Cauliflower can be cooked by baking, pureed, sautéing and steaming. Cauliflower has crisp leaves covering the vegetable and these leaves protect and keep cauliflower fresher. Select a cauliflower that is creamy or white and feels heavy and firm. Never buy cauliflower that has dark spots. Cauliflower has high amount of vitamin C, fiber, complex carbohydrates and folic acid. The risk of cancer can be reduced by using cauliflower.
First of all, fill a vessel with water and add 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar to clean cauliflower. Remove the outer leaves and cut florets carefully to soak it in to the prepared water containing edible acid. To separate the florets, you have to cut the stem above the joint of the florets. While storing, you have to keep the cauliflower unwashed in the fridge covered by a plastic bag. Use cauliflower with in 2-3 days. Never cook cauliflower in an aluminum or iron pot to avoid reaction between the chemical compounds in cauliflower and the aluminum or iron.
Another method for cooking is blanching. Blanched cauliflower can be frozen and keep for about a year in the freezer. To blanch cauliflower, boil water and dip the cauliflower in the water. After dipping cauliflower, boil water again and cover the pot. Set the timer depending on the pieces of cauliflower. When the process is complete, you can remove cauliflower from water and then put it in to a container with ice water. Cool the vegetable taking the same time of blanching.
Steaming and microwave will preserve the nutrients in the vegetable. Cauliflower can be used in salads and as a substitute for broccoli. You can use chopped florets instead of meatballs in your pasta sauce to make it vegetarian pasta. You can cook cauliflower as a whole and also by separating the florets.