Scientists have explained why broccoli should be chopped an hour and a half before cooking
A little trick allows you to maximize the benefits of cooking broccoli. Simply chop the vegetable and let it sit for 30 to 90 minutes. These recommendations are based on a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Our results suggest that after cutting broccoli florets into small pieces, they should be left for approximately 90 minutes before cooking. While we haven't experimented with shorter times, we believe a 30-minute hydrolysis would also be beneficial.
But there's another caveat. For the experiment, the scientists cut the broccoli florets into 2 mm pieces. Therefore, further research is needed to determine whether sulforaphane will form if the vegetable is cut into larger pieces.
Even if you let broccoli sit after chopping, avoid cooking it at high temperatures, as excessive heat can negate these beneficial properties. Therefore, boiling and frying are not recommended. Broccoli should be eaten raw or steamed for 5 minutes. This will preserve key nutrients.
But if you do boil or fry this vegetable, there's a life hack: you can add raw, chopped broccoli.
Previously, we talked about how to make grilled vegetables the main dish of the table.
