Cooked Cabbage? Only On Steam!

Author: Karen Lennox Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: January 27, 2026

In this article, learn more about Cooked Cabbage? Only On Steam!. The pressure cooker is necessary for healthy and energy-saving cooking..

Cabbage belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables, which also include cauliflower and broccoli. There is a general rule for all three plants - they are most useful when cooked in a pressure cooker. Unlike cooking and baking, steam cooking loses the least nutrients and uses the least energy.

Heat treatment is the main culprit for the breakdown of nutrients that become useless or in very small concentrations. Steam cooking is the most gentle form of heat treatment for ingredients such as vitamins C, K and B 9 .

One serving of 150 g of cabbage prepared in this way contains 32 mg of vitamin C or 44% of the Indicative Daily Dose (RDA) for women and 37% for men. Vitamin C is important for hormone production, cholesterol metabolism and collagen synthesis. It is also one of the most important antioxidants - it neutralizes free radicals before they can damage cells and increase the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The same portion also contains 68 micrograms of vitamin K. This is 54% of the ODP for men and 60% of the ODP for women. Vitamin K helps in the production of proteins that maintain healthy kidneys and bones and regulates the processes of coagulation - blood clotting. Its deficiency can be the cause of frequent cases of epistaxis - nosebleeds, bleeding gums and the presence of blood in the stool.

Folic acid, known as vitamin B 9 , is also abundant in the small 150 gram serving - about 40 micrograms or 20% of the ODP. Folic acid is key to good amino acid metabolism and good cell growth. It has pronounced anti-cancer properties that prevent the triggering of tumorigenic mechanisms.

Glucosinolates are a class of compounds composed of nitrogen, sulfur and glucose derivatives. When roasting and cooking cabbage, the glucosinolates in it are almost completely destroyed. However, when steamed, they are converted into isothiocyanates - compounds that help cleanse the body of carcinogens and increase the production of tumor suppressor proteins - proteins that ensure normal cell development.

A bonus to pressure cooking is that it reduces the energy cost of food processing by about 5 times. Cooking with a pressure cooker is good for the environment, the usefulness of the food and the tolerance of electricity and gas bills.

Cooked Cabbage? Only On Steam!

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