Food Selection and Preparation

Frank D. Conforti, PhD, is Associate Professor Emeritus of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA. Before entering academe, he had extensive experience in the food preparation industry as Director of Quality Control, Borden's and as Director of Quality Assurance, American Foods Laboratory.

Preface ix

Acknowledgments x

Laboratory 1: Measuring Techniques 1

Nonmetric Measure of Volume 2

To Learn Correct Techniques for Measuring Ingredients 4

Water and Thermometry 7

Application of Measuring Techniques: Cookies 8

Laboratory 2: Food Preservation: Canning and Freezing 12

Observe and Learn How to Use Utensils and Equipment Commonly Used in Canning 13

Foods to Be Packed and Processed 15

Freezing of Fruits and Vegetables 19

Laboratory 3: Starch and Cereal Cookery: Role of Gelatinization and Gelation 22

Starch Principles 23

Cereal Cookery 29

Laboratory 4: Quick and Yeast Breads: Role of Manipulation and Gluten Formation in Doughs 37

To Evaluate Factors Which Affect the Quality of Muffins 38

To Evaluate Factors Which Affect the Quality of Biscuits 40

To Identify the Gluten-Forming Properties of Various Wheat Flours 43

To Study Factors Which Affect the Quality of Yeast Bread 44

Laboratory 5: Shortened- and Foam-Style Cakes 48

Shortened-Style Cake 50

To Demonstrate the Effect of Changing the pH in Chocolate Cake Batters 53

Foam-Style Cake 55

Laboratory 6: Pastry, Cream Puffs, and Popovers 59

To Learn and Observe How Manipulation and Steam Will Affect Cream Puffs and Popovers 60

To Determine Which Fat Contributes Both Tenderness and Flakiness in a Pie Crust Through Proper Manipulation 62

Laboratory 7: Fruit Selection and Cookery 70

To Study the Prevention of Browning in Fresh Fruit Through the Use of Antioxidants 71

To Identify the Factors That Influence the Quality of Cooked Apples 73

To Observe Fruits That Have Enough Pectin to Form a Gel when Sugar and Water are Added 74

To Observe the Variety of Ways Fruits Can Be Prepared 75

Laboratory 8: Vegetables 80

To Study the Effect of Heat and pH on Pigments and Texture in Vegetables 82

To Prepare Vegetables in a Variety of Ways and to Recognize Quality Parameters in Selection and Preparation 83

Vegetable Preparation 86

Laboratory 9: Salads 96

Appetizer Salad 97

Dinner Accompaniment Salads 98

Main Dish Salads 102

Dessert Salads 103

Laboratory 10: Fats and Emulsions 105

To Show the Effect of Frying Temperature on Fat Absorption During Deep Fat Frying 107

To Evaluate Fats According to Color, Flavor, Aroma and to Be Able to Detect Rancidity in a Fat 108

To Become Familiar with Various Emulsions and the Effect That the Emulsifier Has on Stabilizing the Emulsion 110

Laboratory 11: Gelatin 113

To Compare Products Made with Unflavored Gelatin and the Available Commercial Mix 114

To Identify and to Become Familiar with the Different Uses of Gelatin 116

Laboratory 12: Egg Cookery 119

To Observe the Effect of Aging on the Raw Egg 121

To Become Familiar with Various Methods to Cook Eggs 122

To Understand How Heat Affects Gelation of Egg Proteins 126

To Observe the Use of Egg White Foams in Food Preparation 128

Miscellaneous Egg Cookery 130

Laboratory 13: Milk and Cheese 132

To Become Familiar with Various Milk Products 134

To Show the Effects of Temperature upon the Clotting of Milk by Rennin 134

To Study the Effects of Heat and Acid on Milk Proteins 135

To Observe How Milk Behaves During Preparation 137

To Differentiate Among the Many Available Varieties of Cheese 138

To Compare How Various Processed Cheese Products Melt as Compared to a Natural Cheese Product 138

To Understand How to Cook with Cheese 139

Laboratory 14: Meat and Poultry 142

To Show the Effects of the Degree of Doneness as Measured by the Internal Temperature and the Effects of Roasting Temperature on Roasting Time, Cooking Losses, and Color and Juiciness of Ground Meat Patties 144

To Show the Effect of Heat and Treatment on the Cooking of Less Tender Cuts of Beef 145

To Learn to Apply Different Cooking Techniques for Different Meat Cuts or Varieties 146

To Observe and Learn How to Cut Up or Disjoint a Whole Chicken 151

To Learn Various Methods for Chicken Preparation 151

Laboratory 15: Fish and Seafood Cookery 155

How to Prepare Fish in a Variety of Ways 157

To Learn How to Prepare Shellfish 159

Laboratory 16: Legumes and Tofu 164

To Learn How to Identify and Prepare Legumes 166

To Learn About and Become Acquainted with Tofu in Food Preparation 168

Laboratory 17: Sugar Crystallization 171

To Successfully Prepare Crystalline Candy by Learning the Principles of Proper Manipulation 173

To Observe and Successfully Prepare Amorphous Candy 175

Miscellaneous Candy 176

Laboratory 18: Ice Crystallization (Frozen Desserts) 178

Preparation of Freezer and Freezer (Mixtures) 179

To Use Still-Freezing in the Making of Frozen Desserts 183

Laboratory 19: Beverages: Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa 184

To Show Some Factors Which Affect the Quality of Coffee Beverages 186

To Show Some Factors Which Affect the Quality of Tea 187

To Evaluate Cocoa and Chocolate 189

Laboratory 20: Sensory Evaluation of Food 192

To Study the Effect of Temperature on Flavor Intensity 193

To Learn How Color Affects Flavor 194

To Determine How Texture Affects Food Identification 194

Glossary of Common Terms Used in Food Preparation 196

Appendix A: Food Safety 209

Appendix B: Sanitation in the Kitchen 212

Appendix C: Care and Cleaning of Small Appliances 214

Appendix D: Measuring Equivalents 216

Appendix E: Emergency Substitutions 220

Appendix F: Safe Food Storage 223

Appendix G: Retail Meat Cuts and Recommended Cooking Methods 227

Appendix H: How to Identify Cuts of Meat by Bones 231