The internet and social media at large have become a breeding ground for debate . It seems these days that no topic is too big or too small to send screen warriors into a feeding frenzy.
Recently, a TikTok user who goes by the handle @steph2302 uploaded a new lifehack that shows a new trick for cooking broccoli. Have a look below and see which side of the scuffle you fall on.
Love it or hate it, TikTok is slowly but surely becoming the dominant platform in the arena of social media.
Once regarded as little more than a time-wasting app for tweens perfect the latest dance craze, TikTok has since gone on to surpass Instagram with more than 656 million total downloads just last year.
On TikTok, you can find everything from cute dog videos, to the latest food crazes — and even the occasional life hack.
Recently, TikTok user @steph2302 (Stephanie in real life) decided to blend the best of both worlds by uploading her life hack for cooking broccoli.
In the short 10-second video, Stephanie begins by boiling a pot of water.
Once the pot comes to a roaring boil, she submerges the whole head of broccoli upside in the pot. After 2-3 minutes, Stephanie carefully removes the cooked greens.
From this point on, all that’s left to do is to cut the cooked broccoli onto a cutting board and discard the uncooked stem.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly at all, Stephanie’s followers and fellow TikTokers had a lot to say about her process.
Many people took issue with the fact that Stephanie’s hack wastes a perfectly good broccoli stem.
“The stem is the best bit ,” fellow TikTok user @twox47 said. Clearly, there are those who agree because the comment has since gone on to receive over 24K “likes.”
However, there are those that watched the video who seem to feel the total opposite.
Another TikToker, who goes by the handle @missashleighox, said “Why is everyone saying the stem is the best bit when the stem is the worst ?”
“Life hack?! Lol lol Lol. Saved you the 20 seconds it takes to chop it. Plus, you’ve wasted the Best[sic] bit,” another user said.
Stephanie actually took the time to respond, stating “20 secs saved and the time it takes to sieve and clean the sieve, easy .”
It just goes to show you that there’s nothing too big or too small to send internet trolls into a frenzy.
In order to settle the debate, I decided to do a little research on my own in order to determine if broccoli stems were actually worth saving.
It turns out that broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables you can add to your diet.
Also, the stems have just as many nutrients as the florets themselves — albeit with a much milder and sweeter taste.
For those looking to take full advantage of all that their broccoli has to offer, it’s best to use a steamer as opposed to boiling it.
This way, the broccoli still manages to retain 100% of the vitamins and nutrients. When broccoli is boiled, it loses anywhere from 5% – 10% of its nutritional value.
So there you have it, folks — everything you never thought you needed to know about broccoli.
For those looking to expand their horizons and try a new recipe that includes broccoli stems, click here for five delicious ways to incorporate broccoli stems into your meal.
