how to cut celery
Daniel Johnston
Updated on May 13, 2026
Chop off the leafy ends of the celery stalk (down to the “joint” in the stalk), but leave the base of the stalk intact. The leaves add great flavor to soups, broths, or stocks, and can be a good addition to a green salad. If your celery stalks don’t have leaves, simply trim off about 1/2 inch of the top of the stalk.
How do you cut the perfect celery stick?
Dry the celery with a clean dish towel or nestle the celery into a colander in the sink while you prepare your cutting area. Lay one rib (aka stalk) of celery groove side up on your cutting board. Trim off the wider, light green end, if desired. Trim off the leafy tops.
How do you cut celery step by step?
Chop the stalks into large chunks for stocks, sauces, and stews. Using a sharp knife, cut the celery stalks into pieces that are 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm). Stop cutting when you reach the joint that connects to the leaves. Cut the celery into thin slices for salads or sautées.
How do you clean and chop celery?
Once your celery is cleaned, you can prep it for use or storage.
Chop off the celery leaves. Do this on a cutting board with a sharp knife—ideally a paring knife. Chop off the bottom of each stalk. Store celery in aluminum foil. You can also freeze celery. Try juicing leftover celery.
Can you grate celery?
And a grater will turn it almost to pulp. The best way I have found so far is to use a julienne mill, but that tends to shred not hugely more than half of the celery I put in, leaving the rest in large soggy lumps.
Can you cook celery sticks?
Celery can be eaten raw or cooked. Celery brings texture and a mild flavor to salads, hors d’oeuvres, soups, stuffings, stews, and stock. It can be steamed, braised, or sautéed and served as a side dish. Celery tastes best when it comes to harvest in cool weather, late spring or in autumn.
How do you cut celery for roasting?
Trim off the end and leafy tops of each celery stalk with a sharp knife. Cut the trimmed celery into bite-sized chunks.
Should celery be peeled?
Well, not always. The outer stalks, which tend to be a darker green, can be stringier and more fibrous and can benefit from a quick peel. Simply use a vegetable peeler to remove the outermost layer. You’ll know it’s time to stop when the celery color gets paler.
Why is my celery so stringy?
Celery strings are predominantly the collenchyma tissue that contains the water found in the plant. It’s made up of thick, pressurized walls that create a stringy texture.
What is the stringy stuff in celery?
Collenchyma cells are elongated and filled with water. The pressure of the water against the cell walls creates a stiffness that gives celery its crunch. These are the strings in celery.
What part of the celery can you eat?
Unlike most other vegetables, nothing goes to waste with celery — all parts of the plant are edible, including the crisp stalks, feathery green leaves, aromatic seeds, and even the bulbous root. The celery we know today is a descendant of wild celery, which has fewer stalks and more leaves.
Should you wash celery before storing?
To make a whole head of celery stay fresh longer, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil, and store it in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Cut celery can be snack-ready if you wash them thoroughly and store them in the refrigerator in a lidded container filled with water.