Waterlogged
I feel like I come across the term “waterlogged” often enough, but never seem to get an explanation of it.
In short: Waterlogged is the over-absorption of water into the cells of a vegetable due to the degradation of the water absorption control of cell walls via a cooking process.
The common scenario is something like the instructions for cooking green beans:
- Blanch them for a short period of time to both cook them and bring out the color
- Shock them in ice water to dramatically reduce the cooking process
- Remove and let dry to prevent becoming waterlogged
I find this a bit frustrating and unsatisfying that it is always assumed that the reader knows what this is.
Cooking a vegetable typically means a chemical process changes the structure of that vegetable. A very common occurrence is that the cell walls are ruptured or degrade, and the vegetable is hydrated. If this happens too much, the vegetable will have a soggy texture, not something more crips. Moreover, a lot of flavor is lost and muted through diffusion and osmosis.
Leaving a vegetable in water for too long, especially after or during cooking, will result in what is commonly described as “waterlogged” - a bloated, soggy result.
Salting water can help slow the process of waterlogging by pulling water out of the ingredient to balance the salt concentration via osmosis.