Kitchen Confidence
How to Floret Broccoli and Cauliflower, the Un-Messy Way
Inspired by conversations on the FOOD52 Hotline, we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun.
Today: Get beautiful, evenly-sized broccoli and cauliflower florets -- every time.
Broccoli and cauliflower are delicious in all of their forms: steamed, roasted, and sautéed. But tackling a whole head to attain evenly-shaped florets can be daunting.
This week, Kristen shows us how to kill two birds with one stone by effortlessly slicing florets off of a head of broccoli, as well as eliminating waste by portioning out the stem. Whether you're simply roasting broccoli florets or tossing them into a lemon parmesan soup, rest assured that you can now attack a head of broccoli without any hesitation.
This video was shot and edited by Kyle Orosz.
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Tags: kitchen confidence, broccoli, broccoli florets, how-to, video, cauliflower
Comments (9)
3 months ago SeaJambon
We usually use a veg peeler to remove the outer skin of the stalk. The stalk is wonderful in a number of applications. They can be roasted as is (w/olive oil, S&P) or sliced in disks and then used in a cream of broccoli soup (ultimately pureeing the cooked broccoli). I'm old enough that whenever broccoli was served (usually boiled -- we can be glad that is part of the past) it included the stalks. As a child, you were expected to eat the entire broccoli, not just the heads.
4 months ago msmely
There's a less wasteful way of peeling the bark off. If you wedge a small paring knife between the bark and the meat, you can press the bark against the flat of the knife with your thumb and peel it off in strips. It comes off quite easily and you don't waste as much meat.
3 months ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
Thanks for the tip -- I'm trying that next time!
4 months ago Stacey Snacks
Great video! I love the broccoli stalks the best.
4 months ago Michael Hoffman
Michael is a developer at Food52.
This rules.
4 months ago Soliloquy Of Food
I love the stem, THE best part, imo...very few stem pieces actually make it to the pan, I always end up snacking them while making dinner.
4 months ago BlueKaleRoad
Love this, thanks for sharing, Kristen! I wish I'd seen it last night before chopping a huge amount of broccoli and making a rather large mess. Next time it'll all look beautiful!
4 months ago kenzi
Kenzi is an Assistant Editor of Food52.
Broccoli has never looked so glamorous. (That shot at the end? Oof.)
4 months ago foxeslovelemons
I just made the BEST broccoli EVER yesterday, and I used a method very similar to this!
http://www.foxeslovelemons...