How do you cook a turnip?

Cook turnips like you would any other root veggie. Seriously. Take your favorite recipe for potatoes, carrots, or parsnips and sub in the turnip.

You can eat turnips raw or cooked, just like a carrot or radish.

Using a recipe that you're already familiar with will give you a good sense for how the taste changes when you use a turnip instead. You can also use the old standard and simply roast the turnip with a bit of your favorite cooking fat (butter!), salt, and any fresh herb.

Do you have to peel them first?

Nope. Not if you don't want to. Just like a carrot, some people are more sensitive to the slight texture change between the skin and flesh. For most people, you won't notice the skin. Peeling is totally optional.

What does a turnip taste like?

It tastes like a radish without the spice. It has the same texture as a radish when raw, but it softens more like a potato when cooked. It's not the most flavorful veggie. Just like potatoes, turnips benefit from a good seasoning.

What's the difference between a turnip, rutabaga, kohlrabi, parsnip, ...

Turnips are kind of like big radishes that lost their spice.

A rutabaga is botanically a cross between a turnip and a wild cabbage. They're sweeter and more flavorful than a turnip.

Kohlrabi get's confused with most unfamiliar root veggies. Learn about the kohlrabi in this post.

Parsnips and carrots are much sweeter than turnips.

Turnips used to be very common until the potato gain popularity. The flesh of the potato has more vitamins and minerals than the flesh of the turnip, though a turnip has fewer calories and carbs per serving.