How do I cook brussel sprouts?!

Post by **pinkmagic** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:57 pm

I personally hate brussel sprouts and think they are the work of the devil! However I have people coming for Christmas dinner who like them and think I should do a few for them as they are very traditional for Christmas dinner. I have never had the need to cook them before as we have always gone to family for Christmas or just stayed at home, never had anyone round. Do you just boil them or what?

Post by **Christine** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 1:08 pm

PM yes.
Bring a lightly salted pan of water to the boil, and pop in your peeled sprouts, bring them back to the boil and let them simmer for a few mins, maybe 5-6 mins, dont over cook them they are horrible soggy.
While they simmer you could chop a couple of slices of gammon/panchetta, or streaky bacon, lightly fry this in a little olive oil, and when the sprouts are cooked add to them , this is not a must just a recipe idea to make the sprouts less boring, if you dont fany the ham, then add some lighlty fried onion, or simply squeeze a little lemon juice across them and add a couple of knobs of butter to serve, again just recipe ideas ive used over the years.

Post by **WIZARD** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 1:48 pm

A couple of knobs of butter is enough for me.

Post by **Horus** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 2:57 pm

Mrs H, an excellent cook,

will always cut a cross about ¼” deep (5mm) on the stalk end of each sprout, apparently this ensures that this part of the sprout cooks evenly and thus avoids over cooking.

Post by **LivinginLuxor** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 10:21 pm

The true English way to cook them is firstly to buy a litttle mesh bag with very sad looking sprouts in - they sit on the side of the road for a day or so after picking - and then take them home and boil them to death in salted water. You will notice that the water turns green as most of the nutrients and taste molecules of the sprout are dissolved in it!

If you want the true taste of a fresh sprouts, your best bet is to visit your local supermarket, and buy the frozen ones - they are usually much fresher than the fresh ones. Then place them in a pyrex dish with a little water, and blast them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. They are then al dente, and taste absolutely wonderful, and also retain their colour.

Post by **Horus** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 11:01 pm

It is a mystery to me where you used to live in the UK Stan, you always describe neighbourhoods that sound like ghettos and food that is only served up in greasy spoon transport cafe's, some of us are quite happy with where we live and the food we eat, a lot better than most of the inferior stuff they pass off as fine dining in Egypt, your skill with a 'ding box' must be unsurpassed

Post by **LivinginLuxor** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 11:44 pm

Absolute rubbish, Horus! In most cases frozen vegetables are better for you than the fresh variety. Take peas for instance - from picking to freezing is a process that takes several hours, whereas the 'fresh' variety have probably taken several days to get to your market. I hardly ate a greasy spoon, as you so picturesquely put it, although occasionally I would go to a girl friends cafe for a full breakfast.

I didn't mention anything about location - just basic food science. If you read any of Heston Blumenthals books, you should see that green vegetables should never be boiled as the nutrition and flavour contents are dissolved in the cooking water. They should either be steamed, microwaved or cooked in a pressure cooker to get the full flavour.

I'm not sure whether your concept of fine dining in Egypt is correct either - there are one or two excellent restaurants in Luxor and many, many more in Cairo.

And as for the ding - you are far out of date - they bleep now, and have convection ovens and grills!

We live in modern times, and so why not use modern methods of cooking which are more efficient and quicker than the old fashioned cooking methods. Even top restaurants have several large microwaves in them - and of course the great British pub meal could not happen in the chain pubs like Beefeater without the ubiquitous microwave - most pies are cooked that way.

Post by **PRchick** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:12 am

You can also roast them I'm told. I love them but buy the steam in bag that goes in the microwave. Really fresh tasting and good.

Post by **LivinginLuxor** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 7:59 am

PR - We've had differences of opinion, sometimes quite heated - but this time I totally agree with you!

Post by **jewel** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:58 am

We have our own this year - straight from the garden!! If it freezes they will be ready frozen too

Post by **Kronkite** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:29 am

i par boil mine then fry em in butter with bacon yummy

An add chesnuts at Christmas

Post by **Horus** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 12:07 pm

Once again Stan gets it all wrong! When did I ever advocate non fresh vegetables or boiling them to death? Do you really think you are the only person in the world who eats fresh food? It was you that described the English as buying little string bags with sad looking sprouts that we take home and boil to death. I doubt if many people even bother to boil anything anymore, the more discerning amongst us have been using your method for years, the only difference is it is called a tower steamer, but I suppose with your basic technology a dish with water and a ding box is as good as it gets. Convection ovens and grills? I think we may have one of those, its called a cooker and what would we do without good old Heston Blumenthal? His snail porridge is to die for.

By the way, pies are not ‘cooked’ in microwaves, they are reheated, you need an oven to bake a pie.

Post by **drwho** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 12:55 pm

If you cook sprouts as long as this post, they will taste like they did in school, begins with an S & ends in T....

'Now Gypsy Tart, that was something else...

Post by **Ebikatsu** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:19 pm

Buy frozen, put into a roast a bag and cook in micro for about 6 mins depending on power.
Lightly fry some sweet cure bacon strips with back pepper and butter and drizzle over the sprouts before serving.
Delish every time

Post by **Scorpio37** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:36 pm

Nothing wrong with eating in a greasy spoon cafe Being a hairy arsed trucker for over 50yrs I've eaten in many of them and had the best Full English better than any Posh Nosh.

Getting back to sprouts I love em nothing better than the morning after letting rip in bed after that you soon get the bed to yourself for a good old lay in.

Post by **Ebikatsu** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:57 pm

Scorpio37 wrote: Nothing wrong with eating in a greasy spoon cafe Being a hairy arsed trucker for over 50yrs I've eaten in many of them and had the best Full English better than any Posh Nosh.

Getting back to sprouts I love em nothing better than the morning after letting rip in bed after that you soon get the bed to yourself for a good old lay in.

Oh My Good Lord!!

the best fry up I ever had was at a greasy spoon in Grimsby. I don't eat them much but boy that place was stacked and the food delicious that morning

It beat the Little Chef or the motorway cafes hands down anyday.

Post by Jo » Thu Dec 17, 2009 4:34 pm

John does a fab trick with sprouts if your not keen on them. Chop them up into quarters so they fall apart a bit then lightly fry them with a touch of butter, add chopped bacon and pine nuts and just before the end swirl in some fresh cream. Yum we often eat that alone as a meal, well not often but you know what I mean.

Post by **Hurghadapat** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 5:23 pm

Well personally i would never ever use frozen veg apart from peas and certainly not sprouts as almost impossible to cook them al dente when frozen and sorry Livingin Luxor but i have to agree with Horus about the use of microwaves in catering,yes many pubs might use them but certainly not for pastry products and i have been in catering all of of my life i never used microwaves for cooking in and i am sure most of these top class restaurants would be very offended to hear you saying that they use them.

Post by **drwho** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:19 pm

Yes, but the 'flavor of the month is, 'hot water baths or bain marie's, we used to call it 'boil in the bag, remember 'birds-eye cod or rice, boil in the bag, now it's all 'aux fait and very cool to do..
It used to be known as 'coddling years ago..

Post by **LivinginLuxor** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:56 pm

Why be so Luddite about microwaves - they are a efficient way to cook food - you will save a considerable amount from your electricity or gas bills if you use them. If you use them with a degree of intelligence - ie not blasting stuff at 100% power, you will find your sprouts delicious! Of course, you should defrost them properly before cooking as you may still find cold bits inside. But boil them - never! Steaming or pressure cookers are a far better way than a saucepan of boiling water!

And as for top restaurants - Gordon Ramsey has recently had bad publicity because he uses a central kitchen to prepare his food for many of his outlets, and then would have to use something like a microwave to reheat the 'ready meals' produced!