Grandma's Cauliflower Cheese Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to stop cauliflower cheese from going watery? ›

Drain well

Make sure you drain the cauliflower really well after it's boiled up and before you add it to the dish, otherwise it will end up too watery.

Baking it, I find, has a tendency to overcook the cauliflower before the top browns. Adding the cheese sauce hot means there's no need for any further baking – the top will bubble and brown in minutes, before the cauliflower has time to soften any further.

How long can you keep Cauliflower Cheese in the fridge? Once you've put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours. If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Cauliflower Cheese in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

It can also be boiled (takes 5-10 mins for florets; around 10 mins for a whole cauliflower). For both cooking methods, test regularly with the tip of a knife to make sure they don't overcook.

“Salts such as sodium citrate and sodium hexametaphosphate are known in the cheese industry as melting salts. Their primary purpose is to swap sodium ions for calcium ions bound to the casein proteins in cheese. In doing so, they loosen these proteins and make them water-soluble.

The trick with cauliflower is: Don't cook it till is too soft. just 4 or 5 minutes but taste to be sure. then drain into a colander, (sieve with big holes) and leave to drain for a few minutes, asking every minute. tap dry with a little kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.

Undercooking It. Overcooking is bad, but undercooking cauliflower is an equally off-putting problem. "When making cauliflower steaks or roasting florets, if you don't roast it in the oven long enough it will be warm but still hard and unenjoyable to eat," says Michalczyk.

Baking soda is often used as a natural cleaning agent, and it can be used to brighten up your veggies too. Sprinkle a little in the water before boiling to prevent cauliflower from yellowing and make corn look more vibrant.

Those hard spots on your cheeses are dehydrated edges from not quite properly being stored. They have the appeal of trying to eat plastic, but would probably not harm you if you ate some of it.

It can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to cook. It is possible to freeze cauliflower cheese but unfortunately the sauce can sometimes turn thin and sligtly watery on defrosting, so we prefer not to freeze the dish if at all possible.

Can dogs eat cauliflower? ›

Yes, dogs can eat cauliflower in moderation, either raw or cooked. Cauliflower is a source of dietary fiber, vitamin K, and vitamin C for dogs. Some dogs may dislike the slightly bitter taste of cauliflower. Avoid cauliflower with seasonings or oils, as they can cause upset stomach.

If the florets are too crowded on the pan, they'll steam—not caramelize—in the oven.

Cauliflower heads should reach 6 to 8 inches in diameter before they are ready to harvest. The heads should be compact and firm. Heads may be smaller but already opening up and should therefore still be harvested. Course texture means the plant is over mature, and it should be pitched.

The colour of the vegetable will be whiter if little acid such as lime juice or vinegar is added during cooking. If the water in which cauliflower is cooked is slightly alkaline, it will have a distinctly yellow colour to it. They turn yellow or orange in the presence of alkali.

Cauliflower is an excellent blank canvas. You can steam or blanch it to keep its essential flavors intact, but by roasting or sautéing it, you can bring out its sweetness.

Wipe the cheese dry, wrap in parchment or wax paper and place in an airtight container. Store in your vegetable drawer or if you have one, the shelf compartment specifically designed for cheese. This is a more temperature stable area and cheese seems to last better when placed here.

"Be sure to give each floret a bit of room so that the they have space for airflow. I'd also recommend baking them on a silicone baking mat," says Blay. The edges will get much crispier than they would if you baked them on parchment paper.

The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

No need to worry – the liquid on the outside of your cheese is just excess moisture, or liquid whey. Wipe off your cheese with a napkin or paper towel and enjoy! It's common for naturally-aged cheeses to develop a small amount of moisture inside their packaging.