662159 Sun Oct 25 16:00:56 -0700 2009 42 31 Home Cooking 0 5129976 Yesterday I brought home some chicken salad and some herbed cheese spread. Wife and SIL were having it on little toasty crackers that she'd bought. I went to the fridge and pulled a few ribs off a head of celery. Rinsed and cut into 3" lengths, and stuffed with an amalgam of the cheese spread and chicken salad. It's been years since I've had cream cheese-stuffed celery and the like. The celery I used was too thick, perhaps too mature. I guess next time I could buy celery hearts, instead. I'm also tempted to try blanching the celery to make it more tender. So what should I do, buy *smaller* celery, or can I blanch (or even peel?) celery to make it less toothy? Sun Oct 25 16:00:56 -0700 2009 270888 shaogo 1 5129997 don't blanch, it'll get rubbery. just peel it with a vegetable peeler or a paring knife - i do it all the time with woody stalks. Sun Oct 25 16:11:15 -0700 2009 5129976 103920 goodhealthgourmet 2 5130672 I've only peeled celery that was going to be braised. It never occurred to me to peel it for crudite (or this application). Sun Oct 25 20:34:56 -0700 2009 5129997 270888 shaogo 3 5130968 I often peel celery for many uses - let us know how it turns out. Mon Oct 26 04:20:05 -0700 2009 5130672 10985 MMRuth 4 5131060 I do too. I hate those tough strings! Mon Oct 26 05:54:14 -0700 2009 5130968 253735 bayoucook 5 5131066 When making soup or stock I don't peel celery but if using the stalks chopped in a salad or on a crudités tray I peel the stalks then soak in ice water to keep the crunch...so to speak. Mon Oct 26 05:59:45 -0700 2009 5131060 75332 Gio 6 5131168 i'm with gio -- always peeling for raw-eating applications. Mon Oct 26 06:50:31 -0700 2009 5131066 105717 alkapal 2 5133151 Who knew? Add this to my list of "things I've learned on Chowhound." I will definitely have to try this. Gotta tell ya, I love cream cheese and remember licking out the cream cheese and trying to feed the celery to our German Shepherd when I was a kid. Unfortunately, Duchess didn't like it, either...and it didn't exactly blend as she gnawed it into the carpet. ;) Mon Oct 26 18:09:23 -0700 2009 5129997 249664 kattyeyes 1 5131260 Sometimes, when celery is picked too late or stored too long, the outer stalks become hollow and those are pretty much beyond rehab for tender raw use. I'm not exactly sure what others mean by "peeling" the celery. The method I use is to simply "destring" the celery. Wash the stalks and cut them to the lengths you desire, then, starting at the root (larger) end of each section, slip a paring knife under the strings and lift. Explanation: when you look at the end of a cut celery stalk you can see the threads near the surface of the outer layer of the stalk. You just slip the sharp edge of a paring knife a little way under these, then press the threads against the side of the knife and pull the threads away. Should some of the threads break, you can repeat the process from the other end of the celery stalk, but generally starting from the root end and pulling "upward" produces the best result. I have tried a vegetable peeler but found it often as not cut through the strings/threads and left some of them in place. The destringing method doesn't do that. When you work your way into the very tender white stalks in the heart, they rarely require destringing. Have you tried filling celery with peanut butter? '-) Mon Oct 26 07:28:41 -0700 2009 5129976 112096 Caroline1 2 5132361 I was taught by my momma to string celery. I have a more refined version than her snapping it into pieces and pulling the strings off, much like you would shuck corn. I make a small incision on the inner side with a paring knife, but I don't cut through the strings. I start by doing this on each end of the stalk. I grab the small bit of end and pull it down, removing many of the strings. Then I do it in the middle. By the time you do this three to five times the strings are gone and the stick is cut into pieces. Nothing worse than a mouthful of celery fiber or finding it really difficult to bite off a piece. Mon Oct 26 13:00:09 -0700 2009 5131260 137946 Scargod 3 5138246 waaaay inefficient, scargod. ps, you never answered (another thread) about how many boiled peanut purveyors you'd tried.... Wed Oct 28 14:00:42 -0700 2009 5132361 105717 alkapal 4 5138695 OK, I'll kill two birds with one stone! What is inefficient about this method? It is not difficult or time consuming. Do I need to draw you a diagram or come over and demonstrate? Peanuts: ate boiled ones once from a roadside stand in Georgia. I didn't care for them. Perhaps they were not fresh. I love peanuts. Any other things I've missed? Wed Oct 28 16:34:54 -0700 2009 5138246 137946 Scargod 5 5139035 testy, testy! ;-). how inefficient? i quote the inimitable scargod: " By the time you do this three to five times the strings are gone and the stick is cut into pieces." Wed Oct 28 18:49:47 -0700 2009 5138695 105717 alkapal 6 5139090 Hey, I do it the same way, and it doesn't take as long as it takes to describe it, so lay off!! Wed Oct 28 19:09:33 -0700 2009 5139035 90755 Phurstluv 7 5139099 man, what's in the water today? Wed Oct 28 19:13:41 -0700 2009 5139090 105717 alkapal 8 5139117 I too thought it sounded kinda tedious but maybe we just don't understand. Do you think it's the water ?!? Wed Oct 28 19:21:41 -0700 2009 5139099 131001 c oliver 6 5139412 I see. Now I'm a freak because I don't like to waste celery? ;~) It's not the water... Yes, just a spike in testosterone. I can do one by the time you dig out your peeler. Wed Oct 28 22:55:23 -0700 2009 5139035 137946 Scargod 7 5139620 i don't "peel" -- i just break the bottom end, leave the strings attached, and pull upwards, so it is de-stringed in one fell swoop. then i'll cut to the purpose at hand. ps, i don't like to waste anything, including celery, scargod. Thu Oct 29 05:37:01 -0700 2009 5139412 105717 alkapal 8 5139648 That's the right way. It's the outer layer (that is, along the outer side of the stalk) of strings that are thickest and toughest. The inner ones are not usually worth worrying about. Thu Oct 29 05:54:52 -0700 2009 5139620 13819 Karl S 9 5140425 Exactly. Thu Oct 29 10:15:44 -0700 2009 5139648 90755 Phurstluv 8 5139734 Well, that's where I start, too, now that I think about it. I may be crawfishing... I take a whole stalk and break it at the base and pull to the top. This gets the majority of strings. Then I make the incision about a half inch from the end and pull that down. That gets most of the remaining strings. Then, as I mentioned, you can score, break and pull from the middle and other points ad infinitum, if you choose to. This way you will get 99% of the 12 threads... Oh, I forgot that I trim up the big end piece so it's not ragged. The logic of my method is that the side strings want to pop if you just break the pieces and they still need to be trimmed if you want them to look neat. When I pull from the base I don't do it all at once for the same reason. I do it in two or three finger-fulls. No vituperous talk, please! Thu Oct 29 06:35:53 -0700 2009 5139620 137946 Scargod 9 5139867 Hah... only on Chowhound would we get a 4 day discussion on how to destring a celery stalk. Truth be told, sometimes I break the stalk in half and pull up or down... but the vegetable peeler does a good job of removing the tough strings when I'm not in a hurry. Thu Oct 29 07:24:55 -0700 2009 5139734 75332 Gio 1 5131402 I love celery, and most of the time will remove the strings, however I'll eat it even with the strings. Actually I don't really care for fat stuffed celery pieces, so what I do is If the celery is too mature, (or not) I'll clean it and then cut it into smaller length wise sticks. Place them around the dip along with a several small spreaders and then just dip and stack the dip ever so carefully using the spreader. Pop in your mouth for a one bite appetizer. No napkins needed. Mon Oct 26 08:12:08 -0700 2009 5129976 50431 chef chicklet 1 5132625 A lot of people don't realize you're supposed to string large celery stalks. Far too many folks. Mon Oct 26 14:38:43 -0700 2009 5129976 13819 Karl S 2 5135816 I've only ever "strung" celery not peeled. Tue Oct 27 16:56:58 -0700 2009 5132625 131001 c oliver 3 5135962 Yes, I string rather than peel, like a huge multi-stringed bean. Tue Oct 27 18:03:00 -0700 2009 5135816 13819 Karl S 1 5132893 I always peel celery, using a Lancashire or Y peeler (whichever I find first) Mon Oct 26 16:15:46 -0700 2009 5129976 154102 Harters 1 5132900 I peel my celery all the time, esp. for tuna salad for the kids. Makes it much less "tough". Mon Oct 26 16:17:31 -0700 2009 5129976 90755 Phurstluv 1 5132917 Yes, Karl S, I'm ashamed that I'm one of the far, far too many folks who doesn't peel celery. But after the response here, I'll be a peeler/de-stringer for life. Tomorrow I'm going to go at a brand-new head of celery and I'll post about how things turned out. It's particularly good that I'm pursuing "stuffed celery." I *know* I need more fiber in my diet, and more vegetables, so it's nice that I've re-discovered a comfort food that I used to love. Say, anyone have any celery-stuffing recipes? Mon Oct 26 16:26:19 -0700 2009 5129976 270888 shaogo 2 5133123 celery stuffed with peanut butter and raisins.. my husband's favorite snack! Mon Oct 26 17:54:53 -0700 2009 5132917 217807 cheesecake17 1 5133167 Try celery stuffed with Pimento Cheese.... Here's my report on the Virginia Willis recipe from the Bon Appetit Y'All cookbook: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/616454#4649637 Delicious! Mon Oct 26 18:17:48 -0700 2009 5129976 75332 Gio 2 5133783 Many years ago, Kraft used to offer flavored Neufchattel (sp?) cheese in a glass with a pry-off lid. Came in plain, pimento, and pineapple. Maybe another flavor I no longer remember, but the pimento AND pineapple were great celery stuffers! My mother collected the glasses. They were a perfect size for juice. Maybe it was a Depression Era offering. I haven't seen them in stores for many a decade! Edit: The pimento cheese spread also makes an interesting pear salad. Put about a teaspoonful of home made pimento cheese in the center of a canned pear half, then top with grated cheddar, set a couple of them on a plated lettuce leaf and serve. A hospital where I used to work offered it in the dining room. You had to get there early to get one. Not high end gourmet, but quick and easy and tastes good! Tue Oct 27 03:02:09 -0700 2009 5133167 112096 Caroline1 3 5133898 Caroline, I remember Neufchâtel cheese... the American version of low-fat cream cheese. Not to be confused with French Neufchâtel cheese that is produced in a French village of the same name. In fact I remember the Kraft glasses too. IIRC, the designs on each glass were in different colors and the goal was to acquire a full set of one of each color. Good Lord, I remember the pear salad too... LOL Tue Oct 27 05:41:34 -0700 2009 5133783 75332 Gio 1 5136293 One of my favorite things to eat with celery is fresh salsa especially when tomato season is in full swing, make it with tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno or serrano chilis, white onion or red, cilantro and plenty of fresh lime juice. Salt and heavy on the pepper. Sometimes a little dried oregano. Also, tuna salad and egg salad. Just fill the celery with the salad and chomp away. Not exactly diet food, unless you're using fat free mayo. I love crunchy food, and celery. Also another nice soup, is cream of celery soup. There's several recipes but the basic one is like most other cream based soups. Chicken stock, a cooked potato that's very tender, salt and pepper. Saute leeks and the celery, puree in a blender, add cream(or half and half) and nutmeg. You can top with fresh celery leaves, pretty yummy. This is good served hot or chilled Tue Oct 27 20:16:11 -0700 2009 5129976 50431 chef chicklet 1 5138997 If you are planning to cut the celery in three to four inch pieces to serve, don't cut all the way through. Cut to nearly the outer layer and instead bend the celery back for a final crack while peeling the toughest, longest strings from the outside layer of the celery. Not cutting all the way through enables you to peel the strings much more easily. Wed Oct 28 18:32:33 -0700 2009 5129976 87837 RGC1982 1 5161929 My recently discovered favorite way to eat celery IS actually to blanch it. I've always hated celery but I loove eating it like this. I cut it into 3-inch strips, put it in a pot of boiling water for just 1 minute, and then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Toss the celery in a little bit of soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, & sugar, and they become little bits of crunchy deliciousness. Fri Nov 06 14:13:28 -0800 2009 5129976 234071 matikin9 2 5162580 are you making 3" long batons, or do you leave the celery its original width? Fri Nov 06 19:44:01 -0800 2009 5161929 105717 alkapal 1 5162956 Looks like we've addressed the issue of the ribbed exterior xylem that leaves us with shards between the teeth. We've got snappers, stringers, and peelers, and hopefully all friendships are intact. But what about the INTERIOR cavity? Ever had trouble fitting your stuffing down the narrow and often infolded fissure? The solution is the apple corer. After you cut your 3 inch batons, use the apple corer to remove bulk from the interior in one clean sweep. The celery log is now thinner, more snappable by the teeth, and will evenly hold more stuffing. Just stand a baton up, then drive the apple corer down, removing bulk. A pudgy life-raft has now become a sleek canoe. Trimmed material goes to the soup/stock bag, or the mirepoix, or the mouth. Here's a pic of the tool: http://foodservice.chef2chef.net/restaurant-supplies-equipment/restaurant-supplies-manufacturers/Tablecraft_Products_Co/FirmGrip_Apple_Corer_Each_9856.htm Sat Nov 07 05:58:07 -0800 2009 5129976 17562 FoodFuser 2 5162970 <"But what about the INTERIOR cavity? Ever had trouble fitting your stuffing down the narrow fissure? The solution is the apple corer."> I use a mellon baller for the same purpose..... http://kitchen-dining-review.blogspot.com/2009/03/click-here-oxo-good-grips-melon-baller.html Sat Nov 07 06:05:07 -0800 2009 5162956 75332 Gio 3 5169930 Wow. That get's us thinking about alternative tools. ...there's those seldom used sculpting chisels out in the workshop, each has a different scooping radius, to accomodate the different diameters as the stem thins from base to top. As wood chisels, they are seldom used... maybe I should bring them into the kitchen for the upcoming celery feast season. Imagine.. the perfect stuffed baton, each with a sculpted channel that left just the right amount of celery for a snapping crunch. I'm off to the store for celery to practice up for the big T. Tue Nov 10 08:26:36 -0800 2009 5162970 17562 FoodFuser 4 5171494 Ah... but my mellon baller is a multi-tasking unit. You know how some folks just love gadgets. It scoops the seeds out of lengthwise sliced cucumbers and zucchinis; It detaches those pesky pumpkin and squash seeds. And it takes no time at all to make those oh so perfect balls of delectible fruit for the ever popular fruit salad for my ladies luncheon every other Tuesday. I do love my melon baller. Tue Nov 10 18:19:31 -0800 2009 5169930 75332 Gio 5 5171587 I too love my melon ballers, and barely a single cuke or cantaloupe has escaped my kitchen without the good ol' MB. But for me, when it comes to celery, I'm looking for a tool that has more sharpness and more directional force to move cleanly thru the stiffer material. With the apple corer I get a clean plunge cut, and I'm hoping, per the stimulation of this discussion, to get even cleaner results that trim out the various sizes of celery batons, using the ranging radii of the chisels. God yes for the love of gadgets, and tools are just gadgets and gadgets just tools. Lest we assume from my argument that it's a little OCD, it lovingly stems from a "church potluck" tradition as a youth, where Mrs. A,B,C's celery batons stuffed with pimento cheese were a hotly gossiped and compared item of ingestion. Along with the variety of deviled eggs. And now I'm eyeballing those chisels not only for improving the channel in celery, but also as a tool for exterior texturing of the deviled egg white component, to allow a better grip. But hey, why increase potential for faster snarfing... they go so quick anyway. What are some of your other uses for the melon baller? Tue Nov 10 19:02:38 -0800 2009 5171494 17562 FoodFuser 6 5171630 I use mine to core apples & pears. Tue Nov 10 19:21:55 -0800 2009 5171587 90755 Phurstluv