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Fresh Fennel Primer

How to handle this oddly shaped vegetable in the test kitchen.

How to handle this oddly shaped vegetable in the test kitchen.

When shopping, look for fennel with its long, thin stalks still attached and be sure that the fennel bulb is creamy white and not bruised or discolored. Here’s how we prepare fennel in the test kitchen.

1. REMOVE STALKS

1. REMOVE STALKS:

Cut off the tough stalks and trim a thin slice from the base of the bulb.

2. SLICE LENGTHWISE

2. SLICE LENGTHWISE:

Slice the bulb in half lengthwise from top to bottom.

3. CORE AND SLICE

3. CORE AND SLICE:

Cut out and discard the triangular-shaped piece of core in each half. Slice as desired.

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