Celery Undressed
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Scrape the outer stalks of the celery.
Cut off the green tops and roots.
Soak the celery in cold water until ready to serve.
Change the water and let the celery stand for 3-4 minutes.
Split and serve
Split the stalks into thirds with a sharp knife, being careful not to break them.
Serve the celery in goblet-shaped salad glasses.
Crisp
For crisp celery, soak in ice water for 2 hours before serving.
Use coarse needles and a cork to curl the stalks.
Refrigerate the curled stalks to crisp.
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
- Provides the crisp, watery stalks that form the body and texture of the salad.
- Ice water
- Cold water firms the stalks, helping them stay crisp and curl well.
The step that matters
Soak in ice water for crispness. Cold water enters the celery's cells and keeps them firm, so the stalks stay crisp. A shorter soak or warmer water leaves the celery limp.
“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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