Broccoli is having a renaissance in America, having come a long way from disgraced White House exile to celebrated festival-honoree. With roasted, fried, and even pickled versions making it onto fancy restaurant menus everywhere, broccoli is basking in the warm glow of approval. The great news is, broccoli is incredibly easy to cook and you can easily recreate great broccoli recipes at home.

When you’re in the grocery store and weighing your dinner options, though, looking at a big head of broccoli can conjure images of annoying preparation, broccoli bits everywhere, and a vegetable that’s just not worth the effort. 

Next time you feel that way, remember this easy trick for prepping broccoli that’s so fast, you’ll never hesitate to buy it again:

Take your head of broccoli and a sharp knife and hold the stalk, slicing upward at the stems of each natural floret:

Keep going:

Don’t stop now! Slice through the last floret on multiple sides to take it off:

Pull the last few apart by hand to avoid slicing too close to your hand:

Et voila! Less than a minute and you have perfect fresh broccoli florets.