See the difference between Napa and Savoy cabbage and what to do with them.
Savoy Cabbage
Photo © Molly Watson
A.k.a. curly cabbage. With ruffled, lacy, deeply ridged leaves, Savoy cabbages are perhaps the prettiest cabbages around. The leaves are less loosely layered and packed than green or red cabbage, although its uses are similar. Delicious thinly sliced in salads, quickly stir-fried, or braised in butter.
Green Cabbage
Photo © Molly Watson
Basic. Solid. Compact. Long-lasting. Green cabbage is the Toyota (or Honda!) of cabbages. Use it in salads and slaws, stir-fry it, or long-cook it to bring out its essential sweet nature. Look for heads that feel heavy for their size (which can range from softball to almost basketball size), with tightly packed, moist looking leaves.
Red Cabbage
Photo © Molly Watson
Red cabbage looks like green cabbage except, well, it's red. Or, to be more specific, it's a lovely magenta. Red cabbage heads tend to be a bit smaller than green cabbages, but look for similarly tightly packed, moist-looking leaves and heads that feel heavy for their size. Red cabbage is delicious thinly sliced in salads, mixed into slaws with green cabbage, or cooked.
Note: red cabbage turns an odd blue color when cooked. Mitigate this effect by adding some sort of acid (vinegar or lemon juice are common choices) when cooking it.
