How to boil cauliflower in the microwave. How long to cook cauliflower: recipes for fresh and frozen

24.06.2024

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How long to cook cauliflower: recipes for fresh and frozen

The British say: “The best bouquet for a woman is a colored head...

Food lovers know that healthy dishes are not always tasty. But often this situation arises where we do not know how to properly prepare and cook a particular product. This is true for cauliflower as well. How to cook cauliflower so that it becomes a worthy independent dish or an ingredient in delicious salads or side dishes?

The benefits of cauliflower

The first question that arises for housewives who have bought a head of cabbage with white inflorescences is whether to cook cauliflower? In order 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:

a side dish or ingredient in vegetable side dishes for meat;
appetizer (fried in batter or without, stewed cabbage makes an excellent dish for breakfast or dinner);
puree base for infants who are introduced to complementary foods;
addition to meat, fish or vegetable salads;
ingredient for canned vegetable salads.

Cauliflower adds tenderness and lightness to any dish, and also wonderfully decorates them with its white velvet inflorescences.

To prevent cabbage from losing its beneficial properties, it must be properly boiled. The basic method of boiling is simple and straightforward.

Ingredients:

a head of cauliflower;
water;
salt (pinch).

Preparation:

We wash the cabbage under running water, disassembling it into inflorescences.
Place the whisks in cold water in an enamel pan, put on medium heat, bring to a boil, add salt.
To understand how long to cook cauliflower after boiling, you should periodically taste its stems with a fork (if they are easily pierced, the cabbage is ready).

Usually the cooking time for the inflorescences is 10 minutes, if you cook the whole head of cabbage it takes 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 will simply fall apart.

How long does it take to cook cauliflower in the microwave?

If you prefer to cook in the microwave, you can boil the cabbage this way.

Ingredients:

a head of cauliflower, disassembled into inflorescences;
1 tbsp. l. water;
salt to taste.

Preparation:

Place the cabbage in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a lid.
Set the time to 3 minutes.
We take out the cabbage, salt it, turn it over.
Place in the microwave for another 5 minutes.

In a slow cooker, the cooking time will increase slightly, but in this case you can be sure that not a single vitamin will leave the product.

Ingredients:

cauliflower inflorescences;
salt.

Preparation:

Place the washed inflorescences in the multicooker bowl and add some salt.
Set the “Steam cooking” mode for 20 minutes. The cabbage is ready.

Boil frozen vegetables

Frozen cauliflower is no more difficult to cook than fresh cauliflower. Only add 5-7 minutes to the cooking time. And to speed up the process, you need to place the inflorescences with the stems down - this way they will boil faster. The same rule applies if a whole head of cabbage is boiled. But, in any case, if the cauliflower is frozen, then you do not need to defrost it first, otherwise it will darken and take on an unappetizing appearance.

Culinary secrets

A properly cooked vegetable is half the success of a dish. That's why it's useful to consider some tips from professional chefs:

the head of cabbage should be without dark spots, surrounded by soft green leaves;
Cauliflower can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week;
to preserve the white color during cooking, you can add 1 tsp. Sahara;
if the smell of the vegetable is unpleasant, then after boiling you can add a piece of white bread to the water;
To prevent the cabbage from turning yellow during cooking, the pan does not need to be covered with a lid;
lovers of interesting flavor combinations can boil the vegetable in mineral water.

Before you start cooking a healthy vegetable, you need to know how to cook cauliflower. For the sake of an excellent final result, it is still worth spending 15-20 minutes on preliminary preparation of the inflorescences. Then any dish with cabbage will become even tastier and healthier.

A lot has been said and written about the benefits of cauliflower. And yet, not everyone likes the taste of this vegetable. This is due to the fact that many people do not know how to cook it correctly, in particular, how long to cook cauliflower before frying or stewing. But, having done everything according to the rules, you can be sure that the dish will turn out very tasty.

Should you boil cabbage before frying?

Most often, cauliflower is fried. However, few people adhere to the recipe and boil the vegetable before cooking. Meanwhile, only after the cabbage inflorescences undergo heat treatment in boiling water do they become soft and juicy. And the frying time is reduced to 4-5 minutes. Many housewives do not boil the vegetable because they want to reduce the cooking time, but this is because they do not know how long to cook cauliflower before frying.

To make cauliflower a tender and airy dish, it should be properly prepared, that is, boiled. The best way to do this is to use an enamel pan and a minimum of additives.

Ingredients:

a head of cauliflower;
salt;
water.

Preparation:

Wash the head of cabbage thoroughly, tearing off the green leaves.
We cut off the thick stem and disassemble the head of cabbage into inflorescences.
Wash the inflorescences again.
Place the pieces in an enamel pan with the stems down.
Fill with water so that the cabbage is completely covered and place on medium heat.
After boiling, add salt and reduce heat.
Cook for another 10 minutes (if we boil a whole head of cabbage, increase the time to 20-25 minutes).

Thus, having made the calculations, it is not difficult to answer the question of how many minutes to cook cauliflower before frying. In a saucepan, cooking time is 10 minutes after boiling, in a slow cooker - 20 minutes. In the latter case, there is no need to add water. Just select the “Steam treatment” mode.

During the boiling process, the smell and part of the bitterness disappear from the cabbage. Especially if after boiling you add a piece of white bread or a bun. But if you plan to fry the cabbage in breadcrumbs, then a slight bitterness will add piquancy to the dish. By the way, it turns out no less tasty if you fry cabbage inflorescences in flour batter with egg.

Read also:

Deliciously fried cauliflower is a wonderful side dish or an independent dish that cooks quickly. But do not neglect the recommendations for preparing vegetables for frying.

When choosing a head of cauliflower, carefully inspect it for dark spots - this is a sign of spoilage of the vegetable.
A bunch of fresh cabbage inflorescences must be chosen with whole green leaves - this is an indicator of freshness.
If you use frozen cauliflower for cooking, you do not need to defrost it before cooking. Vegetable inflorescences are immersed in cold water and cooked in the same way as fresh ones, only you can add 5-7 minutes to the boiling time.
Before frying the inflorescences, they need to be boiled and slightly salted.
If you like original aftertastes, then during the cooking process you can pepper the cabbage or add any other spices at your discretion. The boiling time will not allow the product to become heavily saturated with foreign tastes and odors, but some new flavor notes will still appear.
Some cauliflower fans advise boiling the vegetable in milk with a minimum percentage of fat content. But in this case, the cabbage should not boil for longer than 5 minutes, since the milk further softens it.
To check the cabbage is done, pierce the stem with a knife. However, it is worth considering that frying will add additional cooking time, so it is better to boil the vegetable until half cooked. Then, after frying, the inflorescences will retain their elasticity and will not fall apart.

Cauliflower is a very healthy product that, when properly prepared, is also very tasty. Many people don’t like it, but most likely the reason is that not everyone can prepare it in such a way as to simultaneously preserve both its properties and taste.

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

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

The simplest 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 do not want to allow the inflorescences to darken

How to choose cabbage?

Fresh cauliflower should be white and firm. The presence of spots on the leaves is unacceptable, and the yellow color indicates that it has been lying on the counter for a long time and has lost its taste. Withered leaves and inflorescences indicate the same thing.

If you want to purchase a frozen product, then pay attention to the packaging: if it is transparent, then all the shortcomings can be noticed in the store. If not, then you can only rely on the expiration date and your trust in the manufacturer. The required degree of maturity is indicated by the size and color of the inflorescences: they should be of medium size and light, darkening indicates deterioration.

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

When frozen, cauliflower loses some of its beneficial 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 the unnecessary leaves and head of cabbage.

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

Cabbage is spoiled not only if it has rot, it can also be “sick”: this is indicated by characteristic spots.

How to cook?

Usually, dislike for this product is explained by failures in its preparation. The taste of the dish and its taste properties depend on how long to cook the cauliflower after boiling. If you undercook it, it will turn out tough; if you overcook it, 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 slightly differently. Let's consider both options.

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

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

It is not advisable to cover with a lid, otherwise yellowness will appear. Once ready, immediately place the cabbage on a plate, otherwise it will turn into an unappetizing jelly.

Thus, the process can be divided into stages:

A saucepan with salted water is placed on the fire;
The head of cabbage is processed, the necessary is separated from the excess;
Selected and washed inflorescences are placed in boiling water;
Boil water with cabbage for 15 minutes until cooked or for 7 minutes before frying;

The finished product is placed on a plate to avoid overcooking.

Frozen cabbage does not need to be thawed; just put it in boiling salted water and then cook it in the same way as fresh cabbage.

The steps are roughly the same:

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

Tricks

Let's look at a few little secrets when cooking cauliflower:

You shouldn’t pour a lot of water; it’s better to get a tasty, nutritious broth than excess liquid that will have to be drained.
If you first cut the buds crosswise, they will cook faster.
For baby food, it is better to leave the pan further away from the heat to make it softer.
To avoid yellowing and loss of taste, do not cover the cabbage with a lid; this is not necessary.
Fresh cauliflower or properly cooked cauliflower can be used to replace other sources of vitamin C - it's tasty and inexpensive.
Doctors recommend cauliflower for many diseases: gastrointestinal tract, problems with the respiratory system, endocrine, genitourinary and others. It does not cause harm and has a beneficial effect on the body, as it contains many useful microelements and is low.

So, how long should you cook fresh cauliflower after boiling? As we have already written before, 7 minutes is enough if you are going to consume it in this form.

If you cook not on the stove, but using a double boiler or multicooker, 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 to further diversify your diet. Subsequent frying is the simplest of them, but far from the only one.

As you can see, cooking cauliflower is not as difficult a task as it might seem at first glance. This does not require special culinary skills or knowledge of certain subtleties. Even those who don’t like to cook and do it rarely, without having enough experience for gourmet dishes, can 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 your diet, eat tasty and healthy, getting all the necessary microelements from food, without taking additional vitamin complexes - especially important in winter.

A lot has been said and written about the benefits of cauliflower. And yet, not everyone likes the taste of this vegetable. This is due to the fact that many people do not know how to cook it correctly, in particular, how long to cook cauliflower before frying or stewing. But, having done everything according to the rules, you can be sure that the dish will turn out very tasty.

Should you boil cabbage before frying?

To make cauliflower a tender and airy dish, it should be properly prepared, that is, boiled. The best way to do this is to use an enamel pan and a minimum of additives.

Ingredients:

a head of cauliflower;
salt;
water.

Preparation:

Wash the head of cabbage thoroughly, tearing off the green leaves.
We cut off the thick stem and disassemble the head of cabbage into inflorescences.
Wash the inflorescences again.
Place the pieces in an enamel pan with the stems down.
Fill with water so that the cabbage is completely covered and place on medium heat.
After boiling, add salt and reduce heat.
Cook for another 10 minutes (if we boil a whole head of cabbage, increase the time to 20-25 minutes).

During the boiling process, the smell and part of the bitterness are removed from the cabbage. Especially if after boiling you add a piece of white bread or a bun. But if you plan to fry the cabbage in breadcrumbs, then a slight bitterness will add piquancy to the dish. By the way, it turns out no less tasty if you fry cabbage inflorescences in flour batter with egg.

Deliciously fried cauliflower is a wonderful side dish or an independent dish that cooks quickly. But do not neglect the recommendations for preparing vegetables for frying.

When choosing a head of cauliflower, carefully inspect it for dark spots - this is a sign of spoilage of the vegetable.
A bunch of fresh cabbage inflorescences must be chosen with whole green leaves - this is an indicator of freshness.
If you use frozen cauliflower for cooking, you do not need to defrost it before cooking. Vegetable inflorescences are immersed in cold water and cooked in the same way as fresh ones, only you can add 5-7 minutes to the boiling time.
Before frying the inflorescences, they need to be boiled and slightly salted.
If you like original aftertastes, then during the cooking process you can pepper the cabbage or add any other spices at your discretion. The boiling time will not allow the product to become heavily saturated with foreign tastes and odors, but some new flavor notes will still appear.
Some cauliflower fans advise boiling the vegetable in milk with a minimum percentage of fat content. But in this case, the cabbage should not boil for longer than 5 minutes, since the milk further softens it.
To check the cabbage is done, pierce the stem with a knife. However, it is worth considering that frying will add additional cooking time, so it is better to boil the vegetable until half cooked. Then, after frying, the inflorescences will retain their elasticity and will not fall apart.

Knowing how long to cook cauliflower before frying can speed up the roasting process. And, of course, to achieve maximum flavor of the healthy vegetable. The dish only benefits from pre-boiling, as it becomes softer and juicier. At the same time, in the process it can be enriched with new flavor notes if desired.

Should you boil cabbage before frying?

How to cook fresh cauliflower before frying?

To make cauliflower a tender and airy dish, it should be properly prepared, that is, boiled. The best way to do this is to use an enamel pan and a minimum of additives.

Ingredients:

a head of cauliflower;
salt;
water.

Preparation:

Wash the head of cabbage thoroughly, tearing off the green leaves.
We cut off the thick stem and disassemble the head of cabbage into inflorescences.
Wash the inflorescences again.
Place the pieces in an enamel pan with the stems down.
Fill with water so that the cabbage is completely covered and place on medium heat.
After boiling, add salt and reduce heat.
Cook for another 10 minutes (if we boil a whole head of cabbage, increase the time to 20-25 minutes).