<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2Wmyti_0wC1xBBj00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2Wmyti_0wC1xBBj00" width="750" height="500" ><p>Precut vegetables are in my grocery cart every week. This shortcut makes it easier to pull together dinner—most vegetables can be thrown right on a baking sheet for roasting or into the microwave for steaming. </p><p>Precut vegetables also reduce waste since I can buy exactly the amount I need for the week or a specific recipe. I buy a lot of different precut veggies—collards cut into ribbons, spiralized sweet potato, tough-to-get into winter squash—but there is no vegetable I buy more than precut broccoli. </p><p>Here’s why I think every busy home cook should skip the heads and choose precut broccoli florets every time. </p><h2>Why Broccoli Is the Vegetable You Should Always Buy Precut </h2><p>Broccoli isn’t hard to de-stem and cut into bite-sized pieces, so you might be questioning my knife skills when I say, “Skip chopping broccoli!” </p><p>On nights when I reach for broccoli as a side, I almost always make something that I need to be quick and easy anyway. Buying precut broccoli makes that dinner even quicker. Not only can I skip chopping, but I also avoid cleaning up all the tiny broccoli buds that inevitably cover my entire cutting board. </p><p>Precut broccoli also helps me avoid waste. I buy just what I need (the florets) and not pay for the bulk stalks that usually end up in our compost—or worse, the trash. When I already have a packed fridge, it helps that precut broccoli is easier to store, too. The heads are too long or too wide to fit in the crisper drawer. </p><p>If I need broccoli stems for a slaw or salad, I can always grab some pre-shredded broccoli slaw from the grocery store. </p><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2pTgrx_0wC1xBBj00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2pTgrx_0wC1xBBj00" width="750" height="501" ><h2>How I Use Precut Broccoli </h2><p>The two ways I serve broccoli most often are steamed and roasted. I love to put broccoli in a microwave-safe container with a little water and salt to steam in the microwave. I make steamed broccoli at least once a week to go with easy pasta dinners or alongside baked potatoes. </p><p>Roasting is perfect on nights when I am already using the oven to roast chicken thighs or sausages, and my kids love it when the broccoli gets browned and crispy. </p><p>Precut broccoli is also perfect for one of my family’s current favorite one-pan dinners: shortcut beef and broccoli. A few times a year, I make broccoli cheddar soup for dinner with extras for the freezer. Our extended family also loves a broccoli cheddar casserole I make for the holidays. And for all of those times, I reach for precut broccoli. </p><p>Buying precut broccoli every week makes me feel like a savvy shopper and cook, but it also keeps me prepared for the times when my meal plan goes awry, and I just need to throw a vegetable in the microwave and make us all grilled cheeses. </p></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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The One Vegetable You Should Always Buy Precut, According to a Pro Cook

Precut vegetables are in my grocery cart every week. This shortcut makes it easier to pull together dinner—most vegetables can be thrown right on a baking sheet for roasting or into the microwave for steaming. Precut vegetables also reduce waste since I can buy exactly the amount I need...