Iced water Lettuce

When I posted the recipe of the Carpaccio Wrap, gave the tip to put the lettuce in the water and later in the water with ice and put one “Why” that  would be a link to  future post with the explanation. The future is now....


I saw the tip for the first time in the Jose Andres t.v. show and later in the Chef at Home of canadian chef Michael Smith, both in the Casa Club TV. The first one first explained that the water rehidrates and the ice activates the chlorophyll.
At least it was what I understood of the spanish. The second one , simply it said to hidrate and leaving it crunchier. But I did not obtain good explanations, at least for the ice usage.


I made the experience in my home and was incredible. Of the same lettuce,some leaves “had been treated”and others not. The ones that had been treated were crunchy and sweet and the others were dull. Then it works. So it must have a scientific explanation for such. This is essence of the molecular gastronomy,hardly I will coagulate apple juice-alginate mix in an acid one to make caviar of fruits style El Bulli in my house, but I am eating much more flavorful lettuces in house.


The hidratation is an obvious thing, the lettuce stops of feeding when it is harvested. E starts to lose the water to the environment. Sometimes, when buying the lettuce in the market it is rough to the touch and although to have color of new, already it seems to lose firmness. So submerging the lettuce in water, it will start to recoup for osmosis the water that had lost. Until it is all good.


But and the ice. Snooped around google and my “vast” bibliography on culinary science (not to spend the molecular term…. And I did not find an explanation. My vast bibilography is the first book of the Hervé This and What Eisntein said to its cook (vol. 1 and 2) of Robert Wolke.


To such activation, for me it does not make sense. Because chlorophyll functions with light (of the sun) and this means energy absorption. E when ypu put in ice, it “removes” energy from the lettuce. The old law of the thermodynamics. But the guy is a chef and has TV program.


However the cold has the capacity to compact and compress cells, and I, that once fished in frozen river in pierced waders, can confirm it.


Perhaps that makes more sense, the cellular structure of vegetables, cellulose if I well remember, with its temperature suddenly lowered gets firmer nad crunchier. But I am speculating.


It works, tough!


But some precautions are needed. The water expands when lower of four degrees celsius, and can “blow up” the cellular structure of the vegetable and get mushy. So it must not be conserved in excessively low temperatures. Therefore the drawer of vegetables is in the part of low of the refrigerator. And also one must not to leave much time in the water with ice. It mostly to startle it!


The lettuce must not be a thousand of hours absorving water because it can saturate, blow up some cells (as a balloon) and wither.


The lettuce must be not cut to store because the ascorbic acid acts and starts to disarrange the lettuce. To keep then, the lettuce whole preferably and to clean it at time of making the salad. But now I do not find link with these explanation.


Finally you must dry the lettuce well so that I dressing sticks in it walls and not slide to the bottom deep of the plate.