How do you avoid cauliflower from being so delicate? I cook it and it often falls apart.
I heard there's a way from stopping it from doing this.
P.S. Often we boil it, and cook it with a little of salt and butter; it's just simple and quick.
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With broccoli or cauliflower, if you cook it for too long, it'll get mushy and fall apart. Boiling will exacerbate that a bit, so if you're looking for firmer cauliflower, I'd recommend steaming it, and keeping an eye on it. When the fork goes in without a lot of work, it's done.
Satanicpuppy
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In my opinion, blanching is even better than steaming. – rumtscho Aug 16 '11 at 19:47
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@rumtscho: I'm prejudiced. I steam. I sautee. I grill. I very seldom blanch. – Satanicpuppy Aug 16 '11 at 19:52
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@Satanicpuppy maybe I'm prejudiced too. I very seldom steam. But with my comment, Chris J. Lee has one more option to choose from, so I thought it was worth mentioning. – rumtscho Aug 16 '11 at 19:59
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Roasted cauliflower is utterly awesome, and doesn't fall apart. Slice a head of cauliflower into small-to-mid-sized florets, toss with about 1T of olive oil, spice to taste (I've had successes with curry powder, powdered ancho peppers, and even cocoa powder), and roast for 30 minutes at 400F.
Dave Griffith
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I do it on the grill sometimes with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar to finish it off. – Satanicpuppy Aug 16 '11 at 19:50
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I just love roasted cauliflower! It's a great way to deal with organic or home grown cauliflower that is often not snow white like store cauliflower, because it browns anyway. It also gets sweet and crispy. Last night I drizzled 10 year old balsamic over it after taking it out of the oven, which I'd never done before, and it was really good. – Kate Gregory Aug 17 '11 at 12:03
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I like to cook a whole head cauliflower. Cut the bottom so that it is flat and sets upright in a pot, add enough salted water to steam gently for 15 to 20 minutes. There are tons of things you can do with this. A packet of dry onion soup scattered on the top of the cauliflower at the beginning will be carried into the heart of the cauliflower by the condensing steam. Non-fat butter flavored powder is good too, as is crumbled bacon. Your imagination is the limit.
Preparation is fast and easy. When there were more people at home would make this and cut the whole head into 5 or 6 into wedges after cooking.
Frankie
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