I just like it raw and snack on it with a creamy dip. We ate plenty as kids. My mom grew this giant variety that is ENORMOUS. It looks like a mutant. I’ve also grilled it, too.
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Lightbulb goes on! I wonder how much difference the size of the kohlrabi makes.
I’ll have to try getting my hands on smaller ones this summer so I can find out.
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I picked up a rather big one at an upstate NY farmers market several years ago, it was my first time trying it. I roasted it along with additional root vegetables and loved it, it was mild and sweet, I can eat them like I eat an apple and have experimented making chips ( of course) in my smart oven, they look exactly like the turnip chips I’ve done pictured below … highly recommend
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Interesting. I’d usually think that older, bigger vegetables have more flavour than “baby” ones but if it’s the reverse with kohlrabi, I’m happy to look out for them and give them another, absolutely final, try.
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That sounds so appealing to me … TY
Maybe it’s just the nature of the beast … I have issues with turnips, some I love and some I find to be horrid, no idea how to tell which will be good.
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Could be. I feel the same as you about turnips. Those I am a fan of, but sometimes I encounter a dud that’s too bland and/or excessively fibrous for my liking.
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I’ve never seen any of that size. In my area kohlrabi is good sized - like a large beet or turnip. Even when buying direct from the farmers it has been quite big! No idea of this is due to the variety, regional preference or simply lack of knowlege regarding the young ones taste difference.
I have, at whole foods believe it or not
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My Whole Foods locations revamped their produce several years ago* and now have much less variety. They greatly increased the selection of prepped/ready to cook produce like the noodle cuts, etc. Sprouts now has the largest variety followed by the larger of the Asian groceries.
*Prior to Amazon purchasing them.
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I like it just as gracieggg does. I also have pickled kohlrabi using a basic dill pickle recipe and really liked it that way too.
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It’s a common veg in German speaking countries and the BeNeLux. Around here it’s usually about the size of orange or grapefruit. I wouldn’t buy any bigger than that, too much fibrous skin to peel. It tastes, to me, like broccoli stem (which I also eat), crunchy and fresh. Being so mild all kinds of spices can be used to make it more interesting.
How I normally use Kohlrabi:
- Raw in salad (either grated or cut into matchsticks)
- In stir-fries and soups
- Braised in cream and bouillon (particularly typical in German speaking countries)
- Gratin (often with potatoes)
- Rösti
I saw on a German food/recipe forum some people make pseudo fries/chips with it. “Schnitzel” is also a possibility. Hollow out the middle, fill with mince and roast is another one. Some use it in place of certain carbs or meat.
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The only time I’ve had kohlrabi is in Chinese sticky rice or certain stir fries. I can’t say I’m averse to the food, but I’ve never attempted to cook with it, and haven’t felt compelled to try to. I see this at every Chinese market I’ve been to. If it has a nice crunchy texture, it would like it would work well in slaws or salads and might open up new possibilities. As it is now, it’s just a nice, mildly sweet veggie whose taste is primarily from other savory ingredients.
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The only size I ever see (Boston area) is about 3-3.5" ( 8cm) diameter. I imagine the larger they are, the thicker the peel. I don’t peel broccoli stems as they soften when cooked, so I wouldn’t care about kohlrabi peel if I were cooking it, but having roasted them once, I know that I prefer them raw. Fighting with an unpeeled one on a mandolin is asking for a slip of the hand, and sutures.
Ana Sortun (chef of Oleana/Sofra) has a great recipe in her Soframiz cookbook for kohlrabi pancake with bacon and haloumi cheese. It’s a bit time consuming but uses up a ton of greens (kohlrabi and spinach/chard), and the end result tastes like the sophisticated cousin of a zucchini fritter.
Recipe here: https://publicism.info/food/soframiz/2.html
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The bulb of kohlrabi is exactly the same as the stem of broccoli. As most here no doubt are aware, many “different” vegetables are simply different varieties (cultivars?) of the same species, in this case common cabbage or brassica oleracea. Varieties of brassica include what we call green and other cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, collards, gai lan, and so on. All the same species, but selected and cultivated to emphasize particular parts of the basic plant. In the case of kohlrabi, the bulb is the object of the breeding, and it’s the same plant part of brassica as the stem of the broccoli.
My wife happens to love broccoli stems, so I always buy broccoli with big stems (cheaper anyway) and peel it, chop it, and throw it in with the florets when boiling. Comes out great. Kohlrabi can be treated the same way with good results – just peel and chop it, boil it, and serve buttered and salted. No need for complicated preparations. Can do the same thing with cauliflower cores, which again are the same thing and come out pretty much the same.
Have you tried steaming your broccoli? I find it has more flavor that way. Also, it limits water waste and nutrient loss. In hot weather, the shorter burner use time and smaller amount of hot water keep the kitchen cooler.
Hi Erica. Yes I have, but I find steamed broccoli just isn’t as good. It seems to bring out the sulfur for me. Maybe the higher temperature of the steam does something? I don’t know. A quick boil just works better, for me. Key word of course is quick; just soft enough to bite. In the big picture, I think, the impact on wastewater and nutrients is negligible; one probably uses 50 times more water for the morning shower!
OTOH I’m big on steaming eggs for HB, although I decided using a steamer basket was just too much rigamarole so I just put the eggs in the pot and fill about 1/3 to 1/2 way up with water and do them that way. Works great. Also less wasted water 
Sorry couldn’t resist.
By the way, we are fellow sight hounders – Irish Wolfhounds in our case.
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