FRUIT AND COOKING WITH FRUIT

FRUIT AND COOKING WITH FRUIT

  Fruits are the ovaries that surround or contain the seeds of plants. Customarily used in sweet dishes but also excellent with savory items. A fruit is wonderful served alone as a refreshing breakfast or a finale to a meal. Dried fruits find their way into compotes, stuffing and sauces.

CLASSIFICATION OF FRUITS: BROADLY CLASSIFIED INTO:

1. Fleshy fruit: This group would include apple, banana, pineapple
2. Stone fruit: This group includes mangoes, apricots, peaches and the flesh surrounds the stone.

3. Citrus fruits: These are usually segmented and have a predominant sweet sour taste and will include orange, grapefruit, tangerines. They contain an outer rind and seeds referred to as pips.

4. Berry fruits: include strawberries, raspberries, mulberries and gooseberries.
5. Nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts consist of an outer shell and inner seed.

NUTRITIVE VALUE

          Fruits are low in calories but very high in moisture content, which ranges from 75-95%. Actual nutritive value varies from fruit to fruit. As a group, they do not contain much protein, carbohydrate or fat. However, they are an excellent source of fiber and help in gastro-intestinal problems. Fruits contain sugar in the form of glucose, sucrose and fructose. Ripe fruits will contain higher sugar content than unripe fruits. Citrus fruits, melons and strawberries contain an excellent quantity of Vitamin C. There are hardly any minerals found in fruits except for raisins and dried fruit, which have a fair amount of iron content. Some fruit like oranges and avocados also contain potassium.

SELECTION

In general, fruits should be free of bruises, mould, brown or soft spots, and pest damage, they should have colours and textures appropriate to their type. Fruits should be plump, not shriveled.

(Check food production operations Parvinder Bali pg 142-154…for individual fruits selection points)..V.V IMPORTANT

STORAGE

With a few exceptions like banana produce should be kept at a temperature of 4C to 7C .The ideal situation is to have a separate walk-in/fridge for fruits.

Fruits that need further ripening need to be stored at room temperature 18 to 21⁰ C. once the product is ripe should be refrigerated to avoid overipening.

Certain fruits such as apples melons and bananas emit high amount of ethylene gas as they sit in storage. Ethylene gas can accelerate ripening in unripe fruits but also promote spoilage in fruits that are already ripe. They should be stored separately.  

COOKING WITH FRUITS

     Although most fruit are edible raw, cooking is often necessary to soften the cellulose of some fruit, as well as to cook the starch in unripe or very hard fruits.

Fruits are cooked to provide variety in eating and a lot of fruit is canned or frozen to provide an all year round supply. The factor to consider in cooking of fruit is the fiber and cellulose content, the amount of sugar and the amount of water used. The amount of water used in turn will depend on the structure of the fruit and its moisture content. Berries have very little cellulose and will collapse when cooked. So use very little water. Apples and pears require sufficient water to soften their fiber content.

COOKING CHANGES

Cooking will affect the:

Texture – cooking will soften the tissues/fibers of fruit hence a softening of texture. If an alkali such as baking soda is present, the fruit will very quickly become mushy. This is suitable for making jams and jellies and coulis. However, acids, calcium salts and sugar strengthen the fiber. For stewed and poached fruits, use sugar syrup flavored with lemon to retain shapes. If a sauce is required, add the sugar only after the fruit is cooked.

Color - Due to certain chemical changes, the color of some fruits will change. Grapes and cherries tend to go dull when cooked and strawberries will lose their luster. All berries must be cooked slowly to control loss of color.

Flavor – Overcooking, soaking and steeping of fruits lead to loss of flavor. Fruits should be cooked for as short a time as possible to retain maximum flavor.

Nutritive Value – The greatest loss in food value in cooked fruits is the loss of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and iron through oxidation. A lot of the nutritive value is present just under the skin and this is lost when the fruit is peeled.

METHODS OF COOKING FRUIT

Baking, stewing, poaching, sautéing are the most common methods of cooking fruits. The aim of cooking fruit is to retain as much as possible of the flavor, aroma and nutritive value. Cooking also aids the digestibility. Firm, fresh fruit are ideal and best for stewing. Stewing is best done in water or in sugar syrup. Fruits with a heavy skin and high fiber are best suited for baking. The outer peel/skin serves as a protective covering and helps hold the steam necessary to soften the fiber and cellulose. It also helps prevent the loss of volatile flavors. Other fruit such as bananas, apricots and peaches may be baked covered in a baking dish. Cooked fruit should be served soon after cooking and fruit based sauces and pies are most palatable and delicious if served shortly after preparation.

REFERENCE BOOKS: Professional chef-Culinary Institute of America

                                  Food production operations –Parvinder Bali