Beans and Similar Vegetables as Food 1635 



teresting to note that dried lentils supply the greatest amount of protein 

 and energy for a given cost. The amounts of potassium, phosphorus, and 

 iron furnished by the dried legumes are conspicuously large. The con- 

 trast between the fresh legumes and the other foods as to the amounts 

 of protein and energy furnished might be misleading were it not recalled 

 that the green vegetables are particularly valuable in the diet on account 

 of their bulk, their ash constituents, and their excess of base-forming 

 elements. 



THE COOKING OF LEGUMES 



As is the case with other fresh vegetables, the sooner green peas and 

 beans are cooked after they are gathered, the better will be the result. 

 In an investigation made in a cannery, it was learned that the sugar 

 content of green peas increases slightly after the vines are cut and while 

 the peas still remain in the pod, but that after the peas are removed 

 from the pod their sugar content begins to decrease. From this evidence 

 the conclusion is drawn that if the full sweetness is desired, it is not a 

 good practice to shell the peas in the morning and allow them to stand 

 until evening before cooking them. Green peas and beans should be 

 cooked only until tender; if they are overcooked, they lose much of their 

 palatability, as well as their fresh green color. 



'The unfavorable influence of the skins of dried legumes on the ease 

 and the completeness of digestion has been referred to. The fact that 

 the skins prevent the body from getting the greatest possible amount of 

 nutriment from the food should cause one to consider whether the time 

 required for removing the skins or the food thereby rendered useful to 

 the body is the more valuable. The skin is more easily removed from the 

 dried pea and the lentil than from the bean. The skins of beans may 

 be easily removed by cooking the beans in rapidly boiling water with a 

 small amount of soda for about thirty minutes, then lifting them out 

 into cold water and rubbing them together. For soups and other dishes 

 calling for bean pulp, the skins may quickly be removed by nibbing the 

 beans through a sieve. 



Unless the water in which the legumes are cooked is to be used, the 

 salt should not be added until toward the end of the cooking process, 

 because a dilute salt solution extracts more of the protein than does 

 fresh water. Retention of the protein is aided by its coagulation by heat 

 before the addition of the salt. In an experiment with mature peas it 

 was found that a dilute salt solution extracted 8 per cent more protein 

 than did fresh water. This applies in a greater or less measure to all 

 protein foods. 



The dried legumes are usually soaked in water for at least eight hours 

 before being cooked, in order that they may be softened by gradually 



