Steaming Broccoli

How to steam broccoli.

Something I've never done before, I had to look up the instructions on this website. Usually I either eat broccoli raw, or stir fry, so this is completely new to me. I thought someone else might benefit as well, so here goes!

Before you cook:

1. Wash the broccoli thoroughly under cool running water.

2. Cut off the thickest portion of the stalks, removing the fibrous, woody bases.

3. Either chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces or cut it into thin stalks with florets at the top so it looks like a group of small trees.

Stove top steaming:

There are various kitchen implements available for stove top steaming. You may use either a folding metal steaming basket or a hard pan-insert designed for steaming or a steaming basket made of wood. Whichever steaming tool you select, it should be placed in a pan that has a tightly fitting lid.

1. Fill the base of the pan with water so it is up to the level of the steamer, but does not rise up into the steamer.

2. Set the stove burner to high.

3. Once the water is boiling, place the broccoli loosely in the steamer. It is okay to fill the steamer, but it should not be packed with broccoli.

3. Cover the pan.

4. Allow the broccoli to cook three to five minutes. If the pan is really full, you may need additional time.

5. Make sure to remove the pan from the heat source and to remove the lid once the broccoli is done or it will continue to cook.

It turned out perfectly, Laurel especially was happy! I think I'm going to be making my veggies this way from now on. No oil, no huge cleanup and all the vitamins left intact. How can you go wrong?