I remember why ... it was explained to us in our first ever science lesson at grammar school which was on 'osmosis'. It's to bring the salt content of the water nearer to that of the vegetables ... thus preventing the vegetables from soaking up the water and becoming soft.
This explains it better ...
Imagine you’re soaking in a bath tub for an hour. What happens? Inevitably, your fingers and toes become all prune-y. That’s because you have a higher concentration of salt in your body and skin than what’s in the plain bath water. So the moisture is sucked out of your skin, and your skin becomes wrinkled.
That’s why you add bath salt–it keeps the salt levels in equilibrium (creates an “isotonic solution”), meaning the moisture stays inside you.
An extension of this is when we salt vegetables before pickling ... the brine is of a higher concentration than the liquid content of the veg so the liquid in the veg passes from the veg into the salt. Then when the veg are covered with vinegar they soak up the vinegar to replace the lost liquid content.
Wish I remembered everything they taught me at school as well as I remember that lesson.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My [ Scottish] mother's porridge was like wallpaper paste - cooked for ages in a pot, in water. Vile. My dad was English, so it was never eaten with salt - full cream milk and sugar! Tradition was that it was poured into a drawer, and left overnight, and you had a 'slice' to carry to work
I do mine in the microwave. 3 tblspoons of porridge [Scott's obviously] with mainly water, and a tiny bit of skimmed milk, for about 2 and a half mins, then add some frozen rasps, then back in for about 30 seconds. Stir, and add a little more milk [ or white water, as my girls call it ] I like mine quite runny, so it needs a little extra milk to achieve that, as it thickens. Nothing's measured, as I have it down to a fine art. I'm very particular about it, so I would never have it in a hotel or B&B.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I make porridge 1cup (scott's) oats,1 cup each water and semi skimmed milk. In the microwave same as @Fairygirl. No salt no sugar. Use a large bowl as it rises a lot. Let sit for few minutes after microwave so it's not volcanicly hot. Sometimes add a banana if particularly hungry. Sets me up till lunchtime on a winters day.
Bow (elder daughter) is home for the weekend We've only seen her for the briefest overnight since she left home 10 weeks ago. The longest she'd ever been away before was 10 days. So happy.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
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This explains it better ...
Imagine you’re soaking in a bath tub for an hour. What happens? Inevitably, your fingers and toes become all prune-y. That’s because you have a higher concentration of salt in your body and skin than what’s in the plain bath water. So the moisture is sucked out of your skin, and your skin becomes wrinkled.
That’s why you add bath salt–it keeps the salt levels in equilibrium (creates an “isotonic solution”), meaning the moisture stays inside you.
The same is true when cooking vegetables. It has nothing to do with flavor. Adding salt means that the moisture stays inside your potatoes and carrots, leaving them crunchier, crispier, and generally more palatable. https://www.quora.com/Why-do-we-put-salt-in-water-when-we-boil-vegetables
An extension of this is when we salt vegetables before pickling ... the brine is of a higher concentration than the liquid content of the veg so the liquid in the veg passes from the veg into the salt. Then when the veg are covered with vinegar they soak up the vinegar to replace the lost liquid content.
Wish I remembered everything they taught me at school as well as I remember that lesson.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Tradition was that it was poured into a drawer, and left overnight, and you had a 'slice' to carry to work
I do mine in the microwave. 3 tblspoons of porridge [Scott's obviously] with mainly water, and a tiny bit of skimmed milk, for about 2 and a half mins, then add some frozen rasps, then back in for about 30 seconds. Stir, and add a little more milk [ or white water, as my girls call it ]
I like mine quite runny, so it needs a little extra milk to achieve that, as it thickens. Nothing's measured, as I have it down to a fine art.
I'm very particular about it, so I would never have it in a hotel or B&B.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
NOTHING TO BE DONE
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We've only seen her for the briefest overnight since she left home 10 weeks ago. The longest she'd ever been away before was 10 days. So happy.