Cooking & Preservation Flashcards
(9 cards)
Food preservation ways
- Freeze
- Boiling or blanch at high temperatures and then sealed in airtight jars (canning)
- Use strong concentrations of alcohol, acid or salt
Such as picking in vinegar or fermenting alcohol - Exclude air by using a seal of oil or fat
- Remove moisture via warm air or oven or air drying, keep in dry conditions or seal in concentrated solute eg salt or sugar (osmosis)
Specific Storage of food
Apples, bananas, pears, avocados give off ripening agents that speed spoilage. separate them from the rest.
Leafy greens such as broccoli and cauliflower and carrots do well in the fridge
Potatoes, garlic, onion, honey, bread, melons, fresh herbs, tomatoes and eggplants do not - keep cool, and away from sunlight and away from the fridge
Herbs can be frozen in ice cubes or oil
If some produce is ripe already, e.g tomatoes then toss them in a fridge
If produce has been cut or peeled e.g onions then store in fridge wrapped tightly to avoid smells and airtight container
Only peel one clove at a time to avoid having to fridge garlic
Keep potatoes and onions away from eachother
It says to place cucumber not in the fridge but they last longer in it. But keep whole cucumbers and tomatoes outside of fridge
Tips for food storage
As a general rule, anything u pick up from the unrefrigerated section at the market will usually mean it can stay outside of the fridge until opened
Everything will last surprisingly longer in the freezer including raw meat but product quality will degrade overtime. Cooked foods will last less than raw ones
Anything raw should be stored in the coolest part of the fridge
Keep cooked and ready to eat foods separate from raw foods
Food should be in covered containers or wrapped up in eg cling film
If high risk foods have been left out for more than 4 hours, throw it away
Don’t let raw meat touch cooked meat, don’t place things on a cutting board used for raw meat without washing or sanitising it
Label and date things and fridge it immediately once done
Keep fruits and veggies away from eachother
Tips for food spoilage
Check for signs of: change in colour, texture, taste, odour, softer, mould
Leftovers should be eaten within 48 hours and be placed in the fridge immediately or before 1-2 hours
When defrosting food, don’t do it at room temperature, place it in the fridge or microwave at defrost (but need to eat immediately then)
Once cooked rice, wait for leftovers to coo to room temp and can store in fridge covered airtight for up to 3 days but preferably consume within 24 hours. Reheat it up to 75 Celsius or more
Keep fresh fruit and veggies away from the types that produce ethylene (not all affected but still)
Expiration approximates of food
Perishable:
Raw meat : 1-3 days in fridge, 6-12 months in freezer
Raw Poultry meat : 1-2 days in fridge , 9-12 months in freezer
Raw Fish: 1-2 days in fridge, 2-6 months in freezer
Eggs 3-5 weeks in fridge
Cooked meat and leftovers 3-4 days
Milk 5-7 days in fridge after open
Butter 1-2 months in fridge after open
Cheese 1-4 weeks
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Leafy greens and berries 3-7 days
Root veggies 3-4 weeks
Apples and citrus 1-3 weeks
Fruits and veggies once cut or peeled will be 3-5 days in fridge
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Bread : 1 week, once opened 3-4 days
Baked goods 2-3 days
Canned goods (acidic) 12-18 months
Canned goods 2-5 years
Once canned opened, 3-7 days in fridge
—-
Pasta 1-2 years
Rice - 2 years
Beans 1-2 years
Once cooked, 3-4 days in fridge preferably less
—
Flour - 6-12 months
Baking powder 6 months - 1 year
—
Spices 2-4 years
Condiments 1-2 years, 6 months if opened
Cooking oils - 6 months to 2 years
Ethylene separations
Producers - will need to separate even from eachother to avoid accumulation, should be placed in fridge also unless doesn’t deal with it well
• Apples
• Apricots
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Blueberries
• Cantaloupes
• Figs
• Grapes
• Green onions
• Guavas
• Honeydew melons
• Kiwifruit
• Mangoes
• Nectarines
• Papayas
• Passion fruit
• Peaches
• Pears
• Persimmons
• Plums
• Tomatoes
—-
Sensitives
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Cucumbers
• Eggplants
• Green beans
• Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, kale)
• Peas
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Watermelon
• Zucchini
Tips for food wastage
Wrap herbs and leafy greens in damp towels and then fridge
Place fruits (double check specific ones) in airtight jars and place in fridge
Store carrot submerged in water jars
Store a lot of things in vacuum bags in the fridge
Can blend wilting greens for smoothie
Can repurpose veggie scrap into stock
For cut onions, face down on plate toss in fridge
Can revive leafy greens in ice baths
Food measurements
1 gram = 0.035 ounces
1 kg = 1000 grams
1 milligram = 0.001 grams
1 cup - 240 millimetres
= 8.45 fluid ounces
1 tablespoon = 15 millimetres = 0.5 fluid ounces
1 teaspoon = 5 millimetres 0.17 fluid ounces
1 ounce = 28.35 grams
1 pound = 454 grams = 16 ounces
Food conversions to tablespoon eyes
Grams and ounce depend on the weight
15 ml = 1 tablespoon
1 cup = 16 tablespoons
1 fluid ounce - 2 tablespoons
1 pint - 32 tablespoons
1 quart = 64 tablespoons
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoons
1 litre = 67 tablespoons
