Celery is a pure snack that’s hydrating, low in energy and wealthy in antioxidants. The inexperienced vegetable supplies fiber nutritional vitamins and will even reduce high blood pressure. But when the stalks are wilted and gentle, they lose the enchantment that comes from their satisfying crunch.
If you happen to’ve ever questioned the easiest way to retailer celery to maintain it recent and filled with snap after you carry it residence from the market, you’re not alone. Listed below are a few of the best methods to maintain your celery crunchy.
The Finest Method to Retailer Celery That’s Contemporary: In Foil
If you carry it residence from the grocery retailer or farmer’s market or carry it in out of your backyard, the easiest way to retailer celery is to wrap it in aluminum foil.
Though it could be tempting to maintain it within the grocery store produce bag, preserving stalks in a sealed bag prevents ethylene, a pure gasoline the veggies emit, from escaping. As a result of ethylene is a ripening agent, it is going to additionally trigger ripe celery to spoil extra quickly.
As an alternative, wrap your entire bunch in a sheet of foil. Cook’s Illustrated recommends wrapping stalks loosely in foil. They need to be coated tightly sufficient to forestall the celery ribs from drying out. Nevertheless, keep away from folding the ends of the foil or enclosing them too tight, or the ethylene gained’t be capable of escape, inflicting the identical concern as for those who’d left the celery in its bag.
The celery ought to keep recent for 2 weeks or longer with this methodology.
The Finest Method to Retailer Celery That’s Lower: A Container with Water
For bunches you’ve already cleaned and lower, eliminated a rib or two from or sliced up, the easiest way to retailer celery is in some water.
Place the person ribs or the remaining stalk right into a glass or plastic container. Add sufficient water to make sure that the celery is submerged. Then, shut the container with an air-tight lid. If you happen to don’t have a canopy, you should use plastic wrap, however ensure that it’s sealed earlier than popping the container into the fridge.
Storing lower celery in water will maintain it hydrated, crisp and able to eat.
The Finest Method to Retailer Celery for Cooking: Freeze It
You possibly can truly freeze celery in case you have a bunch of it that you simply ultimately need to use. You will need to word that frozen and thawed celery doesn’t have the identical texture as recent celery, so that you most likely gained’t need to snack on it. Nevertheless, it is going to work nicely in recipes, akin to making stuffing, sauces or soups.
To correctly freeze the celery, you need to put together the veggie by blanching it. Boil chopped celery in a pot for 3 minutes. Then, switch it instantly to a bowl of ice water and let it stand for 3 minutes.
Dry the celery nicely and place it in a freezer bag or container. Retailer it within the freezer for as much as two months. Then, you may add it to recipes straight from the freezer with out thawing it.
Tips on how to Refresh Wilted Celery
Celery that wasn’t appropriately saved will probably change into limp and lose its crunchiness in a rush. Fortuitously, you may normally restore its crisp texture and recent taste with a little bit of water and time.
First, fill a container with ice water and lower off each ends of the stalk. Then, submerge the celery within the chilly water and place it within the fridge for half-hour. As soon as the ribs soak within the icy water, they are going to lose their unhappy, rubbery limpness and regain their satisfying crispness.
Have you ever realized some other tips for preserving celery at peak freshness for longer?
