This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
Cooking cauliflower
Dramatic observation: cauliflower when cooked has a bad reputation ("it doesn't smell good!" and the like), and yet it's an excellent vegetable, very Breton, that deserves to be treated well, to give the best of itself.
12 K 3.3/5 (11 reviews)
Keywords for this post:CabbageCauliflowerCookingSmellFreshnessLast modified on: August 29th 2023
Cooking cauliflower
The main complaint is that it smells strong when cooked, and it's true that if you're not careful, you can smell around the house that you've cooked cauliflower!
Why this persistent smell? Because, as it cooks, cauliflower ends up developing sulphur compounds, which are unfortunately very odorous.
But this reaction and its odors only occur late in the cooking process, in other words, it's mainly the result of cooking too long. If you cook just long enough, you won't get any unpleasant odors.
These odors are also accentuated by the loss of freshness of cauliflower, i.e. the fresher it is, the less odorous it will be when cooked (for a short time).
1) Use the freshest cauliflower possible: the fresher it is, the less fragrant it will be. Don't leave it lying around in the refrigerator crisper. Cook it the same day, or the next day if possible.
2) Cook for as short a time as possible: When you prepare your cauliflower, cut it into small, even-sized pieces (they cook faster and more evenly).
If you're cooking "à l'anglaise" in boiling salted water, keep a close eye on the cooking process, and test it by sticking a knife blade into a piece of cauliflower. If it goes through easily, the cabbage is cooked, so take it out of the water immediately, and if you can't eat it straight away, refresh it under very cold water.
3) Even if you immediately think of cooking cauliflower in boiling salted water, this isn't the only possible method. Cauliflower can, for example, be cooked in milk, steamed or baked.
Oh yes, it's delicious raw too, so you can grate it to make an amazing cauliflower tabbouleh, or thinly slice it for salads or a crunchy cauliflower with lemon.
To sum up: to cook cauliflower optimally, use the freshest cauliflower possible, and cook it as short as possible.
Why this persistent smell? Because, as it cooks, cauliflower ends up developing sulphur compounds, which are unfortunately very odorous.
But this reaction and its odors only occur late in the cooking process, in other words, it's mainly the result of cooking too long. If you cook just long enough, you won't get any unpleasant odors.
These odors are also accentuated by the loss of freshness of cauliflower, i.e. the fresher it is, the less odorous it will be when cooked (for a short time).
What are the best ways to cook cauliflower?
1) Use the freshest cauliflower possible: the fresher it is, the less fragrant it will be. Don't leave it lying around in the refrigerator crisper. Cook it the same day, or the next day if possible.
2) Cook for as short a time as possible: When you prepare your cauliflower, cut it into small, even-sized pieces (they cook faster and more evenly).
If you're cooking "à l'anglaise" in boiling salted water, keep a close eye on the cooking process, and test it by sticking a knife blade into a piece of cauliflower. If it goes through easily, the cabbage is cooked, so take it out of the water immediately, and if you can't eat it straight away, refresh it under very cold water.
3) Even if you immediately think of cooking cauliflower in boiling salted water, this isn't the only possible method. Cauliflower can, for example, be cooked in milk, steamed or baked.
Is raw cauliflower possible?
Oh yes, it's delicious raw too, so you can grate it to make an amazing cauliflower tabbouleh, or thinly slice it for salads or a crunchy cauliflower with lemon.
To sum up: to cook cauliflower optimally, use the freshest cauliflower possible, and cook it as short as possible.
Lasts posts
XO Cognac Explained: Meaning, Aging, and Flavor Profile
XO Cognac always goes beyond the labels on the bottle: it is often associated with tradition and quality. You get to appreciate the artistry, character and ageing process when you understand what defines this smooth Cognac. The section below tackles everything about XO Cognac, from complex flavour...January 28th 2026478 Sponsored article
Butter vs. grease
We often read in a recipe where a pastry is put into a mould that, just before pouring, the mould should be buttered or greased. But what's the difference between these 2 terms?December 1st 20252,4225
Getting out of the fridge early
Very often when you're cooking, you need to take food or preparations out of the fridge, to use them in the recipe in progress. There's nothing tricky about this: you just take them out of the fridge and use them, usually immediately, in the recipe. But is this really a good method?November 24th 20251,5935
Who's making the croissants?
When you look at a bakery from the outside, you naturally think that in the bakery, the bakers make the bread, and in the laboratory, the pastry chefs make the cakes. It's very often like that, with each of these professions having quite different ways of working, but sometimes there's also one...November 23th 20251,440
Oven height
When we put a dish or cake in the oven, we naturally tend to put it on the middle shelf, and that's what we usually do. But in some cases, this position and height can be a little tricky, so let's find out why.October 8th 20254,6275
Other pages you may also like
The infinite variety of salads
Making a salad for a meal, a few ingredients of your choice and a sauce to bind it all together is still one of the best ways to cook something really good quickly and simply. And since there is often a "fresh" aspect with the vegetables in the ingredients, not only does it taste good, but it's...March 13th 202110 K4.6
Properly cooked! (the taste)
Going out to a restaurant is getting harder at the moment. In France, at least, you have to try and find one that has agreed to pass on the new lower rate of VAT at anything other than a symbolic level, and there aren't many. And then, most importantly, you have to find a good one: one where you...February 6th 201118 K 14.6
The march forward
When professionals get to work in their kitchen, lab or bakery, they are (if they are conscientious) very sensitive to hygiene and cleanliness. It is impossible for a good baker for example to do a day's work without regularly cleaning the table where he or she works, and it is even more...June 30th 202120 K5
The cake and the raisins
When you bake a cake, like a cake or pound cake, you may have already encountered this thorny problem: How to make sure that the raisins, or the candied fruits, or any other small filling, do not fall to the bottom of the pan during the baking process?May 31th 201915 K4.7
What happens to the bread when you make it?
This bread that we eat every day, and that our baker makes for us, what happens during its manufacture so that it becomes bread? I will try to answer this question, and to summarize the complex alchemy that takes place.May 28th 202115 K4.9
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.