2.4.1 Pre Read.docx

[Handling Vegetables 1](#_Toc150246656) [Fresh Vegetables 1](#fresh-vegetables) [Washing 1](#washing) [Soaking 2](#soaking) [Peeling & Cutting 2](#peeling-cutting) [Classifying Vegetables 2](#classifying-vegetables) [Processed Vegetables 3](#processed-vegetables) [Handling Frozen Vegetables 3...

[Handling Vegetables 1](#_Toc150246656) [Fresh Vegetables 1](#fresh-vegetables) [Washing 1](#washing) [Soaking 2](#soaking) [Peeling & Cutting 2](#peeling-cutting) [Classifying Vegetables 2](#classifying-vegetables) [Processed Vegetables 3](#processed-vegetables) [Handling Frozen Vegetables 3](#handling-frozen-vegetables) [CHECKING QUA L I TY 3](#checking-quality) [COOKING 4](#cooking) [Handling Canned Vegetables 4](#handling-canned-vegetables) [CHECKING QUA L I TY 4](#checking-quality-1) [COOKING 4](#cooking-1) [Handling Dried Vegetables 5](#handling-dried-vegetables) [DRIED LEGUMES 5](#dried-legumes) [FREEZE-DRIED AND OTHER DEHYDRATED VEGETABLES 5](#freeze-dried-and-other-dehydrated-vegetables) [Storage 5](#storage) [Fresh Vegetables 5](#fresh-vegetables-1) [Frozen Vegetables 6](#frozen-vegetables) [Dried Vegetables 6](#dried-vegetables) [Canned Vegetables 6](#canned-vegetables) [Leftovers 6](#leftovers) []{#_Toc150246656.anchor}Handling Vegetables In a commercial kitchen, correct handling of vegetables, herbs, and fruits is critical for food safety and quality. Thorough washing eliminates pollutants, pesticides, and soil, resulting in a clean and safe raw ingredient. Efficient processing adapted to each item\'s characteristics, such as cutting methods and storage conditions, ensures maximum freshness and presentation. For example root vegetables may be stored at room temperature, while leafy greens need to be stored in the fridge. Standardized handling procedures reduce cross-contamination and maintain a clean and sanitary environment. Attention to detail in when prepping vegetables for production is very important as this can affect texture, colour, and flavour, adding to the overall appeal of the dish. Fresh Vegetables ================ In a professional kitchen, washing, soaking, peeling, and cutting vegetables is crucial for hygiene, removing contaminants, and saving time. Properly prepared ingredients reduce cooking time, streamline operations, and uphold sanitary standards, preventing foodborne illnesses and ensuring the efficiency and safety of the culinary process. Washing ------- In professional kitchens, thorough vegetable preparation is required. All vegetables must be properly washed, with special care taken for root vegetables such as unpeeled potatoes. These tend to require intense scrubbing due to mud stuck on it. Leafy greens require numerous cold water rinses to ensure any dirt is removed. After washing, suitable drainage is critical, without it, the vegetables can tend to rot even faster. Refrigeration with a loose cover slows drying of leafy vegetables, but a very tight cover hinders air circulation. This makes the container a breeding ground for mould. To solve this, try using a drain insert in storage containers and ensure vegetables retain peak freshness. At home, this can be done by lining your containers and vegetable bags with dry or damp kitchen tissues.  Soaking ------- With a few exceptions, extended soaking is generally prohibited in vegetable preparation because it causes flavour and nutritional loss. Certain produce, such as cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, benefit from a brief 30-minute soak in cold salted water that also kills insects. Similarly, briefly soaking limp vegetables in cold water to help restore their crispness (think iceberg lettuce). Soaking dried legumes, such as beans, for several hours before cooking is necessary for replenishing moisture lost during the drying process. How much water and for how long is dependent on their weight. Peeling & Cutting ----------------- When preparing fruits and vegetables, aim for a thin peel to keep nutrients beneath the surface. Ensure uniform cutting for even cooking. Peel and cut vegetables shortly before cooking to avoid drying and vitamin loss from oxidation. Prevent browning in easily oxidizable vegetables (potatoes, eggplant) by employing acid or antioxidant solutions, or soak them in water until ready to use. Keep in mind the possibility of nutritional loss in this case. Edible trimmings can be recycled into soups, stocks, or vegetable purées, boosting resource efficiency in culinary techniques. Some have even started deep frying the peels to add nutrition and textural elements to a dish.  Classifying Vegetables ---------------------- Many people find it troubling that tomatoes are referred to as vegetables when they are actually fruits. Yes, tomatoes are fruits, carrots are roots, and spinach is a leaf; all of them are vegetables. A botanist uses terminology like fruit, stem, root, and leaf to describe various parts of a plant. A fruit is the ripening ovary or ovaries of a seed-bearing plant, which contains the seeds. In other words, if it has seeds, it is a fruit. We should not be deceived by the fact that some fruits are sweet. Many, if not all, fruits in nature are not particularly sweet. Fruits commonly used as a vegetable in the kitchen include tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, green beans, okra, cucumbers, squash, pea pods, walnuts and avocados. There are numerous ways to classify veggies. Some are more useful for a chef than others. Organising vegetables based on their biological origin is not always useful. For example, while okra and eggplant are both fruits, they are handled and prepared in such diverse ways that this information isn\'t useful. The vegetable groups listed below are based in part on how they are utilised in the kitchen. For example, the vegetables labelled as roots and tubers are from various unrelated families, but they all have fairly firm, homogeneous textures and are handled similarly. This is not a scientific categorization, nor is it the only way to categorise vegetables. Note that the first three categories are all fruits or, in a few cases, seeds from fruits. 1. The gourd family: cucumber, winter and summer squashes, pumpkin, chayote (Some sources put eggplant in the gourd family, but this is incorrect; see below.) 2. Seeds and pods: beans, peas, corn, okra 3. Other tender-fruited vegetables: avocado, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, tomato (Eggplant, tomato, and peppers are all members of the nightshade family; the avocado is unrelated.) 4. Roots and tubers: beet, carrot, celery root, parsnip, radish, turnip, rutabaga, Jerusalem artichoke, potato, sweet potato, jícama 5. The cabbage family: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, bok choy 6. The onion family: onion, scallion, leek, garlic, shallot 7. Leafy greens: spinach, beet greens, lettuces, endive and chicory, Swiss chard, sorrel, watercress, collards, kale, turnip greens (The last three are also members of the cabbage family.) 8. Stalks, stems, and shoots: globe artichoke, asparagus, celery, fennel, fiddlehead ferns, bamboo shoots 9. Mushrooms Processed Vegetables ==================== It is widely acknowledged that the quality of frozen and canned vegetables will never match that of fresh produce. Especially when it is at the height of maturity, properly cooked and served when still fresh. However, because fresh produce is highly perishable, there are seasonal changes in availability and price, and the amount of labour necessary to prepare fresh produce, commercial kitchens rely heavily on processed vegetables. As a result, it is critical to understand how to safely handle processed foods. Your goal should be to make them as good as the fresh product. The quality of processed vegetables varies significantly. For example, frozen cauliflower consistently lacks the somewhat crispy feel of well cooked fresh cauliflower. Most frozen veggies are mushier than fresh because the cell walls rupture during freezing. On the other hand, frozen peas are nearly universally recognised, not merely for their convenience but for their dependably good quality compared with the highly perishable fresh product. Convenience Foods ----------------- Convenience foods are products that are partially or completely prepared or processed by the manufacturer. This means you should treat frozen and canned vegetables as though they are partially or fully cooked fresh vegetables, which deserve the same care in handling, heating, seasoning, and presentation. Handling Frozen Vegetables -------------------------- ### Checking Quality Examine any frozen products when they arrive to ensure that they have not lost quality. Check especially for the following: 1. Temperature. Check the temperature inside the case with a thermometer. Is it still --18°C or below, or have the vegetables begun to thaw during shipment? 2. Large ice crystals. A little frost is normal, but lots of ice means poor handling. 3. Signs of leaking on the carton. This is another obvious sign of thawing. 4. Freezer burn. Open a package and check the vegetables themselves. Is the color bright and natural, or is there yellowing or drying on the surface? ### Cooking Frozen vegetables are half cooked, thus the total cooking time is lower than for fresh items. Cook while frozen. Most vegetables do not need to be thawed. They can be cooked immediately in steamer pans or in salted boiling water. Exceptions: Corn on the cob and vegetables that freeze solid into a block , such as spinach and squash, should be thawed in the refrigerator first to ensure consistent cooking. Seasoning: Because most frozen vegetables are slightly seasoned during processing, use less salt than you would on fresh items. Handling Canned Vegetables -------------------------- ### Checking Quality 1. Reject damaged cans on receipt. Cans that have become puffy or swollen suggest spoilage. Large dents could indicate damage to the can\'s protective lining, whereas small dents might be safe. Avoid cans that are corroded or leaking. 2. Know the drained weight. Typical drained weights range from 60 to 65 percent of total contents. To calculate the number of servings in the can, you must first determine the drained weight. Some canned foods, such as tomato sauce and cream-style corn, do not have a drained weight because the entire contents are served. ### Cooking Using precise techniques for preparing canned vegetables gives optimal outcomes. Wiping the can\'s top before opening and using a clean can opener maintains hygiene. When draining vegetables, save half of the liquid for boiling to shorten subsequent cooking times. Notably, canned vegetables, that are completely cooked, require warming rather than proper boiling. Following health regulations, keep the temperature at 88°C for at least 10 minutes, 20 to 30 minutes for nonacidic vegetables. This reduces the risk of botulism. Heat the ingredients as close to serving time as possible to avoid long-term storage in steam tables. Given the possibility for loss of freshness in basic presentations, creativity in seasoning and flavouring is essential. Infusing flavours into the boiling liquid before the vegetables and using butter, helps enhance the overall flavour of the dish. Enhancing canned vegetables with creative garnishes, such as caraway with beets or sautéed onions with corn, improves both the visual and gustatory appeal of the final dish. Handling Dried Vegetables ------------------------- There are two basic kinds of dried vegetables. ### Dried Legumes Dried beans and peas have been used as food for thousands of years, and they continue to be important foods today. In fact, with today's increased interest in healthful eating and in vegetables of all sorts, many more interesting varieties of beans are widely available now than only a few years ago. Although legumes are dried forms of seed vegetables, they are hard and starchy and handled much like grains (which are also dried seeds). Grains and legumes are discussed in more detail in Chapter 19. ### Freeze-Dried And Other Dehydrated Vegetables Drying has always been an important method for preserving vegetables, especially before modern canning and freezing techniques were developed. Modern technology has developed new methods for drying foods, so a great variety of dried products is on the market, including dried potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, beans, peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms. As convenient as these products are to use, they aren't always used in the professional kitchens due to the change in quality standard for a dish. An important category of dried vegetables is dried mushrooms, which are very widely used in commercial establishments. Many flavorful wild mushrooms are in season for only a short time and are in limited supply at high prices. They are available year-round in dried form, however. The most popular types---morels, chanterelles, and porcini---are illustrated, along with dried shiitake, a cultivated mushroom that originated in Japan and China. Dried mushrooms should be soaked in hot water until soft, then drained and lightly squeezed before being cooked. The flavorful soaking liquid is strained and used as a flavoring for cooking liquids and sauces. Storage ======= In a professional kitchen, proper vegetable and fruit storage is critical for maintaining quality and meeting health regulations. Each food item demands a certain environment; potatoes, onions, and winter squash flourish in chilly, dark settings, whilst others require refrigeration and enough humidity. Correct storage minimises rapid quality deterioration and spoilage, which is essential in a fast-paced industry. Peeled and sliced goods require protection from drying and oxidation. Adhering to each vegetable\'s special requirements not only keeps freshness, but also ensures the best taste and appearance in culinary creations. Proper storage procedures help to optimise kitchen operations, reduce waste, and maintain the culinary standards required for client satisfaction. Fresh Vegetables ---------------- Correctly storing fresh vegetables in a commercial kitchen is vital for quality and efficiency. Each vegetable\'s unique specifications, such as temperature and humidity requirements, must be observed. Adhering to these guidelines ensures freshness, minimizes waste, and upholds culinary standards, essential for optimal kitchen operations and customer satisfaction. 1. Potatoes, onions, and winter squash are stored at cool temperatures (50--65°F/ 10--18°C) in a dry, dark place. 2. Other vegetables must be refrigerated. To prevent drying, they should be kept covered or wrapped, or the humidity in the cooler must be high. Allow for some air circulation to help prevent mold. 3. Peeled and cut vegetables need extra protection from drying and oxidation. Cover or wrap, and use quickly to prevent spoilage. Potatoes, eggplants, and other vegetables that brown when cut should be treated with an acid or antioxidant. As an alternative, they can be blanched to destroy the enzymes that cause browning. Raw cut potatoes are sometimes held in cold water for a short time. 4. Store all fresh vegetables as short a time as possible. They lose quality rapidly. Peas and corn lose sweetness even after a few hours in storage. 5. Keep refrigerators and storage areas clean. Frozen Vegetables ----------------- In a commercial kitchen, proper storage of frozen vegetables is crucial for quality and efficiency. Adhering to specific temperature and packaging requirements for each vegetable ensures optimal preservation, prevents freezer burn, and maintains the vegetables\' flavor, texture, and nutritional value. Consistent adherence to these specifications is essential for culinary excellence. 1. Store at 0°F (--18°C) or colder, in original containers, until ready for use. 2. Do not refreeze thawed vegetables. Quality will be greatly reduced. Dried Vegetables ---------------- In a commercial kitchen, precise storage of dried vegetables is critical for longevity and culinary quality. Following specific guidelines, such as maintaining airtight containers and ideal temperature conditions, ensures extended shelf life while preserving flavor and texture. Adherence to individual specifications is key for sustained quality and efficient kitchen operations. 1. Store in a cool (less than 75°F/24°C), dry, well-ventilated place. 2. Keep well sealed and off the floor. Canned Vegetables ----------------- 1. Keep in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight and off the floor. 2. Discard cans that show signs of damage or spoilage (swollen, badly dented, or rusted cans). When in doubt, throw it out. Leftovers --------- 1. The best way to store leftovers is not to create them in the first place. Careful planning and small-batch cooking reduce leftovers. 2. 2\. Don't mix batches. 3. 3\. Store leftover creamed vegetables for one day only. Then either use or discard. Before storing, cool rapidly by placing the container on ice. Open source ===========