Follow This Broccoli Salad Prep Tip For A Softer Crunch And Deeper Flavor

If you're a fan of broccoli, almost any preparation will do: Roasted, sautéed, even steamed with a little butter can hit the spot. For some tasty broccoli served cold and covered in flavor, nothing beats a versatile, easy-to-make broccoli salad. If you don't want to make a delicious broccoli salad from scratch, our favorite salad from Costco is absolutely worth the higher price. But how do you get the most out of a homemade broccoli salad?

For ultimate flavor with a bit less crunch, we spoke to Avram Salzmann, a junior recipe developer at HelloFresh (the brand recently gave menus a "ReFresh"), for some exclusive advice on preparing a broccoli salad. In line with some celebrity chef pro-tips for better broccoli, he recommends giving it a bit of a steam or a quick blanch. "When the broccoli is cooked," he says, "it will more readily accept the dressing [or] flavor." 

Raw broccoli takes longer to soak up flavor; Salzmann says it's best to make it a day ahead of time and put it in the fridge. Cooked broccoli takes much less time to become fully infused with flavor, but you don't want your cooked broccoli marinating for too long: "The longer you let the broccoli sit, particularly if it's cooked, the softer it may become," he notes. For the best flavor-imbued broccoli salad with a softer crunch, refrigerate it for just an hour or so before serving.

Using a quick blanch on broccoli softens it a bit to help it pick up more flavor, but ensure it's not overcooked and still has a nice snap. You can cut your little green florets to any size you please, just remember that the smaller they are, the more they cook. Once cut, simply drop them in boiling water for one minute — two minutes max — then drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

As for your salad mix, Avram Salzmann says, "Broccoli has such a mild [and] sweet flavor on its own that it lends itself to almost any flavor combination." Most broccoli salad recipes use mayonnaise; while it's not strictly necessary, it helps hold the salad together so you get cohesive flavor in every bite. A little apple cider vinegar doesn't hurt, and you can add sugar (or honey) and salt to taste. From here, let your salad spread its wings. Bacon and red onions are obvious choices, nuts add more crunch and buttery flavor, and dried fruits can up the sweet quotient.

Once the salad is complete, don't throw away those broccoli stalks, turn them into a delicious snack. Salzmann also recommends using them to make a fresh salad: "You can use a peeler to shave ribbons off the stalk," he says. Then, toss them "with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper." Broccoli is a super-versatile, tasty, and nutritious ingredient for all types of salads; you just need to follow a little advice from an expert on how to prepare it.