Tips for keeping celery crisp

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By Teri Watson
The Sacramento Bee

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How can I keep celery from getting soft so quickly? Thank you.

— Lorraine Feil, via e-mail

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You'll want to start by buying celery that is firm with the stalks tightly formed. The stalks should not freely move. The leaves should be crisp and green, not wilted or yellow.

Before storing the celery, tightly wrap it in foil. It's not necessary to wash it beforehand. You can wash each stalk as you use it, rewrapping the remaining celery in the foil.

If your celery has already wilted, you can revive it by trimming the bottom of the stalks and soaking them for at least an hour in a bowl of ice water. Another way to perk up limp celery is to cut off the root end and wash it well. Stand the celery upright in a pitcher of cold, salted water and refrigerate.

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• Bandera's coleslaw: I was wondering if anyone had the recipe (or one similar) for the coleslaw served at Bandera restaurant in Sacramento. Thanks.

— Doris Maki, El Dorado Hills

Watson is a Sacramento home economist who has been a nutrition consultant and cooking instructor for nearly 20 years. She is a member of the American Association of Family and Consumer Science. Write: Teri Watson, Taste, The Sacramento Bee, P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento 95852. Fax: 916-556-5625. E-mail: twatson@sacbee.com. Include your full name, phone number and city.