Green Beans

Today in class we ran various test on green beans in order to determine what happens when the beans are cooked in boiling water. Our tests revealed that there are many nuances to consider when cooking with salt.

Our first test was salted beans versus unsalted beans. After adding salt to one pot, we boiled two pots of water and added the green beans to cook for seven minutes (an amount of time suggested by an internet search). Our two taste testers, having no idea which beans were which, were able to tell a clear difference between the flavors; however, they both guessed backwards as to which beans were salted rather than unsalted. The salty beans had a stronger, sweeter flavor that made them much more enjoyable to eat, and were a bit harder in texture.

Our second test was a comparison of different salt types and their effect on the flavoring of the beans. In one pot we had beans cooked in sea salt, which has large crystals, and in another pot we had 'Lite' salt, which had much smaller crystals. Again, our subjects accurately identified which beans were of which type, but failed to assign the correct identity. The larger salt crystals lead to better tasting beans. I found this surprising, as it was my understanding (from the article I read before class) that finer crystals cause more intense flavoring. I postulate that this is the case for additives to solid foods, whereas larger crystals are superior for boiling foods.

Third, we boiled beans in one pot without a lid, and in another pot with the lid. All other factors were identical. The beans with the lid moved much more vigorously, due to the water boiling more vigorously. After cooking the beans were a little bit lighter, but the difference was minimal.

For our next test, we added salt and baking soda to one pot in order to make an alkaline solution, and had salt and vinegar in the other pot in order to form an acidic solution. After five minutes of boiling, the baking soda beans were clearly brighter green than their no-baking soda counterparts, and the acidic beans were much more brown.

Salt also changes the boiling point of water, to a small extent. Adding more salt raises the boiling point.