Potatoes & GrainsProStart Chapter 11 | Year 1

Types of PotatoesPotato varieties differ in starch and moisture content,

shape, and skin color.

High-starch, low-moisture potatoes are dense because they have a high amount of dry starch. They are best when baked, puréed, or fried. They include Idaho, yams, sweet and russet potatoes.

Medium-starch, medium-moisture potatoes are versatile. They are best for boiling, steaming, sautéing, oven roasting, stewing, mashing, and braising. They include chef’s all-purpose, Yukon gold, and yellow-fleshed potatoes.

Low-starch, high-moisture potatoes are new potatoes. New potatoes are best for boiling, steaming, and oven roasting.

Selecting andStoring Potatoes

When selecting potatoes, choose potatoes that are firm and smooth.

Do not accept potatoes with dark spots, green areas, mold, or large cuts.

Store potatoes in a cool, dry place at temperatures ranging from 45°F to 55°F.

All potatoes are best stored in ventilated containers in indirect light. Solanine is a harmful substance that

can form in potatoes when exposed to sunlight.

A wide variety of market forms exists when purchasing potatoes. These forms include fresh,

frozen, refrigerated, canned, and dried.

Cooking Potatoes Always pierce a potato before

baking so that steam and heat can escape. If not, the potato can explode.

Always discard potatoes if you have any doubts about their freshness or safety.

In the single-stage cooking technique, take potatoes directly from the raw state to the finished state by using one cooking method.

In a multiple-stage technique, prepare potatoes using more than one cooking method before they are a finished dish.

Boiling is one of the easiest methods of cooking potatoes. It is often the first step for other preparations, such as puréed potatoes.

Steaming is an especially good cooking method for new potatoes because of their high moisture content.

Baked potatoes are always served in their skins. The best baking potatoes are Idaho's or russets.

Cooking MethodsPotato Preparation Techniques

Sweet Potatoes

Boiling, baking, pureeing, and roasting.

Yams Pureeing and frying

Russets Baking or frying

Chef’s or All-Purpose

Mashing, pureeing, braising, and sautéing

New Potatoes

Boiling, steaming, and roasting

Yellow-fleshed

Mashing

Cooking Potatoes Scrub all potatoes clean

Deep-fry potatoes to make French fries, cottage fries, steak fries, and many other fried potato dishes.

Make potato pancakes with grated potatoes and other ingredients. Pan-fry them to a crispy brown. Latkes are potato pancakes

that are most known in the American-Jewish culture.

Whenever possible, cook potatoes in their skins to retain their nutrients.

Legumes Dried legumes have many uses in

cooking, from salads and appetizers, to main courses and desserts.

Store legumes in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, away from light and excessive heat.

Place legumes in a large colander or sieve and rinse well with cold running water to remove any dust or dirt particles.

Cook legumes to develop their flavor, to remove harmful substances, and to make them easy to chew and digest.

You can serve legumes in many ways; examples include soups, stews, salads, or as side or main dishes.

Legumes are seeds from pod-producing plants. Legumes include beans, peas, lentils,

nuts, and seeds.

Selecting, Storing, and Preparation

A specific list can be found on page 701

Receiving Storage Preparation

Packaging should be intact with no holes

Cool, dry, well ventilated area away from light and excessive heat

Rinse before cooking

Cans should be dent free

Discard any that are moldy, damp, or wrinkled

Soak in some cases

Keep dry beans for up to 2 years (Best when used before 6 months)

Cook before eaten to develop flavors and to remove harmful substances

Grains Whole grains are grains that

have not been milled.

During the milling process, the germ, bran, and hull of the grain are removed or polished: The hull of a whole grain is the

protective coating, or husk, that surrounds the grain.

Bran, a great source of fiber and B vitamins, is the tough layer surrounding the endosperm.

The endosperm is the largest part of the grain and a major source of protein and carbohydrate.

The smallest part of the whole grain is the germ. It provides a trace of fat and is rich in thiamin.

Grains are grasses that grow edible seeds. Grains along with meals and flours are all essential for everyday cooking.

Grains Examples include:

Wheat Wheat Flour Rice Corn Oats Other variations:

Buckwheat, rye, barley, etc.

Selection, Storage, and Preparation

Selection/Receiving

Storage Preparation

Purchase in quantities that can be used within 3 weeks

Dry grains should be stored 6” above the floor in a level, dry, ventilated area

Soak before cooking them

Check bags/boxes/containers to make sure they are clean, intact, and not below standard

Whole grains should be stored in the freezer

Brown and wild rice should be refrigerated

Cook steamed grains in double boiler.

Grains

Pilaf is a technique for cooking grains in which the food preparer sautés the grain briefly in oil or butter and then simmers it in stock or water with various seasonings.

Most commonly, food preparers use the risotto method with one special medium-grain rice, arborio.

Risotto has a very creamy consistency because of the starch that is released from the arborio rice as it cooks.

11.2

Pasta and Dumplings

Pasta is one of the most versatile and convenient foods to prepare.

Dried pasta and noodles store well, cooks slower, and provide a base or accompaniment for many popular dishes. Fresh pasta cooks faster but doesn’t store as well as dried pasta does.

Dumplings are cooked balls of dough that often include a filling ingredient, such as pork, vegetables, or even sweets.

Pasta and dumplings dough or batter includes a starch and a liquid. Use additional ingredients to add shape, color, texture, and flavor.

The basic pasta dough recipe produces a stiff dough that can be stretched, rolled into thin sheets, and cut into desired shapes.

The word pasta in Italian means paste, referring to a mixture of flour and water, and sometimes eggs.

Pasta and Dumplings Fresh pasta cooks very quickly. The

pasta is done when it feels firm to the bite, or al dente.

For fresh pasta dough, use four simple ingredients: eggs, salt, olive oil, and flour For flavor and color, add fresh herbs, spices, and vegetables.

When mixing pasta dough, the most important stage is the resting stage. If the dough is not sufficiently relaxed, it will be difficult to roll the dough into thin sheets.

Hold fresh, uncooked pasta under refrigeration for a day or two, or freeze it.

Any sauce served with pasta must be the right consistency to complement the type of pasta.

Pasta and DumplingsSteps to Cooking Pasta

1. Bring a large pot to a boil and add salt

2. Add pasta and stir until softened and separated

3. Cook until done, stirring occasionally

4. Drain pasta in colander

5. Serve pasta immediately.

Pasta can be served with sauce or tossed with oil

Pasta and Sauce?

Flat pasta should be paired with a light, smooth cream sauce.

Pair tube or twisted pasta with a thick, heavy sauce like tomato because they can catch and hold onto the sauce.

Pasta and Dumplings Pasta rules of thumb:

One pound dried pasta to one gallon of liquid One pound dry pasta yields three pounds

cooked pasta One pound fresh uncooked pasta yields 2–2 ½

pounds cooked pasta

Make dumplings from dough or batter, or even bread and potatoes as the main ingredients.

Dumplings should never have a doughy, uncooked interior. Simmer dumplings in a flavorful sauce.

Slight additions or changes can transform pasta dough into a dumpling batter for spaetzle, small German dumplings

Bread-like dumplings that are tasty in stews. Gnocchi are small potato dumplings served in Italian cuisine.

DumplingsMost popular method for cooking dumplings is

by poaching

Other methods includeSimmeringSteaming