Everything You Need to Know About Preparing and Storing Napa Cabbage | Stories | Kitchen Stories (2024)

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Everything You Need to Know About Preparing and Storing Napa Cabbage | Stories | Kitchen Stories? ›

Stored unwashed in the refrigerator, Napa

Cabbage is best stored whole and unrinsed until you're ready to use it. Cutting into it will cause it to lose vitamin C, which will lead to faster spoilage. To store a head of cabbage, place it in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. A head of cabbage will last up two months when stored this way.

Separate the napa cabbage leaves by only tearing off the ones you plan to cook with. Cut off the green parts and slice them into large bite-sized pieces. When cutting the white part, tilt your knife to 45 degrees and slice the stem into irregular bite-sized pieces.

You can store the head of the Napa cabbage wrapped in an airtight container or plastic in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can use it raw, like you would with lettuce or cabbage. Or you can use it in cooked dishes like you would green cabbage.

Once it's washed and cut up, cabbage can be frozen, but for longer-term storage, it's best to blanch it first. Blanched cabbage can be frozen for up to nine months, while unblanched cabbage will only keep for one to two months.

For longer storage, place heads inside a loose bag before putting them into the crisper. This will help them retain their moisture and crunch. They can store months like this. For Napa cabbage, you will want to store the full head unwashed in a plastic bag.

Blanch Them. Blanching your greens is key to getting that bitterness level down. Because glucosinolates are water-soluble compounds, a lot of them are leached out into the water, allowing for a less bitter green.

Do you eat napa cabbage raw or cooked? You can enjoy crunchy napa cabbage raw in salads, as a sandwich topping and as healthy wraps. The leafy vegetable is also a mainstay in stir-fries, soups, stews and casseroles. Napa is a great choice for pickling too.

Adding vinegar to the water (1/2 cup distilled white vinegar per 1 cup water), followed by a clean water rinse, has been shown to reduce bacterial contamination but may affect texture and taste. After washing, blot dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner to remove excess moisture.

Like any cabbage, napa makes a great addition to bulk up a dish. Before cooking, it's important to separate the leaves and thick stalks and add them separately as the leaves wilt quickly. To enjoy it raw, finely shred it and add it to slaws or salads or as your noodle topping.

How do you know when Napa cabbage is ready? ›

Ready to harvest more quickly than regular cabbage, in 70 to 90 days when planted from seed or 60 to 70 days when using transplants. Harvest when the heads feel firm when squeezed. Don't judge simply by size. If a head splits, harvest as quickly as possible to prevent disease and pests.

A whole head of Napa cabbage will keep for a week or longer when stored unwashed in the fridge and sealed in plastic.

Cleaning and cooking.

Before using, discard any damaged or wilted outer leaves. Looser varieties, such as napa and bok choy, should also be rinsed to get rid of any dirt between leaves.

For the longest shelf life at home, pat the cabbage dry if there is a lot of moisture on the leaves, and wrap lightly in a bag and keep in the crisper drawer. The outer leaves can diminish as they dehydrate in the cool conditions, so simply peel them off before use if you keep your cabbage more than a week or two.

How to Store Cut Cabbage. If you don't need a whole head of cabbage, you can store whatever you don't use for up to three days in the fridge. Be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, a large plastic bag, or in an air-tight food storage container.

How long is napa cabbage good for in the fridge? Wrapped in plastic, a napa cabbage head can keep for as long as two weeks. Sliced napa, stored in an airtight container, will stay fresh for at least three days. Raw napa keeps in the freezer for one to two months.

“Freezing it raw will preserve the texture slightly better than freezing it blanched, but it will still suffer from some breakdown of the cell structure, resulting in softness when thawed; you will never achieve the crispness of raw cabbage once it's frozen,” says Chen McCarthy.