Freezing Cauliflower

I am the only one in my family that likes cauliflower.  When I make it, everyone grimaces through the dinner and they let me know with moans and grumbles, pleas and tears, that I am inflicting the worst of tortures upon them.  I, on the other hand, LOVE cauliflower.  I love it pickled, boiled, mashed, grilled; you cook it, I will eat it.

This is the fresh head of cauliflower I bought at Northern Farms, and I have frozen three bags of individual servings.  I am not sharing any of this with the rest of the family, they can have the green beans.  Freezing cauliflower is pretty simple, but it is one of the veggies that should be blanched before it is frozen.  The reason for blanching is to stop the enzymes that will break down and discolor the cauliflower, even when it is frozen.  There are a few articles out there on the net that say you can freeze cauliflower without blanching, but they do warn you that the cauliflower will degrade due to the enzymes.  I prefer to blanch it.

Before blanching, cut up the cauliflower into it's individual flowerettes, about 1 inch pieces, and rinse well, cutting any bad parts out.

While you are cutting up your cauliflower, set a pot of salted water to boil.  Make sure the pot is big enough, with enough water, to submerge the cauliflower.  Once the water is boiling, dump all your cauliflower into the pot, making sure to not splash water all over.  I prefer to blanch for about 1 - 2 minutes, any longer and the cauliflower gets too soft.  Other sites on the net suggest different times, anywhere between 1 and 5 minutes.  This is up to you and your preference in how soft you like your cauliflower.

Once the cauliflower is done blanching, immediately dump in a strainer, and run COLD water over the veggies to stop the cooking process as fast as possible.  You can also plunge them in a bowl of ice water.  Once the cauliflower is completely drained, and as dry as possible, place it in your freezer bags.  I prefer to use my vacuum bags.  Please check out my post "Freezing Your Produce" for more on vacuum sealing for your freezer.

When you are ready to eat your cauliflower, your frozen cauliflower can be heated by boiling, adding to soups, sauteing with onions in a bit of butter, or if you are in a hurry, microwaving.  Any way you cook it, it is delicious!