The Essential Tip To Remember When Grilling Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that can also sneakily substitute for healthier versions of everything from pizza crust to burgers to tater tots. The unassuming white cruciferous vegetable packs a vitamin plus antioxidant and fiber punch, it's low in calories, and the relatively simple flavors make cauliflower an excellent vehicle or flavorings, like cheese for an au gratin or turmeric for a deep-fried popcorn-like savory, spicy snack.

Despite the many ways you can transform cauliflower, simply grilling the vegetable whole is also a fool-proof way to let its inherently nutty and sweet flavor shine. Some may think that just popping an entire cauliflower head on the grill is lazy, but the low-effort results in a high-impact dish that resulted in a cauliflower craze trend that began with Israeli chef Eyal Shani. It makes sense, since to grill cauliflower, even chopping is not necessary and the end product is a beautiful and delectable dish — there's just one tip to remember.

Once you've prepped your entire cauliflower head by giving it a good wash and parboiling if you want to speed up the grill time, you're ready to turn up the heat and put your prized vegetable in the line of fire. However, you don't want to simply pop the cauliflower on the flames and then leave it alone, since this will result in uneven cooking.

Due to the unique shape of the cauliflower, where the stalk is thicker than the crown, you'll want to rotate the vegetable so that the crown doesn't burn and the stalk cooks properly until it is tender enough to melt in your mouth. Another way to ensure a well-rounded grilled cauliflower is to put most of the coals on one end so that the stalks bear the brunt of the heat while the crown can cook without burning. Once you've mastered the art of grilling a cauliflower whole, you can master other grill hacks and try to turn your grill into a smoker for an additional smoky flavor note.