Ask any lover of cabbage and they'll show you myriads of ways they incorporate the crunchy vegetable into their daily meals. That leads us to the very first point on this list:
1. You ONLY boil your cabbages!
The first mistake you may be making is only boiling your cabbages. There are numerous exciting ways to enjoy cabbage other than the plain old method of boiling. You can enjoy your cabbage cooked into a stir-fry with or without other vegetables or, you can sauté, grill or roast it. These methods are indeed far more appealing as they prevent the cabbage from getting mushy and allow you to really savor the sweetness of the cabbage along with your favorite spices.
Tip: If you love the taste and texture of boiled cabbage, but just don't like the characteristic smell it gives off, add a few drops of vinegar during cooking or steam the cabbage instead.
The second most popular people dislike cooking cabbage is how bland it may taste thanks to the excess moisture it releases during cooking. So, if you're making a slaw, experts advise that you salt the cabbage before combining it with other vegetables. Let the cabbage then sit for one hour at room temp before squeezing the excess moisture out.
This will prevent the cabbages from getting soggy.
3. You're not cooking the right kind of cabbage
Cabbages come in different varieties. The most common kind is the green cabbage which can be cooked in all the different ways possible. Then, there is the red cabbage which tends to turn blue when cooked and so, most commonly just eaten raw. If you do want to cook it, add a touch of acid like lemon juice or vinegar to lessen the effect.
The Savoy cabbage can be used as a substitute for green cabbage, just keep in mind that its leaves are a bit more tender than that of other cabbages. Napa is an oblong-shaped cabbage that has a sweet, soft flavor that’s best enjoyed raw or lightly stir-fried. Finally, there's the bok choy which has a flavor and texture that's very similar to spinach or Swiss chard than other types of cabbage.
Bottom line, use the right cabbage for the right recipe!
4. You overcook the cabbage
Overcooked cabbage is rather unappetizing as it becomes too soft and attains "that" annoying smell that dissuades many from cooking cabbage. When cooking cabbage, let it cook at a simmer or gentle boil and keep an eye on the clock. If shredded, the cabbage can cook for about 5 minutes, while wedges may take 10 to 15 minutes to cook.
5. You don't add baking soda
Adding baking soda to your boiling cabbage can help reduce the objectionable smell and maintain the green color long after when it typically turns grayish from cooking for too long. However, this may rid the cabbage of its nutritional value.
Baking soda does help green vegetables retain color, but it causes undesirable color changes in red cabbage—it turned blue. The science can be distilled to this: Adding baking soda to cooking water makes it slightly alkaline, which stabilizes the green color of chlorophyll.
Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water. This also helps cut the pungent edge. Drain well before combining with other ingredients.
Insert a steamer basket inside a saucepan. Add enough water to the pan so the water level is just below the bottom of the basket. Bring water to a boil, then add cabbage wedges to the steamer basket. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cabbage is crisp-tender.
The salt then draws moisture out of the cabbage's cells through osmosis, forming a salty brine. This brine is important because it submerges the cabbage and deprives the Lactobacillus and other microorganisms of oxygen – the second step!
As long as they are acidic they stay red, but when they become non-acidic they turn blue. When you sauté red cabbage, the acids evaporate off and it can turn blue. All you have to do is add lemon juice or vinegar to bring back the bright red color.
Consuming cabbage in excess can result in abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea and flatulence. It can also result in ingesting toxic chemicals like goitrin, thiocyanates and benzyl cyanide.
Raw cabbage contains fiber, which is generally good for digestive health. However, for some individuals, the high fiber content can lead to digestive discomfort, including bloating and gas. Cooking cabbage can make it easier to digest, reducing the likelihood of these side effects.
These plants can take cool weather and some say they are sweeter after a frost has dusted their leaves. This is because as the temperatures drop, the cold causes the plants to break down the energy and convert it into sugar, leading to a sweeter, tastier flavor.
Cabbage and onions contain sulfur-based compounds and enzymes that are kept apart — and nonreactive — in separate cells when the plants are whole. But when you cut the vegetables, the compounds and enzymes mix, creating pungent, bitter and foul-smelling compounds that repel insects (and people!).
contain anthocyanin, a molecule that is a reddish colour in its naturally acidic environment: fruit. But, when it comes into contact with alkaline ingredients (the baking soda in a cake batter, for ex.), the anthocyanin turns blue.
The cabbage juice is called an indicator because it can tell you the pH of a solution based on the color that it changes. The vinegar will turn the cabbage juice red because it is an acid (acetic acid). The baking soda will turn the cabbage juice greenish-yellow because it is a base (sodium bicarbonate).
This is a bad practice, however, and you should avoid adding baking soda when boiling any type of vegetable. It has various unwelcome effects, such as softening the vegetable, altering the vegetable's flavor, destroying thiamine content, and hastening the loss of vitamin C.
One way to cut down on some of the gas-producing effects is to choose cooked cabbage over raw. “Generally speaking, cooking can help reduce this effect by 'softening' the fiber, making it a little bit easier on the digestive system,” explains Cording.
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