Too many homes reek unnecessarily with objectionable odors because the cook has been misled by a recipe or by grandmotherly advice into believing vegetables like cabbage and turnips should be cooked for a long time. For your nose's sake, and for the sake of texture, don't overcook such vegetables. Another way to avoid the disagreeable qualities sometimes associated with cabbages and turnips is to buy them young and fresh. As these vegetables mature or spend time in storage, their flavor and odor strengthen. If you are forced to use some that are overmature or have been stored for a while, you can still minimize the potent taste and smell. Cut them into small pieces and cook them in an uncovered pot with plenty of water. Each of these three steps encourages the leaching out of unwanted flavor and odor compounds into the water.
Interestingly, cooking onions and garlic for prolonged periods (just as long as you don't burn them) has an opposite effect. They become mild-flavored.
