Our 30 Favorite Cauliflower Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak cauliflower before cooking? ›

If you're planning to roast the cauliflower whole or slice it into steaks, slice off the thick stem at the base. Drop the whole cauliflower head upside-down into cool, salted water. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes to remove dirt, residue and bugs.

Adding vinegar to the cooking water when cooking cauliflower is a common technique that can help to reduce the strong sulfur smell that cauliflower can sometimes give off while cooking. The vinegar can help to neutralize the sulfur compounds in the cauliflower, resulting in a milder aroma and flavor.

Cauliflower should be cooked quartered, or cut into florets at the base of the stem. In kitchen lore, lemon juice, milk, flour and vinegar have all been recommended as additions to cauliflower cooking water, presumably to keep it white.

Cauliflower, like other cruciferous vegetables, contains compounds called glucosinolates, which can be difficult for some people to digest. This can lead to symptoms such as bloating, gas, and abdominal pain.

As a cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower is an excellent source of fiber. Fiber helps maintain healthy digestion, reducing your risk of digestive disorders. It also promotes the growth of good bacteria in your gut.

At a minimum, include cruciferous vegetables as part of your diet 2-3 times per week, and make the serving size at least 1-1/2 cups. Even better from a health standpoint, enjoy cauliflower and other vegetables from the cruciferous vegetable group 4-5 times per week, and increase your serving size to 2 cups.

This is true of any vegetable — boiling it will give you a flavor closer to the raw flavor, which means more bitterness and more astringency. Caramelizing it will bring out its hidden sweetness. This light, vibrant roasted cauliflower salad is a recipe I developed for the fall menu at Duo.

Baking soda is often used as a natural cleaning agent, and it can be used to brighten up your veggies too. Sprinkle a little in the water before boiling to prevent cauliflower from yellowing and make corn look more vibrant.

Every part of a cauliflower is edible, even the tough outer skin. However, we do recommend peeling this part before cooking as it's a bit tough to chew.

How to cook cauliflower Gordon Ramsay? ›

Cooking instructions

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the cauliflower florets and cook for 4-5 minutes until just tender. Drain and refresh in iced water, drain again and transfer to a large ovenproof dish.

Look for a clean, compact head with tightly closed bud clusters. Avoid heads with loose or crumbly florets, brown spots or dull color. The leaves should look fresh and green. When buying pre-cut cauliflower, choose firm pieces with no discoloration.

Produce with rough outer skin: Items such as broccoli, potatoes and cauliflower are a little harder to clean. Soak in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water for 1 minute. For heads of cabbage or lettuce, it's best to separate the leaves first.

Mildly Marinated Cauliflower is the perfect balance of pickling spices. There's a sweet tang that children will love and don't hesitate to add it to salads.

If you cut all the way through the floret, you're cutting through the cell structure of the curd — and when you cook it, that part will get mushy. Easier still: Place the larger florets on a baking sheet, sprinkle with a little olive oil and roast them. Michael Marks is the marketing manager for FreshPoint.

Broccoli and Cauliflower

Get your cruciferous veggies squeaky clean by filling a sink with cold water and then soaking them for a few minutes. Then, gently lift them out of the water, place in a colander and rinse again under a stream of more cold water.