Brussels sprouts are those little veggies that look like mini cabbages. Although the leaves and pattern look quite similar to green cabbages, they are not baby cabbages, they just belong to the same family. However, their cabbage-like smell often makes people dislike them.
The taste of Brussels sprouts is in between cabbages and broccolis. They taste a bit bitter if it is eaten as salad, as the leaves remain raw. Nonetheless like most green vegetables, if it is cooked properly it can taste sweet and palatable.
What Type of Brussels Sprouts Taste Good
Like most of the foods, a lot of it depends on the fact that the kind of Brussels sprouts you are buying. While buying you should go for the compact and taut ones. The ones with the smaller leaves taste sweeter and less cabbage-like. Also it is better if you do not buy the frozen ones, the fresh ones with green head taste much better.
You should avoid buying the ones with yellow leaves and brown edges if you want your Brussels sprouts to taste good. Avoid the ones with molds or black specks and loose leaves. However if the sprouts have only one or two loose leaves then you can buy it and cut the leaves off.
What to Avoid If You Want Your Brussels Sprout to Taste Good
If you are boiling Brussels sprouts, then you have got to be extra careful, because overboiling the sprouts will turn them bitter and mushy, and it will also start stinking.
You can only boil the sprouts gently, it is better if you only steam them. Steaming will make the leaves soft and also it will not tarnish the green. So avoid boiling if you have other options.
Keeping the sprouts whole is another mistake that many tend to make while cooking. The centre of the sprouts is usually bitter, and if it is not sliced in halves before roasting then the bitterness will remain there.
Therefore, even though the balls look pretty, cut the Brussels sprouts in halves if you want them to taste good.
Avoid using low heat while roasting or sautéing Brussels sprouts, it will make the sprouts taste bitter. Use at least 400° F heat while roasting it in the oven, also make sure to preheat it. Do not use a microwave as it will not give you enough heat and also the heat won’t be even everywhere.
What Type of Cooking Make Brussels Sprouts Taste Delicious
Probably the best way to have Brussels sprouts is to roast them in the hot oven. First wash your Brussels sprouts and trim the yellowish outer layers. Then cut it in halves and spread it on the pan. While spreading the sprouts make sure the cut sides are down, this will make the outer leaves crispy.
Roast it with olive oil and do not forget to sprinkle pepper and salt; you can squeeze some lemons on top of the leaves if you want them to soften. Now enjoy your sweet crispy veggies.
Now if you want to sauté the Brussels sprouts on stove, then first heat the pan with few cubes of butter and put few garlic dices in it, then toss the brussels there and keep tossing it to stir-fry it properly.
Do not forget to keep the flame medium-high. You can add a bit of lemon here as well. You can also grate a bit of parmesan cheese and it will be the cherry on the top.
Another option of roasting or stir-frying Brussels sprout is you can roast or fry it with other types of vegetables. But instead of keeping it whole or cutting it in halves you need to shred the leaves and slice it in small pieces.
Moreover, with these shredded leaves you can make delicious salad as well. You can have them with spinach, carrots, nuts and you can also add a bit of cheese here.
Start Eating Brussels Sprouts Today
After reading about all of this, now you have probably realized that Brussels sprouts are not really as bad as their reputation is.
So if you do not want to miss out on some delicious dishes made of Brussels sprout you need to give it a try. Follow the instructions above and make your first Brussels sprouts dish and you might end up loving it.