De-stringing f'ing celery...

xoxyx

Do you bother doing it?

I rarely use celery, but I always put it into a stew - which I'm making tonight for eating tomorrow. It's the most time consuming preparation part - especially since I got a super-cool food processor that chops up my garlic for me (hate garlic crushers).

But, I don't want to run the risk of stringy celery.

What do you think? Is it necessary?

Alun

If you're chopping it up, why bother? I only ever do it if I'm serving celery sticks with something and only then if it's a bit old and stringy.

xoxyx

The only reason I do it is because my mum always did it when she was making stew. She makes the best stew in the world and I don't want to let down the standard! That means sirloin steak and meticulous planning. Maybe it's OTT, but I don't want to deviate from the way she does it, 'cause it really is the most amazing tasting bit of food!

The Hill Billy

By the time celery is stewed it doesn't matter. It may be a different kettle of fish if you use 'stringy' celery raw in a salad.

xoxyx

I'd be with you mostly Hill Billy, but, I have had an odd piece of stewed celery that is still stringed. Out of the eight stalks I de-stringed, I found one massive string that I think would hang around even after stewing. It's that which I am trying to avoid.

I suppose I've answered my own question. I'll keep on with the de-stringing - just in case.

It's a pain in the arse though!!

mrsdewinter

Not de-string celery? It's the only thing that makes it edible! I was in my late 20s before I realised I could make it slightly less unpleasant, and almost ten years on, I refuse to prepare it any other way.
You string away there, OP, don't let anybody tell you otherwise!

Cardinal Richelieu

Nothing beats nibbling on a stick of fresh celery on a hot day.:) Great thirst quencher. Would it not be just easier to chop it up into smaller cross sections than de-string?

Seaneh

xoxyx wrote: »

That means sirloin steak

Why would you use sirloin in a stew, seems a bit like a waste of sirloin and you the stew won't be as good as it could be.

You want a peice of beef with a lot of connective tissue in it when stewing, the connective tissue and collagen breaks down as its cooked for a long time at a low heat and becomes gelatinous, which adds a lot of flavour to your stew. Also a piece of meat like sirloin lacks the fat content needed to stop it becoming dry and boring in a stew.

Chuck or brisket are good.

shin and ox tail are best.

pickarooney

Cheek beats all.

NewFrockTuesday

I peel celery with an asparagus peeler. No strings and much nicer to eat esp if raw.

Cheeks for me.

P. Breathnach

pickarooney wrote: »

Cheek beats all.

Is that a life strategy or a cooking strategy?

A number of trendy restaurants are featuring daube of beef on their menus. I'd like to feature it on mine, but my butcher never has any. So I now have some nice shin beef in today's casserole.

[It never occurred to me to de-string celery. I generally cut it into pieces about 2cm long, so if there are any strings, I just don't notice them.]

olaola

Huh?

neuro-praxis

olaola wrote: »

Huh?

I'm the same. What are you all talking about? I just slice up celery and pop it into whatever I'm cooking, as is.

Mellor

babaduck

P. Breathnach wrote: »

A number of trendy restaurants are featuring daube of beef on their menus. I'd like to feature it on mine, but my butcher never has any. So I now have some nice shin beef in today's casserole.

A daube is just another word for a kind of stew - http://www.babaduck.com/2010/11/winter-warmers-cookalong-daube-of-pork.html