How to Make Stuffed Cabbage That Doesn't Smell

The smell of boiling cabbage can certainly fill your home and last for hours, so how do you make stuffed cabbage that won't insult your nose? There are several methods and things you can do to stop or at least cut down that odor. Cabbage must be cooked first to soften it so that you can roll the meat stuffing inside. Without the cooking the cabbage the leaves would just crack and your stuffing would be all over the place. Once the cabbage is cooked and you stuff and bake it, the pleasant smell of the tomato sauce and the meat take over. The unpleasant smell comes from cooking the cabbage. The steps below will teach you how to cook your cabbage and fill it without the odor.

Things You'll Need

• A walnut
• Lemon
• One stalk of celery

Instructions

1. First understand what that smell is and where it comes from. When cabbage is boiled it releases hydrogen sulphide gas. That gas is the terrible odor you smell. The gas starts to double in strength between five and seven minutes of cooking. So one way to cut down the smell is to boil it under five minutes. The cabbage will soften quicker if you remove leaves from the head and boil them loosely rather than immerse the entire head.

2. Another thing you can do is to add something to the water while the cabbage is cooking. A whole walnut unshelled, a half of a fresh lemon, or a stalk of celery should do the trick.

3. Another thing you can do is to employ your microwave, just cover the head of cabbage with damp paper towel and cook a couple minutes at a time till soft enough to be pliable. You can even use both methods. Microwave till soft enough to gently remove leaves and place in boiling water for under five minutes. A third method of cooking it to cut down the smell is to place the head in a covered roaster with a little bit of water covering the bottom and bake it at 350 till soft. Check it every 10 minutes to see if it is done. A lower temperature means longer cooking times but cuts down on the amount of gas released.

4. Once the cabbage leaves are cooked you don't have to worry about the smell anymore. You can stuff it with your meat mixture, roll it and pour two cans of tomato soup on them and bake for an hour in a 350 degree oven. The smell will be so good your mouth will water.

Tips & Warnings

• A standard cabbage roll meat mixture consists of a pound of ground beef, a 1/2 to 1 cup of rice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

• Cook the rice before adding to the meat.

• You can also add finely chopped green pepper, onions, and garlic for a fuller flavor.

• The soup makes a wonderful sauce, use condensed and do not add water.

• You can cut down the cooking time by frying the meat mixture before rolling it into the cabbage leaves then bake for only 15 to 20 minutes.