Chives and Scallions are both a great treat to use in cooking. They had color, depth and great taste to many dishes. You can take a meal up a level when using these versatile items. They have some similarities and some differences. Knowing which is which will help you decide what to use in your culinary creations.
What Are Chives?
A chive is a perennial herb. They grow quite tall. They resemble tall stalks of tubular grass. When they are mature, a pale purple flower blooms on top. The flower resembles a Cornflower. You do not use the root part of a chive. Many people grown chives in a herb garden. Even if you have an apartment, you could grow them in a window garden. They are very hearty and need little maintenance.
When a chive is cooked, it loses its flavor. They also become limp and stringy. You always want to use a chive raw. Many people take a chive, gather them in bunches and let them dry. Their taste develops quite nicely when they are dried. After they dry, you can chop them finely as use as if they were freshly picked.
A chive stands out as a garnish. You also use them for their bright green color. They add a look of spring for any dish.
What Are Scallions?
A scallion is the same as a green onion. The grow like a traditional onion. The white part that grows under the ground is considered the root. It will get as big as a marble when mature. The part that grows above the ground is green and white. The stalks are round. They are about a quarter inch thick.
Scallion, or , are often grown in small gardens also. You plant the white onion bulb in the ground. You will know they are ready for harvest when the green part is about 15 inches high. The white onion, or root, can be seen just a bit above ground. You pull them straight out of the ground. At the end of the white onion part is a small clump of roots. You wan to chop that part off. It cannot be used as it has a bitter taste.
People often refer to a scallion as a spring onion. The onion part is ready to be chopped up in food. Sometimes people will eat the green part while still attached to the onion. This is also called a salad onion. You can chop up the green part too.
If you use a green onion or scallion in cooking, it will develop a sweet taste. You can use them as a salad garnish or a replacement for a full grown white onion in a recipe.