Lovers of delicious food know that not always healthy meals delicious. But often this situation arises where we do not know how to properly prepare and cook a particular product. The same is true for cauliflower. How to cook cauliflower so that it becomes a worthy independent dish or ingredient delicious salads or side dishes?
Benefits of cauliflower
The first question that arises among housewives who bought a head of cabbage with white inflorescences is whether it is necessary to boil cauliflower? For such a vegetable to reveal all the facets of its delicate taste, it must be boiled in salted water. Firstly, it will soften, and secondly, it will become even juicier. Boiled cabbage can be used as:
- garnish or ingredient vegetable side dishes to meat;
- appetizer (fried in batter or without, braised cabbage becomes a great dish for breakfast or dinner);
- the basis of puree for infants, which introduces complementary foods;
- addition to meat, fish or vegetable salads;
- ingredient for canned vegetable salads.
Cauliflower gives tenderness and lightness to any dish, and also wonderfully decorates them with its white velvet inflorescences.
How to cook fresh cauliflower?
So that the cabbage does not lose its beneficial features, it must be properly boiled. The basic method of boiling is simple and straightforward.
Ingredients:
- head of cauliflower;
- water;
- salt (a pinch).
Cooking:
- We wash the cabbage under running water, sorting it into inflorescences.
- Place whisks in cold water in enamel pan, put on medium heat, bring to a boil, salt.
- To understand how much to cook cauliflower after boiling, you should periodically try its stems with a fork (if they are easily pierced, the cabbage is ready).
Usually the cooking time for inflorescences is 10 minutes, if you cook the whole head of cabbage - 15-20 minutes. The main thing is not to miss the time when the stems soften a little. Because, if you overdo it with heat treatment, you will see that the cabbage simply falls apart.
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 it takes 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? Roast the cauliflower for 7-10 minutes on each side until tender. 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?
Most popular recipe 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 into a deep frying pan vegetable oil and heat it on the stove, after which we carefully dip each cauliflower inflorescence in batter and put it on a preheated 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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You can cook in several ways. The traditional method of cooking is in a conventional pan. After boiling, the inflorescences are often used as additional ingredients to the main dishes, therefore, after being placed in boiling water, they are re-cooked in the form of roasting.
The nuances of cooking cauliflower:
- if you plan to cook cauliflower as preparatory phase its preparation, then it is not recommended to cook the ingredient (if you cook the inflorescences completely and then fry them, they can lose their shape and acquire the consistency of porridge);
- It is better to check the readiness of the inflorescences before the recommended cooking time has elapsed (sometimes cauliflower is cooked faster or, conversely, longer);
- you can cook cauliflower in a regular saucepan, pressure cooker, slow cooker or double boiler (it is better not to use a microwave, but in extreme cases you can cook cabbage in it);
- before cooking, cauliflower must be divided into inflorescences, washed and soaked for some time in lightly salted water (garbage will quickly float to the surface of the liquid and the inflorescences will become absolutely clean);
- it is not worth cooking and eating cauliflower with signs of decay (the taste of the dish will be spoiled, the inflorescences will have a too loose consistency, and eating them can be harmful to health);
- during the cooking process, the cauliflower may darken, so that this does not happen, it is recommended to add a small amount of table vinegar in the process of boiling the inflorescences (one tablespoon will be enough for a small saucepan);
- it is necessary to lay cauliflower in boiling and slightly salted water (if you put the inflorescences in cold water, then during the cooking process they can lose their shape and boil soft);
- cabbage should be boiled over medium heat (at minimum heat, the inflorescences will boil soft, and a strong fire will only speed up the boiling of the liquid);
- water when cooking cauliflower should be taken in such an amount that when the inflorescences are placed in it, they are almost completely immersed in it (when cooking in a slow cooker or microwave, the liquid should cover only half of the existing inflorescences);
- after cooking, the inflorescences are laid out in a colander so that all excess liquid flows out of them, after which the cauliflower can be eaten or used for cooking second courses.
When cooking in the microwave, cauliflower is not salted at the first stage of cooking. First, the inflorescences are washed, filled with water and placed in a special container for microwave oven. The microwave timer is set to 5 minutes. After this time, the workpiece must be salted and boiled again, but with a timer of 4 minutes. The readiness of cabbage is checked by evaluating its softness.
When cooking cauliflower in a slow cooker, the inflorescences are half filled with water and salted immediately. They are cooked in the "Steamer" or "Cooking" mode for 30 minutes. For steaming cauliflower, you can use a double boiler or a homemade design made from a metal colander and a saucepan. In the first case, the inflorescences are placed in a special compartment, the liquid is poured into a special container, and the usual cooking process is carried out. In the second version, the cauliflower is placed in a colander and placed in a pot of water so that the liquid does not touch the inflorescences. The duration of this process may vary. The readiness of the inflorescences is checked for softness with a knife or fork.
How long to cook cauliflower
On average, the cooking process in a conventional pan does not exceed 15 minutes. If the inflorescences are boiled for subsequent stewing or roasting, then this time should be reduced to 7 minutes. When using not a pan, but kitchen appliances, the process of cooking cauliflower will be different.
Cooking time for cauliflower in kitchen appliances:
- in a double boiler, inflorescences should be boiled for 30 minutes;
- in a slow cooker, cauliflower is cooked in 15 minutes;
- in the microwave, cauliflower is cooked in two stages, the total cooking time is 9 minutes;
- in a pressure cooker, cabbage reaches readiness in an average of 15-20 minutes.
Cooking times for fresh and frozen cauliflower are not too different. The difference will be about 2 minutes, and it is not necessary to defrost the inflorescences. They can be placed in water in any condition. If there is too much ice on them, then you need to wait until the cabbage thaws a little.
Cauliflower has always been grown in vegetable gardens and sold in the markets, but this particular vegetable was not in great demand. This type of cabbage has gained particular popularity in recent decades, because it was then that an increasing number of people began to adhere to the regimen. proper nutrition. After all, cauliflower has a low calorie content, but there are a huge amount of useful substances, trace elements and vitamins in its composition.
If the cauliflower is properly cooked, then even those who do not particularly like vegetable dishes. And for this, fresh cauliflower must first be boiled, and then it can be used as a side dish, snack, mashed potatoes for babies, and also for various salads.
How long to cook fresh cauliflower
The technology of cooking this vegetable is absolutely simple, but we should not forget that the taste of future dishes and the preservation of as much as possible useful substances will directly depend on the cooking time.
Before boiling cauliflower, its head is disassembled into inflorescences. They are cooked for about 10 minutes after boiling, and if the cabbage is then also fried, for example, in batter, the cooking process is reduced to 7 minutes. If you cook a whole head of cauliflower, then it will take at least 20 minutes. But here it is necessary to take into account the size - the larger the head of cabbage, the greater the time spent. Therefore, after 20 minutes of cooking, it is necessary to check the readiness by piercing the thick part of the stem: if it is easily pierced, then the cabbage is ready.
Today, “smart” kitchen appliances come to the aid of modern housewives, which help not only speed up the cooking process, but also preserve a large amount of useful substances in vegetables.
In a double boiler, cauliflower will be ready in 30 minutes, in a slow cooker this process will be reduced to 15 minutes, and when using a microwave oven, it takes only 7 minutes to cook this vegetable.
Fresh cauliflower cooking technology
Before you start cooking a vegetable, it must be cleaned of leaves, rinsed well and divided into inflorescences. To cook this type of cabbage, it is better to use a glass or enamel pan.
- Place cauliflower florets or a whole fork in a saucepan, pour in boiling water and lightly salt. You can add milk to the water to keep the color white.
- Put a container with cabbage on a strong fire, which, after boiling water, reduce. It is advisable not to cover the pan with a lid, otherwise the color of the cabbage will change - it will turn yellow.
- A whole head of cabbage should be boiled for about 20 minutes, and divided into inflorescences - 10 minutes.
- When the time set for cooking has expired, you need to test the readiness of the cauliflower with a fork or knife. If the thick part of the inflorescences is pierced easily, then the cabbage has already reached readiness.
- Using a slotted spoon or colander, take out the boiled vegetable on a dish.
Nuances to consider
Like any product, cauliflower has its own secrets, given which you can surprise your home with very tasty dishes.
- When buying this vegetable, you must carefully inspect the entire head of cabbage. It should be dense, the inflorescences should be whitish in color without putrefactive dark spots, and the leaves should be green and fresh. Also, an unpleasant odor should not come from cauliflower.
- The main wisdom that you should definitely remember is that cauliflower cannot be digested, otherwise you will get a soft and nasty substance.
- The process of cooking cauliflower is accompanied by a not very pleasant smell. To eliminate this, it is enough to lower a small cracker into the container where the cabbage is cooked.
- In order for the cauliflower to remain white during the cooking process, you need to add a little milk to the water (no more than 1-2 tablespoons).
- The taste of this vegetable will improve significantly if it is boiled in slightly sweetened water or mineral water is used for cooking.
- So that during the cooking process the cabbage does not acquire a yellowish-grayish color, the pan should not be covered with a lid.
- As soon as the cauliflower is cooked, it is advisable to immediately remove it from the broth with a slotted spoon. If it is left in water, it will spoil the taste of cabbage. But the broth where it was cooked, many housewives do not pour out, but use it for cooking vegetable soups and sauces.
- Cauliflower should be used with caution for those people who have an exacerbation of gastric and intestinal diseases, as well as kidney problems.
Recipe for cauliflower baked with cheese sauce
For this simple dish you will need:
- one kilogram head of cauliflower;
- a tablespoon of flour;
- 250 g of milk;
- 25 g butter;
- 100 g of hard cheese;
- salt;
- pepper.
Dismantled into separate inflorescences, boil the cauliflower for about 7-8 minutes. Throw away in a colander. Prepare the sauce, for which melt the butter in a saucepan, add flour to it, while not forgetting to mix the mixture thoroughly. Then slowly pour in the milk, still stirring the sauce. Warm it up well, remove from heat and add 2/3 of the grated cheese there.
Put the boiled inflorescences in a heat-resistant form and pour cheese sauce topped with the remaining cheese. Place the filled form in a well-heated oven and bake for about 25 minutes. This time will be quite enough for the dish to acquire an appetizing fried crust. Such cabbage is served hot to the table, and if desired, it can be poured with more sour cream.
Rating: (2 Votes)For cooking, choose vegetables without dark spots and damage. Cauliflower should be white or slightly yellowish., elastic, the leaves are not sluggish. The quality of raw materials plays a big role in the output: a dish of cabbage grown on its own will be as tasty and healthy as possible.
How to boil frozen inflorescences?
If a frozen product is to be boiled, take care of pre-defrosting. Don't wait for the vegetable to thaw quickly. As soon as large pieces of ice melt, you can safely start cooking.
FOR REFERENCE: It's okay if cauliflower straight from the freezer was dropped into the pan in a hurry or through inattention. In this case, you can simply increase the cooking time of the product. This will have no effect on palatability final dish. However, professionals recommend using fresh cabbage inflorescences.
How to properly process a non-frozen vegetable?
Before cooking, it is necessary to process the vegetable. For this it is recommended to soak the head of cabbage in salted water for five to seven minutes. This procedure is done to eliminate possible small insects. It happens that they are difficult to notice in inflorescences. Therefore, do not be lazy and spend extra time on additional processing of cabbage. Thus, the risk of finding unwanted guests in food will be reduced to zero.
What capacity to choose?
Any deep dishes are suitable for cooking: a ladle, a saucepan, a cauldron. It all depends on your personal preferences. You can cook cauliflower in the microwave and in the slow cooker. To do this, you need to use special containers designed for a particular device.
Cooking time for inflorescences after boiling - a step by step recipe
There are two ways of cooking: lay the disassembled inflorescences in boiling water or initially pour the vegetable with water and bring to a boil. In both cases, there should be enough water so that the entire volume of the product is completely covered with water.
Both methods are good for cooking. The difference is how long the cooking process takes. Culinary experience cabbage, filled with water and brought to a boil, cooks faster. Try both ways and find your favorite.
- If you are adding fresh food to already boiling water, the next step is to wait for it to boil.
- Approximately 15-20 minutes should pass from the moment of boiling.
When cooking in another way, as soon as the water boils, reduce the heat and cook for about 7-10 minutes. Do not forget to salt the water in which our vegetable will be cooked.
IMPORTANT: The cooking time of the inflorescences varies depending on the variety and quality of the cabbage. Always check the readiness of the product with a fork 3-5 minutes before turning it off, if you are guided by time.
Features of bringing the product to readiness in various dishes
For salads
Next, you should decide for what purposes the inflorescences are planned. If they are intended for salads, then the vegetable must be brought to full readiness. At the same time, the inflorescences are soft, retained their shape, do not fall apart.
Before frying or baking
When it is planned to cook a vegetable in a pan or in the oven, then the cabbage needs to be slightly undercooked. This is exactly the case when you need to turn off the fire 3-5 minutes before the end of cooking. Do not worry about the possible raw and unfinished product. Inflorescences in the future will pass one more heat treatment. Otherwise, you run the risk of falling apart cabbage porridge.
in the soup
The same situation is with cabbage intended for soups. If the vegetable is already almost cooked, it should be added 5-7 minutes before the end of cooking. soup. In the case when cabbage is the main element of the soup, you can cook it on the resulting vegetable broth without removing the cabbage from the pan. Then the cooking process will be faster than planned.
Having prepared the cabbage for making soup, calculate the bookmark of the remaining products so that the inflorescences do not boil in the pan. boiled vegetable will be ready in two to three minutes after boiling the soup. Take this time as a guideline for the sequence of laying cauliflower.
You can check the readiness of the vegetable with a fork, knife, toothpick as it is more convenient for the cook. The inflorescence should not fall apart from contact with a fork or knife, soft inside or slightly crispy, in case the vegetable will undergo further heat treatment.
Cauliflower - very affordable and delicious product. Thanks to this step by step instructions any culinary specialist will be able to properly prepare such a dietary and simple vegetable. Correct heat treatment any product plays an important role. Let's open little secret- if you want to keep the maximum energy value and cauliflower vitamins, put it in boiling water.
