Creamed Brussels Sprouts Recipe – Oma's Rosenkohl Rezept (2024)

FAQs

Why aren't Brussels sprouts bitter anymore? ›

Over the last twenty years, farmers have mellowed the "unpleasant" flavor of brussels sprouts by breeding a vegetable that contains fewer bitter compounds or glucosinolates. So, brussels sprouts just taste better than they used to when we were kids. The rub is that glucosinolates help protect sprouts against pests.

Or if after trimming and removing a few leaves there are still some aphids and it seems a waste to cut away more sprout to remove them, use a soft-bristle brush under a little running water to clean remaining aphids out of the crevices. I sometimes do this; I go back and forth.

If any of the leaves have brown spots or are yellowing, it's a sign of early spoilage. If you remove the blemished leaves and the interior looks OK, you can still use the sprout. However, if the interior leaves are also showing blemishes or yellowing, it's best to toss it (or compost it, if you can).

Roast the Brussels Sprouts at high heat

If you don't hear them crisping up in the oven, add a little more oil and roast them for a few more minutes until your desire crispiness is achieved!

Blanch your Brussels

(This technique also works for making collard greens less bitter, as well as other greens.) Blanching involves adding your veg to boiling water for a brief period, then plunging it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Like other cruciferous veggies, Brussels sprouts have a type of carbohydrate that your body can't easily break down. This can cause you to have belly pain, gas, and either diarrhea or constipation.

Clusters of aphids can be a real pain, sucking the life out of your Brussels sprouts with a vampire-like zeal. If you spot sticky leaves or see a bunch of ants acting like they own the place, you've got aphids setting up shop. Blast them off with a hose or go full ninja with insecticidal soap.

For best results, soak your Brussels sprouts in salt water. Not only does salt act to tenderize the dense sprouts, but it will also help to season them all the way through. It won't take a lot — just add 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 quart of water and toss in trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts.

Side Effects of Brussels Sprouts:

Although a healthy vegetable, consuming too many Brussels sprouts can be unsuitable for people on anticoagulants since it contains vitamin K, which results in blood clotting. Another issue with consuming Brussels sprouts excessively is that it can lead to gas and bloating.

When storing Brussels sprouts whole, place them loose in a bowl and cover with a food-safe plastic wrap, like Glad^® Press'n Seal^® or Glad^® ClingWrap. Poke a few holes in the wrap and place your bowl in the fridge. Doing this should mean your Brussels sprouts will last in the fridge for about five days.

Why do my Brussels sprouts taste weird? ›

If brussels sprouts taste bitter to you, you may have a gene that senses bitter compounds in brassicas. It is similar to the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap to the people who have it, and like a yummy herb to people who don't.

To maximize the flat areas, which get the most crispy surface area, cut your Brussels sprouts in half. If your Brussels sprouts are very small, you can leave them whole (and if they are very large, quarter them).

Roast 'em! Our two rules: place and space! Place them cut side down to create that slightly crunchy exterior and soft interior. Space them out evenly so they don't steam–a crowded sheet pan party is not where your brussels want to be.

A slow-growing, long-bearing crop, Brussels sprouts should be planted in early spring, or mid- to late summer for a crop that matures in the fall. The small heads mature best in cool and even in light frosty weather. Spring planting is also fine in cooler climates.

Researchers determined that some of the older varieties — hundreds of them, actually — stored in the “gene bank” had lower levels of two glucosinolates called sinigrin and progoitrin, the chemicals that made brussels sprouts so acrid.

It's not that you've grown up with more sophisticated tastes; it's the Brussels sprouts that have changed. Scientists in the Netherlands tinkered with them, making the sprouts bitter no longer. National Public Radio reports that the sprouts began to change in the 1990s.

In the late 1990s scientists identified specific chemicals, called glucosinolates, that made Brussels sprouts taste bitter. Plant breeders started growing old seeds, previously discarded for producing paltry harvests, to identify tastier versions with lower levels of these compounds.

Surprisingly, it could be your genes that determine your feelings about these controversial little vegetables. A 2011 study by Cornwall College found that sprouts contain a chemical, similar to phenylthiocarbamide, which only tastes bitter to people who have a variation of a certain gene.