You can pick your own cauliflower or buy it from a farmer’s market for optimum freshness. Avoid freezing very large heads or heads that have already been stored at room temperature for awhile.
If you prefer, you can cut the cauliflower into larger or smaller pieces. Think ahead about what you might make with the cauliflower when you’re deciding how to cut it. If you anticipate using it to make cauliflower soup, it doesn’t matter whether the pieces are uniform, since they’ll be pureed. If you’re going to use it to make a roasted cauliflower side dish, you might want to make the pieces more uniform for a prettier presentation.
Neglecting to blanch the cauliflower before freezing it will probably result in mushy, discolored cauliflower when you thaw it later. It’s worth the effort to blanch it first.
If you use freezer bags, try to squeeze out most of the air before sealing them. This will help preserve the cauliflower for a longer amount of time. You can also use a straw to suck out the excess air, then press the bag closed when you remove the straw. A foodsaver device or vacuum sealer work well for freezing large amounts of food.
Cauliflower Soup Cauliflower Gratin Cauliflower Curry
