Preparing a Horseradish Root

by Judy McCann

Grind or grate fresh horseradish in a well-ventilated room. The fumes are 
potent -- a whiff may be stronger than you expect! Using a blender for 
grinding makes home preparation more practical and less tearful than 
hand-grating. In either case, if you are cutting fresh horseradish, you may 
want to wear gloves.

What makes Horseradish Hot? The sharp and piquant flavor and the 
penetrating smell of horseradish become apparent when the root is grated or 
ground. This is because the root contains highly volatile oils which are 
released by enzyme activity when the root cells are crushed. In processed 
horseradish, vinegar stops this reaction and stabilizes the flavor. So the 
degree of heat is determined by when the vinegar is added to the fresh 
horseradish. For milder horseradish, the vinegar is added immediately. If 
exposed to air or stored improperly, horseradish loses its pungency rapidly 
after grinding. Fresh horseradish also loses flavor as it cooks, so it is 
best added towards the end of a dish when cooking.

Keep it cold to keep it hot! To keep prepared horseradish (commercial or 
homemade) at its flavorful best, store it in a tightly covered jar in the 
refrigerator or in the freezer. It will keep its good quality for about 
four to six weeks in the refrigerator and for six months or longer in the 
freezer. Buy or prepare only the amount of horseradish that can be used in 
a reasonable time.

Selecting horseradish products. If you like horseradish as hot as it can 
be, use fresh horseradish roots. A good quality root is clean, firm, and 
free from cuts and blemishes. The freshly peeled or sliced root and the 
prepared product are creamy white. Generally, the whiter the root, the 
fresher it is. When available, fresh roots will be found in the produce 
section. You can store fresh roots for several months. Just wash them, 
place in polyethylene bags, and store at 32-38F.

High quality commercial or home processed horseradish has a creamy white 
color, a pungent, penetrating aroma, and a hot, biting taste. As processed 
horseradish ages, it darkens and loses it pungency and in time off-flavors 
may develop.

Grinding Fresh Horseradish. To grate your own horseradish by hand, hold 
cleaned and trimmed horseradish root firmly. Using a sharp vegetable 
peeler, carefully remove the outer layer. Rub peeled horseradish root 
against a fine grating surface using downward, criss-cross motion. A 
quicker, more efficient method uses a blender. Wash and peel the root as 
you would a potato and dice it into small cubes. Place the cubes in the 
blender jar. Process not more that half a container load at a time. Add a 
small amount of cold water and crushed ice. Start with enough cold water to 
completely cover the blades of the blender. Add several crushed ice cubes. 
Put the cover on the blender before turning the blender on. If necessary, 
add more water or crushed ice to complete the grinding. When the mixture 
reaches the desired consistency, add white vinegar. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons 
of white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each cup of grated
horseradish.

The time at which you add the vinegar is important. Vinegar stops the 
enzymatic action in the ground product and stabilizes the degree of 
hotness. If you prefer horseradish that is not too hot, add the vinegar 
immediately. If you like it as hot as can be, wait three minutes before 
adding the vinegar.

Fresh horseradish roots may also be finely shaved or grated and added 
directly to a food. This simple method is frequently used by discriminating 
cooks. Fine shavings may also be placed in a dish of lemon juice to be 
served at the table.

When I use "prepared horseradish" in a recipe, yes, it is bottled 
horseradish; but I like to drain it. Some of the processors make their 
horseradish with too much water in it. Our processor, J. R. Kelly here in 
Collinsville, makes the best bottled horseradish, but Gold's up in New 
Jersey is also good. I do not like my bottled horseradish runny.

The Root Queen's Guide to Horseradish, by Judy McCann

http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg1296/prephors.html