VEGETABLES

AHD1103
PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PREPARATION
PREPARED BY:
WAN SUWAIBAH NAJIHAH WAN YUSOFF
PUAN ZAMALIAH MARJAN

Classification of
Vegetables
Vegetables may be derived from
almost any part of a plant:
Roots
Bulbs
Stems
Leaves
Seeds
Flowers

Bulbs

onions

garlic

Green onions or bunching onions

leeks

Leafy vegetables

spinach

lettuce

Chinese celery

Chinese mustard

Kailan -kale

White large pakchoy

Mustard green Small chinese cabbage

Napa cabbage

Green chinese cabbagebaby pak choy

peas

Legumes

Winged beans

Broad bean

Snow peas
Green bean

Yard-long bean

sator

LEAVES

SEEDS

Root vegetables

carrot

Oriental root radish

Root turnip

TUBERS

Sweet potatoes

yam

STEM or STALK

asparagus
Celery stalk

Hearts of palm

Chinese celery
Bamboo shoots

Fruit

Chinese
cucumber

Chinese eggplant

Bitter gourd

Winter melon

squash

tomato

Angled luffa
avocado

Hot pepper

Sweet pepper

Tree fruit

breadfruit

Flower vegetable

broccoli

cauliflower

Banana blossoms

Chinese leek flower

Brussel sprouts

sprouts

Alfalfa sprouts
Mung bean sprout

Bamboo shoots

others

Prickly pear cactus

COMPOSITION OF VEGETABLES

Plant Pigments
fall into 3 major groups:
Carotenoids
chlorophylls,
flavonoids

 With few exceptions, fresh, unprocessed vegetables are

naturally low in calories,cholesterol, sodium, and fat.
Most vegetables are good sources of carbohydrate
(including fiber), vitamins, and mineralsvitamin C, betacarotene, certain B vitamins, calcium, and potassium.
It has been suggested by researchers that this nutrient
combination, in addition to other nonnutritive compounds
found in a plant-based diet of vegetables, fruits, wholegrain foods, and legumes (especially soy products),
contributes to a reduced risk for certain cancers.

 Cholesterol.
- Plants contain no cholesterol.
- Only animals having a liver are capable of manufacturing
cholesterol, so only animal products contain cholesterol.
- However, may contain fat. For example, peanuts are high
in fat but do not contain even a trace of cholesterol.
- However, cholesterol may be added during processing of
a plant based food item.
Fat.
- Unprocessed vegetables contain little or no fat.
- The only vegetable foods high in fat are the processed
vegetable oils derived from plant seedscorn, peanut,
rapeseed, cottonseed, safflower, and others.

 Carbohydrates.
- Some vegetables are so high in complex carbohydrates that they
can substitute for grain-based starches e.g. potatoes, legumes,
and corn.
- During the ripening process, vegetable sugars convert to starch
for storage.
- Corn, carrots, and peas taste sweeter when harvested early
because their sugars have less time to convert to starches.
- In fruits, the opposite occurs; starches convert to sugars, which
explains why a ripe melon tastes sweeter than an unripe one.
Fiber.
- Many, but not all, vegetables are rich in dietary fiber.
- Fiber content varies a good deal among plant foods.
Protein.
- Vegetables lack certain essential amino acids and therefore are
not a source of complete protein.
- The most complete sources of protein are legumes, however low
in the essential amino acid methionine.

 Vitamins and Minerals.

- Vegetables are usually higher in vitamins and minerals than
fruits.
- Sprouted beans are high in vitamin C and riboflavin (vitamin B2).
- Dark green, leafy vegetables are good sources of riboflavin, betacarotene, vitamin C, and iron.
- Good source of calcium is green vegetables such as broccoli.
- However, compounds called oxalates, found primarily in green
vegetables, can bind to the calcium, zinc, or iron in these
vegetables and may decrease their absorption in the body.
- Green vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin K and folate, a
B vitamin, the need for which almost doubles during pregnancy.
Others
- electrolytes such as potassium and sodium, although the amount
of sodium in fresh produce is of negligible significance in the
human diet.
- Processing such as canning increase sodium content.

PREPARATION OF VEGETABLES
Vegetables can be prepared by dry-heat methods
(baking, roasting, sauteing, or deep-frying) or moist-heat
methods (simmering, steaming, braising, or
microwaving).
General principles in handling and preparation of
vegetables:
Buying. Purchase only the freshest possible vegetables
in amounts that will be used within a few days.
Storage. Store vegetables immediately at the
appropriate temperature and do not leave them out of
storage for any length of time unless they are being
prepared. Leftovers should be refrigerated immediately
and used within 3 days.

 Washing. All vegetables must be thoroughly washed (with a

vegetable brush when appropriate) to remove soil, microorganisms,
pesticides, and herbicides. Washing should be quick, because most
vegetables absorb excess water when soaked. Many root
vegetables, except beets and baked potatoes, are peeled of the
outer layer that is normally washed.
Cooking liquid. Vegetables should be cooked in as small an
amount of liquid as possible; in many cases, leftover liquids may be
saved for stock. Using a microwave minimizes the amount of water
used.
Timing. The cooking time should be as short as possible; most
vegetables when heated too long will undergo undesirable changes
in quality. Vegetables should be served promptly after cooking.

Changes During Heating

When heated, vegetables undergo several changes in texture,
flavor, odor, color, and nutrient retention.
Texture
High temperatures gelatinize starch, decrease bulk by softening
cellulose, and cause a reduction in turgor due to water loss.
Although this is desirable when baking potatoes or cooking
legumes, it is not recommended for most other vegetables; they
should be heated until barely cooked.
Acids or acidic foods, such as vinegar or tomatoes, should be added
toward the end of the cooking time, because they make vegetables
more resistant to softening and, by precipitating vegetable pectins,
increase required heating time.

Flavour
to retain flavour, vegetables should be heated in as little
water as possible and for as short a time as possible.
Odor
some odors, such as that from cooked cabbage or onions,
may be undesirable.
These pungent odors are generated by sulfur compounds
present in the Cruciferae family (the cruciferous
vegetables) and the Allium genus (onions, garlic, shallots,
leeks, chives).
The strong odors of cooked cabbage and onion can be
reduced by shortening the heating time, adding a little
vinegar to the cooking water, and/or by removing the lid
occasionally during cooking to let volatile organic acids
escape.

Sulfur compounds
Family 1
Cabbage
Brussels sprouts
Broccoli
Cauliflower

Family 2
Onion
Scallion
Leeks
Garlic

Prolonged cooking results in

an intensification of the
sulfur
aroma of these vegetables

Prolonged cooking of these

results in them becoming more
and more mild and less
offensive

Color
Due to:
- pigments are affected by pH, heating, and
the presence of metals.
- Maillard reaction
- caramelization of sugars
- enzymatic browning
Undesirable color changes can be prevented
by adding acids: e.g. apples or a teaspoon of
vinegar or lemon juice; using cream of
tartar; or baking soda.

Nutrient Retention
leaching is the greatest cause of mineral loss in
vegetables
How to prevent nutrient lost:
- to cook them using as little water as possible.
- avoid immersing vegetables in water.
- Choose steaming,braising, baking, or
microwaving.
- leave the skin on whenever possible,
- cut vegetables into fewer, larger pieces rather
than many smaller pieces
- less cooking time as possible.

STORAGE OF
VEGETABLES
Vegetables continue to respire after harvest, which contributes
to the deterioration of their appearance, texture, flavor, and
vitamin content.
Refrigeration slows this process for most vegetables, except for
tubers (potatoes), dried legumes, and most bulbs to dry
storage.
Controlled atmosphere storage is a commercial process that
extends vegetable shelf life by reducing oxygen and increasing
the carbon dioxide in the surrounding air.
Another commercial process that slows down respiration is
coating vegetables with a thin, edible coating such as wax.