Some like Brussels sprouts cooked tender, others like them almost crunchy, but I've yet to find anyone who adores them cooked to death. Despite that, I still hear stories about them being served that way -- cooked so long they're watery, mushy, greyish-green and uninvitingly pungent.
To ensure that never happens, I decided to see how two bestselling cookbooks, one old and one newer, suggested cooking them using the most common method: plunging them into boiling water.
In my old copy of The Joy of Cooking, you start by soaking the Brussels sprouts in lightly salted cold water for 10 minutes. You then drain them and cut a shallow X into the stem end, which allows the heat to more quickly penetrate the centre of the sprout, promoting more even cooking. The sprouts are then set in rapidly boiling water, the heat reduced until the water simmers, and then you cook the sprouts, uncovered, until barely tender, about 10 minutes.
In How to Cook Everything, published in 1999, author Mark Bittman has a recipe called simmered Brussels sprouts. Rather than soaking them in salted water, he cooks the sprouts in salted, boiling water. Ironically, even though they are called "simmered," once they are added to the pot he says to keep the heat high and to boil the sprouts until just tender, about the same 10 minutes suggested above.
Both books say to be careful not to overcook the sprouts
I decided to meld the two methods and see how the sprouts were after the 10 minutes of cooking both recipes suggested. I cooked the sprouts in a large amount of salted, boiling water, as Bittman did, but lowered its original high heat once the water returned to a gentle boil. I thought a rapid boil would cause this dense vegetable to cook too quickly on the outside before the centre was tender.
To ensure even cooking, I picked Brussels sprouts of roughly the same size and cut a shallow X into the stem end, although Bittman says he has never noticed much difference doing so. Most of my sprouts were about two and half centimetres in diameter, my preferred size. I did put smaller and larger ones in the pot just to see what their doneness was like after 10 minutes of cooking.
Once the 10 minutes were up, I checked the sprouts for doneness and the two and a half centimetre ones, and those smaller, were soft and overcooked. The larger ones in the pot were better, but still fairly soft. All would have been more visually appealing had I taken them off the heat sooner.
Now, had I served those Brussels sprouts immediately, I don't think anyone would have minded around my house. But if I had let them sit in the water for any amount of time after cooking, or drained and flavoured them and allowed them to stay warm in the oven until the rest of the meal was ready, they would have turned mushy.
The truth is, through past recipe testing, I already knew 10 minutes of cooking time was too long. The only time I've found that wasn't the case was when the Brussels sprouts were very large, but most guides say that the smaller the sprout the better the taste.
That's why I suggest you gently boil Brussels sprouts four to eight minutes, depending on their size and preferred doneness. That's quite a range in cooking time, but, as noted, Brussels sprouts don't all come in one size, and small ones, logically, cook quicker than big ones.
The best way to judge doneness is to test them during the cooking. When they are easily pierced at the stem end with the tip of a sharp paring knife, I take them off the stove.
For occasions such as Thanksgiving, when I want to get some of the cooking done ahead of time, I like to boil the sprouts until just tender, cool them in ice-cold water and drain them well. When it's time to serve, I'll quickly reheat them with tasty flavourings as I did in today's recipe for Brussels sprouts with cider, pecans and butter.
When purchasing Brussels sprouts, choose those with tightly packed heads and fresh-looking green leaves. Rinse the sprouts well in cold water before cooking.
Eric Akis is the author of the best-selling Everyone Can Cook book series. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
RECIPES
Brussels Sprouts With Pecans and Cider
These earthy-tasting Brussels sprouts are enriched with butter and pecans, and sweetly infused with apple cider.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 9 to 13 minutes
Makes: 6 to 8 servings
1 1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, loose leaves discarded, shallow X cut into each stem end
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup non-alcoholic apple cider
1/2 cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
n salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and gently boil until just tender, about 4 to 8 minutes, depending on size and desired doneness. (Remember, the sprouts will be cooked a little further when simmered in the cider.) Drain well, cool in ice-cold water, and drain well again. Place the Brussels sprouts in a bowl; cover and store in the fridge until needed.
When ready to serve, place the butter and cider in a large skillet and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the sprouts and simmer until well heated through and the cider has reduced and starts to very lightly thicken to form a glaze around the sprouts. Toss in the pecans, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Spoon into a serving dish and serve.
