Preparing Vegetables

When cooking vegetables, it is important to take into consideration their large water content, as they will release some of it. As they are heated, plant solids become softer because pectin and the hemicellulose interspersed with the stiff plant cells are dissolved in the water. How this happens and how quickly it takes place depend on what is in the water. For example, pectin and the hemicellulose in beans dissolve quickly if the water is alkaline; the beans become soft very rapidly and may even turn to mush. Acidic water has the opposite effect, and water that has a neutral pH lies somewhere in between. Salts in the water have an effect similar to that of acidity, so it is easier and faster to cook vegetables in soft tap water.