# I Finally Tried Cauliflower Rice
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 29, 2019, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425 "2019-08-29T18:34:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2019, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/1 "2019-08-29T18:34:54Z")
Granted, it was fast food Wow Bao Cauliflower Rice, but still…
I ordered it as a bowl base for teriyaki chicken.
Aaaaaaannnddd…it wasn’t terrible. A fair approximation of rice. Closer to the texture of brown rice.
My only real complaint is that it’s not good plain like rice is. It must be mixed with something, chicken teriyaki or soy sauce or something. Eat it plain, and it has a farty aftertaste. Anyway, plain Wow Bao Cauliflower Rice has a farty aftertaste. There, I said it.
Has anyone else an opinion to air?
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/2 "2019-08-29T19:03:16Z")
Pretty much the same. Cauliflower isn’t as bland as rice, but it’s bland enough that most sauces will bury the flavor. (It probably helps in my case that I don’t mind the flavor of cauliflower. Somebody who dislikes cauliflower might find the flavor more noticeable.) And the texture of cauliflower “rice” is close enough to rice to serve the same purpose.
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### Author:  [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2019, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/3 "2019-08-29T19:19:40Z")
Well, cauliflower is pretty farty tasting by nature. I like it ok, as a component of crudite and what have you. My question is what about cauliflower pizza crust and other things that are supposed to be made of something else?
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2019, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/4 "2019-08-29T19:52:50Z")
I don’t eat much rice (like, years between eating any) but I’d be down for cauliflower rice any time. I’ve tried to make it before and it’s hard to make. It’s messy and gets everywhere (sort of like small foam beads).
So if it was an option for a dish at a restaurant or if I could get it frozen and use it (which they do now!) I’m down for it!
Cauliflower pizza crust is ok. It doesn’t taste like whatever your favorite crust tastes like, and it can still stink like cauliflower (like when cooking an Oprah-brand frozen cauliflower crust pizza) BUT it has a good enough taste and if you’re craving what’s on the pizza more than you’re craving good crust, it’s a great substitute.
Same goes for cauliflower mac & cheese. If you’re really just craving the cheese sauce, you can’t go wrong with the cauliflower base.
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### Author:  [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2019, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/5 "2019-08-29T20:05:05Z")
I make fried rice with it that the whole family loves. Usually as a side for pork steaks. I’m not going to sit down and eat it as a meal but as a veggie side it works great. I also do spanish rice as a side for tacos.
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### Author:  [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2019, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/6 "2019-08-29T20:45:40Z")
Like the OP says, it works really good when substituted for rice in a multiple ingredient recipe. A vegetable/protein/sauce + riced cauliflower is pretty much what I have for lunch every day.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/7 "2019-08-30T01:43:07Z")
I don’t think of it as cauliflower rice, I think of it as riced cauliflower. I use it in soups and stews and in all kinds of things that just need a) cauliflower and b) some more/different texture.
I should state as a disclaimer that I love both cauliflower and broccoli, so the form of it matters very little.
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### Author:  [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/8 "2019-08-30T14:22:57Z")
I’ve always hated cauliflower, but like you said I can manage it in its riced state when buried with another flavor. In my experience there’s a fairly narrow cooking window during which the riced cauliflower has a reasonable texture and doesn’t taste too much like cauliflower.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/9 "2019-08-30T14:56:58Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> I don’t think of it as cauliflower rice, I think of it as riced cauliflower.
I initially read the thread title as “I Finally Tried To Cauliflower Rice”—i.e., if you can rice cauliflower, why can’t you cauliflower rice?
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/10 "2019-08-30T21:36:20Z")
I’ve had a cauliflower crusted pizza (which I had to top myself), but haven’t tried the rice. I do agree that the goodness of the crust depended entirely on the quality of the toppings. It did fall apart easier than other crust alternatives I’ve tried. And I tasted absolutely absolutely no hint of the cauliflower flavor, which was actually disappointing to me, as I love cauliflower.
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### Author:  [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/11 "2019-08-30T22:37:34Z")
I’ve had frozen riced cauliflower from the grocery store, and thought it was a fine side dish. I’ve made a riced cauliflower crusted pizza, and I thought that tasted fine, too, although it wasn’t much for structural integrity. Full disclosure, though, I like regular cauliflower, as long as it is buttered or cheesed up enough.
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### Author:  [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/12 "2019-08-31T00:02:58Z")
I’ve never had riced cauliflower, but I was served cauliflower that was disguised as mashed potatoes. I doubt I will ever appreciate the flavor.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/13 "2019-08-31T00:23:29Z")
I love cauliflower and am not particularly fond of rice, so I’m down with it.
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### Author:  [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/14 "2019-08-31T15:04:59Z")
I’ve never tried this but it sounds very interesting to me. I very much enjoy the flavor of cauliflower but I detest the _raw_ texture of it. How is riced cauliflower typically cooked assuming it’s cooked at all? I’m guessing it’s hard to go too far wrong with doing an extremely fine chop on a head of cauliflower followed by a light steaming? Do you have any suggestions for a cauliflower rice newbie?
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/15 "2019-08-31T15:09:17Z")
Steam it or just heat it up in the microwave in a pinch. It’s just finely chopped vegetable, still. Boil it and drain the water off, if you like.
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2019, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/16 "2019-08-31T21:55:27Z")
Love it, also riced broccoli, and the tots as well. I think I actually prefer the broccoli tots to tater tots.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2019, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-tried-cauliflower-rice/839425/17 "2019-09-01T05:23:20Z")
Cauliflower mash is delicious.