Vitamin C against blackening
You've probably heard of this tip: to prevent fruit or vegetables from turning brown or black, simply add or sprinkle lemon juice over them.
It's very effective, but why does lemon juice have this effect?
It's very effective, but why does lemon juice have this effect?
Last modified on: July 14th 2023
Vitamin C against blackening
Well, that's because it contains vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant, not the lemon itself or its acidity.
Let's imagine you want to make a fruit purée, for a sorbet or a fruit coulis, pears for example: you peel the pears, remove the cores and blend the whole thing, it's very simple.
The problem is that the pear purée will oxidize very quickly and change color, while the taste will not change (or only slightly), but it will be less appetizing.
Here's the trick: add a pinch of vitamin C to your fruit purée (as you blend), and the result is spectacular.
Finally, a few examples of fruits and vegetables where vitamin C works wonders: avocados in guacamole, raw peeled purple artichokes (soaked in water with a pinch of vitamin C), strawberry or apricot coulis, etc.
As a general rule, whenever you have to soak something (vegetables or fruit) to prevent browning, systematically add a pinch or two of vitamin C to the water. You'll be amazed at how effective it is.
To sum up: a pinch of vitamin C in a preparation is highly effective in preventing the browning of fresh produce.
Let's imagine you want to make a fruit purée, for a sorbet or a fruit coulis, pears for example: you peel the pears, remove the cores and blend the whole thing, it's very simple.
The problem is that the pear purée will oxidize very quickly and change color, while the taste will not change (or only slightly), but it will be less appetizing.
Here's the trick: add a pinch of vitamin C to your fruit purée (as you blend), and the result is spectacular.
Finally, a few examples of fruits and vegetables where vitamin C works wonders: avocados in guacamole, raw peeled purple artichokes (soaked in water with a pinch of vitamin C), strawberry or apricot coulis, etc.
As a general rule, whenever you have to soak something (vegetables or fruit) to prevent browning, systematically add a pinch or two of vitamin C to the water. You'll be amazed at how effective it is.
To sum up: a pinch of vitamin C in a preparation is highly effective in preventing the browning of fresh produce.
Lasts posts
The other use for bowl scraper
Your kitchen or bakery utensils may include a horn (left) or a pastry cutter (right). These practical utensils are normally used to scoop the contents of a bowl or salad bowl - the horn - or to cut dough - the pastry cutter. But they also have another, very practical use - let's see what it is.May 9th 2026372
The strange foam of potatoes in milk
As you may have already noticed, when you cook potatoes in milk, especially in small pieces (slices or cubes) for a gratin for example, a surprisingly abundant white foam forms on the surface. Where does it come from?April 26th 2026928
A little leftover butter
Very often when you're making a cake, your recipe will tell you to melt some butter and mix it into the batter - a classic for cookies, cakes, moelleux and the like. And every time you do this, you'll have to butter the baking tin to prevent the dough from sticking during baking. Naturally,...April 16th 20269945
A tablet holder
Perhaps you too cook by consulting your recipe on a tablet or phone, and putting it down on your worktop? It's practical, but not the best solution. Here's a look at how you can make an inexpensive, almost universal stand.March 14th 20261,7325
Pre-calibrated pastry dough
When making pie dough (shortbread, shortcrust, sweet...), it's always a good idea to make a lot at once, and then divide it into pieces, which you can freeze. I've already pointed out the mistake not to make, which is to form a ball before freezing. It's difficult to roll out afterwards because...March 9th 20261,5415
Other pages you may also like
Add a bay leaf
Bay leaf: small in size, but big in flavor. You'll find it in hundreds of recipes, and it's often added to cooking meat, in a sauce or broth, usually accompanied by other herbs or products. It's a staple of Provençal, Mediterranean and Oriental cuisine, but not the only one. Usually, in a...July 31th 20257,8575
The power of sayings and beliefs in the kitchen
One day, in the comments on the recipe for beaten egg whites, a young woman asked if you could beat egg whites stiff while having a period, as a friend had told her it wasn't possible. Sometime later another person commented that for mayonnaise it had been (get this!) scientifically proven that a...February 6th 201153 K4.4
The skin of the almonds
If you like almonds, in their dried fruit version, you must use them quite often in cooking or baking, whether powdered or whole. It is not obvious, but in fact there is 2 kinds of almonds in the market, wholesale with or without the skin. .February 8th 202024 K4.7
Let's rehabilitate the burger
The burger is a sandwich that is very fashionable at the moment, and as for all other sandwiches, the worst (often) rubs shoulders with the best (much more rare). In principle, I'm probably not teaching you anything, it's a sandwich made of a small round bun, rather soft, like a sandwich bread,...April 10th 202111 K4.9
The preservation of bread
Eating fresh bread is always a delight, the crust crumbles deliciously, you take full advantage of the taste of your bread (80% of this taste is in the crust), it is a fleeting moment to enjoy. Who hasn't already eaten the crouton or croutons of his baguette, on the way back from the bakery? ...June 11th 202215 K4.7
Follow this page
Receive an e-mail as soon as this page is modified or receives a new comment.
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.
The 1 comment already posted on this page