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To Boil Vegetables Green

A simple method for boiling green vegetables quickly to preserve 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. Clean vegetables thoroughly and wash them.

  2. Bring plenty of water to a boil.

Cook

  1. Add vegetables to the boiling water and boil quickly without covering.

  2. Watch for the vegetables to begin sinking; they are done when they do.

  3. Remove them immediately to preserve color.

  4. If using hard water, add salt of wormwood before adding vegetables.

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

Water
Conducts heat rapidly so the vegetables cook quickly and evenly in the boil.
Carbonate of soda
Makes the cooking water alkaline, which helps vegetables keep their bright green color.
Salt of wormwood
Acts as an alkaline carbonate that offsets hard water minerals, helping vegetables stay green.

The step that matters

Remove the vegetables as soon as they begin sinking. Overcooking softens the vegetables further and dulls their green color. Boiling them quickly and uncovered helps preserve the chlorophyll that gives them their bright green color.

“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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