Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi mamá cocina el brócoli al vapor porque es más saludable. - My mom cooks the broccoli by steaming it because it is healthier.

In Latin America, mamá is the most common, warm, everyday way to say mom.
Madre is more formal and can sound distant, serious, or used in more official or written contexts (e.g. forms, legal language, or very serious talk).
So Mi mamá cocina… feels like My mom cooks…, while Mi madre cocina… feels more like My mother cooks…, a bit more formal or stiff in many situations.

Why isn’t the subject pronoun ella used? Could I say Ella, mi mamá, cocina…?

In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella, etc.) are usually dropped because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.
Here, cocina clearly shows third person singular, and we also have the noun mi mamá, so ella would be redundant.
You could add ella only for emphasis or contrast, for example: Ella cocina el brócoli al vapor, no mi papá.

What exactly is cocina here? I’ve also seen cocina meaning kitchen.

In this sentence, cocina is the verb cocinar in the present tense, third person singular: (ella) cocina = she cooks.
There is also a noun la cocina which means the kitchen or the act/style of cooking (e.g. la cocina mexicana = Mexican cuisine).
So you distinguish them by context:

Mi mamá cocina el brócoli… → verb, she cooks
La cocina es pequeña. → noun, the kitchen is small

Why is it el brócoli and not just brócoli with no article?

Spanish normally uses an article with countable or mass nouns much more often than English does.
El brócoli here is generic: it means broccoli in general, not one specific broccoli. Spanish often uses el / la like this for general statements (e.g. Me gusta el café = I like coffee).
You can say Mi mamá cocina brócoli al vapor, but the version with el is very natural and common in everyday speech. Both are understood as a general habit.

Is brócoli masculine? How do I know which article to use?

Yes, brócoli is masculine, so you normally say el brócoli.
You just have to learn the gender with the noun; there isn’t a reliable rule from the ending here.
In some regions and in Spain you may also see el brécol, another word for broccoli, but in Latin America el brócoli is much more common.

What does al vapor literally mean? Why al?

Al vapor literally comes from a + el vapor = to the steam / by steam, but as a fixed phrase it means steamed.
The a + el contraction gives al (this contraction is mandatory in Spanish).
So cocina el brócoli al vapor is the normal way to say she steams the broccoli. You don’t translate it word‑for‑word into English; you treat al vapor as one expression: steamed.

Can I use al like this with other ways of cooking?

Yes. Spanish often uses a / al / a la to express cooking methods. Common patterns:

al horno = baked / in the oven (e.g. pollo al horno)
a la parrilla = grilled (e.g. carne a la parrilla)
al vapor = steamed
a la plancha = grilled on a flat griddle/plate
So cocinar X al vapor / al horno / a la parrilla is a very standard pattern.

What’s the difference between porque and por qué? Why is it porque here?

Porque (one word, no accent) means because and introduces a reason:

Cocino el brócoli al vapor porque es más saludable. = …because it’s healthier.
Por qué (two words, accent on qué) is used in questions and means why:
¿Por qué cocinas el brócoli al vapor? = Why do you steam the broccoli?
In your sentence, we are giving a reason, not asking a question, so it must be porque.

Why is it es más saludable and not está más saludable?

Ser (es) is used for more permanent or inherent characteristics; estar (está) is used for temporary states or conditions.
Saying es más saludable talks about a general property: steaming broccoli is in general a healthier way of preparing it.
Está más saludable would sound more like a temporary condition of something specific (e.g. this individual person/thing is now healthier), which doesn’t fit the idea of a general healthy cooking method.

What does más saludable mean exactly? Could I say más sano instead?

Más saludable means healthier or more healthy. Más = more, saludable = healthy.
You could also say más sano, which is very common and natural: porque es más sano.
Both sano and saludable mean healthy, but saludable often sounds a bit more neutral/technical, while sano is very everyday and common in speech.

Could the word order change, like Porque es más saludable, mi mamá cocina el brócoli al vapor?

Yes. Porque es más saludable, mi mamá cocina el brócoli al vapor. is also correct and natural.
Spanish allows you to put the porque‑clause at the beginning or at the end, just like English:

Mi mamá cocina el brócoli al vapor porque es más saludable.
Porque es más saludable, mi mamá cocina el brócoli al vapor.
The meaning is the same; the difference is just emphasis/rhythm.

Could I say Mi mamá hace el brócoli al vapor instead of cocina?

You can say Mi mamá hace el brócoli al vapor, and people will understand; hacer is very flexible and often used with food.
However, cocina focuses specifically on the act of cooking, so it’s a bit more precise and natural here.
Hacer is very common with certain fixed foods (e.g. hacer una pizza, hacer sopa), but cocinar el brócoli al vapor sounds especially clear when you want to emphasize the cooking method.

Could I drop mi and just say Mamá cocina el brócoli al vapor…?

Yes. Mamá cocina el brócoli al vapor… is also common and would usually be understood as My mom cooks…, especially in context.
In many families, people say Mamá and Papá without a possessive, almost like names.
Using mi mamá makes it completely explicit that you’re talking about your mom, which is useful if there could be any ambiguity.