How to Prepare Cauliflower Florets

June 15, 2009

This first time I tried to cook cauliflower (see my puréed Indian cauliflower soup) I butchered the cutting of the cauliflower.  I was cutting straight into the florets (the bumpy outside), creating a huge mess of broken pieces and crumbs.  Now this didn’t end up mattering, since the soup was puréed, but still, I looked like a total noob.

I needed intact florets for my tandoori-style roast chicken, however, I pulled out Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.  His book has great introductions to vegetables with tips and often illustrations on preparing them.

The key, I found, was getting underneath the florets to cut the numerous stems.

Think of cauliflower like a bush – it has a big middle stem at the bottom and a bunch of smaller branches that hold leaves on the end.  The leaves are the florets.

To get whole florets, you have to get beneath the leaves – the bumpy outside – and cut the stem underneath.  It is hardest for the first floret, since green leaves can hide the smaller stems.

After getting my first floret cut, digging underneath the leaves, it was a revelation seeing all the smaller stems. It is much easier cutting the rest once the first is removed.

So if you need pretty looking florets, flip your cauliflower head upside down, so the stem is facing up, and squeeze a paring knife in the space between a floret and the stem.  Cut the easiest smaller stem you see, then continue to cut the smaller stems to get florets (now much easier with one removed).

I know this is a lot of words for a minor thing, but it provided one of those “ah-ha, now I understand” moments when I was cooking, so hopefully it can help someone else.

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