Different varieties of beans and peas belong to the legume family. The
dried legumes commonly used for food are navy, lima, kidney, soy, other
136 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
varieties of beans, lentils, and dried peas. The dried legumes contain less
moisture than the fresh ones. In cooking, the moisture lost by drying is
replaced and water is absorbed. The legume is softened. This requires a
longer period than for fresh legumes, so that the methods of cooking that
shorten the cooking process are more important than for fresh vegetables.
Effect o£ mineral content of the water upon cooking of dried
legumes. Huenink and Bartow in trying to determine why the quality
of canned products from some factories was always superior to those of
others found that the mineral content of the water affected the softening
of dried beans in cooking. Using a sirup and distilled water in canning
beans, they found the product very tender and one that would grade
strictly fancy on the market. When to the sirup, distilled water, and beans,
calcium chloride was added, using lots with 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600,
and 1000 parts per million parts of water, the hardness of the processed
beans increased with increasing calcium chloride, the ones with 1000 being
nearly as hard as uncooked beans. The series with 100 to 200 parts of
calcium chloride were hard and tough and would grade standard on the
market and be called underprocessed. Continuing their work they tried
the following salts :
Calcium chloride CaCl2
Calcium sulfate CaS04
Calcium bicarbonate Ca(HC03)2
Magnesium sulfate MgS04
Magnesium bicarbonate Mg(HC03)2
Sodium carbonate Na2C03
Sodium bicarbonate NaHCOs
They found that the calcium and magnesium salts hardened the beans
whether as chlorides, sulfates, or carbonates. The calcium and magnesium
bicarbonates had a hardening effect but the results were not as consistent
as with the other salts.
Both the sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate gave a softening
effect, and with larger quantities the beans appeared over-cooked.
The National Canners Association has reported that calcium and mag-
nesium salts harden beans and peas during cooking, having a greater effect
upon the beans than on the peas. String beans and corn do not seem to
be affected, nor are beets affected up to 350 parts of magnesium or calcium
per million parts of w^ater, but the salts of hard water combine with the
soluble oxalates of the beet to give a white coat on the surface of the beet.
Van der Marel, investigating the effect of various salts, bases, and acids
upon the softening during cooking of dried peas, has reported the following
results. Using a "good cooking" variety of peas, and cooking for 1^ hours
he determined the percentage remaining hard at the end of the cooking
period.
HARD WATER
137
TABLE 18
Cooking Dried Peas {Van der Marel)
Type of water and substance added
Percentage of peas remaining hard
after cooking 1^ hours.
Distilled water
Amsterdam city water . . .
Formic acid 0.01 M
Calcium chloride 0.01 M .
Sodium carbonate 0.01 M
5
14
68
100
2
With another variety of pea more difficult to cook he obtained the fol-
lowing results after soaking 24 hours and boiling 2 hours.
TABLE 19
Cooking Dried Peas (Fan der Marel)
Type of water and substance added
Percentage of peas remaining hard
after soaking 24 hours and boiling
2 hours.
Distilled water
43
Amsterdam city water
Page 110
Presented as published in 1932. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.
Different varieties of beans and peas belong to the legume family. The
dried legumes commonly used for food are navy, lima, kidney, soy, other
136 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
varieties of beans, lentils, and dried peas. The dried legumes contain less
moisture than the fresh ones. In cooking, the moisture lost by drying is
replaced and water is absorbed. The legume is softened. This requires a
longer period than for fresh legumes, so that the methods of cooking that
shorten the cooking process are more important than for fresh vegetables.
Effect o£ mineral content of the water upon cooking of dried
legumes. Huenink and Bartow in trying to determine why the quality
of canned products from some factories was always superior to those of
others found that the mineral content of the water affected the softening
of dried beans in cooking. Using a sirup and distilled water in canning
beans, they found the product very tender and one that would grade
strictly fancy on the market. When to the sirup, distilled water, and beans,
calcium chloride was added, using lots with 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600,
and 1000 parts per million parts of water, the hardness of the processed
beans increased with increasing calcium chloride, the ones with 1000 being
nearly as hard as uncooked beans. The series with 100 to 200 parts of
calcium chloride were hard and tough and would grade standard on the
market and be called underprocessed. Continuing their work they tried
the following salts :
Calcium chloride CaCl2
Calcium sulfate CaS04
Calcium bicarbonate Ca(HC03)2
Magnesium sulfate MgS04
Magnesium bicarbonate Mg(HC03)2
Sodium carbonate Na2C03
Sodium bicarbonate NaHCOs
They found that the calcium and magnesium salts hardened the beans
whether as chlorides, sulfates, or carbonates. The calcium and magnesium
bicarbonates had a hardening effect but the results were not as consistent
as with the other salts.
Both the sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate gave a softening
effect, and with larger quantities the beans appeared over-cooked.
The National Canners Association has reported that calcium and mag-
nesium salts harden beans and peas during cooking, having a greater effect
upon the beans than on the peas. String beans and corn do not seem to
be affected, nor are beets affected up to 350 parts of magnesium or calcium
per million parts of w^ater, but the salts of hard water combine with the
soluble oxalates of the beet to give a white coat on the surface of the beet.
Van der Marel, investigating the effect of various salts, bases, and acids
upon the softening during cooking of dried peas, has reported the following
results. Using a "good cooking" variety of peas, and cooking for 1^ hours
he determined the percentage remaining hard at the end of the cooking
period.
HARD WATER
137
TABLE 18
Cooking Dried Peas {Van der Marel)
Type of water and substance added
Percentage of peas remaining hard
after cooking 1^ hours.
Distilled water
Amsterdam city water . . .
Formic acid 0.01 M
Calcium chloride 0.01 M .
Sodium carbonate 0.01 M
5
14
68
100
2
With another variety of pea more difficult to cook he obtained the fol-
lowing results after soaking 24 hours and boiling 2 hours.
TABLE 19
Cooking Dried Peas (Fan der Marel)
Type of water and substance added
Percentage of peas remaining hard
after soaking 24 hours and boiling
2 hours.
Distilled water
43
Amsterdam city water