Various Old Food Tips

These are interesting food tips from an old book:

• Asparagus will retain it's beautiful green if cooked uncovered in an open saucepan with water to cover. Asparagus water is full of vitamins and can be served separately.
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• When opening a an of asparagus, turn the can upside down and open the bottom end first, as the tips are at the top of the can and can be easily broken.

• If you wish to speed up the task of shelling lima beans, put the pods in a shallow pan and pour very hot water over them. After 3 minutes turn them into a colander and cool them quickly by letting cold water run over them. When dried, either by a paper towel or cloth, the lima beans will shell as easily as peas.

• Cook string beans whole whenever possible and in very little fast boiling water. This will help retain much of the mineral and vitamin content.

• When cooking dried beans to be baked, to eliminate distress after eating them, parboil for a few minutes using about a teaspoon of baking soda in the water in which they are boiled. The gas that causes distress will be eliminated.