Celery Undressed
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Scrape the outside of the celery stalks and cut off the green tops and roots.
Soak the celery in cold water until ready to serve, then change the water and let it stand for 3-4 minutes.
Split the stalks into thirds with a sharp knife, being careful not to break them.
Crisp and serve
For crisp celery, soak in ice water for 2 hours before serving.
To fringe the stalks, use coarse needles and a cork to draw the stalks through several times, then refrigerate to curl and crisp.
Serve in goblet-shaped salad glasses.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Celery stalks
- Provide the crisp, fibrous structure that the cuts and soaking transform into curls.
- Cold water
- Soaks the celery to keep it moist and help it stay crisp until serving.
- Ice water
- Chills and firms the stalks, which helps them crisp during the long soak.
The step that matters
Splitting the stalks without breaking them. Celery's fibers and air-filled tissue make it brittle. Cuts made too deep or with a dull blade can snap the stalk, so a sharp knife and a gentle hand keep the pieces intact for fringing and curling.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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