BASIC PRINCIPLES OF VEGETABLES COOKERY

1. By
Pranith Vontela
rpranith.reddy10@gmail.com

2.  Any part of a herbaceous plant that can be
eaten, either raw or cooked, is termed as
VEGEGTABLE.
 Vegetables are served in various forms-as
accompaniments, garnishes, salads,
hors d’ oeuvres, bhajees, curries, raitas, etc.
 Vegetarian cooking demands a good
knowledge of the principles of cookery &
high degree of skill.

3.  Roots: carrots, horseradish, beetroot and
turpins.

4. BULBOUS ROOTS

5. TUBERS
ARTICHOKES POTATOES

6. FLOWERS
CAULIFLOWER BROCCOLI

7. LEAVES
CABBAGE SPINACH

8. FRUITS
WINTER SQUASH PUMPKIN

9. STEMS
CELERY CORN SALAD

10.  Vegetables are cooked for various reasons
such as improving their palatability &
digestibility.
 Certain changes occur during cooking:
Cellulose
Flavour
pigments

11.  FLAVONES: Pigment present in white
vegetables, like potato, onion, cauliflower,
white cabbage, cucumber, etc.
 Pigment stays white in an acid medium and
turns yellow in an alkaline medium.
 TIP-cover the white vegetable while cooking
 Use short cooking time & add small amount
of lemon juice, or vinegar. To create slightly
acidic medium.

12.  Present in red vegetables & it gives them
their colour.
 Present in very few vegetables in red
cabbage, purple peppers, purple potatoes.
 Affected by acid & alkali mediums.
 Using excessive amount of water while
cooking will leach the colour out of the
vegetable.
 TIP: Cook the red cabbage with small amount
of an acid.

13.  Green colour in green vegetables due to the
presence of a pigment known as chlorophyll.
 Which is affected by pH.
 In an acid medium the colour of a green
vegetable changes to olive green & in
alkaline medium it changes to bright green.
 The plant’s natural acid is leached into the
cooking liquid & is trapped there creating an
acidic cooking medium.
 This, combined with the heat present,
destroys the pigment.

14.  Cook vegetables uncovered to allow the
volatile acids to escape.
 Cook them quickly until just al dente.
 After boiling, plunge the vegetables into cold
water to arrest cooking, is known as shocking
or refreshing.
 steam the green vegetables whenever
possible. This shortens the cooking time,
allows far less acid build up, & retains more
colors.

15.  This pigment gives color to yellow & orange
vegetables such as carrot, corn, winter
squash, sweet potato, tomato, & red pepper.
 It is only slightly affected by acid or alkalis.
 Short cooking times help retain the flavor &
vitamins of most vegetables.

16. Cooking
medium
Salt/neutral Acid Alkali Overcooking
White/
flavones
Yellowish White Yellow Greyish
Red fades Bright red Blue Greenish
Green/
chlorophyll
Bright Olive Bright but
mashy
Olive
Orange or
Yellow/
carotenoids
Fades lightly
No change
Same Same but loss
of nutrients
Fades

17.  Vegetables & other food are composed of
proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water,& also
small amounts of minerals, vitamins,
pigments.
 CARBOHYDRATES:- Fruits, grains, beans, &
nuts.
 Vegetables in terms of caramelization &
gelatinization. Caramelization is browning
sugars. Browning of sauteed vegetables is a
form of caramelization.
 when starch absorbs water & swells, the
process is known as gelatinization.

18.  PROTEINS:- present in Smaller extent in
vegetables are compared to meat, fish &
poultry.
 When heat is applied to proteins they
become firm or they start to coagulate.
 increase in temperature, proteins become
even firmer & start shrinking, exposed to
very high heat, proteins become tough & dry.
 Acids present in lemon juice, vinegar, &
tomato products help in speeding up
coagulation & dissolving few connective
tissues.

19.  Factors responsible for nutrient loss are:-
 High heat or temperature.
 Too much of liquid that causes leaching &
 Uses of alkalis {baking soda, hard water}
 Tips-some nutrient loss in vegetables is
inevitable.
 use of pressure steam reduces cooking time.
 Boiling is faster than simmering.

20.  Cut in various sizes & shapes for various
cooking purposes, creating different
textures, tastes, & mouth feel.
 Eg- shredded cabbage will taste different
from diced cabbage in a salad.
 Know one’s vegetables.
 Know your equipments.
 Know the purpose.
 Know the effect of heat.

22. WHY EAT FRUITS ?
 Very positive effect on the brain.
 80% of water & natural sugars.
 Does not contain any bad amount of
cholesterol.
 Fruits are rich in vitamins, fiber, etc

23. INTRODUCTION
 Fruits are rich source of vitamins & minerals &
give necessary nutrition to body.
 Fruits are generally eaten raw, but many of them
cooked to serve as accompaniments, sauces,
some fruits are used to prepare jams &
marmalades.
 Fruits are paired with food like Apple with Pork,
Orange with Duck, etc.

24. CLASSIFICATION OF FRUITS
 Fruits are classified on the basis of their
appearance & another way of segregating them is
on the basis of their texture & flavour.
ON THE BASIS OF TEXTURE & FLAVOUR.
 Soft fruits: papaya, banana, melons.
 Stone fruits: peaches, mango, etc.
 Apple & Pear family
 Citrus fruits: Oranges, sweet, lime, etc.

25. SOFT FRUITS
BANANA MELON

26. STONE FRUITS

27. APPLE & PEAR FAMILY
APPLE PEAR

28. CITRUS FRUITS
ORANGE LEMON

29. FRUITS IN COOKING
 The use of fruits in cooking dates back
hundreds of years.
 Fruits are also found in such as cookies,
muffins, yoghurt, ice cream , & cakes.
 Not only used in preparing various dishes but
also used to keep certain foods fresh and help
preserve their colour.
 Gentle simmering preserves the texture &
shape of fruits.
 Barbecuing & grilling fruit leads to very sweet,
strong flavours; this is due to the intense heat
which caramelizes the sugars.

30.  Grilled or barbecued fruits make fantastic
desserts, side dishes or appetizers.
 Such as apples & pears can be grilled easily.
 Fruits can be made into jellies, jams, pickles, &
chutneys or can be bottled whole.
 Most suitable method of preserving depends on
the type of fruit & its quality & ripeness.
 Under ripe fruit is fine for chutneys, jams, jellies
but over ripe fruit is only good for chutneys, not
good for making jam.

31.  Drying is also a good way of preserving fruits &
intensifies their flavor.
 Most of fruits can be dried effectively.

32. THANK YOU
HAVE NICE
DAY.