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boiling salted water, head core-side down

cored cabbage head submerged, lifting off the two or three outermost leaves every 2 minutes as they go limp and slip free — the point is pectin: hot water dissolves enough of it in the leaf's cell walls that the sheet bends instead of cracking, and a leaf pulled too early splits along the spine the moment you fold it. Peeling as you go means the inner leaves get exactly their own cooking time and none get overcooked to mush. You want 6 wide leaves.