If you love their taste, you dislike the smells they give off when cooking them, it is good that they know some tricks to avoid smelling cauliflower and broccoli . When cooking these vegetables, some sulfur compounds called isothiocioanates are released, which although they are not harmful to health, have an unpleasant smell that can flood the kitchen. However, by following the advice given below, you can solve this olfactory problem.
When vegetables are raw, the isothiocioanates are bound to certain carbohydrates, making them odorless. However, during cooking, the heat releases this substance and chemical reactions occur, which generate traces of a compound called hydrogen sulfide. This compound is also generated, although in much greater quantity, in some processes of decomposition of organic matter, so it is very unpleasant for us. To top it off, said sulfur is characterized by having a residual odor, which is maintained for a long period of time in the environment.
Do this so you don’t smell the cauliflower and broccoli
There are some tricks to solve the odor problem during cooking, so you can enjoy all the nutritional power that cauliflower and broccoli offer. They are based on adding certain substances that react with hydrogen sulfide or inhibit its generation.
Vinegar and lemon juice are weak acidic substances, which have the property of reducing the smell when cooking these vegetables. The procedure to follow is as follows:
- Wash the cauliflower or broccoli in cold water.
- Separate into bunches or cut into chunks.
- Place water and salt in a pot, and wait until it reaches the boiling point. Then add a splash of vinegar or the juice of half a lemon.
- Add the vegetables and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables and immerse them in a container with ice, to abruptly stop cooking.
By following this simple procedure, you will be able to enjoy the unique flavors that these vegetables offer, preventing your kitchen from being impregnated with an unpleasant sulfurous smell.