Slow Cooker Turnip Greens Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What takes the bitterness out of turnip greens? ›

Add baking soda.

Salt is one of my favorite ways to cut the bitterness in turnip greens. I then add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the broth and simmer for the last 20 minutes.

That's how to tell if the greens are clean and won't taste gritty when cooked. Add baking soda. Adding a pinch to the water once you begin the cooking process helps to keep the color of the greens more vibrant.

It's best to soak and rinse the leaves four to five times. Wash greens thoroughly, rinse under cold, running water, scrubbing them gently with your fingers and drain well. The result is perfectly clean greens. You can chop the greens before or after you cook them if they are large.

A variety of herbs and spices can be added to the mashed turnips. Try a tablespoon of finely chopped sage or rosemary, a clove or two of roasted or sautéed garlic, or a pinch of paprika or ground ginger. If your turnips came with the greens, don't throw them away.

If you want to try a different cooking method, I tend to like turnip boiled and mashed. If the turnip is old (and likely bitter) you can add an apple. I've also read that you can stir in baking soda after the turnips have boiled to remove the bitterness. You would then need to rinse thoroughly.

This is a bad practice, however, and you should avoid adding baking soda when boiling any type of vegetable. It has various unwelcome effects, such as softening the vegetable, altering the vegetable's flavor, destroying thiamine content, and hastening the loss of vitamin C.

Baking soda

TRUE. The bicarbonate reacts with chlorophyll and transforms it into chlorophyllin, a light green-coloured molecule. But there's a catch: the bicarbonate also attacks cell walls, weakening them. The vegetables may be greener, but softer too!

Oh, cook the stems too. They'll. soften up and taste great.

Place the turnips in a pot and cover with about 2 inches of salted water. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer until the turnips are tender when pierced with a toothpick or the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 30 minutes. Step three: Season and serve. Drain the turnips and season with salt and pepper.

If you have certain conditions, too many turnip greens -- which are high in vitamin K -- can cause your blood to clot faster than normal. You have a kidney condition. Your kidneys remove extra potassium from your body. If they don't work well, you may have too much potassium in your system.

How do you get the bitterness out of turnip greens? ›

Blanch Them

Blanching your greens is key to getting that bitterness level down. Because glucosinolates are water-soluble compounds, a lot of them are leached out into the water, allowing for a less bitter green.

Some suggest soaking the greens in a little salty water. One turnip website from the United Kingdom notes that if you boil them, add a little sugar to tame the scent and add baking soda to reduce bitterness. Look for fresh turnips. Avoid the very large, wrinkled and blemished turnips.

In the case of collard greens, baking soda's utility is threefold, serving as a flavor enhancer, a tenderizer, and a color protector. Baking soda is an alkali salt possessing the tenderizing and flavor-enhancing properties of regular salt.

The Fix: Balance bitter flavors by introducing something salty, sweet, or sour. For naturally bitter foods such as kale, you can soften the flavor by add a lemony vinaigrette, Parmesan cheese, and pomegranate seeds. You can also elevate kale by tossing it olive oil and salt, then roasting it in the oven until crispy.

Add enough salt (you can be generous with the salt) The more salt, the better. Pour in hot boiling water, stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the leaves from the hot salty water and transfer them into cold water. This process blanches the leaves and removes the bitterness.