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Sprouts

57 replies

daisychainmail · 16/11/2014 19:17

Quick, help:

How long should I boil the sprouts for?

OP posts:
daisychainmail · 17/11/2014 09:42

Wow, thanks everyone!

OP posts:
sashh · 17/11/2014 10:51

I want sprouts now, but I don't have any, and I'm working this afternoon

VoyagesOfAStarship · 17/11/2014 10:58

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm sprouts.

I wish I lived with people who hated sprouts, as then I could have them all, but we all love them and the kids actually fight over them. (And that includes incredibly fussy, food-averse DD)

But I have read somewhere that there's a genetic factor and some people can taste a bitter chemical in sprouts and other's can't. Might be bollocks.

Anyway, there is no "how long" as sprouts vary in size - you have to test them. I would give average-sized ones about 5 mins before testing. When they are ready, dunk straight into cold water for a second or two.

I also love them halved and fried with bacon. I also slice them up, fry with chopped bacon and shallots and thyme, add splash of white wine and half a tub of philadelphia or creme fraiche, and have that on pasta.

VoyagesOfAStarship · 17/11/2014 10:59

others bah

Tanith · 17/11/2014 11:44

4 minutes if you're boiling them. I boil for 2 minutes, rinse in cold, then another 2 minutes just before serving.

I used to work at a place where the caterer would keep and recook leftovers - the chips would be transparent by the end of the week! She actually stuck the Christmas Dinner sprouts in a curry in January

writtenguarantee · 17/11/2014 12:33

Sprouts are the Devil's own evil miniature cabbages and are a form of torture, not a foodstuff.

I come from a cooking tradition that doesn't use sprouts and when I first had them as an adult the British way I was rather appalled (to be fair, these weren't fine dining sprouts that I had, but my impression is that they were fairly represented). However, I forget where I saw this, but briefly boil (2-3 minutes), then fry in butter with a little brown sugar and pecans. Yes, if you cover sprouts with fat and sugar (I don't really put that much sugar on. a tsp for a pan of sprouts) they taste better!

Garlic sprouts are amazing.

sounds good too. Will try.

HeyheyheyGoodbye · 17/11/2014 12:41

Sauteed with butter, bacon and chestnuts mmmm, even nicer if you get bb sprouts!

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