Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day Without Cabbage Stink

What’s the best way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? With corned beef, cabbage, and beer, of course.  BUT, you reply, the smell of cooked cabbage can ruin the holiday for all.  Cheer up.  That tell-tale scent can be avoided.  Here’s a little-known fact that may help you a lot:  cabbage develops an unpleasant smell only when it’s overcooked.  Why?  Cabbage contains substances that, when broken down, turn into smelly sulfur compounds.  The longer the cabbage is cooked, the worse the odor. 

To reduce the odor, follow these steps:

• Don’t use an aluminum pan; it makes the sulfur smell even stronger.  Use stainless steel.

• Cook the cabbage until just tender.  Don’t overcook.

• For the mildest flavor, cut  the cabbage into quarters or large wedges and boil until tender (approximately 15 minutes for red  cabbage, only about 10 for green). 

• Cabbage can also be steamed (12-15 minutes) and combined with fruits and seasonings. 

• For more cabbage cooking tips, go to the link below.

For a safe product, wrap and wash it properly: 

• Store cabbage in the refrigerator. Keep it for a week at most, just a few days if you’re going to serve it raw.

• Wrap it loosely for two reasons: 

1) That allows air to circulate around the vegetables, which prevents excess moisture from accumulating.  Preventing excess moisture minimizes the growth of mold.

2) Low-acid foods such as vegetables are an ideal growth medium for the bacterial spores that cause botulism. But Clostridium botulinum can grow only in the ABSENCE of oxygen. So let all your vegetables have some breathing  room.

• To prevent mold growth, wash it well, but not until you’re ready to cook or prepare it.

Source(s):

“Vegetables for Wellness: Kentucky Cabbage” by Sandra Bastin, Ph.D.,R.D.,L.D., Food and Nutrition Specialist
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/fshe/fshe9/fshe9.htm

Boyer, Renee, and Julie McKinney. "Food Storage Guidelines for Consumers." Virginia Cooperative Extension (2009): n. pag. Web. 7 Dec 2009.

Susan Brewer, Ph.D. University of Illinois, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Link(s):

“Vegetables for Wellness: Kentucky Cabbage” by Sandra Bastin, Ph.D.,R.D.,L.D., Food and Nutrition Specialist
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/fshe/fshe9/fshe9.htm