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To Boil Vegetables Green

A simple method for boiling green vegetables in salted water, optionally adding soda to improve color.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Boil Vegetables Green

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Prepare and wash the vegetables.

  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

  3. If using hard water, add a small amount of carbonate of soda to improve color.

Cook

  1. Add the vegetables and keep them uncovered, boiling rapidly until done.

  2. Avoid overcooking, especially green peas, to prevent them from mashing.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Carbonate of soda
Helps green vegetables keep a brighter green color when cooked in hard water.

The step that matters

Avoid overcooking. Overcooked green vegetables lose their bright color and soften excessively, and delicate ones such as peas can break down and turn mushy.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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