CONCEPT 23: SALTING VEGETABLES REMOVES LIQUID Flashcards
Name two summer vegetables that are made up of mostly water.
Tomatoes and zucchini.
Edible plants include what?
Fruits and vegetables.
What part of a plant are fruits?
Reproductive parts of the plant or those containing seeds.
What part of the plant are vegetables?
Everything but the reproductive parts including roots, stems and leaves.
According to botany, what is a fruit?
A fruit is the ripened ovary, together with seed of a flowering plant.
Is the term vegetable a botanical term?
No, it’s a culinary term which has no established scientific value.
What is a primary component in the cell walls of plants?
Cellulose
Does cellulose get thicker with age?
Yes
What’s one reason raw veggies are so crunchy?
Cellulose
What is pectin?
A water-soluble polysaccharide also present in the cell walls and in between cells, actin like glue to hold them together.
Are vegetable mostly water?
Yes
How is working with vegetables unlike cooking meats?
We want to retain moisture in meat, not vegetables.
What happens to ions when salt is added to vegetables? How is this equalized?
It creates a higher ion concentration at the surface than exists deep within the cells. To equalize the concentration levels, water within the cells is drawn out through permeable cell walls (osmosis).
What is the trick with salting vegetables (opposite of meat).
To wick away moisture as it comes to the surface; don’t wait for it to be reabsorbed like in meats.
What is important when making slaws and salads? Why?
Removal of water form vegetables because excess liquid can dilute a dressing, causing the vegetables to swim in a flavorless pool of juice.
What happens to turgor pressure as cells lose water? What does this create?
The cell loses turgor pressure and begins to collapse; it radically changes their texture–softer and less crisp.
What is turgor pressure?
Turgor pressure pushes the plasma membrane against the cell wall of plant, bacteria, and fungi cells as well as those protist cells which have cell walls.
Besides turgor pressure (the texture), how else does salt affect vegetables? How?
Much of pectin’s strength comes from the presence of calcium and magnesium ions within the molecules; links that hold pectin together. When raw vegetables are salted or salt is added to cooking water, the sodium ions in salt replace the calcium and magnesium ions in pectin.
TEST KITCHEN: MOISTURE LOSS IN SALTED VS UNSALTED CABBAGE.
Salted cabbage had wilted and lost 2tbsp of liquid.
For a coleslaw, what does salted cabbage do to restore balance?
Wilted cabbage leaves will draw back some of the added dressing in order to restore turgor pressure, thereby enhancing flavor.
Was the flavor of gazpacho enhanced when vegetables were salted one hour before blending?
Yes, it created a fuller and more complex flavor than those with salt added toward the end.
Why are the flavor molecules of fruits and vegetables sometimes masked from our tastebuds?
They are trapped within the cell walls and tightly bound to proteins that make them inaccessible to our tastebuds.
Does blending and chewing release some of the trapped flavor molecules?
It release some but, for maximum extraction, salting and letting them sit for an hour works best.
How does salt release the trapped flavor molecules?
With time, salt draws flavor compounds out of the cell walls while simultaneously forcing the proteins to separate from these molecules.
What should you do when using salted cabbage immediately for coleslaw?
Rinse in ice water, drain in colander and pat dry.
What happens if salted cabbage is left unrinsed and undried?
The salty moisture trapped within the thatch (roof, house) of shredded cabbage ruins both the texture and flavor of coleslaw.
What do mayonnaise and sour cream add to a buttermilk coleslaw coating?
Mayonnaise gives dressing a good heft and adhesiveness while sour cream reinforces the characteristic Southern twang.
How long can opened buttermilk last?
Up to three weeks; tastes best when used fresh.
Does buttermilk smell sour?
Yes
How do you know when buttermilk turns truly bad?
Growth of blue-green mold.
Why can buttermilk last three weeks?
It’s high in lactic acid, which is hostile to the growth of harmful bacteria and mold.
TEST KITCHEN: BUTTERMILK PANCAKES USING 1, 2 AND 3 WEEK OLD BUTTERMILK.
Pancakes became increasingly bland every week.
Why does buttermilk become bland with age?
The bacteria in buttermilk produce lactic acid and diacetyl. As time passes, it continues to ferment and become more acidic. The abundance of acid kills off all the bacteria that produce diacetyl; retains acidic tartness but loses buttery flavor.
