In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Is Celeriac?What Does Celeriac Taste Like?How to Select and Store CeleriacHealth Benefits of CeleriacHow to Prep Celeriac for CookingUses for Celeriac
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
What Is Celeriac?
What Does Celeriac Taste Like?
How to Select and Store Celeriac
Health Benefits of Celeriac
How to Prep Celeriac for Cooking
Uses for Celeriac
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Photo: Getty Images
Celeriac, or celery root, is one of the unsung heroes of the root vegetable world. It can be eaten raw or cooked, is a terrific substitution for potatoes in many applications and is wonderfully healthful! Plus the entire vegetable can be used. Just like beets and radishes, you can eat the cooked greens—both stalks and leaves—or chop them fine and add them to a stock. You can even eat the skin if you scrub it well enough. Whether you want to make akiller mashor a new refreshing salad, it’s time to get to know this unique vegetable.
Celeriac, often called celery root, is just that, the large root bulb of the celery plant. It is considered a root vegetable, and can be eaten in its raw state or cooked. It features in both classic recipes like celeriac rémoulade, a light salad that is similar to acoleslaw, and modern interpretations likegratinsorpurees, where it can be used as a lower-carb swap in for potatoes.
Celeriac has a mildceleryflavor with a refreshing crunch and a little bitterness when raw, and a subtle undertone of sweetness when cooked. If you likeradishesand turnips, you will love celeriac raw, and if you enjoypotatoes, you will like the cooked version.
As with any root vegetable, you want to choose a firm root that feels heavy for its size and does not have soft or bruised patches. Celeriac has a thick outer skin that is often crusted with soil, and may have squiggly roots attached. Keep it in its original state in the crisper drawer of your fridge until you want to prep it for cooking. Kept cold and uncut, celeriac can last for a couple of weeks in your fridge.
What Are the Health Benefits of Celeriac?
Celeriac is packed with antioxidants (which can help fight inflammation), vitamins and minerals. When raw, it is an excellent source ofvitamin K, as well as vitamin B6, vitamin C, phosphorous, magnesium and calcium. It is low in carbs andhigh in fiber, which can help support ahealthy heartandgut. Also, it is naturally low in fat, making it a light, nutritious and refreshing addition to your meal. Note of caution: The amount of vitamin K in celeriac could be a problem for anyone who is on medication (such as warfarin) for blood-clotting disorders, so it’s best to consult with your doctor, as they may tell you that you can eat this vegetable sparingly or not at all.
To prepare celeriac, slice both top and bottom off, then remove the thick skin. There is often a line that shows where the tough skin ends and the tender crisp flesh begins, so just follow that line. Once peeled, the celeriac can be grated, or cut into batons or cubes, or diced.
Celeriac is terrific in all sorts of dishes. In salads, raw, it provides excellent crunch and does not wilt quickly, so it is an ideal addition toslaws. Boiled or steamed, it can be pureed very smooth, providing creamy texture to soups or sauces. Roasted, it will brown and crisp on the edges, and get sweeter, making it ideal for any mixed roastedroot vegetable dish. Because the texture can be similar to that of potato, it is great in gratins and mashes, but it does not exude starch the way a potato does, so often it is used with some potato to ensure that texture, anywhere from a 1-to-1 ratio to 1-to-4, depending on the dish. And it will retain excellent crunch when cooked hot and fast, so it can be a good addition to stir-fries and sautés. Finally, it makes for interestingpickles, either with other vegetables, as in a giardiniera, or just on its own.
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