Being amazingly versatile in the culinary world, cauliflower goes great in a number of food dishes. And, if you have ever wanted to buy extra cauliflower for later use, you first think of should cauliflower be refrigerated?
Refrigerating cauliflower can save your buying efforts in a busy scheduled week. Besides this, the outstanding ability of cauliflower heads to absorb the flavor tones of other ingredients remain the same even after storing. So, people love to use such cauliflower in a veggie pizza, soup, dips, and several side dishes.
So, you may think can you store the cauliflower? How long does cauliflower last at room temperature? Or, can you freeze cauliflower well? When does cauliflower go bad? All the answers to your questions coming right ahead, so keep on reading.
Should Cauliflower Be Refrigerated?
Yes, why not? You can, and you should refrigerate cauliflower for later use. By refrigerating, you can keep the cauliflower fresh and flavorful for up to two weeks. But it would be best to use such stored cauliflower within a week in order to avoid unusual spoilage.
For storing, put your fresh cauliflower heads into a plastic bag and then put them in the refrigerator. Or you may simply put a paper towel inside the storage bag to absorb moisture.
Avoid storing cauliflower heads with florets as they’ll probably spoil quickly, making the whole veggie inedible. In addition, if you are intended to store cauliflower, don’t wash it, as water can cause quick spoiling.
That’s why improperly refrigerated cauliflower goes bad within a week because of the additional moisture or microbe growth.
If you don’t want to refrigerate it, put it in the pantry at room temperature, but make sure there’s no direct sun rays in the food storage cabinet. This way, you can use cauliflower within 3 to 4 days.
Does Cauliflower Go Bad If Not Refrigerated?
Yes, cauliflower can and does go bad if left at room temperature without refrigerating. Cauliflower can last for 2 to 3 days in your pantry, and after that period, it will start to spoil.
However, during hot summer days, it can go bad within two days and even earlier. The elevated temperature affects the texture of cauliflower causing discoloration.
So, use the leftover cauliflower in your next favorite food recipe or store it in the refrigerator to make it last longer. The lower temperature of the fridge locks the freshness and flavor of cauliflower for next use.
How To Store Cauliflower In The Refrigerator?
The proper storage of cauliflower can prolong its shelf life to a greater extent. However, this process involves several essential footsteps, but it really goes helpful if you have a lot of veggie produce on your working counter.
Follow the given instructions to make your favorite handy vegetable fresh and edible for a long time.
- First of all, wrap the cauliflower batch with a damp, wet paper towel. This wrapping will retain the natural moisture and freshness of cauliflower florets. But make sure the paper towel is damp, not too wet or dripping, as additional water can accelerate the spoiling process. And storage without paper towel can dry the whole veggie produce badly.
- Put this wrapped veggie in a large perforated plastic bag. After that, seal the bag properly with no extra air inside. Or you can also use regular storage bags for refrigeration.
- Now, it’s time to keep cauliflower in the refrigerator. Place it in the crisper drawer of the fridge with no foodstuff nearby. Too stuffed veggie in the drawer can squash the cauliflower, and the end result will be a useless mess.
- After storing, it will be best to cook refrigerated cauliflower within a week because it may lose its flavor and moisture with the passage of time.
Where To Use Refrigerated Cauliflower?
Besides defrosting, you can directly use cauliflower in your food dishes. Such stored cauliflower goes best in cooking recipes such as casseroles, soups, dips, and stews. This way, you can enjoy the same fresh veggie flavor in your food without making much hassle.
In addition, you can either boil or roast the stored cauliflower to make it extremely delicious and palatable. Drizzle some oil or cooking spray if required to make it flavorful.
Besides this, you can also incorporate it in a vegetable salad, pizza topping, rice, and other savory baked treats.
Can You Freeze Cauliflower To Make It Last Longer?
Yes, you can freeze cauliflower to make it last longer, and it freezes amazingly well. Freezing can make your beloved veggie edible for up to six months. But avoid freezing raw cauliflower heads or florets because they will easily lose their flavor and texture.
So, cut the cauliflower head or florets evenly and wash them thoroughly. After washing, pat them dry using a paper towel. Now, it will be best if you blanch the cauliflower before freezing as it will retain its natural flavor.
For blanching, put the pieces of cauliflower in water and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. After that, drain those pieces in cold water for 2 minutes.
Then lay the cauliflower on a tray and refrigerate it. After that put them in a freezer bag and seal it completely. Label the bag before placing it in the freezer. And use it within six months.
Read Also: Can You Freeze Celery For Later Use?
How To Spot If Cauliflower Goes Bad?
There are numerous signs indicating your favorite veggie is not best to use. But a couple of signs that you can quickly observe are given below.
Significant discoloration of cauliflower heads indicates its spoiling. However, sometimes refrigerated cauliflower also get few brown spots, but these are not the symptoms of spoilage.
Moreover, a slimy or sticky sensation make things quite clear. Unpleasant odor and flimsy or fragile texture are some other ways to tell if cauliflower goes bad.
Final Words
If you have ever asked yourself, should cauliflower be refrigerated, then you definitely got the answer to your question above. You can refrigerate cauliflower to enhance its shelf life and make it last longer for up to 2 weeks. However, if you want to make it fresh even longer, you can freeze it for up to six months. This way, you can store your favorite veggie for future use.