a shelf in the refrigerator or other cool place. Brussels vegetable can be subjected to the same procedure. Internet users note that after soaking, the bitter taste of the product disappears without a trace.
Add sugar
Sugar perfectly hides bitter notes
You can cook Brussels sprouts so that they don’t become bitter, not only with lemon juice. A little sugar added to the pan during cooking works wonders.
The first boiling water is drained after the product has boiled.0.5 teaspoon of sugar per 1 liter of water is added during the second boiling. The main thing is to correctly calculate the amount of the ingredient. Sweet boiled vegetables are not the best side dish for meat and fish dishes.
Fry
Frozen Brussels sprouts often taste bitter.
Garlic will help to overcome the bitter taste and give the dish a piquant touch.
Most vegetable lovers note that the specific taste completely overcomes the bitterness of the product. While eating the dish, no one pays attention to it.
Ingredients:
- Brussels sprouts – 250 g;
- garlic – 3 medium-sized cloves;
- salt and spices to taste;
- vegetable oil – 50 ml.
Recipe:
- The Brussels vegetable is washed and cut into two halves.
- The product is boiled in salted water until cooked. Small-sized fresh heads of cabbage are kept in boiling water for no more than 4-5 minutes. Larger vegetables are boiled for 5-6 minutes. When using frozen cabbage, the time is increased to 8-9 minutes.
- Place the vegetables in a colander and let them drain for a few minutes.
- Place a frying pan on the fire and heat it up. Then lay out the heads of cabbage and fry until golden brown.
A few minutes before cooking, crush the product with finely chopped garlic.
Add sauce
To prevent Brussels sprouts from becoming bitter, you can make a sauce for it.
Skillfully prepared liquid seasoning turns any dish into a culinary masterpiece
Some housewives recommend baking the dish after adding the dressing. Heads of Brussels vegetable are combined with sauces:
- satsivi;
- creamy;
- orange;
- tomato;
- mayonnaise-lemon;
- wine.
Traditional recipe for cooking in cream sauce.
Ingredients:
- frozen Brussels sprouts – 500 g;
- cream – 400 ml;
- butter – 40 g;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- salt, ground black pepper - to taste;
- nutmeg - a pinch;
- lemon – 1/2.
Recipe with sauce:
- Boil frozen cabbage in salted water for 5 minutes.
- The product is drained in a colander. Cut off the base of the stalk and make a deep cross-shaped cut on the head.
- Place the product in a pan of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
- Melt butter in a frying pan. Fry finely chopped garlic on it for 2-3 minutes.
- Add Brussels sprouts and fry until golden brown.
- Cream is poured into a saucepan. When they boil, add salt, pepper, nutmeg and the zest of half a lemon.
- Boil over low heat until thickened.
The sauce is poured into a frying pan with cabbage and brought to a boil.
Cut the cabbage in half
By boiling the vegetable with the addition of lemon juice or sugar, it is possible to remove the bitterness from frozen Brussels sprouts, but only from the top leaves of the product. The bitter taste still remains inside. To remove it, experienced housewives recommend cutting the heads of cabbage into two halves before cooking.
How to properly remove bitterness:
- Before lowering the product into boiling water, cut off the base of the stalk and make a cross-shaped cut.
- After boiling the cabbage in salted water for 5 minutes, remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon and immerse it in the ice-cold liquid.
- The heads of cabbage are cut into two parts and boiled for several minutes until tender.
Processing of the product is suitable for those dishes in which cabbage cut into slices will look advantageous
If you need whole heads of cabbage, then this method is not used.
Conclusion
Both fresh and frozen Brussels sprouts are bitter, but this is not a reason to refuse to cook them.There are many ways to remove the bitter taste, you just need to follow the instructions carefully.
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