Show How to Conserve Desirable Qualities in Vegetables By Almeda P. P Brown Agricultural Experiment Station Vegetables are Important foods because they contribute color flavor and nutrients to the diet Cooking should be so planned as asto asto asto to conserve all of ot these With the exception of cloro- cloro phyll the green color plant color compounds present no serious serious serious seri seri- ous problem in cooking since they are not greatly affected by any of the factors that destroy chlorophyll except perhaps in over long cooking The yellow color of carrots sweet potatoes etc and related substances is not affected by concentrations of acids or usually found in cooking They are not soluble nl ni cooking water Sometimes when cooked too long especially if allowed to boil dry vegetables containing these color substances substances substances sub sub- stances will turn dark this is caused by of sugar present in the vegetables not by a real color change Overcooking Overcooking Overcooking Over Over- cooking then is to be avoided Change Color Some white vegetables such as cauliflower turnips etc contain contain contain con con- tain color substances which turn yellow in the presence presence presence pres pres- ence of Tap water contains contains contains con con- enough alkali to cause discoloration discoloration discoloration dis dis- dis- dis coloration especially in long- long period cooking A few drops of ot lemon juice or vinegar will tend to reduce darkening Some metals metals metals met met- als particularly iron and tin cause to turn brown utensils made of these metals should therefore be avoided in inthe inthe inthe the cooking of white vegetables as should also enamel utensils that have been chipped so that the iron base is e exposed posed The red color in beets and in red cabbage belongs to a group of at color substances ins that are red blue or purple according to whether they are combined with acids or Usual cooking procedures do not affect them greatly unless pro pro- longed A little lemon juice or vinegar will help to keep red vegetables red and nd will not ac according according according ac- ac cording to present information interfere with nutritive values Keeping Flavor Retention of flavor lavor in cooking is as important as retention of color The former contributes to enjoyment of food because it pleases the palate while the latter latter latter lat lat- lat lat- ter makes food attractive to the eye Freshness and flavor go is advantage advantage advantage in hand-in-hand that one tage the victory gardener has over those who must buy vegetables vegetables vegetables vege vege- tables in the market To a large degree certain volatile acids and oils are responsible for flavor and they begin to break down almost as soon as vegetables are harvested The process is delayed delayed delayed de de- de- de however by keeping vegetables vegetables vegetables vege vege- tables cool between harvesting and use in case of unavoidable delay Preparation for cooking should be rapid and whenever possible vegetables should be cooked whole or in large pieces For all mild-flavored mild vegetables cooking by steaming by pressure pressure pressure pres pres- sure saucepan or by boiling in ina ina ina a quantity of water which can be evaporated to dryness are recommended as best calculated to conserve flavor Terminating the cooking period as soon as vegetables become tender is also important Some people prefer these procedures even cooking cauliflower mild cabbage cabbage cabbage cab cab- bage and onions For those who do not enjoy such strong flavor members of the cabbage family and of ot the onion family can be reduced to milder flavor by dropping dropping dropping drop drop- ping into a kettle of rapidly boiling boiling boiling boil boil- ing water and cooking uncovered ered In this type of cooking also the period should be as short as possible because long cooking particularly if begun in tepid water may increase strong flavor by development of substances substances substances sub sub- stances of ot disagreeable odor and flavor Is vor LosseS Losser Include The nutritive factors which may be lost in cooking vege vege- tables include minerals vitamins vitamins vitamins vita vita- mins sugars and soluble pro pro- Sugars occur in small quantities and are valuable mainly for their contribution to palatability proteins are relatively relatively relatively rela rela- unimportant in immature or fresh vegetables The main concern then in the he cooking of ot fresh tresh vegetables centers about conservation of minerals and vitamins It is unfortunate that the mineral salts in vegetables that nutritionally nutritional nutritional- are most important ly from the standpoint of ot maintaining maintaining maintaining main main- in the body an excess of ot basic elements are those that dissolve most readily in cooking water That is one reason why so much has been said in recent years about finding some use for the water in which vegetables vegetables vegetables vege vege- tables are cooked Another reason reason reason rea rea- son is that water-soluble water vitamins vitamins vita vita- mins are also lost in this way This is true of vitamin C and of some of the B vitamins particularly particularly particularly thiamin Bl Bi Further destruction of these vitamins is brought by oxidation an action which is accelerated by heat Cooking Methods On the basis of their nutrient saving merits alone authorities list cooking methods in the order of their importance as follows 1 Baking oven cooking without added water 2 Pressure saucepan cooking 3 Steaming 4 Boiling Bolling in a small quantity of water Short period cooking is also emphasized and the cooking of vegetables in large pieces in order order order or or- der to reduce the surface exposed exposed exposed ex ex- posed to oxidative action or to extraction by cooking water All Allwater Allwater Allwater water used in cooking should be boiled to expel oxygen before being used and should be boiling hot when added to the vege vege- tables Whether or not addition of salt increases or decreases the amount of mineral salts that go into solution is not yet determined determined determined deter deter- mined its protective effect on vitamin C is also questioned by some investigators hence no suggestion is here given concerning concerning concerning con con- the practice of using salt in the cooking of vegetables This one caution however is necessary in case Iodized salt is used it should be added at the end of the cooking period to avoid driving off iodine by heat |