On Sep 23, 7:50*am, Paul McNoob > wrote:
> I'm used to buying broccoli frozen and would like to buy it fresh but
> am a little wary. [snip]
>
> Finally, how do you cook/prep fresh broccoli? Just boil it for a
> certain amount of time? My concern is just that the tops would get
> cooked quicker than the thicker stalks.
>
You can steam, microwave or boil (in my order of preference) but the
methods give very similar results. The big question is how do you
like your broccoli, because this is a vegetable whose character and
taste changes dramatically as it cooks. You can make it anywhere
along the range from raw to mushy and the taste changes right along
with the texture.)

If you're used to frozen broccoli then you are used to its being
rather soft, including the stems, with fully cooked taste. I'd
suggest you experiment a little to find the degree of doneness you
like best. For example, break/cut a head up and place in
micrawaveable dish, covered. Season it lightly. Zap for 3 minutes.
Remove a few pieces to a plate and zap for another minute. While
that's happening, taste test the removed pieces. Repeat several
times. A bit of this and I think you'd find the degree of doneness
you most like.

Besides the cooking methods noted already, you can also do a stirfry
approach. Heat a wok or heavy pan, add a tablespoon of oil and 2 or 3
slices of fresh ginger and one smashed garlic clove. On less than
full-out heat (so as to avoid the sulfur-y effect of scorching it),
stir the broccoli pieces around until they've all received some oil,
about 2 minutes. Now add about 1/4 cup of water, reduce the heat and
cover to steam to the desired doneness. Dress it with a quite small
amount of soy sauce or oyster sauce. -aem