The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-03-30

Blanching Vegetables as a Cooking
Process
Blanching, which in cookery is en-
tirely different from the bleaching
or blanching of green vegetables In
the garden, is a cooking process
often used with vegetables, since it
removes the strong or acrid taste and
improves the quality. 1t is also con-
venient, since blanching may be done
at any time, and the cooking COM
pleted in very short time when the
dish is to be served.
Have large stewpan half full
of rapidly boiling water. Add a
tablespoonful of salt for every two
quarts of water. Have the vege-
tables cleaned and we'll drained.
Drop them into the boiling water,
and bring the water back to the boil
ing point as quickly as possible. Boil
rapidly, with the cover partially or
wholly off the stewpan, to 20
minutes, depending upon the vege-
tables, then drain off the water. II
the cooking of the vegetable is not
to be finished at once, pour cold
water over the vegetable to cool it
quickly, then drain and set aside
until needed. If the cooking is to
be continued at once, 1t will not be
necessary to rinse the vegetable with
cold water. To complete the cook
ing the vegetable should be put in
a small stewpan with butter or drip
pings and the other seasonings and
cooked gently until done. A few
spoonfuls of liquid will be required
for every quart of very juicy veget-
ables, and half a pint of liquid for
drier vegetables. The stewpan is to
be covered, only slight opening be-
ing left for ventilation. All veget-
ables cooked in this manner should
be cut up rather small either before
or after the blarching.
Waste in Preparing Vegetables
In preparing vegetables for tho
table there is almost always a larger
or smaller loss due to inedible mat
ter. skins, roots, seeds, ETC., and also
waste of good material, which is
caused by careless pairing, ETC., all
these losses being grouped together
in reporting analyses under the name
REFUSE The amount of refuse
varies greatly in different vegetables,
as shown by large number of anal
Uses of American food materials.
The amount may be very small (7|
per cent? in such vegetables as
string beans; medium Go per cent
to is per cent? in such vegetables
as onions, cabbage, leekc, lettuce, Gu
cumbers; or high $50 per cent? in
such vegetables as beans in pod,
pumpkins and squash. With tubers,
such as potatoes, the average amount
of refuse Is 20 per cent, and with
such roots as turnips 80 per cent.
In preparing vegetables for the
table the careful cook will remove
all inedible portions and will see to
it that the total amount of refuse
is as small as is consistent with good
quality. Thin pairing of potatoes
and other vegetables is an economy
which it is worth while to practice, |
and is an easy way of decreasing |
useless loss.
Losses in Cooking Vegetables
In baking vegets bles there is little
loss of material except the water
which is driven off by the heat.
When vegetables are immersed in
water, as in boiling, greater or less
loss of material is almost inevitable,
the kind and amount of material ex-
tracted by the water depending upon
such factors as the sort of water
used, it's temperature at the begin
ming and during the cooking period,
the length of time the cooking is
and the condition of the
that is, whether pared,
whole, or cut into small pieces.
In experiments carried on under
the auspieces of the office Of expert
ment stations it was found that when
potatoes were boiled in the jackets
the lose of material was very trif1ing.
When peeled and soaked for several
hours before boiling, the loss in
round numbers amounted to about
so per cent of the heterogeneous ma
terial, and 40 per cent of the mineral
matter present. When potatoes were
peeled and placed at once in boiling
water, only 8 per cent of the proteid
matter and 10 per cent of the min
eral matter present were extracted
by the water. Little starch was re-
moved from the potatoes by the SOL
vent action of water, but when peel
ed potatoes were boiled the amount
Of starch removed by abrasion was
at times nearly 80 per
cent of the total value Of the potato.
In the experiments with carrots
1t was found that the loss was great
est when the roots were cut into
small pieces, amounting in this case
to nearly 80 per cent of the total
'ood material present. The sugar ex-
tracted when the carrots were boiled
was equivalent to nearly pound to
the bushel. When cabbage was boil
ed the amount of material extracted
was found to be considerable,
to about one-third of the
total food material present, the chief
extracted by the water
being ash or mineral matter. Some
recent German experiments have
shown that when vegetables are
steamed only one-third as much ma
;erial is removed as when they are
boiled.
In all cases the loss in cooking
vegetables is not great enough to
seriously influence the method of
,ooing selected in the ordinary
h