According to Taste of Home, raw celery has collenchyma cells on the exterior, responsible for helping give the product its customary crunch. However, these water-filled cells are also the reason behind that stringy texture, which not everyone is a fan of.

One Reddit user suggests removing the exterior strings, while some suggest grabbing the base of the celery stalk, snapping it, and simply pulling the thick threads away from the stalk. But chef and cookbook author Carla Lalli Music simply peels those stringy bits with a vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife, as Plate in 28 suggests.

To counteract celery’s bitter taste, look for the light-colored ones since a deeper green stalk indicates that the celery has not been blanched in the sunlight, as per Thrive Cusinein. Splendid Table suggests pairing it with some strategic flavors for cooking celery, using salty and fatty ones.

To restore limp celery, Cook’s Illustrated suggests cutting off a small portion at the stalks and letting it stand in a jar or container with cold water for an hour or so. MyRecipes explains that this tip works because the cells in those submerged celery stalks will absorb the cold water, firming up the stalks again.

Having crisp celery at all times also depends on how it is stored. Wrapping the celery loosely in aluminum foil, per Cook's Illustrated, will help keep it from becoming dry and limp, or cutting the stalks into smaller pieces and storing those in water also works.