Boiling broccoli is, in fact, one of the most popular ways to prepare it. However, it may not be the healthiest. It seems that the more a food is cooked, the fewer vitamins and nutrients it retains. Cutting broccoli and cooking it, especially overcooking it, may cause it to lose much of the iron, calcium, vitamins, and cancer-fighting nutrients that are present.

But should you choose to do it, it is very easy to do! Simply boil some water in a saucepan and add pieces of the stalk first. You’ll want to boil this for about two minutes. Leaving the stalk pieces in, you can add the florets along with them. Continue cook for 4 or 5 more minutes, being careful to remove it as soon as it is tender-crisp. Drain the water out, and you have a nice side dish or, if you choose, a meal in itself.