Is it poisonous to eat blanched bamboo shoots?

Bamboo shoots taste delicious and are a nutritious vegetable. Bamboo shoots can lower the three highs. People with high blood pressure may wish to eat some bamboo shoots regularly to relieve the symptoms. Bamboo shoots can help lose weight and have the effect of beautifying the skin. They are very popular among ladies who love beauty. Bamboo shoots taste bitter and need to be blanched to remove the bitterness. Many people say that bamboo shoots can be eaten without blanching, while others say that blanching bamboo shoots will be poisonous. Let us find out whether blanching bamboo shoots will be poisonous.

1. Can bamboo shoots be eaten without being soaked in water?

Bamboo shoots can be eaten without being boiled, but it is best to boil them. Nutritionists remind everyone that winter bamboo shoots contain oxalic acid, and it is recommended to blanch them in boiling water to remove the oxalic acid before cooking. Because oxalic acid is soluble in water, 60% of the oxalic acid can be removed by running it through hot water. This practice is especially important for middle-aged and elderly people and pregnant women who need calcium supplementation.

The oxalic acid contained in bamboo shoots is not an ingredient needed by the human body. If oxalic acid is consumed in large quantities, it will cause the body's calcium absorption rate to decrease and may also lead to kidney stones. Of course, there is no need to be too nervous. The body's absorption rate of oxalic acid is not high, only about 10%, which has little effect on the human body. It will only cause health problems when consumed in extremely large quantities. However, just in case, it is best to blanch the bamboo shoots in water before eating them so that they can be safely "imported" and are also convenient for cooking.

2. Are bamboo shoots poisonous if they are not blanched?

Fresh bamboo shoots are non-toxic without blanching, because fresh bamboo shoots contain a lot of oxalic acid, which will affect the body's absorption of calcium. Therefore, fresh bamboo shoots should not be fried right after cutting. They should be blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes before stir-frying to decompose most of the oxalic acid in the fresh bamboo shoots. This will not only not affect the absorption of calcium, but also remove the astringency and improve the taste. In addition, stir-fry the bamboo shoots until cooked through to further decompose the oxalic acid.

3. How to blanch bamboo shoots

1. Cut the winter bamboo shoots to be blanched and set aside.

2. Turn on the fire and put appropriate amount of water in the pot.

3. When the water is a little hot, add the ginger slices.

4. After boiling, pour in the chopped winter bamboo shoots.

5. Cover the pot and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Open the lid of the pot and check whether the winter bamboo shoots are cooked, then take them out.

4. Bamboo shoots must be cooked before eating

Many people know that beans must be cooked before eating, otherwise it is easy to cause poisoning, but when it comes to "toxicity", bamboo shoots are much more powerful than beans. Yun Wuxin, a Ph.D. in biological and food engineering from Purdue University in the United States, pointed out that "if all the cyanogenic glycosides in bamboo shoots are hydrolyzed to release hydrocyanic acid, a maximum of 8,000 mg per kilogram can be released, and 100 mg can almost kill a person." Although this "if" is not true, because it is difficult to release all of it, "but the conversion of only a part of it is also quite scary." Therefore, bamboo shoots must be fully cooked before they can be eaten.