broccoli

1. Wash the broccoli

Take your head of broccoli and douse it completely under a cool stream of running water from your sink. You may want to run your fingers through the flowery head to knock loose any dirt or insects that are stuck there. Then you can pat it dry with a towel.

2. Pick leaves free from broccoli

Broccoli leaves, while high in nutritional content, are rarely used in traditional recipes. Picking off the leaves also makes the broccoli more uniform in appearance.

3. Cut the florets free beneath the flower canopy

Use your knife or pair of kitchen scissors to cut the florets free of the stalk as close to beneath the florets as you can. The ideal place for this is where the stalk begins to branch into separate florets.

4. Cut the florets free

Start from the outside and work your way in to the center of the floret cluster. You might also peel the florets apart, though doing so will usually require you to make an addition cut or snip to even up the ends of the peeled free broccoli.

5. Trim the floret stems to an even length

Regular sized broccoli doesn’t just look more pleasing to the eye, it also helps ensure that your broccoli cooks evenly when being prepared for whatever dish you are making. You should leave about ½ inch (1.27 cm) of the stems attached to your florets.

6. Cut your florets into smaller pieces

Large, fluffy pieces of broccoli can be a delicious side dish to a meal, but when served in a mixed dish, like stir fry, pieces that are too large can throw off the balance of the mix.