Techniques to Remove Water from Vegetables?
While listening to a radio cooking program, one of the guests claimed that vegetables can often be made to taste better by removing water from them. His reasoning being the ratio of tasty elements is increased relative to water content. He gave cooking celeriac in salt as an example. The conversation then moved on to other topics. Having recently started eating more vegetarian meals, I'm looking for ways to add flavor back into my meals.
What methods exist to remove water from vegetables?
Best Answer
Ordinary drying/dehydration can certainly change the taste and texture of foods, but the primary point of dehydration is often preserving food rather than improving taste. Sometimes additional seasonings are added during the drying process (as in beef jerky, although I know you were asking about vegetables).
Application of heat often releases liquid from vegetables. For example, wilting spinach or other leafy greens on the stove top, or roasting root vegetables in the oven. Especially with high heat, as in roasting, other chemical processes are creating flavor besides simply removing water.
Osmosis is a another process for removing water. For example, in making namasu, it is common to sprinkle salt over thinly sliced cucumber and let it sit for 10 minutes to several hours, sometimes with a weight on top to help press out liquid. Then the salt is rinsed off, leaving little salt taste but a large change in the texture and flavor of the cucumber. Add vinegar to this process takes you into the realm of pickling, where some of the change to the vegetable is from removing water but some is from infusing other flavors.
Pictures about "Techniques to Remove Water from Vegetables?"
How do you remove water from food?
In drying or dehydration, water is removed from the food by hot air or heated surface driers.Does salt pull moisture out of vegetables?
Answer: Technically, salt draws out moisture through the process of osmosis. This is the basis for all the theories about drying and toughening properties of salt when in contact with foods.How do you get the water out of carrots?
Scrub with a stiff vegetable brush and cut off the tops; for more tender (but less nutritious) dried carrots, peel thinly with a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler. Slice crosswise into 1/8-inch circles, or dice into 1/4-inch cubes.How do you remove water from fruit?
Most fresh fruits and veggies can gently be scrubbed under cold running water (using a clean soft brush for those with firmer skins) and then dried. It can help to soak, drain, and rinse produce that has more dirt-trapping layers.How to Clean and Remove Pesticides From Your Fruits and Vegetables
More answers regarding techniques to Remove Water from Vegetables?
Answer 2
As someone who eats vegetables every day (and quite a bit of them), I am not sure the statement is completely true, I think that what you get from removing water is a more concentrated taste, which sometimes (for example with sundried tomatoes) taste good, but it is not useful for every occasion.
In some other cases such spinach, I tend to remove the water the same way I remove it from pasta.
Answer 3
Frying (sauteing, shallow frying, oil blanching/deep frying), baking/roasting, marinating them with salt/sugar (and then not putting the drawn out liquid in the dish at the same time with the vegetables) will all have such an effect.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, Stacey Gabrielle Koenitz Rozells