Cooking Legume Soup? Discover a Chef's Secret to Shorten Cooking Time
What secret do chefs use to ease and speed up the preparation of legume soups? Find out here.
Legumes often require a very prolonged cooking time, especially if they are not pre-soaked. One of the simple and effective tricks used by chefs is adding baking soda to the cooking water, a well-known trick that significantly shortens the cooking time and ensures a soft and uniform texture to the legumes.
How does it work?
Baking soda is a basic compound that helps soften the cell walls of the legumes, particularly their outer shell. This allows water to penetrate more easily, significantly reducing cooking time.
Here's how to do it:
1. If the legumes are not pre-soaked, add about half a teaspoon of baking soda for every liter of water in the cooking water.
2. If the legumes are pre-soaked, you can add less—quarter teaspoon per liter of water.
3. Cook the legumes as usual and make sure to rinse them well after cooking to remove any baking soda residue that could leave an aftertaste.
Professional tip:
Many chefs recommend adding light seasoning to the cooking water, like a bay leaf or a clove of garlic, to give the legumes a delicate flavor as they soften.
