Principles of cooking

Succulent roots and tubers contain more water and less nutrients than the starchy roots and tubers, and so, have a lower food value. They are valuable additions to the diet because of their mineral salts, large amount of cellulose, flavor, and because they furnish variety. They all contain carbohydrate in some form. SELECTION. — Old roots and tubers are tough and woody and require a much longer time for cooking than the young and tender ones. They have a lower food value because they contain so much cellulose, are of a coarser texture and often are dry and corky. PREPARATION. — Succulent roots and tubers should be: washed clean, pared as thin as possible, cooked whole when possible, and sliced if so desired, after they are cooked. If cooked in a small quantity of water, there is less loss of nutrients than when a large quantity of water is used. When they are steamed, there is practically no loss of nutrients. Methods of Preparing Succulent Roots and Tubers and Green Vegetables for the Table. , 1. CREAMED. — Boiled and sliced, served with White Sauce. 2. Dicep. — Boiled and cut into small pieces or cubes. 3. GRATED. — Grated and served with Salad Dressing as a salad. 4. MasHep. — Boiled and mashed and flavored with butter, salt _ and pepper. 5. Frrep. — Boiled and cut into thin slices, and dipped in crumbs. or flour, and sautéd. May be sliced first, then boiled. Sauté in bacon fat or half lard and half butter. 6. SCALLOPED. — Sliced, parboiled (partially boiled), and baked with thin White Sauce and buttered crumbs. 7, PICKLED. — Boiled, sliced or whole, with vinegar added before serving. All vegetables are best cooked whole and sliced afterwards, because there is loss of nutritive ingredients when they are cooked in water, and the more surface exposed, the greater the loss. The greater the amount of cellulose a vegetable contains, the longer the time needed for cooking. Old vegetables require longer time than fresh ones because the cellulose has become woody. For this reason no time can be given in the recipe. Lessons on Succulent Roots and Tubers. 1. Fried Carrots or Parsnips. For method see Number s. 2. Grated Carrots. For method see Number 3. 3. Mashed Rutabagas. For method see Number 4. 4. Pickled Beets. For method see Number 7. PREPARED STARCHY FOODS In tropical countries, many foods, unknown to us, form common and staple articles of diet. Some of these foods are prepared for our market and sold to us in the dry form, and they furnish variety to our meals. Chief among the starchy tropical foods which we enjoy eating are tapioca, sago, and arrowroot. Of these tapioca is the least expensive, the best known, and one most commonly used. The tapioca which we use is prepared from the roots of bitter cassava plant. These roots are washed, cut, ground toa pulp, and the bitter acid which they contain is removed. The pulp is then treated so as to separate the pure starch from the woody fiber or cellulose. The starch is then dried and sold as flake, pearl, or minute tapioca. The flake tapioca occurs in irregular pieces, the pearl in round form, and the minute is ground to a coarse powder so that it will cook quickly. As tapioca is a dried food, it must be soaked to restore the‘lost.moisture before it can be cooked. Flake and pearl tapioca should be soaked at least an hour, preferably two hours. Minute tapioca should be soaked at least ten minutes. Sago is prepared from the spongy pith or center of the trunk of the sago palm tree. The pith of the tree reaches its fullest development just before the tree begins to bear fruit. At this time the tree is cut and the pith is removed and ground to a powder. The powder is mixed with water to separate the starch from the fiber. After the starch is washed out, it is dried and sold as sago. |