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head of cauliflower quartered sitting on a wooden cutting board

How to Cut Cauliflower: Florets or Steaks

  • Author: Alex Aldeborgh
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cauliflower 1x
  • Category: main dish
  • Method: no cook
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

In this post, learn how to cut a head of cauliflower into florets or steaks with ease. You can then use the cauliflower florets or steaks for roasting, steaming, grilling, or more! All you need is a good chef’s knife, a cutting board, and a few minutes of time.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 head of cauliflower


Instructions

Cauliflower florets

  1. Remove the large leaves from the core using your hands or a small knife.
  2. Cut the cauliflower in half, through the core. Then cut each half in half, making four quarters.
  3. Make a 45° angle cut up into the cauliflower at the core on each side, so the core is easily removed.

Steps of cutting a cauliflower: cauliflower cut in half, then in quarters, then hands cutting the core out of a quarter

  1. Cut off any remaining leaves and core using a knife.
  2. Use your hands to easily break the large pieces of cauliflower into their naturally occurring florets.
  3. You can then cut the larger florets into smaller, more evenly sized pieces with a knife.
    Steps of cutting cauliflower into florets: breaking large piece of cauliflower apart, cutting a piece of cauliflower in half, cauliflower florets on a wooden cutting board

Cauliflower steaks

  1. Rip off with your hands, or cut off with a knife the large leaves on the head of cauliflower.
  2. Cut off the protruding piece of core, leaving a flat surface made from the core.

  3. Place the head of cauliflower solidly on a cutting board, core side down.

  4. Cut the cauliflower in half through the core.

  5. Prop one of the cauliflower halves up, core side down. Starting with the cut side, slice it into 2-3 steaks, about 1 inch thick each. Repeat with the other half.
    Steps of cutting cauliflower steaks: cauliflower with leaves removed, cauliflower cut in half, cauliflower half cut into a sliced steak

Notes

How to store cauliflower florets and steaks

If you’d like, you can cut cauliflower a few days in advance of cooking. Cut cauliflower keeps well in the fridge for up to three days.

Store raw cauliflower florets and steaks in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you are storing cauliflower in a baggie, squeeze out as much air as possible from the baggie to avoid oxidation.

Can you freeze cauliflower?

Yes! You can freeze cauliflower florets for later use. After cutting cauliflower into florets, here’s how to freeze it:

  • Blanch cauliflower florets in boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
  • Strain the cauliflower from the ice water and pat dry to remove excess moisture.
  • Arrange cauliflower florets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, being sure not to let any of the florets touch. Freeze for 2 hours. This prevents the florets from clumping together when frozen.
  • Transfer the pre-frozen florets to a freezer-safe bag or storage container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Keywords: cauliflower florets, cauliflower steaks, how to cut cauliflower, how to cut cauliflower into florets, how to cut cauliflower steaks