Skip to main content

How to Cook Caulifower

Cauliflower has been broccoli’s unsexy neighbor next door for too long now. It’s high time the vegetable got the credit and began drawing the appeal it deserves.

The merits of cauliflower are many. For starters, it has tremendous texture, made all the better through a good oven roast. The flavor is unique and mild, with just the right nudge of subtle spice. And cauliflower is cheap and plentiful, an ever-easy grab at the grocery store no matter what season you’re in.

Reportedly, there are 80-some species of cauliflower in North America. We’re used to seeing a pretty standard version but there are others with even more intrigue, like green cauliflower, aka Romanesco. The name hails from old Italian, an adaptation of a word that translates to “cabbage flower.” The greens are often discarded but are in fact edible and just about as tasty as the white florets, or curds, we typically eat.

Cauliflower
Eric Prouzet/Unsplash

The gluten-free movement over the last decade has seen a sharp rise in cauliflower plantings and popularity. The flesh can be used in place of rice and flour, hence the emergence of things like pizza made with cauliflower dough. Yet, we tend to still associate it with cold and stale trays of crudités, to be dipped liberally into a bowl of ranch dressing. 

Cauliflower is so much more. It can add another dimension to your favorite curry or get pickled and plopped into your favorite Bloody Mary. Here are some more things to do with the stuff:

Roasted

Giving cauliflower the roast treatment might be the best way to go. Doing so browns and caramelizes the surface, creating a rich and even somewhat nutty flavor component. Plus, it takes basically zero culinary prowess. Simply set your oven to 400 degrees and throw some cut up cauliflower on a pan. Drizzle olive oil generously over the top and add some salt and pepper to taste.

If you want a little more weight and protein, sprinkle some parmesan cheese on just before you pull the sheet out of the oven. It only takes about twenty minutes and be sure to shake the sheet a couple of times throughout the process to even the roasting. If you’re in more of a rush, do the same on high broil.

Meat Substitute

Plant-based meats are all the rage., and cauliflower can play a big role in the movement, especially if you have a food processor. Try it with mushrooms and various herbs as a vegetarian ground beef of sorts (here’s a fine recipe). It works great on taco night and, for more variety, change up the herb and spice profile (try basil, oregano, tarragon, and garlic) and use the end product in a pasta with marinara.

Another great use is as a steak substitute. Plugging in cauliflower is a healthy and crafty way to limit your red meat consumption, should you feel inspired to do so. You can cut out big slabs of the florets and grill them like you would a T-bone, dressed with a little olive oil and some herbs.

Romanesco

The Italian version of cauliflower is dazzling. Don’t bother cutting the stuff up as you’ll want to maintain the mesmerizing shape and texture for presentation purposes. Cooking Romanesco could not be easier. Simply steam or boil in shallow water until tender and then add lemon juice, salt, and capers. It’s also fantastic pickled with a bit of garlic. It’s a great side dish but also substantial enough to be the main event if you’re going healthy. Try it with a zippy white wine like an Italian Pinot Grigio or Albariño

Soup

As fall fully settles, soup becomes all the more intriguing. A creamy cauliflower soup is a great option, at once thawing and comforting. It’s best with roasted cauliflower, so do that first and then throw it in the slow cooker with any number of your favorite vegetables (we suggest carrots, onions, and peas) some broth and butter and let it meld. If you want cauliflower to be the backbone of the soup, puree it with the other vegetables after they all simmer together on the stove before transferring to a pot or slow cooker.  It’s great for dipping when you get to the bottom of the bowl so make sure you have a piece of baguette handy.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Stock
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
How to soften butter: 4 easy ways (no microwave necessary)
No microwave? No problem! Soften butter quickly and easily with these tips
sliced butter

Let me guess — you’ve forgotten to take the butter out of the refrigerator. Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Softening butter is a crucial step in many recipes, and if you’ve forgotten to take it out of the fridge soon enough, your batter or dough will be full of gross lumps and chunks. The most common solution to this is to go straight to the microwave. That said, what if you don’t have one or prefer not to use it? 

Fortunately, there are several ways to soften butter quickly without one. With just a few common household items, it can be done in a blink of an eye.

Read more
Give Mom what she really wants with one of these 10 Mother’s Day cocktails
Make it a Mother's Day to remember with one of these delicious drinks
Gulab Byblos

When it comes to Mother's Day, is there a better way to bond with your mother than over a fine cocktail or two? For most of us here at The Manual, the answer is a resounding “No, of course not.” On the day dedicated to the person who brought you into the world or raised you, apart from serving a delicious breakfast and presenting her with a thoughtful gift, there’s really only one thing left to do: drink.

Below, you’ll find a variety of Mother's Day cocktail ideas. No matter what your mom likes, there’s a little something on our list for her.

Read more
It’s time to learn how to use a French press coffee maker
This classic method really does make the best brew
Using a French press

If you find yourself bored with coffee pods or sick of that old and stale coffee pot, it may be time to revisit a classic -- the French press. While other methods may tempt us with their convenience, there's truly no better coffee flavor than that which comes from this beautifully old-fashioned method.

When used properly, a French press coffee maker yields the perfect cup of joe -- unless you're using crappy coffee beans, then nothing can save you. When used poorly, though, it can easily ruin the brew, sending coffee grounds swirling into the liquid and destroying your beverage, your mood, and your morning. Many a coffee enthusiast out there has never even tried a hand at the French press given the device's perilous reputation. (If you need more proof, just search "French press fails" on YouTube -- there are way more than you might think.)
How to use a French press
First, you need to make sure you have the right ratio of water to coffee (we'll talk about the best coffee for French press brewing soon). We recommend one ounce of ground coffee to 16 fluid ounces of water (that's about two generous tablespoons of coffee). Make sure the water is heated to around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have a good food thermometer (meat thermometers work great for this), bring water to a simmer, then let it rest for two or three minutes. But really, we recommend picking up a thermometer.

Read more