Pasta,” here) On the other hand, the temperatures of the pots with very little water dropped much more precipitously when I added the beans to them Not only did the beans cooked in less water take longer to tenderize, they also ended up cooking to a drab army green instead of the brilliant shamrock green of those cooked in a gallon of water or more To understand why this is the case, let’s take a look at the outside of a green vegetable Like all living matter, vegetables are composed of many individual cells With vegetables, these cells are bound in place with pectin, a glue-like carbohydrate-based molecule Within vegetable cells, there are various pigments, enzymes, and aromatic compounds Green vegetables in particular contain chloroplasts, the tiny organelles (that’s a small organ) responsible for converting sunlight into energy through the use of the pigment chlorophyll, which is responsible for giving green vegetables their bright green color Between all of the plant cells are trapped tiny pockets of gases that scatter light waves, partially obscuring your view of the vegetable’s bright green pigments As soon as you plunge it into boiling water, though, those gases escape and expand, and the unhindered view of its pigments makes the vegetable appear suddenly much greener At the same time, an enemy from within—an enzyme called chlorophyllase— is working to destroy the vibrant green color by altering the shape of the chlorophyll Chlorophyllase is most active at temperatures below 170°F, and it is destroyed at around °F That’s the reason why a large pot of water is necessary With a small pot of water, the vegetables spend too much time under that 170°F cutoff, giving the chlorophyllase a head start in dulling their appearance With large pots of boiling water that never drop below 190°F, the chlorophyllase is rapidly destroyed before it has a chance to get to work on the chlorophyll Even with the cholorphyllase out of commission, a boiling green vegetable will eventually begin to turn drab as heat causes irreversible changes in its structure These changes are exacerbated by acidic conditions—even a few teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar in a large pot of boiling water can cause green vegetables to rapidly turn dull when cooked in it This is the second reason why vegetables should be cooked in plenty of water As they cook, they release their naturally acidic contents into the cooking medium, acidifying it and hastening browning Using a large volume of water dilutes this acidity Similarly, ... dull when cooked in it This is the second reason why vegetables should be cooked in plenty of water As they cook, they release their naturally acidic contents into the cooking medium, acidifying... That’s the reason why a large pot of water is necessary With a small pot of water, the vegetables spend too much time under that 170°F cutoff, giving the chlorophyllase a head start in dulling their appearance... vegetable appear suddenly much greener At the same time, an enemy from within—an enzyme called chlorophyllase— is working to destroy the vibrant green color by altering the shape of the chlorophyll Chlorophyllase