When to Start Cooking Vegetables in Cold or Hot Water
Cooking vegetables is about more than just tossing them into the pot. Some cook more evenly with gradual heating, while others should be dipped directly into boiling water. So when do you use what?
This rule is easy to remember:
- Vegetables that grow underground (potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips) should be started with cold water.
- Vegetables that grow above the ground (greens, peas, corn) must be placed in boiling water.
The Farmers’ Almanac explains why this method works:
Cooking corn, peas, etc. simply entails softening their cell walls to make them tastier and easier to digest. Since most green vegetables are small and / or thin, this shouldn’t take long. So, you add them to boiling water. Root vegetables contain a lot of starch, which must be dissolved before eating. How root vegetables are cooked: “It takes time for the heat to penetrate. Running the roots in cold water and gradually heating the outer layers will strengthen the cell walls and become more resistant to the effects of digestion. ”
This works especially well with starchy root vegetables like potatoes, as the gradual temperature change prevents the outer edges from being digested and turned into a mealy mass.
When to Boil Water | Farmers’ Almanac via Facebook