Brussels sprouts are a love hate thing, aren’t they? However, if they are cooked right they can be the most delicious little vegetable. Do you always have to cook them the way your Granny did? It turns out there may be other ways! Let’s discover how to cook Brussel sprouts in the microwave.
How To Cook Brussel Sprouts In The Microwave?
Brussel sprouts actually cook really well in the microwave. Instead of overcooked and soggy, they emerge lightly steamed, with just enough crunch, and all their nutrients intact.
- Start by removing the bottom of each sprout, and any peeling or hard outer leaves, and cut the sprouts into halves.
- Add an inch of water to a microwave safe steamer, and place a microwave safe colander inside this bowl.
- Microwave on high for three minutes, then check the sprouts. If you like a softer texture, try cooking again for another minute.
- Microwaves vary with strength and power, so you may have to experiment until you get them just the way you like them.
- Once cooked to your liking, toss the sprouts with a small knob of butter and season with salt and pepper.
Brussel sprouts are nutritional powerhouses; they contain vitamins A, C and K, and are also a great source of fibre.
Lightly steaming them, such as this microwave method, allows all the nutrients to remain present and do you good.
Sprouts cooked in this way will turn a glorious, vibrant green, adding to the deliciousness.
You can use these lightly steamed sprouts as a base for other sprout recipes – for example frying them with onions and garlic and bacon.
Another simple microwave sprouts recipe is Brussel sprouts with almonds:
- Place 2tbsp of sliced almonds and 30g of butter in a microwave bowl. Cook on high for 2 minutes.
- Trim the bottoms and outer leaves off 500g of Brussel sprouts and place them in a microwave safe bowl containing 2tsp of water.
- Cook on high for 5 minutes, or until just tender (you can check by inserting a knife into a sprout to check its tenderness).
- Toss the sprouts with the almonds and butter.
If you like the sound of this, check out this innovative, easy video which steams sprouts in steamer bags, in the microwave:
Why Do Brussel Sprouts Explode In The Microwave?
Microwaves can cause food to explode because they evenly heat up the water molecules in food, sometimes causing havoc!
Sprouts contain a fair bit of water, and they are often rinsed before cooking – these two factors mean that sprouts are quite at risk of exploding.
If you want to prevent exploding sprouts, the fix is pretty simple, if a bit time consuming – but it’s worth it to stop a soggy mess all over your microwave!
Simply pierce each sprout, using a fork or a sharp knife. This will allow the steam generated in the cooking process a chance to escape, and will prevent explosions.
If you can’t be bothered with this, you can cover your microwave bowl with kitchen towel to catch any flying leaves!
You probably won’t find that every single sprout explodes, so you can just ignore both the above methods and take your chances.
Is It Bad To Microwave Brussel Sprouts?
Although there has always been some controversy about the health benefits – or not – of cooking in a microwave, there is no denying it is quick and easy.
As long as you don’t overcook food to the point that it no longer contains any nutrients, it is not “bad” to cook things in the microwave.
There are better and worse ways to microwave things, obviously. As long as you follow the right guidelines, you can microwave Brussel sprouts!
Another good thing about cooking sprouts in the microwave is that it is easier to prevent them getting soggy and disgusting.
Use the lowest heat setting for the shortest amount of time, to ensure they stay crisp and tasty.
Brussel sprouts can be one of “those” foods, which will be a disgusting soggy mess if not cooked properly. If done well, however, they are delicious!
Now that you know how to cook Brussel sprouts in the microwave, you can enjoy a whole new way of cooking and serving this yummy little veg.
