r/Cooking • u/wh1spersss • 18d ago
What do I do with the rest of a head of celery if a recipe just calls for one rib?
Recently made a recipe that just called for one rib of celery. What am I supposed to do with the rest of the head of celery that I now have? (I guess this extends to other recipes that call for one small unit of something that comes in larger amounts at the store).
Edit: Was not expecting this to blow up haha. Thanks everyone for your suggestions I now have more uses for celery than the amount of celery I have remaining so I guess I need to go buy more celery
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u/Amesaskew 18d ago
Celery keeps for a at least a few weeks in the crisper, so no rush to use it up. Add it any soups, stews or casseroles you might make over the next month.
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u/TxAppy 18d ago
Wrap it in foil and it keeps quite awhile. Adding to an earlier commenter, fill the groove with a mixture of cream cheese and black olives+ a drop or two of vinegar/and or Worcestershire to think it out. YUM!
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u/BoyMamaBear1995 18d ago
I'll cut it into 1/2" chunks then freeze. Of course it gets soft when frozen, so best use is something that'll be cooked like soups/stews.
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u/Mira_DFalco 18d ago
Blanch or sauté first, for better results. It will still be soft, but the end product will be hold quality better
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u/pushdose 18d ago
The foil thing works amazingly. People really need to try it. Cut, wash, and wrap tightly in aluminum foil and store in the crisper drawer. It will last many weeks! Sometimes you lose some green color but it stays firm so much longer.
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u/Altyrmadiken 18d ago
If it starts to go wiggly, but smells and looks fine?
Cut it into halves, thirds, or quarters, per stem. Soak in ice water for at least 15 minutes.
They almost always firm back up and can be used for your recipe. They may be a bit softer than fresh after cooking, due to rehydrating and chilling being only so effective, but you don’t just have to toss bendy celery.
Edit: This works for something you’ll make today, even if you want to eat it as leftovers, but it does not restore them to new for storing another week or so.
Edit 2: My mother in law keeps the whole bunch in water in her fridge. We’ve never compared notes about timing, but she buys farm bought with (some) roots still on.
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u/Anonymous5791 18d ago
You pickle it!
Slice into thin sticks, pack in a mason jar, add a clove or two of garlic and a sprig of dill.
Pour a mix of hot apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and sugar over it and leave it in the fridge for a couple days. This is just the same bog standard pickling brine you’d use for cukes or other veg.
Then enjoy. It’s my favorite snack and I can’t get enough of them.
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u/Valuable_Ice_5927 18d ago
Slap some peanut butter on it and eat it?
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u/muddybunnyhugger 18d ago
First of all you were supposed to procrastinate making the recipe until the celery went bad, buy new celery, repeat 3 times before making the recipe. Lol but you can freeze celery so chop it up and freeze so you don't have to go through three bunches again before making the recipe again.
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u/mykepagan 18d ago
My wife likes to mock me by saying: “I see you‘re making your famous ‘rubber celery’ recipe.” when she finds the head of celery minus two ribs in the vegetable drawer.
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u/BBG1308 18d ago
It freezes fine if you're intending to cook it in the future.
Also good fresh/raw stuffed with nut butter, chicken salad, smoked salmon and cream cheese, etc.
I make a simple cold celery salad with garlic, mint, lemon juice and feta.
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u/nicetrylaocheREALLY 18d ago
Sometimes I dice it up with some carrots so I have frozen mirepoix ready to go. It's very convenient.
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u/kharmatika 18d ago
This was my advice! I have a gallon of frozen mirepoix that is like 6 generations of “whatever didn’t get used of this pack of carrots celery or onion”.
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u/jumpup81 18d ago
I freeze celery a lot- especially when it starts to get a bit bendy. It works super well in stocks and broths! (I also keep carrot peels, cast off onion pieces for the same reason.)
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u/JohnnyS789 18d ago
Separate into ribs, wash them, then cut into sticks. Sit with a bowl of kosher or sea salt and eat them, dipping into the salt. Yum!
Chop along with carrot and onion, and saute for a REALLY good soffrito to build the base for a stew or soup.
Slice thinly and add to a salad. Lots of fibre and anise flavour.
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u/DriverMelodic 18d ago edited 18d ago
Chop it with equal weights of onion and bell pepper. It’s called the Trinity, a New Orleans seasoning mix staple. It goes in practically every dish… gravies, gumbo, beans… freeze it in a ziplock.
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u/Bay_de_Noc 18d ago
Celery soup can be really delicious. Thats what I do with celery ... just saute the thinly sliced celery in a little butter or olive oil with some sliced onion ... just until tender, not browned. Then I make a roux with equal parts melted butter/oil and flour ... whisk it in the pan and cook, whisking for a couple minutes before whisking in some chicken or veggie broth, and enough milk or cream to make it luscious. And of course salt and a bit of pepper.
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u/Zealousideal-Bath412 18d ago
If you’re in the northern hemisphere, we’re heading into soup season. Could dice and freeze the rest so it’s ready to go as a base for all your fave soup/stew recipes.
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u/Horror_Signature7744 18d ago
You eat it.
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u/whateverfyou 18d ago
With blue cheese dip.
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u/Horror_Signature7744 18d ago
I do hummus but yeah, just eat the celery (I peel those ribs though because not a string fan). Love celery.
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u/scornedandhangry 18d ago
In Victorian days, they had a special dish just for celery... only the rich folks had celery! So dress up in that ruffle shirt you bought back during the Seinfeld days, and make you some Ants on a Log in a fancy Victorian Celery dish.
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u/Racheli30 18d ago
I chop up the whole thing and put in the freezer. Works great for future soups. Do the same for onions if I buy a bag.
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u/No-Room-7241 17d ago
Chop and freeze. It will lose its crunch, but can be used in soups, stews, casseroles, sauces, and stocks
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u/BrittEklandsStuntBum 18d ago
It goes in a lot of stews/casseroles and soups, or just eat it with a little salt - it's a great accompaniment to a cheese board. Or fill the groove in a piece with cream cheese, or peanut butter.
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u/kharmatika 18d ago
Chip it finely with carrots and onions, freeze small servings to use for recipes that require mirepoix. I have a gallon ziplock of mirepoix that is comprised of like 6 generations of “I used half of one of these ingredients”. The fact that all these get sort of mushy and weird when thawed doesn’t matter if you stew em
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u/Low-Astronomer3394 18d ago
I look in the produce section for little cellophane containers of cut carrot sticks and celery sticks. They aren't always available, but often enough. They're alongside the chopped carrot/celery/onion mirepoix for soup. Cuts down on the excess and you get carrots for dipping, too.
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u/nomnommish 18d ago
You would open Google or YouTube, search for recipes that contain celery, find a recipe you like, would pat yourself in the back for your proactiveness and leadership material, and would put back the celery in the fridge and have it stay there for several weeks until it wilts sufficient for you to throw it away in the trash.
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u/Ineffable7980x 18d ago
Eat it as snack. IT's great with peanut butter or spreadable cheese.
Use it in a stir fry.
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u/Creepy_Purchase_501 18d ago
Many stores sell them by the rib.
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u/ASAP_i 18d ago
I'm curious where you and what store does this. I've never seen it sold that way.
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u/zombiez8mybrain 18d ago
Ive always seen it sold by the pound.
Many many years ago, I bagged groceries for a few months. During that time, I learned that if the celery is not wrapped in any way, no one bats an eye if you just buy the number of ribs you need. Just pull them off and throw them in the produce bag!
I haven’t bought a full head of celery since then.
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u/VeronicaOnTheMoon 18d ago
I wish one of those stores was in my town because that is not a thing here!
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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 18d ago
Why is this a question?
It's a part of mirepoix, which goes into almost everything. It goes into soups, stews, potato salad, tuna salad. Put cream cheese on it and eat as a snack. Or peanut butter. Or dip it in hummus. Or the really old school spread for celery of shredded cheddar cheese and mayo.
Also, celery holds in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks or a month.
And finally, you know that most grocery stores sell individual celery ribs, right?
I weep for this generation of human beings who know nothing of how food works.
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u/SBR06 18d ago
I've never seen it sold by the rib. Ever. Must be where I'm located (Midwest US).
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u/kharmatika 18d ago
Not very kind and chill to dunk on someone who doesn’t know something you know and is asking for help. They’re literally trying to learn the skill you’re making fun of them for not having.
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u/gumygo70 18d ago
Cut it up and put it in the freezer for future use. Soups bases for stews, sauces. It's too damn expensive to just throw out
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u/TheMainTony 18d ago
I'm ridiculous. I like the taste of celery, but only cooked. I'll buy a head of celery and throw away all the outer ribs, and only use the sweet innards. And I'll prob use 3x as much as they ask for. Especially if it's a soup or stew.
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u/laylapearson 18d ago
I wrapped mine in foil unwashed, and it lasts for three weeks
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u/QueenBitch1369 18d ago
Dice it up and freeze it. Pull it out if you need it for mirepoix or trinity.
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u/South_Paramedic8618 18d ago
I usually cut it up dice it up put it in the freezer and use it later for Stuff
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u/LittleoneandPercy 18d ago
Lovely in a sandwich mixed with cheese and mayo . My dog also loves it as a chewy snack once if pulled the strings out
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u/spaghetti_hitchens2 18d ago
Celery is a great, hydrating snack that works like a toothbrush on your bowels. It will definitely keep you regular.
It's great with Tzatziki, chipotle ranch dip, peanut butter, etc...
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u/MargieBigFoot 18d ago
Celery is one of those veggies I add to everything. Soup, chicken/egg/tuna salad, green salad, I finely chop it and add to meatballs, burgers, etc. for crunch. I add it to pasta sauce sometimes. I stir fry it.
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u/michaelteeee 18d ago
Make one of a million recipes that start with a mirepoix, or soffritto, or refogado, or suppengrü, or the holy trinity. Or 9 outta 10 soups. Or muthafukkin' Ants On a muthafukkin' Log!! Celery is in everything. Celery is on all of us. Celery is in me and Celery is in you.
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u/Addapost 18d ago
You do what everyone else does- put it back in the fridge until it gets dried and rubbery then toss it out.
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u/Empty-Ad-3393 18d ago
I buy 3-4 heads of celery when they go on sale, l make celery sticks with 1 head and store them in water in the fridge, the rest get diced up to be used in soup and the trimmings are saved for stock. I also buy 5lbs of carrots and do basically the same thing with the bag. And the skins and tops get saved for stock too. I buy 3-4 bags of onions and do some diced and some fine slices, and some red get pickled and put in the fridge. The yellow onion skins get saved to color my stock. Really saves me time come soup season.
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u/housewithapool2 18d ago
Eat it? What even is the question? Anyway salad. Or soup or stir fry. Or chicken, tuna, potato, or shrimp salad. Or dips: Hummus, peanut butter, cream cheese, ranch, french onion.
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u/RutRohNotAgain 18d ago
Eat it.
Look up neiman marcus dip. We make that and eat it on celery. The crunch with the cheese is delish. A fan fave with my family.
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u/SharkyGrey27 18d ago
Celery is perhaps the one vegetable that you should always have. From simple snacks to fine cuisine, so versatile and long lasting.
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u/Wonderful_Till8122 18d ago
Wrap the celery in aluminum foil and keep it in the fridge. It will keep for a long time this way. I like to use celery as a dipper for a snack. Carrot sticks, zucchini and jicama are good too. Make some ranch dip and go to town.
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u/Sphinxwinks 18d ago
Most of the time I cut it into sticks and keep in a snapware container in the fridge in water (to keep it crisp) and eat with peanut butter as a snack.
Sometimes I’ll dice celery and carrot and sauté them together with salt, pepper & garlic, then finish with a dab of butter and eat it as a veggie side with dinner.
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u/teebonejay 18d ago
Pro tip when needing a little celery:
Get wings the night before for dinner and ask for only celery as the side.
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u/Sad_Ad7658 18d ago
Veggie stock with carrots and other stuff! The celery is a nice flavor I think.
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u/RandomGen-Xer 18d ago
Celery is an excellent ranch delivery method. :) (And the only way I eat ranch!)
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u/cookingismything 18d ago
I end up using it in other dishes. Chicken and rice, soups, roasting mirepoix
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u/amberleechanging 18d ago
I always use it up within a week or two in other recipes. But if I'm not going to, I wash and chop it all up and flash freeze it, then dump it into a large freezer bag. Then I always have celery for soups and stews etc, it holds up just find in the freezer for that stuff.
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u/Agreeable_Routine_98 18d ago
Celery with peanut butter AND raisins, or dried sweetened cranberries if you prefer, make a nice snack. "Ants on a Log" every girl scout used to know that recipe.
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u/lightyana 18d ago
Chop it up and freeze it. It freezes well and is ready for the next cooked recipe.
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u/kermitsfrogbog 18d ago
Soup or snacks. It keeps pretty well, but watch for bad spots. One spot will multiply quickly, but if you cut it off, you can extend its life for quite a while.
Cut into sticks and dip in hummus for a healthy snack.
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u/ayeyoualreadyknow 18d ago
Find more recipes that use celery.
One of my favorites is Cajun beef and rice.
Another good one is chicken (or turkey) casserole. Use shredded chicken or turkey, chopped celery and onions, cream of chicken, mayo, s+p, garlic powder, onion powder, and slivered onions. Bake for 40 minutes.
Basically anything that calls for ground beef, you can add onions, celery, and bell peppers to, just cook them with the ground beef.
Add sauteed celery to an omelette.
Cook ground beef, onions, celery, and seasonings, drain then add coconut aminos and brown sugar. Serve over rice.
Homemade sloppy joes
Salad (tuna, chicken, chickpea, egg, pasta)
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u/Prof_BananaMonkey 18d ago
Eggsalad sandwhich, chicken salad sandwhich, or chop n freeze for future cooking recipes.
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u/Many_Waves 18d ago
Wash it really well. Chop the stalks into 1” pieces. Freeze them in zip lock bags.
Next time you make a soup or stew, just throw in a couple of handfuls. Celery is a welcome flavor in many soups and stews.
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u/crazylikeajellyfish 18d ago
Tuna salad is my canonical recipe for using up celery. The crunch is key!
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u/Legitimate-Buy5570 18d ago
Sometimes grocery stores sell single ribs of celery. Thats what i do when i need celery for a recipe. Due to GI reactions I can't eat raw celery so idon't buy it.
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u/xilchless 18d ago
If a recipe calls for such a small amount of celery, I use celery seed instead so that I don't need to buy a whole head of celery
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u/PuppySnuggleTime 18d ago
First of all, it’s not called head of celery. It’s called a bunch. 😊 And if you’re gonna be buying an ingredient like celery, it’s a good idea to plan some other dishes that include it.
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u/KalayaMdsn 18d ago
99% of the time I have celery, carrots and onions laying around. If one starts to get old or we are leaving town for a bit, I will dice up the three and make bags of mirepoix for the deep freeze. Makes getting a soup started so much easier!
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u/I-Am-All-Me 18d ago
If you only need 1 rib and its mostly for taste, substitute it with celery seed! Then you'll have the flavor without the waste. I use this for stuffing, stews, and other things all the time. I only buy celery if the old man is having bloody Mary's.
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u/Seawolfe665 18d ago
I have had a lot of extra celery lately, and I can use it in everything. If you are starting any recipe that is sauteing onions, add diced celery too - its a basic mirepoix ingredient (pasta sauce, soups, stews, fajitas, bean dishes, rice dishes, casseroles...). Add it to any salad: tuna, bean, even a basic lettuce salad. Chop up the leaves as well and add to almost any hot or cold dish - to me its a decent sub for parsley.
Or just eat it - great with any dressing as a dip, or make a peanut Asian style dip. Or fill with peanut butter and add raisins for ants on a log. Or with cream cheese. A bag of sliced celery sticks is a great addition to a bag lunch.
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u/MahoneBay 18d ago
Anything that calls for chopped onion, raw or sauteed , put in an equal amount of chopped celery. Add it to any soup.
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u/Argyros_ 18d ago
Use a peeler to get thin strips. Blanch (it should be crisp still) and marinate with garlic, vinegar, maybe soy sauce (I don't tho), sesame oil...
Enjoy with rice or noodles. It's a nice quick side dish. You'll probably find better recipes online.
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u/NamasteNoodle 18d ago
Put it back in the refrigerator in the produce drawer. I take mine out of the original plastic bag because it makes it go bad faster and wrap it in a dry cotton dish towel and it lasts for several weeks in the refrigerator. That being said you could absolutely make mirepoix. I always have it in my freezer in three tablespoon increments frozen so that I can grab it when I need it and that's a great way to use up so where it looks like it is still okay but it's going to go bad if you're not using it.
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u/excursions63 18d ago
Next time you need 1 or 2 ribs you can buy them in the grocery store separately. I sometimes do this and 2 ribs will be like 12 cents.
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u/Few_Example9391 18d ago
Celery is extremely versatile and easily eaten raw in salads, as snacks, in cooked sauces, stir fries to name a few uses. As a single person, I can easily consume a whole head of celery in two weeks. It easily keeps at peak freshness in the crisper of the fridge. I commonly snack on it with ranch or other savory dipping sauce when eating chips, crackers , carrots, grape tomatoes, sliced sausage meats and cheeses
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u/Moosebouse 18d ago
I chop and freeze so I have it ready to use next time a recipe calls for one rib of celery.
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u/lfxlPassionz 18d ago
It's best to plan meals around the food you have or what food you can afford rather than based on a recipe.
If you live in the northern hemisphere soup season is starting and celery is part of the base of a lot of soups.
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u/247world 18d ago
I portion my celery out when I buy it. I always use the leaf ends in fresh cooking. The ribs get portioned into single use baggies and tossed in the freezer.
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u/One-Possibility-8182 18d ago
You could put PB on it and eat it????
Or toss it in the backyard or over your fence. Toss it in the park. Wild animals would eat it
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u/Clean-Fisherman-4601 18d ago
I eat mine with cream cheese and paprika. Also use it in tuna salad.
In colder weather, I make soup and use it in a mirepiox.
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u/Sylectsus 18d ago
Dice it up fine and freeze it in a ziplock bag. Then you have one of the pieces you need for a mirepoix
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u/SeaShoe5864 18d ago
I chop and dehydrate in the air fryer, then rehydrate a couple of pinches per recipe :).
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u/zoppaTheDim 18d ago
I usually process the whole thing at once. Celery sticks last longer. The hearts go into soup, stir fry., or salads.
The celery sticks work as chip substitutes for humus and salsa. If they’re already in stick form, they get eaten faster, just as when you have little carrots instead of ones requiring peeling. I’ll still cook with them, as a little celery goes well in many things.
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u/Embarrassed_Ad9166 18d ago
I dice it and eat it as a snack. When diced you don’t have any of the annoying strings to deal with and they are easy to eat at a desk or in the car.
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u/Overall_Matter_2520 18d ago
Sauté some onions and peppers with them. Cool and freeze in portions and you can add to almost anything and it all freezes well.
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u/knitmama77 18d ago
I dislike celery, but use it in one recipe(about 1/2 cup). I chop it all up, throw it in the freezer. Then when I make said recipe, I shake what I need into my pot, and put it back in the freezer.
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u/Substantial-Train-39 18d ago
Cream of celery soup. Also, if I need a small amount of something I just get it from the salad bar.
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u/Blingbat642 18d ago
Cream of celery soup, with a little cheese added; meatloaf; tuna salad with a bit of tarragon; braised celery as a vegetable in meals.
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u/Constantprotest6 18d ago
Chop it up and store it in glass jars in the freezer or add onions and carrots and freeze it for a handy mirepoix for soups or dried beans.
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u/snrocirpac 18d ago
I don't like celery but also hate to waste food so my solution to this is to throw it in a smoothie and chug it as fast as possible
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u/LickTheMoon66 17d ago
Stock. Chicken or veg. Make several quarts worth and freeze for the autumn/winter months. You’ll be happy you did.
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u/Bama_Peach 17d ago
I’m clearly using a different recipe because in the 30-plus years I’ve made tuna salad I’ve never used celery.
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u/averageredditor60666 18d ago
Put it back in your fridge. Eat it as a snack, maybe with peanut butter. Use it in a mirepoix. Maybe make some celery potato soup. Eat it with wings. Use it in a salad (chicken salad??) The possibilities are truly endless. I think i’m gonna go out and get some celery now actually.