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Feature Articles
What are Leeks?
Meet a Not-
Discovering What We Don’t Know About Leeks
Alien Encounters:
Drumming Up Inspiration for Strange-
A Week of Leeks:
Get to know Leeks, 7 Easy Ways
In Every Issue
Why We Love It
Partners in Flavor and Season
Leek Season
Vegetable Boosters
Picky Eater Tips
Money Saving Tricks
News from the Farm
Cooking School
Cooking Classes:
White Fish and Leeks en Papillote
Roasted Leeks and Butternut Squash Salad
Buying the Best
Storing for Flavor
Prepping Tricks & Tips
Cooking Basics
Recipes, Recipes, Recipes
13 Easy Recipes: Make
Leeks a Mid-
<<Basic Cooking Know-
Learning to cook leeks can be frustrating.
- First, there seem to be as many basic cooking methods for leeks as there are recipes for the vegetable.
- Then, within the recipes, nothing is as it seems. Recipes for "roasted" leeks actually
just slow-
bake them. Likewise, "sauteing" is really sweating, braising is really simmering, and so on. - Next, leeks themselves respond to certain cooking methods in reverse. Boiling is the way to get leeks with the most crunch and bite, while roasting yields silky tender leeks, not richly browned, firm vegetables.
- Finally, there's nary a word about cooking a leek’s green parts,even though they are a good addition to recipes.
All the confusion and contradiction made it difficult to neatly explain leek cooking, until I realized there was one principle that made sense of everything:
© 2009 Culinary Concepts, Inc., Boulder CO
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White vs. Green
Note that the cooking information to the right applies to the white parts of the leek. Cooking the green parts is slightly different, as explained in Cooking Leek Greens.
4 Big Things to Know
. . . about Cooking Leeks
1) Cook on Low Heat,
2) Don’t Let Them Dry Out,
3) Cook Slowly and Gradually,
4) But Be Careful Not to Overcook
“Leeks are a study in patience. They reward those who cultivate this virtue by blossoming into the sweetest vegetable. But those who fail in this trait they quickly punish with a taste bitter and tough.”
So says an ancient proverb that I just made up, since it's the best way to summarize leek cooking: Have patience. Keep the heat on the lower side, don't let the leeks dry out, and cook them slowly and gradually–but watch so they don’t get overcooked! In other words, cook low, slow and moist, but don’t overcook.
The “Patience Principle” explains what is happening with all the leek-cooking variations.
They are just different paths to the same goal: Coaxing the sweetness out of leeks
while avoiding the two big perils of leek cooking: cooking over heat that is too
high or dry (leading to charred, tough leeks) or cooking too long (leading to mushy,
tasteless leeks.)
The Water Methods
Boiling, Simmering, Braising, Microwaving
The Dry Heat Methods
Grilling and Roasting
The Frying Pan Methods
Sauteing, Sweating, Frizzling
Leek Cooking Lamentations
Can I substitute leeks for onions in a recipe, and visa versa?
Substitution is fine in recipes where leeks are used as an aromatic or as one of several vegetables in a soup or casserole. While onions and leeks taste slightly different, the difference wouldn’t prevent a swap in a pinch. (This may actually be a good way to start using leeks.)
The answer is different in recipes where leeks are the star, as in e.g., Leeks au Gratin. In these kinds of dishes, it obviously wouldn't make sense to substitute regular onions. Also, in recipes that highlight the unique sweetness of leeks, (e.g., Potato Leek Soup), using a regular onion will not work a straight substitution. It can be done, but will result in a different taste that may be good; just not quite the same.
One Last Thing: Substitution
Does a pic fo here?
Can an onion be used for a leek?
In recipes like Potato Leek Soup, which highlight the unique flavor of leeks, an onion substitution would not be the best move.