Brussels sprouts

Look for Brussels sprouts that are:

• Bright green and feel heavy for their size
• Firm and tightly compacted with crisp leaves
• Small and uniform in size
• Still on the stalk, if possible
• Have no black spots or yellow leaves

Bright green, heavy, firm and compacted sprouts with crisp leaves indicate freshness. Brussels sprouts that are on stalks are more likely to be fresher than those sold loose or pre-packaged. Smaller sprouts are generally more tender and taste sweeter than larger ones. Uniform sizes help ensure even cooking.

As long as they do not have yellow leaves or black spots, Brussels sprouts do not need to perfectly meet all the criteria above to be edible or usable in a recipe. The closer they are to meeting these guidelines, however, the higher their quality should be.

Notes

Allow four to six sprouts per person served. Do not wash or rinse your Brussels sprouts until you’re ready to use them because the moisture can lead to spoilage.

After you get your Brussels sprouts home

Store unwashed Brussels sprouts in a paper or plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper for up to one week.

To freeze, begin by rinsing and drying your Brussels sprouts, then sort them into small, medium, and large sizes. In a Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Bring a pot of cold water to boil. Blanch the small ones in the boiling water for three minutes, medium ones for four minutes, and large sprouts for five minutes.  Remove from the boiling water and immediately place in ice water, drain, and freeze as quickly as possible. Blanched Brussels sprouts can be individually frozen on a parchment-lined cookie sheet then placed in airtight freezer bags for use as needed. They also can be frozen in a single layer inside airtight serving-size freezer bags. For best flavor, use frozen Brussels sprouts within twelve months.