site.openhandstore.org Blog

Grandma Knows Best

January 7, 2009 on 1:06 pm | In Main Category | No Comments

The NY Times has interesting article on the science behind some commonly held kitchen wisdom; it seems that maybe grandma knew a thing or two about how to cook (but you knew that):

My mother, when she still cooked, always added a dash of sugar to the vegetables she stir-fried. She said it preserved the bright green of the greens. I always thought that was hooey.

Shirley O. Corriher, a biochemist turned folksy food scientist who was sitting at my dining table, said she had not heard of this — but added that sugar does do more to fruits and vegetables than add sweetness.

It also helps preserve their shape. Heat shrinks the plant cells and transforms molecules in the cell walls into pectin, which dissolves. “The cells are falling apart and leaking,” said Ms. Corriher, who dissected the science of recipes in her books “Cookwise” and “Bakewise.”

You can read the whole article, here.