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I hate 'em. Fresh or frozen, all equally nasty in my book.
My dog, however, LOVED them. She actually loved ANYTHING I used to stretch her food out while she was on a diet (40 lb dog who ought to have weighed about 20 to 24 lbs, and she was that way when I got her)
I eat frozen Brussels sprouts fairly often, and I have not yet gotten tired of adding just olive oil (Pompeian, an excellent mostly Spanish mix), freshly ground pepper, and a little coarse salt. These are added after nuking them in the microwave.
I used to buy the big chain's store brand, which were almost always very good, but recently started using Trader Joe's, which are also almost always very good, but consistently smaller. De gustibus non disputandum erat.
First, everyone who's checking in to say how much they hate Brussels sprouts is thanked and excused. We know.
I happen to love them, and despite being slightly more difficult to make than some other fresh veggies will grab some any time they're reasonably priced. (I also know the Secret to cooking them right...)
I now cook for one or two most meals, down from being an army chef for up to eight, and so I am trying some things I formerly passed on. Last night, with a nice little steak, I went past the frozen veggie case and thought I'd try something different from my usual standbys (peas, peas and when not peas, cauliflower mix). So I grabbed a bag of sprouts. (The fresh veggies were at the far, far end of the store... too far to go.)
They were horrible - the rubber-tasting "stinking green balls of hell" the haters spew on about. I ended up throwing out most of them. They were smallish, not overgrown; they looked perfectly good both in the pot (I don't use steamer bags or the microwave for veggies, preferring stove-top steaming for control) and on the plate, but they were one of the nastiest things I've eaten in a while.
My question is, why? Does freezing change them? Were they a different strain or variety from what we buy fresh? Did (very slight) overcooking bring out their worst? Are there better and worse frozen brands?
Thanks for the pre-intervention! I have never had the displeasure of eating frozen sprouts. I have only had fresh ones and will stick to them.
Fresh is best. Sam's club has good sprouts. I cut mine in half, put on cookie sheet....a lil bit of olive oil drizzled.....french fried onions crumbled on top....baked for bout 20 min. Yum!
I used to buy the big chain's store brand, which were almost always very good, but recently started using Trader Joe's, which are also almost always very good, but consistently smaller.
Trader Joe's frozen Brussel Sprouts are excellent. They are imported from Belgium. We usually like them better than fresh because the frozen cook faster and aren't as hard.
Add them to a skillet with ~1/3 inch water, shake a few dashes of liquid smoke and soy sauce into the pan and add ~1 slice of bacon, cut up(as much fat on bacon as possible. I cut the fat ends off my bacon and freeze them for use in this recipe. Use half slice bacon for diet version).
Sprinkle pepper and a light dusting of garlic powder on top of the sprouts, put a lid on the skillet and cook on medium ~15-20 minutes, turning once or twice.
If the water starts to disappear, add a bit more so it doesn't burn. Toward the end you can remove the cover and let it caramelize as the water goes away. But don't allow this too long, else it will burn. Too much garlic powder can cause it to caramelize quicker. Garlic power is optional for the recipe.
First, everyone who's checking in to say how much they hate Brussels sprouts is thanked and excused. We know.
I happen to love them, and despite being slightly more difficult to make than some other fresh veggies will grab some any time they're reasonably priced. (I also know the Secret to cooking them right...)
I now cook for one or two most meals, down from being an army chef for up to eight, and so I am trying some things I formerly passed on. Last night, with a nice little steak, I went past the frozen veggie case and thought I'd try something different from my usual standbys (peas, peas and when not peas, cauliflower mix). So I grabbed a bag of sprouts. (The fresh veggies were at the far, far end of the store... too far to go.)
They were horrible - the rubber-tasting "stinking green balls of hell" the haters spew on about. I ended up throwing out most of them. They were smallish, not overgrown; they looked perfectly good both in the pot (I don't use steamer bags or the microwave for veggies, preferring stove-top steaming for control) and on the plate, but they were one of the nastiest things I've eaten in a while.
My question is, why? Does freezing change them? Were they a different strain or variety from what we buy fresh? Did (very slight) overcooking bring out their worst? Are there better and worse frozen brands?
there are some veggies and fruits as well, that just do not freeze well and brussel sprouts, in my opinion fits that catagory. We get them fresh most of the year, the fall being the best time, but we had them last night as a matter of fact. No, we didn't, we had them Wed night.
Since I am the only who eats them in my house I'll use the steam in the bag ones but if I'm making Brussel sprouts for a holiday dinner then I use the fresh ones, cut them in half, salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and roast them, sometimes I add some chopped cooked bacon to it.
I routinely eat them and, for the first time, bought a frozen af bag and cooked them to eat. Were HORRIBLE. Never making that mistake again. I either get them fresh or the steam bag ones. Those are always delicious and I usually destroy the whole thing within minutes, so the fact that the big bag is still chilling in the freezer should tell you something.
Second this. Big bag, very few discards or iffy ones, keep well for a week or ten days and inexpensive. Can't say that about all Sam's produce, thass fer sure...
Quote:
Originally Posted by K_Chris
I routinely eat them and, for the first time, bought a frozen af bag and cooked them to eat. Were HORRIBLE. Never making that mistake again. I either get them fresh or the steam bag ones. Those are always delicious...
Um... what's the difference between "frozen" and "steam bag ones"?
Definitely find frozen brussel sprouts inferior to fresh. We halve them or quarter them and chop up bacon and roast them in the oven. One of our favorite veggies.
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