FRUIT

Fruit Classifications Berries Drupes Pomes Citrus Melons Tropical

Berries Small, juicy fruits with thin skins. Blackberries, cranberries, blueberries, red and black raspberries, gooseberries, and strawberries all belong to the berry family. Grapes and currants are also berries. These are all highly perishable.

Drupes Have an outer skin covering a soft, fleshy fruit. The fruit surrounds a single, hard stone, or pit, which contains the seed. Cherries, apricots, nectarines, peaches, and plums are all drupes.

Pomes Have a central, seed-containing core surrounded by a thick layer of flesh. Apples, pears, and pomegranates are pomes.

Citrus Have a thick outer rind. A thin membrane separates the flesh into segments. Oranges, tangerines, tangelos, grapefruit, kumquats, lemons, and limes are citrus fruits.

Melons Large, juicy fruits with thick skins and many seeds. They are in the gourd family and include: cantaloupe, casaba, honeydew, Crenshaw, Persian, and watermelon.

Tropical Grown in warm climates and are considered to be somewhat exotic. Many species of tropical fruits are available throughout the world. The most commonly available in the U.S. are avocados, bananas, figs, dates, guavas, mangoes, papayas, persimmons, pineapples, pomegranates and kiwifruit.

Nutritional Value of Fruit Most fruits are high in vitamins and low in fat. Citrus fruits are the best sources of vitamin C. Strawberries, tomatoes, and cantaloupes are other good sources of vitamin C. Yellow fruits are a good source of vitamin A because they contain large amounts of carotene.

Selecting Fresh Fruit Underripe fruits are fruits that are full-size but have not yet reached peak eating quality. You can buy some fruits, such as pears and bananas, underripe because they will ripen at room temperature at home. Immature fruits have not reached full size. They are small and have poor color, flavor, and texture. They will not improve in quality when left at room temperature.

Storing Fresh Fruit Store strong smelling fruits in plastic bags or airtight containers. Store other fruits uncovered in a crisper. You should use berries, melons, grapes, and fruits with pits as soon as possible. You can store apples, pears, and citrus fruits longer, but they too will lose quality after prolonged storage. You can refrigerate bananas for a short time after they ripen at room temp.

Canned Fruits They come packed in juices or in light, heavy, or extra heavy syrup. Canned fruits are usually less expensive than frozen or fresh. Canned fruits are not as nutritious as fresh or frozen fruits.

Frozen Fruit Frozen fruits have the same color and flavor as fresh fruits, however they may lose some of their texture qualities during freezing. Frozen fruits are often less expensive than fresh. When buying frozen fruits, choose packages that are clean, undamaged, and frozen solid. Store in the coldest part of your freezer. Never refreeze thawed out fruit.

Dried Fruits Raisins, prunes, dates, and apricots are the most common dried fruits. Choose dried fruits that are fairly soft and pliable.

Preparing Fruit Enzymatic browning is the process in which some fruits, such as bananas, peaches, and apples darken when exposed to air. Dipping these fruits in lemon, orange, grapefruit, or pineapple juice will prevent enzymatic browning and make them look more appealing.

Food Science Principles of Cooking Fruit Cooking allows you to use overripe fruits that are past prime eating quality. You an use overripe apples to make applesauce. During cooking, several changes take place within fruit: Fruit softens, color changes, nutrients are lost into water, and flavors become more mellow.

Cooking Fruit in Liquid Shape will be retained if you cook the fruit in a sugar syrup in stead of plain water. When you cook fruits in water, use as little water as possible. Baking Fruit Bake fruits in a small amount of liquid just until they are tender.

What Fruits are Often Broiled??? Bananas Grapefruit halves Pineapple

Frying Fruit Sautéing: You can fry some fruits in a small amount of fat in a skillet. Fritters: You can dip fruits into a batter and deep-fry them.

Microwaving Fruit Fruits cooked in a microwave oven maintain their flavors and nutrients because they cook quickly using little to no water. Pierce fruits covered with a tight skin if you are microwaving them whole. Fruits with higher moisture content will cook faster than more dense fruits.

Preparing Preserved Fruits You can use canned fruits like fresh and frozen fruits, just make sure to drain them well before using them in baked products. Use frozen fruits in the same ways you use fresh and canned fruits. Use dried fruits for cooking or baking or eat them right from the box.