HTF 165 Food Studies - Vegetables

Classification of vegetables

• The Gourd Family

• Seeds and Pods

• Other Tender-Fruited Vegetables

• Roots and Tubers

• The Cabbage Family

• The Onion Family

• Leafy Greens

• Stalks, Stems and Shoots

Type of Mushrooms

• Cultivated Exotic Mushrooms

• Wild Mushrooms

Vegetables - Effect of cooking

• Freshness is vegetables’ most appealing and attractive quality
• Vegetable cookery - to preserve and enhance fresh flavor, texture and color, to prepare and serve vegetables that are not just acceptable but sought after
• Cooking affect vegetables in:
• Texture
• Flavor
• Color
• Nutrients

Vegetables – Cooking Guidelines

•  Don’t overcooked
• Cook as close to service as possible
• If vegetables must be cooked in advance – slightly undercooked them, cool rapidly in cold water, drain and refrigerate
• Cut vegetables uniformly for even cooking
• Start with boiling, salted water
• Green and strong-flavored vegetables – cooked uncovered
• Tough and tender parts vegetables – need special treatment
• Don’t mix batches of cooked vegetables
• Never use baking soda with green vegetables
• To preserve color, cook red and white vegetables in a slightly acidic liquid

Vegetables – Controlling texture changes

• Changing the texture is one of the main purpose of cooking vegetables
• Fiber      - cooking softens some of the fiber (cellulose and pectins)
• the amount of fiber varies
• fiber is made firmer by acids and sugars
• fiber is softened by heat and alkalies

· Starchs

• dried starch foods – Eg. dried legume, rice and macaroni products must be cooked in sufficient water, so the starch granules can absorb moisture and soften
• moist starchy vegetables – Eg. potatoes have enough moisture of their own, but they must still be cooked until the starch granules soften

• Doneness 
• A vegetables done when it has reached the desire degree of tenderness
• Most vegetables, are best cooked very briefly, until they are crisp-tender / al dente

Vegetables – Controlling Flavor Changes

• Flavor loss – many flavors loss during cooking. It can be controlled in several ways:
• Cook for as short time as possible
• Use boiling salted water
• Use just enough water to minimize leaching
• Steam vegetables whenever appropriate
• Strong-flavored vegetable – leave uncovered to allow flavors to escape, use larger amounts of water
• Flavor changes
• cooking produces certain chemical change
• overcooking produces undesirable changes in members of the cabbage family
• Cooking and Sweetness
• serve immediately, don’t store young, fresh vegetables for too long
• for older vegetables, add a small amount of sugar to the cooking water

Vegetables – Controlling Color Changes

• Different pigments react in different ways to heat, acids and other elements during cooking

Color / Pigment	Vegetables	Acid	Alkali	Overcooked
White / Flavone	Turnip Cauliflower	White	Yellow	Yellowish, gray
Red / Anthocyanin	Beet Red Cabbage	Red	Blue or blue-green	Greenish blue, faded
Green / Chlorophyll	Asparagus Spinach	Olive green	Bright green	Olive green
Yellow and orange / Carotenoid	Carrot Tomato	Little change	Little change	Slightly faded

Vegetables – Controlling Nutrient Losses

• Factors responsible to nutrient loss
• High temperature
• Long cooking
• Leaching (dissolving out)
• Alkalis (baking soda, hard water)
• Plant enzymes
• Oxygen

Vegetables – Standard of Quality

• Color – bright, natural colors
• Appearance on plate – cut neatly and uniformly
• Texture – cooked to the right degree of doneness
• Flavor – full, natural flavor and sweetness
• Seasoning – lightly and appropriately seasoned
• Sauces – should not be too thick or heavily seasoned
• Vegetable combinations – interesting combination (flavors, colors, shapes)attract customers

Vegetables – Handling Vegetables

• Washing
• wash thoroughly
• root vegetables – not peeled for baking, scrubbed very well
• wash green, leafy vegetables in several changes of cold water
• after washing, drain well and refrigerate lightly covered
• Soaking
• Don’t soak vegetables for long periods
• Brassica family and sprouts - soaked for 30 minutes in cold salted water to eliminate insects
• Limp vegetables – soaked briefly in cold water to restore crispness
• Dried legumes – soaked for several hours
• Peeling and cutting
• Peel as thinly as possible
• Cut vegetables into uniform pieces for cooking
• Peel and cut vegetable as close to cooking time as possible to prevent drying and loss of vitamins through oxidation
• Treat vegetables that brown easily with acid or hold under water
• Save edible trim for soups, stocks and vegetables purees

Vegetables – Processed Vegetables

• Handling Frozen Vegetables – check in particular for the following
• Temperature
• Large ice crystals
• Signs of leaking on the carton
• Freezer burn
• Handling Canned Vegetables – check in particular for the following:
• Reject damaged cans on receipt
• Know the drained weight
• Check the grade
• Handling Dried Vegetables
• Dried legumes 
• soak overnight in 3 times their volume of water
• simmer, covered until tender
• Freeze-dried and other dehydrated vegetables
• may need to be soaked in cold or warm water
• instant dried products require only the addition of a boiling liquid
• follow manufacturer’s directions

Vegetables – Storage Vegetables

• Fresh Vegetables
• Potato & onion family – 10°C to 18°C in dark, dry place
• Other vegetables must be refrigerated
• Frozen Vegetables
• Store at 18°C in container until used
• Don’t freeze thawed vegetables
• Dried Vegetables
• Store in a cool place
• Well sealed and off the floor
• Canned Vegetables
• Keep away from sunlight, in cool and dry place
• Discard any damage cans
• Leftovers
• Don’t mix batches
• Store creamed vegetables for one day only
• Cool first before store