How To Cut Cauliflower

Cauliflower can be a bit intimidating. We’re going to talk about how to cut cauliflower, how to make sure it’s clean, how to make sure it cooks properly, and other tips and tricks! 

Before we can take cauliflower and turn it into some delicious recipes, we need to clean it, prepare it, and cut it properly. Let’s start at the beginning and work our way up to some of my favorite cauliflower recipes! 

Is cauliflower good for you? 

Yes! Though it has very few calories, cauliflower packs a big nutritional punch! Cauliflower is naturally high in B vitamins and fiber, it’s also full of phytonutrients that can help protect against cancer!

Cauliflower has been shown to strengthen the cardiovascular system and help strengthen bones. 

It has high levels of vitamin K as well, so only those who take blood thinners need to worry about slowly introducing large amounts of cauliflower into their diet. 

Good thing that’s not an issue for most because once you see how versatile this healthy veggie is, you’ll want to eat it all the time! 

How To Cut Cauliflower

You might be thinking that cleaning the cauliflower should come first but that’s actually not true in this case! We’re going to cut the cauliflower before we do anything else. 

1. The first thing you need to do is remove any large leaves or big chunks of the stem that are still attached. 

2. You will want to slice off the stem after removing any leaves so that it is flush with the base of the crown. 

3. Cut the head in half from the top down through the stem, and then while you’re cutting the florets off (that’s what the ends of the cauliflower are called), cut out the extra pieces of stem. 

4. Make sure to cut or break any extra large florets so that they are all in similarly sized chunks. Cauliflower will cook better and more evenly if you make sure the pieces are similar in size. 

Now you know how to cut cauliflower…let’s clean it! 

1. The next thing we need to do is clean the cauliflower. It’s important to wait until the cauliflower is cut up to clean it because the bugs like to hide up inside the crown.
2. To clean the cauliflower, rinse it with water by hand or in a colander, inspecting for large pieces of dirt or small bugs. Also, inspect the outside of the cauliflower for brown or black spots and cut those off.
3. Gently pat the florets dry with a towel if you’re using it for a veggie tray, or add it right into your recipe!

How to cook cauliflower

I love roasting cauliflower and eating it raw in a vegetable tray! Since cauliflower can easily be eaten raw, there is no need to cook it to a certain temperature for safety. It’s more of a preference. 

Cooking for less time will result in firmer, crunchier cauliflower that stays pretty much the same color. Cooking for more time will result in softer cauliflower, and it will darken and browns when it roasts.  

Speaking of cauliflower recipes…

Cauliflower is one of the most versatile vegetables out there. You can use it in all kinds of recipes and in place of a lot of carbs! Let me show you all of the awesome ways we put it to use in our kitchen. 

• Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce
• Cauliflower Taco Bowl Recipe
• Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Recipe
• The Best Cauliflower Fried Rice 
• Cauliflower Stuffing
• Instant Pot Cauliflower Salad
• Buffalo Cauliflower Mac And Cheese
• Weight Watchers Cauliflower Pizza Crust
• Instant Pot Cauliflower Spanish Rice with Chicken
• Mashed Cauliflower Recipe