Vegetables

Vegetable Classification

Vegetable Classification•Bulb: found underground part of the

stem, bulbs are fleshy structures surrounded by layers of fleshy leaves ▫Garlic & onion

•Flowers : flowers of a plant, can be eaten raw or cooked ▫Broccoli & cauliflower

Vegetable Classification cont.•Fruits: most vegetables from the fruit

part of a plant can be eaten raw but some need to be cooked▫Raw - tomato, pepper, & pumpkins▫Cooked – eggplant, squash, & pumpkins

•Leaves: most leaves are tender and can be eaten raw or with just little cooking ▫Lettuce, spinach, cabbage, & brussels

sprouts

Vegetable Classification cont.•Seeds: the plant part that grows a new

plant, high in nutrient and requiring minimal cooking ▫Corn, peas & beans

•Tuber : large underground stem that stores nutrients, this part must be cooked ▫Potatoes, yams & jicama

Vegetable Classification cont.•Roots: plants food supply is stored here,

purpose is to absorb water and nutrients and anchor the plant to the ground ▫Beets, carrots, turnips, & radishes

•Stem: edible stems are tender and need very little cooking & many can be eaten raw ▫Asparagus, celery, onions, & leeks

Nutritional value of vegetables•Vitamins and mineral - carotene, vit A, vit

C•1 c raw leafy •½ c cooked or chopped •½ c juice

•Fresh vegetable cheaper when in season •Canned with be the overall cheapest

Cost of Vegetables

Choosing the style of Vegetables

•Canned▫Canned in water▫Cheapest but least attractive

•Frozen▫Retain appearance and flavor▫Cheaper than fresh when fresh are not in

season▫ If frost is on the outside of the bag - they

have been thawed and refrozen•Dried

▫Legumes: peas, beans, and lentils▫Store in covered containers in cool, dry place

Selecting Fresh Vegetables •Look for good color, firmness, and

absence of bruises and decay •Avoid wilted and misshapen •Handle vegetables carefully to prevent

bruising•Choose vegetables that are medium in

size▫Small can be immature and lack flavor▫Large can be over mature and tough

•Buy only what you will use within a short time

•Veg that are in season usually are higher in quality and low in price

Storing Fresh Vegetable

•Can keep in refrigerator for a few days - crisper

•Let vegetable ripen before you place in refrigerator

•Potatoes - dark dry place - if exposed to light they will turn green and bitter

Preparing Raw Vegetables •Wash and trim vegetables•Wash with cold water - do not soak them,

will lose water-soluble nutrients▫Leafy veg - damp towel wrapped around

leaves, then placed in a plastic bag with holes

▫Salad Spinner is used to remove extra water from leaves after washing

•Taste best when served cold

Food Science Principles of Cooking Vegetables

•Change to nutrients, flavor, and color•Crisp-tender: veg are tender but still

slightly firm - fork tender•Use very little water or no water

▫Use water from the can •Use short amount of cooking time - will

help keep desirable flavor and color

Food Science Principles of Cooking Vegetables cont. •Effects of cooking on color

▫Chlorophyll: green pigment - heat will affect it Overcooking - light green or gray color Cook with small amount of liquid and short

time - lid off for the first few minutes ▫Carotene: yellow and orange color - vit A

Heat will destroy cellular structure and release carotene into the liquid

Little liquid - lid on the pan

Food Science Principles of Cooking Vegetables cont.

▫Flavones: white pigments Overcooked - turn yellow or dark gray

▫Anthocyanin: red pigment Alkali present in water will affect this

Add vinegar or lemon juice (an acid) will neutralize the alkali

Red pigment turn purple

Food Science Principles of Cooking Vegetables cont.

•Effect of cooking on vegetable flavor▫Mildly flavored - short time in small amount of

water with pan covered Peas, corn & beets

▫Strongly flavored - cover with water, uncovered pan for short time Cabbage & broccoli

▫Very strongly flavored - covered with water, uncovered pan for long time Onions & leeks

Methods of Cooking Vegetables •Water - add salt to small amount of water,

tight-fitting lid ▫Bring water to boil - add veg - bring back to

boil - reduce heat - cook until crisp-tender▫Keep water have many nutrient in it

Vegetable water can be froze into ice cubes & stored for flavoring with vegetable stock

•Steaming - place steam basket over boiling water - place veg in basket - cover with lid - cook until crisp-tender

Methods of Cooking Vegetables cont.

•Pressure-cooking - following direction with the pressure-cooker - watch the timer, possibility of overcooking

•Baking - takes longer, peeled or in their own skin - if peeled place tin foil or lid on the casserole dish

•Frying - high heat, small amount of oil, veg thinly sliced, cooks very quickly ▫Deep-fat fry, sauté, and stir-fry

Methods of Cooking Vegetables cont.

•Broiling - brush cut surface with oil - cook very quickly, will need to watch them

•Microwave - retain their shape, color, flavors, and nutrients - high power, allow standing time, stir occasionally, rearrange while vegetables during cooking

Potatoes •Different types - all-purpose,

baking, or new potatoes ▫New potatoes: sent to market

immediately after harvesting - round red varieties - best for boiling, oven-browning, frying, and making potato salad - hold their shape

▫Russet potatoes: baking - meaty texture allow them to break apart easily

•Boiling - wash, peel, halve them, cover the potatoes with slightly salted water, simmer until tender

Potatoes cont. •Mashing - boil potatoes, add butter, milk,

and salt – then beat potatoes▫If the potatoes still taste dry and more

butter or milk to help make them creamier ▫Sour cream, cream cheese or whipping

cream •Frying - use hot oil to cook the raw

potatoes (thin slices)•Baked - clean, pierce potatoes with fork

(prevents steam from building up inside the skin)

Preparing canned vegetables

•Use the water from the can▫Help keep some of the nutrients

•Heat for short amount of time•They are precooked

Preparing frozen vegetables

•Bring small amount of salt water to a boil, add vegetables, lid, bring back to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender

•Blanched - preheated in boiling water or steam for a short time

•Steaming in microwave – just add a couple of tablespoons of water in a plastic container, set lid on container, microwave for 5-6 minutes (depending on the veggie)

Preparing dried vegetables

•Clean the beans, must soak before cooking, cook in clean water

•Soaking - bring water to boil for 2-3 minutes, cover the pot and remove from heat, allow beans to soak for at least one hour (may take over night)

Vegetables Pictures

Spaghetti Squash

Acron Squach

Butternut squash

Buttercup squash

Fruits

Fruit Classification•Berries: small juicy fruit with skin

▫Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries & grapes

•Drupes: outer skin cover a soft, fleshy fruit, surround single hard seed (stone or pit)▫Cherries, peaches & nectarines

Fruit Classification cont.

•Pomes: central, seed-containing core surrounded by a thick layer of flesh▫ Apples & pears

•Citrus fruits: thick outer rind, membrane separates the flesh into segments▫ Oranges, tangerines & lemons

Fruit Classification•Melons: large, juicy fruit with thick rinds

and many seeds▫Cantaloupe, honeydew & watermelon

•Tropical fruits: grown in warm climates, somewhat exotic▫bananas, figs, mangoes, pineapples,

pomegranates, and kiwifruit

Nutritional value of fruit

•High in vitamins, low in fat, good source of fiber▫Darker the color the more nutrients they

have•1 medium-sized•½ c chopped, cooked, or canned •½ c juice or 4 oz

Selecting fresh fruits

•Ripeness▫Test - pressing gently to see if it gives slightly▫Underripe fruits: fruits that are full-sized but

have not yet reached peak eating quality▫ Color and fragrance

Will lose the green color when ripe •Maturity

▫Immature fruits: have not reached full size Small, poor color, flavor and texture

▫Will not improve when left at room temperature Nothing can be done for an immature fruit –

they were just picked to early

Storing fresh fruit

•Underripe fruits should be left at room temperature

•Refrigerate ripe fruits•Strong-smelling place in a plastic bag•Other fruits uncover in a crisper

Choosing the style of fruits

• Canned fruits▫Whole, halved, sliced, or in pieces ▫Packed in juices or light/heavy syrup▫Cheapest

• Frozen fruits▫Sweetened or unsweetened▫Whole or pieces▫Color and flavor are good – texture quality can

be lost • Dried fruits

▫Raisin, prunes, dried plums, apricots, etc.▫Soft and pliable▫Unopened package – cool, dark, and dry place▫Opened – store in tightly covered container,

some in the refrigerator

Preparing raw fruits

•Wash under cool running water•Never soak - will lose flavor and some

water-soluble nutrients•Serve whole or sliced •Enzymatic browning: darken when

exposed to air▫Dip fruits in lemon, orange, grapefruit, or

pineapple juice ▫Need some kind of acid

Food science principle of cooking fruit

•Cellulose soften and makes fruits easier to digest

•Color change•Heat-sensitive and water-soluble

nutrients may be lost•Flavor become less acidic and more

mellow•Small amount of water•Sugar syrup - retain shapes better

Methods of cooking fruits

•Liquid - water or syrup ▫Syrup – 2-to-1 ratio (water to sugar)▫Little water low heat

•Baking - tender but keep shape, skin will keep moisture better, cover dish if no skin

•Broiling - brown sugar or honey - will cook very quickly

•Frying - small amount of fat in a skillet (sautéing)▫Fritters: deep-fried fruits with a batter

Methods of cooking fruits cont.

•Microwave - maintain flavor and nutrients and cook quickly ▫Choose pieces of similar size

The smaller the faster they will cook ▫Pierce fruits if still left in the skin

Preparing preserved fruits

•Serve from the can - drain the liquid off•Follow recipes for best use•Frozen fruits - let them thaw before using•Dried fruits - soak in hot water for about

an hour

Fruits

Passion fruit

Mango

Papaya

Pineapple

Kiwi

Golden kiwi

Coconut

Sweet Young Coconut

Horned Melon (kiwano)

Prune Plum

Apricots

Pluotos - plum and apricot

Blackberries

Baby Red Bananas

Star Fruit (Carambola)

Ugli Fruit

Pummelo

Grapples• An apple that smells and taste like a grape

Pomegranate

Blueberries

Cranberries

Blood Orange

White Peach

White Nectarine

Red Pear

Fuyu Persimmon

Lemondrop Melon

Black Plumcots (plum & apricot)

Asian Pear

Clementine

Tangelos

Guava

Rambutan

Cactus Pear

Dragon Fruit

Golden Dewlishish Honey

Kumquats