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Are old, rubbery celery & old carrots ok to use in a pasta sauce

preslove

preslove

Lifer
I got an immersion blender, which makes a decent red sauce easier to make. Celery and carrot give a good flavor, especially when it's all blended up. What if they are too old for coarsely chopped enjoyment, but I still want to make pasta?
 
Absolutely fine. If they're not rotted that's a perfect use for them. Heck, you can revive wilted celery and many other green veggies just by leaving them in ice water for 15 minutes. They get soft because they start to dry out. They soak up the ice water and get crispy again.
 
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GagHalfrunt said:
Absolutely fine. If they're not rotted that's a perfect use for them. Heck, you can revive wilted celery and many other green veggies just by leaving them in ice water for 15 minutes. They get soft because they start to dry out. They soak up the ice water and get crispy again.
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Agreed. Perfect use for them.
 
Not the best choice, but they'll work. Once they get in that condition they have lost some of their flavour, but they're safe.
 
GagHalfrunt said:
Absolutely fine. If they're not rotted that's a perfect use for them. Heck, you can revive wilted celery and many other green veggies just by leaving them in ice water for 15 minutes. They get soft because they start to dry out. They soak up the ice water and get crispy again.
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Great, that's what I thought, but wanted to make sure. Thanks.


sandorski said:
Not the best choice, but they'll work. Once they get in that condition they have lost some of their flavour, but they're safe.
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Can I just add a bit more?

alkemyst said:
OMG, this would never be a good pasta sauce.

it's palateable, but not good.
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Uh... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirepoix_(cuisine)

It also has tomatoes. They just get added after browning the veggies in olive oil for a bit.
 
Gross. Why not just eat it when it's fresh before it turns to rubber sitting in the fridge for a few months? Ugh. If a pet rabbit or Guinea Pig won't eat it, I wont eat it either.
 
Drako said:
You don't put celery or carrots in pasta sauce, no matter how unlimp they are. It's a rule. :colbert:
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My wife would agree with you, emphatically, but then she would mock you for calling it sauce when the proper term is clearly "gravy."

Anyway, if you would put them in a sauce, then the ones described by the OP are fine 🙂.

My Mom was more into the Sicilian style of sauce, and would put in celery, mushrooms, onions, really any vegetable she wanted to get rid of. It was awesome, but I also love my wife's sauce, which is more of a marinara with fried meat-a-balls and sweet and hot italian sausage.
 
I get asked that a lot. The floppy celery is just caused by a lack of water. It's totally OK for cooking as long as there's no mold or "liquification".

Carrots last forever. If they dry out a bit, just remove the outer skin with a potato peeler. You do NOT want to use carrots if they're floppy however. They need to be firm to be usable.
 
Fritzo said:
Carrots last forever. If they dry out a bit, just remove the outer skin with a potato peeler. You do NOT want to use carrots if they're floppy however. They need to be firm to be usable.
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Why? I've used them before on salads, and they taste exactly the same as fresh carrots.

edit: As long as there's no mold, slimy coating, or liquid oozing out into the bag, you should be fine with either.
 
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Markbnj said:
My wife would agree with you, emphatically, but then she would mock you for calling it sauce when the proper term is clearly "gravy."
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Just because your wifes family does not know the correct translation of the Italian salsa to English, does not make it "gravy". 😀
 
Drako said:
Just because your wifes family does not know the correct translation of the Italian salsa to English, does not make it "gravy". 😀
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I hear ya, man, but you go to South Philly and tell them that.
 
Drako said:
You don't put celery or carrots in pasta sauce, no matter how unlimp they are. It's a rule. :colbert:
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Dude, stay out of cooking threads if you don't know what a soffritto is. As a rule about a jillion Italian recipes start with a combination of onions, celery, carrots, garlic and/or peppers. I use all of those as a flavor base for tomato sauce.
 
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