What's The Best Way To Store Fresh Broccoli?

Fresh broccoli is a delicious and nutritious vegetable with an earthy flavor and an enjoyable, crisp texture (especially in something like this linguine dish). If you regularly buy broccoli (it is America's favorite vegetable, after all) but you always find it going bad before you get to use it, don't worry. While it might be a case of "best intentions at the grocery store," it could also be that you're not storing it in the fridge under the most optimal conditions.

The very best way to keep broccoli fresh for longer is to keep it in one of the thin plastic bags from the produce section of your supermarket, wrap it loosely so that it's protected but can still breathe, and place it in the crisper drawer of your fridge. If you don't have one of those wispy produce bags, you can also place it in a gallon plastic bag and leave the top open, or in a microperforated plastic bag made especially for produce. Whole broccoli heads and crowns are best used up to five days after purchase, but they can last for as long as a week in the fridge.

The above directions are for storing whole broccoli and crowns, but what about fresh florets? Florets would also do best kept in a microperforated produce bag, but they'll survive when gently wrapped in plastic wrap (not tightly) and placed in a plastic or glass container or bowl to keep the pieces together. In this way, they'll keep up to five days.

In case you weren't aware, you actually shouldn't be washing your fruits and veggies (including broccoli) before storing them in the refrigerator. This is because washing it adds moisture to the surface, and since most of us don't have the patience to wait for broccoli to completely air dry, by putting it in the fridge still damp you're creating conditions in which mold can grow. Instead, wash your fresh broccoli just before microwaving the cruciferous veggie (or roasting, pan-cooking, or however you opt to prepare it).

Broccoli is also one of those produce items that is sensitive to ethylene gas, which other fruits and vegetables put off when they ripen. Avoid keeping broccoli in the same confined drawer as tomatoes, apples, peaches, melons, etc.

If you bought fresh broccoli but you know you aren't going to use it all before it starts to go bad, you can also freeze it. You'll have to cut the heads down into florets (if they're already in florets, great, you can skip this step). First, you'll steam the broccoli florets, throw them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process, pat them as dry as possible with paper towels, and then lay them out on a sheet tray and pop into the freezer. Once they're frozen, you can put them into an airtight container (like a plastic freezer bag) and they'll keep for about three months.