QUALITY CHANGES-WPS Office

UNDERSTANDING
VEGETABLE
GROUP 7
FRANCISCO, DANIELLA
SURATOS, ANDREA JOYCE
DE GUZMAN, CHRISTIAAN
VILLANUEVA, DENZEL
QUALITY CHANGES IN VEGETABLE (UNDERSTANDING VEGETABLE)
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food.
How to choose your vegetables?
The general rule with vegetables is: the fresher, the better. The best are those picked straight away
from the source, and eaten or cooked right away.
A General guideline on How to Choose the Most Commonly used Vegetables
Asparagus: Choose firm, straight stalks with closed tips. You want your asparagus to be of good size
not too thick or too thin. Hold one stalk in your hand and try to see how far has the stiff part
reached (the hard bottom of the stalk). It has to be the length of the tip of your index finger. Any
longer is an indication of less fresh.
Green Beans: Choose fresh beans that are bright coloured and crisp. Avoid scarred, bruised or
brown spotted streaky beans. Bulges and leathery skin mean the beans are old.
Broccoli: Avoid heads that are light green or becoming yellow. Go for deep green or purplish-green
heads that are tightly packed, not loose. The stalks should be firm.
Cabbages: The leaves should be bright, unwithered and without brown spots. It should feel heavy
for its size.
Carrots: The carrots should be rigid and firm, not soft and bendy. They should be bright orange.
Cauliflower: Choose the solid heavy heads. The leaves should be bright green. Avoid heads that are
browned or bruised.
Celery: The stalks must be firm and not bendy. They must be brightly coloured, unwilted, and not
blemished.
Cucumbers: Go for firm cucumbers without dried up spots or soft spots. Cucumbers can be waxed*,
it is best to opt for fresh.
Eggplants: Skip the ones that are bruised. Go for plump glossy eggplants. The eggplant cap (green
bit on top) is indicative of freshness. It should look fresh, very green and must not have mould on it.
Mushrooms: must be firm, plump and fresh. They must not have any strange aromas. The fresh
mushrooms are not bruised, not slimy or spotted with brown blemishes (avoid those). Size is a
matter of preference and doesnt affect freshness.
Onions: Go for firm, onions that are not sprouting. They must be dry and do not squeeze in the
middle. They must not have a strong humid aroma, skip those. They should also be free from
blemishes.
Peas: and Pea Pods (snow peas, sugar snap peas, or fresh peas) They must be crisp and brightly
coloured, avoid spotted or drying out peas.
Peppers (Sweet &Hot): Sweet or hot peppers should be firm and not dried up and wrinkled.
Peppers must be brightly coloured and have a good shape within their variety. Skip smelly, bruised
and broken ones.
Potatoes: Look for fresh clean potatoes that have smooth unblemished skins. They should be firm
and have a shape typical for their variety. Avoid dried up ones that feel soft. Also avoid mouldy
potatoes or ones with green spots.
Cooking Vegetables Changes the following:

 texture
 flavor
 color
 nutrients
Controlling Texture Changes

(changing texture is one of the main purposes of cooking veg.)
FIBER
The amount of fiber varies in:
1. Different veggies (spinach vs. carrots)
2. Different examples of same veggies old versus young
3. In same veggie-asparagus- tip versus stem
FIBER IS MADE FIRMER BY:

 ACIDS- lemon jc., vinegar, tomato
 SUGAR- strengthen cell structure (fruit cookery)
FIBER IS SOFTENED BY:

 HEAT
 ALKALIS- bad for green veggies
STARCH
 Dry legumes, rice, pasta need water so starch granules can absorb, swell, soften
 Moist starchy veggies: sweet potatoes, potatoes; need to be cooked until the starch
molecules soften.
Guidelines for cooking:

 Don’t overcooked
 Cook close to service time
 Shock to cool quickly and reheat
 Make sure pieces are same size
 Take care of those veggies that are tough and tender at the same time
 Don’t mix batches of cooked veggies together
Controlling flavor changes

 Cooke for short time- quickly
 Boil water first, then add veggies
 Minimize leaching by using the least amount of water as possible
 Steam where appropriate vs. boiling
Cooking, Cont’d
Flavor Change
 Cooking changes the flavor which is desirable as long as you don’t overcook
SWEETNESS
 Young, fresh veggies are sweet by nature
 Store for a short time
 Add a bit of sugar to older veggies to soften
CONTROLLING NUTRIENT LOSSES
 High temperature
 Long cooking times
 Leaching
 Alkalis ( baking soda, hard water)
 Plant enzymes destroyed by high heat
 Oxygen
QUALITY IN COOKED VEGGIES

 Color
 Appearance on plate
 Texture
 Flavor
 Seasonings
 Sauces
 Attractive combinations

QUALITY CHANGES-WPS Office

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UNDERSTANDING

A General guideline on How to Choose the Most Commonly used Vegetables

Cooking Vegetables Changes the following:

Controlling Texture Changes

FIBER IS MADE FIRMER BY:

FIBER IS SOFTENED BY:

Guidelines for cooking:

Controlling flavor changes

CONTROLLING NUTRIENT LOSSES

QUALITY IN COOKED VEGGIES

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