We share our love for cauliflower! Learn how to choose and cut it and discover our favorite cauliflower recipes.
We have a lot of cauliflower recipes for inspiring flavors, so we want to share our tips on selecting them in a store (or farmers’ market), how to cut them and how to cook them.
When buying cauliflowerlook for a firm head that is tightly packed with flowers. Avoid brown spotted cauliflower. If you are buying white cauliflower (the most common one), you want it to look bright and creamy. For other varieties, look for even color on the head of the cauliflower (use this trick as purple, green or orange cauliflower).
How to Cut Cauliflower
That cauliflower head seems daunting, but trust me. It’s easy to prepare for all your favorite recipes. Here is the method I pay attention to:
- Remove leaves: Remove large outer green leaves from the head of cauliflower. Usually you can pull them apart with your hands, but if they are too hard, use a knife to cut them apart. The next time I make chicken soup or vegetable soup, I either discard the leaves or keep them in a container in the refrigerator.
- Cut the small flowers from the stem: Flip the cauliflower so that the stems face you. Then, cut around the core of the cauliflower. Swipe back and forth until it disappears. For a faster, rougher approach, hold the cauliflower with both hands and knock it firmly down onto the counter, which should cause the flower to break.
- Separate the flowers: Now you will have larger clusters of cauliflower that you can cut into smaller single small flowers. You can pull them apart with your fingers or slice them with a knife. I prefer to cut the stems of each cluster and then lower the knife and gently pull the flowers open. This method creates small flowers similar to charming little trees.
- Prepare stems (optional): Similar to broccoli stems, cauliflower stems are also edible (check out my roasted broccoli recipe for proof!). Depending on the cauliflower, the outer layer of the stem can be difficult. If so, strip it off to expose the tender interior. Then, cut the pieces of the stem into pieces about the same size as the small flowers and cook them with them using the cooking method of your choice.
My Favorite Cauliflower Recipe
We have a lot of cauliflower recipes on our blog, but here are the top five ways we can enjoy it (except after dunking in a homemade blue cheese sauce or ranch seasoning, except for eating it raw). I chose a completely different recipe so you can see its versatility!
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings – Everyone in my family loves these (even meat lovers). Use them as a side of game day appetizers or your favorite dinner.
Roasted Cauliflower Soup – We roast the whole cauliflower until golden brown, then mix it with onions, parmesan cheese and broth, and the soup is smooth.
Best Cauliflower Rice – All the Cauliflower Rice recipes I’ve tried, this is my favorite. You will use a food processor to cut the cauliflower into “rice”, so you even skip the extra preparation time!
Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower – Our spicy roasted Cauliflower recipe combines perfectly roasted and browned florets, super delicious spices and fresh lime juice to provide an almost addictive cauliflower recipe! I really liked this and we turned it into a cauliflower taco!
Chimichurri Cauliflower Steak – This cauliflower steak recipe is a delicious way to eat cauliflower! The grilled steak is golden and tender, with my simple homemade chili sauce on top.
That’s it! Hopefully we inspire you to cook more with cauliflower! Happy cooking!
We are Adam and Joanne, a couple who are passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? Inspire you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh and delicious meals confidently.
