Roasted Cauliflower

[Toliver]

How do you reheat it? I have always found that it is a pale imitation of its freshly roasted glory when I try to use leftovers.

Success! Well, about 90%-95% success.

I had a lot of leftover roasted cauliflower to experiment with but I think I may have stumbled across a winning method the first time out.

When you think about it, oven roasted cauliflower is really oven-frying. You can roast the cauliflower without the oil but I don't think you'd get the lovely browned bits without it (it'll turn golden in color but it won't have the browned bits).

So I got out my trusty Calphalon non-stick 12" skillet.

The goals were to 1) thoroughly reheat the cauliflower and 2) try to revive it back to its initial glory/flavor like when it was roasted for the first time.

The leftovers always seem to have a little bit of oil at the bottom of the storage dish so I didn't add any oil to the skillet. I stirred up the leftovers in the storage bowl and then I filled most of the skillet with the leftover cauliflower. If you fill the skillet too much, you'll end up steaming it, not frying it.

I set the stove burner to somewhere from med-high to high. I reasoned that the high heat would help recrisp the cauliflower.

While the end result wasn't exactly like the original roasting, it was pretty darn close. If you don't have enough oil coating the pieces for the reheat, you could always add some to the skillet before putting the leftover cauliflower in it.

Another tip for the reheat is to make sure you don't have large florets. Slice them in half if you have to. This will help them heat through better.

The reheat kind of reminded me of wok cooking, where it's over a high heat and you stir the food alot. I was afraid of just leaving it sit on the high heat so I kept flipping the pieces over with a large spatula. Next time, I think I'll let them sit a little bit before flipping.

I would hope someone else will try this and see if you get similar results.

[Toliver]

Is this the season for cauliflower? I spotted huge heads of it at my local grocery store. Not thinking properly, I bought a huge head and after cutting it up I couldn't fit it all on a cookie sheet. I'd say I still have a third of it in my refrigerator, waiting to be roasted. My roasting pan overfloweth!

[Alex]

Yes, it's definitely the season. In fact, this coming weekend is the eighth anniversary of the first Heartland Gathering, which inspired this thread.

[FrogPrincesse]

I ended up with two heads of cauliflower last week, so I roasted one of them whole and drenched it in butter. It took about 90 minutes.

Recipe here. I had to lower the temperature for the last 45 minutes so the cauliflower would not burn.

[Chris Amirault]

This classic topic needs to come back from the archive regularly. 

 

Cauliflower florets tossed with olive oil, salt, and homemade ras al hanout, roasted until brown, and then sprayed with a bit of lemon juice is one of the greatest things in the world. 

[FauxPas]

I made this version of whole roasted cauliflower recently and we really enjoyed it:

 

http://www.purewow.com/entry_detail/recipe/8821/Forget-florets--roast-the-whole-damn-cauliflower.htm

 

The yogurt and spices make a tasty coating. 

Edited March 2, 2014 by FauxPas (log)

[Alex]

Now here's something you don't see (or taste) every day: Roasted Cauliflower Sandwich (at one of Mike Isabella's places in DC).

 

 

The cauliflower is roasted to the brink of char and topped with salty, fried shishito peppers, blackened whole scallion stalks, mouth-puckering pickled shallots and an array of fresh herbs including mint and sprigs of dill.

[MetsFan5]

I tried this recipe last weekend. I think a few things made it almost awesome,but not quite:

- my oven temperature needs to be calibrated.

- I didn't slice the cauliflower thinly, I just broke off florets. How would one go about cutting a head of cauliflower relatively thinly?

- I washed the cauliflower and it seems I didn't allow for enough time for it to completely dry.

- I got a bit slap happy with the oil once the cauliflower was on the cookie sheet. A bit too oily.

The smaller pieces were pure perfection, crispy, caramelized, just shockingly good. My husband and I kept snatching up the tiny browned bits. Better than popcorn.

It also took longer than anticipated. Does anyone have any other tips? I just got another head and really want all of it to be as amazing as the smaller pieces.

[heidih]

I am not being snippy really! - but you have 14 pages of experience - they gave you no help?

[MetsFan5]

I am not being snippy really! - but you have 14 pages of experience - they gave you no help?

Well i don't have a mandolin slicer so I'm not really seeing exactly how to slice a crumbly head of cauliflower into thin slices without making a mess of the whole thing. But I can use google. They probably have more images.

Also, while they gave me help, to the point where I tried and was halfway successful, the temperatures and times are widely varied.

I'm not dumb but I'm not exactly an experienced home cook. I don't know how to take that comment except being snippy. I read all 14 pages prior to my last attempt. I thought the purpose of this place was one for suggestions and help.

Edited July 30, 2015 by MetsFan5 (log)

[Deryn]

I tried this recipe last weekend. I think a few things made it almost awesome,but not quite:

- my oven temperature needs to be calibrated.

- I didn't slice the cauliflower thinly, I just broke off florets. How would one go about cutting a head of cauliflower relatively thinly?

- I washed the cauliflower and it seems I didn't allow for enough time for it to completely dry.

- I got a bit slap happy with the oil once the cauliflower was on the cookie sheet. A bit too oily.

The smaller pieces were pure perfection, crispy, caramelized, just shockingly good. My husband and I kept snatching up the tiny browned bits. Better than popcorn.

It also took longer than anticipated. Does anyone have any other tips? I just got another head and really want all of it to be as amazing as the smaller pieces.

Exactly which recipe is 'this recipe'?

 

If you don't have a mandolin, try cutting the head of cauliflower in half from top to bottom through the stem so you have a large flat surface to set it on and then just slice as thinly as you can (again from top to bottom). Yes, there will be small bits that crumble off - but the small bits are the ones you say you enjoyed the most so that sounds perfect to me and the rest should be much thinner than any floret would be.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

MetsFan5,

 

The way I enjoy roasted cauliflower is to just wash the head, turn stem down and shake like crazy over the sink, then turn stem up and vigorously shake dry again.  Pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towel, then set it on the counter stem down for 10 or 15 minutes while the oven preheats.

 

When it's drained and air dried, take it and set it stem down on the cutting board. If the head's unstable, you may want to trim off a bit of the stem so it's flush with the rest of the head. Slice top to bottom of the head (perpendicular to board) with a good knife a quarter inch or less if you can manage it, starting from one side of the head. Slice off one side, Then rotate the head, and slice off the other, so you have something more solid to hold onto, then slice the middle. This results in mostly crumbles on the sides and gets less and less crumbly toward the center where you'll get some whole head-sized "steaks". The crumbles are messy, but those are the brown popcorny bits you are after, so these are A-okay.

 

Then I take the slices, pop them into a large recycled produce bag, pour in a bit of olive oil, and shake real good again. First I make sure there's air in there, so the pieces can move freely. Then I get the air out, and sort of massage them in the bag, to make sure those that may have gotten stuck together get their share of oil, and it takes less oil than you may think. I use 2-3 Tbsp, depending on size of head, and it's a gracious plenty.

 

I dump these out divided on two cookie sheets for a whole head. I try to distribute the small crumbles to the center of the sheets and the steaks and larger pieces, stem side out, to the edges of the pan where they get more heat at least in my conventional oven. Then lightly salt and pepper on one side. Again this takes much less than one may think because the cauliflower is going to dehydrate and shrink in the oven. I over salted the first time.

 

Bake, and set the timer every fifteen minutes, take out and flip the pieces, rotating pans, til golden and delicious with some blackened bits.

 

I learned all this from this thread somewhere that took me days to read, but the above condensed info was critical for transforming a vegetable I don't care for much otherwise into something craveable. It's now part of my rotation whenever I spot a nice cauliflower in a store. People have compared it to french fries, and who doesn't love french fries? Or popcorn? 

[BeeZee]

Thanks for the Crepes gives a great tip, which I do also, about putting the larger/stemmy pieces at the perimeter of the baking sheet. Another thing, when you reduce the amount of oil actually coating the cauliflower, is that I like to actually lightly oil the baking sheet also. Non-stick is even better - I have a dark one and it works especially well because it's dark. When I use a light pan and a dark pan at the same time, the difference in cooking time is noticeable.

[Alex]

I've found that small-ish florets roast up just fine; no need to do the extra-thin slicing.

[Paul Bacino]

we have been wrapping in foil..  a bit of Oil , touch of water and a bit of salt and on the grill!!

[Toliver]

Well i don't have a mandolin slicer so I'm not really seeing exactly how to slice a crumbly head of cauliflower into thin slices without making a mess of the whole thing...

I am sure I've posted this before in this discussion, but when I first started roasting cauliflower, I would take a large chef's knife (about 8 to 10 inches long) and slice the cauliflower. The slices would usually be no thinner than a quarter of an inch or so. Visually, it looked like slices/cross sections of a brain. 

The problem with this method is that even though you get maximum surface contact with the baking sheet with the slices (so nice browning), you lose out on baking sheet "real estate". Only so many slices of cauliflower will fit on a baking sheet using this method...which is why I would sometimes use two baking sheets for roasting the slices. Looking back, I should have cut the "brain" slices into strips, thus making "french fry"-type pieces.

The little bits of brown roasted cauliflower were dubbed "kibbles" by eGullet member Fifi, may she rest in peace and they are delicious. So don't worry about your cauliflower crumbling...they're future "kibble bits"!

 

What you will find with this "recipe" (and all of its variations) is that with the higher roasting temps (400°F for 20 minutes, flipping the pieces at the 10 minute mark), you'll get more of the browned bits. But if you use a slower oven (350°F for a half hour or even longer, flipping the pieces at the 15 or 20 minute mark), your roasting time will increase a short bit but you will get a lovely golden roasted cauliflower which may not have the browned bits a hotter oven will give you but is still quite delicious. I enjoy both methods.

 

[cyalexa]

I tried this recipe last weekend. I think a few things made it almost awesome,but not quite:

- my oven temperature needs to be calibrated.

- I didn't slice the cauliflower thinly, I just broke off florets. How would one go about cutting a head of cauliflower relatively thinly?

- I washed the cauliflower and it seems I didn't allow for enough time for it to completely dry.

- I got a bit slap happy with the oil once the cauliflower was on the cookie sheet. A bit too oily.

The smaller pieces were pure perfection, crispy, caramelized, just shockingly good. My husband and I kept snatching up the tiny browned bits. Better than popcorn.

It also took longer than anticipated. Does anyone have any other tips? I just got another head and really want all of it to be as amazing as the smaller pieces.

Many others have addressed the slicing issue. Re. the water issue, I frequently use my salad spinner to rinse and dry both broccoli and cauliflower. 

[Toliver]

Many others have addressed the slicing issue. Re. the water issue, I frequently use my salad spinner to rinse and dry both broccoli and cauliflower. 

Perhaps an SSB  will weigh in on this issue, but if I use olive oil on my cut up cauliflower before roasting it, won't it displace the water? I'm not talking about broccoli since it's bound to get into every crevice of the florets, but cauliflower is a little more streamlined, so to speak, with less places for the water to hide and cling. I'm just curious.

 

[MetsFan5]

Not so successful yet again. I'm so really confused as to why pieces browned up nicely yet were soggy. I dried the heads for a half hour, shook them vigorously, and used less than 2tbsp of olive oil. The oven was at 350 and I kept switching the sides, flipping the cauliflower and after over an hour, after picking at bits, this is what I got, after cranking the heat to 450 for 5 minutes.

Luckily, the dog likes it. Some parts were, okay but not great. Most of the head crumbled badly. I have the other half, which is smaller pieces in my mixing bowl (I wanted to try one tray at a time) Nx have no idea what, if anything, to do with it. Sometimes I think I should just stick with what I know.

[Alex]

Not so successful yet again. I'm so really confused as to why pieces browned up nicely yet were soggy. I dried the heads for a half hour, shook them vigorously, and used less than 2tbsp of olive oil. The oven was at 350 and I kept switching the sides, flipping the cauliflower and after over an hour, after picking at bits, this is what I got, after cranking the heat to 450 for 5 minutes.

Luckily, the dog likes it. Some parts were, okay but not great. Most of the head crumbled badly. I have the other half, which is smaller pieces in my mixing bowl (I wanted to try one tray at a time) Nx have no idea what, if anything, to do with it. Sometimes I think I should just stick with what I know.

 

Some folks like those very dark small bits; I'm not one of them. My smallest pieces are about the size of the largest ones in your picture. À chacun son goût, I guess. However, that doesn't address your sogginess problem.

 

Two thoughts: Have you considered not washing it first? A crumbling head of cauli is probably past its prime; I'd try to find a fresher one. I don't know if that would contribute to the sogginess, but, as I said, it's just a thought.

 

Other thoughts:

 

Rather than slicing it across, I core it mercilessly from the bottom, then continue separating it into florets.

 

Is your oven temp accurate?

[MetsFan5]

Some folks like those very dark small bits; I'm not one of them. My smallest pieces are about the size of the largest ones in your picture. À chacun son goût, I guess. However, that doesn't address your sogginess problem.

 

Two thoughts: Have you considered not washing it first? A crumbling head of cauli is probably past its prime; I'd try to find a fresher one. I don't know if that would contribute to the sogginess, but, as I said, it's just a thought.

 

Other thoughts:

 

Rather than slicing it across, I core it mercilessly from the bottom, then continue separating it into florets.

 

Is your oven temp accurate?

Actually, after testing the temperature after over an hour of having the cauliflower in, the temp turned out to be 412 and not 350 which is even more baffling. While I need to call my contractor who installed my ovens (he's on vacation for a month)- I will buy a cheap oven thermometer.

[MetsFan5]

Also, should I just toss the bowl of olive oil coated smaller bits and try again or is it worth saving and shoving in the fridge to try again tomorrow?

[MetsFan5]

we have been wrapping in foil..  a bit of Oil , touch of water and a bit of salt and on the grill!!

This is a must try on the BGE.

[Alex]

Also, should I just toss the bowl of olive oil coated smaller bits and try again or is it worth saving and shoving in the fridge to try again tomorrow?

 

I couldn't tell you about re-roasting, as there's never been any left over.

 

Re your oven temp, 412F is actually better for this task than 350. I've always used 400.

 

Are you OK with not washing it, even once, just to see if that's made the difference? Also, as I mentioned earlier, try to use a very fresh head of cauli. Is there a farmers market near you?

[gfweb]

I roast it uncovered and oiled. Never gets truly crisp though.