Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts keep 3–5 days refrigerated loose, and considerably longer — up to a couple of weeks — if you can buy them still attached to the stalk.

Store them unwashed in the crisper in a perforated bag. They need humidity but also airflow.

Leave the outer leaves on until you cook them. They protect the tighter inner leaves from drying and bruising, and they are easy to peel off at the last moment.

Do not trim the stem ends in advance; the cut surface is where browning and moisture loss begin.

Keep them away from apples and other ethylene producers.

Brussels sprouts freeze well blanched, for about 12 months, though the texture softens noticeably.

Brussels sprouts are axillary buds — miniature cabbages growing along a tall stalk — and like other brassicas they remain metabolically active after harvest.

Buying them on the stalk genuinely extends their life, and not for decorative reasons: still attached, each sprout retains its vascular connection and is protected at the base, so it loses moisture far more slowly than a sprout that has been cut free.

Their sulfur chemistry is the most pronounced of the common brassicas. Brussels sprouts are rich in glucosinolates, which enzymes convert into sulfur compounds as the tissue breaks down or is overcooked. This is the source of both their reputation and the sharp smell of an aging bag. A mild sulfurous note is normal; a strong rotten-egg smell means discard.

Notably, modern Brussels sprouts are far less bitter than those of a few decades ago — varieties were deliberately bred in the 1990s to reduce specific bitter glucosinolates, which is why they have become popular.

Yellowing outer leaves are normal and should simply be peeled off. Discard sprouts that are soft and squishy throughout, blackened at the core, slimy, or strongly sulfurous.