Preparing Root Vegetables

Appears in

The Cook's Companion: A step-by-step guide to cooking skills including original recipes

Published 1991

About

For maximum vitamin retention, scrub or peel thinly and don’t soak vegetables in cold water as the water-soluble vitamins Β and C will leach out. Certain vegetables like celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes and salsify discolour when peeled so these must be prepared just before cooking or dropped into acidulated water, simply cold water with some added lemon juice or white vinegar. Beetroot is different – it needs to be cooked first, then peeled to maintain its vibrant colour.

To peel long, smooth vegetables, such as carrots and parsnips, with a swivel-bladed peeler, hold the vegetable root end pointing downwards in one hand. Use your other hand to run the blade away from you, scraping off the skin in thin strips. Hold rounder vegetables, such as potatoes and kohl rabi, in your hand and peel towards you.
Use a paring knife to peel knobbly vegetables like Jerusalem artichokes and celeriac. Hold the knife in one hand and the vegetable in the other hand. For smaller vegetables place the thumb of your knife hand on the bottom of the vegetable to hold it still. Slice downwards to cut off the skin in thin strips or chop roughly for soups or purées.