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Photo:Getty Images. EatingWell design.
Getty Images. EatingWell design.
However, some white or pale foods have benefits too.Enriched grainsactually have about twice as much folic acid as their whole-grain peers, and the fermentation that makessourdough breadpossible is great for gut health. Besides those A-OK-every-so-often grains, the item that I grab on every single supermarket run—which I believe is seriously underrated—happens to be white.
I’m calling it: the most underrated frozen food at the grocery store is frozen cauliflower.
Frozen Cauliflower Is Budget-Friendly and Convenient
First of all, frozen cauliflower is one of thebest budget buysin the entire store. Not only is a 12-ounce, four-serving bag only $1.59 at my local Target, but because it’s prepped and frozen, that also means that I’m creating less food waste. The stems and leaves have already been trimmed away (and hopefully, used instockor composted!). And the freezer lengthens its life span from a few weeks tomany months, although I currently make my way through at least a couple bags per week, so I never need that long.
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Ways to Use Frozen Cauliflower
How to Prepare Frozen Cauliflower So It Isn’t Soggy
One of the most common complaints about frozen vegetables is that they can err on the soggy side compared to their fresh counterparts, but it is totally possible to getfrozen vegetables to taste just as good as fresh. I find that steaming works just fine for the frozen meal hack, and I don’t notice the difference between fresh and frozen once the cauliflower is seasoned and showered in sauce. Steaming is far from your only option, though.Air-Fryer Caulifloweris awesome. Simply toss unthawed frozen cauliflower with olive oil and seasonings and pop it into the air fryer, then cook at 360°F for 18 to 22 minutes, shaking the pan or basket halfway through. The florets caramelize beautifully as long as you don’t crowd the pieces. Or tryroasted-from-frozencauliflower. Leaving space on the pan and adding the olive oil and seasonings three-quarters of the way through the cooking time will score you the ultimate roasted cauliflower.
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Frozen Cauliflower’s Health Benefits
The Bottom Line
Frozen cauliflower is affordable and convenient to keep on hand—it’s easy to prepare and you can use it in a number of dishes. And frozen cauliflower also helps you meet your daily vegetable servings and offers many health benefits. If you don’t currently have a bag of cauliflower in your freezer, I hope you might feel a little more convinced to snag one next time you shop.Balsamic Broccoli and Cauliflower,Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Topping, an extra-large frozen entree and your souped-up soup are all waiting.
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Cauliflower, raw.Li L, Pegg R, Eitenmiller R, et al.Selected nutrient analyses of fresh, fresh-stored, and frozen fruits and vegetables.Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 2017. doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.02.002
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Cauliflower, raw.Li L, Pegg R, Eitenmiller R, et al.Selected nutrient analyses of fresh, fresh-stored, and frozen fruits and vegetables.Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 2017. doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.02.002
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Cauliflower, raw.Li L, Pegg R, Eitenmiller R, et al.Selected nutrient analyses of fresh, fresh-stored, and frozen fruits and vegetables.Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 2017. doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.02.002
U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Cauliflower, raw.
Li L, Pegg R, Eitenmiller R, et al.Selected nutrient analyses of fresh, fresh-stored, and frozen fruits and vegetables.Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 2017. doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.02.002
