How to Cook With Celery

Raw celery is easy to serve as a healthy, crunchy snack in a wide variety of ways. While celery is a popular raw food, cooking helps to emphasize the subtly sweet flavor of the plant, making it a versatile ingredient in many of your favorite recipes.

Instructions

1. Remove the strings of celery stalk before cooking if desired, as they do not become tender when heated. Simply pass a vegetable peeler over the outer surface of the stalks, pulling the strings from the core.

2. Chop large amounts of celery at once by leaving the bunch intact and cutting across the stalks. You can then place chopped celery in a colander and remove any leaves that were chopped as you clean the stalks.

3. Steam chopped celery and serve as a side dish topped with lemon juice, vinaigrette or even soy sauce.

4. Cook celery in vegetable side dishes, add it to stuffings, mix into soups or stews or even use to add flavor and texture to your favorite stir-fry dishes.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy only crisp, fresh celery that feels ridged and has a slightly glossy surface. The stalks themselves should be light to medium green, while the leaves should be bright green with no wilting.

• Store celery for up to 2 weeks by placing it in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Celery should be kept at about 35 degrees F in a humid environment, so add a bit of water to the plastic bag, changing it every other day, to keep celery as crisp as possible.

• Revive wilting celery stalks by chopping off the base and soaking in ice water. Within 2 hours the stocks should have taken in enough water to become crispy once again.