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.
Baked didn’t work?
We do that as the default, and the smell is never there.
Here’s our process.
First, defrost if frozen. Otherwise you’re essentially steaming it as it thaws in the oven, which means that instead of browning up and getting sweeter, you end up with the sulfur compounds forming before that can happen.
If not frozen, you should be fine to start.
If you’re working from whole heads of broccoli, break it down into roughly even sized florettes, with the stems being cut down to maybe a half inch or so.
Make sure it’s well oiled. It helps the heat transfer, which reduces the end smell. A big bowl helps get it evenk drizzling really isn’t great for roast veggies imo.
Season after oiling; the salt, pepper and optionals will stick better and not burn. Now, here’s an optional, but it really is highly recommended. Acid. Lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, white wine or champagne vinegar, even balsamic. It helps break up the chemicals as they form and get released. Sliced lemons work too, though definitely keep the juices and add them too.
Preheat to 400 or 425. No lower, you want the heat to be high enough that it cooks fast, fifteen to twenty minutes, checking at 15 and staying close after. If you have a convection oven, go with 400 for sure, and check at about 12 minutes and keep a close eye on it.
You want the broccoli browned, and fork tender. Once it hits that, pull it.
Over cooking is where the smell comes from. So if you get the first hint of that sulfur smell, pull it immediately, even if it isn’t done, since you don’t want the smell. Carry over cooking can finish the job, it just won’t be as yummy without that deep browning.
Roasting is the least “smelly” option.
Steaming, the window is short between perfectly cooked and smelly. Maybe as little as a minute. Lots of lemon slices over the top helps though.
Boiling, you gotta parboil, blanche, then repeat. It keeps the sulfur compounds from taking over before it’s cooked through.
Deep fried works, but it really seems like a bad idea to me. Why eat something as healthy as broccoli and dump it into hot oil? It adds unnecessary calories even if you drain it well, and breaded broccoli ia similar, plus you don’t taste the broccoli as much.
This is all awesome, thank you.
No worries :)
I’ve never noticed a bad smell, but instant pot for 1 minute high pressure is quickest way to cook.
Oooo I like this. How much water? Okay for it to sit in the water, or does it have to be up?
Generally put 1 cup of water into the instant pot to let it make some steam pressure. I usuall put the broccoli on the little wire platform but putting it the water should be fine. Older models let you set the timer to 0 minutes which is fine too. Unless the stems are pretty thick, by the time the pot comes up to full pressure it’s ok to stop. Also, use the steam release button to let the steam out as soon as it’s time, so the broccoli doesn’t overcook.
Thanks!
I love it in the air fryer, similar to baked broccoli, just a bit more crispy
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
Air fryer broccoli is best broccoli
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 :(
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
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
stop buying the stinky broccoli.
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.
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
New partner? Nose plugs?
