Content

• Part 2 of 2: How to cut the stems
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

1 Wash the broccoli thoroughly. Take a head of broccoli and submerge it completely under running water. You can walk your fingers over the inflorescences to get rid of the dirt and insects that have accumulated there. After that, you can blot the vegetable with a dry towel.

• Broccoli should not be soaked in water to rinse.

2 Separate the leaves from the broccoli head. The leaves contain nutrients but are rarely used in traditional recipes. This will give the broccoli a more uniform appearance, giving the cut product aesthetic appearance.

• The leaves can be thrown away or used for salad, which is served as a side dish with broccoli.

3 Cut the inflorescences from the stems. Do this with a knife or kitchen scissors, cutting them as close to the trunk as possible. It is best to cut off where the stem begins to branch out into individual inflorescences.

• The inflorescences are part of the broccoli, which looks like the crowns of tiny trees extending from a green stem.
• Due to the thickness or position of the inflorescence, you may find it difficult to remove the inflorescence well on the first try. But do not worry about this, as you can remove the extra stems as soon as you cut off all the inflorescences.

4 Cut off the inflorescences. Start at the outer edge and work your way up to the center joint of the flowers. You can also separate the inflorescences from each other, but this will require additional cuts to trim the ends.

• Ideally, you should cut the inflorescences about 2.5 centimeters before the flowering part begins.
• If you are going to cook the flowers, try to keep them the same size so that the cooking process takes place more evenly.
• Size won't matter if you're going to eat the flowers raw, so you don't have to cut them the same way.

5 Continue cutting the buds as you work your way into the broccoli head. After trimming the inflorescences from the outside, you will be able to move along the stem, as a result of which further pruning will not take much of your time. Cut off all inflorescences from the stem.

6 Trim the stems of the inflorescences so that they are the same length. This will not only improve their appearance, but it will also ensure that the broccoli cooks evenly, no matter what dish you want to cook. You should leave about 1 centimeter of stem near the flowers.

• The inflorescences will fall apart during preparation and processing if you cut off too much of the stem.

7 If necessary, you can cut the inflorescences into small pieces. Large chunks of broccoli can be a great side dish with food, but will cause the dish to lose uniformity when mixed with other ingredients and if too coarse is fried. Take large broccoli flowers, then:

• Cut the inflorescence in half with a knife or scissors. You can cut the small pieces once to get the size you want. Or…
• The large inflorescence must be cut in two. You can divide the largest pieces into four pieces to make them the right size.
• The dish will cook evenly if you cut the buds into four equal pieces.

Part 2 of 2: How to cut the stems

1. 1 Remove the inedible bottom of the stem. The bottom-most part will be too stiff and have a fibrous structure. Using a knife or scissors, cut about 2.5–5 centimeters from the stem.You can discard this part or use it as fertilizer.
2. 2 Use a vegetable knife to remove the tough skin. The stem, as well as the inflorescences, contains many nutrients and is sometimes even served in restaurants. However, you must first remove the top tough skin.
   • In restaurants, sliced ​​broccoli stalk is often referred to as "coins".
3. 3 Cut the stems into thin sticks. Since the stem is tougher and denser than the flowers, it will take longer to cook. This is why you should cut the stems into thin strips, just as you would normally with carrots. Use a knife to cut the stems in half lengthwise. Join these halves together and re-cut them crosswise along the length, eventually dividing the stem into four parts.
   • For a very thick stem, this manipulation can be carried out until you have obtained pieces of the desired thickness.
   • This method of chopping vegetables is also called julienne. This is a well-known way to cut vegetables, so you might be tempted to learn more about it in one of our articles.
   • You can also line the stems and use a knife or scissors to cut them into cubes.

Tips

• Broccoli blooms are a healthy and satisfying snack that can be eaten raw.

Warnings

• Always be careful with knives, especially if they are very sharp. Keep the knife blade away from you while cutting.
• Supervise your children regularly if they help you chop broccoli.

What do you need

• Sharp knife or kitchen scissors
• Water
• Towel