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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,308
Registered: ‎07-18-2015

I have never cut up a fresh cauliflower, and never liked cauliflower anyway. But eating more and more veggies lately, I decided to try it.

It turned out to be quite a chore, It was messy...bits and pieces all over the counter. Finally cut off all the flowers? florets? up and popped them in the microwave, covered with Saran Wrap. Five minutes on high, stir and five minutes more. Then it was reduced in volume and done.

Think I will purchase it already cut and ready to use instead of cutting it myself. Do any of you use fresh and is there an easier way of preparing it? BTW. I poured a bit of soy sauce and garlic powder on it and it was okay. Not greyt, but I will eat it again.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,989
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

I have always cut out the core first, and then broken the florets off by hand.    Raw cauliflower has a "sweet" taste, and is great in salads.

♥Surface of the Sun♥
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,367
Registered: ‎02-22-2015

Remove the core first and you'll have a much easier time. If not, try buying frozen cauliflower pieces already cut up and packaged in a bag. 

Money screams; wealth whispers.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,853
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@Flatbush,

My daughter makes the best mashed cauliflower! We all thought it was mashed potatoes!

Cauliflower (cooked in pot of boiling water) butter, milk, salt in blender and not too well done because you don't want it to taste just like grits or something but fresh mashed potatoes.

And we are doing this southern style-recipe to taste- in other words no recipe, just get in the kitchen and make to how you like it, making and tasting along the way!😅

It is so good! and ps I would not get the frozen kind in every brad nowadays at the grocery store-awful.

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,367
Registered: ‎02-22-2015

@Flatbush  Your timing was spot-on! And made me laugh out loud in the middle of the night. Smiley Wink

Good tip. I haven't tried frozen cauliflower, but do buy frozen lima beans, peas and green beans. I won't purchase anything in a can and sometimes fresh isn't available. 

Money screams; wealth whispers.
Super Contributor
Posts: 294
Registered: ‎04-30-2010

Re: CUTTING UP CAULIFLOWER

[ Edited ]

Google whole roasted cauliflower receipes and you will get MANY receipe options depending upon your taste preferences.  Essentially, you coat the entire head with a variety of toppings and bake it at a high temp.  The results are amazing.   Easy peasy and they look beautiful to boot!  My husband, who will not go near cauliflower with a ten foot pole LOVES this!  Not sure if posting a link is allowed but here is one as example:  https://www.yummly.com/recipes/roasted-whole-cauliflower

Mashed is great as well.  You can even whip it as you would potatoes.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,351
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@Desertdi wrote:

I have always cut out the core first, and then broken the florets off by hand.    Raw cauliflower has a "sweet" taste, and is great in salads.


I prepare it just like Derestdi.  Then I toss the florets with a bit of olive oil in a large bowl until they are lightly coated.  Spray a sheet pan with olive oil, put the florets on the pan in a single layer and roast them in a 400 degree oven.

 

 

Delicious!

“I heard the sound I had to follow”
In Your Wildest Dreams by Justin Hayward
Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,509
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I like to roast cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, etc. A basic way is to put just a bit of olive oil in a baggie, put your vegetable in the bag and massage the oil all over.  I spread on a cookie sheet and add whatever spices, lemon juice, etc I want. Sometimes I add a few spices, sometimes it's just salt and pepper. Bake on 350 degrees until done. I like my vegetables with some body and crispness. 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,242
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I find that lots of the pre-cut cauliflower has less taste than freshly cut in my kitchen.  I cut the core off with the whole head on my largest cutting board to contain most of the mess.

 

I like it raw as a snack, but if I want cooked cauliflower, I blanch the flowerettes for a few minutes, drain them well, and layer them into a casserole or pan I can put under the broiler after I add lots of freshly grated Parmesan.  

Super Contributor
Posts: 419
Registered: ‎02-12-2016

Much too late in my life to eat healthy, I saw a recipe to cauliflower and cheese last week.  Cauliflower in place of macaroni.  So good.  My 2 year old granddaughter shocked me this past summer when she ate eggplant parm.  A friend gave me eggplant and I tried to pass it around but my friends did not want to be bothered cooking it.  So for the first time I made it and she loved it. Even want d the leftovers from her Mom's plate.

 

I am planning on making the cauliflower and cheese for her.  I loved the pizza with the cauliflower crust and have made mashed cauliflower often, I am just careful with the knife.