Foods, their selection and preparation

Texture. A firm though tender texture is desirable in vegetables low in starch. They should be cooked the shortest time necessary to obtain tenderness and should be cooked just before serving time. Holding vegetables after cooking changes the texture, color, and flavor, and decreases the vitamin content. Starchy vegetables should be cooked long enough to gelatinize or swell the starch but require special precautions to avoid soggi¬ ness. A mealy texture is obtained by baking potatoes until the center reaches the boiling point so as to cook the starch. Then break ' [75] them open to allow steam to escape. When peeled potatoes are boiled, the water should be drained off and the kettle placed over a low flame to drive off excess moisture; the kettle should be shaken to prevent sticking. For best flavor, potatoes should be cooked at boiling temperature not under pressure. The texture of boiled old potatoes may be improved by wringing lightly in a clean cloth immediately after cooking. Color. The appearance of the cooked veg¬ etables is partly a question of texture and partly a question of color. Conditions of cooking affect the various colored vegetables differently, since the pigments responsible for the different colors in vegetables vary in solubility and stability to heat. The bright green color in vegetables is due to the presence of chlorophyll. This pigment is only slightly soluble in water but is easily destroyed by high temperature and long cooking, particularly in the presence of the acids formed in cooking vegetables. Soda is sometimes used in cooking green vegetables to neutralize this acid and prevent change in color. It also hastens the softening of the cellulose and decreases the cooking time. It must be used with care since too much in¬ creases the loss of vitamin C. Soda is not nec¬ essary when green vegetables are properly pre- Cauliflower • Cooked vegetables should have a tender but firm texture Baked Potatoes • After baking potatoes open them to allow the steam to escape pared, and may injure both the flavor and the texture of the cooked product. The color and texture and the vitamins are conserved when vegetables are cooked in boiling, salted water in an open kettle until just tender. Using boiling water at the start decreases cooking time. Since the chlorophyll-destroying acids formed in cooking are volatile, they are car¬ ried off in the steam if the vessel is uncovered. On the other hand, if the vessel is closed, these acids condense on the cover and drip back onto the cooking vegetable, causing the undesirable change in color. While a pres¬ sure sauce pan must be closed for cooking, the required cooking time is too short to affect the color. The pressure should be re¬ duced as soon as green vegetables are cooked and the cover removed as quickly as possible to avoid condensation of the volatile acid and the resulting change in color. The yellow or orange color in such vege¬ tables as carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash is due to the carotinoids, carotin (orange yellow), and lycopin (orange red), which are insoluble in water. This orange color is quite stable with respect to heat and is not affected by the vegetable acids. Since the appearance of the yellow vegetables is not affected by ordinary methods of cooking, the