Soggy pud
Question: The traditional way to cook a boiled pudding is to tie it in a
cotton or linen cloth and immerse it in boiling water. If the water goes off the
boil, water gets into the pudding and it goes soggy.
What prevents the simmering water—undoubtedly a liquid—
penetrating the cloth, when the cloth lets in water when the temperature is only
a few degrees lower?
Quite a few Christmases have come and gone since this question was first
asked on 15 November 1997. Now, at long last, we are not only printing some of
the answers…
