Alkalinity can work wonders with food

The title to Samin Nosrat’s excellent book indicates what she feels to be the most important elements in cooking – salt, fat, acid, heat. While acid plays an important role in cooking, it might be better to think about pH more broadly than just acid, as alkaline substances offer important benefits in the kitchen as well. Food writer Caroline Hatchett explains the historic and modern roles of alkalinity in cooking and preserving food (free registration required).

One of the oldest ways that items high on the pH scale contribute to the culinary world comes from nixtamalization, discovered in Mesoamerica thousands of years ago. In that process, corn is cooked in a solution that includes mineral lime, a highly alkaline substance. The lime starts a “complex chemical reaction that unlocks the grain’s nutrition and changes its aroma and flavor,” says Hatchett, allowing the corn to be formed into a cohesive dough (masa). But corn isn’t the only food that benefits from alkaline additions.

Bagels and pretzels are also bathed in a solution that may include lye or baking soda, forming a “skin” around the dough and contributing to the traditional chewy texture. Ramen noodles owe their springy texture to potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate, both alkaline substances. The article also explores ways fruits and vegetables can likewise get a textural boost from a high pH solution and offers a few ideas that you could incorporate into your own cooking.