The green of leeks


The green of leeks
We are all, consciously or not, very sensitive to the colour of our food. That's why a red strawberry will always seem more appetizing than a pale one, even if it's not necessarily true.

This is true for red, but it is also true for the green of certain vegetables.
17 K 4.0/5 (26 reviews)
Grade this page:
Keywords for this post:LeekGreenWhiteStorageCookingChlorophyll
Last modified on: March 30th 2020
For this post: Comment Follow Send to a friend
The green of leeks
And this sensitivity to colors is also sometimes a question of taste, we are a little conditioned by that, so much so that when a panel of testers do so-called "blind" tastings, for example of chocolate, the room where they are is only lit by a red light that masks everything, so as not to influence the testers. Indeed, if they like the color of the chocolate, they will tend to find it better than another chocolate less "pretty".

dégustation lumière rouge



It is therefore a question of color, of the appetite that follows, and indirectly of taste: a beautiful food with beautiful colors will please us more than something ugly and shriveled. In the bowl of apples on the table, you will surely and instinctively take the most beautiful available.

All this to say that making beautiful dishes is not only a question of aesthetics, it is also a question of how your guests will have their first impression, and it counts a lot.

In all this quest for beautiful colors, we have two almost antinomic things in the kitchen: green and cooking. Indeed, a lot of green vegetables are very beautiful and green when raw, but if you cook them (too) long, the chlorophyll they contain will degrade and they will become greenish or beige, in short, much less pretty, even if their taste is there.

An emblematic example: leeks, beautiful and green at the beginning, become dull after a long cooking, and a dish that illustrates it well is the leek-potato soup which is in full season as I write these lines.

poireau bien vert



If you're going to make potato leek soup, you're going to put potatoes and leeks together and cook them, normal, classic. That's a bit of a problem, the potatoes will cook much slower than the leeks, and to get the potatoes to cook properly, the leeks will be overcooked, and a bit dull in color.

Is there anything we can do?

Yes, it's just a matter of cooking time, finely sliced leek is cooked in 4-5 minutes max, potatoes definitely more. So for the ideal soup, cook the potatoes and onion first, and 5 minutes before the end, add the leek and finish cooking until it is tender.

poireaux cuits bien verts



This will give you the ideal leek-potato soup, tasty and with a beautiful, clean green colour, very appetizing.


To sum up: As a rule, green vegetables do not stand long cooking times, so if they have to be cooked with other products, it is always a good idea to cook them last and for as little time as possible.

Lasts posts
Should potatoes be washed twice?
Should potatoes be washed twice?
Let's say you have to make a recipe that includes potatoes, let's say sliced, you'll most likely proceed as follows: Peel the potatoes, wash them, slice them, wash them again, pat them dry and add them to your recipe. But there's a "but": depending on the recipe, the second washing may be a bad...
May 19th 20251,941 15
Grilled bacon is much better in the oven
Grilled bacon is much better in the oven
Some recipes call for thin slices of bacon to be cooked and added to the recipe, or to prepare one of those delicious breakfasts known as "à l'Anglaise".
April 25th 20251,8795
The thermometer is your friend
The thermometer is your friend
There are many recipes or foods that require a (very) precise cooking temperature: foie gras, sugar for caramel, meats and fish, and not forgetting pastries. For these few examples, getting the cooking temperature wrong can spoil the whole recipe or dish: undercooked, it's no good or misses the...
April 10th 20252,2005
Travel cakes
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.
January 27th 20253,664
The aromatic power of sugar
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...
December 25th 20244,1155

Other pages you may also like
Devising a recipe
Devising a recipe
A question I'm often asked is: how do you come up with your recipes? How do you perfect them? This is something I've already mentioned on this page, but I'll take this opportunity to go into a bit more detail.
October 15th 201215 K4.4
Cream and sauces
Cream and sauces
Have you ever wondered why making beautiful tasty sauces is so easy when you use cream? .
October 15th 201220 K4.4
The time of the jams
The time of the jams
We are well into summer as I write this, and this is the time when most of the fruit is giving or about to give in full. And for many of us, it will also be the time for jams and jellies, one of the best ways to preserve fruit for the next winter.
July 12th 202125 K4.5
Different kinds of pastry and dough
Different kinds of pastry and dough
When cooking in general, and particularly in baking, we can make and use many different kinds of pastry and dough. All built on the same "base": flour - a powder to which we add fat, liquid or both to produce the dough which is then cooked. .
November 6th 2012108 K 14.0
The window-pane test in bread-making
The window-pane test in bread-making
The home bread-makers often ask themselves “Have I kneaded my dough long enough?” . A good question, as dough that is insufficiently kneaded will not rise properly or will fall flat when the top is slashed, which is very frustrating. To know when the dough is ready, one can rely on the length...
June 16th 202191 K 23.9
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing

Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page