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
A tablet holder
Perhaps you too cook by consulting your recipe on a tablet or phone, and putting it down on your worktop? It's practical, but not the best solution. Here's a look at how you can make an inexpensive, almost universal stand.March 14th 20265435
Pre-calibrated pastry dough
When making pie dough (shortbread, shortcrust, sweet...), it's always a good idea to make a lot at once, and then divide it into pieces, which you can freeze. I've already pointed out the mistake not to make, which is to form a ball before freezing. It's difficult to roll out afterwards because...March 9th 20268615
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 20252,9515
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 20251,9075
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 20251,737
Other pages you may also like
The mock CAP baker's certificate exam
The next instalment in my life as an apprentice baker at the French INBP professional school. I’m now halfway through training and it’s still as exciting as ever, and exhausting – but maybe I’m just getting old, or both… Anyway, a few days ago we had to go through the mock CAP exam. A sort...May 1st 201822 K4.4
The perfect boiled egg
Making boiled eggs is always a delight and it pleases the young and old alike. This little transgenerational side puts them on the list of "things to do on Sunday evening when you don't know what to do" in many families (including mine)... That said, it's not that simple, you have to pay...January 30th 202118 K4.7
Wipe meats and fish before cooking
When you want to cook meat or fish, there's a very simple yet very important step to take before you even start: It's to dry, or wipe, each side of the meat or fish, sometimes called "dabbing" or "sponging". But why? And how? Let me explain.April 14th 20249,4984.5
Preservative oil, an asset for taste
When you prepare a dish using an ingredient that has been preserved in fat, for example a springtime mixed salad with tuna in oil or sun-dried tomatoes, you're probably going to make a french dressing (vinaigrette) next. In that case, why not use the preserved oil from the tuna or tomatoes?June 5th 20248,1545
A little sugar anyway
I'm coming back to something I've already told you about, but which focused on brioche dough, so I'll try to generalize about these doughs, which are generally sweet, but can also be used in savory recipes.November 14th 20207,6365
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.