If you’ve ever cut a head of cauliflower and ended up with florets flying across your entire kitchen, you’re not alone — it’s one of the messiest vegetables to prep. In this quick kitchen tip, Krista shares a chef’s trick that keeps everything neat and tidy, whether you’re cutting cauliflower into classic florets or flat pieces for our fan-favorite Loaded Cauliflower Nachos.
What You’ll Need
- A chef’s knife
- A cutting board
The Chef’s Trick — Step by Step
Step 1: Remove the outer leaves
Pull off the large outer leaves around the base of the cauliflower — you don’t need to be perfect here, just get the big pieces off.
Step 2: Halve through the stem
Cut the entire head of cauliflower in half, cutting straight through the stem. This is the key step — it keeps the florets anchored and prevents them from scattering everywhere.
Step 3: Cut around the stem in a half-moon shape
On each half, use your knife to cut in a curved arc around the stem, freeing the florets from the core. Discard the stem pieces (or save to snack on — they’re edible!).
Step 4: Cut to your desired size
- For regular florets: Cut into bite-sized pieces
- For cauliflower nachos: Cut into flatter, wider shapes — these roast up beautifully as a nacho base
Is the Cauliflower Stem Edible?
Yes! The inner stem pieces are completely edible. They’re a bit denser than the florets but roast just fine — or snack on them raw while you cook.
Video Transcript
“Now, I’m going to show you how I like to cut the cauliflower because I think cauliflower can be really, really messy to cut. So the first thing that I do is get the majority of the leaves off — just kind of the big pieces, at least the parts that are going around the cauliflower. Then what I do is I cut it in half through the stem. I had a chef friend tell us that then what I do is I kind of go around the stem in a circular or half moon shape here, and then you’re going to just cut them off the stem just like this. Then I would discard that. And then here’s the part — I just cut them into bite-sized florets, depending on what you want to do. Like our cauliflower nachos recipe, I would cut them into more flat shapes like that and roast them. But if you’re wanting to just cut it into florets, you would do the whole thing just like this. It is okay to eat this part of the stem. And there you go — you would do the same thing with the other half.”