BLOODY LEEKS

[soupfiend]

(and spring onions, Im looking at you too)

Honest to god, I said to myself yonks ago I was having nothing more to do with leeks because of their incapacity to be fully washed out and despite looking clean, there is then a bit of grit found in my dinner

But then I got seduced by a lovely looking recipe that called for lots of leeks thinly sliced. I wanted to try it

So I buy my leeks. I think to myself 'Im not being tricked by these leeks', I do the usual and cut them lengthways with the bottom still on, run them under the tap so that the water goes out of them, not into them, I do each and every leaf, I check and double check and dont see anymore grit

I slice the bastards and make quite a big buttered leek dish, portion it out and am eating some now

GRIT!!!!

Honestly Im sick of leeks doing this to me. And Im very confused how on the telly chefs just slice up a leek any old how, without cleaning them out, how come they are all nice and clean? How would anyone just get leek rounds like I see in stews?

And spring onions are just as shifty, they're another one.

I slice them, stick them in a colander in the sink, put the plug in then stick them under the flow of water whilst the sink fills.
I swish them around every so often whilst letting them soak for 30+ mins. It’s a PITA but I never eat grit, and I eat leeks a lot.

I do similar and never have grit...

I’ll be honest, I don’t think I ever really even bother with a cursory rinse when I’m using them for soups and I’ve never had grit!

I always wash after slicing, especially the ones from my garden

Check for and rinse any visible dirt first, remove root end then cut in half once lengthwise and once across. Soak in cold water and sort of twist each section to shift any dirt in between the layers. Leave the dirtiest bit to soak last and longest, refresh with clean water until no grit appears on the bottom of the bowl.
Sounds like a pain but I love leeks, and it's just a bit of soaking and twisting really.
Or just use shallots, which are similarly savoury without grit.

After years of freezing my little hands off with diligent washing of leeks - I now buy them frozen 😄

Well this recipe called for shredded or very finely sliced so I did them in the kenwood

I suppose I could still have washed them afterwards I didnt think of that

Also I do have a massive bag of shallots I could have used!

I just cut the main part quite low so you don't get the little v notches where the grit lingers... that main bit needs a cut down the length and a cursory rinse. Then the rest of the green end gets shredded and washed after.... those shredded bits float and when you agitate it the grit sinks.

Washing after shredding dims the flavour, so I only do that on the bits that tend to hold grit.

Well I think this is why I gave up on leeks, they are labour intensive

I did cut the main bit very low, I did every leaf, I wanted all the green bit because like you say the flavour and yes I remember now why I dont like washing after the effect I didnt want any leeky flavour to be dimmed.

So how do these telly chefs just slice a whole leek and get on with it, how do people just slice a leek and not have any grit?

I chop off both ends, slice down the middle, wash, and never had a problem. I think if you slice finely then wash you’re more likely to miss the grit.

I just slice them, either lengthways or circular. Never noticed any grit in leeks I've prepared or had prepared for me.

i wash them as @soupfiend does, but noticed dm cut up really small then put in water! ingenious, i dont find grit though

I think a lot depends on whether you buy leeks from the supermarket or farm box/shop

and how much green (best flavour for me) gets thrown away.

Supermarket ones (2 or3 in a bag, ready trimmed) only need a slice down the length and quick rinse. Farm shop ones need a bit more effort if you want the green stuff (which is what I buy farm ones for).

Yes I like the green bits. These were just from lidl, quite fat ones, in a bag.

This thread is making me more despondent, cant believe how many of you get away with scant washing and no grit!!!!

this.its the only way you get them clean.

I don't get grit. Cut root off, slice circles. Careful when I get to the green bits - check, rince, discard outer leaves, repeat until I get to the end.

the grit is mainly near the top, so i wipe it with my fingers

Most of the ones I buy are pretty clean. Slicing them lengthways and taking a few layers off usually does the trick though. Or buying frozen sliced ones, they are pretty good.

Frozen ones don't seem to come with any of the deep, dark green leafy goodness though. Usually just the white and pale green.

I feel your pain Op.

Sometime wiping with kitchen roll helps.

I am going to try the slicing and soaking as mentioned here.

I freeze fresh leeks I usually buy the 3 pack prep them all use some and freeze the rest.

Cut the dirtiest bit off. I slice on the diagonal to reduce how much is wasted. Sometimes peel an outer layer. Never wash until you've removed visible dirt clods, or you risk washing grit between the layers.

All the cut off bits go on my compost heap so they still feed the garden.

I suddenly have the most intense craving for leeks !

Same here