As much as we always defend having a good pantry of dried legumes, betting on seasonal national product, we have to admit that preserves get us out of more than one bind. Nutritionists recommend them cooked naturally cannedlike lentils, but we may occasionally get a nasty surprise when we open the jar.
Disgusting only in appearance, because sometimes the view is deceiving and we cannot be guided only by the visual appearance of a food when it comes to discarding or choosing it. Smell is usually more reliable; If something smells bad or rotten, it’s usually not a good sign. In the case that concerns us today, it is the eyes that can make us waste some poor lentils.
We know that a glass canning jar has to be hermetically sealed, with the cap sunk inward, so that when opened it makes the typical “pop” that assures us that the interior has not been compromised during packaging and conservation. This is how we avoid health problems due to possible poisoning by bacteria, such as those that cause botulism.
But it may be that when removing that tightly closed lid we find ourselves with a top layer of lentils or another legume with a strange color, different from the rest of the boat, darker and not very pleasant. Let no one run and throw it away, as they are perfectly edible, and they will not taste strange either.
This is how he explained it in their social networks Mario Sanchezfood technologist and scientific disseminator, regular collaborator of vitonic. The expert shows us an open pot of cooked lentils with an almost black top. “Bad lentils?” he asks, “Nope!” And then he explains why they are safe and what has happened.
“What has happened is that the liquid that covers the legumes has not reached the top at all… It has turned blackish in color because the food has oxidized. So it can be consumed without problems and no risk towards health, it is only a visual defect.”
He also adds that in the food industry the EDTA additivea chemical substance also frequent in other fields such as medicine, totally safe for human consumption, which in legumes sequesters metal ions responsible for that color change. The lentils have kept well in this case, but the covering liquid sometimes does not cover the entire inner package, without affecting its safety.
That way, if you ever come across a similar case, just make sure the can was tightly closed and that the product is up to date. The upper darkening does not cause more problems than the somewhat unpleasant appearance, but when you mix the beans and use them in your recipes it will be an almost imperceptible detail. No wasting food that is perfectly safe.
Santa Teresa – Pardiña Lentil – EXTRA Category- 1Kg
Photos | Freepik – Mario Sanchez
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