# Poll: How Do You Cook Your Brussel Sprouts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173 "2011-11-07T15:40:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/61 "2011-11-09T12:50:43Z")
I sauté them, recipe was originally from BON APETITE magazine. 1. About 6 oz of Brussels Sprouts, trim off bottom and slice thin, lengthwise. 2. Sauté 3/4 cups shallots in 1 TB olive oil over medium heat, until translucent. (About 2 minutes) 3. Add brussel sprouts and 1 cup vegetable broth, increase heat to medium high (simmer), stir occasionally until sprouts are tender and liquid is almost completely absorbed (about 8 minutes). 4. Add 1 TB unsalted butter; salt and white pepper to taste. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/62 "2011-11-09T12:55:00Z")
Adapted from either Nigel Slater or Gordon Ramsay, don’t recall which: Peel the outer leaves and cut off the dirty end, but _don’t score, cut or cross-cut in any way_. You don’t want the water to penetrate the heart because it makes them soggy\*. Parboil for about 10 minutes. Stir fry with lardons and a little butter until gently brown. Serve with butter. These have converted more than one hata I’ve served them to. ETA: \*My ex-mother-in-law would cook them for THREE FUCKING HOURS in a pressure cooker. They would come out gray and completely dismantled, and nobody would touch them. Then she would be all like “I don’t know why I bother” about them. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/63 "2011-11-10T02:08:00Z")
I fried some with bacon and onions tonight. Pretty good. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/64 "2011-11-10T02:14:23Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I fried some with bacon and onions tonight. Pretty good. 🙂 :). Yum. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/65 "2011-11-10T02:15:38Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > ETA: \*My ex-mother-in-law would cook them for THREE FUCKING HOURS in a pressure cooker. Are you serious??? A stew that normally takes 3 or 4 hours to make takes something like 30-45 minutes in a pressure cooker. That’s the equivalent of cooking them for like 12 hours conventionally. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked anything for more than an hour in a pressure cooker, let alone three. ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/66 "2011-11-10T02:15:54Z")
They are my favourite vegetable, by far! But never, ever boiled. Lightly steamed maybe, but preferably roasted or sauteed. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/67 "2011-11-10T02:47:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Are you serious??? A stew that normally takes 3 or 4 hours to make takes something like 30-45 minutes in a pressure cooker. That’s the equivalent of cooking them for like 12 hours conventionally. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked anything for more than an hour in a pressure cooker, let alone three. Yeah, three hours in a pressure cooker and you’re, like, decompiling its DNA or inventing a new superhero or something. Yecch. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/68 "2011-11-10T10:42:49Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I fried some with bacon and onions tonight. Pretty good. 🙂 I stopped at Kroger on the way home last night, because after reading this thread I decided that’s _exactly_ what I wanted for dinner. But they didn’t have any brussels sprouts. WTF. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/69 "2011-11-10T12:51:49Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > But they didn’t have any brussels sprouts. WTF. I had to hit two Kroger before I found them. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/70 "2011-11-10T13:12:43Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I used to think the same thing, until \*\*Rhiannon8404 \*\*made them for me. You’ve just never had them prepared correctly. I’ve had them several ways that people swear up and down will absolutely make you adore the nasty farty-tasting things, and every single one of them tastes like being dutch ovened. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/71 "2011-11-10T13:31:14Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > I’ve had them several ways that people swear up and down will absolutely make you adore the nasty farty-tasting things, and every single one of them tastes like being dutch ovened. My husband and son feel the same way- all they taste is bitter, no matter what. I wonder if it’s like cilantro- some people are just wired for them to taste unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/72 "2011-11-10T21:37:09Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I had to hit two Kroger before I found them. I stopped at a more upscale Kroger today and found them. And bacon. And shallots. 🙂 I have dinner! > [@](#): > > My husband and son feel the same way- all they taste is bitter, no matter what. I wonder if it’s like cilantro- some people are just wired for them to taste unpleasant. Do they feel the same about cabbage, brocolli and other cruciferous vegetables? (I adore cilantro.) ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/73 "2011-11-10T21:52:25Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > They really are delicious this way, and it is sooo easy. My kids like them; they have no idea brussels sprouts are supposed to be “bad”. They’ve been my son’s favorite vegetable since he was about 5 (the first time I cooked them). He could never figure out why adults were always _so impressed_ when he told them. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/74 "2011-11-10T21:57:13Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > I stopped at a more upscale Kroger today and found them. And bacon. And shallots. 🙂 I have dinner! > > Do they feel the same about cabbage, brocolli and other cruciferous vegetables? (I adore cilantro.) They love broccoli and cauliflower and other such veggies. But maybe it’s like cilantro (which some taste as soapy, but can eat parsley just fine). ---
**Author:** ![akira5822](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@akira5822](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akira5822)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/75 "2011-11-10T23:41:04Z")
Outside with a small tactical nuke ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/76 "2011-11-10T23:48:33Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > My husband and son feel the same way- all they taste is bitter, no matter what. I wonder if it’s like cilantro- some people are just wired for them to taste unpleasant. They’re not bitter, just…farty. They taste exactly like being trapped in an elevator with a 14 year old boy who has been fed on a steady diet of beans and toe jam. Cooked cabbage tastes similarly, but less intensely, horrible. Raw cabbage is okay, and I rather like broccoli and cauliflower. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/77 "2011-11-11T01:18:23Z")
We steam them until tender. Delicious - particularly the ones I grow in the vegetable garden.\* This has been a banner year and there should be plenty for the Thanksgiving feast. They’re one of my favorite vegetables. I keep hearing that brussels sprouts become significantly tastier after they’ve been through a few frosts, but I’ve never noticed much of a difference. \*our home-grown sprouts tend to be smaller, firmer and more flavorful than those supermarket things that look like they’ve been grown with the benefit of anabolic steroids. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/78 "2011-11-11T02:37:58Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > … This has been a banner year and there should be plenty for the Thanksgiving feast. … Oh. Wow. What gardening zone are you in, and are they easy to grow? Do you start from seed? We are total novice vegetable gardeners but got kind of interested (and amazed) when the flower bed my husband started setting up but had to abandon sprouted up with these amazing giant acorn squash and these candy-sweet, rich-flavored yellow cherry tomatoes (also some standard grocery store softball tomatoes, which sucked) all as volunteers from kitchen compost. Brussels sprouts, though, if, as you are telling me, are better homegrown? I could make room in my schedule for next spring. om nom ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/79 "2011-11-11T04:14:45Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > our home-grown sprouts tend to be smaller, firmer and more flavorful than those supermarket things that look like they’ve been grown with the benefit of anabolic steroids. I hate you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173/80 "2011-11-11T22:16:20Z")
Huh. I’ve never encountered them except already cooked at restaurants. They’re okay, but I think they have too strong a cabbage flavor for such a small piece. Much better dipped in, say, ranch dressing or mixed with other salad fixings. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-do-you-cook-your-brussel-sprouts/602173.md?page=5)