Quick & Easy Crispy Roasted Red Cabbage Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep cabbage crisp when cooking? ›

Once people started roasting them at a high heat, perhaps with a little extra salt and fat (like bacon), it was a game-changer. You can also try slicing cabbage thin and sautéing it to maintain some of its crunchy texture.

Lock in the colour by adding a touch of vinegar when cooking red cabbage in water. This stops the lovely deep purple hue from running. Don't be too heavy-handed with red cabbage. A lot of its frumpy reputation comes from it being over-pickled or boiled for an eon.

Cook on high heat: Quickly sautéing or stir-frying over high heat helps maintain the cabbage's texture and color. Don't cook for too long: Cabbage cooks quickly, so keep an eye on it. It should be tender-crisp, not mushy. Add acid: A splash of vinegar or lemon juice can help brighten the flavor and slow down the.

When cooked in an alkaline liquid like water, red cabbage turns blue. Adding vinegar, lemon juice, or another acid helps the cabbage to retain its red-purple color. Vinegar is also a bright flavor complement to the bold, earthy taste of the cabbage.

Adding baking soda to your boiling cabbage can help reduce the objectionable smell and maintain the green color long after when it typically turns grayish from cooking for too long.

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water. This also helps cut the pungent edge. Drain well before combining with other ingredients.

By itself, the cabbage liquid is a pretty purple color. Acidic vinegar turns the dye pink, while adding alkaline baking soda turns the dye a blue color. If enough baking soda is added, the blue dye will dry a greenish color.

The baking soda will turn the cabbage juice greenish-yellow because it is a base (sodium bicarbonate). Try This Use science vocabulary: Use related science words such as acids, bases, solution, chemistry and indicator as you talk and play together.

When red cabbage is cooked with an alkali, the baking soda acts as a base and increases the pH of the solution. This alkaline environment causes a chemical reaction with the anthocyanin pigments, resulting in a shift in color.

The central vein in each leaf is tough, particularly on the outer leaves, so you may wish to cut this away, too, especially if you want to cook the cabbage quickly as this part is very dense and will take a long time.

Can you cook cabbage too long? ›

Boiled cabbage is notoriously smelly and steaming is often thought of as a less aromatic way to cook the vegetable. However, the pungent smell is actually the result of overcooking. Boil it just until tender, and you won't have a stinky kitchen.

The key to cooking cabbage: Don't overcook it.

Cabbage is sweet and aromatic when cooked correctly. But the same sulfuric compounds that provide many of its health benefits can turn saboteur when overcooked, creating a pungent, unpleasant smell.

What are the best ways to eat red cabbage? You can thinly slice a head of cabbage and keep it raw for salads and slaws. Cabbage is also wonderful roasted, braised or sauteed.

The compounds that give fruits and vegetables their red color are very sensitive to acidity. As long as they are acidic they stay red, but when they become non-acidic they turn blue. When you sauté red cabbage, the acids evaporate off and it can turn blue.

How to store cut cabbage: Either wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, in a large plastic bag, or in an air-tight container in your crisper. This will help to lock in your cabbage's natural moisture and reduce oxidation.

Your vegetables are about to get even crispier with this simple tip. The next time you roast vegetables, add some cornstarch. Yes, cornstarch—that box in your pantry is the secret to a super-crispy exterior on veggies, from potatoes to cauliflower.

Not salting cabbage destined for slaw

Cabbage contains a high amount of water, and salting helps draw out some of this moisture from the cabbage leaves. This step can prevent your slaw from becoming too watery or soggy once you add the dressing. Excess moisture can dilute the flavors and make the slaw less appealing.