How Do You Feel About Mushy Peas?

We've always followed the idea that peas, especially the fresh peas we're still finding at the market right now, barely need to be cooked. Maybe sixty seconds on the heat tops. But we recently heard something that has us re-thinking all of our assumptions about this tiny green vegetable.

Francis Lam, food editor for Salon.com, was on a recent episode of Spilled Milk podcast with an all-out rant about why peas are best served mushy. His argument is that peas are a legume, just like beans. They start getting starchy within hours of being picked, and they need longer cooking in order to soften those starches and convert them back to sugar. Just like beans.

He's not talking about cooking peas for hours, which really would take them beyond the point of being edible. He means cooking them just to the point of becoming tender and sweet again - somewhere around 10 minutes depending on how fresh your peas are. This goes for frozen peas from the freezer section too, by the way!

We've respected Francis Lam's opinion ever since he wrote for Gourmet, so we wonder if he might be on to something. Even so, it's really going to take a leap of faith to get us to intentionally let our lovely farm-fresh peas sit in the pan for as long as he recommends!

What do you think about this?

Hear the Interview: Peas on Spilled Milk - and get the recipe for Mushy Peas!

Related: What Foods Do You Buy Frozen?

(Image: Flickr member aarontait licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (19)

Sometimes we eat the frozen peas straight out of the bag... so I'm not sure how this 10 minute cooking time is going to go down in my household...

He's right! Try it! They don't really get *mushy* per se, but they get sweet and tender. Try it out with just a 1/4 cup of the fresh peas, to see if you like it.

I agree. If the peas are just picked and sweet to eat, enjoy a few right out of the pod. But they will lose that sweet taste pretty quickly. My favorite fresh-pea recipe is risi e bisi. Once the peas go in, I go by taste, not time. If they taste right in 3 minutes, 3 it is. If it takes 10, it takes 10.

Maybe for frozen peas. But fresh peas right out of the shell? I like 'em crunchy. No more than 60 seconds for me.

I love mushy peas along with my fish and chips. Yum!

I love to cook frozen peas through - I steam them. Sometimes I add shrimp too, and then salt and pepper everything and eat it just like that, or I even skip the shrimp and just eat a bowl of peas for dinner! Add some grated parmigiano reggiano and it's a perfect summer meal. I would say I cook them toward the mushy state but not all the way there. But I definitely don't like them crunchy.

Well, mushy peas are traditionally served next to the British national dish of fish and chips. However, the ones I have eaten seem to be cooked in some sort of stock and are VERY mushy (read mashed).

It's not so much the mushy-ness (mushiness?) that bothers me, it's the flavor of over-cooked peas. I hated peas as a child until I tried them cooked quickly. They are now the most frequently eaten vegetable at our dinner table. I would have to be near starving on a desert island to eat mushy peas again.

Fresh peas are delicious even raw but the frozen ones have to be slightly mushy. I love peas stewed w/ ground meat or cumin and curry leaves.

This falls under the category of 'oh hell no'. Peas are best when frozen, fresh out of the pod, or cooked quickly. Cafeteria style mushy peas are not for me, thanks.

I'll admit it sounds interesting, but I think I'm going to need to have social intimidation force me to eat it first.

I wonder how it compares to the taste of split peas...?

And 'cafeteria' style peas are likely canned - whole other world from fresh and frozen.

Mushy peas are one of my faves. I love a grilled lamb tenderloin served with rosemary jus & mushy peas

Like philippat said, mushy peas are something completely different to me over peas that are served "mushy". Mushy peas, as in, the kind served with Fish & Chips in the UK are really good and I even prefer them to regular peas, but I don't think I'd like my regular peas served mushy.

My Irish bro-in-law loves mushy peas-- from a can! I'm hesitant to try them myself... though I do love peas...

Mushy peas, folded into mashed potatoes - yum!

Mushy peas are not generally made with fresh peas, folks. That's why they're either yellow or chemical-dye green.

I don't like peas, I wish I did. Growing up my mom put them in everything :(

Best frozen peas I ever had were from something I'd seen on Nigella Bites - you boil the peas with a few cloves of garlic for a few minutes, then you drain them, and put them in the food processor for a few seconds. Then you add crème fraîche or sour cream. I haven't had it in a few years though.