Cooking Resources

jobaybe · 01-10-2007, 03:14 PM

I am making a soup in my slow cooker that calls for a stalk of celery. I don't have any on hand, and can not get to the store to buy some. I am going to add celery salt instead. Any idea how much I should use to replace one stalk of celerey? Thanks!!

GB · 01-10-2007, 03:21 PM

I do not think you can really substitute one for the other. It would make your dish too salty. I am assuming your dish calls for salt though. I would just use the celery salt in place of the regular salt.

I actually did this exact thing the other day. It was not the same as having celery, but it didn't hurt anything either.

jennyema · 01-10-2007, 03:26 PM

IMO celery salt is stronger flavor than celery. I'd sub a small part of the salt with celery salt or leave it out. Celery is infrequently an essential ingredient.

ChefJune · 01-10-2007, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Celery is infrequently an essential ingredient.

??? For me, celery is an essential part of my partry. It is always part of mirepoix -- the "Holy Trinity," Sofrito, or whatever you are using as the backbone of many dishes... When I buy it and know I don't have "names" on all the stalks, I'll chop it up anyway and freeze it in sandwich baggies in the door of my freezer so when I DO need some, it's ready in a flash.

Like GB said, celery salt won't hurt your dish, but IMO it won't really help, either. It's a completely different product.

Andy M. · 01-10-2007, 03:55 PM

I also keep celery and carrots in the freezer for mire poix. I would make a recipe without celery rather than using celery salt.

You can also keep some dried celery leaves or celery seed on hand.

jennyema · 01-10-2007, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChefJune

??? For me, celery is an essential part of my partry. It is always part of mirepoix -- the "Holy Trinity," Sofrito, or whatever you are using as the backbone of many dishes... When I buy it and know I don't have "names" on all the stalks, I'll chop it up anyway and freeze it in sandwich baggies in the door of my freezer so when I DO need some, it's ready in a flash.

Like GB said, celery salt won't hurt your dish, but IMO it won't really help, either. It's a completely different product.

Of course it's a basic part of miripoix and the HT and a layer of flavor -- but IMO it is not an essential ingredient for a busy home cook who forgot to buy it at the store and is making a crockpot soup recipe that calls for it. I see no pressing need to add celery salt which IMO will accentuate the celery flavor.

There is a large difference between celery being theoretically, a key ingredient, which any trained cook like you and I will agree with and celery being a key ingredient in the practical sense, which is what I assume is the case here with someone inadvertantly discovering that she/he is missing an ingredient in a recipe they have already started and are looking for advice on a substitute.

What I meant was rarely is celery such an integral ingredient in the practical sense that you cannot leave it out if you must.

bethzaring · 01-10-2007, 06:28 PM

I can not imagine life without celery, and I take some steps to not have that happen. Annually I raise 12 celery plants to use starting in early summer until late fall. Throughout the summer I dry a couple quart jars of the leaves in my food dehydrator to use when I have no fresh celery.

May I suggest you keep in stock some celery seed? It keeps well, and would provide a better celery flavor than celery salt.

StirBlue · 01-10-2007, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy M.

I also keep celery and carrots in the freezer for mire poix. I would make a recipe without celery rather than using celery salt.

You can also keep some dried celery leaves or celery seed on hand.

How do you prepare your celery for the freezer?

Andy M. · 01-10-2007, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StirBlue

How do you prepare your celery for the freezer?

When I freeze celery or carrots that will be used in soups, stews, etc. I just bag them and freeze. They're not in there very long.

**Katie H** · 01-10-2007, 11:16 PM

Like, beth, I am never without celery in some form. When I bring celery home from the market, I usually trim a bit off the top of the bunch just to get rid of the yucky ends. Then, when I use it for the first time, I cut off the leafy parts and put them in a zipper-lock plastic bag and store them in the freezer. They are great for soups, stews, etc. I'm never without celery.

Also, substituting celery salt for celery isn't the best solution to celery flavor because of the sodium issue. If you absolutely have to have some celery flavor and find yourself without real celery, you could substitute a quantity of celery seed to provide that flavor. Not necessarily perfect, but better than nothing and certainly better than celery salt IMO.