Best Sauteed Cabbage Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put vinegar in cabbage when boiling it? ›

Green is the heartiest variety; it takes well to all cooking methods. Red can turn a funny blue color when cooked, so it's best used raw. If you do want to cook it, add a touch of acid like lemon juice or vinegar to lessen the effect. Savoy can be used in any recipe that calls for green cabbage.

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.

A few whole cloves added to the boiling water for cabbage impart a delicately complementary flavor and aroma and may help to prevent gas during digestion. Other sweet spices that may be carminative include allspice, cinnamon and ginger.

Put the cabbage leaves or shredded cabbage in a large pan and cover halfway with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 3-5 mins or until tender. This is often followed by blanching – see the next point.

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water.

Chopping cabbage finely, as for coleslaw, greatly increases the release of pungent and bitter compounds and the enzymes that activate them. After chopping, you can plunge the cabbage into a pot of ice water, which rinses away many of these compounds.

The key to cooking cabbage: Don't overcook it.

Cabbage is sweet and aromatic when cooked correctly. But the same sulfuric compounds that provide many of its health benefits can turn saboteur when overcooked, creating a pungent, unpleasant smell.

Boiled cabbage is notoriously smelly and steaming is often thought of as a less aromatic way to cook the vegetable. However, the pungent smell is actually the result of overcooking. Boil it just until tender, and you won't have a stinky kitchen.

Ingesting an excessive amount of baking soda can result in a variety of health concerns. Seizures, renal failure, and dehydration are all possible consequences of high salt content. It is the bicarbonate that has an effect on the pH of bodily fluids.

The team found that the dietary irritant that activated this response most strongly was allyl isothiocyanate – a sulphur-containing compound found in… wasabi, horseradish, cabbage and broccoli. These foods are known to affect gut movements and cause abdominal grumblings when eaten in excess.

Does Beano prevent gas from cabbage? ›

What foods does beano® work on? beano^® is not just for beans. It works on a whole variety of gassy foods, including many vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, grains, cereals, nuts, seeds, whole-grain breads and many other foods.

While cabbage offers lots of vitamins and minerals your body needs, there can be a downside to eating cabbage. Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage can cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. It's best to slowly introduce these vegetables into your diet and gradually increase your intake.

Wash and drain your cabbage leaves, getting rid of any tough stalks. Add to a large pan of salted boiling water, bring back to the boil then cook on a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain well in a colander and leave to cool. Carefully squeeze the cabbage leaves to get rid of any excess moisture.

Green and red cabbages are harvested in two seasons; in summer, cabbage heads are looser and more tender and in winter, cabbage heads have dense, tightly compact leaves. Summer cabbage is traditionally eaten within weeks of harvest, but winter cabbage can be stored under the right conditions for up to 10 months.

There are many ways to prepare cabbage, and a popular cooking method is to boil it. Boil cabbage by cleaning and preparing it, then cooking it in hot water for just a few minutes.

If you add vinegar it will stay the original color. The reddish pigment in the cabbage acts as a pH indicator like litmus paper. Your method of cooking is alkaline which isn't bad but would change the color of cabbage.

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).

When cooked in an alkaline liquid like water, red cabbage turns blue. Adding vinegar, lemon juice, or another acid helps the cabbage to retain its red-purple color.

Chockful of nutrients

Red cabbage offers another bonus: It's rich in natural pigments called anthocyanins, which new research suggests may help boost insulin production and lower blood sugar levels. Finally, cabbage is often prepared with vinegar, which can help lower the GL of your whole meal.