In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to clean and slice leeks. Often leeks will have dirt and debris caught in the inner layers of the vegetable. This easy method will allow you to clean the leeks and slice them into rings or thin strips, julienne style. I’ve also provided a little leek history, for those who are curious about this onion-like vegetable!
History of Leeks
Leeks are members of the onion family. Classical Romans and Greeks were very fond of leeks. Roman Emperor Nero earned the nickname Porrophagus, or “leek eater,” after he took to eating them in large quantities in order to improve his singing voice. The Greeks and Romans praised leeks, while deeming garlic and onions fit only for the less fortunate.
The ancient Roman cookbook Apicius includes four individual recipes for leeks, while only calling for garlic and onions in small quantities as flavorings. Today onion and garlic are a building block in most savory recipes, whereas leeks are not nearly as common. Times have certainly changed!
Some historians believe that the Romans introduced leeks to Britain and eventually Wales. An old tale claims that the Welsh, who made leeks their “national emblem,” tucked raw leeks into their hats during the 7th century Battle of Heathfield so that the soldiers could easily distinguish between their allies and enemies. Did the Welsh triumph over the Saxons due to their own strength, or because the powerful odor of raw leeks helped them to know friend from foe? We may never know.
What we do know is how to prepare leeks for use in recipes! The challenge with leeks is the dirt and debris that gets caught inside their many layers and leaves. There is a simple solution to getting all of that dirt out and slicing your leeks for cooking. All you need is a sharp knife, a bowl of water, and a colander. Here’s how!
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How to Clean and Slice Leeks
Ingredients
- Whole leeks
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Large bowl of cold water
- Colander
NOTES
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse your leeks and pat dry with a paper towel.
- With a sharp knife, remove the dark green leaf end and discard or save for soup or stew stock.
- Thinly slice the leek into rings and discard the root end.
- Submerge the sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water. Give them a gentle stir or shake to remove any soil or grit between the layers.
- Allow the leeks to sit in the water for a few minutes. Then scoop them into a colander using your hands or a slotted spoon. This ensures that you aren’t dumping the rinse water back onto the leeks.Now you have clean, sliced leeks that are ready to be used.
- Alternatively, if you prefer, you can slice your leeks into thin strips, julienne cut. First removing the dark green leaf ends and the root ends. Discard or reserve these for soup or stew stocks.
- Then, slice each leek in half from top to bottom.
- Slice the halves into thin strips. Then rinse in a bowl of water the same way you would with the rings, scooping them into a colander to drain.
- There you have it! Clean, sliced leeks that can be used in a variety of recipes.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Research Sources:
Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
Rupp, Rebecca. How Carrots Won the Trojan War: Curious (but True) Stories of Common Vegetables. North Adams, MA: Storey Pub., 2011. Print.
thank you. I did not even know what a leek was and I am in my 60’s
Hey.. I’m going to be 80 in May! TODAY is the first time in my life that I will USE and eat leeks…and even FREEZE some for soup or other recipe combos. Can’t wait.
In the nutrition facts, I don’t know how much is in a serving.
The recipe nutrition was calculated using 1 whole leek, as stated in the recipe notes.
Thank you for the information on preparing leeks! I am just retired and have started serious gardening. No i did not grow the leeks, i bought some because i am trying things before i start growing them. I will be growing leeks! I can not believe i never encountered them before now. They are delicious!
Thank you for the clear instructions. Also, thank you for the format of this “recipe”; I was able to save it to my Paprika recipe app seamlessly, so it will be there whenever I need it!
This is my first time but i want to try it
I’m preparing leeks for the first time, as we got some in our CSA share. This was exactly what I needed. Thanks for this clear, quick tutorial.
My first time using leeks. My recipe from a children’s British cookbook doesn’t tell me how to prepare them just to put them in the pan to make Cock-a-leekie. Your step by step instructions was exactly what I needed. Thank you so much.
I have been growing my own leeks in the garden to save $ it’s easy thank u for the cooking helpful tips
Very handy, very well laid out. I can smell them cooking now… Thanks… will be looking for a good vegetable stock recipe!!
Thanx for the leeks lesson
I’ve been using the wrong end
My first time using leeks. Thanks so much for all the helpful hints.
I got a new crock pot. Got a leek and russet potatoes. The room’s cold today so am thinking of starting rough soup with these. “Rough” because I’d leave them in chunks, after slicing them say 1.5″. Am not sure if I add some carrots. Seriously debating whether to add azuki beans on top of this too because I have them…
I am a newbie cooking with leeks for the first time. The tutorial was very helpful. I appreciate the comments an d suggestions.
I just made pepper steak with leeks , bok
choy and green peppers. ” Delicious ”
This is the first time I ever used leeks and bok choy. I will be cooking with leeks and
bok choy in my meals more often.
J. Prout
This sounds amazing! post your recipe if you would!
I started trying leeks on “The Daniel Fast” and found out how good they are. Today I plan to fry some Collard Greens, Cabbage and Leeks! Just came here to see if there are different ways of cleaning them. I think I will slice them length-wise.
I know this is an old post, but I too am a newbie in regards to leeks and your info as well as the comments have been very informative. I suspect I will be purchasing more leeks in the future!.
How long would you cook the green leafy (throw away) part to make it tender for soup? I’ve seen chunks of this green part in soups and wonton
Not sure about that Peter, I can’t say I’ve ever used that part before.
Use the thick green leaves as you would a bay leaf or put them in a spice bag and pull it out before serving.
Thank you so much for the tip. This is my first time using leeks and was a little nervous, the recipe doesn’t say how to use it :/
Thanks
http://www.food.com/recipe/paul-and-linda-mccartneys-split-pea-soup-12881
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I use coconut oil instead of butter.
Got leeks for the 1st time .and decided to check out this site how to use them Thank you all for the tips on how to prepare and cook them
This is the first time I’ve had a recipe that calls for leeks. This tutorial was absolutely perfect in describing step by step on how to properly handle this vegetable. Thank You.