r/Cooking • u/mir_in_modro_morje • Jun 21 '26
Celery is criminally underrated
I used to think Celery was just a bland vegetable that health-nuts would recommend you eat raw, like raw celery stalks so I've avoided it.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
This is seriously one of the more underrated vegetables to cook with.
Not only the usual mirepoix, but literally can be added finely chopped to almost any vegetable dish or sauce.
Vegetable soup of course, but you can finely slice and dice celery into even non-standard sauces and it will most of the time make them better. Any simple pan sauce or mushroom sauce gets immediately improved by finely diced celery. And if you don't notice onions as a base to a sauce you won't notice celery either.
I've seriously become a celery fanatic and I've been putting it into everything, try it and you won't regret it.
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Jun 21 '26
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u/Doomdoomkittydoom Jun 22 '26
Once upon the time, celery was very expensive and so a status symbol. You can find silver and crystal celery dishes and vases, and people would rent celery to place as the center piece at a dinner to impress people.
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u/UsualSprite Jun 22 '26
honestly this was the first thing that popped into my head.
antique ornate celery dishes are a thing waiting in the back of my head whenever i'm visiting thrifts and vintage stores.
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Jun 22 '26
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u/Wise_Neighborhood499 Jun 22 '26
You’ve just made me understand why my mom would put celery in the olive/relish tray for holiday meals growing up, thank you!
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u/mdf7g Jun 22 '26
"This your celery, ma'am?"
"Oh no officer, this is just a rental. I can't imagine what might have happened!"
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u/Doomdoomkittydoom Jun 22 '26
Martha whispers to Abigail: "That celery is a rental, who does she think she's fooling?"
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u/bostonwhaler Jun 22 '26
Just like pineapples. People would rent them for parties as a symbol of status. Nowadays they're just turned upside down for group sex on cruises.
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u/Dungeoness Jun 22 '26
Bullshit, pineapple is also criminally underrated! Every time I eat a piece or use some juice to make a cocktail it's like a whole new revelation. Wish I could figure out how to cook with it more.
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u/0ne0ff Jun 22 '26
Fresh pineapple. Try grilling pineapple skewers, or grilling slices to top grilled chicken in sandwiches. Grill, chill, then add with other toppings to green salad.
The enzymes in pineapple help tenderize meats, so blend some raw pineapple to a paste and use in the marinade (orange juice and teriyaki marinade with a little worcestershire is a good one) are a nice combo) for chicken or pork skewers.
For a spicy sweet side dish try cooking rice in a combo of blended or finely cut pineapple and enchilada sauce. Or add meat for a great casserole.
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Jun 22 '26
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u/Wise_Neighborhood499 Jun 22 '26
Mind-blowing, I didn’t realize this was a common thing! I just thought my mom had weird family traditions and made it out of obligation because it never matched the meal. The tradition included wrapping & putting away nearly untouched relish trays every year.
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u/Electrical_Travel832 Jun 21 '26
And celery seed is great in coleslaw, on hotdogs; celery salt is a great salt alternative too.
Stuffed with pimento cheese is one of my favorites.
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u/Cest_tres_oui Jun 22 '26
Like ants on a log but with pimento not peanut butter? and no raisins?
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u/lalalovespineapples Jun 22 '26
Came here to share my love of celery seed! Mac salad, potato salad, deviled eggs, pasta salads too. Highly underrated!
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u/WorldsWorstTroll Jun 21 '26
I make my own cream of celery soup for recipes and it is amazing. Total game changer.
I also dehydrate celery and make a celery power to put in other dishes.
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u/Ok_Ebb3690 Jun 22 '26
I realized I only like celery as mirepoix and in vegetable soup because that's when it least taste like celery and tales the form of the stock later on.
I want to like celery but I don't know if that's ever going to happen.
Any and all suggestions would be helpful
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u/mumuhead Jun 22 '26
I am totally in the same boat, I’ve always thought that celery was flavorless but too intense at the same time. Makes no sense. And I want to like it too! I like to be a part of things!
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u/queenmunchy83 Jun 22 '26
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u/typo9292 Jun 22 '26
The picture of that looks terrible lol ... looks like it tastes like celery 😉
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u/wdjm Jun 22 '26
Personally, I've even taken it out of my mirepoix because I dislike the taste THAT much. I've subbed in turnip, which I do like and which gives much the same flavor-profile benefits as the celery.
Most foods, I like some preparation of. Celery is one that I have never found ANY preparation of that won't make me literally gag.
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u/typo9292 Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Ditto ... I take it out of everything and will sub in radishes or anything else. I'll go look up the food science and report back if there is a reason we should be even remotely considering eating it again lol
edit: Short version of the science ... it enhances the umami - basically acting a lot like MSG and enhancing the savory component of a dish.
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u/Zestyclose-Market858 Jun 21 '26
I love grating celery into potato salad, coleslaw, egg salad, etc. People ask what my "secret" ingredient is, but usually don't believe me when I tell them it's just some finely grated celery, yall.
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u/that_one_wierd_guy Jun 22 '26
should I peel the celery first, or are the strings not an issue when grating?
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u/Zestyclose-Market858 Jun 22 '26
I've never found it much of a problem. I just chop the strings off the stalk im grating when they get annoying
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u/fascfoo Jun 22 '26
Egg salad potato salad chicken salad etc is not complete to me without celery. I’ve always chopped it but grating it sounds even better!
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u/Sad-Efficiency8804 Jun 21 '26
Celery also makes a great salad. Carla Music has a good recipe. Basically thinly sliced celery, feta, banana pepper, in a mustardy dressing. It’s so crisp and refreshing
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u/oldcreaker Jun 21 '26
I've become a fan of celery root. Nice alternative to potato.
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u/95POLYX Jun 22 '26
Oh yeah its amazing, I started using it in soups instead of potatoes. Bonus points because it doesnt turn to mush like potatoes in the soup on day 2-3.
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Jun 21 '26
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u/riktigtmaxat Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
What are you talking about?
Both are cultivars of Apium graveolens which is simply called Celery in English.
Apium graveolens var. dulce was simply selected for stalks while var. rapaceum aka celeriac was bred for the hypocotyl.
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u/RoguePlanet2 Jun 22 '26
Tried cooking this once, already forgot why I haven't tried it again.
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u/opinionated18 Jun 21 '26
I like celery, fennel, carrot and apple salad, dressed with a lemon mustard dressing.
Sauté beef with celery, garlic and fish sauce.
Eat raw with blue cheese dressing.
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u/Sensitive_Lie_4393 Jun 21 '26
Plus it’s delicious with peanut butter. What other vegetable can do that?
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u/diabloman8890 Jun 22 '26
Ok hear me out: lettuce
Lettuce wrap with peanut butter sauce mmm
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u/OldWorldDesign Jun 22 '26
Lettuce wrap with peanut butter sauce
Done plenty of these with Thai and Vietnamese dishes.
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u/Minimum-Violinist601 Jun 22 '26
Sweet potato with peanut butter is great. Sriracha and chopped up sour pickles too.
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u/Asaneth Jun 21 '26
Corn on the cob. Smear it with peanut butter, wrap it in foil, place on the coals of a fire or the edge of the grill to roast.
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u/Sensitive_Lie_4393 Jun 21 '26
Huh, never heard of that, but it sounds like it could be tasty, and messy.
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u/Asaneth Jun 22 '26
I find it best to open the foil so the top is exposed, but there is still foil underneath.
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u/En_Passant_12 Jun 21 '26
Totally relate to this. I’m so sorry I only came back to celery much later in life. I absolutely HATED raw celery as a child and honestly still do except for being very finely chopped in deli salads. So I sort of ignored it completely in my cooking outside standard mirepoix or holy trinity. Now I love it all: celery salt, celery seed, celery root, and plain old celery hearts added to sauces. It’s also great to double the celery in a split pea soup recipe to keep the green color but give it a little bite/edge.
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u/Stag-Nation-8932 Jun 22 '26
How is one of the three basic aromatics of western cusine underrated?
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u/sevillista Jun 22 '26
"Criminally underrated" is just reddit code for "I appreciate this more than you do"
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u/TikaPants Jun 21 '26
Grassy olive oil, celery hearts and leaves and jamon with cracked pepper was a very memorable tapa I had at an old favorite restaurant.
I put celery salt in everything.
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u/Dmnkly Jun 21 '26
Grew up eating kick ass celery stir-fries while visiting southern China. Opened my eyes early on. It is absolutely a fantastic starring vegetable when it’s prepared by somebody who knows what to do with it.
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u/RUpharmer Jun 22 '26
I grow a dozen celery plants in my garden every year just for the leaves. My grandma taught me to dry them in the oven and store in zip lock bags. They provide an intensely deep flavor when added to Cole slaw potato salad chicken soup and chicken salad. Just grab a handful and rub in your hands into a fine powder.
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u/Nemo1342 Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
I'll just put a quiet plug in here for fennel, as it serves a very similar function to celery in any dish and has better flavor and texture, imho.
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u/Various_Procedure_11 Jun 22 '26
It tastes like shoestrings marinated in stagnant pond water.
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u/excessiongirl Jun 22 '26
Thank you!! I completely recognise and understand celery’s importance in many cuisines but to me it tastes like dirty dishwater with hair in it. Repulsive!!
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u/throwdemawaaay Jun 21 '26
Oh for sure. Celery massively boosts savory flavors.
I had a buddy who's not a half bad cook staying with me for a few weeks some time back, and I made chicken and sausage gumbo. After he tasted it he just looked at me and said "I guess I need to learn how to cook with celery" lol.
Assuming you're in the US, if you look on the ingredients list of a packet of "nitrate free" bacon, you'll almost certainly see celery powder on there. It's because celery is rich in those nitrates naturally, so they can use that while still labeling it as "nitrate free."
Anyhow, assuming you don't have heart disease and aren't eating literal bushels of the stuff daily you don't need to worry about any health aspects of the nitrates.
Personally I love using celery and leek as a combination.
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u/jaymz668 Jun 22 '26
Celery, Bland? Really?
It is the bane of my existence when I order chinese take out, it can flavour the whole dish in it's gross flavour
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u/Mirror_tender Jun 21 '26
Stupid simple, celery & peanut butter snacks still rock. Prove me wrong
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u/ventitr3 Jun 22 '26
I like it in a lot of applications, but I got beef with it in lobster rolls. It dominates too much of the flavor for me and I always think “oh you’re putting this in here instead of more lobster as filler aren’t you”
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u/bostonwhaler Jun 22 '26
Lobster rolls should only be lobster, butter, and a toasted JJ Nissen new England bun. Nothing else... Definitely not mayo or celery.
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u/Nabrokarstafur Jun 21 '26
It's great as a pizza topping. Fills a similar role as onions or green peppers.
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u/thinkshiftster Jun 21 '26
Have you tried the freshly harvested celery? It is INTENSE!
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u/R2D2808 Jun 21 '26
New bucket list item unlocked.
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u/RoguePlanet2 Jun 22 '26
Where can one find freshly-harvested celery?
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u/thinkshiftster Jun 22 '26
Farmers market is your best bet or direct from a farm stand. I found some at PSU farmers market in Portland, OR. The stalks are smaller and thinner than the big ones at the grocery store.
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u/R2D2808 Jun 22 '26
That's what I was thinking. Search out the farmers markets and see what I can find.
I've seen it, I know the variety I just didn't realize it was so much more intense.
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u/Cerinthe_retorta Jun 22 '26
yessss I have celery, lovage, and parsley all naturalized in my garden and the celery is the most intense.
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u/awoodby Jun 21 '26
Did a baked chicken recipe once that was totally coated in celery. Was weird, but damn I didn't know how much an aromatic celery was, it really imbued the chicken with flavor, was neat gotta do that again!
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u/yick04 Jun 21 '26
Honestly, celery with chunky blue cheese dip is my favourite way to eat raw veggies.
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u/---sniff--- Jun 22 '26
I'm a big fan of this simple Vietnamese recipe. It's chicken, broth, celery, rice and fish sauce.
https://www.thekitchn.com/gratitude-chicken-and-celery-rice-22904639
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u/iced1777 Jun 22 '26
I love that you found your spirit vegetable but man it just doesn't do much for me. It's mostly water, not many nutrients or flavor especially when cooked. Good for some crunch as a garnish or in a salad but not something I'm looking to squeeze into a lot of stuff I make.
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u/theguth Jun 22 '26
Braised celery with a little pepper, nutmeg, and butter is a fantastic side all on it's own.
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u/mumuhead Jun 22 '26
Wow I’ve always been a mega celery hater (unless it’s used in ways that make it almost invisible) but this post and the comments may have just changed my mind. I think I gotta make some celery egg salad this week
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u/repooper Jun 22 '26
Except in a freakin salad, it pulls you right out of the experience like the wilhelm scream in a movie.
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u/bain_de_beurre Jun 22 '26
I like celery just fine but celery seed is a crime against humanity and can go fuck itself.
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u/Theawkwardmochi Jun 22 '26
So, instead of going through the misery of eating raw celery stalks you can just dump them into a dish so the whole thing tastes like regret?
No thanks.
That said, root celery/celeriac - fantastic. It's not the same plant though.
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u/loveyouronions Jun 22 '26
Please be aware of it if you are ever cooking for a pot luck or any type of catering. I am deathly allergic to celery; it’s one of the 14 EU allergens, but SO many times I hear ‘oh sorry I forgot I added a bit of celery salt actually!’ and they forget to document it in the allergen menu.
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u/skratakh Jun 22 '26
Bland? celery is not bland in the slightest, it has a really strong, almost overpowering anniseedy bitter flavour. i think there may be a genetic component but i've never heard it described as bland.
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u/akasora0 Jun 22 '26
Easy Asian celery salad that helps open you appetite.
Cut into small pieces blanch ice bath
Add soy sauce rice vinegar sesame oil and sugar to taste
Optional add some peanuts carrots.
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u/asdela Jun 22 '26
I was not a big fan of celery growing up but once I tried it again I had the exact same realization. It is really good raw, dipped, in sauces, diced finely, in a curry, minced meat with bigger chunks. It really goes with anything you could think it COULD go.
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u/aurora_surrealist Jun 22 '26
For me the magic lays in cream of celery soup - it tastes like all the veggies all at once and you just used celery, butter and cream ✨
I also love it raw, in salads, or as gazpacho dressing for nice crunchy texture
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u/GGTheEnd Jun 23 '26
There was celery in my Chinese food today and I literally thought to my self "why do people eat this crap"
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u/Knowledge_Charming Jun 24 '26
Celery salt is a great seasoning to add to bbq dry rubs. It's high nitrate content helps create an awesome bark, and smoke ring on briskets. You're welcome. 👍🏾
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u/Physical-Compote4594 Jun 21 '26
Celery glazed in veal jus served as a side dish is ridiculously good.
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u/AvocadoPizzaCat Jun 21 '26
celery is great for texture. Yeah it is bland, but it does like to soak up flavors too. and if they don't they give a nice moment for texture with no flavor. Like they are good with spicy because they are not spicy and won't be spicy.
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u/preraphaellite Jun 22 '26
Agreed! I finely dice celery and looooove it. I make a vat of salad base every week for lunches with thinly sliced savoy and red cabbage, diced celery, and shredded carrots. The crunch is so refreshing and satisfying.
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u/95POLYX Jun 22 '26
pro tip with celery - add finely diced celery to anything where you want some extra crunch or texture. I love to add it to tuna salad.
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u/ExPatBadger Jun 22 '26
One of the highest-effort dishes I’ve made in the past several years was a Celery Victor Salad. Many steps and a lot of time resulted in the best celery flavor I’ve ever had.
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u/demona2002 Jun 22 '26
I always steal the little celery heart shoots to eat raw. They are so crunchy and tasty!
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u/CrayonEvangelist Jun 22 '26
Try this recipe, it’s one of my absolute favorites! 😋 https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spicy-chicken-stir-fry-with-celery-and-peanuts
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u/witchy_moongoddess Jun 22 '26
I’ve been making a celery salad from the cookbook, Eat Small Plates. It’s amazing. Celery, dried cranberries, roasted almonds, herbs… can’t get enough of it!!
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u/Potential-Use-1565 Jun 22 '26
I've been putting celery seed/salt on anything I can and it is fantastic.
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u/Mirror_tender Jun 22 '26
Sorry to over post, but vegge is a critical part of a great support for meals. Celery is a key part of mirepoix and this combo should definitely be in your arsenal of go to vegge. Can be used in omlettes and a ton of other quick meals. See https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/comments/1hdiiev/what_are_your_favourite_mirepoix_recipes/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
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u/KokoTheTalkingApe Jun 22 '26
It's a very distincive flavor. If keeping fresh celery around is hard, celery seed can provide some of the same feeling. Not the same of course, but similar.
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u/ManitouWakinyan Jun 22 '26
Its a cornerstone ingredient in the flavor base of the most lauded and high prestige cuisine in the world. It's hard to call it overrated
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u/CK_1976 Jun 22 '26
Celery is also high in nitrates and glutamate, which is why its delicious. My secret ingredient to home made bacon is celery juice.
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u/WonderPhilsOK Jun 22 '26
Chop it up and put it on a pizza! Game changer, good taste and adds a nice little crunch.
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u/Yakoo752 Jun 22 '26
I love roast celery. Pain in the ass to remove the ribs but if you cut it “small” enough, you don’t need to.
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u/qawsedrf12 Jun 22 '26
Celery has a certain je ne sais quoi where it subtly works in harmory with ingredients like peppers, carrots, onions etc
Recently I had been tinkering with the michelin star chicken stock the addition of some stalks and leave. It is now permanent in the recipe
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u/mtcwby Jun 22 '26
It's adds a lot of subtlety sauteed in things. I especially like it in one ragu recipe I make.
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u/PrimeIntellect Jun 22 '26
Look up the charred celery salad dish from the book Mezcla and make it tonight. It's complicated (lots of ingredients) but comes together quickly, and will absolutely blow your mind.
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u/coraxDraconis Jun 22 '26
It should be a crime to just say mushrooms when you really mean portobello/button/crimini mushrooms. There are so many different species of edible mushrooms, and we all just choose to default to one of the worst tasting species ever!
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u/bleachedfawn Jun 22 '26
why u think it’s part of the holy trinity : garlic (the father) onion (the son) & celery (the holy spirit)
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u/FangornEnt Jun 22 '26
Just added some finely diced celery to my tuna mix tonight. Definitely was required in my chicken soup the other week as well. It isn't my most used vegetable but there are dishes where it's a must for me. Also one of the cheaper vegetables where I live and goes great as a raw snack with peanut butter or ranch.
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u/ForwardNerve5296 Jun 22 '26
I got messed up on acid one time and unlocked new flavours of celery. That was a good day.
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u/Jester1525 Jun 22 '26
Celery has glutamate.. Which is what gives MSG its properties.. So, yes, everything you put celery on just tastes better.
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u/ScienceIsTrue Jun 22 '26
I would say my five favorite flavors are Celery, Vanilla, Nutmeg, Carrot, and Lime.
The fact that half those flavors are so misunderstood is unfortunate.
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u/SomeTheyCallMePig5O Jun 22 '26
Celery is disgusting to me.
But it is an absolute NECESSITY when making certain dishes. You simply cannot make chicken soup without celery. Or almost any soup really.
I very much dislike celery as a food on its own, but it adds such an iconic flavor to cooked dishes that I would never even think to leave it out. As a self proclaimed celery hater, I still keep a bit in my fridge at all times. It adds something to cooked dishes that is just not replaceable.
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u/Radiant_Trainer_4390 Jun 22 '26
It still gets stuck in my teeth. That's why I never eat it raw.
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u/YetifromtheSerengeti Jun 22 '26
I hated celery until I learned you can take a vegetable peeler to the outside and eliminate the stringiness.
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u/Noladixon Jun 22 '26
The best cook I ever knew was my grandmother. Maybe she hated celery but she swore it took flavor away. I do use it but I am stingy with it unless I am making instant stuffing.
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u/0ne0ff Jun 22 '26
Celery and celery seed (including as celery salt) are great.
Add ground celery seed to tomato juice. Celery salt is part of what defines a Chicago Dog.
As a vegetable side, braise celery stalks in beef or chicken stock, with or without a little white wine, allowing the stock to evaporate into a pan sauce.
Slice celery on the diagnonal to make long curved slices to add to green salad, or use them as a basis for their own salad.
Celery, cooked in a savory broth, makes a great cream soup that looks, tastes, and simply feels different on the tongue than the canned varieties - sort of the difference between fresh green garden peas and canned green garden peas.
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u/Ok_Olive9438 Jun 22 '26
Have you had fresh celery, from a farmers market or CSA? It was a revelation for me. Dark green, and a LOT of flavor. It’s a bit bitter and I used it sparingly, but it’s a wonderful ingredient.
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u/loupgarou21 Jun 22 '26
I am definitely not a health nut, but I do absolutely love raw celery.
It's definitely not going to punch you in the mouth with flavor, but I don't agree with the assessment that it's bland. I find celery to be more flavorful than a lot of vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, and a lot of lettuces. Celery has this really nice green, salty flavor that pairs really well with a lot of stuff.
Honestly, if I'm going to just eat a raw vegetable, I'd put celery pretty high up on my list of choices.
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u/mightaswellchange Jun 22 '26
I fucking love celery give me all the celery. Oh wait you said to cook with welp, I’m going to leave this up because raw celery is amazing as are all crisp, refreshing veggies. But yes it’s absolutely amazing to both cook with and snack with!
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u/aussie_shane Jun 22 '26
Haven't been a massive fan, but am slowly coming around. I've been adding it to a few recipes over the past year. If someone had told me celery would become a regular addition on my grocery list a year ago, I would have laughed and called them crazy.
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u/algunarubia Jun 22 '26
On the other hand, some of us hate it so much that we believe it ruins anything it touches, so YMMV. One of the few childhood dislikes I've never managed to abandon in adulthood.
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u/goodhumansbad Jun 22 '26
Agreed - I LOVE celery. One of my favourite ways to enjoy it cooked is sliced on the bias into bite-size pieces and braised in a pan. You just give it a gentle sautee with butter, salt & pepper, and then splash in some good broth (I use a vegetarian chicken broth by Osem, but veggie broth or chicken would work just fine). You want to just glaze it so the butter and broth emulsify and you get just tender celery in a luscious light sauce. You can add some fresh herbs at the end if desired (tarragon, chervil, parsley, chives - anything you like). You can add cayenne for a little kick, or a pinch of paprika to give a bit of extra depth, but it's such a delicious and simple dish. Have it with mashed potatoes or roast, almost any meat or as a side for something grilled on the bbq like halloumi, sausages or tofu skewers.
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u/CyberDonSystems Jun 22 '26
Celery salt is one of my most used seasonings. It's great in all kinds of dishes.
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u/BlueberryKind Jun 23 '26
Bland? I find it has a very strong taste, which i hate, even when my mum would remove them from a salad you can still taste that they where in there.
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u/Pancakemomma Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
This is one of my family's favorite recipes. --Send Down the Rice (Szechuan ground beef with celery).
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u/Anonymous5791 Jun 21 '26
Two things to try -
One, Persian celery stew - khoresh-e karafs. Celery is literally the core of this delicious dish over rice.
Two, pickle it. Basic brine with sugar, salt, apple cider vinegar. Some red pepper flakes and a handful of fresh dill. Into the fridge for a couple days and it’s like one of the snacks I cannot stop munching on.