Transcript Vegetables
Vegetables Chapter 29 What is a vegetable? • Add flavor, color, and texture to meals • Contribute significantly to health • What is your favorite vegetable? Nutrients in vegetables • • • • • • Vitamin C Folic Acid Vitamin K Calcium Magnesium Vegetables are a good source of fiber, carbohydrates, and phytochemicals Phytochemicals • Lower your risk of some cancers and heart disease ▫ Lycopene- found in tomatoes ▫ Beta Carotene- found in carrots Types of vegetables • Flowers ▫ Broccoli and Cauliflower ▫ Tender and can be eater raw or cooked • Fruits ▫ Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, eggplant ▫ Can be eaten raw or cooked • Seeds ▫ Plant part that grows new plants ▫ Beans, corn, and peas Types of Vegetables • Stems ▫ Celery and asparagus ▫ Need minimal cooking, can be eaten raw • Leaves ▫ Cabbage, lettuce, brussel sprouts, and spinach ▫ Minimal cooking, can be eaten raw • Roots ▫ Roots store a plants food supply ▫ Carrots, turnips, and radishes Types of Vegetables • Tubers ▫ Large underground stem that store nutrients ▫ Potatoes • Bulbs ▫ Layers of fleshy leaves surrounding the underground part of the stem ▫ Onions and garlic Buying Fresh Vegetables • Ripeness- Vegetables are harvested ripe, most last 2-5 days although root vegetables last several weeks • Color and Texture- Select bright characteristic color and crisp texture- avoid potatoes that have green color ▫ Solanine- a bitter, toxic compound • Shape- Typical for vegetables- misshapen have inferior texture and flavor Buying Fresh Vegetables • Size- Should feel heavy in relation to its size • Condition- Aviod wilted, damaged, or decayed vegetables ▫ Have lost nutrients and will not last long Storing Fresh Vegetables • Potatoes- Cool, dark, dry place (separate from onions) • Onions- cool, dry area in a basket or loosely woven bag ▫ Become moldy in refrigerator or plastic bags ▫ If stored with potatoes, onions will absorb the moisture from the potatoes and become moldy. The potatoes will sprout faster • Other Vegetables- refrigerator in airtight containers or plastic bags in the refrigerator crisper Washing and Serving Fresh Vegetables • Wash all fresh vegetables thoroughly to remove dirt and harmful bacteria (even before you peel) • Scrub root vegetables with a stiff brush. Don’t soak or use detergents • Raw vegetables can be served in salads, as a snack, or as crudités, sliced or small vegetables served with a dip Cooking Fresh Vegetables • Many must be cooked to make them edible and easy to digest • Method you choose and length of cooking time depends on the vegetable, its tenderness, the size of the pieces, and your own taste preference Convenience Forms of vegetables • Canned ▫ Canned whole, sliced, or in pieces ▫ Already cooked during canning process • Frozen ▫ Closest in nutrients, color, and texture to fresh vegetables ▫ Take less time to cook than fresh vegetables because they are pre-heated prior to freezing • Dried ▫ Mushrooms, tomatoes, and potatoes are vegetables that can be dehydrated and late reconstituted for use in recipes ▫ Dried vegetables can be restored to their former condition by adding water Cooking Vegetables • Read pages 459-460 in your textbook, the section labeled “Cooking Vegetables.” Describe what happens to the following: ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ Nutrients Color Flavor Texture and Shape • Choose 1 of the following cooking methods on pages 460-462 to discuss in your notes in further detail. How Cooking Affects Vegetables • Cook most vegetables for a short time in a small amount of water ▫ Nutrients- some are dissolved in cooking water or are destroyed by heat- vitamin C is water soluble and heat sensitive- Vitamin B is lost in water ▫ Texture- Heat softens the cellulose but overcooking makes them mushy ▫ Color- Properly cooked vegetables remain colorful. Green vegetables turn olive if overcooked ▫ Flavor- cooking releases flavors, making vegetables taste more mellow and delicious- overcooked vegetables lose their flavor or may develop an unpleasant flavor