How to Keep a Cauliflower White

A nice white piece of cauliflower is so appetizing, but one that's brown surely isn't. Learn how to keep your cauliflower white both before and while cooking. You can treat your family to a dish that's pleasing to the eye as well as the palate. Making it more appetizing will encourage them to eat more of this cancer-fighting vegetable.

Choose cauliflower at your local market that is free from brown spots. When you bring it home, leave it in the bag it came in, or store in a perforated bag in the crisper of your refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store it with the stem side down to prevent moisture from collecting in the florets.

Keep cauliflower white while cooking by adding a tablespoon of milk or lemon juice to the cooking water. This is especially necessary if you have alkaline water. In addition, don't cook your cauliflower in an aluminum or iron pot; the chemical makeup of cauliflower will react with the metal and turn the vegetable yellow or to a blue-green color.

Protect cauliflower from brown spots in your home garden by tying the leaves of the plant over the head. This will protect it from the sun's rays and keep the cauliflower nice and white. Because of the consumer's desire for white cauliflower, farmers have to spend more time in the field protecting cauliflower in this way, which is why it's more expensive than broccoli or cabbage.

Steam or microwave your cauliflower to retain the most vitamins and nutrients.