Chapter 8 - Food Commodities - Meat and Alternatives Flashcards
How do we prepare meat for cooking?
● Slicing meat
● Mechanical method
● Marinating with acid
● Using tenderisers
Tenderising meat using slicing method
Meat should be sliced against the grain to shorten the muscle fibres. Slicing it this way will make the meat easier to chew.
Tenderising meat using mechanical method
pounding with a meat pounder; scoring with a knife; chopping into small pieces. These actions break down the muscle fibres of meat, making it easier to chew.
Tenderising meat by marinating with acid
Marinating helps to break down the muscle fibres and impart flavours to the meat. Meat should not be marinated too long as it will cause texture to turn mushy.
E.g of acidic ingredients lemon juice, vinegar, tomato juice to marinate meat before cooking it.
Tenderising meat using tenderisers
For example the leaves and juice of unripe papaya fruit contain the enzyme papain, which breaks down proteins in the connective tissues of meat.
Commercial tenderisers may also be used. Too much of tenderisers will also cause meat to turn mushy.
List the nutrients found in eggs.
● Protein ● Fats ● Vitamin A, D, E, K ● Vit B1, B2, B3 ● Iron ● phosphorus ● magnesium ● sodium ● chlorine ● potassium ● sulphur
Different uses of eggs in meal preparation and example of each use.
● As a raising agent [sponge cakes]
● As a setting agent [custards]
● As an emulsifier [mayonnaise]
● To bind ingredients together [potato cutlets]
● To coat food for frying [fish fillets]
● As a glaze [pastries]
● To increase nutritional value of food [egg drop soup]
● As a garnish [hard boiled eggs in mee siam]
● As a main dish [egg curry]
Give advice, with reasons, on the storage of eggs.
● Stored in their cartons for protection
● Should not be stored beyond date displayed on packaging to prevent contamination
● Whole eggs must not be frozen (contents would expand and cause egg shells to break) but separated eggs could be frozen
● Keep eggs in cool place but not too dry to prevent evaporation
● Store eggs round side up (contains air pocket) to prevent the yolk from rising against the shell and losing its freshness
● Store in chiller compartment of refrigerator, away from strong-smelling foods – smell will penetrate the porous shell
● Should not be washed as this destroys the protective cuticle
● Eggs that are broken can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator – to prevent contamination
Explain the changes that take place to the meat when it is being barbecued.
The proteins in the meat coagulate, causing the meat to shrink slightly. The loss of water from the meat causes the meat extractives to become concentrated, giving more flavour to the meat.
What are the nutrients found in pulses.
- LBV – protein – (soya HBV)
- fat
- carbohydrate/starch
- dietary fibre (NSP)
- iron
- thiamine
- nicotinic acid
- calcium
Types of pulses
- Beans : soya beans, black-eyed beans, mung beans, adzuki beans , kidney beans
- Peas: split peas, chick peas, marrowfat peas, green split peas
- Lentils: green lentils, red lentils, yellow lentils, soy lentils
Importance of pulses
- easily produced-can be grown in very poor soils where other corps cannot be cultivated
- dry so easily stored-do not need to be refrigerated once they are dried
- cheap to produce- they have broad genetic diversity and they climate-resilient
- can be mixed with another LBV food – to give HBV protein – Pulse protein is low in sulfur containing amino acids, but rich in lysine in which many cereals are deficient. A combination of pulses and cereal proteins may, therefore, have a nutritive value as good as animal proteins.
- Complementation filling-good combination with other food ingredients. E.g. Chicken and Dhal Curry
- Give variety to meals- add textures to the meal.
E.g. vegetable salad with crispy chick peas - valuable in vegan diet-Textured Vegetable Protein
State two differences between white and oily fish.
Colour: Flesh of oily fish is darker compared to white fish.
Fat content: White fish has little or no fats. The fats of white fish found in the liver.
State ways that you would check that the fish is fresh.
● Bright eyes not sunken / prominent
● Firm flesh
● Plenty of scales / bright scales / scales attached to skin
Stiff tail
● Skin moist not slimy
● Bright red gills / not sunken
● Pleasant smell
Fish is often coated before frying.
Give three reasons for coating food before frying.
● To prevent food from breaking up/ falling apart
● To prevent the loss of nutrients due to the intense heat of frying food
● To prevent the loss of flavour and juice
● Protects from intense heat of oil / from burning
● Prevents the fish from disintegrating
● Improves taste / flavour
● Improves texture / makes it crunchy / crispy
● Improves colour / batter is golden
● Prevents loss of moisture from fish
