Cooking Vegetables and Fruits Cooking causes changes **most important change is not observable to the human eye. Loss of vitamin C and other nutrients

How To Minimize Nutrient Losses When Cooking  Cook quickly – use small amount of water Ex: steaming, simmering in a tightly covered pan or microwaving  Keep whole or in large pieces  Serve cooked produce with the cooking liquid

Effects of Cooking Texture - heat softens the cell walls - makes fruits and vegetables more tender - starchy vegetables are easier to digest when cooked - overcooked vegetables and fruits become mushy

Color - properly cooked, retain pleasing color - green vegetables – bright green overcooked – turn olive green

Cooking Methods Vegetables Timing and method depend on tenderness and size of pieces

Steaming Vegetables most healthful way *Fewer nutrients are lost – vegetables not cooked in water

Simmering Vegetables *covered pan with small amount of water *use pan made of stainless steel, do not use aluminum or copper – minerals react with the sulfur compounds in vegetables -results in lost of vitamin C, folic acid and vitamin E

Microwaving and Baking Cook quickly with small amount of water *Lose few nutrients, keep their color, texture, and flavor *High moisture content – bake in dry heat of oven Ex: winter squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes

Frying Usually saut é ed – brings out the flavor Other method of frying -stir-frying -deep-frying **Frying adds fat and calories

Cooking Methods Fresh Fruit -adds variety to food choices -may be served hot or chilled -eaten as part of the main course, as dessert, or as a snack

Poaching Also called stewing -cooking in enough liquid to cover it -goal is to retain the shape of the fruit -sugar is added at the beginning – not for sweetness but to help the fruit retain its shape (strengthens the cell walls)

Fruit Sauces Goal: cooking the fruit in a liquid to break down the texture, sugar is added after cooking Ex: applesauce, peach sauce, plum sauce

Baking Take care to not overcook -Best results are from firm fruits – apples, pears, and bananas

Microwaving -easy to prepare -cook quickly -keep their flavor and shape -can easily overcook