Cauliflower comes in many forms and in many colors! Instead of being known as the plainer version of broccoli, there are a lot of exciting ways to prepare cauliflower, but it all starts out with selecting a good one. This post is all about how to select and store cauliflower in order to be able to enjoy them to their fullest.
(This post is an excerpt from The Produce Nerd’s Grocery Guide, with input provided by Crystal Chavez from Gold Coast Packing. You can learn more about the Grocery Guide, which covers this information for 55 different produce items, with input from 26 crop-specific companies HERE.)
What to look for when picking the best quality cauliflower?
- You want to look for white florets or a white crown.
Common issues to avoid when selecting cauliflower?
- Avoid creamy coloring or brown spots.
Are there any common issues that are specifically caused by bad grocery store handling?
- If cauliflower has been handled improperly, either too cold or too warm, it will start to turn brown on the floret or on its ends. As it starts to decay, it will get mushy and turn brown.
What is the best way to store cauliflower at home?
- Cauliflower should be stored in the refrigerator in the veggie drawer. If you wash your product at home, make sure to dry well before storing.
Are there any common things that consumers should look for not mentioned above?
- Cauliflower does have an off odor. That does not mean it is bad or is starting to go bad, it just has a smell to it.
What is your favorite way to eat and prepare cauliflower?
- Cauliflower can be prepared in hundreds of ways and it is a culinary chameleon as it quickly picks up flavors that it is cooked alongside with. Roasted, Grilled, Raw or as a carb substitute, it is too hard to pick a favorite way to eat this cruciferous veg!
If you want to learn more about the harvesting, packing and processing steps that cauliflower goes through before reaching the grocery store, I recommend checking out the following posts:
- Cauliflower Harvest & Packing
- Cauliflower Processing: How Florets are Created
A note from The Produce Nerd: Don’t forget that you can also purchase different colored cauliflower as well! These same parameters follow for all other colors besides white, you will only want to make sure that the color remains consistent throughout the cauliflower head.
Also, if buying a whole head of cauliflower seems intimidating, you can always buy cauliflower florets (which are essentially broken down pieces that are ready to eat or to cook without having to cut them further) or cauliflower rice (either fresh or frozen). There are so many creative and innovative products that are coming out recently, that it is definitely worth paying attention to different ways that you can add cauliflower into your meals. My preferred method is to cook (heat up) frozen cauliflower rice with broccoli and add a meat and some avocado. Although broccoli and cauliflower are so similar, they sure do always seem to taste really good together!
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