You already know why kale became such a BFD in the first place (oh, you don’t? Here’s a reminder). You’ve probably accepted and embraced its status as staple green rather than trendy one. But you may not have mastered the art of cooking kale to its absolute ideal state, maximizing its nutritious and flavorful potential.
If you’re interested in taking your kale cooking game up a notch, I spoke to Scott Winegard, Executive Chef of Matthew Kenney Cuisine, a plant-based and vegan-focused culinary company. Below, get three of Winegard’s foolproof tips for cooking and baking kale like a pro. Want to go beyond a simple olive-oil-and-sea-salt sauté or bake? Click through the five flavor-packed recipes below.
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Blanch it.
It’s good to blanch kale before sautéing it, and it’s best finished with good-quality flake salt and a nice splash of sherry vinegar to bring out kale’s flavor.
Spread it out.
When baking, make sure the kale is separated or it will steam and not get crunchy. Spreading it evenly on a baking tray in one layer is best.
Massage it.
Before sautéing raw kale, it’s important to massage it with salt, some type of acid, and a high-quality extra virgin olive oil to soften up the leaves and prepare it for cooking. When you’re baking kale, massage it with olive oil, lemon, agave, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast really well, and then spread it on a sheet for dehydrating.
