They are clipped from the plant and added, minced , to cold foods and sauces just before service. Minced chives are also marketed in freeze-dried and frozen form. The leek, a mild-flavored relative of the onion, has a cylindrical bulb. It is used in the mirepoix and bouquet garni. Leaves and all are used in stocks, but for soups most of the green is cut off because it seems to develop a bitterness.
Boiled leeks are very popular as a veg.
The scallion is a young onion, also known as a green onion or spring onion. It has a mild flavor as onions go. Minced or slices, it is added to salads, tops and all. It can pinch-hit in cooking for the full grown onion, while its green top, minced, can substitute for chives in an emergency. The shallot is a cluster of brown-skinned bulbs similar to garlic.