How to Cut Broccoli

Name: How to Cut broccoli (3 Simple Steps)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 lb broccoli

Broccoli is one of those vegetables that can be used in so many dishes; fresh or cooked. It is great in salads, soups, incorporated in dishes, and even by itself as a side dish.

Not only is it delicious but also packed with lots of nutrients, vitamins, and a great source of fiber. We call them “little trees” aka florets in our house to get the kids to eat them.

When you are buying broccoli at the store you want to look at the stem and the heads. You are looking for a nice bright green “trunk” that isn’t dried out and, the florets should be dark green in color. These are good signs of a healthy head of broccoli.

Make sure there isn’t any mold on the florets or yellowing on the heads. Mold on broccoli will show up with white fuzzy spots. If there are one or two small spots, that is ok. You can cut those off and discard them.

If you are here, you must be wondering, how the heck do I cut this thing? It’s really easy and I am going to show you how to cut broccoli in a few steps below. Let’ jump into it.

Video –

Ingredients

1 lb broccoli

Equipment

chef knife
pairing knife
cutting board

Broccoli florets are great on a vegetable platter with a little dipping sauce ( I love to use ranch) and adds a nice color to the platter as well.

You can choose to leave the stems a little longer or cut them short. Whichever your preference.

Cooked broccoli is great on its own and also as a side dish.

The doctors always say to “make sure you eat your greens”. Well, broccoli is a great option to get those greens in.

Throw it in your chicken dish, add it to your beef and rice or add a little butter, garlic, and salt and serve it as a side dish to your main course.

It is such a versatile vegetable to have on hand and great to eat so many different ways.

Ok so lets get into how to cut up this tree looking veggie.

1. Wash

You want to make sure to always wash your broccoli before you use it. Run it under cold water and make sure to rinse it upside down as well to rinse the florets also.

Give it a couple of good shakes over the sink to get some of the water out that might be trapped.

2. Cut into florets

Start by cutting all of the florets off by laying the broccoli head on your cutting board and simply cutting at the base of each floret where it is attached to the trunk.

The larger florets can be cut in half and if you want you can go ahead and cut the stems off if you want them shorter.

There are a lot of vitamins and minerals in the stems too, so I recommend leaving some of them so that none goes to waste.

Make sure that the florets are roughly the same size so that they cook evenly.

3. Cut up the stem (Optional)

You can use the stem as well. This part of the broccoli is great for making broccoli slaw! Cut off the irregularities and the bottom of the stump. Shred the rest of it as your base for your slaw.

You can also cut off four sides so that you end up with a rectangle. This makes it easier to cut into matchsticks which is great for stir-fry or maybe in a pasta dish or soup.

If you found this this how to easy then check out how to cut a bell pepper for your next stir-fry,

All parts of a head of broccoli can be eaten and offer lots of nutrients and vitamins.

Most people think the florets are the only part of the broccoli that you can eat, but you can actually eat the whole thing!

There are two parts to the broccoli, the florets which are the dark green buds on the top of the vegetable, and the stalk which is the bright green stump. Even the leaves are edible!

No! The leaves on broccoli are not poisonous. People never think to eat these but they are packed with nutrients also!

This goes for the large leaves that grow in the garden with the broccoli heads and for the little leaves that you see when you buy them at grocery store. Both are delicious and good eats!