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Boiled Cauliflower

A boiled cauliflower served with melted butter or a cream dressing.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Boiled Cauliflower

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Trim off the decayed outer leaves of the cauliflower and cut the stalk flat at the bottom.

  2. Open the flower slightly to remove any insects, then soak the cauliflower head down in saltwater for 2 hours.

Cook and serve

  1. Bring the salted water to a boil in a saucepan.

  2. Add the cauliflower to the boiling water and cook uncovered until tender, skimming the water as needed.

  3. Drain the cauliflower and place it upright in a dish.

  4. Serve with melted butter or a cream dressing.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Cauliflower
The main vegetable, which softens and becomes tender as it cooks in boiling water.

The step that matters

Cooking until tender. Cauliflower goes from firm to soft within a short time. Overcooking breaks down its cell walls, leaving it mushy and watery, while undercooking leaves the stalk firm and raw-tasting. Check the stalk with a knife tip during cooking.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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