Cook Vegetables Faster With a Pinch of This
Most of us have had days when we just didn’t have time to cook. Whether you’re juggling a five-course meal or your train is delayed and you now have 30 minutes to make your famous pea soup, it would be great to have a magic wand that will instantly make your strong cruciferous vegetables or beans perfectly cooked. . Well, it’s no magic wand, and it’s not exactly instant action, but there’s probably a handy little chemical in your closet that can cut down on the cooking time of many stubborn vegetables and legumes: baking soda.
Baking soda can speed up the cooking and browning of meats , and luckily it can do the same with vegetables. I first came across this technique when I was obsessed with making a creamy vegetable soup. My boyfriend is lactose intolerant so I was looking for a great creamy soup without any cream. The fat in the cream aids in emulsification, which is very helpful when blending tough vegetables like broccoli, and I didn’t expect to be able to make my soup creamy, fabulous without it. If you’ve ever tried a watery, gritty, cream-free creamy soup, you probably understand my state of fear.
After browsing the Internet for recipes, I left my computer dissatisfied and turned to cookbooks. Looking through my old America’s Test Kitchen cookbook , I found their broccoli and cheese soup recipe (its subscription is blocked on their website, but there are copycat recipes ) where they make the broccoli decompose to an ultra-soft state without leaving it. in a pot for the best part of the hour. Since I knew I wouldn’t be using cheese or cream, super-soft, blendable broccoli was my only hope for a velvety smooth soup.
At first I was afraid. Not more than a pinch of baking soda in a pot of broccoli? If that’s all, do I even need it? I resisted the urge to add more baking soda or eliminate it from the recipe entirely. Following the instructions, I could hardly believe my eyes. After one stir, halfway through the cooking time, the broccoli was completely destroyed (and I mean it in the best possible way), and it happened 20-30 minutes faster than if I hadn’t added a pinch of baking soda. . I followed the recipe without cheese and was rewarded with the best broccoli soup I have ever eaten, with or without cream, cheese. The texture was luxurious without being gritty. The color was vibrant due to the addition of a few spinach leaves and flavor! The aroma distinctly resembled clean, green broccoli. (Not the taste of overcooked, sulphurous, farting broccoli.) This is the only broccoli soup for me. I don’t add cheese, even if I only make it for myself.
Why does baking soda soften vegetables quickly?
A small amount of baking soda added to dry beans, broccoli, carrots, or potato boiling water breaks down the plant’s cell walls faster than just heat because of the alkaline environment it creates. This allows the starches to come out to play much faster. These starches gelatinize, making tough root vegetables softer and quicker so you can start eating.
However, be careful, as with great culinary knowledge comes great responsibility. As Cook’s Illustrated explains , be careful not to overdo the addition of baking soda. Just a little, usually ⅛ to ½ teaspoon for the entire recipe, is enough to get the soft vegetables or quick Maillard browning you’re looking for. Anything more than that and the vegetables will take on a soapy or unpleasant taste. Now go and soften the vegetables with your wisdom.