Boil water first when cooking what foods?
The directions on some packages of raw food (frozen vegetables, dry beans, dry pasta, rice, and the like) indicate that one should first boil water, then add the food, wait for the mixture to boil again, turn the heat down, and cook the stuff for some length of time. The directions on other packages indicate that one should combine the water with the food first, bring it to a boil (or to the boil if you're British), turn the heat down, and cook the stuff for a length of time. (That is, the latter directions don't include boiling the water first: the water is heated with the food in it.)
What determines which types of food are cooked each way? Or is one set of directions right (for all foods) and the other wrong?
Best Answer
There is no single universal answer to this question, as it depends on the specific food and outcome desired, but there are a couple of common themes that influence whether starting from cold water or boiling water is the preferred method:
Larger foods that need to cook through may overcook on the outside before the inside is cooked, if started in boiling water. For example, potatoes are usually started in cold water so that they cook through to the center.
Some foods contain enzymes that will be deactivated at boiling temperatures, but may act more quickly at lower temperatures. Starting in boiling water would be for when it is desirable that the reactions be inhibited; starting in cold water facilitates the reactions continuing.
Sometimes it is simply for precision to get a repeatable recipe. Boiling water is always the same temperature (at least for a given altitude), so beginning cooking at the boil is reliable and repeatable compared to starting with cold water which may have an unknown temperature curve as it comes up to the boil.
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The directions on some packages of raw food (frozen vegetables, dry beans, dry pastaWhat type of foods require you to boil water?
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) guidelines for a \u201cboil water\u201d order requires for all water used for drinking, preparing food, beverages, ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables, should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute (three to five minutes, based upon the ...Which food is prepared by boiling?
1.5 Examples of foods which might be cooked by boiling - stocks (beef, mutton, chicken, fish) - sauces (brown, white, curry) - glazes (fish, meat) - soup (tomato, lentil) - farinaceous (pasta) - fish (cod, salmon) - meat (beef, leg of mutton) - vegetables (carrots, cabbage, potatoes).What kind of vegetables will you cook starting with boiling water?
This rule is simple to remember:- Vegetables that grow underground (potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips), should start off in cold water.
- Vegetables that grow above ground (greens, peas, corn) should be placed into already boiling water.
Should you boil water before adding food?
The reason? Cooking aboveground vegetables simply requires softening the cell walls to make them more palatable and digestible. Because most green vegetables (and in this case, corn) have thin cell walls, that process doesn't take very long. So all you need to do is boil water, add the vegetables, and cook briefly.How people first boiled food
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Images: Klaus Nielsen, Gary Barnes, Pixabay, Klaus Nielsen