Cauliflower is a vegetable crop, the inflorescences of which have great nutritional value. The dishes prepared from it are especially suitable for those who follow their figure.

Eating its inflorescences is recommended for liver diseases, inflammation of the gallbladder, as well as for people suffering from gastritis with reduced secretion. This is one of the products that is included in But most importantly, dishes prepared from it are tasty and nutritious, and especially cauliflower baked in the oven.

You will need:

How to choose cauliflower

In order to cook cauliflower deliciously, you first need to choose it correctly.

On what grounds should you choose this herbal product?

• First, in appearance of the vegetable. The inflorescences themselves should have a uniform white color, and the leaves adjacent to them should be bright green. Pay attention to the absence of spots, friability and other signs of wilting.
• The second thing to pay attention to is the weight of the inflorescence. The heavier the head of cabbage, the younger it is. Therefore, give preference to dense inflorescences that visually seem lighter than they actually are.

How to cook in the oven

Divide the cauliflower into florets, wash thoroughly and pat dry.


Now spread it out in one equal layer in a baking dish and sprinkle salt on top.

Turn on the oven to 220C and let it heat up. Then send a form with cabbage into it.
Remove the mold from the oven after 20 minutes.


Drizzle cream evenly over cabbage.


Sprinkle the top with coarsely grated cheese. Then bake in the oven for another 15 minutes.

How to cook

In order to get boiled cauliflower as an independent dish, it must be boiled for 10-15 minutes, after being disassembled into inflorescences.


Before frying, this procedure should take 5-7 minutes.

To make the resulting cabbage have a snow-white color, you can add milk or lemon juice to the pan.

It is best to cook cauliflower in an enamel pan, covered with a lid and in a small amount of water. Frozen inflorescences are boiled without defrosting, for 15-17 minutes.

How to fry

Before frying the cauliflower, divide it into florets, rinse thoroughly and let the water drain. Then, it is necessary to boil the cauliflower until half cooked in salted water and discard it through a colander. There are several ways to fry this vegetable crop.


The fastest and easiest option is to fry it in a pan with vegetable oil, adding dried basil.
Cauliflower is properly fried in a mixture of sunflower and olive oil.


Another way: fry the cauliflower in oil, and then, pouring milk cream into it, simmer for a few minutes under the lid. You can choose spices according to your taste.


It will be very tasty to cook cauliflower in batter. Dip half-finished inflorescences in pre-beaten eggs with salt and spices. Then, if desired, they can be rolled in breadcrumbs. Cabbage should be fried in a heated frying pan in vegetable oil.

It has long been known that cauliflower has an amazing, incomparable taste and a huge amount of useful and even healing properties. The vegetable is available to everyone, it is very popular among adherents of proper nutrition, people who want to maintain an ideal shape and good health. In order for fresh cauliflower to bring not only benefits, but also taste pleasure, you need to know how to choose it correctly, cook it, what to serve it with and how to preserve the valuable properties of the vegetable.

How to choose and prepare cauliflower for cooking

In order for the cooked cauliflower dish to have a pleasant taste and retain all the useful qualities of the product, it is necessary to pay maximum attention to the choice of vegetables. The ideal option is to grow the product in your garden, this will be a 100% guarantee of the absence of chemicals, various kinds of processing. If this is not possible, then when buying a vegetable in the market or in the supermarket, you should consider the following nuances:

• Ideal for cooking will be a medium-sized head.
• The leaves should be green, without fading and obvious damage.
• Inflorescences - white, clean, without black dots, defects. You should not buy a head of cabbage from which the tops are cut off, this is a sure sign that the product has begun to deteriorate and the damage has been cut to give it a presentation.
• The head of cabbage should be elastic, but not heavy.

How long to cook cabbage before frying

In cooking, there are many dishes where cauliflower is the main or additional ingredient. This is a classic version of a fried vegetable in batter, simply boiled products, pickled or with a special sauce. In any recipe, before cooking, fresh cabbage should be boiled. But this process is very scrupulous, because you need to know how long to cook it so that it does not boil soft, does not lose its beneficial properties, taste. Boiling cauliflower:

• 7 minutes - in a saucepan before the subsequent frying of the vegetable.
• 30 minutes - in a double boiler at full power.
• 15 minutes - cooking with a slow cooker.
• 3-5 minutes - in the microwave.

How delicious to cook cauliflower - recipes with photos

Cauliflower is a storehouse of useful trace elements and vitamins. It is often used as baby food or as a diet food for people on a diet. There is a vegetable, if desired, possibly raw, but only some gourmets like this option, so you need to learn how to cook delicious dishes from it, cook and serve ready-made culinary masterpieces correctly. There are several ways to cook fresh cauliflower: classic (using a saucepan), in a slow cooker, double boiler or oven.

Classic pot recipe

For centuries, fresh cauliflower has been boiled in a pot at the initial stage of preparation. This provides it with the necessary softness, helps to reveal the best taste qualities. This process takes a minimum of time and effort, and the finished result can impress even the most demanding gourmets. What you need for cooking:

• Enamel pan of small size.
• Salt - a small pinch.
• Water.

Step-by-step description of the process of how to cook cauliflower:

• Cut the head of cauliflower lengthwise, divide into small inflorescences. It is advisable to make all the parts the same size so that they boil evenly and simultaneously.
• Put the inflorescences in a container, pour water so that it slightly covers the cabbage, lightly salt.
• Put on a big fire, let it boil. Boil vegetables for 7 minutes.
• Covering the pot with a lid during cooking will cause the vegetables to turn yellow. To preserve the snow-white color, cook in an open container, and add citric acid, lemon juice or vinegar to the water at the tip of a knife.
• After the time has elapsed, remove the inflorescences from the water. The remaining broth is rich in vitamins, beneficial properties, so it is ideal for making soup.

Steamed fresh cauliflower in a slow cooker or double boiler

In order to preserve the maximum useful properties of a vegetable, you need to cook it in a slow cooker or double boiler. This method of processing requires a minimum of effort, but the process is slightly longer in time than, for example, cooking in a saucepan. Cooking cauliflower with the help of modern kitchen appliances is a real pleasure, and the resulting tasty and healthy vegetable will appeal to all close or unexpected guests.

For cooking you will need:

• Fresh cauliflower - 1 head.
• Water.
• Multicooker or steamer.
• A small pinch of salt.

Step by step cooking process:

• Soak the head of cabbage in cold water for fifteen minutes - this will help get rid of dirt, insects.
• Divide the product into identical inflorescences.
• Pour water into the bowl of a multicooker or double boiler, place a container for steaming on top, where to put the inflorescences.
• Close the lid of the device, select the "Steam" mode. The cooking time depends on the capabilities and functionality of the equipment, but it is approximately worth focusing on such indicators: a slow cooker - 13-18 minutes, a double boiler - 25-30.
• At the end of cooking, lay out the product and allow to cool slightly before proceeding with further manipulations.

An easy way to boil until cooked in the microwave

It often happens that there is very little time to prepare dinner, and you really want to please loved ones with something tasty and healthy. The ideal option is cauliflower, and to save time on boiling, this process should be done in the microwave. For cooking, you will need the following ingredients and attributes:

• Fresh cauliflower.
• Water - 3-5 tbsp. l.
• Salt - 0.5 teaspoon.
• Microwave container. It is important to remember: metal utensils cannot be used for cooking - this can lead to equipment breakdown.

How to cook cauliflower step by step in the microwave:

• Peel all the leaves, divide the head of cabbage into inflorescences and rinse thoroughly under running cool water.
• Put the vegetables in a bowl, add a few tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt.
• Cover the container with a lid, put in the microwave.
• Turn on the microwave at full power and cook for four minutes, then mix the inflorescences and put on for another 3 minutes.
• Checking readiness is very simple - the stems become softer and are easily pierced with a knife.

Cooking cauliflower in the oven

The original way to cook cauliflower is in the oven. It is not known to many, but the resulting dish will not leave indifferent even a person with the most refined taste preferences. In order to cook vegetables, you will need the following ingredients and accessories:

• Tray with high sides.
• Fresh cauliflower.
• Milk - 3 tablespoons.
• 3 chicken eggs.
• Hard cheese - 150 grams.
• Greens to taste (dill, parsley, herbs).

Step by step preparation:

• Peel fresh cauliflower from green leaves and divide into inflorescences.
• Rinse thoroughly under cool running water.
• Put in an enameled saucepan, add salt, a little water, boil and cook for ten minutes.
• Rinse under running water and put on a baking sheet previously greased with vegetable oil.
• In a separate container, beat the eggs with milk and greens. Pour the mixture over vegetables, sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Send to the oven for 20 minutes until completely baked.
• An amazingly tasty and healthy snack is ready. This dish is perfect for a quiet family dinner or for a small celebration.

How to cook before freezing so that it does not darken

In order to enjoy tasty and healthy vegetables in winter, they must be prepared from summer by freezing. Ingredients:

• Cauliflower.
• Citric acid.
• The water is hot and cold.
• Container for cooking and bags for storage.

In order for fresh-frozen cauliflower not to darken and retain its best useful qualities, you must follow these steps, observing the following rules:

• First of all, you need to carefully approach the choice of a vegetable: the head of cabbage should be dense, without visible dark spots, sluggish elements and other damage.
• Divide the vegetable into inflorescences of the same size, do not make too large parts.
• Thoroughly wash all inflorescences from possible dirt, insects and the results of chemical treatment.
• In order to maintain the snow-white color of cabbage, you must perform the following steps:

• Put the inflorescences in a pot of boiled water for a few minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the inflorescences and place in cool water or simply rinse with cold liquid.
• In boiling water, add citric acid, the proportion of 1/3 teaspoon per liter of water. This mixture will help prevent the vegetables from browning.
• Dip the inflorescences in boiling water with citric acid, boil for about three minutes until they begin to float.
• Put the vegetables in a colander, transfer to a paper towel to absorb excess liquid.
• Pack vegetables in bags or plastic containers, send to the freezer.

Delicious and crispy fried cauliflower in batter is a simple and quick dish that everyone can make at home, so in this article we will take a closer look at how long and how to fry fresh and frozen cauliflower in a pan.

How long to fry cauliflower in a pan?

The cooking time of fresh and frozen cabbage is not particularly different, since before frying it must be boiled in boiling water so that after frying it is more juicy and tasty. Let's take a closer look at how much cauliflower is fried in time:

• How long to fry cauliflower? Fry cauliflower for 7-10 minutes on each side until golden brown.
• How long should cauliflower be boiled before frying? Before frying fresh and frozen cauliflower, it is necessary to cook for 5-7 minutes after boiling water in a saucepan (the cabbage is dipped in already salted boiling water).

Having learned how many minutes to fry cauliflower, we will further consider the process of its preparation in order to know how tasty it is to fry cauliflower in a pan at home.

How to deliciously fry cauliflower in batter in a pan?

The most popular recipe for how to cook cauliflower deliciously in a pan is frying it in batter, so let's take a step-by-step look at how to fry cauliflower in egg and flour batter:

• Thoroughly wash the selected cauliflower in cold water and cut into inflorescences.
• Pour water into the pan, add salt (half a teaspoon per 1 liter of water) and bring to a boil, then put the prepared cauliflower inflorescences and cook them for 5-7 minutes.
• We transfer the boiled inflorescences to a colander and wait until they cool down and water drains from them.
• We prepare the batter for cauliflower: beat 2-3 eggs into a deep plate (per 0.5 kg of cauliflower), add a little ground black pepper, salt to taste and 2 tablespoons of flour, then beat thoroughly with a whisk or fork.
• Pour vegetable oil into a deep frying pan and heat it on the stove, after which we carefully dip each cauliflower inflorescence in batter and put it on a heated frying pan.
• Fry the cauliflower on each side until golden brown and put on a plate. Delicious fried cauliflower in batter - ready!

Note: do not add a lot of flour to the batter, since the more liquid it is, the more crispy it forms on the cauliflower after frying.

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Cauliflower is a very healthy product, which, when cooked correctly, is also very tasty. Many do not like it, but most likely the reason is that not everyone can cook it in such a way as to preserve both properties and taste at the same time.

A huge number of dishes can be prepared from this product, both individual and those where cauliflower will be an additional ingredient. Some of them are good for regular meals, others are suitable even for holiday tables.

The advantage is the low cost of this vegetable, which allows you to use it in almost any situation.

The easiest and most popular cooking method is boiling. If you follow the instructions, the dish will pleasantly surprise and delight you. Even picky children who are usually indifferent to boiled vegetables will love it.

What do you need?

To prepare the dish you will need:

• pot
• fresh cauliflower or frozen
• milk or citric acid in case you don't want the florets to darken

How to choose cabbage?

Fresh cauliflower should be white and firm. Spots are unacceptable on the leaves, and the yellow color indicates that it has been on the counter for a long time and has lost its taste. The withered leaves and inflorescences speak of the same.

If you want to purchase a frozen product, then pay attention to the packaging: if it is transparent, then all the flaws can be seen even in the store. If not, then you can only focus on the expiration date and your trust in the manufacturer. The size and color of the inflorescences speaks of the desired degree of maturity: they should be of medium size and light, darkening indicates depravity.

Try to avoid frozen packs, which usually lie deep in the refrigerator - a lot of ice accumulates on them - it adds weight and increases the cost of the purchase, and spoils the product when it melts.

When frozen, cauliflower loses some of its useful qualities, but it will be cheaper. It also requires less effort when cooking than fresh, because the manufacturer has already done the work of separating the edible part from unnecessary leaves and head of cabbage.

Please note that cauliflower has an expiration date, so keep an eye on the date of manufacture. If it is not indicated on the package, then it is better not to risk it and buy it somewhere else.

Spoiled cabbage is not only in the presence of rot, it can also be “sick”: this is indicated by characteristic spots.

How to cook?

Usually dislike for this product is due to failures in its preparation. The taste of the dish and its taste properties depend on how much to cook cauliflower after boiling. If undercooked, it will turn out tough, if digested, it will be a tasteless jelly. If you follow the instructions, the result will please even those who are indifferent to vegetables.

Fresh cauliflower and frozen cauliflower are cooked a little differently. Let's consider both options.

In the first case, you first need to put salted water on the fire, and while it boils, rinse the vegetable and divide it into inflorescences, then put it in a saucepan.

How long to cook fresh cauliflower after boiling? Depends on whether you are going to fry it afterwards. If not, then 15 minutes, if yes, then half as much.

It is undesirable to cover with a lid, otherwise yellowness will appear. After cooking, immediately put the cabbage on a plate, otherwise it will turn into an unappetizing jelly.

Thus, the process can be divided into stages:

• A pot of salt water is put on fire;
• The head of cabbage is processed, the necessary is separated from the superfluous;
• Selected and washed inflorescences are lowered into boiling water;
• Water with cabbage boils for 15 minutes until cooked or for 7 minutes before subsequent frying;

The finished product is laid out on a plate to avoid overcooking.

Frozen cabbage does not need to be thawed, it is enough to put it in boiling salted water and then cook it just like fresh.

The steps are pretty much the same:

• Salt water is brought to a boil;
• Unfrozen cauliflower is taken out of the pack and lowered into the water;
• After boiling, cook for 15 minutes - defrosting will occur immediately in boiling water.
• The finished product also cannot be left in a hot pan, otherwise a jelly-like inedible mass will turn out.

Tricks

Consider a few little secrets when cooking cauliflower:

• You should not pour a lot of water, let it be better to get a delicious nutritious broth than excess liquid that will have to be drained.
• If you pre-cut the buds crosswise, they will cook faster.
• For baby food, it is better to leave the pan on the fire away to make it softer.
• To avoid yellowing and loss of taste, do not cover the cabbage with a lid; this is not necessary.
• Fresh or properly cooked cauliflower can be substituted for other sources of vitamin C and is tasty and inexpensive.
• Doctors advise cauliflower for many diseases: gastrointestinal tract, problems with the respiratory system, endocrine, genitourinary and others. It does not harm and has a beneficial effect on the body, as it contains many useful trace elements and is low.

So, how long to cook fresh cauliflower after boiling? As already mentioned before, 7 minutes is enough if you are going to use it in this form.

If you cook not on the stove, but using a double boiler or slow cooker, then the cooking time for cauliflower will take you 15 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. The result will taste the same as if you boiled cauliflower in a saucepan.

You don’t have to limit yourself to just boiling, there are many options for what you can do with cauliflower further to diversify your diet. The subsequent frying is the simplest of them, but far from the only one.

As you can see, cooking cauliflower is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. It does not require special culinary skills or knowledge of certain subtleties. Even those who do not like to cook and rarely do it, without having enough experience for gourmet dishes, will cope with this.

If you like boiled cauliflower, then in the future you can experiment and find more complex recipes, add other vegetables or meat. This will help diversify the diet, eat tasty and healthy, getting all the necessary trace elements from food, without taking additional vitamin complexes - especially important in winter.

Why is cauliflower considered the queen of vegetables, and the great writer Mark Twain called it the "highly educated" plant?

The product received this title due to its useful properties, pleasant appearance and excellent taste, which were appreciated by residents of different countries of the world.

Cauliflower is used in recipes for various dishes, both fresh and frozen. It is an essential part of a healthy diet.

At the same time, a frozen product is considered almost as valuable as a fresh one.

Beneficial features

• Cabbage is an excellent remedy for beriberi. A vegetable is a source of a huge number of beneficial minerals. By the amount of vitamin C, the plant is ahead of white cabbage and citrus fruits.
• Strengthens immunity.
• Useful for heart diseases: strengthens blood vessels and bone tissue, improves blood circulation.
• Useful for problems with the stomach, intestines, kidneys.
• Reduces blood cholesterol.
• Used to prevent cancer.
• An excellent tool for the fight against extra pounds.

How to buy a quality product

The value of a product depends entirely on its quality. When buying frozen cauliflower, be sure to check the expiration date. As a rule, it should not be more than two months.

In order to have a good look at the condition of vegetables, it is better to take them by weight or in a transparent bag. Cabbage florets should be medium in size and light in color.

The presence of ice and snow on them indicates that the product has been repeatedly thawed and frozen. It is not recommended to take such vegetables, since there is already little benefit from them.

Features of cooking frozen cauliflower

In recent years, the plant "with a higher education" has taken pride of place in cooking. Dishes from this vegetable are very appetizing, satisfying, healthy and also low-calorie.

It is recommended to cook cauliflower in the traditional way, as well as with the help of modern household appliances: a microwave oven, a slow cooker, a double boiler. Let's figure out how long it will take to cook a vegetable and what nuances of heat treatment of the product should be taken into account.

Traditional way of cooking vegetables

• Frozen cabbage is laid out on the bottom of the dish and poured with salted water.
• The pan is placed on the burner, turned on to the maximum.
• As soon as the water boils, the fire should be reduced by half.
• The end result depends on how much you cook vegetables. If you do not want porridge to turn out, then after boiling, hold the vegetables on the fire for about 15 minutes and turn them off.
• An important point: cook cauliflower without a lid. Otherwise, it will acquire an unpleasant yellow tint after cooking.

According to experts, it is right to cook vegetables in an enamel pan. Copper, iron or aluminum utensils are categorically not suitable, since vitamin C, in contact with it, can completely die.

Cooking cauliflower in the microwave

• A dish specially designed for this unit is taken, on the bottom of which the frozen inflorescences of the plant are laid.
• After that, pour enough water to hide the vegetables, and cover the container with a lid.
• Turn on the microwave at full power.
• How long does it take to complete the product? Approximately 7-9 minutes.
• Salting vegetables will be more correct after cooking.

Cooking cabbage in a slow cooker for a couple

The nutritional benefits of the finished product directly depend on how long the vegetable undergoes heat treatment. The more, the less vitamins remain.

• Frozen vegetables are placed in a special tray.
• The bowl of the household appliance is filled with the required amount of water.
• After installing the tray, the lid closes and the desired mode of operation of the multicooker is selected.
• Cauliflower should be cooked until cooked for at least half an hour.

• Less vitamins will die in a vegetable if it is put in a saucepan after boiling water.
• The product will remain snow-white after cooking if you add lemon juice or acid.
• Cabbage will be tastier if cooked with mineral water.

Try to minimize the time of thermal processing of the product. Such cabbage will bring the body the maximum possible benefit. When serving, it is recommended to sprinkle the dish with herbs and add fresh vegetables. Enjoy your meal!