selecting fruits and vegetables

1. SELECTING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Objectives:
 To understandand describethe basicprinciplesofselectingand PreparingFruits andvegetables.
 To Identifyanddescribe the Principlesforselectingand preparingcookingfruitsand vegetables.
Introductions:
 Fruitsand vegetables containimportantvitamins,mineralsandplantchemicals.They also
containfibre. There are manyvarieties of fruitand vegetablesavailableandmany waysto
prepare, cook and serve them.
 Fruitsand vegetables taste great and addlots ofvariety and importantnutrientsto meals and
snacks.
CORE CONTENT: SELECTING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
1. DON’T BUY PRODUCE THAT IS BRUISED OR DAMAGED
 When buying fresh fruitsand vegetables, choosethosethathavea good shape,texture
and color and a fresh smell. It is best to shop forfresh produceoften and buy only what
you will usewithin a few days.This will cutdown on the amountwasted becauseof
spoilage.
 Avoid fruitsand vegetableswith cuts, bruises,insectholes, mold or decay.Atthe same
time, fruit doesnotneed to be “perfect” to taste wonderful.Allshapesand sizesmake
greatfruit and vegetables.
2. FRESH MAY NOT ALWAYSTHE BEST!
 Fresh produce isbest when bought inseason andlocallyformaximumflavorand
nutrition.Research has shownthat frozen fruitsand vegetablesare justas nutritious
as fresh vegetablesand have lesswaste.

2.  Be mindfulwhen buying canned fruitsorvegetables.Canned fruitsand vegetablesare
also nutritiousbut often haveadded saltand corn syrup- and nutrientsmay belost in the
liquid in the can.Avoid thosewith added corn syrupsand added salt.
3. FRUIT IS WIDELY YEAR ROUND BUT RIPENESS IS THE KEY:
 When a fruit is ripe it softensand generally thecolor changes.Starchesturn into sugar
although thecalories remain the same.The ripening processdependson thefruit. Melons
and citrus fruit (forexampleorangesand grapefruit) willnotget any sweeter oncepicked.
Peachesand bananaschangecolorand getsweeter.
 Somefruitsare picked before they are ripe becausethey bruise easily in shipment(for
example:pearsand bananas).To ripen,place on the kitchen counterfor a few daysorplace
in a brown paperbag.To speed up ripening,add a ripe banana orappleto the bag.When
fruit is ripe, eat it right away orrefrigerate.
4. BUY FRESH VEGETABLES FREQUENTLY AND USE THEM AS SOONAS POSSIBLE
 Select vegetablesthatare crisp and colorful,notlimp and starting to turn brown.For
maximumsavings,selectvegetablesin season.Clean and cutthem yourself.Preparethem
ahead of time and keep themin the refrigeratorto makedinnerquick and convenient.
 if convenienceis very importantto you,lookforsomeof the pre washed and cutup
vegetablesin yourproducesection.In addition to bagsof salad,you will find chopped
onionsand peppers,grated carrotsand cabbageforslaw and ready to cookstir fry
vegetables.
5. BUYFROZEN UNSWEETENED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WITHOUT ADDED SAUCES.
 When buying fresh cut fruitsand vegetableschooseitemsthat are refrigerated or
surrounded by ice.It is importantthatfruitsorvegetablesthathavealready been halved or
opened in someway are stored in a chilled environment.
 Keep frozen untilready to use.Use within 6 monthsof purchase.Frozen fruitsand
vegetablesarehandy forquickand easy meal addition.
6. SEPARATE YOURFRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FROM YOURMEAT, POULTRY AND
SEAFOOD.
In the shopping trolley and when bagging,makesureyou separatefresh produce
fromraw meat, poultry and seafood.Blood and juicefromraw meatcould contain
pathogensthat havethepotentialto contaminate.

3. PRINCIPLES IN SELECTING
AND PREPARING AND COOKING IN FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
Basic Principles of Cooking Vegetables to Maintain Nutrients
1.Cook vegetablesin the smallestamountof liquidpossible.
 Vegetables have some vitamins that dissolve in water and are lost when the cooking liquid
is discarded. Water soluble vitamins are vitamins that dissolve in water. The common water
soluble vitamins are C and the B vitamins riboflavin, thiamine, and niacin.
2. Cookvegetables the shortest amountof time for the desired tenderness.
 Vegetableshavesomevitaminsthataredestroyed by heat
so long cooking meansthey provideless vitamins.
 For vegetablesthathavea skin,scrub well and cookwith
the skin on wheneverpossible.If thevegetablemustbe
peeled,peel asthinly aspossible.
When vegetablesare cut,use a sharp bladeand cut in the
largestpieces that are desirableforthe recipe. Pieces should be uniformto allow foreven cooking.Large
pieces help preservethe nutrientcontentof the vegetable.

4. A sharp bladein a piece of equipmentora knifewill makea clean cut instead of bruising the vegetable.
Bruising causesa rapid lossof vitamin C fromsomegreen,leafy vegetablessuch as cabbageand other
greens.
3. Follow the recipe or directions for cooking a vegetable.
 Recipesandgeneraldirectionsfor cookinga vegetablearebasedonusingthe right culinary
technique.Addingsomeingredients actuallydestroys certainnutrients.Forexample,adding
bakingsodato greenvegetablesduringcookingdestroys someBvitaminsas wellas vitamin C.
4. Cook vegetables just-in-time for service on the line.
 Holding vegetables after cooking causes loss of nutritive value and quality. Plan food
production so that vegetables can be cooked and immediately placed on the serving line.
Remember that cooking will continue when the vegetable is placed on the steam table.
Vegetables are best when they are held for less than 20 minutes.
Principles & Methods of Cooking Fruits
PreparingRaw Fruits:
-Wash raw fruit under cool running water
-Never let fruits soak because they may lose flavor & some of their water-soluble nutrients.
-Serve raw fruits whole or sliced.
-Soak fruits like peaches or bananas in lemon, orange, grapefruit, or pineapple juice to prevent browning.
-Use a sharp, thin bladed knife when peeling & peel as thinly as possible.
MicrowavingFruit:
Fruits maintain flavors & nutrients.
-Fruits cook quickly.
-Choose pieces of similar size to promote even cooking.
-Pierce fruit covered with tight skin if microwaving them whole.
-Type of fruit, fruit size, & ripeness affect the cooking time.
-Fruit with higher moisture content cook more quickly.
-Small pieces & ripe fruits cook more quickly.
Examplesof Microwavablefruits:

5. Combine fresh or frozen bite-sized fruit pieces in a microwave-safe bowl (banana slices, apple chunks, blueberries,
strawberry slices, peach slices, etc. Microwave on high until fruit is hot and soft.
Broiling Fruit:
 Cooking by exposing food to directradiantheat,either on a grill
overlive coals orbelow a gas burneror electric coil. Broiling
differsfromroasting and baking in thatthe food is turned during
the processso asto cookone sideat a time.
- Sprinkle with brown sugar or honey before broiling.
-Fruits broil quickly.
Watch carefully to prevent overcooking.
Frying Fruits:
Frying , the cooking of food in hot fatsor oils, usually donewith a
shallowoil bathin a pan over a fire or asso-called deep fatfrying,in
which the food is completely immersed in a deepervessel of hotoil.
Becausethe food is heated through a greasy medium,someauthorities
considerfrying to be technically a dry-heatcooking process.
-You can saute fruit in a skillet with a small amount of fat.
-You can make a fritter by dipping themin a batter & deep frying them
Baking Fruits:
-Cookfruit in waterorsugarsyrup.
-When using syrup use a two toone ratio of waterto sugar. Use a low temperature & cookuntil
tender& translucent. Serve warm orchilled.
-When cookingin wateruse as little as possible.
-You can bake apples, pears, orbananas.
-They should be tender& keep theirshape.
-If you bake fruit in skin, the skin holds in the steam & cooks the interior.
-Using a covered casseroledish will serve the same purpose forfruits without theirskins.
-Use a small amountof liquid.

6. Quiz:
Enumeration:
I - Givethe 6 proper way of selecting fruits and vegetables(1-6)
True or False: (7- 10)
1. Vegetables have same vitamin that dissolves in water and when are cooking
2. The common water sobule vitamins are C and b vitamins.
3. Some vitamins are destroyed by heat.
4. Adding baking soda to green vegetables during cooking destroys some vitamins as well as vitamins C.
Essay:
1. In your own opinion why is it important that we properly select and cook fruits and vegetables we buy?
What are the benefits from this? (10 points)
Answer Key:
5. Don’t buy produce that is bruised or damage
6. Fresh may not always be the best.
7. Fruit is widely year round but ripeness is the key.
8. Buy fresh vegetables frequently and use them as soon as possible.
9. Buy frozen unsweetened fruits and vegetable without added sauces.
10. Separate your fresh fruits and vegetables from your meat.