Vegetables Cooking Vegetables Cooking affects n n Texture

Vegetables

Cooking Vegetables Cooking affects… n n Texture Flavor Color Nutrients

Texture Fiber- gives shape and firmness Cellulose, Pectins Made firmer with n Acids, sugars Softened with n Heat, alkalis

Starch The amount of starch also affects texture Ripening- conversion of starch to sugar

Flavor Loss To control loss n n Cook for a short time Boiling salted water Do not use too much water Steam vegetables

Color Loss White vegetables- flavones Acid- keeps white Alkaline- turns yellow n Holding in steam table will turn dull and gray

Color Loss Red Vegetables- anthocyanins Add acid to improve color Alkalis turn blue-ish Dissolve easily in water, so use as little as possible n Use cooking liquid as part of the sauce

Color Loss Green Vegetables- chlorophyll Acids- turn green dull and mushy, avoid Baking soda retains green color but will aid in the loss of nutrients and vitamins Should be tender yet crisp

Color Loss Orange/ Yellow- Carotenoids Very stable Little effect from acids or alkalis Overcooking can dull the color

Nutrient Loss Factors Responsible n n n High temperature Long cooking Leaching Alkalis Plant enzymes oxygen

Rules Do not overcook Cook as close to service as possible Do not mix batches of old and new

Handling Veggies Washing- wash all vegetables Soaking- soak to remove insects, or restore crispness Peeling- as thin as possible n Veggies that brown, hold under water or use an acid

Packaging Veggies Bulk- sold by weight n n Tough items, loose packaging potatoes

Packaging Produce Layer- sold by count Most expensive Kiwis, mangos

Packaging Produce Flat- sold by volume, not weight strawberries

Peak Season Time of year when produce is most abundent, best quality, and lowest price

Starch reserve Certain fruits will ripen after being picked Kiwi, apple, banana, avacado, pears, papaya, mango

Packaging Tomatoes Bulk- Globe, salad, plum, Italian Flats- cherry Layered- beefsteak, vine ripened

Fruit vs veggie Fruit can reproduce within itself n n n Seeds are primary means of reproduction Exceptions- potatoes- sprout from eye Pineapples- cutting fruit top and planting

Vegetable Veggies must mature to the flowering stage to obtain seeds for reproduction

Peppers Bell Pepper- greenred- yellow n Hybrids- white, orange, purple Banana- Italian Hot- 100 types n Degree of heat is determined by alkalis

Squash Summer n n Soft shell, this skin, short shelf life, picked young Yellow, zucchini, cucumber Winter n n Hard shell, thick skin, no refrigeration required, long shelf life (1 -4 months), grown to maturity Butternut, acorn

Mushrooms Fungus Small plant with stem and umbrella cap 38000 varieties n 1 -2% deadly

Fungi Over 2000 plants with no green color, leaves or flowers Often found in damp, shady areas on dead organic matter

Market forms of Mushrooms Wild cultivated or domesticated Fresh Dried- most flavor (have to rehydrate) Canned

Mushrooms 80 -90% water 8% carbohydrates 1% fat Good for riboflavin, calcium, protein, potassium

Quality indicators No signs of water damage or decay No discoloration Stems and caps well formed Check where the cap meets the stem, look for the gills to be intact and covered with intact veil