Transforming cheap vegetables through salt baking

Adam Handling once improvised a signature celeriac dish under the pressure of a surprise vegetarian guest list, discovering that salt baking turns knobbly, inexpensive roots into a silky, sweet centerpiece (Fallow Chefs from Like a Chef). At Fallow, the chefs previously used this technique for celeriac and kohlrabi, though they eventually removed it from the menu because the long roasting time created a bottleneck during busy 8pm service. A home cook avoids this constraint, as a single vegetable requires no high-volume throughput and utilizes an otherwise empty oven.

The method requires only the vegetable and a significant amount of salt to create a controlled, moisture-retaining environment. This process concentrates the natural sugars and creates a meltingly soft texture that raw vegetables lack. Beyond celeriac, this technique applies to beetroot, swede, turnip, or even fish, turning simple pantry staples into a dish that requires patience rather than complex equipment or expensive ingredients.