Getting Started with Cauliflower
Here are a few tips about what to look for when shopping for cauliflower and the best way to store it for maximum freshness.
Purchasing
Cauliflower is readily available year-round, though it’s at its best in the fall and winter. Buy heads of cauliflower with tight, firm florets without any discoloration.
Storage
You can store cauliflower and romanesco in the packaging they come in, but for longer life, transfer them to a loosely closed plastic produce bag in the refrigerator with paper towels wrapped around them. They should keep for a week or longer.
Cooking Tip
When cooking cauliflower, the key is not to cook it in a lot of liquid since it is a very porous vegetable. It is best to steam or roast cauliflower. (Unless you're making soup, of course!)
The Silky Side of Cauliflower
How much a vegetable breaks down when it is cooked and pureed depends largely on one thing: fiber. All vegetables contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble breaks down fully during cooking, but the insoluble does not. Cauliflower is very low in fiber overall, and only half of that fiber is insoluble. This means that we can easily puree cauliflower into a super creamy cauliflower soup (or sauce...or side dish).
