While our broccoli salad with bacon uses raw broccoli, if you really don't want to eat it uncooked you could just give it a quick blanch! Blanching is a great way to cook veggies crisp tender before using them in a recipe or freezing them. 1. Bring a medium to large sized saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the raw broccoli and boil it for just 1 minute on medium high heat. 2. Instantly remove the broccoli and add it to an ice bath of cold water with ice cubes added in a large bowl. 3. Let the broccoli cool completely and then use it in your favorite recipe.