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Freezing Cauliflower Rice?

writersblock (9b/10a)

5 years ago

I've made some cauliflower rice dishes and they're usually pretty good. The problem I have is that I'm generally cooking for one, I don't need to eat a whole cauliflower, and cooked cauliflower rice does not make decent leftovers. It gets very weird by the next day.

So I was wondering--if I rice part of a cauliflower, can I freeze what I don't want to cook right away? I'd do this a lot more often if there were some way to keep what I don't want to eat in the next day or two.

Featured Answer

sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)

5 years ago

I see it in packages in the frozen section all the time now. Never bought it but like any veg that is blanched quickly I'm guessing it would be fine. If you season or combine with other ver to your liking it would freeze fine in portions. Just get all the air out for better freezing/thawing/freshness.

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Comments (7)

writersblock (9b/10a)
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks, sleevendog. Yes, I've seen the frozen kind, but I don't know how they could blanch that, since they always grind it to crumbs. That's my main concern: for a rice substitute, the drier it is the better. I even know people who squeeze it out in muslin before they cook it when it's freshly riced.
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~~Ruth did in her post above and now below~~ RE: Can I freeze rice pudding? Posted by: ruth (mcguirer@bcc.orst.edu) on Fri, Jun 29, 01 at 20:09 I love rice pudding too and my picky kids won't touch it!??? So I did try freezing it...once....it was pretty gross....very mushy and the texture was really wierd afterwards...the flavor was the same but it was watery and the rice was grainy and mushy. Maybe freezing it BEFORE it's cooked would work...just have to be sure it gets cold quickly for food safety reasons....and then just defrost overnight in the fridge and cook as usual the next day. Folks, ~~I've decided to freeze the rice plain after cooking in measured portions for the rice pudding and for meals. Now I'll make 2 lg. pots of rice, 1 white, 1 brown at the same time. And freeze when cooled. This has helped me in cutting done the prep time before starting the rice pudding in the crockpot. I sometimes cook the rice pudding on low for 4 to 5 hrs. instead of High.
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I like cauliflower, but I think the only way it might possibly pass for mashed potatoes is smothered with cheese and bacon etc, in which case i'd much rather have plain, real mashed potatoes (and would probably better off). Cauliflower pizza crust should not taste at all like cauliflower. It can be a bit tricky to make (if making it at home, follow the TJ instructions for a crisp crust very carefully ). The resulting crust is really tasty IMHO but it is more crisp then chewy. It makes a very nice vehicle for pizza toppings, but does not satisfy desire for pizza crust per se. But it shouldn't taste of cauliflower at all. The slice I had at WF had spinach, some crumbled blue cheese and a bit of bacon. I could have done w/o the bacon but I liked the combo and because of the strong flavors you needed very little cheese/meat. I'd order it again.
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chloebud
5 years ago
Haven't frozen it myself but was thinking the same^. This is info from a quick check...
1. There is no need to blanch cauliflower rice before freezing it. Simply divide freshly-made cauliflower rice into meal-size portions, and put each portion in a freezer-safe bag.
2. Squeeze out as much air as possible, and seal. Keeping the air out of the freezer bags helps ensure your cauliflower rice stays good in the freezer for as long as possible.
3. Flatten and label the bags, and stack in the freezer. Cauliflower rice will keep in the freezer for several months.
4. To use frozen cauliflower rice, let it defrost first in the fridge, or cook immediately on a frying pan.
writersblock (9b/10a) thanked chloebud
writersblock (9b/10a)
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks, chloebud. I guess I should just give it a try and see how it works.
Olychick
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I buy TJ's frozen cauliflower rice and it is blanched/precooked a bit. You only need to heat it in a pan until the water evaporates and it never turns to mush (if you don't overcook it). I've tried using it without pan cooking or microwaving (3 min, I think) it, but it's too firm for my tastes. However, when fresh from the bag, you can tell that it's a little more transparent than simply uncooked, frozen cauliflower, thus my presumption it's been blanched or precooked at least a little.
writersblock (9b/10a) thanked Olychick
chloebud
5 years ago
Olychick, I've also bought TJ's cauliflower rice. My guess is you're right about it being blanched.

writersblock, maybe try freezing some both blanched and raw to see what you think.
writersblock (9b/10a) thanked chloebud
donna_loomis
5 years ago
DH buys the frozen cauliflower rice, but I don't care for it. Because it is such small pieces, I don't think it freezes well at all. It's nearly mush and very hard to squeeze the moisture out of. I'd much rather rice it myself. I don't think even florets will freeze well when done at home. Commercially, I think they're flash frozen. But I made too much cauliflower stuffing last week, so it was either throw it out or try freezing. We'll see.
writersblock (9b/10a) thanked donna_loomis

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