How long do you cook cabbage?

Cabbage, inconspicuous as it may be, is nutritious and extremely versatile. It makes a great side dish and can be served raw, boiled, braised, steamed, stir-fried or even baked.

Cooking times vary slightly depending on the type of cabbage. The table below presents approximate cooking times for the most common white cabbage.

White cabbage cooking times
Boiling	4-5 minutes (shredded)/ 10 minutes (wedges)
Steaming	4-8 minutes (shredded)/ 10-15 minutes (wedges)
Baking	2 x 15 minutes on each side in 230^oC (wedges)
Microwave	6-14 minutes; stir every 5 minutes

Stir-frying
(Savoy or napa cabbage work best)

2-4 minutes

If you are not keen on cabbage served solo, there is a number of ways to spice up the rather mild taste of cabbage:

1. Drain boiled cabbage and fry it shortly with chopped onions.
2. Mix in some fried garlic, onion and bacon (or sausage).
3. Add bay leaves, allspice or jalapeño peppers to water when boiling cabbage.
4. Boil cabbage in beef or vegetable stock rather than just salted water.

Did you know?

Cabbage, in addition to being a very versatile vegetable, is packed with health benefits. As little as 100 grammes of cabbage covers over 95% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K. In addition to this, it provides us with considerable amounts of calcium, phosphorus, manganese, vitamin A and folate.

How do you usually prepare cabbage? And what is your favourite type?