Not really sure what hte right way is but I boil mine with a lot more water.

My mom used to boil hers in the water she used to precook the brisket with spices. It was very oil and spicy and really good. The peppercorns would get in between the layers of the cabbage and it would get the grease flavor from the meat. Yummy!

I just think you need more water.

I agree. And I don't get the sauteing in butter first. I'd add the butter later.

The only way that I cook cabbage is Hamburger & Cabbage. Just made it tonight. Brown the beef along w/ chopped onion & garlic--then I added about 1 1/4 heads (medium size) of chunked cabbage, 1 T. lower sodium beef Better than Bullion, some of the NO Salt seasoning from Big Lots and only about 3/4 cup water. Loosely covered (pizza pan) the Dutch oven. Cooked on medium for about 8 minutes or until the cabbage was looking wilted. Removed from heat & left covered for 2-3 minutes. Delicious.

Anyway, I think you're overcooking the cabbage. Also, using a skillet for such a small amount of cabbage, you have a lot of surface area exposed to heat so the water is evaporating fast. Try only a brief saute, add the water and cook until the cabbage looks wilted. Then remove from heat & let the accumulated heat finish cooking the cabbage.

I shred the cabbage then just using the water left on the leaves from washing, put it in a pan and put the lid on. It takes a couple of minutes to wilt. Then, add a knob of butter. Bacon is good too!

I put coarsely chopped cabbage in an electric steamer, add a few caraway seeds and some big chunks of potato, unpeeled. 15 minutes to perfection. Add a little salt and a small amount of butter, if you want to, when serving. Leave out the seeds and the potato and/or put in big chunks of kielbasa for a whole meal.

If you don't have an electric steamer you are missing out on the perfect way to cook vegetables to retain crispness and nutrients, IMO. I also use it for salmon, chicken breasts, potatoes for salad, fluffy rice and boiled eggs. They are about 25 - 30 bucks at box stores and are very simple to clean (big stars in my book).

Nancy

We love cabbage. Chopped in chunks and boiled in a pot of water, then tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper;
shredded and stir-fried with onions and carrots.
Wedges, steamed would also good.

I like to put chunks of it with meat that is going to cook for hours, gives it a lot of flavor, stays firm but gets soft, if that makes sense. A delicious addition to the potatoes & carrots. No extra skillet to clean.

When I was a kid, had some "old" people who lived nextdoor. Their daughter would occasionally baby-sit us. Mrs. Bledsoe made cabbage my favorite way! She'd start with a few strips of bacon in a BIG cast iron pan... if no bacon on hand, she'd start with bacon fat. Cabbage was cut into chunks and sizzled away in pan till tender. She'd end with a generous spplash of cider viinegar. Don't remember is she did, but I like to add onions, too.

Teresa, I make what I grew up calling, "fried cabbage" in a cast iron skillet skillet - no bacon or fat now, but use a splash of olive oil and Olivio for the butter. Cut the cabbage in large chunks, dump in the hot skillet, add some water by sprinkling over the cabbage, salt and fresh ground pepper. The key is to turn the cabbage often using a spatula. Sprinkle more water, turn down the heat, cover. I use a glass lid so I can see the cabbage, watching carefully and turning often. If it is cabbage to go with corned beef, I use that liquid. It takes about 10 minutes, and constant attention to avoid burning.
Also serve with a splash of cider vinegar or the liquid from bottled hot peppers. That's how my Mom made fried cabbage, and that's how I make it - even in her cast iron skillet!

Thanks for all your suggestions! I think next time I will skip the sauteing in butter, add more water, and cook more slowly with a lid on, then add a pat of butter and a splash of vinegar when I deem the cabbage soft enough. And I might take a head of cabbage to my mom's and watch her cook it in front of me while I take notes! Ha!

Teresa

Yum, cabbage cooked in bacon or olive oil with the splash of cider vinegar sounds yummy!