Delicious Rhubarb Fluff Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What to do with rhubarb stalk? ›

Rhubarb is a truly special ingredient. With its vivid pink colour and distinctively tangy taste, it can be stewed, poached, roasted and puréed in a range of dishes as well as drinks. Use it in a comforting crumble, a classic syllabub, a fruity chutney or a zingy kebab sauce – the possibilities are endless.

Because of its inherent tang, rhubarb shines when cooked with sugar. You'll find the fruit stewed into rhubarb compote, diced and tossed into a pie, or sliced into thin strips and layered on tarts or upside-down cake (swap it for lemons in this recipe).

(Note: Be sure to remove all the leaves, as they are poisonous.) Many suggest dipping the stalk in sugar or some other sweet, such as honey, maple syrup or agave nectar, to mellow its tartness a touch. Sprinkling diced rhubarb over yogurt or cereal is an option too.

The toxic parts of rhubarb (Rheum x hybridum) are the leaves and the roots, as described by University of Illinois Extension: “One characteristic consistent with all rhubarb is the toxicity of the leaves and roots. The rhubarb leaves contain high amounts of oxalic acid, a toxic and potentially deadly poison.”

Kidney disease: There are chemicals in rhubarb that might harm the kidneys or increase the risk of kidney stones. If you already have kidney disease, avoid rhubarb. Kidney stones: Rhubarb contains a chemical that the body can convert into kidney stones. If you have ever had kidney stones, don't take rhubarb.

Cut away and discard any tough, woody, or bruised parts of the stalks. Wash the stalks thoroughly and scrub with a vegetable brush. You don't need to peel peak-season rhubarb, but by midsummer, the stalks tend to be tough and fibrous. You might need to peel them to make them tastier.

The bottom line. Rhubarb leaves contain high amounts of oxalic acid, which can cause health problems when eaten in higher amounts. Symptoms of toxicity include mild gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as more serious problems, such as kidney stones and kidney failure.

Absolutely not. I have never pre-cooked the rhubarb. In fact, I think it would be a runny mess if you did.

Sennoside A and other dianthrone derivatives are reported to be the active ingredients causing rhubarb's laxative effect (6). They are metabolized by β-glucosidase of enterobacterial origin and are converted into rhein anthrone, which produces the purgative activity.

The fiber in rhubarb helps keep things moving through your digestive tract, preventing problems such as constipation. It also contains compounds called sennosides, which act as natural laxatives. The tannins in rhubarb also provide anti-diarrheal effects.

Should you peel rhubarb? ›

Preparation of fresh rhubarb

If you buy it during the peak season (April to June), peeling isn't necessary. But after peak season, the stalks can be tough, and peeling with a small and sharp knife might be necessary to help make it more palatable (via BBC Good Food).

To grow rhubarb from cuttings, cut a stem off the crown and shorten the stem by three quarters with a pair of clean and sharp secateurs. To help prevent the cutting from drying out, reduce the leaf area by about 80% before placing the stem in a glass of water.

Slice the rhubarb. If you have a go-to recipe you'd like to make later, slice the rhubarb according to the directions. If not, slice it about 1-inch-thick for easy storage and flexibility in what you're cooking later. We don't recommend freezing full stalks, as they won't hold their shape well when they thaw.

You can freeze rhubarb raw, blanched or fully cooked. Regardless of which stage you choose to freeze at, the rhubarb will break down more as it defrosts, so it's best used in dishes where you don't need neat sticks of it.

Typically, you would only eat the stalk of a rhubarb plant, which is safe to eat both raw and uncooked, according to Richter. The stalk contains no poisons, and you will normally not get sick eating it, though you'll likely want to sweeten or cook the stalk before eating it to make it more palatable.