fruits and vegetables
FRUITS: MOIST HEAT PREPARATION Stewing/poaching
Add water, sugar or syrup Until barely tender Preparing dried fruit Soak in water and then simmer
Acid
Examples: vinegar or tomatoes Should be added toward the end of the cooking time Make vegetables more resistant to softening
DO NOT PURCHASE PRODUCE THAT IS
Moldy Too large Starting to turn yellow Wrinkled Cut, bruised, or starting to ooze Soft when it should be firm Dirty Sticky Buggy
no soak
No soaking, nuts take twice as much water & double the heat time; lose skins more easily
VEGETABLESCOOKING METHODS: MICROWAVING
One of the best ways to retain a vegetable's texture, color, and nutrient content Requires very little water and is fast enough to minimize loss of quality
Only low to______ heat should be used for cooking garlic, because
Only low to medium-low heat should be used for cooking garlic, because it cooks quickly and will become bitter when burned.
FACTORS THAT AFFECT TEXTURE
Temperature Starch gelatinization Cellulose softening Decreased bulk Turgor loss
CHANGES DURING HEATING
Texture Flavor Odor Color Nutrient Retention
FRUITS: CHANGES DURING HEATING
Texture and osmosis flavor
Onions are best if they can have
air circulation. If you have a clean pair of panty hose you can hang the onions in them. Just tie a knot between each onion.
Flavonoids
anthocyanin(red purple), anthoxanthin(cream/white), betalains (purple-red-yellow)
summer
apples appricots avacados bananas beets bell peppers corn carrots celery
Chlorophyll
chlorophyll a (blue green) chlorophyll b (green) (ex: broc, green cabbage, kale, lettuce, spinach)
Flavor
flavor substances and volatile compounds can be lost
WHAT IS A VEGETABLE? WHAT IS A FRUIT?
fruit is a seed bearing structure that develops from the very of plant the vegetables are all the other plant parts: root, leaves, stems
Potatoes should be stored in a
cool, dry place.
Remove and discard If eating alfalfa or bean sprouts
cores, leaves, and stems. cook before eating to reduce the risk of a food borne illness.
many are mislabeled corn?
corn is a grain (not a vegetable) (but depends on how we use it- call veg when we eat off cob or buy can not when eat the flour part)
contain
dietary fiber vitamin nutrients carbs glucose, fructose and sucrose
Fruit Spreads v
gel when pectin molecules bond to each other and form a mesh-like network
Conserves
mixture of fruits (usually some citrus), with nuts and raisins, generally no added sugar
the older the beans they loose ___ which results in___
moisture longer cooking times
Chlorophyll
normally found in dark leafy vegetables fat soluble
CLASSIFICATION EXCEPTIONS Consumers often consider
not-so-sweet fruit as vegetables and sweeter vegetables as fruit.
cooking time after 10 hour soack split peas kidney blackbeans mung beans chickpeas
split peas 3/4 to 1 hour kidney 1 1/2 hour blackbeans. 1 1/2 hr mung beans 3 hr chickpeas 4 hr
factors affecting color pigments
-Solubility -pH -Heating -Presence of metals Undesirable color changes can be prevented in a number of ways
WASHING
-Wash vegetables thoroughly (with a vegetable brush when appropriate) to remove soil, microorganisms, pesticides, and herbicides.
Pectin Hemicellulose Cellulose
- "Cement" within and between cell walls, giving firmness and elasticity to vegetable tissues -AKA: Fiber
Minimizing Nutrient Loss
- Avoid immersing in water (steaming, microwaving, baking) -Use as little cooking water as possible (simmering)
Texture and osmosis
- Heat drastically softens fruit conversion of the fruit's protopectin to pectin degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose denaturation of the membrane proteins
Minimizing Nutrient Loss 2
-Cook just to the point of doneness -Leave skins on vegetables -Cut vegetables into fewer pieces
STORAGE Respiration & Moisture Loss
-Methods to Control -Controlled-atmosphere storage -Modified-atmosphere packaging -Edible films or coatings -Spray mist -Cool temperature -Refrigerator crisper -Plastic bags with tiny holes
Lignin
-Non-carbohydrate compound which increases in concentration as vegetables mature -Responsible for toughness of older broccoli stems and carrots cores
Gums
-Polysaccharides with a unique ability to absorb water and swell to several times their original volume -Often added to processed foods (i.e., salad dressings) to increase their viscosity
Reducing Undesirable Odors
-Shorten heating time -Add a little vinegar to the cooking water -Remove the lid occasionally during cooking to let volatile organic acids escape.
black eye peas soy beans pino beans
1 hour 2 hours
what percentages you Must have to form gel
1% pectin 60% sugar acid (pH of 2.8 to 3.4)
General Guidelines microwaving
1. Add a minimal amount of water to vegetables. 2. Cover with plastic wrap. 3. Microwave for about 3 to 10 minutes (rotate and rearrange at half time) until fork tender.
General Guidelines for simmering
1. Add vegetables (with the exception of potatoes) to lightly salted boiling water. 2. When water starts to return to a boil, immediately lower heat to a simmer. 3. Cook vegetables until tender (~5-30 minutes). Lid may be left off to allow volatile acids to escape.
Plant Pigments Three major groups
1. Carotenoids 2. Chlorophylls 3. Flavonoids
Overnight soak
1. Sorted 2. Rinsed 3.Soakedforapprox.10 hrs before simmering
Short soak
1. Sorted 2. Rinsed 3. Soaked a) bring to full boil for 2 minutes b) remove from heat c) soak in same hot water for 1 hour before cooking
DRY HEAT PREPARATIONFrying/sautéing
Apple, banana, cherry and pineapple
FRUITS: DRY HEAT PREPARATION Baking
Apples, peaches, bananas, plums, peaches, rhubarb
legumes
Beans, peas, lentils: Excellent sources of fiber, protein, iron, complex CH All legumes grow as seeds within a pod Dietary staple since the Bronze Age
LEGUMES: PREPARING LEGUMES
Best prepared by simmering rather than boiling
Both ____ and ______ contribute to spoiling and deterioration of ________
Both respiration rate and moisture loss contribute to spoiling and deterioration of appearance, texture, flavor,and vitamin content.
FACTORS THAT AFFECT TEXTURE
Calcium •Combine with pectic substances •Firm texture
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Check closely for mold growth Use within 1 or 2 days or preserve
Stir-frying:
Combine a little oil with the vegetable's natural moisture. a) Tender, quick-cooking pieces like mushrooms are cut into large, uniform slices b) Less tender pieces like carrots and celery are cut to expose the greatest amount of surface area to the
ODOR Sulfur compounds are present in:
Cruciferous vegetables - cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli Allium vegetables - onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, chives
FLAVOR: EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE
Degorging Eliminates the bitter flavor of cucumbers and eggplant
GRADING Best to purchase in season produce
Generally voluntary (bc don't last very long- high perishable) USDA graded - potatoes, carrots, onions (longer shelf life and popular) ----Appearance -Flavor -Texture
DRY HEAT PREPARATION Broiling
Grapefruit halves, pineapple halves, and bananas Drizzle with butter or sugar
Meat analogs
Imitation meats made by blending soy protein with vegetable proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals, colorings, & flavors
VEGETABLESPREPARATION GUIDELINES: COOKING Changes in Nutrient Content
Leaching is the greatest cause of nutrient loss. Careful preparation of vegetables conserves important nutrients.
FLAVOR: EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE
Long gentle heat yields milder flavors in onions and garlic. Raw garlic is very pungent. Slowly cooked garlic is mellow and sweet (short cooking time) or nutty and rich (long cooking time).
Textured vegetable protein
Mainly from soybeans, but also from peanuts & cottonseed Often used in & to extend ground meats USDA limits to no more than 30% of any product
Degorging Directions
Peel and slice vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and allow them to stand at room temperature until droplets appear. Once substances form on the surface, remove moisture with a paper towel or by rinsing.
Enzymatic Browning
Phenolic compound + Enzyme + O2 ex: potatoes, avocado, banana, apples
General Guidelines steaming
Place vegetables in a perforated basket inserted in a pan just above simmering water and cook, tightly sealed, until just tender.
diff types
Preserves Jams Conserves Jelly Marmalades Butters
Soybeans
Relatively high protein & fat; can be used to make...
storage Ethylene Gas
Release ethylene gas •Apples • Avocados •Peaches Sensitive to ethylene gas • Carrots • Broccoli • Cucumbers • Cabbage
VEGETABLESCOOKING METHODS: STEAMING
Steaming takes a little longer than simmering (~ 5-10 minutes more), but provides better retention of flavor, texture, and color.
FRUITS: COMPOSITION Natural Sugars - Organic acids -
Sweetness; Fructose, Glucose, & Sucrose Sourness Ø Citric acid / Malic acid -pH of most fruit below 5.0
To retain these flavor compounds:
Use little water As short a time as possible
Deep-fat frying:
Used especially for French fries, onion rings, and breaded zucchini. Other vegetables well suited for frying are mushrooms, long beans, broccoli florets, okra, and eggplant.
VEGETABLESCOOKING METHODS: FRYING
Vegetables can be: Stir-fried Pan-fried Deep-fat fried
VEGETABLESCOOKING METHODS: SIMMERING
Vegetables should not be boiled, but instead simmered in as little water as possible to avoid nutrient loss and adverse effects on flavor, texture, and color.
Three factors affecting the pigment anthocyanin are shown here:
Very soluble - leaches into cooking water Acid causes it to turn red Base (alkaline) causes it to turn deeper purple.
Fruits and Vegetables obtain their flavors from compound such as:
Volatile oils Sulfur compounds Carbohydrates Organic acids Mineral salts Polyphenols
spring
bananas broccoli cabbage carrots celery lemons limes mushroom onions spinache strawberries turnips
Cut away any
bruised or damaged areas before eating or preparing for cooking.
Carotenoids
carotene (yellow-orange) lycopene (red orange) xanthophyll (yellow) lutein zeaxanthins
FACTORS AFFECTING PIGMENTS EXAMPLES - HEATING
green bean blanched green bean fresh great bean canned heat forces the gases surfing veg cell to expand and escape. Bc of this the green pigment can be seen more cleared. as cooking continues the heat will displace the magnesium and chlorophyll and will end up with olive color green
Jams
ground or mashed whole cooked fruit
Pectin Substances - (fruit composition)
group of polysaccharides Cementing substance between cell walls Responsible for firmness and structure Contributes to the gelling of fruit preserves
Blue discoloration around cherries, cranberries -
interaction of Anthocyanins with alkaline baking powder or soda in mix
pectin is important to making
jellies and jams in order to make pectin you have to have a gel network.
Jelly
juice of cooked fruit, added sugar and pectin
Marmalades
juice with thin slices of fruit and rind (generally citrus)
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS Do not store onions next to your
potatoes as the gases given off by the onions will cause the potatoes to sprout and to rot.
pectin and gelling chart
propectin (immaterial fruit) (no gel) pectin (ripe fruit) (gel) pectic acid (overripe fruit) (no gel)
what will ph do to a pigment to purple cabbage
purple cabbage (cooked) water turn purple. add acid turned red cabbage add base- turned blue color.
if you are baking a muffin or quick bread with cranberry or blueberry
reaction with baking soda and those fruits will turn color.
carotenoids colors
red, yellow, orange preciser to vitamin A color can change bc heat fat soluble
Butters
sieved, long-cooked fruit
PREPARATION METHODS FOR POTATOES
simmering frying baking
cell walls
very rigid. many composed: cellulose, lignin and proteins. has the ability to let water and solutes in and out of the cell. Has a lining that can help maintain the pressure of cell- keep cell firm and crisp. inside cell find liquid: sugar, acids, phenols, enzymes, etc.
To avoid excess water absorption,
wash vegetables quickly. Many root vegetables, except beets and baked potatoes, are also peeled.
primary component of the fruits and vegetables
water
As a result of cold temperatures the cell walls of the banana peel will become
weak, releasing and allowing phenolic compounds to oxidize and causing the banana to turn completely black. I've posted a Chiquita Banana Commercial you may want to watch.
if broken cell wall
whatever fluid will leak out. the cell will become soft bc loses its water. if you freeze and thaw... it can be a big mushy mess.
Preserves
whole fruit, halves, or chunks
CONSIDERATIONS WHEN SELECTING FRESH PRODUCE
• Season • Ripeness • Freshness • Yield • Bruising and Decay
PREPARATION GUIDELINES
•BUYING •STORAGE •WASHING •COOKING
Alkalines
•Causes cellulose to break down •Mushy texture.
STORAGE Moisture Loss •Which of these will last longer?
•Higher water content, shorter storage time
history of veg and fruit
•Legally declared a vegetable by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1893. •Vegetables had a 10% tax, fruit was duty-free. • Jon Nix, a fruit importer, sued to recover tax money paid on tomatoes and lost.
Storage (respiration)
•Respiration rates vary among vegetables •Take up oxygen •Release carbon dioxide