Warning against broccoli hack that has gone viral on TikTok

It might be clever, but not everyone cooks their veg like this. And there’s a very good reason why with an expert revealing the big problem.

It might be clever, but a broccoli hack posted on TikTok has been getting a very mixed reaction from keyboard foodies. Turns out, for a very good reason.

TikTok user ‘Steph2302’ caused a fuss when she posted a cooking hack online showing how she likes to cook her broccoli, Kidspot reports.

“For those that️ [love broccoli],” she captioned the post, while also admitting in the clip that “not everyone cooks their broccoli like this”.

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Does everyone cook their broccoli like this? Picture: TikTok/steph2302

The broccoli hack that has gone viral

The clip, which has now gone viral with more than 400,000 ‘likes’ and over 5400 comments, shows Steph placing a broccoli head upside down in a pot of boiling water.

With the stem sitting above the water, she leaves the veg to boil before taking it out.

She then takes out the broccoli and with one swift cut of the stem, each tiny floret is released, leaving the most perfect little trees to munch on. No awkward cutting necessary.

The post attracted plenty of attention with TikTok users keen to try the easy method.

“I think this is a brill idea, less mess! I’m going to try it next time,” one person wrote.

“You just changed my life,” added another.

But not everyone was on board.

After the TikTokker removed the veg from the boil, she began to cut it up. Picture: TikTok/steph2302

She showed how easily the broccoli florets cut off. Picture: TikTok/steph2302

Nutritionist says don’t cook broccoli like this

While many admitted it was clever, others weren’t keen on the hack because it was removing the best part of the broccoli – the stem.

“The stem is the best bit,” one person said.

“Don’t waste the stem girl,” another echoed.

Aussie nutritionist Lyndi Cohen (known as the Nude Nutritionist on Instagram) is also not keen on the method, claiming it’s not necessarily the stem that lost her, but that there are healthier ways to cook the veg.

“I’m not the biggest fan of this hack. If you’ve boiled broccoli that soft that you can cut it with a fork, you have certainly boiled out a bunch of nutrients – like vitamins E, K, calcium, and polyphenols, too,” she told Kidspot.

“When you boil broccoli you lose up to 90 per cent of the nutrients, ending up with very nutrient-rich water, which most people throw away.”

But a nutritionist has advised against the hack, saying the veg loses a lot of its nutrients when cooked whole. Picture: TikTok/steph2302

What’s the best way to cook broccoli?

Despite many claiming that the stalk is the most nutritious part of the broccoli, Lyndi says this isn’t exactly true.

“While the stalk is not more nutritious than the florets, it does have more fibre. Fibre is really important for your gut health and microbiome, which affects your immune system, mood and more.”

So it’s not the fact that the stem is left out of the TikTok hack, it’s more that the veg is being boiled when there are better methods to cook it to ensure you’re getting all the best parts.

Lyndi suggests: “Instead of boiling, the best way to cook broccoli is to blanch it, stir fry, grill or bake. Combining it with olive oil will also help your body absorb the nutrients.”

This article originally appeared on Kidspot and was reproduced with permission