# You know, Brussels sprouts really aren't that bad **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644 "2013-01-28T20:17:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/41 "2013-01-29T00:42:59Z")
> [@Chipacabra](#): > > If I’m feeling lazy, I like to take a package of the frozen sprouts, put them in a small covered pan with like 1/8" of salted water at the bottom, and sort of braise/steam them until they’re just barely tender, then roll them with some butter, pepper, and sriracha. > > If I’m feeling motivated enough to actually buy some fresh sprouts instead of raiding the freezer, I trim the ends, cut them in half, and steam them. Sriracha is probably still involved. Sriracha… 'Scuse me while I’ve got stuff to try. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/42 "2013-01-29T01:18:00Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > They _are_ cabbage. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts are all _Brassica oleracea._. Garlic and onions are chemically the same, how did Linnaeus (sp) name them? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/43 "2013-01-29T01:32:09Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Garlic and onions are chemically the same, how did Linnaeus (sp) name them? Garlic is _allium sativum,_ onion is _allium cepa._ not the same species. Garlic and onion are different species; Brassica cultivars are the same species and readily hybridize. Witness broccolini, broccoflower, etc, ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/44 "2013-01-29T01:32:21Z")
I just buy the frozen ones in the steam pouches. Give them some salt and pepper, maybe a little butter or bleu cheese. Good to go. [http://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/steamfresh-pure-simple/brussels-sprouts](http://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/steamfresh-pure-simple/brussels-sprouts) ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/45 "2013-01-29T01:42:07Z")
I like them if I can cook them with maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, some sort of nuts and some “baking” type spices like cinnamon / allspice / whatever. As long as their sweet, I’m on board. However, that Alton recipe does sound good… ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/46 "2013-01-29T02:10:50Z")
I read somewhere that as we age, we have less and less active taste buds, so the stuff we hated as kids has less of the bad tastes (like bitterness) to us. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/47 "2013-01-29T02:36:42Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > +1 bazillion. The vilest, most evil, most grotesque, icky, yucky, fit only for Satan’s school cafeteria substance ever! Guys, guys, please stop beating around the bush; tell us how you really feel! All kidding aside, I don’t like them when they’re boiled and bitter. Like every one else, I roast them with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. They’re sublime. If swampbear and Loach are ever at a dinner party I’m at, I’ll be happy that there will be more brussels sprouts for me. But only if they’re prepared correctly. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/48 "2013-01-29T02:45:11Z")
Why do I always get a bitter one that puts me off my meal? You mean these recipes guarantee no bitterness?? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/49 "2013-01-29T02:56:03Z")
I like to pan-cook fresh ones, but usually it’s just a frozen pound bag, dump in a bowl, put in nuker, press the “frozen veg” button. They come out bright green and perfect, dump out any water left if any, drench in butter, salt and fresh cracked pepper. Eat for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/50 "2013-01-29T03:00:28Z")
When I was little, maybe 8 or 9, my parents, at dinner, insisted that I try the Brussels sprouts. I told them the smell made me sick. They remarked that such a statement was bad manners and that I had to try just one. I did. And I threw up over my whole plate, with a fair amount of splash landing on and near them. We all just sat there. Well, what were they going to say? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/51 "2013-01-29T03:03:08Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > When I was little, maybe 8 or 9, my parents, at dinner, insisted that I try the Brussels sprouts. I told them the smell made me sick. They remarked that such a statement was bad manners and that I had to try just one. I did. And I threw up over my whole plate, with a fair amount of splash landing on and near them. We all just sat there. Well, what were they going to say? I almost spit up all over _my_ plate just now…😛 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/52 "2013-01-29T03:11:29Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > When I was little, I _hated_ Brussels sprouts. Like a lot of people, my mom started with frozen or canned, and boiled the everliving hell out of them. > > Then, when I was in my 20’s, a friend of a friend - who was a chef at one of the hottest restaurants in the city - prepared them for me and my friend: halved and sauteed in butter and garlic until beautifully caramelized, then sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground sichuan peppercorns and a splash of lemon juice. They were just golden brown and crisp on the edges, deep green and delicately tender on the inside, and simply could not have been prepared more perfectly. > > And I _hated_ them. I just woke up my family from laughing. Thanks. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@ems](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ems)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/53 "2013-01-29T03:26:18Z")
We love them! I even love them when my mam boils them…I then smoosh 'em up and use them to mop up the gravy with the Sunday roast. I tend to cook the one of two ways…roasted with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg or sliced up thin and sautéed up with some bacon bits, garlic and red pepper flakes. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/54 "2013-01-29T05:37:40Z")
Jacque Pepin’s fricassee of brussels sprouts is my go to. It takes less than 10 minutes, and they’re fantastic. [Recipe](http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=715063) [Video](http://www.kqed.org/w/morefastfoodmyway/episode210.html) FF: 13min ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/55 "2013-01-29T05:52:05Z")
I’ve always liked them. I even eat them cold. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/56 "2013-02-06T19:43:11Z")
I like steamed sprouts (and sometimes tossed into a stir fry), so more for me if the boiled-sprout fans are over. ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/57 "2013-02-06T20:09:56Z")
Two brussels sprouts anecdotes. The first coincerns in a way the many comments on how overcooked vegetables may be. I find many contemporary cooks undercook vegetables. Dining out I complained to waitress that brussels sprouts were undercooked. She advised that I was just used to overcooked. To demonstrate, I went to cut one with steak knife wchich glanced off sprout shooting it across room where it hit another diner on leg. Maybe you had to be there. Christmas some years back. The woman I live with doesn’t like Brussels sprouts, I do, so I buy a handful only. A friend of hers arrives unexpectedly at dinner - she loves Brussels sprouts, so I get none. ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/58 "2013-02-06T20:14:11Z")
from what I’ve experienced with my grandmother’s cooking ( “cook it until its good and done”) I can fucking see why. Tying into a thread elsewhere about the use of obscentiy, I wonder if the poster could say way using an obscenity in a statement about his grandmother makes it more expressive or better to read. To me it is gratuitous and off-putting. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/59 "2013-02-06T20:16:14Z")
When speaking on one’s…or anyone’s…Grandmother, swear using “horse puckey.” ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644/60 "2013-02-06T20:19:29Z")
I set a plate of grilled bone-in chops and a bowl of steamed brussels sprouts on the table last night. Which created a flurry of simultaneous attacks and fencing moves as the family fought for their share… leaving the chops completely unattended and allowing me to pick the choicest for myself. Then I got my sprouts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-brussels-sprouts-really-arent-that-bad/648644.md?page=4)