I’ve been trying to get more veggies, for a multitude of reasons, but no matter how I cook broccoli, it stinks up the whole house. Steamed, baked, pan fried. If it were just me I’d probably deal with it, but my partner has a sensitive nose. Any ideas? I don’t love it raw, but it’s still pretty good.
Fascinating thread. Is there some genetic component that makes broccoli stinky to some people and not others? Is this why some people are averse to broccoli? I’m surprised to see everyone just accepting the premise of the question. I love boiling broccoli precisely because it smells amazing.
I’ve also wondered if there’s varieties. Maybe where I live, they’re different tasting and smelling? Broccoli has only ever been one of the vegetables to me. Nothing repulsive (or even noteworthy).
Even as a kid it was weird to see cartoon characters complain about specifically broccoli while I literally munched it while watching.
Now when it spoils, yes, it can get a little sulfury, as can cauliflower, its cousin. But fresh broccoli?
I wonder if it’s similar to those that think cilantro tastes like soap.
Was thinking the same
It’s different. You posted elsewhere that broccoli had sulfurophane compounds which contribute to the smell. Sulfur is pretty universally stinky. It’s in the rotten egg smell, skunks, and fireworks. So if sulfur is involved, it will likely have a strong odor. Cilantro is a genetic issue. There’s a gene on the 11th chromosome that allows a small percentage of people to taste the aldehyde components of the plant giving it a soap-like taste to those people.
It’s because they’re overcooking it.
You might be overcooking it. Once the cell walls rupture too much, the sulfur compounds spread out and start to overpower the rest of the vegetable. It should still be somewhat firm/crisp when you bite into it.
You might also be using broccoli that’s had too many of the cell walls ruptured from processing before cooking. If you’re cutting with a dull knife, especially into small pieces, or smashing it somehow before cooking, those smells will leak out a bit faster.
Or, if you’re cooking from frozen, the ice crystals might have mushed up the vegetable.
Here’s the two main ways I cook broccoli:
Blanched: cut broccoli into big florets, big enough to constitute two big bites. Boil a lot of water, salted to about 2% salinity. Once it’s a rolling boil, put the broccoli in, and set a timer for 4 minutes. As soon as the timer goes off, dump the broccoli into a strainer and run cold water over it, or dunk it in ice water, to stop the cooking process. Serve and eat.
Roasted: cut broccoli into big florets. Toss in oil, and season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven with a sheet pan in it, to 450°F. Once preheated, take the broccoli and place it in a single layer on the sheet pan. It should sizzle. Roast for about 15-20 minutes, optionally flipping once (better char if you don’t flip it, but it’s only on one side).
Optional seasonings: garlic, pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, honey, bread crumbs, pine nuts, any combination of the above. Works with either blanched or roasted.
This is awesome, thank you!
Where do you live that broccoli smells like anything unappetizing? This is absolutely insane. Maybe wash your vegetables before cooking them?
Smells fine raw, just makes a stink when I cook it. Already washed. Also KY US
KY US
there’s your problem.
But in all seriousness—broccoli shouldn’t be stinking up your house. I call shenanigans.
I mean the rest of the thread corroborates 🤷 not sure what else to say.
First result in google:
The sulforaphane compound in some cruciferous vegetable molecules. The sulfur odor indicates a vegetable possesses excellent health properties. Cruciferous (fibrous) veggies include kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and many others.
This is far too serious an issue to invoke shenanigans!
When I googled “broccoli smell” every single result stated “you’re overcooking it” so I guess that’s what you’re doing. I have literally never experienced this so I guess I win at cooking broccoli.
Thus I rescind my suspicion of shenanigans and submit instead INCOMPETENCE
I’ll take incompetence. Far more likely to be a true accusation
Don’t waste your time responding to idiots.
To be honest, I thought they were going more for sarcasm than idiocy 🤷
Idk about that lol. Maybe. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. They seemed serious though but who knows.
I took it more of as “broccoli smells good” rather than it doesn’t smell at all. Which I agree with personally. However I’m also not dating op so I’m sure they will give my opinion the appropriate consideration in their decision.
stop buying the stinky broccoli.
Deep fried in tempura.
This is the single best answer if it needs to be cooked.
Outside on the BBQ lol
I love it in the air fryer, similar to baked broccoli, just a bit more crispy
Air fryer broccoli is best broccoli
Do you have to oil it? I’d like to avoid that wherever possible.
I usually give it a very light coating of olive oil so that it’s gets extra crispy and the spices/seasonings stick, but I am sure you could do it without it, and it will still work
Have you tried blanching? I never noticed a strong smell that way.
Not yet, will consider and research
0 minutes in the instant pot comes out perfect every time
Noted, thanks!
Just tried this. It’s perfect! Added some baby carrots, they came out a little under, but still delicious
😎 awesome
What’s wrong with your windows.
Well, privacy violations, a memory intensive OS without much benefit, decades old code that should be cleaned up.
…oh, you mean sliding glass panes in the home.
Well it was 12⁰ the other day…
You mean Fahrenheit right?
Yeah
Just the fan over the stove?
Lawl, ours doesn’t vent outside, just has a filter then pumps it out the top
So… How often do you have to change the filter?
It also does basically nothing. I’ll watch the steam go anywhere but the fan as it rises.
New partner? Nose plugs?
Broccoli is probably the least offensive of the Brassicas but they all stink when cooking. Baking in a casserole or something that covers the broccoli completely might work. I imagine the only stink free way would be raw or possibly suis vide.
Honestly, broccoli is wonderful microwaved. Put it in a covered dish with just a little water. For a couple servings, I do on high like 2.5 minutes. Easy to adjust the time to get it just the way you want it. You can’t get it crispy that way, but it’s basically like perfectly steamed.
Honestly I’ve never had broccoli do that on me.
Preheat to 425. Just do bite-sized florets on a baking sheet, drizzle (or spray) with a bit of oil (I use avocado), and dust with salt + pepper + whatever else you want. Roast them for 12 mins; add a bit of time if you want more of a char, and/or less crispness. There’s a sweet spot of balance you’re looking for. Remove; optionally spritz with lemon.
Under no circumstances should you boil or steam broccoli (or any vegetable, unless it’s a blanche/par-boil). That’s disgusting. We want to experience the texture and flavor of the vegetable. We are not feeding an infant incapable of consuming solid food.
My grandmother may or may not have murdered more than her fair share of vegetables when I was a wee lad.
Edit: derp, of course: I assume your partner is a super-sensory person? I’ve got a good friend whose husband is a super-taster. It honestly sounds like a pain - like you’re so hypersensitive to that sense that almost everything is just an overload :(
Frozen broccoli on baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and seasoning ( I like to use Montreal steak)
425° for 25 minutes
Stir halfway through cooking. It’s easy, no smell, and easy to remember bc 425 twice. (425 ° for 25 minutes)
I hope that’s Fahrenheit…
I hope that’s Fahrenheit…
Lol yes. We are weird in America
For real, F makes no sense for cooking. I can get the argument for outside temps, but I’ll pick metric over imperial any day
I get it, but it’s what all our ovens and recipes say here. Even if there’s a way to change it on the oven, the recipes are still going to be in F, and then you’re going to have to do a bunch of conversions, so doesn’t make much sense here.
Plus, God King Trump said that the metric system is woke DEI
