The leafy vegetable industry in Nigeria is a large one, we
have variety to cook because we have identified different leaves that are good
and tasty enough when combined with other things. Some people also argue that
vegetables are good because they have roughage therefore they aid digestion.
Another reason for eating vegetables is the fact that they add little or no
calorie to the body and as such are good for weight loss.
It is however
interesting that many have formed the habit of low heat treatment, or short
time cooking for vegetables with the claim of keeping the nutritive component
and so that it can still be firm. What is important to note is that there are
more safety involved in vegetable cooking than other reasons for not cooking
properly. Before a leafy vegetable should be used for cooking at all, it should
be thoroughly washed to remove all dirt and debris that may be attached to the
leaves. If possible wash with salty warm water to ensure all attached soil
dirt, debris and dust will be removed during the washing.
Washing however is not enough in cooking vegetables,
blanching is quite necessary. Blanching is the precooking heat treatment a food
is subjected to for a specific period. Blanching can be done using hot water,
steam or a combination of the two.
Usually, before cooking vegetables, it is proper to boil hot water and
soak the vegetables in the water for some minutes and the water is to be
decanted and thrown away after. An alternative of steam can be used where the
leaves are exposed to steam for a short period before they are finally cooked.
Many people are skipping this part of cooking now, cutting
and cooking the vegetables straight into the pot of soup believing it is better
for nutritive value to be maintained. Let us consider the reasons why blanching
is quite important for safety rather than the nutritive value.
1.
The leaves of vegetables are easy target for
insects, weevils and other pests while they are still on the field. This is why
you will notice holes and irregular leaf shape in some leaves of the vegetables
available in market. The insects and pests perch on the leaves, carrying
different level of contaminant. Some of these insects also lay their eggs and
attach them to these leaves till they hatch. Blanching kills and removes all
deposits and attachment from any source, the heat treatment is quite necessary
to ensure you don’t end up eating insect larva and contaminant which can cause
irritation and complications in your system.
2.
Plants take up gases from the atmosphere when
they are growing. They need the gases to respire and in the process they take
up some other gases from the atmosphere and some of them might be quite
dangerous if consumed. Blanching helps to liberate the gases from the leaf
pores and ensures that the leaf gets flaccid. You will notice that when you are
blanching, gas bubbles keeps coming out of the water, they are the gases
escaping directly from the pores of the leaves. Directly cooking the leaves in
the soup may prevent these gases from escaping and you may be ingesting them
with the food.
3.
Some farmers use pesticide in their vegetable
farms. Some also use inorganic fertilizer to boost vegetable production. These
things are not good for the body and if ingested can accumulate causing chronic
poisoning over time. The good news is that most of the pesticides are heat
labile and as such will leach out through the hot water or get exchanged in the
steam during blanching. Blanching properly therefore is a good way to ensure
you are free from all the unnecessary chemical accumulation in a leafy
vegetable you are about to consume.
4.
Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plant and it
is quite important to the plants as well as to humans. There are many
advantages to taking chlorophyll into the human body but it is also important
that the chlorophyll cells be killed in the leaf before consumption. There is
no fear of loss of chlorophyll as well as there is no disruption in the cells.
Blanching will definitely kill the cells and make the chlorophyll more
available as well as safe for consumption.
The next time you are working on
cooking that fine vegetable soup, remember to have some time to soak in hot
water for some time to blanch it. This will help you be sure that you are safe
and reduce the risk of you ingesting something that can accumulate in your body
causing more damages over time.
Don’t forget, if you are not
sure, avoid putting it straight to the mouth.
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