Department of Education

National Capital Region

Schools Division of Paranaque City
Technical Vocational and Livelihood 11-12 Cookery
Self-Learning Module
Quarter 3
Prepare Vegetable Dishes
Module 5
Week 5

Learning Competency
PERFORM MISE EN PLACE HECK9-12VD-Ila-9

Objectives
At the end of this module, the learner is expected to:
1. determine the types and characteristics of vegetables
2. identify the qualities of vegetables
3. gain knowledge in determining good qualities of vegetables

Let’s Understand (Study the Concept)

Unlocking of Difficulties
1. Root Vegetables - grow under the ground or plant roots commonly consumed as vegetables
2. Mushrooms - are fungi that can be cultured or collected in the wild for food and other purposes
3. Shiitake Mushrooms- has a firm, fleshy texture and a broad dome-shaped cap with a creamy white gill
4. Fiber- gives vegetables shape and firmness. Vegetables with more fiber are more tender while those
with less are tougher and takes more time to cook.
5. Anthocyanins - water-soluble vascular pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple,
blue or black.

A vegetable is an edible plant or parts of a plant. Vegetables may be classified as root, green or fruit
vegetables. This lesson will present the types and characteristics as well as the qualities of vegetables.

Types and Characteristics of Vegetables

Vegetables may be classified in many different ways. Determining the types of vegetables helps you not
only in cooking vegetable dishes but also in keeping these items in high quality during storage. The following
are the common classification of vegetables:
• Root Vegetables - As their name suggests, root vegetables grow under the ground or plant roots
commonly consumed as vegetables. These include all vegetables derived from roots, bulbs and
tubers of plants.
• Green Vegetables - These include the stems, flowers and leaves of plants that humans consume for
food. Some plants may have all parts eaten as a vegetable while there are also those with only one
or some parts safe or desirable for food service.

• Vegetable Fruits - These are fruits used in food service as vegetables

 TYPES OF VEGETABLES
ROOTS

BULBS TUBERS
ROOTS Potato, sweet potato, kumara, and
Garlic, leek, onions, and shallots
Beetroots, carrots, parsnip, radish, cassava
swede and turnips
GREENS

STEMS FLOWERS LEAVES

Asparagus, rhubarb and celery Broccoli, cauliflower, glove and
artichoke
VEGETABLE FRUITS

Tomatoes Eggplants Squash Cucumber Avocado

Types and Characteristics of Mushrooms

Biologically, mushrooms are not considered as plants. These are fungi that can be cultured or collected
in the wild for food and other purposes. However, there are mushrooms that cannot be eaten and are
considered poisonous. As a Cookery student, it is important that you are familiar with at least the most popular
varieties of both cultivated and wild mushrooms.
COMMON VARIETIES OF MUSHROOMS
Common Varieties of Cultivated Mushrooms
SHIITAKE (Golden Oak) – has a firm, fleshy texture and a broad dome-shaped
cap with creamy white gills.
OYSTER (Pleurotte) – light tan or cream-colored, fan-shaped mushroom
with a short stem at the side.

ENOKI (Enokitake) – has a tiny white cap, long slender stem, and grows in
clusters or bunches that are attached at the base.

CREMINI (Pleurotte) – button mushroom with brown or tan skin, turns into a
Portobello when mature.

Common Varieties of Wild Mushrooms

MOREL – a conical sponge with a pitted surface on a smooth stem.

BOLETE (Porcino) – a brown-capped mushroom, with a light- colored

bulbous stem, and a creamy white flesh.

CHANTERELLE (Girolle) – a yellow to orange umbrella-shaped mushroom

with the underside having ridges instead of gills.
BLACK TRUMPET – closely related to Chanterelle but is black in color and
has much thinner flesh.

Qualities of Vegetables
1. Texture - on the cooking technique used, the texture of the vegetables is affected by the fiber and
components.
Factors Affecting the Texture of Vegetables
- Fiber - it gives vegetables shape and firmness. Vegetables with more fiber are more tender while
those with less are tougher and takes more time to cook. fiber content may vary according to the type
(spinach and tomatoes have less fiber than carrots and turnips), age (old carrots have more fiber than
young ones) and part of the vegetable 9tips of asparagus and broccoli have less fiber than the tougher
stalks).
- Starch - starch is one of the chemical components of vegetables responsible for the carbohydrate
content. Starchy vegetables may be classified as dried or moist.
Dried Starchy Vegetables like legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) must be cooked in enough
water so that the starch granules can absorb moisture and soften. Dried beans are usually soaked
before cooking to replace lost moisture.
Moist Starch Vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes have enough moisture of their own,
but they must still be cooked until the starch granules soften.
2. Color - it is important to preserve as much natural color as possible when cooking vegetables. Its visual
quality is as important as its flavor or nutritional value. Pigments are compounds that give vegetables
their color.
Controlling Changes in Color
White-pigmented vegetables:
- Add a little lemon juice or cream of tartar to the cooking water (Do not add too much as this may
toughen the vegetable). Covering the pot also helps keep acid in.
- Cooking for a short time, especially in the steamer, helps maintain color (and flavor and nutrients as
well).
- Overcooking or holding too long is a steam table turns white vegetables dull yellow or gray.
Flavones (White)
- The primary coloring compounds of potatoes, onions, cauliflower, white cabbage,
and the white part of celery, cucumber and zucchini. White vegetables stay white in
acid and turn yellow in alkaline water.
Red-pigmented vegetables:
- Anthocyanins dissolve easily in water which means:
- Use a short cooking time. Overcooked red vegetables lose a lot of color.
- Use only as much water as is necessary.
- Cook beets whole and unpeeled, with root and an inch of stem attached to protect color. Skins easily
slip off cooked beets. When steaming, use solid pans instead of perforated pans to retain the red juices.
- Whenever possible, serve the cooking liquid as a sauce with the vegetable.
Anthocyanins (Red)
- Found in few vegetables, mainly red cabbage and beets, reacts very strongly in acids
and alkalis. Acid turns red vegetables to bright red while alkalis turn them blue or
blue-green.

Yellow and orange-pigmented vegetables:

- Carotenoids get affected by acids and alkalis minimally.
- Long cooking can dull the color while short cooking not only prevents dulling of the color but also
preserves vitamins and flavors.
Carotenoids (Yellow and Orange)
- Gives color to carrots, corn, winter squash, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and
red peppers. These pigments are very stable and reacts very little to acids and
alkalis.

Green-pigmented vegetables:
- Cooking uncovered to allow plant acids to escape.
- Cooking for the shortest time possible. Properly cooked green vegetables are tender-crisp, not mushy.
- Cooking in small batches rather than holding for long periods in the steam table.
Chlorophyll (Green)
- Colors all green plants. Acid and looking cooking turns green vegetables to a drab
olive green.
 3. Flavor - this is the quality of fruits and vegetables described as the combination of aroma and taste.
Many flavors are lost during cooking. This occurs when flavors are dissolved into cooking liquid and by
evaporation. The longer a vegetable is cooked the more flavor it loses. There are ways in which cooking
results in flavor loss. Cooking produces certain chemical changes, which is why vegetables taste
different when cooked compared to when vegetables are raw. As long as the vegetables are not
overcooked, this changed is desirable. It produces the flavors one looks for in vegetable dishes.
Controlling Flavor Loss

Flavor loss can be controlled in several ways:

• Cook for as short a time as possible.
• Use boiling salted water. Starting vegetables in boiling water shortens the time. The addition of salt
helps reduce flavor loss.
• Use just enough water to cover to minimize leaching. Note that this rule contradicts rule 1 in that adding
vegetables to a small quantity of water lowers the temperature more, so cooking time is extended.
• Steam vegetables whenever appropriate. Steam cooking reduces leaching out of flavor and shortens
cooking time.
To serve sweet-tasting vegetables:
• Try to serve young, fresh vegetables that have been stored for a short time only.
• For older vegetables, add a small amount of sugar to the cooking water to replace loss of sweetness.

Types of Vegetables according to Flavor

A. Strong Flavored Vegetables
These include the onion family (onions, garlic, leeks, shallots),
the cabbage family (cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower,
broccoli), and some root vegetables (turnip, rutabagas)

Onion Family (onions, garlic, leeks, shallots)

Cabbage Family (cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower,

broccoli)

B. Mild Flavored Vegetables

These are vegetables with mild to almost indistinctive flavor and aroma. Vegetables with mild flavor
include peas, beans and potatoes.