Celery is a spicy vegetable brought to Russia from Mediterranean countries. Thanks to a large amount of nutrients and vital vitamins, celery is a leader among other vegetable crops. Essential oils, also contained in the composition, give the salad a unique aroma and a special rich taste. Every part of the plant, from stem to leaves, can be eaten. Raw celery is just as tasty and healthy as processed celery. Below we will look at the possible types of this vegetable and methods for cleaning it.

What kind of celery is there?

There are four main types of celery you'll likely encounter in the produce aisle. Plants can be distinguished visually - leaf, petiole or root.

Sweet celery is a biennial herbaceous vegetable whose appearance may resemble massive parsley. In the first years, the plant develops powerful bunches of bright greenish leaves with a characteristic glossy surface, fleshy stalks and a white strong root system. After a year, usually in early spring, the plant develops greenish leaves, and in July the vegetable begins to actively bloom. In August the seed ripens and after a few days the plant begins to dry out.

The most aromatic type of celery is the leafy plant. It is also an indispensable source of beneficial microelements. Most often consumed raw or as an ingredient in salad. Gourmets use it to season soup or other dishes. The vegetable received its name due to the unsuitability of eating its petioles and roots. The thin petiole and harsh roots contain fewer vitamins than the leaves and have an unpleasant taste.

Petiole celery is a vegetable that is eaten exclusively from petioles and leaves. One petiole can reach four to five centimeters. It is rich in essential oils, various vitamins and minerals beneficial to the human body. Petiole celery is perfect for preparing first and second courses, a low-calorie diet salad, and is an excellent addition to pickles and canned foods. Gives the dish a spicy, bright aroma and unique taste.

As you can guess from the name, only the root vegetable of the root type of celery is eaten. This celery looks like a large beige beet. On average, the weight of a vegetable can reach nine hundred grams. The fruit of this species is a real storehouse of trace elements and minerals. Equally tasty both raw and when added to a salad or hot dish.

Benefits and harms

Stem celery has an incredible healing effect. The plant has a beneficial effect on the nervous, cardiovascular and digestive systems.

It contains:

• a huge amount of protein;
• the whole set of vitamins B, E, K, C;
• essential aminocarboxylic acids, such as aspartic, tyrosinic;
• the content of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese and iron necessary for the human body.

In addition, the effect of eating celery on the human body is expressed in the following:

• cell aging slows down significantly, positive dynamics are noted in the treatment of senile dementia;
• water-salt balance is restored;
• there is a beneficial effect on the blood vessels, due to which blood circulation is restored and blood pressure returns to normal;
• the presence of essential oils in the vegetable helps relieve nervous tension and get rid of irritability, increases brain activity, vitality, immunity and resistance to stressful situations;
• the high content of minerals and vitamin B essential for the human body has a beneficial effect on the appearance of the skin, hair follicles, and skin around the eyes;
• Regular consumption of celery root vegetables has a diuretic effect on the body, which helps cleanse the kidneys and urinary canals;
• a salad with the addition of raw vegetables is recommended for people suffering from diabetes and whose diet excludes meat;
• Due to the fact that celery helps food to be better digested, removing all toxins from the body, a person eventually stops experiencing heartburn, flatulence, and gets rid of constipation and stomach cramps.

However, like any other product, this vegetable crop has a number of contraindications that you should familiarize yourself with:

• celery is not recommended for people with urolithiasis, so as not to provoke the movement of the stone or aggravate the situation;
• the plant is contraindicated for people with blood clots or dilated veins;
• since the vegetable crop contains a huge amount of essential oils, its consumption is undesirable for women preparing to become a mother;
• You should not eat celery if you have colitis or enterocolitis.

Cleaning and processing

Leaf celery does not require any pre-treatment. It is enough just to separate the leaves from the stem and rinse in cool water. Allow the plant to dry and you can start preparing the dish. The celery stalk must be thoroughly cleaned. First of all, you will need to cut off at least three centimeters from the bottom of the plant, and be sure to remove the upper shoots.

The age of the celery plays a determining factor in how the plant is processed. A young plant, which is characterized by a thin skin without any hint of dents and streaks of a brownish tint, does not need to be peeled. The vegetable can be rinsed in hot water and dried by placing it on a terry towel.

If the plant is mature and covered with a thick film, it is advisable to get rid of it. Use a vegetable peeler or kitchen knife to clean.

The most difficulties, as a rule, arise with cleaning the celery root. First of all, the root crop must be cleaned of any soil remaining on the surface. In this regard, when purchasing, it is advisable to give preference to a vegetable with a smooth surface rather than one covered with nodules. Its cleaning and processing will be much easier, and removing the skin will not require much effort. Let's take a closer look at the celery cleaning algorithm.

First, you will need a strong kitchen knife, with which you will remove the upper and lower parts of the skin from the root vegetable.

Cut the required amount from the fruit and store the rest in the refrigerator. In this case, there is no need to use a bag or cling film, since their presence does not increase the shelf life of the vegetable.

The main rule for processing root celery is the absence of any spoiled areas on the surface of the vegetable. The pulp of the plant must be absolutely clean and uniform.

Pay attention to the structure of the vegetable. It consists of a spongy and a basal homogeneous lobe. The spongy area is characterized by a huge amount of plant fiber. Its use helps cleanse the body of waste and toxins, however, it does not have any taste. In this regard, the spongy area is used to add thickness to soup or prepare a tincture to detoxify the body.

The homogeneous part of the root vegetable has a pronounced aroma, thanks to which it is so loved by gourmets. And the presence of a large amount of vitamins and microelements makes the dish not only tasty, but also healthy. There is an opinion that peeling celery root is not necessary, since you can lose the lion's share of the beneficial vitamins found in the skin. However, this is a completely false statement. The fact is that the skin of the root vegetable contains nitrates, and therefore its processing is extremely necessary.

The root vegetable, thoroughly peeled and washed in cold water, is chopped according to the recipe of the dish being prepared. Culinary experts advise cutting the celery as finely as possible - this way, the juice released from the pulp will permeate all the components of the dish.

If you do not plan to use the peeled vegetable immediately, you need to soak it in cold water. Otherwise, the celery will darken, as happens with potatoes.

How to choose?

If this is your first time choosing this wonderful vegetable crop, then you need to properly familiarize yourself with some recommendations that will help you buy a high-quality and ripe vegetable. Processing and cleaning of celery will depend on its condition and age. Let's look at what kind of celery to buy next.

High-quality leaf celery is characterized by a juicy greenish tint. Feel free to touch the leaves; their structure should be elastic. The plant usually has a pronounced aroma. Stem celery is famous for its tasty and healthy juice. When you cut or break the stem, you should hear a loud crunch. A brownish tint and the presence of scratches on the plant indicate that this is a stale product.

High-quality and mature stem celery is characterized by a bright green color and a smooth surface. When purchasing a root vegetable, pay attention to its appearance. It is desirable that the surface of the fruit is smooth, without any nodules. This will make further processing much faster and easier. Green upper leaves indicate the freshness of the vegetable. A high-quality root vegetable is quite hard and does not press down when you press on it.

To learn how to peel celery stalks, watch the following video.

Because of its specific aroma and spicy taste, celery is not very popular among our compatriots, so it is not surprising that many have no idea how to peel celery, and does it make sense to do this at all, or is it permissible to eat stalks and root vegetables unpeeled?

1 How to properly prepare celery root vegetables for consumption

If, having become familiar with the beneficial properties of celery root, you decide to include it in your diet, it would be a good idea to immediately learn how to properly peel celery so as not to spoil your first impressions of this amazing vegetable plant. After all, with the right approach, celery can become your indispensable assistant in the kitchen: soups with the addition of roots become richer and more aromatic, grated fresh root vegetables give salads a tart taste, stalks go well in salads with seafood and make vegetable stews tastier. In addition, celery produces wonderful freshly squeezed juice, the healing properties of which are extremely high!

There are usually no problems with celery greens - it is enough to rinse it under the tap and finely chop it to add to soups, main courses, sauces, salads, or to decorate cooked dishes with delicate leaves. But we will look in more detail at how to peel root and stalk celery.

About proper cleaning of celery

So, are you holding a large, scary-looking, gnarled celery root vegetable in your hands for the first time and don’t know which way to approach it? In fact, there are no special tricks on how to peel celery. But to make your work easier, try to choose root vegetables in the store that are firm, less knotty, and have smooth skin. In terms of weight, they may seem quite heavy for their size. The greens remaining on the top should be green, not yellowed or withered. Such root vegetables will be much easier to clean, and there will be less waste during cleaning.

Photo of celery

It’s worth noting right away that it is necessary to peel root vegetables; only completely peeled, well-washed roots are added to dishes.

How to peel celery roots:

• first of all, the root crop should be thoroughly washed, and then the top of the root and its lower part should be cut off with a knife;
• celery roots are quite large - half or a quarter of one root may be enough for you to prepare one dish, so for convenience, cut the root into the required number of parts and put those that are not needed in the refrigerator;
• from those parts that you are immediately going to use for food, carefully remove the skin with a sharp thin knife or a vegetable peeler;
• scrape out all the recesses and cut out dubious places on the white pulp;
• the spongy parts have no taste, so they can also be cut out immediately;
• now all that remains is to rinse the peeled parts of the root vegetable and use as you wish: grate, cut into small cubes, large pieces, strips, slices, etc.;
• Pour cold water over the chopped pieces to prevent them from darkening.

In the photo there is celery

If you plan to eat celery root for the purpose of losing weight, you should not cut out the spongy parts - they are coarse dietary fiber, the processing of which the body spends a lot of energy.

Uneven, knotty root vegetables can be easier to clean by cutting them into small pieces.

2 Petiole celery - is it worth peeling, and what is the best way to do it?

Conflicting opinions can be heard regarding celery petioles: some argue that the stalks must be peeled before eating, others limit themselves to only washing the petioles in running water, without bothering to clean the stalks. So, is it necessary to peel celery?

About cleaning celery stalks

It all depends on what petioles you come across in the store. For example, in young stems growing inside a bunch, the fibers are not felt at all, but old petioles may turn out to be tough and fibrous - without preliminary cleaning, eating them will not be so tasty. Therefore, you should carefully select petiole celery in the store: the plants should have fresh, bright green leaves and straight stems, but if some leaves and petioles are missing, this may mean that the celery is stale. It is best to buy unwashed celery if possible, because it tastes better than stalks that have been washed before sale.

Photo of celery

Before peeling celery stalks, rinse them under the tap with warm water. After this, you should carefully remove the fibers and hard veins from the surface of the petioles with a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler.

Not every even experienced housewife can say with confidence that she knows how to peel celery correctly and whether it needs to be done at all. Let's try to figure out this seemingly simple question.

Celery is used in cooking as a seasoning: its roots and petioles, which have a spicy taste and tart smell, are eaten. To enhance the aroma, it is added to first courses; when fresh, it is chopped for salads, and the petioles go well with both seafood and vegetables. Celery juice is often used in folk medicine.

Greenery

The leaves of this plant are not eaten as often as the roots: they do not need to be cleaned, just rinse thoroughly in running water. The greens can be chopped or left as whole leaves, depending on how you plan to use them (decorate a salad or chop for soup).

Roots

The question of whether celery needs to be peeled concerns mainly root vegetables. It is quite large and knotty in celery. If you have never chosen a product in a store before, then stop at the smoothest and hardest specimens with small green leaves at the top. Only well-washed and peeled roots are eaten.

After washing, cut off the top and tail of the root (as when cooking beets). If the root vegetable is large, cut off the amount of celery required for preparing the dish, and put the rest in the refrigerator. Remove the skin of the root vegetable with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. After peeling, white pulp should remain, so those places that the vegetable peeler did not capture should be cut out with the tip of a knife. After rinsing the root vegetable, you can chop it using a grater or knife (depending on the type of dish for which the plant is intended). Celery is cut in different ways (cubes, slices, strips, etc.) - the main thing is not to forget to fill it with cold water, especially if it will be left in the open air before use (celery will quickly darken without water).

Petioles

Peeling stalk celery is not always necessary. Petioles, i.e. shoots of the stem can simply be washed with water if they do not look too dirty or old: such specimens should have straight stems and bright green leaves. By the way, celery will taste more pleasant if it has not been washed before sale. At home, you simply rinse the stems with warm running water. If the purchased celery is still a little old, then you can peel the celery stalks from the outside: carefully remove the hard veins and fibers with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler - this will make it more suitable for consumption.

Bon appetit and successful culinary experiments!

Unfortunately, healthy and flavorful celery is not used as often in cooking as other vegetables. For this reason, housewives who still decide to introduce it into their diet have no idea how to peel celery. The approach taken depends on the type of product used and the condition it was in at the time of purchase. The quality of processing affects the final taste and aroma of the product, so you need to pay special attention to the cleaning procedure.

Types of celery and rules for choosing it

Many people mistakenly believe that only one type of celery is sold in stores, it is simply divided into several parts. In fact, you need to understand that there is not one type of celery, but three. And when choosing each of them, you should pay attention to specific points:

• Sheet. Green leaves of this type are saturated with essential oils, which are very beneficial for the body. A product with an undeveloped root is usually used in salads and soups. When choosing a product, you need to pay attention to the brightness and richness of the color of the leaves, their freshness and elasticity. They should exude a persistent, pleasant aroma.

Advice: You should not buy pre-peeled or even washed celery, regardless of its type. The processed component deteriorates faster and loses its pronounced aroma in just a few hours.

• Stem (petiole). In this type of vegetable, the root crop is also poorly developed, but the plant has powerful fleshy stems, the diameter of which can reach 4 cm in diameter. Stews and salads are prepared from them, and fresh juice is extracted. High-quality fresh stems should be literally soaked in juice. When they break, a crunching sound will be heard. It is better not to purchase components covered with scratches, cracks and brown stains.

• Root. This type of celery is represented by a massive root crop, which can reach 20 cm in diameter. The pulp has a bitter-sweet taste. It is usually dried and added to soups or salads. Eating celery will be firm, with no indentations on the surface when pressed. You should not take a root vegetable covered with knots. The fresh product is smooth, with small green leaves on the top.

In all of the above cases, you need to make sure that the vegetable has not sprouted. The presence of an “umbrella” with seeds indicates that there is a risk of acquiring a very bitter and practically inedible product.

How to properly peel leaf and stem celery?

The leafy type of vegetable does not require pre-cleaning at all. You just need to remove it from the stem, rinse it under running water, shake off excess moisture and dry it a little on a towel or board. After this, the products can be crushed or used as a whole. They are added to first courses, salads, and dried for further use.

Celery stalks are subject to more careful processing. Be sure to cut off at least 3 cm of the bottom of the product and remove the top shoots. Next we proceed depending on the age of the celery. If it is very young and covered with the thinnest skin without signs of wrinkling or brown streaks, there is no need to remove it. It is enough to rinse the product under hot running water, dry it and can be used for its intended purpose. If the product is already slightly aged and covered with a thick film, it should be removed. You can use a knife for this, but it is much more convenient to use a vegetable peeler.

Peculiarities of processing celery root

Housewives most often have problems with this plant. Given the fact that it grows in the ground, you first need to get rid of traces of soil on the surface of the formation. This is one reason why it is better to purchase a smooth root rather than a knotty one. It is much easier to clean, and it is easier to cut off the skin.

The cleaning process for the product is as follows:

• We take a large knife and use it to cut off the skin from the upper and lower parts of the fruit.
• We cut off as much root as is needed to prepare the planned dish. We put the rest in the refrigerator. You don't have to use bags or cling film. They will not increase the shelf life.
• Using a knife or vegetable peeler, cut off the skin and spoiled areas from the prepared piece. There should not even be spots left on the pulp; we ensure its purity and uniformity.
• Particular attention should be paid to the structure of the root crop. It can be divided into spongy and main parts. The first consists of fibers that help cleanse the body, but it is absolutely tasteless. It is used to prepare soups and infusions during the detoxification period. The second one saturates dishes with vitamins and aroma, which is why it is most often used in cooking.
• Now we rinse the pulp again under cool water, cut it as needed according to the recipe. In general, the smaller the pieces, the more nutrients will get into the finished dish.
• If the workpiece will not be used immediately, it must be filled with cold water. Otherwise, within a few minutes it will begin to darken like potatoes.

Many people know how useful celery is and how its introduction into the diet will affect the condition of the body. Unfortunately, this knowledge very rarely encourages the use of the component in the process of preparing familiar dishes. This is usually due to the lack of skills in the field of pre-processing of the product. Violation of the rules for choosing and cleaning techniques for celery leads to the fact that it imparts an unpleasant bitterness or too strong aroma to the finished compositions.

Many people have not yet learned how to use it in cooking, which is where a number of questions arise: how to choose the “right” plant and how to peel celery? The answer to each of them comes with experience, but it is better to stock up on theoretical knowledge in advance.

Celery comes in three types.

1. Sheet. The root crop is undeveloped; the plant spends most of its energy on ripening green foliage. The leaves contain essential oils that are very beneficial for the body. Salads are prepared from them and added to soups.
2. Chereshkovy. The root crop is also underdeveloped. The plant has succulent thick stems. Their diameter reaches 4 cm. It is the stems that are used for food: salads, stews, and freshly squeezed juice are made from them.
3. Root. A rounded root crop is formed underground, reaching 20 cm in diameter. The taste of the pulp is bitter-sweet. The root vegetable is dried and added to soups or salads.

How to choose celery?

If you have not previously encountered the preparation of this product, there is still a lot to learn about it. Cleaning celery depends on its condition: how young and fresh the plant is. To avoid wasting your money, learn a couple of secrets on how to choose the “right” celery.

• Foliage. Greens should have a rich, bright color. Be sure to feel the leaves, they should be elastic, not flaccid. The plant should have an aroma.
• Stems. They should look full of juice. When a cut or break occurs, you will hear a crunch. If the petiole is covered with scratches, has a weathered appearance, the green color has acquired a brown tint, you have a stale product.
• Root vegetable. The root should be firm and not squeezed when pressed with your fingers. The surface should be as smooth as possible. Don't buy root vegetables that are covered in knots. Pay attention to the color of the upper leaves: green indicates the freshness of the plant.

When purchasing, pay attention to whether the plant has produced an “umbrella” with seeds. In this case, you risk buying overgrown celery. It will taste bitter, and the stalks and roots will be very hard.

Leaf celery does not need to be peeled. The leaves are used in cooking as an addition to fresh vegetable salads, stews or first courses. The chopped herbs are dried and used as a seasoning. In addition, greens are added to pickles. However, in many countries they believe that only in fresh form does it retain all its “magical” healing properties. Like parsley or dill, just separate the branches from the main stem and rinse under cold running water.

How to clean stalk celery?

When cleaning stems, housewives have many more questions than when processing a leafy plant. The opinions of culinary specialists on this matter also differ. Some believe that it is necessary to remove the top layer of the stem, while others claim that this procedure is not necessary. This really depends on the freshness and age of the celery.

In addition to the skin, the lower part of the stem (the first 3 cm) must be removed and the upper shoots, if any, are cut off.

The young petiole growing inside the bunch is not covered with thick, coarse fibers. Its skin is thin and almost invisible. In this case, it is enough to rinse the stems under hot water. If the plant overgrows a little, the petiole becomes covered with a thick film. It is hard to the touch, so you need to remove it with a knife (it is more convenient to use a vegetable peeler).

How to clean root vegetables?

This part of the plant raises the most questions among housewives. And this is not strange at all. The fruit has a rough surface and is covered with soil when sold. There is also debate among culinary specialists about its cleaning. Some argue that it is enough to wash off all the soil - and the fruit is ready for further cutting. This opinion is erroneous, because you can only eat well-washed root vegetables with the peel removed.

By purchasing a root with a smooth surface, you will not lose a large amount of pulp when peeling. "Knots" interfere with quick and economical trimming of the peel. First of all, wash off all the dirt under running water, take a sharp knife, a vegetable peeler and a cutting board.

1. Use a large sharp knife to cut off the top and bottom of the fruit.
2. It is unlikely that you will need the entire root vegetable to prepare any dish. Cut off the required part. Place the remaining root vegetable in the refrigerator or a cool, dark place.
3. It is necessary to cut off the skin and spoiled areas. This is convenient to do with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. Do not leave spots or spots, the flesh should be white and clean.
4. Discard the spongy part of the root as it is tasteless and will not add flavor to the dish. However, if you are preparing celery for the purpose of losing weight, it should be left, since it is a coarse dietary fiber and is valuable for cleansing the body.
5. After processing, rinse the root vegetable again and start cutting. The shape of the pieces depends on the dish you are going to prepare.
6. A cut root vegetable tends to darken when exposed to oxygen. If you are making a preparation, then the chopped fruit should be filled with water, like potatoes.

All skills come only with experience. Knowing how to handle a particular product will make the cooking process easier. Celery is a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. It is easy to prepare and process. This plant should be a frequent guest in every kitchen.