We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Culinary

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Is Cauliflower Cheese?

By A. Leverkuhn
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 6,376
References
Share

Cauliflower cheese is a traditional English dish that has also caught on in some other parts of the world; it consists of cauliflower baked with cheese and some other ingredients. This dish goes by other names like cauliflower casserole, cauliflower bake, or cauliflower gratin, but in parts of the U.K., it is commonly known as cauliflower cheese. This simple dish provides a tasty, hearty meal for less money than many meat-based dishes.

Dishes like cauliflower cheese do not require a wide array of ingredients. The ingredients for this dish are simple: in addition to whole cauliflower and cheese, flour and butter are often used, as well as milk and flavorings like mustard. Salt and crushed black peppercorns, two traditional English spices, are also frequently used. Cooks might also use other spices that are unique to specific areas of the world, either as flavoring elements, or even as decorative additions. For example, paprika, popular in Europe and other regions, is one spice that cooks often use for cauliflower cheese and similar dishes, as its bright red color adds an aesthetic appeal, and turmeric, a spice that provides a rich yellow, is popular for cauliflower dishes that feature aspects of South Asian cuisine.

To make this dish, cooks often first pre-cook the cauliflower. Steaming is the preferred method for preparing cauliflower cheese. The cooks must also remove the leaves and stem, and figure out how to cut the vegetable into specifically sized chunks that will fit into the baking dish, and get sufficiently cooked into the mix. Cheese can be cut or shredded to place uniformly throughout the baking dish. Cheddar cheese is the traditional type of cheese that is used, but other moderately flavored cheeses can be tasty substitutes.

Cooks often blend butter and flour, as well as some of the other materials, to make a sauce element that will bake along with the rest of the dish. This gets added to the baking dish, with spices should either be blended in or poured over the surface. The entire casserole is cooked at a high temperature until the top of the dish browns. It is commonly enjoyed straight from the baking dish, as a simple and inexpensive home cooked meal. It is comparable, in both flavor and texture, to macaroni and cheese, though it is lower in carbohydrates.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Link to Sources

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-cauliflower-cheese.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.