When a vegetable is placed in very salty water the becomes soft and collapses. Why does this happen?

When a vegetable is placed in very salty water, the water molecules are drawn out of the vegetable by osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration. In this case, the salty water has a higher solute concentration than the vegetable, so the water molecules move out of the vegetable and into the water.

As the water molecules leave the vegetable, the cells become dehydrated and the vegetable becomes soft and limp. This is because the cells are no longer able to maintain their shape without the water molecules.

In addition, the high salt concentration in the water can also damage the cell walls of the vegetable. This can cause the vegetable to become mushy and even disintegrate.

To prevent vegetables from becoming soft and mushy when cooking, it is important to use the correct amount of salt. The general rule of thumb is to use 1 teaspoon of salt per quart of water.