How to Prepare Leeks

August 28, 2008

Now that I’ve figured out what leeks are, I’d like to go over how to prepare them. When I first bought them last Friday and was getting ready to cook, I had no idea what to do with them. Luckily, Bittman’s How to Cook Everything had a good illustration.                    

1. Cut Off Leaves

You first want to cut off the dark green leaves. I would recommend doing one or two chops on an angle to get them all, or you can cut each leaf individually where it begins to turn dark. The light green is good, so keep as much of that as possible, but chop off the dark. Don’t throw the leaves away, though. They can be used in stocks or soups for flavor, or in a bouquet garni, which I will be making in a few weeks for Cooking 101.  As you can see, I mixed up the first and second steps.                                                                    

2. Cut Off the Root

The next step is to cut off the root from the leek. Make your cut as close to the end of the leek as possible so that the layers are still bound together at the base. Supposedly the root can also be used for flavoring, so toss that in with your dark green leaves to save.    

3. Cut Down the Middle

Start about 3/4 of an inch from the root end and cut a slit lengthwise through the leek. You want it to remain attached at the root end while you spread it out for washing.

4. Spread it Out and Wash

Now, fan out the layers of the leek and rinse them under running water or dunk them in a bowl. As I mentioned yesterday, dirt loves to get deep inside the leek, so make sure you wash it really well.

5. Do What You Gotta Do

Finish preparing the leeks according to whatever recipe you are using.

Alternative

If your recipe ultimately calls for chopped, diced or some other small cut of leeks, go ahead and cut them to the desired size before rinsing them. It will be easier and more effective if they are chopped and then you wash them. To dice, make one or two additional cuts lengthwise, like in step three, and work your way chopping from the leaf end to the root end.

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