Vegetables
Broccoli
Peel the stalk and it beats the florets. Cut it thinner so both finish at the same time.
Ingredient reference image: AI-generated. Recipe photography is my own.
In the kitchen
Under heat
The florets cook faster than the stalk — cut the stalk thinner, or start it in the pan first, if you want both done together.
Against air
Cut broccoli yellows at the florets within a day or two as the chlorophyll breaks down; that yellowing is the clearest sign it’s aging.
In storage
Keep it dry and loosely wrapped in the crisper. Standing the stalks in water like flowers extends it further if you have the fridge space.
At the shop
Tight, closed florets. Any that have started opening into small yellow flowers are already past peak.
Which variety, for what
- Broccoli crowns
- The dense-headed standard — cut the stalk thinner so it cooks at the same rate as the florets.
- Broccolini
- A cross with Chinese broccoli — thinner stalks, milder, and cooks through in about half the time.