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To Boil Vegetables Green

A method for boiling green vegetables in salted water, optionally with baking 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

  1. Prepare and wash the vegetables thoroughly.

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

  3. Add the vegetables to the boiling water and keep them uncovered.

  4. Boil the vegetables rapidly until they are tender, avoiding any smoking.

  5. If using, add the baking soda to improve the color of the 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

Baking soda
Raises the water's pH, helping green vegetables keep a brighter green color.

The step that matters

Boil the vegetables rapidly, uncovered. Keeping the pot uncovered and the water at a rapid boil lets acids escape and keeps the water hot, which helps the vegetables stay bright green. Covering the pot or boiling too gently lets dull, olive-colored pigments form and cooks the vegetables unevenly.

“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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