Should I use broccoli stem in broccoli salads recipe?

Most often people use only the broccoli leaves for preparing the dishes and throw away the stems. The stems are also very nutritious and can be used for cooking. They have almost all the minerals and vitamins that are found in the florets. The stems also have insoluble fiber. If you do not wish to use them with the florets, they can be used in a number of ways such as pickling, stem salads etc. If you are going to use the stem for cooking, you can simply remove the tough outer layer if it is too woody. Chop them to medium sized pieces and first cook them for a few minutes before adding to the florets. The leaves can also be used for cooking.

About 100 g of broccoli stem has about 28 calories, 48 mg of calcium, 2.98 g of protein, 0.88 mg of iron, 325 mg of potassium, 25 mg of magnesium, 400 IU of vitamin A and 27 mg of sodium. !00 g of the florets contain about eh same amount of nutrients. So the stems are considered to be equally nutritious as the florets. Next time when you are using broccoli for cooking, remember not to throw away the stem. Use them as well and increase your nutrients intake.