1. Understanding Vegetables
Chapter 16
Understanding Vegetables

2. Chapter Objectives
1. Describe the factors that influence texture, flavor, color, and nutritional changes when cooking vegetables.
2. Cook vegetables to their proper doneness.
3. Judge quality in cooked vegetables, based on color, appearance, texture, flavor, seasonings, and appropriateness of combination with sauces or other vegetables.
4. Perform the pre-preparation tasks for fresh vegetables.
5. Calculate yields based on trimming losses.
6. Determine the quality of frozen, canned, and dried vegetables.
7. Prepare vegetables using the batch cooking method and the blanch-and-chill method.
8. Store fresh and processed vegetables.

3. Vegetables Were at one time, abused, neglected, and unimportant
Today, vegetables are appreciated for their nutrition, variety, flavor, eye appeal, and sophistication
Vegetables are highly perishable

4. Controlling Quality Changes During Cooking
Cooking affects vegetables in four ways:
Texture
Flavor
Color
Nutrients
How much is changed of each will determine the final product’s quality

5. Controlling Texture Changes
Fiber - Fiber structures of vegetables (including cellulose and pectins) give them shape and firmness
Fiber is made firmer by acids and sugars
Fiber is softened by heat and alkalis
Starch is another vegetable component that affects texture
Dry starchy foods must be cooked in enough water to absorb moisture and soften
Moist starchy vegetables have enough moisture of their own but must be cooked to be eaten

6. Controlling Texture Changes (cont’d)
Doneness
A vegetable is done when it has reached its peak degree of tenderness
Most vegetables are best cooked al dente (firm to the bite)
Cooked vegetables cannot be kept hot very long

7. Controlling Flavor Changes
Cooking produces flavor loss; to keep to a minimum:
Cook as short a time as possible
Use boiling salted water
Add only enough water to cover vegetables
Steam vegetables when appropriate
Strong Flavored Vegetables - When cooking strong flavored vegetables, cook uncovered and with lots of water
Strong flavored vegetables are from the onion and cabbage families or root vegetables

8. Cooking Produces Flavor Changes
Some vegetables change flavors; cook as short a time as possible
Avoid overcooking because some vegetables develop a strong and unpleasant flavor when overcooked

9. Cooking and Sweetness
Young, freshly harvested vegetables have a high sugar content. As they mature or sit in storage the sugar turns to starch.
To serve sweet-tasting vegetables:
Serve young fresh vegetables that have not been stored long
For older vegetables use a little sugar in the cooking water to compensate for the lack of natural sweetness

10. Controlling Color Changes
White Vegetables
White pigments called flavones are the primary coloring compounds in white vegetables and in the white parts of vegetables like celery, cucumbers, and zucchini
White pigments stay white in acid and turn yellow in alkaline water. To keep vegetables white, add acid to the water.

11. Controlling Color Changes (cont’d)
Red Vegetables: Red pigments called anthocyanins are found in only a few vegetable
Acids turn them bright
Alkalis turn them green or blue-green (not appealing)

12. Controlling Color Changes (cont’d)
Green Vegetables – green coloring called chlorophyll is present in all green plants. Acids turn green vegetables to a drab olive green.
To protect the color of green vegetables:
Cook uncovered
Cook for the shortest amount of time
Cook in small batches to prevent long holding times

13. Controlling Color Changes (cont’d)
Yellow and Orange Vegetables - Yellow and orange pigments are called carotenoids, and they are very stable.
They are not really affected by acids and alkalis
Long cooking times dull the color
Short cooking times retain the color and vitamins and minerals
Always cook vegetables in as little liquid as possible

14. Controlling Nutrient Losses
The six factors responsible for most nutrient loss:
High temperature
Long cooking
Leaching
Alkalis (baking soda, hard water)
Plant enzymes
Oxygen

15. Controlling Nutrient Losses (cont’d)
Pressure steamers cook quickly
Braising uses low heat but long cooking time
Baking eliminates leaching of vitamins and minerals
Boiling is faster than simmering
Cutting vegetables into small pieces decreases cooking time

16. General Rules of Vegetable Cookery
Don’t overcook
Cook as close to service time as possible
If you need to cook it ahead of time, undercook and chill rapidly, reheat at service time
Never use baking soda with green vegetables
Cut vegetables uniformly
Start most vegetables cooking in boiling water, but start roots and tubers in cold water.
Cook green vegetables uncovered
Cook red and white vegetables in slightly acid liquid; cook green vegetables in neutral liquid.
Do not mix batches of cooked vegetables

17. Standards of Quality in Cooked Vegetables
Color
Appearance on plate
Texture
Flavor
Seasonings
Sauces
Vegetable combinations

18. Handling Vegetables Fresh Washing Soaking Peeling and cutting
Trimming loss

19. Classifying Vegetables as Used in the Kitchen
The Gourd family (squashes)
Seeds and Pods (beans, okra, peas)
Tender-Fruited Vegetables (avocado, eggplant, tomatoes)
Roots and Tubers (beets, carrots)
The Cabbage Family (Brussels sprouts, cauliflower)
The Onion Family (garlic, shallots, onions)
Leafy Greens (spinach, lettuce, chicory)
Stocks, Stems, and Shoots (asparagus, celery, fennel)
Mushrooms

20. Fresh Vegetables: Evaluating and Preparing
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage, Green, Red, and Savoy
Cabbage, Chinese
Cactus Pads or Nopales
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Celery Root or Celeriac
Chayote
Chestnut
Corn
Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocados
Bamboo Shoots
Beans, Fava
Beans, Fresh Shell
Beans, Lima
Beans, Snap
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli

21. Fresh Vegetables: Evaluating and Preparing (cont’d)
Okra
Onions, Dry
Onions, Green (scallions)
Parsley
Parsnips
Pea Greens or Pea Shoots
Peas, Green
Peas, Edible Pod
Pepper, Sweet
Peppers, Hot, or Chiles
Potatoes, white
Cucumber
Eggplant
Fennel
Fiddlehead Fern
Garlic
Greens, Cabbage family (collards, turnip greens, kale)
Jicama
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce
Mushrooms

22. Fresh Vegetables: Evaluating and Preparing (cont’d)
Potatoes, sweet
Radishes
Rutabagas
Salisfy
Shallots
Sorrel
Soybeans
Spinach
Squash, Summer
Squash, Winter, including pumpkin
Squash, Blossoms
Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Tomatillos
Turnips and Rutabagas
Water Chestnuts
Watercress

23. Mushrooms Cultivated Exotic Mushrooms Wild Mushrooms Shiitake
Oyster mushrooms
Enoki mushrooms
Cremini Mushrooms
Portobello Mushrooms
Wild Mushrooms
Morel
Bolete
Chanterelle
Black trumpet

24. Processed Vegetables
The quality of frozen or canned vegetables never equals that of fresh
Handling Frozen Vegetables
Checking Quality
Temperature
Large ice crystals
Signs of leaking on the carton
Freezer burn
Cooking
Cook frozen vegetables from the frozen state

25. Processed Vegetables (cont’d)
Handling Canned Vegetables
Checking quality
Reject damaged cans in receipt
Know the drained weight
Check the grade
Cooking
Handling Dried Vegetables
There are two basic types of dried vegetables:
Dried Legumes
Freeze-Dried and Other Dehydrated Vegetables

26. Production and Holding Problems in Quantity Cooking
Batch Cooking
Cooking in smaller batches closer to meal service
Blanch-and-Chill Method

27. Storage – Fresh and Frozen
Fresh vegetables
Potatoes, onions, and winter squash are stored at 50°- 65° F (10°-18° C) in a dry place
Other vegetables stored in the refrigerator
Peeled and cut vegetables need extra protection from drying and oxidation
Store fresh vegetables for as short a time as possible
Keep refrigerators and storage areas clean

28. Storage – Fresh and Frozen (cont’d)
Frozen vegetables
Store at 0° F (-17° C) or cooler, in original containers, until ready to use
Do not refreeze vegetables

29. Storage – Dried and Canned
Dried vegetables
Store in a cool (less than 75°F/24° C) in a dry, well-ventilated place
Keep well sealed and off the floor
Canned vegetables
Keep in cool, dry place, away from sunlight and off the floor
Discard damaged cans

30. Storage – Leftovers Do not create them in the first place
Don’t mix batches
Cool quickly, and use with caution. Remember the danger zone

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