One Wild Root!

Cooking with Horseradish

By Donna Smith

Those willing to fight the fumes can prepare homemade horseradish. Start by peeling away the outer layer with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. It's a good idea to wear gloves during this step! After peeling, the root can either be grated by hand with a cheese grater, or put into a food processor.

"Brave people grate it into a dish, although a blender or food processor will also work," says Lee M., a horseradish enthusiast from Tennessee. "Like garlic, the finer horseradish is ground, the more intense the flavor, so this is best done outdoors!"

If using a food processor, cut the root into chunks before processing, then add some water. Pulse until you've reached the desired consistency, then drain off the water. You can then immediately add the vinegar and salt, or wait a few minutes before adding it. Waiting will result in a hotter product.

In the tipsheets What to Look for When Grocery Shopping and Heart Healthy Cooking, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute lists horseradish as a healthy part of a low-fat diet. One tablespoon of prepared horseradish contains only 6 calories and zero fat, so adding horseradish to your grocery list is a smart move! Creative chefs can use horseradish to add flavor to low-fat meals, without adding any additional fat or calories.

Whether or not horseradish has any health benefits is debatable. Thousands of years ago, the root was used for everything from treating tuberculosis and rheumatism to relieving joint pain and as an aphrodisiac. Today, while many think it probably has some health benefits, the only thing it does for certain is clear your sinuses. "I don't know if it's medically proven or not, but no one needs to document to me that horseradish is better than any cold pill at clearing our sinuses," says Timmel.

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