Now this may seem like old hat and I am probably asking a ridiculously simple question but why is my cabbage tough? I picked a lovely Spring Green Cabbage yesterday, shredded the leaves after removing the stalks and boiled it for about an hour and it was as tough as old boots. Looking in the books it warns against overcooking and seems to recommend about 10-15 minutes.
Your sincerely
Confused of Birmingham!
Times for Cooking Cabbage
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George Gray
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George the Pigman
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Hi George
My cooking time for spring cabbage is 5 minutes, steamed. I reckon the answer is that end of May is a bit late for tender teenage cabbage, and what you got was "an old boiler" (sorry
).
Should have said I think the plant will be toughening up prior to going to seed.
Alan
My cooking time for spring cabbage is 5 minutes, steamed. I reckon the answer is that end of May is a bit late for tender teenage cabbage, and what you got was "an old boiler" (sorry
).
Should have said I think the plant will be toughening up prior to going to seed.
Alan
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Primrose
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Dear George,
I fear you cooked your cabbage to death and it was getting its revenge back on you for mistreatment!! We normally never cook our shredded cabbage for more than about 5 - 7 minutes. If you want to eat the outer leaves and they look more tough and thick than the heart of the cabbage, shred them separately and add them to the boiling water a couple of minutes before you add the rest of the shredded leaves. Use as little water as possible in your saucepan and keep the lid on so that the cabbage is more effectively steamed than boiled. The end result should be "al dente", i.e. cooked but still very slightly crispy and chewy, and eaten like this it's delicious served with a knob of butter and some black pepper. I reckon this is a really under-rated vegetable, whose reputation has sadly been dented by past memories of horrible school dinners !
I fear you cooked your cabbage to death and it was getting its revenge back on you for mistreatment!! We normally never cook our shredded cabbage for more than about 5 - 7 minutes. If you want to eat the outer leaves and they look more tough and thick than the heart of the cabbage, shred them separately and add them to the boiling water a couple of minutes before you add the rest of the shredded leaves. Use as little water as possible in your saucepan and keep the lid on so that the cabbage is more effectively steamed than boiled. The end result should be "al dente", i.e. cooked but still very slightly crispy and chewy, and eaten like this it's delicious served with a knob of butter and some black pepper. I reckon this is a really under-rated vegetable, whose reputation has sadly been dented by past memories of horrible school dinners !
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George Gray
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I can see how overcooking it will turn it into a mush but I can't see how it could make it tougher! After an hours cooking this stuff was almost as as tough as it was when I chopped it up . Perhaps I have grow a new type of cabbage that can replace leather in shoes!
George the Pigman
My spring cabbage are on the tough side this year, they are not very big and I was wondering wether it was because they have taken so long to make any heart that has caused it. The variety is an old one, Offenham? and I think I was late last year in sowing them so they didn't make much growth before the winter came.
WigBag
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George Gray
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Mine were Offenham -Flower of Spring too. Perhaps the outer leaves are exceptionally tough in this variety? I going to let some heart up and see what the centres are like.
George the Pigman