There’s nothing worse than boiling a pot of fresh green beans only to watch them lose their vibrant color.
You already know to season the water with salt first and raise the boiling point past 212º, but there’s another household ingredient you should add every time you want vibrant green vegetables.
Add a pinch of baking soda to the pot.
Adding baking soda makes the water slightly alkaline (the opposite of acidic). This preserves a compound called chlorophyll, giving vegetables like green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli a vibrant, green color. On the other hand, in an acidic environment, chlorophyll breaks down, turning your vegetables into an unappetizing brownish-green hue.
So whether you’re blanching asparagus by the bunch or making green bean salad for a crowd, a little bit of baking soda will cook perfectly green vegetables every time.
