Cauliflower Cheese {Easiest Ever Recipe!} (2024)

FAQs

How to stop cauliflower cheese from going watery? ›

Drain well

Make sure you drain the cauliflower really well after it's boiled up and before you add it to the dish, otherwise it will end up too watery.

Once you've put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours. If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Cauliflower Cheese in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

Rustle up one of the greatest comfort foods: cauliflower cheese. It makes a perfect side dish or vegetarian main meal.

Arrange blanched cauliflower in single layers on drying trays. Dry at 140 degrees F (60°C) in an oven or dehydrator. If necessary, turn large pieces over every 3 to 4 hours during the drying period. Vegetables can scorch easily toward the end of drying, so monitor more closely as drying nears completion.

The ratio could not be simpler. For every cup of grated cheese (about 3 ounces) you will need a quarter cup of water and a half-teaspoon of sodium citrate. Heat the water to a simmer, add the sodium citrate to dissolve, then whisk in the cheese of your choice a bit at a time until you get a smooth and creamy mixture.

It can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to cook. It is possible to freeze cauliflower cheese but unfortunately the sauce can sometimes turn thin and sligtly watery on defrosting, so we prefer not to freeze the dish if at all possible.

Bay leaf (dried is more commonly found in the US), chives, cilantro, dill, mint, parsley (flat-leaf) & Chervil (French parsley), tarragon, and thyme.

Cauliflower cheese is a traditional English dish. It can be eaten as a main course, for lunch or dinner, or as a side dish.

Ideally, we should all eat food straight after it has been cooked. This is when it's at its freshest and likely to taste the best. In terms of food safety, however, so long as you reheat the food at the correct temperature and for the correct duration of time, it can in fact be safely reheated multiple times.

Can you eat cauliflower cheese 2 days out of date? ›

The food is not safe to eat and must be thrown away.

Cooked cauliflower florets keep their shape best when steamed (5-10 mins) – remember to place them upright in the steamer. It can also be boiled (takes 5-10 mins for florets; around 10 mins for a whole cauliflower). For both cooking methods, test regularly with the tip of a knife to make sure they don't overcook.

Cauliflower cheese doesn't really need anything with it. Sometimes I put other stuff in it, like mange tout, mushrooms etc. I quite often do it with roast chicken in place of potatoes. Gammon and peas here too.

She said: "Cauliflower cheese can go watery if the cauliflower is overcooked. Overcooked cauliflower releases water, which will seep into the rest of the dish. So even if your sauce was thick when it went in the oven, if it's in there too long, the water from the cauliflower will cause it to go watery."

While everyone's tolerance is different, too much cauliflower can create G.I. distress, like excess gas and bloating. “Make sure to drink enough water to move it through your system,” suggests Lincoln. Cooking it can also dial back digestion woes.

"Be sure to give each floret a bit of room so that the they have space for airflow. I'd also recommend baking them on a silicone baking mat," says Blay. The edges will get much crispier than they would if you baked them on parchment paper.

You can thicken cheese sauce further by adding more flour or even using a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch or flour with a cup of water. The cold water will create a slurry. Stir the slurry into the cheese sauce over medium heat, and let the sauce boil and thicken.

The watery problem happens when the cauliflower is either overcooked or not drained well enough after a quick blanching.

If your mashed cauliflower is too watery: Try adding in more cooked cauliflower to offset the liquid. You can also place the pot over medium-low heat and try to cook off some of the excess liquid. Stir frequently to prevent the mash from burning.